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iPhoto Problem Solved

I have used iPhoto for years, since it was introduced by Apple for the Macintosh in 2002. At this time, I have 9914 items in the iPhoto library. A few of these are actually Quicktime movies from my new iPhone 3GS. Many have been imported directly from my Canon A85 digital camera. Others have been scanned in, saved directly into iPhoto from email messages or dragged in from any other window on the Mac, even from Windows XP.

Anyway, I have had a small problem with syncing iPhoto with my AppleTV for a couple of years. I just exported any photos that I wanted to use elsewhere. I forgot about the problem until a few days ago when I purchased the new Bento 3 database program which has integration with iPhoto. When I first fired up Bento, it could not see the iPhoto library. I checked the Bento User Forum and found a similar problem discussion that got me started on a path to finally solving my problem. The problem revolved around the operation of the iLife Media Browser which shows up only as a menu item in iLife applications on the Mac.

After researching this further, I remembered that I had actually saved a link to an Apple User Forum which points to possible corruption in the iPhoto Library. A little more testing with techniques from the Apple Forum to see if I could fix the corruption, I finally decided to create a new library. The new library worked fine with Bento and I started exporting from the old and importing into the new. Since this proved to be a lot of work I decided to dig deeper to solve the corruption problem.

I discovered an application named iPhoto Library Manager that identified the corruption in the AlbumData.xml file that is part of the iPhoto Library. That gave me the line number and text that was causing the problem. I then used TextWrangler to view the XML file and edit it, but iPhoto kept recreating the error. I examined the lines around the error and noted that it was part of an album definition. With the album identified, I went back into iPhoto. I selected all the photos in the problem album and created a new album from the selection. I deleted the old album and quit iPhoto. After checking the library with iPhoto Library Manager which gave no error, I went back into Bento which loaded the iPhoto library with no problems.

Now I can see my iPhoto Library within Bento, my AppleTV, my iPhone, the Mac desktop/screensaver, GarageBand and possibly a few other Mac applications.

TI99 Update

Recently, I purchased a Jaton X-Media Dreambox which converts TV and other video signals to SVGA for viewing on an LCD or other computer monitors. It was a $150 converter on sale for $30. My main reason to buy it was to eliminate a TV monitor that I was using on one of my TI99/4A computers which now can display on the Dell PC monitor. I actually use one of the A/V inputs leaving two other A/V and S-Video inputs that could be used with a DVD or VCR. A 15 pin computer monitor input allows switching to use the PC normally. There is also a regular TV/cable input and 125 channel analog tuner built-in so that broadcast TV can be watched. The converter also has an audio mini-jack input and output which is switched depending on the video input selection through a remote control or buttons on the box.

The picture above shows the A/V input which comes from the TI99 console shown in the left picture below. The Dell PC is connected through the Dreambox VGA input as well and the display is switched between the PV and the TI99. The other picture below shows the TI99 Peripheral Expansion Box with one internal 5 1/4 inch floppy drive and 2 external floppy drives. The

Dual-screen Recliner

I recently updated my LazyBoy recliner to two screens. Back in Feb 2006, I posted my setup with an iMac G5 mounted on a PVC pipe arm. In Oct 2006, I upgraded that to a MacBook Pro with a second monitor. About a year ago, I purchased a MacPro and used it with the monitor which I had. About a month ago, I purchased another 20" monitor and modified the base stand to support both monitors. I was able to find another Sanus monitor support arm that matched the one I had. Both PVC pipes have a steel pipe within for added strength and less flexing. In this picture, you can also see the HP All-in-One printer and the extended carpeted base. The MacPro is a quad-processor running at 2.8 Ghz with 6 GB of memory and 3 SATA hard drives totaling 1.14 TB. I have space for a 4th hard drive which I plan to fill soon with at least another TB.















This second picture, looking from the back corner, shows the Logitec wireless keyboard and mouse. My iPhone is also sitting on the side-shelf which is a place to set the keyboard and mouse when I am not using them.

I can also connect the MacPro to my Sony 46" LCD TV and effectively have 3 monitors. (Note the perspective makes the 20" monitors look bigger than the 46" TV). The TV and Mac are connected to separate Sony and Coby surround sound systems. The Coby system also has an AM/FM receiver and DVD player built in. An AppleTV (essentially a Mac computer) is networked with the Mac and connected to the TV as well for direct internet access to Apple's iTunes store. To complete the setup, an EyeTV box is connected to a Comcast DVR as well as direct to the cable and a VHS tape player. This allows video recording on the MacPro from all three sources.

Note that the raised base for the chair provides a stable support for the monitors and makes it easy for me to stand up with my arthritic knees.

Macintosh 25th Birthday

There has been much publicity over the weekend about the Macintosh computer turning 25 years old. It was at the Superbowl in 1984 that the famous ad ran. It was shortly after that I saw my first Mac at a local Dayton's store. My 3 yr old daughter was with me and was readily using the mouse and MacPaint within a few minutes. I own the premier issue of MacWorld magazine shown to the left as well as issues of Byte and Popular Science that featured the Mac on the cover in the next several months. A good review of the Mac history can be found in today's MacWorld online article.

It wasn't until mid-1985 that I bought my first Mac though it was really a MacXL, a repackaged Apple Lisa that ran the Mac software. It had a larger screen and a 10MB hard drive built in. At one point, I had 3 MacXLs as shown in the photo below, but sold all on eBay in 2000.


My February 2008 post listed all of the 44 computers that I owned at the time. 27 of these are Macintosh though I had purchased and sold others that are not listed. Some of these were given to me by people cleaning out their closets. Actually I should count the iPhone as well since it runs a version of Mac OSX. Anyway, I am no where close to the 1500 Apple computers owned by Wayne Bibbens who was featured on the DVD Welcome to Macintosh.

Prior to 1990, I was a Mac developer for a few years and bought a new Mac when they came out about every 6 months. I got a 50% discount from Apple and sold my old Mac for what I paid for it, upgrading to the next level. That got me to a Mac IIci level which I used until 1998 when the iMac was produced. A complete description of all Mac models can be found at the Apple History web site. Note the list on the right side of the page.