MacPro GPS

I've used MacPro GPS, Website, for awhile and while I like it to display USGS 1:24,000 topographic maps, I haven't like a number of features about which is frustrating or irritating depending on the day, to open and use.

These are that it opens the map window full screen and then loads all the maps you want in the startup. This takes awhile, 21 maps in my case isn't fast but it's not slow, and heaven help if you load more because you could go to lunch waiting.

But more importantly it always opens full screen and never remember the size and location of the startup map window you use. Remembering this is common practice with almost all apps on Mac, except this one, and it's dumb.

What I do is open National Geographic's Topo application for Washington state which does remember the window size and location and then open MacPro GPS, wait while the maps load, and then resize it to the Topo window, offset to access and use both.

Well, the company announced new MacPro GPS 10 today, but this one is now $15, not free with previous versions. And while the changes are worthwhile if they interest you, they didn't change the problem of window size and location when you open the app.

A warning. They only warn you when you are start to move the MacPro GPS folder into the applications folder to save your map folders and startup maps, the "Auto-Open Maps" and "Startup items" folders. I would recommend just renaming the old MacPro GPS folder to "MacPro GPS 9" and you're safe.

You still have to copy the two folders from the old version to the folders in the new version. The app reads them and works fine minus the startup time opening all the maps.

Another difference I see is better presentation of combining maps and hiding the legend which often displayed with the adjacent map making reading that area confusing. The samples I looked where it was a problem seem to be solved.

Aside from that there are some advantages to the new version and worth the $15. I just wish they would store the user information about the map window size and location. That doesn't appear to be rocket science since the other apps do it.

Dear Chief Justice

Dear Chief Justice,

Immediately after you and the Supreme Court overturned section 5 of the Voting Rights Act three states, Texas, Alabama and Mississippi, announced going forward passing laws discriminating against minorities for their voting rights which the Justice Department put on hold even because these were banned under Section 5.

In Texas under the new proposed voter identification law, a gun permit is legal documentation for voting but a student identification, which has a photo, and a veterans identification are not legal documentation. Really, own a gun you can vote, but don't own a gun, you can't vote without a "valid" indentification if you have it, but better bring a passport or birth certificate just in case.

Also in Texas the legislature can and will go ahead and gerrymander the state House and Senate districts to ensure a permanent Republican control of the state legislature, until the 2020 census and the hope the  legislature will have a strong Democratic presence if not a majority to reverse this discrimination.

But until then, Republicans in Texas are making a whites the near-permanent majority rule through redistricting and voting rights. And that's not evidence of modern day voter discrimination which should be overseen by the Justice Department?

In Alabama and Mississippi, they're implementing the new requirements where voters must have birth certificates to register to vote and even vote if asked or questioned, meaning any voting poll station worker can question your right to vote.

So, you and the other justices who voted to overturn section 5 who said voter discrimination didn't exist today, how's that view going with the immediate announcements by state government or political officials to  discriminate against minority voters?

Is that what you call voting rights? Same states in section 5 of the Voting Rights Act passed in 1965 alive and well today, even after you blatantly and willfully ignored the facts, the truth and reality of voting today.

Gee, don't expect any thanks from the American people when you just destroyed our democracy with the Citizens United and Voting Rights Act cases. And you're safe from anyone really telling you what they think of you.

We can hope President Obama gets to appoint one and maybe two new justices who believe in the rights of the American people and our democracy.

Marriage Equality & DOMA

Now that the LGB community have won two cases before the Supreme Court, the California Proposition 8 and the DOMA cases recognizing marriage equality for LGB people in California and under federal law, respectively, and you'll be fighting for reciprocity of marriage equality in states which currently don't recognize same-sex marriage, I have one question.

When will you stand up and fight for transgender people to have the same marriage equality?

I'm not talking about same-sex or gender marriage but marriage where one of the partners has transitioned to the other gender with full legal recognition and status of their new sex and which is not recognized by many states which still uses their birth sex, original birth certificate or their genes as the designation of their legal sex/gender status and not the new legal status.

Will you argue they have the same with same-sex marriage rights, that their concerns are irrelevant?

Except it's not to those people who have their life upended in court fights to find their marriage considered invalid, not because of their legal sex or gender but their birth sex, requiring them to relive who they were for their legal status and not who they are.

