I know you're probably tired of all the Psystar coverage, but for some reason I'm morbidly interested and amused by the concept of the elegant Mac OS X running on a bulky, generic PC. Whereas a video of the home brewed Mac first arose a few days ago, the folks at Engadget have managed to obtain their very own Psystar Open Computer, and have been playing around with it since earlier today.
Like any self respecting geek site, they've posted unboxing photos (if Mac unboxing photos are the equivalent of geek supermodel porn, this would have to be geek vagrant porn), and have put up a video as well as benchmark tests.
One of the first things noticeable is that its fan is really, really loud. It seems that OS X can't interface with the fan controller, and so it's always on full blast. Other than that, the machine boots up properly, and we're soon looking at the typical OS X desktop. The guy shooting the video wisely decides to forego installing updates when he is prompted with the option, noting that he'd like to run benchmarks before seeing if it breaks when attempting to update.
Looking at the system specs, it looks like Pystar has managed to trick OS X into thinking it's running on a Mac Pro. A few glitches include the system profiler's inability to detect its memory settings and built in audio. Audio, however, does seem to work fine when speakers are plugged into the output.
Interestingly, in benchmark tests, the Open Computer holds its own pretty well. Of course we must still scratch our heads in wonder at whoever would go so far as to seriously purchase one of these things.
Hear that sound? That's Blockbuster's coffin being slowly lowered into the ground as their sole customer incentive (DVD rentals before On-Demand availability) goes up in smoke, at least for Warner Bros. releases.
The prophetic Dan Moren noticed an odd trend about a month ago in which iTunes movie rentals released by Warner Bros. were becoming available for download significantly sooner than Apple's stated 30-day policy. It looks like he was on to something, as Warner Bros. chief executive announced today that they will release movies for on-demand systems like Comcast's and yes, Apple TV, on the same day they are released on DVD from here on out. Rejoice!
While the film industry at first seemed worried that online rentals would eat into DVD rentals, it seems that offering same-day releases on the internet only cuts into DVD rentals by 3-5 percent. Ironically, internet rentals also seem to increase DVD sales as well. My condolences to the brick and mortar rental industry. Looks like you guys are going the way of the record store.
[Via Gizmodo]
I have four email accounts -- down from 11 last year -- that are constantly slaughtered by work emails and newsletters and, of course, an unholy daily barrage of spam that tries to convince me I need V1agra or C1al1s or sexy underwear or cheap prescriptions or a low-interest mortgage or designer footwear or Microsoft Office or stamps (??) or a date or... Well, you get it.
What I'm trying to get at is managing email is pretty crazy for me, and I imagine it is for plenty of you too. Brainiac Breen (two references in two posts!) over at the Mothership recognizes this problem, and has written up a bunch of tips for fixing annoyances and better managing your messy mail.
If you're like 99.7 percent of computer users, your e-mail client gets more of a workout than any other software you use. And given the amount of time you spend with this particular software, it's not surprising that minor annoyances you'd forgive in other programs become a Big Deal when you encounter them hour after hour, day after day. I've rounded up some common e-mail problems and provided solutions to help you keep them under control.
Tips include deciphering Windows-specific mail files, fixing sluggish email clients, sending email when you're out, saving server space, and more. Check the article for all the frustration-easing info.
I'll be honest: I use the cassette deck in my car way more than I use my CD player. In fact, I hardly ever use the CD player, and use the cassette deck every day.
And no, it's not because I have a bunch of cassettes with old-person music that geezers like Chris Breen probably listen to. Nor is it because I'm one of those "post-modern" analog-loving hipsters who make mix tapes Old Skool style to demonstrate their chic non-conformist approach to the our "evil" consumerist culture.
I actually just use the cassette deck because I have one of those nifty cassette adapters that let you play your iPod music through your car speakers. And these days, most people I know play more iPod music in their cars then they do CDs -- either with cassette adapters, or FM transmitters, or integrated iPod player systems.
Seems that car stereo manufacturers are taking notice of this, too, according to a piece at MacNewsWorld by USA Today detailing a few companies' new stereo products that do away with CD drives entirely, replacing them instead with iPod/MP3-player/USB/SD card player systems (adapters, slots, ports, etc.).
Stereo-makers like Clarion, Alpine Electronics, and Blaupunkt have all jumped on the CD-player-less (it has an iPod jack instead) bandwagon, offering car stereo units sans optical drives. Some, though, like Pioneer Mobile Entertainment, are standing their CD-lovin' ground until the disk-less concept builds some momentum.
