multiplicity

Word searcher

DataMystic's WordPipe is an enterprise-class search-and-replace utility for Microsoft Word documents. With it, you can search for and replace text, hyperlinks, contacts, drop-down fields, bookmarks, document properties, and more, in thousands of documents at once. It updates UNC paths when servers are renamed and automatically handles passwords and read-only files, too.

WordPipe's Evaluation version opens with a countdown nag screen. The program's main interface is a businesslike dialog with a few simple file menus, including a Help file, and basic control icons above a tabbed display. Add and Delete buttons below the main window make it easy … Read more

Opera browser sings

Opera 10 maintains the program's tradition of striving for the fastest, smallest, and most full-featured browser available. Opera covers the basics with tabbed browsing, mouse-over previews, a customizable search bar, advanced bookmarking tools, and simple integration with e-mail and chat clients. Mouse-gesture support, keyboard shortcuts, and drag-and-drop functionality round out the essentials. Opera 10.52 marks the Mac debut of the Carakan JavaScript engine, which the publisher claims is 10 times faster than the previous version. Even in the middle of benchmarking tests, that claim doesn't seem far-fetched.

Opera's extras push it to among the top of … Read more

Boom in your room: Subwoofer setup tips

I suppose the "place the sub wherever" myth is based on the fact that low frequencies (80 Hertz or lower) are nondirectional, so it's hard to tell where in the room the deep bass is coming from. That's true, but that's not the same thing as disregarding subwoofer placement concerns altogether.

Some experts recommend always sticking the sub in the room's corner. I rarely do that, but corner placement will produce more bass at a given subwoofer volume setting. The corner's two walls and floor reflections "reinforce" bass output, so sure, the sub would have to work harder to generate the same amount of bass when it's not in a corner. But in my experience the bass is smoother (flatter) and better integrated with the speakers when the sub's placed next to a wall.

If your speakers are small, fewer than 10 inches high, with a 4-inch or smaller woofer, I recommend keeping the sub within 3 or 4 feet of the front left or right speaker. The logic here is that if the sub is much farther away it's easy to tell the bass is coming from the sub. The goal is to make the bass sound like it's coming from the speakers, not the sub.

Larger speakers, with 6-inch or larger woofers, make more bass on their own, so the sub is only responsible for delivering the deepest (nondirectional) bass. Sub placement options are greater for that reason, but the best possible bass sound still requires a little work on your part.

Some placement experimentation may be useful; play a CD with lots of deep bass and keep repeating the track as you move the sub to all of the visually acceptable locations in your listening room. Wireless subs simplify the task somewhat, but they always have at least some wires and need to be plugged into an AC power outlet. You'll be amazed just how different the bass will sound in different locations; some will be muddy, some will sound louder, and some will reduce the bass volume. The goal is to get the best balance of deep bass and still have mid and upper bass in equal proportions. … Read more

Managing missing windows after using multiple displays

A few people have had problems with their Macs when using multiple monitors, where windows that were put on secondary displays seem to disappear when the display is disconnected. The problem may happen more prevalently in certain setups where the computer is put to sleep and then the monitor is disconnected, but may also happen in other situations as well. Applications should reset their window placement when they are relaunched or when a display configuration is changed, but this may not always automatically occur. However, there are several things you can do to reposition missing windows.… Read more

Project management program

Multi Project Planner offers a vast array of tools to manage complex projects. It has all that you need to oversee any project, but its overwhelming options may hold some back.

The program's interface is clean and useful but a bit disorienting from the start because of an embarrassment of riches: Multi Project Planner offers so many details that its commands are difficult to memorize. Even the tutorials are confusingly dense with instructions and examples. In the end, Multi Project Planner produces readable, multicolored charts showcasing every aspect of a project, from daily responsibilities of individuals to total man … Read more

Multiple copies of Mail messages miff much maligned Mac users

MacFixIt reader "Bob D." sends us an issue with Snow Leopard's Mail where multiple copies of messages are downloaded to a user's inbox. For Bob, this started the day after upgrading to Snow Leopard. Over 300 replies to an Apple Support Discussions thread later, the issue still does not appear to have a permanent solution.… Read more

Simple test maker

QuizMaker Pro 2009 allows users to create interactive tests in a variety of formats. Although it's not the most intuitive program we've ever used, we liked it quite a bit once we got used to how it works.

The program's interface is clean, but it wasn't immediately obvious to us how we should get started. Fortunately, the program comes with both a built-in Help file and a Word document Quick Start Guide, so it wasn't too difficult for us to figure things out. The program allows users to easily create quizzes with a variety of … Read more

Handy date organizer

Gantt Chart is a simple tool for organizing a personal schedule. Its easy operation and familiar look will help anyone juggling a lot of events and appointments.

The program's interface was instantly comforting. Using a similar setup and color scheme to Microsoft Outlook, we intuitively navigated through even the program's non-Outlook elements. The program's default layout gave us a large bar-chart-style planner outlining our events and their times. Daily appointments were a breeze to schedule, thanks to the wizard-like menu detailing everything from time, place, and percentage of the task complete. We were also happy that the … Read more

Unintuitive search software

Actual Search & Replace allows users to search for and optionally replace words and phrases in ASCII-based documents. Although it seems simple enough to use, we had trouble getting it to function as desired.

The program's interface is basic, and while its core functions--entering the word or phrase you want to search for, for example--are pretty obvious, the program's other options aren't completely intuitive. The program definitely assumes that users will have some familiarity with advanced search functions, including search-related programming syntax. The built-in Help file gives an overview of the program's features, but it doesn'… Read more

Basic scheduling spreadsheets

Assign Multiple Daily Tasks to 20 People is a set of Excel spreadsheets that let users track availability and schedules for up to 20 employees. Although the program isn't bad for what it is, users should be aware that it is really just an Excel file, not a separate application.

The program's functions are separated into different spreadsheets within an Excel workbook. There are spreadsheets for employee availability, notes, schedules, and contact information. The program is geared toward home health care workers, but would be useful for any business that needs to track employee availability for multiple projects … Read more