This is especially excellent if you travel with a MacBook air.

Now you can connect your ipad to your Mac (wirelessly) and use it as an external monitor. As long as you are within range of a wifi network, you’re in business. And you’ll get nearly exactly the same results as connecting to that flat screen you left back at the house.

This is how it’s done:

First of all you need to download and install the iPad application called Air Display.

The application is $9.99 and can be found here:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/air-display/id368158927?mt=8

Once you’ve done the install, open the application on your iPad. This is where it could get a little confusing, but try not to read too much between the lines. Just be a good doobie and  follow the tabbed instructions that will appear on your iPad.

When you first open the application you will see a screen that looks something like the image to the right:

The first tab tells you to open Safari on your Mac. Do this. You will then go to a URL. When you go there  you will then be prompted to download a tiny bit of code onto your Mac. Do this. Then restart your Mac.

When you restart your Mac you will see a new icon in your Menu bar (at the top of your screen).

With the application running on your iPad click the Air Display Menu bar icon on your Mac. Turn Air Display ON. Select Connect To… You should see the name of your iPad listed. Your machine will blink one or two times. Your ipad will do the same. This is normal.

Once the two devices are communicating you will see your second-monitor desktop wallpaper appear on the iPad. You may also see your dock jump over to the iPad. Now move your mouse over to the iPad. You see it? Open a browser window and drag it over to the iPad. You are actually dragging stuff over to your ipad using the mouse! I know…it made me giggle like a little girl the first time I tried it.

There is a bit of a lag in screen refresh when you drag things fast around the iPad screen. But really, who cares? This is an awesome solution. Should make even the hardest road warrior a little misty.

One problem I did notice. When you switch out of the Air Display app on the iPad windows dragging between the Mac and the iPad seems to stop working. I get around this by turning Air Display off (in the Mac menu bar). Wait a moment for things to reset. Then turn it back on, and select my iPad. This usually clears up the issue.

Now our email, novels, novel ideas, designs, blog drafts, documents, tax returns, financials, divorce papers, hate mail, love letters, spreadsheets, insurance papers, mortgage documents and that photo of me chewing on my chihuahua’s head are out there, somewhere, floating blithely along “on the cloud.”

Sounds a LOT like having unprotected sex. One of these days something unexpected is going to happen.

My problem (my paranoia?) is that EVERY time I post something “to the cloud” I feel like I’m feeding this great unknowable thing. It’s like this huge, big hungry monster lurking out there, waiting to devour us!

Way back in 1995 Nicholas Negroponte mentioned in his book  “Being Digital”  that “When things go digital, control is lost.”

Enter Cloud Computing, the bastion of CONTROL…LOST.

I’ll be the first to admit that the cloud is SUPER convenient. Seriously, Dropbox has altered my digital life in many positive ways. Simply not having to lug a jump drive or a computer around has been a treat. Not really worrying if my house burns down–destroying the novels i’m working on–has been liberating. Still, there has been this nagging voice in the back of my mind about The Cloud.

How secure is our data on the cloud? Companies like Dropbox have great language on their websites about how secure your data is. How they apply military-grade encryption to your files. Still, how secure is MY data is on THEIR servers? How can my data be totally secure if THEY can send me my password, if I forget it? What’s to stop an employee from rifling through my shit…your shit…others’ shit?

So I’ve determined that a company’s comments about security just isn’t good enough for me. I need, I want, I have to have, an added layer of protection for which I and I alone control the keys.

When you think about it digitally, Security and Convenience are not great partners. If they were on Dancing With the Stars they would have been voted off the first night. Shoes would have flown into the audience, moves would have flubbed, and most assuredly there would have been a wardrobe malfunction, or two. There is simply too much tension between security and convenience. Think of taking an Arthur Miller class with your X wife (or husband).

In reality if you want something super convenient, then that thing runs a good chance of being easy to crack, infect, reach, steal or spoof. Convenience is inherently insecure. (I mean that as data insecure not Psycho-Cybernetics insecure). Likewise if you want something super secure, then you will have to face a gauntlet of time-zapping hurdles just to interact with the information. The key to being secure AND convenient is balancing one with the other. Too much on one side and you’re miserable.

