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- Mac OS X apps ranked by category - Politics - Using Graphic Converter for image management
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2002
- December - November - TidBITS - Apple - Macintouch laptop battery report - Apple - Tinderbox Community Forum (not official) - WhatIsMyIP - Wherever you are, there you are... - TinyURL - Turn big ugly URLs into cute little ones... - rob at whiterabbits.com - rmchuff - Eudora - Fire - BBEdit - Mozilla - Internet Explorer - Transmit - iTunes - VNCthing - Terminal
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MNJ Politics RSS Here is a collection of link to sites maintained by people who have mentioned that they read MNJ:
- Dan Hon - An imaginary place in a reactionary time - dws
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Peregrine Falcons and more  A Peregrine Falcon sits atop a huge cottonwood tree along the banks of the Nisqually River at the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. Photo by Rob McNair-Huff It was great to be back in the wild outdoors, ending the month of February much as it began. Natalie and I walked about three miles in sporadic sprinkles at the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. New birds for the year: Ring-necked Duck, Band-tailed Pigeon, and Red-breasted Sapsucker. Other highlights included two Peregrine Falcons, two Northern Shrikes, at least four Bald Eagles, and at least 25 Tree Swallows marking the beginning of spring.
Fleishman on the iPod mini Writing in today's Seattle Times, Glenn Fleishman offers a positive take on the now-shipping iPod mini:
Spam fight gaining steam Spam Fight Gains Steam - A grass-roots movement to improve the SMTP protocol that governs e-mail traffic is gaining acceptance, and its lead developer hopes to get fast-track approval by the Internet Engineering Task Force to make the emerging framework a standard. [Steve Gillmor - eWeek.com]
A worthwhile review of Tinderbox SitePoint offers a better than average review of Tinderbox as a writing and content management tool. As Tinderbox creator Mark Bernstein noted on his blog this morning, the value of this review is that the reviewer goes beyond a simplified look at Tinderbox. The author really digs into the program to find how it can be used.
Real iPod battery life numbers iPod Lounge offers some interesting test results for the iPod mini and a 3GB iPod.
A useful discussion of scanners
Buried in book work I know what I will be obsessed with over the next two weeks. We just received the copy edited manuscript for Birding Washington, and with it weighing in at 520-plus pages of typed text to re-read, double-check, and sign off on by March 12, I can see my future for the next two weeks. The payoff will be a completed and as accurate as possible book ready to hit stores and online sales venues this summer! I must remember that payoff...
Eudora 6.1b2 released A new beta version of Eudora for Mac OS X fixes a number of bugs, including dealing with illegally encoded subjects that previously refused to open, making sure plug-ins show up in the edit menu after a settings file switch, and no longer applying unknown type/creator info under Mac OS X. Release notes...
Martian poetry This week's the New Yorker is off to a great start. Not only have I really enjoyed what I've read of the Mayor Bloomberg profile, but John Updike's poem, Duet On Mars, is the best poem I've read in a long time. [Megnut]
Tinderbox as a presentation tool The Grey Notebook offers tips on using Tinderbox as a presentation tool...
What webloggers want in their blogging tools Dave Winer unleashed a tidal wave of comments to his question yesterday about what features people would like to see in the next generation of weblog tools. It makes interesting reading, if you are a writer or someone planning to design the next generation of these writing tools. It is interesting to see how many of the feature requests are already offered in Tinderbox. The main shortcoming of this solution working for everyone is the learning curve involved with creating a dynamic weblog with Tinderbox. Much of the learning curve has been smoothed in the latest versions of Tinderbox, which ships with templates and wizards for creating a workable blog...
Kernel panics with Mac OS X 10.3.x MacFixIt has some useful information for those suffering from kernel panics under Panther, especially those who see the panics after a location change.
Mac folklore Andy Hertzfield Talks Folklore, Open Source And Apple - Andy Hertzfield, who wrote much of the original Mac operating system, is still heavily involved in technology and Macs. (MacMinute via MyAppleMenu) [myapplemenu]
More on Palm memo support Paul Bissex offers his solution for the lack of Palm Memo syncing through iSync and iCal. The solution - a program called MacNoteTaker:
Portraits & Prints 1.3.3 A new update to Portraits & Prints, the customizable digital photo printing and touch up tool from Econ Technologies, adds a 4" x 6" template to the standard templates and improves memory management while fixing bugs as well. Check the release notes for complete details about what has been updated. The program remains a bargain at $20 - something you can recoup in no time at all just in savings in the costs for excess photo paper that would be wasted without a program like this. Econ Technologies also updated its file sychronization tool ChronoSync last week, adding even more powerful features to the no-nonsense backup program...
A new syncing option for the iPod PocketMac iPod Edition debuts - Information Appliance Associates has announced the release of PocketMac iPod Edition, a new data synchronization tool for iPod users that provides the ability to sync more information than iSync can do. [MacCentral]
iSync problems with Palms For those who claim it is no big deal that the decision has been announced by PalmSource that PDAs using the upcoming Cobalt OS won't sync with Macs out of the box, it may be useful to check out reports in MacFixIt about problems syncing present-day Palms with iSync 1.4. I can't confirm these problems, since I don't use iSync, or iCal, for that matter. I continue to use Chronos Personal Organizer to meet my small business scheduling and organizational needs. I am also toying around with Tinderbox for maintaining a Daybook type of tool. I have thought about trying iCal once again, since the alarm dialog in Personal Organizer can be problematic at times, but I use the Memo function on my Palm every day, and Apple offers no acceptable way to work with Memos. I am curious if anyone who uses Memos finds Apple's iSync/iCal solution acceptable? Are Stickies the key?
