Big book of Apple hacks : [tips & tools for unlocking the power of your Apple devices]

2008·96.1 MB·English

by  Seibold, Chris

BIG BOOK OF 1-iACI<S
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A p p l e ____ ___
H a c k s
Chris Seibold
Make.
makezme.com
IJI
BIG BOOK OF
A p p l e
H a c k s
First Edition
Chris Seibold
O'REILLY
BEIJING • CAMBRIDGE • FARNHAM • KOLN • SEBASTOPOL • TAIPEI • TOKYO
BIG BOOK OF APPLE HACKS
by Chris Seibold
Copyright© 2008 Chris Seibold. All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A.
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Important Message to Our Readers: The technologies discussed in this publication. the
limitations on these technologies that technology and content owners seek to impose. and
the laws actually limiting the use of these technologies are constantly changing. Thus. some of
the hacks described in this publication may not work. may cause unintended harm to systems
on which they are used. or may not be consistent with applicable user agreements.
Your safety is your own responsibility. including proper use of equipment and safety gear. and
determining whether you have adequate skill and experience. Electricity and other resources
used for these projects are dangerous unless used properly and with adequate precautions.
including safety gear. These projects are not intended for use by children.
Use of the instructions and suggestions in Big Book of Apple Hacks is at your own risk.
O'Reilly Media. Inc. and the author disclaim all responsibility for any resulting damage. injury.
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ISBN: 978-0-596-52982-6 [7/08]
PREFACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
How to Use This Book ..............................................................v ii
How This Book Is Organized ....................................................... viii
Conventions Used in This Book .......................................................x
Acknowledgments ................................................................. xi
We'd Like to Hear from You ......................................................... xi
1 BEFORE YOU HACK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
HACK 01: Back Up Now with Disk Utility .................................................. 2
HACK 02: Create an Emergency Boatable Flash Drive ...................................... 7
HACK 03: I nsta!l Developer Tools ........................................................ 12
HACK 04: Understand Your User Account ................................................ 13
HACK os: Become an Administrator for a Moment ........................................ 15
HACK 06: Behold the Power of PLIST .................................................... 18
2 HACKS FOR THE NET ............................... 22
HACK 07: Change Your Browser .........................................................2 2
HACK 08: Safari: More Than Meets the Eye ...............................................2 9
HACK 09: Browser Agnosticism .........................................................3 2
HACK 10: Enable Safari Debug Menu ....................................................3 4
HACK u: Roll Your Own Web Server .....................................................4 0
HACK 12: Two Ways to Reset Safari ..................................................... 47
HACK 13: Ditch That Hidden Data .......................................................5 0
HACK 14: Scrape the Web for I mages ....................................................5 4
HACK 15: User-Initiated Privacy for Web Applications ...........•.........................5 9
3 HACKING MAC OS X •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 64
HACK 16: Know Your Cats ..............................................................6 4
HACK 17: Kill Dashboard ...............................................................6 6
HACK 18: Move a Widgetto the Desktop ................................................. 67
HACK 19: Turn Your Desktop into a Font of Useful Information .............................. 69
HACK 20: Tame the Finder ............................................................. 72
HACK21: Use That Software Restore Disk on (Almost) Any Mac ............................ 76
HACK 22: Get Things Done with Automator .............................................. 87
HACK 23: A Context Menu for Moving Files ...............................................9 2
HACK 24: Free Up Gigabytes of Space on Your Hard Drive (and Never Miss the Data) .........9 4
CONTENTS iii
HACK25: Create an Encrypted USB Drive ................................................9 8
HACK 26: Capture That Screen ........................................................ 101
HACK 27: Launch in a Different Way ....................................................1 05
HACK 28: Meet the Dictionary: Your Hidden Wikipedia Browser ............................1 09
4 COMMAND-LINE FUN . .............................. 114
HACK 29: Meet Unix .................................................................. 114
HACK 30: Getting Things Done with the Command Line .................................. 118
HACK 31: Get More Out of Your Mac with Fink and Mac Ports .............................. 121
HACK 32: Make Life Easy With Shell Scripts ............................................. 125
