News, Reviews and more from Australia's Macintosh Authority
News, Reviews and more from Australia's Macintosh Authority
Everybody knows about leap years: once every four years, we throw an extra day into the calendar so that we can laugh about the poor people born on February 29th who can't buy beer because they're only six years old. If you paid attention in school, you might even know that every year divisible by 100 is not a leap year, unless it’s also divisible by 400.
Dan Moren | Jan 1, 2009
There are signs and portents everywhere in life if you just keep your eyes open and know where to look—eldritch harbingers that presage the terror of days to come. Just such an omen arrived yesterday when an email was slipped over the transom at MacUser HQ from Axiotron, makers of the ModBook, announcing that a shadowy figure had silently glided onto the company’s board of advisors on a pair of electrically-powered wheels.
Dan Moren | Dec 22, 2008
If at first you don’t succeed, change your tactics. That seems to be Psystar’s plan in its suit against Apple. The little clone company that could (if only permitted by law) has, in its most recent filing, dropped the contention that Cupertino is violating antitrust laws—convenient, given that those allegations were already dismissed by presiding judge, William Alsup.
Dan Moren | Dec 11, 2008
And so, with the death of the restrictive terms in the iPhone development non-disclosure agreement and the refinement of customer reviews, everything at the App Store is peaches and cream, right? No problems to speak of?
Dan Moren | Dec 11, 2008
Times are tough, we know, so here’s something to consider if you’re planning on asking for (or giving) a personalised iPod for the holidays. Apple’s made it easier and easier to engrave an iPod with a special message—a two-line message is free and doesn’t add anything in the way of shipping time. But there’s a catch: engraved items aren’t returnable.
Dan Moren | Dec 10, 2008
Somehow Apple always seems to pick the catchiest songs for its iPod commercials. The latest iPod touch spot is no exception; the accompanying track, “Around the Bend” by The Asteroids Galaxy Tour has definitely lodged itself in my brain like Phineas Gage’s infamous iron rod (man, the things I remember from my high school psychology class).
Dan Moren | Dec 9, 2008
If you know one thing about Linux users, it’s probably this: they enjoy the challenge of installing their operating system of choice on pretty much anything with a transistor in it. It’s only a matter of time before they get around to replacing all those electronic singing greeting cards to make the sound of penguin mating calls.
Dan Moren | Dec 2, 2008
It's almost Thanksgiving, that US holiday where long-separated families reunite to stuff themselves silly on turkey, watch gridiron and catch up on a year's worth of pent-up arguments and bickering. In the spirit of the season, Apple and Greenpeace are going at it in style: hot on the heels of Apple’s passive aggressive green MacBook ads, the environmental organisation has released the latest version of its Guide to Greener Electronics which—and come on, are you really surprised?—shows Apple falling in the ranks despite its recent improvements.
Dan Moren | Nov 27, 2008
As a film snob, I’ve long maintained that buying a fullscreen version of a movie is little better than stacking all your money into neat little piles in order to build a fort and then using that fort to reenact the battle of the Alamo, ending with setting your money on fire.
Dan Moren | Nov 26, 2008
Please, stop the madness: The field of patent lawsuits has gotten out of control. Do it for the (patent-pending) children. The latest bizarre patent lawsuit issues from EMG Technology, LLC, who is alleging that Apple has infringed on U.S. Patent No. 7,441,196—yes, the 7,441,196.
Dan Moren | Nov 25, 2008
Besides contributing to more than 40 books as author, artist, or both, Bob Staake has also done illustrations for clients as diverse as The New York Times and US beer maker Anheuser Busch - and he’s done it all with a piece of software that’s almost 15 years old.
Dan Moren | Oct 21, 2008
By this point, pretty much everybody knows that Apple will be announcing updates to the MacBook line at Tuesday’s Town Hall event. I think even my dad knows about it, and when you’ve reached that level of saturation, there’s honestly not much more room for expansion.
Dan Moren | Oct 14, 2008
America’s presidential election is over, and we can all be grateful for that. But in politics, the race never really ends. I think that’s the metaphor at work in Freedom Run by Spiralstorm Games. The game’s imagery is ripe with symbolism: Republicans and Democrats are bound to each other, struggling to achieve a common good just out of reach. One cannot succeed without the other. And the run, just like the ever-expanding quest for freedom, is endless. There is no finish line. And if you fall down, you get up and try again.
