Thoughtful, detailed coverage of the Mac, iPhone, and iPad, plus the best-selling Take Control ebooks.

 

 

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If your Twitter client doesn't automatically shorten URLs for you, you can use TextExpander to shrink those long links to tweetable lengths. First, add the Internet Productivity group by choosing File > Add Predefined Group > Internet Productivity Snippets. Then, to shorten a URL using a service like TinyURL, copy the destination URL to the clipboard, and type the abbreviation /tinyurl to insert the shortened URL at the insertion point.

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Sound Different with Apple Soundtrack

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The sounds a Mac makes are iconic and easily identified. For example, when I saw Pixar's "Wall-E" on opening night, I knew immediately what percentage of the audience used Macs from the giggles I heard after the titular robot finishes recharging, which ends with the Mac's startup chime. You may also know the story of Sosumi (a made-up word that, when said aloud, is "so sue me").

What happens when you put the Mac's sounds together? Hear it yourself: Designer and musician Mike Soloman created a catchy tune made up entirely of Mac sounds in GarageBand. I especially like that he included a screencast of GarageBand playing the song (and that he threw in the Wilhelm scream at the end). Soloman has made his GarageBand file available for download, as well as an audio file of the song.

 

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