 Cult of MacRead 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/ другие подписчики этой ленты также читают >> |
- MS MacBU Birthday Celebration Extraordinarily Mac-Like
Like a lot of Mac users, I didn't know what to make of Microsoft's Macintosh Business Unit upon its founding 1997. Sure, they were there to make sure Office stayed up-to-date on the Mac, but did they really get us?...Like a lot of Mac users, I didn't know what to make of Microsoft's Macintosh Business Unit upon its founding 1997. Sure, they were there to make sure Office stayed up-to-date on the Mac, but did they really get us?
Well, for their 10th anniversary, I think they finally have. As noted on the group's blog, they went nuts for their birthday, using 1300 Post-It Notes to visually celebrate the Mac versions of Office on their, um...office... in Redmond, Washington. There's an interview at their blog for how they did it, as well as images of the designs, if you want to do it yourself. Congratulations, guys!
Now, if only they'd made it into a pirate flag, too...
More pictures after the jump.
Thanks, Tristan!
Pete Mortensen - iTunes Hell Update: Apple Wants $50 to Fix It
Just a quick update to a previous post. I called Apple's general tech support line for North America, and the rep very helpfully suggested I read some iTunes support posts or buy the one-time support deal, for $50. No thanks....Just a quick update to a previous post. I called Apple's general tech support line for North America, and the rep very helpfully suggested I read some iTunes support posts or buy the one-time support deal, for $50.
No thanks. I'm going to try trashing iTunes and reinstalling. WHICH SUCKS.
Technorati Tags: itunes
Pete Mortensen - Alleged AppleTV Start-Up Sequence images
No more or less than what the headline claims. The above mosaic is meant to constitute key frames from the start-up animation of the AppleTV. The image comes from the website of Logan, the company responsible for the animation on...No more or less than what the headline claims. The above mosaic is meant to constitute key frames from the start-up animation of the AppleTV. The image comes from the website of Logan, the company responsible for the animation on several of the recent Apple ad campaigns, so it seems plausible. Check it out.
Via Digg.
Technorati Tags: apple, appleTV
Pete Mortensen - Steve's Comments On Schools Are Way Off the Mark
I discovered a rather horrifying account of a reported speech by Steve Jobs about the state of public education in this country. Steve has a long history of taking pot-shots at teachers' unions, and this was no exception. As is...I discovered a rather horrifying account of a reported speech by Steve Jobs about the state of public education in this country. Steve has a long history of taking pot-shots at teachers' unions, and this was no exception. As is typical, he still is really focusing on the wrong problems in his rant:
"What kind of person could you get to run a small business if you told them that when they came in they couldn't get rid of people that they thought weren't any good?" he asked. "Not really great ones because if you're really smart you go, 'I can't win.'"
Shut it, Steve. Let's look at the Bay Area as a microcosm, because I guarantee Steve is looking no further. If the root of our nation's education problems are these terrifying, unfirable teachers, then why aren't the public Palo Alto high schools -- where you live -- cesspools of squalor? Why are they regarded as being among the finest high schools in the country, public or private? Last I checked, they are unionized.
Could it be that the quality of education at a school is determined by factors other than the ability of principals to fire "bad teachers"? Could it be that the reason why school is a scary place to go in parts of Oakland, East Palo Alto and San Francisco is because the students come from poor socioeconomic status, while their Palo Alto peers mostly come from Silicon Valley millionaire families?
Perish the thought. It must be that all the bad teachers went to the other schools, and the principals can't fire them now. What a pity. Or could it be that instead top talent teachers who want the best students in the world go to Palo Alto because they know its reputation and ability to pay for top talent. And only teachers who care about making a real difference in the lives of poor students go to the disadvantaged districts.
But no. It must be the teachers' unions. That's the reason why rural schools in North Dakota can't get the best teachers in the world to come and live on a $16,000 salary. It must be that the bad teachers have a death grip on the system. That's obviously what it is.
Give me a break.
Jobs, Dell share stage, blast teacher unions: MacNN
Technorati Tags: Steve Jobs
Pete Mortensen - Apple Store Genius Lives in a Truck
I don't really have much to say, but be sure to check out the incredible story of Andy Bussell, an Orange County Mac Genius who lives in his truck. This says a lot about the cost of living in coastal...I don't really have much to say, but be sure to check out the incredible story of Andy Bussell, an Orange County Mac Genius who lives in his truck. This says a lot about the cost of living in coastal California, the vagaries of credit card debt and the ingenuity of Mac users. Godspeed, Andy.
