Todd Klein's Blog, page 179

New Computer Adventures

I’m nearly there. My new 27-inch iMac is set up and nearly ready for work.  It’s been a long road. Here’s how it happened.My current desktop, modeled here by Tigger, is an Apple Power Mac, specifically a 2 x 2.8 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon (silver tower) from early 2008. It was a free replacement from Apple for my similar 2004 tower that had a meltdown caused by design flaws, so I haven’t had to actually buy a desktop computer since 2004. I love Apple! But this one is now eight years old and getting increasingly buggy. Every morning I would start it up with apprehension: sometimes it wouldn’t start at all, sometimes it did but wouldn’t connect to the internet and I’d have to restart more times. Standard Apple programs like Mail were doing increasingly weird things. I knew it was time for a replacement, and by buying at the end of the year, I could get a good tax-deduction on this coming April’s taxes. Looking at all the current models available, I didn’t like the current desktops at all. Plus, my Apple monitor is also from 2004, and I thought I should replace that too. The obvious answer was an all-in-one iMac, and I was drawn to the 27-inch model. My current monitor is 23 inches, and a bigger screen is always good. Plus, with the new super-high resolution (5K) it’s billed as the best-looking screen available anywhere. I know from experience that it pays to get the most speed, memory and storage because as time goes on you always need more, so I went for the high-end model, about $4,000. A lot, but if I could get at least five to six years from it, worth it to me. I ordered on Dec. 27th, and it arrived last Friday, Jan. 6th. I was busy with work that day and only had time to unpack it and turn it on to make sure it worked. It did. The screen was amazing. It was like Christmas all over again.

Saturday I got started. The iMac comes with only a few extras, this wireless keyboard is one. They’ve made it smaller by taking off the number pad, but I never used that anyway, and pushing things together more, but the feel is similar enough to my current Apple (wired) keyboard that I had no trouble with it. One new key is at lower left, Fn for Function. This allows you to turn OFF the preset functions of the top row of keys, opening them up for use as shortcuts in various programs, but by hitting the Fn key, you can still use those keys for things like sound and brightness control. Nice idea.

It also comes with a wireless mouse, right, which I hate, and won’t be using. I don’t know whose hand it’s designed for, but certainly not mine, and it’s slippery and awkward. I much prefer my Logitech 2-button and scroll-wheel mouse, also wireless, and only $12.99. Fits my hand perfectly with rubber grips on the side.

My first adventure was seeing if all my existing hardware would work with the iMac, never a sure bet. I’m lucky, most of it does. My large-format Xerox printer does, connected by Ethernet. My all-in-one printer/scanner from Brother does, wirelessly, though the wireless connection is somewhat iffy at times, I think a problem with the printer, not the computer. My Epson Perfection V600 Photo scanner works fine, connected by USB. Several external hard drives for backup and storage all work, connected by USB, as does my Wacom tablet, occasionally needed for things like drawing thought balloons. Only my large-format scanner from Microtek won’t connect, as it uses Firewire, which the iMac doesn’t have. I rarely use it, so this is not too important, and I can still use it through the old desktop Mac if I need it. I’ve ordered a Firewire to USB connector, but they don’t always work, so we’ll see how that goes.

Next I set up all the included software I’ll be using to my liking: Safari, Mail, iTunes, iPhoto, Contacts and general Preferences. That took some time, as did moving in data, photos and music from the old desktop to the new one. I have thousands of photos on the old machine, many I didn’t really want to keep, so I went through them all first and just copied the ones I wanted. That took time. Music was quicker, as I wanted all of it. Contacts also came through fairly quickly using export and import functions. The iMac is running the latest OS, Sierra (10.12), which is pretty different from 10.8, what’s on the old desktop, so there were a few glitches, but I figured them out. I also had to move tons of existing work files and other data of all kinds from old to new, which took a few hours.

