Year: 2007

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I finally had a chance to watch the Mac OS X Leopard Guided Tour over the weekend, and it looks awesome! There were many features presented in the tour that will most likely change the way people use their Macs. Here are some of the new features that I’m excited about.

Stacks

Stacks is a new Dock feature that allows users to quickly and easily view folder contents directly from the Dock. I see this as a great way to group files that need to be accessed often. As presented in the tour, it also makes a lot of sense to have a Stack for downloads so you can easily get to the most recently downloaded files without cluttering your desktop. Although it may take a little while for people to change their habits to take full advantage of Stacks, it will be a feature that people will really appreciate.

Quick Look

Quick Look is a new view within the Finder that allows users to preview certain types of files directly in the Finder. When you have several files in a folder that have similar names, Quick Look will make it very easy to find the right file. My only concern about this feature is that it may perform slowly on my poor old Power Mac G4. If the performance is good, I look forward to using this new feature to find my files.

Time Machine

Time Machine is the new backup feature built right in to the operating system. This one feature alone gives me enough reason to upgrade to Leopard. Having a solid backup routine is so important, and most people don’t do it because it is so confusing or time consuming to do correctly. Time Machine takes all of the guess work out of backup by performing hourly backups in the background. I think people will appreciate this new feature more than anything else included in Leopard especially when they go through a drive failure. As they say, it’s not if a drive will fail, it is when.

Mail

I really like the new version of Mail. For new users, the smart setup utility will make it incredibly easy to add new mail accounts. For services like Gmail, Yahoo, and .Mac, all you need to know is your email address and password to set up the account in Mail. This is a huge step forward for the less technically inclined out there. The new Notes and To Do features will make it easier to keep track of those types of things without having to send emails to yourself. I do this constantly so I know I will use this feature. The new Stationary templates also look really nice for the times when you want to add a little something extra to emails.

One thing that concerns me is that these cool new features will not make it into the .Mac web interface. As far as I am concerned, all features that are available in the desktop client should also be available in the web interface. If there is not a huge .Mac update on Friday, I will be very disappointed.

iChat

The new version of iChat looks fantastic! Sharing iPhoto Events and Keynote Presentations directly in iChat will make it possible to have very interactive online video meetings. It also looks like any file type supported by Quick Look can also be shared in iChat.

The new Backdrops will be really fun to use. Instead of showing the world my mess of an office, I can show cool patterns or even images. I will use this feature a lot!

Finally, Screen Sharing will make it insanely easy to collaborate with others online. I see this as a great way to work with others on projects as well as provide technical support to my family. I hope my Mac has enough horsepower to make all of these features work.

Leopard looks to be a very significant update to Mac OS X that will keep Apple at the forefront of operating system design. Thanks to Apple’s release schedule, it’s like getting a brand new Mac every year or so. This time, though, we may actually have to get a new Mac to take advantage of all of these cool new features. Damn you Apple for making me want to spend more money! 🙂

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About a year ago, my family and I moved away from the San Diego area to settle back in the Midwest. The currently raging wildfires have hit close to home as we have many friends and co-workers that have been affected by the massive evacuations. Our thoughts are with everyone out there suffering through this tragic situation.

The San Diego Union-Tribune is using Blogger to distribute up-to-the-minute information about the wildfires. If you are in the San Diego area or are concerned about people there, check out the Wildfires 2007 blog for the most current information.

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WXRTI can’t even explain to you how much I miss WXRT. XRT is the best rock radio station in Chicago, and now that I’ve lived in several other cities, I can say that it is one of the best (if not the best) radio station in the country. Every year (or almost every year), XRT releases a recording of songs from their archives of concerts it has sponsored in Chicago. ONXRT Volume 10 hit Chicago area Starbucks stores earlier this month, and my brother, Greg, was kind enough to pick up a copy for me. Not only is it a great collection of songs by artists like The Pretenders, Chris Cornell, and The John Butler Trio, it also helps select Chicago-area charitable organizations. From XRT’s website:

Proceeds of ONXRT: Live From the Archives, Volume 10- will benefit the Little City Foundation and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Greater Illinois Chapter. The Little City Foundation ensures that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities are provided with the best options and opportunities to live safely, work productively, explore creatively, learn continuously and play pleasurably throughout their lifetime.

