Saturday, October 30, 2004
Halloween poetry by Sophie
Owls hit you very, very hard.
Owls don’t listen.
Owls hit you with stakes.
Owls are just mean.
Thursday, October 28, 2004
My iPod Setup
If you have not already made up your mind or purchased here is a little more info about the iPod. I am even more of a fan of these than the Powerbook (which I love).
Personally I have:
- 20GB Ipod
Originally I had a 10GB, but upgraded to 20GB. I would have gone to a 40GB but the 40s are thicker. I really like the dimensions of the 20GB.
- Wired-remote control (came standard)
While I initially did not use this, it comes in handy. I use it when traveling on my motorcycle. While the iPod is safe in luggage and I can use the remote to control the unit (including turning it on/off). I also use it when kayaking. Same basic idea. I can put the iPod in a safe place and still control it.
- Dock (came standard)
This is a really useful item. To sync my iPod I just use the standard firewire cable. The firewire cable also charges the unit from the Powerbook (w/no AC Adapter). This is especially useful when traveling and I want to limit what I carry. But normally I just use the dock directly connected to the AC adapter to charge the iPod. Just like my cell phone I just connect it every night.
- Apple slip case (came standard)
This is very hard to describe without seeing it. This piece is WAY overpriced but is almost mandatory. This slip case is very easy to use, protects your iPod, and helps prevent it from accidentally turning on. The first 3g iPods turn on when a button is pressed. If you do not have a case, it is easy to accidentally turn it on. This case is also excellent protection for the iPod while not bulky. At $40, this item is pricey. I have given it as a gift and recommended it to people who did not get it standard. Everyone agrees that it works great.
- NaviPod wireless remote (purchased separately)
This IR wireless remote lets me control my iPod from across the room (usually my bed in my bedroom, approximately 12-15ft away). Since I have everything connected up as a stereo (iPod, dock, AC adapter, JBL powered speakers) I have a stereo unit where I can remote control (on/off, volume, channel). Note that the little NaviPod unit that attaches to the iPod has a mini-jack out connector. Unlike the dock this is a variable output jack, allowing you to control sound volume remotely.
- Apple earbuds (come standard)
These have moderately good sound and great quality construction. I use them on my motorcycle and kayaking.
- BOSE Quiet Comfort headphones (purchased separately)
These expensive headphones have great sound quality. The noise canceling really works. The constructions and warranty is outstanding. I now purchase all my Bose stuff at the BOSE store and have GREAT service. I originally started with the Bose Triport. These had very good sound. Basically I wore them out after awhile because I worked out in them every day as well as traveled with them. When they broke, the Bose store warranted them for me. At the same time they allowed me to upgrade to Quiet comfort (noise canceling) headphones for the difference in price. The latest version of the Quiet Comforts works great and the sound is slightly better than the TriPorts. Note that I did not like the original Quiet Comforts and only upgraded to the current version that Bose makes. I work out with them in the gym every day and go running with them. They work great and have no wear.
- Monster Cable stereo cable (headpone jack to two RCA jacks)
I bought these to connect up to my real stereo system. They also work to connect my Powerbook to audio equipment. You can find the same cable anywhere (Radio Shack, etc.). Note that the dock line-out connection is not-variable.
- Sony cassette car adapter
I had this before the iPod. This is the adapter that allows you to play any device with a mini-jack line out through your car cassette player (assuming you have one). I use this to play my iPod through my car stereo. The sound quality is better than using a FM transceiver. One sort of cool thing is that I can let Sophie operate the iPod from the second row of the car because of the long wire using the cassette adapter.
- Belkin FM transceiver
This is the same as the cassette adapter but lets you tune into one of four FM channels. This works okay. It works better outside of large cities where you don't have radio interference. But I do have a friend who uses this in KC (no cassette player in the car). In most rental cars I have to jockey the position a little to get the best reception. I have used this in lots of cars.
- JBL Creature powered speakers
This powered subwoofer with two-speaker unit works really well. While nowhere near as good sound as my home stereo, I really have come to like it hooked up to my iPod. My home sound system is way to big for most rooms (like a bedroom). This JBL speakers work great in my bedroom with my wireless remote control and iPod. Way less money than a separate stereo system also.
