Every time we mention a certain British foursome whose music is not yet on the iTunes Store, at least one reader invariably exclaims, in outraged indignation: "OMFG, those guys sux0r! Led Zeppelin FTW!" We're not really sure who this guy is, but one thing's clear: he really likes Led Zeppelin.
Well, mysterious reader, your wish may be coming true in part. British paper The Observer reports that a compilation album of the works of Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and the late John Bonham is heading to the iTunes Store on November 12th. The album, titled Mothership, will feature tracks picked by the surviving members of the group, including hits like "Stairway to Heaven," "Whole Lotta Love," and "Dazed and Confused."
It's unknown whether or not this is a one-off, or perhaps a test of the Internet download waters. But with Zeppelin finally entering the fray, there is one fewer major holdout. And once again, eyes are sure to turn to that other British quartet.
[via Engadget]
Getcher updates here! Pipin' hot from the Software Update oven, it's AirPort Extreme Update 2007-004 (man, we're already on our fourth AirPort update of the year? Where does the time go?). Straight from the Apple's mouth:
This update is recommended for all Intel-based MacBook, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini computers and improves the reliability of AirPort connections.Well, I for one could always do with a little more reliability in life, that's for sure. There were some reports of AirPort problems after the 10.4.10 update, so it's possible that this fixes those problems. I've started the download now, since I no longer have any uptime streak to worry about. We'll see if this truly makes AirPort reliabler. Share your thoughts—preferably on the AirPort Update—below, if you're feeling so inspired.
Most people never notice the Terminal application that comes with OS X. It just sits in the Utilities folder, like Megatron beneath the ice of the Arctic (Transformers reference anyone?) For those of us with the need to traverse the text, every tweak helps. And so I offer these tips that I wish somebody offered me when I was first starting out.
Most of these tweaks are made in a file named .bash_login that can be found in your home directory. This file is used to set certain preferences every time a new Terminal window is loaded. This means that in order to view changes brought about by modifying .bash_login, you need to open a new Terminal window.
Since .bash_login is an invisible file, it’s easiest to open through the command line. Since I’m a TextMate guy, and I opted to install the shell command, I can open bash login using the mate ~/.bash_login command. If you don’t know how to open a file in your favorite text editor via the command line, you can use one of the built-in text editors. I’d recommend nano, which you can use by running this command: nano ~/.bash_login
So now you know how to edit your .bash_login file. Now let’s take a look at why that’s so cool.
Continue reading "Own the Terminal"
Aussie hackers have somehow managed to get an iPhone working on Australia's Telstra mobile network, by "modifying the iPhone's default SIM card to be recognized as an AT&T SIM, while actually containing data that allows it to be accepted by Telstra."
We've yet to see actual proof of this (apparently there was a video that has since been taken down), but the preliminary results sound enticing.
CommonGate: The hack is made possible through the use of iActivator, a Mac OS X program that provides an interface for activating/deactivating your iPhone without invoking an AT&T contract or prepaid plan. The program doesn't unlock the iPhone's SIM, but simply unlocks the functionality of the iPhone so that an AT&T-based activation is not necessary. The tool also has the option to perform a "Jailbreak" on the iPhone, which allows files to be written to the device's filesystem.
Despite the fact that there are promising signs that the iPhone is enterprise-friendly, NASA is telling its staff that it has to stick with one of those oh-so-2006-Blackberries.
Our buddies at InfoWeek have the story:
The meeting minutes viewed by InformationWeek didn't indicate why NASA officials feel the iPhone isn't ready for prime time as a business tool. However, analysts at IT research firm Gartner last month issued a research bulletin on the iPhone that outlined a range of concerns.
Among them: lack of support from major device management and mobile security software suites, lack of removable batteries, and Apple's exclusive contract with network provider AT&T.
Still, NASA employees aren't completely out in the cold when it comes to having a hot new PDA. The July 10 meeting minutes indicate that the agency is planning to support the new 8800 from Research In Motion and the Palm Treo 750.
I don't know how Steve Jobs feels about lists, but I sure know how lists feel about Steve Jobs. PC World called him the second most important person on the web; Fortune pegged him as the 132nd richest person in the world; and Blender called him the #1 music powergeek.
