Audio Hijack 1.0
Company: Rogue Amoeba Software
Price: $16.00
http://www.rogueamoeba.com

There are plenty of sound capture and sound processing applications for Mac OS X, and the list is growing every day. Even pro-level tools are beginning to hit the market. So why would you want to buy another shareware application that captures and processes audio?

Audio Hijack, from Rogue Amoeba Software, is different from the run-of-the-mill audio processing application in that it provides the ability to manipulate your audio output in real time. Other sound processing applications may have more extensive equalizers, waveform shapers, etc., but they will only work after the capture is complete. Audio Hijack gives you immediate feedback about your equalization choices.

The Rogue Amoeba web site provides a list of Audio Hijack features:

* Add an Equalizer to Apple’s DVD Player, RealOne Player, Windows Media Player, and any other application to create the perfect movie watching environment.

* Tweak Real and Windows Media audio files to perfection with your own combination of our DSP plugins.

* Increase the volume of one application, such as your music player, above all your other applications via the Double Gain plugin.

* Turn on the Reverb and Echo effects.

* Use the Flanger effect to turn your audio into abstract swooping soundscapes.

* Sing along to your favorite music videos using the Karaoke plugin!

* Add bass to your game sounds for a life-like rumble. Feel your enemies approaching from behind in Quake!

Buried in that list is a hint of the special power of Audio Hijack; this is the only application that allows you to capture RealAudio streaming audio files to disk. More about this later.

Downloading and installation are straightforward. Audio Hijack is provided as a .dmg Disk Copy image file. After downloading and mounting the disk image, just drag the application to your hard drive. The Read Me is short, but worth a glance, as it tells you that you must start Audio Hijack before starting any application whose sound output you wish to process.

I chose iTunes for my first trial, as I wanted to compare the Audio Hijack equalizer to iTunes’ built-in equalizer.

Firing up AH, I selected iTunes as the target application in the Configuration window. Audio Hijack allows you set save various configurations, so that you don’t have to re-configure each time.

Clicking the Launch button starts the target sound application (iTunes in this case). You run the target application normally. Switching back to Audio Hijack allows you to adjust sound quality via the DSP (digital signal processing) window, and to record the audio stream directly as an AIFF file to a location of your choice.

The Audio Hijack equalizer allows more off-beat (no pun intended) choices than does the iTunes equalizer. While iTunes has more presets, Audio Hijack allows you to add effects like Reverb, Flanging, and Karaoke (strips out the vocals for singing along). If you crave extra volume, you can try the Double Gain feature, although this caused the built-in speaker on my G4 to grossly distort at high volume settings. My SoundSticks had no trouble cranking out the high dB’s, however.

So, we have a $16.00 shareware application that allows you to capture audio to disk after doing some modest sound manipulation. Would I cut loose $16.00 to register this application? Not really. I don’t need the real-time manipulation that Audio Hijack provides, although some people want to.

But…

The overwhelming attraction of Audio Hijack for me is the ability to capture RealAudio streaming audio files to disk in AIFF format. I’ll pay $16.00 for that capability in a heartbeat!

If you frequent Macintosh web sites, you know that one question that comes up about once a month is “how can I capture RealAudio sound streams?” Invariably, the answer comes back as “you can’t.”

The RealPlayer application generates its’ audio output in such a way that it cannot be captured by “normal” Macintosh audio capture applications. Rogue Amoeba’s programming geeks have figured out a method to “hijack” (hence the name) the RealAudio output and capture it to disk.

So, registered users of Audio Hijack can “timeshift” their favorite RealAudio files (many radio programs archive their programs in RealAudio format) burn them to CD, and play them when desired. For a more in-depth discussion of the legalites involved in RealAudio stream capture, read this interview of Rogue Amoeba president Paul Kafais. Kafais presents his case that RealAudio capture is “fair use,” much like taping TV programs with a VCR, for later playback. The interview also includes an interesting history of the Audio Hijack application.

Testing this feature was easy. I set up Audio Hijack to use RealPlayer OS X as the target application, launched RealPlayer and got the desired program running, switched back to Audio Hijack, and clicked “Start Recording.” AH obediently began to capture the RealAudio stream to the specified location on my hard drive. When the program was over, I clicked “Stop Recording,” and the capture ceased. On my desktop lay an AIFF file of the captured program, suitable for playback in an audio application, or for burning to an audio CD.

I know dozens of audio programs that I missed out on listening live, and I plan to use Audio Hijack to capture their web-archived versions, and then burn the AIFF file to a CD for listening when I commute to work.

RealAudio stream capture is easily worth $16.00!

MacMice Rating: 5 out of 5

David Weeks

img src=”../img/archives/robertson/osxkiller.jpg” width=”94″ height=”113″ align=”right”>

Mac OS X Killer Tips (10.2)
Author: Scott Kelby
Publisher: New Riders
Price: US $29.99

Hi, my name is Tim Robertson, and somehow I seem to have become the official reviewer of all books Kelby. Scott Kelby that is, author maniac who seems to have a new book published every other month over there at New Rider Publishing. I mean, a Photoshop 7 Killer Tips book, The Naked Truth book, Photo-Retouching book, a Down and Dirty Tricks Photoshop book, and now a Mac OS X Killer Tips book. (I just noticed something. Dirty, Secret, Naked…is Scott Kelby writing for Penthouse on the side as well?)

I think there is something strange going on here. No one can write this many books! I think he has some sort of Evil Word Marco thingie running, churning out these books for him. He simply feeds in the type of book he wants to publish, and the Evil Word Macro does the rest. Screen grabs, paragraphs, you name it. Takes about a week and a half. He then goes through and makes some very minor adjustments, adds a few jokes (an Evil Word Macro has no sense of humor, as we all know) and calls it good.

But here’s the thing. Each and every one of his books are really, really good. The Naked Truth was fantastic. His Down and Dirty Photoshop 7 book is a must have for users of that program. And his latest, the focus of this review, is Mac OS X Killer Tips, seems to be on par or above all his others.

Laden with humor and (for the most part) worthwhile tips, Mac OS X Killer Tips is a great addition to any Mac OS X users library of titles. This edition covers OS X 10.2 (Jaguar for those in the know) very well. It includes a screen capture image of what Scott is describing in almost every instance.

The book is full color, with razor-sharp imagery. Coming in at 267 pages, it may seem a small book, but it is packed with enough relevant information to satisfy almost anyone using Apple’s latest operating system.

I very much enjoyed reading this book. I liked the layout a great deal, as well as the words on the page. Scott Kelby is quickly becoming an author in whom I find the need to get his latest book, a position for a computer and technology writer reserved only for David Pogue on my desk up to now. Scott writes with a sense of humor I find very appealing, as well as a great technical grasp of his subject material. He really seems to put a lot of himself in the books he writers, and makes no apologies for being a die-hard Mac head.

Mac OS X Killer Tips is thirteen chapters long. It covers everything from iDVD tips to troubleshooting. From Stickies tricks to annoying pranks you can play on another Mac user. (If you can get your hands on their computer while they are away.) Sherlock 3 is covered here, as is Mail, all the “i” applications, Address Book, and much more. I found the Finder tips to be the most fun, though, and took quite a few ideas away from this book that I have instituted in my own daily computer life. (No small feat there, as I am a Power User to the bone.)

A really, really good read. Well worth the $29.99 asking price. You will find yourself going back to it often to learn or refresh yourself on some of the tips you will learn in its pages.

MacMice Rating: 5 out of 5

Tim Robertson

Last week Apple Education announced that it was giving away OSX.2 (Jaguar) free to teachers. Being the cheapskate that I am, I quickly signed up for my free copy and encouraged the rest of the staff at my school to do likewise. Lo and behold, my disks arrived this morning. This is a nice gesture on AE’s part, but the real question is: Does this mean that Apple is ready to fight for the education market or is it just (pardon the phrase) window dressing. Lately, several Mac education columnists including my two favorites Steve Wood, and Jeff Adkins, have been on AE’s case regarding virtual non-existent sales and marketing effort. Steve Wood went so far as to place a link to AE’s teacher response page in an effort to wake up the powers that be. Well, I’ve decided to ask all of you Mac educators to send me your ideas to revive AE. So, to all you frustrated Mac supporter in education now is the time to vent your disappointment in a creative and positive fashion. In my next article I will post your suggestions.

