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Why Do People Dislike Macs?
Parents Sue School District Over Potential Health Risks From Wi-Fi
Mac Night Owl: Sorry, Folks, I Just Don't Like the Classic Mac OS Anymore
Soundtrack & Gnome Media On Your Mac Life
Independent Film And The Mac To Be Presented At Special User Group Event
Internet Phone: Why Telcos Should Be Worried[/url]
iBook G4 Benchmarked Against Other Apple Laptops (Preliminary)
eWeek Security: Anti-Spam: Up Close and Personal
CNN Planted Mac vs. PC Question At Democrat Debate - Student
Penn State Trustee Who Is Also An RIAA Lawyer Denies Conflict Of Interest
Eudora Users Warned About 'Reply To All' Back Door For Hackers
November Philadelphia MacBus Meeting Announced
eWeek Scoop: A Peek Behind Microsoft's Firewall at 'Wallop'
"Head First EJB" -- A Brain-Friendly Study Guide to Passing the Sun Certified Business Component Developer Exam -- Released by O'Reilly[/url]
Why Do People Dislike Macs?
Beats me. What's not to like? However, Technofile' Al Fasoldt says:
"It seems to me that most people who use that other kind of computer, the one that gets all the viruses and security threats, treat Apple's new computers as if they don't exist."
"I think I know why.
"Many of the folks who use that other operating system treat Apple's computers as if they don't exist because they've put Apple's computers out of their minds.
"I'm convinced that these people deal with Apple's efforts the same way they treat pesky nephews or obnoxious dogs: They ignore them. They wish they would just go away.
"Why do they do this? I'm guessing there are three reasons...
You can check out Al's three reasons here.
Parents Sue School District Over Potential Health Risks From Wi-Fi
ABC News'Tech Live 's Becky Worley reports that :
Some parents of students at Oak Park Elementary School District No. 97, where each classmember in issued an Apple iBook is equipped with a wireless card that receives data from an Apple AirPort hub transmitting an 802.11b, or Wi-Fi, are suing the school over alleged potential health risks associated with radio frequency exposure."
Ron Baiman, one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, who has two daughters in the district, is quoted saying that the Oak Park school board ignored his and other parents' questions about wireless's potential dangers after he brought district administrators studies that point to health dangers from wireless transmission standards.
Baiman maintains that there is "considerable uncertainty about what the long-term effects of this kind of nonionizing radiation could be, particularly on young children," and that "about 75 percent of nonindustry-sponsored studies show some biological effect that occurs because of wireless radiation exposure."
According to one report cited, "effects of exposure include reduced absorption of calcium, headaches, and even the threat of senility."
That study is available in PDF format here:
http://www.elektrosmognews.de/salfordjan2003.pdf
The article says that "officials are sticking to their grounds that Wi-Fi doesn't pose any significant health risks," but has also cautioned students and teachers "to stay at least eight inches away" from the Airport hubs.
A U.S. Food and Drug Administration Web site addresses the issue to some degree, although is focused on mainly cellphones:
http://www.fda.gov/cellphones.
You can read Becky Worley's report here.
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/scitech/Living/WiFi_lawsuit_techtv_031111.html
Hmmm. It's politically incorrect to say so given the wildfire popularity of wireless technology, but I'm provisionally in Mr. Balman's camp. I've been researching and writing about this issue for the past five years, and while there is no conclusive evidence that RF emissions from wireless computer connectivity devices are harmful, there is also none that they're not, and especially where children are involved I think the precautionary principle should apply.
One company marketing a product called ADR Protect, described as
"...a device enhancing your body ability to protect itself against environmental pollution of low frequency magnetic fields such as those generated by computers, electronic watches and cellular phones."
The product blurb notes:
"Today, much attention is paid to the adverse effects of environmental pollutants generated by many commonly used devices (e.g., cellular phones, computers, microwave ovens, etc.), which may result in harmful impacts to the human body.
"Research has historically shown an increased rate of leukemia among children exposed to higher intensities of low-frequency electromagnetic fields. Current research also indicates that radiation may be responsible for triggering the onset of Alzheimer's disease, several forms of dementia, sleep disorders, and cancer cell development.
"Since harmful biological changes tend to develop slowly at the molecular level, investigators often encounter numerous technical problems. However, under experimentally simulated conditions, a disturbance in the mitotic cycle; a change in the level of hormones, neurotransmitters, and cytokines; a disturbance in calcium transmission signals, and influence on the reactions of free radicals have been reported.
"There is also a thermal effect in cellular phones that has been shown to cause actual heating of brain tissue by an average of a few degrees decimals centigrade. Locally, this effect may be much higher."