HACK 33: Fun with Mac FUSE, or Mount Nearly Everything as a Virtual Hard Drive ........... 129
HACK 34: Starting and Stopping Unix Daemons ......................................... 132
HACK 35: Im age Management with lmageMagick ........................................ 136
HACK 36: Tapping Into Mac OS X from the Command Line ............................... 140
5 CUSTOMIZING THE OS X LOOK AND FEEL ........... 142
HACK 37: Customize the Login Window ................................................. 142
HACK 38: Change Safari's Error Page ...................................................1 50
HACK 39: Convert Audio Files with iTunes ............................................... 153
HACK 40: Replace Mail Sounds ........................................................ 155
HACK 41: Rename the Unrenameable .................................................. 158
HACK 42: Create Custom Screensavers ................................................ 161
HACK 43: Create Custom Icons ........................................................ 170
HACK44: Clean Up That Desktop with AppleScript ......................................1 80
HACK 45: Change the Boot Image .....................................................1 84
HACK 46: Empower the Finder Window .................................................1 88
6 NETWORK AND SECURITY HACKS .................. 194
HACK 47: Automate Your Download Folder ..............................................1 94
HACK48: Approximate a Static IP with NoiP for Mac ..................................... 197
HACK 49: Surf Anonymously . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
HACK 50: Monitor the Data Leaving Your Mac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
HACK 51: Resurrecting the IPFW Firewall in Leopard .................................... 209
HACK 52: Physical Security Measures for Your Mac ...................................... 213
HACK 53: Keep Your Traffic Private with Secure Shell .....................................2 26
HACK 54: Secure Your Wireless Network ................................................2 29
HACK ss: Share Your Wi-Fi ............................................................2 37
HACKs&: Use Your Mac as an Access Point ............................................ 240
HACK 57: Hide Sensitive Files in OS X ..................................................2 43
7 HACKING THE IPOD ............................... 248
HACK ss: Home Folder to Go ..........................................................2 48
HACK 59: Boot from Your iPod .........................................................2 56
HACK 60: Manage Your Shuffle Sans iTunes .............................................2 59
HACK61: Uncap Your iPod's Volume ....................................................2 62
HACK 62: The 2¢ iPod Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
iV BIG BOOK OF APPLE HACKS
HACK 63: The Ultimate Zen Hack: iPod Video Cable ......................................2 67
HACK 64: Good as New: Clean Your iPod ............................................... 268
HACK 65: Read Wikipedia on an iPod ...................................................2 70
8 MAXIMIZE YOUR MAC WITH MULTIPLE
OPERATING SYSTEMS .............................. 278
HACK 66: Nondestructively Partition Your Hard Drive ....................................2 78
HACK 67: Run Windows on Your Mac ...................................................2 82
HACK 68: Suck Windows Onto Your Mac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
HACK 69: Move from Windows to Mac OS X Painlessly .................................... 291
HACK 70: Panic Swap .................................................................2 97
HACK 71: Using Windows Keyboards with OS X.. . . . . . . .. .. . .. . .. . . .. .. . . .. .. . . . .. .. . . .. 303
HACK 72: Boot Another OS Without Losing Uptime in Mac OS X .......................... 306
HACK 73: Run Classic Mac Applications with SheepShaver and Basilisk II .................. 310
HACK 74: Build a Screaming Fast Darwin Machine for $935 (or Less)! ...................... 319
9 HACKING THE ILIFE ............................... 328
HACK 75: Get More Out of iTunes ......................................................3 28
HACK 76: Build a Custom Visualizer with Quartz Composer ............................... 341
HACK 77: Get More Out of iChat .......................................................3 56
HACK 78: Use a Chatbot with iChat ....................................................3 65
HACK 79: Quick iPhoto Tips and Tricks .. .. .. .. . .. . . .. . .. .. . .. .. .. . .. .. . . .. . . .. . .. .. . . . 368
HACK 80: Tips for Pies ................................................................ 371
HACK 81: Get More Out of iWeb ........................................................3 73
HACK 82: Fun with Photo Booth .. .. . . .. .. . . .. . .. . .. . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. .. . . .. . .. . .. . . . . . . 394
HACK 83: Optimize iMovie HD for You Tube ............................................. 396
HACK 84: Tips for Making Great Movies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 398
10 HACK THE APPLE TV ............................. 402
HACK 85: Use Your Apple TV with Standard Definition Sets .............................. 402
HACK 86: Upgrade Your Apple TV Hard Drive ........................................... 405