Networking Update
As I mentioned in a previous article, my school has been undergoing the process of networking the computers. I am happy to report that after three Sunday work parties and only one injury the wiring and connection to AT&T Broadband is complete. I should mention that extended amount of wiring time was due to having to connect seven buildings. The lone injury occurred when one of the parent’s stepped off a walkway board in the rafters of 1920′s main building sending his leg through the ceiling tiles.

Once this part of the project was complete, I decided to connect the computers together using a server less approach in order to minimize potential bugs until Christmas when I will install the Linux server. Being totally new to networking I assumed that I could connect a NetGear 24 port switch to the cable modem, plug-in all the wire runs and be done. WRONG!! Only two computers were able to surf the Internet at a time, making my students interactive visit to PBS’ Lewis and Clark’s interactive web experience. After a week of scratching my ever-thinning scalp a parent informed me that I needed to purchase a router and place it between the modem and switch. Having been more than satisfied with my initial NetGear purchase I picked up a 5-port router. BINGO! All the iMacs in our lab were now able to surf at once.

The next step was to setup a wireless system for me and my teaching partner (she has an HP laptop). After reading various bulletin boards and watching the sales flyers she chose a D-Link wireless router and card. After having tried to help a friend install another brand system for his home, I was more than a bit apprehensive. Luckily, D-Link did an outstanding job with both the software setup and manual. In 10 minutes she was up and running as was I on my Ice iBook.

Brimming with confidence, the next day I began connecting the HP 6835 towers that are in grades 3-8. I started with the combined 7-8th grade room. There the problems began. After setting up the systems to use a LAN, the computers wouldn’t connect. Yet, when I used my iBook connected by Ethernet, no problem. After several more days another parent came to the rescue. The solution, run M$’ Home Networking program that comes with Windows ME. Sure enough, that solved the connection bug. In a rare display of common sense, M$ allows the user to make a pre-program disk that can be installed on Windows 95 & 98. With my newfound knowledge I raced around the campus and proceeded to connect the balance of the classrooms.

This exercise in software setup proves once again the vast advantage Apple hold in ease of use. Once the Ethernet cable was plugged in, the iMac’s (Bondi Blues) instantly recognized the connection and leaped into the speed lane of the Internet. M$, on the other hand took several steps and many frustrating hours of pointing and clicking. The power Windows user would argue that all the choices makes Windows a much more powerful OS, however, what percentage of windows users fit this category? One or two percent, at most. Once again, the real power of computing is in how much time one gets to spend being productive.

Mark Marcantonio

Perhaps San Francisco too.

But New York?

We all just got a tough call by Apple Computer, Inc. about missing Macworld Summer 2004.

Seriously! What was that sudden and capricious announcement by Apple anyway?

Was it really all about not wanting to go to Boston? Once they saw Boston was in and New York was out, did Apple decide to ‘fuggeddaboutit?’

Most of their power users in publications and graphics are in New York, after all. That is where Macworld should be on the East Coast, not Boston.

Or perhaps Apple just got tired of IDG, the people who run Macworld, and their recent history of a callous customer gouging attitude, especially aimed toward publishers and writers.

Furthermore, since Apple brought it up, we need to ask the question, why does anyone need Macworld?

For big companies like MacroMedia, Adobe and others, Macworld is the best place for them to introduce their wares. Same goes for all the little companies doing business with Apple customers. Their alternatives are to email all the Macintosh owners they know, or seek advertising in mass media, which would cost a lot more than showing up at the show.

For smaller companies, neither of these are viable options. Without Macworld, all that is really left for them is advertising and announcing their products on the Internet.

So vendors need Macworld, but does Apple need Macworld?

No. They have their most excellent website, and an always open link to mass media anytime they want to trot out a new machine or a software upgrade. Macworld, for them is just topping on the cake, but likely completely unnecessary for doing business.

Apple has not relied on new product announcements at Macworld recently anyway, and their use of mass media for announcing new products seems to be working just fine.

After all, Steve Jobs might just be tired of doing all those keynotes.

Or Steve could just be looking for ways to gently cut Apple’s expenses in this soft economy. Who knows?

If Macworld New York is not at all that necessary for Apple, what about San Francisco and/or Paris?

I think it is likely we will see the end of them as well, but not for any of the above reasons.

It is not the economy that people have on their minds right now, as much as it is things like war and terrorism. Big shows, with lots of people in attendance, are great targets for people who don’t like freedom loving people like Americans, especially overseas.

It might be that Apple is not the only company right now that is seriously considering cutting back on these big media formats like Macworld. I have heard some people who inhabit Comdex are thinking it might also soon be cancelled, at least for the foreseeable future. There is that possibility, considering all that is going on in the world today with terrorism, threats, rogue snipers, and the very real possibility of war.

Does this sound bleak to you?

Yes! Macworld was also the place you and I could go and see all our online friends!

To me it was as much about that as it was seeing all the new toys in the show. If MW gets cancelled, I will miss seeing them that way. Where else could we all meet together like that?

The loss of even one Macworld is a sobering possibility, and one more brick out of the wall of my life as I used to know it before 9/11.

How does it make you feel to know you might lose a Macworld?

Oh well, we’ll always have the Internet.

Roger Born

Since it is now “Halloween Time”, I have decided to write about something that I think is, in a word, scary. In fact, it’s scaring the hell out of me. What could it possibly be? Windows XP? No, that is annoying for sure, but scary? No. Could it be the “Bad Fad which just won’t go away”, better known as Britney Spears? No, she’s scary, but not that scary. Is it the thought that somewhere, maybe somewhere close by, “The Captain And Tennille” or “The Starland Vocal Band” could be plotting some sort of comeback? Well, that’s really a horrible thought, but no. So what do I find so scary?

No one is making good, cheesy, “Monster Movies” any more!

It’s true. It seems the folks in Hollywood have all-but-forgotten this fine art. I grew up watching and loving Monster movies and many friends and coworkers consider me to be something of an “expert”. (This is to say that I’m the guy they come to with such questions as who was in this movie, of that one, and what was the deal with the thing with the bug-eyes. Hey, it’s a dirty job, but I do it proudly.) There used to be lots of Monster movies being made and shown at any given time, but for some mysterious reason, or reasons, it just isn’t happening much today. Arguably, the last good Monster Movie was “Anaconda”, which played in the summer of 1997.

Now, I have to clarify what I mean by a “Monster Movie”. I’m talking about the type of movie where you sit back, turn off your higher brain functions, and dig into a nice bowl of delicious pop corn, or maybe a very delicious pizza. I’m talking about the type of movie where the acting is, well, lame. The type of movie which stars a cast of unknowns, with maybe one “big name” star, someone who just happened to have a few weeks with nothing to do. ( “Anaconda” had John Voight) I’m talking about the movies where you sit back and play a game in your head called “Spot the Victim”. Most guys know how this works: You pick out the bit-part characters that you just know are going to be toast any minute, sort of like the unnamed guys in the red shirts on “Star Trek, the original series”. (“Oh yeah, the school janitor with beer gut, yup he’s dead. Ha! That Sheriff’s Deputy, the goofy one who keeps staring at the babes boobs, he’s toast! And that scientist’s assistant, who’s secretly, plotting on stealing the scientists work? Yup, he’s a grease spot”.) For whatever reason, women generally do not enjoy playing “Spot the Victim”, alas. For the curious folks out there, I scored 100, playing spot the victim while watching “Anaconda”. And I just knew that the sloppy guy, who was always smoking cigarettes, was first on the Ka-Ka list in “Deep Blue Sea”. I also knew that at some point before that movie ended, the very lovely Saffron Burrows (The hottie with the British accent guys.) would be removing most of her clothing, for whatever reason the writers could yak up. Arguably the best part of “Deep Blue Sea”.

