Mac-Mike.com

Apple's music ads

Oh yeah. Nic, nic, he's the man. Which of these awesome "talents" is your favorite? Floyd's not bad, either.

More spam getting through filters

Is it just me are are you noticing more and more spam getting past your anti-spam software?
I have junk mail filtering on andhave diligently been marking spam as it comes into my Apple Mail program but, over the past few weeks, I'm seeing more and more of it getting through. I'm hearing this from other folks too. I wonder if the spammers have figured out a new way around the filters?
Some of the junk messages that used to automatically get bounced are now being treated as legitimate.
Are there new tricks being employed?

Impulse buyers still clicking away

Day two of the iTunes Music Store is characterized by lots of searching and impulse buying. I'm trying to go cold turkey today after downloading 23 of the 99-cent songs yesterday. I got an e-mail this morning from Dave in Atlanta who said he bought 78 songs. Someone named Ted e-mailed me and claimed to have snapped up 43. It's that one-click feature that is so addicting. Maybe it's too easy, know what I mean?
I'm also getting some snarky remarks from Windows users responding to my "eat your heart out" posting about the service on my E-Journal general-interest tech blog. Those WinTel people can sure get nasty. My theory is it's because they have no fun with their machines and resent those who actually enjoy using their computers. And to think I used to be one of them. The shame of it all :-)
Meanwhile, other writers tell me the delays in getting through to Apple's music site were Internet-wide service issues, not overwhelmed Apple servers. Maybe. I had no problems with other sites yesterday, though. I suspect the huge demand had to cause those servers pause.
Here's what I wrote in today's newspaper column on the music service.

iTunes store getting rave reviews

This post rewritten and updated at 10:45pm, April 28, 2002
Pssst. Want to download your favorite song? Got 99-cents?

Despite a crush of traffic for the first few hours that made access spotty at times, the new iTunes Music Store site is a terrific service.
The service certainly takes the digital music download trend to new, affordable and legal heights.
It's an ala-carte service that, unlike other such operations that started cropping up last fall, doesn't require a subscription. It also offers a vast selection of songs from the world's most popular artists - more than 200,000 tracks are already available - provided by the five largest recording labels - with more to be added every day.
Every time I've surfed the selection, I've clicked and ordered - that's how easy it is. This can be dangerous for impulse buyers - something Apple CEO Steve Jobs is counting on.
"The Internet was made for music delivery," said Jobs at the San Francisco announcement. "It's instant gratification."
Judging from my my repeated visits to the service all day long and some of comments here, the iTunes Music Store is indeed worth getting excited about.

Every song comes with a free 30-second preview. Once you find one you want, there's one-click downloading, directly into the iTunes application on the Mac, from where it automatically syncs with Apple's popular iPod personal music player. The service allows unlimited CD burning. To prevent mass - and illegal -distribution of downloaded songs, the software stops burning after 10 identical copies are made and requires a change in the playlist before the process can continue.
The downloaded songs can be shared on up to three different computers.
The idea, said Jobs, was to make a easy-to-access service that lets people buy only what they want, as inexpensively as possible. While 99-cents a song still adds up to the standard retail price of $14 or $15 for a typical CD, all those songs are recordings that the user wants, instead of the typical two or three dogs that come on a store-bought album.
Obviously, Apple hopes the new service will spur new sales of both its computers and the iPod. Jobs sees the iTunes Music Store as a cornerstone to his digital hub philosophy that combines music, the Internet and Macs into machines that can "Rip, mix, burn" user-defined personal music collections.
When he came up with that slogan a couple years ago, it infuriated the recording industry, which claimed it encouraged the theft of copyrighted music.
Now, he's apparently made peace with the industry, which hopes that with Apple's brand name and its legions of rapidly loyal fans there will finally be a service that the public will pay for and thus stem the $8 billion it claims is lost every year in pirated songs downloaded and traded from file-sharing services like Grokster and StreamCast Networks, which last week were found not guilty of copyright infringement by a federal court.
The new service went live through the Apple Web site immediately after Job's press conference. I connected, downloaded a new iTunes 4 update, a needed update to QuickTime and a patch for my iPod. Then I opened the iTunes application. There was a link to the music store.
After the rush of traffic leveled off, I downloaded my first song about 5pm. By 10pm, I had added a half dozen songs.
And have you seen the new iPod? Holds 30 GB - 7,500 songs. At the rate I'm buying music, I'm going to need it to replace my lowly 10GB iPod.

