@methodshop

The latest Apple/Intel commercial has generated a fair share of controversy.

First, Intel wasn't happy with the commercial's voice over. The announcer claims that Intel chips were trapped in dull boring computers until now. Intel has other customers besides Apple, and they didn't appreciate Apple putting them all down.

However, the controversy didn't stop there. The Apple/Intel ad is almost a shot-for-shot recreation of a music video for the song "Such Great Heights" by The Postal Service. The band was not happy about the blatant rip-off but they are probably very happy with the result. All the attention around the video has taken it to the #1 download spot on Apple's iTunes Music Store. Not bad for a video that was released in 2003.

To see a side-by-side comparison of the two videos, check out the Elite Productions website. They did a great job of comparing the two videos.


Related Links:

• Apple Intel Ad
• Postal Service video for "Such Great Heights"
• Side-by-side comparison of the 2 videos
• post on iPastudio.com
  

This weekend MTV Networks (MTV, MTV2, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and the N) added 14 popular television shows to the iTunes Music Store. The new content features top-rated favorites such as Punk'd, South Park, Dora the Explorer, SpongeBob SquarePants and Laguna Beach.

Networks adding TV shows to iTunes isn't anything new. What makes this deal special is that select episodes from Comedy Central and Nickelodeon are being made available on iTunes in advance of their network airing. The other networks with content on iTunes currently only post shows for download after they have already aired.

On January 30th, Comedy Central will release a free episode of the animated series Drawn Together on iTunes. The same episode isn't set for broadcast until February 1st - making it the first iTunes TV Premiere.

A couple quick notes about the 14 new MTV Networks shows:

• Nickelodeon's Dora is the first preschool program available on iTunes
• COMEDY CENTRAL's Stand-Up is iTunes' first stand-up comedy program
• MTV's Laguna Beach and Real World/Road Rules Challenge: Gauntlet 2 are the first reality-based titles available on iTunes.

There are now over 40 TV shows available for download in the iTunes Music Store.

The next time you are in an Apple Store, take a closer look at the people around you... one of them might be a thief. According to a recent post by Cult of Mac blogger Leander Kahney, some people are even stealing PowerBooks in broad daylight. There's even a Flickr post of the missing PowerBook.

"The robbery was during shop hours, and apparently right under the staff's noses. I wonder why the alarm didn't freak out -- and doesn't every store have a security guard? All the ones I've visited do.

I was a bit of a shoplifter as a youth -- mostly food and books -- but I'd never have the nerve to do this. I did know some guys though that robbed big ticket items like VCRs from electronics stores. This was years ago and in the early days of RF security detectors. They used a kitchen trash can lined with tin foil. They walked in, helped themselves and strolled out laughing. They were so brazen and relaxed, no one even glanced at them."

According to DashboardWidgets.com, Apple recently filed for a patent titled "Widget authoring and editing environment." What exactly does this mean and why are people excited about it? DashboardWidgets wrote the following in their blog:

"Dashboard widgets will eventually be able to run on a 'handheld computer, mobile device, consumer electronic device or the like.'

Specifically, 'being that a wireless iPod is connected to the network, these XML based web services would provide live updated information on the fly. I'm sure that you could think of a hundred ways you'll be able to customize your iPod - and that's going to be the fun of a wireless iPod with a cool UI.

Though the current iPod's screen is a little small for widgets, perhaps a future model with a larger screen will let you check the status of your flight, get the weather, check stock prices, and more."

We're just speculating, but when Apple filed for this patent, they potentially told us three things about the next iPod:

1. it will be wireless and be able to connect to the Internet
   
2. people will be able to create game and application Widgets for iPods
   
3. we should expect a bigger screen on the next (R.I.P. Sony PSP?)
   

Sure it's all speculation but the iPods of the future sound very exciting! Right?

Fox television is being cautious with its move to the digital distribution age. The company told Reuters that it is taking a more cautious approach than rival networks in making its most popular TV shows available for new distribution outlets, such as iTunes: "It's been our strategy not to try to go out first with announcements but to go out with our best strategy. We're taking a more measured approach to what works and would not work," Fox Entertainment President Peter Liguori said during a presentation to TV critics in Pasadena. Earlier this week, both NBC and ABC agreed that making digital episodes available via iTunes had helped boost TV ratings, despite caution offered by some analysts.

