It's nice to know we're cool
Paul Saffo, a director of the Menlo Park-based Institute for the Future, a technology forecasting firm, says Apple's two new slimmed down products are the newest harvests in what will be an array of hand-held devices catering to the demand for digital entertainment and serious computations. "Apple has been cool all along," he says, praising Jobs's talent for including "little details," in Apple products. "The public wasn't. But now because of Apple, the public has become cool." [Via DF.]
Fighting the link spammers
Everyone seems to be linking to The Register's interview with a link spammer. This is what caught my attention:
"The hardest form to spam is that which requires manual authentication such as captchas. Or those where you have to reply to an email, click on a link in it; though that can be automated too. Those where you have to register and click on links, they're hard as well. And if you change the folder names where things usually reside, that's a challenge, because you just gather lists of installations' folder names." So now you see why I'm using TypeKey.
ATPM 11.02
The February issue of About This Particular Macintosh is now available for your reading pleasure. Ellyn notes the need for healthy skepticism on the web, while Wes's Bloggable column looks at the miniature life, courtesy of Apple's new releases. The Wizard of Oz(ab) notes how the Mac Mini may affect musicians, while Ted's About This Particular Outliner column continues with part two on the usage of outliners for task management. Sylvester has a follow-up column about what to do with those old Macs. The ATPM staff is pleased to welcome Scott Chitwood, editor of the Mac GUI customization site ResExcellence. Scott's first column is about customizing your Mac's icons. Yours truly also kicks off a new column for the 'zine, focusing on the iPod. Wes delves in to Mariner Software's ultimate productivity tool, Desktop Poet, while Chris Lawson looks at the FriendlyNET FR1104-G Wireless Firewall Router and Griffin Technology's radioSHARK. Frisky Freeware notes a favorite chat client of some staff members. Cortland and the iTrolls continue their adventures. Lee and I were blown away by Mark Montgomery's nature photos, which he offered as this month's desktop pictures. I've already got a black bug on my desktop. Thanks, Mark!
The Mac introduction
If you've followed every Macworld Expo keynote QuickTime stream since, well, since Apple's been offering them, and you wonder what it would have been like to be able to watch the introduction of the original Macintosh, now you can. Recorded in January 1984 by Scott Knaster, and digitized by TextLab. Link from Tom.
Looking ahead to the G5 Mini
So looking around a bit at the Mac web this weekend, it appears the PowerBook G5 rumors are about to start gaining steam. Supposedly the current PowerBook G4 line is about to be EOL'ed. EOL is retail/manufacturing talk for End of Life, as in, we're not making this any more, and when we've sold what's out there, that's all there is. I won't dignify the rumor-mongers with links, but I do have a couple of thoughts. First, if we see a PowerBook G5, I'm not sure we'll see a PowerBook G5 12-inch right away. I would like to be wrong, but I wouldn't be surprised to see a G5 available in only the 17- and 15-inch PowerBooks to start with. It all boils down to how well Apple and IBM have managed to work around the heating issues with the G5 in the smaller spaces. Second, if Apple solves its heat issues and wedges the G5 in to the PowerBook form factors, it's not a stretch to then dump the G5 in to the Mac Mini. Not that this would occur any time in the near future after a PowerBook G5 release, but one could reasonably surmise when it will be coming, because it will eventually happen. If you look at the six product lines of Apple's computers, two are already on the G5: the Power Macintosh towers, and the iMac. Next up for the new processor is the PowerBook line, which would leave the iBook, the eMac, and the just-released Mac Mini. Those same rumors hinted at above also say that the eMac is about to be EOL'ed as well. Should that prove true, then this means Apple is pushing the Mac Mini in to the education market, and schools will have to buy cheap third-party monitors, because they sure as hell aren't buying 20-inch Apple flat-panel displays that cost twice as much as the baseline Mac Mini. Seeing as how these schools never purchased displays from Apple before, Apple's not losing revenue there, though one can