The MS Society Greater Illinois Chapter works to end the devastating effects of multiple Sclerosis, fund research, provide more services to people living with MS, offer professional education, and further advocacy efforts.

If you live in Chicago (or if you know someone who does), run out and get yourself a copy before they’re gone. These CDs quickly become collectors items. You’ll get some really good music and help two great organizations.

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It has been brought to my attention by my Internet Explorer-using friends that my blog theme looked terrible in IE. What’s funny is that it looked great in Firefox and Safari. Internet Explorer has always been the problem child of the web design community because it does not adhere to standards as well as it should.

Although it really bothers me to do this, I have switched my blog back to the default WordPress theme until I can either find a theme that looks good in all browsers or until I figure out how to fix my old theme.

Thanks to everyone that pointed out IE’s complete disregard for Internet standards.

Update: Okay, I have to admit that it was my bad HTML code that caused my blog to look all funky the other day. It wasn’t IE’s fault. IE still sucks, though. 🙂

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Last.fmI admit that I’m a little late to this party, but I love Last.fm! It’s an incredibly simple concept. You go to their website, type in the name of an artist you like, and music by that artist and similar artists starts playing in the music player that is embedded in the site. If you want to take it a step further, you can create an account and download the Last.fm software for Mac, Windows, or Linux and listen to music on your computer without using a web browser. The nice thing about the software is that it can keep track of the music you listen to in iTunes and on your iPod. Last.fm calls the process of tracking your listening habits “scrobbling.” Basically, information about all of the tracks you listen to using iTunes, an iPod, and Last.fm is collected and stored in order to develop a personal listening history. Once you have used Last.fm long enough, your personal Last.fm radio station based on your tastes should be all you need to fill your day with music that you like.

One of the things I like best about Last.fm is that I have been able to discover new music that I never would have heard on the anemic radio stations here in Saint Louis. There are links to Amazon.com to buy the currently playing tracks, or you can do a quick search in the iTunes Store. Since moving from larger radio markets like Chicago and San Diego, I have not found a good source to hear good music, and Last.fm is perfect for those purposes.

If you enjoy music and have access to a computer throughout your day, check out Last.fm and enjoy.

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Apple iPhone

Okay, I have to admit that I do not own an iPhone so my opinion may be a little off here, but why is there such a fuss over being able to develop for the iPhone? As a techno super freak, I keep up with a lot of technology sites and blogs through my favorite feed reader, Google Reader. It seems like there has been at least one post a day about something to do with hacking the iPhone so you can run native third party applications. At this point, I have to admit that these posts have me a bit bored and annoyed.

If Apple had intended the iPhone to be an open development environment, they would have kept it open and made it possible and incredibly easy to develop applications using Xcode. Third party applications are good for business so Apple must have had a very important reason for not allowing native development.

Instead of wasting all of this time and effort on hacking the iPhone, all of these obviously talented and dedicated developers should be focusing their efforts on developing the best web applications possible to work with the iPhone. There are some great examples of iPhone-optimized sites out there like Facebook, Digg, OneTrip, and Meebo. I know that a connection to the web is required to run these applications, but with Wi-Fi and the cellular network, how often are iPhone users really without an active connection? The web now provides a very powerful development environment, and it really is time to focus on creating the best iPhone web applications the world has ever seen. Focus guys, focus.

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George Harrison

I have written about the eventual availability of the Beatles music catalog on iTunes before here, here, and here, but Apple and the band have fooled me each time. Yesterday, George Harrison’s catalog was added to iTunes so now all four of the former Beatles are available through the store.

