Sandy McMurray is a long-time technology journalist whose work has appeared in Time, the Globe & Mail, the Toronto Sun, Report on Business, Profit, and other sources. Between 1995 - 2002, Sandy wrote a weekly column about technology for the Toronto Sun, and served as Technology Editor for five Sun Media newspapers. He has been publishing on the Web since 1996. Contact:readme@mac.com
In my other life as a tech writer, I occasionally write video game reviews. The pre-Christmas flood of product began to arrive a few weeks ago, and I've been playing console games -- Xbox, PS2 and GameCube -- ever since.
Although we have an iMac and an iBook in the house, we have very few recent Mac games. Like many people with game consoles, I rarely think of my computer as a game machine (except when I'm playing Lux or Pax Galaxia or iPoker).
We have family coming for the holidays, and I need some ideas. Can you recommend some great games? (We have a pretty good collection of games for OS 9, but I'm trying to run a Classic-free Mac household these days.)
Categories of interest:
1. Simple arcade-type online games (e.g. GameHouse titles).
2. Inexpensive (or free) games for children under 12.
3. Puzzle games for adults (especially for women).
Post suggestions in the comments section or send e-mail to readme@mac.com
I'd also like to hear from companies that make or sell games for Mac OS X. (Yes, I would be delighted to play and review your games, thanks! Contact me for shipping information.)
I stumbled on Best Ads on TV today. The site is loaded with more than 500 entertaining ads from around the world.
There was a time when AdCritic.com did this (and did it better) -- showcasing entertaining TV advertising from around the world for free. Along with Apple's Movie Trailers site, AdCritic was one of the best reasons to have QuickTime on your computer.
My visit to Best Ads on TV got me wondering whether we might see an advertising showcase section in iTunes. Do you suppose people might even pay to download ads? Hmmm...
There are other cleaning products that can be used to remove light scratches like this -- even toothpaste, I'm told -- but it looks like Brasso works as well as anything. (Read the comments section on Todd's site.)
And yes, the nano scratch problem is real. I got a new iPod nano today, and there were some small abrasions on the screen right out of the box. Nothing serious, but not just smudges, and definitely not something you can just wipe away. Maybe it's a packaging problem, but I can see why some people are annoyed.
iTunes 5 features a new look that's softer than the previous "brushed metal" look. It's sort of a darker version of the Tiger Mail interface, with squared corners. Some are calling it Burnt Aqua. Others are less kind with the names.
This screenshot shows the brushed metal look of Safari, the new look of iTunes 5, and the slightly brighter look of Tiger Mail.
Follow this link for a screenshot of six different interfaces used in current Mac OS X applications.
You want consistency? Good luck.
Does it matter? To some people -- including designers, usability experts, and OS 9 veterans -- the fact that Apple makes HIG rules then breaks them (or makes rules and exceptions in order to make its own goofy interfaces possible) is downright offensive.
For the record, if anyone cares, I agree with Jonathan Rentzsch, who observes genius in the design of NetNewsWire. (Brent's own comments on iTunes 5 and the OS X user interface are worth reading.)
I'm also counting on Mike Matas to sort things out. Stop driving your shiny new car and get to work, Mike!
iTunes 5's departure from the look of previous versions of the software is good news for people who hate the metal look, but bad news for the previously shiny career of Brushed Metal himself.
Note to the easily offended: Brushed Metal is a fictional character with a potty mouth. Follow this link to Daring Fireball at your own risk.
Let's pause a moment to remember the popular iPod mini. It burst on the scene last January, with bright colors and a stylish new look. The mini was young, slim, and exciting, and it soon became more popular than its plain white sibling.
What goes around comes around, I guess. In spite of the iPod mini's popularity, Apple has dropped it in favor of the new iPod nano -- a replacement that's even younger and slimmer. (How can you compete with "impossibly small"?)
There's a lesson here. It's probably a lesson about drinking less coffee and editing bad analogies out of your posts before you hit the "Publish" button, but it's a lesson nonetheless.
As Apple bids farewell to the popular mini, Engadget has this reminder of all the hard-working iPods that helped prepare the way for the ungrateful iPod nano: The iPod Family Cemetery
The E-Go takes that notion to its logical conclusion: the notebook as fashion accessory.
It may be a shameless theft of the clamshell iBook design, but it's probably accurate to call it "the first lifestyle notebook with an AMD processor inside and zebra stripes outside" or "the first lifestyle notebook covered with diamonds and priced at 283,000 euros.."
Tigers ordinarily overpower their prey from any angle, usually from ambush, and bite the neck, ordinarily breaking the prey's spinal column or windpipe, or severing the jugular vein or carotid artery.
Whew. Insert your own joke about Tiger hunting Longhorn here.
Apple's 2002 Switchcampaign told the stories of real people who had switched from PCs to the Macintosh. The campaign featured TV ads directed by documentary filmmaker Errol Morris.
Before switching took a back seat to iPods, the campaign introduced several memorable Real People, including Janie Porche ("I saved Christmas"), Sarah Whistler ("It was a horrid little machine"), Gianni Jacklone ("Apple is da bomb"), and Ellen Feiss ("Hey, don't bogart that PowerBook!").
Now Errol Morris has posted some of the ads that didn't make it to air.
In the next week or so, the iTunes Music Store will sell its 100 millionth music download. To celebrate, Apple is giving away prizes including iPods, free music and a super-sized PowerBook.
To enter the contest, you simply buy a song from the iTunes store.
If you prefer to interact with Mac OS X through an add-on utility like LaunchBar rather than the standard Dock, check out Quicksilver -- a completely free, open source software launcher (and more) for OS X version 10.3.
As seen on As the Apple Turns: the iTunes Music Store is selling at least ten songs that are nothing but silence. Stranger still, three of the tracks are marked "EXPLICIT."
Update: Some of the artists/labels have changed the sale terms for their silent songs to from 99 cents to "album only."
Using this handy tool, you can create customized feeds for newsreader software like NetNewsWire to show you (for example) the latest 50 Classical or Spoken Word selections added to the iTunes Music Store.
To promote Toast with Jam (the company's Pro Audio CD burning software), Roxio employees handed out little packages of Jelly Belly beans at Macworld. Toast and Jam flavors, of course.
My second Canadian encounter of the day: I just ran into John and David, the head honchos from the Canadian Mac community ehMac.ca. John is proudly wearing a Molson Canadian hockey shirt and (literally) carrying a Canadian flag.
Both John and Dave are at least six inches taller in person than they appear online. Truly they are manly men from the frozen north.
It's one of the most famous TV commercials ever made. It was directed by Ridley Scott (Gladiator, Blade Runner, Alien). It aired only once -- during the 1984 Superbowl.
It's "1984" -- the famous commercial that introduced the world to the Macintosh computer. Today, to celebrate the 20th year of the Mac, Apple has posted a slightly updated version of the ad on its Web site.
If you look closely, you may notice at least one subtle change from the original.
There's a high-speed Internet connection in my hotel room. Unfortunately, the cable doesn't quite reach the bed. I have to sit at the desk to stay connected.
I don't mean to complain, really I don't. I've been on trips where I've been without access for days. I've stayed in hotels where each dial-up connection cost me a dollar for the local call, and a per-minute charge after that. Flat rate high-speed access is a wonderful luxury.
Trouble is, I've been spoiled by the AirPort wireless network I have in my home office.
Let's pause a moment to remember the popular 
Some fun with the 
Apple's 2002 
My second Canadian encounter of the day: I just ran into John and David, the head honchos from the Canadian Mac community 