Will you fight for them now? Or will you just forget them as you always have?

You've won these fights and now transgender people are the same again, out of sight, out of mind, again?

MySpace

Update.-- I've been playing around with it and wandering around people, and discovered for some strange reason many of the musical artists still have their songs on MySpace. Makes me wonder if Justin Timblerlake, etal., decided not to piss of musicians to replicate all the work they've done and keep all their music files on-line, but screw everyone else?

And there isn't much you can do about the design and layout of your home page except the background  image and some minor stuff, unless you can figure out how to add applications. Otherwise, you're stuck with what you see, and the really dumb horizontal scrolling.

Anyway, good luck if you're on MySpace. I added a link to my Website but after that I don't know how long I'll stay or post anything. 

Original Post.-- I've been on MySpace for a few years but haven't been to it for my account for a few months now, and when I did today I discovered my entire past on MySpace has been removed, all of it, completely except for the image I use for myself.

All my post going back those years. All the images I posted. All gone, and MySpace treats me like a new person, a new account, like, "Gee, tell us all about yourself since our memory of you has been erased."

Like my response to MySpace is my one and only post to them which is a diplomatic GFY. So I'll leave my account to just sit there collecting byte dust since after playing with the new design and user interface, it sucks, I mean really sucks.

It's all just about show, maybe great if you're a musician and want fans or a music critic and like the dumb interface, but that's about it. I don't wish them well. I don't wish them anything. They forgot me, and willfully too. So I'll forget them.

WA Cellphone Law Joke

Washington's cellphone law for drivers is a big joke. Really, it's the most useless law the Washington legistlature could have possibly passed to control drivers using cellphones while driving. Every day I walk I will see any number of drivers violating it.

The law was originally proposed to ban driving with a cellphone unless they use a hands-free phone built into the car or attached and used in such away it does not require the driver to hold it. The law banned teenagers (under 18) from texting or using a cellphone while driving.

But when the opposition got through with the bill, the law still banned teenagers from using them (like that happens) and still banned texting for anyone. It only banned using cellphones when held to the ear. It allowed the driver to hold the phone in front of them while driving.

The idea was that it didn't take the driver's eyes off the road, but it took their mind off the road, and the term "in front of them" is vague, as many drivers simply put their cellphone on speaker and hold it just off their ear and slightly in front of them.

But in the end, there isn't a day go by I don't see drivers violating the law, mostly holding it to their ear or somel texting.  And if you bring it to their attention, they get angry with you. Really, so much I stopped asking them if they knew their cellphone use was against the law.

What was worse, but fixed, was that the laws enforcement officers could stop and ticket a driver solely for violating the cellphone law. It was what is called a "secondary" offense so they had to be stopped for other reasons and then cited for violating the cellphone law, but only if the officer witnessed it.

Now it's a "primary" offense they can stop and ticket a driver but I've never seen, heard or read of a driver being stopped and cited. It's only become an issue if the driver was involved in or caused an accident and the driver was using a cellphone, but again if it's not witnessed, it's not a violation.

I've also seen a lot of drivers texting, usually sitting at lights, despite the law says "while driving" meaning anytime they're in the driver's seat. Drivers intepret it, wrongly, as moving than sitting at lights or in traffic.

I even had a young woman pass me on the Interstate south of Seattle doing 70 mph all the while looking down at her cellphone texting. She literally had no hands on the steering wheel or was looking down the road the whole time she passed me.

And while walking I pay more attention to drivers at intersections. If they're using a cellphone I make sure I know what they're doing with the vehicle before walking near and especially in front of them, such as crosswalks.

So in the end, the whole law is a joke and the legislature doesn't plan to fix it, to ban holding any cellphone while driving. They think it works because there hasn't been a significant increase in accidents.

But in reality, it's just a lot of people are lucky because other drivers are watching out for the idiots with cellphones. I pay attention to other drivers when I drive and get away from them when I can, especially drivers of commercial trucks (really) and even tractor-trailor rigs (even more really).

Time Machine and 10.8.4

Update (6/21/13).-- This fucking sucks as it did the 3+ hour backup twice today, once this morning and once this afternoon taking 50 GB's each time. I noticed slowly over the day with a lot of apps open, but not unusual for my work, the backup began taking longer between the two long backups.