I have always been a fan of the songs George wrote while he was with the Beatles. His songs had a different vibe than the typical Lennon-McCartney compositions, and George brought sound elements from all over the world into his music. I remember listening to my dad’s vinyl copy of All Things Must Pass when I was a kid, and I eventually bought the remastered CD when it came out. Great memories!

This time, it’s pretty clear there is only one more big release that these fine gentlemen and their estates can announce. That’s right; I am once again predicting that the Beatles catalog will soon be added to the iTunes Store. You have to admit, it is the perfect time. People are starting to think about their holiday shopping, and what better gift can you give to a Beatles fan than every track the Beatles ever recorded and then some? Maybe Apple will offer something similar to the package they put together for U2. How about a Beatles iPod packed full of tracks you can’t find anywhere else? Now that sounds like something worth the wait.

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Microsoft Zune

Last night, Microsoft launched the second generation of their Zune personal media players. In all honesty, the players actually look pretty sharp although they resemble Apple’s previous generation of iPods.

The big question is whether or not anyone will actually care that there is a new version of the Zune available. In all of my travels, I have not yet run into one person who owns a Zune, and most of the people I work with are technology workers. I would have expected to see at least one of those guys with a Zune especially considering their allegiance to Microsoft’s server and development products, but that is not the case at all. I’m sure most of you can guess which player they have. That’s right; it’s an iPod! Even with people that usually swear by Windows and Microsoft’s other products, they turn to Apple for their music and video playing pleasure.

Engadget did a nice side by side comparison of the Zune and iPod, and on the surface, the Zune has a wider feature set, but they left out one very important specification. They left out the cool factor. Apple has created an aura of cool around their products like no other company in history. When it comes to cool, it is very difficult for a company to compete with Apple, and in the media player business, cool matters. People don’t want to walk around or ride a train or plane with some lame piece of hardware. What would people think? They want the coolest thing on the market, and right now, that is the iPod.

I am glad to see Microsoft is introducing new Zunes because it will push Apple to make their products even better, but I’m afraid that the poor old Zune will be an afterthought before it even gets started.

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My good friend, Scott Driza, announced a new venture yesterday called TheMortgageMess.com. The company’s products aim to help borrowers with risky loans avoid foreclosure and keep their homes. With the credit market the way it is right now, it is good to see legal and mortgage experts get together to help borrowers.

TheMortgageMess.com’s main products are state-specific Mortgage Success Kits and a Hardcore Credit Repair Kit. I think these products will be especially helpful for borrowers in states like California where it is almost impossible for a normal person to purchase a home without getting an interest-only or other unconventional loan.

I would like to wish Scott and his partners good luck in their exciting new venture. If you find yourself with a mortgage you cannot afford because of rate or payment changes, it may be worth your time to check out TheMortgageMess.com to see if they can help.

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I read on TUAW last week that the next version of Mac OS X will come very close to making my Power Mac G4 a vintage machine. It seems the minimum system requirements for Mac OS X Leopard will call for at least an 800 MHz G4 processor. If not for all of the upgrades I’ve done over the years, my poor old 400 MHz Sawtooth would have been history a long time ago. I mean, really, it’s almost eight years old! Right now, I’m running a 1.4 GHz G4 processor and an upgraded video card. I also have 1.5 GB of RAM so I should be in okay shape. It should be interesting to see if my Mac chokes on Leopard. It runs Tiger like a champ so I have high hopes.

I have resigned myself to the fact that this will probably be the last Mac OS upgrade for this computer. I have heard rumors that the next version will only support Intel-based Macs, but I find that difficult to believe with all of those G5 Macs out there. I do suspect that G4s may be put out to pasture. My Power Mac has served me incredibly well over the last eight years, and I’m sure I will be just as happy with our next Mac, but it will be sad to see it go. With its four hard drive bays, it will probably continue to be used as a media server, but we’ll see how that goes when the time comes. I wonder what Macs will be like by the time the next version of Mac OS X comes out. I have to admit, it will be fun to have a nice new machine around the house. You can’t beat that new computer smell! 🙂