- Approximate 3200 songs, 300 albums, 16.95GB of music on my iPod. This equates to almost 10 days of music.
1) I do not know anyone who has one (an iPod) who does not rave about it. This is the coolest, most friendly electronic device period.
2) Accessories that used to included with 3G iPods. The dock is very nice to have for charging and as a stand for your iPod if you use it with a stereo. The wire-remote is moderately nice to have (and a must if you motorcycle!). But most importantly the slip-case ($40 dollars if bought separately) is almost a must-have. While simple working it is very well made and just plain works great.
3) The iPod supports audiobooks. I don't use this but have friends that do.
4) In the past, I was somewhat of an audio music purist. While technically the AAC (or MP3) format is not as quality sound as a regular CD, it is good enough. The ease of use and convenience outweigh the sound quality difference. I think in normal headphone or car situations you don't notice much difference. Yes, I can hear the difference with my home stereo setup.
5) The iPods PDA-like features are really basic and do not compete with a handheld.
Contacts - because of no import and relatively clumsy access this is not like contacts on a Palm. I infrequently download my contacts into the iPod just for emergency use (in case my Palm fails and I don't have my Powerbook with me).
Calendar - This would work okay if you do not have any other option. The Palm (or iPaq) works much better.
Notes - These are like memos and can work in some instance. For example, I keep my workout rountines in notes. I have four weeks of four different workouts. Since I use my iPod when working out in the gym this works great. BTW, I would not be comfortable carrying my Palm T3 around while working out in the gym. The iPod is durable.
Games - I have never used these.
6) Using the iPod as a voice recorder.
There is a extra-cost third party adapter (Griffen iTalk) that you can use to record voice-notes to the iPod. Unfortunately the only one I have seen only records in mono. When they come up with one that records stereo it will be awesome. I can see people recording concerts, etc. Right now the mono version may be good for recording classes.
The iPod with a Macintosh "rocks" as my friends would put it. The Ipod works well with the PC.
Personally I have:
- 20GB Ipod
Originally I had a 10GB, but upgraded to 20GB. I would have gone to a 40GB but the 40s are thicker. I really like the dimensions of the 20GB.
- Wired-remote control (came standard)
While I initially did not use this, it comes in handy. I use it when traveling on my motorcycle. While the iPod is safe in luggage and I can use the remote to control the unit (including turning it on/off). I also use it when kayaking. Same basic idea. I can put the iPod in a safe place and still control it.
- Dock (came standard)
This is a really useful item. To sync my iPod I just use the standard firewire cable. The firewire cable also charges the unit from the Powerbook (w/no AC Adapter). This is especially useful when traveling and I want to limit what I carry. But normally I just use the dock directly connected to the AC adapter to charge the iPod. Just like my cell phone I just connect it every night.
- Apple slip case (came standard)
This is very hard to describe without seeing it. This piece is WAY overpriced but is almost mandatory. This slip case is very easy to use, protects your iPod, and helps prevent it from accidentally turning on. The first 3g iPods turn on when a button is pressed. If you do not have a case, it is easy to accidentally turn it on. This case is also excellent protection for the iPod while not bulky. At $40, this item is pricey. I have given it as a gift and recommended it to people who did not get it standard. Everyone agrees that it works great.
- NaviPod wireless remote (purchased separately)
This IR wireless remote lets me control my iPod from across the room (usually my bed in my bedroom, approximately 12-15ft away). Since I have everything connected up as a stereo (iPod, dock, AC adapter, JBL powered speakers) I have a stereo unit where I can remote control (on/off, volume, channel). Note that the little NaviPod unit that attaches to the iPod has a mini-jack out connector. Unlike the dock this is a variable output jack, allowing you to control sound volume remotely.
- Apple earbuds (come standard)
These have moderately good sound and great quality construction. I use them on my motorcycle and kayaking.
- BOSE Quiet Comfort headphones (purchased separately)
These expensive headphones have great sound quality. The noise canceling really works. The constructions and warranty is outstanding. I now purchase all my Bose stuff at the BOSE store and have GREAT service. I originally started with the Bose Triport. These had very good sound. Basically I wore them out after awhile because I worked out in them every day as well as traveled with them. When they broke, the Bose store warranted them for me. At the same time they allowed me to upgrade to Quiet comfort (noise canceling) headphones for the difference in price. The latest version of the Quiet Comforts works great and the sound is slightly better than the TriPorts. Note that I did not like the original Quiet Comforts and only upgraded to the current version that Bose makes. I work out with them in the gym every day and go running with them. They work great and have no wear.
