commands

Adjust the sudo time-out behavior in OS X

As with many other Unix-like systems that have a BSD interface, OS X includes a fully Unix-compliant terminal that can be accessed with a Unix shell in the included Terminal utility. This feature allows for a relatively powerful way to access and modify system settings to customize and troubleshoot the system.

As with the rest of the system, this command-line interface is by default limited by standard permissions restrictions so only administrators may access system files and only users may access their own files. To get around this, the sudo command is commonly invoked to execute commands as another user, … Read more

How to customize modifier keys in OS X

Modifier keys for Mac systems are the Shift, Control, Option (Alt), Command, and Caps Lock keys. The commands triggered by combinations of these keys can greatly speed up how you use your computer, but it can slow you down again if you switch to a keyboard with an unfamiliar layout.

While most Mac keyboards have these keys in the same relative locations, so you don't have to change your typing habits, there are situations in which you may end up using something different, such as if you take a laptop to the office and plug in whatever keyboard you … Read more

Using and managing the Terminal history in OS X

There are times when using the Terminal that you might enter a command or two and then want to either run it again or review a whole sequence of commands that have been entered. This can easily be done by pressing the up arrow, scrolling through the previous commands, and then pressing Enter to execute the selected one again. In addition to this approach, the Terminal supports a number of other options for revealing and rerunning entered commands.

The Terminal is able to do this because it stores a small history of the commands you have run both in its … Read more

View a 2,000-year-old scroll of the Ten Commandments online

Google is once again offering a glimpse into ancient history with online images of rare scrolls dating back more than 2,000 years.

Courtesy of Google, in collaboration with the Israel Antiquities Authority, the new Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library is now home to detailed digitized photographs of thousands of biblical and non-biblical manuscripts. These ancient scrolls were discovered in remote caves near the Dead Sea between 1947 and 1956.

Among them, the scroll of the Ten Commandments may be one of the most fascinating. Dating back to sometime between 30 B.C. and 1 B.C., the … Read more

Use voice commands from the Samsung Galaxy S3 lock screen

Perhaps you're not a fan of using patterns, PINs, or passwords to unlock your smartphone -- either it's too much hassle or you often forget what you picked. With the Samsung Galaxy S3 you can set up voice commands for doing things like unlocking the device, checking missed calls, or starting the camera. All you need to do is tap the power button and say one of your preset commands.

Here's how to set up your lock screen voice commands:

Step 1: Open the Settings menu and then head to the Security and lock screen option.

Step … Read more

This year, elect a video game president

Forget Barack Obama or Mitt Romney. This year, I'm voting for Link from Legend of Zelda.

Let's face it, during presidential-election seasons, the non-stop chatter about Republicans, Democrats, and Independents, plus all the drama, lies, and repetitious arguments, can get almost dizzying. To offer some relief, gaming Web site IGN created the 2012 Video Game Presidential Election featuring five candidates from iconic video game franchises. … Read more

Use your voice to take pictures with the Samsung Galaxy S III

Some Android smartphones have a dedicated camera shutter button, or at least a button combination that takes a photo. Usually, it's on the top of edge of the phone, and it works well when you're trying to hang onto the phone and snap a shot at the same time. If your only camera button is onscreen, as in the case of the Samsung Galaxy S III (S3), you can actually tell the camera when to take a photo instead of tapping the button.

To do this you'll need to enable voice commands for apps, which can be … Read more

How to use SSH host names for tabs in the OS X Terminal

While the OS X Terminal is not a familiar operating environment for most Mac users, those who have had experience with Unix-based systems will find it to be an invaluable tool for managing their systems. One of the most common uses of the Terminal is to establish a remote log-in session on a system using the secure shell (SSH) command, and sometimes invoke multiple connections to the same system and different systems at the same time.

As a result of this, you might find you have many windows open at once to manage these connections in, though starting with Snow … Read more

Find and target duplicate files with Duplicate Commander Portable

Ever-expanding drive capacities have reduced the frequency and intensity of search-and-destroy missions targeting duplicate files from "Jason Bourne" to "Austin Powers" levels, yet duplicate files still do your system no good. And, if you boot from a low-capacity SSD, your interest in targeting duplicates for retirement is just as strong as it was for the data warriors of old -- maybe stronger. Good thing WinSimple's Duplicate Commander Portable is ready to deploy. This free tool scours your system for duplicate files, which you can delete, copy, move, and manage.

The program opens with a basic, … Read more