Tips for moving from Mail to Eudora MacInTouch has a note from a reader today that offers useful information about moving address information from Mail.app to Eudora.
Apple releases Security Update 2004-02-23 Apple has released another security update for Mac OS X 10.3, this time weighing in at 1.6 MB. As usual, the update is available through the Software Update panel in System Preferences, and a restart is required after installing the update. Here are Apple's release notes:
A buyer's guide for GarageBand users MacSlash has a discussion underway about a new site that offers a buyer's guide for GarageBand users...
URL Manager and Firefox This morning I downloaded the latest beta version of URL Manager Pro and the latest daily build of the Mozilla Firefox Web browser, and the two are working together much better than in the past. Now URL Manager Pro will track my browser history and work with Firefox in other ways just as it does with other Mac OS X browsers, and although the shared menu item for URL Manager Pro isn't working in Firefox, there are at least two workarounds for this that work fine. After using OmniWeb as my main browser all weekend, the speed of Firefox is a refreshing change for a time when I simply need to start getting work done.
Macworld's take on wireless input devices A Microsoft mouse and a Kensington keyboard get the nod as the best-of in each of their wireless categories in a Macworld survey of Wireless input devices. I am still fence-sitting about buying a wireless keyboard and mouse for my Mac...
Caring for iPod batteries The PowerPage offers some good common sense battery tips for iPod owners in iPod Battery - Care and Feeding...
Coursey praises the Mac vs. Windows CNET's David Coursey offers his observations of why the Mac surpasses Windows in reliability in When Windows won't work, it's time for a Mac. The reason:
Is it time to find an alternative to Google? Mike Wendland asks on his site today, Is Google getting too big? My answer in many ways is yes. Google created a great search site and fostered a lot of positive vibes through its support of weblogs and the way the company interacted with others in the past, but as the company has grown larger it has forced users of programs such as its Adsense service to accept one of the worst terms of service agreements that I have seen on the Internet (to the point that you couldn't even mention Adsense on your Web site without facing the possibility that your participation in the program could be ended and any unpaid ad revenue balanced due to you could be taken back by Google). I still use Google for searching sometimes, but I am looking for a good alternative. Meanwhile, Adsense is outta here on Mac Net Journal. Related links:
More on home automation with Mac OS X Home Automation with Mac OS X, Part 2 - In the first article in this series, Alan Graham provided you with an overview of a home automation system. In this installment, he digs deeper into the hardware and gives some tips based on his experiences. [O'Reilly MacDevCenter.com]
A security primer for Mac OS X A Security Primer for Mac OS X - A hands-on overview of the security tools built into your Mac OS X computer, including recommendations for best practices to protect your data and identity in an otherwise dangerous world. [O'Reilly MacDevCenter.com] This should be a must-read for all Mac users. You can never know too much about how to keep your data and your computer as secure as possible...
Happy second birthday, Tinderbox Mark Bernstein says that this week marks the second anniversary of Tinderbox: Tinderbox Is Two
Apple iSight 1.0.2 Update Apple has rolled out a software update for its iSight camera that offers IIDC compliance, improved auto exposure and auto white balance, and overall better performance. iSight 1.0.2 works with Mac OS X 10.2.8 or 10.3.2 or later...
Interesting developments on Mars Lost in the sea of election, economic, and other news, there is some amazing science underway on Mars, as both the Spirit and Opportunity rovers are digging up information about the possibility of water on the red planet. Space.com notes that recent findings hint at the possiblity of small amounts of salty water existing in the soils on the surface of Mars.
The difference between endorsing and just voting Yesterday's announcement that Howard Dean was ending his pursuit of the presidency marked a sad reality for me. Although I am older than a lot of the young Deaniacs that latched onto his campaign, I appreciated his passion and his efforts to remind Democrats that they don't have to be Republicans to win elections. Now I will switch my allegiance to whoever emerges as the Democratic nominee to face George Bush, but there will be a big difference between supporting someone like Howard Dean and supporting someone like John Kerry. Howard Dean had my financial backing and nearly full support on the issues. John Kerry has my vote, if he gets the nomination, but I feel no affiliation with Kerry and he most definitely won't get my financial support. Now, as is often the case, the Democrat nominee will simply be the lesser of two evils, just as Al Gore was in 2000...
A reminder of why I am not a big fan of coffee After drinking my way through a 32-ounce pot of French press coffee, I am suddenly reminded why I usually prefer to drink tea in the morning. The subtle caffeine buzz from black or green tea creates a better atmosphere for productive work than the sledgehammer buzz created by drinking two cups of coffee. Shake shake shake... Related links:
Program aids in the creation of logos Make professional-looking logos with LogoCreator - Need a logo for your company but facing a financial crunch? macXware's LogoCreator may be the answer. The application features intuitive design tools that let anyone create a professional-looking logo quickly, even if you don't have art skills. [MacCentral]
Email worms and their affects on Mac users As a Mac user it is tempting to sit back and laugh at the problems caused by email worms and viruses. Most don't have a direct affect on Macs, but the indirect effects are real, as I have been reminded by recent updates from my Web host, Digital Forest.
