ShapeShifter goes Universal

Posted on Nov. 30, ’06, 5:18 PM PT by Aaron Freedman

Category | Software

OS X has a pretty sweet interface, but sometimes it can be fun to customize it a bit. Of course, this requires delving into parts of your Mac where you don’t want to go unless your willing to crash your computer. Fortunately, Unsanity’s ShapeShifter allows you to apply themes to OS X’s GUI in a simple, easy-to-use interface. Well, now ShapeShifter has finally been fully released as a Universal Binary. In addition to support for Intel Macs, ShapeShifter 2.4 also adds support for “unified” themes. So, if you’re an Intel Mac user and in the mood for a little change of appearance in OS X, ShapeShifter is for you.

[via Infinite Loop]

Pair your Apple Remote with your Mac

Posted on Nov. 30, ’06, 2:45 PM PT by Scott Silverman

Category | Tips

Do you live or work in an environment with lots of Intel Macs and their respective remotes? If so, then you’ll probably want to read this. All Apple Remotes come generically programmed with your Mac, so any remote will control any Intel Mac. As you simultaneously launch three different copies of Front Row upon the pressing of one remote button, you may realize that this could be a problem. Luckily, Apple realized this and has a solution. It’s simply to pair your Apple Remote with your Mac:

1. Invade your Mac’s personal space by getting up close to it (about 3 or 4 inches away).
2. Point the remote at the infrared receiver on the front of your Mac.
3. Press and hold the Menu and Next/Fast-forward buttons simultaneously on the remote for 5 seconds.
4. Your Apple Remote is now paired with your computer. You can tell the remote is paired because you will see a chain-link style lock.

To unpair the remote simply launch System Preferences and open Security. Then click Unpair in the Security pane. Happy pairing!

Publish your library with iTunes Catalog

Posted on Nov. 30, ’06, 2:04 PM PT by Scott Silverman

Category | Software

If you’re a music buff then you probably like to share your tastes with the world—advertise and brag about your broad collection and refined tastes. KavaSoft’s iTunes Catalog will help you with this. It’s an application which allows you to upload your iTunes music library (the metadata, not the actual music) to the web. Users can search your music, view your playlsits, see your album art, and even browse the current selection on your iPod—all from an iTunes-based web interface. If this interests you then check out this sample site and then consider giving the application a free trial.

[via The Apple Blog]

MagSafe problems and fixes

Posted on Nov. 30, ’06, 1:30 PM PT by Collin Allen

Category | Hardware » Intel Macs

Ever since the release of Macs with the new MagSafe connector, there have occasionally been problems with the connectors melting, potentially due to design flaws, misuse, or…Warcraft. Thankfully, Apple has been quietly replacing the adapters under AppleCare while still officially maintaining that these damages are not covered — most likely to keep public scrutiny to a minimum while allowing them some leeway in cases where they choose to replace.

It appears that the volume of hazardous reports is not great, so your MacBook or MacBook Pro likely isn’t at risk. One owner, however, isn’t taking a chance, and has taken the do-it-yourself route to ensuring his connector stays safe. Kent Sievers wrapped the end of the MagSafe cable with a small bit of spiral cable wrap in an effort to minimize stress on that area. Hopefully tricks like this aren’t necessary to keep your power flowing safely, but it is a clever mod none the less.

[via AppleDefects]

Instant Handbrake: DVD to iPod conversion

Posted on Nov. 30, ’06, 12:30 PM PT by Collin Allen

Category | Software

Not long ago, I detailed the shareware program ViddyUp, a utility for converting video files to iPod-compatible formats. Now there’s an easy way to convert your DVDs as well. Instant HandBrake is a branch of the free HandBrake app, both of which convert DVD format video to MPEG-4. Instant HandBrake, however, is specifically designed to convert DVD titles to iPod.

I need not remind U.S. readers about the legal issues surrounding the breaking of DVD copy protection, so keep that in mind while you’re converting your favorite movies to pocket sized format. Legalities aside, Instant HandBrake will create both H.264 and MPEG-4 files, either cropped or scaled to fit the 320x240 iPod screen. Download the beta build here and get converting!

[via Digg, OS X Daily]

OpenTerminal: cd is for chumps

Posted on Nov. 30, ’06, 11:06 AM PT by Pat Nakajima

Category | Software

If you dine at the table of Terminal frequently, you’re probably a good friend of the “cd” command, which allows you to go to the folder that you need to work on. A minor detail, but performed dozens of times a day, it can add up. That’s where OpenTerminal helps out.

OpenTerminal allows you to begin a Terminal session for a particular folder via icon or Finder context menu. It’s totally free, and version 2.0.2 has just been released. Also, OpenTerminal is compatible with Terminal alternative iTerm.

You can download OpenTerminal here, at possibly the plainest page on the entire internet.

Mac OS X’s turn offs include…

Posted on Nov. 30, ’06, 10:46 AM PT by Pat Nakajima

Category | Apple » Rivals

Well the pregnancy was longer than expected, but Vista has finally been born. (I heard it was so ugly that the doctor slapped the mother… snap!) With its release, Joel on Software remarked upon the new “Shut Down” menu. He concluded, through suspect yet concise reasoning, that the number of options should be reduced from seven to one. After this was posted, Moishe Lettvin, a member of the team that actually designed the function, commented on how bureaucracy can stymie intuitive design. The team that determined how Vista turns off had 24 members, and had to deal with outdated builds due to Microsoft’s system of development. Fun, right?

How was the function designed in OS X? Arno Gourdol, Mac OS X Finder Lead, describes the process:

But the biggest difference probably was that only a few people were involved in the whole decision making process: a UI designer, a kernel engineer, a UI engineer, a Senior VP with very strong views about this feature

We even had “one key” keyboard shortcuts, so that to restart the computer all you had to do was press the power key, then R when the dialog was displayed and the Restart option was selected.

