[AppleSurf Inbox] May 4, 2000

[applesurf at myapplemenu.comapplesurf]

AppleSurf Inbox

== Top Stories ====================

Eyetrack Online News Study May Surprise You (E&P Online)
<http://www.editorandpublisher.com/ephome/news/newshtm/stop/st050300.htm>
One of its principal findings is that news Web site users tend to look first at and look most intently at text, glossing over photos and images in search of meaningful textual information. This is 180 degrees away from the print Eyetrack study, which found that newspaper readers typically get drawn first to photos on a page, before letting their gaze go off in search of text.

== Seize the Day! (Great news for Mac users) ====================

The New World Of Online Films (Apple)
<http://www.apple.com/creative/stories/onlinefilms/>
Next time you want to catch a good movie, see what’s playing on your Mac. Now that independent filmmakers have the power to bring their films to a screen near you, your Mac can become as natural a destination as the local megaplex.

== Listen Up! (Opinions around the web) ====================

Apple: Serve Mac OS X Online (MacWEEK.com)
<http://macweek.zdnet.com/2000/04/30/0504macosedit.html>
Give users a taste of Mac OS X by hosting a demo version on the Web.

Living This Wired Life (Macworld)
<http://macworld.zdnet.com/2000/05/02/wired.html>
A quick example: Jason Snell, my estimable editor, often goes home from a long day of publishing Macworld.com to sit down at his Mac and write, edit, and produce teevee.org, a Web site devoted to television criticism, something that has brought forth sputtering confusion from his relatives and non-computer friends. "Why would anyone do at home exactly what you do at work?" They just don't understand. We've all said that too. 

== Reviews (The good and the bad) ====================

AppleWorks 6 Updater Redeems Apple (Mac Night Owl)
<http://www.macnightowl.com/index.htm#updater>
AppleWorks 6 is still a bit slow to get going, but performance is greatly improved after it launches. The addition of RTF translation capability is particularly important, as it lets you save your AppleWorks documents in a format that can be easily read by other word processors, such as Microsoft Word.

IceView USB Hub (MacAddict)
<http://www.macaddict.com/news/reviews/2000_05_15.shtml>
If you're looking for a USB hub, the IceView is a good product at a good price.

HP DeskJet 952C (MacAddict)
<http://www.macaddict.com/news/reviews/2000_05_13.shtml>
In short, the HP 952C can satisfy both the picky photographer and the plain-paper text jockey, at a price that won't break the piggy bank.

BJC-85 Color Bubble Jet Printer (MacAddict)
<http://www.macaddict.com/news/reviews/2000_05_11.shtml>
If you're not a speed demon and you're looking for a highly mobile printer, the BJC-85 is a good choice. The print quality is very high, comparable to that of many desktop units, and the printer handles just about any printing surface you're likely to use. Overall, the BJC-85 is a well-designed tool for the mobile Mac user.

Civilization: Call To Power (MacAddict)
<http://www.macaddict.com/news/reviews/2000_05_09.shtml>
The new entrant in the Civilization series is a profound disappointment. If you've never played Civilization before, this game's worth a look. Otherwise, just go for Alpha Centauri.

Street Atlas USA 6 (MacAddict)
<http://www.macaddict.com/news/reviews/2000_05_05.shtml>
No other Mac product in this arena compares to Street Atlas USA, so if you need street-level mapping, by all means pick up a copy today. We just wish DeLorme had made the program easier to use - and to trust.

DoorStop Personal (Macworld)
<http://macworld.zdnet.com/2000/06/reviews/doorstop.html>
If you're using a continuous connection, you need a firewall–it's simply not optional in today's dangerous Internet environment. Despite some minor problems, DoorStop's low price, easy setup, and unobtrusive operation make it a great choice.

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six (Macworld)
<http://macworld.zdnet.com/2000/07/reviews/rainbow.html>
These annoyances aside, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six–a game that demands forethought as well as an adept trigger finger–is challenging and rewarding enough that it might just hold you hostage.

