Posts from other blogs and news-sources are in smash's shared links. (check-it)

--- Wednesday, June 29, 2005

Windows is Retarded.

Permalink: 6/29/2005 04:42:00 PM

I've owned two PC laptops (and one Mac laptop... for longer than both of them, hehe) over the past few years, both running Windows XP as their primary OS (dual-booting into SuSe or Fedora Linux). What's funny is that both machines, one IBM Thinkpad and one a Dell Inspiron 8200, automatically reboot themselves if left turned-on overnight. I have no idea why, but like I said, 'Windows is Retarded.'

In the AM, they'll display "Windows has recovered from a serious error." This is pathetic, and another reason why I use a Mac. You don't have to deal with this kind of stuff on Apple machines.

-------

On another note, I was shown a video today about Microsoft bragging over Internet Explorer 7... shipping with Longhorn, their next OS release. (whenever that'll be) Not only is IE7 a complete knock-off of Firefox, but they're boasting their RSS feed technology. Big deal. Firefox and Safari (Apple's fabulous web-browser) both have RSS-support built-inalready, if you didn't already know. Neither firm really made a big deal about it, because it isn't really a big deal.

My prediction is this. When Longhorn is released, it'll be all flashy like Mac OS (not in a good way, though, they'll do a terrible job trying to copy it) and all of the die-hard Microsoft fans will be pointing a finger with a smile on their face (the other arm clutched around their Alienware gaming PC). They'll also claim that Microsoft invented RSS and Apple/Firefox copied them!

This has happeened before... a lot. Apple pretty much introduced the world to consumer-level Wi-Fi technology for the home with the debut of their Airport Wireless Networking several years ago. Once Intel finally caught-up and came out with the "Centrino" standard, everyone was like "OMG!! WIRELESS INTERNET IN MY VAIO!?! No way." In reality, working in the middle of a baseball diamond or sitting on a bench in the park was a bit far-fetched since... well... those places don't usually have Wi-Fi. And so, the silly people were pwned. :)

And the silly people are going to be pwned again once they run into someone who knows what they're talking about. :)

--- Tuesday, June 28, 2005

"Will Google survive Grokster?"

Permalink: 6/28/2005 02:22:00 PM

With the recent decision involving file-sharing applications causing quite a stir, this really caught my attention.

What about Google? Consider this: Google, like Grokster, is primarily a search engine. Its business model relies on advertisements. And the more we use Google, the more money it makes. Like Grokster, Google resolves communication queries. It generates a link from an information provider to an information seeker. And almost all of what it delivers is copyrighted.
The fact that no major copyright industry player has brought Google to court so far is merely a function of the fact that most copyright holders want Google to index and offer links to their materials. There is no explicit contract. You have to opt out of the Google world.

But there is one major difference between Grokster and Google. Grokster does no copying itself. It merely induces and enables.

If anyone infringes, it's Google: The company caches millions of Web pages without permission (again, giving copyright holders the option of protesting). And soon it will offer millions of copyrighted books in electronic form without payment or permission. How would Google fare in a post-Grokster world? The publishing industry no doubt wonders. And it just might sue to find out.

I just want to point-out that the decision holding file-sharing applications liable for infringement ONLY covers applications that specifically advertise their pirating abilities. Since software like BitTorrent is free from this sort of claim, p2p will never die!
-- Be sure to check out my file sharing news site daily for the freshest p2p news -- http://packetfour.com/

Link

Apple revises their iPod Line-up

Permalink: 6/28/2005 01:28:00 PM

Everyone's new favorite music company was getting a bit sloppy with their portable players.

First-off, the iPod photo was a huge mistake... it should have been was the "iPod Color". Here's why:
1. Some people thought it could only display photos. (If you can believe it.)
2. Separating out the photo feature from the rest of the device made it seem more foreign, and has still prevented it from catching-on so to speak.
3. People don't give a crap about taking their photos on-the-go! It's one thing if the iPod has a camera in it... but considering a lot of iPod users are on Windows without a decent set of photo software, there's no real reason for anyone to use this feature. Even I have most of my pics on my iPod, yet I never view them. It's an overall waste.

