Applelinks Tech Web Reader - Thursday, January 3, 2008
Now RIAA says copying your own CDs is illegal
We're All Thieves to the RIAA
The RIAA Brings Back "Seeakernet"
2007 Sees 'Spectacular' Rise In Apple Mac Usage
Apple Primed To Hit 10 Per Cent In 2008
Ultimate Leopard Tweaking Guide
Introduction to Emulation on the Mac
The Megapixel Myth
Wanna Buy Apple Gear? Of Course You Should Wait!
Talk Of 'Super-thin' Laptop Whets Apple Aficionados' Appetite
US Bans Spare Lithium Batteries From Checked Bags
Apple CEO Steve Jobs Selected CNBC's Face of Business '07
Ho-ho-Horrible: Album Sales Plunge 20 Percent This Christmas
At last - a Mac tablet computer
Blu-ray Option On New MacBook Pro
Microsoft or Apple?
US Army Loads Up On Apples For 'Better Security'
One Laptop Per Employee? - Does OLPC Work For Mobile Workers?
The Tech Night Owl Newsletter: Are Chronic Leopard Bugs Getting a Fair Hearing?
The Mac Night Owl: How Will Apple Cope with Success?
Now RIAA says copying your own CDs is illegal
The Register's Kelly Fiveash reports:
The Recording Industry Ass. of America (RIAA) has began a legal spat with a man who copied CDs he had bought onto his computer.
Jeffery Howell of Scottsdale, Arizon has taken his case to court after he received a letter from the RIAA, reports the Washington Post.
The RIAA, which lobbies on behalf of a music industry hammered by tumbling sales as fans increasingly turn to free downloads and file sharing for their listening pleasure, insists that it is illegal for someone who has legally bought a CD to transfer that music into his computer.
For the full report visit here:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/31/riaa_cds_copies_computer/
We're All Thieves to the RIAA
Motley Fool's Alyce Lomax says:
You buy a CD. You rip a digital copy so you can put it on your Apple iPod or Microsoft Zune. You're not worried; you paid premium price for the CD. You're not some lawless pirate. You wouldn't dream of sharing your music on a P2P network.
Well, you may be walking a fine line toward thiefdom in the eyes of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the industry trade association that includes heavyweights like Sony, BMG, Warner Music Group, Vivendi Universal, and EMI.....
After all, a lawyer for Sony BMG said during a recent high-profile file-sharing trial that making one measly copy was, "a nice way of saying 'steals just one copy'." I joked at the time that maybe they'll come after us for singing tunes in the shower, but at this point, maybe that thought isn't funny so much as scary.
For the full commentary, visit here.
http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2008/01/02/were-all-thieves-to-the-riaa.aspx
The RIAA Brings Back "Seeakernet"
Scobilizer says:
My son says that since they are making stealing music so dangerous (the kids are hearing the stories about parents getting sued for hundreds of thosuands of dollars) that they are getting paranoid about stealing music. So, what do they do instead? Have you heard of iPod trading? You will. Ahh, and we thought "sneaker net" was dead? Yeah, right. The RIAA brought it back.....
For the full report visit here:
http://scobleizer.com/2007/12/29/the-riaa-is-right/=
2007 Sees 'Spectacular' Rise In Apple Mac Usage
ZDNet.co.uk's Richard Thurston reports:
The use of Apple Macs leapt over half a percentage point as 2007 drew to a close, according to statistics released this week.
Web analysis company Net Applications monitored the operating systems being used to access its customers' sites, which receive around 160 million visitors per month.
Net Applications found that Mac operating systems represented 7.31 percent of web traffic during December, but that figure shot up after Christmas to 8.01 percent on the last two days of the year. The increase was "nothing short of spectacular", Net Applications said on its website.
For the full report visit here:
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/software/0,1000000121,39291831,00.htm
Apple Primed To Hit 10 Per Cent In 2008
The Inquirer's Wily Ferret reports:
New research suggests that one in ten PCs on the web will be of a fruity flavour by the end of 2008.
Research firm Net Applications reckons that, as of December, 7.3 per cent of all visits to its suite of statistic-gathering websites are from Macs, and that the figure is growing at around half a percentage point a month... according to Net Applications, the number of clients surfing the web via iPhone will exceed those on Linux by the end of 2008....
For the full report visit here:
http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/01/02/apple-hit-08
Ultimate Leopard Tweaking Guide
AppleTell's Michael Mistretta says:
No matter how good Apple Mac OS X Leopard is, there will always be features that people dislike, and want to change. And while Apple may think they have the perfect recipe for a perfect OS, many power-users will want to tweak OS X to their liking. They want to change more than their desktop image, or the icons in their dock. Sometimes Apple doesn't always make it easy to tweak your Mac, so Appletell has compiled a list of several ways to tweak your Leopard.
