Connect your PS3 controller to your console with a USB cable and press the PS button to sync. If your PS3 controller won't sync, try resetting it with a paperclip inserted into the reset button hole.
Friend of mine has been trying to figure out how to connect a ps3 to a MacBook Pro. She tried using a HDMI to USB cable, but that did not work. I'm not sure how one would go about doing this, or if ...