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TidBITS#1134/16-Jul-2012

While we all wait for Apple to release Mountain Lion, we have a slew of practical articles for you this week. Adam Engst explains how you can control your Apple TV with the same remote you use for your TV, and how to make sure you’re getting the bandwidth from your ISP that you’re paying for. Also, Agen Schmitz delves into the dark world of MPAA ratings and iTunes metadata to figure out how to apply them to videos he would prefer his five-year-old didn’t run across on the iPad. Plus, Adam covers the story about how Dropbox’s Public folder will be going away (but can be re-enabled) for new accounts, and we’re looking to find out which day of the week would be best for our upcoming TidBITS Presents: “Upgrading to and Using Mountain Lion.” Notable software releases this week include Microsoft Office for Mac 2011 14.2.3, iPhoto ’11 9.3.1, and Audio Hijack Pro 2.10.4.

Adam Engst 24 comments

Dropbox Public Folder Leaves and Returns

With users complaining after an announcement that the Dropbox Public folder would disappear from new accounts, Dropbox subsequently said that new users would be able to turn the Public folder on if they so wished, and that the Dropbox API would be extended to support developers who wanted to rely on the Public folder. All’s well that ends well.

Adam Engst 25 comments

Are You Getting the Bandwidth You’re Paying For?

After being disappointed with the performance of his Internet connection, Adam Engst spent several weeks getting a new cable, upgrading to a higher service level, and swapping cable modems before Time Warner was able to provide the bandwidth he had been promised. It’s worth checking your Internet connection and making sure you’re getting what you’re paying for — read on for Adam’s advice on the best way to proceed.

Agen Schmitz 6 comments

Hunting the Elusive MPAA Rating Field in iTunes

After implementing iOS Restrictions settings to display only age-appropriate movies and TV shows on the iPad his five-year-old son uses, Agen Schmitz discovered the movies he had encoded himself were not filtered out because they didn’t include MPAA or TV Parental Guidelines ratings metadata. And there’s no way to add those ratings to a video file via iTunes. Here’s how he used the iDentify shareware app to protect his son from the evils of Louis C.K.

TidBITS Staff No comments

ExtraBITS for 16 July 2012

Two quick ExtraBITS for you this week: news of Apple withdrawing from, and then immediately rejoining, the EPEAT program for environmental stewardship; and the strange story of a Russian hacker who figured out how to trick iOS into allowing free in-app purchases.