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Many of you iTunes users may have recently (and possibly inadvertently) downloaded the new iTunes 10.  While there are many positive changes included in this new version (e.g. faster performance, UI improvements, etc), there are some odd design decisions in the program as well.

What the hell were they thinking?

One of the more perplexing changes was the vertical alignment of the control buttons (the “Stoplight buttons” as some people call them, now even more true to the nickname).  What would prompt Apple to go against their own, time-tested, mother-approved OS interface standards?

While I may not be able to answer the “why”, I can tell you how to change your iTunes control buttons back to horizontal.

Here’s how:

1. Close iTunes (if its not already closed)
2. Open Terminal app
3. In Terminal, type the following command:
   defaults write com.apple.iTunes full-window -1
4. That’s it!  Open iTunes to see the changes you’ve made!  If you happen to want to restore iTunes 10 back to the vertical buttons, go to step 5 below
5. To restore buttons to the vertical layout, paste this command into Terminal app:
   defaults write com.apple.iTunes full-window -0

Your iTunes control buttons should now look something like the picture below:

Aahhh, much better

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Here’s a fun little email trick I came across recently.  Try the following:

YourEmail+AnyTextHere@example.com

Replace “YourEmail” with your usual email address.  Replace “example.com” with your usual mail server.  And try replacing “AnyTextHere” with, well, any text you want.

Believe it or not, this is a valid email address, and just about every email provider supports this format.

Think of the implications of this…conditionally add a “+spam” to filter email from some websites.  Have friends and co-conspirators add “+TopSecret” to keep emails on the DL.  The possibilities are endless…or at least numerous.

Bon appetit, faithful followers!

Swine Flu Mortality Rate (infographic)

Having survived the N1H1 virus recently, I find the topic especially interesting.  Swine flu was no vacation, but it sure wasn’t as bad as everyone assumes it is.  I had one day of severe symptoms (102°F temperature, horrible aches & pains, nausea, dizziness & appetite loss), but after that it was like a mild cold.

I just stumbled upon a great infographic via Digg.  If this isn’t a commentary on the American culture of fear-mongering, I don’t know what is.

Take a peek at the graphic linked to the right. Looks like Leprosy is just barely less deadly than N1H1.  Wait…what?  Leprosy, a word you probably haven’t seen since the 1960′s, is almost as deadly as this “epidemic” of Swine Flu.

Why isn’t the media telling us to be afraid of Leprosy too!

Hey Fox, why haven’t you explained this one:

For every ONE Swine flu death, there have been 2,521 (two thousand five hundred and twenty one!) deaths from Cardiovascular disease.

What this says is, its much better to be SICK than to be LAZY.  This should also tell you to go outside and jog somewhere.

So how do you survive Swine Flu? The answer is simple: stay healthy and active. Go outside and DO THINGS.  You’ll be saving yourself from a plethora of much deadlier diseases as well.