Create a wallpaper and win shiny gadgets
Posted on Feb. 28, ’07, 5:20 PM PT by Thomas Gagnon-van Leeuwen
Category | iPod
Feeling creative? Need a way to express your iPod love? iLounge, the iPod enthusiast site, is there for you. The website’s latest contest, which goes by the name of “Wallpaper Yourself an iPhone, Apple TV, or iPods”, invites you create a wallpaper based on one of Cupertino’s shiny music players.
The gallery is growing fast and already has a number of slick and creative entries. How about an iPod shuffle flower (pictured here)? Or the psychedelic “My Music, My Life”? Maybe you prefer this very polished Product Red iPod nano wallpaper bursting with light? Of course, the real fun is firing up Photoshop and making your own, so get your creativity juices flowing to win some pretty impressive prizes. First place gets you an iPhone when it’s released, though you’ll need to pay the phone plan yourself, understandably. If you’re only good enough for second place, you get to watch those many Disney movies you bought on iTunes with a brand new Apple TV. Finally, if you win third place, you receive a 4GB iPod nano and a shuffle.
So what are you waiting for? Go express your iPod love with a cool desktop picture, and submit it to iLounge before March 25th (and don’t forget to read the rules!).
Let’s help Brent Simmons out a bit
Posted on Feb. 28, ’07, 4:57 PM PT by Pat Nakajima
Category | Software
Yesterday I submitted a feature request to Brent Simmons via this blog. I asked for the option to export my open NetNewsWire tabs so that I could save them for later. Like a true gentleman, he responded in the comments, and like a truly good developer, he had already thought of this feature, and was just trying to figure out what format the export should yield. I figured that you, the MacUser reader may have some interesting input, so allow me to re-pose the question.
Personally, I think it would be great to see a few formats supported. I’d like to see the option to export a regular Bookmark file, just like you’d find after exporting your bookmarks from Firefox or Safari. XML would be cool too. It’d be nice to be able to have a small feed that contains your own tabs. It’d be even cooler to be able to publish your open tabs as an RSS feed to your website, so they could be viewable anywhere. These are just my personal thoughts though.
What do you think? What format(s) would you like to see supported by a NetNewsWire “Export Tabs” feature?
PS: Brent, if you’re ever in the mood for another beta tester, just say the word.
Almost as good as the real thing
Posted on Feb. 28, ’07, 4:26 PM PT by Scott Silverman
Category | Apple » Humor
When Steve announced in January that the iPhone wouldn’t be shipping for another six months, my heart sank instantly to the bottom of my stomach; I would have to wait six more months for something I’d already been waiting for well over two years. But then, things got a lot better. No, it wasn’t because I discovered the free food in the Macworld pressroom, it was something even more delicious: an iPhone thong.
No your eyes are not deceiving you. You are indeed starting at the world’s one and only iPhone thong, built especially for ladies (and gents alike) with a tasteful combination of fashion and technology. Unfortunately the one thong which was available on eBay (size medium) has already been sold for $10. Don’t give up hope though, I’m sure these will soon be available at a department store near you.
[via Gizmodo]
Waiting for Leopard
Posted on Feb. 28, ’07, 3:00 PM PT by Andy Ihnatko
Category | Ihnatko
Okay: seriously, dude: where’s my Leopard?
Yes, I’m that befluxed and kerstrummelled. Not only am I forced to just make up brand-new words to describe my present state of agitation, to the almost certain perhormulance of this column’s hard-working copy editors…but I’m also reduced to quoting the title of an Ashton Kutcher movie, for the love of God.
To recap: Steve Jobs demonstrated some key new features of Mac OS X 10.5 (aka “Leopard”) last August at Apple’s annual worldwide developers’ conference. We got our first look at Time Machine, a new automatic backup system that makes retrieving a long-deleted Word document as simple as evading a Kr’Nolian Singularity Field in the original series of “Star Trek.” Meaning: there’s some technical mumbo-jumbo that you don’t need to get into, but it involves staring into a starfield on your main viewer and saying “Engage, Mr. Sulu.”
(Actually, you don’t have to say that. But you’ve got this awesome animated starfield with a whirling nebula in the distance and your past Finder windows are floating around on top of it. Under the circumstances, you might get carried away and add an “Engage, Mr. Crusher” and a “Traveling through hyperspace ain’t like dustin’ crops, boy…” while you’re at it.)
Safari will be able to “clip” live information from any website, and turn it into a desktop widget. A “spaces” feature lets you have multiple virtual monitors. A developer-level resource known as “Core Animation.”
And I enjoyed all of that. Truly, I did. But what caught my ear was one of Steve’s opening lines: that there was much, much more to come. He just didn’t want to give Microsoft any more ideas to copy.
Steve’s Macworld Expo keynote was the tree that me and my two good friends, Vladimir and Estragon, had been waiting near. We knew that the final, complete list of features was coming. Surely, this was the place. And yet, of our antelope-masticating friend there was not a single mention. Instead, we got two hours about some sort of cordless phone that Steve was all excited about for some reason. Who wanted to know about the iPhone?
Apparently, everybody. All right. I’ll grant you that. Still, why no mention of Leopard, due to ship by the end of the Spring? Why did I have to sit through a half-hour-long public demo on the convention floor to learn that Apple had nothing new to show that hadn’t already been up forever?
Independent films pop up on iTunes; sign for the future?
Posted on Feb. 28, ’07, 2:44 PM PT by Scott Silverman
Category | iTunes » iTunes Store
Infinite Loop has got the latest word on Forum Snowboards—one of two independent film producers granted permission to sell their films in the iTunes Store. This is a breakthrough event in the indy film world, as up until now only the major television networks and motion picture companies have been able to sell their video content, although anyone could post a free video podcast.
According to entertainment news site Variety, both independent film producers engaged in talks with Apple directly to get their content up. Negotiations took 10 months, but the films now sell for $1.99. Could this be the first step of many in opening the door to independent filmmakers? I sure hope so, as the iTunes Store is one of the best online avenues for distributing content in today’s iPod-driven digital media market, and there’s no reason why indy studios should have to sit this one out.
AOpen mini PC looks a bit familiar
Posted on Feb. 28, ’07, 2:02 PM PT by Scott Silverman
Category | Hardware
To be honest, I’m surprised it took this long. The Mac Mini is just too perfect a design not to copy: it’s small, sleek, quiet, and pretty much a full-fledged desktop (save that it uses laptop hard drives). Shuttle has been manufacturing small form factor PCs for quite some time, but this is the first Mac Mini PC I’ve seen.
