Macs Archives
July 23, 2004
When it goes to shit
Goddammit, copying the entire contents of one drive to another worked perfectly except it seems to have disabled Virtual Memory. Back in OS 9, disabling Virtual Memory was the first thing I ever did on a Mac that could handle it, but that stuff was VM in name only. No...Continue reading When it goes to shit...
It was 02:22 AM and
comments numbered 115.
July 20, 2004
Get Off My Lawn With Your Gigabytes
What a time to be alive. In a day when internal hard drives are priced at less than a dollar per gigabyte (indeed ranging down to 60¢ if we ignore the decimal-byte-scandal like everyone else), infinite cheap storage seems like the birthright of every Flag Waving American. And I am...Continue reading Get Off My Lawn With Your Gigabytes...
It was 03:53 AM and
comments numbered 132.
July 08, 2004
Billions and Billions served
If I can monitor the progress towards the 100,000,000th iTunes track sold, I could be the big winner! Good thing I found a program to do it for me: Looks like demand slacked overnight, but the big moment should come soon. Of course you can enter without buying anything but...Continue reading Billions and Billions served...
It was 05:51 PM and
comments numbered 0.
January 14, 2004
Internet Explorer Sucks. But why?
If you've ever wondered why Internet Explorer has stagnated for years and still lacks many important user features (tabs, pop-up blocking, simple text zoom and bookmark organization) and rendering features (full CSS 2, PNG transparency, that nasty JPEG XML bug) other browsers have had for years, then this tidbit ......Continue reading Internet Explorer Sucks. But why?...
It was 07:08 PM and
comments numbered 2.
Apple makes Macs and money
Apple announced pretty good first quarter (ending Dec 12) results today. By pretty good, I mean still not as much money as they were hauling in almost by accident back in the mid nineties before everyone caught on that the company had no direction. But with revenue of $2.006 billion...Continue reading Apple makes Macs and money...
It was 04:53 PM and
comments numbered 0.
January 09, 2004
Macs in Toyland
To show that XServes and Mac OS X Server can be used to run even a large company, Apple has given CNET an interesting glimpse into its own internal IT infrastructure. Sounds like Apple runs most of its public (web, software update, itunes store) and internal servers (customer databases, security,...Continue reading Macs in Toyland...
It was 05:46 PM and
comments numbered 0.
January 06, 2004
The Taste of Griddle Cakes Baked In!
There's always something that slips below the MacWorld keynote coverage and hoopla. This time it was XGrid, a new dealie to enable easy distributed computing on Mac OS X machines. Put overly simply, it's like the VA Tech Supercomputer for everyone. XGrid seems to still be in its early development....Continue reading The Taste of Griddle Cakes Baked In!...
It was 06:26 PM and
comments numbered 0.
MWSF04
So what's coming up for the year's second Christmas? I mean, of course, Steve Jobs's keynote at MacWorld San Francisco. At this point all that seems obvious is a new 2GB mini-iPod for $100-$200 and slightly faster G5s. Maybe different iMacs with a less fancy swivel arm. We'll all just...Continue reading MWSF04...
It was 01:07 AM and
comments numbered 3.
December 29, 2003
The Apple Store is not for me
I don't suppose it's surprising that Apple won't hire me, even for a menial retail position. What is surprising is I return to their "Genius Bar" for advice. Clearly, with maybe a day to browse through the Technote library, I could easily be standing behind it, telling people to stop...Continue reading The Apple Store is not for me...
It was 01:06 AM and
comments numbered 1.
December 16, 2003
When a root exploit isn't a particularly tasty potato
# Posted on Slashdot, there is a new security vulnerability for Mac OS X. This just proves that while the grass is greener on this side of the fence, it is not without its share of goose droppings. But compared to Windows, these droppings seem extremely rare and so small...Continue reading When a root exploit isn't a particularly tasty potato...
It was 10:23 PM and
comments numbered 0.
Plus Ca Change
FruitMenu has been updated for Panther. I've been using it for months in a beta version with no troubles (and years before that of course). I recommend it to all. At only $10, you could hardly do worse unless you bought it earlier when it was $7 like me! Any...Continue reading Plus Ca Change...
