Articles

The Ideal .Mac Service, or: If I Were in Charge of .Mac

If you’re subscribed to .Mac it’s because you use two computers. That, or you already own one of every iPod and still want to give Apple your money.

Right now, the only hook for .Mac is the syncer.

The email and iDisk are great and offer some advantages to those without access to IMAP through another email client. But at the end of the day the only reason you’re coughing up $99.95 every year is to keep those two Macs synced.

.Mac does offer a great syncing service to its users, but it could be so much better. It’s price tag is a bit over the top for it’s meager offerings.

Therefore I’ve taken the liberty to come up with a few additions that I think will help the .Mac service fulfill much more of its potential and entice many more subscribers.

Intelligent File and Folder Syncing

The same way you are able to catalog folders for indexing within Quicksilver, you could catalog folders for .Mac. Simply selecting the folders you want to stay synced between computers.

This way, those documents that I write and edit and add to on a regular basis could be set to ‘smart update’ via the .Mac server. If I don’t have the time or fast enough internet connection to sync the files I can just un-check it from the .Mac sync preferences pane.

Convenient Session Syncing

If I am on Safari with my PowerBook while away from my office, and I don’t finish what was doing on the web I can’t just pick up where I left off when I sit down at my Mac Pro. This leaves me with the following alternatives:

  • Don’t sit down at the Mac Pro. Instead, finish what I was doing on the PowerBook.
  • Bookmark the open sites, sync, sync, open the bookmarks on Mac Pro, delete the bookmarks, sync again.
  • Email the URLs to myself

A great .Mac solution could be an option in the History menu that said Save This Session and then Resume Remote Session.

Combining File and Session Syncing

Using the Smart File Sync with the Session Sync we could save an entire desktop workflow including programs and files. Aside from the time it may take to upload and then download saved files, it would really be ideal for someone who works on two desktop computers in different locations.

Over-the-Air iPhone Syncing

The fact you have to plug in the iPhone to sync it is a little bizarre to me. On the fly .Mac syncing from anywhere should be a staple feature. Having your calendar, contacts and other info pushed to your iPhone would be even better.

iTunes Podcast Syncing

When I subscribe to a podcast from my Mac Pro, why not let it sync to iTunes on my PowerBook. And vice versa.

Additionally .Mac could keep the podcast directory identical by deleting, marking as viewed, etc. The same way it does with events and calendars in iCal.

Here’s a mockup of the new .Mac preferences pane.
A .Mac mockup featuring Smart Files, Application Sessions, iPhone and Podcast Syncing

And lastly, in addition to the above syncing options, I have one final improvement to beef up the .Mac service and make you a hero all in one fell swoop.

Remote Access

Has this ever happened to you?

You’re working on something important and finish just before you leave town. Then while out of town (and away from your primary designing computer) you get a call saying something like “One last edit.” But you don’t have the files on your laptop. They’re at home. On the Mac Pro.

If you had easy and speedy remote access via .Mac with native OS X integration you could log in to your home office, get that file, download it onto your laptop, make the edit, save the day and become mayor.

“How did he do it?” They would ask all over at the office. It would be spectacular–you would be a hero. (And yes, I know this is expected to be integrated with Leopard. I just like stories where the good guy wins and becomes a hero.)

The Ideal .Mac Service, or: If I Were in Charge of .Mac

Personally Reinventing the Weblog Publishing Stereotype

Today I realized that to publish this website the way I want to requires much more time behind the scenes than I originally thought.

This is not because I underestimated the sleep I would lose while spending my time writing, but because I didn’t discover the kind of writing that makes me want to do more of it. The kind of writing that, in a way, actually makes me feel alive.

So I suppose this post ought to have the word “my” in the title. Put it up there in place of “the”. I used “the” to add shock value and to avoid broadcasting that this is post is really just one of those “So I had a revelation, blah blah blah” posts that I always read. What’s funny though, is that I like reading those kinds of posts. I like hearing about your growth, but in the back of my mind I feel a bit embarassed for you. As if some other guy is reading your website too and he thinks your a dork. Well, my friend, I’m fine being a dork.

Now – back to the reinvention.

I wish I had started blogging before it was popular and before you could make money doing it. I also wish that for the first six months of writing my first blog I hadn’t read anyone else’s site, so I could have discovered my own voice, my own rhythm and my own niche.