To put in simple terms for Apple since they don't offer let alone provide users with debugging tools for this problem or access to the TC's HD to test it, except of course if you take to the Apple store where they can test it meaning the software tools exist, the TC backup software sucks!

Let's understand this problem started with OS-X 10.8.3. Under 10.8.2 it worked fine on my Mac. I'm open to suggestion to debug the problem beside just not using it. I don't think everyone has it, otherwise, Apple would fix it.

And the other options are to buy a new TC HD - this one is from 2008; buy and use another backup application - but none work with the TC; or use other backup software - which I'm doing with Integral's software for the overnight backups to a 2-TB LaCie HD.

The other option is use another HD for the backup. I have two old (2006 and 2008) HD's in an external box, so I could use one of those to test the backup software. That would require replacing the HD's in the box with newer larger ones to do the TC's backup of four 1-TB HD's.

Anyway, that's the story again. I turned the backup off and it's zero'ing the TC's HD. I don't know what I'll decide, and I'm open to suggestions or ideas.

Update (6/20/13).-- Apple didn't fix the backup software. For the third time in a week since starting it, the backup decided to backup of 50+ GB's of stuff I don't know what, but it's 3 hours of wasted time for each backup. The one today (6/20) happened only a little later in the morning than the first two and the same time as today

I have no clue about a cause because the first two times the computer was sitting idle when I was out of the office and the one yesterday and today I was downloading and installing some large applications. And there's no log or way to determine what the backup is actually doing besides looking at it afterward to see what it copied.

Another flaw with this bug in the backup is that being an hourly backup, it gets deleted in time but the space is not recovered by the backup to increase the available space left. It flags it used and doesn't use it until the TC runs out and has to reclaim space for a new backup. That's now 200+ GB out of use on the TC until it's full.

You would think with all the brains at Apple, this wouldn't be a problem and more so wouldn't continue to produce a bad application, but they do. Go figure.

Original Post.-- Well, after running OS-X 10.8.4 for awhile and restarted the Time Machine (TC) backup June 13th and  it took about 16 hours to do the full backup of HD (only HD and not HD2, 3 and 4 which I exclude). Then it behaved itself doing the hourly backup in 2-4 minutes, until the 15th (9 am to 12 pm) and today (9 am to 12 pm).

Yeah, today, though, two things happened almost simultaneously which I don't know if they're related other than coincidental. First the backup went off on one of it's 3-hour, 50 GB backups for no reason and about then Finder started taking snapshots of every folder on HD.

Yeah, the little menu bar show the Finder HDFolders automator action application running opening and closing a finder window of every folder on HD. The last time it did this it took over 8 hours of popping finder windows on the screen.

Very annoying. I killed this one about half way through and rebooted. Now the question is the TC backup, was this an anomaly or is it back to its old habit of losing track of itself. Apple updated the TC's firmware which I thought may have helped resolve the problem.

For now only time and the backups will tell. I'm not holding my breath anymore with Apple and their TC backups. The next option is to get rid of the TC, or better take the 1 TB HD out and put it in a HD box when and where I can actually look at the HD.

I'm running a Stardom twin HD box with the orginal PPC HD's (2006 and 2008, really) which are due for replacement (they're just 256 MB and 512 MB HD's), so putting the TC's 2008 1 TB HD in it is simple replacement. Or better, just buy two new HD's.

Anyway, that's the report to date. Apple's TC backup is iffy at best, which is why I have other backups running overnight.

Dreamweaver CS6 & CC

Well, I have to admit Adobe has done a good thing with Dreamweaver (DW) Creative Cloud (CC) over Dreamweaver Creative Suite (CS) 6. I've used Dreamweaver since it was bought by Adobe and incorporated into CS replacing GoLive 9, which I still have and use with Dreamweaver.

I was ok with DW CS3 through 5. It was an evolution where they kept the best features, until one thing they changed with CS5.5 from CS5, which was that you couldn't set the default window size for working with code from the window size menu, but it did remember the window size and location when you opened it.

