Download the March 31, 2005 MyMac.com PodCast HERE.
32:18 Minutes 17MB in size
We adjusted our sound levels and EQ settings. We think this sounds much better, but let us know what you think!
This PodCast is sponsored by Small Dog Electronics. Be sure to click this link and visit Small Dog today!
On today’s show, we go over some of the latest content online at MyMac.com, and share our “wish list” for future Apple products. Do you have a program or hardware item you would like Apple to create? If so, let us know and we will share your wish list on a future PodCast.
Also this week, Chris Seibold’s Not Mac News! Yeah, baby!
Drop us feedback, either in text or MP3 sound file to mymacpodcast@gmail.com
Some have implied that Macs are safe from Viruses or Worms; thus they are secure or nearly impervious. While I like their enthusiasm, I think they are being a little too optimistic; so some cynical realism is in order.
First, we need to understand the terms. A computer virus (or worm) is a self-replicating program or something that “spreads” and makes copies of itself without permission or the user even knowing about it. These programs “infect” other programs, documents or the system, so that in the future accessing those files will run the virus and spread it even more. Thus a computer virus inserts itself into the users computer or on other programs, like a real virus would invade your cells. Like other life forms, its primary purpose is propagating the species and survive.
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Today I finally snapped and bought myself a Shuffle. I’m listening to it as I write this.
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BBEdit 8.03
Bare Bones Software
Price: $199.00
http://www.barebones.com
Bare Bones Software’s marketing slogan for their high-powered text editor BBEdit 8 is “It doesn’t suck.” They’re right; it doesn’t suck. Deliberate understatement aside, it’s a great piece of software that you may not even know you need.
“What’s a text editor?”
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DVForge puts all Mac users at risk for personal gain
On the Windows side of computing, there have been countless thousands of poor souls who have suffered countless hours trying to repair or recover from a virus infection on their computer. They are common, unfortunately, and can cause irreparable harm. From lost data to lost money, a virus can do much harm.
For Mac OS X, there have been no viruses to date, mostly because of the small user base and the relatively small installed user base. It should come as no surprise, then, when the anti-virus software maker Symantec Corporation warned that it is only a matter of time before a virus actually shows up on the platform. Their reasoning? Mac OS X is starting to make much bigger inroads with computer buyers, with the popularity of iPods, iTunes Music Store, and the Mac mini. In essence, they state that as the Mac OS X gets more popular, the malicious virus creators of the world will take notice and begin writing virus software designed to attack the Mac OS X operating system.
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Download the MP3 here, about 9:30 Minutes in length.
Just a quick Tim-Only PodCast to talk about some of the new content at MyMac.com, as well as answer a question from a listener asking about the site itself.
Short questions: What is the difference between stealing software and buying it?
Your good nature, better judgment, and clear conscious aside, what IS the difference between stealing software and buying it to the user?
For me, it really comes down to one simple thing: product support. Obviously, if I steal or copy software, I cannot expect EVER to get support for the product. If I find a bug, the software screws up, or I cannot figure out how to make it work…well, too bad for me. Or is it?
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TuneBase FM for the iPod mini
Company: Belkin
Price: $79.99
Belkin TuneBase FM Link
I just love gadgets. I’m a sucker for the next thing to come along. A psychological fault I suppose. Except when it came to the iPod. Try as I might, I resisted the little music player that single-handedly brought more good press to Apple like no other product since the original iMac. Oh, such a foolish attempt. In my heart of hearts, I knew I would buy one of these doohickeys, so why did I wait? Like most of my life decisions, I have not a clue. Wait I did however and maybe it was the right decision all along.
While I sat on the sidelines, sweating over some cool tech that I did not have, something wonderful happened. Apple managed to capture a significant portion of a major new market that all the other manufacturers had failed to really make any headway with. Of course no one had the whole package ready to go. Sure there were other MP3 players and music stores before the iPod and iTunes, but none of them worked well together and none of the stores had the backing of most of the major music labels.
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Show Notes for 3.24.05 MyMac.com PodCast
This PodCast sponsored by Small Dog Electronics!
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Just a quick PodCast from Tim about the latest content at MyMac.com and an update to the Airport Express Base Station. Download the MP3 HERE.
Here’s our second in an ongoing series of helpful Q&A conversations between John “Nemo” Nemerovski and Guy Serle. Nemo asks the questions and Guy ducks answering them like a felon avoids a parole officer. Uh, not that he knows anything about that. They welcome your suggestions for future topics.
NEMO: What are the different types of connectors used for displays that work with Apple computers, Guy?
GUY: Not too loaded a question, sheesh! Maybe I should get loaded first? No, no, that always leads to trouble. Back to your question. Early on, Apple didn’t need to worry about monitors for Macs (or Mac-Like computers) since they were built-in to all their original models. I’m speaking of the LISA and the first 128K Mac to the Mac Plus. I didn’t include the Mac SE in this list since the day it was introduced; Apple also came out with their first real expandable Mac, the Mac II.