Apple’s wireless handheld patent uses real zirconia, not fake diamonds

Posted on Nov. 30, ’06, 10:06 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | iPod

Not to engage in a bit of thunder-stealing from MacUser’s Chief Patentologist, Scott, but we’ve got news on a new patent that’s sure to have iPhone rumormongers in an uprorar—iPhone fishmongers, on the other hand, are going quietly about their business on this Thursday morning.

The patent specifically addresses some technology that would come in useful in a handheld device with wireless capability. Some parts of the device would be constructed from the ceramic zirconia (the cubic form of which is a popular substitute for diamonds) which is besides being a strong and stiff building material is also radio-transparent (radio waves pass through it easily, unlike, say, titanium).

The patent also claims that using ceramic as a structural material in handheld devices is a first, and says that some designs may have up to 100% of the enclosure constructed out of ceramic.

Does this point directly to an iPhone? Not necessarily, but the evidence for wireless in the iPod is strong. With Microsoft’s Zune gaining attention for its poorly-implemented if much anticipated Wi-Fi capabilities, it’s prime time for Apple to swoop in with a solution of its trademark elegance and design that gives the consumer what they really want.

[via MacNN]

Intel-based Mac having DHCP woes? Skip to the end.

Posted on Nov. 30, ’06, 9:22 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Troubleshooting

I’d been running into some problems of late with my MacBook, where it refused to acquire an IP address from my wireless router. I’d get on the network, and it would just end up with an auto-configuration IP (169.254.x.x). My B&W tower and PC were both fine, and neither of my roommates were banging down my door to complain. On other networks, my MacBook was fine, though it meant I had to bounce back and forth between DHCP and manually assigned addresses. Fun.

When the problem did eventually spread to my desktops, I got fed up and did some searching, finally coming across a solution thread on Linksys’s forum (the manufacturers of my router—a WRT54Gv5, if you’re wondering), faulting the most recent firmware. I downgraded the firmware to the previous version and voilà, DHCP harmony was returned.

This morning I noticed that Apple had posted a support document entitled: “Mac OS X 10.4.8: Intel-based Mac can’t obtain IP address from third-party wireless router.” Eager to see what tricks they had up their sleeve, I checked it out to find the following advice:

Solution

1. Turn the wireless router off and back on.
Note: This step will disconnect any clients currently connected to the wireless network provided by this router.
2. If restarting the router does not resolve the issue, contact the manufacturer of the third-party wireless router to resolve this issue.

MacHeist #3: Find Lisa

Posted on Nov. 30, ’06, 8:41 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Internet

The embarrassing truth of the matter is that I haven’t completed a single MacHeist. Now, I love heists, especially high-society jewel heists. And I love free. So, it would seem like this is right up my alley. But I’ve, er, been busy.

Heist number three is a mission to find Lisa, the MacHeist handler, who’s been missing for the past week. An iCard from Lisa arrived, bearing a cryptic series of images which should help lead to her. Your reward, as always, is free Mac software.

Oh, and of course, should you be captured or killed, MacHeist will disavow all knowledge of your existence. Whoops, sorry—that’s what Mom used to tell me every morning before school.

Techno-stalkers loving on Nike + iPod Sports Kit?

Posted on Nov. 30, ’06, 8:02 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Security

If you thought the only risk of jogging with your iPod was getting mugged or hit by a car, well, think again. Researchers at the University of Washington have determined that one can build a device, using commonly available parts, to identify and track people via their Nike + iPod Sports Kit.

The root of the problem is that the sensor part of the kit (the little dongle that goes in your shoe) is both self-powered and broadcasts its ID to anything that asks. So the researchers constructed a number of devices that would grab the information the sensor was providing, up to a range of 60 feet and upload it to a server, where the information was overlaid on Google Maps. The devices in question are also small enough that they could be hidden in various places to provide real-time tracking (for example, in one case, they attached the receiver to an iPod running iPodLinux).

Is this a concern? At the moment, not much of one: a certain amount of technical sophistication is necessary to write the software (which is not being released by the researchers) and build the tracking devices. At the moment, the solution is to make sure to turn the sensor part of the kit off, or remove it from your shoe when you’re not exercising. Granted, this doesn’t help when you are working out. The proposed solution from the researchers is that Apple encrypt the data transmitted between the sensor and receiver. Hopefully this would be a relatively quick and inexpensive fix, so we can all get back to our exercise.

[via Wired News]

Mac Slingplayer hasn’t been released yet and it needs a GUI change

Posted on Nov. 30, ’06, 7:58 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Video

Sling Media’s very cool Slingplayer currently has a beta for Mac OS X. It works, but it’s still got that oh so yucky Windows feel.

There’s been a decent amount of discussion regarding the (beta) Mac Slingplayer’s non-standard OS X interface.

As a part-time Mac user, the existing beta interface hasn’t bothered me in the least but I recognize how, uh, sensitive some hard core Mac users can be.

Hey, I resemble that remark.

In the interim, Mac+Sling owner Brian contacted me with an OS X-compliant Slingplayer GUI proposal (as shown above) and it looks pretty sharp! I do know Sling Media’s Mac development team is currently soliciting input on how to improve the visual presentation and functionality to better meet Mac community expectations. So feel free to leave a comment or email me if you have any suggestions which I’ll be happy to pass along.

A very shrunk version of the mockup is attached, so visit Dave’s post for the full up visual. I don’t have a Slingplayer myself (though I wouldn’t refuse one as a belated birthday gift). Maybe some of you do and would like to make some suggestions to Dave so when I finally get around to securing one, I get to benefit.

Apple doesn’t want to own podcasting

Posted on Nov. 30, ’06, 7:18 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Music » Podcasting

A while back when Apple sued several companies over their use of “pod”, some people overreacted a little bit, even going as far as proposing new already trademarked terms (just because yesterday was Leo’s birthday doesn’t mean I can’t poke a little fun for the whole netcasting thing).

As a joke, David Gray sent Apple a $1 check for using the term “podcast”. It’s a good gag and I’m sure some poor mail clerk at Apple got a chuckle out of it. Who knew it would get taken seriously? Apple wrote back.