theorize their margins on Mac Mini sales will be lower than on eMacs. As John Gruber has observed, Apple looks to make up for reduced margins with volume. So if the eMac is indeed dead in the near future, Apple's computer product line falls from six to five, and after the PowerBook G5 is released, only the iBook and Mac Mini will be on the G4. The G4 is just about tapped out in Apple's product line. The 1.5 GHz processor is the highest speed being offered, but third-party upgrade vendors are offering faster G4 processors. Apple may bump up the G4's speed in its product line one more time, but it all depends on how aggressive they want to be with the G5. I can see Apple bringing out the PowerBook G5 some time in the first half of the year, before or after the release of Tiger. At some point within the following six months, the speeds of the Power Macintosh G5 will be increased. At Macworld Expo next year, you'll see increased speeds for the iMac G5, and by mid-year, faster PowerBook G5s. This would open the door to then add the G5 to the iBook line, and maybe at the same time the Mac Mini line, though Apple is known for only refreshing one line at a time, for the most part. Earliest time for a G5 Mini? I'm betting on Macworld Expo in January 2007. It all hinges on IBM's G5 fabrication, however, so it's not all up to Jobs and the Apple brain trust. And hell, I was way wrong on the flash-based iPod and the iCheap, aka the Mac Mini, so what do I know? This has all been stream-of-consciousness blogging any way.
Introducing the rotary cell phone
As you hearken back to yesteryear, longing for those good ol' Luddite days, please note that you too can build a rotary cell phone. [Via Lawson via Slashdot.]
SE T616 anyone?
So my wife decided to take the plunge, switched her phone service to the new Crackberry her employer purchased for her, and we now have a SIM card-less, Cingular-branded, Sony Ericsson T616 that no one is using. I realize it's an old phone, but will entertain offers before deciding to either donate it or keep it around as a spare to mine.
Thought shuffle
So according to Apple, one of the big reasons for bringing out the iPod Shuffle is the shuffle "phenomenon with iPod users - the 'shuffle songs' playback mode that randomizes either portions or the entirety of your music library." I'm just wondering if I'm alone in iPod-dom in that I rarely, if ever, use the shuffle songs mode. Anyone else of similar mind?
The price of being a Mac user
Michael opines on the increased software value of an iWork-loaded Mac Mini, when compared to purchasing iLife '05, iWork, and an OS upgrade separately. ATPM founder Danny Novo has a similar analysis, including .Mac. The Mac Mini looks better and better when you factor in all four of these software prices. Maybe a Mac Mini will be in the phisch bowl's future, later this year, after Tiger is released and iWork comes loaded. Maybe around the time my own .Mac registration is due for renewal. However, I don't think I'll wait too long to purchase iLife '05, as I've decided to begin using iPhoto for my digital photo management needs, and I'd like to do so starting with the new version.
Can corporate IT mirror the Navy?
...[T]he new Navy policy shows signs of being a remarkably sane model for what users should do with IT, at least the way it's described by Robert J. Carey, the Navy's deputy CIO for policy and integration.
The main principle is that if it interferes with Navy operations, users shouldn't do it.
And if it's illegal or a violation of regulations or contract requirements, users shouldn't do it.
Otherwise, it's probably OK.
Bet your appropriate-use policy can't be summarized that simply, can it?
Here's another key feature of the Navy's policy: According to Carey, personal use of Navy IT equipment is good for morale. Sending personal e-mail, surfing the Web and shopping online during breaks are all fine -- as long as they don't hog bandwidth or otherwise interfere with Navy operations.
So if the sailors, Marines and civilians who use Navy-issued IT gear make sure the Navy's work gets done, personal use isn't just OK -- it's actually a good thing.
That's a truly elegant core policy. Sure, by the time it's officially issued it will probably be spun out into endless pages of milspec jargon. But because it's clear and simple at its core, this appropriate-use policy will likely work anyway.
That's fine for the Navy. But can you treat your users like sailors?
Answer: Maybe.
Another Mac master
Q: Describe the perfect writing environment.