With news like that, I am not laughing with a sense of Mac superiority any longer...
A birding gift - finding a hummingbird on its nest I was slow to sit down at the computer this morning, since I made an hour-long detour after dropping Natalie off at work downtown. My detour: A slow walk through the damp, early spring habitat in nearby Puget Gulch. 8 a.m. is a great time to walk through the woods, even in an urban setting like this, and as a result I built up quite a long list of bird sightings - Ruby-crowned Kinglets gathering moss for their nests, Song Sparrows and Winter Wrens filling the air with their mating songs, and Anna's Hummingbirds buzzing and chattering as they chased each other through the just-budding trees and bushes. The real treat of the walk was watching a female Anna's Hummingbird gathering moss for its nest and then being able to watch the tiny bird add the moss to its nest. If you have ever watched birds, especially hummingbirds, then you know how hard it is to actually find a hummingbird on its nest. This is only my third time ever. I will have to return to the area with my spotting scope so I can take photos in the coming days!
More details on the Tinderbox Daybook idea Mark Bernstein follows up on yesterday's interesting Daybook post with notes about how to create your own simple Daybook:
A camcorder discount for .Mac users .Mac users get 10 percent off camcorders - Subscribers to Apple's .Mac service can get 10 percent off the purchase of a camcorder at Apple Retail Stores, according to a promotion recently published on the .Mac home page. [MacCentral]
The limited market for AAC format music Writing in Macworld, Christopher Breen makes a good argument about the shortcomings of AAC in its current state as a standard that only plays on the iPod: It's the Standard, Stupid...
QuicKeys X2 v2.1 public beta QuicKeys X2 v2.1 public Beta starts - CE Software recently released the Beta version of QuicKeys X v2.1. The latest edition adds a long list of new features, including the ability to jump to a particular step or an offset of a step in a shortcut, a Typing Speed preference as well as new functions tied to it, recording improvements, a Save As dialog that appears when you close a newly created shortcut without naming it first, and more. [MacCentral]
Follow up on OmniWeb 5.0b2 I made it nearly a day with OmniWeb 5.0b2 as my default Web browser, but this morning I switched back to using Camino as my default. A rare crash of my entire Mac OS X 10.3.2 system was part of the reason, although to be fair I cannot be sure that the crash happened due to a lock up of OmniWeb by itself or the combination of OmniWeb locking up while NetNewsWire was downloading news, which always slows my PowerBook to a crawl. Either way, the biggest obstacle I was facing with OW 5.0b2 was that when I was writing to reply to posts using the Haloscan commenting system on MNJ, and on similar comment systems on other sites, OmniWeb would not allow me to scroll down in the post window once I had typed to the end of the initial posting space provided on the site. In other words, I could keep typing but I couldn't see what I was typing on the comment screen. Not good. I continue to do the Web browser shuffle and I keep falling back to Camino as my default browser of choice. Firefox is faster, but it won't work fully with URL Manager Pro, which I use as a central repository for by bookmarks and browser history files. I have barely used Safari 1.2, largely due to the page rendering problems noted by many in this latest version but also due to the fact that Safari cannot access some of the password protected sites I use for work. OmniWeb remains useful and I hope it becomes stable enough to be a full-time option soon, and I even continue to need to use Internet Explorer to access and do some of my work for Matchmaker.com. Camino and IE are the only Web browsers in my Dock today...
Mark Bernstein on the idea of a Daybook If knowledge management is an interest for you, as it is for me as a writer, check today's writing from Tinderbox creator Mark Bernstein's site - Daybook: a new Knowledge Management domain...
Now Up-to-Date & Contact is now up-to-date Now Up-to-Date & Contact gets Rendezvous support - Now Software has released Now Up-to-Date & Contact 4.5.2 (NUDC), the latest version of its popular calendar and contact manager... [MacMinute.com]
Apple makes the list of off-shoring offenders CNN: Apple 'Exporting America' For Cheap Labor Overseas - Apple outsources most of the manufacturing of its desktop and laptop products overseas, including a large percentage of its accessories. By Bryan Chaffin (Mac Observer via MyAppleMenu) [myapplemenu] The real question here is whether consumers will connect the dots and care, or whether they will support companies that move jobs overseas up to the point that their particular job or field of work is sent overseas as well...
OmniWeb 5.0b2 released The folks at The Omni Group have been busy over the past couple of weeks, and the fruits of their labor are available today in the newest beta version of OmniWeb. There are a host of fixes in this release, as detailed in the release notes. It looks like a picked a good day to make OmniWeb my default browser once again!
Apple releases iSync 1.4 iSync 1.4 adds support for more mobile phones and for the now shipping iPod mini. The update, available through the software update panel, weighs in at 6.6MB. Here are Apple's release notes:
A review of the Contour NoteRiser Charles Moore takes an in-depth look at the pricey but useful Contour NoteRiser...
On the merits of GraphicConverter MacObserver on GraphicConverter: The Right Tool...
