Friday, April 27, 2007

Cult of Mac (9 сообщений)

  RSS  Cult of Mac
Read Leander Kahney's latest commentary about Apple and Mac News in Wired.com's Cult of Mac Blog, including Mac, Mac Pro, MacBook, iMac, iBook, Mac mini, iPod video, iPod nano, iPod shuffle, iTunes, iPhoto, iPhone, Apple TV, OSX, Steve Jobs, and Macworld.
http://blog.wired.com/cultofmac/
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  • Homemade Hi-Fi With Tube Amp
    Details of a homemade iPod Hi-Fi system: After pricing everything out, I decided to build a single mono channel to see how it sounded. $100 for the amp, $100 for the speaker parts, $100 for wood (real oak, just couldn't...

    Image001

    Details of a homemade iPod Hi-Fi system:

    After pricing everything out, I decided to build a single mono channel to see how it sounded. $100 for the amp, $100 for the speaker parts, $100 for wood (real oak, just couldn't use that compressed saw dust stuff). I ordered the parts and went to work. After about two weeks of working in the evenings this is what I came up with.

    ... Even though it is monaural, the sound is unbelievable. I thought about building the second channel, but so far I'm happy with this.

    The speaker is a Dayton III design:

    The Dayton III is a 2-way, dual woofer loudspeaker using the Dayton 6-1/2" paper cone woofer and 1-1/8" silk dome tweeter. These drivers have been the subject of a lot of discussion on the Parts Express Tech Talk board because they are among the "best bang for the buck" in low price loudspeaker drivers. This woofer is able to produce exceptionally low bass for a given box size and the tweeter produces clean, clear highs. When you hear these speakers you won't believe that the total cost for drivers and crossover components is under $150/PAIR!



    lkahney


  • Fake Steve: Faithful Must Re-Hypnotize Themselves
    Apple faithful, I sense a disturbance in the force. I feel ... fear. Worry. Anger. Faithful, put aside these negative feelings. The OS is fine. The iPhone is fine. Everything is fine. We are taking a little extra time, that's...

    Stevejobstop

    Apple faithful, I sense a disturbance in the force. I feel ... fear. Worry. Anger. Faithful, put aside these negative feelings. The OS is fine. The iPhone is fine. Everything is fine. We are taking a little extra time, that's all. I'm sure you're receiving taunts from your Windows-loving friends talking about "OS X Leper." I've been taunted too. Bill Gates just called and offered to send over a team to help us port Vista features into Leopard.

    Faithful, do not lose heart. I've chosen the photo above to help you re-hypnotize yourselves. Look directly into my eyes, not around the eyes, but into the eyes. Now think of products. Glossy white products that cost too much money and make you feel superior to other people. Feel better? Good. Me too.

    Link.



    lkahney


  • Leopard Screenshots: Possibly Fake
    There's several new screenshots lighting up the internet that are purportedly taken from a new Leopard build (9A410). Posted to Hackintosh, MacRumors, Flickr and elsewhere, the screenshots show a new, simple UI that's darker and sharper than the current --...

    Finder

    There's several new screenshots lighting up the internet that are purportedly taken from a new Leopard build (9A410).

    Posted to Hackintosh, MacRumors, Flickr and elsewhere, the screenshots show a new, simple UI that's darker and sharper than the current -- note the corners of windows are no longer rounded. There's less brushed metal, more soothing grey.
    The screenshots on Flickr look much more like the current UI (Tiger) ,except Mail now has a metallic look.
    But there's something fishy about them. The interface is too plain and stripped back.

    Many on the MacRumors' forums think the screens are fake, and one poster on Flickr is sure about it.:

    "Fake! Fake! Fake!

    I write themes for OSX. And, I can tell you how this was most probably done:

    The file Extras.rsrc still kinda works in the betas for 10.5 although, I hope that it will be removed before release.

    Anyway, Installer based themes (though out of favor in 10.4) still work by replacing Extras.rsrc among other files.

    Someone swapped out the normal Extras.rsrc and took some screen shots. Since most of the guts of 10.5 do not depend upon Extras.rsrc anymore, I am confident that 10.5 would run with a 10.4 Extras file for now.

    Note that you do not see any signs of resolution independence! That is what would break this fake theme (since res independence calls to images not stored in Extras.rsrc)."

