October 2003 Archives

How the hell the Biz Journal in Jacksonville, FL (of all places) got a hold of this story is beyond me. Jax is about 10 years or more behind in IT than the rest of the world, but in any case...this article is a great justification for spending that extra cash on a 2nd monitor!!!

When using multi-monitor displays, participants generated 10 percent more production, were 18 percent faster in errorless production and made 33 percent fewer errors than when using a single screen. By Ryan Geddes (Jacksonville Business Journal via MyAppleMenu) [Jax Biz Journal]

One of the most anticipated talks at this year's O'Reilly Mac OS X Conference has been a keynote by Dr. Srinidhi Varadarajan, the man behind the Virgina Tech. G5 Cluster. Three stories have arisen out of the talk, each worth it's own link: Confessions of the World's Largest Switcher - the talk in a nutshell; MacSlash's keynote coverage; and this Wired article on how the cluster has gained notoriety in the past few months out of nowhere - Mac Supercomputer Just Got Faster. [O'Reilly Network Developer News]

Hope this is not too late for some of you - but pay attention!!!! This is a MAJOR boo boo that you need to be aware of. Read more here. MacCentral

Mail has a ton of great new improvements. It's an app that has turned out really great in Panther and one of it's subtle new features (many more big ticket ones to come in future posts) is the ability to recall the replies or forwards of an email in your inbox with a simple click of the reply or forward icon!

Just click or icon for any mesage in your Inbox and if Mail still has the reply or forward around in your Sent folder, it will open it up so you can see exactly what you said, to whom, and when.

PowerLogix today announced the PowerCube, an aluminum replacement enclosure for the Power Mac G4 Cube... [MacMinute]

About FoldersSynchronizer
It’s a nifty, popular, powerful and easy shareware utility for Mac OS X which synchronizes and backs up files, single or mutiple pairs of folders, files and disks, on local and remote volumes. It can sync/backup the whole MacOS X boot disk and make it bootable and it can run as user “root” even if the user logged in as simple user.
It has special options like Timers, Mutiple list, Exclude list, Filters, Conflict Resolution, Settings, Log Files, Sync And Quit, Automount Volumes, and more. [Mac OS X Hot Downloads]

Griffin Technology said today that it is now shipping the iFire amplifier/adapter for Apple Pro Speakers... [MacMinute]

Now you want to talk about something that would grab Windows users...THIS would do it!

One unconfirmed rumor claims that iChat AV will be coming to Windows PC's at MacWorld San Francisco 2004.

Apple's iChat AV software provides suppor... [MacRumors.com Page 2]

Despite the company's deep connections to Apple, Pixar Animation Studios only completed moving its computer infrastructure to Mac OS X eight months ago. System administrators Bethany Jane Hanson and Gabriel Benveniste said that they deliberately waited until the vast majority of applications they use daily were OS X native. But once that happened, they and the rest of the administrators at Pixar tapped OS X's core Unix capabilities to develop a migration and maintenance scheme that they say has a lower cost of ownership than Mac OS 9. [MacCentral]

If you have Quicktime Pro, it is easy to play a movie as your desktop. Play a movie using Quicktime as fullscreen, then press F11, which shows the desktop. The fullscreen movie slides up to reveal the desktop, and than you ... [Mac OS X Hints]

"Not every Mac user is the sort who'd giddily wait in line to buy Apple's latest OS the instant it becomes available, largely sight-unseen. Not for $129, anyway. But Panther delivers considerable and assertive bang for the buck, tempting the sensible wheat side of you that wants new, useful features as well as the sugar-frosted side that wants everything to be fast, easy and cool. It's compelling; it will easily become the Mac's de facto OS by the end of the year," Andy Ihnatko... [MacDailyNews]

We've been waiting a long, long time this, but we think Pioneer's new line of TiVo digital video recorders with built-in DVD recorders is finally out. They're not cheap, but both the DVR-810H (pictured at right) and the DVR-57H will let you do one thing that isn't possible with any other TiVo: save TV shows to a DVD-R for archiving or giving to a friend. The DVR-810H has an 80GB hard drive and can store up to 80 hours of programming, while the DVR-57H has a 120GB hard drive. Both have superfast DVD recorders that can burn a one hour TV show to a DVD in as little as three minutes, and come with the new "TiVo Basic" service which doesn't require any subscription fees. Read [Thanks, Kevin]... [Gizmodo]

Troubleshooting Mac OS X 10.3 (#3): More on FireWire problems; Macromedia applications and authorization; more [MacFixIt]