Unlike rival networks such as ABC and NBC-- who have aggressively partnered with iTunes- Fox believes that new digital distribution networks are in the early stages of maturity. However, the company is exploring the online market under the aegis of its own corporate parent, such as Myspace.com, a social networking Web site that is popular with young people. The report says the marketing efforts have been helpful in promoting shows.

"In terms of new technologies, it's so early and in the nascent stages of what we can do with this," he said. "We think of this as a quintessential marathon and not a sprint."

CBS has also moved aggressively into the digital world, partnering for fee-based video-on-demand episodes with both Comcast and DirecTV as well as offering some of its sitcoms via Yahoo!'s video service and news and radio content via podcasts. Reports have also circulated on possible discussions wih Apple to offer its content via iTunes.

According to the report, Fox had begun experimenting with new distribution platforms when its sister cable network FX announced a deal to let DirecTV subscribers download episodes of "The Shield" and "Rescue Me" for $2.99 two days before their initial run on FX.m


[Via ipodnn]

Following a wave of privacy concerns last week, Apple Computer has begun prominently notifying customers about a new recommendation feature in its iTunes software, as well as spotlighting a simple way to turn it off.

The new feature, a "MiniStore" pane in iTunes, provides music recommendations to users based on the songs currently in the software's active playlist. To do so, it sends information about those songs back to Apple, even if the tracks weren't originally purchased from the iTunes Music Store.

The information exchange also includes a string of data linked to an iTunes customer's unique ID number, which is also used for other Apple accounts, such as the .Mac service and the Apple Developer Connection, computer experts found last week. An Apple representative said last week that the company did not store or archive any of the information from this MiniStore recommendation process.

Previously, that information exchange was not disclosed in any user agreement or in the software itself. However, an update posted late Tuesday now prominently adds a notification inside the iTunes software itself when the MiniStore is turned on for the first time.


[Via zdnet]

Griffin, the company that made the iTrip, just announced quite possibly the most advanced iPod dock yet available, the TUNECENTER. They claim the "TuneCenter turns your iPod into a complete Home Media Center."

Music and video & photos can be sent to your television, stereo, etc. It features many ports including S-video, composite, RCA, Ethernet and Wi-Fi. Besides iPod playback, it also handles Internet radio streams.

The 14 button control gives access to nearly all iPod functionality.

The Tunecenter is expected sometime in March 2006 for $100.


[Syndicated Via iPastudio]

Can the iPod be called anything other than a complete phenomenon now? Levi's, America’s "denim authority," has just announced a new pair of jeans that includes a special internal iPod pocket.

Should this be considered nerdy or genius? It may sound silly to the average person, but most iPod users will probably find a special pocket tempting the next time they are buying jeans. What do you think?

Here's the official Levi's press release:

The Levi's brand, the denim authority, is launching a wearable technology revolution with the introduction of new Levi's RedWire DLX Jeans, available worldwide in fall 2006. Designed for both men and women, the jeans seamlessly integrate iPod plug and play technology giving music enthusiasts the most innovative and fashionable way to enjoy music on the go. The jean is designed to be compatible with most iPod systems and features include a special joystick incorporated into the jeans' watch pocket to enable easy operation of the iPod.

"The Levi's RedWire(TM) DLX Jean is the latest extension of the Levi's brand leadership position by merging fashion and technology that provides consumers with the most innovative way to enhance their portable, digital music lifestyle," said Robert Hanson, Levi's U.S. brand president. "In designing the jeans we considered both function and fashion -- the result is a uniquely functional, yet stylish, great fitting jean."

Design features include:

-- Easy Pocket Storage -- An iPod docking cradle is built into the jeans and is "invisibly" housed within a side pocket. The Levi'sdesign team took special care to ensure the iPod unit remains neatly and securely stored in the jean, while the iPod "bump" in the pocket is virtually eliminated. The cradle is equipped with sophisticated technology housed in a red conductive ribbon that allows users to quickly and easily remove their iPod from the pocket to view its screen while staying connected. The jean is machine washable once the iPod is removed.