    More screens after the jump

    Spotlight:
     Downloads Apple Spotlight

    Control Panel:

     Downloads Apple Arabesque
    Finder:

     Downloads Apple Open

    Photo Booth:
    Photobooth



    lkahney


  • Wilkes University: Explaining the Switch to Mac
    Wilkes University Wilkes-Barre, PA, is about to become one of the first colleges to make a complete switch from Windows PCs to new Intel Macs. Over the next three years, Wilkes will become an all-Mac campus -- a $1.4 million...

    Wilkes-University-Mac-Lab

    Wilkes University Wilkes-Barre, PA, is about to become one of the first colleges to make a complete switch from Windows PCs to new Intel Macs. Over the next three years, Wilkes will become an all-Mac campus -- a $1.4 million switch involving 1,700 computers. The reason? To save money. The college will buy fewer machines and expects to spend less on support.

    Scott Byers, vice president for finance and general counsel at Wilkes, answered a few questions by email, explaining the reason for the switch and the reaction from students and staff.

    "Students seem to like the change and recognize Apple as an innovator in technology," he said. "This generation of students has a great affinity for the Apple brand."

    Whose idea was it to switch to Macs?
    
The idea was generated as we solicited bids for our annual technology refresh program. Every three years we replenish all 1,700 computers on campus. Apple introduced us to their Intel-based Macs and we saw it as an opportunity to provide Apple and Windows operating systems in one machine for the campus community. The benefits to the end user were obvious. Students and faculty could choose the platform they needed and wanted based on their individual computing needs. We also saw an opportunity to reduce the number of machines on campus and therefore create more efficient use of computer labs. We soon realized the question wasn't 'why make the switch,' but 'why not?'


    Was there any resistance?
    
We are an institution whose mission is to establish personal relationships so we worked closely with our faculty and staff to make sure we had a general consensus in moving forward with Apple.


    Your stated reason was to save money. Were there any other advantages or disadvantages?
    
Being more efficient was a desire but we felt it had many other advantages;
    1) Allowed the user to choose the desired operating system
    2) offered the potential to enhance teaching and learning using Apple's iLife software
    3) created a standard base that our IT department could work with consistently rather than Dells, Gateways, HP and Apples
    4) reduced the number of units necessary for campus and the number of units requiring potential service and replacement.


    What was the reaction to the news like from staff and students?
    Students seem to like the change and recognize Apple as an innovator in technology. This generation of students has a great affinity for the Apple brand. Staff have embraced the change as well. We anticipate additional support from the campus community by providing training on the educational benefits of Apple software.

    A couple of years ago, universities and schools were switching away from Macs. Do you think we'll see more switch back?
    
I think so. Apple has made inroads in the personal computer market with an operating system that one could argue is superior to Windows. The switcher approach allows campuses to access both platforms from one unit. Again, I would pose the question why wouldn't a campus make the switch? The visual, user-friendly nature of Apple-based programs, along with iTunes and other lifestyle programs, has aligned well with the current and incoming generation of college students.

    Any additional comments?
    I'd like to add that Wilkes has long been a leading provider of graduate education for teachers. We offer master's degree and certificate programs in classroom technology and instructional technology. At the core of those programs is an emphasis on computer skills and also leadership skills so teachers can implement crucial technology upgrades in their respective schools. Our partnership with Apple will be a vital part of providing cutting-edge, quality education in the way of instructional technology for today's teachers.



    lkahney


  • Download TV Shows Automatically Via BitTorrent
    TVShows is a free, open source application that triggers automatic downloading of TV shows via BitTorrent. Working in conjunction with a BitTorrent client, the application manages show subscriptions. Favorite shows are automatically downloaded in the background whenever they become available...

      Images Screenshot3

    TVShows is a free, open source application that triggers automatic downloading of TV shows via BitTorrent.

    Working in conjunction with a BitTorrent client, the application manages show subscriptions. Favorite shows are automatically downloaded in the background whenever they become available online.

    Most BitTorrent video is encoded in DivX or .AVI formats, and will play fine in a media player like VLC, but if you want to stream it to an AppleTV, you will need to convert the shows -- or hack the AppleTV to support DivX and other formats.

    Another way to get TV shows automatically is to set up Azureus with the RSS Feed Scanner plugin. Full instructions here.