== Thousand Flowers (News on Macintosh third-parties) ====================

Zip Drive Gets FireWire (MacWEEK.com)
<http://macweek.zdnet.com/2000/04/30/0503zipfire.html>
Iomega on Wednesday announced that it is shipping a FireWire adapter for the 250MB USB Zip drive. The $79.95 adapter allows the drive to be connected to one of the Mac's FireWire ports. 

Iomega Launching Mac Attack (Deseret News)
<http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,165009321,00.html?>
Iomega's new rewritable external CD drive will now work equally well on PC or Macintosh systems. And Macintosh compatibility will be a given in future innovations, as well.

Choose How You'll Glow In The Dark (Apple)
<http://www.apple.com/hotnews/articles/2000/05/savers/>
Your screen saver can say a lot about you.  Like a billboard from your personal style counsel, the screen saver you choose often tells others what you think is the ultimate in hip, whether it’s your latest favorite movie, sitcom or rock & roll band.

== Know Thy Enemy (Keeping track of the Wintel empire) ====================

Microsoft Zeroing In On Defense Plan (Associated Press)
<http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/cth838.htm>
Microsoft Corp. may ask a federal judge to deny the Justice Department's proposal to break up the company, under the argument that the government improperly based the proposal on evidence that wasn't presented at trial, according to people close to the antitrust case.

'Love' Worm Spreading Fast (Wired News)
<http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,36119,00.html>
A new, virulent worm known as the "Love Bug" is investing computer networks throughout the world and has shut down major email servers, including the Pentagon's. 

Love Note Virus Spreads At Epidemic Rate (TechWeb)
<http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB20000504S0005>
A new type of computer virus is infecting computers throughout the world, cloggin e-mail systems and destroying data at the most rapid rate for a virus yet seen -- even faster than last year's Melissa virus, virus experts said.

Can You Upgrade To Pocket PC? (PC World)
<http://www.pcworld.com/pcwtoday/article/0,1510,16573,00.html>
It's not as easy as downloading software, but you can get the new OS.

Dells Clips Flat-panel Display Prices (PC World)
<http://www.pcworld.com/pcwtoday/article/0,1510,16576,00.html>
Supply is catching up to demand and pushing down prices (for now).

Would A Breakup Of Microsoft Matter? (New York Times)
<http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/05/circuits/articles/04pete.html>
Technology is moving so fast that by the time this legal mess is resolved, consumers may not even notice or care whether Microsoft is one company, two, or 57.

Microsoft Executive Decides To Make A Leave Permanent (New York Times)
<http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/05/biztech/articles/04soft.html>
Nathan P. Myhrvold, the chief technology officer of the Microsoft Corporation, announced his departure yesterday, joining a wave of executives and senior engineers who have left the company in the last year.

Will IBM Eclipse Sun? (Sm at rt Reseller)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/comment/0,5859,2560891,00.html>
It appears that Microsoft wasn't the only target on IBM's radar screen when it decided to adopt Linux and tie together all of its platforms. A little birdy very close to the company informs me that Microsoft was an afterthought. The real target was Sun.

Linux Kernel Release Falls Behind Schedule (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-1808165.html?dtn.head>
The next version of the heart of Linux likely will appear later than expected, the leader of the Linux movement said today. 

Sun CEO Slams Competitors, Predicts Rosy Future (Reuters)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-1808398.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..1003-200-1808398>
Sun Microsystems chief executive Scott McNealy, an avid hockey fan, hip-checked his company's arch rival Microsoft as well as IBM, dot-coms and even Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan while speaking to investors today.

== Breaking Barriers (About the internet and the web) ====================

Many Ads Miss The Dot-com Mark (Wired News)
<http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,36073,00.html>
Rushing to get their messages out, some dot coms are simply off-target with their advertising. Others are downright offensive. The flip side? They're quick to change the ad or ad agency to get it right.

Case To Be Chairman Of Merged AOL, Time Warner (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-1812994.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..1005-200-1812994>
America Online and Time Warner today outlined the chain of command for the pending combination of the world's largest Internet and media companies.

Communicator 4.7.3 Comes With AIM 3.0 (MacCentral)
<http://www.maccentral.com/news/0005/04.netscape.shtml>
 Communicator 4.7.3 has security fixes that address Javascript cookie exploitation and SSL (Secure Socket Layer) vulnerability. 