-- "Hip" Controls -- A special joystick remote control is externally designed into the jeans' watch pocket to enable operation of the iPod . Four-way controls allow the wearer to easily play/pause, track forward, track back and adjust the volume control without ever removing the iPod from the pocket.

-- Handy Wire Retractor -- A handy retractable headphone unit has been built directly into the jean to help prevent tangles and efficiently manage the iPod earphone wires.

The new Levi's RedWire(TM) DLX jeans have been developed to be practical and leading-edge in their aesthetic. A crisp white leather patch and joystick, bluffed back pockets with hidden stitching, and clean minimalist buttons and rivets allude to the iPod 's famously pure design. Special care has been taken to marry the physical design with a great-fitting jean.

About The Levi's Brand

Invented in 1873 by Levi Strauss, Levi's Jeans are the original, authentic jeans. The Levi's brand offers the widest range of great fitting jeans on the market and are the most widely recognized and often imitated products in the history of apparel. Levi's Jeans have captured the attention, imagination and loyalty of generations of diverse individuals in more than 100 countries around the world and continue to do so today through more than 150 years of jeanswear innovation. For more information about the Levi's brand, products and Levi's stores, visit www.levi.com.

Obviously, there are still many reasons why you’ll want to buy a true Mac – Apple quality and support (and innovation), the current lack of a legal x86 OS X, etc. But it’s interesting to think that the days of the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Mac may be just around the corner.

For the full list of equipment and prices, please read this article on osx86project.org

[Syndicated post via osx86project.org]

These days, gaming is a billion dollar industry, but it all started as an experiment in 1962 by a programmer from MIT named Steve Russell.

Back in 1962, Steve gathered a group of MIT programmers* and spent about 200 hours creating a game called Spacewar! for an early computer called the DEC PDP-1. The object of Spacewar! was to avoid a black hole while trying to shoot your opponents.

"If I hadn't done it, someone would've done something equally exciting if not better in the next six months. I just happened to get there first."

Steve Russell may have gotten his name in the geek history books but unfortunately he never was never able to profit from Spacewar!. Back in 1962, computers were considered "serious tools" and were only used by governments, universities and corporations - not exactly your average gaming consumers.

It's nice to read about the first computer game, but wouldn't you really rather actually play it? Finding an original copy of Spacewar! and a DEC PDP-1 computer would be impossible. But thanks to three MIT students, Barry Silverman, Brian Silverman, and Vadim Gerasimov, Spacewar! lives on. Martin Graetz, one of Steve Russell's original team members, gave these MIT students a 40 page print out of the original source code. They then re-typed it, and ran the code through several emulators and conversions to get it into a Java applet that will run in the average web browser. Thank you Barry, Brian and Vadim!

You can play Spacewar! on this MIT web page and experience a piece of computer and gaming history for yourself.

Before you run over and check it out, here are the controls for Spacewar!:

Player 1: left = a, right = s, thrust = d, fire = f
Player 2: left = k, right = l, thrust = ;, fire = '

Enjoy!

Also check out Alice Hill's blog post about Spacewar!

*The Spacewar! Programming Team: Stephen Russell, Peter Samson, Dan Edwards, Martin Graetz, Alan Kotok, Steve Piner, and Robert Saunders.

Yesterday Apple released a new version of their iTunes software, v6.0.2. The updated version is said to improve stability and performance as well as adding a few new features such as the MiniStore. A new version of Quicktime v7.0.4 is also included, which provides numerous bug fixes, support for iLife '06, and H.264 video codec performance improvements.



New in iTunes:
* MiniStore - Discover new music as you enjoy your collection or import new CDs with MiniStore — right from your iTunes library.
* Sync Home Movies - Create iPod-compatible versions of your own movies using iTunes.
* AirTunes Enhancement - Simultaneously stream the same song wirelessly to up to three home stereos or powered speakers — using AirPort Express with AirTunes.

Minimum Sytem Requirements:
* Windows XP or 2000 (latest service packs recommended)
* 500 MHz Pentium class processor or better
* QuickTime 7.0.4 (included)
* 256MB RAM
* Supported CD-R or DVD-R drive to burn CDs
* Broadband Internet connection (DSL/Cable/LAN) for buying and streaming music

Additional Video Requirements:
* 1.5 GHz Pentium class processor or better
* 32MB video RAM

Note: After purchasing music from the iTunes Music Store with iTunes 6 or later, you will also need to upgrade your other computers that purchase music from the iTunes Music Store to the latest version of iTunes.