Apple in receipt of your letter dated October 3, 2006. We are returning your check for $1. Apple does not object to third party usage of the generic term “podcast” to accurately refer to podcasting services. Apple does not license the term “podcast”.

So there you have it. It’s a generic term. Apple doesn’t care when people use it appropriately. Can we all go back to using “podcast” as its caught just a little bit of traction with the non-digerati? They don’t need another term to confuse and frustrate them.

[via Digg]

Apple tells Kevin Smith to keep it short

Posted on Nov. 30, ’06, 6:27 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | iTunes

I don’t buy much music on iTunes, but I look at celebrity playlists far more often than is healthy. It’s no secret that I love Kevin Smith Films. I even bought a shirt that has a big bold 37 on the front. How cool would it be to see his musical tastes? Apple messed up a good thing.

Cut to three weeks ago, when - as another promotional vehicle for the “Clerks II” DVD - I was afforded a second bite at the iTunes apple (pun intended). With a more comfortable alottment of hours to lavish on crafting a playlist and honest explanations for track inclusions beyind “Because this song rocks”, I buried myself in my iTunes library, culling through ten thousand plus tracks, searching for the songs that’d represent my “desert island” choices. A day later, I submitted it to the publicity folks at Genius (the home video label of the Weinstein Company).

“This is a great playlist,” Darin from Apple wrote. “Too great, actually. We don’t have the space for comments that run that long. Will he be OK with us editing them (significantly) or would he prefer to do that himself? Two sentences for each track is a good outline.”

Rather than leave the comments long, Apple kept pushing to trim them down. That’s lame. And as such, Kevin said nevermind. Instead, he put them in his post with full length explanations for the song’s inclusion. Check it out, even if it’s not in iTunes.

Guess what happens when you give something a chance

Posted on Nov. 30, ’06, 5:43 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Apple » People

&ot So many Apple and Mac detractors don’t really build an argument based upon experience. Rather, to validate their current situation, they use arguments from others to build a case against the Mac and/or Apple. It doesn’t really make sense, but it makes them feel better. Sometimes something magical happens and that bigot actually gives the other side a chance.

A little over two weeks ago I walked into the Apple store in Palo Alto and bought myself a new MacBook Pro. Yes, the new sexy Intel dual core MacBook Pro. And I went home and after not using a Mac for over 15 years, put my Dell PC notebook literally in the bookshelf and have been using this new Mac as my primary computer for the past 2 weeks.

And what do I have to say about the experience after two weeks? My God! This is f*ing amazing! For the past 15 years I’ve pretty much been a diehard Microsoft PC guy. I’ve mocked the religious zealotry of the cult of Macintosh. I’ve derided the senseless brainwashing that Steve Jobs seems so elegant at.

Words straight from Thomas Hawk. He himself admits that he was biased (without reason). More loyal readers may remember when Thomas decided to call iTunes users suckers. I wonder what would happen if he actually tried iTunes next. Hmmm.

Moving your home directory to a satellite office

Posted on Nov. 30, ’06, 5:10 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Tips

I recently got an 80GB Western Digital Raptor for a song. It’s a 10k RPM drive, meaning quick random access. Most people will agree it’s a terrific boot drive. The problem is, of course, that 80 GB is barely any space. The quick solution is to simply save all your data to a second hard drive.

However, that means you’re really abandoning your home directory. I don’t know about you, but I feel compelled to use it. Further, by default, some applications use it to save their data. What if you could use that second hard drive for your Users data? You have the bonus of all your data being shielded from a boot drive meltdown.

Dan Frakes pointed me at an article he wrote a while back. By all accounts, it works. I wanted to try it a different way. I’m already familiar with the fstab, so I felt a little more comfortable with it. Basically it breaks down to copying your Users directory (assuming your Users disk is named “Users”):

sudo ditto -v -rsrcFork /Users /Volumes/Users

Second, you make sure /etc/fstab exists, then add the line:

LABEL=Users /Users hfs rw 1 2

Next, you restart into single user mode (hold command-S). Follow the instructions to change files (fsck followed by a mount command). Then run the following commands:

cd /
mv Users Users-old
mkdir Users
chmod 775 Users

Restart again, then run the following command to load the fstab into the NetInfo database:

sudo niload -m fstab / < /etc/fstab

These instructions are for your edification. Before you try this, back up. Seriously. I don’t want you to lose your data playing with this. I now have separate home directory disk bliss.

Paranoid & greedy, Hollywood pressures Apple

Posted on Nov. 29, ’06, 2:31 PM PT by Scott Silverman

Category | iTunes » iTunes Store

Are the Hollywood movies studios following in the footsteps of the RIAA? It seems to me that the level of paranoia these massive companies possess prevents them from both distributing their content and making real money. Four studios—Universal, 20th Century Fox, Paramount, and Warner Bros—are all in talks with Apple to discuss the possibility of adding their movies to the iTunes Store, according to the Financial Times.

However, it seems now that the holdup is a result of the studios demand that Apple “limit the number of devices that can use a film downloaded from iTunes.” One industry executive called for a “new model for feature film content delivery,” considering that the “average cost of a blockbuster film [approaches] $100m.” Therefore, the executive reasons, the movie companies will need to get “some concessions from Apple that will account for the differences between the value of music and television content and feature film content.”

It seems to me that the movie studios are starting down a dangerous and unnecessary path. I don’t know about you, but Apple’s current DRM on TV & movie downloads seems to be plenty secure to me. It can only be authorized on five of your computers and requires your unique user name and password; the content can only be uploaded to an iPod synced with that computer. I own several iTunes Store TV show seasons, and have had no success nor real desire to circumvent the DRM. It’s just enough to stop me from illegally sharing with my friends, but not too much to prevent me from both buying and then actually using the content on my computer or iPod. However, if DRM was stricter, I might resort to real piracy—say ripping a DVD that I owned to my iPod. Some may even resort to illegal Bit Torrent movie downloads. The more prohibitive DRM becomes, the less likely I am to actually buy content containing it. After all, what good is a TV show or movie if I can’t watch it where and when I want?