I have no idea whether the ADR Protect device actually does reduce the hazardous effects of electromagnetic pollution as claimed, but you can read more about it here:
http://www.adr.com.pl/main.php?lang=english
and here:
http://www.adr.com.pl/main2.php?lang=english&product=protect&category=wyniki
Mac Night Owl: Sorry, Folks, I Just Don't Like the Classic Mac OS Anymore
Let the flames begin.
Here's the URL for today's commentary:
http://www.macnightowl.com/index.htm#anymore
[Editor's note: I won't flame you, Gene, but I still like 'em both. 
]
Soundtrack & Gnome Media On Your Mac Life
Tonight on Your Mac Life, sponsored by Griffin Technology, Digital Forest & Marathon Computer:
Paul Kent, Conference Chair of Macworld Conference & Expo joins Your Mac Life this evening along with Bruce Nazarian, President of Gnome Media to talk about what Gnome does and what they have planned for Macworld Expo in San Francisco.
Also joining Your Mac Life this evening will be Xander Soren, Apple's Head of the Product Marketing Group. Xander will be talking about Soundtrack, Apple's very cool music creation tool for beginners and pros!
And, as always, Peter Cohen of MacCentral will have the latest in Mac Gaming News.
If you have any questions for tonight's guests, please send them to Your Mac Life <onair@yourmaclife.com>.
Your Mac Life will also have a very special announcement on tonight's show regarding the Apple Retail Stores. Stay tuned!
Your Mac Life is also offering very special accommodations during Macworld Expo San Francisco 2004 - Check their web site (http://forums.yourmaclife.com/viewtopic.php?t=3258) for more details.
You can join one of the two Chat Rooms that run during the live show - on the World Without Borders site (http://www.wwbchat.com/login/index.shtml) or on the dedicated IRC Server at irc.netmug.org in the #yourmaclife Channel.
If you have a high speed Net connection, you can access the live video stream during the Your Mac Life broadcast, brought to you by Channel Storm's Live Channel Pro 2 (http://www.channelstorm.com), by opening QT 6 and typing in this URL:
rtsp://qt.yourmaclife.com/yml/video
Or you can listen in to the plain old audio feed at: rtsp://qt.yourmaclife.com/yml/YML
Make sure you listen in this and every Wednesday evening from 5:30pm to 8pm PT or from 8:30pm to 11pm ET, for the most fun you'll have listening to your Mac.
Tune in to hear the difference!
Independent Film And The Mac To Be Presented At Special User Group Event
The New Jersey Final Cut Pro Users Group (http://www.njfcpug.org) and the New Jersey Filmmakers (http://www.clix.to/exit131/) will present a special evening on new trends in production and distribution techniques for independent filmmakers.
Speakers at the event will include Apple Certified Instructors Arthur Aldrich (FCP) and Jem Schofield (DVD SP) and film distributor Allen Chou.
Discussion will center on 24P production techniques using Final Cut Pro and DVD Studio Pro. There will be a round table discussion on film distribution outlets, and a large raffle.
The event is sponsored by Odyssey Tek NJ (http://www.odysseytek.net), Passion River Films (http://www.passionriver.com), and the Association of Independent Video and Filmmakers (http://www.aivf.org).
The event will be held at William Patterson University on December 10, 2003 at 7pm.
The event is free to attend, but advanced registration is required. Visit http://www.njfcpug.org/indie for details.
Internet Phone: Why Telcos Should Be Worried
Businessweek's Alex Salkever says:
"Free voice calls transmitted over the Internet are fast becoming mainstream. To survive, today's phone companies must adjust, radically...
"All of this is driven by a simple fact: Both consumers and businesses have a choice as to how they get their data delivered. Many homes can choose from cable modems, DSL, or even relatively high-speed satellite connections. In many metropolitan areas, businesses can already pick from half-a-dozen data providers to connect them to the Internet....
"I wouldn't count on any major regulatory relief for the old world of copper wire, however. Most likely, the FCC and Congress will oversee the transformation without interfering with the choices already made by Big Blue and millions of consumers. Let a thousand phone companies bloom on the Net...."
For the full report, visit here.
iBook G4 Benchmarked Against Other Apple Laptops (Preliminary)
Bare Feats Rob-ART Morgan says:
"Yesterday I had the opportunity to run 'real world' tests on the new iBook G4/1GHz with 1.12GB of DDR memory -- you read it correctly. TransIntl.com now has a 1GB module that works in the iBook G4." [see Notable New Product News here on Applelinks today for details]
Rob-ART comments:
"If cost is no object and best performance is your goal, it's hard to beat the 15" or 17" Aluminum PowerBooks.
