RadioMacGuys

Pardon our dust.

2008-04-23T22:35:00.003-04:00

We're in the process of moving away from our long time heros at blogger.com and fending for ourselves in the wild world of WordPress. Please forgive any bumps in the road. Coolness is enroute.

In the meantime, you can join Koakai and call our listener line at 415-683-3018. Remember, anything you say may end up being narrowcasted on a future edition of Radio MacGuys.

RMG211 - MacWorld Preview

2008-01-12T20:45:00.000-05:00

RMG211 - MacWorld Expo Preview

The weather forecast for San Francisco shows that next week is going to be beautiful with days in the high 50's and nights in the mid 40's. The week starts out cloudy and ends sunny. No rain is in the forecast.

It's the weekend before the Expo and it's a good time to fill you in on what's happening at Moscone Center this weekend and next week. I'm not going this year because of a immanent birth of a grandchild but having worked in the exhibit hall many times in the past, I thought I'd fill you in on what's happening there prior to the show. One of the benefits of having an exhibitor badge is that you can get into the hall ahead of the crowd who aren't allowed in until after the end of the keynote address.

Empty of exhibitors, the underground halls at Moscone Center have bare concrete floors and look sort of like giant aircraft hangers. I always take a moment to check out the arches that support the roofs of the halls as my dad, a structural engineer who worked in San Francisco, had a hand in their design. Exhibits arrive in crates, cases and boxes and for a couple of days before the show opens, the floor is a buzz of activity as displays are assembled, carpets are unrolled and cables run. Having an exhibitor pass is fun because you get a preview of what the various exhibitors are going to be displaying over the next few days.

All the exhibitors except Apple that is. The Apple booth is completely shrouded with a double layer of floor to ceiling black curtains. Security guards with no sense of humor patrol the perimeter and quickly turn away anyone who doesn't have a special Apple exhibit setup pass. Even the huge Apple banners and posters that announce the new products are shrouded in black.

One of the more interesting aspects of this year's expo is it's timing, coming a week later than in most previous years. Normally the show runs concurrently with the mega Consumer Electronics Expo in Las Vegas. I'm guessing that the schedule change is signaling a banner year for product announcements at the Expo with no pesky CES news cluttering up the media stream.

Speaking of CES, a member of the Gizmodo blogging team was banned for life for a prank he played at the expo. Using one of Mitch Altman's TV-B-Gone, or a similar device, the Gizmodo staffer turned off television monitors at the display booths of several CES vendors. Folks, I love being able to turn off the monitors in airport lounges when I'm trying to take a nap, but interfering with a marketing party is a bit over-the-top.

In a sort-of related story, this past Thursday, a teen in Lodz Poland figured out that the city's tram track were switching using the same sort of IR technology. I'm guessing that vendors at MacWorld are buying up rolls of gaffer's tape to cover the IR ports on monitors used at the show.

That brings up the question of what Apple is going to announce this year. This has been a huge year for Apple with the Leopard operating system, the iPhone and iPod touch launching. Last week, there was a "soft" launch of new 8 core Mac Pro's and Xserve's so we know that they won't be the big news. That leaves the other segments of Apple's product line; iMacs, portables, Mac minis, iPods, iPhones, AppleTV and perhaps an entirely new product category.

Of course, we all know what Dave want's to see announced; a replacement for his aging 12" G4 Powerbook. I don't care if it's called the MacTablet, the MacBook Nano or Fred. I just wont one.

Today (Saturday), folks on the ground in San Francisco are reporting that Expo banners are appearing at Moscone Center reading "2008 - There's something is in the air." Is it heralding a new

Of course, only a very few people know exactly what Steve Jobs will be announcing at the expo. While Apple occasionally talks about future products, mostly it's a matter of "don't ask, don't tell."

If you're going to the expo, I do have a few hints and tips. The food inside the exhibit hall is overpriced and underwhelming. My suggestion; go out of the exhibit hall, walk down Howard street to 6th, turn right and walk toward Market. Tu Lan is an amazing tiny but delicious Vietnamese restaurant. You'll recognize the place by the line of lunch customers waiting to get in.

