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How to Synchronize Keychain on Mavericks

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        John Carter's been at it again:  figuring it out and then showing us.  Here's his information on how to deal with keychain on Mavericks:  
        Setting up the Keychain Access to share between devices got to be a bit of a chore today.  I had to go online to resolve a serious problem.

        A prompt popped up asking me for the keychain 'Local Items' password, and then it wouldn’t accept anything I put in.
        The solution is (found online here) :
        Your login.keychain password is out of sync with the new iCloud keychain and needs to be re-sync'd.
         The new iCloud keychain is either called "Local items" if you don't have 
syncing enabled or "iCloud" if you enabled iCloud keychain sync.

  1. Open 'Keychain Access' Application
  2. Select the 'login' keychain from the keychains list
  3. Click the lock at the top to lock the login keychain
  4. Click the lock again to unlock the login keychain
5. After entering your login keychain password you should be presented with a dialog: 
6. Clicking the reset button will re-sync your login.keychain password with the iCloud keychain password.
If everything from the above fails for whatever reason the last resort you can do the following:
  1. Open terminal
  2. cd ~/Library/Keychains
  3. ls  
    1. When you 'ls' here you will see a folder that contains a bunch of random number liks so:
    2. 94ED610F-DD96-4ECF-A2BC-7D2F8651A464  (this number is unique on each system)
  4. rm -rf 94ED610F-DD96-4ECF-A2BC-7D2F8651A464
  5. Reboot 
  6.  and  when you log back in everything should be back to normal.    And that's it.  # # # 

Thanks, John for your expertise! 

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Malware Locks Your File, Unless You Pay Ransom

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        Startling new information comes to light in this article from Today Money, dated today.  A new, nasty piece of malicious software, CryptoLocker,  is infecting computers around the world — encrypting important files, even your photos —and demanding a ransom to unlock them.  It says a typical extortion payment is $300.  One business received an email attachment that looked like a shipping invoice from U.S. Postal Service. 
        Anti-virus software can not undo the damage, according to the NBC news writer.  Backing up is the only way to reduce the risk of losing your files forever, however he also warns your backup device should be disconnected from your computer until the next time you need to access it.  The article gives more details.  

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Running Windows on a Mac

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        "Here's a good article (here) on comparing all the available resources for running Windows on a Mac," states John Carter.  He explains,  "The comparison includes Dual Booting, Running Windows in a Virtual Machine, and Running Windows Apps Directly in Mac OS X — Without Windows. There is even a link for Choosing the Right Windows 8 For Your Mac.

        John goes on to explain his viewpoint, "Personally, my choice is to use Parallels Desktop for Mac. I’ve tried all the other resources and this one has the fewest problems. I’ve been using Parallels for a several years and I have no regrets using it. Occasionally, I’ll try out VMWare, VirtualBox, and CodeWeavers only to be disappointed by them."

About the iPad Air

         Jim Hamm is now the "proud owner of a new iPad Air."  And he goes on to give us some interesting details.
         "I got to the Apple Store in Scottsdale about 7:45 am this morning (Friday, the first day of sale), and got at the end of the line -- about 30 people were ahead of me. Soon, more gathered behind me. At two minutes before 8 all the employes of the store came out and ran down the 'gauntlet' line, hollering and giving us high-fives. 
        "Then, we were paired up with an Apple Associate to start the purchase. Once that was consummated we were assigned to another 'set-up' person who helped us get everything set up on the new 'Pad.' It all went quickly, except I had a problem switching over my cellular plan with AT&T from my iPad 2 to my new iPad Air. AT&T actually had a representative in the store and she finally got the issue resolved.

        "Once I returned to our condo all my app icons were on my new iPad, but they all had to be downloaded and installed again -- all 102 of them. OK, got that done. Connected the iPad to my MacBook Air and copied 2,284 songs from iTunes to the new iPad. Again, didn't take long. Couple more tweaks in settings and I'm finally ready to start using the iPad Air."
        Well, Jim, how's it going now?  
        "First impression? I like it, and the big noticeable difference is the lighter weight than my iPad 2. I bought Apple's new leather case for it and like it. It is nice leather, soft to the touch, and thin, in keeping with the weight loss of the iPad Air. 
        "For a while I compared the iPad Air with my iPad 2 side by side. Compared the screens, how fast websites would load in each, etc. Conclusion? Not a significant difference between the two. Nominally, the iPad Air has a faster processor, but in actual use I couldn't tell an appreciable difference. But I suspect loading of apps and transferring songs probably went quicker due to the faster processor. The sound quality of the speakers on the iPad Air are much better, and actually have a pleasant sound. I like listening to music so this is a plus."
        And Jim closes with this,  "If someone has the iPad 2, 3 or 4 and asked me if they should upgrade to the new iPad Air? I'd say probably not. The lighter weight is nice, but hard to tell a difference in everything else. Do I regret upgrading? No, I'm pleased with it and like exploring new devices and programs. As I use it more and find anything worth commenting on, I'll mention it in a later post." 
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Malware Warning

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        "This is a bit disconcerting, to say the least," Jim Hamm exclaims.  See this article: Chinese appliances are shipping with malware-distributing WiFi chips | Apps and Software!  www.geek.com/apps/chinese-appliances-are-shipping-with-malware-distributing-wifi-chips-1575315
        Today, Jim can't resist passing along this following statement,  "With all the blogging and newspaper articles on NSA's spying, and now China putting malware on items they ship to us, I thought this, unfortunately, has a bit of the ring of truth in it."

        "Please speak clearly into the lampshade on the table. The NSA agent will be with you shortly."
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First-ever Look Inside Apple Campus 2

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        We've heard a little about the new Apple Campus 2 to be built in Cupertino, California. Now feast your eyes on these photos.   http://www.applegazette.com/apple-inc/first-ever-look-inside-apple-campus-2/   But, now  http://www.applegazette.com/apple-inc/5-mind-blowing-facts-about-apple-campus-2/    Here's just two amazing facts:  If you could stand it up like a wheel it would be the 8th tallest building in the world.  It's more spacious than the Empire State Building.  
        The Cupertino City Council voted unanimously October 15 to allow Apple Inc. to get to work on bringing its ring-shaped mega campus to the city.  The Apple employees are currently spread across 80 buildings in the city.  The new campus will see the 16,000 Apple employees in the city grow to 24,000 upon completion, according to the Mercury News.  www.mercurynews.com/cupertino/ci_24325971/cupertino-apple-campus-2-clears-final-hurdle

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13 New Tricks in OS X Mavericks

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       "Here are some helpful tips if you've updated to Mavericks," Jim Hamm gets our attention.  He goes on to explain,  "Tip #6 is handy in the syncing aspect, especially since I do use a secure Keychain for my sensitive passwords and to have them synced and handy on my iPhone and iPad would be nice. I do have mixed emotions about this feature, though -- I'm not a fan of storing my passwords in the Cloud. So far I've not implemented this feature."