The device is called the AOpen mini PC, and it’s being manufactured in China. As you can see, everything right down to the packaging is a less attractive version of the Mac Mini (not all versions of the device are this ugly, however). Even its power supply is similar to the Mac Mini. Check out macminicolo.net’s page to see more pictures comparing the two computers.
I just want to celebrate…by announcing our new bloggers
Posted on Feb. 28, ’07, 12:57 PM PT by Dan Moren
Category | MacUser
It was a mere year ago today that Scott, Aaron, and I joined MacUser—a triple threat of blogging. In that time we’ve authored over 2000 posts combined and had a metric boatload of fun doing it.
So it seems only fitting that on this one-year us-iversary that we add two new bloggers to our ranks. You attentive readers have already seen a couple of their posts, but they’ve yet to have their formal coming out party.
Kate Marshall comes to us from the depths of Philadelphia, where she daily dodges the attacks of cheesesteaks, Liberty Bells, and Ben Franklin impersonators. City of brotherly love—yeah, right; there’re few places more dangerous than the cradle of independence.
We may not be able to pronounce the name of MacUser’s first international blogger, Thomas Gagnon-van Leeuwen, but rest assured that he can school us bilingual-style from his hometown of Montréal, Québec (I totally had to drag out the high school French for the right accents there).
So be as nice to our new writers as you would be to us—strike that, be way nicer. At least for a week or so; then you can give it to ‘em with both barrels.
“X” marks the keyboard shortcut
Posted on Feb. 28, ’07, 11:00 AM PT by Kate Marshall
Category | Software
I loves keyboard shortcuts; it must come with the whole “knowing how to touch-type properly.” What I don”t like is having to remember all of them so I resort to scribbling things like “Cmd+Shift+3=screen capture” on sticky notes and affixing them to every conceivable surface. Not a cool way to go about your day, even for someone who loves having any excuse to break out her fountain pens.
Enter the xCuts Dashboard Widget in all its widget-y goodness. For instance, that “screen capture” shortcut I mentioned before? I looked it up on xCuts. It even gave me the Windows equivalent of “Alt+Print Screen” because it is awesome like that.
Thank you, LifeHacker, for bumping my Geekiness Quota up by several points today.
At least paper can still beat rock.
Posted on Feb. 28, ’07, 10:01 AM PT by Kate Marshall
Category | Software
The hype surrounding the paperless office has even spread as far as MIT Press on that there Internet. Others, though, are more optimistic about banishing pesky paper: DEVONtechnologies has updated two flavors of DEVONthink Pro so you can find electronic homes for all those dead-tree bits you might otherwise print during your day.
As someone whose cubicle walls are lined with paper, I’ve been using the plain-Jane version of DEVONthink for a few months now, to plan work-related things: Important Meetings, Vital Documents, and General Miscellaneous Items to name a few. Seeing a typical day’s tasks compressed into a few color-coded folders helps make my work more manageable but I wouldn’t go so far as to call DEVONthink my “second brain” if only because I just like having a hard copy for better editing. And my original brain’s very sensitive about being upstaged.
Safari is like a hungry, CPU-eating, memory-devouring monster
Posted on Feb. 28, ’07, 9:39 AM PT by Dan Moren
Category | Software
Safari, for better or worse, is still my browser of choice. I’ve fiddled with Camino and Firefox, and I keep them around for backup, but something about Safari just feels like home. Still, that doesn’t mean I don’t have my complaints.
Some users have complained loudly about Safari eating up a ton of CPU cycles, especially with multiple tabs open. WebKit developer Dave Hyatt responded on the Surfin’ Safari blog with a detailed explanation of several reasons why that might be, everything from Animated GIFs to Plugins to Marquee elements. That’s right: marquee elements. Man, I’d hoped those had died out last century.
While it’s nice to know that some of these issues have been resolved in the nightly builds, Hyatt makes no mention of what, in my experience, is a far bigger problem: WebKit leaks memory like a sieve. If I have NetNewsWire and Safari open, each with a bunch of tabs, my MacBook and its piddling 1GB of RAM slows to a crawl. I have to quit and relaunch Safari every few days, just to get my computer going again. Please, for the love of Mike, look into that one.
If I’m having so much trouble, why don’t I just switch? Because it hurts so good.
[via Infinite Loop]
VirtueDesktops 0.54 beta 2 released
Posted on Feb. 28, ’07, 9:18 AM PT by Aaron Freedman
Category | Software » Updates
Sometimes, one desktop just isn’t enough. But, if you’re like me, extra monitors can be too expensive and space-consuming to be worth the while. That’s why I use VirtueDesktops to have virtual desktop workspaces. VirtueDesktops was just released version 0.54 beta 2, which includes a lot of bug fixes, such as fixing some memory leaks, new UI tweaks, and more.
VitueDesktops is, as always, free and available as a Universal Binary.
[via TUAW]
Faux iPhone for Windows Mobile smartphones
Posted on Feb. 28, ’07, 8:44 AM PT by Dan Moren
Category | iPhone
The iPhone may be on track for a June release, but if you simply can’t wait that long, here’s an alternative: skin up your Windows smartphone to look like an iPhone. Yeah, we’ve discussed such heresy before, but Gizmodo’s got a video of the faux iPhone interface for a Windows Mobile smartphone in action.
Despite the fact that it’s just a copy of the iPhone’s interface, I still found myself impressed at how well the author re-created the bells and whistles, from the sliding “unlock” screen to the finger-scrolling for the music (the latter, he admits, is just in beta). The buttons are mostly just linked to the standard Windows Mobile apps for web, messaging, and photos, but I got a laugh out of the iPod functionality.
Sure, it’s no iPhone, but it might tide over those of you who have a Windows-based smartphone in the meantime. Until, of course, he gets sued into oblivion.
Cook: iPhone still on schedule for June
Posted on Feb. 28, ’07, 8:04 AM PT by Dan Moren
Category | iPhone
What with the Apple TV being delayed, some might have begun to worry that the iPhone might suffer a similar fate. Apple COO Tim Cook doesn’t want you to fret, though. Speaking at the Goldman Sachs 2007 Technology Investment Symposium Conference, Cook reiterated Apple’s goal of selling 10 million of the handsets, and said that the iPhone was still on track for a June release.