It wouldn't be a trade show without some fabulous parties. The days of the famed Apple Developers parties or the huge Ingram events are long gone, but there are still lots of great social events around the show. My favorite for the past few years has been the Final Cut Pro Users Group SuperMeet on Wednesday evening. This year the event will take place in the Robertson Auditorium at the Mission Bay Conference Center. Admission costs $10 in advance or (if any space is left) $15 at the door. Admission includes 2 raffle tickets. This party always has fabulous raffle prizes.

(bumper)

In other Apple news, Apple announced a new one price for all Euro iTunes Music Stores. In the past, prices varied across the Euro iTMS's with especially high prices in the UK.

In the 3rd party news department, the software geniuses at NewsGator have released NetNewsWire 3.1.1. The new features are nice, but the biggest news is that the product is now free. I've been using NetNewsWire since it's early days and from where I sit, it's the premier news reader for Mac OS.

In security news, the US Government Computer Emergency Readiness Team has notified users that there is a Trojan Horse exploit spreading through the internet effecting iPhone users. The Trojan claims to be a tool used to prepare iPhones for upgrade to firmware version 1.1.3. I know that there are folk out on the bleeding edge of iPhone modification, but please, don't install software on your device unless it comes from a trusted source.

I hope that each of you will be sitting in Moscone Center for Steve's keynote on Tuesday. If you can't make it, several popular web sites are live blogging from the event. Unless my daughter is in labor during the keynote, I'll be watching on MacRumorsLive.com. The presentation is scheduled to start at 9AM Pacific US time. If you're attending, and don't have a VIP pass, people start lining up outside Moscone in the very early hours of the morning.

Music on todays podcast comes from the Podsafe Music Network and includes the California Waltz by Hans York and City Lights by James Curry.

The photo in todays posting is of a small part of the line for the keynote at last years Expo. Photo credited to Blake Burris and was released under a Creative Commons Attribution License just like this edition of Radio MacGuys.

RMG210 - The MacPad?

2008-01-07T08:22:00.000-05:00

RMG210 - Radio Macguys for Sunday, January the 6th, 2007.

It's all about MacWorld. Like, apparently others, Dave is hoping that a new sub-notebook/tablet. I hope that the device happens and that it has all the features that I'm looking for.

Wouldn't it be nice to have wireless connectivity from your new MacPad to a monitor? The technology exists and it would be just like Apple to kick it up a notch.

I will hopefully be celebrating the birth of my first grandchild around the time that Steve is giving us "one more thing".

Thanks to Wil Maring for allowing us to podcast her lovely tune, "Flapping my Wings". You can find Wil's music on myspace.

Dance Like Nobody's Watching

2007-11-25T14:49:00.000-05:00

"Dance like nobody's watching; love like you've never been hurt. Sing like nobody's listening; live like it's heaven on earth."

The quote is attributed to Mark Twain.

The photograph is from the wedding of Arnold Pompos & Sarka Malkova. The image was found on a US Government web site. Isn't she a beautiful bride?

In North Florida it's daylight savings time and we've set our clocks back an hour. Now when it's time for day shift workers to go home, it's dark outside. The weather has gotten colder and much drier. For many people in the United States of America, it's the end of a 4 day vacation. When it comes to vacations, folks in the USA, compared to other nations, get a pretty bad deal.

I crammed a lot of fun into the last 4 days and am looking forward to a longer holiday next month.

I hope that wherever you are, you're listening to live music. My holiday wish to each and every one of you is that you dance as often as you possibly can. Find a club, a ballroom, a contra dance, a barn dance, a pow wow ... just get out and move your body.

My hometown of Tallahassee used to have an amazing dance hall. Big bands from all over the country would come to Tallahassee in private railroad coaches. There was a siding behind the dance hall. The building is still standing, although the railroad siding is gone. I'm offering 150 imaginary TallyCast points to the person who sends (or points me to an on-line source) the best (IMHO) photograph of this building.