To read more, click here.
http://www.appletell.com/apple/comment/ultimate-leopard-tweaking-guide/
Introduction to Emulation on the Mac
Low End Mac's Trevor Wale says:
For years now, our PC brethren have been able to enjoy the simple pleasures of vintage games consoles through a process known as emulation, and article upon article can be found through a Google search relating to how to do this on a Windows machine.
When it comes to emulation on the Mac, for the most part we have it just as good as our virus riddled friends, but there is a dearth of information on the subject.
I have written a series of articles to address that, and playing old and long since abandoned games is one of the many things I love doing on my MacBook.
Due to the sprawling complexity of the emulation scene, I will deal with every aspect of it across a series of articles. This one will serve as an introduction to the wonderful world of console emulation on the Macintosh.
You can check it out at:
http://lowendmac.com/wale/08tw/emulation-on-the-mac.html
The Megapixel Myth
Ken Rockwell says:
Forget the silly debate over pixel counts among digital cameras. There is little visible difference between cameras with seemingly different ratings. For instance, a 3 MP camera pretty much looks the same as a 6 MP camera, even when blown up to 12 x 18!" I know because I've done this. Have you? NY Times tech writer David Pogue did this here and here and saw the same thing - nothing!...
Resolution has little to do with image quality. Color and tone are far more important technically. Even Consumer Reports in their November 2002 issue noted some lower resolution digital cameras made better images than some higher resolution ones.
Digital does not replace film.... If you do fret the pixel counts, I find that it takes about 25 megapixels to simulate 35mm film, which is still far more than any practical digital camera. At the 6 megapixel level digital gives about the same sharpness as a duplicate slide, which is plenty for most things.....
For the full commentary visit here:
http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/mpmyth.htm
For more of Ken Rockwell on these topics see:
http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/filmdig.htm
Wanna Buy Apple Gear? Of Course You Should Wait!
ITWire's Alex Zaharov-Reutt says:
With Macworld less than two weeks away, only those with an unstoppable urgent need for new Apple gear will be 'brave' enough to buy anything Apple before Steve Jobs permanently changes the Apple landscape yet again.
The answer to 'wait' is obvious - who wants to part with several hundred - or several thousand dollars - only to find that their shiny new purchase is now last season's model - especially when Macworld is so close?
For the full commentary visit here:
http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/15933/1105/
Talk Of 'Super-thin' Laptop Whets Apple Aficionados' Appetite
The Times' Rhys Blakely reports:
Apple is set to unveil a new ultraportable laptop on January 15, according to the army of online pundits dedicated to tracking the iPod maker's every move.....
However, the expected launch at the San Francisco-based event of a lightweight, super-thin laptop – a device seemingly pitched between the iPhone and its current MacBook line of computers - is kindling the greatest interest among Apple aficionados.
Insert link name here
US Bans Spare Lithium Batteries From Checked Bags
IDG News Service's James Niccolai reports:
New rules [went into] effect on Jan. 1 that prohibit air passengers in the U.S. from carrying spare lithium batteries in their checked baggage.
The new rules, announced Friday by the U.S. Department of Transport, are designed to reduce the risk of fires in aircraft. Lithium batteries have been identified as a possible cause of several aircraft fires.
Passengers will still be able to carry lithium batteries in checked bags if they are installed in a device like a laptop or digital camera. But loose batteries will need to be put in a plastic bag and carried on the plane as hand luggage, the DOT said....
The rules are also described at the SafeTravel.dot.gov Web site.
For the full report visit here:
http://www.macworld.com/article/131337/2007/12/baterties.html
Apple CEO Steve Jobs Selected CNBC's Face of Business '07
CNBC.com reports:
Steven P. Jobs, Apple's chief executive, has been chosen as the CNBC's Face of Business 2007. The announcement was made this afternoon during the 4 PM ET hour of CNBC's "Closing Bell with Maria Bartiromo."
Jobs received an overwhelming of votes - 78% - in a poll conducted on CNBC.com. between December 20 and December 26.
For the full report visit here:
http://www.cnbc.com/id/22450287?__source=RSS*blog*&par=RSS
Ho-ho-Horrible: Album Sales Plunge 20 Percent This Christmas
Ars Technica's Nate Anderson reports:
To some music lovers, the fact that Josh Groban's Noel was the highest-selling album of 2007 is all the proof they need that major-label music is dying. To shareholders and label execs, though, the numbers are more important, and the numbers are grim: music sales are down 21 percent this Christmas season.....
