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Issue link: https://digital.macdirectory.com/i/49191
DEPARTMENT BEEBE > MACDIRECTORY'S TECH GODDESS Q>I have been experiencing random corruption and crashes and I am beginning to suspect that this may be caused by the large number of Adobe applications on my system (Master Collection, actually). I restore the drive to factory spec, do the system upgrades and then install Master Collection, but every time I do this I have different and totally odd problems. Is this just me? - Michele A., Lawrence, IN A>I have definitely heard of this elsewhere and I have had the same problem myself. Attempts at resolution tend to turn into finger pointing matches between Apple and Adobe, but I tend to think that Adobe is at fault. Adobe application development teams appear to operate in separate universes and they do not seem to be uniform where they should be. It is my theory that they may not be careful in regards to conflicting resource files that fight with each other during the installation process. The reason behind my theory is that this behavior is far too reminiscent of system extension conflicts during the pre OSX days. The best I can offer is to contact Adobe and try to get them to look into this issue. Q>I'm bringing a mirror G4 back to life. Do you know of any cool OS9 hacks? - Mac T., Salem, OR A>I'd grab copy of ResEdit (http://www.mac.org/utilities/resedit/). That should get you into plenty of trouble in no time. It is a resource editor that you can use to pull apart all sorts of things and rebuild 'em the way you want. For example, you can create cool art for splash screens (including the OS startup screen), turn cute little bunnies in those classic Japanese arcade games into road kill and so on. You can also use it to extract art and images from classic apps. Make sure you work on copies rather than originals, though, or you may cause permanent brain damage. If you have nothing better to do, you might also search for copies of both volumes of Stupid Mac Tricks. You can impress your buds by filling your screen with a couple dozen NORAD style readout windows, have your Mac unleash a blood curdling scream (timed or completely random), have the eyes of a photo of Ronald Reagan follow your cursor around the screen, and do all sorts of other completely useless stuff. Knock yourself out. If you want to go truly retro, find a copy of the After Dark screensaver app. Guaranteed to evoke a fascinated gak sound from anyone who sees it. While you're at it, don't forget to yank the plastic backing on the case and stuff in some neon. Couldn't hurt…. Q>I'm looking for some good drum software. I've used all the standard DAW stuff but it's all too mechanical for me. Do you have any recommendations? - Brant H., Houston, TX A>You might take a look at Superior Drummer from ToonTracks. There are a huge range of amazing samples recorded in top studios using a huge range of modern and classic drums and with a rainbow of hits for each drum, along with a variety of mic placements all of which is controlled from an onscreen mixer. They also offer an expansive MIDI library of just about any style you can imagine. You can play them live and direct or run them remotely through a DAW (even Garage Band). Q>I'd like a Mac Mini for portability but I am also drawn to the iMac. Which do you recommend? It is not a matter of money. - Joshua H., Houston, TX A>I'd go with a MacBook Pro and a 27" display. Best of both worlds. Money is no object? Let's be friends! I've grown soooo bored with my classic Testarossa…. 26 MacDirectory