My video convergence experiment is up

Here's that convergence experiment I've been working on. I haven't announced it in print but probably will as I work the bugs out and get the right equipment that makes it a little easier for one person to carry the right gear.
Convergence is a buzz word in journalism today, a trend that uses technology to tell stories on many different levels, across different media formats, sometimes by the same reporter. Over the next couple of weeks, I hope to be able to do this with just about every story I report. This is the first.
Besides my newspaper column today, I also prepared this video report about an aspect of the story reported in print. I shot the story on a Canon XL-1 DV Camcorder, edited it with Apple's Final Cut Pro, on my G4 Power Mac, compressed it down to Web video using QuickTime and sent it to my Web server via the Internet just as I e-mailed my column.

iSync and Microsoft wireless desktop conflict

I'm noticing a serious conflict with iSync and the new wireless desktop Microsoft system I wrote about the other day. Whenever I go to sync up my Palm it kills the wireless mouse. I have to reboot to get it working again. And iSync has stopped synchronizing both ways. The handheld overwrites address book and iCalendar.
Maybe Apple hardware is the best after all.

Macs and video

More and more I'm head over heels in love with Macs and things like Final Cut Pro and Quicktime.
I can get a 60MB full screen edited Quick Time report down to 3 MB with QT and ready for the world to see on the Net.
That is pretty darn cool. I'm working on a video version of my Monday newspaper column this weekend. I'll post it Monday morning a special page here to coincide with the print version. If this works well, I'll also upload a QT version of my NBC-TV High Tech Talk reports each week, too.
Here's the first one.
I had been checking to see what would be involved in getting the free QT streaming server installed with the hosting service I use for this page. But lo and behold, I didn't even need to do that. All I had to do was upload the QT file to my server, write an tag on an html page and it seems to stream just fine via broadband. I'd like to get an idea how it looks on other platforms and machines but so far, it seems to work fine with my Windows boxes and my Macs.
Meanwhile, Final Cut 4 won't be out till June but anything better than 3 is icing on the cake.
I also want to do more work with Final Cut Express which is amazingly full featured in and of itself... at about a third the cost of FCP.

17-inch G4 PowerBook is a monster

Just got an 17-inch G4 PowerBook to test out for a review. Initial impression is:
It's HUGE.
The screen is knock-your-socks-off awesome. But as I charge the battery and load the software I'll be needing, I'm wondering how I am going to take it with me without buying a case. I'll be returning the unit to Apple in a few weeks or so and it doesn't make sense to spend money on a carrying case. But that brushed aluminum scratches easily and I don't want to be lugging this around caseless.
It's too big for my backpack. It's too big for the slip-on case I use for my personal 12-inch G4 PowerBook. I may have a clunky old leather briefcase in the basement that I can drag out but, man, this sucker is gigantic.