- Monster Cable stereo cable (headpone jack to two RCA jacks)
I bought these to connect up to my real stereo system. They also work to connect my Powerbook to audio equipment. You can find the same cable anywhere (Radio Shack, etc.). Note that the dock line-out connection is not-variable.
- Sony cassette car adapter
I had this before the iPod. This is the adapter that allows you to play any device with a mini-jack line out through your car cassette player (assuming you have one). I use this to play my iPod through my car stereo. The sound quality is better than using a FM transceiver. One sort of cool thing is that I can let Sophie operate the iPod from the second row of the car because of the long wire using the cassette adapter.
- Belkin FM transceiver
This is the same as the cassette adapter but lets you tune into one of four FM channels. This works okay. It works better outside of large cities where you don't have radio interference. But I do have a friend who uses this in KC (no cassette player in the car). In most rental cars I have to jockey the position a little to get the best reception. I have used this in lots of cars.
- JBL Creature powered speakers
This powered subwoofer with two-speaker unit works really well. While nowhere near as good sound as my home stereo, I really have come to like it hooked up to my iPod. My home sound system is way to big for most rooms (like a bedroom). This JBL speakers work great in my bedroom with my wireless remote control and iPod. Way less money than a separate stereo system also.
- Approximate 3200 songs, 300 albums, 16.95GB of music on my iPod. This equates to almost 10 days of music.
1) I do not know anyone who has one (an iPod) who does not rave about it. This is the coolest, most friendly electronic device period.
2) Accessories that used to included with 3G iPods. The dock is very nice to have for charging and as a stand for your iPod if you use it with a stereo. The wire-remote is moderately nice to have (and a must if you motorcycle!). But most importantly the slip-case ($40 dollars if bought separately) is almost a must-have. While simple working it is very well made and just plain works great.
3) The iPod supports audiobooks. I don't use this but have friends that do.
4) In the past, I was somewhat of an audio music purist. While technically the AAC (or MP3) format is not as quality sound as a regular CD, it is good enough. The ease of use and convenience outweigh the sound quality difference. I think in normal headphone or car situations you don't notice much difference. Yes, I can hear the difference with my home stereo setup.
5) The iPods PDA-like features are really basic and do not compete with a handheld.
Contacts - because of no import and relatively clumsy access this is not like contacts on a Palm. I infrequently download my contacts into the iPod just for emergency use (in case my Palm fails and I don't have my Powerbook with me).
Calendar - This would work okay if you do not have any other option. The Palm (or iPaq) works much better.
Notes - These are like memos and can work in some instance. For example, I keep my workout rountines in notes. I have four weeks of four different workouts. Since I use my iPod when working out in the gym this works great. BTW, I would not be comfortable carrying my Palm T3 around while working out in the gym. The iPod is durable.
Games - I have never used these.
6) Using the iPod as a voice recorder.
There is a extra-cost third party adapter (Griffen iTalk) that you can use to record voice-notes to the iPod. Unfortunately the only one I have seen only records in mono. When they come up with one that records stereo it will be awesome. I can see people recording concerts, etc. Right now the mono version may be good for recording classes.
The iPod with a Macintosh "rocks" as my friends would put it. The Ipod works well with the PC.
Photo (color) iPod
Checked out the new Apple Photo iPod at the Apple Store. I was surprised to see that that they had lots of them. Briefly, here are my thoughts:
1. They are thicker than the current iPods and have there own specific dock.
2. The dock has additional connectors versus the current docks. The extra connectors are S-Video out and a single miniplug out which you can connect a composite video (video, l & r speaker) for TV cable to.
3. The color screen is actually pretty good. For text it is probably more readable than the black and white 3G/4G iPods.
4. The photo app works good on the Photo iPod. You first get a thumbnail screen with multiple pictures on it (like iPhoto). When you select a picture it becomes full-screen. While the thumbnails are enough to get the idea of what the picture is, the full screen is viewable well. The scrolling (via the scroll wheel) is very fast. Photo Albums (like playlists in iTunes) are usable and work well.
