When people heard about the iPod mini they were thinking mini means smaller means cheaper. Unfortunately, thats not at all what Apple was thinking. In this case mini apparently means more feminine, while also being less useful, for about the same price. This is the Paris Hilton of iPods. You can pay $299 for a 15 gig hard drive, or $250 for a 4 gig hard drive. Really a no brainer unless you care more about pastel colors then you do about your money. A real disappointment. There is a significant market segment here for people who want a well designed device that holds enough music for a plane flight but doesn't cost more then the ticket. Apple has missed the boat. I don't think these are going to sell very well.

Apple - iPod mini - Smaller, Dumber, but not Cheaper

I've had my motherboard replaced twice due to this issue. I bought AppleCare, so they have to replace it. I am amazed to hear that they are not handling this under the standard warranty. Thats fucked. This problem is most certainly real and Apple is seriously underestimating the Internet if they think they can ignore it. If you are looking at a new Apple I would highly suggest you factor the full cost of Applecare with screen coverage into the price when you consider the costs.

Apple iBook Logic Board (motherboard) problems: Flickering screen? You're not the only one.

] He changed the computer industry. Now he's after the
] music business

A mixed bag of clue and deception.

He is dead on about electronic copy-protection, and the quality of file sharing services.

He is dead wrong about subscription based services. Cable companies, Netflix, XM... There are many examples of media subscription services. The advantage that these services might offer consumers is the ability to branch out and try different music with less risks. There is a real business there. Job's model is better for him because it is more conducive to selling hardware devices like ipods. Subscriptions are for streams.

His comment about copyright itself is nice in that he used the word invest rather then the word create. The funny thing is that he makes the argument about the need for investment, and then he undoes the argument by saying that the core problem with the music industry is that it invests too much! The fact is that improving technology has greatly reduced the need for investment, at least from a production and distribution standpoint. The only thing missing is marketing. If you can get to the point where a lot of people are listening to your music without really needing lots of capital, the question is whether you'll need the music industry when you get there.

He is wrong about VOD. Does my TIVO give me instant gratification? Why should I wait 24 hours for the next Simpsons episode when I can download it in 5?

Steve Jobs: The Rolling Stone Interview

How to print to a linux box from Mac OSX, which is, basically, broken, and additionally, not documented, or too documented, as the case may be.

Printing to linux from OSX

] WireTap is a free product for that allows you to record
] any audio playing on your Mac, saving it to a file for
] later listening or processing.

Get this before they ban it...

WireTap 1.0.0 for Macintosh OS X

The MemeStreams bookmarklets now fully support Safari. You can select text in a window, hit the recommend bookmarklet, and that text will be quoted in your Meme!

In order for this to work you have to upgrade your bookmarklet. You'll find the latest bookmarklets by clicking on "help" in the navigation menu.

Now that I can actually use Safari with my website, I'm going to cut over to it for a while and see what I think. I hope the anti-aliasing doesn't give me headaches.

Now a short rant:

There is one correct way to implement text selections in JavaScript: document.getSelection. Thats how everyone does it. Thats the STANDARD. Everyone, that is, but Microsoft, who decided to implement a text selection object instead of a method. Very annoying. I have no idea why they did this; as far as I can tell there is no technical benefit. Then you've got Apple, who decided to make getSelection a method of windows instead of documents. So now there are three ways to do this.

I understand what Apple was thinking. By putting this under window you don't run into problems with frames.

Then again, I don't understand what Apple was thinking. Safari is not the only browser on the planet! I still have to support the other methods for other browers, I still have to do step through all the frames on a page, so you really haven't helped me at all. My code is more complex, not less complex. More importantly, almost nobody who uses this stuff knows how to make this work effectively. The result is that bloggers can't, and in general, don't use your browser.

In general, and in particular on the internet, being standards compliant is better then being more efficient. It doesn't matter how well your stuff works if no one can use it!

] Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection Client for Mac lets
] you connect your Mac to a Windows-based computer, and
] work with programs and files on that computer.

Kick Ass

Remote Desktop Client for Mac

If you don't have one of the compatible Sony Ericsson phones (and a Bluetooth-enabled mac) you'll want to get one! Here are some ideas on what you may want to do with Sony Ericsson Clicker:

Control PowerPoint or Keynote when giving presentations.
Control DVD Player or iTunes from your sofa or bed.
Use AppleScript to control anything you like!

Further, Sony Ericsson Clicker has a built in "proximity sensor", allowing you to trigger actions when you leave or come back to your Mac. Again, here are some ideas

Pause iTunes when you leave the room, turn it on when you come back.
Use AppleScript to let your presence (or absence) control anything you like!

Jonas Salling Shareware - Sony Ericsson Clicker

Whats in a logo?

Macnyt - The history of the Apple logo - a new series of articles at Macnyt

] Apple issued a 'Notice of Breach and Termination of
] License' to iCommune, who have since pulled the download.
] Something tells me that they won't be putting it back up
] anytime soon. Every time I forget about Mac OS X being
] proprietary, Apple does something to remind me.

Yes, Virginia, Apple is Evil. What is most amazing to me is how their "fan base" scrambles to their defense when they do something like this. This is using the law to trample on innovation, and they ought to get burned for it.

Slashdot | Apple Smacks Down iCommune