New Microsoft wireless mouse/keyboard for Macs

Microsoft is to announce today a new wireless desktop that color-coordinates with the iMac in "lustrous white." Called the Microsoft Wireless Optical Desktop Special Edition, it consists of a multi-function wireless keyboard, a wireless mouse and a small transceiver that plugs into either a USB port or the standard PC mouse/keyboard ports on a PC.
Here's a picture of the one I'm using. MS is targeting these for both PC and Mac users. The only reference in the PR material to Mac is that the wireless "suites" as they're called work with both platforms.
I've been using it with my dual-processor G4 system for a couple weeks now and have found it a most welcome addition. At the top of the keyboard are a series of chrome keys that integrate fine with OS X. A "media" button opens the combo DVD/CD drive. "Mail" brings up my e-mail ap. Other keys open documents, picture files and music files. Beneath the chrome keys, a row of function keys handle basic word processing and e-mail commands like save, open, reply, print, undo and redo, help and so on. There's also a volume control on the keyboard and buttons to bring up the calculator.
I like the size and feel of the keyboard. And being wireless is a huge bonus. It's really nice to sit back, kick my feet up and write a column or answer e-mail with the keyboard on my lap every now and then.
The wireless mouse adds right-click functions for copying and pasting and such and the scroll wheel is a very welcome feature for getting through long documents and moving down Web pages. Because it's an optical mouse with no moving parts, there's no need of a mousepad.
I'm delighted with the system, which has a range of about six feet. It is really nice to get rid of all the wires and cables in front of the monitor and have some freedom to move around a bit.
It should be available in stores soon. Pricing is supposed to be "under $100 for a limited time," says Microsoft. Separately, the keyboard lists out at $84.95 and the mouse at $44.95. The white version is supposed to be available after today. A black version will come out in May. Details should be up on the Microsoft Web site later today.

My NBC-TV video segment for this week

I've been fooling around trying to comrpess my Final Cut Pro edits down. Here's a link to this week's segment of my NBC-TV High Tech Talk report in steaming video. In full screen, its 55MB. In QT for the Web, it's 3MB. This seems like a fine way to get the TV stuff streaming. I can pick up a QT server for my main site and start putting up video.

All eyes on Apple's music play

As speculation continues to bubble over on exactly what Apple is going to announce next week that, as teased by the PR types, will be "music to your ears," it's pretty evident that Steve Jobs has decided that digital music is the key to Apple's efforts to shore up the loyalty of its current users and hopefully lure a few more Wintel people.
We can be sure the announcement will be details of the long-anticipated new Apple music service that supposedly will revolutionize the way online music can be purchased. There are plenty of improving Windows services that already do this but none of them work with Macs. Thus, Jobs doesn't have much choice but to design his own.
And did you get the notice on how .mac charge card info has now been spread across all of Apple's online ventures, meaning you can easily buy stuff with just one click? This obviously is to be a key draw of the music service - ease of purchase.
We'll also likely see new iPod models, too, still the best music players out there.
But what of the Universal Music purchase? The rumored Apple communication device that is not a phone, not a Blackberry-like device?
What's yoiur take on all this, readers?
Here's a piece from Business Week that does a nice job analyzing it all. And this LA Times piece adds fuel to the Jobs is gutsy image.

Calling the doctor to extend Airport Extreme's Wi-Fi range

This is my Detroit Free Press column today:
There's a dilemma that sooner or later is encountered by every user of Wi-Fi, the popular wireless network technology that lets you and your computer roam all over your house and stay connected to the Internet.
Wi-Fi, short for wireless fidelity, is the latest rage for broadband users. But it could sure stand for some improvement when it comes to the range covered by the two-way signals.
That's because the low-powered signals, which usually share frequencies used by newer-model cordless phones, frequently encounter dead spots, places where the radio waves are deflected or blocked. Every home has them...