AltaVista Unveils Raging Search (San Jose Mercury News)
<http://www.mercurycenter.com/svtech/news/indepth/docs/alta050400.htm>
Floating in a cyberspace full of competitors, AltaVista is searching for its roots.

Investors Should Be Aware Of Option Policies (San Jose Mercury News)
<http://www.mercurycenter.com/svtech/news/indepth/docs/sh050400.htm>
Buying a tech stock is a little like buying a used car. Sure, you'd like something reliable and reasonably safe. And sure, you have a hankering for that red Beemer with the leather seats and enviable acceleration from zero to 60. Sooner or later, you'll have to look under the hood.

Scan The Headlines? No, Just THe Bar Codes (New York Times)
<http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/05/circuits/articles/04bar.html>
The tiny bar codes are more than just a print-based replacement for long Web addresses. They are one of several new technologies that create hyperlinks for the physical world, establishing a direct connection between static objects and the ever-changing Internet. With these links, magazines, books, postcards, product packages -- any imaginable artifacts with room for bar codes -- could become on-ramps to Web pages that offer related reports, movies, sound clips or online order forms.

Can Cash-strapped Merchants Survive Without Links? (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1007-201-1768010-0.html>
To many online merchants, the idea seemed irresistibly simple: More traffic means more money, so it made perfect sense to get the most exposure possible on the largest Web portals, regardless of cost. There's just one problem with that strategy: It works only if businesses have an endless supply of money to pay for such deals.

Eyetrack Online News Study May Surprise You (E&P Online)
<http://www.editorandpublisher.com/ephome/news/newshtm/stop/st050300.htm>
One of its principal findings is that news Web site users tend to look first at and look most intently at text, glossing over photos and images in search of meaningful textual information. This is 180 degrees away from the print Eyetrack study, which found that newspaper readers typically get drawn first to photos on a page, before letting their gaze go off in search of text.

Fans Force Star Wars DVD Release (Wired News)
<http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,36040,00.html>
Bowing to pressure from DVD websites, Star Wars creator George Lucas said Part I of his series is officially set for release in the DVD format.

Has Metallica Misjudged Napster? (ZDNet)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2560977,00.html>
Across the Internet, fans -- and former fans -- say Metallica should be cooperating with Napster rather than pointing fingers at fans.

AltaVista Aims To Lure Eyes From Google (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-1808590.html?tag=st.ne.1430735..1005-200-1808590>
AltaVista today unveiled Raging Search, a new search engine through which the portal will attempt to lure "high-end" Net veterans to its service.

John Cleese Movie To Debut Online (Associated Press)
<http://www.techserver.com/noframes/story/0,2294,500199705-500275054-501457527-0,00.html>
Movie producer Stephen Simon had one condition when he went shopping for his latest project: that it must be shown on computers, not in theaters.

Napster May Block Thousands Of Fans (CNET News.com)
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-1810391.html?dtn.head>
With showmanship worthy of a stadium concert, hard-rock band Metallica dumped a truckload of legal documents on software company Napster's doorstep today, identifying more than 335,000 screen names for people the band says may have been illegally pirating its songs.

== Press Release (Spreading the news) ====================

Learning AppleScript Was Never Easier (MacLaunch)
<http://www.maclaunch.com/articles/2000/05/20000503215900.shtml>
MacScripter's magazine is a free e-zine in a multimedia format. This 
 format allows the first issue to start with a visually attractive, easy 
 to follow, hands-on introduction to AppleScript.

The Mac Show Features Power On Software, MacFixIt, And Mac Observer Guests (The Mac Observer)
<http://www.macobserver.com/news/00/may/000503/macshow20000503.shtml>
On Wednesday's Mac Show, We'll feature one of our favorite guests, Bob Leeds of Power On Software. Bob isn't a great guest simply because he is a good speaker or because he always gives us stuff to give away. He's a great guest because his company makes great Mac software! This week, we'll be discussing the latest version of Power On's Now Up-to-Date & Contact Version 3.9.