I believe that movie studios are starting down the greedy and paranoid path that record labels have been traveling on for the last few years (Dan’s recent post is a perfect example). What’s your experience with TV shows or movies from the iTunes Store? Does Apple’s current DRM do enough to prevent you from illegally sharing, or are Hollywood’s fears well-justified? If DRM was more prohibitive, might you stop buying DRM-protected content altogether?

How to avoid the black tax

Posted on Nov. 29, ’06, 2:03 PM PT by Scott Silverman

Category | Apple » Huh?

I was sitting in my Astronomy class this afternoon, diligently listening to the lecture and taking notes. I look up and slightly to the right of where I’m sitting and something catches my attention—it’s a MacBook. Now, this wasn’t any ordinary MacBook. It seemed to have something wrong with it. Upon closer inspection I realize what it is: permanent marker!

Some girl had defaced the bezel of her own pretty white MacBook with a black Sharpie! I was absolutely astounded. This was one of the oddest things I had ever seen someone do to their (brand new) computer. I stealthily took the picture above with my cell phone (click for an enlarged version) but still can think of no explanation other than 1) she went temporarily insane, 2) really likes black scribbles, or 3) wanted a black MacBook but didn’t feel like paying the “black tax.” After class I secretly held a moment of silence for this poor defaced soul.

The Apple products you didn’t see

Posted on Nov. 29, ’06, 12:30 PM PT by Collin Allen

Category | Apple

The Apple Gazette has a short list of five Apple products that never saw public production. Plenty of prototypes are imagined and created while only a small few make the cut, which makes the trial run items all the more fascinating. Among the five, two really stand out: the PowerBop and the PenLite.

Apple’s PowerBop was PowerBook with built-in cellular wireless internet access, a feature still only found as an add-on card in today’s market. Buggy wireless was to blame for the machine’s demise, however the PowerBop lives on today in AirPort, EDGE, and other wireless technologies.

Another interesting, and still rumored, piece of Apple hardware is the PenLite notebook/tablet PC. Not surprisingly, this little gem was developed alongside the Newton and undoubtedly featured the same handwriting recognition software. Because it never made it to the public, we’ll have to assume the reason for this is the same reason why we don’t yet have a tablet running Mac OS X — the market wasn’t big enough, or the timing wasn’t right. Whatever the case may be, it’s disappointing that another potential collector’s item (like the Newton) failed to make its debut.

If you’re looking for details of more unreleased products, I highly recommend the rare book, AppleDesign, which is filled with photos of various incomplete Apple projects. Like the rest of these treasures from the past, even the book itself is hard to get ahold of.

North Korea not getting iPods for Christmas

Posted on Nov. 29, ’06, 10:00 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | iPod

This holiday season, what do you get for the dictator that has everything? Economic sanctions. Our glorious leader is levying restrictions on what Kim Jong Il of North Korea is able to buy. Seems ol’ Kim Jong has a taste for the more expensive things in life, like Segways, Jonny Walker, BMWs, and, of course, iPods (the leader is reputedly outraged at the lack of a North Korean iTunes Store).

The 5’3” dictator (who once pushed a television program entitled Let us trim our hair in accordance with Socialist lifestyle) has angered the US by refusing to dismantle his country’s nuclear weapons program, so America has decided to take away his toys. This is the first time economic sanctions have been used to target both an individual as well as goods not explicitly connected to weapons or military materials.

Besides his taste in the swanky, Kim Jong Il is said to be quite the movie buff, with a 10,000 volume collection including The Bodyguard (starring alleged Osama bin Laden crush, Whitney Houston), Clint Eastwood’s In the Line of Fire, and James Bond flicks. Someone might want to tell him that those aren’t “how to” films.

Check before you click

Posted on Nov. 29, ’06, 9:22 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Software

You probably use Google a fair amount. It’s okay, we all do. But don’t you hate having to click on a bunch of links before finding the one you want? Or open several sites in browser tabs? Wouldn’t it be great if you could check out the site without having to open it? Don’t you love rhetorical questions?

Cooliris’s Cooliris Preview extension for Safari lets you do just that. When you mouseover a link on Google, a pop-up window appears, showing you the contents of that page. Better yet, the pop-up page is movable, resizable, and completely browseable. It works for more than just Google, too: CNN, BBC, Yahoo, Ask.com, Flickr, Craigslist, eBay, RSS feeds, and more. For Flickr and Google Images, hovering over a picture will pop up a window with the full-size version of that image, letting you drag and drop it into other applications with ease. Moving the mouse off the preview window will cause it to disappear after a few seconds.

There are versions for Firefox, IE, and Flock, but only the Safari one is Mac-compatible. And if you don’t want to see previews for any reason, you can easily disable the plug-in in Safari’s View menu. I have to say, after using it for just a little while, it seems exceptionally handy. The only feature I’d like to see is the ability to edit the list of sites for which previews appear (functionality which does exist in the Firefox version). Maybe in the next release.

Update: The Firefox version is in fact Mac-compatible. Thanks for the correction.

[via Lifehacker]

Universal eyes the iPod

Posted on Nov. 29, ’06, 8:43 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | iPod

Maybe it’s because the Zune (now with kickbacks!) isn’t selling so hot, but Universal’s turned their beady Sauron-like eye onto the far more popular iPod. As you may recall, Universal CEO Doug Morris convinced Microsoft to pay it a fee for every Zune sold, since MP3 players are “repositories for stolen music.” Now Morris says that Universal is considering trying the same thing with Apple.

“It would be a nice idea. We have a negotiation coming up not too far. I don’t see why we wouldn’t do that… but maybe not in the same way.”

It remains to be seen whether or not Apple will agree to these demands, though I’d suspect not. As John Gruber’s earlier analysis of the Zune/Universal situation pointed out, the iPod is so much more popular than the Zune that Apple has considerably more weight in its negotiations than Microsoft and its fledgling device.

