TechStuff Canada

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Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:11 AM | Permalink

The Mac Business Unit at Microsoft has announced a $100 rebate for U.S. customers who buy Microsoft Office for Mac during this week's Black Friday shopping frenzy.

Unfortunately, Canadians are not eligible for the $100 rebate, but we can take advantage of another "suite" deal. How would you like to get Office 2004 and Office 2008 for just $189 plus tax?

When you buy Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac Standard Edition, Office 2004 for Mac Standard Edition Upgrade, or Office 2004 for Mac Student and Teacher Edition, we'll send you Office 2008 for Mac Special Media Edition (a $500 value) for FREE - you only pay shipping and handling.

Yes, you read that right. The Super Suite Deal applies even if you buy the student and teacher edition. Amazon.ca has it for $179 - a sweet deal indeed.

Follow this link to buy Office 2004 from Amazon.ca.
Follow this link to get the Super Suite Deal application form.

Update: The Apple online store has Office 2004 at $149 for its one-day Black Friday sale. That's $50 off the usual price.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:55 AM | Permalink

Apple subsidiary FileMaker has announced an interesting new product called Bento.

Bento is the new personal database from FileMaker that's as easy to use as a Mac.
Bento organizes all your important information in one place. So you can manage your contacts, coordinate events, track projects, prioritize tasks, and more -- faster and easier than ever before.

Unlike other FileMaker products, which are available for both PC and Mac computers, Bento is "designed exclusively for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard."

A free preview version of Bento is available for download from the FileMaker site. No price has been announced yet. (Update: Single user license will be $50; family pack will be $100.)

What's in a name?
According to Wikipedia, Bento is "a single-portion takeout or home-packed meal common in Japanese cuisine." This appears to be the metaphor for the product; the personal database is an empty box that you can fill with anything you like.

Long-time Apple fans may also remember that the OpenDoc compound document file format created by Apple was also called Bento.

I haven't had much time to play with Bento yet, but it looks promising. On the face of it, Bento's apparent focus on simplicity and function is a welcome departure from previous versions of FileMaker, which were powerful and feature-rich, but always seemed to require a team of consultants to set up and operate.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 8:56 AM | Permalink

Online retailer Amazon.com is testing an online store called Amazonmp3 -- a direct competitor for Apple's iTunes Store.

Amazonmp3 is not available outside the US yet, but I'm excited anyway because it doesn't use electronic copy protection (aka DRM). In other words, when you buy a song from Amazonmp3, you get a high quality digital version of the song with no electronic lockdown. It's a song you can freely enjoy, copy and use on any digital music player, not just iPods. I love iTunes, but this is very, very good for consumers.

If you like Amazon's latest offering, you can blame Apple:

The self-created headache for the industry is that the highly popular iPod and new iPhone only play music protected by Apple's proprietary FairPlay DRM solution or music that isn't protected at all. And Apple chairman Steve Jobs has repeatedly balked at licensing FairPlay for use on competing download services or devices.

Read more here.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 8:55 AM | Permalink

As noted here, the latest version of Google Earth contains a hidden feature: a basic flight simulator!

I haven't tried the Windows version yet, but the Mac version works.

It's not a true game yet. There are only two planes, no sound effects, no assigned missions, etc. It's more of a Superman simulator really -- you launch yourself into the air, then fly around, enjoying the view from the air as you swoop around.

It's very fun. Download here. The list of keyboard controls is here!

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:43 PM | Permalink

That didn't take long. Here's Apple's response to NBC's decision not to renew its iTunes contract:

iTunes Store To Stop Selling NBC Television Shows

Apple's agreement with NBC ends in December. Since NBC would withdraw their shows in the middle of the television season, Apple has decided to not offer NBC TV shows for the upcoming television season beginning in September. NBC supplied iTunes with three of its 10 best selling TV shows last season, accounting for 30 percent of iTunes TV show sales.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 8:57 PM | Permalink

The New York Times reports that NBC Universal will not renew its iTunes contract.

This means no more NBC television shows will be sold by the iTunes Store after the contract ends. That's especially sad news for viewers outside the US, many of whom have never had the chance to buy TV shows from the US-only service.

If you ask me, NBC is trying to avoid the unavoidable. They don't want to cede control of online video sales and distribution to Apple, but it's already too late. iTunes is the industry standard, the market leader, the 800 pound gorilla of online video sales. There simply is no direct competitor.

Of course, NBC could try to build an iTunes competitor.

Oh, wait. They are trying to build an iTunes competitor! Starting in October, TV shows from NBC and FOX will be available for download to testers of a new video service called Hulu.

Here's a blurb from the site:

The Hulu private beta will be available in October. In the interest of delivering a great customer experience and making sure that we can address any feedback that comes along the way, we're going to start small and grow iteratively in terms of the volumes of people that we invite to participate in the beta. Within that same timeframe, we will also be offering great programming through our distribution partner sites: AOL, Comcast, MSN, MySpace, and Yahoo.

I'm assuming that Hulu will become widely available by January 2008, when NBC's contract expires. I guess we'll see.

There's no word yet on whether Hulu will offer videos for sale to viewers outside the United States. (Yes there is. See below.)

Meanwhile, since no legal options exist, many Canadians will continue to share episodes of NBC shows via peer-to-peer networks. This is legally murky, since the courts have ruled that Canadian copyright law permit downloads of copyrighted material, but uploads are illegal. (Many people don't seem to care. If you browse P2P networks, you'll find plenty of video files uploaded by CTV and Global TV viewers.)

Speaking on behalf of Canadians who are willing to pay for legal downloads, I hope Hulu (and iTunes) will soon make American TV shows available to Canadians.

My wallet is ready and waiting. Sign me up.

Update: Sigh. The Hulu Terms of Use page answers my question:

EXPORT CONTROL
Unless otherwise specified, the materials on this Site are presented solely to for use in the United States, its territories, possessions and protectorates. This Site is controlled and operated by Hulu from its offices within the state of California, United States of America. Hulu makes no representation that materials on this Site are appropriate or available for use outside the United States and authorizes no one to do so. Those who choose to access the Site in contravention of the foregoing from outside the United States do so on their own initiative and are responsible for compliance with local laws, if and to the extent that local laws are applicable.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:03 PM | Permalink

Why is there more than one "standard" paper size?

Before the standards wars between Beta vs VHS or Blu-Ray vs HD-DVD, there was A4 vs US Letter.

Ever downloaded a document or received a file from a friend only to have it print out badly?
There are lots of potential causes of such problems: different typefaces available to the creator and the printer; different operating systems and different versions of the same operating systems exposing limitations in supposedly cross-platform standards; different printer engines, especially when crossing between ink-jet and laser; and so on.
An oft-overlooked cause of problems, however, is different paper sizes.

Read the article here: A4 vs US Letter by Brian Forte

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 7:59 PM | Permalink

This isn't new, but I saw it for the first time today:

Tech blogger and former Mac evangelist Guy Kawasaki suggests the following three guidelines for PowerPoint presentations:

1. No more than 10 slides.

2. No more than 20 minutes long.

3. No font smaller than 30 points.

Simple, yes?

If you must make a presentation with PowerPoint -- and I think there are many arguments against any use of PowerPoint -- these are some good guidelines to follow.

Read the whole thing here.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 8:41 PM | Permalink

Shiva Rajaraman, product manager for YouTube, said internal tests show more than 70 percent of people give up when they see a pre-roll. By contrast, less than 10 percent decide to close an overlay, which they can exit by clicking on an "X" in a corner. The overlay format also gives advertisers more flexibility, he said, because they aren't constrained to keeping a video ad at 15 or 30 seconds to avoid defection. Because a viewer chooses to watch, a video ad can run much longer - clicking on one pre-launch overlay launched a 2-minute trailer for "The Simpsons Movie."

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:46 PM | Permalink

Here's a great little story: software developer Andy Brice received more than a dozen software awards from web sites that never tested his software.

He knows they never tested it because the software doesn't work. His submission was not software at all; just a plain text file that does nothing (and even says it does nothing).

Read the details here: The software awards scam.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:28 PM | Permalink

This article provides a good explanation of the problem with copy-protected media.

Summary: Google Video is shutting down its download-to-own/rent program on August 15.

This will leave its customers with video clips that will no longer work.

Those who bought copy-protected files from Google Video will get a partial refund, but they won't be able to watch the clips they purchased once Google turns off the system.

This is why DRM is bad for consumers: after you buy the product, control of the product remains in the hands of the vendor.

Update: Google's decision has not been well received by customers, so they've have decided to refund purchase costs and let customers keep the Google Checkout credits they've already been issued. Which, ironically, makes the greedy part of me wish that I had bought or rented DRM'd videos from Google.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 4:05 PM | Permalink

The slow death of AppleWorks began in 2005 when Apple announced a new product called iWork.

"With iWork '05, we're building the successor to AppleWorks by taking advantage of the latest innovations in Mac OS X and iLife '05," said Sina Tamaddon, Apple's senior vice president of Applications. "iWork '05 makes it incredibly easy for anyone to create really great-looking documents, newsletters and presentations quickly and easily."

Now that Apple has added Numbers ("Spreadsheets the Mac way") to the iWork software suite, it seems that the successor is finally built. Last week's release of iWork '08 appears to mark the unofficial end of AppleWorks and the passing of the torch to its successor.

The closest thing to an official announcement is the disappearance of the AppleWorks web page. If you visit apple.com/appleworks today, it redirects your browser to the iWork web page.

iWork '08 doesn't have all the features available in a more expensive program like Mac Office, but it offers great user-friendly features for a lot less money -- just $79.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:19 PM | Permalink

According to this BBC story, tiny toner particles from some laser printers can cause lung damage.

An investigation of a range of printer models showed that almost a third emit potentially dangerous levels of toner into the air.
The Queensland University of Technology scientists have called on ministers to regulate these kinds of emissions.
They say some printers should come with a health warning.
The researchers carried out tests on more than 60 machines.
Almost one-third were found to emit ultra-tiny particles of toner-like material, so small that they can infiltrate the lungs and cause a range of health problems from respiratory irritation to more chronic illnesses.
Conducted in an open-plan office, the test revealed that particle levels increased five-fold during working hours, a rise blamed on printer use.
The problem was worse when new cartridges were used and when graphics and images required higher quantities of toner.

That settles it. Let's go back to hand-cranked Ditto machines. If I'm going to die from making copies, I want to go with a smile on my face.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:53 PM | Permalink

Another day, another new web site featuring short videos. This one looks interesting.

My Damn Channel offers exclusive original videos featuring (among others) comedian Harry Shearer, filmmaker David Wain and music producer Don Was. The new venture is the brainchild of former MTV and CBS Radio executive Rob Barnett.

From the site:

My Damn Channel is an entertainment studio and new media platform created to empower artists to co-produce, distribute and monetize original, episodic video content. Programming is created by artists for the My Damn Channel site and for syndication on today's most heavily-trafficked online communities and social networks. My Damn Channel gives its artists 100% creative control to develop their own brands and new storylines. My Damn Channel produces a diverse array of programming and... blah, blah, blah. Are you still reading this crap? This is the web age. People don't read anymore. If you really want to see what we're all about, check out PromoSexual.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:04 PM | Permalink

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:09 PM | Permalink

I just helped a friend move his e-mail messages and contacts from Outlook 2003 to Apple Mail using a little utility called O2M.

I highly recommend this program. It does one thing and does it well.

O2M successfully (and quickly) found all his e-mail messages and contacts, then converted them to file formats that Mail can import. The step-by-step instructions were simple, and easy to follow. It explained not only how to export the data from Outlook, but also how to import it into Apple Mail.

The cost? Just $10 -- well worth it considering the time I saved.

Note that O2M is for Microsoft Outlook, not Outlook Express.

Link: O2M from LittleMachines.com

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:26 PM | Permalink

Many popular web sites went offline today, thanks to a series of power surges in the SoMa district of San Francisco.

The power problem became worldwide news because it seems to have interrupted power to 365 Main, a busy data centre that provides connections for many well-known web properties. Sites known to be affected by the outage include Craigslist, Technorati, AdBrite, RedEnvelope, Yelp and all SixApart properties (Typepad, Livejournal and Vox).

