If you use MS Office office for Mac 2004 or Office X and have had trouble opening documents received from friends and colleagues, it may be because the documents were created in newer versions of Office.

The Microsoft Office Open XML File Format Converter 1.1 converts files that were created in Office 2008 for Mac or 2007 Microsoft Office system so that you can open and edit the files in Office 2004 version 11.4 or later and Office v. X version 10.1.9 or later. Word documents, Excel workbooks, and PowerPoint presentations that are created in Office 2008 for Mac or 2007 Microsoft Office system are saved in the Open XML Format.

Click here for more information and download link>>

OS X contains a built in Dictionary that you may or may not be aware of. It is an application that can be found in the Applications folder. It not only functions as a standard dictionary but contains channels such as a Thesaurus, a Wikipedia section (when your computer is connected to the internet) and an Apple specific dictionary. And much, much more……..

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Yeah, I have stuff all over my desktop, too. It’s amazing how fast stuff accumulates, the item count just continues to grow and grow. Eventually, it gets so bad I can’t find anything. There are people who diligently maintain a clean desktop, and then there is the other 99% of us. For the record, OS X does provide us with folders already categorized to store our stuff. But it’s kind of like keeping your room clean, you have to make it a point to put stuff away. Let’s discuss a few things to make our computing life a bit simpler….

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A simple, synchronized inventory manager for your kitchen. Pair with Pantry on iPhone for management on the go.

- Know what you have: With Pantry, you can see at a glance how much spaghetti sauce, dog food, or toilet paper you have left. When you run low, the item will automatically appear on your shopping list on your iPhone.
- Syncronize with others: Family members see the same list. If you run out of milk while a family member is out, milk will automatically appear on his or her iPhone Pantry list. It’s as simple as that!

If you try this, please post feedback on what you like about it!

Click here for more information and download link>>

We all have stuff. We have music and letters and pictures and recipes and…. stuff. We have stuff that we’ve had for years. We have stuff that we don’t have a clue as to what it is. We have stuff that has stuff in it. You know… Stuff.

There’s really no such thing as bad stuff, but you have to make sure your computer doesn’t have too much of it. Too much stuff can become a bad thing.

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We’ve had almost a week to play with this latest update to OS X. Although there have been reports of various issues pertaining to this update, after having some time to go over it, reviewing feedback on the web and installing the update on several machines, we’ve concluded that it’s safe to install. Make sure you have a good backup of your data and restart your machine prior to installing the update.

MacFixIt has a good roundup of issues, causes and potential fixes.

If you have questions or concerns, please leave a comment.

There have been numerous reports of issues with this update, none of which have been reported to be severe. The reports are still coming in and I would recommend waiting through the weekend before installing this update. Some tech sites have started to give it the green light, but with 10.5.6 being as stable as it is, I’d wait. If you do decide to go ahead and install the update, make sure you have a good backup (not that you shouldn’t have a good backup anyway!).

Look for a summary of issues and install recommendations sometime on Monday. ~Dave

So far we’ve had reports of successful, normal installs and some reports of various minor issues. Although we haven’t heard of any major problems, this update is causing a bit more chatter on install issues than others. I would definitely wait. ~Dave

If you have tried to install it and it seems to be taking a long time to complete the install, be patient.

Apple has released Safari 3.2.3 for Mac OS X Leopard, Mac OS X Tiger, and Microsoft’s Windows XP and Vista. This update is recommended for all Safari users and provides a number of performance and security enhancements. Safari 3.2.3 is available via Software Update and also as a standalone installer.

Notes:

1. If you have installed the Safari 4 beta, you’ll get a notice that you have a newer version of Safari and cannot install this update. (Thanks for the heads up Dee!)

2. The Safari update for Leopard requires OS X 10.5.7.

3. The Safari update for Tiger requires 10.4.11.

Safari 3.2.3 for Leopard (10.5.7) Click here for more information and download link>>

Safari 3.2.3 for Tiger (10.4.11) Click here for more information and download link>>

Not sure what version of OS X you have? Click here for info on how to find out>>

Apple has released Mac OS X 10.5.7. This update is recommended for Mac OS X Leopard versions 10.5, 10.5.1, 10.5.2, 10.5.3, 10.5.4, 10.5.5 and 10.5.6. It includes general operating system improvements that enhance the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac. This update is now available via Software Update or the standalone installer from Apple. You only need to use one of these methods to update your computer.

As usual, I will be testing this update and will report findings and install recommendations in a few days.

For what’s new in 10.5.7 and tips for installing, please continue reading…..

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