[via iPod Observer]

Macworld Podcast goes video

Posted on Nov. 29, ’06, 8:07 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Video

In their ongoing quest to control the horizontal and the vertical the audio and the visual, our brethren and sistren over at Macworld have launched their inaugural Macworld Video Podcast, hosted by Chris Breen.

In this debut episode, editors Jason Snell and Philip Michaels demo some of the spiffy keen items featured in the Macworld Gear Guide (to which both Derik and I contributed). The guys even show off one of the items Derik reviewed, the Color-Call Caller ID from Brookstone, but apparently none of my items were good enough to make the cut. And yet they fail to answer my only burning question: where does Phil get his shirts?

The video podcast clocks in at just under 7 minutes for a 40MB download that’s watchable on (or at least compatible with) your video iPod.

A little more on Security Update 2006-007

Posted on Nov. 29, ’06, 7:53 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Security

Scott already alerted you to this update and it should come in just fine in Software Update. But to you and me, what does it mean?

The most visible is the fix for the previously reported Airport exploit featured on MoKB. Of course the reporting researcher took an immature cheapshot at John Gruber (daringphucball is what he named it). That researcher was credited (amazing, considering he supplied real exploit code).

There are a bunch of vulnerabilities that can be caused by a local user crafting a malicious file and invoking with a variety of services. The Finder one is particularly troublesome.

Also, the Installer issues identified by Adam Knight that allowed installer packages to attain system priveleges without explicit admin permission has been fixed. You must now authenticate to supply those services to pre and post flight scripts.

There’s also a WebKit update, meaning Safari and browsers using that kit will be reinforced by this update.

I highly recommend everyone install this update. There are several very dangerous insecurities fixed. I know the first thing I did when I saw it was to install it.

Don’t let your Mac end up like this

Posted on Nov. 29, ’06, 7:02 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Apple » Humor

How does that saying go? “Don’t anthropomorphize computers - they hate it.” I spend far too much time writing about Macs and the picture to the right actually made me sad. As the photographer who revealed this Flickr writes:

Sitting out side of RadioShack in Oakland. It was gutted and just sitting there. Kinda sad

Indeed. Download this picture and remind your precious Mac just how good it has it this holiday season. At least Oakland isn’t cold this time of year like New England.

Fight! Fight! Fight!

Posted on Nov. 29, ’06, 6:23 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Software

Chant it with me readers. A little spat has started between John Gruber and the Omni Group. Basically, it started when Omni gave a non-update about their highly anticipated GTD (Getting Things Done) application.

While I don’t think OmniFocus is going to be remembered as vaporware (I fully expect its release in the next few months), saying that it exists doesn’t really make it not vaporware. Until that moment that it arrives, it’s technically vaporware and the more you talk about it, the more your users will believe it will stay that way. Part of the problem is that this application is so anticipated.

With such expectation built up, the more you say “it’s not ready yet”, the more disappointed they’ll be.

Shutdown by committee

Posted on Nov. 29, ’06, 5:41 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Geekery

Joel Spolsky recently panned Vista’s Start menu. Yes, easy target. In response, Arno has taken a couple shots at Mac OS X’s shut down process. I’m not going to criticize his opinion, but I’m guessing most users will be happy that he didn’t win out.

I actually think that the result could have been even better than what we ended up with. I argued against including Restart, Shut Down and Sleep in the Apple menu. How often do you restart your computer, really, especially as a regular end user? On the very rare time when you need to do so, why not just Shut Down, then power up again? And how about Shut Down? Shouldn’t the power button that you used to turn the computer on be the same key you press to turn it off? Also, since pressing the power button brings up a confirmation dialog, providing the options to restart or shutdown there should be sufficient. We even had “one key” keyboard shortcuts, so that to restart the computer all you had to do was press the power key, then R when the dialog was displayed and the Restart option was selected. And finally, how often do you need to manually set your computer to Sleep? I just close the lid of my MacBook and it goes to sleep: a simple mechanical, physical interaction: no need for a software command. On desktop systems, Sleep can be triggered automatically after enough idle time has elapsed.

The power button on my Mac Pro isn’t convenient. It’s nowhere near the keyboard. I don’t want to lean over to do any of those things to my Mac. As for sleep, the idle time explanation is weak. I purposely have the auto sleep option off so I can do Bittorrent or other tasks that don’t require my interaction. I always manually sleep my desktop. The closing the lid theory works for laptops, but I still want the option to do it manually.

Take some time to read his entire post. Is it right the way it is now, or would you have preferred his changes?

Does anyone use Stuffit anymore?

Posted on Nov. 29, ’06, 5:02 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Software

As I was surfing through recent software updates on Versiontracker, I noticed that Stuffit got updated. That prompted the question in my mind, who is using anything but Stuffit Expander anymore? Who buys and uses the full up Stuffit Deluxe?

Back in the day, Stuffit archives were the best way to save space and cut down download times. When you’re using a machine with a 256 MB hard drive, every byte counts and so the additional compression offered by Stuffit was a big deal. Since those days, storage has become a very secondary concern as has internet connection bandwidth.

We have zip compression utilities built into Mac OS X. It’s easy to make compressed disk images. What’s the point of Stuffit?

As an aside, I’d like to thank Allume for finally wising up and no longer hiding the download link behind an obtuse email registration scheme. It was always asinine.

Cook your turkey via IP address

Posted on Nov. 28, ’06, 2:40 PM PT by Scott Silverman

Category | Geekery

I know it’s a little late, but we’ve still got the holiday season in front of us, and plus, there’s always next year. Ever want to cook your turkey (or ham, or pot roast) through an IP address? No? Well after reading this you may very well want to. All it requires is something like a BGE (Big Green Egg) grill and a Stoker System. Then simply rig up your temperature sensors and the blower inside the meat/grill and plug a ethernet cable into the sensor. Now your Mac can really cook your meat. Check out this guy’s rig on Flickr.