HACK 87: Configure the Apple TV for Remote Shell Access ...•........................... 412
HACK ss: Gain Remote Shell Access to the Apple TV (Running Take 2)
Without Opening the Case ................................................... 415
HACK 89: Browse from the Couch ..................................................... .424
11 HACK THE LATEST AND GREATEST: LEOPARD ....... 428
HACK 90: Make Mail Templates Yours. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 428
HACK 91: A Brighter Spotlight ........................................................ .435
HACK 92: Time Machine: How to Back Up Different Folders to Different Disks .............. 440
HACK 93: Two Ways to Make a Widget ................................................. 442
HACK 94: Tweak an Existing Widget . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 448
HACK 95: Beer Goggles for Leopard ................................................... 450
HACK 96: Install Leopard on Unsupported Hardware .....................................4 57
HACK 97: Burn Leopard to a Single Disk: Install Leopard from an Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 463
HACK 98: Approximate .Mac with Free Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 468
CONTENTS V
12 HACK THE I PHONE ............................... 480
HACK99: Jailbreak Your iPhone ....................................................... 480
HACK 100: After You Jailbreak ......................................................... 490
HACK 101: Add a Hard Drive to Your iPhone (Kind of) ..................................... 492
HACK102: The iPhone as a Mobile Educational Tool ...................................... 496
HACK 103: The iPhone as a Mobile Blog Machine ........................................ .497
HACK 104: Going Mobile with PasswordWallet ........................................... 500
13 HACKS FOR LAPS ................................ 502
HACK 105: Three Ways to Disable a Built-in iSight. ....................................... 502
HACK 106: Two Hacks for the iBook .................................................... 504
HACK 107: Demobilize Your iBook ...................................................... 506
HACK 108: Build a Perfect Laptop Cooler for Your Machine ................................ 509
HACK 109: Dual Drive Mac Book Pro ..................................................... 515
HACK no: Upgrade a Macbook Pro Hard Drive ........................................... 517
HACK111: SmackBook: The Most Fun You'll Ever Have Beating Your 'Book .................. 527
14 MULTIMEDIA HACKS ............................. 530
HACK 112: Let Your TiVo Meet Your Mac ................................................ 530
HACK 113: View AVI Movies on Your Mac .................................................5 34
HACK 114: Master BitTorrent with Xt orrent .............................................. 537
HACK 115: Legal Online Sources for Music (Besides iTunes!) .............................. 540
HACK116: Play Songs Sans iTunes ..................................................... 544
HACK 117: Play Classic Games on Your Mac with MacMAME .............................. 546
HACK 118: Connect Your Mac to an Xb ox 360 ............................................5 47
HACK 119: Grab and Convert Video from You Tube . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 549
HACK 120: Keep Your iTunes Library on an External Hard Drive .............................5 53
HACK 121: Building a Digital Movie Collection from Your DVD Collection .....................5 56
HACK 122: Create a Screencast! ....................................................... 560
HACK 123: Manipulate Audio From the Command Line ....................................5 62
15 HACK SOME HARDWARE ......................... 574
HACK 124: Awesome Mini in a Car Hack! ................................................. 574
HACK 125: Repair Scratched DVDs and CDs ............................................. 584
HACK 126: Use Your Mac as a Weather-Monitoring Station. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 586
HACK 127: No Lights? No Power? Still Got the Net! ....................................... 591
HACK 128: Hacks for Smart Homes .....................................................5 94
HACK 129: Twittering Your Home ....................................................... 602
HACK 130: Create Custom Video Cables ................................................ 605
HACK131: Clean the Mighty Mouse .................................................... 609
CREDITS ••••••••••••.•••...••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 613
INDEX .••••••••••••..•••••••••••..••••.••••.••••.••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 617
Vi BIG BOOK OF APPLE HACKS
Ostensibly. you buy a computer or gadget to get something done. The something might be as
simple as listening to MP3s you've ripped from your CD collection or as challenging as creating
a full-length feature film. Apple is happy to sell you products to meet your needs. The trouble is
your needs aren't exactly the needs of the next guy. and that's where hacking comes in. With a
little (or sometimes a lot) of effort. you can make your Apple gadgets and software perform in the
manner you wish them to. Apple stuff that does things exactly the way you want makes the Apple
experience that much better.
