I’m a big fan of “sparse bundle” disk images in Mac OS X. They allow me to create encrypted repositories for valuable data that can efficiently be rsync-ed between disks and don’t waste a lot of space. So I thought I’d write up a bit on what they are and how they can be used.
exFAT
The PNY StorEDGE is a Must-Have MacBook Accessory
Although I appreciate Apple’s decision to go all-SSD on the MacBook line, it does cause some problems capacity-wise. Even 256 GB is an expensive proposition from Apple, and it’s not easy or cheap to expand storage on these laptops. One option is a fast USB 3 drive like the SanDisk Extreme, and there’s also some external Thunderbolt […]
Mac OS X Bug: ExFAT Hangs Spotlight and Time Machine
I’ve had terrible issues with Mac OS X never completing Spotlight indexing and Time Machine backups. I was pulling out my hair until I decided to check the console log. That’s when I saw this: Thousands of mdworker errors, with a dozen appearing every second. What could it mean?
How to Encrypt Your Nifty MiniDrive
I am lucky enough to have received a Nifty MiniDrive for my Retina MacBook Pro, and am in process of putting it through its paces with a SanDisk 64 GB SDXC card. One of the first concerns I had is the steal-ability of such a small, valuable, content-rich item. So I decided to protect it using Mac OS X’s FIleVault 2 full-disk encryption technology. Here’s a step-by-step guide and my post-encryption thoughts!
What Is an XQD Card? The New Media for Pro Cameras!
The CompactFlash Association announced a new media card format last month, and now Sony and Nikon have introduced the first media and digital cameras, respectively. But what exactly is an XQD memory card? Read on for the details.