It’s been a while since I switched to OS X and I am still not itchy to find something new. It’s strange because it is so controlled, so simple and so different than Windows. Since switching over to OS X, Microsoft has released Windows 7 – and I am still not looking to go back.

IMG SRC: http://bit.ly/bCzrHx

Reason for that is Spaces! Before anyone gets their panties in a knot, I know that there are alternatives for this in Linux and in Windows. It’s just that I think Apple has done it best. The integration right into the OS along with the ease of use is hard to beat.

The image here depicts a 4 desktop scenario but I actually use a 12 desktop system – 4 accross and 3 tall. This allows me to assign certain programs to certain desktops and organize my computer so that it is accessible fast. I assign the bottom right corner of the screen in Expose to point to Spaces so ever time I want to switch screens, simply hit the bottom right corner with my mouse and I have a 12 screen preview. This is the fastest and most organized way I have found to work with multiple apps to date. The only other option is 2 50″ screens that do the a 23040 x 3240 resolution total. I can dream can’t I?

Windows 7 is admittedly better with application switching using the hover feature of the task-bar, but in my personal opinion it is still far behind Spaces.

I found a video outlining some hints and tricks around using Spaces and it gives you a good idea of the flow:

Geek on!

Shot from the cottage deck looking out over the lake.

I had written an article about this when I started using iPhoto and it is still one of the most read articles on my page. It seems that the plug-in was hard to find for some people (it was for me at first too).

Well now I have upgraded to Aperture and I needed a new plug-in. Step up Ubermind. They have created an Aperture to Gallery plugin and I am happy to announce that it works really well. Very similar to what I expected given that I have been doing something similar for a while.

The process seems quite a lot slower that I am used to. But when I thought about it, I am using a much higher quality camera, shooting 12 mega pixels instead of 3.2 and am also shooting in RAW.

The interface could not be more simple. First you need to select which images you want to export while in the library browser in Aperture. Then click File, Export then Gallery. The following window appears and you’re off!

To add your Gallery into the plugin simply click on the large + icon and fill in the URL information. Then you can created a folder to place the images in from the Albums section, choose your personal export options and hit Export.

The first thing that happened was the window disappeared on me – I thought I did something wrong. But like Aperture does when you are editing pictures, it puts a small spinning wheel at the bottom that says Exporting. You can click that for a status box.

Have fun with your photos. I hope to either start posting some up here or possibly start a photo blog – I am not sure.

In any case – GEEK ON!