"But the point of this article is to see how the new lower cost iBook G4s compare to the PowerBook G4s of similar clock speed. Bottomline: You get what you pay for."
You can check it out at:
http://www.barefeats.com/ibG4.html
eWeek Security: Anti-Spam: Up Close and Personal
"After I completed the testing and writing for PC Magazine's recent Antispam product roundups, I decided it was time eat my own dog food, to use a phrase I believe was coined by Microsoft's David Cutler. It refers to using the products you try to get your customers to use. Basically the business version of "practice what you preach.""
Read more at:
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,,1378794,00.asp
CNN Planted Mac vs. PC Question At Democrat Debate - Student
The Los Angeles Times reports that:
" CNN planted a question about computer preferences at last week's debate of the Democratic presidential candidates at Faneuil Hall in Boston, according to the student who posed the query and wrote about it yesterday in an online forum of the Brown (University) Daily Herald. During the debate, cosponsored by the nonprofit Rock the Vote organization, Alexandra Trustman asked the candidates whether they preferred the PC or Mac format for their computers."
The Washington Post has put a transcript of the debate on the Internet here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64721-2003Nov4_2.html
An apparent audience member asks:
QUESTION: I'm a freshman at Brown University. And going to college this year, I was confused with an important decision. My mom advised me one way; my dad the other. And so my question for you all is -- and it's not quite boxers or briefs, but Macs or PCs?
COOPER: Congressman Kucinich, Mac or PCs?
MOSELEY BRAUN: Macs or PCs? I'll answer.
I like them -- my son has a Mac, he loves it. I use a PC.....
COOPER: The question was actually to all of you.
So, Governor Dean, Mac or PC?
DEAN: PC. PC.
LIEBERMAN: Hand-held wireless. That's what I have.
(LAUGHTER)
COOPER: Somehow I knew you were going to say that.
SHARPTON: Mac.
KUCINICH: PC.
(APPLAUSE)
SHARPTON: A politically correct Mac.
KUCINICH: PC.
Penn State Trustee Who Is Also An RIAA Lawyer Denies Conflict Of Interest
The Register's Ashlee Vance, following up on stories we linked to here yesterday, reports:
"Penn State trustee and RIAA legal counsel Barry Robinson has denied having anything to do with the university's recent adoption of the Napster music service. Robinson told the school paper that there is no connection between his work at Penn State and the RIAA, saying he only deals with 'day-to-day' legal matters for the RIAA, which include suing college students, children and senior citizens. He did not hear word of the agreement between Penn State and Napster until '36 hours' before it was officially announced last week, according to The Collegian.
"The key word here is 'agreement' because it's a bit far-fetched to think Robinson had no idea of Penn State's plans. And here's why...."
Find out why at:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/33924.html
Eudora Users Warned About 'Reply To All' Back Door For Hackers
Also on The Reg., John Leyden writes about:
"A buffer overflow vulnerability in Eudora, the popular email client, creates a mechanism for crackers to compromise targeted PCs.
"The problem stems from a failure to properly verify the "From:" and "Reply-To:" when users of vulnerable versions of Eudora select "Reply-To-All". This shortcoming creates a means for hackers to spam users with a maliciously constructed email designed to trigger this buffer overflow condition."
Apparently this affects Eudora 5.x and 6.x, but the article does not specify whether it applies to both PC and Mac versions of the program. He does note that:
"Although Eudora security problems are not unprecedented, the package is far less afflicted with security issues than Microsoft's email client, known in these parts as Lookout."
You can check it out at:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/55/33921.html
November Philadelphia MacBus Meeting Announced
The next meeting of The Macintosh Business Users Society of Greater Philadelphia (MacBUS) will be held on Tuesday, November 25, 2003, at 6:30 pm.
Are you looking for that special holiday gift for your favorite Mac user, or something for yourself? Well, then you won't want to miss this month's meeting, featuring "Gizmos and Gadgets for the Mac Geek!" The gang from "MacOutfitters" <http://www.macoutfitters.com/> will be bringing a bag full of Mac-related holiday gift suggestions, including:
• Cool Stuff for your Mac.
• Cool Stuff FOR the Cool Stuff on your Mac.
• Hardware gadgets.
• Software products.
• Wireless gadgets.
• Ways to get more out of the gadgets you may already own.
• Ways to share your data, move your data, and protect your data.
• Must-haves for the Road Warrior.
• iPod, iPod, iPod, accessories and enhanced capabilities abound.
Make sure you join us November 25th and bring your holiday shopping list. We'll make sure you leave with some good ideas.
