Quick Tidbits: Fast OS Switching, Free SkypeIn, 'nother Bug Squashed, Mac OS X Processes

Monday, 2006-05-22; 00:54:00

Despite my previous rants on how easy access to other OSes on the Mac will degrade the quality/quantity of Mac OS X-native software, I have to say, this video is pretty cool (via Digg). It's using Parallels, virtualization software for Intel-based Macs, and Virtue, a virtual desktop manager. I would have no use for it, but it's still cool.

(On a side note, I really, really despise how YouTube and Google Video degrade the quality of videos so that you can't see any details. Bah.)

Recently, Skype decided to eliminate fees for SkypeOut calls from US/Canada to US/Canada. This is extremely cool, and makes Skype much more valuable. I've purchased a SkypeIn number because The Maze, the room where I and a number of other geology grad students have our cubicles, has no phone jacks except for one, which is a common area phone. SkypeIn allows me to have a traditional phone number in the 650 area code that other people can call, which I can answer on my computer. It's nice, because I can access the phone from home or from work, which makes it a little more versatile than a landline, but it's not as invasive as a cell phone.

Free SkypeIn is a major boon: previously SkypeIn costed a few cents per minute depending on which country you called, but local calls still cost a bit. With the elimination of the fee (at least until the end of 2006), I can now use my computer to make phone calls. I used to just use the nearby common area phone, but now my computer will suffice. Yay for free stuff!

Skype is really, really cool, by the way. I don't use much of the IMing part of it, but the access to traditional land lines (and cell phones) through SkypeIn and SkypeOut is invaluable. I also have a cool phone number: all of the digits (besides the area code) are powers of 2. :)

Oh and by the way, it seems the recent QuickTime 7.1 update squashed the weird bug where horizontal scrolling made some weird volume effects happen -- bug number XVII, for the curious. Yay for 12.5% fix rates!

Lastly, here's a valuable list that goes through all the obscurely-named processes on your Mac, including what they actually do. (Also via Digg.)

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