Cook also said that it was too early to tell if iPhone sales would cannibalize iPod sales; he confirmed that 90 million iPods have been sold since the music player’s introduction in 2001.
Of course, at three months out, it seems unlikely that Cook is going to say anything other than that the iPhone is on schedule. Apple itself claimed the Apple TV was on schedule practically all the way up until it was supposed to ship. Hey, remember when Apple used to announce products that were available immediately? Yeah. Those were the days.
[via Macworld UK]
Omni: OmniFocus isn’t vaporware we swear!
Posted on Feb. 28, ’07, 7:43 AM PT by Derik DeLong
Category | Software
Macworld news bad boy Jim Dalrymple visited Omni and totally got up in their grill.
Jim: “So when is this OmniFocus going to be released, anyway?”
Me: chokes on a slurp of coffee, narrowly avoiding spraying the entire table Gallagher-style
Jim: “Wow, you must really suck at poker.”
The man pulls no punches. Linda of Omni can’t get a straight answer herself. Irony drips off this story as Omni can’t seem to finish the application that’s all about Getting Things Done. While OmniOutliner Pro and Kinkless GTD work well in tandem, it’s not smooth and I just have trouble working with anything that feels kludgy for any period of time.
In the meantime, you can apply to beta test, read the FAQ, or stare at the icon attached to this post.
Gizmo Project gets on my bad side
Posted on Feb. 28, ’07, 6:35 AM PT by Derik DeLong
Category | Software
When Gizmo Project first appeared on the scene, I really liked them. I wanted to cheer them on. They were the Mac against the PC in relation to their Skype competition. They’ve released version 3 of their client. New features include the ability to call those on the Yahoo and MSN Messenger networks.
The other less publicized new feature is the lack of a Mac version of the new client. Ouch. Skype already gives new features to Windows users way in advance. That’s one way that Gizmo shouldn’t copy the competition. This after supporting Macs with their free browser calling. I can only help the “Public release and other platforms are coming soon…” in their forums regarding 3.0 is hinting at a Mac version soon.
Parallels finally gets Boot Camp support right
Posted on Feb. 28, ’07, 5:23 AM PT by Derik DeLong
Category | Windows
Huzzah! I was skeptical when I saw that the latest version of Parallels Desktop reached final status. Every beta version “supporting Boot Camp” up until this point has been a thorough failure for me. First it didn’t play nice with Boot Camp on its own disk (in a Mac Pro). Then it would just sit there maxing out the processor.
I was beginning to feel foolish having already paid for a license. I set up a virtual machine for use with my Boot Camp partition (that had already been trashed by an earlier beta as far as I could tell). Parallels got all the way to the user login screen and I couldn’t move the pointer. I got a tad upset. I was gearing up for a nasty-gram. I decided to try the keyboard before I did and luckily, it worked. It allowed me to finish the Parallels tools install.
Once that finished, it restarted the VM and to my pleasant surprise, the mouse returned. Everything is now working perfectly. I’m now really happy I spent the money. Perhaps I’ve been spoiled by the quality of betas by other developers, but it’s a new experience having to wait for final releases to get an actually usable version. The only test left is to make sure booting into my Boot Camp partition still works. I’m fully expecting it to work now, but if it doesn’t, you can bring the cheese. I’ll supply the whine.
AirPort Extreme: See how it runs
Posted on Feb. 27, ’07, 4:09 PM PT by Thomas Gagnon-van Leeuwen
Category | Hardware
We’re big on the AirPort Extreme: we’ve told you about the photos, the reviews, and the limitations. But what about using the darn thing? My favorite podcast, ScreenCastsOnline, has released a video screencast explaining how to do just that in excrutiating detail.
If you bought or plan on buying a new AirPort Extreme, I’d highly recommend checking out the video, as it explains the configuration process and the new Network Attached Storage (NAS) capabilities. As Don McAllister, ScreenCastsOnline’s host, is a Brit, you’re even treated to the UK pronunciation of router, which our friends across the pond pronounce roo-ter (adorable!). Don also offers a smart solution to remedy the fact that the base station has only one USB port: instead of choosing between connecting a printer and plugging a hard drive (to have NAS), why not plug a USB hub into the AirPort and use as many devices as you wish?
Whatever your needs are, be they learning how to use NAS, configuring the base station, or hearing roo-ter over and over again, ScreenCastsOnline’s free video tutorial is definitely worth a look, as are all the other excellent Mac tutorials on the site.
Parallels update released; site goes down
Posted on Feb. 27, ’07, 3:19 PM PT by Scott Silverman
Category | Software » Updates
Although at the time of authoring this post the Parallels’ website was down (it’s back up now), the company did release an update to Parallels Desktop for Mac today. The free update includes a new installation tool, shared networking support, and official compatibility for Mac OS X Leopard and Windows Vista. The update also adds “several additional features” and repairs numerous bugs.
It’s rather odd to see such a large and important company’s site completely down on the very day they release an update. I hope everything’s OK.
Update: The Parallels site is now back up and working. You can view the new features in the latest build or go straight to download it.
But how do I tab my tabs?
Posted on Feb. 27, ’07, 2:21 PM PT by Scott Silverman
Category | Software
In my opinion, tabbed browsing was one of the greatest inventions since bookmarks. I honestly do not know what I would do without tabs—be they in Safari, Firefox, Camino, or (it pains me to say it) Internet Explorer. So when I learned about Tab Groups—Lifehacker’s download of the day today—I nearly fell off my chair.
Simply put, Tab Groups is a Firefox extension which allows you to tab your tabs. Yup, there’s really not much left to say—except that it’s free. (Oh, well you probably should check out a few of the limitations if you’re actually thinking about installing it.)
A humble feature request for NetNewsWire
Posted on Feb. 27, ’07, 12:15 PM PT by Pat Nakajima
Category | Software
Brent Simmons, creator of what I honestly believe to be one of the most significant apps to ever land in the OS X dock, is constantly working on his creation. I know this because Twitter knows this. After reading this post on his blog about feature requests, I must admit that I was a bit timid about asking for a new feature. What if I made a buffoon of myself? I know that MacUser at least has some semblance of rapport with one half of the Mac blogging software elite, but what if I were to alienate the other half? These are the questions that plague me at night.
Still, I do think that my workflow (or lack thereof) would benefit magnificently from the ability to export my open tabs in NetNewsWire to a bookmarks folder. Too eclectic? Maybe, but since I always seem to end up with 20 open tabs by the time I get through my feeds (partial feeds be damned!), I don’t find the idea to be so unreasonable.
