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.
Continue reading »
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?)
Continue reading »
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.
Continue reading »
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.
Continue reading »
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.
Continue reading »
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.)
Continue reading »
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.
Continue reading »
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.
Continue reading »
When we decided to do a My Mac Staff team piece for the Greatest Mac App ever, we did it as a fun piece and to see what our readers would think of our selections. Well, the response from readers was immediate and offered a whole new group of suggestions for the Greatest Mac App ever. You will find both pro and con responses to the article, and a whole new look at what apps some of our readers think is deserving of the title, “Greatest Mac App.” Continue reading »
Enjoy!
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.”
Continue reading »
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.
Continue reading »
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.
Continue reading »
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).
Continue reading »
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!”
Continue reading »
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?
Continue reading »
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.
Continue reading »
Comments. Be heard!
MyMac Podcast #385
MyMac Podcast #384