Next began the more difficult task of transferring purchased software. As you can imagine, fonts are important to my work, and I have a few thousand of them. I need a way to organize them that I can remember, and turn them off and on easily. I’ve been using the Suitcase app for that for many years, and through many versions. Suitcase Fusion 5 is the one on my old Desktop. The current model is Fusion 7, but looking into it, that wouldn’t work with other current software I wanted to use, Adobe Creative Suite 5. That’s also outdated, and proved the biggest challenge to get on the new machine, more on that later. I decided to try moving Fusion 5 to the new machine to see if it would work. Mostly it does, but is missing some auto-activation features that make my life easier, so at some point I may have to upgrade. After moving, I had to refill all my font sets, but I’ve done this many times and have things organized to make it easy: one folder of fonts in Documents for each font set. There were a few loose ones I had to chase down, but mostly it was easy.

Next up was Microsoft Word (Office). I hate Microsoft, and they proved as annoying as ever. My current version, Office 2008, will not work on the iMac. I had to buy the new 2016 version. I hate giving Microsoft money, but I need Microsoft Word because most of the scripts I get for lettering use it. There are workarounds, but they would slow me down too much. And I occasionally get an Excel document I have to open, too. Sigh. $160 for the new version.

Other programs or apps I was able to install without problems or additional cost include Dropbox, Fetch, Firefox, Fontlab 5, Superduper, Toast 9 Titanium, and Vuescan. Norton Antivirus wanted an additional $20 a year to protect an additional machine, which I thought a good deal. My financial program, Quicken, had to be replaced with the new version for $50, also a good deal. The last one lasted eight years.

Next was getting Adobe Creative Suite 5 on the new machine, the biggest challenge, and one that was not entirely successful. Adobe did what I think was an extremely annoying thing a few years ago by moving to a subscription model for their very popular software, including Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, Acrobat, Dreamweaver, and many more, but those are the ones I use. One reason I haven’t upgraded my OS for years was to keep CS5 working for me. I love it, it’s been the perfect version since it came out. I knew that I could get a software patch from Apple that would ALLOW me to run CS5, but neither Adobe or Apple support that, and I’d heard varying reports of how things would run in Sierra. I didn’t want to have to go with the current Creative Cloud versions if I could help it. Didn’t want to pay the monthly subscription fee. So, I got out my original install discs and did a clean install of CS5 on the iMac, which took about two hours. (The iMac has no disc drive, but I have an Apple Superdrive which connects by USB for that.)

At first everything seemed good. I could open all the programs. I thought I was home free, but…not so fast. As I started working with Illustrator, my everyday workhorse program for lettering, I discovered a major problem: I couldn’t save a file! I could do all the work, but unless I could save it, it was useless. This was frustrating and disheartening, particularly when I found it was not true for the other programs, they could all save files just fine. Only Illustrator had the problem. I tried many workarounds and fixes, all I could think of, including deleting Preferences and copying my original software from the old desktop to the new, and nothing worked. After a long day of this, I had to admit defeat. There are other programs that try to do what Illustrator does, but so far, from what I’ve heard, they all fall short. I would have to subscribe to the new Creative Cloud version of Illustrator, and that’s what I did. Since I only needed the one app, it would be $20 a month, or $240 a year. About $5 a week. Not so bad, I guess.

One of the things I THOUGHT I wouldn’t like about Creative Cloud proved to be a non-issue. The program downloaded onto my own computer, and is available at all times, whether I’m online or not. Yes, there’s an online cloud service for work done, but I can use it or not, as I like, and I probably won’t. The interface is somewhat different, but similar enough that I didn’t have too much trouble setting it up for the way I like to work. I haven’t done any new paid work on it yet, so it’s still possible there will be more glitches I haven’t run into, but so far so good. It feels pretty comfortable, and the larger screen on the iMac gives me more room for tools and palettes, a good thing. Auto-activation for fonts from Suitcase won’t work unless I upgrade that program, and that could be a problem, so I may need to do that, we’ll see.