5. I was sort of bummed to find out that the new photo iPods will not work with old docks. Bose does not have the correct adapter for their SoundDock out yet. While the actually dock connector is the same format it appears that some third-party products will not work.
6. Existing firewire cables will work.
7. On review I did not see any new functions or apps on the photo iPod versus the 4G with the exceptions of the photo app. But the photo viewer app works very well.
8. An important note, there is no system setting to change the text size. The menus are in a very readable new font. But for those of you that use the notes capability, review the notes. The notes are in a readable but smaller font. For me it is too small.
9. Some apps like the calendar the solitaire game are now in color.
10. A quick review of the new iTunes software (4.7) showed only one significant difference. The new iTunes has a search for duplicate songs function. This is very welcome. Unfortunately, unlike my initial thoughts no views of photos are included in the iTunes. It does not appear that you can manage you iPhoto albums within iTunes.
Overall, the new iPods appear to be very good. if you are in the market for a large capacity iPod, I suggest you seriously consider the photo iPod. Those of you who would consider upgrading from a current iPod may find a lack of compelling additional features to warrant the cost.
1. They are thicker than the current iPods and have there own specific dock.
2. The dock has additional connectors versus the current docks. The extra connectors are S-Video out and a single miniplug out which you can connect a composite video (video, l & r speaker) for TV cable to.
3. The color screen is actually pretty good. For text it is probably more readable than the black and white 3G/4G iPods.
4. The photo app works good on the Photo iPod. You first get a thumbnail screen with multiple pictures on it (like iPhoto). When you select a picture it becomes full-screen. While the thumbnails are enough to get the idea of what the picture is, the full screen is viewable well. The scrolling (via the scroll wheel) is very fast. Photo Albums (like playlists in iTunes) are usable and work well.
5. I was sort of bummed to find out that the new photo iPods will not work with old docks. Bose does not have the correct adapter for their SoundDock out yet. While the actually dock connector is the same format it appears that some third-party products will not work.
6. Existing firewire cables will work.
7. On review I did not see any new functions or apps on the photo iPod versus the 4G with the exceptions of the photo app. But the photo viewer app works very well.
8. An important note, there is no system setting to change the text size. The menus are in a very readable new font. But for those of you that use the notes capability, review the notes. The notes are in a readable but smaller font. For me it is too small.
9. Some apps like the calendar the solitaire game are now in color.
10. A quick review of the new iTunes software (4.7) showed only one significant difference. The new iTunes has a search for duplicate songs function. This is very welcome. Unfortunately, unlike my initial thoughts no views of photos are included in the iTunes. It does not appear that you can manage you iPhoto albums within iTunes.
Overall, the new iPods appear to be very good. if you are in the market for a large capacity iPod, I suggest you seriously consider the photo iPod. Those of you who would consider upgrading from a current iPod may find a lack of compelling additional features to warrant the cost.
Wednesday, October 27, 2004
Bike Day
(from the other day)
Today was a wonderful "bike day” here. The weather was a perfect 70 degrees for a warm autumn day. I took the opportunity to ride my motorcycle for all my trips and errands.
For those of you who do not ride a motorcycle you are really missing out. When you drive a car, errands and commutes are just “getting there”. On a motorcycle, every trip is fun. Today was even better than normal with the perfect temperature and the leaves falling from the trees.
For me “bike day” means more than motorcycling. My true passion is bicycling. I took the opportunity for a bike (bicycle) ride today. Where motorcycling makes every trip fun, bicycling in addition to being good exercise is a great way for me to clear my mind. No matter what the stresses of the day they are reduced or relieved by a good bike ride. Once again with the perfect day, my ride was wonderful.
So today was a “bike day” with only two-wheeled transportation. I hope you had a bike day too.
Today was a wonderful "bike day” here. The weather was a perfect 70 degrees for a warm autumn day. I took the opportunity to ride my motorcycle for all my trips and errands.
For those of you who do not ride a motorcycle you are really missing out. When you drive a car, errands and commutes are just “getting there”. On a motorcycle, every trip is fun. Today was even better than normal with the perfect temperature and the leaves falling from the trees.