    Via TorrentFreak



    lkahney


  • Apple Corps. Gave Apple Inc. the Entire Apple Cart
    AppleInsider: Filings discovered today by AppleInsider and noted on April 5th at the US Patent and Trademark Office show that Apple Corps has given up more of the trademarks associated with The Beatles' own company than was expected as part...

    AppleInsider:

    Filings discovered today by AppleInsider and noted on April 5th at the US Patent and Trademark Office show that Apple Corps has given up more of the trademarks associated with The Beatles' own company than was expected as part of the landmark settlement in February... (Steve Jobs' Apple Inc.) received the rights to use imagery virtually inseparable from Apple Corps' music business, including the centerpiece green apple and two variants with the fruit cut in half.

     Apple-Mark-070412-1



    lkahney


  • News Burrito
    FT.com -- Music labels ask Apple to adopt subscription: The world's biggest music companies are expected to ask Apple to introduce a music subscription service to its iTunes digital media store as part of negotiations to renew their agreements with...

    FT.com -- Music labels ask Apple to adopt subscription:

    The world's biggest music companies are expected to ask Apple to introduce a music subscription service to its iTunes digital media store as part of negotiations to renew their agreements with the computer company.

    Ars Technica -- Why Apple can't sell movies:

    There are at least five problems the Apple TV alone cannot solve for the iTunes Store:

    3. Access: At present, there is no option to rent movies on the iTunes Store, and, unlike music purchases versus subscription services, renting movies is a preferred method of consuming content. Further, purchasing movies through the iTunes Store still requires a computer, rather than direct shopping using the touted Apple TV.

    Webomatica -- Apple iTunes: Music Subscription No, Movie Subscription Yes:

    If Apple is even remotely thinking about offering iTunes Store subscriptions for its music, I really hope they don't - and instead apply the subscription model to iTunes Movies instead.



    lkahney


  • Perfect Pocket Camera: Lumix FX07
    Cory Doctorow at BoingBoing thinks the Lumix FX07 is the perfect pocket camera: I love these cameras (I've bought three more since January as gifts, with great results). They shoot stunning pictures (here's Flickr's collection of FX07 shots) and have...

     Images Leicafx07

    Cory Doctorow at BoingBoing thinks the Lumix FX07 is the perfect pocket camera:

    I love these cameras (I've bought three more since January as gifts, with great results). They shoot stunning pictures (here's Flickr's collection of FX07 shots) and have totally kick-ass image stabilization that works great in low-light, getting me incredible shots without using a tripod or leaning the camera against a table. They also shoot wicked-fast, making it easy to shoot a continuous stream of photos of something exciting as it's happening. The presets are also really smart -- the aerial photography setting got great shots when I was in a helicopter last month over the Grand Canyon. The camera also shoots crisp, 640x480 Quicktime video.

    Amazon Link



    lkahney


  • Beatles Inch Closer to Online
    Two news nuggets suggest the Beatles catalog is getting close to release online: Yesterday Reuters reported that Neil Aspinall, the long-time head of Apple Corps., had stepped aside: A combative, media-shy executive fiercely protective of the Beatles' legacy and Apple...

     42541475 Jobs Iphone 203 300-1

    Two news nuggets suggest the Beatles catalog is getting close to release online:

    Yesterday Reuters reported that Neil Aspinall, the long-time head of Apple Corps., had stepped aside:

    A combative, media-shy executive fiercely protective of the Beatles' legacy and Apple Corps Ltd., Aspinall kept busy in recent years waging a legal battle against computer company Apple Inc. over their similar logos.

    A bigger issue was the Beatles' noted refusal to license tunes to online retailers, such as the technology firm's iTunes store....
    His slow-and-sensible approach to the band's affairs paid off in the 1980s when compact discs were introduced. He refused to join the rush, and held out for a higher royalty rate. The band's crowning moment, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band," finally came out on CD in 1987, amid a worldwide publicity blitz marking the album's 20th anniversary.

    Aspinall was also the main reason why Beatles tracks are not heard on multi-artist compilation CDs, because he said they cheapened the band's image.

    On Thursday Reuters reported Apple Corps. settled a long-running royalty dispute with EMI:

    The company representing The Beatles has settled a 30 million-pound ($59 million) royalty dispute with EMI Group, in a deal that could finally pave the way for the Liverpool band's music to go online... "It seems like it is heading in that direction," Jupiter analyst Mark Mulligan told Reuters of the Beatles catalogue. "The conversation has changed from an 'if' to a 'when'.



    lkahney





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