Not long ago, fake news site The Onion predicted that something like this would happen. The headline for their fake news report was "All Online Data Lost After Internet Crash."

According to O'Reilly Radar, 365 Main issued a back-patting press release this morning that (ironically) celebrated two years of uninterrupted uptime for RedEnvelope, one of their customers. As of this writing, the 365 Main site makes no mention of the service outage, but the press release is gone.

Update: 365 Main responds to questions

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:55 PM | Permalink

My friend (and my pastor) Darryl Dash comments on his relationship with Apple Inc.

I hate Apple... my MacBook Pro's hard drive has failed and it's less than a year old. It's in for repair and it won't be back until the week is almost over.

I love Apple... thanks to SuperDuper! I have an up-to-date mirror of the failed drive on an external disk. I just plugged it into Charlene's iMac, booted from the external drive, and I've been working as if it's my computer all day.

Can't figure out what to think about this crazy company.

Apple quality control seems to have slipped over the past few years. Maybe Steve Jobs needs more hours in the day to run a computer company, a music company, a phone company, a chain of retail stores and a movie studio?

Darryl's previous portable, an iBook, was one of the models affected by the dreaded logic board failure problem. I hope he has a better time with this MacBook Pro after this problem gets cleared up.

Mac users everywhere should take a tip from Darryl and get SuperDuper! backup software.

Back up your important data. Do it now before it's too late!

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:49 PM | Permalink

The open source video player software formerly known as Democracy Player has a new name: Miro.

What is Miro?

Miro is a free, open-source software project led by a non-profit organization. It's a platform that benefits everyone by keeping online video open. Our organization isn't controlled by venture capitalists or stockholders, which means we always put our users first.
Open video will only have a real impact if it can reach a mass audience. Your ideas and efforts work better than any paid marketing campaign, because it comes from somewhere real.

Read the Miro FAQ for more information.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 7:16 PM | Permalink

Simply put, write shorter e-mail messages.

The problem, explained so well here by Mike Davidson, is that e-mail messages can dump unwanted responsibility on us. A quick question sent by e-mail can require 10-30 minutes of response time -- time we don't really have.

Mike proposes we fight e-mail overload with sentenc.es.

The Problem

E-mail takes too long to respond to, resulting in continuous inbox overflow for those who receive a lot of it.

The Solution

Treat all email responses like SMS text messages, using a set number of letters per response. Since it's too hard to count letters, we count sentences instead.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 3:18 PM | Permalink

Hmm. Should I be concerned that this story strikes a chord with me?

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 3:13 PM | Permalink

&CRN reports that all of the 11.6 million Xbox 360total hardware failure.

Microsoft will extend Xbox 360 warranty coverage to three years. The company has not announced any plans to recall or exchange the flawed machines.

The extended warranty period is limited to hardware failures indicated by three flashing red lights on the console. Users of consoles suffering from such problems are entitled to free repairs and shipping.

Continue reading "Microsoft admits Xbox 360 problem" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:16 PM | Permalink

News from this week's E3 conference includes word of another smart game idea from Nintendo: Wii Fit.

The active-play phenomenon started by Wii Sports now spreads to your whole body thanks to the pressure-sensitive Wii Balance Board (name not final), which comes packed with Wii Fit. The board is used for an extensive array of fun and dynamic activities, including aerobics, yoga, muscle stretches and games. Many of these activities focus towards providing a "core" workout, a popular exercise method that emphasizes slower, controlled motions. Family members will have fun staying active and talking about and comparing their results and progress on a new channel on the Wii Menu.

Wii Fit is another smart appeal to people who have never seriously considered themselves video game players. While Sony and Microsoft are fighting tooth and nail for a slice of the hardcore gamer pie, Nintendo is enlarging the pie, and baking new pies. (Whoops! I think I broke my analogy.)

Business and competition aside, Wii Fit looks like a lot of fun. Check out the preview video here.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:49 PM | Permalink

TUAW notes that the latest update to Apple's QuickTime media player software includes a big new feature: the ability to view videos in full screen in the regular QuickTime Player.

Until now, support for full screen viewing has required a paid upgrade to QuickTime Pro. It's been a long time coming.

So why would anyone pay $30 for the Pro version? You still need QuickTime Pro to save QuickTime movies to your disk, or to convert video files to different formats. Read more about Pro features here.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 7:20 PM | Permalink

If you like quirky music, delightful surprises await on The 1920's Radio Network.

How to get it:
- launch iTunes
- in the left column, select Radio as your source
- in the right column, click the triangle next to Eclectic
- scroll to the bottom of the list of Eclectic stations
- click on The 1920's Radio Network to start listening

Enjoy! Thanks to Merlin Mann, who mentioned this recently on MacBreak Weekly. You were right, Merlin. It's great!

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 3:43 PM | Permalink

The big news from WWDC, Apple's developer conference, is the release of Safari for Windows – a new web browser that will compete with Internet Explorer and other browsers like Firefox and Opera.

This announcement, combined with the news that software for the iPhone will run in Safari, gives a clue about Apple's strategy: cool software written for the iPhone will also work in Safari – on Mac and Windows.

Link: Safari 3 public beta

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:28 PM | Permalink

Mark Pilgrim, a Mac user who switched to Linux one year ago, offers an interesting perspective on software updates.

link

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:04 PM | Permalink

A delay on the TTC this morning sent me scrambling to make a call from a Bell pay phone.

When I reached the front of the line, I dropped in my quarter and dialed the number. "Please insert twenty-five cents," said the recorded voice.

Huh, I thought. There's something wrong with this phone. I hung up, retrieved my quarter, then tried dialing the number first. "Please insert fifty cents," said the recorded voice.

Pardon?!

Continue reading "Bell doubles the cost of pay phone calls" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:34 PM | Permalink

Some thoughts about the Palm Foleo, which was announced Wednesday at D5. I had a chance to see one at a press event in Toronto.

What it's not
Palm describes Foleo as a "mobile companion" - a brand new product category. Foleo is not a notebook computer (or a subnotebook or a notebook replacement). It doesn't have a hard drive or a CD/DVD drive.

Foleo will have a full-featured Opera web browser, but Palm says YouTube videos will stutter and mp3 files may not play well. Foleo is not a media player.

Continue reading "Palm Foleo - first impressions" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 4:07 PM | Permalink

What kind of amazing technology can connect distant acquaintances and destroy marriages at the same time?

Hmm. Come to think of it, a lot of new technology has done this very well. By providing an instant, always-on connection, pagers and cell phones and BlackBerrys (BlackBerries?) have given us new ways to meet friends and ignore our spouses at dinner.

But this item is about Twitter, a new service that connects and destroys more efficiently than ever before.

Continue reading "Twitter threatens friendships, marriages" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:52 PM | Permalink

I've been neglecting this site (again) thanks to a great new job.

I'm currently working as a technical writer at the CBC in Toronto. I'm working on an internal project that has very little to do with consumer technology.

The learning curve was steep, and the new job has been consuming most of my time and creative energy, but I intend to return to blogging several times per week, both here and on TasteBuddy.ca.

More to come.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:20 PM | Permalink

Whenever I watch NFL football on TV, I find myself distracted by the technology.

One of the most fascinating on-screen effects is the first-down indicator. A blue line on the screen shows where the play began, and a yellow line shows how far the team has to go to get a first down.

The players and the fans in the stadium can't see these lines. They're not really there, and they move with the play. But to the viewers at home, these lines appear to be painted on the field. In fact, when the players and the referees walk past, the lines appear to be under and behind them.

So how is this done?

Continue reading "Super Bowl technology" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 8:44 PM | Permalink

Canadian DVD rental giant Zip.ca has announced a contest to celebrate its success.

One lucky member will win a 10-year membership and $1,000 to spend at Best Buy, just by adding a new movie to his or her Ziplist -- the page that records their DVD rental requests.

Visitors to the Zip.ca site will be able to see the progress of the counter until it gets very close to the milestone, probably in early March. As of this morning, more than 9.1 million titles have been added to customers' Ziplists.

Continue reading "Zip.ca celebrates DVD shipping milestone" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 7:36 AM | Permalink

Apple CEO Steve Jobs stepped into the spotlight today in San Francisco and announced two big new products.

Apple TV (pre-announced last year as "iTV") is a wireless gadget that bridges the gap between TV and computer. With Apple TV, you can use your big screen TV with your computer to view movies, video, and photos, and listen to digital music. Apple TV will be available in February for US $299.

That was the warm-up act. The big news of the day is the iPhone, the long-rumoured and much-anticipated Apple-designed cell phone.

Continue reading "Macworld news: Apple TV and iPhone" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:17 PM | Permalink

Attention, last-minute Christmas shoppers: the warranty on the Xbox 360 game console has been increased from 90 days to one year!

This change is retroactive -- it applies both to new purchases and to customers in Canada and the U.S. who bought an Xbox 360 in the past year. Better still, customers who paid for out-of-warranty repairs in the past year will be reimbursed.

If you're thinking of buying an Xbox 360 as a gift, please note that there are two different Xbox 360 consoles. The "Core" system is less expensive, but is missing some important features. Follow this link to compare the two.

Continue reading "Xbox 360 gets one-year warranty" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:17 AM | Permalink

My Junk mail folder is brimming with offers to sell me a copy of Windows Vista Ultimate (a.k.a. the good version) for $79.95.

That's more than $300 off the retail purchase price. It's a steal!

No, really -- it's a steal. They're stealing from you, or they're stealing from Microsoft, or both. The real Windows Vista won't be available until January 30, and it won't be sold by a third party as a software download. It will come in a box (or with a new PC) and it will be sold for a hefty price.

This really should go without saying, but I'll say it anyway: Do not respond to email requests to visit strange Web sites and give them your credit card information.

If you get an email message like the one below from "DS Team," mark it as spam and delete it. This is a clumsy attempt to rip you off.

Continue reading "Windows Vista Ultimate for $79.95" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 8:44 PM | Permalink

Sanyo's new DVD Boomer looks interesting.

It's a DVD player in "boombox" format, combining DVD video playback with CD audio, AM/FM radio, and even karaoke.

Given all the features, the $220 price tag is remarkable.

Continue reading "Sanyo's new DVD boombox" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:01 AM | Permalink

Who makes the best-selling video game machine? It depends on how you spin the numbers.

Based on the U.S. sales figures in this article, Nintendo's new Wii console is outselling Sony's PS3 more than two to one.

The PS3 launched Nov.17 and sold 197,000 units by month's end. This was less than half the sales of the Wii, which launched two days later and sold 476,000 units by November 30.

Continue reading "Which video game console is most popular?" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:12 PM | Permalink

One of my clients called me recently, with panic in her voice. Her PC had been showing symptoms of a hard drive problem. When she turned it off then on again, the PC did not start as usual. Instead, it displayed an error message, then stalled.

Uh-oh.

After some detective work and several Google searches, we were able to recover her hard drive long enough to back up her data.

Continue reading "How to recover from a hard drive crash" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 4:18 PM | Permalink

There's a good article about spam (junk email) in today's New York Times. The author is Brad Stone. Here's the link:
Spam Doubles, Finding New Ways to Deliver Itself

If your Inbox is filled with junk, you're not alone. Spam is on the rise again, thanks to some new techniques that are making spam smarter than the current junk filters.

The biggest new problems are image spam and "zombie" computers.

Continue reading "Are we losing the war against junk email?" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:41 PM | Permalink

"I'm a Mac."

"And buy a PC."

So begins the latest ad from Apple, in which actors Justin Long and John Hodgman reprise their roles as talking computers.

The Get a Mac campaign gets its message across in an entertaining way, and it seems to be helping Mac computer sales.

The new TV ads are airing during many popular prime time TV shows, but you can also view them online at Apple.com.

Continue reading "Three new "Get a Mac" ads from Apple" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:37 AM | Permalink

McAfee 's Avert Labs has released a list of predictions for the top security threats of 2007. After surveying the damage done this year, the big brains who spend their work hours sifting through spam, spyware, and other techno-junk have looked ahead.

What they see is not pretty.

Continue reading "2007 security threat predictions" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:51 AM | Permalink

So, it has come to this: HMV in Canada has decided to implement an online lottery to sell its limited stock of PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii game consoles.

