Tuesday evening when I plugged in my SimpleDrive external USB hard drive to do a routine Time Machine Run, instead of chattering energetically as it normally does upon mounting, it just made some feeble and pathetic clicks and grunts, and after twenty or thirty seconds, the dreaded "this disc is unrecognizable by this computer" dialog sheet appeared.... Computers have a way of sticking it to you in maddeningly frustrating and unlikely ways

• Why One Veteran Power User Switched to a MacAfter 20 Years Of Windows PC
• After Three Months On The Mac, What's Really Being Used

According to stats published yesterday by Net Applications Hitslink, it did, by a a factor of 3x

One thing that bugs me about Photoshop Elements 6 - when the application is open, the Desktop is pretty much obscured behind a wall of charcoal gray, whether any image documents are open or not. I suppose this grey screen has some purpose, but I haven't a clue as to what (later: now I do and the confusion is solved)

2007 wasn't a great year for Macintosh gaming. Sure, we had the big announcement and follow-through of A-list titles from Electronics Arts, and Aspyr brought us Guitar Hero III and the obligatory Star Wars cash-in, but the year was otherwise controlled by a bunch of cake serving and hidden object games. I understand there's an audience for these—even the mighty Aspyr hopped onto this bandwagon by publishing Travelogue 360: Paris. I mean, I like serving cake to dozens of people, and I imagine I'd like looking in all directions for things in Paris if I ever make it there, but what I really want to do is fight dragons and explore tombs and engage in heavy-weapon death matches. And well, here we go...

Adapting the Mac vs. PC dialectic as a metaphor for other rivalries has been a popular pastime in the cybersphere over the years, so how do the four front-running Super Tuesday candidates Websites compare?

Microsoft may not be the only takeover suitor. Would Apple be able to turn Yahoo! around and gain ground on Google? It's an intriguing line of speculation given Apple's mixed track record with online services

Is the convenience worth the extra cost?

You know the iPod nano, and you've probably heard rumors of a possible Apple-branded "iCar," but there is already an automotive Nano, and it's not an Apple, although it has some Apple-esque design nuances, and can legitimately be considered a car for the rest of - if not us here in North America - at least.for a lot of the rest of the world. And it's really cool.

The Mac tablet computer reportedly on its way January 8, but will a new Apple subnotebook take the wind out of its sales?

With the convenience of the Internet and the wealth of speedy shipping options, you can order gifts Saturday before Christmas and still get them in time to wrap and put under the tree. And so, the only concern at this point is what to get. Your options are many, and these are only a few pretty cool products of which you may not be aware. After all, the sun doesn't rise and set on the corner Apple Store.

And the simple medicine for Windows malware woes