One big job left: reorganize my studio, putting the iMac where the old computer is now, and rearranging all the hardware and wiring. I’ll be doing that tomorrow. By Monday I should be ready to get back to work and back to other things I enjoy doing, like writing for this blog. Hope to see you back here soon!

Not Dead, Still Busy

Yes, I’m here, and still working on getting my new iMac up and running with all the stuff I need for my work. New posts will return as soon as I can get to them. Thanks for your patience.

What’s keeping me busy…

I may not be posting much for a few days. In addition to the usual distractions like work, I just got a new 27-inch iMac that I will be setting up. I love it already, the screen is amazing, but lots to do before I can start working with it.

And Then I Read: GREEN LANTERNS 5

Image © DC Comics.

I’m not a fan of Red Lanterns or all-fighting issues, but writer Sam Humphries won me over this time with clever, witty and insightful mental dialogue captions from the two Green Lanterns Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz. They are facing a horde of Red Lanterns as well as their master, Atrocitus, and the Hell Tower he’s constructing to bring a horrible Red Dawn to Earth. Many regular folks are already consumed with Rage, including Jessica’s sister. They can’t possibly overcome the odds against them, and Jessica’s fears are crippling her, but Simon is giving it his all, and coming up with some kind of new power in the process. Great writing, nice art by Robson Rocha, Eduardo Pansica, Jay Leisten and Julio Ferreira.

Recommended.

And Then I Read: WONDER WOMAN #8

Image © DC Comics.

Writer Greg Rucka takes a break from his look at the early career of Wonder Woman to give us a biography of Dr. Barbara Ann Minerva, known in the present day as Cheetah. Young Barbara Ann loves myth and fable, but her father tells her it’s nonsense, and it’s time to grow up. Cut to a 20-something Dr. Minerva at an archaeological dig where she’s convinced the site holds secrets about the mythic Amazons. A solo midnight journey deeper into the dig cave gives her evidence, but then is destroyed by a cave-in, and her male colleagues are dismissive. Undeterred, Dr. Minerva takes her certainty and search elsewhere. Great story, nice art by Bilquis Evely. My only complaint is the lettering by Jody Wynne has more than a few serif I uses where they shouldn’t be, which always pulls me out of the story. (As I’ve said for decades, in comics all-caps lettering, serif I should only be used for the personal pronoun I and contractions like I’m and I’ll, and particularly not in the middle of other words, where it stands out for me like a red flag of incorrect lettering.)

Recommended.

And Then I Read: THE FLASH #6

Image © DC Comics.

Six issues into this Flash revamp the storyline is so complex, and there are so many characters, that I’m beginning to lose track. I can only imagine someone attracted to it by the TV show and trying to figure things out. Doesn’t seem likely. Some of the names are the same, some of the roles are similar, but otherwise it’s pretty far from the TV show. Nothing wrong with that, but some sort of recap and character lineup at the beginning of each issue would be a smart thing to add.

Of the many new speedsters in Flash’s Central City, Godspeed is dangerous one, killing other speedsters and taking their power. Barry Allen blames himself for failing to stop it, as does Wally West. One of the victims was Barry’s new girlfriend Meena. Reporter Iris West is willing to help, but so far hasn’t been able to do much. A confrontation between Godspeed and Flash takes some surprising turns.

I like the art and writing on this, but the story seems unfocused and overly complex to me. Mildly recommended.

And Then I Read: HAL JORDAN & THE GREEN LANTERN CORPS #2

Image © DC Comics.

I am WAY, WAY behind on this title, but I needed some time away from the Corps, and I’ve had it. I now find myself enjoying once more reading about Hal Jordan, John Stewart, Guy Gardner, and their brethren, as well as the main opposition here, Sinestro and his own Corps, including his daughter Soranik, formerly a Green Lantern. The GL Corps has been away, and returned greatly diminished, about 400 strong instead of many thousands. Their mobile base, the GL planet Mogu, is damaged and systems are being repaired. Hal can’t even tell exactly where in the universe they are, and sends Guy to find out. Meanwhile, Hal has run into a few of the Sinestro Corps, who are attempting to take over the policing of the universe in the place of the GL Corps, ruling it by fear rather than justice. Sinestro is in charge, and Soranik is beside him, though feeling used by her father to get him back into power. It’s a good opening to bring everyone back, nicely written by Robert Venditti, art by Rafa Sandoval and Jordi Tarragona. I’m looking forward to more.