MacBUS is the only user group in the United States that focuses on the business and professional uses of the Macintosh operating system. The group of 75 members meets monthly in Dorrance Hamilton Hall at:
The University of the Arts
320 S. Broad Street
(Broad and Pine Streets)
Philadelphia, PA 19102.
Meetings are usually held on the last Tuesday evening of each calendar month, starting at 6:30 pm.
For additional information about MacBUS, including directions to meetings, please visit the MacBUS website:
http://www.macbus.org/
eWeek Scoop: A Peek Behind Microsoft's Firewall at 'Wallop'
"Microsoft Research is looking at how to leverage blogs, RSS feeds, wikis and other social-networking tools.
When Microsoft showed a prototype of software code-named "Wallop" at last month's Professional Developers Conference, few attendees understood exactly what they were seeing. And the fact that Microsoft is sequestering Wallop behind a corporate firewall, allowing only a small number of researchers and their contacts to test the software, isn't helping to clarify matters.
But Microsoft social computing group researcher Lili Cheng is starting to talk publicly in general terms, at least, about the company's foray into social-networking software. And Microsoft Research (MSR) is making screen shots available, showing Wallop and some of the other MSR social-computing technologies that are feeding into it."
Read more at:
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,4149,1378991,00.asp
"Head First EJB" -- A Brain-Friendly Study Guide to Passing the Sun Certified Business Component Developer Exam -- Released by O'Reilly
It was overheard one day at the Tikibean Lounge: the Session bean grumbled to the bartender, "I'm tired of doing all the work and getting none of the glory." The bartender replied with the typical sangfroid of one who listens to such complaints day in and out, "What do you mean? Aren't you the only bean that's been required by the spec since the very beginning?" To which the Session bean rejoined, "Fat lot of good THAT does me." And so the conversation went.
You can learn a lot about Session beans in the Tikibean Lounge -- about all sorts of Enterprise JavaBeans, for that matter. But the only one way you can get there is head first. That is, you'll find the Tikibean Lounge inside the covers of "Head First EJB: Passing the Sun Certified Business Component Developer Exam" (O'Reilly, US $44.95) by Kathy Sierra and Bert Bates. You'll also find plenty of real-world tips in the Off-Path Guides, exam traps and EJB pitfalls, and more than two hundred Coffee Cram mock exam questions with which to test your knowledge.
"Head Fist EJB" sees readers safely through the exam and--even better--prepares them to use EJBs in the real world. Written by the co-developers of the real SCBCD exam, the book delves deeply into the EJB architecture, session, entity, and message-driven bean lifecycles, CMP, EJB-QL, transactions, security, patterns, and what component-based development really means.
The second book in the Head First series, "Head First EJB" applies the latest in learning theory to drive knowledge straight into the brain. Readers interact with the material in unusual ways to learn more deeply and more quickly, and--most importantly--to use what they learn. Those who are already familiar with "Head First Java" will know what to expect--the unexpected. If not, get ready to engage your mind.
Although "Head First EJB" prepares readers to pass the Sun Certified Business Component Developer Exam, even those who aren't planning to take the exam will find the book a great resource for learning about EJB. "The reason the book is called 'Head First EJB' and not 'Head First SCBCD Exam'is because when we first designed what we would put into an EJB 'learning book,' the content was not related to the exam," explain Sierra and Bates. "However, the content in the exam and the content we'd planned to include in an introductory learning EJB book were almost identical. So yes, the book is great for people who want a Head-First-style introduction to really understanding the core concepts of EJB." The book is not for hard-core enterprise developers already familiar with EJB, the authors add, but is about learning and really understanding everything about the way that Enterprise JavaBeans work. And since it's Head First, that means learning in the quickest and most entertaining way, without feeling bored or flummoxed.
"Building business components with EJB is one of the most popular uses of Java," note Sierra and Bates, "but the SCBCD exam is scary. We know--we helped write it. Guilt-ridden over the toughness of the test, we thought the least we could do is offer a simulating way to pass it, and all for the cost (or less) of three extra large pizzas and a six-pack."
An interview with the authors can be found at:
http://www.onjava.com/pub/a/onjava/2003/11/05/HeadFirst_EJB.html
Information about the Head First series can be found at:
http://headfirst.oreilly.com/
For more about the book, including Table of Contents, index, author bios, and samples, see:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/hfjejb/
Head First EJB
Kathy Sierra and Bert Bates
ISBN 0-596-00571-7
700 pages,
$44.95 US, $69.95 CA
order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938
1-707-827-7000
http://www.oreilly.com
Charles W. Moore
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