Q: Is there a 64-bit version of Java for Mac OS 10.7?

A: This is another Minecraft-related question. Minecraft now pops up a warning if you are running 32-bit Java and try to use the "Far" render distance in the video settings, so I wondered if there was a separate 64-bit install. OSX Lion does not come with Java, by the way, so you have to install it yourself.

Turns out you need to tweak your Java apps to run advanced versions of Java properly. I found this excellent post about the subject on the Minecraft forums:


[MAC GUIDE 10.6] HOW TO MAKE MINECRAFT.APP USE 64BIT JAVA

It's really easy, but you should also have have Xcode installed in order to make it easier. Just search Apple's website for the download or in the "App Store" in Lion.

In the comments below the post you will find instructions how to increase your allocation of RAM to the Minecraft app as well.

Q: I upgraded to Mac OS 10.7 (Lion) - where did my /user/Library folder go?

I upgraded to iOS 5 on my iPhone recently but couldn't sync my laptop to iCloud until I upgraded to OSX Lion. It's only $29, so I went ahead without checking on what other people had experienced while upgrading. I also play Minecraft with my kids, and we fool around with the .jar (and textures and mobs) quite a bit, so after I had finished upgrading the Mac OS, I was disconcerted to find that while Minecraft ran fine (better, actually) under OS 10.7, I couldn't see my /user/Library folder any more, which is where all the guts of Minecraft reside! Fortunately it was a quick search and a simple fix: open Terminal and use the command:

chflags nohidden ~/Library/

Keep in mind that system updates will re-hide it again; keep this simple command handy.

Q: How much is the candy company Taffy Town worth?

A: Hard to say. One of my kids was fantasizing about buying a candy company for their very own and wondered whether he could just save his pennies or whether he would have to hit the lottery. 

Taffy Town, like many great American candy companies, has been family-owned for generations. Unlike many great American candy companies, they have resisted the temptation to sell out and move production to a cheaper country. Since they are not a public company, they are not required to disclose earnings. However, since I have some personal knowledge of another icon in the family-owned candy business, and estimating that Taffy Town has similar distribution, 

I would hazard a guess that the taffy folks probably pull in between 50 and 100 million a year. 

Better start buying lotto tickets, kiddo.

Q: What's Zaditor?

I was in line at the Kaiser pharmacy and saw "Ketotifen opthalmic drops" on sale. Being an eye allergy sufferer, I wondered if this was for me. They said "Compare to Zaditor", so I did. Turns out the Kaiser pharmacy has a pretty good deal on generic Zaditor, and it is used for extreme itchy eyes. Used to be prescription-only for pinkeye itch, but people with simple allergy itch benefit as well. Interestingly, one of the side effects of Zaditor is, apparently, itchy eyes. Checkit: Zaditor page at the US National Library of Medicine.

Q: What do I do if I get stung by a yellowjacket?

Corollary: What do I do if I am stung / bit by a wasp / hornet / meat bee?

A: Responses vary. The primary advice was:

1. Act quickly. The sooner you treat the sting (yes, it's a sting, not a bite) the better. Wasp stings (yes, it's a kind of wasp) hurt WAY more than bee stings, so if you have only been stung by bees before, you are in for a way worse treat with a wasp sting. You also may be allergic and not know it, so if you have major immediate swelling, especially in your throat, go to emergency care right away.
2. Remove the stinger. You may think a wasp doesn't leave it's stinger, but it's thin and delicate, and you may have swatted it when you got stung and broken it off in there. Avoid using tweezers; scrape it out with a stiff edge like a credit card, with the angle of the stinger embedded in your skin and not against.
3. Take ibuprofen / acetominophen / etc. Ibuprofen will help with the swelling, but take some kind of pain reliever, at least.
4. Take an antihistamine. Also to help with the swelling and other allergic-type reactions your body will be having.
5. Use topical pain reliver / swelling reducer like aloe vera or hydrocortisone.
6. Finally, ICE. This is the ONLY thing that will provide lasting relief. When I was stung, I did all the other stuff, but it only really felt better once I applied ice, and whenever I removed the ice, the pain came right back. KEEP ICE ON IT.

Q: What happened to Kate Beckinsale's face?

A: Nothing. I was cruising past Underworld: Rise of the Lycans and thought: "Wow, Kate must have had the typical upper-lip-botox-job that all the Hollywood actresses are having these days! She looks horrible!" Nope, just a case of mistaken identity. Rhona Mitra plays Sonja, a completely different character set in an earlier time, but also in love with a werewolf.