I’m not satisfied that being secure “on the cloud” is the domain of the super geeky. I’m also not satisfied that I can’t reach a level of confidence about my most precious data on the cloud without having to thread a needle with a camel.

So here is the simplest way I’ve found to add an additional layer of control to your files on Dropbox (or on the cloud in general):

First here is a quick NON-TECHNICAL overview of what we’re going to do:

1. Create an encrypted folder, let’s call it a “Vault” on your LOCAL COMPUTER using a piece of FREE software
2. Place the files you want to protect into the Vault
3. Upload your Vault onto Dropbox
4. Sanitize Dropbox so that none of your protect files are available “in the clear”

Here is the “technical” side of how we accomplish this:

Download and install TrueCrypt. This is a free, open source program that works on all platforms. Follow their GREAT and EASY instructions on how to create your first encrypted volume, aka Vault. (I’m just going to call this thing the Vault until Apple tells me I can’t.). If you don’t trust TrueCrypt, then take a gander at what security guru Steve Gibson says about it.

One thing that screwed me up when I first tried this was pre-determining the fixed size of the Vault. If you’re only going to secure 10MB of stuff and you set the volume…cough…I mean Vault size to 5MB, then you won’t be able to fit everything in your Vault. Likewise, if you set the Vault size to 1GB and you only use 10KB, then your volume will STILL take up 1GB of your Dropbox. Do a little planning. Build out your Vault to the size you need plus leave some extra room for growth. You know the old chestnut:  Measure twice. Cut once.

NOTE: When the system asks you for a password don’t be a pansy. Come up with a password that’s impossible to break. DO NOT USE THE SAME PASSWORD YOU USE FOR EVERYTHING ELSE!!!

Once you’ve created the Vault on your computer and UNMOUNTED it from TrueCrypt, then you can throw that file up onto Dropbox. Here was a point of confusion for me. When you talk about a file to me I think of a single file. When TrueCrypt disconnects from your Vault, the Vault changes from a Volume or a Folder into a file. It’s a file, but it’s not really. So throw this file up onto your Drop.

Now, make sure you take a pass through your Dropbox so you can delete ALL of the files that you have protected in your Vault. Keep in mind if it’s not in the Vault, it’s NOT protected.

Two questions that came to my mind when I was first getting into this:

Can I  open my Vault using my iOS device?

No. So the way around that is to allow the stuff you post to your Drop to reside in insecure space until you get a chance to scoop it into your Vault. So let’s say there is about a day’s worth of stuff that you haven’t secured. If there is a breach, then potentially you’ve only exposed about a day’s worth of work. Better than giving them the full monty, right?

How do I interact with my Vault once it’s on the Drop.

When you launch TrueCrypt you can then open this Vault directly from your Drop. When you’ve unlocked it, the Vault will appear on your desktop a Volume icon (Speaking from the Mac point of view). Click on this Volume and your files will be there ready for you. When you’re done, Unmount the drive, and it will pop back into Dropbox. All nice and tidy.

If you are collaborating with someone and using these protected Vaults, I read somewhere that you can cause real problems for yourself if you don’t UNMOUNT your drive when you’re done. I have not experimented with this yet. Let me know if you find anything on this front.

Ok, that should cover it. Go forth with renewed confidence and be sure to practice safe sex..er…cloud. haha that too.

For further reading:

http://www.grc.com/sn/SN-041.htm

http://www.truecrypt.org/docs/

http://www.randomwire.com/storing-sensitive-data-in-the-cloud

http://paranoia.dubfire.net/2011/04/how-dropbox-sacrifices-user-privacy-for.html

When I got the keyboard home, that’s when things went a little weird. The keyboard paired with the iPad without a problem. But then when I went to do the same with the laptop, it wouldn’t show up. Not a signal. I tried putting the iPad on the other side of the house. That still didn’t work. Clearly the iPad and the keyboard were still communicating, preventing the keyboard from pairing with the laptop.

The reality is that the fix is so simple. But when you Google “How to use a bluetooth keyboard with two devices” you’ll see a lot of crappy results. Even the “font of all knowledge” is only as good as its source.

So for you thrifty ones out there trying to get more for less…here is all you need to do to get 1 BT keyboard to work with 2 devices:

First of all you CANNOT have one bluetooth keyboard controlling two devices SIMULTANEOUSLY.