Belkin has always been one of my favorite companies. Everything I ever bought from Belkin has lasted far longer than I needed them to. The quality is always top-notch, and the price is always less than I expected. Whenever Belkin introduces a new product for the Mac I never worry about the quality or the price I’ll wind up paying. The latest purchase from Belkin continues in this price/performance tradition. [MacNETv2]

After announcing its Adobe Creative Suite in late September, Adobe Systems Inc. on Monday announced that it's now shipping the new ensemble. [MacCentral]

Apple's Panther "new features" video, shown in Apple Retail Stores across the U.S. during the launch of Mac OS X 10.3 (Panther) last Friday is now online in sizes small, medium, and large here.

It was recorded at the Apple Store at the Grove (Los Angeles, CA). [MacDailyNews]

xBmsx is a server for your mac that allows you to share your movies, music and pictures with your Xbox running xBox Media Player/Center. It's implemeted as a system preference, and an optional StartUpItem. 4Four.net

MOTU released a Digital Performer 4.11 Update of its audio/MIDI workstation software that adds full compatibility with Mac OS X 10.3 Panther plus a utility for configuring synthesizer expansion card patch names and other changes. The company also released updated drivers for all MOTU FireWire audio interfaces and PCI audio interfaces to add full compatibility with Mac OS X 10.3 Panther, plus new features, such as input/output names, control surface support, and default stereo input/output.

Yet another good reason why we need to boycott any and ALL companies that decide to use DRM technology. Especially Macrovision. These are the same MORONS who screwed Intuit and caused the mass exodus of Intuit's customers.

Many folks are experiencing a problem that Macromedia Studio MX 2004 applications don't launch in Panther. The just bounce once on the dock, and nothing happens. This happens after an archive and install.

The solution is to remove the Macrovision folder in [Mac HD]: Library: Preferences. You might need admin privileges. Then, you will have to re-activate your software. Further information is buried in the Macromedia Support site.

This is a SWEET looking mod for the G5 - too bad I can't read it! It is in Japanese, but the pics speak louder than words...http://www.pawasapo.co.jp/ac/rs/rs.html

When Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduced iTunes for Windows recently, he made the comment that there was a time when he would have said hell would freeze over before Apple would develop software for Windows... [MacMinute]

Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Walt Mossberg observes, “After growing easier to use for several years, Windows PCs have taken a giant step backward because they are so insecure. Windows is riddled with security flaws, and new ones turn up regularly. It is increasingly susceptible to all kinds of viruses, malicious Trojan horse programs and spyware. As a result, Windows users have been forced to spend more of their time and money supporting their computers … But for consumers and small businesses, there’s a simple way out of this endless morass: Buy an Apple Macintosh computer. There are no viruses on the Macintosh’s excellent two-year-old operating system, called OS X. And the Mac is a terrific computer — as good as, or better than, Windows for the typical computing tasks important to mainstream users.” [Oct 22] [Apple Hot News]

Hello world...I am back in action! After a lengthy break from blogging, my Powerbook has come back from the shop with a clean bill of health and all is good in Mac-land. I have actually had my machine back for a while, but have been holding off on loading up that clean new image until I got Panther loaded on this beast. Well...it's Sunday night and Panther has been installed since early Saturday morning. So far so good. Super slick and clean upgrade. The GUI and many other elements have been tweaked, streamlined and improved quite a bit. Overall this upgrade was well worth the price.

So now I have the joy of catching up on 2 weeks worth of news. I probably won't post anything that has already passed unless it really kicks butt. Most of the posts will be new from here on out. Check out some of the pics from the Panther Launch Event at the Apple Store in the Falls (Miami): Bisonium Moblog Peace!

Frank

So you may be wondering what the hell happened and if I fell off the face of the planet lately. Fear not, I am alive and well....minus 1 harddrive. My precious beloved Mac suffered MAJOR hard drive corruption due some some F*CKED up software and after having to do a hard shutdown, I corrupted the hell out of my hard drive. Did such a good job, I think it hosed the damn thing. So off to the Apple store I go to get the problem fixed. I will be back to posting my daily rants as soon as my baby is back in one piece.

Frank

The 115th AES Convention kicks off today.