That was a good alternative as it always opened the same window size and location on your desktop. That, however, changed with DW CS6 where you couldn't set a default window size in code view, and it always defaults to full screen where you have to resize it.

To resolve this I always open DW CS5.5 which did remember the size and location of the code view window and then open DW CS6 to resize the full screen to the size and location of the CS5.5 window. That now is really resolved with DW CC.

Dreamweaver CC is different from CS5.5 and CS6. Not just cosmetic changes but underlying working mode. Those familar with DW CS3 through CS6 will find the user interface and work the same with some obvious changes.

The first is the window size of the application. It doesn't default to full screen but is a resizeable window you can set and it remembers. Also, the tools panel is incorporated into the working window than separate windows.

What I don't like is the panel defaults on the right than a user setting. I hate it on the right, like BBEdit version 10 instead of 9.x where it opens on the left, where I like it, or better yet, off the work window. This has to do with how you view work, your vision and where you remember things in a application.

The neat thing with DW CC is that you can hide it with a click of the menu option. At least I can get what I want, a neat, clean source (code) window with everything else on the edges or hidden. That is the beauty of GoLive, Dreamweaver CS 3 through CS 5/5.5, and now Dreamweaver CC.

I won't talk about the design feature or tools, the wysiwyg mode because I don't use it. I test in a brower open to the work page I'm working on. I've found live views in Web editors to be poor at presenting or displaying Web pages.

It's always best to test your pages in a browser because the browser has to comply with W3C standards embedded in their application. I use Safari because it's been known to be the most consistently compliant and least robust with W3C standards.

Anyway, that's the review for now. I only wish I could buy DW CC to replace CS6 instead of renting it. Adobe has it almost great, and it will likely be the only CC application I use regularly.

Adobe CC

Well, I broke my own rule about Adobe's Creative Cloud (CC). I don't particularly like the idea you can't buy apps anymore from Adobe, or at least the one and last app you can buy is Lightroom 5, and I don't know how long that offer will last, and I did buy it at the upgrade discount.

One thing I am is an addict to keeps applications updated and often upgraded. I don't always upgrade applications if the company isn't being nice about it, like companies who sell apps in the Apple App Store and then abandon the App Store buyers with updates or upgrades except through their Website.

But that's another issue and not the point here. Since I was leasing Adobe Muse for the one year minimum and that expired June 1st, I noticed Apple is offering people with Creative Suite (CS) 6 applications a one year deal for the CC.

The deal is for $20 per month for the one year minimum period you get the complete CC collection of applications. Since Muse is $15 per month, less than the new monthly lease for any one application under the CC plan, I decided to get the full CC which includes Muse.

Ok, that's the rule I broke which was that I didn't plan to get the CC, especially since I know the price is $50 per month for most people and will be $50 per month for CS6 owners after one year. That's the ripoff and the control Adobe will have over your applications.

But it's also a tradeoff people have to consider. Updates to applications are always free but upgrades are the big expensive with some applications, especially Adobe. I hate to think about the money I've given them from CS2 through CS6 and now with CC.

I read a column where someone argued that's the tradeoff, lots of upfront money, especially if you're a first time buyer of CS (now CC) or just upgrading, and the monthly cost over the year and beyond. Is $600 plus tax every year less than the outright purchase price.

And Adobe sweetened the pot with the whole CC collection for the $50 per month along with all the free applications anyone can get (Adobe Edge, etc.), especially since you likely won't use the applications you wouldn't buy.

So I decided to give it a go for a year for the extra $5. I was about to cancel the subscription to Muse but since I'm paying the money now anyway, the $5 is cheap for playing with a few applications, and next July I can decide to continue it or not.

What I don't like is that to cancel a subscription you have to talk to a customer service representative who can cancel the subscription. You can't cancel it through your account. That's too much in my book  to have only Adobe be able to cancel the monthly automatic credit card charge.

As for the CC, a couple of things. First, there's the little Menu Bar icon. It takes a awhile to start so don't launch it with your login. I wrote you can walk to the kitchen to get coffee and find it's ready by the time you get back, maybe. How far away is the coffee pot?

Second, it doesn't look for updates to all your CS6 applications, only those in the CC, the rest either won't be updated or updated separately. This is partly because some applications have been discountined, such as Soundbooth, Contribute, etc.