The so-called “Splatter Movies” are not Monster Movies. They may qualify as horror movies, but horror movies are not monster movies. The “Nightmare on Elm Street” series, and the “Friday the 13th” movies, aren’t monster movies, sorry Jason.

No, to have a true “Monster Movie”, you simply must have a Monster. A mutated human is acceptable, especially if he’s a brilliant scientist, who just happened to do something really, really stupid. (“The Fly”) A Monster which is the result of Atomic Radiation is most excellent (“THEM!” and countless others.) Some sort of hideous mass, moving about the countryside and making a very disgusting mess is terrific (“The Blob” of course, and I know some fans will scream blasphemy, but I consider the Chuck Russell remake, released in 1988 and starring Kevin Dillion and Shawnee Smith, to be one of the ultra-rare cases where the remake is better than the original.) The Monsters of some Monster Movies can be nightmarish creatures, or they can be a little more subtle, such as the Vampire in the Roger Corman Classic, “Not of This earth”. (And what was that little umbrella-like creature the bad guy kept in a case? That was nasty. People of the 1950′s really should not have left their windows open. You never could tell what might fly in and drop over your head.)

Perhaps the most important guideline for a “good” monster, is the level of production values. For a monster movie to have credibility with monster movie fans, the special effects, and production quality cannot be top notch. No, like the acting and dialog, the special effects have to have a certain “Cornball quality”. This works especially well if the movie was shot in black and white. A stunt man decked out in a green rubber suit, and smeared with Vaseline, can make a very effective monster, when photographed in filtered, dim light.

.
This brings me to the “golden era” of Monster Movies, the late 50′s to mid-60′s. To a young boy growing up, there was nothing better than watching those great, black and white schlockers, many of which looked as though they may have been made in someone’s back yard. A local Television program, called “Fantasmic Features” ran these movies, in the early 1960′s. Ask anyone who was a kid in Boston during this time, and they will probably remember this locally produced show, first running on Monday nights, then later on Saturday. Fantasmic Features was hosted by a robotic dude named “Feep”. Sometimes Feep was a small puppet, and sometimes a man in a suit played him. That man was Ed McDonnell, an icon on Boston television all through the 60′s He was best known as “Major Mudd”, and hosted a kids show on afternoon TV, where he showed cartoons and the stooges, and had the kids play games in the studio. Mr. McDonnell also hosted a program on Saturday afternoon, where he played “Lord BumbleBrook”, and hosted jungle movies. Times changed, and McDonnell left the TV business. (He later died, of complications from Diabetes. He is well remembered though. Thank you Ed! ) I have learned that during this time, almost every major city had such a “Monster Movie” program, hosted by some robotic host as “Feep”, or a “monster-ish” host, such as “Vampira”. Those days are long gone, and it’s a shame, because they were so much fun. I guess it would not work today at all, with generations now being raised by video games, MTV, and brain rot such as “Friends”.

But how good was “Fantasmic Features”? Well, when it comes up in general conversation, someone always mentions that one of the major reasons it was taken off the air was due to parents complaints that “it gave my kids nightmares”. Hmm, somehow, I don’t think it gave any kids nightmares at all. No mom and dad, I think it gave YOU nightmares. Heh-Heh-Heh.

During the early 70′s, a local UHF station ran the timeless “Outer Limits” at 1 P.M, on Saturday’s, followed by a “creature double feature” at 2 PM. What a great way to spend a rainy, cold Saturday afternoon! This is where I saw even more Monster Movies, and was introduced to the Japanese horror movies, which always featured bad English dubbing, and “guy in rubber suit” monsters, who were usually the result of atomic radiation blasts. (And for the record, the American version of “Godzilla”, where our favorite bad boy trashes New York, clearly was not that good. Somehow, fans just could not accept a Godzilla, which looked as though it worked out at Gold’s Gym. Nice try though. )

For whatever reasons, the Japanese horror movies just never clicked with me at all, with the exception of “Attack of the Mushroom People”. (They get shipwrecked, and lacking any food, eat radioactive mushrooms and fungus. This turns out to be a terrible idea, the result being worthy of “E.C. Comics”) No, I prefer good, all-American grade B monster movies. (A few were made overseas, in Italy, and Spain)

I would guess that the present taste in movies is the major reason Hollywood is not producing Monster Movies at the rate they used to. It is young people who frequent movie theaters today. Young males want action movies, with lots of explosions and car chases. Young females want the so-called romantic comedies. In the 1950′s, many Monster Movies were made for the drive-in format. They were kept to around 75 minutes in length, and were perfect for teenaged couples parked at the drive-in. (Yuppies only go to movies which are the latest thing from the latest French Director, and which “make a statement about the human condition” or something like that. In the words of Mad Magazine, “Blecch!” And, a lot of the great ones were made by studio’s which just don’t exist any more.

As I stated already, “Anaconda” was arguably the last really good, true-to-form Monster movie. I didn’t see “Lake Placid”, so I cannot comment on it. “Alien” was a Monster Movie, and a great one at that. Most people don’t know this but the plot for “Alien” was borrowed from a 1950′s Monster Movie called “IT! The Terror From Beyond Space”. “IT!” is actually pretty good. You don’t really get a good look the lizard-like monster until the final few minutes of the movie, and yeah, it’s a guy in a rubber suit. Still pretty good though. One of the very best, and least appreciated of the modern Monster Movies has got to be the 1982 version of “The Thing”, directed by John Carpenter. This is truly a great Monster movie. Heh-heh, I dare you to watch it, while eating spaghetti!

I guess I should mention a “misunderstood” monster movie, and that would be “Starship Troopers”. More of a Monster movie, than a science fiction movie, “Starship Troopers” is, by all means, a “Good”, bad movie. You know it’s bad, but you enjoy it anyway. (and that kid who played “Doogie Howser”, wearing what resembles an S.S. officer’s uniform toward the end of the movie, is hilarious! Some have suggested that there was a political message in “Starship Troopers”, with it’s classic line from an unseen announcer, telling young people that “Service Guarantees citizenship!” but I think this is dubious.)

What is it about shlocky Monster Movies that makes them so endearing? The acting is bad, the dialog is silly, and the special effects are frequently laughable, and yet, there they are, on VHS, DVD, and frequently turning up on Cable TV, and the few remaining independently owned UHF stations. There are websites all over the Internet devoted to them, just any of the popular search engines. I think I know what it is, and the answer is that they are just plain FUN!

So, what are some good solid Monster movies for your Halloween party viewing pleasure? Well, I’ll give you a few. Watch them by yourself, late at night, or watch them with a bunch of “like minded” people. No particular order, and just my own opinions. I do think these are worth checking out. Here goes:

“The Hideous Sun Demon”. Written, produced, and directed by its star, Robert Clarke. This is actually pretty cool. According to a legend about this movie, Clarke, operating on a shoestring budget, employed students from UCLA’s film school for his crew, and only shot on weekends, when the kids were readily available. And with this, he made a great Grade B Monster movie, and the kids got hand-on experience. Win-Win!

“The Fly” The original, which starred David (billed as “Al”) Hedison, who later became “Captain Lee Crane” on Voyage to The Bottom of The Sea.

Why some brilliant scientists insist on doing such stupid things, such as stepping inside untested, unproved teleportation devices, I’ll never know

“Attack of the Giant Leeches”. A Classic, with all the classic ingredients for a good, 1950′s monster movie. Dumb studs and screaming 50′s babes abound. And the Leeches? I could swear they are huge Hefty trash bags, but I could be mistaken.

“Creature from the Black Lagoon”. Forget the sequels, this is the real thing. Originally shot in 3-D, but I have never seen it in 3-D. I don’t know if a 3-D version is available. One can only hope.