Recommended.

And Then I Read: GREEN LANTERNS #4

Image © DC Comics.

This issue is a pleasant surprise. Amid the carnage and confusion of a Red Lantern attack, rookie Green Lanterns Simon and Jessica spend most of this issue working on their personal issues, sharing their doubts and fears, and forging the beginnings of a real partnership. Character development is always more interesting to me than fighting, and there’s plenty of it here. Simon’s ring is almost depleted, but he can’t recharge it unless Jessica agrees, as they share a single power source. Jessica is, at first, overtaken by Red Lantern-infused rage, and then wants to quit the Corps altogether. Simon has to get real with her to make things work. Nicely done by writer Sam Humphries. The art on this issue is fine despite the tag-team collaborations of three pencilers and five inkers, a sign of desperate lateness. Worked okay here.

Recommended.

And Then I Read: WONDER WOMAN #7

Image © DC Comics.

I’m way behind on this and other DCU titles I’m reading, but will try to catch up some. This issue of WW is in the present day and presents the climax of the Cheetah story that’s been running in odd-numbered issues. Cheetah (Barbara Ann Minerva) has agreed to help Diana rescue Steve Trevor from the African warlord Cadulo, who is planning to sacrifice Trevor to revive an ancient evil god, Urzkartaga. There are also women imprisoned by Cadulo and his minions that Diana wants to rescue. It all takes place in an action-filled story written by Greg Rucka, with great art by Liam Sharp. With some writers, this kind of story becomes simply a slugfest, but Rucka goes for the deeper feelings and meanings that make for a much more satisfying read, in my opinion. His take on Wonder Woman is great, too.

Recommended.

CHICKEN SOUP FROM SCRATCH

I started making this a few years ago, and made it again yesterday. it’s become a holiday tradition for those meals when you’re busy with other things.

My version uses boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I think it has a lot more flavor than modern recipes that start with cooked chicken and store-bought broth, but is less complicated and messy than traditional recipes that start with a whole chicken. This is double my original recipe, but since it takes a few hours, might as well make lots and freeze some. Makes about 4 to 5 quarts of soup. Stock and soup can be made on different days.

STOCK:

2 pounds chicken breasts

2 carrots cut in large chunks

4 celery stalks cut in large chunks

2 medium yellow onions quartered

10 cloves garlic peeled and halved

Dozen stalks of fresh thyme

4 bay leaves

1 teaspoon peppercorns

1/2 teaspoon salt

Place all ingredients in large pot, chicken on the bottom, cover with cold water, about 3 quarts. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes. Add water if necessary to cover. Loosen chicken from bottom after it boils, otherwise this can simmer unattended.

Remove chicken to cutting board and allow to cool. Strain the rest and discard all but the broth. When chicken is cool enough to handle, cut and shred into small pieces.

[image error] SOUP:

1/4 cup olive oil

2 medium onion chopped

4 medium carrots sliced

4 celery stalks sliced

1/2 cup of fresh thyme leaves

2 bay leaves (remove after cooking)

Chicken stock just made

1 additional quart of bought chicken stock (more if wanted)

Cup of uncooked brown rice

Shredded chicken just made

1/2 cup of fresh parsley chopped fine

Cup of fresh kale chopped fine

salt and fresh ground pepper to taste (at least 1 tablespoon salt for me)

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat and add onion, carrots, celery, thyme and bay leaf. Saute and stir about 10 minutes until onion softens. Add all chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add rice, parsley and kale, and lower heat, simmer about 15 minutes, stirring and scraping bottom to keep rice from sticking. Add cooked chicken and simmer about 15 more minutes until rice and carrots are soft.