Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
The available calendars list events such as public holidays for particular countries,
or the timetable of particular sporting events, and are usually updated by
enthusiasts so you can easily keep up-to-date in a hassle-free way (the calendars
aren't actually stored on your computer). Indeed, there are hundreds of calendars
for just about any need—from listing the fictional birthdays of computer game
characters to pointing out the phases of the moon.
All you need to do is click the link for the calendar on the site, and the Calen-
dar app will ask if you want to subscribe to it. Just click the Subscribe button
in the dialog box that appears.
Removing a calendar (that is, unsubscribing) is as easy as starting Calendar,
clicking the Calendar button at the top left so the list of calendar subscriptions
is visible, right-clicking the one you no longer want, and selecting Delete from
the menu that appears.
Note that you can even create your own calendars to share with others—see
Tip 97
Turn Off Annoying Special Effects
Call me a cynic, but it feels like OS X is a little showy with its visual effects.
Dialog boxes and some program windows pop onto the screen from nowhere.
This design mirrors the iPod and iPad user experience. On a larger screen,
however, the effect can be unsettling.
Wouldn't it be nice if they just appeared on-screen with no fuss, like they did
in the good old days?
Here's how you can turn off the majority of OS X's visual effects.
Pop-Up Windows and Dialogs
To turn off dialog boxes and windows that spring out from the middle of the
screen, open a Terminal window (open Finder, select the Applications list,
and then in the list of applications double-click Terminal within the
UTILITIES
folder), and type the following:
DEFAULTS WRITE -G NSAUTOMATICWINDOWANIMATIONSENABLED -BOOL FALSE
Then log out and back in again for the changes to take effect.