Instead I read every how to out there, and studied all the popular blogs. They all told me to publish easily scannable posts. To use the right keywords and create outstanding post titles. That may be fine for them, but to me that’s not writing. And I want to write.

Enjoyable Literature

When I write something for shawnblanc.net and hit publish, I want to then open up my homepage and read my own article. And I want to really, really enjoy it.

To accomplish this two things are required.

  1. Forget all those hints, tricks and 17 bulletproof ways to build a better blog that I’ve ever read.I’ve decided to ignore all the advice about writing for my up-to-their-neck-in-RSS-feeds readers. Although I am extremely grateful for every single reader who takes the time to see what I have to say, I have no intention of catering to any sort of article length / layout / topic etiquette.

    I am writing so that one day, when you Google for something, and you stumble onto this website and you land on an old article you’ll find an old post and actually enjoy reading it.

  2. Throw that posting rhythm out the window.If I don’t have anything to say then I won’t say it. When I do have something to say I’m OK with not posting for a few days so I can instead publish something worth reading.

I think we all need to re-discover the nobility and power of hitting that publish button.

It’s okay to have a Link List

Link posts are a part of the internet now. I’ve heard the gurus say we have to find the cool original content and be the first to link to it if we want readers.

Well why can’t overlapping link listing draw people into a tighter community instead making everyone’s blog into a who beats who contest?

If you link to something that I link to that was already on Digg … well?

How about if instead of trying to be one of a kind we tried to be ourselves. If something caught your attention then share it. It’s your website isn’t it?

(Truth be told there’s many times I come accross something interesting but don’t link to it because I figure it’s just redundant.)

Oh, and one more thing.

Staying up until 1:30 in the morning to write an article on writing better has got to be a tremendously horrible idea. Put it up there next to the ‘peanut butter, jelly and croutons all together in a squeeze bottle’ idea.

Personally Reinventing the Weblog Publishing Stereotype

Apple’s New Wireless Keyboard

As anyone will admit, the new iMacs look stunning. But since I’m not in the market for a new computer, it’s the new keyboard that has my attention.

Since I already have a wireless desktop I didn’t even consider the new wired keyboard. But that doesn’t make the wireless version the obvious choice. Because – unlike white plastic keyboards of yesterday – there is a big difference between these new wired and wireless keyboards.

The Apple Wireless Keyboard versus the wired. Who's got a numberpad?
The wired keyboard connects via USB 2.0 and has a full complement of keys, including document navigation controls, a numeric keypad, and special function keys for Mac features such as brightness, volume, eject, play/pause, Exposé, and more.

The wireless one connects via Bluetooth 2.0, and in the words of Apple –

Giving you the freedom to work or play up close or across the room. […] Intelligent power management conserves battery life by automatically powering down the keyboard when you’re not using it and turning it on the instant you start typing.

But the big blaring difference between the two is the missing buttons over on the right hand side. Primarily there’s no delete and there’s no number pad; supposedly for the sake of mobility.

Form and Function

What did Apple have in mind when designing the wireless keyboard?

  1. Mobility:
    During the keynote Steve told us that a lot of people get the bluetooth keyboard so they can put it on their laps. Say hu? I highly doubt that. I don’t know one person who owns a bluetooth keyboard for use on their lap. Just try it for a minute. It’s uncomfortable and un-natural. You can’t type from there, and the mouse is now 18 inches away instead of 6.It also says on Apple’s website that you can “work from across the room”. I like the ability to move my keyboard around if I need to, but I’ve never wanted to type up a word document from 8 feet away.

    We all know that the reason we go wireless is so we can be just that: wireless.

  2. Battery Life:
    It seems as if this was Apple’s primary influence for the design of the new wireless keyboard.It only needs 3 AA batteries instead of four, and it has a new intelligent power management which conserves battery life by turning off the keyboard when you’re not using it.

    But honestly, I don’t think battery life is much of an issue. I have Apple’s original bluetooth keyboard and only replace the batteries about once every 6-8 weeks. My bluetooth MightMouse uses more batteries than that.

Same Trick. New Product.

I was actually surprised to see a wireless version of the new keyboard get released today.

I assumed the new keyboard refresh would be the same as when the MightyMouse came out.

If you remember – when Apple introduced the MightyMouse you could only get it as a USB device. It was until a few months later that Apple released the bluetooth version. So if you wanted a bluetooth mouse bad enough then you had to get the original single button.