A last minute report notes that Guitar Center will start stocking Apple products and essentially open small pro-Audio Apple stores in Guitar Center's 120 locations. [MacRumors.com Page 2]

I have a leather-bound CD case filled with every Panther build released to developers since the first preview release at the WWDC. Each version was installed on my borrowed 12” PowerBook and tested thoroughly for speed improvements, stability, features, and ‘user experience’ refinements. Not to mention that big bugaboo that has afflicted OS X since version 10.0, printing. I’ve watched Panther become an OS that that every Mac user can be proud of and offers the end user far more than any OS... [MacNETv2]

MacMedia has released PhoneAgent for Mac OS X, a utility designed to help Sony Ericsson T610 telephone users manage features and functions through their Macs. [MacCentral]

"An unverified but unusually detailed submission claims that iTunes 5 will be introduced on October 16th, and will be both Mac and PC compatible. New features are said to include WMA support, music store 'listener loans,' new encoding options and an all new interface," MacRumors.com reports.

MacRumors is also reporting that new iPod add-ons, perhipherals and photo storage interfaces for iPod are in the pipeline. These are unconfirmed rumors, so take them with more than one... [MacDailyNews]

In the wake of frivolous and unsubstantiated lawsuits by companies such as SCO, we still see an abundance of absurdity coming from the ranks of the corporate world. So now SunComm is looking to blame their stupidity and lack of programming ability on a poor student who just happened to point out a weakness in the software that was so piss poor, that it deserved to be broken! When will corporations start accepting responsibility and being accountable for their own actions? Read the full article here: Inquirer.net

Gee....ya think? I mean...really? With all the outsourcing to India and the rest of the world, I don't see how this could ever be a problem. I mean, hey - it makes those CEO's a lot of money right? So outsourcing must be good. Who the hell cares about American jobs. YOU FRIGGIN CORPORATE MORONS! The level of stupidity in corporate America is just amazing...

Even as many software companies have outsourced jobs overseas in recent years in response to growing competitive pressures, some of those same companies were in Washington last week urging policy-makers to do more to protect American jobs and promote U.S.-based innovation and expertise. [Technology News from eWEEK and Ziff Davis]

Iphtashu Fitz writes "C|Net's news.com is reporting that a man in the Netherlands suffered burns to his leg when the Nokia phone in his pants pocket exploded. ... [Slashdot]

I am so over this. Why is it that so many of the leading carriers providing WiFi (like T-Mobile) just don't get it? Most of the major players see WiFi as an add-on or value added service that they are providing in addition to OTHER services. But why can't these corporate idiots see the big picture? Everyone wants widespread ubiquitous coverage via WiFi. The problem is that nobody other than the most hard-core road warrior is willing to pay $40 a month for it!!! What people want is a unified network where they can pay a nominal fee ($5-$10 a month) to be able to jump on a WiFi network ANYWHERE. Nobody wants to have multiple subscriptions to T-Mobile and Boingo in addition to their already overpriced broadband connections at home. Is this so difficult to understand for the corporate mongers? Here is an article detailing some of the problems in the adoption of WiFi...NewsFactor

Apple has posted a developer note about the benefits of using an Xserve in a small business environment... [Apple]

eggoeater writes "An systematic study conducted by NEC-Mitsubishi, ATI Technologies and the University of Utah has concluded that the use of multiple monitors ... [Slashdot]

AppleInsider claims that "reliable" sources have indicated that Apple will be introducing a new 30" High Definition display in November, featuring a n... [MacRumors]

Apple has begun airing a new television commercial that features the concept of the popular print campaign, but brings the medium alive with motion... [MacMinute]

On Friday, October 24, from 8:00 p.m. to midnight, Apple Stores nationwide will be hosting "Night of the Panther" special events to celebrate the release of Mac OS X 10.3 Panther... [MacMinute]

Wireless should be the standard for safe driving [The Register]

Apple has announced that Panther (MacOS 10.3) will begin shipping on October 24th at 8PM. Apple stores and authorized resellers will have events akin to the 10.2 launch. Also announced was Panther Server which will be shipping the same day.

Like Pixels? Check out MacDesign [MacMerc]

'Soft locks' may be record industry's next move. [Insanely Great Mac]

Corporate america is just getting worse every day. Don't these people have any conscious? I see a serious problem in putting our own people out of work in the name of the almighty dollar, while we stand by and hand enormous wealth to the Indians. This type of practice should be outlawed. Reuters - Jobs Leaving America

Ok - so do you believe me now? Read about this great new "free" Avid piece of crap....