The studio is in the middle of a rebuild so it will be a few weeks before you hear RadioMacGuys or the TallyCast in it's audio form. I'm asking Santa for a new field recorder (Zoom H2) and am hoping for the best.

RMG209 - Where did Dave go?

2007-10-15T00:18:00.000-04:00

Music on today's podcast comes from the Nashville Session Players.

I'm back from the last few months of being a part time builder.

Today's podcast is about music, early adopters, the iPhone, the Nokia N770 and N800, new iPods and the next product I'd like to see Apple produce.

Support open software, local music and pray for peace.

Dave

iPod Billboard in Beijing

2007-08-17T10:29:00.001-04:00

misky
Originally uploaded by myuibe.

Continuing our series of international iPod ads, here's one from outside a theater in Beijing. Photo by myuibe.

Inside the Classic

2007-07-26T10:52:00.001-04:00

Inside the Classic
Originally uploaded by Patrick Haney.

Continuing our series of Macintosh innards photos; this is the inside of the Mac Classic, an update of the Mac SE sold mostly to schools. Note the warning label on the back of the CRT (picture tube) and the thick red wire. Even after a Classic was powered down and unplugged from the mains, there was still a dangerous (and potentially lethal) electrical charge remaining on the back of the tube and in the red wire (which wen to the flyback transformer).

In order to safely work on devices that included a CRT, Apple provided a "CRT discharge tool" (Part No. 076-0381) which provided a safe way to drain the charge. Photo by Patrick Haney (thanks) via Flickr and licensed under Creative Commons.

RMG208 - the iPhone of course.

2007-06-28T20:23:00.000-04:00

Today's Radio MacGuys is going to be a ramble cast.

The opening tune on this podcast is Chinese Telephone from Chicago band, Nomad Planets and comes to us through garageband.com.

Tomorrow is the launch date for the iPhone and I'm very excited. While thanks to a contract for service from another vendor, I'm not going to be an early adopter, there is an iPhone in my future.

There was a lot of good news around the iPhone in the last week. The pricing plans are out and are reasonable. While a lot of people are shaking their heads at EDGE connectivity, with WiFi as an option, it's not that big of a deal. I am sorry to see the limits on SMS messages. We all know that these don't cost the company anything, and should be encouraged.

One bright spot is that an RSS reader for the iPhone has been released. If you're reading this on an iPhone, click here to go to Apple's iPhone rss reader.

Steve Jobs held a company-wide "town hall" meeting today to brief the troops on the iPhone. According to ArsTechnica, it was announced that all Apple employees who have a tenure of at least a year, will be getting an iPhone.

For folks who have an existing contract and just can't wait, Wired magazine has a few ideas about how to break that contract.

Of course, the erotic content folks are already making plans for the iPhone. Playboy has announced iPlayboy, a special set of content configured for the iPhone's screen.

Folks who publish glamor and erotica like Playboy depend on Adobe Photoshop for getting rid of that inconvenient pimple. Check out this great article from the UK magazine, Computer Arts on the history of Photoshop.

This week marks the passing of the torch at MobuzzTV. That cute Berkeley hippie girl, Karina Stenquist, has left the anchor chair and has been replaced by Susan Hickey who bears a striking similarity to Joanna Colan, who in turn, looks a lot like Amanda Congdon. I'll miss the slightly edgy, always informative and usually entertaining Stenquist. I guess that to be the successful host of a popular daily video podcast, you have to be a young woman with long hair and a British accent.

This past Tuesday was a "day of silence" for many internet broadcasters as they worked to increase public awareness of the latest insanity being forced on us by the "musician rights" organizations.

From new technology to death. I know it's a stretch, but last week, an old friend died. Katie was a computer newbie when she bought her first iMac a few years ago. Heart disease

The image distributed with this podcast is courtesy of Windell H. Oskay from www.evilmadscientist.com. It's distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution license.

Did you buy an iPhone. Drop us a line or give us a call and let us know how it's working out for you.

the iPhone!

2007-06-28T08:14:00.001-04:00

iphone.jpg
Originally uploaded by WendySkeleton.