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MaxSleeve Impact Resistant Protective Sleeve for Apple PowerBooks/iBooks
Company: MaxUpgrades
Price: $23.50 – $27.50
http://www.maxupgrades.com
PowerBooks and iBooks are meant to travel, and need protection when out in the wild. Scratched cases are no fun, and dropping an unprotected ‘Book is even less fun.
Some travelers prefer the protection of a hard-sided suitcase, and some like the traditional padded shoulder bag. Other travelers prefer to slip their computer into their briefcase or carry-on suitcase.
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iMove Positioning Table for Apple Cinema Display and iMac G5
Company: MaxUpgrades
Price: $89 to $179
http://www.maxupgrades.com
G4 “lampshade” iMacs are famous or notorious for their tilt-and-swivel-necks, but G5 iMacs are all tilt and no swivel. Ditto for the sleek new Apple Cinema Displays, sized from 20 to 30 inches. If you want to add some roll to your rock, the curiously-named iMove from MaxUpgrades.com will get your iMac or Cinema Display cruising around your desk with unlimited mobility.
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As far as I know, there is not a store in which, before you shop there, you are required to read and agree to a contract that states that anything that happens to you while in the store is not the responsibility of the store itself. If there were, how many consumers do you think would shop there? And yet, every day, consumers of software are agreeing to just those terms, putting the entire onus on themselves for any defects and potential harm the program may do to the data on their computers.
Are the software makers of the world getting a free ride? And where does the responsibility of lost, stolen, or damaged data become the responsibility of those who make software riddled with flaws, security holes, and the like?
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Many people will see the announcement of a word processor from Apple as a statement of intent to reduce the dependency of the Mac platform on Microsoft. While AppleWorks (formerly ClarisWorks) had been around for years, it has always been seen too low-end to be much competition for Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint. But with arrival of Pages, a high-end word processor and page layout program, Apple is offering many professional and academic users a viable alternative to Word. If Pages turns out to be as successful as Safari and Keynote, does the Mac Business Unit at Microsoft have something to worry about? And if Microsoft stopped producing Office for the Mac, would it really matter?
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Download the MP3 HERE
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Check out our new contest this week, the second MacQuiz! Name the four products Apple is advertising in our sound clips, send a email here!
This week, the prize is a set of RSL Digital Fidelity One Speaker System from Rogersound Labs. (List price: $99 US) As a MyMac.com reader put it; “Best sounding speakers under $100 on Earth”
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eMedia Rock Guitar Method
Company: eMedia Music Corp.
Price: $39.95 US
http://www.emediamusic.com
The eMedia Music booth at January’s Macworld Expo was bursting with sounds from guitars and MIDI keyboards and tutorial CDs. Company employees were exhausted at the end of each day on the showroom floor, stumbling away from San Francisco’s Moscone Center knowing they have the best-selling cross-platform music instruction software. Their new Rock Guitar Method is a superior product that helps beginners and intermediates to become better rock guitarists when used alongside diligent study and practice.
Buying Used Macs
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$5.00 – Buy it Now! Click here!
NEW! Download a sample chapter here in PDF format!
Neale Monks will take you though the process of spending your money wisely when you can’t run out and buy a new Mac. He offers you the background on the different Mac models, back to the start of Apple and up to the almost brand new models coming out of Cupertino. He will take you through the good and bad points of each model and whether it’s a good idea to buy, upgrade or not even bother. So if you’re considering your options for buying used, Neale Monks’ book is a must-have!
IBM, Toshiba and Sony got together in 2001 to create an alliance for a new type of processor called the Cell Processor. This revolution could change the industry. Finally, they started giving out details, and will producing chips before the year is out. This report that details all the information I could gather about the design, and analyzing what it is likely to mean for Apple and the industry at large.
It is available from a few sites, including:
http://www.mymac.com/fileupload/CellProcessor.pdf
http://homepage.mac.com/dke/.cv/dke/Public/CellProcessor.pdf-binhex.hqx
http://www.igeek.com/CellProcessor.pdf
Drive Genius 1.01
Prosoft Engineering
http://www.prosofteng.com
$99.00 single user license
Prosoft Engineering’s Drive Genius (DG for short) is the latest entry in the drive maintenance and repair field. Drive Genius joins Alsoft’s Disk Warrior, and Micromat’s TechTool 4.
Let’s see what DG has to offer, and how well it works.
The product datasheet shows that DG has a veritable laundry list of functions. Here’s a list of the more important features:
DG comes on a bootable CD. New OS versions generally require an updated CD. This is true of all drive repair products that allow booting off the CD.
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