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MC20050824SP.mp3 [34.4mb 01:15:03 64kbps]

A podcast for Macs geeks by a Mac geeks. This is a special edition of the MacCast, my interview with Leo Laporte host and producer of the #1 podcast on the planet, This Week in Tech (TWiT), as well as Call for Help on G4/TechTV. New music, When She Speaks by John Hoskinson

Thanks to Leo for taking the time to speak with us.

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Show Links
Powermail
Nisus
Mellel
NoteTaker
Notebook
Hog Bay Notebook
Launchbar
Quicksilver
Konfabulator
BBEdit
TextWrangler
Feeder
Ecto

Leo Laporte Links
TWIT
Call For Help
The Tech Guy on KFI
Security Now
Leo Laporte’s Guide to Mac OS X Tiger
Revision 3 (Will be doing video for TWiT)

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MC20050823.mp3 [12.6mb 27:29 64kbps]

A podcast for Mac geeks, by Mac geeks. Show 84. FCC documents verify Motorola iTunes model number, will it be flash based iPod Minis or 2 GB and 4 GB Shuffles? Welcome the next governor of the great state of California, Steve Jobs? Tip to speed up spring loaded folders, listener reports some serious issues with some 30″ Apple cinema displays, listener review of Desktop Manager, Tiger no longer uses Crontabs for periodic maintenance and the eMacCast artwork contest. New music, Take Back Sunday by Rally Car

Dude, where’s my car? Where’s your car dude? DUDE, where’s my car?

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MC20050820.mp3 [19.1mb 41:45 64kbps]

A podcast about Macs done by a Mac geek for Mac geeks. Show 83. Apple’s 007 security update break 64-bit, new update available, Apple launches Repair Extension program for iMac G5s. Is Apple trying to temp you to upgrade pre-Intel? Apple Retail Stores having a negative impact on independent resellers and iPodderX now does Windows. More Mac OS X for generic PC debate, Tip on making a mightier Mighty Mouse. Will Apple ever produce a PDA? Tip on how to never forget to add a mail attachment again, comments on music on the MacCast, my opinion on why Apple needs a “try it, you’ll like it” program and announcing the eMacCast artwork contest. New music, Beautiful Drive by Tara Leigh Cobble.

Up in the sky, look: It’s a bird; it’s a plane… It’s Superman

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Well, seems like the media spin over the so called Microsoft iPod patent is even bigger than we thought. Look at what listener Nick just pointed out to me:

I wanted to comment on something you talked about in your 8-17 show regarding Apple’s iPod patent problems. There seems to be a lot of misinformation regarding this story and I’m glad you talked about this. One thing that I’m not sure if you’re aware of though, is that Microsoft’s patent application has been turned down too, so they don’t hold the patent on this technology either. They simply turned the application in before Apple did. This is still unclear but from what I understand, the descriptions on both applications are too vague and overlap one another somewhat. The patent that Microsoft filed seems to have more in common with Smart Playlists and the way that a device could assemble a playlist by looking at a user’s habits, etc. (similar to the way Amazon.com suggests other products you might like based on products you’ve already purchased). Regardless of what happens with Apple’s patent, it looks like Microsoft will have a hard time getting the rights to this because it seems to be a pretty basic use of databases.

There is some good additional information over on the Register, read it here.

Patent Links
Apple’s Patent Filing (Robbin, Jobs, Schiller)
Microsoft’s Patent Filing (Platt)

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MC20050817.mp3 [17.9mb 39:08 64kbps]

A podcast about Macs done by a Mac geek for Mac geeks. Show 82. Microsoft iPod patent dispute, $50 iBook sale results in mob and injuries, Apple may be partnering with Google to sell iTunes, Apple releases Security Update 007, build your own Mac for $199 and a Hong Kong inventor files DRM patent lawsuit against Apple and others. OS X for Intel PC feedback, MSN Messenger 5 with other chat systems, Apple Certified Alliance Directory, recommendation for running Apple scheduled maintenance scripts, make sure you run the latest version of Disk Utility when repairing permissions, buyer beware when purchasing older Macs. No Tiger upgrade. Is the single processor 1.8 GHz G5 the buggiest Mac ever? Some thoughts from a MacCast listener. New music, Prozac Girl by Sunspot

We evil magicians have to make a living too.

