Did you know you can rearrange the icons in your menu bar in OS X? I just figured this out by accident. Hold down the Command key, and drag the icon to move it. If you drag it out of the menu bar, it will poof and go away. Boom!

Apparently the only icon that can’t be moved is the Spotlight icon. It’s a super icon.

I like my MacBook Pro to be secure, so I’ve enabled “require password when waking from sleep or screen saver”. It’s a pain to have to type the password every time I open the lid, but I feel better knowing that a thief would have a harder time getting my files if they did manage to pry my beloved MBP out of my cold, dead fingers.

So I’m relatively happy with the security features. But there is one thing that would make me Really Happy: I guess you could call it “network-context security” or “location-based security”

Location-based security basically means that the security settings would change depending on what network you’re connected to. So if I’m at home, connected to my home wifi network, the security would be at its loosest. I could open and close the top all day long without putting in my password. But as soon as that network goes away, or I get out of range of my house, the tougher security would kick in. So if I wind up at the coffee shop, the computer would automatically know to bump up the security settings. Returning home again, my security settings would be reduced.

How sweet would this be? It seems like one of those sugary little features that Apple would bake in to make people feel really warm and fuzzy, but I’d settle for a shareware app. Anyone know if such a thing exists? Is there a hidden feature in Leopard for this?

Despite some well-documented claims to the contrary, I think Windows Vista has really increased my productivity.

I got Vista a couple of weeks ago in order to test web pages in IE 7 for Moral Metic. We do have a Windows XP machine that I could have used, but it’s our mission-critical Quickbooks machine, so I didn’t want to risk setting up IE 7 and messing up Quickbooks.

Anyway, ever since I installed Vista under VMWare on my Mac Mini, I have been SO much more productive. Without Vista, I never would have had time to do things like organize my office, put up additional shelves in the closet, and rearrange furniture. All while waiting for Vista to do things. I am tremendously thankful for these opportunities to do mundane tasks that Vista has opened up, and I look forward to a future where we all have more time for things that just aren’t that important, and less time to do actual work.

Thanks Microsoft!

Yes ladies and gentlemen, it is my FIRST iPod. I am at least six years behind the rest of the world. I am probably The Last Person In The United States To Buy Their First iPod. (Actually, that title is still held by my wife, Bethany.)

It is a wee little iPod Shuffle. This thing really is amazing – so incredibly simple. Pretty, simple, elegant, efficient.

Oh, and it was from Apple Refurbished, so it only set me back $50!

We keep a windows computer around the office for running Quickbooks and testing websites in Internet Explorer. Yesterday it crashed again, so I decided it was time to format the hard drive and start from scratch.

SO…

After installing Windows XP, I had to

• Install drivers
• restart
• install drivers
• restart
• install drivers
• restart
• install 62 critical updates
• restart
• download Service Pack 2
• restart
• install virus protection software
• update the virus protection software
• install 34 more windows updates
• restart

Bah!

Does this mean I should get Vista? What say ye?

Safari on Windows. Safari on Mac. Safari on iPhone.

This is potentially one of the most important developments since the invention of the web browser itself. Apple apparently intends to beat Microsoft at its own game, dominating the web browser market. And glory be – will not we web developers be happy to someday see the demise (unlikely as it may seem) of the inferior Internet Explorer? Or, as seems more likely, the steady increase in the overall quality and capability of the Web as a platform.

But that is only part of the picture. The new ubiquitous Safari gives Apple (and us) a platform through to deliver media and applications to every computer user, regardless of platform, location, or operating system preference.

Today’s announcement that the iPhone will support third-party software through Safari means that the average web developer like you and I will be able to develop rich applications for the iPhone with a minimal learning curve. It also means that existing applications like BaseCamp, Backpack, and our own CrossConnector may be easily ported to a native iPhone application.

With high-bandwidth Internet almost universal, a common platform on every conceivable Internet device, and a framework that lets you churn out new applications in no time, imagine the applications you could develop.

Ooooo this is so exciting. Today kicks off Apple’s WWDC (WorldWide Developer’s Conference) 2007. If you’re like me you’re hunched over your feedreader waiting for the keynote at 10:00am PDT. (Not really, I’m actually getting work done.)

Yes, I am an Apple fanboy. Normally companies treat me, a customer, as an antagonist. Apple is one of the few companies I work with that makes me feel really, really happy on a regular basis. Plus they have really cool products. Ok, let’s have that iPhone.

WWDC live coverage from MacRumorsLive

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