The Web changed everything

Has the spirit of rock 'n' roll finally been killed, crushed under the heavy gauntlet of the Recording Industry Association of America, or is it alive and well and lurking in the depths of the iTunes Music Store just as it used to in the corners of independent record stores (and still is, if you can find them). having stumbled across a fantastic Philly-based indie band while searching for a fantastic Chicago-based big label band, I'm starting to realize that the iTunes Music Store just might be the tool that saves the recording industry from itself...and Zolof the Rock and Roll Destroyer, Bishop Allen and Splitsville may be inclined to agree.

Rian Johnson is the writer and director of Brick, one of the more enjoyable, unusual independent films to come out recently. A noir detective mystery set among the studentry of a modern-day high school, the film follows an outsider as he tries to solve the murder of his ex-girlfriend. Shot on a small budget of about $500,000, Johnson edited the film on his personal Macintosh in his bedroom. Applelinks contributing editor Bill Stiteler recently interviewed Johnson about life as an independent filmmaker, and the tools he uses.

When John Farr was writing for Applelinks, he took us so far off the beaten path that some are probably still lost in the woods...or, more accurately, in the mountains of New Mexico. John isn't a Mac writer, he's a writer who happens to use (and love) the Macintosh. He's an adventurer. An observer. More importantly, he's a voice. Never content to just regurgitate a press release or new product announcement, John ran it all through a unique set of filters (which included the taboo subjects of politics and religion) and made it relevant to our lives, not just to our workstations.

Apple computers are used by many people in many different places, but on the planet Mongo? Very nearly. Comic artist Jim Keefe, who wrote and illustrated the Flash Gordon Sunday strip for over seven years, did so with the assistance of the Macintosh. Jim recently took the time to talk with us about Flash Gordon, the Mac, and job interviews in hospitals.

Kevin Murphy is perhaps best known as the voice of Tom Servo, one of the witty puppet robots who ripped apart bad movies on the cult TV show Mystery Science Theatre 3000. But, after ten years of watching the worst films known to man, Murphy, a film school graduate and cinephile, found he had lost his love for movie going. So, he launched on a quest to watch a movie a day—in a theatre or public exhibition—for a year.

Discerning Mac gamers are well aware of Freeverse Software's connections with great games, disembodied singing heads and burning monkeys, but how about what's really important to the Macintosh community: Ethel Merman, obscure 70s TV shows and particularly hairy actors? Don't you want to know what Freeverse vice president Colin Lynch Smith looks for in a 2D cartoon woman? Don't you want to know what Drew Barrymore looks for in a Freeverse employee? I'll give you a hint...what glows and is sticky?

Kevin Murphy is perhaps best known as the voice of Tom Servo, one of the witty puppet robots who ripped apart bad movies on the cult TV show Mystery Science Theatre 3000. But, after ten years of watching the worst films known to man, Murphy, a film school graduate and cinephile, found he had lost his love for movie going. So, he launched on a quest to watch a movie a day�in a theatre or public exhibition�for a year. He chronicled this adventure in his book, A Year At the Movies, a view of the film industry from an audience member's perspective.

Fred "Piro" Gallagher is the co-creator, writer, and artist for one of the most popular webcomics around, Megatokyo. The adventures of two Americans stranded in a Japan of giant robots, undead uprisings, guardian angels, and drunken monster turtles, MegaTokyo features comedy, romance and block-busting action. Interview by Bill Stiteler

Sure, you know "The Safety Dance" and "Pop Goes the World." You may even know "Hey Men" and "Where Do the Boys Go?" But did you know the Macintosh was used to create these pop gems of 80s and is still being used to create pop gems today? We recently spoke with Stefan Doroschuk of Men Without Hats about their new album, the Macintosh, and a recording industry gone horribly wrong.

Tom Anthony of Ambrosia Software, the company selected to receive the Lifetime Achievement award at the annual Applelinks Moofie Awards, speaks to us about the company, about games, and about a bird named Hector.

Harry Shearer is a busy guy. When he's not doing hilarious work in films like This Is Spinal Tap and A Mighty Wind, he's producing Le Show, his weekly radio...er...show. In addition to that, he recently finished his directorial debut, Teddy Bears' Picnic (which he also wrote), composes music and musicals, and can regularly be spotted on TV and has appeared in over sixty films. Whew. Oh, and he uses Macs. But you probably guessed that by now