The new wireless keyboard is just like that single button wireless mouse was. It’s missing some unnecessary features, but who cares?! It’s bluetooth!

Apple’s New Wireless Keyboard

Post Announcement

The rumors were true. A shiny new iMac. A thin new keyboard. iLife ’08 and iWork ’08, and uh, .Mac too.

Unfortunately .Mac barely got any attention. Although upgrading the storage is a great start, it’s hardly a refresh. (UPDATE: Looks like .Mac has server side junk mail filtering now. Sounds like a setup for the iPhone.) The current state of .Mac is very bizarre to me. There is so much potential with .Mac that is barely being tapped. Hopefully we will see some much stronger features released when Leopard comes out, as was hinted at the MacWorld Keynote earlier this year.

iWork on the other hand, has gotten some very impressive upgrades. I’ll be going to the Apple store probably later this week to play with the new iMacs and keyboards as well as purchase a new copy of iWork.

Post Announcement

Apple’s 08-07-07 Announcement

Of all the rumors flying around tomorrow I am hoping for one thing: an upgrade to dot Mac.

That would that be the only product update that would effect me in the near future, and it’s a much needed update for all us .Mac-ers who’ve been shelling out $99 a year for bookmark syncing and 1GB of IMAP email. Apple obviously could be offering quite a bit more for that $99.

The reason a .Mac upgrade would be so great is because I use two Macs almost equally throughout my day.

My primary computer at my home office is a Quad Core Mac Pro. When not at home I have my PowerBook G4 with me.

I use my PowerBook like a satellite of my Mac Pro. I try as hard as I can to keep them as identical as possible, but it’s not without quite a bit of effort. Seeing some updates to .Mac which would allow smarter file sharing and syncing along with remote access would be a dream come true.

I don’t know how many times I have saved an important file on the wrong computer, and then spent too much time digging around for it, or worse yet I can’t get access to it when I need to.

.Mac has an incredible amount of potential and Apple has an incredible amount of ingenuity. I’m excited to see what they have in store for us, and hopefully it will be like a little mini-Christmas for all of us who pay $99 a year for that dual arrow icon to spin in our toolbar.

UPDATE: Mac Rumors’ list of the sites giving live coverage starting at 1:00 PM EST –

Apple’s 08-07-07 Announcement

The “To Watch” Folder

Piggy backing on my post yesterday about slimming back my RSS feeds.

I am always discovering new sites that look interesting. Instead of skipping them altogether because “I’ve already got all the RSS I can handle” I have a folder specifically for new feeds so I can feel free to add them.

They go into a folder in NetNewsWire called “To Watch.”

Then, every couple of weeks if a blog in there has become a favorite I add to my regulars. If it hasn’t turned out to be something I enjoy then I unsubscribe, no questions asked.

Why don’t you take a chance with Shawnblanc.net and add it to your “To Watch” folder?

The “To Watch” Folder

Slimming Down my Feed Subscriptions (or RSS: Richard Simmons Style)

Before I used NetNewsWire I only had about a dozen weblogs bookmarked in Safari. Every day or two I would open each website (one at a time), and check for new articles. If there were none, then perhaps I would spend some time browsing through the archives. To me, each website was special, and got treated – I suspect – how every weblog author wished his site was treated.

But now that I use a feed reader to manage my favorite weblogs it is almost too easy to add another feed to the list. Making the other feeds a little less important.

Obviously the problem of keeping up with new content has been solved, but another problem has been created: too much incoming information.

It’s completely common to come across one or two good blogs every day. And before long my feed subscriptions are out of control again. Turning the process of reading my favorite blogs from something that should be fun and enjoyable into something that’s more like “YIKES!”

With so many feeds to read, that feeling of actually connecting with someone’s site can be lost. So for me, the answer is to keep my feeds at a level that is as manageable as possible. Which means slim my subscriptions back down to a reasonable number every month or two.

As Khoi put it,

I’ve collected so many RSS feeds that, when I sit down in front of the application, it’s almost as difficult a challenge as having no feed reader whatsoever. With dozens and dozens of subscriptions, each filled with dozens of unread posts, I often don’t even know where to start.

I know how you feel, Khoi. Man does it suck when I have 217 unread articles.

This time I did differently this time to tackle each feed: I went in with a pre-requisite. To be kept, each feed had to fit into one of three categories, and then answer one final question.