I know that AppleScript provides a possible solution, but only if you’re unaware of my scripting abilities. Seriously, I make Tim “the toolman” Taylor look like Thomas “the Alva” Edison. So please Brent, if you’re listening, appease my tabular gluttony. I’ll be forever thankful.
It doesn’t sound like a podcast to me, but what do I know?
Posted on Feb. 27, ’07, 10:44 AM PT by Kate Marshall
Category | Video
I’ll admit that there are some things in life which confuse me—my cat’s penchant for falling off my desk comes to mind. The most recent addition to the list of Things That Bother Kate is Apple’s classification of movie trailers. Example: I was feeling nostalgic so I went to Apple’s movie trailer page and searched for Lord of the Rings trailers—hey, you spend your snowy afternoons in PA your way and let me spend them in mine. Lo and behold, a trailer for Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring can be found at the bottom this page; clicking on it opens the iTunes Store. You can watch it right there, or you can download it by clicking on the “Get Episode” button; if you do that, it shows up in the podcasts section of iTunes.
The heck? I can understand that when some movie trailers are tailored for your iPod—Spider-Man 3, Amazing Grace, and The Simpsons Movie, I’m looking in your direction—it makes sense for those trailers to open in iTunes. I just don’t get the “let’s classify them as ‘podcasts’ thing.”
Then again, I was probably one of the few people who saw Bridge to Terabithia the other day and wanted to know why Jess didn’t just build the stupid bridge earlier, so what do I know? *
(*Parents, please: Read the book before taking your little children to the movie. It just saves everyone a lot of angst and angry-letter-writing)
MacNewsWorld helps me get my daily helping of FUD
Posted on Feb. 27, ’07, 10:03 AM PT by Dan Moren
Category | Security
Apparently, I’ve been falling down a bit on my recommended daily allowance of FUD. So this morning, I poured myself a big heaping bowl full of tasty Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt (which, when you think about it, are a lot like Snap, Crackle, and Pop), courtesy of “MacNewsWorld” and their article “Mac Security Software: More Options for a Growing Need.” Mmm, the title alone will shoot your FUD intake up a good five percent. Let’s dig in.
The appearance of more security products for the Mac platform is a sign that malware threats to the computers have gained prominence.There’s a reason FUD starts with “fear;” it’s the easiest way to grab people’s attention. Though I might suggest that the writer of this article, Jack M. Germain, revisit that whole “cause and effect” thing. Saying that the appearance of more security products is caused by more prominent malware threats is like saying that because grocery stores are stocking up on canned goods, the apocalypse must be nigh. It holds about as much water as a twelve ounce bottle with the bottom cut off.
Once upon a time, computer users could choose to run the Mac OS and be relatively confident that their equipment and data would be safe and sound. Times, however, are changing, forcing Macintosh computer users to pay more attention to the growing problems of viruses, ID theft and other intrusions such as adware and spyware.Ah, yes. Once upon a time. The classic beginning to all fairy tales. Like, oh, this article. Also, why do I have to worry about my “equipment” being safe? Is there a website I can go to that will cause, say, the Kool-Aid guy to crash through my wall and destroy my MacBook? Because that is a website I would like to stay away from. And when, exactly, are “times changing” from? This morning? There’s absolutely no hard evidence provided to back up that point. Perhaps this is the “uncertainty” part.
Quantum adopts “wait and see” approach to iPhone infringement
Posted on Feb. 27, ’07, 8:44 AM PT by Dan Moren
Category | Legal
Did Quantum Research bite off a little more than it can chew? A mere week after the British-based company claimed that the iPhone’s touchcreen used some of their proprietary technology, they’ve started backpedaling faster than a paddleboat about to go over a waterfall.
“Quantum has no knowledge of any infringement by Apple of Quantum’s patents in regard to the iPhone or any other product other than those products alleged to be infringing in our 2005 lawsuit against Apple and Cypress Semiconductor, specifically the Powerbook trackpad, Mighty Mouse, and iPod Nano scroll wheel,” Quantum said in a statement.I’d call that a sensible move, Quantum. Though seriously, if you had, through some sort of psychic knowledge determined that the iPhone was using your technology, you seriously need to put those skills to use in solving murders or something. Don’t waste it in being all litigious. We get enough of that from little tiny Texas companies nobody’s ever heard of.“Until the iPhone product is made available for public sale, we have to make the operating assumption that no Quantum patents have been violated,” the statement added.
Cartoons, Ms. Pac-Man, and Merlin Mann now on iTunes Store
Posted on Feb. 27, ’07, 8:12 AM PT by Dan Moren
Category | iTunes » iTunes Store
No doubt jealous of the success garnered by her spouse, Ms. Pac-Man has insisted that she too be included (iTunes link) in this brave new world of downloadable iPod games. The classic Namco title featuring the pink-bowed chomper is now available for $4.99 at the iTunes Store, marking the first new title introduced since the introduction of Sudoku and Royal Solitaire back in December. The move may make one of my friends, a Pac-Man addict happy—finally.
Ms. Pac-Man isn’t the only new addition to the iTunes Store this week. The New Yorker magazine, in cooperation with RingTales, has released animated versions of some of its cartoons (iTunes link) as free downloads. The cartoons are about twenty seconds long; you can watch them via the iTunes Store or download them to your iPod. According to the description, new cartoons will appear three times a week.
Finally, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention Friend of the Blog Merlin Mann’s new video podcast, The Merlin Show, in which the wizard of 43 Folders interviews people like musician Jonathan Coulton. You can download the show directly from the site or subscribe via iTunes.
MacBook Pro, the bulletproof vest
Posted on Feb. 27, ’07, 7:38 AM PT by Derik DeLong
Category | Hardware
You know those MacBook Pros, they take a bullet to the heart and keep on ticking. The picture tells a story of a laptop that in the course of a mugging, got shot. It looks to still be functioning fine (save for the distortion in the optical drive).
The original source of the photos has, at the time I write this, taken the pictures down. The reason is unknown. I must say though, this brings new utility to Mac in a Top.
Followup: Hatto was a fraud
Posted on Feb. 27, ’07, 6:47 AM PT by Derik DeLong
Category | Music
iTunes helped reveal a possible fraud in some of Joyce Hatto’s recordings. Later analysis showed that the recordings were identical. Her husband has just confirmed that many of the recordings are fraudulent. Before you make your mind up to despise the guy, it’s worth knowing the tale.
