That was a particularly bad idea.
Apple
My little Christmas present from Apple
Dec 24th
Recently, my iBook’s bluetooth module and Sleep LED assembly decided that actually functioning was not worth the endeavour- so I took it along to the Apple store in Southampton. Unfortunately, the problems with my iBook were irreparable and as it was under Apple care; they gave me a new MacBook.
Moral of the story: get AppleCare whenever you buy an Apple computer.
Mac OSX Leopard
Oct 28th
Now that’s it all properly installed on my mac-mini I feel that it’s time for a blog post.
Friday: Leopard Launch Day
I arrived at the Southampton Apple store at about 3pm and joined the queue as soon as it was set up. And I have to say that the queue was a really great social atmosphere and that everyone there was really friendly and I must thank great high wolf from macrumors forums for doing a drinks run. Also, it was really cool that the Apple store employees handed out chocolates and water- it certainly makes a change from many companies launch night arrangements. (I’m looking at you Sony)
Saturday: MacLiveExpo
Due to several thousand football fans and a line closure it took well over an hour and a half on the tubes (mostly packed) to reach the expo. There was some interesting loot to be picked up, namely some nice juggling balls from Konica Minolta- now if everyone did that I wouldn’t have been able to get home due to a vast surplus of said juggling balls. 
There was an interesting showing of Leopard by Apple, which would have been more interesting if I’d seen it prior to launch- but my fears that Time Machine would need a dedicated drive were put to rest. It only needs free space on a not-booted HFS+ journaled disk. There were some very good hardware deals going on at the show, and if you can pick up the early bird free tickets and get a reasonably direct train then it’s probably a good idea to buy a mac there. Unless you’re taking the tube, then it would be buying a mac for a random stranger on your train.
As for Leopard itself; the new dock (the non-3d one that is) is shiny and Mail is a lot more responsive and powerful, and is now no longer embarrassing to search for emails with.
The BBC- a chance to revolutionise internet television or to pay Microsoft
Jul 28th
The BBC appear to still be convinced that only windows XP users deserve the ability to watch television over the internet. This is in part due to their settling on Windows Media Video with DRM as the apt way for them to deliver this; it seems all the stranger that they’ve chosen this as the BBC already have a perfectly serviceable codec, which is self-acclaimed to be well suited to internet streaming.
To me, the BBC seems like the perfect institution to develop a DRM technology which is moderately open and least inconvenient to the user- although I cannot see the difference between them broadcasting an open MPEG2 stream using DVB and them broadcasting an open MPEG4 one using http.
I know that there are major legal differences between broadcasting it over the internet and over DVB, and that the files can be downloaded in faster than real time, but this does not have to be combatted by a completely opaque, utterly intrusive platform which will eventually lead to a locked down media file which can only be watched at it’s leisure and the viewers expense.
It seems to me as if the BBC is in a unique position here, where they have the chance to be able to redefine internet television with an open standard which allows all broadcasters to reach their audiences using whatever platform, whatever player. If this becomes the new distribution platform for television- then copyright law in Great Britain should recognise it as analogous to television and appreciate that it will have the same problem with copying that modern television does- which are insignificant to the BBCs DVD sales.
And I’m not the only person who would buy something I especially enjoyed on DVD, because the BBC have some really great stuff, and after all, every television owner in the country paid for it.
Anyway, to those of you unlucky enough to be using WINXP: gorge yourself on some telly.
Mac Heist and Guitar
Jul 11th
Mac Heist has been at it again with another heist which is listed as a skunk works heist in partnership with Mac Update, and as usual they are generously offering free stuffs in the way of the excellent IRC client Linkinus and have bolstered the programs in the bundle by including private beta access to Flow and Pixelmator, (albeit I haven’t received their email yet though).
In almost equally exciting news (for you perhaps, but personally I find this much more exciting) my electric guitar has recently arrived. And it is awesome. Unfortunately it did arrive a few days later than originally hoped- but otherwise Thomann have been exceptionally good value and lots of help when I ordered.
Count me amongst the afflicted
May 14th
There’s one word to describe the way I work with my computers:
Paranoid.
So when my ibook kernal panics within minutes of booting, I panic. Then I google. Then I disable the Airport chip. ‘Sallright I can live without wireless until Summer and I’ve the time to get AppleCare to service it (it’s in daily use and mission critical).
Then, it crashed. And the screen didn’t come back on when I rebooted. And removed the battery. And rebooted. And remembered. A reboot holding on to the left side of the button was enough to get the not so aptly named ‘mr-t’ back on its’ feet for long enough to get the important files off (and still going). I’m taking it in to AppleCare (because they cancelled computer collection) on Monday, and if there’s no improvement. I’ll be getting a thinkpad.
Silly wordpress, this should work better now.
32 Rebuffed Mac Myths (Reply to: PC PRO’s 32 reasons why PC’s are better than Macs)
Apr 19th
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Part 2 of: 32 Rebuffed Mac Myths
32 Rebuffed Mac Myths [1-10] (Reply to: PC PRO’s 32 reasons why PC’s are better than Macs)
Apr 17th
In their current issue, PCPRO are running a feature entitled 32 Reasons why PCs are better than macs, I’m taking the oppurtunity to rebuff many of them as mac myths; of course- they do make some valid points, but too many shots are plain wrong. Firstly, for all their claims of not being anti-mac bigots I only highlight their choices for the Mac and PC; beating the Apple adverts by a long shot in insensitive stereotyping.
My OSX powertools.
Mar 24th
This is a post devoted to the ‘little things’ that make using OSX fun for me. A long overdue last article for the week in apps series.
My Adium set up: as you can see this offers little clue as to who’s online apart from their avatar(display picture, buddy icon etc.) However, I find that this approach uses far less screen space than having their name displayed. Growl is highly utilised with this approach as I assoiciate their icon when they log in, or mouse-over to find it. It’s also set to auto-hide on the left hand side of my screen.- iClip4, this is essentially a multi-clipboard, which; for me is essential. I use it at the bottom of my screen where the Dock would usually go, and although it’s slightly sluggish on my PPC mac mini- it’s reasonable.
- The precise location of the dock- right and bottom aligned. (Using deeper) Small icons, hiding on and no magnification.
- Cytv this lets me watch tv on my ibook, whilst the tuner is plugged into my mac mini.
- Letterbox Mail plugin, because I spent too much time in Outlook 2003 before switching. Quicksilver and Visor. Emminently neccessary. Visor especially for living in a terminal window.
That Mitchell and Webb ad
Jan 29th
Mitchell and Webb have done the “I’m a mac, I’m a pc” adverts for British Television. David Mitchell is doing the part of the PC, which is slightly ironic as he always played the cool part in “That Mitchell and Web look” (Angel Summoner and BMX Bandit)
Anyways, go and take a look.