"We understand the challenge consumers are facing trying to secure these popular items," says Humphrey Kadaner, President, HMV Canada. "HMV values its customers and this is our way of ensuring we're giving consumers an equal chance to buy the Wii or PS3."

Continue reading "Game machines sold by lottery at HMV" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:45 AM | Permalink

Maybe the best way to understand the fuss about the Nintendo Wii is to watch this video.
Go ahead. I'll wait.

The video shows a young man playing a driving game. The object of the game is to keep a fast-moving truck on the road, and beat the other drivers to the finish line. It's harder than it looks.

Notice how he steers the truck. In addition to moving the controller, he moves from side to side, leaning into the corners, turning his whole body.

Continue reading "The genius of the Wii controller" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:55 AM | Permalink

When Sony released the second PlayStation game machine, one of its best features was "backward compatibility" with older games. In addition to the new games released for PS2, the new system could play games released for the original PlayStation.

This was a very smart move on Sony's part, because there were hundreds of PlayStation games available at the time (and not a lot of next generation games available for the PS2). Furthermore, it set them apart Nintendo and Sega, whose game machines were not compatible with their previous game titles.

Sony promised the same backward compatibility for this year's model, the PS3. Older games released for the PS2 are supposed to work on this new game machine.

But when the PS3 was released in Japan last weekend, consumers were told that some older games are not supported by the new system.

Continue reading "PS3 has problems with some older games" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 3:32 PM | Permalink

Why has the iPod been such a huge success? Sure, it's easy to use, and the click wheel is cool, but there's more to it than that.

The success of iPod has a lot to do with Apple's ability to control the whole widget. It's not just about the iPod player; it's also about the iTunes music software, the iTunes store, and the tight integration of all three parts.

Microsoft's soon-to-be-released Zune music player will take a page from Apple's playbook. The device will be integrated with special Zune software, and with an online store called Zune Marketplace.

Continue reading "Microsoft Zune versus Apple iPod" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:36 AM | Permalink

Would you like to know how to protect your Windows-based computer from viruses, worms, spyware, and other threats? There is a way; a simple one-step solution to prevent these common computer problems.

You don't have to read any manuals, or switch to Mac or Linux, or explore the Windows Registry.

Not only does this simple solution protect you from 100% of computer malware; it also guarantees that your computer will never crash again.

Best of all, this fix is completely free. It will cost you nothing. In fact, it will save you money, because you can stop using security software.

You heard me right: you will no longer need to buy anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-hacker software to protect your PC.

Read on to find out how your PC can be 100% secure and crash-free.

Continue reading "One easy step to make Windows 100% secure" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:42 AM | Permalink

Welcome to the new and improved TechStuff Canada.

The colours and layout have changed. The publishing engine has been updated, cleaned and polished. Most of the dead links have been found and removed.

Now what?

Continue reading "The official relaunch" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:36 PM | Permalink

This is part 3 of 3. Have you read part 1 and part 2?

In the summer of 2005, I was fresh from my Rogers contract, looking for work, and wondering what to do about TechStuff. Armed with the knowledge that a Web-based publication requires more than just your spare time, I hesitated to relaunch the site until I knew where I would be working.

Around this time I got a call from my friend Darryl Dash, the senior pastor at Richview, our church. Darryl asked to meet with me and Lori, to discuss Something Important.

Continue reading "The history of TechStuff - part 3" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:30 AM | Permalink

In the fall of 2004, my Mac focus paid off. I was hired by Rogers Media to help the Publishing division with its transition to Mac OS X.

Continue reading "The history of TechStuff - part 2" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:29 AM | Permalink

Hi. My name is Sandy McMurray. This is the story of TechStuff Canada.

I began publishing my tech writing on the Web in 1995. It was self defense at first.

I was working for the Toronto Sun newspaper. Every week, after my column was published, I would hear from readers who asked me to send the column by email.

Even then, I knew this was a slippery slope. If no one bought the paper, why should the paper pay me?

Continue reading "The history of TechStuff - part 1" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:28 AM | Permalink

Do you need a new computer? Wall Street Journal columnist Walt Mossberg suggests you should wait until next spring, when you can buy a new PC pre-loaded with Windows Vista.

Or buy a Mac.

Continue reading "New PC? Wait for Windows Vista" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:22 PM | Permalink

The new album from Barenaked Ladies is available on CD, in record stores, as usual. You can also buy it from the iTunes store if you're so inclined.

But wait! There's more! There's an old school vinyl version of the record. (Yes, I said "record.")

And there are two new digital formats: unprotected mp3, and FLAC audio.

What's the big deal?

Continue reading "Barenaked Ladies' big risk" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:42 AM | Permalink

If you have an email account, you have probably noticed a spike in junk mail (aka "spam") in your Inbox.

Unlike the usual spam messages, which promote discount drugs, grey market software, and impotence cures, this campaign is pushing a penny stock.

Why send hundreds of thousands of messages to promote a specific stock? The answer is pretty obvious when you think about it. The goal is to convince as many people as possible to buy some stock, to drive the price up.

But the campaign is not orchestrated by the company. It's a common fraud strategy called pump and dump.

Continue reading "Pump and dump junk mail" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:49 AM | Permalink

Apple has announced official support for Windows on Mac hardware, via new software called Boot Camp.

The just-released free beta version of Boot Camp makes it possible to exit Mac OS X and "reboot" in Windows XP. (You need a new Intel-based Mac, plus a real copy of Windows XP software to take advantage of the Boot Camp software.)

Continue reading "Boot Camp brings Windows to Macs" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:36 PM | Permalink

The pranksters have been hard at work, putting together April Fool's jokes to surprise and amuse.

Here's a roundup of some of the jokes:
 • new iPod ad is visible from space
 • NBC public service announcements from The Office
 • ThinkGeek selling caffeine inhalers and wireless extension cords
 • Blizzard Entertainment's new restaurant chain, BurgerCraft
 • Steve Jobs freed from captivity (That explains Apple & Intel!)
 • Microsoft blogger Robert Scoble announces new job at Google
 • Google Romance appears to be a joke, but Gmail was launched on April 1.
 • Microsoft buys MS Office competitor OpenOffice.org
 • HomeStar is upside down!
 • blogging tools WordPress and TextPattern merged to create WordPattern
 • Xbox 360 now fully compatible with older Xbox games (ha!)
 • GameSpot announces World of Starcraft
 • 3D Realms finally releases video game Duke Nukem Forever!
 • Huh? Corporation. (Not a new joke, but it's still funny.)

Continue reading "April Fool's Day 2006" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:33 AM | Permalink

According to this Variety article about Sony CEO Howard Stringer, we should not expect to see the PlayStation 3 before November.

Sony's new PlayStation 3 was widely expected to be introduced this spring, but will be delayed as the company fine-tunes the chips that are crucial to the success of the console's Blu-ray function. [See below for details about Blu-ray.]

The PlayStation 3 --- which is being called "the poor man's Blu-ray" --- is vital to Sony's plans because it plays Blu-ray discs as well as videogames.

Sony will roll out the PS3 by year end, in time for the holidays. If PS3 "delivers what everyone thinks it will, the game is up," Stringer boasts.

Blu-ray is the system developed by Sony to view next-generation high-definition DVDs. Rival format HD DVD is championed by Toshiba. Microsoft recently joined the HD DVD camp, a move that came as its Xbox 360 videogame console is trying to grab market share from PlayStation, the industry leader.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:35 AM | Permalink

My son Alex has a new iPod nano. It's the latest release -- the 1 GB model, which holds 240 songs. Alex chose stylish black over the standard milky white colour. He has already transferred several CDs (and audio clips from Homestar Runner) to his new portable music player.

Before we could escape from the Apple retail store in Toronto, Alex discovered the giant wall of iPod accessories. He bought a wallet style iPod case, and I bought him an A/C connector for the rechargeable battery. (More on that in a moment.)

The iPod nano was a birthday gift from both sets of grandparents, who probably muttered darkly about "kids today and their high tech toys" before sealing their money inside the birthday card envelope.

Actually, the grandparents were quite cheerful about it. I'm the one that's muttering. I'm jealous. Alex is the first person in our family to own an iPod.

Continue reading "New iPod nano in the house" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 4:44 PM | Permalink

A couple of weeks ago, over dinner, I mentioned to my wife Lori that Nintendo was about to release a new version of its popular handheld game console. The current version is known as Nintendo DS. The new version, which just launched in Japan, is called the DS Lite.

Since our daughter's birthday was approaching, Lori decided to ask about the DS Lite at a local game store. Naturally, the clerks knew nothing about it. After all, news of its existence was less than 48 hours old.

The DS Lite is now officially available for sale, but only in Japan, and only if you are willing to pay through the nose. I have no idea when it will be available in North America.

I was excited about the DS Lite because of its improved design and shape. The case is thinner and smaller, but the screen is the same size.

In addition to being lighter, the DS is also brighter -- as you can see from the picture above (source: CTU Kyoto, via 4 Color Rebellion). That's not just brighter. It's much brighter.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:24 PM | Permalink

The beginning of a new month is as good a time as any to post an update, and get back in the habit of regular posting. I've been preoccupied by health concerns for a couple of weeks. Nearly everyone in the house was hit by a nasty stomach virus. At the same time, my wife Lori was fighting an infected tooth. (The tooth lost.)

We're on the mend now, and I'm back at work. Fresh postings to follow.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:00 AM | Permalink

For some, this question is easy.
The Xbox 360 is new and shiny. What's not to like?

However, for those who don't have money to burn, GameSpot compares the Xbox 360, and asks if it's really worth it to upgrade now.

Link: Xbox vs. Xbox 360: Do you really need HD?

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 4:14 PM | Permalink

Are you tired? Tense? Anxious about something?
Visit this site to relax.*

Use your mouse pointer to steer, and fly through the clouds like Superman.

Update: Windows users may also want to look at this game.

* Unless you're desperately afraid of heights. Virtual heights.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:58 PM | Permalink

Make magazine is for people who like to take things apart and put them back together.

If you know someone who prefers do-it-yourself to pre-packaged tech, you should read Make's Mostly Under $100 Gift Guide.

For more great gifts for geeks, see ThinkGeek.com.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 3:46 AM | Permalink

The new Xbox 360 game console was in short supply during its first week of existence. This led to some disappointed fans, some pushing and shoving in lineups, some price gouging, and at least one armed robbery.

The foolishness appears to have reached its peak on eBay, where at least three empty Xbox 360 boxes (yes, empty boxes) were sold for hundreds of dollars. Buyers apparently were so keen to get an Xbox 360 at any price that they did not notice warnings like "this auction does not include the game console itself, or any of the items listed here except the empty box."

See the auction listings here, here, and here.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:38 AM | Permalink

Download Squad has some good tips to improve iTunes for Windows. The post mentions several useful add-on programs, including iTunesKeys and idleTunes.

idleTunes has a host of useful features:
- find and insert album artwork into tracks
- copy iTunes playlists to any MP3 player
- export iTunes playlists as M3U, PLS, or B4S
- remove "dead" tracks from your library
- create playlists for all of the albums in your library
- create playlists for all of the artists in your library
- delete user playlists

By far the coolest feature of idleTunes is the way that it makes iTunes compatible with non-iPod portable music players, including intelligently renaming files when copying a playlist onto a screenless flash player to ensure the play order stays intact. Brilliant! And did I mention it’s free?

Finally, no post about how to fix iTunes would be complete without some directions on how to clean up your library and get consistent ID3 tags. For that, I'll direct you to Connected Internet, who has a great primer on how to use MusicBrainz Tagger to rationalize your music collection. It takes some time, but MusicBrainz makes it as quick and painless as it can be, and the results are definitely worth it.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:54 PM | Permalink

I spent some time recently exploring the market for used iBook portable computers. I'm especially interested in the last generation of the clamshell iBook (iBook SE), but my hunt led me to good markets for all kinds of used Macs.

Here are some of the links I bookmarked:

Continue reading "Used iBooks and PowerBooks" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:09 AM | Permalink

Pandora is personal radio that learns what you like.