It was 10:00 PM and
comments numbered 1.
December 15, 2003
Integral!
An IM client that integrates with LaTex. Oh those crazy cats! If only I knew how to speak Math....Continue reading Integral!...
It was 06:17 PM and
comments numbered 0.
December 05, 2003
More Fuel for the Fire
I knew hot girls always used Macs even if they didn't know why. Either Microsoft also knows it, or they use a lot of stock photography and don't give a damn. On both the Microsoft "Protect Your PC" site and downloadable instruction video, the exemplar model is sitting crosslegged, happily...Continue reading More Fuel for the Fire...
It was 02:02 AM and
comments numbered 0.
Microsoft foolin ya like George Bush
If Anti-Virus Software was the first step in the dating process, I wouldn't be here. I try to use Microsoft software as little as possible but there's hardly any way around it. When I interview for jobs I don't get, I mention I can use MS Office with aplomb and...Continue reading Microsoft foolin ya like George Bush...
It was 01:29 AM and
comments numbered 2.
November 17, 2003
Hellish
I didn't realize Windows XP was so AOLlish. But here's an experienced engineer, turned neocon blogger/programmer-of-the-masses, revealing he can barely keep XP doing what he wants it to do. Maybe I'm slandering AOL a bit here. It's more typically a Microsoft habit to insist on helping when you definitely don't...Continue reading Hellish...
It was 03:50 AM and
comments numbered 0.
November 14, 2003
Oh lord, won't you buy me a 40 Gig iPod?
Apple is pushing hard for everyone to get an iPod this Christmas. Or maybe everyone's parents to. iPodRocks.com is a triumph of brainwashing. As a cute iPod jumps around and cool music plays, kids are programmed how best to weasel an iPod out of their parents. From flattering iCards to...Continue reading Oh lord, won't you buy me a 40 Gig iPod?...
It was 04:00 PM and
comments numbered 0.
November 13, 2003
640k Should Be Enough for Anybody
This seems to be an oustanding summary of Mac OS X memory management. None of it is new to me, but it's taken three years of being thrust into a Unix-y OS for me to get a feel for what's going on. And here you can have it all...Continue reading 640k Should Be Enough for Anybody...
It was 01:46 AM and
comments numbered 0.
November 12, 2003
Color me gratified
Wow, Panther has a web safe color picker in its big universal Color Panel dealie. Finally! Or have I just been overlooking this? Are web safe colors even important anymore? Hopefully everything I've been coloring up until this point has looked ok even on non-Macs or non-32 bit color. Let...Continue reading Color me gratified...
It was 11:53 PM and
comments numbered 0.
November 03, 2003
Splash Zone
How many keyboards must die to fulfill my inexplicable lust for destruction? Perhaps it's a lust for soda. When will they learn? When will I be sated? That's three down, all at regular 1.5 year intervals so even the CompUSA replacement dealie does me no good. I'm not going to...Continue reading Splash Zone...
It was 07:45 PM and
comments numbered 0.
October 30, 2003
Hack that panther just like you should...
Hurrah. With alpha and beta versions of various Unsanity software, and an updated LiteSwitch for Panthor (still better than Apple's), I've got OS X 10.3 back to normal, patched up with "scotch tape and baling wire" just as before. And once more, iTunes is the only metal app. Ever. These...Continue reading Hack that panther just like you should......
It was 10:17 PM and
comments numbered 0.
October 26, 2003
Die Wermacht
There is the illusion, tonight, when the clocks go back, of a night that never ends. It's a compelling one and more Halloween-ish than Halloween itself. Sadly I've done nothing this evening but watch a little tv and explore OS X 10.3, PANZER (alternately, Panth-wire). It's a hell of a...Continue reading Die Wermacht...
It was 02:06 AM and
comments numbered 2.
October 23, 2003
1984 All Over Again
There's a common theme in mainstream computer journalism these days: Windows is a sinking fast under a growing load of viruses, security exploits, adware, spyware, patches, DRM, and total lack of innovation. The smart rats are jumping ship for Mac OS X as Apple, improbably, continues its resurrection. Walter Mossberg...Continue reading 1984 All Over Again...
