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- Politics 2005
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2004
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2003
- December - November - October - August - July - June - May - April - March - February - January
2002
- December - November - TidBITS - Apple - Macintouch laptop battery report - Apple - WhatIsMyIP - Wherever you are, there you are... - TinyURL - Turn big ugly URLs into cute little ones... - rob at whiterabbits.com - rmchuff - Fire - Camino - iTunes - BBEdit - Transmit
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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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Derrick Story's easy solutions for taking difficult photos Derrick Story offers some good tips that may help you get some decent low-light photos with your new digital camera during this weekend's New Years celebrations:
Dave Winer revisits the RSS aggregator Dave Winer helped invent weblogs and RSS feeds. Now, in the wake of his release of a cross-platform OPML editor tool earlier in 2005, he is working on a new RSS aggregator called newsRiver. This could be worth watching!
Link for later: Replacing the hard drive in an iPod OK, so I am the only person on the planet who doesn't have an iPod right now. And that won't change next month, except in a peripheral way. I will likely buy an iPod for Natalie for her birthday in January, to replace the iPod shuffle that she lost during our trip to Washington, D.C. So I am saving this link for later: How to replace the hard drive in an iPod.
Another must-read piece - what Macs do power users use? Giles Turnbull has put together another must-read piece on the MacDevCenter, this time on a selection of Mac users and what machines and software they rely on:
I figured I would add my story to Giles' piece here: I live on a first generation 12-inch PowerBook G4 with just 640 MB of RAM, but I am eager to upgrade once the new Intel-based PowerBooks are out and ready for prime time. As for my must-have application, Tinderbox is my Mac multi-tool for writing, thinking and maintaining a number of Web sites including Mac Net Journal. But I live in many other programs as well - PowerMail, Firefox and OmniOutliner Pro to name a few. It's always interesting to see what machines people are using and how much they are able to make of their machines. I am always surprised to find that many of the most productive people who have done the most influencial or useful work with their Macs are actually using older software and hardware to get the job done. |
Beware new bug if you have a Windows machine Just in time for the new year, here is news of a new Windows bug that threatens your Windows XP box:
Early results from Macintouch laptop reliability survey Macintouch offers the first glimpse at results from its laptop reliability survey today, and it looks like I have been pretty lucky with my first generation 12-inch PowerBook G4. It should be interesting to see the more detailed results in the coming days...
Tips for managing iPod video content Christopher Breen writes on Macworld today about tips for managing video on your iPod.
This is your music collection on DRM... David Berlind writes on ZDNet.com about the long-term implications of your music collection being locked up by digtal rights management schemes. He notes the impact of schemes like Apple's iTunes Music Store uses, but remember that more and more CD manufacturers are trying to lock up that delivery method for music as well...
Tips for becoming an independent programmer How To Become An Independent Programmer In Just 1068 Days - Just plan, set realistic goals, meet those goals, diversify, save up, add four cups of patience, and have fun. And most importantly -- work your ass off. By Gus Mueller [myapplemenu]
PowerMail updated to version 5.2.2 The fastest e-mail client under Mac OS X just got better today, with the release of PowerMail 5.2.2 from CTM Development. I've downloaded the new version for installation over the holiday break!
Another reason to back up your files As if we need another reminder of why it is important to back up our Macs, Dave Winer points to another great example today:
Of course, Dave is taking a pop shot at Apple with this post, but in the end, Apple is right. It's your data and you failed to back it up, as everyone said you should. Burn those purchased tunes to a DVD or CD, and when your hard drive fails then you simply reload the songs. Dead simple, and responsible. Rex also has a good point about burning a copy of purchased music to get it out of the digital rights management (DRM) limitations that are imposed by Apple's iTunes Music Store. I am sick of dealing with DRM schemes as well...
iTunes and QuickTime security issue iTunes and QuickTime flaw detailed - Flaw could put systems running Windows and Mac OS X at risk of attack, a security researcher warns. [CNET News.com] eWeek has more on this issue: Beware of strange iTunes/QuickTime movies
Things will look a little brighter, starting today! Happy Winter Solstice to MNJ readers in the Northern Hemisphere. Here in Puget Sound country, things will slowly start to brighten up, day by day following this high holiday for anyone affected by seasonal affected disorder...