The merits of plain-text email Columnist and blogger Dan Gillmor points to an article that offers evidence of why you should avoid using HTML in your email:
I have always been a strong proponent of using plain-text email. Everyone can receive and view it in the same manner, and you have to think - do you really need 10 different fonts and animated graphics to get across your message? I can understand the desire to use formated email for newsletters and promotional pieces, where style can help sell a service or sway a potential client, but at its heart, email is communication. Simple is better. That is why I use a plain-text only email client, PowerMail, to run my business...
A reminder: RSS feeds from Apple RSS Feeds from Apple - Apple has posted a very useful page listing all of their available RSS feeds including Knowledge Base articles & downloads. You can subscribe to any of these feeds in a news reader such as NetNewsWire to have the latest headlines delivered to your desktop. [MacMegasite]
A user interface annoyance with Panther Although I am only reminded of this problem periodically, when I have to force-quit a frozen application, every time I do so I am reminded of an annoying user interface change that took place in the update from Jaguar to Panther. In Jaguar, when you would select a running application to force-quit from the menu after hitting Command-Option-Escape and then click Force Quit, you could use the keyboard shortcut Command-W to close the force-quit window and get back to work. This is broken under Panther. Now if I hit Command-W to close the force-quit window, instead the OS closes the front-most window in the application behind the force-quit window. Hopefully Apple either reverts back to the former bahvior or I get used to mousing up to click the close window icon rather than using the keyboard shortcut that works nearly everywhere else in Mac OS X...
24-hour iPod repair service iPod Repair and Battery Replacement Service from MacResQ - This new service is the only 24 hour iPod repair and battery replacement service of it's kind. It includes our new iBox, which we send overnight to the customer, return overnight courier service of the iPod to our service center, same day battery replacement or repair and overnight shipping of the iPod back to the customer. iPodResQ 24 Hour Nationwide iPod Battery Replacement or call 1-877-Pod-Repair [MacMegasite]
Interarchy 7.0 released Interarchy 7.0 Internet app released - Stairways Software has released Interarchy 7.0, a new version of its Internet application that can download and upload files via FTP, SFTP, and FTP over SSH... [MacMinute.com]
Cool comet note for those with clear skies Spaceweather notes the approach of a comet that can be seen growing brighter every night by observers in the nothern hemisphere:
If you live in a place with clear night skies, check it out! I will be trying to do so with my spotting scope here in Puget Sound Country, but not tonight. This is a rain-soaked day in Tacoma.
Wireless keyboards for the Mac In light of my recent neck and shoulder problems, and the accompanying two-week headache, I have been investigating wireless keyboard and mouse options for Mac OS X. I have looked at the offerings from Apple, Kensington, Logitech, and Microsoft for starters, but I am still not sure I have found the best option. Here is what I would ultimately like to have - a wireless keyboard that is small enough to be used in my lap when I want to work in the living room in front of the TV. I would prefer a more ergonomic option than the flat Apple keyboards, but I may change my mind on that. The bigger issue for times I would want to work in the living room is the mouse. If I am sitting on the couch then there is nowhere to use a standard mouse, which makes me lean toward using one of the high-priced Kensington trackballs that offer a wireless option. At my desk or when I work on the kitchen table then a standard mouse would work fine. What are you using? Do you use wireless? To Bluetooth or not to Bluetooth?
A glimpse into digital photography's future Derrick Story offers notes from the PMA 2004 event in Las Vegas last week with a Glimpse into Digital Photography's Future. The take away: Deciding which digital camera to buy in the immediate future just got much more complicated. Options galore...
A follow up on the sale of silence on the iTMS The New York Times follows up on the stir created when someone discovered that Apple was selling silence at $0.99 a pop on the iTunes Music Store...
AvantGo conduits for Mac OS X AvantGo, OS X meet at last - Mac-using Palm PDA owners had to leave AvantGo behind when they upgraded to OS X, unless they were really determined and willing to wrestle with cumbersome workarounds. AvantGo has never updated its HotSync conduit for OS X. It took a while but the open-source community has come to the rescue. The kindly minds behind MacZipIt.com have released a MAL Conduit that works seamlessly with the Palm HotSync Manager for OS X. I just installed v1.02 on OS X 10.2.8 and it worked like a charm. [seattlepi.com Buzzworthy]
Experience with Apple refurbished computers MacSlash has a good discussion underway about hwo reliable refurbished Apple computers are when purchased through Apple. The verdict so far: Most people have had rock-solid experience with Apple refurbs...
Home automation and Mac OS X Home Automation with Mac OS X, Part 1 - Having more control over how your home operates isn't just a geek fantasy. You can lower energy costs, improve security, and enhance the overall ambiance of your humble abode. Alan Graham shows you how to leverage your Mac OS X computer and get started. [O'Reilly MacDevCenter.com]
One way to monitor your AirPort's traffic Monitor Your AirPort - A colleague just pointed me to AirPort Monitor Utility, which allows you to pull statistics and other information from snow, graphite, and Extreme base stations. For instance, you can see how many users (and their MAC addresses) are connected to your base station. It requires Mac OS X 10.3, and... [Apple AirPort Weblog]
More follow up on Palm dropping the Mac MacInTouch offers a new reader report about this week's announcement that PalmSource is dropping support for Mac synching in its upcoming Cobalt OS. Refreshingly, some of the posts are from people who actually understand that iSync in its current state is not a replacement for Palm's hotsync conduits, and that in order to sync a current Palm device using iSync users are required to have Palm Desktop installed on their machines, regardless of whether they use it or not.