It's one thing if they've added a color screen to the regular, classic iPod, which they've now simplified the line-up to, but photos and color games weren't enough. Album artwork is probably the coolest feature, honestly, but it's not something that I would have paid extra for. (I got my iPod Photo for free, hehe.) :)

All-in-all, I predicted that Apple, after slurging into too many choices, would simplify their line-up. They'll drop the U2 iPod eventually, and it'll be down to just the three:
- iPod Shuffle
- iPod Mini
- and, of course, the iPod.

Photos definitely weren't the next big thing. That was just Steve Jobs buying himself a bit of time for the iTunes Movie Store, which had better be on its way. ;)

--- Monday, June 27, 2005

Wallpapers v6.0

Permalink: 6/27/2005 05:21:00 PM

Back on the old Smash's World versions, I always had wallpapers that I made listed toward the bottom. Some of them were complete crap, but a few I think stand out from the rest. I've listed those below... my favorites at the top.

1. 'Torn' (Render)
-- This is my all-time favorite wallpaper I've made. The bright colors keep me in a great mood... the whole left-side is a total trip.
Download: 1024x768, 1280x854, 1440x900, 1600x1200

2. 'Tentacles' (Photoshop Effect)
-- This was really easy to make... took me like 15 minutes at most... however the cool blue on white is pretty soothing and makes a great addition to your Desktop.
Download: 1024x768, 1440x900

3. 'Time Machine' (Fireworks Effect)
-- This isn't that exciting, but it's fairly simple for those who like to keep a clean desktop. Yellow effect on dark red.
Download: 1024x768, 1440x900

4. 'Pavement Drip' (Photoshop Render)
-- This seriously isn't a photo.. it was created from scratch with various Photoshop effects. I feel the blurred 'Pavement Drip' text kind of ruins the overall quality of the image, but it's still pretty sick.
Download: 1024x768, 1440x900

5. 'Cubes' (Render)
-- This simple effect is, again, for those in desire of a clean desktop. Grey, clean-edged cubes on a black background.
Download: 1024x768, 1440x900

That's it for now. :)

--- Sunday, June 26, 2005

'Dashboard' is Far from Convenient

Permalink: 6/26/2005 09:25:00 AM

Mac OS X Tiger boasted Spotlight and Tiger. Overall, I upgraded for the smaller features, but these were an added bonus.

I was looking forward to Dashboard since Konfabulator always seemed to slow-down or screw-up my computer (maybe it was just me), but Apple has some work to do. Like, the feature is far from convenient... there's a massive delay for when the widgets load up for the first time and show the information. It's not just when you first access Dashboard, either; it's when you're adding new Widgets, or haven't accessed your Widgets in a while and they need to update. We're talking 5 seconds or so on average. Why doesn't it do this stuff in the background?

Now that I have all sorts of crap out of my menu bar into the Dashboard, it's a nice feature, but it's just too slow. I'm very surprised and disappointed that the feature left Apple's HQs in this state. Hopefully, there will be an update soon.

--- Saturday, June 25, 2005

Current Movies

Permalink: 6/25/2005 03:20:00 AM

It's summer... not a lot's going on. Here are some movies I recommend: (in this order)
1. Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2005)
2. Batman Begins (2005)
3. The Longest Yard (2005)
(see these in the theaters)

'The Longest Yard' was a decent remake, but 'Batman Begins' is longer, a series, and an overall better value. All-in-all, 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith' was what I found to be the most entertaining.

--- Wednesday, June 22, 2005

Midnight Club 3 (PS2)

Permalink: 6/22/2005 11:20:00 PM

Rockstar's latest contribution to the Midnight Club street-racing game series... 'Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition' ... has been unvailed to both XBOX and PS2. (and soon to the PSP, on June 28th) Based the overall 'bland' gameplay of MC2 (Midnight Club 2), and the ongoing competition presented by EA's Need for Speed Underground (NFSU) series, I expected this game to be a total flop. Although this wasn't entirely the case, things are still far from perfect.

Rockstar was faced with playing catch-up after EA finally presented some decent competition on the street-racing game scene. Both titles offered a free roam mode, multiplayer, etc., but EA really captured the underground scene with tune-up parts, body accessories, and additional types of in-game racing to allow both full customization of the cars in the game and more than a single path of flow in the game. Overall, MC2 presented the street-racing scene simply as a boring and standardized, where NFSU truely captured the feel that every casual gamer like myself was after.