[via MAKE]

Security Update 2006-007 released

Posted on Nov. 28, ’06, 2:07 PM PT by Scott Silverman

Category | Security

A significant Security Update was released by Apple this afternoon, providing patches, fixes, and general warm-fuzziness for PowerPC and Intel platforms alike. Some of the remedied services include AirPort, Finder, Font Book, Installer, Samba, VPN, and WebKit. Download via Software Update or Apple’s Download page.

Ten Terminal tips (plus one)

Posted on Nov. 28, ’06, 1:30 PM PT by Collin Allen

Category | Tips

As I become more of a UNIX geek while using Mac OS X, I always appreciate new tools to try out while at the command line. OS X Daily has a nice roundup of some handy commands that you might be unfamiliar with. In particular, the ‘say’ command was a new one to me, which uses the Mac’s chosen text-to-speech voice to speak the subsequent text. While novel, the command isn’t as useful as ‘softwareupdate’, ‘screencapture’, or one of my personal favorites, ‘cal’.

The ‘softwareupdate’ command is essentially Software Update for the command line, allowing you to run Apple’s system updates without launching the full application. While this isn’t useful for the average desktop user, it’s fantastic for those who connect to other Macs using SSH (also mentioned on the list), making remote software updates painless. Managing software on far-away of Macs has never been easier.

Another Mac OS X-specific utility, ‘screencapture’ works very much like Grab and Command-Shift-3 in that it drops the current screen picture to an image of the format of your choosing. This can be great for taking snapshots on timed intervals for webcam style photo posting, or whatever other cool projects you can come up with.

The last one, ‘cal’ is one that’s not on OS X Daily’s list, although I’m confident that it fits in nicely. ‘cal’ is like iCal for the Terminal, bringing up a calendar of the current month in a table-like view. I find it’s generally quicker to switch to an open Terminal window and type ‘cal’ than it is to open iCal to look up a simple date. To view calendars from different months, type ‘cal mm yyyy’, where mm is the month number and yyyy is the year. Alternatively, you can view calendars for an entire year by entering ‘cal yyyy’.

There are tons more utilities just waiting at your fingertips in the Terminal, many of which are relatively easy to use, leading you further down your exploration of the command line at the heart of Mac OS X.

[via TUAW]

Transmit widget for easy uploading

Posted on Nov. 28, ’06, 12:30 PM PT by Collin Allen

Category | Software

We’ve mentioned Panic, Inc’s fabulous FTP client, Transmit, in the past, but if you’re a paid or potential owner, you should also be aware of the free widget they offer. While I’m generally not one to recommend widgets — I don’t use Dashboard much — this is one not worth passing up.

After downloading and installing the widget, you can flip it over and choose among your Transmit favorites or enter any other FTP server credentials you like. As a .Mac subscriber (and hater of the poor Finder-iDisk integration), the Transmit widget makes for quick drop box access to my iDisk. By adding ‘/Sites’ to the end of the upload path, you can make publishing files on your .Mac homepage web space as easy as drag-F12-and-drop.

All functionality aside, the widget also offers a number of cute animations and a very minimal interface — the most important ingredients of a widget, right?

imakeprofile: privacy shmivacy

Posted on Nov. 28, ’06, 12:17 PM PT by Pat Nakajima

Category | Software

If you enjoy the website iusethis.com, you may appreciate its latest enhancement: imakeprofile. It’s basically a script that scans your Applications folder, gets a list of the apps you have in there, then sends that information back to iusethis.com. This helps keep your own records straight, as well as increases the integrity of the iusethis system (while at the same time decreasing it. I have at least a dozen apps in my Applications folder that haven’t been used in some time).

In addition to scouring your computer for data to bring back to its mother-ship, imakeprofile lets you know what apps you had previously indicated using, and if they’re absent from your current list, provides an opportunity for you to download them again.

For every advantage I can see for this program, I can see a disadvantage. That’s pretty much how I’ve felt about the iusethis project as a whole since the start though, and it’s never kept me from going back from time to time.

Easy iWeb Publisher: Making it easier to do things easily

Posted on Nov. 28, ’06, 10:07 AM PT by Pat Nakajima

Category | Software

If you’re a fan of iWeb, yet reluctant to take the plunge by getting a .Mac membership, most of your creations aren’t going anywhere without some Windows-esque finagling. Well finagle no more friends, for you now have Easy iWeb Publisher on your side.

A simple freeware app, Easy iWeb Publisher makes publishing the pages that you create in iWeb as easy as dragging and dropping. While essentially a stripped down FTP client, Easy iWeb Publisher has the kind of simple, no frills interface that’s ideal for a novice web designer using iWeb. A more full featured app like Transmit would be more of a hindrance than a help in these situations.

A word of caution: some of the reviewers on MacUpdate described less than successful experiences with Easy iWeb Publisher. A greater number opposed these naysayers though, so if you or somebody you know is an iWeb aficionado without a way to share his or her craft, give Easy iWeb Publisher a shot.

The kernel panic to end all kernel panics

Posted on Nov. 28, ’06, 9:56 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Hardware

When you work in IT, you see plenty of scary things: viruses, the Blue Screen of Death, data loss, and the like. Over the years, my Macs have been pretty reliable: I get freezes now and then, and sometimes I run into a kernel panic, but for the most part, my computing experience is one of stability.

Of course, sometimes you have raw stupidity too. Not long ago, I was reformatting an old iBook to give my girlfriend, and, being confronted with a choice between Panther and Tiger, I decided to use the Tiger DVD that came with my MacBook (yes, not technically kosher, but hey). Unfortunately, the iBook doesn’t have a DVD drive, so I decided to pop it in the DVD drive on my B&W tower and mount the iBook as a FireWire drive.