“The Brain from Planet Arous”. Hilarious! The version from Elvira’s collection is funny. Watch for the classic line “Get out! Get out!, Get out!” screamed by John Agar.

“I Married A Monster from Outer Space”. Many women seem to think they have, anyway. Silly title, good Monster movie.

“The Cyclops”. Not to be confused with “Doctor Cyclops”, this one features a guy who mutates into a giant, with a pinnacle shaped head, and one huge eyeball. Priceless!

“From Hell It Came”. Hmm, a monster that’s a walking tree? With an evil face painted on it? No scares here, but some serious giggle time, especially if your Halloween party guests have had some liquid refreshments.

“Caltiki, The Immortal Monster”. To my Knowledge, this treasure of a “B” movie has not been released on DVD, and the one VHS release was of questionable quality. Poking about the Internet, I learned that there is apparently some confusion regarding who owns the rights to it. (Nuts!) This is actually a better movie than “The Blob”. Made in Italy, by horror director Mario Bava, It’s the perfect black and white “B” Monster Movie.

“It Conquered the World”. What can you say about a monster that looks like a huge clawed eggplant, with an evil, toothy grin, and glowing eyes? You’ll learn things, while watching this movie. One thing I learned was that Peter Graves is in such great shape, that he can pedal a bike around Los Angeles, in summer heat, while wearing a suit and dress shoes, and not even break a sweat! (The Monster has turned off all electricity, including that which is needed to run automobiles.) It’s amazing!

The End! (Or is it?)

Bruce Black

Mercury Elite 7200RPM Combo FireWire/USB Hard Drive
Company: Other World Computing
Price: $289.99 US (for 120GB drive we reviewed)
http://www.macsales.com

Excuse me for being so brief, friends, but most aspects of this new external hard drive from Other World Computing (OWC) can be read in our review of its FireWire-only sibling. Concerning this improved model, the good news keeps getting better with each successive product release. What a great company; what outstanding hardware.

Everything works perfectly both in FireWire and USB v.1 modes, transferring files and running the drive either as boot volume (FireWire only) or external storage disk. Even on my legacy G3 400MHz iMac DV I felt no need to install the included speed enhancement software, because Mercury Elite moves data at sizzling swiftness in its as-is format. (USB v.2 capability is built in for Windozers and others who can utilize it, after installing a separate driver.)

An impressive suite of software comes pre-installed on the jumbo hard disk. Both productivity utilities and interface enhancements are among the many applications included for OS9 and OSX. Thanks.

Complaints? Yes! Other World Computing generously provides MyMac.com with evaluation products for the duration of a normal review period, and then I need to send them back. Aw, shucks, to say the least. This hard disk is a keeper if I ever saw one.

Thanks, OWC, for your ongoing support of the worldwide Macintosh community and our humble publication. We’re ready to examine anything and everything you send us!

PS: Other models are available, priced down to $189.99 for a 40GB drive.

MacMice Rating: 5 out of 5

John Nemerovski

ALZAmela
Company: Buka Della Festa
Price: $21.00-$39.00
(depending on model)
$32.00 as tested
http://www.alzamela.com

Today’s lesson: if you’re ever in Italy and want to say “Lift the Apple up” just say ALZAmela (it’s trademarked so you’ll probably be charged for saying it on a per use basis). How do I know this? Simple, I am an iBook user seeking a bit more comfort. If you’re an iBook user and you park the thing on your lap occasionally you can sympathize because you know the iBook can get a little warm. If you’ve ever use your iBook while wearing shorts, you are probably familiar with the “stick’um factor.” The “stick’um factor” is the same feeling you get when peeling yourself off a cheap vinyl couch on a hot summer day. I can’t guarantee the following to be completely accurate, but here is my theory: The iBook heats up and you leg sweats under the hot areas, this leads to adhesion because of the surface tension of water, well that’s my guess anyway. I am anxiously awaiting a grant from Apple to fund a more comprehensive study.

If you have this same problem you may ask yourself what you do about the sweaty leg adhesion factor. You might try ALZAmela. It works very well but so does a folded bed sheet (fold the bed sheet at least four times). On the other hand ALZAmela actually looks fairly slick, compared to a bed-sheet with Spiderman emblazoned in a repeating pattern its positively top notch. There’s nice plastic work (the future is in plastic my son) and some really nice engraving. I think lasers are involved in the process at some point, and if it has lasers it’s gotta’ be high quality! I wanted to include a picture or perhaps a small QuickTime movie of the ALZAmela but the model I have is clear Plexiglas. Couple that with my sub par digital camera, DV recorder and none of the pictures I took would have shown you much except whatever was under the ALZAmela. The point with the sloping iBook is to be clear so ALZAmela succeeded (I told you the quality was nice).

In all honesty the iBook doesn’t get that hot. It never reaches the stage where it becomes intolerable. I hear the TiBooks actually get so hot you’d pull them off your lap and stop computing for relief. I, not having the requisite scratch to purchase one of the titanium-skinned beauties, have no idea about the veracity of said reports. I do know my wife’s corporate issued Dell gets mighty hot, uncomfortably hot, just short of blister raising hot. So my wife nabbed my review piece and stuck it under her computer. She now computes comfortably thanks to ALZAmela (I hope they don’t ask me to send it back).

The good stuff out of the way I do have a few suggestions. The ALZAmela doesn’t latch on to the iBook so you have to carry it separately. I think it would have been supremely cool if it clicked onto the iBook and stayed attached as a semi permanent feature. It would also be a bit cooler if everything was angled to be flush with the computer, but that is a cosmetic complaint and in general the cosmetics are very good.

Bottom Line: All in all this product performs as promised for more than just the stated model (works with Dells too). Quality manufacturing, slick looks and a reasonable price makes the ALZAmela worth a look if you’re looking for a way to get that hot laptop off your legs. I recommend the sloped model for giving your laptop a more comfortable tilt.

MacMice Rating: 3 out of 5

Chris Seibold

Mac OS X and the Digital Lifestyle
Brad Miser
Premier Press
ISBN 1-931841-74-8
U.S. $39.99 CA $ 61.95

Several years’ back, Steve Jobs announced the “digital lifestyle.” I’m not sure if using a Mac and a digital camera or camcorder qualifies you to live the “digital lifestyle,” but if it does, then Brad Miser is going to tell you how to live it. In fact, his book tells you how to live the digital lifestyle “a la vida loca.”

There are plenty of good books focusing on iMovie, iPhoto, iTunes, and iDVD (the so-called “iApps.”) Nevertheless, this is the first book to focus on the integration between the iApps. Miser does not tell you just how to use iMovie, iTunes, and iPhoto; he tells you how to use them all together to create a seamless digital production. This focus on integration, and using the strong points of each application is what sets Mac OS X and the Digital Lifestyle apart from books that simply tell you how to use one iApp.

Before reading Mac OS X and the Digital Lifestyle, I felt reasonably conversant with the fundamental of iMovie, iTunes, and iPhoto. (I have never paid attention to iDVD as neither of my Macs have a SuperDrive.) I could fool around with the various programs, and get some moderately interesting results. But I always felt I was never taking best advantage of the programs as a suite of applications.

Three pages into Mac OS X and the Digital Lifestyle, I knew this book was something special.

Using QuickTime Pro as a focal point, Miser lays out the graphics underpinnings of the iApps. The ability to import and export scads of file formats makes QuickTime Pro and especially iMovie extra-flexible. You learn that you can get almost any external file into your production, and how to best import it.

iTunes gets attention next, then iPhoto and iMovie. Each chapter, while not as comprehensive as specialized books on each iApp, gives plenty of detail. I especially appreciated tips relating each program to its siblings; how best to format an export from iTunes to get it into iMovie, for example.