First Avid FreeDV app report notes OS X won't boot after Install [AccelerateYourMac News Headlines]

Macromedia Prepares Customers for Microsoft Internet Explorer Browser Changes [Graphics.com]

And I would want to use this why? Ohhhh yes, I see. So that I can upgrade to a program that uses a dongle (which if you lose you practically have to buy the program again), and for a program that can't come close to Final Cut Pro. Yes....I see the value now....

"Step away from the vehicle Sir - put the crack pipe down!" Gimme a break Avid....go peddle yer junk elsewhere...

Avid has released Avid Free DV:

"Avid Free DV is feature-streamlined, standalone software which includes basic video and audio editing capabilities, up to two streams of real-time effects and support for both Windows XP and Macintosh OS X platforms. Once you’ve had a chance to familiarize yourself with the Avid Free DV software, we invite you to step up to the robust production and networking features found in our professional line of products such as Avid Xpress DV software and... [MacDailyNews]

John Klein writes "Corporate Technologies USA, Inc. is offering hackers $250US and up as part of the Hacker Wargame Research Project. Participants are given ... [Slashdot]

Ohhhhh baby....let the DIVX movie rips begin.... :-)

There is good news at this week's Ceatec Japan 2003 exhibition for users looking to squeeze extra data onto a recordable DVD disc. Companies are demonstrating dual-layer versions of both DVD-R and DVD+R discs that offer almost double the data capacity of today's standard blank DVD discs. [MacCentral]

Start-up firm Cooligy yesterday announced a new processor-cooling technology, developed in cooperation with Apple, Intel, AMD and DARPA. (Macworld UK via MyAppleMenu) [myapplemenu]

"The Pinellas County [Florida] School District currently uses approximately 50,000 computers," reports BayNews9.com. "Officials say 68 percent of those are MacIntosh Apple Computers [sic] and 32 percent are Windows-based personal computer systems. Al Swinyard, the assistant superintendent for management information systems in the district, says all of their serves [sic] are running with Windows technology."

Wait, it gets better:

A photo of kids using Macs... [MacDailyNews]

Here it is folks...the first review of the Sony Ericsson P900. Mobile-review.com

Way to go Charter!!!

The cable company files a lawsuit in an effort to bar the recording industry from obtaining the identities of its cable customers that have allegedly traded songs illegally online. [CNET News.com]

If you have a WAP enabled cell phone (most new ones do), you can check for Wi-Fi hot spots using your cell phone! For more info check: Cnet

Corporate stupidity at its finest...

WCityMike writes "Steve Kraus, a Chicago film projectionist, noted in this week's Movie Answer Man column that movie studios are quite purposefully putting ... [Slashdot]

Sounds to me like this guy took a payoff figuring he wouldn't be around to feel the effects of his idiotic decision...

Back on September 15th we reported that Pinellas County Florida schools were forcing the migration from Mac to Windows PC. The directive came from Pinellas County superintendent Howard Hinesley, who wants to the district to use one type of computer instead of two. At last count, of 50,465 computers, laptops and servers, 34,538 of them came from Apple. Hinesley made the decison without even telling the district's own director of technology and sought no input from parents and teachers.... [MacDailyNews]

I hope nobody bought the P800 recently!!! Good thing I just got the new T616 - almost bought the P800 and boy would I have been PISSED! [The Register]

Folks - it is time to seriously contact your congressional representatives on this issue. The impact of this current corporate trend is not only affecting OUR jobs, but it has adverse trickle-down effects on other industries in the US as well as the economy as a whole. I won't even begin to get into the National Security implications that this has. What will we do if our entire technological infrastructure is in the hands of foreign nationals and in the future those countries decide they don't like the way we do business? By then it will be too late and we are in a serious predicament because our youth has decided not to go into engineering disciplines since there is no future in it. Think about this LONG AND HARD - NOW! By the time you decide it is time to do something, it may be too late!

Barrett's offshore confession [The Register]

Many criticize the way the superintendent let them know of his decision to switch schools to PCs exclusively. By Richard Bockman (St Petersburg Times via MyAppleMenu) [St. Pete Times]

The registrar shuts down its controversial SiteFinder service, which redirected mistyped and misspelled URL requests to its own site, after ICANN orders a probe. [CNET News.com]

Froomkin writes "ICANN this morning announced that it sent VeriSign an ultimatum: pull sitefinder by tomorrow evening or we'll sue. Details and links to ... [Slashdot]

Ok - so I finally dumped Nextel and got this WICKED new phone - the Sony Ericsson T-616. WOW! This phone is INCREDIBLE! So as if I am not already wooing over this thing, I am poking around the net and find this little gem: Salling Clicker

This little piece of reasonably priced software adds a whole new dimension to using your Mac. By using Bluetooth technology, you can control your Mac via the phone as if it were a remote control. This lets you control everything from Volume settings to individual apps like iTunes, iPhoto, the DVD player, PowerPoint and Keynote, to name a few. If you have a Mac and a Sony Ericsson phone, I highly recommend looking into this app. It also works with other Bluetooth devices, so be sure to check it out!