Give Pandora the name of a song or an artist you like and it responds with similar music. Tell Pandora when you love or hate the song that's playing, and it learns and changes your personal radio stations. If you really like a song, Pandora makes it easy to buy the track from iTunes or Amazon. (At least, that's the way it will work when the finished product launches.)

There are other music recommendation services, of course. There's last.fm, which does a good job of suggesting music you might like based on the taste of other users. That's a cool idea.

But Pandora is different. It matches the style and instrumentation of the music you suggest. If you make a personal radio station based on Bruce Hornsby, you're going to get a lot of piano music. If you make a station based on Enya, you're not likely to hear much acoustic guitar. It's not just a recommendation service along the lines of Amazon's People who bought A also bought B -- it's something else.

Pandora plans to charge US$36 per year when it officially launches, but you can preview it for free right now. Visit Pandora.com and enter your e-mail address to request an invitation to join the free preview.

You can read more about Pandora here and here and here.

Or just go here and get it!

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:53 PM | Permalink

Unless you're Oprah, mainstream publishers haven't been panting to publish a magazine about you. And, if you are Oprah - pick a weight, girlfriend.

Don't despair.

Now, you can do it yourself, thanks to the handy Magazine Cover, Flickr toy. Flickr is a photo-sharing site that has sparked a ton of cool add-on applications.

To use the Magazine Cover, just pick a Flickr image, then add a snappy magazine title, headlines and subheads. Then, share your work on in the Flickr magazine cover pool. That's so, YOU, isn't it, hanging out with the A list around the pool?

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 3:36 PM | Permalink

What does the name Panasonic mean to you? Does it make you think of TVs, stereos, VCRs, and telephones? Maybe it reminds you of the company's rugged Toughbook portable computers.

Did you know that Panasonic also makes vacuums? I had no idea until recently, when I noticed the MC-V7720 upright bagless vacuum on Panasonic's list of 2005 consumer products.

(The company also makes microwave ovens, air conditioners and massage chairs, but I was interested in the vacuum.)

Continue reading "Panasonic makes vacuums?!" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:11 PM | Permalink

When you get tired of Solitaire and you need a little mental stimulation, try this: Games for the Brain has some terrific brain teasers and word games.

Check it out:
gamesforthebrain.com

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:51 PM | Permalink

If you've been using the Web for any length of time, you've probably discovered the Internet Movie Database. This site is a treasure trove of information about film and television actors, directors and productions.

Whenever I finish watching a movie or TV show, I turn to the IMDB for information. When I'm asking, "Where do I know that guy from?" the IMDB has the answers.

This week, it was Batman Begins. I couldn't place the actor who plays mob boss Carmine Falcone, but IMDB reminded me that he was Tom Wilkinson - the doctor in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. So there.

Put it on your short list of must-have bookmarks:
http://www.imdb.com/

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 8:36 PM | Permalink

The new Mighty Mouse from Apple aims to combine one-button simplicity with multi-button power. It features four programmable buttons and a new 360-degree Scroll Ball for easier movement on the screen.

Mighty Mouse can plug into any USB port, and works with Mac, Windows XP, and Windows 2000 systems. It will sell for $65 (US$49).

Continue reading "Apple's Mighty Mouse" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:08 AM | Permalink

Build a city, one block at a time, while the clock is ticking.

Hurry up!

Stackopolis is fun at first, but the difficulty level increases very quickly. By Level 4, this addicting game becomes nearly impossible, or so it seems to me. Let me know how far you get.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:32 PM | Permalink

Digital music players like Apple's popular iPod will continue to be exempt from the levy that's charged on cassettes and other blank media in Canada. Here's the CP news story (via Canoe):

The fight over a levy on iPods and other digital music devices ended Thursday when the Supreme Court of Canada refused to hear any further arguments on the matter.

That means there will be no levy applied to digital audio recorders such as Apple's popular iPod and iPod Shuffle as well as other MP3 players like iRiver.

"Obviously we're disappointed. We felt it was self-evident that those products are sold for the purpose of copying music," said David Basskin, of the Canadian Private Copying Collective, the non-profit agency that collects tariffs on behalf of musicians and record companies.

The group had wanted the high court to overturn last year's Federal Court of Appeal decision, which quashed the levy on the popular gadgets.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 4:22 PM | Permalink

Avoider is a free Web game that challenges you to keep your arrow pointer safe from a little man who tries to grab it.

At first it seems easy, because he's just jumping and grabbing, but it gets harder.

Link: OneMoreLevel.com

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 4:29 PM | Permalink

A Russian design studio has come up with a clever design for computer keyboards. The Optimus keyboard from Art. Lebedev Studio has tiny digital displays that change the printing on each key, depending on which computer program you're using.

Imagine the possibilities! Not only could the keyboard instantly adapt to different language settings, but it could also change to highlight specific keyboard commands used in programs like Photoshop, or when playing computer games like Quake.

The Optimus keyboard is just a design so far, but the company says it will be a real product, possibly by next year. We'll see. Given that the projected cost of each keyboard will be high ("less than a good mobile phone") I'm not sure how many customers they'll have.

Still, it's a cool idea.

Continue reading "Cool Customized Keyboard" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:16 AM | Permalink

The next version of Windows now has an official name and launch date.

The system software formerly known by the code name "Longhorn" will be called Windows Vista and is scheduled to launch in 2006.

The first beta (test) release of Windows Vista will be made available to developers and IT professionals next month, on August 3.

Related Links
- Windows Vista name announcement video (requires Windows Media Player)
- Where did the code name Longhorn come from?

Continue reading "Windows Vista is coming" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:00 AM | Permalink

In honour of the first manned Moon landing on July 20, 1969, Google Maps and Google Earth present Google Moon: Lunar Landing Sites - a combination of NASA images and Google software.

See the sites where Apollo astronauts made their landings, then zoom in all the way to the Moon's surface for a special treat!

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 8:50 PM | Permalink

Take 2 Interactive has announced that the ESRB game rating for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas has officially been changed from Mature (M) to Adults Only 18+ (AO).

The rating change is related to the unauthorized "Hot Coffee" software update, which unlocks sexually explicit material in the game.

Continue reading "Hot Coffee burns game makers" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 4:35 PM | Permalink

My son Alex and I have spent way too much time this week playing Burnout 3 on Xbox. This video game, published by EA, combines the thrill of car racing with the destructive fun of Smash-Up Derby. (Does anyone else remember Smash Up Derby?)

There are two types of driving video games. Simulations, like Gran Turismo, are a little too real for my taste. I prefer arcade games that help me pretend that I can drive around a corner at 200 MPH without crashing.

Burnout 3 goes one step further: it actually rewards you for crashing into other vehicles. In addition to the racing part of the game, which includes bonuses for knocking other drivers off the track, there's a section that rewards you for wrecking as many vehicles as possible in a metal inferno.

I know Burnout 3 is not a new game, but I've just discovered it, and it's fun. Check it out.

Continue reading "Crashing for Fun" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 4:12 PM | Permalink

Currently playing in my head: In the Arms of a Woman by Amos Lee. What a voice!

Lee's label, Blue Note Records, makes it easy for you to hear (and buy) the song. This is some good marketing.

BlueNote provides links to Amazon and to the iTunes Music Store on Lee's site, so you can hear short samples of his music. But that's not all. On AmosLee.com you can listen to three whole tracks without downloading or installing anything. All you need is a browser. (The player uses Macromedia Flash technology, which is built into most Web browsers.)

Listen for free: this is In the Arms of a Woman by Amos Lee.

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Some people can type 70 words per minute and never look at the keyboard. Me, for instance. But how to show off this amazing ability and cause people around you to gasp and stare and point?

Enter Das Keyboard, the perfect gift for confident geeks who can type without looking down. Since it has no marks on its keys, Das Keyboard requires you to know what you're typing. Ideal for ubergeeks, show-off touch-typists, and Dvorak enthusiasts who have better things to do than rearrange the keys (or the stickers) on Qwerty keyboards.

IBM keyboard fans will probably want to stick with the SpaceSaver II.

Das Keyboard comes in any colour you like, as long as it's dark grey.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:06 PM | Permalink

The current TV ad campaign for Dyson vacuums presents a clear marketing message: the Dyson upright is technologically superior to vacuums that use bags and filters.

Company founder James Dyson calmly explains, in a crisp British accent, that bags and filters eventually clog, which reduces suction. This does not happen with a Dyson, he says. Not ever.

The style of the ads grabs me. When Dyson concludes by saying, "I just think things should work properly," I find myself reaching for my wallet. That's good marketing. I'm lucky there's no 800 number to call.

In fact, Dyson products are not yet available in Canada. The ads I'm seeing are on American TV stations, aimed at American consumers.

Tech Stuff in Plain Language gets my attention. I'm getting worked up about the worldwide distribution of a vacuum cleaner.

Maybe I should go lie down for a bit.

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Continue reading "Two Lineups I Won't Be In" »

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Continue reading "Game Consoles Go to Next Level" »

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Continue reading "To Do: Report in on Organizing Tools" »

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Continue reading "Torn About VOIP Ruling" »

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Continue reading "An Eye for an Ear" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 8:16 AM | Permalink

Interested in doing your own podcast? Sure you are. Here are a few tips I learned from doing my first one a couple of weeks ago:

1) Put your money where your mouth is,
Get a good vocal microphone. An inexpensive recorder will sound better with a good mike. A great recorder can sound terrible with a cheap mike. Plan on spending about $100 on a decent mike (that's relatively inexpensive, good ones can run $800+).
2) Plan on buying more than one mike
Not all mikes do all things well. Most interviews are recorded in mono, but most "soundseeing" tours are done in stereo.
The rule of three

Continue reading "Podcasting Coach" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 8:35 AM | Permalink

Can an iPod serve double duty as a Personal Digital Assitant (PDA)? That's what I'm going to find out in the next few weeks. I just picked up a 20 gig Apple iPod. Great, but, compared to my svelte iPod Shuffle, it's off-diet Oprah next to Calista Flockhart. When I'm out and about, I carry my cellphone, my Moleskine notebook, sometimes my Tungsten C PDA and, now, perhaps my new iPod. Time to put my belt on Jenny Craig. But how?

Continue reading "iPod as PDA?" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 7:45 AM | Permalink

Last week I promised I'd share more about my podcasting adventures. Today, I'm pleased to announce Radio Fireball, a downloadable MP3 audio show I've developed with the Faculty of Engineering at McMaster University.

I'll be doing four podcasts over the course of the summer. They're all aimed at encouraging students to consider studying engineering at McMaster. It's the first time I know of that a Canadian university has used podcasting to appeal to students. It took Lucy Sheung at Mac about five seconds to decide to jump on it. Very cool.

I recorded most of the audio using a flash memory MP3 recorder from iRiver with a very nice audio-technica mic plugged into it. I assembled the podcast in Apple's Garageband and recorded bridging narration straight into Garageband using an external USB mixer. I also used Amadeus and Sound Soap to clean up and fine edit the audio tracks. Hope you like it. More details later this week.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 3:10 AM | Permalink

Last night I listened to a great interview podcaster Chris Pirillo did with techno-activist-author Cory Doctorow.

I've been a fan of Doctorow's posts on my favourite weblog, Boing Boing, for some time now. But, until a few hours ago, I'd never heard him speak.

Doctorow is an engaging, articulate man who makes so much sense about digital copyright, online book distribution and stolen underpants (you have to listen) that, in a perfect world, record industry boffins should just listen to him and change their evil ways.

One of my favourite parts of the interview is when Doctorow describes his latest novel, set in Toronto.

Doctorow: It's your basic family revenge, wireless networking, First Amendment effort, network infrastructure, contemporary fantasy (beat) love story.
Pirillo: Well, they just added that section to the Barnes and Noble, so I know exactly where to find it.

When was the last time you heard wit that fast on the radio? Podcasts? I'm lovin' 'em.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 7:57 AM | Permalink

Regular readers of TechStuff know that I'm a news and politics junkie. I was one of the dozen or so Canadians outside of Ottawa who looked forward to hearing the Prime Minister speak last night.

Mr. Martin's address was scheduled for 7:45pm, and I made a point of tuning in. Imagine my surprise when I turned on the TV looking for pre-speech coverage, and found that the main event was already over at 7:15.