October 22, 2003
Answer hazy, try again
There are always some pissed off people when new Macs come out. Sometimes if you bought the same model within the past ten days or so, you can harangue Apple into replacing it. Most of the time you have to bite the bullet. But with Apple updating its products more...Continue reading Answer hazy, try again...
It was 06:59 PM and
comments numbered 0.
Why not buy two or three?
This will be a merry Christmas for new iBook owners. Six years after it debuted at 233Mhz, after finally reaching up to 900Mhz, the G3 is gone from Apple's lineup. The chip that powered the famed colorful iMac. The chip that toasted Pentium II snails and made John Carmack...Continue reading Why not buy two or three?...
It was 06:05 PM and
comments numbered 0.
October 20, 2003
A Sound Salvation
I got a comment on my last post about iTunes for Windows, from Aaron Blubaugh. I don't know you personally, Aaron, but thanks for reading and it's certainly a hot topic these days. I started replying in the comments box but it got long and I figured, hey it's my...Continue reading A Sound Salvation...
October 17, 2003
The end of the beginning?
What else can I say? Don't wait any longer to download iTunes for Windoze....Continue reading The end of the beginning?...
It was 12:41 AM and
comments numbered 2.
October 13, 2003
No, anything but the rack!
Does it strike anyone else as astonishing that Virginia Tech's new supercomputer composed of 1,100 dual 2Ghz Power Mac G5s should clock in as the second fastest non-classified supercomputer in the world? At 17600 sustained gigaflops it's second only to NEC's famed Earth Simulator used in Japan to model...Continue reading No, anything but the rack!...
It was 11:12 PM and
comments numbered 2.
September 26, 2003
Idioteque
Here's an interesting article which further cements my firm belief that Netgear is another bunch of incompetent fuck-ups. Very badly designed firmware code in several of their routers resulted in an effective 'Distributed Denial Of Service' (DDOS) attack against a time server at the University of Wisconsin, causing much trouble...Continue reading Idioteque...
It was 01:20 AM and
comments numbered 2.
September 23, 2003
Theirs a Problem They're
This is an appalling grammatical error in OS X which is usually free of them. I guess the proofreaders don't check command-line apps. [Panacea:~] pmcgrane% sudo diskutil verifyDisk / Password: Couldn't open device /dev/rdisk2 Unmount sync timed out, the unmount still might of happend! Could not unmount disk for verification...Continue reading Theirs a Problem They're...
It was 09:26 AM and
comments numbered 0.
The dream is dead
Brian, my only brother, was so looking forward to running his Birthday OS. At least he was once I suggested the possibility in May. Well it can never be. Mac OS X 10.2.7 (October 27) seems doomed to languish in the dustbin of Macintosh trivia. Like 9.01 through 9.03....Continue reading The dream is dead...
It was 12:40 AM and
comments numbered 1.
September 17, 2003
iT Rules
More new iPod ad parodies than I can even get through. This might be my favorite....Continue reading iT Rules...
It was 02:26 AM and
comments numbered 1.
August 12, 2003
Sweet fancy moses
Another week, another catastrophic Microsoft security flaw. The new worm infects every NT4.0 or higher installation it finds exposed online. It then spreads itself and continually reboots the machine. But my cable modem connection has been very shoddy since Monday afternoon, as have many others'. Without internet access, I first...Continue reading Sweet fancy moses...
It was 11:50 PM and
comments numbered 0.
August 08, 2003
Divide by zero
If When Windows crashes, it offers to send a report to Microsoft on the next reboot. Given MS's track record of rampant customer abuse and total disregard for the rule of law, I personally would decline such an invitation. But a lot of reports get through to Redmond. From them,...Continue reading Divide by zero...
It was 04:01 PM and
comments numbered 0.
July 24, 2003
Cat Fight
While upcoming Mac OS X 10.3 Panther has only one interesting new feature, Apple is planning to keep this Cat-a-year business up for decades to come. Quoth MacRumors, "Apple has added Lynx, Cougar, Leopard, and Tiger to their collection of trademarks, under the common category of 'computers; computer software; computer...Continue reading Cat Fight...