Think about it…

You don’t need to control your computer at the same time you’re controlling your iPad. Do you? Do you really need to have the characters you’re typing on one keyboard show up on both devices simultaneously? Who are you, Keith Emerson? So just get that notion out of your head. What you DO need is the ability to choose which device you want to interact with, and have the keyboard work with that device, without jumping through a bunch of hoops.

So what to do?

First of all, the key to this whole puzzle has to do with turning your Bluetooth on the target device on and off. If you want to use the Bluetooth keyboard on your computer, make sure the bluetooth radio is turned off on your iPad. and vice versa. I don’t just mean you’ve disconnected the Bluetooth device from your target machine. I mean you have to shut the radio down completely. This is easily done:

How to turn Bluetooth “OFF” on the iPad.

Settings—->General—-> tap Bluetooth, slide to OFF.

How to turn Bluetooth “OFF” on the Mac.

On the Menu Bar click the Bluetooth icon—>Turn Bluetooth Off

So now as long as you stick to the rules, the keyboard should play nice with both of your devices. Ahh, sweet harmony…Still…You Turn Me On.

There’s one born every minute…

How many times have you received an email from a friend with the subject line of:

“THIS TOOK TWO PAGES OF THE TUESDAY USA TODAY-IT IS FOR REAL” or a subject line of “PLEEEEEEEASE READ!!! It was on the news!”

Or how about this:

“For every person that you forward this email to [Large Company] will pay you $245 for every person that you sent to that forwards it on…”

Over 100 million of you were new to the Internet in 2009. Can we really blame those that are new for falling victim to the “Don’t Buy Pepsi In The New Can!” or “Life is beautiful virus” hoax or the “You’ve Won The Lottery” scam? Not to mention the “Nigerian prince” that needs your help to transfer money.

Really? Are you really so gullible to believe this shit? Apparently enough of you are to prompt a friend of mine to have me write this article. The funny thing is I thought this was no longer a problem. I was wrong. Why? Over 100 million of you were new to the Internet in 2009. Call yourself newbies, n00bs… or even dummies, but there are just some things you gotta get straight.

Here are 10 things to think about before you hit SEND or FORWARD on that chain email you just received:

1. No reputable company will use a chain letter to speak about its products.

2. Attachments sent in chain letters are a GREAT way to get a virus. You might think you’re opening a PowerPoint presentation showing you cute kittens or brave fire fighters, but chances are you’ve just infected your PC. Never open attachments you can’t verify.

3. When you forward a chain letter you are also forwarding everyone’s email address that forwarded along with YOUR email address. This is easy pickings for spammers. If you don’t know it now, you’ll learn later one simple fact: All spammers must die.

4. NEVER open a link in an email w/out first confirming where that link is going to take you. There are a growing number of viruses that can infect your machine just by visiting “compromised” websites.

5. Beware emails from “your bank” or from a website you use that tells you “you need to verify your identity by clicking on this link.” If you are not sure, open your web browser and navigate to your bank site directly. Don’t trust that the link in your email is going to take you to the right site. It might actually take you to a website that “looks” like your bank or membership site, but it’s just there to capture your login information–and or compromise your identity. This is known as a “phishing” scam.

6. Propagating a myth about a company “taking the word god off their can” or whatever the chain email claims about them can actually cause real problems for the companies. If 100,000 believe a hoax, they can clog up a companies’ real phones real quick.

7. If you are the one that’s attributed as the author of a hoax, you could be held responsible for its consequences. You never know how your “good intentions” can morph into real problems.

8. Turn off HTML email or change your settings so your email does not download the images contained in a message. Once you validate the veracity of the email, then you can download the images. In HTML, email images can contain tracking “bugs” that can tell the spammer if you opened the email, what your IP address is and more.

9. KEEP ALL OF YOUR SOFTWARE UP TO DATE AND CURRENT.  This includes your Operating system and all your applications. Windows and Mac users that neglect the ongoing messages for “Windows would like to update your system” or the equivalent on the Mac, are being irresponsible to the Internet community and risk getting infected themselves.