What followed was reaction speeches and discussion by pundits and journalists. They showed clips of the speech (and opposition reaction) but the Prime Minister's address was not replayed at 7:45 -- at least, not on the channels I checked. So much for that.

Kudos to the Globe & Mail, which has posted the full text of Paul Martin's speech on its Web site. The Globe also has the text of the responses from Mr. Harper and Mr. Layton. (Bloc leader Duceppe's speech is conspicuously absent. Perhaps they will add it later.)

Meanwhile, Dose.ca has posted the Prime Minister's speech as a series of video clips, suggesting that readers should use the clips to have some fun with video editing. Which raises the question: What music goes perfectly with a mash-up video of Paul Martin's statement?

Update: You can watch the leaders' statements online at CTV.ca or CBC.ca.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 8:37 AM | Permalink

I've recently joined the proud cloister of podcasters (more on this next week). In the process, I've invested a few hundred dollars in audio hardware. I'm pleased with all of it, but I have to say I am astonished by one item in particular.

I picked up a pair of $100 sound-isolating earphones - the Shure E2s. That may sound like a lot for earphones. Well, it is a lot to pay for headphones, but these things are remarkable. Plus, you won't look like a Star Wars character wearing them.

Continue reading "Ears Wide Open" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 6:36 AM | Permalink

A couple of days ago I discussed how ringtones are a multi-million dollar North American business (and even more viable in the rest of the world). This morning I found a very cool site that may put a tiny dent in that business. Smash the Tones is free web-based service that allows you to convert any sound or MIDI file on your hard drive into a ringtone you can install on your cellphone.

It works with Canadian carriers and most of the cellphones they provide. I tried it with Fido/Rogers and my Sony Ericsson T610 and converted a MIDI version of Sting's "Shape of My Heart" (the T610 doesn't support MP3 ringtones) into a ringtone in no time. I just followed the steps on the site and it automatically sent a text message to my phone so I could install the ringtone. Very cool. I suggest using a German accent to record, "It's Pope Benedict. God answers prays, the least you could do is answer this call."

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 8:44 AM | Permalink

A new article on TechnologyReview.com points out a fascinating contradiction about digital music. The piece focusses on U.S. cellphone company, Cingular Wireless and its recent deal with Coldplay. The wireless giant bought the right to sell the fussy UK band's tunes, as ringtones.

Ringtones are custom musical snippets that cellphone owners can use instead of the generic ditties that come with their phones. Most a only a few seconds long and, coming from cellphone speakers, sound like cover versions performed by hamsters in a soup can. But, here's the weird thing.

Continue reading "A Ringing Irony" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:57 AM | Permalink

Every now and then I come across something on the Web that is so odd it stops me in my tracks. The Japanese Delight World site, for example. It looks like animated washroom icons delivering urban smoking etiquette tips in Dadaist haiku. "The cool cowboy flicks his cigarette butt into the street. But he lives in an old movie", one pop-up caption reads. "Inhaled. Burned. Thrown away. If it were anything but a cigarette, it would surely be crying," extolls another.

If someone reads Japanese and can explain the context of this site, I'd love to know.

Update (April 14): Techstuff reader Steven Toth has done some Japanese detective work. The site is produced by JT, the Japanese Tobacco Association. According to Steven's Japanese friend, you can print out an anti-smoking poster from the site. Steven says the emphasis on invading personal space with smoking is a unique Japanese approach to the problem as "the health message hasn't had any impact in Japan" and invading personal space in Japan is seen as very impolite. Thanks Steven.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 7:59 AM | Permalink

Michael Geist, the Canada Research Chair of Internet and E–commerce Law at the University of Ottawa, has written a short, but devasting deconstruction of the Canadian Recording Industry Association's claim that music file sharing on the Internet has cost the music business in Canada $450 million a year.

In fact, Geist argues, that Canadian artists have made more money from the Canadian blank media levy than they have lost via illegal music downloads. Really worth a read. Would love your feedback.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 7:28 AM | Permalink

Science fiction author William Gibson once wrote, "The street has its own uses for technology." Here's a perfect and ironic example of that. An inventive group over at the photo sharing community, Flickr, fell in love with Google's new satellite image mapping feature we discussed earlier this week.

But, instead of using it to view a destination or get directions, they zoomed in on their childhood neighbourhoods. Then, the fun started.

Continue reading "My Map, My Life" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 6:19 AM | Permalink

Recipe for Web art:

Take the thousands of fresh images posted on the Internet.
Blend well.
Make a high resolution collage.

That's just what Sébastien Sauvage has done with his fascinating WebGobbler program. Check out the results. The images are rich in texture and detail and give you a time-compressed sense of global voyerism, as if you're looking at freeze-frames of a thousand lives at once.

If your computer runs Windows, you can download the program and create your own real time screensavers, but, be warned, it takes programming knowledge to make it work.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 6:09 AM | Permalink

When Google bought Keyhole last year, I figured it would have an impact on Google Maps. Satellite photos plus map software = useful tool, I thought.

I had no idea it would be part of this amazing new thing.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 8:11 AM | Permalink

A couple of months ago the monster search engine, Google, introduced a remarkable new feature, Google Maps. The site allows you to zoom down to street level in most cities in North America (with a focus on close-to-U.S.-border locations in Canada). As with Mapquest or MapBlast, you can also get driving directions etc.

Now, Google's raised the bar. With a single click on the "Satellite" link on the upper right-hand-side of the map page, you're instantly switched to a high resolution satellite photograph of exactly the area you're looking at. I can see my house from there. I can even spot my old home in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. You can also overlay a driving route on the satellite map. This is a remarkable tool especially because it's free, fast and fascinating.

Of course, it also marks the last time I'll garden in my underpants.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 7:36 AM | Permalink

And you thought the TechStuff Store was goofy. This morning's Globe and Mail newspaper bore with it, like a lamprey eel, the annual Hedonics catalogue (aka the flyer that makes geeks look worse). I always get a guilty pleasure leafing through the publication because it is filled with items that look like they were culled from a Radio Shack remainder rack. Those that aren't completely useless have dubious value and the design asthetics usually invested in rappers' neck chains. Take the Kooler Klub. It's a Thermos, cleverly disguised as a golf club, so you can sneak hot coffee or Chivas onto the fairway. Aimed at the same demographic, appears to be the Waistband Stretcher, that deforms the top of your pants up to five inches. But wait, there's more!

Continue reading "Hedonics Hooey" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 7:39 AM | Permalink

In 1986, New York photographer, Frank Jump, was diagnosed HIV positive. His response was a feverish outpouring of photographs and music. Part of that output is the Fading Ad Campaign, an online gallery of vintage, hand-painted ads, or what's left of them on the brickwork of New York buildings. It's a lovely collection of images that capture almost lost custom typography and a dying artform. Jump sees the images as a metaphor for his life with HIV. Like him, he says, they have lived long past when they were expected to. Jump, still shooting today, has captured some ad images from Canada as well. I love these images online, because it's a great example of a new media preserving an old one.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:44 PM | Permalink

Remember the M.I.A. Mashup I mentioned a few weeks back? Well, techstuff.ca reader Jeffrey Warren has called my attention to another fun mashup of M.I.A's tune. This time, she's been blended with the Big Easy swing revival stylings of The Squirrel Nut Zippers. Give it a listen. Thanks Jeffrey! Love those crazy Zippers.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 7:26 AM | Permalink

Just a quick note to let you know the altruistic folks at iPodLounge have just released the second edition of their excellent iPod Buyer's Guide. It's a free download from their site, as a beautifully screen-formatted PDF (Portable Document Format). It is a gem, especially if you're in the market for an iPod or associated accessories. Also, there's a great beginner's guide to the iPod world. I've seen newsstand magazines that don't look as good as this, and, big advantage, no perfume inserts in downloadable files.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 4:28 PM | Permalink

Some of you may remember that last July Apple and Motorola jointly announced the "iPhone", a cellphone that could store and play music from the iTunes Music Store and which would sport an iTunes-like interface. That hotly anticipated phone has yet to turn from vapour into real product.

At first, the word on the street was that the phone was delayed because Apple wanted to be able to announce the device and sell it almost immediately, and it wasn't ready for prime time.

But now, Business Week is reporting that the real reason for the delay is that major U.S. carriers, including Verizon Wireless and Cingular Wireless don't want to support the phone.

Why?

Continue reading "iPhone Not Ringing Carriers' Bell" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:01 AM | Permalink

These days one of my favourite podcasts has become The Catholic Insider. Given that I'm a cynical atheist, this would appear to be an odd choice. But, Father Roderick Vonhogen, the 36-year-old priest behind the podcast, is not a fusty, pedantic clergyman.

Though from Holland, his podcasts are often beautifully recorded soundscapes of the Vatican, Rome or various parts of the Netherlands. He also takes on The DaVinci Code, plays some great gospel and rock, convinced the Vatican to start podcasting itself, and got behind the scenes when the Pope first took ill. Not bad for a podcast that launched just over a month ago.

He's also funny, self-deprecating and has a light hand when discussing his faith. Well worth a listen. And, you've got to love his graphics. I'm for anyone who mixes an iPod with a clerical collar.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:48 PM | Permalink

I just read Sandy's fine rundown on the PSP, aka Really Expensive Gameboy with Pretensions. Two words. 32 Megabytes. Sony, what is up with that? You come out with a device that theoretically can play movies and music and you pack it with enough RAM to hold a Trident commercial?

If we want a reasonable amount of space for video, like a gigabyte, it will cost us as much as the handheld console itself? Sign me up.

And, speaking of video, exactly what am I going to watch? Movies on some proprietary mini-disc, that apart from Sony products, can only be used as a shot glass coaster? Movies I might have already bought on DVD? I think not.

Perhaps I'm supposed to convert existing video clips to a format that is practical for the PSP player. Few of us really consider that sort of thing fun (to see how un-fun visit this page). But, it would be more fun than swapping clips back and forth between the Paris Hilton-priced memory stick and a hard drive.

At first blush, the PSP reminds me of one of a wind-up, solar-powered, sports flashlight with a built-in radio. Lousy radio kludged on to a decent torch. Well, except the emergency flashlight doesn't need charging.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 8:49 AM | Permalink

The new PSP (PlayStation Portable) from Sony is now available in Canada, at a suggested retail price of $299. Each new game for the system will retail for about $60 Canadian.

Although the PSP is primarily a handheld game console, Sony is marketing the device as a "portable entertainment system." In addition to games, the PSP also displays photos, plays music, video and movies. "PSP lets users control their entertainment options, all in one package," says the Sony press release.

I look forward to getting some hands-on time with a PSP soon. Meanwhile, here are some first impressions based on the information I received at a launch event yesterday.

Continue reading "Introducing the PSP" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:30 PM | Permalink

One of my favourite tech writers, New York Times columnist, David Pogue, recently did a very public flipflop (aka pulled a Paul Martin) about the value of multi-megapixels in digital cameras. Pogue first argued, correctly, that big pictures are not necessarily better pictures, sometimes they just take up more memory and are slower to download.

But, the next week, he concurred with dissenting emailers who argued that even amateur snapshooters will reach back in time and kick themselves in their now-aged butts for not shooting a hi-rez image of Aunt Gertie who passed away two months later. Pogue wound up advising to shoot it big, or stay in bed. I think Pogue was right the first time.

Continue reading "Megapixel Madness" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 7:59 PM | Permalink

Yesterday, we reported that the Canadian online photo community, Flickr, had been snapped up by Yahoo!.

You might expect that loyal Flickr users would be dismayed, disappointed or even disgusted by the news. Anyone who has watched, or has been part of the growth of any loyal online community knows the fierce affection that can develop between community members and their sacred space. However, at over 500 messages already, Flickr fan reaction has been almost unaminously positive. In fact, even though many users are a tad nervous that their beloved Flickr is about to change forever, they can't help pouring love all over Caterina Fake and Stewart Butterfield, the couple at the centre of Flickr.

It's like they're congratulating the parents of the bride, knowing the newlywed isn't a child anymore.