After each member of the iApp suite has had its’ turn, Miser gets to what is the best part of the book. He presents logical strategies for creating digital productions. These are not cookie-cutter “step 1, step 2″ checklists that some beginner-level books use. Miser talks fundamentals, and uses general principles to help you learn how to use the iApps together to best effect. While each one has strengths and weaknesses, Miser shows you how to make the whole greater than the sum of the parts.

If you think I like this book, then think again.

I LOVED this book. It is well written, with easy-on-the-eyes formatting (less common than you may think), and it weighs less than 5 pounds. But the best part of reading Mac OS X and the Digital Lifestyle was the constant feeling I had of “so THAT is the best way to do that effect,” or “jeez, I was wasting a lot of time doing it my way.”

Rather than list all the chapter titles, I’ll simply say you will learn all you need to know to use your digital camera, camcorder, CD/DVD burner with your Mac if buy and read Mac OS X and the Digital Lifestyle.

This is a must-buy for anyone who wants to get more out of their digital hardware and the iApps that ship with their Macintosh.

MacMice Rating: 5 out of 5

David Weeks

Norton SystemWorks 2.0
Company: Symantec Corporation
Price: $129.95
http://www.symantec.com

INTRODUCTION

“Norton.”

That’s a word that can bring screams of frustration, or sighs of relief from legions of Macintosh users trying to fix damaged Macs.

“Norton trashed my Mac so badly I had to reformat my hard drive and start from scratch” versus “If it hadn’t been for Norton saving my drive, I would have had to reformat and start from scratch.”

The truth is probably somewhere in between. Norton SystemWorks, and Norton Utilities before it, are applications that work at a very low level with the Macintosh file system. Norton usually will fix what ails your machine. But there may be times that Norton cannot fix a problem, and the software can sometimes make a particular problem worse.

FEATURES AND COMPONENTS

Symantec recently released Norton SystemWorks 7, which features OS X compatibility. As of this writing, the SystemWorks installer installs a version that is not compatible with OS X 10.2 (Jaguar), but there is a LiveUpdate updater that installs Jaguar compatible updates. It is important to note that even if your Mac is running Jaguar, booting off the CD, which uses OS 9, is not a problem.

Norton’s basic feature set remains unchanged from previous incarnations. Here is what the SystemWorks Read Me file says about the components:

* Norton Disk Doctor: Provides a Mac OS X compatible utility to examine and repair disks.

* UnErase: Allows Mac OS X files and folders to be restored.

* Norton Disk Editor: A powerful disk-editing tool intended for hard disk experts and data recovery professionals.

* Norton FileSaver: Tracks deleted files and directory information, and allows users to configure which drives will be tracked and updated.

* Auto-Protect: Norton AntiVirus 8.0 includes the first Mac OS X v10.1 compatible version of Auto-Protect.

* SafeZones: Ensures that your entire computer is protected from viruses by designating it a Universal SafeZone and scanning all files saved to disk.

* Scheduler: Lets you designate how often you want Norton FileSaver to capture your directory structure for use with Volume Recover.

* LiveUpdate: Download updates to your virus definitions and your Symantec software.

INSTALLATION

Clearly, this package has most, if not all, the tools needed to keep your Mac in the pink. Let’s see how they work.

I installed SystemWorks on a 800 MHz dual processor G4 with 640 megs of RAM, as well as a 800 MHz PowerBook G4 (DVI) with 512 megs of RAM. Both machines were running OSX 10.1.4

MyMac columnist John Nemerovski was present, providing adult supervision. The installation process was lengthy. Initially, I was going to throw caution to the winds and not read the manual before installing, but Nemo’s common sense prevailed, and we did the installation according to the book. It was good that we did, as the process is not altogether intuitive.

Make sure to follow the instructions to boot from the proper disks at the proper time. After the CD installation is complete, you then run the LiveUpdate application to bring the recently-installed-from-the-CD applications up to date. Here’s hoping that you have a fast Internet connection when you run LiveUpdate. If not, bring a good book.

With our installation, most of the component applications were updated, and the process took at least 10 minutes using a fast connection. Part of the time is spent watching the Updater actually update the components, and entering your admin password for each component update. (Note to the Symantec programmers; can’t you figure out a way to require the admin password just once?) As of this writing, there is no stand-alone downloadable updater for SystemWorks. You must use the LiveUpdate application. This means that you must have Internet access to install and update SystemWorks. Points off for this omission.

Due to the fact that many SystemWorks components work with the Macintosh file system, the installer adds “kext” (kernel extension) files. These are somewhat like older Mac OS extensions, in that they operate at startup time. But because these kext files reside in the OS X Library folder, it means that you cannot drag copy a SystemWorks installation from one Macintosh to another. Since you MUST use the installer CD, you just might want to plan ahead when you want to put a copy of SystemWorks on your second computer. Don’t forget that you’ll need Internet access. (No, I have not tried to see if SystemWorks will run if you track down and manually copy all the kext files and applications to another computer.)

The SystemWorks installer CD boots into OS 9, not OS X. But what happens if you try to take a SystemWorks CD that you bought 6 months ago to boot your brand-spankin’ new Dual 1.25 GHz Power Mac? You will find out in short order that the version of OS 9 on the SystemWorks installer is too old to boot your new Power Mac. You’ll have to call Symantec Customer service to get a newer CD mailed to you. While annoying, this is typical of any application that needs a bootable installer.

USING THE SOFTWARE

Norton AntiVirus (NAV)

Each time I boot my Macintosh, I give thanks that I am not using a PC. Almost every day, I hear horror stories from my poor, virus-afflicted PC using friends who relate their latest tales of viruses rampaging through their Word documents, Outlook emails, and Windows registry files. I nod sympathetically, and go about my day.

Macintoshes are far less prone to virus attacks, especially if you do not use Microsoft Office. Many viruses are transmitted via Microsoft Word macro files, so if you share Word files with PC users, you are exposed. Malevolent hackers can use Visual Basic scripts to hijack Outlook Express address books to send viruses. I have received many emails that are infected with viruses that do not affect Macintoshes.

To really test AntiVirus, I had to find a virus, as my Mac came up clean on the initial virus scan. I arranged for a co-worker to email me a few dozen Microsoft Word files that had been floating around the company network.

Running AntiVirus under OS 8 or 9 has the capability to scan email attachments if you use certain email applications. Running in OS X, all attachments are scanned automatically.

As advertised, AntiVirus caught the Word Macro virus in each Word file, and gave the following message:

“The file contains the macro virus W97M.Marker.gen. The macro virus W97M.Marker.gen was repaired.”

All 12 files were repaired in short order.

I then deleted the files, temporarily disabled NAV, and re-downloaded them. I did a manual scan after re-enabling NAV. The application scanned all 76,586 files on my PowerBook, successfully detected and repaired the infected files.

If you prefer to not have NAV automatically repair your files, you can configure the preference file to not automatically repair infected files.

For those Unix command line aficionados, you can even run AntiVirus from the Unix command line by invoking the “navx” command. Astute manual readers will note a typo in the first navx command line example that results in a failure to run navx; the necessary trailing slash is appended directly to the navx command “navx/” whereas it should be “navx(spacebar)/”

By the way, I did notify my co-worker to clean his infected files…

Norton UnErase

Decontaminating files is one important part of safe computing, but two of the most important reasons for purchasing Norton are unerasing files, and repairing damaged drives.

My testing plan next called for me to test the UnErase portion of SystemWorks. I thought this would be a quick and easy test. Not true! I began the test by dumping a large number of files of varying sizes into the Trash. I used text files, applications, and graphics to provide a nice variety. But when I tried to empty the trash, my PowerBook G4 800 DVI began to act very oddly. The cursor became very sluggish, and I was unable use any other menus, or switch to any of my other active applications.

The CPU load meter in the menu bar showed no changes in CPU load, but I suspected that the Mac was slowed to the point that it was not properly updating the loadmeter. So, for the first time in a long time, I had to force-reboot the PowerBook, with the Command-Control-power key shortcut.

