[MyAppleMenu] Wednesday, Oct 1, 2003

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu Newsletter
Wednesday, Oct 1, 2003

MyAppleMenu : Top Stories
-------------------------
Lick Me, I'm A Macintosh: What The Hell Is Wrong With Apple That They Still Give A Damn About Design And Packaging And "Feel"? (Mark Morford, SF Gate)
<http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/gate/archive/2003/10/01/notes100103.DTL>
These are the things that are nearly dead in our mass-consumer culture, things normally reserved for elitist niche markets and swanky boutiques and upscale yuppie Euro spas and maybe cool insider mags like I-D and Metropolis and dwell. They are most definitely not to be expected of mass-market gadget makers. This is why it matters. This is why it's important.

Finally, An Opening For Apple In IT (Alex Salkever, BusinessWeek)
<http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/oct2003/tc2003101_8543_tc056.htm>
Macs as Unix workstations, the rise of laptops, and the dangers of a Microsoft "monoculture" are combining to create a real opportunity.

MyAppleMenu : News
------------------
Macs Win 'Small Battles' In Vail, Ariz., Schools (DennIs Sellers, MacCentral)
<http://maccentral.macworld.com/news/2003/10/01/vail/index.php?redirect=1065023753000>
The Vail School District is home to 5,300 students across nine schools. It's also home to 1,100 Macs.

Top 50 Agenda Setters: Steve Jobs (Silicon.com)
<http://www.silicon.com/as2003/list1.html>
To set the agenda for its evolution requires an equally enigmatic individual - Jobs would seem to fit the bill.

Apple's War For The Windows Mainstream (Robyn Weisman, E-Commerce Times)
<http://www.ecommercetimes.com/perl/story/31718.html>
The key to continued progress is keeping the iPod engine chugging forward at a steady pace. If Apple can accomplish that goal, it may find itself in an insanely great position.

Altec Lansing Unveils InMotion For iPods (MacMinute)
<http://www.macminute.com/2003/10/01/inmotion>
The inMotion offers a compact design, extra-low battery power consumption, powerful Class D amplification, patented MaxxBass technology, and a built-in iPod dock.

Give Macs TV Functions, Apple Urged (Macworld UK)
<http://www.macworld.co.uk/news/main_news.cfm?NewsID=6995>
Apple must make Macs part of a digital entertainment hub if it is to realize the machines' market potential, a survey shows.

Lights, Camera, Action (The Daily Journal)
<http://www.thedailyjournal.com/news/stories/20031001/localnews/362355.html>
Four Buena Regional high school students got their first peek into the world of digital video production and editing on Tuesday evening.

Stillwater: School Board, Apple Agree On Laptop Plan (Megan Boldt, Pioneer Press)
<http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/living/education/6901792.htm>
The Stillwater school district has entered into an agreement with Apple Computer to provide laptops to students at Oak-Land Junior High in Lake Elmo and all of the district's junior high teachers by next fall.

Mac Vs. Windows On Campus: Does Platform Matter In Virus Assualts? (Robyn Weisman, Mac Observer)
<http://www.macobserver.com/article/2003/09/30.13.shtml>
The onslaught of Internet-borne viruses and worms could not have come at a worse time for college and university campuses.

What's On Your Dock? (Giles Turnbull, O'Reilly Network)
<http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2003/09/30/dock.html>
Follow me, ladies and gentlemen, on a journey into the minds of some of your fellow Mac users.

MyAppleMenu : Opinions
----------------------
Should Apple Make A Two-Button Mouse? (Gene Steinberg, Mac Night Owl)
<http://www.macnightowl.com/#mouse>
The core Mac user experience has been one of simplicity. Unlike Windows, you aren't forced to use a right mouse button.

Why I Love... Sosumi (Paul May, The Guardian)
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,3604,1053108,00.html>
Sosumi is the sound of corporate whistling in the dark, a jingle for charmers who believe the right-on-ness of their ventures will erase the obstacles that affect lesser beings.

New Adobe Apps Leave Mac OS 9 Behind (Gene Steinberg, Mac Night Owl)
<http://www.macnightowl.com/#behind>
More and more applications aren't compatible either.

MyAppleMenu : Reviews
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Draw In Harmony (Garry Barker, The Age)
<http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/10/01/1064988258245.html>

Cyborg Evo (Tim Morgan, Inside Mac Games)
<http://www.insidemacgames.com/reviews/view.php?ID=426>
The Cyborg Evo certainly performed fine as a casual-use joystick. It looks sleek and does what it advertises, but that may not be enough to sway gamers into buying the $40 joystick.