I inserted the disc and rebooted. All seemed to be going well when I was suddenly confronted by the most frightening screen I think I’ve ever seen on my Mac (click for the full effect). Not just the kernel panic message, but the white on black text scrolling down the screen, terminating with the plaintive “We are hanging here…” plea. Merciless documenter of crashes that I am, I snapped a few shots with my digital camera.

So, here’s today’s tip for you: don’t use boot discs for Intel-based Macs in PowerPC Macs, unless you want to experience heart palpitations. Oh, and does anyone else think that Colonel Panic would be a great name for a professional wrestler?

Missing Classic features in OS X?

Posted on Nov. 28, ’06, 9:22 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Software

There really isn’t anything in our society that can’t be fixed by a good top ten list. Really, when you think about it, David Letterman should probably just be president. Shudder. Okay, maybe not. Anyway, The Apple Blog has put together a list of the top ten features from the classic MacOS that they’d like to see in OS X.

The list is a mixed bag: some of the features I’d love to see, such as turning folders into pop-up tabs by dragging them to the edge of the screen and the return of the “Put Away” menu command. Others are features that have been implemented—and in most cases, implemented well—by third parties: window shade functionality (handled by Unsanity’s WindowShade X), and Internet Helper preferences (handled by RCDefaultApp). Finally, there are whose appeal is probably on the limited side: ejecting a single partition on a multi-partition drive and printing Finder windows.

There’s only one feature on the list that I’d prefer stay gone, and that’s Appearance themes. While it’s flashy functionality that some crave, I think it serves to undermine OS X by robbing it of design consistency, besides making it harder for third-party developers to make sure their app is compatible with a bunch of different themes. Not to mention there are a host of other things I’d rather see Apple devote time and energy to: like beefing up the Finder itself.

Any other features from Classic that you find yourself craving like that bag of potato chips I have downstairs?

What’s on your wish list?

Posted on Nov. 28, ’06, 8:56 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Apple » People

The gift-giving holidays are fast approaching, and the wish lists are flying fast and furious. While I’ve certainly got my fair share of books, CDs, and DVDs to pick up, I’m also keeping my eye out for my favoritest type of gift, technology—both for myself and for others in my family. But mostly for myself.

I’ve browsed (and, for that matter, contributed to) both Macworld’s and Playlist’s gear guides, but I’m curious to see what you, dear readers, are coveting for presents beneath the tree/menorah/kinara. So far, I’m considering a couple of iPod add-ons, such as the Nike + iPod Sports Kit and Belkin’s TuneTalk Stereo.

What kind of software and hardware would complete your holiday season?

Dear Firefox, why does your text handling suck?

Posted on Nov. 28, ’06, 8:23 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Internet

Everyone has their own browsing preferences. I used to be a Safari first, Firefox as a backup kind of guy. Now it’s more of a OmniWeb (on sale for $10 for just a couple more days), Safari, then Firefox hierarchy. You’d think that OmniWeb would handle everything Safari does (considering it uses a more recent WebKit), but it still doesn’t download things that have a header that indicate that they should be downloaded. Having to manually download all those items gets old very quickly.

I’ll pick myself out of that rathole and get back on point. Many Mac users actually use Firefox as their primary browser (before Safari, OmniWeb, and Camino). Things just look prettier to me in Safari and WebKit-based browsers. I could never put my finger on it, but Jeffrey Zeldman has nailed it at least in what may be just two of many ways.

If your content will sometimes include italicized text, you naturally want to specify a font that contains italics. That’s just common sense. Unfortunately, as our screen shots have shown, common sense works against you here, because Firefox, although superior to other browsers in many ways, handles text like a drunken fry-cook.

Beyond just butchering italics, it also screws up hyphenated text, insisting on keeping hyphenated words all on one line. Ugh. I hate to use stereotypes, but Firefox feels like a browser built by engineers while Safari feels like a browser built by designers. I’m sure that’ll raise the ire of more than a couple Firefox fans, but am I alone in feeling that way?

Nike Amping up iPod with wireless remote?

Posted on Nov. 28, ’06, 7:50 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | iPod » iPod Accessories

Someone call the plumber, we got ourselves a leak. Magazine Men’s Health has put together a gear guide for 2007, including an unreleased iPod accessory made by Nike (hit the “Media Players” section and scroll down). Something tells me that the Nike CEO’s going to be taking a call from Steve Jobs on line one.

The device, the Amp+, is a combination display/wireless remote for the iPod. It interfaces via Bluetooth to let you change tracks as you run as well as displaying the track information on an LED hidden beneath the bracelet’s exterior. Looks like a slick device, though information is scarce. Does it come with its own Bluetooth transmitter? Or does it use the transmitter from the Nike + iPod Sports Kit? Men’s Health claims an $80 pricetag, which is a bit steep—you can get Apple’s remote for $50, which includes an FM tuner, though it’s arguably not as slick as the Amp+, which totally appears to be from the future. Or, at least, 2007.

[via Engadget]

New “Get a Mac” ads

Posted on Nov. 28, ’06, 7:26 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Apple » Advertising

Tis the season for unruly shopping crowds, goodwill towards men and new advertising. Three new commercials are out. I saw “Gift Exchange” last night while watching Heroes. PC is sporting a very nice holiday sweater, but I won’t ruin the laughs by giving away any of the action.

The two other ads aren’t seasonal. One is “Sales Pitch” and the other is “Meant for Work”. John Hodgman really carries all three of the ads as usual and Justin Long is, well, still there (so rumors of his leaving were greatly exaggerated).

Go watch all three and vote for your favorite in the comments. I personally like Gift Exchange best.

Avast ye landlubbers, more antivirus for Macs

Posted on Nov. 28, ’06, 5:17 AM PT by Derik DeLong

Category | Security

Apparently such impotent virii as Macarena and Oompah Loompah have spurred a huge interest in new antivirus software for Mac OS X. Avast! antivirus is coming to Mac. In fact, if you’re interested in being a beta tester, you can contact them to try it out.

Keep in mind, it’s not for the faint of heart or those just looking to play. You need to be serious about trying to debug a piece of software that can be potentially very dangerous and resides deep in the system. Those not prepared for such a task can walk the plank. Arrr!