The one thing I've always admired about Midnight Club was the free-roam element that also applies to the racing. WIth NFSU, you're locked on a preset track... where as in MC, you can take shortcuts through shopping malls, parking garages, alleys... or even jump over buildings. Anything of a similar nature in NFSU was hard-coded in by the map designers... either intentionally or unintentionally. :)

Midnight Club 3 is basically just Midnight Club 2 with the following:
- An attempted story-line. (they failed. here's another strong-point of NFSU.)
- An attempt at customization. (they did an okay job, but they still have a long way to go before they capture the feel of NFSU's tuning and customization scene.)
- An attempt to make things less 'by-the-book' in terms of gameplay. (they've added more race opportunities, so you don't have to simply stick by the predefined flow of the game.)

Overall, I feel the major selling aspects of the game are the original features in Midnight Club 2, with what SHOULD have originally been included. I'm estimiating that it'll take Rockstar another revision or two to the MC series before they'll get everything straightened out.

Another thing? On the PS2 version, there's NO WIDESCREEN OPTION. This really sucks if you have a 16:9 TV, and is another reason I'm sticking to NFSU2 (Need for Speed Underground 2).

If I had to rate this game, I'd give it like a 2.6 out of 5. It's worth playing for a bit, and I congratulate Rockstar on finally making *some* progress, but they stopped development way too soon. It just wasn't ready yet.

If you've bought it, and you like it, then great. Otherwise, I'm going to call this game a RENT. You be the judge... just be sure to play NFSU2 before you buy anything. ;)

--- Monday, June 20, 2005

Volkswagon GTI Short-Shift Lever Install (2003 VR6)

Permalink: 6/20/2005 06:10:00 PM

Alright, if you're not into cars, scroll past this one.

Today the short-shift lever for my car came, and I was psyched. Installation was pretty straight-forward, but I'll get into a few of the specifics below in-case anyone searching for information comes across this post!

NOTE: This tutorial is for 6-Speed GTIs, only. Other 6-Speed VWs and Audis can also follow this guide, but I can't guarantee the results.

First, what to buy. I suggest the following choices:

- VW Stock R32 Shift-Lever (only $40)
I went after this one because it's easier to install (much easier, in fact), and it's an official VW part. If you're in a state that doesn't have a law preventing the dealership from voiding your warranty by tuning things yourself, etc., I suggest this approach.
Background: The R32 is an Import-Only step-up from the GTI. They're a bit faster, but also a bit more expensive. They also have all-wheel-drive.
This lever will shorten your vertical throws about 15 to 20%.

- or, DieselGeek's MkIV VW 6 Speed Ultra Six Shifter (about $200)
Background: This is probably the nicest shift lever you can buy, but it's harder to install and you're only going to get about 10% less movement out of it. It *does* reduce your horizontal movement as well, unlike the R32 lever, but this particular thing didn't bother me enough to drop the extra $150+.
This lever will shorten your vertical throws about 30%, and also your horizontal movements.

Once you've made up your mind, either way, you'll follow DieselGeek's instructions. :)

So, moving on, I had my R32 Shift-Lever arrive in a small box with a tube of M&M Minis inside... what a nice surprise! (Parts4vws.com is cool like that.) I went out, popped the hood on my car, and started following the instructions.

With the R32 lever only, you're going to follow the DG's removal instructions, then repeat them in reverse order (attaching instead of removing) to install the new part. The GTI and R32 shift levers are similar, so there're no major issues swapping the lever with this method. The page linked above has installation instructions for *their* shifter kit, but you should ignore these unless that's what you have.

The most difficult part(s) of this install were:

- Getting the old shift lever off of the transmission... it's jammed on there pretty tightly and it took the use of a crowbar to carefully pop it off. (be VERY careful with what you're supporting the crowbar on since you don't want to break anything under the hood... that'd suck.)