10. Help yourself out. Just buy a mac.  (note: it’s still a rare thing for a Mac to get a virus, but the day will come.)

I’ll close with this note about viruses…

Viruses that break your machine or delete your files are not where the action is for criminals. What’s in vogue today for virus designers is creating programs that infect your machine without you even knowing it. When you open an infected HTML email or website you run the risk of turning your machine into a Zombie. And according to Symantec there are 148,000 new zombie computers created EVERY DAY. A zombie computer can be used (without your knowledge) to capture your personal data, store illegal files or perform malicious tasks on the Internet…

There has been a growing discussion about making people get licenses to operate computers attached to the Internet. I think I could agree with this line of thinking.

The other day a friend of mine lost his hard drive and all of his email. Needless to say, he was at the bar. The whisky was flowing. And it was only noon. On a Tuesday.

Chances are if you’ve been using computers long enough, you’ve had similar hard drive problems. Whether it’s a failure or a file corruption, the computer stops functioning. And it always seems to happen at the exact wrong time, like when you’re late for a meeting or you’re on deadline. Poof! Drive death.

Here is how to survive drive death without breaking into the Knob Creek:

The only way to shorten recovery from drive death is with a bootable clone. Basically I’m talking about is a mirrored version of your hard drive that you can use to start up your computer.

Let’s face it. You might already have some sort of backup plan in place. You might be diligent about storing files off site, as well as on some external hard drive system. But how does that really help you get your computer back? When you put a new drive into your machine, you still have to drop the operating system on it. THEN you have to load in your apps, re-input the registration keys (if you can find them), put your data back on, re-config all of your email accounts, not to mention somehow getting your email database back up and running, and finally tweaking all your settings so you can get back to work. That’s NOT a backup plan. That’s backup PAIN.

When you can’t boot to your drive, and all you have is a fresh, blank drive in a box, it’s like not having backed up at all.

This is where a bootable clone saves the day. First of all, the clone is an exact replica of your hard drive. I’m not talking about just your data. I’m talking about every jot and tittle. Every application. Every setting. Every registration code. Every bookmark. Everything.

Bootable means that you can boot your Mac to it. With the drive plugged in, you turn on your mac and hold down the Option key. You’ll be shown a screen with icons of the drives that the system recognizes it can use for booting. (btw, if you’re still slogging away on a Winblows machine, I can’t help you. I have no idea if you can boot to an external drive. My advice: go buy a Mac.)

The application you use to do this is called Carbon Copy Cloner.

What’s great about this application is that it’s FREE. Yes. You should donate something to the CCC geniuses. Because, as their little ad says, this is an app that “saves your bacon,” and that’s true.

I make a fresh clone of my drive every couple of days. That way, if I lose my main drive, I don’t have to worry about lost email, or docs or time. Drive goes poof, I pop in a new drive, clone my stuff back onto it, and I’m  up and running. If I don’t have a replacement drive handy, I go through the day on the clone, and then when I have time, I go buy a drive. (it’s a little like a patient living on the operating table with his heart beating in a pan next to him).

Mistakes you can make when Cloning:

Mistake 1: Clone to a drive larger than the replacement hard drive. Do not do this. Clone to a drive that’s the same size as your source disk. Why? Because when you go to clone it BACK, you won’t be able to. You can’t clone a larger drive on to a smaller drive. Then you’re relegated to hand picking your stuff off the large drive and putting it back on your drive. I’ve never successfully done this. NOTE: you can use  a larger hard drive as your target if you tell Carbon Copy to delete everything that’s not part of the clone.

Mistake 2: Let your Clone get out of date. I believe that Carbon Copy has a setting to make automatic backups of your system, but I’ve never used it. I do my clones about once a week and just set it up before I go to bed.

Mistake 3. Don’t test the “bootability” of your clone. Again, the key to a good clone is that it’s bootable. When it’s bootable, you can keep on working until you have time to install a new drive. But if your clone isn’t bootable, you’re stuck. Your time shifts to just getting back up and running.

Mistake 4. Don’t protect your clone as if it were your hard drive. Remember, your clone IS your hard drive. And if someone gets hold of the clone, they have access to your entire world…

Additional reasons you make a bootable clone:

1. You’ve just purchased a larger hard drive that you want to put into your machine. This is what turned me onto cloning in the first place. Take the new drive and put it in an enclosure. Once that’s done and the new drive has been mounted, clone your old drive onto the new drive. Once that’s done, then pop the old drive out of your machine, put in the new drive, boot…and voilà! You’re up and running.