A: Small room. Shades down. No daylight. No disturbances. Macintosh with a big screen. Plenty of coffee. Quiet.
Chained notes
I rediscovered a gem by former ATPM staffer Kirk McElhearn from the June 2004 issue of Macworld. In the Working Mac column, Kirk is discussing built-in ways to protect data in Mac OS X. I found the use of the Keychain as a storage place for secret notes intriguing.
To turn Keychain into your security guard, open Keychain Access (Applications: Utilities), and click on Note in the Keychain Access toolbar. Enter a descriptive title in the Name field of the window that appears, and then type or paste the data you want to protect into the Note field. You're not limited to short things, such as a password or a credit card number. I pasted several megabytes of text into one secure note.
To access your secure notes later, open Keychain Access, find the note in the list of protected items, and click on its name. Select the Show Password option and enter your password; you'll then see the note's contents. To enter the contents in another program, click on Copy Note To Clipboard, enter your password again, and paste into any text field or document.
BBAutoComplete 1.4
Michael has released BBAutoComplete 1.4. BBAutoComplete gives you word auto-completion in scriptable applications like BBEdit, Mailsmith, Tex-Edit, and with the new version, Smile. If I weren't already using a combination of AutoPairs and TypeIt4Me, I would probably be using BBAutoComplete. The latter is "smarter" than TypeIt4Me in that TypeIt4me has to be "taught" the abbreviations and expansions to use in place of those abbreviations. BBAutoComplete guesses what you're wanting to type by checking out expansions in your app's open docs. For most of my typing needs, though, especially in the apps BBAutoComplete supports, I simply have no need for it. Programmers, however, will find it a boon. BBAutoComplete is freeware, and be sure to check out Michael's excellent commercial software, SpamSieve and DropDMG, while you're at it. Both are Retrophisch™ Recommends selections, and you can support a developer who gives back to the user community.
Still no OmniWeb for this phisch
Michael's analysis of OmniWeb's shortcomings, and Gruber's comment to the post, leave me wondering why I continue to download and install the thing, since I hardly ever use it.
Combatting spam for Movable Type users
His Gruberness has written, on behalf and with the input of, Six Apart, a comprehensive guide on weblog comment spam. This has given me some ideas for moving forward, though since I have instituted comment registration via TypeKey, I haven't had a comment spam problem. Registration through TypeKey is free, easy, and fast, and it allows you to comment on any site which supports the protocol.
Next-gen camou
So do you recall the sci-fi tales of the wearable, adaptable camouflage that reflects the wearer's environment back on to the environment, essentially rendering the wearer invisible? Think Predator. The United States military and its civilian research units are already working on such a next-generation of camouflage for the troops.
ATPM 11.01
The January issue of About This Particular Macintosh is now available for your reading pleasure. Ellyn resolves not to make resolutions, while Wes digs in to the ugly world of Apple rumors. Ted takes a break from the frenetic world of Mac outliners, but still manages an update column. Eric has a brilliant piece on the upcoming iTunes-compatible Motorola phone and what that means to the mobile music and mobile phone marketplaces. Sylvester explores the world of tech recycling, a public service for those who were lucky enough to receive new Macs for Ramahanakwanzmas. Just in time for New Year's, Lee has submitted Fourth of July photos for use as desktop pictures. Go ahead and use them, no one will know that they weren't taken New Year's Eve and immediately uploaded. Well, no one who doesn't read about it here, that is. Cortland and iTrolls continue, and this month Frisky Freeware explores OSXplanet. Lee runs down the latest darling of the Mac software world, Delicious Library, while Wes reviews the blogging tool, MarsEdit. Paul's look at PhotoReviewer and Michael's review of Kensington's StudioBoard will likely have me spending some money shortly. Eric explores PreFab's UI Actions, of interest to you script junkies out there. Happy New Year from all of us at ATPM!
Google 2004 Zeitgeist
Anyone else out there find the 2004 Year-End Google Zeitgeist to be a total yawner?