It was 02:53 PM and
comments numbered 0.
July 21, 2003
Myzilla
Make your own web browser with zero lines of code. Only on Mac OS X. That's even less than "Hello World"! Obviously the point is not to have everyone point-and-click their way to a home-made web browser. But if you can get it up and surfing porno with 0 lines...Continue reading Myzilla...
It was 08:18 PM and
comments numbered 0.
July 02, 2003
Hey, Ma!
Ooh neat; I just discovered the screenshot of iChat AV I took at a recent visit to an Apple Store (to see if they'd like to employ me, which they would not). The videoconference only goes across the room from a PowerBook to an iBook. But it toys with time...Continue reading Hey, Ma!...
It was 03:12 AM and
comments numbered 0.
June 24, 2003
Aisha, I'm flying!
Wow. That's a lot of monitors. But seems to me he could easily replace it with about 4 Cinema Displays and run it all from one Mac instead of 7 PCs. Ain't that how it always is!...Continue reading Aisha, I'm flying!...
It was 02:13 AM and
comments numbered 0.
June 20, 2003
OMFG NEW TOWARS!!1111
Next monday is Steve Jobs' keynote at the WWDC. It's unusual for this developer's conference to be of much public interest but this one will be the stage for introducing Apple's new direction in software -- 10.3 -- and hardware -- 64 bit PPCs. But christmas comes early this week,...Continue reading OMFG NEW TOWARS!!1111...
It was 03:35 PM and
comments numbered 2.
June 13, 2003
Toward the precipice
When Microsoft Internet Explorer 2 came out in like 1996 (I'm just hazarding guesses here from my own memory) it was free. Maybe that doesn't sound surprising but at the time the de facto standard Netscape Navigator was ostensibly like $50 or $90. Of course they let you download and...Continue reading Toward the precipice...
It was 04:45 PM and
comments numbered 0.
June 11, 2003
"Gnunix" -- Say it with a flourish
You don't win admirers blogging about Slashdot, but this case calls for an exception. The Open Group is suing everyone's favorite computer company "over unlicensed use of the Unix trademark." Never one to turn down a legal brawl, Apple is "counter-suing to have the Unix trademark declared invalid because the...Continue reading "Gnunix" -- Say it with a flourish...
It was 08:45 PM and
comments numbered 0.
June 03, 2003
Screen Burnination
It's hard to beat the image of Ye Olde Spline screensaver -- the same one built in to Mac Microsoft Word 4.1 circa 1990 -- bouncing its rainbow lines around the screen, only to jolt the mouse and wake the display not into a crinkly 640x400 System 7 desktop,...Continue reading Screen Burnination...
It was 11:04 PM and
comments numbered 0.
May 07, 2003
Relating to the previous post...
Relating to the previous post... As bad as Massive Attack being like the only "Electronic" artist, is the album selection. 1992's Blue Lines is available in its entirety. It's an ok album, often called groundbreaking, but it sounds kind of dated. 1995's Protection makes you feel like killing yourself. 1998's...Continue reading Relating to the previous post......
It was 04:09 AM and
comments numbered 0.
The day they have Klubheads Kickin Hard we'll know it's a success ;^)
Apple's new iTunes Music Store that went live a week ago is pretty neat no matter which side of the music piracy debate you back. Even aside from arguments about price/value or whether all digital media should always be free -- what are you, a communist? -- it should definitely...Continue reading The day they have Klubheads Kickin Hard we'll know it's a success ;^)...
It was 01:52 AM and
comments numbered 0.
April 24, 2003
Welp the IconFactory's annual Pixelpalooza
Welp the IconFactory's annual Pixelpalooza finished up recently. Who cares about the winners and losers? All I know is there's a lot of nifty icons to download and try out. I used to be all about custom icons until OS X came out. But the X Finder isn't as pleasing...Continue reading Welp the IconFactory's annual Pixelpalooza...