Third, some of the CS6 applications are the same CC applications, such as Acrobat XI and Lightroom 5, so you have to be careful not to update  the CC version so it overwrites your purchased copy. Normally these will update through the application but they're not in your list of CS6 apps in the CC.

That's it for now. I keep you posted.

Adobe CC Updater

If you installed the new Adobe Application Manager with the Creative Cloud connection, do yourself a big favor and don't allow this application to start when you login or (re)start your computer.

I say this because if you do, it will freeze your login, start up or reboot until it's open and in the Menu bar from shadow to dark. It will then sit there trying to connect to Adobe to update your recent activity.

And that's its problem, this will take minutes if it even does connect to download your account information for applications. Mine was still spinning 30 minutes later when I gave up checking it.

It's a waste of time you can just open when you want to check your applications, and that's only if you have CS6 or CC applications. Anything older isn't checked and likely no updates are available anymore.

It will be awhile before I get over my anger with Adobe for this stupid stunt they pulled moving everyone over to the Creative Cloud through the Updater, but then again it's not that different than Apple moving users to the App store of OS-X and Apple application updates and upgrades.

But the point here is set the user preferences not to launch at login or start/reboot, unless of course you plan to get yourself a cup of coffee and a snack while your computer finishes.

Lesson Learned

I learned a lesson about Tumblr when you post a statement stating the term "Native American" only applies to American Indians since they were the first humans in North America about 12,000 years and were here before Europeans by all but the last 500-plus years of their time here.

I stated that people of European ancestry are not native in the sense of the ancestry, and that draws the conservatives on Tumblr out of the Internet to post comments. I posted it because I get tired of white people who claim their native not just by birth but by ancestry assuming the arrival of the Pilgrims were the first "real" people in North America.

I won't argue people can call themselves native by their birth, but they can't by the ancestry, but the truth is we're all immigrants from somewhere else, it's just depends on how far back you go in time and place.

Even Europeans are a hodgepodge of ancestries but many lived in relative isolation for many generations before integration by other people. American Indians crossed on the land bridge between Alaska and Russia between the ice ages.

From there they migrated down into Central America and Mexico by about 12,000 years BP. It's understood that native South Americans migrated from the South Pacific and then up to Central America  from their arrival in the southern areas of South America.

Europeans didn't arrive until the late 15th century but really a century or two later with the conquests in South America and the settlements in North America. That doesn't make them native in the same sense as the American Indians who were already here.

And that was my point, being native is relative to time and place.

Sorry Adobe

Sorry Adobe, you just lost a customer for a long time, at least as long as I can run my Creative Suite 3 through 6 applications on my Mac Pro computer. I won't be using your Creative Cloud except for the one app I've had for the one year minimum trial period, Adobe Muse, and will likely cancel soon.

What changed my mind after being a fan of Adobe applications since I installed Creative Suite (CS) 2 applications in 2006? Your latest Application Manager application for several reasons.

I updated it this morning and it immediate launched me into your Creative Cloud which I didn't want. It then launched itself on my menu bar without my approval. And then it showed updates are available for only Creative Suite 6 applications and not CS 5/5.5 applications.

You have decided outside of a few applications, namely Acrobat Pro XI and Lightroom 5, all applications now, especially Creative Suite applications, are only available through your Creative Cloud, and while you offer some for free, the important ones are part of the new monthly lease.

I've had and still have Creative Suite Premium packages from 2 through 5/5.5 and 6, but I won't be leasing CC (aka CS7) from you since I won't own it and have to pay you $50 per month for the right to use it, or as they say, pay to play.

On top of that you've decided you won't update Creative Suite applications prior to CS6, including the whole suite of CS5/5.5 applications people paid good money to have over the last 2 years and want to keep updated. They, including me, are now out good money.

I'm sure you won't miss me and I'm sure you won't miss my money. You're betting on new people who start with CS CC and don't mind leasing application where they don't have to worry about updates or upgrades, it's already paid for through the lease.

But tell that to people, like me, who can't afford $50 per month for individual or $70 for teams, ie, small businesses. For now though, I'll stick with what I have and own from you and the one application I do lease from you, for now.

My Companies

For a friend who I occasionally do favors and stuff I created some small companies to cover the types of work I've done for her or would do for her. So here's the company's name and slogan.

