FJ de Kermadec

Biography

FJ de Kermadec is an author, stylist and entrepreneur in Paris, France. He spends his time between Paris, London and the United States, where he is often to be found wearing his traditional black shirts. He has been writing for O'Reilly Media about all things Apple since 2003 and has since founded Webstellung, a communication consultancy through which he assists clients in the high-tech business. More information about him can be found on his personal web site, FearlessInBlack.com.

Articles

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Wireless Security on the Road Without a VPN
Publish Date: Jun. 20, 2006A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a secure way to connect to web sites and email while using wireless networks. Unfortunately, not everyone has access to a VPN, so what do you do? In this article you'll learn how to secure your online activities without a VPN. What Is ClamXav (and do Mac users really need antivirus)
Publish Date: Aug. 19, 2005Do Mac users need virus protection? We believe yes. In this article F.J. introduces you to ClamXav, a free, open source antivirus application for Mac OS X. And as a bonus, we're including an interview with the developer who added the GUI to the excellent ClamAV engine to create ClamXav--Mark Allan. What Is FireWire (and How Best to Use It)
Publish Date: Jul. 26, 2005FireWire is a high-speed, data serial interface that has many practical uses. In this article, you'll learn the ins and outs of this powerful technology, plus some inside tips to take advantage of its unique features. Everything You Wanted to Know About Safari RSS, Part 2
Publish Date: Jun. 3, 2005In part one of this series, F.J. provided a solid overview of the Safari browser and the RSS specification. In this article, he shows you how to set up Safari RSS to serve as your newsreader, including lots of handy configuration tips. Everything You Wanted to Know About Safari RSS, Part 1
Publish Date: May. 31, 2005Safari 2.0 stands tall among the Tiger highlights. In this three-part series, you'll learn everything you need to know to customize this browser for newsreading. Plus, you'll explore the technologies that power Safari RSS beneath that beautiful UI. Tiger's Powerful Migration Assistant
Publish Date: May. 17, 2005Transferring data, prefs, and apps from old Macs to new ones can be painful when upgrading computers. Fortunately, Apple's Migration Assistant has the brains and brawn to save users and system administrators alike much time during this process. Here's everything you'd want to know about this great tool. Skype on Mac OS X: A Hands-On Approach, Part 2
Publish Date: Jan. 4, 2005In Part 1, F.J. introduced you to Skype for the Mac. In today's conclusion he talks more about configuration and hands-on use. Skype on Mac OS X: A Hands-On Approach
Publish Date: Dec. 28, 2004In this article, you'll read about the wonders of Skype for Mac OS X and see how to integrate it in your routine. This chat/telephony software also has its limits, and those will be covered too. Mac OS X for the Traveler, Part 5
Publish Date: Oct. 1, 2004In this final installment of Mac OS X for the Traveler, François Joseph de Kermadec shares some of his most clever tips for surviving on the road. You might not follow every one of these precautions. But as his editor, I've noticed already that they are in the back of my mind as I prepare for a trip, and I've made some nice adjustments as a result. I hope this series has added a dose of preventive medicine to your travels, too. Mac OS X for the Traveler, Part 4
Publish Date: Sep. 21, 2004As with so many things in life, preparation is the key to success. In this week's installment, you'll read about how to pack just the right amount of equipment, and how to make sure the data on it is fit for travel. Mac OS X for the Traveler, Part 3
Publish Date: Sep. 10, 2004This is the third part of a series discussing how to travel safely with your Mac OS X laptop. Today's focus is software encryption and those pesky networks you have to deal with on the road. Mac OS X for the Traveler, Part 2
Publish Date: Sep. 3, 2004This is the second part of a series that will run over the next few weeks discussing how to travel safely with your Mac OS X laptop. Now that you've made your travel preparations as described in part one, you can now think about getting all of your equipment on the plane safely. Mac OS X for the Traveler, Part 1
Publish Date: Aug. 31, 2004In this first part of an ongoing series about traveling safely with your PowerBook or iBook, you'll learn that preparation is one of the keys to peace of mind. F.J. helps you get your equipment in order. Inside SSH, Part 4
Publish Date: Aug. 6, 2004In Part 3, François Joseph de Kermadec investigated more advanced SSH techniques, including editing configuration files. Now in this final installment, he shows you how to administer computers remotely, including running software updates, disk utilities, and more. Inside SSH, Part 3
Publish Date: Jul. 20, 2004In Part 2 of this multipart series delving into the Secure Shell on Mac OS X, François Joseph de Kermadec showed you how to securely fire up the Secure Shell and start communicating. Now, in Part 3, he digs deeper, showing you more advanced techniques including editing configuration files.

Blog

It's your RAM, to fry

May 05 2008

A few months ago, I decided to resurrect one of my first Macs ever, the very computer that once held my life, to go. Unfortunately, not being invested with divine powers, I ran into a bit of odd trouble in the process. With the help of a friend, the solution… read more

Another take on design

April 25 2008

Yesterday, for the first time in my life, I unpacked a Hewlett-Packard accessory: a 24 inch LCD monitor, to hook up to my MacBook Air. I am not one for unboxing porn, especially given how little there would be to wet your appetite, but I felt compelled to share a… read more

Install me, baby

April 04 2008

There are two delivery extremes for software in this world: there is the Panic way and the Adobe way. The first relies on a simple ZIP archive, that, for most users, gets unpacked and moved out of the way automatically. The second on a slew of installers, updaters and package… read more

A new reason to block ads

April 01 2008

After years of refusing to install extensions in my browsers or proxies on my machine, I have, for the past few months, started to work seriously on blocking connections to ad servers. The reason? The increasing number of security issues linked to these ad networks and their ability to inject… read more

Press any key to continue

March 25 2008

For years, the Macintosh world has lived under the assumption that Vista's look is crap and Mac OS X rocks. Everything on the Mac side screams quality and reliability, elegance and composure, style and attitude. Compared to our elegance, unique style and peaceful workflow, Vista's bumpy, bright, tawdry interface does… read more

Appel d'urgence

March 17 2008

The iPhone is one curious beast. Since I first started showing affection to mine in public, I am happy to report that I have never run into an embarrassing moment: it has always behaved properly, performing as expected and wooing audiences with its cute grin, boyish attitude and tactile features.… read more

The jailbreak is futile

March 12 2008

Since Apple announced the iPhone and iPod Touch, hordes of developers have focused their efforts on bringing freedom to the masses. Whether you call the process "pwnage," "jailbreak" or something else altogether, the core ideas are always the same: allow people to do anything they wish with the device they… read more

Action for typography

March 11 2008

After months of careful research, kerning and tweaking, I gave a stroke to my friend and typographer when I proudly announced my next logo would be set in ITC Garamond Narrow. Thanks to him, it is perfectly kerned ITC Garamond Narrow but ITC Garamond Narrow it remains. There are too… read more

No iChat on iPhone? Good!

March 07 2008

It seems the announcement of AOL working on an iPhone version of AIM before Apple releases iChat Touch – so to speak – has a few commentators stumped. In fact, many are speculating that Apple is waiting until it can enable video and audio chat to release a shiny, crowd-pleasing… read more