Patrick Stump: Out of the Garage

Patrick Stump: Out of the Garage: "He’s not only the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for megaband Fall Out Boy. Patrick Stump is also one of the most prolific composers in pop music. And he composes that music all over the world using his MacBook Pro and GarageBand.

‘The beauty of GarageBand is that it’s only limited by what you want to do with it,’ he says. ‘Ultimately, you can do anything. It’s a sequencer and you can record and edit audio. And it runs on my laptop. I’ve composed and recorded on the plane, on the bullet train in Japan. It’s made me so much more prolific because I don’t have to think about where and when I can record or write music. I can do it anywhere.’"

Apple Hot News - http://www.apple.com/hotnews/

GarageBand is so cool. If I had any musical talent at all, it would be fun playing with a $100K recording studio that comes free with my iMac. If your kids are at all musical, get them an iMac just for GarageBand. You'll be glad you did. So will they.

Always Certain, Sometimes Correct

Always Certain, Sometimes Correct: "A new year has arrived and with it another predictions column, possibly my last. As longtime readers know, the routine here is that I first review my predictions from a year ago and either revel in my brilliance (good luck, actually) or admit my failure (all failures are real, nothing is simulated and no special or computer effects are used). Then I get to go on and make 15 more predictions for what will happen in high tech during the coming 12 months. Let's get to it!"

I, Cringely . The Pulpit - http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/

Way to Kick a Coke Habit? Mix Tranquilizers, Hormone Blockers

Way to Kick a Coke Habit? Mix Tranquilizers, Hormone Blockers: "A pharmaceutical company launches a human trial testing whether people can fight a cocaine addiction by taking tranquilizers along with hormone blockers.
"

Wired News - http://www.wired.com/rss/index.xml

Thank Jobs: Lone major holdout Sony BMG to finally sell DRM-free music

Thank Jobs: Lone major holdout Sony BMG to finally sell DRM-free music: "In a move that would mark the end of a digital music era, Sony BMG Music Entertainment..."

MacDailyNews - http://www.macdailynews.com/

Ding dong, the DRM is dead!

PC box assemblers try to mimic Apple hardware designs, but have no answers for Mac OS X, iLife, etc.

PC box assemblers try to mimic Apple hardware designs, but have no answers for Mac OS X, iLife, etc.: "PC makers have begun a radical overhaul of their machines' appearance... "

MacDailyNews - http://www.macdailynews.com/

Mac's market share growth is 'nothing short of spectacular'

Mac's market share growth is 'nothing short of spectacular': "Apple is on a tear, with stunning growth by any measure, data from Web research firm Net Applications indicates. Microsoft is the loser, Matt Asay says."

CNET News.com - http://www.news.com/

10% by the end of the year.

Giuliani: I'm not riding that Segway. No way

Giuliani: I'm not riding that Segway. No way: "The would-be president shows up at a Segway factory in New Hampshire, but refuses to ride one. A 70-year-old CBS News anchor does instead."

-

Is it because he doesn't want to do a Dukakis in a tank? Or because he doesn't want to break a hip? Still, being put to shame by a 70-year-old news anchor...

ProfCast 2.2pb5 - Record and publish live presentations. (Shareware)

ProfCast 2.2pb5 - Record and publish live presentations. (Shareware): "

ProfCast 2.2pb5

ProfCast is a versatile, powerful, yet very simple to use tool for recording lectures and creating enhanced podcasts.

ProfCast provides a low cost solution for recording and distributing lectures, special events, and presentations as podcasts. ProfCast offers an integrated workflow that makes creating, recording, and publishing podcasts easy. It's as simple as Launch, Load, and Lecture!

More information

"

MacUpdate - Universal Binary - http://www.macupdate.com/macintel.php

This one's for all the professors I know (and I know quite a few.)

Jim Cramer: Apple shares will hit $300 this year

Jim Cramer: Apple shares will hit $300 this year: "Jim Cramer listed his top 10 predictions for 2008 this week..."

MacDailyNews - http://www.macdailynews.com/

RUMOR: Apple set to unveil lightweight, ultra-thin Mac portable on January 15

RUMOR: Apple set to unveil lightweight, ultra-thin Mac portable on January 15: "Apple is set to unveil a new ultraportable laptop at Macworld Expo on January 15..."

MacDailyNews - http://www.macdailynews.com/

Get an upconverting DVD player for $34.99 shipped

Get an upconverting DVD player for $34.99 shipped: "Forget the high-def DVD format war; the Coby upconverting DVD player, available from Buy.com for $34.99 shipped, will make your movies look a lot better on your HDTV."