The Really Bad Fixit Co.
"There isn't anything we can't fix with Duct tape, a hammer and a few well chosen words."

The Break 'em and Lose 'em Moving Co.
"Guarranteed to deliver your belongings in more pieces than when you started."
"Some lost belongings are part of the service, especially things we like and don't have ourselves."

The Not on Time & Not the Right Place Delivery Co.
"Guarranteed to deliver it late and somewhere else."

The Worldwide Package Delivery Co.
"Guarranteed to ship every package around the worldwide before it gets there."
"It's why it cost more to ship than it's worth."

The Really Bad Advice & Therapy Co.
"We offer the worst one-minute answer to everything, Get Over It!"

All of our service comes with the industry standard 50-50 guarrantee. Everything is warranted for the first 50 feet or 50 seconds it takes us to walk away. After that, you're on your own because we gone. And now we don't advertise our phone number or Website. Contacting us it the last thing we want.

Of course they're all privately held companies under the The Really Bad Corporation. We aim to do the worst job you can ever imagine and if we don't, we guarrantee to keep your money and charge you more for even worse service.

Syria

Before the President involves the US government in any capacity in Syria, we shouldn't listen to all the political rhetoric from members of Congress, they're too stupidly political to be realistic, and we shouldn't listen to the President when he talks about secret infomation which he calls evidence, we've been down that road with Iraq.

Before the President involves us in Syria, we should hear what he thinks will happen as a result of his, really our, actions. We don't need to start down the slippery slope of fighting a civil war there. We need real goals, real purpose, and real results, not political.

Otherwise, we'll be in another war in the middle of a civil war where we become the enemy. It will be worse than Iraq and Afghanistan combined because it involves Russia, Iran, Lebanon, Jordan, Hezbollah and Israel, none whom agree and are help both sides differently.

Let's stay out until we have a clear sense of what is realistic and there is a viable end for our involvement. We all know President Assad must go, but he's not Saddam Hussein or Al Qaeda. He has big backers (Russia, Iran with Hezbollah).

Let's stay out until we know what's achieveable and there's a clear exit. Otherwise, we lose no matter what we do there.

Rachel Maddow

I enjoy the Rachel Maddow Show. I miss the Ed Schulz show which preceeded her show and I'm not entirely enamored by the new Chris Hayes Show. I can only take his show about one day a week. He had a good weekend show, but every day is too much.

Anyway, I have only one real small but significant beef with Rachel Maddow. Whenever she talks about LGBT issues and politics, she almost always excludes transgender people, meaning those men and women who are in-transition or have transitioned, and the few times are only in name only and not in the discussion

Over and over when she talks about LGBT issues, she forget transpeople, calling things like DOMA, ENDA, marriage equality, etc., gay and lesbian issues. Only Don't Ask, Don't Tell was a LGB law and regulation in the military which she overlooked in her presentations.

Transgender people have long been banned from military service and transpeople face dishonorable discharge, and not the healthcare they need to transition and continue their service to the country. The VA is slowly changing for transpeople.

But that's not the point here, it's Rachel Maddow's exclusion of transpeople in her presentations when the same issues that face LGB people face transpeople and more so since the states have varying laws governing the right to change a person's birth certificate, something LGB people don't face, and governing the right of reciprocity of another state's changed birth certificate.

This is because some states, such as Texas and Kansas, still recognize birth sex as the final argument for sex and gender determination, and some states don't recognize birth certificates if the person has gone through a transition to be legally the other sex.

These issues and others facing transgender people don't seem to be in Rachel Maddow's political view. She, like many LGB people, don't see the T in LGBT, and seemingly on purpose, otherwise she'd wouldn't discriminate against them with her silence.

She should know better considering her outrage by Republicans against LGB people. She seems to think transpeople don't exist and discrimination against them isn't news, or at least that's the impression she gives on her show.

OS-X 10.8.4

Update (6/14/13).-- I discovered one of the source of the unaccounted memory, which is accounted for in the activity monitor, I just overlooked it until I tried something. When you open the Apple App store app/window, it creates an "installd" daemon which tracks the apps and updates.