CoverScout: iTunes album art & iSight support

Posted on Nov. 27, ’06, 2:41 PM PT by Scott Silverman

Category | Software

From Equinux Software, the makers of iSale, comes another useful application called CoverScout. This application provides an interface which allows you to search CD album artwork from Amazon, Google, and more. The application integrates fully with iTunes and also sports crop, scale, and rotate functions to perfect your album art.

My favorite feature, though, is that the application offers iSight (or external webcam) support which allows you to easily capture images of your own album art. This is a perfect feature for locally produced CDs which may not appear on Amazon or Google, or for those times you are without internet. My only grip with the software is that it will run you $19.95, which is a bit steep considering there are many free alternatives.

[via MacMinute]

Discover downloads, even if incomplete

Posted on Nov. 27, ’06, 2:06 PM PT by Scott Silverman

Category | Tips

There have been several times when I’ve seen a Safari download sitting on my desktop unfinished. I’ve wondered where it came from (the URL) and what exactly was contained inside. Unfortunately for me, these things always seemed to remain a mystery as I dragged the download into the trash. The Mac DevCenter, however, has a solution to the mystery with a control-click and “Show Package Contents”:

Inside you’ll find the download itself and an Info.plist file. To view the property list file, just drag it onto TextEdit to open. Properties include the URL source of the file, the date and time of the download, and the progress to date.

Good to know. Files that end in “.download” are no longer a mystery.

Safe Sleep tips and tricks

Posted on Nov. 27, ’06, 1:30 PM PT by Collin Allen

Category | Tips

Apple’s Intel-based Macs, and the last of the PowerBooks, include a new feature called “safe sleep.” Nearly identical to Windows’ “hibernation” mode, these machines can easily dump the contents of RAM to the hard disk and fall into a more permanent sleep mode. Normal sleep mode uses up battery power to maintain the contents of RAM (which will be lost if you run out of power), whereas safe sleep can continue indefinitely.

To quickly drop into safe sleep, Deep Sleep is a small Dashboard widget that will make it happen. A single click will suspend your Mac for future use while using up zero battery power. For Macs which don’t natively support safe sleep, Andrew Escobar details the Terminal steps necessary to enable this cool feature.

While the Mac has a number of sleep modes, safe sleep is great for when you’re on the go with a bunch of projects open and don’t want to shut the machine down, but sleep mode is too short — or you’re hard pressed to find a power outlet anywhere nearby.

[via LifeHacker, Macworld, and Andrew Escobar]

Sync bookmarks without .Mac using SafariDepot

Posted on Nov. 27, ’06, 12:30 PM PT by Collin Allen

Category | Software

SafariDepot is a new, free utility for syncing your Safari bookmarks without requiring the use of Apple’s .Mac service. If you have access to — or can set up — an internet-connected FTP or secure FTP server, SafariDepot can be customized to communicate and keep your bookmarks in order.

SafariDepot is a very lightweight application which needs no installation, and can be set up to run automatically using CronniX. Pimp My Safari also has some good suggestions for scheduling SafariDepot, including setting scripts as login items as well as Mac OS X’s ‘cron’ command-line utility. If you’re considering .Mac for its bookmark syncing abilities, but don’t need all the other bells and whistles, SafariDepot just might do the trick.

[via Pimp My Safari]

How the Zune can get the iPod’s goat

Posted on Nov. 27, ’06, 10:53 AM PT by Pat Nakajima

Category | iPod

Over on Playlist, there’s a reprint of an article by Mike Elgan of Computerworld about how the next iteration of the Zune can really get the best of the iPod. How, you say? By being everything that the iPod isn’t.

Think of this. Instead of going to great lengths to install Linux on the iPod (many of iPodLinux’s initial breakthroughs came about after listening and trying to interpret the clicks of the iPod’s hard drive), users could install anything they wanted on their Zune. This would introduce a plethora of bugs and software related maladies, but users who would have no wish to deal with such issues could simply choose to not modify their device.

It’s Apple’s nature to keep a closed system, and it’s Microsoft’s nature to have an open one. Perhaps the Zune’s close ties with the Xbox division have cut out any true customization features (the Xbox 360 has a layer of epoxy over the chip that modders would use to implement an alternate OS). At any rate, if Microsoft has any aspirations for the Zune besides using it as an excuse to take pictures of sweaty people, it needs to start catering to its strengths, and in doing so, exploiting Apple’s weaknesses.

MaxConnect brings eight hard drive insanity to the Mac Pro

Posted on Nov. 27, ’06, 9:56 AM PT by Dan Moren

Category | Hardware » Accessories

Apple finally addressed a long running complaint of its professional level offering when it designed the Mac Pro to house four internal SATA hard drives. Four 750GB drives means you can have up to 3 terabytes of available storage. More than enough, right?

Well, I suppose you can never have too much. Macworld editor Rob “Wild Thing” Griffiths, for example, filled up his Mac Pro almost immediately. Sounds like he might be a prime candidate for MaxConnect’s new Optical Bay expansion assembly. Of course, MaxConnect’s system requires that at least one of your Mac Pro’s optical bays are empty. But if you fit the bill, you can add two more hard drives per optical bay: giving you a grand maximum of eight hard drive slots, or around 6TB of possible storage. (Add eight DIMMs of RAM and an a couple of quad-core processors for a machine that I like to call “Crazy 8s” or perhaps “Magic 8-Ball”).

The sweet spot seems to be about six drives, since the Mac Pro ships standard with just one optical drive, and adding only two drives means no need to shell out for additional SATA controller (the Mac Pro has two extra, unused SATA channels on the logic board). Just think of the RAIDing fun! MaxConnect’s systems, which ship on the 1st of December, will start at $129.

Now if only someone would come up with a way for me to replace the useless Zip drive in my B&W tower with a DVD combo drive, without having to resort to a hacksaw.

[via Macworld]