- Adjusting the vertical shift cable (the one that lies flat to the left, NOT the one that's suspended in the air) to get the knob inside the car back into the vertical center of the console. (it was too far forward toward the engine after the installation.) Basically, this allowed me to shift from 1 to 6 and back no problem, but pushing the knob down to shift left then up into Reverse wasn't aligned properly. The trick to getting it back the way it is supposed to be is to put the shifter into neutral (under third, make sure the the shift cables are attached to the lever first), then grab a friend to hold the shifter in place while you adjust the cable to fit onto the shift lever properly. Afterward, you should be all set!

(The new lever, hidden amongst the pipes.)

So, after about an hour and a half, (the guide said 20 to 30 minutes... hah) the car was all set. First mod, complete.

Kingdom Hearts 2 Trailer

Permalink: 6/20/2005 01:54:00 PM

Kingdom Hearts was by far the best game for PS2. Like, it's that good. If you haven't played it, it's now a greatest hit and can be bought for only $17.99! :)

It's like Zelda, minus the whole old-fashioned fairytale, and adding-in, basically, a dream world... as if you'd travelled back to your early childhood. (There are Disney characters as well, but not to add a childish feel! They're more for nostalgia.) It's totally crazy and definitely worth buying.

Anyway, so Kingdom Hearts 2 is coming out in the Fall and a trailer has been leaked! It's attached below.

kingdomhearts2.wmv (17MB)
Requires either Windows Media Player [link] or VLC [link] for playback.

Enjoy. :)

--- Wednesday, June 15, 2005

History of iPod Ads

Permalink: 6/15/2005 11:10:00 PM

Apple's had some terrible commercials, and some decent/pretty-good ones as well. The iPod's had quite a history, and TV spots since long before you know what an iPod even was! :P... Let's break it down by generation.

First and Second Generation iPods. They called Steve Jobs crazy. "An over-priced music player?..." --

In reality, the iPod was kind of a silly idea when Apple had 'bigger fish to fry' at the time (if you know what I mean), but they had a brilliant marketing team that got the little glossy white players in the hands of celebrities and, well... like the T-Mobile Sidekick... things went from there. This was the original player; the first generation had an actual *moving* clickwheel and all. Yes, if you remember, it was an actual wheel that spinned around as you scrolled. (it was ghetto like that... spinner rims on muh chromed out... I'll just stop there.)

The first-gen iPod originally had a single commercial... with a geek, moon-walking to techno music. -- I don't recall seeing this particular ad on TV. :) -- It's too silly and, quite frankly, I have no idea what audience they were after. This was clearly *before* their marketing team stepped-in. Link

What actually made it onto my local stations were Apple's original 'Switch-style, but singing' ads, with various... random people simply singing.. wearing the famous white-earbuds... iPod in-hand. I thought these ads sucked almost as much as the whole 'Switch' campaign in general, but at least the music was a little better than the "dum, dum dum dum, dum" theme that was... well... dumb!

Third Generation, iTunes for Windows. When the iPod was redesigned without physical buttons (all touch-sensitive),

and sporting a new, red and blue lighting combination, some newer TV spots finally emerged focusing around the debut of iTunes for Windows. (we're talking slightly separate time-frames here.) Previously, Apple offered Musicmatch as a solution for Windows-based iPod users, but without much encouragement until its own software solution hit the shelves.

The ever-so-annoying, yet cool-to-begin-with 'silhouette' ads appeared sporting the message "iPod + iTunes... Now for Windows." Good call, Apple... you got the word out. :) Since then, we've seen several genres of these ads appear... Rock (1 and 2), Techno (1 and 2), and Hip-Hop (1).

Special editions of these ads have appeared as well:
- U2's Vertigo
Featuring U2.
- iPod Shuffle
Featuring various "shuffle" arrows going all-over the place.
- and Wild Postings.
A guy, in NYC, walking past some posters, that come alive. (genius)

Other 3rd generation ads include have to do with cars:
- Volkswagon: 'Pods Unite'
iPod and cassette adapter with any VW Beetle purchase.
- BMW: 'iPodYourBMW.com' (my favorite iPod TV spot.)
The first official iPod adapter for factory BMW and Mini-Cooper radios. (Allowed control of the iPod, crystal-clear audio, and charged the iPod... all using the dock connector.)

Clearly, the BMW one is the best. The lighting completes the urban feel and it's one of the only commercials by Apple that hasn't pissed me off.