The problem is that daemon eats memory, like 500+ MB's in my case and it doesn't kill itself when you close the App store app/window, but sits there ready when if/when you open the app again. I don't know if you can kill it and it will safely recreate itself or not. I just rebooted after finishing up with updates to the App store.

I still haven't found the other 300-500 MB's when I open and close a lot of heavy use apps like Adobe's Creative Suite apps (eg. Photoshop, Dreamweaver, etc.). I can't find a daemon which is using the memory after closing the apps and running the purge command.

Original Post.-- I updated to OS-X 10.8.4 the day after is was available and have discovered something interesting I can't explain and no one on the Apple forums seem to either. After each update to OS-X I run some basic tests using the activity monitor and the memory allocations.

What I've learned, some of which is normal, but something isn't from previous versions of OS-X. After I reboot I open a terminal window, the Activity Monitor Window and the Console (log) window. I check the memory after running the purge command.

Ok. There didn't seem anything new there as for the size of memory allocated, eg wired, active inactive and used, which is that if I leave the Mac running the wired memory increases to a maximum of an additional 400-500 MegaBytes (MB's) which is normal as files increase.

But what is new is that the active memory starts off low, about 800-900 MB's, but over half a day to a full day, it increases by 400-500 MB's and this is after the purge command. Also, if I close all my open apps and run the purge command, the same thing happens, the active memory increases with no reason for where it's allocated.

This is the new because with OS-X 10.8.0-10.8.3 the active memory would go back to near the original allocation after a reboot. Now it won't, it will show the additional 400-500 MB's which doesn't seem to show where it's  allocated.

And after having a lot of apps open and then closing them it will grow to 800 MB's to 1 GB's. Is there something OS-X is holding as active memory but is really inactive memory? I can't find any notes about what's happening or if this is just the new normal, that OS-X 10.8.4 simply uses additional memory.

I'm open to suggestions to find out what's happening.

Apple App Store

Update (6/14/13).-- I got a response from Devon Technologies. They indicated due to the rules for the Apple App store they're not updating apps there anymore. They sent me the instruction to convert the apps to the versions available Website, but beware of two things.

First, the Website apps aren't necessarily the same since they're updates to non-App store version which may not comply with Apple's rules for applications and the store. It's the former which is important as you may get error messages for sandbox rules violations.

Second, the Apple App store may get confused with their version and your version to show updates are available for this to return to the older version. I haven't tested these two things yet as I haven't converted my version of the apps from the App store version to the Website version.

Original post updated.-- I've written about my anger with companies who sell apps through the Apple App store but then don't update or upgrade them through the store but only through their Website. I run between 4 and 6 apps waiting for updates through the App store, some going back to last fall.

Well, I'm down to 4 right now, but 3 of those are from one British company, Devon Technologies, which offers a number of apps, some free, but it seems all have updates through them but not the App store anymore.

The fourth one, Timer Utility by JR Productions, is one the company sent me an e-mail they don't intend to issue updates through the store for small changes, but then they don't honor Apple receipts to convert the license from the App store to their Website.

This is ok with me for now as it's in version 4 and I still use version 2 which has a clock. Versions 3 and 4 don't have a clock. I like the clock when I'm not using the timer or other features with the app.

On top of that, the app store doesn't let you completely remove apps, even though some of them aren't offered through the store anymore. In the list of purchased apps there are a few which aren't available in the store anymore but you can't remove them.

You also can't stop requiring updates to apps you hide or don't want anymore and even have removed from you Mac. The App store still wants to download or update them, you'll always get the little flag showing app updates available and the Saturday morning notice you can't stop.

The reason for this is the app Tiny Alarm by Plum Amazing. The completely redid version 1.6 which was a cool, simple to use, timer to version 1.7 which is full of bells and whistles to be bloated for using it as a simple alarm clock. And I don't like the way the app signals the end of the time set in the alarm.

So I run version 1.6 under a different name but the shared files with version 1.7 tells the Apple App store I need an update. So I update it which overwrites version 1.6 with version 1.7 and after closing the App store app/window, I copy a backup copy of version 1.6 to overwrite the updated version.

All in all the app store is a good idea, it's just been badly managed by Apple and badly treated by app companies. Furthermore I hate updating Apple apps through it, I like the old separate update method. But I can't change that, but sure would like Apple to give users more control over the apps they have in the store.