Blame Congress too As we watch the Bush Administration unravel and the revelations of its abuses of power roll in from the media and the Internet, it would pay to remember that our representatives in Congress are culpable in allowing this to happen. The knee-jerk reactions of Congress in the wake of the terrorist attacks on the U.S. in 2001 handed the Bush Administration everything it needed to assume supreme power - over and above the constitutional powers of the presidency. Congress gave up its role to serve as a check and balance on the presidency. And so this brings us to today. We're living in interesting and historic times. Newsweek columnist Jonathan Alter offers some interesting insights into the happenings that were going on behind closed doors at the White House earlier this month, while Natalie and I were in Washington, D.C.:
I always feel like somebody's watching me... According to the FBI and the Bush Administration, it appears that environmentalists, vegans and those concerned about the welfare of animals are likely terrorists trying to bring down the United States of America. Let's see...how many ways can we spell "abuse of power"?
Giles on getting things done with the Finder Giles Turnbull continues to think outside the box and write some interesting pieces about ways to implement the Getting Things Done productivity system using simple tools under Mac OS X. This time he moves to something even simpler than a huge text file - the OS X Finder. His system doesn't fit my interests, but it may be interesting to others: Getting things done with the Finder.
Boston Herald: Apple should plant a Palm in its garden Boston Herald columnist Brett Arends lays out the reasons that he thinks Apple should buy Palm...
Chronos releases SOHO Organizer Chronos releases StickyBrain 4, SOHO Organizer - Chronos today announced the release of Sticky Brain 4 and SOHO Organizer, the latest version of its note manager and official successor to Personal Organizer and Group Organizer... [MacMinute.com] I will be checking out this new organizer app!
So, why haven't I tried SuperDuper! before today? Earlier today I finally backed up my PowerBook and installed the security update that was released before my trip to Washington, D.C., and as part of the backup process I installed SuperDuper! and created a full bootable backup of my installation. It took forever to create the first full backup, but it could be a lifesaver down the road. Soon I will do the same kind of backup on Natalie's iBook and update her OS X installation to the newest version. It's a start toward having a working backup system...
IE for the Mac - long dead, soon officially End Near For Mac Version Of IE - Microsoft will cease support for the Mac version of Internet Explorer from December 31 and stop development of the program, the company says on its website. No further security or enhancement updates will be provided. By Sam Varghese, The Age [myapplemenu]
More on living in text files Merlin Mann writes about his use of text files in a post yesterday on 43 Folders:
This one is worth reading...
Optimism on rebuilding New Orleans? Dave Winer offers some interesting New Orleans coffee notes today. It sounds like all hope is not lost - good news!
Reality and digital pictures Charles Maurer writes an interesting article in this week's edition of TidBITS regarding reality and digital pictures. His conclusion, digital is already better than film in many cases - something that has been true for some time. The article is worth reading if you are interested in the philosophical argument of one way to store an image vs. another...
It's escape day - back to the West Coast Natalie and I are packing up the bags and heading into museums along the Washington, D.C. mall for the last time today as we close out our trip in the nation's capitol. After spending more time at the National Gallery of Art yesterday and eating a very tasty meal at a tapas restaurant last night, today we will walk through a couple more museums before catching a 5:30 p.m. Eastern flight to St. Louis and then SeaTac Airport back home. On our flight over we roughly traced the route that the Lewis and Clark Expedition took on their way back home from the mouth of the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean. Today we retrace those steps back to our home in that former wilderness in the West. It's been a good trip, but it will be good to be home tonight. As always. Back to work and finishing our book and much more!
Glenn Fleishman on why you should back up your Mac Glenn Fleishman wrote in today's Seattle Times about why you should resolve to back up your Mac - or whatever brand of computer you use. In my case, I am still on the road in Washington, D.C. tonight, on the night before travelling home to the Pacific Northwest tomorrow. I am backing up the hundreds of new photos I took over the last five days exploring in and around the nation's capitol to CDs, and I will back up the complete hard drive when I get home tomorrow night - roughly 24 hours from now.