Will Flickr become a victim of Yahoo!'s egregious ad-clutter and general butt ugliness? Fake and Butterfield are confident it won't. They hope, instead, a little bit of the Flickr magic might rub off in the other direction. That so seldom happens. But, photo community fans everywhere are waiting to see what develops.

Cool addition: Last night, Caterina mentioned a couple of my Flickr portraits in the Flickr blog. I found out because this morning I've got over two dozen new contacts and the hits on the images have spiked insanely. More proof that Flickrites listen to Caterina.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:32 PM | Permalink

This is a Grumpy Open Letter to everyone who uses cell phones, pagers, music players, personal digital assistants, game machines and digital watches in public places:

Please be quiet!

I travel to and from work each day on the bus and subway. Each day, more and more people bring electronic gadgets on board, and use them during the commute. I often bring a music player or laptop myself. More people than ever are talking on the phone, listening to music, playing games and checking their messages in public places.

This would be fine and dandy except for the noise. Cell phones ring, music blares, and gadgets beep, to the tick and tap of handheld computer keyboards and styli.

Some tips for public use of electronic devices: - If your gadget has a headphone jack, please use it. - If others can hear the music from your headphones, it's too loud. - No one else likes your ring tone. Set your phone to vibrate in public. - If you must have a phone conversation on the bus, make it brief. - When playing electronic games, turn off the sound or use headphones. - Consider turning off your electronics and reading a book instead.

For the sake of peace and quiet, and to keep the violence on public transit to a minimum, please be quiet.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:02 PM | Permalink

If you've been wanting to get into podcasts (downloadable audio shows), but didn't know how, check out iPodder 2.0. The program (aka iPodder Lemon) is a cross-platform podcast aggregator. That means that Windows, Mac and Linux fans can use the free software to subscribe to podcasts listed on a variety of podcast directories (access to the directories is built into iPodder).

As I mentioned in Podshow Me the Money, a lot of podcasts are amateurish, but there are some gems. You'll need to root around a bit. Consider it a garage sale for your ears.

With iPodder 2.0, you can easily add podcast feeds you find. The software will also automatically ship fresh podcasts over to iTunes or whatever MP3 player you like best. You can also clean up your download directory inside iPodder, which is very handy.

This version, which was just released a few days ago, is stable, features a very clean, citrusy interface - with a fun lemon icon - and is very easy to use and configure. Don't confuse iPodder with iPodderX, which is a Mac-only podcast client and, in my opinion, not as useful as this new version of iPodder. The multi-national iPodder development team is looking for Paypal donations to help with their work. If you dig it, donate. It's guys like these that make the Web easier for the rest of us.

Want to kick start your podcasting experience? Try the Daily Source Code, the not-safe-for-work Dawn and Drew Show or the very cool cover tunes podcast, Coverville. Let us know what you think, and please, share your podcast discoveries with the rest of the techstuff.ca community.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 8:28 AM | Permalink

Monday, on his popular podcast The Daily Source Code, former MTV VJ Adam Curry announced podshow.com. He was a bit vague on the details, but, basically, his new site will be a nexus for the next stage of podcasting - the stage where people can actually make some money at it. It's backed by the newly-formed BoKu Communications, a company Curry founded with marketer Ron Bloom. Right now over 4,000 podcasts are peppered across the Internet and are funnelled into RSS feeds. Many are self-absorbed drek. But, that’s true of most pop music, blogs, literary fiction and fashion magazines.

In any medium, there is more gunk than gold. For every Ashlee Simpson, Lindsay Lohan or Hillary Duff, there’s a Suzanne Vega or a Peter Gabriel. What's up Curry's sleeve?

Continue reading "Podshow Me the Money" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 8:29 AM | Permalink

My new day job came with a BlackBerry wireless pager. Whenever co-workers need to reach me, they can send a message to this little device on my belt. When their message appears on the screen, I can type a quick reply using the tiny thumb-powered keyboard.

I have never had any desire to own a cell phone or a pager. The idea that I could be contacted anywhere by anyone at any time is not my idea of a good time. Sometimes I want to be unavailable and alone.

However, I'm beginning to understand why people use the word "CrackBerry to describe this curiously addictive device. Now that I have a BlackBerry, I finally get its appeal. And I'm hooked.

Continue reading "The lure of the Blackberry" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:30 PM | Permalink

This is the sort of thing I love the Web for. First 27-year-old Maya Arulpragasam (aka M.I.A.) puts out sort of spastic dancer world music video called Galang-alang-alang-a . It features M.I.A. bowlegged-dancing in front of her own Tamal- Tiger-friendly graffiti art (her parents are Sri Lankan, but she was born in London, England). Next, over on cry.on.my.console
a DJ named Josh creates a mashup that mixes M.I.A.'s tune with Super Mario themes. A mashup is a digital blend of two or more songs, playing over top of one another. The result is Superlangalang a catchy tune any N64 player will immediately recognize.

So, world music, pop and graffiti become tune fodder for a hip Londoner with Sri Lankan roots. That, and vidgame ditties, become raw materials for a mashup, and we get to find them with no mainstream distribution channel in the way. You can discover more mashups here. This one struck me as worth noting because it mixes world culture with Web buzz, mashup tech and Internet as a medium. Plus, it's funny. I'll always give bonus points for funny.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 6:15 AM | Permalink

If you're a podcast and an iPod shuffle fan, like me, here's a quick tip.

Want to make sure you hear your podcasts first, and all together when you dump a ton of tunes to your shuffle? Here's how. In your podcast software (e.g. iPodderX), assign a custom genre to your podcasts -- one that is sure to always be at the top of the Genre list in iTunes. I use "aaapodcast" (the old Yellow Pages trick - AAADaycare, "First in the phonebook, last in provincial safety reports").

Once you've copied your tunes over to the shuffle, just list the tunes by Genre and sync up your little white music stick. All your podcasts will be ready and waiting for you at the top of the heap when you go mobile. That's way better than click-click-clicking in a blind search. Especially when your wife's trying to get to sleep.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:00 PM | Permalink

Last week I picked up Apple Computer's new iPod Shuffle. I'm lovin' it. As you may know, the Shuffle is a sub-$200 iPod that can hold up to 240 songs (in its one gigabyte incarnation). It's tiny, it's light and, man, is it smart. I've taken it on long runs, to the gym, on the Go bus and for walks around town (Hamilton, btw). What have I been listening to? Podcasts, mostly. And, that's the point of this entry. What I think is the coolest aspect of the iPod Shuffle is this: It untethers the Web.

It allows you to effortlessly take content off the grid in a device that is almost weightless, and certainly painless to use. It's like fashion jewelry that talks to you. Yes, I know that, for months now, folks have been pouring podcasts into iPods and iRivers and iWhatevers. But, the Shuffle is different. It's so cheap, light and elegant it could be a breakthrough Web content device. The entire "supply chain" isn't in place yet. Podcast aggregators like iPodderX still need to be de-geekified, but soon the workflow - from RSS podcast feed to aggregator to iTunes to iPod - will be seamless. Then the Web will be wireless in a whole new way. Can't wait. Stay tuned for more on podcasts coming soon.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:32 AM | Permalink

Thought I'd start off my contributions with a few words about the remarkable online photo community, Flickr. As an avid digital photographer, I've been a member of Flickr for several months now. At first blush, it looked like a great place to store and share photos. I had used earlier online photo repositories like ophoto and shutterfly, but found I'd lost interest quickly and just kept my images safely in iPhoto. Flickr, I quickly discovered, was different. It wasn't an online photo album, it was an online photo community for which photos were a catalyst to conversation.

Continue reading "Our Friend, Flickr" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:00 AM | Permalink

Although the Fox broadcast of Superbowl XXIX is available to Canadian viewers, the advertising shown will not be the big money ads shown in the States. We're stuck with national ads from Canadian companies. (These ads are on every channel carrying the game; even on the Canadian feed of Fox.)

If we want to see the U.S. Superbowl ads, we have to watch 'em later. Fortunately, that's easy to do. The 2005 Superbowl ads will be added to the iFilm Web site as soon as they are broadcast during the game.

Click here to see the TV ads from Superbowl XXIX.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:04 PM | Permalink

Apple's remarkable new iPod shuffle is the company's most affordable digital music player. The entry-level model will retail for US $99 ($129 in Canada).

Like its more upscale iPod relatives, iPod shuffle works with Apple's iTunes software (for Mac and Windows), and with the iTunes Music Store.

There are two version of the iPod shuffle. The $129 model holds 120 songs or 512 MB worth of data (the equivalent of more than 350 floppy disks). There's also a $179 model that holds twice as much: 240 songs or 1 GB of data.

Continue reading "The $99 iPod arrives" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:23 PM | Permalink

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:33 PM | Permalink

It's an annual tradition. NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) has opened its Santa Tracking Web site: NoradSanta.org

This year's site offers music, pictures and radar tracking of the jolly old elf. Video features require the RealPlayer software from Real.com.

Be sure to leave out milk and cookies tonight!

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:45 PM | Permalink

from the Google Blog:

"Google Scholar is a free service that helps users search scholarly literature such as peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, preprints, abstracts and technical reports.

Just as with Google Web Search, Google Scholar orders your search results by how relevant they are to your query, so the most useful references should appear at the top of the page. This relevance ranking takes into account the full text of each article as well as the article's author, the publication in which the article appeared and how often it has been cited in scholarly literature. Google Scholar also automatically analyzes and extracts citations and presents them as separate results, even if the documents they refer to aren't online. This means your search results may include citations of older works and seminal articles that appear only in books or other offline publications.

"Computers are stupid. Years ago, to save space, we told them that 60=1960, and they believed us!”

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:36 PM | Permalink

When the U.S. Department of Justice went after Microsoft for alleged anti-trust violations, the company argued that Internet Explorer was an integral part of the Windows operating system. It would be impossible to "de-couple" Internet Explorer from Windows.

Although Microsoft's claim was debatable at the time, the company has since made this true. Internet Explorer has been a component of Windows since the release of Windows XP (at least).

Ironically, that integration is now causing a problem for Microsoft. Although the company can make changes to Internet Explorer by updating Windows, any improvement reduces the incentive for people to buy future Windows upgrades.

Continue reading "Internet Explorer's arrested development" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 3:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The official launch of Halo 2 is tomorrow, but Microsoft and its retail partners will release the new Xbox title at 12:01am at several "midnight madness" events.

"Pre-launch festivities will include Halo 2 gameplay, contests, giveaways and even an appearance from Master Chief, the futuristic cyber-soldier star of Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2."

(Wait a sec -- how can Master Chief attend midnight madness events in several cities at once? Maybe this is what shopping mall Santas do between gigs?)

Continue reading "Halo 2 launch celebrations" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:05 PM | Permalink

As a technology reporter and a news junkie, I have spent several election nights in front of my computer screen, hoping to see the best that tech has to offer. In the past, I've always been disappointed.

In spite of all the powerful tech available, the Web has never been used to its full potential. Most of the online action in previous elections has focused on Web "extras" designed to support television, radio or print coverage. There was nothing good enough to make me turn off the TV.

That changed on November 2.

Continue reading "U.S. Election on the Web" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:05 PM | Permalink

Strictly speaking, U.S. citizens do not put their president in office; their Electoral College does. And until the 2000 presidential election, when the candidate with the most Electoral votes did not have the most popular votes, this fact hardly entered the typical voter's mind. Those days are gone.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:21 PM | Permalink

Just in time for Halloween, CNET has published a new feature called "Tech Nightmares," which explores some of the problems people have experienced with Windows XP Service Pack 2.

Continue reading "Service Pack 2 problems" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:17 PM | Permalink

Contrary to what you may read elsewhere, the news at this week's Apple event was not all about Canada.

Here's the real news:
- iPod Photo introduced
- iTunes software updated
- U2 Special Edition iPod released

iPod Photo was not a complete surprise, but many had expected Apple to announce photo browsing as a new feature for existing iPod products. Instead, we got iPod Photo -- an entirely new product with a colour screen, new features and a higher price tag than the iPod mini or regular iPod.

Continue reading "iPod Photo and more" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:10 PM | Permalink

Game developer Bungie officially answers the question, "Will there be bots in Halo 2 multiplayer?

Um, you never mentioned bots? Have you see this Frequently Asked Questions page on the Bungie site?