[hat tip iPastudio]

Nerd Alert: Wish you could make your cell phone sound like a Mac?

Macostones.com is a complete collection of Apple and Mac OS sounds for download to your computer or mobile phone.

The collection includes everything from OS X to Newton, eWorld and the Chimes of Death. Also included are over 70 custom 'made for mobile' ringers made from the original Apple sounds and optimised for use with cellphones.

Sounds can be downloaded for free and transferred by Bluetooth to compatible phones. Alternatively over the air downloads direct to phones are provided by WAP Push for compatibility with most phones.

A mobile download account is priced at $9.95 for access to all sound files. All visitors can get a free mobile download of the Sosumi ring direct from the home page.

As you may know, December 16th was Howard Stern's last FM broadcast. Stern fans who have been putting off getting a Sirius satellite radio should try to get their act together ASAP. Stern officially starts broadcasting his morning radio show on Sirius satellite radio starting this coming Monday - January 9th, 2006.

But which radio(s) should you get? The right Sirius satellite radio for you will depend on how you usually listened to the Howard Stern Show (car, home, walkman).

Here's a look at some of the most popular Sirius satellite radios:


Sirius S50 Walkman $299
If you're serious about keeping Stern with you at all times, the Sirius S50 Satellite Radio Receiver and MP3/WMA Player System Pack may be just what you're looking for. Small enough for your shirt pocket, and loaded with all the accessories you need to play it over your car stereo. This unit also has a FM transmitter allowing you to broadcast to any nearby radio. Stern fans will really like the automatic built-in recorder. This Sirius radio has a recording timer that can be set to automatically record The Howard Stern Show every morning. This means that even if you wake up at 8am, you can start listening from the beginning of the show (his show starts at 6am). It's like a TiVo for your Sirius radio. There is a 2-hour limit for timed recording so be sure to set at least two back to back 2-hour recordings to get his whole show.


Sirius Xact XTR1 $68.21
The XTR1 radio was part of the original Howard Stern promotion and came free with a 1-year subscription to Sirius. This radio is cheap. It lacks fancy features like timed recording and a built-in antenna. Even though this unit make look portable it is not. It does have a FM transmitter (not very powerful) which makes taking it in the car possible. But the car is not the ideal location for this radio. It requires an external antenna and power supply. After hooking up the antenna and running the power supply into the cigarette lighter, your dashboard will look like a pile of wires. This unit is best suited for home use. I have one next to my desk.


Sirius Starmate Replay $99.99
At first glance this radio may look like a car stereo faceplate and that's the location probably best suited for this unit. The Sirius Starmate Replay has one of the brightest and nicest displays of any satellite radio currently available and is easy to see even on sunny days. Like the other units, this radio comes with a remote control and built-in FM transmitter. The FM transmitter is very strong and will probably reach all the radios in the average-sized household. But one of the best features with this unit is the internal memory. This radio will continually store the last 44 minutes of programming you are listening too. So feel free to pause the radio while you take a phone call or use the bathroom at the highway rest stop. NOTE: memory clears when you turn the power off. This unit only comes with a car mounting kit, so order the home kit if you plan on using it outside the car.


Just remember, Stern's move to Sirius is not the end, it's the beginning. Same King. New Kingdom. 01.09.06.

Microsoft Internet Explorer ended 2004 with 90.31% browser usage market share, and steadily lost ground, ending 2005 with 85.05% market share. While any company would typically be thrilled with 85% of a market segment, let's not forget that Netscape once owned a huge percentage of this same segment before IE showed up. The lesson Microsoft taught Netscape was that you can't sit on top of a strategic hill, and hope that your competition finds it too steep to climb without a strong defense. The lesson was taught, and then apparently forgotten by the teacher. Microsoft promises IE's first major upgrade in years in 2006, but has also announced that it is abandoning the Mac version of IE.