For me “bike day” means more than motorcycling. My true passion is bicycling. I took the opportunity for a bike (bicycle) ride today. Where motorcycling makes every trip fun, bicycling in addition to being good exercise is a great way for me to clear my mind. No matter what the stresses of the day they are reduced or relieved by a good bike ride. Once again with the perfect day, my ride was wonderful.
So today was a “bike day” with only two-wheeled transportation. I hope you had a bike day too.
Saturday, October 23, 2004
JBL On Stage Speakers
JBL On Stage
I got the opportunity to demo the JBL On Stage (iPod speakers) the other day. They are quite interesting. Especially related to my earlier report on the Bose SoundPod.
The JBL Onstage is basically a round self-contained speaker system with an integrated iPod dock. They sound very good. You may want to compare them to the Bose SoundPods. I am not going to do a detailed posting of all the details of the On Stage. For that I suggest that you view the review in iPodLounge
Here is my take.
Pros; The On Stage speaker sounds very good. JBL has not made the horrible mistake made by Bose and the On Stage provides an external input, This allows you to use the speaker with other sources such as you personal computer. The speaker is quite small in size.
Cons: Unlike the Bose, the JBL does not include a remote control. Sound volume is controlled by two touch sensitive inputs on the speaker. You cannot control the volume using the iPod. This also means if you use a remote control such as the NaviPod IR remote, it will not control the volume. This is a serious deficiency and will probably relegate the On Stage to an “also-ran”. The On Stage does not run on batteries but has a cord with power supply. The On Stage does not include a connector cable to sync your iPod so you must use your current one. The price at $199 is pretty steep for what you get.
I really liked the On Stage. If it were not for the lack of ability to remote control the volume (when using an iPod) I would probably purchase these. The JBL Creature speakers at $99 are a much better deal. Especially considering you can purchase the NaviPod remote for $50.
As it is, my current setup is JBL Creature Speakers (which have better sound but are three-piece and bigger), NaviPod remote controller, and Apple dock. This setup lets me recharge my iPod, play music through the Creatures (connected to the NaviPod audio out), and control all functions (forward, pause/play/turn off, backward, volume) of the iPod from across the room.
Friday, October 22, 2004
MS Messenger for Mac – or How to get that Windows feeling on a Mac
Yesterday, I tried installing MS Messenger for the Mac on my Apple Powerbook. My buddy B. use a MSN account that I can’t get to with iChat. No problem, I will just install MS Messenger for the Mac. I first confirmed there was a newer version that the one already on my machine (from MS Office).
After downloading the new version, I installed it with no problems. On the first use, it requested my .Net passport. No problem I thought as I already have a .Net passport for Visual .Net development on a PC. (BTW, .Net passport is a stupid idea).
Well here is the kicker, MS Messenger for the Mac would not let me do anything until I confirmed that the passport account I was using was actually mine. How to do this? Well, the program instructed me to check my inbox for a specific message. I was then to click a link in the mail message. Only problem, no message in my inbox. I am able to sign online to my account and confirm the settings but this does not help me with MS Messenger.
I gave up in frustration. While I don’t like to continually bash Microsoft or Windows, this is a perfect example of why I use a Mac.
After downloading the new version, I installed it with no problems. On the first use, it requested my .Net passport. No problem I thought as I already have a .Net passport for Visual .Net development on a PC. (BTW, .Net passport is a stupid idea).
Well here is the kicker, MS Messenger for the Mac would not let me do anything until I confirmed that the passport account I was using was actually mine. How to do this? Well, the program instructed me to check my inbox for a specific message. I was then to click a link in the mail message. Only problem, no message in my inbox. I am able to sign online to my account and confirm the settings but this does not help me with MS Messenger.
I gave up in frustration. While I don’t like to continually bash Microsoft or Windows, this is a perfect example of why I use a Mac.
Wednesday, October 20, 2004
Climb That Couch
(from previous day)
I just got done with an awesome swim workout with my Master swim team at the gym. While I have swum recreationally all my life, I just started swimming seriously this year. It has been a great addition to my other athletic/fitness activities.
The reason why I started swimming is the point of this article. My daughter, Sophie, was born a couple of years ago. At a very early age I observed that very young children are always learning and trying out new things. At some point, when Sophie was only as tall the living room couch, I caught her trying to get up on it. As any parent will know, it wasn’t long before she could climb up on it. Of course she did not stop there and attempted (and eventually succeeded) in climbing up to the even higher couch back. This brought the following thought to me. When was the last time that you looked at something as tall as yourself and said why don’t I just climb up on top of that just for the fun of it.