And while the Wi-Fi base station, or access point, is supposed to be able to maintain a connection within a 200-foot radius, that's under optimum conditions with no obstructions between the base station and the laptop. In real home or office situations, furniture, doors and even drywall can cause signal dropouts.
Take my house. In my family room, no more than 50 feet from the home office access point, there are two areas where the signal just isn't strong enough to maintain reliable connections. And wouldn't you know it, one is my favorite recliner in front of the fireplace, and the other is the sofa in front of the TV set.
Since my wife did not take kindly to my suggestion that we rearrange the furniture, I needed another solution.
I turned to the doctor -- as in Dr. Bott, one of several companies that provide external antennas for Wi-Fi base stations. Dr. Bott offers antennas that work with Apple's Airport Extreme Wi-Fi system. And while Airport Extreme also works with PC units -- that's the beauty of Wi-Fi, it works with both platforms -- I use it to keep my 12-inch PowerBook G4 connected to the Internet and to access a printer on my home network.
The first antenna I tried was a $99 stick-shaped vertical omnidirectional. It plugged right into the Airport Extreme access point and immediately got rid of my family room dead spots. Now I could watch "The Sopranos" and surf the Net.
And that wasn't all. For the first time, I could take my network out back to the deck and beyond, about 50 feet further to the edge of the pool. That's almost 150 feet from the antenna in my home office.
This was great. But then I walked out front, toward the road. Uh-oh, a solid Wi-Fi connection. Although I have security enabled on my system, Wi-Fi is notoriously vulnerable to hackers who steal Internet access from Wi-Fi networks.
I unplugged the omnidirectional and replaced it with Dr. Bott's $149 loop-shaped directional antenna, which concentrates the signal in a 70-degree beam. I pointed it toward the back of my house.
Now, out front, there was no signal. Perfect. But out back, through the bulk of the house and a big stone fireplace, and all around the pool, its coverage extended more than 300 feet.
The antennas look very nice, made out of white plastic. Both units can be wall-mounted.
I've done that with the directional model, which comes on a swivel so it can be tilted up or down or slanted side by side to target that 70-degree beam exactly where you want it.
I'm looking forward to wireless freedom this summer. I'm planning to write my columns as I catch some rays by the pool, providing yet another example of why Wi-Fi is so hot.

Kyocera 7135 and OS X a good fit

I've been using the new Kyocera 7135 wireless phone and PDA for the last two weeks and am close to declaring it the new standard for all-in-one handhelds.
It works terrifically with OS X and Entourage or the standard Palm Desktop ap. But iSync tends to be a bit balky, with the synchronization window stalling and not finding the device about every other time. I'm using it with Address Book, iCal and even my .Mac account, although I'm a frustrated with iSync. It is way past due for an update.
But that's another rant.
The 7135 uses Palm's OS 4.1 and it comes with the standard 16 MB of memory and an SD expansion card. I have it loaded with lots of extra software, including a massive diet/exercise logging program, several e-books and lots of photos.
It runs on the CDMA Verizon system and the built-in e-mail program uses the Verizon Express high-speed network. Phone talk time is 3.5 hours per charge, not the best I've seen, but not bad, either. I've had no problem getting a long day's use out of it on a single charge.
Up until now, the best of the bunch of these combo phones was Handspring's Treo 300, which sports a QWERTY keyboard. The 7135 does not but, for me, that's just fine because it let's you use Graffiti to compose e-mail, or you can "type" by the cumbersome phone dialer that requires you to push the 2 key three times for the letter C, the 8 key twice for U and so on. If you're comfortable with Graffiti, you'll do just fine. If not, then the lack of a keyboard on the 7135 may be problematic for you.
I prefer Graffiti to the Treo's teeny-weeny keyboard.
The 7135 is on the heavy side, at 6.6 ounces. I carry it on a belt clip after finding it too bulky to put in a shirt pocket or even a pants pocket. And it's expensive, about $500, though you may find some discounts when Verizon officially introduces the phone in a couple weeks. The Treo, with discounts and a contract with Sprint, can be had for a couple hundred bucks.
I like the 7135 color screen (it's brighter than the Treo's), the built-in MP3 player, voice recorder and the way it can be used like a regular phone up to the ear (by opening the clam shell case) or as a speaker phone or with a hands free earbud and mic.
I'll do a complete newspaper column review in a couple weeks but so far, I'm impressed.

Happy Easter

Family day - the grandkids and their grandma's Easter Bunny Cake.
Happy Easter everybody.