What had begun as a test of UnErase unexpectedly turned into a test of Disk Doctor! After rebooting, I opened the Trash, and saw the recently-deposited files still there. Assuming that I had had an unlucky glitch, I again emptied the trash. The same Finder freeze hit me again. Now, I began to get concerned.

Just as the SystemWorks manual suggests, I booted off the CD, and ran Disk Doctor. Problems? I had plenty. Disk Doctor said that I had Allocation Block troubles, Volume Header damage, major errors in the B-Tree Catalog nodes, and incorrect free block counts. All this from a freeze when attempting to empty the Trash!

(For those cynical readers out there who think that I am just making this up to add some fictional semblance of realism to this review, you are quite mistaken. This actually happened! Doing software reviews can be hazardous to your computer’s health.)

Disk Doctor was able to fix the catalog damage in one pass, but I ran it again just to make sure that all was copacetic. I thought all was now well.

Wrong.

After re-booting the trouble was still there! I began to suspect that the Trash itself was corrupted, even though Disk Doctor did not flag it as damaged. Booting from the CD, I again repaired the damage, and then booted the ‘Book into OS 9. I used the great utility File Buddy, to list all invisible files. I found the invisible “.Trash” file that was in my OS X Users folder, and moved it to the OS 9 Trash. Still in OS 9, I deleted the Trash, which now contained the folder that was the OS X Trash. Confused? Just remember that the trash is actually a folder. The Trash can become corrupted just like any other folder or file.

Re-booting into OS X, I put one small file into the Trash, held my breath, and emptied the Trash. Success! Why Disk Doctor could not diagnose the problem with the OS X trash I do not know. This example shows why a certain amount of ingenuity may still be required when repairing damaged disks, even though the state of disk repair software is improving.

Resuming the UnErase test after the not-so-pleasant 30 minute stress test, I found that UnErase worked as advertised. It is important to know the longer you wait after file deletion to try to unerase files, the lower the chance of recovery, as the space that the unerased file occupies may be overwritten by a new file. I did not have an external drive handy, so I had to recover the “unerased” files to the same drive from which they had been erased.

UnErase warns the user that this is not recommended, as there is a chance that it may write the new file on top of the old one. UnErase indicates the chance of recovery as Good, Low, or Poor. I easily recovered several “Good” files, and was unable to fully recover any marked “Low” or “Poor.”

Having had a real-life need to use Disk Doctor, I was not interested in damaging my PowerBook to the point that it would not even boot, so I did not give the Volume Recover component an actual test. Unlucky users whose drives no longer boot will then boot from the CD, and use the Volume Recover application. It attempts to scan your disk directory to find the FileSaver files that will help it rebuild your disk. If you did not install FileSaver with your original SystemWorks installation, Volume Recover can scan the entire disk manually, but the time required could take hours on a large disk.

Speed Disk

To wrap up the review, I optimized my PowerBook disk with Speed Disk. Speed Disk both defragments and optimizes your drive, collecting all the various fragments of files, and writing them in contiguous order in the optimal locations on your drive. I noticed a distinct improvement in boot times after running Speed Disk on a highly-fragmented drive. A word to the wise; make SURE that you run Disk Doctor to fix any and all problems BEFORE optimizing your drive. Optimizing a damaged disk is a recipe for major trouble.

Additional Software Bundle

Symantec includes some other applications on the SystemWorks CD. You’ll find a copy of Dantz’s Retrospect Express 5.0, DiskWarrior PE, Aladdin Spring Cleaning, and a demo version of DragStrip, a popular file launcher utility. Due to time and space limitations, I did not test any of these applications.

However, a few comments about DiskWarrior PE are in order. Many think that DiskWarrior is the best application around for repairing damaged disk directories. I have used it with great success several times. DiskWarrior competes head-to-head with the Volume Recover application. The version included on the SystemWorks CD is a crippled version that only allows the user to mount the damaged drive and copy files to another disk. It will not completely repair the damaged directory; that task is left to the Norton Volume Recover application. If you buy SystemWorks, do you need to buy the full version of DiskWarrior as well? Some say yes, some say no. I’ll leave that decision to the reader.

I originally thought that this review would be an overview of the various components of Norton SystemWorks, without needing to actually USE any of them for real. I was pleased and relieved to find that Disk Doctor was able to totally repair the rather significant damage to my disk resulting from a corrupted OS X trash. However, I was unhappy that Disk Doctor could not determine that my .Trash folder was corrupt. If I had not known to delete the invisible .Trash folder when booted from OS 9, I would still have been unable to empty the Trash in OS X.

Both UnErase and Speed Disk worked well.

WRAPPING UP

In summary, everyone must own a disk maintenance package. Symantec’s SystemWorks is a full-featured collection of applications that will fix most problems most of the time. It is not magic; it is possible to damage a disk so badly that no recovery application can fix it, and it may not be able to diagnose every file or disk problem. Regular PREVENTIVE maintenance and backing up are the keys to uneventful computer usage. But if you do have major or minor problems, SystemWorks is going to help you get your Mac back on its feet.

MacMice Rating: 4 out of 5

David Weeks

Buffalo Lights
Author: John Farr
Publisher: Self Published
Price: US $9.99

In today’s day and age, with a plethora of online content, can one lone guy self-publish an e-Book and be successful? To help answer that, lets look at a new self-published book by Macintosh scribe John Farr.

Let me preface this review by saying right up front that I consider the AppleLinks.com writer and editor a friend. One of the few online writers I have actually met in person, and one of the very few whom I send email to on a regular basis. And while I do have quite a different outlook on life, politics, and Macintosh experience than John, I must say I love reading his weekly columns. I have enjoyed his writing since he first began his gig over at AppleLinks, as well as his brief stint with MacAddict and his own blog.

Saying all that, can I fairly review John’s new e-Book objectively? I think so. In fact, because of my friendship, I feel compelled to perhaps be even more critical of Buffalo Lights.

Buffalo Lights is an e-Book published in Adobe Acrobat format. The last draft of the e-Book comes in at 128 pages. For a price of $9.99, that equals around eight cents per page. In contrast, an average paperback book costs $7.99 for 350 pages, equaling around two-cents per page. So why would you want to spend more for less content?

Easy answer: you pay for good content, not just ink (or fonts) on a page. While there are thousands and thousands of books you can spend your money on, most really are not worth reading. Buffalo Lights, however, is.

Buffalo Lights is one mans journey into the unknown. It is about how one man, following the pull of a mid-life crisis, uproots his family and makes a radical change. But John does not take the journey alone. Along for the ride, and a co-driver, is his wife Kathy. And while we get glimpses of John’s life through her eyes, this book is really about John’s physical change, his spiritual refueling, and his radical departure of all the has come before in his life.

The journey starts in Maryland, where John’s life and sense of self is all about doubt and some regret. Of paths not taken, opportunities missed, and unfulfilled dreams. Some would call this a mid-life crisis, as I do, though I don’t know if that description is entirely accurate. Perhaps a mid-life change would be more appropriate.

The journey leads to Taos, New Mexico, where nothing is the same as Maryland. The pull of this part of America is an alluring dream for John and Kathy, and they leave behind a good job (Kathy’s, not John’s) sell their home, and take the plunge. They are convinced that a better life awaits them in the drought, mountains, and sagebrush that is New Mexico. Do they find what they are looking for? Is your physical location key to your spiritual growth? Do your dreams and life’s ambitions come true with a change of venue? You will have to read Buffalo Lights to learn that; I am not going to spoil it for you.

The book does not end, not really. This is his life from around 1998 through 2002, a collection and rewriting of columns and articles written for different publications throughout the past four to five years. Fortunately for those not familiar with John’s writing, none of it feels dated. None of it feels like catch up. It is all fresh and new, even for those of us (like myself) who have been reading John for years. The book feels fresh and new.