Note: I'm not mentioning the various iTunes Superbowl commercials for the Pepsi 'Yellow-Cap' free-song giveaways because those aren't for the iPod. :)

Fourth Generation, iPod Shuffle... nothing. Apple has simply carried the 3rd generation 'silhouette' ads over to suite these newer players. They also did a special edition for the iPod shuffle, which is mentioned above.

Fifth Generation, Video, Bluetooth... what's to come? The iPod Photo is pretty lame, and Apple is way overdue for an update. I'm can't wait to see what they come up with next. ;)

WE'LL SEE!

--- Tuesday, June 14, 2005

Steve Jobs gives Inspirational Graduation Speech...

Permalink: 6/14/2005 01:15:00 AM

.. and speaks in favor of dropping out. (I know the feeling.)

Steve Jobs told Stanford University graduates Sunday that dropping out of college was one of the best decisions he ever made because it forced him to be innovative -- even when it came to finding enough money for dinner.

In an unusually candid commencement speech, Apple Computer's CEO also told the almost 5,000 graduates that his bout with a rare form of pancreatic cancer reemphasized the need to live each day to the fullest.

UPDATE: Drew Curtis' Fark.com adds the following caption:

"Steve Jobs tells Stanford grads that dropping out of college spurred his creativity. Adds that heroin, promiscuous sex helped make him well-rounded."

"*Ali-G* Respec'!" :P

Link

--- Monday, June 13, 2005

Grand Theft Auto (for PSP) Rumors

Permalink: 6/13/2005 01:21:00 PM

Okay so the buzz around Grand Theft Auto for the PSP has been pretty quiet since the game got pushed back from like May release to July or so. (Right now, Amazon says it's coming out on July 20.) Moving on, here's what I've heard.

First off, very little has been said about the game itself, but today some screen shots were leaked online. (It appears they were scanned out of a magazine published in the UK.)

What's been confirmed:
- No multiplayer. (crap)
- The game actually takes place back in Liberty City, but before GTA3. This game takes place in 1998, not 2001. Various elements, such as the cars and businesses in the game, have been dated back a few years to support the change.
- You will be able to play your own MP3s off of the memory stick.
- You will play a different character in the game, named Joey Cipriani, rather than the "unnamed, non-speaking" character in the original GTA3.

What hasn't been confirmed, but I believe, is that the game will NOT have a free-roam mode. I'm expecting it to be a "Golden-Eye"-style game where between missions you return to the menu and can either move forward or adjust options. This is a shame, but it's to be expected as it's what the name "Liberty City Stories" foretells. Hidden Packages, etc. will be picked up *during* missions.

We'll see. I doubt a GTA game would be a complete flop, but there certainly are limitations.

Link

--- Sunday, June 12, 2005

iTunes Music Store now allows Album Pre-Orders

Permalink: 6/12/2005 03:29:00 PM

I'm not 100% sure how this works, but I'm guessing you order it and it automatically downloads when available. (iTunes periodically checks for music waiting to be downloaded on your iTMS Account) Either that or it automatically adds it to your Shopping Cart. Pretty cool idea.

What else is new? They're charging $18 bucks for that album. What a rip off! I think I'll grab it "elsewhere". (if it was $10 I'd buy it, but come on!!)

UPDATE: Thanks to John for this tip. What sucks about the pre-orders is you can't listen to the Previews yet... therefore rendering this feature completely useless unless you're a diehard fan of the band. It also doesn't show the times for the songs... it displays '0:00' instead. Oh well! Pre-ordering's really only for things that you're afraid of selling-out -- like for example, Video Games from stores with limited stock. Since the iTMS basically has unlimited stock, it's just a silly feature.

--- Saturday, June 11, 2005

I'm having such an EMO day today...

Permalink: 6/11/2005 05:47:00 PM

.. and I hope you are too, since it's National Summer EMO Weekend. :)

--- Wednesday, June 08, 2005

Car Pictures

Permalink: 6/08/2005 07:13:00 PM

Rather than moblogging my pictures as blog posts, I've been posting them on Flickr instead. (keeps the blog clean.) Recently, I threw some pictures of my car up under the 'vw' tag. Check them out for sure.