The three Categories

I have my feeds organized in groups. Top to bottom it goes: ‘News’, ‘Favorites’, ‘2nds’ and ‘To Watch’.

To begin the slimming process I started at the bottom and worked my way up. Looking at each feed to see if it fell into one of these three categories:

  • Apple / Web / Tech
  • Design / Inspiration
  • Great author

If the feed didn’t land in at least one of those it got the boot. I just don’t have time for anything else. Now it was time to go back to each feed and answer one final question.

The Desciding Factor

Is this feed worth my time and attention?

I used to subscribe to feeds that I felt would give me an edge for posting information and news on my weblog. But sweet mercy if everyone and their fake dog isn’t doing that now. And Lord knows I don’t have time to keep up with rest of the internet.

Now I only read feeds that are beneficial and enjoyable.

Sure, I may not be reading the latest breaking gadget news, but if it’s really worth knowing about I’m sure I’ll see it on Digg, CNN, The NY Times or everyone else’s blog. I’m o.k. being late to the party. I always am in real life.

After the Slimming

I took my list of 75 RSS feeds down to 51. I’d like to get it even slimmer than that. For me, it is more important that I read the websites I want to. The websites that I can connect to what’s being written and who’s writing it. These are sites that I enjoy and thus, are worth my time.

Slimming Down my Feed Subscriptions (or RSS: Richard Simmons Style)

Freelancing 101: Attention to Detail

Looking back to the original late night random internet surfing session that began this whole thing I am drawn again to Behavior Design‘s Lead and Visual designer job requirements. In fact, I think they are laid out so well that I would love to give some time on what each one means, and how you can incorporate it starting today.

What is this thing you call ‘Attention to Detail?’

This is the first quality that Behavior Design lists for their designers. That is because attention to detail is what separates the men from the boys; the heavy bikes from the rice burners; the Micro Machines from the not-the-real-things.

As any designer will tell you it’s the details that make or break a great design and the attention to those details that make or break a great designer. Paying attention to them requires just that: paying attention. Laziness will be your downfall.

In fact, taking a break from this article to peruse my RSS feeds I read this quite suitable quote thanks to Joshua’s Blog.

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. — Aristotle

O.k. Moving on.

Look at your design and now ask yourself …. “Why?”

When I began getting my feet wet in the ocean of print design I had an established designer to help me out. I would send him my pathetic designs and he would tear them to shreds critique them.

He would point out the primary elements of my design and then ask me “why?”

I hated that question. “What do you mean, ‘why?’,” I would respond. “It looks cool. That’s why.”

If it doesn’t have a purpose perhaps it would be better to take it out. It’s amazing how many of my own designs I shoot down simply by looking at the elements and asking myself ‘why?’.

Lazy-shmazey. Go waaaay beyond.

The ultimate enemy of attention to detail is laziness, and laziness is a by-product of indifference.

Not taking the time to line up your text and triple checking your work before you send off a proof will make you look like a poor designer even if you’re not.

For example:
Even though the text comes directly from the client, I still spell check it. Because if a word is misspelled it may have been their error, but they’re reading it on top of my design. And that makes me the poorer for it.

Your client should only have to give you feedback based on opinions and updated information. If you’re good, they will rarely have to point out any obvious mistakes – yours or theirs.

[This article is part of the Freelancing 101 Series]

Freelancing 101: Attention to Detail

A Problem and A Solution: shawnblanc.net moves to MediaTemple

The Problem

Yesterday morning shawnblanc.net got a whole lot of traffic all at once. The best kind of traffic too: Mac loving, Daring Fireball Readers. As grateful as I was for the skipped heartbeat, my server was even more excited and celebrated by crashing.

Having your site go down right when people want to see it is like getting de-pantsed when you’re at the drinking fountain. It’s a bummer.

My preferred strategy would be to keep the server up and zippy while all everyone surfed to their heart’s content, and then later that night while everyone was sleeping it could go down.

But no. Like a 90 pound freshman on the football team, my server got schooled.

This pushed me over the edge to do what I have been wanting to do for the past year. It was time to get a new hoster.

But not wanting to blindly go with (mt) Media Temple just because their website is incredible I asked around.

Responses included a handful of recommendations. I had a conversation with each hosting provider, telling them my needs and expectations and what they would recommend. The options were like a joke. I couldn’t believe nobody had at least something to compare with Media Temple.