I don’t know when the thirst for learning and trying new things is conditioned out of us. But during this period I decided that I would take up some new sports in addtion to my main ones. It has been great. I encourage to you “climb that couch” yourself.
I just got done with an awesome swim workout with my Master swim team at the gym. While I have swum recreationally all my life, I just started swimming seriously this year. It has been a great addition to my other athletic/fitness activities.
The reason why I started swimming is the point of this article. My daughter, Sophie, was born a couple of years ago. At a very early age I observed that very young children are always learning and trying out new things. At some point, when Sophie was only as tall the living room couch, I caught her trying to get up on it. As any parent will know, it wasn’t long before she could climb up on it. Of course she did not stop there and attempted (and eventually succeeded) in climbing up to the even higher couch back. This brought the following thought to me. When was the last time that you looked at something as tall as yourself and said why don’t I just climb up on top of that just for the fun of it.
I don’t know when the thirst for learning and trying new things is conditioned out of us. But during this period I decided that I would take up some new sports in addtion to my main ones. It has been great. I encourage to you “climb that couch” yourself.
Apple Store Visit
I visited the Apple Store – Kansas City today. While I was skeptical during the first week about the stores effectiveness, today’s visit proved me wrong. I spent some time checking out new hardware and some software applications.
KC has several good Apple retailers including Micro Center, CompUSA, and Mac Hardware. But, the Apple store provides a different experience (with my apologies to Micro Center).
My day at the store today illustrates this:
1. I was able to demo and get my first view of the JBL On Stage iPod speaker system (I will post a review as separate entry).
2. I used the Genius bar employee to get the answer for a technical question. The genius did not know the answer but called another genius to get my answer.
3. I met a few fellow customers and had short discussions on various Mac/iPod topics.
4. I surfed the net and conducted an iChat while “snaking” the open Apple store wireless network (on my own Mac). Note the store wireless network with internet is intentionally open. Customers are encourage to use it.
5. Most of the machines (if not all) have internet access. This differs from most the other retailers.
6. Was allowed to borrow a firewire cable to sync my iPod with my Powerbook. I had left my cable at home.
7. I demoed a couple of applications that I do not have. Unlike other stores, the Apple store has lots of third-party apps loaded on their demo machines.
8. Experience the different policy of the Apple store from other retailers. The Apple store employees encourage you to spend time using the hardware/software. While they offer to help they leave you alone if you want.
9. I was encouraged to hang out. I never felt rushed to leave the store.
This was a thoroughly pleasant experience. The bottom line: The Apple store is well stocked with lots of Apple related hardware and software; The customer is encouraged to try the stuff out. This is much better than look at it and make you decision at other stores. The employees are knowledgeable. Finally the store encouraged me to be there even when I was not purchasing.
KC has several good Apple retailers including Micro Center, CompUSA, and Mac Hardware. But, the Apple store provides a different experience (with my apologies to Micro Center).
My day at the store today illustrates this:
1. I was able to demo and get my first view of the JBL On Stage iPod speaker system (I will post a review as separate entry).
2. I used the Genius bar employee to get the answer for a technical question. The genius did not know the answer but called another genius to get my answer.
3. I met a few fellow customers and had short discussions on various Mac/iPod topics.
4. I surfed the net and conducted an iChat while “snaking” the open Apple store wireless network (on my own Mac). Note the store wireless network with internet is intentionally open. Customers are encourage to use it.
5. Most of the machines (if not all) have internet access. This differs from most the other retailers.
6. Was allowed to borrow a firewire cable to sync my iPod with my Powerbook. I had left my cable at home.
7. I demoed a couple of applications that I do not have. Unlike other stores, the Apple store has lots of third-party apps loaded on their demo machines.
8. Experience the different policy of the Apple store from other retailers. The Apple store employees encourage you to spend time using the hardware/software. While they offer to help they leave you alone if you want.
9. I was encouraged to hang out. I never felt rushed to leave the store.
This was a thoroughly pleasant experience. The bottom line: The Apple store is well stocked with lots of Apple related hardware and software; The customer is encouraged to try the stuff out. This is much better than look at it and make you decision at other stores. The employees are knowledgeable. Finally the store encouraged me to be there even when I was not purchasing.