The advent of compact disc in 1983 meant that the cassettes he was producing of his wife playing were quickly ignored by critics, as magazines such as Gramophone gradually made the transition to the new format. It was not until many years later, Barrington-Coupe writes, that he had the capacity to produce CDs, by which time Hatto was already in the advanced stages of the ovarian cancer which would kill her. He tried to transfer the cassette recordings to disc, but without great success. So the decision was made to re-record her repertoire.
The C word alone is enough to quell the ill feelings I had. However, what transpired just turned it into pity. As she tried to play her repertoire, she frequently grunted, essentially ruining pieces of each recoding. Her husband attempted to fix the issues by pasting in bits of sound that matched her style. He started copying larger and larger pieces until he apparently was using entire recordings.
It’s sad to see this kind of thing happen, but tools as rudimentary as iTunes track labeling are advanced enough to identify fraud early and will hopefully prevent things like this from building in the future.
Ironcoder V coming soon
Posted on Feb. 27, ’07, 6:03 AM PT by Derik DeLong
Category | Geekery
One of my very favorite, very geeky pleasures is the ironcoder contest that challenges software developers to come up with cool innovative pieces of software that relate to a theme using a particular API within a pre-determind small time frame.
Past contests have been Mardi Gras using Accessibility and Emily Dickinson using iTunes Visualization. The very best part of these contests is that the end results are released for anyone to try out. They’re downright fun.
Ironcoder V will take place March 30 (at 5 PM Central time) - April 1. That means that once you’re done with all the April Fools shenanigans, you’ll get to see who takes the crown.
MacBook configuration insanity
Posted on Feb. 27, ’07, 5:17 AM PT by Derik DeLong
Category | Apple
It’s not often I do this, but every once in a while, Apple’s behavior absolutely perplexes me. Today’s example is a friend of my father. He’s been using Macs for a long time and when his white iBook started to show issues, he decided to buy a new MacBook. As a side note, I actually used the copy of DiskWarrior installed in my Powerbook to repair his drive enough to copy his data to his iPod.
Here’s where things got embarrassing. He wanted to utilize a corporate discount at his disposal to buy a MacBook with the RAM maxed out. He was unsure about the order being correct online, so he decided to place the order on the phone instead. In the course of verbally conveying his order, he forgot to max out the RAM. He realized this in transit, which was naturally too late to change the order.
Being the rational, sane person that I am, I assumed that the Apple Store would upgrade his MacBook with the right amount of RAM for the differential he would have had ordering it that way. The laptop was basically brand new after all. It turns out that no, Apple will not do that. They’ll charge the normal rate. Calls to support basically gave the same answer. I’ll give props to Apple support as they worked hard to come up with a solution.
That solution was to send him yet another MacBook with the right amount of RAM, have him visit the Apple Store to transfer all the data from the original MacBook, then send the original MacBook back to Apple. Let that sit in your brain a bit and marinate. I can understand Apple wanting to enforce their pricing for people that have had their computer for a while, but if it’s still within the return window, why not just let them get the upgrade done? Why put them through waiting for another machine which ultimately forces Apple to add another computer to its refurb inventory? Doesn’t Apple see that this policy not only annoys the consumer, but also incurs extra cost to Apple itself?
My mouth really is agape.
Mac tax software reviewed
Posted on Feb. 26, ’07, 3:47 PM PT by Aaron Freedman
Category | Software
One of the advantages of being a minor is that you don’t have to file tax returns. But, for those of you out there that do, Macworld has provided reviews and a comparison of the two major tax products for the Mac — H&R Block’s TaxCut (which is returning from a one-year hiatus from OS X) and Intuit’s TurboTax.
Both products are similar in many ways — each have you fill out an easy-to-use questionnaire to file your taxes, come in a variety of different versions (ranging from the very basic federal returns to more complicated ones involving self-employment, securities, and state tax), and have online counterparts. Macworld likes both TurboTax and TaxCut a lot, though it says that that TaxCut has an advantage with face-to-face support in its H&R Block stores. But, in the end, both products are great if you’re confident in filing your own returns on your Mac.
A whole new piracy prevention technique
Posted on Feb. 26, ’07, 3:23 PM PT by Scott Silverman
Category | Software
How desperate would you become to stop piracy of your software? Think about that one for a while, and while you’re thinking let me tell you a story.
A developer by the name of Reza of Reverse Code Software was getting frustrated with the amount of piracy his software was encountering. Less-than-honest users were using several publicized serial numbers to unlock a piece of his software called Display Eater. So Reza got angry. He publicly threatened that if Display Eater detected one of these such serial numbers “it [would] erase something” — possibly something as important as your home directory.
Now this angered many users, both honest and dishonest. In fact, if you were to check Version Tracker’s comments page for Display Eater, you would be able to read such comments as:
The developer of this software has clearly mentioned that this app will delete your home directory if it thinks it’s running using a pirated key. I would stay away from all programs by this developer because I don’t know what else they do, apart from their stated purpose.
After realizing his mistake, Reza gave a public explanation (the word ‘sorry’ appears not once), stating that the application would never have really deleted the home directory: “The whole purpose was to create a scare campaign.”
Now Reza is making the software both free and open source. You can check his site for a free code to unlock the software which will not delete any files off your hard drive. One thing’s for sure now: this fiasco has certainly stopped Reza’s software from being pirated ever again.
Apple.tv leads you to… The Quicktime website?
Posted on Feb. 26, ’07, 2:42 PM PT by Pat Nakajima
Category | Apple » Advertising
It seems to me that Apple is missing something. A visit to Apple.tv won’t bring you to apple.com/appletv, but instead, apple.com/quicktime. If Apple had registered the .tv domain for localization purposes, one would think it would take you directly to the Apple.com home page. Instead, it seems to be a domain that they want to be affiliated with the Quicktime site, despite the obviously more appropriate availability of the site for the (now-delayed) Apple TV.
Perhaps in the hunt for clips to be used in the Hello commercial, somebody dropped the (admittedly in the scheme of things, insignificant) ball?