As a book reviewer, I get al the books I review here at MyMac.com for free. Buffalo Lights was not an exception. But after reading this book, I felt compelled to actually buy it. That’s right, I read the entire book and paid for it afterwards. Did I do so because it is John, or because this book is truly worth my ten bucks? I am not a rich man, and as a publisher, I respect good content above all else. This book is worth more than ten bucks, and so I spent my money not to ease John’s financials but because this is a masterpiece of writing.

I do not use the word masterpiece lightly. If you go back through every book review I have written in the past seven years, you will not find that word anywhere. The only book I have read in the last ten years, besides Buffalo Lights, I could use that honorifics with, would be Pillars of the Earth. And I don’t use it here as a favor to John, but because this book really is that good.

Do you want to read the writings of a man who has a lot to say, with the ability to captivate a reader? This book is for you. Being a self-published endeavor, you can expect some errors. A sprinkling of grammar and spelling mistakes can be found within, but they are few and far between. If anything, when you find one, it reminds you that this is not a product of the publishing juggernaut industry, but rather the work of a passionate writer fully in charge of the content. It breathes life throughout, pulling the reader into a world most of us are not familiar with. You know, while reading, that your spent money is going to the creator of the work, not to the public relations department of a huge corporation.

Coming up with a metaphor to describe Buffalo Lights is not easy, so I won’t try. It is a great, great read, one you will be happy to spend ten bucks on. It is also a work in progress in many ways, and your price will entitle you to updates to the book as time goes on. Since starting Buffalo Lights, John has already released two updates to the book, correcting this and that.

An opus of a thwarted dreamer, Buffalo Lights is a must read.

MacMice Rating: 4 out of 5

Inside the Publishing Revolution: The Adobe Story
Peachpit Press
ISBN 0-321-11564-3
256 Pages
50.00 US

Whither poor Xerox, from an all time high stock price of sixty bucks to the recent six dollar a share closing price, the future is not very bright. It’s tempting (though overly simplistic) to blame the avalanche like slide of the stock price on the missed opportunity of the original GUI (graphical user interface). As most computer users know the GUI was invented by hard working denizens of Xerox and then ignored by the Xerox brass (we all know what happened once Steve Jobs got a glimpse). Why is that explanation overly simplistic? Because it’s not the only thing that Xerox took a pass on, they also took a pass on the technology that sparked the company known as Adobe.

Where did I learn this useful tidbit of Xerox shame? From the new book by Pamela Pfiffner entitled Inside the Publishing Revolution: The Adobe Story. In between the tastefully wrapped hard covers you’ll find a more than adequate history of Adobe along with interspersions of art created with a variety of Adobe products. I don’t know if I should call Inside the Publishing Revolution: The Adobe Story a coffee table book or just oversized. While it certainly contains the requisite number of breathtaking images printed on heavier than usual stock it’s not quite big or glossy enough to fully assume the description that is the coffee table book.

Coffee table material or not, there is a lot of information expertly placed in Pamela Pfiffner’s creation. You have the aforementioned history and mini art portfolio, but you also get a nifty timeline at the beginning of every chapter that relates things you remember (i.e. introduction of the laserwriter) to Adobe’s corporate timeline and a sidebar panel that outlines Adobe’s growth and revenues (called Bizstats) as the years pass. It’s a beautiful book just to flip through even if you never read a word. Inside the Publishing Revolution: The Adobe Story is laid out in a stellar manner with just the right balance between full color illustration and the black and white text.

The text is the only thing I had a problem with. Pamela Pfiffner really likes Adobe and as such the book reads like a bit of a love letter. I wondered if the closing chapter was going to come with the standard disclaimer found at the end of every PR release (this book contains certain forward looking statements….). Don’t let Pamela Pfiffner’s love for Adobe dissuade you from parting with the fifty bucks for ownership of this tome. While obviously very pro Adobe the facts are correct and the timelines are dead on accurate.

That accuracy plays into a very interesting read (if you can get past the pleasantly distracting images). Adobe starts out as two bearded scientists, employed yet ignored by Xerox, start their own company. Typical rags to riches fare I suppose but this tale doesn’t stop at the riches. We are entertained by the spats with Apple and the still fuming feud with Microsoft. The winding road that leads to the market domination of Adobe is entertaining and informative with more ups and down than an e-ticket ride at Disney World.

If your you’re interested in the history of Adobe or if you just like visually a pleasing well laid out tome this book is for you. Trust me when I say you’ll have a hard time finding a more eye pleasing history of anything and the illustrations serve to document the technological leaps Adobe has made (or more precisely bought up, Photoshop was originally created by a grad student). Inside the Publishing Revolution: The Adobe Story is a solid and revealing effort, you won’t miss the scratch you spend to own the two hundred and sixty five pages.

MacMice Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Chris Seibold

Tech TV’s Catalog of Tomorrow
ISBN 0-7897-2810-9
288 Pages
$29.99 US, $46.99 CAN

“The year 1994: From out of space comes a runaway planet, hurtling between the Earth and the Moon, unleashing cosmic destruction. Man’s civilization is cast in ruin.”

-Intro to “Thundarr the Barbarian”

That was the prediction of the 1980 cartoon “Thundarr the Barbarian”. Since 1994 has come and gone it’s pretty safe to say that the dire situation predicted by the creators of Thundarr didn’t come to pass. This illustrates the problem with speculating about the future. The future, being what it is, is notoriously hard to predict. Ed Zolli realizes the inherent difficulty of predicting the future but still remains bold enough to edit together some well-informed guesses in “Tech TV’s Catalog of Tomorrow” (say it out loud while making a fake echo for maximum coolness).

“Tech TV’s Catalog of Tomorrow” has a well-ordered layout. First divided into very broad but related sections like “Our Tools” or “Our Society.” The broad categories are winnowed down a bit to section titles like “Computing” or “Nanotechnology” followed finally by individual article with titles like “Broadband” and “Cyborgs.” This makes the book easy to navigate and reference but saps some of the fun out of “Tech TV’s Catalog of Tomorrow”. Since you always know exactly what’s coming there’s never one of those “Wow, look what I found” feeling you while thumbing through less organized futuristic looking tomes.

The real meat of the book is, of course, the individual articles. Each article is accompanied by a timeline for likely adoption of the topic at hand, two circles indicting relative risk and benefit, a color photograph or artists rendering and a few related links for those still curious after reading the article. It’s visually pleasing format and very well laid out but the topics and prose are really what we’re after. The topics for the articles run from utterly predictable “Gene Therapy” (already in use to a small extent) to the seemingly outlandish “Floating Cities”(a 4,500 foot boat). I prefer the more outlandish future predications but “Catalog of Tomorrow” keeps mostly to the rational. I suppose this is because the articles are well written and researched and not mere speculation that some authors are known to trot out. I would predict that “Catalog of Tomorrow” will probably fare better than average if reviewed for accuracy in a hundred years, still some groundless guessing would have been great for entertainment value.

No one book is going to make everyone happy and this was the case for me while reading “Tech TV’s Catalog of Tomorrow”. It’s not that I think it’s a bad book, it’s just not what I am used to when authors opine on the future. Since any book about the future basically amounts to little more than an educated guess I like my guesses with a little less legwork and a little more guess work. That’s what makes this kind of book fun for me (you know, like the laughable “Dow 36,000″). I am also objective enough to realize that even if it’s not my personal cup of tea it’s still a pretty good book. If you are partial to a more factual, logically sound bit of crystal gazing then “Tech TV’s Catalog of Tomorrow” is for you.

Bottom Line: Nicely written, nicely illustrated, and even oversized. “Tech TV’s Catalog of Tomorrow” is above average in every way.

MacMice Rating: 3 out of 5

Chris Seibold

TDK Tremor S40 Multimedia Speaker
Company: TDK
Price: $49.99 US
http://www.tdk.com/speakers/tremors40.html

Last Saturday morning was cool and sunny, so I opened windows and turned on fans in house and office. I went out to my home office early, wanting to test for the distortion point on TDK’s new S40 Tremor speakers. I connected them to the headphone outlet on an AKAI CD Radio Cassette Recorder I recently purchased.