CNET News.com - http://www.news.com/

Now up for grabs: Federal funding for your digital-TV upgrade

Now up for grabs: Federal funding for your digital-TV upgrade: "All American households can begin applying for up to two $40 coupons to be used toward a converter box that will keep analog TVs going after the digital switch."

CNET News.com - http://www.news.com/

I've already applied for my coupons - http://www.dtv2009.com/

MarsEdit 2.0.5 - Weblog editor. (Shareware)

MarsEdit 2.0.5 - Weblog editor. (Shareware): "

MarsEdit 2.0.5

MarsEdit is a weblog editor for Mac OS X that makes weblog writing like writing email, with spell-checking, drafts, multiple windows, and even AppleScript support.

It works with various weblog systems: Blogger, Blosxom, Drupal, LiveJournal, Movable Type, TypePad, WordPress, and many others.

More information

"

MacUpdate - Universal Binary - http://www.macupdate.com/macintel.php

Arts & Letters Daily (01 Jan 2008)

Arts & Letters Daily (01 Jan 2008): "'I pretended to be somebody I wanted to be,' said Cary Grant, 'and I finally became that person. Or he became me. Or we met at some point'... more"

Arts & Letters Daily - ideas, criticism, debate - http://aldaily.com/

Gemini - Monday, 31st December 2007

Monday, 31st December 2007


GEMINI
(May 22 - June 22)
If you keep on forcing an ever greater quantity of air into a balloon, there will come a moment when, without warning, bang! Even professional balloon blowers find it hard to predict when that moment will come. Geminis are a bit like balloons. Emotionally, psychologically, they take on board a lot. You can treat them badly, demand vast amounts from them, put them in endless unreasonable situations and they will somehow accept it all. Welcome to 2008. The year you say enough is enough.

Relationships get a bit weird or at least take an unexpected turn. The need for more freedom, independence, or novelty on your part, or on the part of someone close to you, may disrupt the status quo in an important relationship. Expect the unexpected in your relationships!

Weird: Today, Sonia, with no explanation, emails this:

I will pay you back on payday and then I don't think we should see each other anymore.
I'm sorry.

She could have at least supplied an explanation.

Best of Salon 2007

Best of Salon 2007: "Tinky Winky on Jerry Falwell, Carlos Castaneda's dark legacy, the CIA's torture teachers, the scourge of plastic bags, and more only-in-Salon articles you shouldn't miss."

Salon - http://www.salon.com/?source=rss&aim=/

Data Theft Soars to Unprecedented Levels

Data Theft Soars to Unprecedented Levels: "The loss or theft of personal data such as credit card and Social Security numbers is soaring to unprecedented levels, and the trend isn't expected to turn around anytime soon as hackers stay a step ahead of security and laptops disappear with sensitive information.

"

Wired News - http://www.wired.com/rss/index.xml

Arts & Letters Daily (30 Dec 2007)

Arts & Letters Daily (30 Dec 2007): "

Giving to charity can induce an endorphin high not unlike sensations people get from drugs such as morphine or heroin... more

If you want to know how humans learned to create pleasure by building beautiful things, just look at the birds and the bees... more

Yes, classical music really is addressed to people with certain independence of mind, individuals with a capacity to think, to sense, to imagine... more

"

Arts & Letters Daily - ideas, criticism, debate - http://aldaily.com/

Apple’s iPhone 1.1.3 to bring Locate Me, Home customization/additions, Google Maps update, more

Apple’s iPhone 1.1.3 to bring Locate Me, Home customization/additions, Google Maps update, more: "Gear Live has posted a 'iPhone 1.1.3 firmware feature gallery' which shows that Apple's amazing multi-touch device is soon due to get even better..."

MacDailyNews - http://www.macdailynews.com/

OSS 3D 2.3b7 - Real-time enhancements of sound in OS X. (Shareware)

OSS 3D 2.3b7 - Real-time enhancements of sound in OS X. (Shareware): "

OSS 3D 2.3b7

OSS 3D utilizes state of art DSP technology allowing addition of bass spatialization, 3D surround and various other real-time enhancements of the sound played through your system.

OSS 3D greatly improves audio quality in movies and music throughout all of the OS X applications. It provides non-destructive spatial expansions similar to Spatializer or QSound, with additional functionality of Speaker Resonance Correction, Virtual Subwoofer, Automatic Gain Control, Brainwave synthesis, High Frequency Restoration, Center channel control, and more. Also included a studio quality N-band equalizer with built-in peak limiter.

More information

"

MacUpdate - Universal Binary - http://www.macupdate.com/macintel.php