[Hat tip: Andreas Creten]
Camino 1.1 beta adds new features
Posted on Feb. 26, ’07, 2:21 PM PT by Scott Silverman
Category | Software » Updates
Camino beta version 1.1 was released at the end last week, adding some sweet new features and squashing some bugs. Check them out:
- Built in phishing protection and Kerberos authentication
- Ability to block/disable plug-ins (ie: Flash)
- Session saving — restoring tabs & windows after quitting
Although there have been several bug fixes over the last 1.1 beta version (check here for full release notes), we should probably warn you that this Camino 1.1 is still in beta and “may be unstable and not suitable for day-to-day use.” That being said, however, 1.1 beta is basically a full preview of what will become Camino 1.1.
Apple TV now to land in March says Apple
Posted on Feb. 26, ’07, 1:44 PM PT by Dan Moren
Category | Apple » News
It appears that rumors of the Apple TV’s delay have been greatly er…vindicated. The device was supposed to ship at the end of February (Wednesday), but Apple today indicated that they won’t get out the door until March.
“Wrapping up Apple TV is taking a few weeks longer than we projected, and we now expect to begin shipments mid-March,” an Apple spokesperson told Macworld.More than anything, this crushes our hopes here that we’d finally get some answers about the device, and that there would at last be some Mac news to report on.
So we now present our own little game called: “why is the Apple TV delayed?” Sadly, your guesses are as good as ours. Hit the comment link below and tell us why Apple’s living room presence is taking so long. My guess? All of the shipments are being delivered by JetBlue.
MacUser Podcast #15: Life on Mars
Posted on Feb. 26, ’07, 11:45 AM PT by Dan Moren
Category | MacUser
The only real way to record an interview with Red Sweater Software founder Daniel Jalkut, we decided, was in a submarine. I’ll put that forth to explain the, er, somewhat echoey quality of this week’s podcast—really, it’s not a bug; it’s a feature.
Red Sweater acquired MarsEdit, an app very near and dear to our hearts, earlier this week, and Derik and I sat down in person with Daniel J. to discuss the future of the newest addition to the Red Sweater family. Listener discretion is advised: the content of this podcast does veer on occasion into the downright technical, but it’s all to the good. If you’re a blogger, ask yourself this: can you afford not to listen?
AAC version (14.6 MB, 60 minutes)
Comments and feedback on the show are always welcome, so feel free to share your thoughts below, or in an email to macuser [at] macuser [dot] com.
Show notes after the jump…
iPhone details you might have missed: calendaring, maps, and—dear lord—ringtones?
Posted on Feb. 26, ’07, 9:25 AM PT by Dan Moren
Category | iPhone
Perhaps you think the iPhone has been covered to death. Well, too bad there, slick, because we’ve got four months left before the device comes out: four months left to pick over every inane detail (What? No self-portrait mirror? How could you, Steve?); four months left to debate the merits of Cingular; four months left for me to cry myself to sleep every night.
While we may not relish the idea of combing through patents, rumor reports, and what little Apple has told us, that doesn’t mean we won’t do it. But like in panning for gold, it’s usually a good idea to avoid territory others have covered. Thus we’ll point you to this extremely well-produced video from Action TV, detailing a few features that you may have missed during Steve Jobs’s keynote.
Some of this isn’t surprising: the functionality of the calendar app, for example—hey, it works like a calendar app. Other features address issues I hadn’t even thought about, like the ability to jump straight to a letter when scrolling through songs (good move, Apple). And, of course, now everybody is writhing over ringtones: The video and a picture from Engadget show a “Ringtones” tab in iTunes 7. Is this a sign that Apple will be selling ringtones via iTunes?
Let me be frank: I have never in my life purchased a ringtone. Despite that, it’s an extremely lucrative medium for the service providers. Right now, even my Motorola E815 lets me turn my own MP3s into ringtones (with some finagling); if the iPhone doesn’t allow this functionality, I’m going to be a little put out. Though I’m guessing that while I’m busy yelling “sell out!,” people will be buying ringtones from iTunes by the droves. The way I see it, if you’re already paying $0.99 to buy a song from iTunes, why shouldn’t you be allowed to use that as a ringtone? Hm?
Putting the ‘DRM’ in ‘drama’: EMI may stand for ‘Extremely Marginal Intelligence’
Posted on Feb. 26, ’07, 8:42 AM PT by Dan Moren
Category | iTunes » iTunes Store
Like many, I was swayed by rumors of EMI’s imminent relaxation on its DRM stance. I’d already bought my “EMI FTW!” designer t-shirt and committed myself to purchasing all sorts of music I didn’t really want, merely because it was DRM-free.
So I was crushed—crushed—to read this morning that EMI had retreated from discussions with Microsoft and other music retailers (presumably including Apple) about releasing DRM-free tunes.
What caused EMI’s departure from the table? You might be inclined to think, as I did, that it was merely because of a dispute over some piddling matter, but no: it turns out it was all about money. I mean, who could have seen that coming?
EMI wanted the music retailers to shell out an upfront payment to reduce their “risk” of lost sales because of music released without copy protection. It’s really too bad that the magic of the Internet doesn’t let you see me smacking my head into my desk; you’ll just have to take my word for it.
If this weren’t so sad, it would be funny—strike that, it’s hella funny. I have this image of corporate suits in a boardroom, slapping each other on the back for successfully preventing the widespread piracy of their valuable property while there are thousands of trucks being filled up with CDs at the loading docks. You fellas are smarties, aren’t you?
[via Ars Technica]
Teeny-weeny company sues Apple over great big patent
Posted on Feb. 26, ’07, 8:09 AM PT by Dan Moren
Category | Legal
I don’t pretend to understand patent law. Okay, I guess I do pretend to understand parts of it, but it’s not as if I dress up in suits and pass myself off as a lawyer in court. Well, only on alternate Thursdays.
Seems like an awful lot of patent law is made up of suing people; I suppose the same could be said for the American legal system period, but patent law has developed into an particularly fruitful avenue. We get companies like Texas MP3 Technologies, who is now suing Apple, Samsung, and Sandisk over those companies infringement of patent 7,065,417: “MPEG portable sound reproducing system and a reproducing method thereof.”
While Texas MP3 Technologies is the current assignee of all rights on said patent, the document was originally awarded to chipmaker SigmaTel last June, having been filed in January 2002. SigmaTel subsequently sold the patent to a company, presumably Texas MP3 Technologies, who “would be better able to take advantage of its potential value.” Which is to say, patent trolling.
It’s kind of great that I can’t even find a website for Texas MP3 Technologies (I had to concoct the logo at right on my own, but I think it’s a good guess); a Google search only reveals that they are suing people. Thanks, patent law. Thanks a bajillion.