In case you're wondering, yes I actually did take this picture. Pretty slick, huh? :)

Link

Iconz: 'Gorillaz' Style

Permalink: 6/08/2005 07:01:00 PM

Every time a new version of Mac OS X comes out I backup, format, and reinstall. I also create a new buddy icon. (usually)

This time, I re-created myself as a member of the animated band, Gorillaz. I'm not sure if I'm satisfied with how it came out with, yet, so I might still put some finishing touches on a little later. Stay tuned.

--- Tuesday, June 07, 2005

National Summer EMO Weekend

Permalink: 6/07/2005 07:36:00 PM

This weekend is the N-S-EMO...W.

Just like 4/20 (but with or without the drugs), don't forget to throw on a CD by The Postal Service, Death Cab for Cutie, Armor for Sleep, Yellowcard, Blink 182, etc. (goto Amazon or iTunes and buy music by these bands now if you don't have any)

The emo dress-code is absolutely necessary. If you support EMO, then digg this story!

What is "Emotional Rock"? (EMO)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emo
Emo (an abbreviation of "emotionally-driven Hardcore punk") is a term now broadly used to describe almost any form of guitar-driven alternative rock that expresses emotions beyond traditional punk's limited emotional palette of alienation and rage. It is also used to describe fans of this genre, most commonly teenagers. (e.g., emo kid). The actual term "emo" originated in the mid-1980s D.C. scene, with the band Rites of Spring, as well as bands such as Fugazi,Moss Icon, and Antioch Arrow. The term addressed both the way the band connected with its audience, as well as its tendency to deal more with topics of personal and relationship politics than with the standard themes of rock music.

--- Monday, June 06, 2005

Apple => Intel -- Round-Up Summary

Permalink: 6/06/2005 10:36:00 PM

Alright, so the rumors were true. Apple is switching to straight-up Intel chips; no not Intel PowerPC chips, just Intel chips... the same ones in gaming rigs and crappy Acers alike. However, what's good is that for consumers, there's absolutely nothing that we need to do, pretty much. This change really only sucks for the software developers since some are going to have to re-do a LOT of code, but there's a good chance more games and such can be ported to Mac more easily and that sort of thing. Luckily, Apple has eased the transition for about 90% of of all Mac applications using their powerful new 'Universal Binary' and 'Rosetta' systems. We'll see how things go!

What's really cool is it sounds like they're planning it so that Macs will be able to dual-boot Windows and Mac OS X. (No, you can't put Mac OS X on an ordinary beige-box PC, but chances are hackers and script-kiddies will get it there eventually.) UPDATE: Apparently, this is not true. However, it's been said that "Windows may run on Macs" and there's no reason why you can't boot from separate partitions or drives.

In the end, this wasn't the most thrilling announcement after-all... I would have rather seen OS X for x86-based PCs (like ordinary Dell, Gateway, etc.), but that would have never happened since Apple makes its $$ from their hardware sales. Interestingly enough, as anticipated by various Mac-enthusiasts, OS X has been running on PCs in their labs since its initial development. I wonder what else Apple isn't telling us. ;)

(Thanks to Defpol and Steve Job's WWDC Keynote Stream for pointing out some of my previous mistakes in this post. Sorry guys, I was a bit misinformed.)

Apple to Switch to Sun Chips.

Permalink: 6/06/2005 04:35:00 PM

Apple CEO Steve Jobs today revealed to a stunned WWDC audience that Apple would be transitioning to 'Sun Chips' brand multigrain snacks.

Link

Paris Hilton Car-Wash/Bikini/Burger Commercial -- SpicyParis.com

Permalink: 6/06/2005 01:42:00 PM

In case you missed it, or you want to see it again, here it is. :)

UPDATE: Here's a copy of the Director's Cut (60 seconds, full) -- watch.

Link

--- Saturday, June 04, 2005

Seriously though... what if Apple did switch to Intel x86?

Permalink: 6/04/2005 12:51:00 AM

I'll tell you! Just as things seem quiet I ditch out to TGI Friday's and when I come back... the main server for mobile17 is down and Apple's switching to Intel! Wait a second... there's no way that's happening... is there? Let's break things down.

Like this story? Digg it.