On laptop keyboard and trackpad ergonomics The PowerPage takes a look at Laptop keyboard and trackpad ergonomics. It's funny that I point to this today, since I am breaking down and going for a massage this morning to try and eleviate a sore neck and headache that has been plaguing me for the last two weeks. I suspect the headache has something to do with the ergonomics of working on my PowerBook so much recently...
PalmSource begins the damage control Apple-PalmSource Link 'Will Continue' - In a statement, supplied to Macworld UK, the company states: "PalmSource is fortunate to have a great Palm OS developer community who provide solutions for Mac compatibility today." By Jonny Evans (Macworld UK via MyAppleMenu) [myapplemenu]
Why I dumped Google's Adsense program After using the Google Adsense program since July, I am cutting the cord tonight. Why? Two reasons. First, I am sick of abiding by Google's terms of service, and after reading about Google's cutting off ads an environmental group because it was criticizing the Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines for dumping raw sewage at sea, I am not so sure I want to support Google by allowing their ads on my site. Second, every month the income from Adsense has dropped as fewer and fewer people clicked on the ads in Mac Net Journal. I will be looking for other ways to support MNJ and counting on those who read and enjoy the site to click one of the donation links now and then to help support the site.
Norton AntiVirus problem deletes email Notes and Tips: NAV Deletes Mailbox! - Watch out for this Norton AntiVirus problem that deletes your mail! [MacInTouch]
Dust build up in 12-inch PowerBook G4s Back in December I noted that Apple's update to Mac OS X 10.3.1 changed the behavior of how often the internal fan runs on my now nearly one-year old 12-inch PowerBook G4, and after a flurry of comments around the Net about the situation, Apple acknowledged that the update changed the temperature at which the fan would start running. Now the fan runs nearly all of the time when the machine is plugged in and I am doing anything more than Web browsing or using a text editor, and the more applications I run, the harder the fan runs. So what? That has been the response of a lot of people when I mention the issue, and some people do have a good point that it may be good for the machine to run cooler now with the fan on all of the time than it did in its original state when Apple rolled out these machines a year ago. But I think Apple's engineers didn't quite think through their decision when they decided it would be better to let the fan run than to have the machine running hot. The issue: dust, and wear-and-tear on the internal fan itself. I have noticed this week that my fan is already making different sounds after two months of running much more than it was originally designed to run. I can hear a slight oscilating sound, for instance, and that wasn't there before. Today I can add the issue of dust build up to the list of problems with the first-generation 12-inch PowerBook G4. I noticed this afternoon that there is dust building up in the grate where air exits the machine on the left side of the PowerBook, and since this machine cannot be opened by the end user, this dust is going to build up until the machine is clogged with gunk that will either disable the fan or hinder the air flow enough that heat buildup will suddenly become a very real issue in the coming months. Now the question is whether it is going to cost Apple more to service my machine under AppleCare for the next two years of my account if the machine runs hot? Or would it be better to change the behavior of the fan back to its original settings in order to avoid issues related to dust and dirt build up in the machine caused by excessive use of the fan? The clock is ticking, the fan is running...is Apple listening?
Apple updates GarageBand Apple releases GarageBand update - Apple has released GarageBand 1.0.1, a minor update to its new music creation software... [MacMinute.com]
Adware spreading through AOL IM Wired News notes a new adware scheme that is spreading among users of AIM, and although the program being spread through this virus-like scheme cannot run on Macs, you can indeed get invitations to download a cool new game if you use an AOL Instant Messenger like iChat or Fire. I had two invites to download this crap yesterday...
Digital cameras galore This is the week for digital camera news, as Nikon announced new cameras, Olympus announced seven new cameras, HP announced it is revamping its camera lineup, and Konica Minolta and Kodak have jumped on the bandwagon as well. Meanwhile, I see that I missed the announcement of the Nikon D70, which looks like it could have some advantages over the Canon Digital Rebel I have been drooling over for a few months...
First front porch blogging of 2004 The sun is shining and temperatures are pushing up to near 60 degrees F in Puget Sound Country today, so I am working wirelessly from the front porch for the first time this year. There's no better place to be than right here, right now! One thing that happens when a birder sits out on his porch in the spring is that the sounds of bird calls tempt further investigation. A particular European Starling is determined to make me look in its direction this afternoon as it shows off its abilities to mimic other bird calls by first doing a perfect imitation of a Killdeer call, and then a hoarse attempt to imitate a California Quail. I wonder if this is the same starling that I have heard in past years making frog calls and Red-tailed Hawk calls...
Mourning the passing of Webmonkey Paul Boutin: "Webmonkey was Almost Famous for Web geeks - a spotlight for people who deserved it, and a backstage pass for those who wished they could be there. I'll miss it." I'll miss it too. Even in recent times Webmonkey has remained a resource. So while I am happy to continue doing some work for the now-dwindling Lycos, this is another day of saying goodbye to virtual co-workers...
