How to Force Quit apps on a Mac when they freeze or hang

Sometimes, Mac apps get stuck and become unresponsive (i.e. they crash, but they “freeze” or “hang” instead of suddenly quitting). When this happens, you have to force quit the app.

There are several ways to force quit apps on a Mac. It’s good to know how to do this in case you have an app that displays a spinning beachball cursor and stops working.

Here is everything you need to know about how to force quit Mac apps. These tips will make your Mac force quit an app that’s not working on macOS Sonoma (and earlier versions of macOS and Mac OS X).

Read the rest of the article on The Mac Security Blog.

PhotoActive Podcast Episode 154: Lens Blur

It’s time to talk about the B-word again! Jeff couldn’t trick Kirk into saying “bokeh,” but this week we’re looking at a few ways to get background blur using Portrait mode in the iPhone and editing in Lightroom. Technology has improved quite a lot in the last couple of years, to the point where simulated bokeh can sometimes pass off as natural lens blur.

Episode 154: Lens Blur – PhotoActive

Find out more, and subscribe to the podcast, at the PhotoActive website. You can follow The PhotoActive on Twitter at @PhotoActiveCast to keep up to date with new episodes, and join our Facebook group to chat with other listeners and participate in photo challenges and more.

NameDrop, a Bluetooth Vulnerability, and a Chrome Zero-Day: Intego Mac Podcast Episode 320

The Chrome browser just got another update with security patches for serious vulnerabilities. A new Bluetooth vulnerability has been discovered that could allow hackers to listen in on your personal audio. And how much personal information are you actually transmitting when you share your contact info using Apple’s Name Drop feature?

Episode 320: NameDrop, a Bluetooth Vulnerability, and a Chrome Zero-Day – Intego Mac Podcast

Follow the The Intego Mac Podcast, which I co-host with Josh Long. We talk about Macs and iOS devices, and how to keep them secure.

How to Find Beta Readers

When you’ve finished the manuscript of your book, it’s a good idea to get some feedback. Just as beta testers try out pre-release software, beta readers look at manuscripts and give feedback. They look at your work as a reader – not as an editor or proofreader, looking to improve grammar – and tell you whether you have succeeded in keeping their interest and whether they think the story works. You need both positive and negative feedback, and good beta readers can help by providing this.

Read the rest of the article on The L&L Blog.

To learn how to use Scrivener for Mac, Windows, and iOS, check out my book Take Control of Scrivener 3.

Intego Mac Podcast, Episode #319: Epic Shenanigans, Nothingburger, and RCS

RCS, the messaging protocol used by Android, is coming to the Apple iPhone. How will it affect your messaging habits? The Nothing phone we talked about last week has failed miserably. And alarmingly. And new Apple patents suggest some interesting new iPhone features that can prevent spying.

Episode 319: Epic Shenanigans, Nothingburger, and RCS – Intego Mac Podcast

Follow the The Intego Mac Podcast, which I co-host with Josh Long. We talk about Macs and iOS devices, and how to keep them secure.

How to Find a Literary Agent

Whether you’ve been working on a book for years, or you just finished one after starting it in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), the next step is publication. If you wish to have your book published through a traditional publisher, you need to find an agent.

Literary agents have multiple roles. They seek out new talent, negotiate contracts, but also serve as gatekeepers for publishers. Most traditional publishers don’t accept unagented submissions, so it is essential to find an agent if you want your book to be handled by a large publisher.

Here are some tips to help you find an agent.

Read the rest of the article on The L&L Blog.

To learn how to use Scrivener for Mac, Windows, and iOS, check out my book Take Control of Scrivener 3.

PhotoActive Podcast Episode 153: M3 Macs

The photographer’s dilemma rears again. Not only are we sometimes struck by gear acquisition syndrome when new cameras are announced, we run into it when new computers that can process our images come to market. In this case, it’s the new M3 MacBook Pro and M3 iMac models from Apple. Will the M3 processor make a difference when working with photos? If you bought an M1 iMac when it came out, is it time to upgrade? Kirk and Jeff hash it out.

Episode 154: Lens Blur – PhotoActive

Find out more, and subscribe to the podcast, at the PhotoActive website. You can follow The PhotoActive on Twitter at @PhotoActiveCast to keep up to date with new episodes, and join our Facebook group to chat with other listeners and participate in photo challenges and more.

Intego Mac Podcast, Episode #318: An Apple Security Slip-Up, Counterfeit iPhones, and Black Friday Shopping Tips

Has Apple dropped the ball on providing a security patch for a popular macOS command line too? A user receives a counterfeit phone instead of an iPhone, but in a way that even Houdini might have had trouble making happen. And some tips on shopping for tech devices safely and securely during Black Friday sales.

Episode 318: An Apple Security Slip-Up, Counterfeit iPhones, and Black Friday Shopping Tips – Intego Mac Podcast

Follow the The Intego Mac Podcast, which I co-host with Josh Long. We talk about Macs and iOS devices, and how to keep them secure.

How to Create a Cover for Your Self-Published Book

So you’ve done it. You’ve written a book, gone through several drafts, compiled your Scrivener project, and you’re ready to self publish your book. This is a big accomplishment; you know how much creative work it took to get you to this point. There’s just one more thing you need to do: create a cover for your book.

Scrivener can produce a file that you can upload to ebook providers, such as Kindle Direct Publishing, Apple Books, Kobo, Barnes and Noble, and aggregators such as BookBaby and IngramSpark. Scrivener can also include a cover when you compile this file as part of the book’s front matter. If you have the budget, a professional designer can help make the book cover that you really want. But if not, there are ways that you can create a cover yourself.

Read the rest of the article on The L&L Blog.

To learn how to use Scrivener for Mac, Windows, and iOS, check out my book Take Control of Scrivener 3.

How to delete apps on a Mac, or uninstall them

When you set up a new Mac, dozens of apps are pre-installed on the computer. These include basic apps like Calendar, Contacts, and Notes, media apps like Music and TV, and Internet tools such as Mail and Safari. In addition, you can download, via the App Store app, Apple’s iWork suite: Pages, Numbers, and Keynote, and the “iLife” apps: iMovie and GarageBand. Your Mac running macOS Sonoma also comes with a couple dozen utilities.

In addition to all these apps, you might occasionally download apps from a third party. For example, you may use Microsoft 365, Adobe Creative Cloud, or other productivity and creativity apps. And you might occasionally try out free apps or trial versions of apps that you are curious about.

Over time, these apps can take up a lot of space, and you may need to clean out your Mac in order to have more room for your documents. Or you may want to uninstall Flash Player from your Mac (or other apps that are no longer supported).

For the most part, it’s relatively easy to uninstall apps on a Mac. There are several ways to do this, depending on the app. Here’s everything you need to know about how to remove apps from your Mac.

Read the rest of the article on The Mac Security Blog.