A study on Bluetooth adoption indicates that shipments of Bluetooth-equipped devices will reach 70 million in 2003. The report, by Frost & Sullivan, notes that "Bluetooth has come a long way from the simple cable-replacement technology unveiled in 1998." With no clear competition and recent refinements to the standard which make adoption easier, Bluetooth is rapidly becoming the standard for near-field wireless applications in many markets, from Apple's wireless keyboard... [Spymac]

Macworld's 'Adobe changes everything' is an application-by-application breakdown of what will change in the version upgrades of the apps in the soon-to-be-released Adobe Creative Suite... [Mac Net Journal]

"From the moment Apple announced the Power Mac G5, dubbing it the world's fastest personal computer, there has been controversy over whether it's true," wrties Bob Levitus for The Houston Chronicle. "None of that matters. Even if the G5 is the world's second-fastest or fifth-fastest personal computer, it's the fastest Mac [Dual 2 Ghz model] I've ever used in my entire life, and not by a small margin, either. I'd call it wicked fast, but that wouldn't even come close to doing... [MacDailyNews]

The launch of the space shuttle Atlantis on the first post-Columbia shuttle flight could... [spacetoday.net]

After asking nicely once, the agency that delegates control of the TLD name servers is now formally demanding that Verisign kill SiteFinder no later than tomorrow... [Morons Dot Org]

A new Macintosh shareware site has debuted today with an Apple iPod giveaway... [MacMinute]

If you are the proud owner of one of Apple's iMac's, you definitely need to take a look at this desk... BBC News

"Embracing open source for Apple's latest OS, the success of the iPod and proving, with iTunes, that there is a model for selling music online have helped Steve Jobs beat his old rival Bill Gates to be named silicon.com's number one Agenda Setter for 2003," reports Silicon.com. "A panel of experts decided the annual poll by voting on three factors - global influence, decision-making prowess and longevity - and past winners include Sir Christopher Gent (2000), Steve Case... [MacDailyNews]

A BusinessWeek article stating that Macs as Unix workstations, the rise of laptops, and the dangers of a Microsoft "monoculture" are combining to create a real opportunity for Apple. [Maccentric.com]

Apple has been named among the top 10 most innovative companies by Cheskin, a consulting and research firm, and Fitch Worldwide a brand and design company. [Maccentric.com]

Hughes Network Systems Inc. (HNS) has announced its DW6000 broadband satellite terminal. The new terminal extends Hughes' Direcway satellite connectivity to Mac users, for the first time. The new DW6000 system supports two-way high speed satellite-based Internet service, eliminating the need for a telephone line or other terrestrial connectivity. The DW6000 can share its connection with multiple Macs or PCs connected to the same household network through its own Ethernet jack. [MacCentral]

The idea that the iPod's position is precarious -- that any day now, some cheaper weak-branded knock-off will knock Apple off its perch -- is exactly backwards. [Daring Fireball]

Wow, the last week has been pure HELL. This moving crap is for the birds. Make note to self - HIRE PROFESSIONAL MOVERS NEXT TIME! Talk about complete and total exhaustion. So many details and little things to do. It feels like it will take for EVER to finish unpacking. And what is up with this Miami humidity and rain?!?!?!?! JEEEEZ! It has been like a freakin monsoon here!

So anyways....I am slowly but surely catching up on the past week's news. The biggest thing so far has been the Adobe Creative Suite announcement. So I stop in at the NAPP Photoshop World Expo in Miami this week. I see and play with the new toys and WOW. This new CS stuff ROCKS! I won't bother rehashing too much old news and I will pick up from here on out. Male sure to drop by the blog often and check out the goodies.

On another note...I just dumped Nextel and picked up a wicked killer new phone (Sony Ericsson T616) and carrier (AT&T Wireless). This phone is off the hook people. Now that I have one of these new doohicky camera phones, I will be setting up a MOBLOG (mobile blog) that will post new pictures as I snap them on the camera. It should make for some interesting stuff. I'll update you as soon as it is up.