More on sending video electronically

I want to continue and advance this discussion about sending video electronically. There are some great responses on the first post.
Basically, it seems that what I'm hearing is my idea of e-mailing or ftp'ing a network quality news package is probably not do-able.
Looking at the specs for FCP 4... I see it ads something called "Compressor" to make ftp-able MPEG 4 files. Wonder if it would work well enough? It seems, though, the encoding and then the ftp'ing process would take hours.
What I want to do, as a longterm, on deadline and as a real life daily experiment, is cut video news packages in the field and then be able to get them to the TV networks via FTP or some other way rather than burning to tape and giving to FedEx or driving to an affiliate and having them send the taped piece via the bird.
Is this even feasible???
I'm ready to launch this experiment soon as part of a converged reporter project. There will be no microwave or satellite facilities. Just me, a camera, a FCP laptop and an Internet connection. What routes do I have to make this work?
I know this can be done on the Web but we want this to air on the news so it needs to be fullscreen broadcast quality.
Is the technology available? Any and all suggestions, alternate ideas and help appreciated.

Sending video by e-mail

Here's one for you video people. Has anyone figured out a way to send edited Final Cut Pro pieces via e-mail, as attached files or by ftp'ing into a site?
I know because of the huge size of video that it's a tough send.
But I'm wondering about an edited piece no longer that 1:30. Can it be compressed enough to send via broadband in a reasonable amout of time (two or three minutes) and then opened and uncompressed on the other end and still be broadcast quality? We're talking full screen, ready-to-air video, not Web thumbnails.
It seems redundant to edit a Final Cut Pro piece and then have to dub it off to broadcast beta tape and FedEx it to the network or TV station.
The key, of course, is simplicity and speed. It should be something very easy to upload from the Mac, attach to an e-mail or ftp and then, of course, to download and open on the other end.
Is anybody doing this?

Handy new Safari scripts

Apple has posted some slick new scripts for the latest Safari release. My favorite is a script that lets you eMail the Current URL by automatically opening your default mail application with the URL of the current browser window.

What's the big deal about tabbed browsing?

Help me understand this. I just see it as cluttering up my desktop. I have categories set up as files on my Safari bookmark bar and love the dropdown menu and the ease of checking my favorite sites. And I am delighted to see Safari now working with auto complete and auto forms. But the tabs feature seems to add more clutter and gobble more resources. Maybe I'm missing something here but I just don't see how they're that helpful. Tell me how you use tabs.

17-in PowerBook G4 status?

I'm wondering about the current shipping status of the 17-inch PowerBooks. Seems to be intentionally vague on the Apple site. I've seen scattered reports that a few have started to arrive but wonder when they'll be available from the stores -- cash and carry.

Stand-up comedian loves Mac

He takes his Mac on stage and does stand-up comedy with it, ridiculing PC users and Bill Gates' Windows.

Konfabulator is rude and intrusive

I don't mind "reminder" notices on shareware but Konfabulator has the most obnoxious and rude "pay up" notice I've ever encountered. A window pops up telling you it's unregistered and urging you to buy the program. Fair enough. But then it doesn't go away. It stays there on the desktop. You can't get rid of it without rebooting. I was going to recommend the program and it's cool mini-program "widgets." Instead, I'm trashing it and recommend you save your money. It's like an irritating relative who comes for a visit but refuses to leave. This is one the most difficult to remove dunning notices I've seen. I could understand if the notice came up after a few weeks or days of trial. But I installed it just yesterday and went to check it out today only to get the box that wouldn't go away. That's unacceptable. I've deleted it. Since they don't treat potential customers with respect, they're not getting my business.

Safari beta 2 out

It's ready... Safari Beta 2 is out and ready for download. tabbed browsing, auto-fill. It's looking good.

OS X Mail continuing IMAP problems

The IMAP outage is back on Mail. Inexplicably, it just stops processing IMAP accounts. The IMAP mailboxes are dimmed out again.
It all stated after upgrading to OS 10.2.5 and then installing software for the Kyocera 7135. I find it hard to think that it would be the Kyocera software causing the glitch as it's basically only the Palm PDA 4.0 desktop. But I have noticed no IMAP problems with Mail on my 12-inch PowerBook G4 It's only on the desktop G4 as that's what the 7135 sychs with.
Back to Entourage till I sort this out.