I've been an iPod fan since the original, but it's taken me until the iPod video - and hacking my car to add an iPod interface - to try to fix a feature that's been missing since day one. Why can't I create a sync-able playlist full of random albums, not just a bunch of random tracks? Through a little-documented feature, I can, without trying to find a custom AppleScript.

Every columnist has written about their catastrophic hard-drive crash, so I won't bore you with the details of the one I had last week. Suffice it to say I'm doing fine, thanks for asking. I also won't harangue you about making (and testing!) regular backups - you know that already, right? (I bet Mac|Life senior editor Eugene Robinson still hasn't gotten over his loss.)  Instead, I'm going to tell you about something that could have saved my tuchus at the expense of ten minutes per month of (unattended!) Mac time. To wit: Disk Utility - it's included in Mac OS X, installed by default in /Applications/Utilities.

After spending some time at my local mall during the official iPhone launch, I decided to saunter back to the Apple Store the following day to spend some time with the device, since I could get nowhere near it on Friday. Of course, I had seen the commercials and the keynote, and watched a few customers play with their new toys after the clock struck 6:00 p.m. but there's nothing quite like holding one of Apple's phones in your hands, sliding the unlock bar and watching iPhone's icons glide into position.