2. Updating your operating system. Usually the best way to upgrade your operating system is to do a fresh install. Just installing the new operating system on top of the old one typically turns out bad. I go into more detail on this here. Creating and testing a bootable clone before you do the fresh install will save you hours if the install: A. doesn’t go right. or B. does things to your machine you don’t like. Basically, the clone lets you roll back your machine to its previous incarnation w/out a bunch of hassle.

3. Setting up multiple (identical) machines with identical settings & software. Create a master drive clone, and then dupe that onto the drives for the other machines. This can really save you time if you have to set up a class room or small business.

4. Traveling overseas and you don’t want to take the ENTIRE contents of your hard drive with you. So maybe you clone out your drive and wipe your computer?(or buy an iPad).

Keep in mind  the backup rule of thumb:

“If your data is not in 3 places, your data is nowhere.”  Offsite, on another drive in your office or house, and on a DVD,  that’s 3 places. But recovering from a drive failure is more than just getting your files back, its also about getting your applications, settings, tweaks and operating environment back. Without a clone, you’re relegated to rebuilding from scratch. Doing this while dealing with the pressures of your day will drive even the staunchest prohibitionist back to the bottle. Say it with me. I clone therefore I am.

Do this: Under VMWare Settings, open the Virtual Machine drop down menu. Then hold down the Option key to change “Shut Down Guest” to “Power Off”.

You may not be able to afford a new computer every 1 or 2 years. Don’t fret. On average I have made my Mac laptops last well into their 5th year of use. Trust me, with the amount of time I spend on my laptop–the photo of my keyboard, below, should be a clear  indication of how much use my laptop gets–if it’s not keeping up,  I’ll be the first one to ditch it.

Worn Keyboard or Dead Mac?

But keeping up doesn’t mean I have to settle. My machine has to be fast. It has to deal with video editing plus all the other crap I throw at it. I can’t afford for my laptop to be a dog when it comes to handling http, .psd, .swf, .mov, ftp, etc…

My black MacBook (2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo) is nearly 4 years old. It was expensive when I bought it. It will be expensive now to replace it. But I use it every day. I edit video, run Windows XP, manage websites, Photoshop, listen to music, process images, synch my iPhone, write blogs, do screencasts, video chat on Skype, watch Netflix and Hulu and earn a living all without a slowdown or any problems for that matter (knock on wood). On top of that, it’s only a MacBook, it’s not a Pro. How am I accomplishing all of this on such an “outdated” machine?

Don’t be fooled. Computer sales are just like car sales. You see a new car and your dopamine cells fire off telling you that you want that new car. Same goes for new computers. I never walk into an Apple store without getting a little weak in the knees after touching a new iMac or new Macbook Pro.

If temperance ever had a place, it’s when it comes to buying tech. With tech, you’ll never get ahead. I could go out today and buy the best laptop that Apple has to offer, and tomorrow they’ll have something better. Bigger screen, faster processor, SSD Drive, More RAM, Firewire 800 instead of 400, backlit keyboard…mmmm backlit keyboard…see that? I’m already fantasizing and I’m just writing you a note. Step away from the cash register.

Let’s put off the purchase of a new laptop for as long as we can. But let’s not suffer in the process.

But How? How do you keep your older laptop humming at peak performance and out of the closet (where your other tech has been accumulating) for as long as possible?

First lets explore how a perfectly good machine can suddenly feel old? Just forget the stuff you already know about defragging your hard drive, and file management. We’re well beyond simple shuffling of crap on your hard drive. Bottom line: An old machine is a slow machine.

Slowness evolves. New software is released. New technologies are used on the Internet. Updates and patches to your OS come creeping in. With every update your current hardware is taxed just a little bit more. All of this progress adds up to one thing and one thing only. Your machine is doomed.

Lucky for us (thrifty folk out there) there are specific, and relatively inexpensive, things we can do to our older machines to stave off the effects of old age. Much like what a good shot of Botox can do for your face these tricks can add a good 2 or 3 years of life to your laptop.