PDFmate for IOS

Update (6/26/13).-- There was another update this week which fixes the crash, but didn't fix the fact it can't identify some PDF files as PDF format, but some .indd format, and it took some of the tools in Acrobat Pro XI to change the file so this app identifies it correctly. I reloaded it along with the 15 files, but overall it's the same deal, there are better PDF readers than this one.

Update (6/11/13).--There was an update in iTunes for this (version 5.0.4) and after uploading it into the iPad, it crashes. I removed all the files I keep in it, viewing through the in-app purchase, and it still crashes. So I removed it until they fix it.

In short with this app - Don't waste your time or money.

Original post (6/4/13).-- I've had PDFmate for IOS (not the application for Mac or Windows but IOS) on my iPad for awhile. It was free and had decent reviews. So I put a series of PDF files produced by the NPS in it and it worked fine, until that is the most recent update when the free version didn't like some of the PDF and changed the file names and formats, but more so only let me view one file.

And not just one at a time, but only one, the last one opened. It then displayed a message that to view multiple files in the app you must upgrade to the in-app premim version for $1.99. Yes, you guessed it, the free is free for one file and one file only, all the rest will cost you.

It's like giving someone a free bag of chips but then only letting them eat one chip and charging for the rest of the chips for a one time fee. Except this isn't spelled out on the description of the free app in iTunes. Anyway, I bought, but then robbed because it's like buying a bad doughnut, you were screwed and can't get your money back.

On top of that it didn't recognize some of the PDF's as PDF files and proceeded to store and display them differently despite other PDF readers having no problems with the files. Anyway, I put the files in Adobe Reader and took PDFmate off my iPad.

When a company offers a free product, then be honest about what it does than wait until they open the app to discover they were had, especially when you can find better apps which don't cheat or lie to you.

Long Season Redux

After working to get into second place with a 20 wins and 21 loss record, including winning 2 of 3 from the Yankees, the Mariners won only 7 of the last 23 games, including being swept in a few series to now have 27 wins and 37 losses. This after losing 3 of 4 to the Yankees this last weekend.

Why aren't we surprised? They can play above themselves and win games but then lose games they were leading going into the bottom of the last inning with blown saves and stupid errors.

So the Mariners seem to be a team which plays hard and should win more than they lose but a team which loves to either give games away to the other team when they're leading or on the verge of winning or just no show up and get shutout.

This is why it will be a long losing season again this year with the Mariners. The baseball writers picked the them to finish 4th in the division and be very lucky if they make the .500 level. That seems to be so true and by the All-Star break will be done for the season.

They've already started putting players down to triple-A Tacoma and bringing up players who have been up already and sent back down or new players who they think are ready for the majors but turn out to be only triple-A caliber players.

All you have to do is look at their starting rotation. After Hernandez and Iwakuma, they have had several in the 3, 4 and 5 spot who have yet to have a winning record. And when the first two pitchers don't win, which is becoming common now, then there's not much to hope for with the other three pitchers.

The truth is that this has been the same as the last few years. Their season is over by the all-star break with losing record. And this is showing they're going in that direction. This is a team which can win and be competitive, but they haven't shown it's a consistent effort with them.

And what's worse is that there aren't any better players in the Tacoma Rainiers, their triple-A team. They keep lauding the team's great prospects but either they get traded or aren't major league players when they get to the Mariners.

They haven't had one player drafted and brought up through the lower leagues show consistent big league play with their defense and offense. They have great defensive players but they're consistently near the bottom of the offensive catagories as players and a team.

So why should all us fan think any better of the team the owners and management put on the field? When you look at similar teams, like the Oakland A's, the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Cleveland Indians who are winning playing hard and often above themselves, it's hard not to wonder about the Mariners.

And when it's consistent for years, then it's not the players and it's not the team managers under Eric Wedge, its the owners and general management not wanting to give Seattle a better team. We paid for a great ballpark for the team and after the record-setting team we're waiting for great team again.

But sadly, again this year, it won't happen. And all the hype by the broadcasters, which is often nauseating at times, doesn't change the reality. Losing is losing, especially when it's the only thing they do consistently.