But how does he stack up in a list of influential business leaders? Well, Steve-o took the bronze in USA Today's top twenty-five; not too shabby, considering he fell only underneath Alan Greenspan at number two and Bill Gates at numero uno. Really? Gates beat out Greenspan for top dog? Maybe the ranking system was running on Windows.
Anyway, Stevie's little profile hits the high points:
Co-founder of Apple, Jobs was ousted in a boardroom coup in 1985. But he prospered in exile, buying Pixar, the company that redefined animation. He returned to Apple in 1997, and the rest is history: iMac, iPod, iTunes, iPhone.But they say nothing of his winning smile. What's up with that? Jobserino beats out Brin and Page of Google, Andy Grove of Intel, Jeff Bezos of Amazon, Rupert Murdoch, and even Warren Buffett. August company, to be sure. Nice job, Steve.
And here we go again. Three years ago, rapper Eminem and his music publisher sued Apple for using Eminem's song "Lose Yourself" in a TV ad for the iPod. The case was later settled out of court, but now the musician and his posse are back for another round. They're suing Apple for "allowing unauthorized downloads" of Eminem songs.
At stake? Surprise, surprise: money. The issue seems to be how much money Eminem and other artists make from the downloads of their music and whether the contracts artists have with their labels give the labels the right to sell the download rights.
Now, I'm all for artists making their fair share of the money, and I think the record labels are clearly getting the big piece of the pie. Though exact figures aren't known, it's estimated that about 70 cents of the 99 cent track price goes to the label, with about 9 cents of that going to the artist. I can see why artists would be miffed, to say the least.
What I don't understand, coming from my totally non-legal background, is why they're suing Apple. Apple is presumably operating under the assumption that the record labels do have the rights to approve downloads; it seems like this is something that should be worked out between the artists and the labels. But maybe I'm missing something.
It's time for another exciting episode of "Occasional Apple Milestone," the show where we talk about more or less arbitrary levels that Apple has achieved. With record sales of Macs and tons of iPods and iPhones continuing to be sold, some have wondered: "hey, what up with the iTunes Store?"
Well, here's what up, dawgs. iTunes has "shipped" its three billionth track. That's, to use pointless analogies, a track for almost every two people in the whole world. It's enough tracks to stretch to the moon and back (assuming, of course, each track is a little over ten inches long).
Apple reached a billion tracks back in February of last year, which was just a couple months shy of iTunes's third birthday. So, in about half the time it took them to reach one billion tracks, they've now sold two billion. Little surprise they're now the third largest music retailer around.
LaunchBar is one of those utilities that I went out and bought after five minutes of use. For those unfamiliar, it’s most easily compared with the ultra popular Quicksilver. LaunchBar isn’t for everyone. It costs $19.95 and isn’t nearly as extensible as QS. On the other hand, the functionality it provides is exactly what I use, invoking the functionality I want is far more intuitive (imagine, command-i actually gets info!), it’s faster, and doesn’t crash twenty times a day.
The just released 4.3 includes a brand new interface that’s very Leopard-esque. Other new features include Instant Open (hold the last key of an abbreviation to open an item), Instant Send (send items quick to LaunchBar), Calculator service, Fast User Switching, and much more. If you’re one of those people that is tired of Quicksilver’s instability, give LaunchBar a try. You might be surprised.
Apple can’t get no respect with environmentalists. Apple’s current policies and use of OLED LED backlighting isn’t enough satiate the blood lust of Green Peace. Just imagine the hordes that will be released from their underground hemp reinforced lair as they find out that none of Apple’s computers satisfy the very latest EnergyStar Guidelines.
The horror of it all! Apple has until January to comply, but given Green Peace’s recent behavior, I seriously doubt that’ll be good enough for them. So really, Apple needs to get on the ball if they want to retain that cute little logo. I know it helps me sleep at night (knowing I can use it to ward off Green Peace).
Update: Apologies everyone. Seems I should have double checked Engadget’s source. At any rate, the comments point out that Apple’s already mostly in tune with the new regulations. For the record, I’m still afraid of Green Peace.