Friday, October 15, 2004
Virtual PC 7.0
My friend B. passed on this article Microsoft Program Lets Macs Run Windows, Easing Switch to Apple by Walt Mossberg the great tech writer for the Wall Street Journal. This tech savvy friend is considering buying a Mac and we had been discussing the merits of Virtual PC over the past couple of day. Well here is my take in a message to B.
Thanks for the Mossberg article. Walt, like me, is very pro-Apple/Mac. For the most part his comments on VPC are right on. I have 1GB of memory on my Mac so running VPC is not a problems. As we have discussed I find it acceptably fast for the majority of apps (all of the MS office stuff).
Some notes:
1. I don’t agree with Walt that you can only run one Windows app at a time in VPC.
2. I do agree that I would not share any of my Mac folders (directories in Windows terms) with the PC side for virus protection and general separation. This is not a big deal as file drag and drop works well in VPC 6.0.
3. You do need the max memory to effectively run VPC. The Mac is different than the PC in how it manages memory. With Mac OS X you do not worry about allocating memory at all. You especially do not worry about allocating to the active app versus background apps. But when running VPC you do allocate memory specifically for VPC. As you can imagine the VPC program (at least 6.0) initially grabs all the allocated memory. I use at least 256-384mb allocated to VPC. This does not pose any problems with 1GB total memory.
4. I agree with Walt that before long any Mac user will prefer the Mac version of any application.
I have been using VPC 6.0 for a long time. While I prefer the Mac in all applicable cases, I can use VPC for those few programs that are not available on the Mac. In the past couple of months the only uses needed have been to run MS Access (a great program!) and in the couple of occasions where I wanted to listen to an Internet stream where only a Windows plug-in was available.
Thanks for the Mossberg article. Walt, like me, is very pro-Apple/Mac. For the most part his comments on VPC are right on. I have 1GB of memory on my Mac so running VPC is not a problems. As we have discussed I find it acceptably fast for the majority of apps (all of the MS office stuff).
Some notes:
1. I don’t agree with Walt that you can only run one Windows app at a time in VPC.
2. I do agree that I would not share any of my Mac folders (directories in Windows terms) with the PC side for virus protection and general separation. This is not a big deal as file drag and drop works well in VPC 6.0.
3. You do need the max memory to effectively run VPC. The Mac is different than the PC in how it manages memory. With Mac OS X you do not worry about allocating memory at all. You especially do not worry about allocating to the active app versus background apps. But when running VPC you do allocate memory specifically for VPC. As you can imagine the VPC program (at least 6.0) initially grabs all the allocated memory. I use at least 256-384mb allocated to VPC. This does not pose any problems with 1GB total memory.
4. I agree with Walt that before long any Mac user will prefer the Mac version of any application.
I have been using VPC 6.0 for a long time. While I prefer the Mac in all applicable cases, I can use VPC for those few programs that are not available on the Mac. In the past couple of months the only uses needed have been to run MS Access (a great program!) and in the couple of occasions where I wanted to listen to an Internet stream where only a Windows plug-in was available.
Thursday, October 14, 2004
AppleScript - Hide Windows
While things are great in Mac land, I do miss a couple of features of windows. One of these features is an easy way to "minimize" all windows. The second feature is the ability to tile windows. While I have not found an answer to the "tiling" feature, the little applescript below works well to hide all windows.
First let me note that Mac OS X does have a couple of easy window manipulation features.
The following applescript will function to hide all windows (including the finder).
First let me note that Mac OS X does have a couple of easy window manipulation features.
Hide windows of all other apps: ⌘ + Option + H
This will leave the current application's windows open
Hide current application: ⌘ + H
This will hide the current application and all it's windows
The following applescript will function to hide all windows (including the finder).
tell application "Finder"
activate
set visible of every process whose visible is true and name is not "Finder" to false
--close all finder windows
close every window
end tell
The Zen of Apple – Drag and Drop
I am chatting with my friend J. the other day. In the middle of our conversation I decide I want to send him a picture I am scanning.
As an aside, at that very moment, I am scanning an image with my scanner, listening to a live NPR online audio stream, chatting with J. using iChat, and have various other applications up. The Internet operations are wireless. No problem.