Microsoft Mouse Is Great For Your Mac (Al Fasoldt, Syracuse Post-Standard)
<http://www.syracuse.com/news/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1064910996140690.xml>
I've found a mouse that puts Apple's efforts to shame. It's made by Microsoft, which does a much better job making hardware than software.

Swift 3D v3 (Kirk Hiner, Applelinks.com)
<http://www.applelinks.com/reviews/swift3d-v3.shtml>
Swift 3D is the most useful Flash companion currently available.

Getting GigE With It (Matt Overington, APC Magazine)
<http://www.apcmag.com/apc/v3.nsf/0/8F8EADDE9E98D692CA256DA90024A4E2>

Medal Of Honor: Spearhead (Tom Burns, Inside Mac Games)
<http://www.insidemacgames.com/reviews/view.php?ID=413>
While the content would be lackluster as a standalone game, it is as an addition to the solid core of Allied Assault. If you are looking for something to breathe life back into the rather stagnant Mac multiplayer FPS scene, this is what you have been waiting for.

Bluetooth Does Have Bite -- If You Can Set It Up (Yeong Ah Seng, Straits Times)
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/techscience/story/0,4386,212456,00.html?>
It is stuff like Salling Clicker that gives true meaning to the usefulness of Bluetooth.

MyAppleMenu Tomorrow: Top Stories
---------------------------------
Developers Show Their Independent Streak, Favoring Web-Based Apps (Eric Knorr, InfoWorld)
<http://www.infoworld.com/article/03/09/26/38FErrcode_1.html>
Despite imperitives from Microsoft and others that developers abandon server-based HTML apps for fat desktop clients, the ease of "zero deployment" through the browser continues to win the day.

Proprietary Software -- Banned In Boston? (David Becker, CNET News.com)
<http://news.com.com/2100-7344_3-5084442.html>
Massachusetts has adopted a new policy that favors open-source software and adherence to open standards in government computing systems, a state official said.

MyAppleMenu Tomorrow: News & Opinions
-------------------------------------
Telemarketing Insiders On No-Call List (Jack Dolan, Hartford Courant)
<http://www.sunspot.net/business/bal-execs0930,0,6956913.story?coll=bal-business-headlines>
Top executives, employees submit numbers even as their organization wages legal fight against registry.

Speeding Up The Wireless Internet (Yuki Noguchi, Washington Post)
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A25436-2003Sep30.html>
Verizon launches service in closely watched test.

Gadgets To Go: A Little Something For The Road (Susan Stellin, New York Times)
<http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/30/business/30gadg.html>
The prevailing image of the business traveler is a laptop-toter with a cellphone. But a recent survey suggests they tote more creature comforts.

When Client Applications Matter... (Mark Sigal, O'Reilly Network)
<http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/wlg/3819>
When does a rich client have an "unfair advantage" over a web browser in terms of bringing real value-add to the application composite?  

National Studies Low-Power WiFi For Handsets (Rick Merritt, EE Times)
<http://www.commsdesign.com/news/tech_beat/OEG20030929S0108>
Researchers at National Semiconductor are studying the feasibility of a low-power version of 802.11 that would be suitable for cell phones and PDAs.

FCC Revives No-Call Registry (Steve Johnson, San Jose Mercury News)
<http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/local/6897837.htm>
The federal government acted on several fronts Monday to ensure that the national do-not-call registry -- threatened by a series of court rulings last week -- will take effect Wednesday as planned.

MPEG Founder Seeks Copy-Protection Accord (John Borland, CNET News.com)
<http://news.com.com/2100-1025_3-5084381.html>
A bevy of digital-media experts, led by the founder of the group that created the widespread MPEG set of media standards, launched an international forum Tuesday that's aimed at standardizing digital media and copy protection technologies.

MyAppleMenu Reader: Life
------------------------
Welcome, Old Friend: Rediscovering Manhattan's Chinatown (Eric Asimov, New York Times)
<http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/01/dining/01CHIN.html>
It's not just the restaurants, although that's a pretty good place to start, but fish shops, meat markets, greengrocers and purveyors of things you never knew you wanted, like dried licorice plums, which doubtless have some health benefit but to me just smell good.

Lost The Plot (Philip Pullman, The Guardian)
<http://education.guardian.co.uk/schools/story/0,5500,1052077,00.html>
Despite concessions by ministers, the extent of primary testing remains deeply controversial.

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MyAppleMenu is edited by Heng-Cheong Leong. This site is not affiliated with Apple Computer, Inc., or any other companies in any manner. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, Power Macintosh, PowerBook, iMac, iBook, iPod, and eMac are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. All other brands or product names are trademarks of their registered holders. Copyright (C) 1996-2003 Heng-Cheong Leong. All rights reserved.