Check the MNW article for more details, and sound off in the comments: How do you listen to music in your car?
[image from Car Domain]
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then a parody is practically worship. Just run an appropriate search on YouTube and you'll be deluged by scores of videos (the number is pegged at 983 as of this writing), made by enthusiastic individuals and competing companies alike, spoofing all sorts of Apple's advertisements. Clearly, no company is as flattered and worshipped as much as Apple seems to be.
The latest entrant in this mock-fest is YouTube user LoStreib's take on the MacBook Air's disadvantages compared to the Lenovo X300. The basic idea he's gunning for is that the Lenovo X300, which is just about as thin as the MacBook Air, comes loaded with a lot more stuff than our beloved MacBook Air does.
Of course, no spoof video sentence involving the MacBook Air can ever be complete without some mention of the manila envelope, so rest assured that it plays an important supporting role in this little video. Check it out; it is one of the funnier spoofs we've seen around these parts (though by no means would we nominate it for an Oscar, or even just an Emmy).
[Via The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs]
Over at Macworld, head honcho Jason Snell, has laid out a veritable feast for the Mac geek and lover in all of us. Helping out with an article for sister site PC World, he dug up archived content from the mid-nineties, primary among which were several screenshots of Copland, Apple's much-hyped replacement to Mac OS 7 that never even made it to the market.
The screenshots, which can be viewed in all their washed out, almost grayscale glory over at the mothership, reveal some interesting insights into what sort of plans Apple had, even as early as in the previous decade.
There was supposed to be a Macintosh Guide which would help you do several tasks on your machine, the most notable of which was Computer Custodian, which allowed you to backup your files and "check for computer viruses." Also of note is the systemwide search utility that was planned for Copland, the great grandfather of the Spotlight feature we all enjoy and adore today.
I know you're probably jumping in excitement over there, waiting for me to shut up so that you can proceed to the screenshots. Go ahead and check them out and weigh in with your opinions. Any guesses as to what that forever inactive "Huh?" button does?
Thomas Claburn, writing for InformationWeek, brings word of yet another patent infringement lawsuit filed against Apple, this time about how Apple attaches solid state drives in its iPod nano and iPod touch lines (and possibly even the iPhone). It has been filed by law firm Butzel Long on behalf of Henry Milan, in the United States District Court of the Eastern District of Michigan.
Mr. Henry's claim seems to be that the patent rights to the particular method which Apple uses to connect the drive to the connection port, which allows them to easily use the same setup on various devices, belong to him. The patent application in question was filed on 12 November 2004 and granted on 31 January 2006.They've tried to get Apple to license "their" technology and haven't met with any success so far.
Quite frankly, if I were them, I wouldn't have bothered at all. Then again, if I were them, I probably would've looked at better ways to make money than randomly suing giant corporations and hoping to win. I might've paid some heed to this whole thing and taken it seriously, if these things didn't crop up out of nowhere practically every other week. We've all heard the story of the boy who cried wolf a little too often, haven't we?
And now a touch of surreality for your day. Have you ever sat there thinking to yourself: “Gee, Bill Gates sounds a lot like a muppet.” No? Okay, take a minute to really toss that one over; I’ll wait.
Done? Great. One YouTube user took it a step further when he combined audio of Bill Gates discussing the Mac back in 1984 with a video of everybody’s favorite verdant muppet. The eerie result? The video below. Prepare to be disturbed.
Seriously, I am never letting my kids watch Sesame Street.
[via Macenstein]
Those nutty folks over at the GOOG are up to it again. One of the company’s policies is that it’s employees are encouraged to work on open source projects, either full time or in the 20% time that they can work on personal projects. One of the latest Mac-based projects to hit Google’s Mac Developer Playground is Visigami.
It’s an application! It’s a screen saver! It’s a—okay, actually, that’s pretty much it. Enter a search term and choose your picture source (currently, Flickr, Picasa, or Google Image Search) and you’ll be barraged with images. You can pick how you want them displayed (in a grid, a fan, or a carousel), and alter the speed, spread, and zoom until your little heart is content. Do be aware that the animation takes up a decent amount of horsepower on some machines (it totally slowed my Growl notifications to a crawl, for example).
I also made the fatal mistake of specifying “baby panda” as my search term. The resulting overdose of cuteness almost sent me into convulsions—do not mess around with baby pandas, folks. I’ve already been contacted about doing a PSA on the subject.