Anyway my image finishes scanning in and is saved as a .jpeg file on my system. I proceed to drag the image and drop it into iChat. I press enter and the picture is sent. Great. Then it occurs to me that in other instances I can just drag images off a web page and drop them into my instant message. I try it and it works like a charm.
Well in our conversation we talk about how this clearly illustrates the Apple OS X (Mac) ease of use.
In the past I have thought about how Apple markets the Mac and OS X operating system as intuitive. I don’t think this is immediately apparent to many Windows users out there. The reason for this is years of Window use has conditioned us (I am a long-past “switcher”) to not even try some of the things that are easy to do on the Mac.
Experience the Zen of Apple. Way to go Apple!
As an aside, at that very moment, I am scanning an image with my scanner, listening to a live NPR online audio stream, chatting with J. using iChat, and have various other applications up. The Internet operations are wireless. No problem.
Anyway my image finishes scanning in and is saved as a .jpeg file on my system. I proceed to drag the image and drop it into iChat. I press enter and the picture is sent. Great. Then it occurs to me that in other instances I can just drag images off a web page and drop them into my instant message. I try it and it works like a charm.
Well in our conversation we talk about how this clearly illustrates the Apple OS X (Mac) ease of use.
In the past I have thought about how Apple markets the Mac and OS X operating system as intuitive. I don’t think this is immediately apparent to many Windows users out there. The reason for this is years of Window use has conditioned us (I am a long-past “switcher”) to not even try some of the things that are easy to do on the Mac.
Experience the Zen of Apple. Way to go Apple!
Apple 23in Cinema Display
Apple Cinema Display
Just left MicroCenter checking out the new Apple Cinema Display HD with my Powerbook. Pretty cool
Unfortunately, the 23in is $1999.
The Cinema HD is truly awesome though. I thought the screen on my Powerbook was great. But compared to the Cinema it is just very good.
I take my Powerbook into MicroCenter. I plug in their 23 inch Cinema display into my Powerbook. It instantly recognizes it. Initially it adds as a second (non-mirrored) screen. I can move window over to the other screen. With a few clicks I am able to mirror if I want. I can also decide whether the big screen acts like it is on the right or left of the laptop. I can decide where the menu is by dragging an dropping an icon in my system display setttings. It is incredible how easy it is. The question comes up about whether I can run the display while my laptop is shut. No joy for about 10 minutes. The two store employees are convinced it will work but can't seem to get it. then we figure out the AC adapter must be plugged in. Simple as pie. Just plug in the AC (laptop is asleep) and plug in the displays DVI adapter and USB connector. Press a key on the keyboard attached to the display. Computer wakes up and is displaying the desktop in my preferred resolution setting for a 23in display.
Apples just Rock and Roll. Try that with a PC, Windows XP or not!
Wednesday, October 06, 2004
Bose SoundDock
Bose SoundDock
The sound is incredibly good for the size of the unit. I compared it with music from my own iPod (Rock, Pop, Classical, etc.) to both the Companion 3 PC speakers and the new Wave CD player. To me the Sounddock sounded better with the iPod. To be fair the new Wave radio is very good with a CD source.
The Sounddock includes a small IR remote control and will charge your iPod with no extra cables. In fact the SoundDock does not have any additional inputs besides the power cable.
Design is typical Bose quality, above-average but not to Apple's aesthetically pleasing level. The unit is iPod white but did not seem to have the same quality sheen as an iPod.
But the most important thing is the sound. You have to hear this to believe it. The sound is better than any compact powered speaker setup (with the iPod) I have heard.
The value is relative. If (unlike me) you do not have a dock, Navipod IR remote, and other powered speaker set, the $300 is not terribly unreasonable. Which brings up the one and only flaw I found in the SoundDock.
The SoundDock does NOT have any way to hook up any other device (your Mac or a radio for example). This has two negative consequences. First, this fact makes the SoundDock an iPod only accessory. If your iPod is unavailable or broken the SoundDock is useless. Additionally, as new technologies are available or used (streaming internet through your PC for example) the SoundDock will be obsolete or unusable. Buyer beware.
Otherwise, if you have not tried using your iPod as a replacement home stereo, I urge you to give the SoundDock a listen. You may find it a perfect fit.
