Table of ContentsApple TV Buffering ProblemsApple TV Connected to Wrong Base StationCongested Internet ConnectionIPv6 ConfigurationiCloud/iTunes BackendConclusion: Apple TV Streaming Issues Streaming movies from iTunes to Apple TV should be a pleasant experience if you have a decent internet connection. But often Apple TV takes forever to load movies from iTunes. When buffering and long load … Read more
Spotlight is Apple’s answer to all your search needs in OS X. With the release of OS X 10.11 El Capitan, Apple has added additional capabilities to make Spotlight more powerful. In this post, I’ll share some tricks that make Spotlight even better at finding exactly what you’re looking for. Spotlight in a Nutshell Spotlight … Read more
In this post, I’ll explain how handoff works in a network with multiple Apple AirPort Extreme base stations. With the influx of connected devices in modern households, good internet connectivity has become increasingly important. Many devices are pretty useless when they are not connected to the outside world. When that happens, productivity suffers. Just think … Read more
Breastfeeding is hard work, for both baby and mom, and by far not as easy as most people think. Add issues, such as nipple confusion, to the equation, and you have a recipe for frustration. In this article, I will share the nipple confusion issues we had with our baby girl and how we got … Read more
A bug in OS X El Capitan causes issues with Apple’s new Magic Trackpad 2. As a result of these Magic Trackpad issues, OS X intermittently doesn’t register clicks. While I was battling Bluetooth connectivity issues with Apple’s Wireless Keyboard and Magic Trackpad, I thought the problem might be hardware-related. When Apple released the new Magic Keyboard and Magic … Read more
In this post I’ll explain how to quickly select multiple photos from the Photos app in iOS using a simple swipe gesture. iOS Tips is a new category on my blog featuring little tips and tricks to make your life with iOS easier. The best camera is the one you have with you. That certainly applies … Read more
Have you ever noticed dark-brown or black slime on faucets, spouts, aerators, shower heads, in toilet bowls or other bathroom fixtures? Harmless manganese bacteria causes it, and in this post, I will tell you how to get rid of the black gunk. I will also list methods that do not, or only temporarily, work. Water … Read more
Many users have reported that Microsoft Outlook for Mac keeps asking for the password of their Office 365 account. Thanks to readers of my blog, we have finally fixed the issue for most users. For others, we have at least a temporary workaround until Microsoft provides a fix. Outlook: Mail could not be received at this time … Read more
In this post, I’ll explain how to fix the pesky Calendar can’t save event X to Exchange Server issue with Apple’s Calendar in OS X or macOS. The issue occurs when the Mac Calendar won’t sync with Exchange and then refuses to accept the calendar data on the server. Calendar and Exchange Apple’s Calendar (prev. … Read more
Is the Apple Watch Sport worth it? After having worn the Apple Watch Sport for almost a year, I have reached my final verdict about Apple’s first wearable device and will answer this very question! I ordered my Apple Watch Sport on April 10th and was super excited when I finally had it in my hands. Time … Read more
Having a new baby is chaotic and stressful, even more so, if the baby doesn’t stop crying and you don’t know how to make him or her stop. Don’t worry; there are a couple of proven techniques that will sooth almost every crying baby. In this article, I will show you how to soothe crying … Read more
In this post, I’ll review the Plantronics Savi W745 wireless headset, which I have used for the past years. To learn how the Savi 745 compares to the newer Plantronics Voyager 6200 UC, check out my comparison. When I’m not visiting clients, I usually work from home, and one of the most critical tools I rely … Read more
Spam filters are a necessary evil and it’s annoying when they don’t work as expected. Apple offers junk mail filtering in Apple Mail as well as via iCloud.com. Unfortunately those two filters are not related to each other and thus can cause troubles and frustration. Apple Mail’s Junk Mail Filter Apple Mail has a built-in spam filter … Read more
Table of ContentsFitbit Aria smart scaleWorkflow to the rescueOther workflowsWhere does that leave me with Fitbit?IFTTT – A better solutionWorkaround: Fitbit support for Health app and HealthKit Fitbit has made the decision not to support Apple’s HealthKit, and it thus doesn’t integrate with the Health app. In this article, I will show you a workaround … Read more
They say every pregnancy is different. I guess they are right. Our preemie Lucas was born prematurely and stayed in the hospital for almost two months. This is the story of our second pregnancy that ended abruptly in the NICU of Northside Hospital at week 30 and six days. Our Second Pregnancy This post is meant as … Read more