Three ways to extend the life of your laptop:

1. Upgrade your RAM

2. Stay current with your OS

3. Upgrade your Hard Drive

Max Out Your RAM

One of the first things you should do with any computer you care about (read: use all the time) is make sure you’ve got as much RAM as you can  a. afford  b. cram in the box. I’m not kidding. If you’re running your Mac with anything less than 2 gigs, or 4 gigs (even better), then you’re missing out on some real performance boosts in your machine. A little bummer about the Black Macbook is that while you can fit 4 gigs of RAM onboard, and the OS “sees” it, I guess the system can’t use all 4 gigs. Look, just spring for the 4 gigs of RAM. You’ll thank yourself. Rule of thumb, always, always outfit your machine with the maximum possible amount of RAM. When you chince on RAM you hobble your machine. You wouldn’t want to fly jet liner with only one engine would you? Yea, it’s just like that. The #1 way to extend the usefulness (and therefore the life) of your computer is by adding RAM.

Upgrade Your OS

For the Mac, the next thing you can do to speed up your machine is make sure you are running Snow Leopard. I noticed immediate performance benefits on my mac the minute I got Snow Leopard installed. Sooo much has already been written about Snow Leopard that I dare not belabor the point. But keep this in mind. When you do your upgrade do a FRESH INSTALL. Do NOT just overwrite your old OS with the new one. To really get the benefit of the new OS, you need to get rid of the gunk that has built up on your hard drive. Cultofmac.com has the best write up on how to do this.

Upgrade Your Hard drive

First of all, let me dispell the myth that the max hard drive size that will fit in the Black Mackbook is 250 GB. Not true. The drive I have in mine is 320 GB. I’ve been told that you can go up as far as 1/2 Terabyte. Had I know this, I would have done that, but alas, I fell victim to the myth. Anyway, when you’re looking at a new drive, storage size is not the only aspect to consider. When you are looking to boost your Mac’s performance drive speed needs to be factored in.

Note: I’m not going to discuss solid state drives (SSD) here. They are in a class of their own, both from a speed and price standpoint. If you can afford a SSD for your machine, and you’re ok taking a hit on how much onboard storage you can have, then go for it. Right now, SSD just isn’t there for me…but I’ve definitely got my eye on it.

For a regular SATA drive, speed is determined by how fast the the platter spins. Plus some drives have RAM on board to give you even more of a performance boost. You can either buy a 5400 or 7200 RPM drive. Faster the spin, the faster your seek times and, theoretically, the faster your machine will run.

Putting the 7200 RPM drive in my machine was  a bit of an experiment. I had no idea if I would be able to detect a noticeable boost in speed. I am pleased to report that I do notice a bump, and I think it’s more than just a placebo effect. Here’s what I’ve got running in my machine right now: 320GB Western Digital Scorpio Black 7200 RMP 2.5 SATA internal drive. But let me summarize my experience:

Things I like about this drive upgrade:

• VMWare boots faster
• Photoshop boots faster
• Entire machine boots faster
• More space than expected. I was not limited to 250gb as I had previously thought

Things I don’t like about this drive upgrade:

• Slight vibration in the machine
• Battery life cut down to 1.5 hrs.* Now I know Western Digital is supposed to deliver 5400 RPM-equivalent power consumption but I’m not seeing that.
• Heat. My machine is definitely running hotter. (I’m tempted to put my old drive back in to see just how much hotter).

Really, there is no substitute for spending a little time maintaining your machine. Dust out the keyboard. Wipe the screen clean with microfiber cloth. Do not slam the lid when you leave. Also make sure that all of your software is up to date. You would not believe how many people are still running IE6. This is crazy. Upgrade your browser. Next make sure your hard drive is clear of clutter. Manage your files. Do that optimize thing you do. But beyond these simple do’s and don’ts you need to dig deeper to get every bit of life out of your laptop.

By upgrading key components on your laptop, including RAM and Hard Drive, and making sure your operating system is up to date you can extend the life of your machine by years.  Let’s save the icebergs for the polar bears, maybe a random grandparent or two, and keep your machines running longer.

P.S. A Note for Late Adopters:  Get With It!

Now, if you’re not on an Intel processor, then forget everything you just read. Going Intel was the best thing Apple could have done. And if you’re still using ANY Mac that predates the Intel chipset, then no amount of tinkering will help you. Give it up. Your devotion to that G3 or G4  is honorable, but it’s time to cut that box free.

Hitting any wordpress site from your iphone (or other touch-enabled) device can be a bit of a bummer for your readers. Without a doubt it’s better than the dark ages of Blackberry and Windows Mobile.

