:: Monday, June 23, 2003 ::

'Nuff said

:: Steve 11:07 PM [+] ::
'Nuff said

Kinda Disappointed...

I guess no one in Cupertino is watching :: Hi there, Apple! I'm here. I've posted the Power Mac G5 specs that were leaked (or planted, or hacked) on the Apple Store site last night.

I've always wanted to get a cease and desist order from Apple's lawyers, which is one of the reasons I joined on the bandwagon last night. According to CNET, others have gotten such orders today. But apparently, my several hundred hits a day don't rate on the scale.

Oh, well.
:: Steve 8:22 AM [+] ::
Kinda Disappointed...

Specs For Apple?s New G5?

Breaking news ... :: I work nights now, so it was crazy to come home at 3 a.m. on a Thursday and find my mailbox overstuffed with links, screenshots and rumors of an apparent gaffe at the Apple Store. I'm not normally a rumor-monger, but I couldn't help but jump on board the bandwagon here and offer yet another place for the supposed screenshots to be referenced on the Web. Whether or not these are the actual specs of something that Stevie J. might announce on Monday at WWDC, I can't -- and won't -- say. I'll let you decide. I've just always wanted to get my own cease and desist order from Apple's lawyers.

As for the specs themselves, here they are in HTML:

• Up to 1.6GHz processor bus


• Up to 8Gb of DDR SDRAM


• Fast Serial ATA hard drives


• AGP 8x Pr graphics card options from NVIDIA or ATI


• Three PCI or PCI-X expansion slots


• Three USB 2.0 ports


• One Firewire 800, two Firewire 400 ports


• Bluetooth and Airport Extreme ready


• Optical and analog audio in/out

One of the theories popping around on the e-mail lists is that this was actually orchestrated by Apple to either get some press coverage over the weekend (and a bigger press presence at the announcement on Monday) or as a diversion from what is really coming on Monday.

Another discussion pertains to the bullets in the graphic of the screenshot. The specs on other pages at the Apple Store don't have them (just check out the current G4 page), and thus this would be a departure from the style used on Apple's site -- and a sign of a possible fraud. But, as someone else realized, the Quartz Express graphic that has been up on Apple's home page for some time features bullets.

We'll all find out on Monday, but I wouldn't be surprised if these are the specs, or something close. And it does kind of remind me of the Time magazine leak of the story on the new iMac the day before its announcement at Macworld a while back.
:: Steve 1:33 AM [+] ::
Specs For Apple?s New G5?

I'm Going To Macworld

A-hem, excuse me, "Macworld Creative Pro Conference & Expo" :: After several years of being a blowhard about Mac issues and putting my face and words in any and all Mac-related places I could find on the 'Net, I'm finally going to an Expo. Unfortunately, it's not exactly the Expo I've always thought of going to -- It's not an official affair with every single big Mac developer attending, and Stevie J. won't be working his famous reality distortion field on the stage. Instead, I'll get to see most of the Mac world's developers, meet some friends I've made over the last couple of years (but have never been able to put a face to), see some cool new technology and get to see a keynote delivered by an Apple VP, Greg Joswiak.

While I've never heard "Joz" speak, I'm sure it will be great. And maybe we'll be treated to at least one announcement of cool new stuff that didn't already get paraded on stage at the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco later this month, where Jobs will be giving his officially sanctified keynote. I guess the Main Man doesn't like to travel in his jet anymore?

Don't worry, we'll be having a lot of fun. My friend Matty and I will be staying at the Marriott on Broadway -- the official headquarters hotel of the Expo -- and will get to see the keynote and maybe even take in some sessions. I'm especially partial to a one-day session they're offering on Final Cut Express, since I just got a new 12-inch PowerBook (pictured, at right) and a JVC camcorder!

Yup, that's right. Not only will I report on the Expo here on United Mac (and with a special column written from the floor for OSXFAQ.com), but I'll also take the camera and create a flick showing you what it's like.

As for the PowerBook, some of you may wonder why I decided to jump on Apple's price drop instead of waiting for the new, faster machines to come out. I thought about that, but my reasoning was that any Mac is a good investment and holds its value well. Also, my friend Bill Hayden taught me that you never jump on a first release by Apple. You instead wait for them to work out the inevitable kinks. I can always trade up later this year (and indeed, I just might). Am I happy with my decision? You bet. It's really the most beautiful little machine I've ever owned.

My only complaint is the heat. It has been called the "Firebook" in certain circles, and the nickname is much deserved. Let's just say it will help keep me toasty on winter nights while I'm surfing wirelessly in bed.

I'll keep you all updated on the Expo situation. Stay tuned.
:: Steve 10:36 AM [+] ::
I'm Going To Macworld

Let's Welcome A Friend To ResExcellence

Things always change, but stay the same :: I'd like to extend a heartfelt welcome to a new Webmaster over at ResExcellence, probably the largest of the Mac GUI customization sites on the Internet, and a daily stop in my bookmarks list.

The guys who have run ResEx are great -- Michael Coyle, Cletus, Dan Flax and Jeremy Hoesly. Coyle started the site back in 1997 (has it really been six years? Wow...), but he's now passed the torch to a new leader: Scott Chitwood.

Chitwood is the longtime Webmaster of one of the other 800-pound gorillas of Mac customization, Rampant Mac. I don't know if you've ever stopped there, but it's not only for Mac enthusiasts or folks who like to change their icons. Scott is a talented digital 3-D artist whose desktop pictures have graced my workspace more than any other artists'. He also is a really nice guy, back when I first started out playing with Photoshop and making some cheesy little desktop pictures, he was nothing but supportive to me. I don't do much desktop fiddling now, instead spending most of my computer time writing my column for OSXFAQ.com, but there's still a special spot in my heart for downloading a particularly beautiful picture and putting it on my desktop so I can marvel at its beauty every time I go to switch applications.

As for Scott joining ResEx, it's one of those things that, when you hear it, you wonder why it wasn't always this way. Kind of like the first time I saw that pasta pot with the colander built into the lid on an infomercial on TV. "Why wasn't it that way from the start?" It just goes to prove that we're all still evolving as a species, and it's still easy for us to miss the obvious more times than we would like to admit!

Some updates ...:: So how have I been in this last month that I haven't updated the site, you may ask? Fine, thank you. I've been continuing to try and acclimate myself to my new job and its strange hours. It's getting better, but there are still some days that, when I get up, I'd much rather still be in bed.

I did get to take a brief vacation recently, however. My father and I went fishing at our cabin up in Pennsylvania. It was extremely wet, the streams were high and the fishing wasn't that great. We only caught two bass, and it wasn't bass season yet. But we had a lot of fun. You can chck out the pictures here, if you like.

By the way: I'm still able to find plenty of things to write about for the Macrimination column, but it's always good to stockpile ideas and factoids. Ever have someone really discriminate against you for your Mac use? Seen something that, as a Mac user, makes you really steam? Drop me a quick note with your thoughts and experiences.

Almost forgot. If you've got the money, head over to the Apple store and take advantage of price drops on both the 12-inch and 15-inch PowerBook models. Or, maybe you could wait. Often, when Apple reduces prices like that, it means an update to the model is soon on the way and they want to clear their inventory beforehand. With the IBM 970 chip and other improvements reportedly in the pipeline, you might want to wait and see what happens over the next month...



:: Steve 11:41 AM [+] ::
Let's Welcome A Friend To ResExcellence