Have a Bluetooth cell phone? Don't get "snarfed" Sony Ericsson phones open to 'snarf' attack - The company advises some owners to turn off Bluetooth on their phones after confirming that five handsets are vulnerable to "snarfing," in which personal data can be stolen without the owner's knowledge. [CNET News.com] This report follows on the heels of one earlier today noting that Nokia is offering similar warnings. I wonder if this marks the beginning of the end of the utility of always-on Bluetooth in mobile phones?
Google plans to drop RSS, switch to Atom
On Palm dumping future Mac support Related links:
On the value of megapixel measures Megapixel myth - Fazal Majid has an excellent analysis of why the number of megapixels is one of the least useful measures of the quality of photos from a digital camera. [Penmachine words music comment]
Backing up Mac OS X with existing tools Automated Backups with Existing Tools - Backing up your hard disc is the job nobody wants to do -- and even more so, no one wants to spend a lot of money doing it. Fortunately, Apple gives you everything you need in Mac OS X. You just have to pull it together. Peter Hickman shows you how. [O'Reilly MacDevCenter.com]
TurboMac dial-up from FasterMac.net FasterMac.net intros TurboMac accelerated dial-up - Other World Computing's (OWC)FasterMac.net Internet service provider (ISP) announced on Tuesday that its accelerated, unlimited dial-up service called TurboMac is now available. It employs software that uses on-the-fly caching and compression/decompression techniques to accelerate Web page display and email downloading times. OWC notes that Web pages finish loading up to six-and-a-half times faster with TurboMac than with non-accelerated ISPs. [MacCentral]
TinyBooks 1.1.4 The small business and family accounting application TinyBooks has been updated by its maker, Ken Winograd and Space-Time Associates. The program, which runs under Mac OS 9.x as well as Mac OS X, sells for $49.
Heads up - another widespread Windows flaw Microsoft warns of widespread Windows flaw - The software giant releases a fix for a vulnerability that affects almost every Windows computer and that could lead to a worm worse than MSBlast. [CNET News.com] Slashdot follows with notes about the fact that Microsoft was aware of this bug for six months before offering a fix today...
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An Apple pro in Windows-land Finally, after a week of installing, tweaking, swearing, and finally settling, I have added a piecemeal Windows computer to the collection of working tools in the Mac Net Journal office. This post is a series of observations about the differences between making a Mac useful compared to getting a Windows machine up and running with Windows XP Pro. Installing Windows XP Pro The process of installing Windows on my new machine was pretty straightforward, although it took well over an hour to complete the installation, compared to less than an hour to install Mac OS X 10.3. The biggest hurdle in getting started with the Windows box was getting the machine to recognize that there was indeed an 80 GB hard drive installed in the huge computer case. I have been around Windows machines long enough to know that the problem was likely in the BIOS setup of instructions that the machine uses when it first boots and before it even starts up Windows. After making an initial mistake of manually booting into the BIOS and telling it to recognize the hard disk in user mode, rather than setting it to automatic, I finally had the machine realizing on boot up that there was indeed a hard disk connected to the mother board. This allowed the machine to start up Windows XP, once it was installed. I should note that it takes minutes for my Windows machine to boot each time I restart the computer - again, much longer than it takes my 12-inch PowerBook G4 to start up Panther. From what I understand, this is standard behavior for most current Windows systems, making it even more sensible that many people just leave their machines running rather than face the long startup process. Once Windows XP Pro was installed and I had gone through the series of registration screens and setup screens, things were pretty much ready to go. I could get online through a wired Ethernet connection to my cable connection to the Internet, Internet Explorer worked, and now all I needed to do to make the machine as useful as I had hoped was to set up Remote Desktop Client on my Mac and to enable the Remote Desktop capabilities in XP Pro so that I could completely control the Windows machine from my Mac. Windows Remote Desktop realities Getting Remote Desktop to work the way I originally envisioned turned out to be the biggest disappointment of setting up my new Windows machine. It took hours of playing around with settings to finally figure out that I needed to disable the Net Firewall Service in order to be able to connect to the Windows machine and control it using either Remote Desktop Client or a Virtual Network Computing (VNC) client (I installed RealVNC on the Windows box to test this option...). In fact, I couldn't even ping the Windows machine from my Mac when the Net Firewall Service was running. So I guess the service worked as advertised, although, as I will detail next, this service killed my plans to use the machine solely from a remote connection on my Mac. Then came my catch-22: I need to use a VPN connection in order to do some of the work that I do for Lycos, and the VPN connection won't work when the Net Firewall Service is disabled. At least I have not been able to find a way to make it work so far, and frankly, after wasting far too many hours trying to make the Windows machine behave as I wished last week, I have given up on the idea of tweaking more settings and wasting more time for right now. So, the long and short of the situation is that unless I figure out some other option, whenever I need to use a VPN connection then I have to sit in the office in front of the Windows machine in order to use it. Big deal, right? Well, this was a major disappointment for me, since one of the reasons I needed the Windows machine at this time was to replace an aging IBM laptop that I had to use in order to access resources behind the firewalls at Lycos using a VPN connection. (For those who are bound to ask, I could not make this VPN connection from my Mac due to the fact that Lycos required that I use a AT&T Global Network VPN, which is not offered for the Mac...) The Windows machine works fine if I am sitting in front of it, but it is crippled if I want to make it capable of supporting a remote connection via either Remote Desktop or a VNC connection. Using Windows XP Pro As for the experience of using Windows XP Pro, it works. XP is riddled with huge, bubbly graphics and a dumbed-down interface that seems to attempt to be easy to use while hiding features so deeply under nested windows and preferences that it can be a real challenge to work with the OS. But if all I want to do is connect to the Internet and listen to music files, XP Pro is ready to do that as soon as it is installed and configured. Using Windows offers no noticeable improvements or perks over using Panther, and I definitely prefer the way that I can work with Panther when compared to XP. This is likely a matter of choice and the fact that I have been buried in the various iterations of the Mac OS since the beginning days of the operating system. That is a short look at my frustrating week with Windows. Now the Windows machine is simply a tool that sits in the office for use in those cases where only a Windows computer will do the job - a notably small subset of the time I spend in front of a computer.