Today we take enlightened browsing from our mobile devices for granted, but that’s not to say there isn’t room improvement. Access your blog from iTouch or iPhone (or one of those other Apple knockoffs) and you’ll see what I mean…

Even when you enlarge the screen, the user interface presupposes you have the benefit of a full monitor and a mouse.

That’s why when I stumbled across WpTouch, a free WordPress plugin from Bravenewcode I had to do a little happy dance.

By adding WpTouch to your blog you instantly optimize it for mobile viewing. In fact the formatting is so nice that it almost makes your regular, un-mobilized blog seem so…passé.

Easier to show you this little gem rather than blather on about it. Below are my before and after photos.

Wordpress on iPhone before WpTouch

Wordpress on iPhone after WpTouch is installed

The other day, seemingly out of the blue, they deleted one of my domains. I’m writing about the experience here just in case you find yourself in the same situation.

The issue was a little different because I am not hosting a website for this domain on 1and1. I’m only hosting email. To split your DNS record, you have to log onto your Registrar and update your MX records. If you’re technical, you know what I’m talking about. If you’re not, here is what that means.

It’s possible to host your website on one server, with one provider while hosting your email with another provider. This has been the case forever because a company doesn’t typically host their website on the same box as they host their email. So in order for a domain to know how to route incoming traffic (either to the web server or to the email server) the domain references a little file…that’s it’s DNS record. The DNS record allows you to set your DNS servers (web servers) and your MX record (your email server aka Mail Exchange.) We call this splitting the record.

When you split a record you do this at the Registrar. Sometimes your Registrar can be a different company than your host. In my case, my Registrar is Godaddy an my Host is 1and1. Why do I have a separate Registrar and Host company? Well…I guess the simple answer is…because I can. I don’t really know anything about Godaddy hosting. The few times I tinkered with it I didn’t like the admin tools and well..the rest of the reasons I can leave for another post/time. Suffice it to say, you are not restricted to using your Registrar’s hosting service, even though they manage your domain. (yes, this is usually the part where people’s eyes begin to gloss over).

In reality, splitting a record is pretty straight forward. You need to know what the mail servers addresses are. For 1and1 they are: mx00.1and1.com and mx01.1and1.com. Armed with this information you log onto your Registrar find your DNS control, find the MX controls and add those addresses in to the priority fields….deleting the old ones.

At your Host, you need to add the domain to your account. For every host this process is different. For 1and1 it’s really easy, that’s one of the reasons I like them. When splitting a record, there is an extra step (one that I did not know about until today)…and I’ll get to that in a second.

Now that we’ve covered the background, let’s talk about what happened so that you don’t find yourself with a deleted domain and a bunch of sales guys calling you wondering where their email is.

I want to add that 1and1′s tech support can be a little frustrating at times. I’m not sure where they are in the world, but they sure as hell aren’t in Kansas. So you do have to deal with varying degrees of Indian accents.

When I originally set this domain up it was running email was flowing and the record split took without a problem. But then about 30 days after I got it set up 1and1 sent us an email that said they had deleted the domain from their servers because it had not been set up properly.

I called in the first time and support could not help me. So I just redid the domain on their server, re-built the email accounts (yes that was a royal pain in the ass) and decided to wait until the thing had propagated before calling them back.

Some advice for talking to tech support. 1. Never assume they know more than you. 2. Try never to get into an issue you cannot verify or replicate. Our domain being gone from their system made it difficult for support to know why it was deleted…there was no trail. That’s why I went ahead and set it up again…so then we’d be able to look at the record and see what was wrong with it and why it was deleted.

It turns out that there is a second step required with 1and1 when you split your DNS. And that second step is that you have to go back into the 1and1 server and “tell” it that your domain is not going to be using their DNS. You do that by going to Administration—>Domains—-> check box the domain—> click the down arrow next to DNS—–>Edit DNS settings. Then you’ll see a drop down next to Basic DNS Settings. Select My Name Server. Click ok. When you do this a little red (DNS) will appear next to your domain in the list.

That’s it. You should be good to go…now if this domain gets deleted again, I’ll let you know…

Open the Virtual Machine menu, then hold down the Option key to change “Shut Down Guest” to “Power Off”.