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A Brief and Warped History of the Mac, part 7 (Soul of a Mac)

Welcome to the HitchHiker’s Guide to the Macintosh.

Firstly, I want to say thanks to all the people who emailed me or left feedback on the site in relation to my six-part history of the Mac feature. Hopefully many of you will keep reading the column as I move on to other topics.

It is human nature to anthropomorphise the objects around us – we all like to think that our pets have the same sort of thoughts as we do and we like to think that the objects around us have personalities. Can you honestly say that as a child you never looked at a car and thought of the headlamps as eyes and the radiator as a mouth with an expression?

Well, in this column I want to explore the aspects that give the Mac a distinct personality and ask ‘What is the soul of a Mac?’

Continue Reading »

Samsonite XT780
This review is on a piece of hardware that is usually given only a slight afterthought. I’m talking about the case your mac goes into. I’ve had a Samsonite XT780 for about 3 months and I’d say its a perfect mac companion. The front semi-lockable (its as if you’re locking a door by turning a knob) compartment holds your chargers and portable mice. The Apple charger fits perfectly into one of the compartments, as does the Apple mouse.

Now, onto the most important feature: the computer. If you have a 15 inch powerbook or 14 inch ibook, then you’re in luck. It fits perfectly. But if you have anything else, it’s not going to fit snug enough to provide adequate protection.

There are pockets galore on the TX780, but many of them I found rather unhelpful. A few papers and a small paperback book can fit into the final back compartment- that much I understand. But there are some pockets I cannot find a use for. For instance, in the front compartment where the charger and mouse holders are, are 3 small pockets less than an inch deep. I can’t even fit my iPod firewire cord in it. Flipping back to the other end of the bag, there is a zipper for a sizable pocket. However, the stitching on the bag (and the fact that its leather) doesn’t allow for expanding, so you’re left with a large pocket that can only hold very wide thin things, I suppose A magazine or ONE legal pad may fit in there.

Overall though, the bag looks smart, and has what I look for in a bag, plenty of pockets. Although some seem confusing and useless.

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MC20050812.mp3 [23.5mb 51:15 64kbps]

A podcast about Macs done by a Mac geek for Mac geeks. Show 81. Apple poaching Sony engineers to help build first Xtel laptops, Apple will refund Canadian “iPod tax” money, speculation on 5th generation iPod Specs, Apple fails to get iPod software patent, Microsoft Messenger for Mac 5.0 released, Microsoft is targeting iPod for the Holidays, get subway maps for your iPod, Japanese artist defies label to get on iTunes, new version of BBEdit released as Universal Binary, Apple OS X for Intel, reported hacked to run on non-Apple, Dvorak sees a world with OS X on the average PC, Apple releases PowerBook G4 Graphics update, rumor that Apple has scraped new “switcher” ads and Apple has updated the “Switcher” web site. MacCast interview on Tired Thumbs, cut in Finder tip followup, leaving your Mac on overnight can clear up a lot of issues, launching GarageBand can fix Windows Media issues and searching for the MacCast the lost archives. New music, Wednesday Morning by Slackstring

Vote for Pedro

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MC20050811.mp3 [4.0mb 08:36 64kbps]

A podcast about Macs done by a Mac geek for Mac geeks. Things have been crazy, do this is a short show, but contains a great product review from the guys at thegreatwhitenorth.ca. A new show will also be out tomorrow. Thank you for your patience and remember to vote at Podcastalley.com

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Listen to today’s show here!
MC20050808SP.mp3 [25.8mb 56:13 64kbps]

A podcast about Macs done by a Mac geek for Mac geeks. A special edition of the MacCast. My interview with Amber MacArthur co-host and producer of the popular vid-cast Command-N, as well as Call for Help and Gadgets and Gizmos on G4/TechTV in Canada.

Thanks to The Colmination for helping get this interview set up.

Shownotes & Links (thanks Mitch!)
NOTES
Intro
Interview with Amber
Amber’s Past: How she ended up on G4TechTV
Amber’s Mac life and her take on Macs
Windows Vista
Amber’s favorite Mac apps:
Closing

LINKS
OmniGraffle
iRooster
Awaken
Capture
Quicksilver
Waxy.org
Yellow Mug Software
9rules Network
BlinkSale
iBiz
Basecamp
Digg
CommandN
Bamcat
AmberMac.com