With Rolling Stones’ “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” playing from CD at moderate sound level on the AKAI, I slowly turned up volume on the TDK speakers until it reached maximum. Sound was clear and stable. Then I gradually increased volume on the AKAI until most of the cacti in my Tucson neighborhood were rocking and rolling. No distortion. “It’s a gas!”

Barbara came running across the patio, waving her arms and shouting something incomprehensible. By the time she reached my office building, she was irate. “What the %&*@# do you think you are doing, you idiot?! It’s not even 7:00 a.m. and you’re waking up everybody between Phoenix and Nogales. Shut that #&@* thing off or the neighbors will be calling the sheriff to have you arrested, which you deserve.”

Once potential buyers get past the specs on the S40 Tremors, here’s what they need to know:

Vue 4 d’Esprit
(OS X Compatible)
Company: E-on Software
Price: $199
http://www.e-onsoftware.com

Vue 4 d’Esprit for OS X is a 3D application for creating natural scenery and terrains. It has a short learning curve and clean intuitive interface reminiscent of Apple’s iMovie, It allows beginners to jump right in yet advanced users will find it packed with many powerful features for fine-tuning both still images and animations. It is only available for OS X, one more reason to consider making the switch to Apple’s new operating system if you’re still standing on the fence.

Vue 4 gives you a powerful and easy to use terrain editor, infinitely variable sky and cloud generation with volumetric atmospheres, fog and haze, lens flares, realistic 3D vegetation (with every plant unique), stars, planets, soft shadows, blurred reflections, caustics, motion blur and depth of field. While you can have animated clouds but it does not give the ability to create rain, snow, or wind that interacts with the environment. Perhaps in future releases?

Vue 4 comes with an “Extras” CD that contains many object models that can be imported into your scenes and animated to a small degree. There are some neat features that allow you to create animation paths with specific characteristics, i.e. plane, helicopter, motorcycle, and speedboat to name but a few, and apply them to objects that you import. While they do work I found that even the slightest curves in the paths caused drastic changes in the way objects or the camera would bank. Getting your animation smooth takes a lot of trial and error. More involved animation of imported objects is possible by adding E-on’s Mover 4 plug-in ($89). The Mover 4 plug-in allows you to import animated characters from Poser 4. The Mover 4 plug-in doesn’t, however, support Poser’s new Hair creation capability.

Rendering in any 3D program is often like watching paint dry. Vue 4 is no exception. E-on software claims that under similar conditions and render settings Vue 4 is equal to or better than Bryce, which is Vue 4′s main competition. Anyone who plans to use Vue 4 on a deadline can achieve astonishing images quickly had better save plenty of time for rendering if they use any volumetric atmospheres or are doing animations. A very fast dual processor Mac wouldn’t hurt, as Vue 4′s rendering engine does not really take advantage of today’s fast video cards and instead relies mainly on the processor.

While the visual effects achievable in Vue 4 are remarkable there where several things I found frustrating. It comes with a great user guide that includes a lot of useful tutorials, but I found many instances were it directs you to the wrong location for needed files on the accompanying CD’s. While this may seem like a small gripe, they were numerous enough to be quite frustrating and caused me to waste a good deal of time switching CD’s and searching for the files.

I should comment that E-on software claims that Vue 4 is optimized for OpenGL views but one look at their support page will show you that many customers disagree. My personal experience trying to use it was dismal. The program crashed repeatedly with OpenGL activated. E-on is aware of this and even set up the software with the OpenGL functionality disabled upon installation. You have to turn it on in the preferences to use it. It may work for some setups but don’t hang your hat on it. I tried it on a 933mz G4 at work and on my 433mz G4 at home with similar results. For me, OpenGL was not an option.

The Vue 4 version that shipped to me for review was 4.06, though version 4.1 is a free update available to registered users. It provides Lightwave 6 and Truespace 5 imports, static Poser scene import, Cinema 4D terrain export and promises improved resolution of enlarged materials and better sky rendering. There are also numerous bug fixes in the 4.1 update, so I strongly suggest downloading it if you have version 4.06 or earlier. Still, there are known bugs in 4.1 that have appeared since Apple updated OS X 10.2 (AKA Jaguar). E-on Software is working on another update, v4.11, that they say will be available soon. Until it ships, Vue 4 users who want to be like George Burns and play God will have to put up with a program that is at once both amazing and frustrating due to frequent crashes.

Initially, I was excited by some of the extra materials and vegetations that are available from the user community but that faded quickly when I tried to load them and found that most only work with the PC version of Vue4. However, Vue 4 hasn’t been available for the Mac for long so perhaps there will be more in the future.

Speaking of the future, I have a wish of things that I would like to see in future releases.
1. MORE STABLE.
2. Better OpenGL support.
3. More vegetation species.
4. Measurement tool. (Determining the distance from the camera to a specific object is largely a matter of guesswork. It is necessary to know this when setting the focus distance for depth of field)
5. Faster rendering
6. Rain, snow, and wind (No small feat for their engineers, I’m sure, but rain, snow, and wind seem like natural extensions to an environment modeler).
7. Wood materials. (It has many rock, water, sky, glass, terrain, glowing materials, etc.; the absence of any wood materials seems odd).
8. Particle effects.

In a nutshell:

I liked:
1. The interface.
2. User guide with good index and great tutorials.
3. Easy to use yet powerful terrain generator.
4. Volumetric atmospheres.
5. Vegetation (with every plant unique).
6. Soft shadows, blurred reflections, caustics, motion blur and depth of field.

I disliked:
1. Prone to crashing. (Primarily with OpenGL active).
2. User guide directs you to the wrong location for tutorial files.
3. Rendering speeds seemed slow when using “Final” setting. They were Interminable when using “Broadcast” setting (Broadcast setting is required to achieve depth of field and motion blur effects).

I’d like to give Vue 4 d’Esprit a MacMice rating of 5 out of 5. Honestly, for under $200 I don’t think you’ll find a program that does as much for less money. But money is not everything as anyone who has worked on a deadline with 3D programs soon learns. In the end the stability of this program forces me to only give it 3 out of a possible 5.

MacMice Rating: 3 out of 5

Tad Scheeler

Digital Character Animation 2, volume 2: advanced techniques
Author: George Maestri
Publisher: New Riders
218 Pages
$50.00 US, $74.95 CAN
ISBN 0-7357-0044-3

With Digital Character Animation 2, volume 2: advanced techniques, the maestro of animation, George Maestri picks up where he left off in volume 1 and delivers an amazing amount of knowledge in 218 easy to read, well illustrated, full color pages. Every page is short, sweet, to the point, and packed with tips that any aspiring digital animator needs to know. It is full of essential information that will help the reader turn out effective, believable animation.

Digital Character Animation 2, volume 2: advanced techniques is written from a software-neutral perspective and focuses on fundamental concepts that can be applied in any program. It begins with chapters on real world production and story development from an animator’s point of view. The heart of the book contains chapters on rigging characters, tips and tricks, human and animal motion, acting, and anthropomorphic animation (animating the inanimate). It ends with a chapter on animation for games.

George Maestri’s credentials are impressive. He has worked on projects for Nickelodeon (Rocko’s Modern Life), CBS (The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat) and was the original animation producer of South Park.

Whether you are a student of animation, a hobbyist or a professional, this book should be in your library right next to Digital Character Animation 2, volume 1: essential techniques. I consider both volumes required reading for any person interested in character animation. My copies are already dog-eared from constant use.

The only negative comments I will make are the lack of an accompanying CD to augment the text and the relatively high price tag for the book. At $50 (US), I would expect a CD, especially with a book on animation. Volume 1 of this series did come with a CD and I found it very helpful in understanding the concepts presented in the text.

MacMice Rating: 4 out of 5

Tad Scheeler