There are over 100 hacks in this book and a passel of quick tips and tricks. Some are simple
enough-you've probably already pulled them off-while others are a bit more challenging. All. to
the right person. can be fun and useful.
So what can you expect? There is a wide range of hacks here. If you've got an iPhone. you can learn
how to take your hard drive with you when you go. Tired of the look of OS X? Discover ways to tweak
interface elements. Want to watch your Apple TV on yesterday's television set? You'lllearn how.
Worried about your Mac's security? You're covered.
This book covers Mac OS X. the ilife Suite of programs. the iPod. the iPhone. and Apple TV. Any
particular part of the Apple universe you carry in your pocket is in here.
How to Use This Book
This is a book about hacking. so deciding how to use this book is completely up to you. You could,
if the inclination hits you. use the pages for interesting origami projects. If you want to use the
book in a more traditional manner. just start reading. it doesn't matter where. Each hack is as
self-contained as possible (and points to other hacks when not) so there isn't any reason not to
crack open the book at random and start reading. Chapter 1 contains some hacks that provide
background for a lot of the other hacks in the book. so many will find that a useful place to start.
Others might leap to the specific chapter that seems most interesting. A lot of the hacks depend
on the command-line interface available via the Terminal program, so Chapter 4 is a good place to
start if you haven't used that in a while.
PREFACE Vii
How This Book Is Organized
While you can start reading anywhere in the book. it isn't a jumble of unrelated hacks. If you have a
specific interest. this is a good place to decide where to begin.
Chapter 1. Before You Hack
Any time you're hacking Mac OS X. you run a risk of accidentally losing data. This chapter will help
you minimize the risk by showing you how to create a solid backup and an emergency boot drive.
This chapter also introduces some of the hacker's favorite tools. such as Xcode and PLIST files.
Chapter 2, Hacks for the Net
Everyone uses the Internet. but that doesn't mean you have to use the Internet in the Apple
recommended way. Learn how (and why) to use an alternative browser. enable Safari's Debug
menu, build your own web server. You'll also learn how to reset Safari. how to avoid sending data
you'd rather keep private when you're sending files. and how to automate web retrieval. You can
even discover a great method for keeping files you create on the Internet for your eyes only.
Chapter 3. Hacking Mac OS X
Mac OS X has a lot going on, and you might not like all of it. Grown tired of Dashboard? You'll
learn how to kill it. Love a particular Dashboard widget? You can move it to the Desktop. If that
isn't enough, discover how to display a constantly changing picture on your Desktop. displaying
information you want to know. Maybe you want to lose the Desktop altogether? No problem:
you'll discover how to quit the Finder. You'll also be introduced to the wonder of OS X automation:
Automator. Here you'll find a way to make disks targeted for specific Macs available to any Mac you
choose, and so much more.
Chapter 4, Command-Line Fun
There is a lot of power in the command line. but the interface scares away some people who would
love to harness its power. This chapter will ease your fears and then show some very cool things you
can do with the Terminal. Want to batch process images? A few commands typed into the Terminal,
and you're done! Want to run programs from the world of Linux? You'lllearn how. You'll find how to
use shell scripts to make life easier and even discover how to use virtually any storage space on the
Internet as a virtual hard drive.
Chapter 5, Customizing the OS X Look and Feel
Sometimes you just want your Mac to look different than the guy's machine next to you at
Starbucks. You can start by changing the login window. move forward by making Safari's error
page look the way you want it to, and make Mail play the sounds you want it to. If that isn't enough.
discover how to make custom screensavers and your own icons. There's more; by the time you're
done. your Mac will look just like you want it to.
Chapter 6, Network and Security Hacks
Your computer is hooked to a giant network every time you hop on the Internet. Controlling the data
that enters and leaves your computer is crucial. Learn how to monitor the data flowing out of your
Mac (there is more than you think), learn how to protect your Mac from those with physical access,
how to keep your traffic private and tricks to lock down (or share) your wireless network.