Mozilla Firefox championed the open source browser concept, breathing life back into the browser battles, and is the primary challenger to IE's dominance. Firefox ended 2004 with 4.64% of browser usage market share, started 2005 on fire, cooled off for the summer months, and ended the year surging toward a 10% critical mass after releasing Firefox 1.5. December 2005 browser usage numbers have Firefox soaring to 9.57%. In Firefox's attempt to climb the hill IE is holding, they've taken a 3 pronged approach to the attack - A strong feature set with easier usability, better security with fewer breaches, and a commitment to open source and continual improvement.

Apple's Safari browser enjoyed a highly successful 2005 as the only browser to gain market share each and every month of the year. Safari ended 2004 with 1.56% of browser usage market share and in fourth place. But, not only did Safari gain steadily to end 2005 at 3.07% market share, it also leaped past Netscape to grab the third leading browser spot. Net Applications' HitsLink also tracks operating system usage market share, and shows that Mac OS currently has 4.35% market share. With Microsoft Internet Explorer abandoning the Mac and Apple's continuing market share gains, it appears that Safari has even more growth ahead in 2006.

Netscape browser joined IE as the only market share losers of 2005. Netscape ended 2004 with 2.07% of browser usage market share, and was the third leading browser at the time. But, after an admitted error in reporting itself as either Firefox or IE to HitsLink and other browser tracking software was discovered and fixed, and an announced deal with HP to include Netscape browsers with new computers, a brief September 2005 surge to 2.16% market share was quickly halted in October. Netscape ended 2005 in 4th place with 1.24% browser usage market share, and seems to have been hit hard by Firefox's success.

Opera browser from Opera Software ended 2005 with 0.55% browser usage market share, which as exactly where it was at the end of 2004. Remarkably, Opera held steady while it completely changed it's business model during 2005, going from a choice of a free browser with banner ads or a paid browser without the banners to a free with no ads model. It appeared that the change was too late to make a dent in browser choice on the desktop and laptop. But Opera browser has a strong presence on the handheld, and as those devices start to become more prominent, Opera is in a solid niche leadership role to take advantage of it.

"eMagin Corp. has developed a wearable headset system that plugs into Apple Computer's portable media device and displays video from it in front of one eye, using optical technology designed to give the picture a higher resolution and make it appear larger than on the iPod's screen."

Source: seattlepi.nwsource.com.com

Although I would love to try one on, and although the novelty itself could possibly be quite incredible, and although it's thousands of dollars cheaper than buying a 100 inch plasma for yourself....there are some major issues that I think will prevent this baby from ever really "eyeing" the prize:

---

Number 1 - It's really bulky...You really couldn't use this anywhere practical...It requires the iPod dock and with that being said, whipping out this device with its multiple wires and your dock and ipod while sitting anywhere, even in the convenience of your own home, could be quite a nuisance.

Number 2 - How safe is it to have a digital display flashing inches from one eye while the other one sits lazily tricked into believing it's seeing the same thing...sounds like a lot of mental work that could cause some sort of eye defect

Number 3 - It's retailing at a price that's 2 times the cost of an iPod...

Number 4 - Although the company says these things will become commonplace over time, for now, it would be pretty embarrassing to be wearing one....or if you WERE fine wearing it in public, you know you'd be stopped every 2 minutes to show people what the hell you were doing...



[Via seattlepi.nwsource.com]

The iTrip is a FM transmitter specifically designed for the iPod that allows you to play your music through any FM radio wherever the mood strikes you. The car, the beach, grandma's house... it doesn't matter, as long as you have access to a FM radio, your iPod can broadcast audio like a small portable radio station.

Griffin Technology, the maker of the iTrip, has made several major improvements to the new version of the iTrip, called the iTrip LCD. These features include a backlit LCD screen, tuning knob, a stronger FM broadcast mode call DX, and
the ability to broadcast to international FM frequencies.

Full Review: iTrip LCD - iPod FM Transmitter

It is not something that happens very often but it might happen to you at some point. if you forget your Windows XP password or your password expires and you cannot create a new one there are several ways you can regain access to your computer, from using password reset disc, thru changing passwords via a different account to password recovery and password cracking tools.

If you forget your Windows XP password or your password expires and you cannot create a new one there are several ways you can regain access to your computer.

Here is how: How To Log On To Windows If You Forget Your Password