Virtual PC for Mac 6.1.1 Microsoft updates Virtual PC - Microsoft has released Virtual PC for Mac 6.1.1, the latest version of the popular PC emulation software... [MacMinute.com]
Apple details iPod legal issues Apple's 10-Q notes iPod battery legal entanglements - Apple's most recent 10-Q filing with the SEC was published on Tuesday. The quarterly report provides a glimpse into some of the company's business and financial machinations, as well as a possible look at what Apple may do in the future. Of particular interest to iPod users is Apple's acknowledgement that it's involved in five separate class action suits regarding iPod battery life. [MacCentral]
Notable software releases Here are a few highlights from software releases and updates through the first two days of this week:
Tips for keeping PowerBook data safe Keep Your PowerBook and Data Secure - A Wired article discusses some of the things that you can do to protect your valuable data while traveling with a notebook computer. Some of the tips include backing up frequently, using USB and microdrives to store critical files, token devices, data encryption and software that phones home if a wrong password is entered several times. Read more... [PowerPage.org]
Groupcal Viewer 1.0 App opens Exchange Calendars to iCal - Snerdware has released Groupcal Viewer 1.0, which lets you subscribe to any Microsoft Exchange Calender directly from Mac OS X's iCal application... [MacMinute.com]
Initial impressions of the Firefox browser Firefox at first seemed unusable on my 12-inch PowerBook G4, but a tip from the user forums led me to switch from the new default theme to the older theme and now I can use tabs and other features in the speedy browser. Overall, this incremental update to what was previously known as Firebird feels solid, outside of the glaring problem with the default theme that left the browser unable to open tabs. One thing I will say for Firefox is that it has the best icon of any Mac OS X Web browser, and the browser renders pages much faster than other Mac OS X browsers.
AppleWorks File Repair Utility AppleWorks File Repair Utility 1.0.2 - Improves... - AppleWorks File Repair Utility 1.0.2 - Improves AFP data access via AppleWorks. [Macupdate]
New Canon cameras The new Canon PowerShot Pro1 is an 8 megapixel digital camera with an L-series 7x zoon lens that will sell in April for $999. It looks like the most intriguing of the new PowerShot camera line announced today. Here are the specs. Despite the features in this new camera, I am still looking forward to buying a Digital Rebel or better sometime later this year. That is the goal at least... Related link: Digital Photography Review posts a hands-on review of the PowerShot Pro1 and other new Canon cameras...
Firebird becomes Firefox The latest Mozilla-based Web browser to get a new name is Firebird, which, along with an update to version 0.8 today, will now be known as Firefox. The update to the fastest browser for Mac OS X offers some interface improvements and small fixes here and there. In addition to the browser update, Mozilla Thunderbird, the email and newsgroup client, has been updated to version 0.5.
Notable software updates Below are a few notable software updates released over the last few days:
Free Valentines Day photo templates Users of Portraits & Prints, the photo printing and layout program from Econ Technologies, can take advantage of free Valentines Day photo templates available now on the company's Web site. Econ Technologies plans to post new templates each month to the Template Exchange portion of its Web site. Templates in the works include birthday cards, birth announcements, graduation cards, sports cards, and holiday cards.
Panther-only Safari update: Apple responds Apple responds to complaints over Panther-only Safari upgrade - Apple has responded to criticisms of its decision to make Safari 1.2 Panther-only by emphasizing just how much the new browser is integrated into Panther. [Ars Technica]
Winner - democracy! 
Tacoma mayor Bill Baarsma talks with members of our precinct before the finally tally of votes in today's Washington state Democrat caucus.
Natalie and I did our part by joining more than 1,000 of our neighbors to vote in the Washington state Democratic caucus today. We filled a local school gymnasium to overflowing, talked about the issues, and walked away energized behind the goal to kick George W. Bush out of the White House. Read more...
Stuck in Windows hell I feel like I am banging my head against a brick wall this morning as I try to make Microsoft's Remote Desktop work without having to disable the Net Firewall Service for my network connection. I can connect to the Windows box and use it from my PowerBook if I disable the Net Firewall Service, but the catch-22 is that if I disable the Net Firewall Service then I cannot get my VPN connection to work with AT&T Global Networks. Why when I have to deal with Windows does everything come down to this kind of arcane shit when I simply want to get some damned work done...