Chapter 7. Hacking the iPod
Everyone loves the iPod-well. there may be a few holdouts. If you are one of the millions of iPod
owners out there. this chapter has something for you. You can learn how to lose the scratches and
how to prevent them from happening in the first place for two cents. You'll discover a nifty way to
get Wikipedia pages into your iPod and how to use your iPod to transport your Home folder. Taking
your Home folder with you not enough? Discover a way to boot your Mac from your iPod. There's
even more. so if you're an iPod fan. don't miss this chapter.
Viii BIG BOOK OF APPLE HACKS
Chapter B. Maximize Your Mac with Multiple Operating Systems
This book is focused on Apple, and hence Mac OS X. But a lot of the wider world uses Windows.
With this chapter. you won't be left out of the Windows party. You can learn how install Windows
on your Mac. how to get your data painlessly from one machine to another. and how to remove
Windows when you just can't stand it any more. Not interested in Windows? There's more. Discover
how to cleanly partition your hard drive prior to the Leopard upgrade and how to run Classic Mac
OS on your Intel machine. For the intrepid hackers out there. a method to build your own screaming
fast (and cheap) Mac is included.
Chapter 9. Hacking the iLife
The ilife suite is one of the best things about owning a Mac. But being one of the best things
doesn't mean you won't want to hack it! Discover how to fix those messed up tags in iTunes. how to
get your buddies chatting to a chatbot in iChat. how to print pictures from iPhoto the way you want.
how to build a custom music visualizer. how to get more out of iWeb. and much more.
Chapter 10. Hack the Apple TV
The Apple TV is an under-rated piece of Apple hardware. With this chapter. you can turn your
Apple TV into a web-browsing machine. discover a method to use it with older TVs. find out how to
upgrade the hard drive. and learn how to manipulate the files on the AppleT V remotely. If you've got
an Apple TV. you won't want to miss these hacks.
Chapter 11. Hack the Latest and Greatest: Leopard
Leopard is the latest (and likely greatest) release of Mac OS X. But Leopard isn't so perfect you
shouldn't touch it. Make Leopard bow to your will by designing your own stationery for Mail.
get more out of Spotlight searches with Boolean operators. and discover a method to get Time
Machine to back up where. what. and when you want it to. Here. you'll gain control over widget
creations with three simple tricks. make Leopard more visually appealing.
Chapter12,HacktheiPhone
The iPhone Software Development Kit (SDK) is finally here. but that doesn't mean there aren't any
reasons to hack the iPhone. In this chapter. you can find ways to make password management
easier. install third-party applications. jailbreak your iPhone, bypass activation. blog with your
iPhone. and access the media on your Mac while you're on the go with your iPhone.
Chapter 13, Hacks for Laps
Laptops have gone from expensive luxury to everyday computers in the last few years. That means
you want more control over your Mac Book. Learn how to disable the iSight. how to soup up that old
iBook, build a custom laptop cooler for your machine. install dual drives in your Mac Book Pro, or
just swap the current drive out for a larger one. If that isn't enough, there is also a method to have
your MacBook respond to being slapped.
Chapter 14. Multimedia Hacks
One of the most useful things about a Mac is how effortlessly you can use the machine to store.
sort, and play multimedia files. In this chapter. you'll gain even more control over your media by
learning how to get your TiVo and Mac to play together. where to find sources for free and legal
music. a method of playing music without bothering with iTunes. and how to use MacMame to turn
your Mac into a classic arcade machine. If multimedia is your thing. this is your chapter.
Chapter 15. Hack Some Hardware
Hardware hacks are my favorite kind of hack; if they are your favorite. this is the chapter for you.
Want a Mac in your car? Learn how to install one. Got a scratched DVD? It isn't necessarily a
coaster: fix it up with stuff you have lying around the house. Into the weather? With a few tools you
can turn your Mac into a weather-monitoring beast. Tired of losing the Internet when the power
goes out? Run your modem off batteries! That isn't all: this chapter also covers integrating a Mac
into your home. custom video cable production. and more.
PREFACE ix