28 MacDirectory
DEPARTMENT
Q> I am looking for an external monitor.
I know that Apple monitors are better
than most, but I wonder if you have any
other suggestions.
- M. Lenseng, Manitoba
A> The choice of a monitor depends
on your needs. If you don't go with Apple,
check the online reviews of various
models and choose a digital display (one
that requires a DVI connector rather than
VGA) as the picture will generally be of
higher quality. If you have a recent
consumer or pro MacBook, consider the
new 24" LED display. It's big, bright,
accurate, has a nice 2.1 speaker system
and doesn't require a video adapter. The
downside is that it is glossy. This might
not be an issue for you, but if you are into
accurate color retouching or you do not
like to stare at your reflection all day, your
choice in Apple displays is limited to the
30" model. There are still a few non-
reflective 23" Apple displays in the
channels and if you hurry you can grab
one from an online or catalogue source
before the stock disappears.
Q> I'm just getting into Premier Pro. I
can get around using my keyboard but I
know that there are control devices for
this sort of thing. What do you
recommend?
– J. Menack, New York
A> Two such items immediately come
to mind. One is the Shuttle Pro from
Contour Design . It
has jog/shuttle controls, 15 programmable
buttons, and has a really low profile. The
second is the DV Keyboard from Bella
. It has a built-in
jog/shuttle controller, 17 programmable
buttons and sticker sets to label your keys
for a variety of video applications.
Q> I used to mount my iPod on the
desktop and use it like a thumb drive. But
I can't get my iPhone to do this. Isn't this
just a glorified iPod? Why can't I mount it
on the desktop?
- M. Jones, Utah
A> Oooh! My first iPhone question!
While the iPhone has many iPod features,
it is, above all, a cellular phone. Why won't
it mount? Who knows? One might
consider that it is an upscale device that is
making inroads into the enterprise market.
(See .)
The likelihood that someone could load
their expensive, highly desirable, theft-
prone phone with confidential company
data may have something to do with the
apparent disabling of a mounting feature.
Never fear, there are a number of iApps
that you can load on your Mac and iPhone
that make it possible to send files to your
phone wirelessly and even view them on
your iPhone. Do an iApps search for the
term "files."
Q> How does Web optimization work? I
understand it in principle but how do I
achieve it?
- P. Kowalczyk, Ohio
A> As you know, search engine
optimization (SEO in geekspeak) is a
process by which a Web site can attract
visitors by the judicious use of text, tags
and other means. As the most popular
means of searching the web is Google,
you might want to check out their free
testing and optimization tool. The URL is
ridiculously complex, so do a search for
these words: google web optimization.
The link you want is right at the top of
the list.
There are as many "dont's" to this process
as "do's," so make sure that you observe
best practices and avoid such cheap
gimmicks as burying tons of key words in
white type. Google is smart enough to
detect this sort of annoying nonsense and
will tank the ratings of sites that try this
kind of thing.
By the way, if you need to approach this
issue on a corporate level and are thinking
about hiring a commercial SEO firm, check
them out first to make sure that they play
by the rules or you might find a short-term
gain followed by a long-term trashing.
Q> My machine is constantly having a
cow. Without any reason the screen goes
dark and the application windows are
spread all over the screen. What is going
on here?
- R. Nalls, Oklahoma
A> Wild guess: You have a mighty
mouse. If so, check out the keyboard and
mouse control panel. Chances are that the
buttons on the side of the mouse are set
to trigger Exposé. Set 'em to "off" and the
bovine deliveries should cease.
BEEBE > MACDIRECTORY'S TECH GODDESS