If you or your spouse is currently pregnant and if you’re as curious as I am, you may wonder about all the checks and tests you and your unborn baby will go through. During your pregnancy, you may hear a lot of new terms and not everything may make sense. That’s especially true if there are complications or … Read more
Table of ContentsJuicing vs. BlendingJuicingBlendingMy blender of choiceJuicing vs. Blending? Learn why blending is the healthier option!Additional Information Juicing vs. Blending seems to be an ongoing battle. What what’s the healthier option and what’s better for losing weight? The answer is simple: Blending (or extraction) is the better choice and offers many advantages over juicing. Continue … Read more
In this post I’ll explain how iCloud Mail Aliases influence the way the Calendar app handles invitations on iOS. The other day my wife and her good friend Yeni were planning weekend activities for the kids and invited each other to certain events using Apple’s iOS Calendar app on their iPhones. Some of the invitations … Read more
In this post, I’ll describe a quick and dirty way to move contacts from the famous “On My iPhone” account to iCloud. On My iPhone I’m sure you have seen those dummy accounts called “On My iPhone” or “On My Mac” when working with Contacts, Notes or Calendars. Or maybe, you have wondered why some … Read more
AT&T has finally started rolling out its Wi-Fi Calling feature after having received the waiver from the FCC. Unfortunately some users get an error message saying: We can’t turn on Wi-Fi Calling for your account. Think this message is a mistake? Ask the person who can make account changes to call us. The number is … Read more
Many users have reported Mac Bluetooth issues that cause connected devices to behave erratically. These problems resulted in my Wireless Keyboard, Magic Trackpad and Mouse not working correct fly (i.e., erratic cursor movement) and disconnecting frequently. In this post, I describe the steps I took to troubleshoot the Bluetooth issues I have had on my Retina 5K iMac … Read more
Have you ever wondered how iOS and more specifically the Health app handles and prioritizes data from multiple sources? I have an Apple Watch and an iPhone and both devices, if worn or carried at the same time, record the number of steps I take, among other data. Yet, the Health app reports the number … Read more
Table of ContentsRestoring an iCloud Photo Library from BackupSynchronization Performance is HorribleApple Ought to Solve This Issue SoonAlternativesFix available in macOS 10.12 Up until macOS 10.12 Sierra iCloud Photo Library poorly managed available resources while synchronizing its database. More specifically, the Photos app would consume all available bandwidth, rendering your internet connection unusable. The result … Read more
When my wife Kathy was pregnant with our second baby, her OBGYN detected that she had low PAPP-A levels. In this article, I’ll explain what PAPP-A is and why low levels often result in additional tests and monitoring. None of that should freak you out! Scientific studies have yet to establish a clear connection between … Read more
I have used Drobo as part of my backup and disaster recovery strategy for several years. But no matter how hard I tried, my Drobos never delivered the performance I was looking for. So it was time to find a better backup storage solution, and in this article, I will compare Drobo vs. LaCie 5big Thunderbolt … Read more
Since our daughter was born over three years ago, I have thought about how to share iCloud Photo Libraries between my wife and I. Both of us have taken a lot of photos and videos of our kids and every couple of months I create a slideshow or a video trailer. I do that because the … Read more
I have been a long-time MacBook Pro user but recently had the chance to work on a MacBook Air for a couple of days. The MacBook Air impressed me, and I wanted to buy one, but then Apple released the 12″ MacBook. I ended up buying the first-generation MacBook and wanted to share my impression … Read more
Table of ContentsCauses of a corrupted trashFailed attempts to empty the trashThe solution: Trash It!How to fix: Unable to empty the trash on a Mac If you are unable to empty the trash on your Mac, no matter what you try, don’t worry, there is an easy and bulletproof solution. Causes of a corrupted trash … Read more
My MacBook Pro is equipped with a 1TB Solid State Disk (SSD), which I figured would offer plenty of space for months to come. When I decided to migrate from Aperture to the new Photos app, I took a close look at my storage requirements, knowing that my photos alone could take up ~400GB of … Read more
Workflow, a productivity app that Apple recently acquired makes iOS automation incredibly easy. In this article, I would like to share how I automate tasks and workflows with the Workflow app. One of the things I love about macOS is the ability to automate tasks, such as filing receipts. iOS was pretty limited in this … Read more