Hey, Bungie -- it's possible that people got the idea from your own Web site, which still says you "have not made a final decision" about bots in Halo 2.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Like many popular game magazines, the Windows XP Game Advisor provides information about fun PC games, but it doesn't stop there. Game Advisor provides quick access to game demos and artwork, and it can download the latest updates for games you already own.

Not sure if your computer can handle the latest games? Game Advisor will check your computer to see if you have enough horsepower. Cool idea.

The Game Advisor would be even more useful if it did not favour games made by Microsoft (including the MSN Game Zone online game system). Also, there's no excuse for making people turn off their pop-up blockers just to use the tool. All in all, though, I think the Windows XP Game Advisor is a great idea.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:44 AM | Permalink

We're just days away from the release of The Incredibles -- the new film from Pixar, the studio that brought you Toy Story and Finding Nemo. (You may also know their short films -- my favourite is Knick Knack.)

Follow this link to see a preview of The Incredibles.

November 5 can't come quickly enough to suit me.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Dropcash combines the PayPal online payment system with a tool called TypeKey, then adds its own bits to make the auto-updating badge that accompanies this item.

It's a pretty slick little system. I hope you'll try it at least once. ;-)

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Top 10 ways the Canadian version of Halo 2 differs from the U.S. version:

Continue reading "Halo 2: Canadian version" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:41 AM | Permalink

Once in a while, I get the opportunity to preview a new tech product or service before it's announced to the public. This sometimes involves signing a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) -- a legal document that requires me to keep quiet about whatever I see or hear until an agreed-upon date and time.

Continue reading "I can't talk about it" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 8:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

World on Fire is Sarah McLachlan's answer to the question, "What's the best way to spend our $150,000 budget for this new music video?"

World on Fire may not make it to heavy rotation on MTV or MuchMusic. It's a hard act to follow, after all. The catering and production folks will be mighty annoyed if this becomes a trend.

Fortunately, we have the Web. Even if this video never shows up on TV, anyone in the world with an Internet connection can watch it, commercial-free.

Follow this link to see (and hear) World on Fire by Sarah McLachlan.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Google's local search tool, designed to help locate things near a specific location, is now available to Canadians.

Suppose, for example, you're searching for "pie" in "Toronto, Ontario." Google's local search tool would produce this page of results.

It's far from perfect, but Google Local is a pretty cool tool.
http://local.google.ca/

Continue reading "Google Local now in Canada" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:49 PM | Permalink

The second Tuesday of the month is here, and that means one thing: fresh Windows updates!

There are two updates this month, including one that has the potential to harm Windows-based computers that are simply browsing pages on the Web!

Continue reading "Updates for September 2004" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:18 PM | Permalink

The Toronto Star newspaper has launched Pages of the Past - a searchable archive that goes all the way back to 1892.

A free preview of the archive is available now. Presumably, they're going to start charging for access to the archive shortly, so you might want to explore a bit before the price goes up.

Continue reading "Toronto Star archives" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 4:47 PM | Permalink

Why would you want such a thing? Maybe you want to keep track of the time in a different time zone, or you just want an attractive reminder of the passing moments.

Or maybe you just like cool gadgets.

ClockLink.com provides several different free clocks (analog and digital) as well as step-by-step instructions to help you put the clocks to work.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:37 PM | Permalink

Has someone in your family suddenly started lobbying for a newer, more powerful computer?

It could be because Doom 3 is scheduled to be released on August 3.

Doom 3 is the latest in a famous series of first-person shooter video games. (If you're not familiar with the genre, here's a quick summary: players shoot monsters, mutants and each other with ridiculously big guns in dark and scary dungeons. The action is shown from the shooter's perspective.)

Historically, each new Doom game has pushed the limits of PC hardware, and driven dedicated gamers to upgrade their systems. Doom 3 is no exception.

In fact, if you're planning to play this game, you may need a whole new computer.

Continue reading "Doom 3 system requirements" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:35 PM | Permalink

Switch2Firefox.com is a new Web site that explains why you might want to abandon Microsoft's Internet Explorer Web browsing software in favour of Firefox, a new alternative.

The site is obviously "inspired" by Apple's "Switch" marketing campaign.

Update: Some notes for Internet Explorer users from the makers of Firefox.

Continue reading "Why switch to Firefox?" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:32 PM | Permalink

Follow this link to see Spider-Man: The Peril of Doc Ock by Spite Your Face Productions.

This clever, funny animated short was commisioned by Sony Pictures, Marvel Studios and The Lego Group to accompany the release of Spider-Man 2.

See it now!

Bonus links:
- Spider-Man 2 movie trailer
- Internet Movie Database listing for Spider-Man 2
- Spider-Man 2: the video game (Activision)
- taking photos of Spider-Man
- another source for the LEGO movie

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 3:07 PM | Permalink

Apple introduced three all-new, redesigned Cinema Displays today. Each display features built-in USB and FireWire ports in a new enclosure that matches the Power Mac and PowerBook finish.

The 20-inch and 23-inch models, which are PC-compatible, will sell for $1,799 and $2,799 respectively (Canadian funds).

The new 30-inch Cinema Display is a monster. It requires the two DVI video ports provided by a brand new customized NVIDIA video card . It also requires a second mortgage; the 30-inch model will sell for $4,699 Canadian (plus another $829(!) for the video card).

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:28 AM | Permalink

As the election results come in this evening from ridings across Canada, I'll be flipping from channel to channel on TV. CBC's coverage will feature comic Rick Mercer; Global has Warren Kinsella; CTV has Lloyd Robertson talking to John Crosbie. (City-TV's clever counter-programming is the movie Wag the Dog.

As far as I'm concerned, the best place for election information is this site, brought to you by Canadian Press and the Toronto Star. It's commercial-free, pundit-free and interactive -- you can look up the information you want, when you want it.

Continue reading "Election coverage" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 7:50 PM | Permalink

Are you tired of fighting with Internet Explorer? There's a better way to surf the Web.

The latest version of the Firefox Web browser offers a host of useful features including:
- pop-up ad blocking
- tabbed browsing
- built-in Google search
- better privacy and security, and
- easy setup and installation

Firefox -- formerly known as "Firebird" -- is a smaller, lighter version of the Mozilla Web browser. (The Mozilla software is also the foundation of the latest Netscape software.)

You can download and run Firefox without disrupting any of your current settings in Internet Explorer. Best of all, it's free. Check it out.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:09 PM | Permalink

The phrase "pocket-sized" does not really do justice to the Pentax OptioS4. When powered off, the lens retracts inside the case, and the resulting package is about the size of a deck of cards. It fits easily in a shirt pocket or purse, and you'll hardly notice the weight.

I borrowed this camera from Pentax Canada back in January, and have been reluctant to send it back. I feel like James Bond whenever I use it.

Continue reading "Pentax Optio S4" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 3:55 PM | Permalink

Situation: You need to send a large electronic document to a friend.

Problem: When you try to send the e-mail, it takes a long time to send, and eventually gives you an error. Your friend never gets the file.

What's happening? Most Internet providers limit the size of e-mail messages to 2-3 MB (the equivalent of the contents of 1-2 floppy disks). If the message won't go, either your provider or your friend's provider has this limit.

Solution: Try YouSendIt.com -- a free service that makes it easy to send and receive large files.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:07 PM | Permalink

AirPort Express, announced today, makes it easy to broadcast your music from Apple's free iTunes software to any stereo. It works with both the Mac and PC version of iTunes.

Of course, it's more than a wireless music device. AirPort Express also provides wireless Internet sharing and print sharing. Follow this link for all the details.

AirPort Express will be available in Canada next month for $179.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 7:46 PM | Permalink

Technology can be useful, and it can be fun. Some people use technology to save time; others use technology to waste time.

Which group do you think would be more interested in a Lego robot that solves Rubik's Cubes?

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:02 PM | Permalink

The annual Webby Awards program recognizes the best of the Web in many categories, including Education, Film, Games, Health, Music, News, and much more.

Two sites that caught my eye among the 2004 award winners: Noggin and Puzzle Pirates. (I like the kids' sites.)

Follow this link for a complete list of 2004 Webby award winners.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:01 PM | Permalink

It's official: Halo 2 will debut, exclusively on Xbox, on November 9, 2004.

Continue reading "Halo 2 coming Nov. 9" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:13 PM | Permalink

Blogger is a free tool that makes it easy to build and maintain a simple Web site. The latest version, launched today, has a shiny new look and some great new features. Check it out.

The new and improved Blogger, now owned by Google, (re)enters the market at an interesting time. In addition to its main competition (TypePad), Blogger must also compete with a host of similar tools designed to make Internet self-publishing so simple a child can do it.

That's good news for me, and for anyone else who wants to self-publish online. You still have to figure out what to say, but the how is under control.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 6:08 PM | Permalink

Microsoft is currently testing a software update for Windows XP that promises to add more security features. Windows XP Service Pack 2, due later this year, features a new Windows Security Center that's designed to lock down insecure bits of Windows XP and ensure that future updates are received and installed.

I thought you might be interested in a Web page that's used by this new system. It's a directory of antivirus software vendors.

Microsoft Antivirus Partners page (dated June 2003):
http://www.microsoft.com/security/partners/antivirus.asp

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:59 PM | Permalink

Babies are great. Sleeping is overrated.

Unfortunately, when you're sleep deprived, it's hard to put together clever, cogent analysis of what's going on in the Mac market.

Back soon, I promise.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 3:32 PM | Permalink

GlobeTechnology has posted this review of Windows Solitaire.

Despite its lack of a decent soundtrack, Solitaire is still a solid all-around package for card sharks or rookies alike. In fact, I have no hesitation saying this is by far the best thing to come around since the real card game was invented.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:57 PM | Permalink

The Desktop Zero-Point Power Generator is an amazing little gadget that converts naturally occurring electromagnetic energy into simple AC power. It's like pulling power out of the air.

At the quantum level, all matter in the universe vibrates constantly - even at absolute zero! The Desktop Zero-Point Power Generator takes advantage of this seething abundant energy by converting naturally occurring EM energy into 120 Volts / 200 Amps of electricity.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:28 PM | Permalink

Sandy and Lori McMurray give thanks to God for the safe and healthy arrival of six pound, thirteen ounce baby girl!

Photos are available here.

Now we're looking for names...

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:56 PM | Permalink

Today at the CeBIT trade show in Germany, VIA Technologies and Mini-ITX introduced the Nanode - "a jewelry-box-sized digital entertainment device."

I don't even know what it does yet, but I want one. Yes, I'm a sucker for pretty design.

The Nanode device will be available for purchase later this year. Meanwhile, check out the Mini-ITX site for dozens of other tiny PC designs.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 3:17 PM | Permalink

No, I haven't dropped off the face of the earth, but I'm mighty distracted.

My wife and I are expecting a baby on Monday. We've spent this week racing to tie up all the loose ends -- work, nursery preparation, filling the freezer with easy-to-prepare meals, etc. -- before Baby arrives.

As a result, my mind is mush -- even more than usual. If time allows, I'll post a few things I've been thinking about between now and Monday. (If no new entries show up, you'll know Baby was early!)

No cigars please, just send coffee via my TechStuff.ca site.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:55 PM | Permalink

If you're unsure which version of Windows is on your PC, you can use these instructions from Microsoft to find out:

1. Click the Windows Start button
   (lower left of screen).
2. From the pop-up menu, select Run
3. Type winver
4. Click OK.

A dialog box displays the version that you are running.

Continue reading "Which version of Windows is on your PC?" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:45 PM | Permalink

This month's software updates from Microsoft address security problems in Windows 2000, Microsoft Office and Windows Messenger:
- Security Update 832359 is an update for Windows 2000.
- Security Update 828040 is an update for Outlook 2002 or Office XP.
- Security Update 838512 is an update for Windows Messenger 6.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 3:35 PM | Permalink

In the month of February, TechStuff.ca hit two big milestones:
- more than 575 "unique visitors" per day
   (16,753 total for the month)
- more than 2,000 "page views" per day
   (65,565 total for the month)

The daily numbers for March have been even higher (over 2,400 page views per day). Traffic has more than tripled since November!