The Solution

Setting up a MediaTemple GridServer
(gs) Grid Server is the perfect solution for the website that gets a steady amount of traffic with occasional heavy spikes. And the (gs) is especially great for the guy who doesn’t make any revenue from his website. (I think text link adds are ugly.)

The Process

I set up my new account and had the nameservers pointed to (mt) by 9:30 pm. I didn’t know how long it would take for the redirect to kick in so I threw up a splash page and went back to finishing up a design project. An hour later, just before closing up shop I checked the site, and lo and behold the new server was live. Well well well. knuckles crack Who needs sleep anyway?

I proceeded to download, upload, copy, paste, and double-click until everything looked just right. Minus my sql database.

Confession: I don’t know jack about SSH. But I called MediaTemple at 1:30 in the morning to get some help. Between the two of us we tackled the problem. At 1:30AM! That is customer service.

The Result

When all was said and done shawnblanc.net looked exactly like it did before. (I suppose I half expected it to look shinier or something.) But now it’s got a strong, reliable host to back it up.

If you’re looking for hosting I totally recommend (mt) Media Temple.

A Problem and A Solution: shawnblanc.net moves to MediaTemple

Freelancing 101: How to Get Hired

The number one question about freelancing has got to be “how do you get jobs?”

As a matter of fact, just this morning I received an email from Phil, a bright and talented graphic designer who resides on the British accent continent, about this exact issue. So to answer the question of how to get hired, I am simply going to answer Phil’s email.

It read as thus:

Hi Shawn, I know you alluded to it in your post, but I would definitely like to see a post about how you drum up business. It would be great to see.

Hope you are well

Phil

I am well. Thank you. And although I cannot promise you wealth and riches, I would be delighted to ramble on and on for a while.

When first stepping into the world of freelance I think anyone and their mom would tell you that doing pro bono publico work is the best way to get your foot in the door. Why would a client pay a stranger to do a job when they could pay a friend? But, if that stranger is willing to work for free – that’s another story.

Additionally, you need to be on top of your professional game and have a network of fellow designers that you know and interact with. Here’s why…

Pro Bono and the Power of Relationships

As a graphic designer the main goal of doing pro bono work isn’t so much to build your portfolio. You could do that at home, deadline free, and under the shade of iTunes. No, the point is of pro bono is to build relationships. One great advantage of being a seasoned designer is having relationships and the repeat business – as well as new word of mouth business – those relationships bring in.

I saw a great example of the potential power of relationships in a twitter from Kyle Neath a few days ago –

Anyone know some good identity designers? I’m debating getting a revamped logo for poetrywithmeaning.com ….

A simple suggestion from any one of the 39 other twitterers he’s following and he’s on his way to hiring a designer. Maybe.

Well here’s a hypothetical situation:

Suppose back in March when Paul had mentioned he wanted a new logo you sent him an email telling him you would love to design some concepts for free. You send some no-strings-attached proofs. Paul likes them. It’s a done deal. Then when Kyle twitters for a recommended logo designer, Paul gives a shout out to you and wa-la. You picked up a job and got your foot in the door and can continue from there.

The bottom line is that you have got to go find yourself those pro bono jobs. Be ruthless. Be obnoxious. Be outgoing. Be like someone who goes after something.

My first pro bono job was a CD packaging. I heard someone chatting about being in the recording studio, and they even talked about who they had hired to do the artwork. But I pulled them aside anyway and mentioned that I would love to do it for free. They liked that idea, hired me, and I was in.

Be On Top of Your Game

One of the first large scale jobs I did was a conference guide. I was hired out by an over-worked and under-staffed marketing team. Once I had the project well on it’s way they brought me in to meet with the marketing director and art director.

I went in with the rough proof printed out, the PDF already open on my laptop and a list of questions / issues that I needed answers to.

The senior marketing director was totally blown away by how organized and prepared I was. He liked me and wanted to work with me again because of my organizational and task-management skills. My job security with these guys was no longer resting in my talent as a designer. So I got hired again and again. And when the marketing director moved jobs, he told the incoming director that I was their number one guy.

Not all situations will be the same. But in a world full of talent you need to be sharp and cool in every area of your trade.

Networks and Friends

I have about half-a-dozen friends that are also freelance designers, artists and/or photographers. Instead of competing with them I try my hardest to work with them. I send them rough proofs of my work for feedback and let them know they can send me artwork as well.

