With all those articles around on hackers, NSA, the Chinese spying, etc. one gets worried. I sit on my MAC island, so a more secure environment. But a few days ago I got the creeps, noticing very heavy traffic on my router. Checked the network activity, finding some useless programs doing stuff on the Internet (Canon scanner stuff). Thanks to Google search I managed to kill that one. Still, in one day some 1 GB of data came into my MAC. Never got the explanation: it was apparently not related to any software update. Well at least it was not outgoing: like someone copying my hard disk. Tried all different gimmicks to identify the culprit(s). Activity Monitor allows to see the traffic but not which program is doing it. One way is to kill one by one suspicious-looking activities in Activity Monitor (get info and then force quit). Another way is to use nettop command using terminal:
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-57580828-263/use-nettop-command-to-check-per-application-network-activity-in-os-x/
I must admit, the results are not so clear unless you are a specialist.
I did check my firewall and shut down any access that I was not using (sharing printers etc.).
Still, my router continued to flicker madly while Activity Monitor showed little if any incoming or outgoing traffic. After two days, it stopped.
I can only guess some hacker was furiously trying to hack my laptop. No clear way to see who is “knocking on my door”… But I always keep an eye on my router light…
Or?
MAC and IT
IT, telecom, Macintosh
Voice Memos of iPhone not showing up in iTunes
Since a long time, users of the iPhone have been complaining bitterly that Apple has completely ignored complaints that Voice Memos on the iPhone cannot be transferred to iTunes. People have been trying out all kind of tricks, such as trimming the voice memos without really trimming, and like me, by ticking on and off “sync voice memos” etc. The problems were pretty dramatic for some users, as they had made important recording (interviews, family) that they could not use.
See the discussion group:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2607144?tstart=0
I think I was one of the first to comment there, and giving some tips that did work for me, even if a bit confusing. Then things got more complicated, like seeing a 1 hr 21 min voice memo showing up in iTunes (where I could play it but not delete), but nowhere appearing in the iPhone. Everybody got really upset with Apple, after so many years no solution. So, I gave up and bought the software we are not allowed to talk about (see below): iExplorer (It is said Apple deletes any mention). Now that was not only a solution, it was showing things were much much worse: it shows the Voice Memos but also another folder in the iPhone called “Recordings”. The files are mostly .m4a, one is .mov. A total of 13 files totally hidden, old voice memos that were supposed to have been deleted more than a year ago. With iExplorer I copied them to my MAC and then deleted them in the iPhone, also with iExplorer. So, if you think your problem is not being able to download your “existing” voice memos, it could be worse. I know it sucks we have to buy a software that we don’t need in theory. What choice?
Do note: I have the latest OS on the iPhone.
iExplorer is available with Macroplant (USD 34.99). It lets you look straight into your iPhone as a hard disk, basically. You check all the hidden files and copy what you want from the iPhone into your MAC (in my case). I still have to explore (!) more of its features: you can also see and copy your SMS messages, notes, pics and much more.
As a Macfanatic, thumbs down for Apple.
Recent talks: AmCham and UMKC
On 28 March one more book talk, this time for AmCham (American Chamber of Commerce in China). I was pretty nervous about that talk, found some new tips on how to improve a public talk using a PPT and as a result locked myself up and changed very much my original presentation.
See the invitation: 130328 Toxic Capitalism
I was the also battling a bug in Microsoft Office for MAC 2011: the slideshow in PowerPoint does not work since recent updates (14.3.2 is the latest): in the middle of the presentation the keyboard freezes, not exactly pleasant when your audience looks at you hitting all keys in desperation and nothing happens. Fortunately I had figured out the track pad still works, but not handy… Found out everybody has the same problem and there is no real solution except to wait that MS comes up with a new update. Problem was solved by buying Keynote… Just around 20 USD to get rid of the pesky PPT stuff. Works great and allows smooth import and export of PPT.
Finally it went all well it seems at AmCham. See the pics, courtesy of AmCham.
The other seminar, one of the regular ones, was for UMKC (University of Missouri at Kansa City, Henry W. Bloch School of Management). A pretty engaged and enthusiastic group of EMBA students. See the pic at Peninsula Hotel.
Talking to New Hampshire University and fighting PowerPoint
On 12 March again a special China talk, this time to a group of EMBA.
One really has to keep cool. The day started not that auspiciously, for once raining in Beijing, so biking with all my stuff from Gongti to Novotel Peace was a bit more complicated. I was told 19th floor then discovered there was a room booked on the (usual) 2nd floor. So I started setting up everything, long time in advance. Nobody seemed to be coming, so I called my ISP contact – who told me, it is 19 not 2. OK, she came over. After waiting finally the hotel agreed to do it there. I was anxious to get the projector going… a usual source of problems, and so it was. No signal going to the projector, technician checking the pile of cables, clueless. Suddenly, whoops, signal. I don’t like that: what comes like this also goes like that (and I was right).
The group was very active – and patient. I had changed quite a bit my very personal intro on China, giving a view on the impressive changes over the past 30 years, not only in terms of buildings and technology, but also the changes in society, surprising and even shocking at times for people like me. Who would imagine China Daily talking in details about “sex addiction in China”?
All went well and then, once again my MacBook Air refused to cooperate. Nothing of the keyboard worked except the mouse, so I could at least advance the slides. Then the projector got tired and lost the red color; the red cover of my book became dark blue.
But we all took it in stride and it went well.
Back in the office now trying to replicate why the keyboard freezes after some time. Google was no help. Turns out, connecting to a screen is not the problem either. I tried some recent PPTs: all freezing at some point, even the older ones: they worked without problems in the past. So, should be something being corrupted in the PPT or in the program. Now the challenge is to find it and/or rebuild the PPT in a “clean way”. I use the latest PPT Mac 2011 with MAC OS 10.7.5The same happened with a PPT done in Office 2008 for MAC: never insert a movie. That will be the end of your slideshows (and there is no way around). However, you can do it in Office 2011. But this time, no clue yet. Seems pretty difficult to find.
Repairing the iMac screen
I love my iMac (PowerMac6,1 – model M6498 – 1GHz PowerPC G4), bought in 2003 but still running so well. A PC would never be able to last as long.
Over time the screen started failing, usually doing a sleep/wake up helped but finally the screen gave up. Once on it would work, as long as I would not switch of or let it go to sleep.
Apple and all so-called specialists said the model was too old and they could not repair. So sad, Chinese technicians have become pretty lousy (and lazy).
Thanks to my good friend Patrik (Swiss and used to mess around with computers and watches) we looked into the problem that appeared to be the screen Backlight/Invertor. The made-in-China spare part was of course nowhere to be found in China but I ordered it online (welovemacs.com) in the USA and got it delivered. Then Patrik simply dismounted the whole iMac, screen and all, to do some cleaning, put in a new internal battery and change the backlight.
All done and … working.
Now the funniest part is, the (in)famous Mac startup “boing” is gone. We tried and checked everything. Nothing. The iMac works great but no more startup sound. We probably must have done something to the hardware while cleaning as all software checks with TechTool Pro and other did not show anything wrong.
Thanks Patrik and too bad for Apple after-sales and the Chinese “specialists”.
Remark – 23 Sept 10
Funny, my iMac sometimes “starts talking” again when starting up. But mostly still no start-up “boing”. Did not yet find a pattern. At first I thought I was dreaming but, it really “talked”… Mystery remains.