== The AppleSurf Reader (Great Reads!) ====================

Measuring The Value Of A Good Used Book (New York Times)
<http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/05/circuits/articles/04shop.html>
I have a history of addiction. I have never been able to pass a used-book store without feeling compelled to buy an armload. So I felt very virtuous about my ability to withstand the wiles of the flashy ad campaign staged last year by Alibris, an ambitious online bookseller.

Bill Clinton Remakes American Beauty (Slate)
<http://slate.msn.com/Code/chatterbox/chatterbox.asp?Show=5/2/00&idMessage=5232>
Why wasn't the American Beauty joke made more explicit? Well, there are limits to what a president, even today, can yuk it up about. A good many people would likely have been offended by Clinton's comparing himself, even in jest, to a movie character who chain smokes dope and nearly seduces a teenage pompom girl.

A Bush-league Interview On PBS (Washington Post)
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A59472-2000May3.html>
Five minutes into the interview, I realized that what I was watching was the Polite Broadcasting System.

A Buck A Word On The Web? Not Likely (Green Magazine)
<http://www.greenmagazine.com/2000/05/000503d.asp>
Working at Green is mostly shits and giggles, but there is one part of the job that's less fun than we wish: the uncomfortable silence on the other end of the phone when we tell our writers what we pay for stories.

Culture Clash: Gates Meets Robert Frost (MSNBC)
<http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2561398,00.html>
A poet went to Redmond in search of Microsoft's kinder, poetic side ... and found youthfulness, bouyancy -- and, yes, arrogance -- on the day the DOJ dropped its hammer.

== Technology (The Technology Scene In Singapore) ====================

Get A Virtual Secretary For Free (CNET Singapore)
<http://singapore.cnet.com/news/2000/05/04/20000504a.html>
Fancy a secretary for free? No, she (or he) can't make a mean cuppa but is bi-lingual, computer literate and Web-savvy to boot.

Invest $100,000 In An iMac (iMac NewsPage)
<http://www.adforceonline.com/newspage/>
UOB, one of Singapore's Big Four banks, is inviting clients to invest $100,000 with their United Global Internet Fund — and get a Blueberry iMac 350MHz in return(s).

== Entertainment (The Entertainment Scene In Singapore) ====================

Jackie Chan: Kicking His Way To Singapore (MTVAsia Online)
<http://www.mtvasia.com/News/Asia/Items/0005/0005005.html>
Yes, you read it right. Hong Kong superstar Jackie Chan is dropping by Singapore to promote his new movie, "Shanghai Noon."

Spinback On Labour Day (Eastciti)
<http://www.eastciti.com/004_tv/index.htm>
Spin is back on TCS 5 every Tuesday. To celebrate their comeback, Planet Hollywood plays host to the Spinback Party this May 1st 2000. Attending the event: the cast of Spin (minus one member), more than 50 adoring fans, and wacky RCS DJs.

Ice-kacang With A Kick (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/life/life6_0504.html>
Hold the kacang, ditch the atap chee and jelly, throw in some fresh strawberries, pile on the crushed ice, and then drown the whole thing in, not syrup, but three different liqueurs.

== Around Town (News out of Singapore) ====================

Calling Party Pays System Will Not Take Root Here: IDA (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/money/sinb13_0504.html>
The telecom authority says the costs involved would outweigh any benefits for consumers and industry for now.

Time, LTA Catch Up With Ubin Motorists (Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/primenews/pri4_0504.html>
Pulau Ubin, long exempt from mainland Singapore's traffic rules, will soon lose that status, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced yesterday. Motorists there will have to get driving licences and send their vehicles for yearly check-ups as the Government imposes standard traffic rules from next year. The move is in response to the increasing number of weekend visitors to the rural island off Singapore's north-eastern end.

Lianhe Zaobao To Have A New Look (Business Times)
<http://business-times.asia1.com.sg/4/news/nsing08.html>
Lianhe Zaobao will be undergoing a revamp in the second half of the year, said Chew Keng Juea, vice president of Singapore Press Holdings' Chinese newspapers division (CND).