Homeless by choice, O.C. student learns self-reliance - Los Angeles Times
Via Digg.Technorati Tags: apple
Pete Mortensen - Joost Availabe in Beta for Intel Macs
There are some tech projects that just feel too good to be true. The iPhone, for example, seemed like a fantasy of the collective Mac blogosphere until it emerged full-formed from Steve's head at MacWorld. Another such is Joost, a...There are some tech projects that just feel too good to be true. The iPhone, for example, seemed like a fantasy of the collective Mac blogosphere until it emerged full-formed from Steve's head at MacWorld. Another such is Joost, a "post-television" application originally code-named the Venice Project. Details about it seem vague, and exactly how it will provide a "platform for the best television content on the planet" is muddy for anyone who hasn't gotten to play with it.
Well, now Mac users are welcome to the beta party. You'll need an invite, but get in, folks. Anyone had a shot yet?
Now in beta: Intel Mac beta of "post-television" video app Joost: Boing Boing:
Pete Mortensen - I'm in iTunes Store Authorization Hell.
We in the Mac commentariat are often quite cavalier in our attitude about Apple's Fairplay DRM, which slows the wild distribution of music bought through iTunes to the rest of the Internet: It imposes acceptable limits! It's better than competing...We in the Mac commentariat are often quite cavalier in our attitude about Apple's Fairplay DRM, which slows the wild distribution of music bought through iTunes to the rest of the Internet:
It imposes acceptable limits! It's better than competing solutions! If it bugs you so much, burn a CD and re-import.
After an experience over the weekend, however, I'm ready to start funding efforts to crack it wide open. Because all of a sudden, iTunes decided my computer wasn't good enough to run its music. Since junior high, rarely have I known such rejection.Read on for the full sob story. We've got Kleenex at the door, so stock up.
Technorati Tags: apple, itunes
It all began on Friday, when my iPod shuffle briefly freaked out, going into hysterics of flashing green, orange, and, most alarmingly, RED LEDs. Over time, its battery ran down, and I was able to save the device without a trip to the Genius Bar. Refreshed and restored, I attempted to move some of my favorite music from the Purchased folder in my iTunes library over to the shuffle.
And for the first time since I got an iTunes Store account in 2003, I was prompted to authorize my own music. Honestly, since I first got my Powerbook, it has been authorized non-stop. I've authorized and deauthorized many peripheral machines, but never my own before. But, not one to be thrown by an irrational request from technology (I wanted have gotten here otherwise) I patiently tapped in my iTunes password and waited for good news.
It never came.
Oh, sure, the machine was more than happy to authorize me. In the initial flurry of activity, I authorized my machine not once, not twice, but thrice. Each time iTunes would up the count of my used authorizations and then...nothing. A ridiculous error:
We could not complete your iTunes Store request. There is not enough memory available. There was an error in the iTunes Store. Please try again later.
Um...what? I have plenty of memory to download music and listen to previews. I have plenty of memory to transfer music to my iPods. I have ample bandwidth to actually log in and authorize my computer three times, but I don't have the memory to make it stick? What's going on here? Just to check, I tried again after restarting my computer, launching iTunes as the only application, fixing disk permissions, the works.Nothing made a difference. Now, I should make it clear that I'm running out of storage on my hard drive. Out of 38 GB available, I have about 2 gigs available. Which I'm aware of and working on -- that's some of what the big honking external drive from last week is about. But that shouldn't preclude me from downloading a critical security certificate, right? Unless Apple's started quietly using 3 GB certificates.
My only other conclusion is that Apple is the side of this transaction without enough memory. Which seems appropriate, given the circumstances.
I'm at wit's end and about to call Apple tech support. I sent an e-mail request for assistance, and this morning a very helpful "person" named John K. who is not at all a bot answered my original e-mail, which follows:
Out of nowhere, my iTunes music and other downloads are unauthorized on all machines. They ceased working, citing an insufficient memory error with iTunes Store itself. No matter what I tried, it wouldn't work. I tried deauthorizing all, but the same error continued. I'm going crazy hear. (Ed. note: Yeah, it was late when I sent the note)
Now the helpful response!
Dear Peter,
I understand that you're unable to play your authorized purchases due to a memory error. The iTunes Store team answers questions via email about billing, customer accounts, downloading items, and the selections available on the iTunes Store.
Apple offers a wealth of iTunes technical resources to help you maximize your listening and viewing pleasure: (a bunch of nonsense I've already read before)
Thank you for being a valued iTunes Store customer, and have a great day.
Sincerely,
John K.
iTunes Store Customer Support
http://www.apple.com/support/itunes/wwThis is why people go crazy. They get tech support responses that read like Get Well Soon cards written by second-graders to a teacher whose malady they don't understand. Anyone else suffering through this nonsense? I'm about to call tech support. If they try to charge me, you'll hear about it.
Pete Mortensen
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