Saying goodbye to Fire.app
Posted on Feb. 26, ’07, 7:14 AM PT by Derik DeLong
Category | Software
Today’s a very sad day, or at least you’d think so from my current theme. The original multi-IM client for Mac OS X, Fire.app, has called it quits.
We are saddened to announce that there will be no future versions of Fire. There are several reasons for this end, but the most notable is the loss of developers. Fire’s development had dwindled to few developers who do not wish to continue the project alone. In addition, another major contributing factor is the fact that all but one of Fire’s IM libraries is no longer in active development.
It’s time for me to get all misty eyed and share my memories of Fire.app. Back when I was in college, rocking a Pismo, I was happy running OS 9 (despite all kinds of crashes). I mostly ignored Mac OS X as it was still in beta and just didn’t look workable. What really tipped the scales for me, embarrassingly enough, was Fire.app. I really, really wanted to play with it. With that, I jumped in headfirst at a time when Mac OS X was… immature.
I’ve since moved on from Fire.app to Adium. Two of Fire’s developers have done the same, pledging to help in its development in lieu of Fire. It’s sad to see one of the longest running Mac OS X software packages fold, but it’s good to know that its successor has gained more help.
Saying goodbye to MacZOT
Posted on Feb. 26, ’07, 5:47 AM PT by Derik DeLong
Category | Software
Today, we take a moment to remember MacZOT. We choose to remember the MacZOT that was full of hope and not the one that backed out on a software deal. MacZOT tried it’s hardest to bring us lesser and better known Mac software at a discount. It tried to spice up what was basically a cold financial transaction by obscuring the product with mystery.
Brian Ball must be crying into his Cheerios each morning as he looks at a once bustling site. Nowadays though, days will go by with MacZOT showing the same product. You can’t even comment on new sales as comments are turned off (and have been for the last three sales). (Update: They’re back on as of today.) The symptoms have been clear since the scandal. The mystique is gone. MacZOT’s soul has left the building. Now we’re just waiting for its body (the website) to follow.
We’ll miss you MacZOT. Pleasant voyage.
Oscars iPhone ad madness
Posted on Feb. 25, ’07, 9:08 PM PT by Derik DeLong
Category | iPhone
We knew it was coming. Here it is in all its glory. Update: Or watch the official version.
While absolutely appropriate for the Oscars, it’s not quite like Apple’s other advertising campaigns, containing a series of film clips. It doesn’t talk up the product. It doesn’t even give a URL. “Hello” really does work as a tagline. Inside Your Head by Eberg is a nice touch, but nearly inaudible.
The only question left is which clip (or movie it was derived from) was your favorite? I’m claiming The Big Lebowski (no, not on iTunes shockingly) for myself.
[Thanks to iLounge for the video link]
BitTorrent Entertainment Network to become latest competition for the iTunes Store
Posted on Feb. 25, ’07, 3:59 PM PT by Aaron Freedman
Category | Apple » Rivals
It doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone that the infamous BitTorrent would be major competition for iTunes TV and movie downloads. But, what does come as a surprise is that BitTorrent is going to be offering video content that’s legal. Yes, BitTorrent, the P2P system that’s well-known for distributing huge amounts of copyrighted content online, is going legit. Well, it’s not actually the P2P system we call BitTorrent. It’s BitTorrent Inc., the company that created and still manages the BitTorrent protocol. As of tomorrow, BitTorrent Inc. will be reforming as BitTorrent Entertainment Network, a totally legitimate video and game content provider.
While we had heard about this months back, the details of the new BitTorrent Inc. have finally been revealed. BitTorrent Entertainment Network will be offering thousands of television shows, 3,000 movies, and thousands of music videos and PC games for purchase. TV Shows will run $1.99 an episode, while new movie releases can be rented for $3.99 and classics for $2.99. And, as mentioned before, all of these will be imprisoned protected with Microsoft’s Windows Media 11 DRM. And, of course, all of the content will be distributed via the BitTorrent protocol.
Mozilla updates Firefox with bug fixes
Posted on Feb. 24, ’07, 2:28 PM PT by Aaron Freedman
Category | Software » Updates
There are some pieces of Apple news that are just so exciting I really can’t contain myself. The iPhone, Intel Macs, and iPod nano are all examples of that. And now, here’s another piece of news that’s making me giddy even as I type about it — bug fixes in Firefox.
Firefox 2.0.0.2, the update to my preferred web browser, contains several bug fixes, including stopping a flaw that allowed hackers to manipulate browser cookies. The update is now available for download.
They say it’s your birthday; we’re gonna have a good time
Posted on Feb. 24, ’07, 9:20 AM PT by Dan Moren
Category | Apple » Steve Jobs
We’ve noted a lot of important birthdays: March 24th (OS X); April 1st (Apple Inc.); April 28th (yours truly…and the iTunes Store. Fine.). But none—with the exception of perhaps the last—can really hold a candle to today. February 24th.
Because, 52 years ago today, Steven Paul Jobs first came into this world. Sure, he wouldn’t found Apple until in his twenties; wouldn’t meet Steve Wozniak until his high school years; wouldn’t even be bitten by the radioactive mongoose that would grant him his fabled reality distortion field until his journeys through India in the ’70s.
But still, today is important. A world without Jobs would be a world without Apple, a world in which we’d all potentially still be using command-line OSes, where computers would be the province of a merely a few, and where—most importantly—I would probably not have this job.
So raise a glass of the beverage of your choice to the Steve today.
“Hello, I’m an iPhone…”
Posted on Feb. 24, ’07, 8:00 AM PT by Dan Moren
Category | Apple » Advertising
I may have demonstrated an extreme lack of sporting knowledge around Superbowl time, but the Oscars, baby, that’s where I shine. Granted, the Superbowl commercials usually outdo those during the Academy Awards, but this year, the Hollywood ceremony has something that even the Superbowl didn’t: an Apple ad.
According to our colleages at Macworld, a teaser for the iPhone will hit sometime during tomorrow night’s show (starting at 8PM Eastern). Will we learn anything we didn’t know already? Seems unlikely. We’re still between three and four months away from the handset’s official launch in June.
But I have great hopes for this spot: not because of anything in particular about the iPhone mind you, but because combined with the hope that Apple TVs will start shipping this week, I’m counting on a resurgence in Apple news. Let’s face it: one look at that embarrassing tag cloud over on the right hand column, and you’ll know what I mean.