It was 10:30 PM and
comments numbered 0.
April 17, 2003
Growing soft
It's been so nice, sunny, and warm in New Jersey since I got back (imagine that, an industrial wasteland nice! Well perhaps you haven't recently visited the Garden State?) that I can hardly bear the thought of rain and more sub-50 temperatures for the next week or whatever. I really...Continue reading Growing soft...
It was 01:00 AM and
comments numbered 0.
April 08, 2003
Incredible time saver as seen on your monitor which is kind of like a TV!
The unreleased Safari beta I'm using saves me a lot of time. Every 3 or 4 days I have -- as always -- lots of tabs and minimized windows for web sites I haven't gotten around to reading yet. Then, and let me emphasize it's quite a spectacle to...Continue reading Incredible time saver as seen on your monitor which is kind of like a TV!...
It was 01:29 AM and
comments numbered 0.
April 04, 2003
My birthday is coming up
Some people will get really excited about what I'm about to link to. Others will say, "what the hell is this?" if they're feeling very charitable. Nevertheless, I press on. Long I thought if I ever got a new Mac that wasn't a portable, I'd definitely skimp on the silly...Continue reading My birthday is coming up...
It was 02:06 AM and
comments numbered 0.
April 03, 2003
What the hell am i
What the hell am i supposed to do about this? C'mon, Macromedia!...Continue reading What the hell am i...
It was 12:30 AM and
comments numbered 0.
April 02, 2003
Contagion
(06:03 PM) Glush: my internet isn't working (06:03 PM) Glush: I already told you everything's "remote" (06:03 PM) Glush: this isn't even my comp its my roomates (06:03 PM) Glush: too mine doesn't work at all (06:03 PM) Me: but i'm talking to you on the internet (06:04 PM) Glush:...Continue reading Contagion...
It was 06:13 PM and
comments numbered 0.
March 25, 2003
On the web, Apaches never go down ;^)
Al Jazeera recently set up an English-language version of their reporting how the American military is breaking on Baghdad like waves on a beach. God Bless American script kiddies, the site is under a constant DDOS attack that continues to this minute. I saw it last night just before it...Continue reading On the web, Apaches never go down ;^)...
It was 05:12 PM and
comments numbered 0.
March 23, 2003
"Apple Terminates Safari Seed Program"
Sez Slashdot. I'm not surprised. Hell even I got my hands on the latest beta. It's a narrow line to walk between wide public distribution of a "prerelease" browser, and limited testing distribution of intermediary builds. It has not been taken seriously, but how could it? Microsoft won the browser...Continue reading "Apple Terminates Safari Seed Program"...
It was 12:24 AM and
comments numbered 0.
March 22, 2003
Put it on my tab
I usually haven't liked tabs in browsers. It seemed like an inappropriate overloading of a window, kind of like the Windoze MDI (Multiple Document Interface) with windows inside windows. Instead, I've developed a habit of opening links behind the current window and maybe minimizing them all to the Dock if...Continue reading Put it on my tab...
It was 07:48 PM and
comments numbered 0.
March 15, 2003
Your mother wears army boots
Myth 2 is one of the most amazing games computer games of all time. It's incredibly realistic. It's visceral. It's chaotic. It's online. It's endlessly extendable (lego battles! world war 2! old west shootout!). It's very bloody, and it's very hard to get the hang of. And now, praise Soulblighter,...Continue reading Your mother wears army boots...
It was 09:06 PM and
comments numbered 0.
March 05, 2003
Burninating the Countryside
Check out the huge copper heat sink on the CPUs in the new-ish dual 1.42Ghz Power Mac G4s: That's a whopper, but it really does look cool against the blue circuit board (wow!) For a sense of history, compare and contrast with a picture I just took of my Blue...Continue reading Burninating the Countryside...
It was 03:49 PM and
comments numbered 0.
March 03, 2003
I still know how to party
If the most disconcerting thing that can happen all day is the time switches to two digits, thus bumping over all the crap in my menu bar, well, that's not much of a day at all is it?...Continue reading I still know how to party...
It was 10:04 PM and
comments numbered 0.