Say Apple *is* switching to Intel chips, which they obviously are since CNET News has run a story already. (Sure, sure, nobody can believe it, but with Apple's World-Wide Developer's Conference [WWDC] just days away, I think they've finally caved-in.) Most likely, due to Apple and IBM's disagreements, Intel will takeover PowerPC production, either with a similar, yet compatible, product... or even with a new generation of processors. I seriously doubt Apple's just thrown in the towel on the PPC architechture. (UPDATE: It looks like perhaps they might be dropping the architecture after-all, but not 100% sure.)

Okay so now that we've covered what's 90% most likely to happen, let's cover what would be "Thinking Different". Apple's Mac OS X is based on FreeBSD (adapted to Darwin) and can easily be compiled to run on Intel's native x86 platform. If they did that, they could offer OS X for PCs and Macs alike. Dell's been flirting with Apple over OS X recently -- could this be it? Could the world's most advanced operating system be making the switch? A friend of mine involved with MacRumors said, "Dell couldn't do that without taking a serious hit," but how about a dual-booting Mac/PC... wouldn't you buy one? I sure would.

Okay, so there's no chance of our "Scenario B" actually happening, and we're too far from April Fools for jokes. Dell and others are bound with Microsoft contracts that even prevent them from offering Linux on Desktop PCs in many cases. Mac fans are horrified right now, and PC fans are like "pff... it's about time. *hugs gaming rig*" (kidding) -- time to calm down, take a step back, and see this from Apple's point of view. They're primarily a hardware company (even aside from the iPods), and I doubt they'd shoot themselves in the foot.

Like this story? Digg it.

--- Wednesday, June 01, 2005

My Favorite Mac OS X Hacks and Tips --

Permalink: 6/01/2005 07:27:00 PM

My PowerBook just got back from AppleCare after almost a month due to a parts shortage... usually it's back in like 1 or 2 days, this was the first time I'd been a bit upset! Anyway, so today I've been getting things set back up to my liking and I have a few tips for Mac users... some I just learned about and some that are simply overlooked.

Like this story? digg it.

1. Customize the Finder to Show More Information
Normally, the Finder is a little boring. Let's change that.
a. Open a Finder window and press Apple+J to bring up the "View Options".
b. Select these options...
- Label Size: Right
- Show Item Info (Check This)
- Keep Arranged By (Check This, Too)
Then, go back to the top and select:
- "All windows".
c. There, now all of your Finder windows are a bit souped-up. Feel free to adjust the options a bit more. (Note: Icon Size can be pushed to like 128x128 pixels -- that's pretty damn big and really allows you to see the detail)

You can also adjust the view options for Desktop to produce similar results.

2. Enable "Hidden Transparency" on the Dock.
Normally, there's no way to tell the difference between hidden and visible applications, but this trick fixes that so applications that are hidden appear somewhat ghosted.

To enable this feature, open the Terminal (it's located in the Utilities folder inside your Applications folder, in your hard drive) and enter this command: (copy and paste it)
defaults write com.apple.dock showhidden -bool true
You can then see the results by rebooting the Dock with the following command:
killall Dock

Ta-da. If you'd like to turn it off, run both commands again, but change the "true" at the end to "false".

Notice how my iChat icon (the speech bubble with the camera in it) is faded away automatically by the OS.

3. Put those iTunes Arrows to better use!
I know very few people that actually like to click those obnoxious arrows in iTunes to visit the Music Store. Run this command in the Terminal (see tip #2 for opening instructions) to make those arrows automatically search your local library instead of the store:
defaults write com.apple.iTunes invertStoreLinks -bool YES
Make sure you do this while iTunes is not open. (change the "YES" to "NO" to restore the original functionality)

Quit and re-launch iTunes to see the effect in action.

4. Enable the 'Safari' Debug Menu.
There's a lot of great functionality hidden in Apple's Safari browser... you have to enable the Debug menu to harness the power! My favorite feature is the "User-Agent spoofing" sub-menu that lets you fool web-pages into thinking you're using a different browser... such as Internet Explorer for Windows, or Netscape.

To enable the Debug Menu, quit out of Safari and enter this command in the Terminal:
defaults write com.apple.Safari IncludeDebugMenu 1
(change the '1' to a '0' and run the command again to turn the menu off)

The next time you launch the browser, you'll be presented with all sorts of goodies.

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