Tips for starting up a PowerBook during cold weather Macintouch has some good common sense tips about caring for a PowerBook that has been exposed to cold winter weather. In short, let that PowerBook warm up before hitting the power button.
If you surf the Web at work, read this Worker Privacy: You Have None - The vast majority of U.S. employers monitor workers' internet use, a practice that goes almost completely unregulated. Here's a look at your privacy rights in the workplace. By Joanna Glasner. [Wired News]
Exploring monuments, museums and more in D.C.
Yesterday we made a break for the Smithsonian museums in the afternoon, where we explored the National History Museum after a short ride on the Red Line and then Orange Line from our hotel in Wardman Park down to the Smithsonian stop on the Metro. The biggest surprise of our day was emerging from the Metro to find a Red-tailed Hawk sitting on a light pole along the edge of The Mall. A family was there taking photos and talking with Natalie and me as I took the photo to the right. There's a lot more of D.C. to see, and I know I won't see it all over the next three-and-a-half days. But it is a start!
How well does Aperture do on a PowerBook? Derrick Story offers his take on the MacDevCenter:
And...
ButterflyNet - digital nirvana for field notes? Worldchanging.com offers a post today about ButterflyNet - a cool open-source project that sounds like a potential godsend for keeping field notes:
Safely typing in Washington, D.C. Natalie and I set out this morning with the sun rising over Mt. Rainier in Seattle and we made it to Washington, D.C. just in time to see the sun set on the Washington Monument. We made a stop in St. Louis along the way, which allowed us to add a few airport birds to our list of birds seen from the plane of in airports. The biggest highlight - a small flock of Snow Geese flying south as we made the approach to Reagan National Airport. Other birds we saw at the airport in St. Louis included lots of Red-tailed Hawks, what appeared to be a Broad-winged Hawk, American Kestrels, Rough-legged Hawks and of course, European Starling and Pigeons. It isn't much of a list, but it still fun to note what you can find in common places like airports. Now it is time to relax after travelling all day. We are staying in the Wardman Park Marriott north of downtown Washington, D.C., and the hotel is very near Rock Creek Park. It looks like I will be able to see some birds as well as the typical monuments and museums in the week we stay here!
More Tinderbox tidbits - new version, Notesaboutnotes.com Fans of Tinderbox should go grab the newest update from Eastgate Systems, and those who wonder what Tinderbox is all about, including the philosophy behind the program, should check out the new Notesaboutnotes Web site. It's a must-see site for a note-keeping fanatics like me.
An amateur photographer takes a look at Aperture Amateur photographer Ars Technica.
David Allen writes about thinking and GTD on the Mac It sounds like the lure of the Mac is tugging on Getting Things Done productivity guru David Allen, according to his most recent blog post: Thinking on the Mac.... The last part of Allen's post is a bit confusing though:
New Apple operating system? Tiger? Might finally have the power?
Tinderbox prominently profiled in the New York Times Congrats to Mark Bernstein and the rest of the folks at Eastgate for the prominent mention is James Fallows' New York Times article that appears in the Dec. 4 edition: Mac programs that come with thinking caps on
A new issue of Tekka is out Mark Bernstein highlights the latest version of Tekka on his site today. Issue 9 includes a piece by Frank Tansey about how he tames filing problems using Tinderbox. For that reason, I will be renewing my subscription today!
Snow! We emerged from a long board meeting for Tahoma Audubon last night to find it snowing hard and almost an inch of snow that had stuck to everything during our meeting. I was once again amazed at how crazy the drivers are around Puget Sound country when snow hits the ground. I saw half a dozen cars sliding and spinning out of control on the 5-mile drive from the Audubon Center to home. And this was with less than two inches of snow on the roadway. Crazy! Of course, our Subaru Outback had no problems with the slick snow. Just make no sudden moves and do everything in your power to avoid being hit by others - the key to staying unscathed in snow here in rain country. |
Over the last couple of days I have made some progress in exploring around Washington, D.C. On Wednesday, Natalie and I admired the architecture and the detailed art on the walls and ceilings of the Library of Congress, wandered around the Capitol Building - where we managed to find a Downy Woodpecker in trees near the reflecting pool - and then made our way to a bustling area along 18th Street for dinner at an Ethopian restaurant - Meskerem. |
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