Continue reading "TechStuff.ca Traffic Report" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:51 PM | Permalink

If you're in the Ottawa area, you can hear Sandy this morning at 11:30 on The Computer Radio Show on CFRA (AM 580).

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:48 AM | Permalink

The Top 101 Web sites for teaching and learning:
http://www.assortedstuff.com/top101/

The site includes some great resources for anyone who wants to learn the basics of setting up and maintaining a Web site.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:08 PM | Permalink

Many of the classic games that sucked up so many quarters two decades ago are now available free on the Web.

All you need is a Web browser and the Macromedia Flash plug-in (probably already installed in your browser software).

Visit Classic '80s Games for:
- Asteroids
- Donkey Kong
- Duck Hunt
- Frogger
- Moon Patrol
- Pac-Man
- Pong
- Simon
- Space Invaders
- Star Castle
- Tetris

Get 'em here:
http://www.80smusiclyrics.com/games.html

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:52 PM | Permalink

Did you know that you can sort the items in your Windows Start menu?

For example, to sort the items in your Programs list alphabetically, you simply right-click anywhere on the list of programs and select "Sort by Name" from the pop-up menu.

Here are step-by-step instructions:

Continue reading "Sort your Start menu" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:40 AM | Permalink

One of the best ways to free up space on your computer is to deleted unused and unwanted programs. This is easy to do; in fact, Windows provides a control panel that automates the process.

Note that you can't simply drag unwanted programs to the Recycle Bin. This leaves traces of the program behind, and may even cause Windows to become confused later.

The Add/Remove Programs control panel is the "official" way to remove unwanted programs from Windows. Here's how it works:

Continue reading "How to delete unwanted programs" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 8:30 AM | Permalink

My kids have no idea why I think this is cool, but that's because they never played the original. Pitfall: The Lost Expedition promises more than 50 levels of action and puzzle-solving adventures.

The game challenges players to swing, fight, climb and crawl through multiple types of treacherous South American environments including lush jungles, dark tombs, ancient Incan ruins and glacial mountains. Pitfall: The Lost Expedition also includes favorite features from the earlier Pitfall games such as vine swinging, gaping chasms, crocodiles and scorpions.

Update: Pitfall was a hit this weekend with my son (10) and his cousin (13).

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:03 PM | Permalink

Make your own software for Mac, Windows or Linux with the latest version of REALbasic.

A free demo version of the program is available for Windows, Mac OS X and Mac Classic.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:43 AM | Permalink

Project management is a challenge for every organization. If you want to get stuff done, people need to talk to each other and share ideas (as well as documents, images, etc.).

Unless all the members of your team live and work in the same building, it's a challenge to schedule meetings and get people on the same page.

Basecamp is a new Web-based tool that makes simple project management a lot easier. It provides a central place where discussions and project information can be stored -- a place that every member of the team can use and update according to their own schedule.

Continue reading "Basecamp - simple, affordable project management" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:21 AM | Permalink

Microsoft is offering a free CD-ROM with updates and security software for several versions of Windows.

Continue reading "Free CD from Microsoft" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:06 AM | Permalink

The Rumor That Will Not Die is on its feet again. Although it's been less than a year since Steve Jobs said Apple will not make a handheld computer, this article claims a new Apple handheld is coming this summer.

The latest rumor appears to be linked to the announcement that Palm will stop making its own Palm-to-Mac software and will rely The Missing Sync instead.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:55 AM | Permalink

Later today, Atari and Epic Games will release the official demo for Unreal Tournament 2004, the next big thing in first-person shooter games.

The demo includes five playable game modes, including "Onslaught" (team-based challenge, with vehicles) and a redesigned "Assault" model (last seen in Unreal Tournament). See UnrealTournament.com for more information.

The game goes on sale in March.

Continue reading "Unreal Tournament 2004" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:57 PM | Permalink

iCapture is a handy tool for Web designers who don't have access to a Mac. The site takes any Web address you enter and shows what the page looks like in Apple's Safari browser.

Designers with a big budget can already do this (and much more) using BrowserCam, but iCapture is completely free.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 8:26 PM | Permalink

This is new: I've set up an account to sell some of my writing on Lulu.com.

The site is a sort of do-it-yourself storefront for anyone who wants to sell music, writing, photos, etc. The founder is Bob Young, the co-founder of Red Hat and the new owner of the Hamilton Tiger Cats.

My first article on Lulu.com is the PC Buyer's Guide I published a couple of weeks ago here on TechStuff.ca. We'll see what happens.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:36 AM | Permalink

When can we expect to see the next generation of video game machines? Only Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft know for sure.

According to this article from IGN, we won't see anything new from Sony or Microsoft until 2006.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:48 AM | Permalink

It's official: Halo 2 will ship this fall, in time for Christmas sales.

So remember last year when we told you we don't announce release dates until we're confident we'll meet our deadline? Well now we're confident. Halo 2 will ship in Fall, 2004.

Why all the fuss? The original Halo is one of the best video games ever made. Four million copies have been sold worldwide so far, and it's still selling. Two years old, even without online play, I think it's still the best game available for Xbox.

You're just going to have to wait.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:49 PM | Permalink

It's either two years early or two years late to be an Olympic event, but penguin bashing is the game of the week. Make sure all your important work is done before you follow this link.

What's your record? 265 is my best so far.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:18 AM | Permalink

Microsoft released an update for Word 2003 today.

"Under certain circumstances Word 2003 can become unresponsive when the user saves a file or when Word automatically saves an AutoRecover file. This update corrects that potential error."

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 8:16 PM | Permalink

During his keynote address at Macworld, Apple CEO Steve Jobs noted that the original Macintosh computer was introduced on January 24, 1984.

Although pre-show speculation had focused on rumors of a $99 iPod, many in the Macworld crowd expected that Jobs would conclude the keynote by introducing "one more thing" -- a new product related to the Mac's 20th anniversary.

It didn't happen. After acknowledging the anniversary, Jobs realigned expectations by promising that "incredible new products" would be released throughout the year.

This week, the question on the minds of many Mac fans is, "Will Apple announce any 'incredible new products' this week, to mark the 20th anniversary?"

Continue reading "20th anniversary rumors" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:24 AM | Permalink

Shopping for a new computer can be confusing. There are so many options to consider and so many choices to make!

This document covers the basic stuff you need to know, providing clear guidelines in plain language to help you make the right choices. It focuses on desktop computers (rather than laptop/notebook PCs). It also assumes that you're shopping for a Windows-compatible computer. For information about buying a computer from Apple, please skip to the end of the article.

Continue reading "Desktop PC buyer's guide" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:49 AM | Permalink

Travel day. I'm heading back to Toronto, where -- according to WeatherPop -- it's currently -6 degrees. Brrr.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:22 AM | Permalink

Media at CES are looking for iPod killers.

I've already seen several reports that describe new digital music players as "challengers to the iPod."

Some challengers: here, here, here, here, and here.

Continue reading "iPod killers" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:50 PM | Permalink

I'm a little overwhelmed by the response to this new weblog. Thanks to everyone who has sent me e-mail, press releases, suggested links, etc.

If you're trying to contact me, please use the links I've posted in the right margin. Given the sheer volume of e-mail that's come in this week, I can't promise to reply to your message promptly, but the links in the margin are your best chance of cutting through the noise.

In answer to a few of the frequently asked questions:
- Yes, I do use Windows XP as well as Mac OS X.
- Yes, I review products/services for both platforms.
- No, I'm not going to CES or NAB right after Macworld.
- No, I don't know your [friend/relative] from Canada.
- I'm happily married. Go away.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:20 PM | Permalink

One of the reasons I look forward to Macworld each year is the amazing collection of gadgets that turn up here. Since Apple tends to create or adopt technology before it's in Windows, many Mac users are early adopters.

As a result, Macworld is probably second only to CeBIT or CES in terms of the sheer volume of technolust-inspiring gear. If you give extra points for gear that's actually shipping (i.e. stuff that's in the hands of the people on the show floor rather than the people in the booths), Macworld might even place first.

Continue reading "Early adopter heaven" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:51 PM | Permalink

I'm pleased to announce the launch of a new online writing project. Starting today, I'm writing a daily weblog about all things Apple for Corante.com.

From the site:
Corante is a leading news service on technology that's read by many of the sector's top entrepreneurs, executives, funders, followers and thinkers.

Every day our expert editors scan scores of newspapers, magazines, journals and blogs finding, distilling and pointing to the news stories and articles that truly inform and provide the context, perspective and analysis busy professionals need.

We help you stay up to date on subjects of interest, turn the raw data of news into knowledge, direct you to sector intelligence you need to know about and save time.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:46 PM | Permalink

The iTunes Music Store is the current leader in an increasingly crowded market. In addition to iTunes, MusicMatch and the new Napster, there are half a dozen other contenders, with more on the way, including new music stores from Wal-Mart and Coca-Cola.

Sounds good, right? Unfortunately, if you live outside the United States, your options are severely limited. So far, the legal download deals with major labels have been restricted to specific regions.

Continue reading "iTunes for the world?" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:51 AM | Permalink

Apple's most-anticipated product of 2004 may not exist. Although rumors have been swirling about an entry-level iPod, which might sell for as little as $99, skeptics have remained, well, skeptical. We won't know for sure until Apple CEO Steve Jobs takes the stage today at Macworld.

The problem is storage. Unlike less expensive MP3 players, which use flash memory for storage, Apple's iPod uses a tiny hard drive to hold up to 10,000 songs. To make a tiny, inexpensive iPod, Apple needs a tiny, inexpensive hard drive.

Continue reading "iPod needs inexpensive hard drive" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:00 PM | Permalink

We're still working on a name for this weblog. I want something clever and funny that makes you think of Apple Computer yet isn't obscure or confusing for new readers. We've kicked around several names, but none has been quite right. Some have been really awful.

It's more difficult than you might think. Mac users are prolific writers, and in their zeal to share the Mac experience they often start Web sites (and weblogs, newsletters, zines, etc.) to express their profound admiration for Apple and its products.

Unfortunately for me, the Mac community has burned through a lot of great names and clogged the domain name registry with options no longer available to me.

Continue reading "Name this weblog" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:45 PM | Permalink

The latest concept cars are on display this week at the 2004 International Auto Show.

See here and this page for photos from the show.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:59 AM | Permalink

It's an annual tradition. NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) has opened its Santa Tracking Web site: NoradSanta.org

This year's effort seems to be a little more high-tech than previous years, and (unfortunately) requires you to have the RealPlayer from Real.com installed on your computer.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:52 PM | Permalink

What do you get for the geek who has everything? How about a fancy paint job?

ColorWare Inc. makes Windows PCs in stunning colours. The company also adds colours to existing products. With a little paint (and a glossy finish) ColorWare can turn a desktop or laptop computer (or an iPod) into a head-turning, eye-catching masterpiece of bright blue (or red or green or...).

See http://www.colorwarepc.com

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:03 PM | Permalink

We received an unusual Christmas present from friends this week. They bought a goat in our name through World Vision.

I think this is a terrific idea. We don't need more stuff, so programs like this one and the Heifer International catalog are great.

But here's how selfish I am. When I opened the card and read our friends' note, my mind jumped immediately to the long grass in our very messy backyard. Instead of thinking of the good being done in our name, my first thought was, "Rats. We could really use a goat."

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:08 PM | Permalink

Avery is probably best known for its labels, and for the handy numbering system used to identify its products. Recent versions of Microsoft Word, Corel WordPerfect, and other software have been conveniently pre-programmed with built-in Avery templates, so you can easily create documents that print perfectly on Avery paper products.

Now Avery is making it easy for anyone to prepare documents for easy printing, even without special software. Avery Print helps you prepare the text and images you want, then creates a page in PDF format, which can be viewed and printed on any printer using Adobe's free Acrobat Reader software. It's clever and convenient.

Hats off to Avery. This should help them move a few million more labels.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 4:44 PM | Permalink

IGN Entertainment – home to IGN.com, the Web’s largest gaming and entertainment destination for young males – and GameSpy Industries, a leading online entertainment and technology company serving game enthusiasts and game developers, today announced that they have signed a definitive merger agreement creating the Web’s largest network of destination sites for gamers.

The official merger announcement is here.

Posted b