The price of silence You've heard the great song, "The sounds of silence." Apple is offering a new twist on the theme with its new "price of silence" campaign on the iTunes Music Store:
Wisconsin or bust While people in my home state are preparing to head to the Washington caucuses Saturday morning, Howard Dean has alerted his supporters that if he doesn't win the primary in Wisconsin on Feb. 17 that he will withdraw from the race for the Democratic nomination. This morning the Dean campaign is rolling in the money on its Web site to support TV ads in Wisconsin. It's just too bad he hasn't made the same effort here in Washington...
iChat AV 2.1 public beta A new beta version of iChat AV offers videoconferencing support to connect with users of the newest version of AOL Instant Messenger 5.5 for Windows. There is no word on the iChat pages just how long the beta version will work, but Apple does note that users can revert to iChat AV 2.0 at any time by choosing a menu item in the application menu...
Apple releases Bluetooth Software 1.5 Bluetooth Software 1.5 offers better support for Bluetooth headsets and printers, wrapped up in a 6.1MB download. You will have to restart your Mac after installing this update... Here are Apple's release notes for the update:
Talk about the update. How is it working for you?
Apple Backup 2.0.1 Apple releases Backup 2.0.1 - Apple has released Backup 2.0.1, an update to its file archiving utility for .Mac members... [MacMinute.com]
On building a better browser Building A Better Browser - If, in its unfinished state, Firebird is this good, perhaps Microsoft should be worried. By Arik Hesseldahl (Forbes via MyAppleMenu) [myapplemenu]
Anger over Safari 1.2 Anger Over Panther-Only Safari - Apple released Safari 1.2 on Tuesday night -- but Mac users are frustrated that the brand-new Internet browser requires the most current version of Mac OS X to function. (Macworld UK via MyAppleMenu) [myapplemenu]
MacHack morphs into multi-platform event MacHack renamed ADHOC, expands beyond just Mac - Expotech Inc.'s MacHack is a fine tradition going back almost as far as the Macintosh -- this will be their 19th year. It's an annual gathering of developers in Dearborn, Mich. that features 72 straight hours of software development and related topics. This year, the event has been renamed the Advanced Developers Hands On Conference (ADHOC), and has been expanded to include related technologies like Unix, Palm OS and more. [MacCentral]
TidBITS takes a look at Life Balance organizer Jeff Porten takes an in-depth look at the personal organizer application Life Balance in the most recent TidBITS, and he writes about the quest for the perfect organizer:
Related link: Life Balance
Mailsmith 2.1.1 released Bare Bones updates Mailsmith with minor enhancements - Bare Bones Software Inc. on Tuesday updated Mailsmith, its e-mail client for Mac OS X, to version 2.1.1. The new version is billed as a maintenance release that corrects reported issues and adds minor enhancements and refinements. [MacCentral]
A fix for AppleScripts used with OmniOutliner 10.3: A fix for AppleScripts in OmniOutliner's script menu - Problem: When using Panther, AppleScripts you write for OmniOutliner do work when run from ScriptEditor, but usually fail when invoked from Outliner's script menu. Solution: Remove the script's resource fork... [Mac OS X Hints]
Praise for OmniWeb 5 Writing in his quick review of OmniWeb 5 beta 1 on the Daring Fireball site, John Gruber offers some high praise: "Based on today's beta, and the two alpha releases I've used for the last week, OmniWeb 5 has the potential to be a very big deal."
.Mac mail problems MacNN: Apple acknowledges email delivery problems with .Mac. Wow...it only took a few years...Inconsistent email delivery on a number of occasions was one of the factors that convinced me to ditch .Mac service...
NetNewsWire updated NetNewsWire and NetNewsWire Lite 1.0.8 fix a couple small but important bugs and add a bunch of feeds to the Sites Drawer. See What's New in 1.0.8 for details. [inessential.com]
Apple rolls out Safari and Java updates Apple has rolled out a couple of important software updates this afternoon - a 29.4MB update to Java, bringing the version to 1.4.2, and a 7.7MG update to Safari 1.2. Here is what Apple says is updated, from the release notes: Safari 1.2
Java 1.4.2
Let's talk about how these updates are working on your Mac... Related links: Safari Enhancer 2.0.8 - Enables hidden features in Safari...
OmniWeb 5.0 beta offers browser innovations I am making OmniWeb 5.0 beta 1, which was released early today, my default browser for a while so that I can test the Web browser innovations that the folks from The Omni Group have rolled into this release. I was skeptical about the idea of opening new tabs in a drawer rather than in what has become the standard tab interface, but after using it on an external 17-inch LCD connected to my 12-inch PowerBook G4, I have changed my mind. This really works on a larger monitor. Meanwhile, I plan to test the other new features in OmniWeb 5.0 - such as workspaces - throughout the day and the rest of the week. Are you using OmniWeb's new beta? What do you think?
Close encounters with thousands of birds 
Natalie and I spent the day yesterday birding in the Skagit River delta and the Samish Flats area of northwest Washington, and although it took quite a while to locate the huge flocks of Snow Geese that draw birders and passersby to the valley each winter, it was an excellent way to kick off February. The highlight of the day was a close encounter with a Short-eared Owl, pictured above, that allowed us to get within a few feet of it as we wildly snapped photos from inside the car. After taking photos with our digital camera and then a few slides with the Canon SLR, the owl flew off a few feet down a nearby ditch, allaying our fears that the way it was holding its left wing signaled some kind of injury...
On outliner user interfaces Ted Goranson's About This Particular Outliner series looks at Outliner user interfaces today... |
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