If I ever get a job request that I can’t do I will recommend that client to one of the other guys, glad that I can send them business. And hope that they will do the same in return.

Be a Guerilla

You know I had to say it. But it’s undeniable.

Guerilla. Marketing. It. Is. For. Serious.

Get a cheap used copy of the Guerilla Marketing Handbook and go ape. There are some phenomenal ideas in there that will get those little grey cells working. It’s o.k. to invest a little money in yourself and your business and see where it leads you.

[This article is part of the Freelancing 101 Series]

Freelancing 101: How to Get Hired

Freelancing 101

The World Wide Web has opened up an entire world of opportunity for freelance designers. It doesn’t matter if you live in a big city anymore. You can live in Sundown, Texas and do business for people and companies all over the globe from your home.

Although I have a full-time job that I love, I have been doing freelance print and web work on the side for several years. Primarily because I enjoy it so much, but the extra income ain’t bad either.

This is one of the main things I get asked about by readers and friends. Questions about how I do freelance work; How I get jobs; How much do I charge? Etc…

Therefore I am starting a series called “Freelancing 101.”

I will be giving solutions and answering questions for the freelancer to help you do your job better, stronger and faster.

If you have any questions you’d like to have answered send me an email.

Freelancing 101

Be a Better Designer

As internet surfing and aimless link following will do, I ended up somewhere unexpected: Behavior Design. I was browsing through their job listings and a few things caught my eye and reminded me of one of the most invaluable design lessons I have ever learned.

What I noticed were the job requirements for their Design Lead and Visual Designer openings.

Candidates must have the following qualities:

  • Attention to detail and good people-skills
  • Self-motivation, discipline, quick-learner, organized
  • Excellent verbal, oral and written communication skills

The story goes like this…

When I stepped out of pro-bono work a few years ago my first design job was a book cover.

I was nervous, and I did some research of how to work with and bill clients as a freelance designer. But the forums I read only filled my mind with horror stories of dead-beat clients that over demanded and under paid. I started out with some horrible expectations of how the project was going to work itself out in addition to over confidence in my design ability – which led to many surprises on my end.

For instance: I was shocked when my initial design concept wasn’t approved and they wanted another. Then I was shocked when they wanted to do a custom photo shoot using people they knew instead of the stock photos I had put in.

Since I low-balled my design fee I had to ask for more money at each ‘extra step.’ By the end of the project the invoice was nearly double the original quote. And because of all the (bad) advice I had read online I was extremely pushy about their deposit and the terms of payment.

In fact, I never even had a decent conversation with the client (who – as a matter of fact – was also a friend) about his and my expectations for the work-flow, communication, payment, etc…

Once the book was printed I met up with my friend the project manager to get some swag. He asked if he could talk to me for a few minutes and give some advice. He proceeded to tell me about my obvious lack of people skills. He called out each area of ‘advice’ I had learned from those forums as something that had put a negative pressure on the project and made him feel uncomfortable, and gave me ideas of how to do things better.

That five minute conversation revolutionized the way I have done design work ever since.

If I had just been open and honest at the beginning, laid out my expectations, and allowed some room for “fudge” in my design fee then the whole project would have gone smoother and been more fun for all of us.

That was the first and last time I ever acted like a high-and-mighty graphic designer who treats his clients as if they were perpetually inconveniencing him. Now when I receive a job-request the first sentence in my email reply starts with “thank you.”

Thanks for asking me to do this job. I would love to. If I can get more details about the project and a time-frame then I’ll be able to let you know if I can do it and how much I think it will cost. Then we can move forward with the logistics if you would like to.

I want my clients to know I am honored to work for them, and I am proud to take on their job. Even if we are professionals, aren’t we still just folks?

[This article is part of the Freelancing 101 Series]

Be a Better Designer

How To: Fix the little legs on your PowerBook Power Supply

  1. Get some Gorilla Glue.

  2. Squeeze Gorilla glue into the hole where your power supply leg use to be.

  3. Squeeze more Gorilla glue onto the end of your broken off leg.

  4. Try not to go crazy with the Gorilla glue.

  5. Take the little broken leg and stick it back into the slot, in the “out” or “open” position.

  6. Use Scotch tape to secure the leg in position.

  7. Wait for 12 hours.

Gorilla Glue and PowerBook Power Supply

How To: Fix the little legs on your PowerBook Power Supply