So really, when that iPhone ad airs tomorrow night, the winner, my friends, is us.
Is the truth out there?
Posted on Feb. 23, ’07, 4:27 PM PT by Andy Ihnatko
Category | Ihnatko
“Dear Andy,” asks a reader. “I wonder if you could help me with a personal problem. My boss propositioned me at the company Valentine’s party. He even went so far as to mention that he had a Wonder Woman costume right in his office ready to put on, and that if I wanted to dress as a superheroine, too, he could have a friend of his drop off a Catwoman outfit on just thirty minutes’ notice.
“I don’t want him to continue making a pest of himself. Plus, shouldn’t his wife be told that he’s not just a cheater, but a cheater who’s wearing a set of Size XXL star-spangled bikini bottoms under those pinstriped trousers?
“What do you think? Should I keep the secret, or spill it? — Selena in Syracuse.”
Well, Selena, I’d like to start off by applauding your fine instincts. My moral compass is an unfailing one; you were thus very, very wise to hand this one over to me, instead of your clergyman or maybe the guy who wrote Microsoft Office: The Missing Manual.
Onward to your problem. Secrecy, eh? Well, it’s a classic dilemma. Even huge corporations like Microsoft and Apple have to make decisions about Truth and the best time to reveal it.
Not Thinking about Thoughts on Music
Posted on Feb. 23, ’07, 3:35 PM PT by Pat Nakajima
Category | Apple
Over on Digital Media Wire, a piece written by Rohit Bhargava lets us know the 3 Big Reasons why he isn’t an “Apple Enthusiast.” After reading the now canonical “Thoughts on Music” from the book of Jobs, he felt compelled to expose what he felt to be some of Apple’s biggest weaknesses. His three key arguments:
- “Aside from product design, money comes first”
- “Two sided approach to DRM”
- “Spoiled brat reputation for business”
On to Argument 2. He criticizes Apple’s closed DRM system. The favorite talking point of those who haven’t really given the situation the thought or evaluation it needs. I’m not going to waste the space on it.
And Argument 3. Apparently wanting control over its products and PR causes Apple to be a spoiled brat, though I’d just be inclined to call it effective branding. Nobody is doting on Apple. It doesn’t have a sugar daddy. Instead, Apple has clear objectives, and asserts itself as needed to accomplish these.
It’s fine if people aren’t Apple enthusiasts. I just wish they’d give it a bit more thought sometimes.
AirPort Extreme on USB device support
Posted on Feb. 23, ’07, 2:04 PM PT by Scott Silverman
Category | Hardware
Apple has posted a support document to their site which clarifies some details on the AirPort Extreme’s NAS abilities. It supports drives formatted as HFS+, FAT16, or FAT32. Unfortunately no NTFS support, so if you were planning on using NAS with a PC it’s a no-go (unless you’re willing to settle with FAT32 partitioning). Apple notes that the drive’s block size must be 512 byes. Also of interest is how the AirPort Extreme shares your drive based on its formatting:
The AirPort Extreme (802.11n) shares storage devices based on the format used to initialize the storage device. For example, if HFS-plus formatting was used, AFP and SMB/CIFS protocols are used to share the device on the network. If FAT16 or FAT32 was used, SMB/CIFS protocols are used.
Lastly is a note that the AirPort’s NAS will not work with multiple partitions on a single drive. Yes, this means no RAID support, which doesn’t bother me too much, but I am a bit upset that I can’t have multiple partitions on one NAS drive.
Survey results may shadow problems for iPhone
Posted on Feb. 23, ’07, 12:55 PM PT by Scott Silverman
Category | iPhone
Survey results released yesterday by online market researchers Compete Inc. show that consumers may not be willing to fork over $500 for an iPhone. Of nearly 400 people surveyed, 26% said they’d likely buy an iPhone—not such a bad figure for a product still in development and at least 4 months away from release. Here’s the kicker, though: of that 26% only 1% said they’d pay $500 for it. That’s one person out of all 379 surveyed. Ouch.
Although I question the validity of these results (more than just one in every 400 people has got to be willing to pay $500 for an iPod/phone/PDA device), I do think they raise a valid point: Apple’s got a major barrier in front of them. $500 is a lot to drop on a device sold by a cellular company.
What do you think? Is this survey accurate, and is $500 too much for the iPhone? Or has Compete Inc. got some reevaluating to do?
Putting the ‘DRM’ in ‘drama’: Cory Doctorow on Steve Jobs
Posted on Feb. 23, ’07, 9:58 AM PT by Dan Moren
Category | iTunes » iTunes Store
I like Cory Doctorow, for the most part. Sure, he’s kind of odd, but I appreciate his take-no-prisoners anti-DRM stance, if only because it acts as cosmic balance to the pro-DRM forces of the RIAA and record labels—yin-yang, Dark Side-Light Side, Yankees-Red Sox, etc. But that doesn’t mean I always agree completely with everything that comes out of Cory’s mouth.
The Salon article he penned this week is a prime example. I wholeheartedly support his conclusion:
At the end of the day, DRM is the biggest impediment to a legitimate music market. Apple doesn’t sell music because of DRM — it sells music in spite of DRM. The iTunes Store proves that you can compete with free. People have bought billions of dollars worth of music from Apple because it offered a better user experience. But no one bought for the DRM. Some people bought in spite of it, some bought in ignorance of it, but there’s no customer for whom DRM is a selling point. No one woke up this morning wishing for a way to do less with her music.But the way he gets to that conclusion is rife with half-truths and disingenuous arguments.
There is no mention, for example, of the fact that burning your iTunes music to CDs and re-ripping them is a legitimate way to strip off the DRM. Doctorow compares iTunes DRM to spyware, citing the Sony rootkit debacle, which is pretty ridiculous. He also suggests that it’s impossible to get music (or podcasts) off of an iPod, despite the plethora of software utilities designed to help you do just that. Or pointing out that since what you put on your iPod comes via the iTunes application, those files are all on your computer anyway.
Doctorow makes some decent points alongside his more spurious ones, for example: why can’t Apple sell DRM-free music from the labels/artists that want to? (John Gruber addressed the same point in a recent post.) And given that Apple has demonstrated the clout to refute variable pricing demands, why not take a more dramatic stand on the DRM issue, rather than bowing subserviently to the will of the record companies?
At the end of the day, I think Cory’s goals are admirable, but I’m just not sure if his tactics and arguments are helping the fight or holding it back. Thoughts?