The recent news suggests that people are turning away from the CD as a Christmas present, due in large part to the rise of online music services like iTunes, eMusic, and the Amazon MP3 shop. Now that non-DRMed music is widely available from many popular artists, giving the gift of digital downloads can be an attractive option for holiday shoppers. Certainly it's becoming more mainstream; even my local supermarket now stocks iTunes gift cards.
For the full report click here.
At last - a Mac tablet computer
ITWire's Stuart Corner reports:
It has been a year since the announcement, but the Modbook - a keyboard-less tablet computer created by modifying a MacBook laptop - is finally shipping. And contrary to initial speculation, it has the full blessing of Apple.
The Modbook, from California-based Axiotron , is the only Mac-based tablet computer on the market. It has been created by combining the core hardware and software of a standard MacBook laptop with a Wacom digitised pen-sensitive LCD slate-style display and makes use of Apple's built-in Inkwell handwriting recognition technology....
For the full report visit here:
http://www.itwire.com/content/view/15926/532/
Blu-ray Option On New MacBook Pro
ZNet blogger Robin Harris says:
Panasonic will announce the industry's first slim-line Blu-ray DVD writer at CES on January 6. The 9.5 mm drive fits into the same space used by current DVD burners.
Panasonic supplies most of Apple's notebook DVD burners. Given the availability of the new drive I expect to see Apple announce it for the MacBook Pro family very soon - possibly at Macworld the following week.
For the full report visit here:
http://blogs.zdnet.com/storage/?p=262
Microsoft or Apple?
mybroadband.co.za's Donovan Jackson says:
There is something about the poise, the self confidence and the attitude of the Apple user…which generally infuriates anyone using a PC.
While those who have made the switch will swear by their playground plastic Mac gadgets, others will continue to trumpet the advantages of Windows.
With the release of its Vista operating system, Microsoft has arguably done something which it could least have expected. It has given you and me a real reason to try an alternative operating system, and possibly a whole new computer. In the absence of any other alternative, that of course means a Mac.
The reasoning behind this perhaps outrageous claim is that Vista is really different from the XP many of us have come to know and loathe. (That loathing is a comfortable sort, of course). Many who try Vista find it perplexing and frustrating.
Many PC users who sit at a Mac experience a similar level of frustration in figuring out the interface.
However, those who get over the initial surge of annoyance begin swearing by their Macs within weeks, if not days. 'It just works', they smugly trumpet (regurgitating Apple's somewhat annoying ad slogans).
For the full commentary visit here:
http://mybroadband.co.za/news/Software/2379.html
US Army Loads Up On Apples For 'Better Security'
The Register's Lewis Page reports:
In a development which may mean good or bad news for the partly-eaten-fruit-themed prestige computer firm, it has been revealed over the festive season that the US Army is increasing its use of Apple Macs.
An article in Forbes magazine revealed the military's (rather limited) newfound passion for Steve Jobs' high-priced Unix boxes. The biz mag quoted Lieutenant Colonel C J Wallington of the Army office of enterprise information systems as saying that Macs were more secure than Windows machines - an assertion often made by the Cupertino marketing department.
For the full report visit here:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/31/us_army_mac_attack/
One Laptop Per Employee? - Does OLPC Work For Mobile Workers?
Computerworld's James Turner says:
Laptops used by children in the remote villages of developing nations must be cheap, compact, easy to repair, rugged and power-stingy. Business users stuck on a flight, say, from New York to Paris, would likely want the same thing.
So here's the question: Is the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) XO computer a good tool for business users?
To read more, click here.
The Tech Night Owl Newsletter: Are Chronic Leopard Bugs Getting a Fair Hearing?
The other day I heard from a long-time friend, a former member of a forum I managed on AOL way back when. He has an engineering degree, and worked for many years as the chief sound engineer for a famous singer (now deceased), so he definitely knows his hardware.
To read more, click here.
Notes: You can also access our new RSS feed, available at: http://www.macnightowl.com/rss
Or our new Atom feed at:
http://www.macnightowl.com//atom
The Mac Night Owl: How Will Apple Cope with Success?
No doubt you've ready the stories already. On the basis on one set of online measurement samples, Apple's share of the operating system universe exceeded 8% during the final two days of 2007, whereas Windows Vista scores just over 10%.
For the full report, visit:
http://macnightowl.com/2008/01/02/how-will-apple-cope-with-success/
Notes: You can also access our RSS feed, available at:
http://www.macnightowl.com/rss
Or our Atom feed at:
http://www.macnightowl.com/atom
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