savers

Screensavers and automatic screen economy modes are certainly not new. If you wish to have more choices, however, XScreenSaver for Mac offers the perfect solution.

On opening, XScreenSaver for Mac offers a long list of screensaver files and a single readme file. If you currently run on the recommended system quarantine mode, which will only let you install Apple-approved programs, you might have to cut and paste the terminal commands found in the readme file. The start isn't great, but the rest is. From there you can simply double-click the screensavers and they will install. You can open System … Read more

Matrix-style screensavers have been around almost as long as the "Matrix" movies, and in many variations of the original falling-code theme. It's an iconic look that says "computers" the way Greek columns say "buildings," and is just as easily renewed. Vastimil Burian's Infected Screen Saver is a good example. It's based on the original Matrix code look, but it "infects" your screen with code when it's activated. The effect is cool, of course, like the many "original" variations, but Infected Screen Saver is different. For starters, … Read more

Apple includes a number of screensavers in OS X that provide you with options to exercise your display and prevent LCD ghosting, CRT burn-in (if you still use a CRT monitor), or other persistent images from being a nuisance. As with most screen savers, you can deactivate them by moving your mouse or pressing a button on your keyboard; however, this may not always be the case, and depending on the screensaver being used you may instead find the screensaver will persist even when some inputs are pressed.

Advance photos in slideshows Apple includes a number of slideshow screensavers that … Read more

As part of OS X, Apple provides a number of styled screensaver options for displaying photographs and images you have stored in your iTunes or Aperture libraries when you are not at your computer. These options are fun to use; however, they are quite limited in the settings they offer, as there are practically no options to customize them.

At most, you can set the screensaver to shuffle the slide order and choose a source for the photos, but you cannot change the duration of the transitions or perhaps, more importantly for some people, the time in which the screensaver … Read more

If you have a MacBook system that contains dual graphics cards, then you have the option of enabling either the internal graphics or the discrete graphics card, depending on the hardware demands of the tasks you are running.

Integrated or "internal" graphics functions are included on the Intel processor in your Mac (though some prior Mac systems used Nvidia chipsets with Nvidia-branded internal graphics). This graphics option is relatively slow but also draws far less power than a dedicated graphics processor. The integrated graphics are powered fully when the system is turned on.

If your system includes a … Read more

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- It's It: The story of the Bay Area's most famous dessert, or, the other San Francisco treat.

- This is why we behave so strangely in elevators.

- Snopes debunks "Elevator Express" trick.

Bathroom break video: Empty America series profiles San Francisco.

Sleep modes in OS X are designed to save power by shutting down unnecessary and power-hungry system components; however, there may be times after an update or other configuration change when the system hangs or otherwise malfunctions after being set to sleep.

OS X has two main sleep modes. The first is standard sleep, in which the system keeps the contents of its memory active by providing power only to the RAM chips. This allows quick wake-up times but also draws a touch more power as it requires uninterrupted power to maintain RAM contents. The second mode is hibernation, in … Read more

Monday's tech news roundup translates the Apple v. Samsung legalese:

One of the new features in OS X Mountain Lion is the PowerNap energy-saving option that allows newer MacBook Pro and MacBook Air systems to continue to use network and backup services when in sleep mode. However, even after installing the OS X Mountain Lion upgrade, qualified systems may not be able to use the PowerNap feature.

When activated in the system's Energy Saver system preferences, PowerNap will perform hourly checks for new e-mail and updates to Contacts, Calendars, Reminders, Notes, iCloud documents, and Photo Stream. It will also maintain a connection for Apple's Find My Mac service. … Read more