Flickr image by Wendy Skeleton.

scutenning the powerbook

2007-06-19T11:54:00.001-04:00

scutenning the powerbook
Originally uploaded by kitestramuort.

Have you ever wondered what's under the skin of your Powerbook? Photo by kitestramuort and was found on Flickr. Licensed under Creative Commons.

5mm5 - Five Minute Mac

2007-06-18T07:31:00.001-04:00

File 5MM5 - From Radio MacGuys, this is 5 Minute Mac.

I've been hearing from a lot of people lately who have just purchased their first Mac. "Hey Dave, I just bought a new MacBook Pro and I was wondering what I ought to do next?" is a question I hear frequently.

My first recommendation is to protect what you have. Using a good surge protector is basic. Make sure that you protect every copper wire connected to your computer. For years, I've been an evangelist for American Power Conversion. I've been a satisfied user of their equipment for over 10 years.

Make sure that the power cord on your computer, and the power cords of anything else (printer, scanner, speakers, etc.) that's connected to you computer, are protected by a quality surge protector. The same goes for any cables that come from outside your house like a phone cable going to a modem, a dsl cable going to a DSL adapter, or a cable television (broadband) cable going to your cable modem.

When you buy a surge protector, look for a meaningful guarantee, a good reputation in the industry and the right kind and amount of connections.

The APC APC PF11VNT3 covers power (11 outlets), ethernet, telephone and Co-ax (cable/broadband) in one box. If you buy one, I'll make a few cents so thanks in advance.

OK. You've got your system isolated from transients and surges. So far, so good. Next, you need to decide what to do about backup. Computer's fail. Big deal. A failing gizmo is no big deal. Losing your data is a huge deal. Back up the stuff that's important to you. If it's vital, make multiple backups.

I use a layered approach to computer backups. External hard drives are one option. Look for a drive that has both FireWire and USB 2.0 connections, and especially look for one with a cooling fan. I've never owned one but hear great things about drives from One World Computing.

Once in awhile, clone your hard drive using a program like SuperDuper!.

I keep a backup of my keychain on a pen drive and on .mac, use the vast capacity of gmail to archive my email and archive projects to CD's and DVD's. Having an off-site backup of your data can be important in case of a fire, hurricane or seizure by the authorities.

If you are eligible for it (within the first year of ownership), buying an AppleCare service agreement is well worth it, especially for laptops.

You don't get much of an owner's manual with your mac. I'd recommend buying a copy of one of Robin William's book, Mac OS X 104 Tiger, from Peachpit Press or

Episode graphic is by Shht! and is covered by a Creative Commons Attribution License. Music on today's podcast is by Ken Tucker and James Swafford. The tune is Computer Blues and comes to us from the Podsafe Music Network. 5 Minute Macintosh is a production of Radio MacGuys and the Grumpy Old Guys Broadcasting Network. This is Dave Brightbill reminding you that notes from this and all our shows can be found at http://www.macguys.com. Find me on twitter.com.

BSOD/Mac

2007-06-16T21:37:00.001-04:00

BSOD/Mac
Originally uploaded by scriptingnews.

This is offered for the sake of humility. Yes, we Mac users are prideful creatures and it's good for whatever we have that passes for a soul to remember that rare as it is, Mac OS computers do crash.

The photo has an especially cool attribution. It's covered by a Creative Commons Share Alike license and is attributed to the guy who, as far as I know, is the "father" of podcasting, having first figured out the deal with enclosures, Dave Winer.

So three hips and a big hooray for humility and for smart people like Dave who helped create a whole new channel and a way for me to spend my Saturday nights.

A blast from the past.

2007-06-07T07:32:00.001-04:00

The old MacGuys shop.
Originally uploaded by macguys.

5mm4 - 5 Minute Mac #4

2007-06-06T23:37:00.000-04:00

File 5mm4 - From Radio MacGuys, it's 5 Minute Mac.

Apple announced new MacBook Pro's yesterday. The new Pro's are beautiful, sleek machines with all the features of the previous generation with some very nice new upgrades. The new laptops have faster CPU's, better graphic chip sets and come with 802.11n standard. The new MacBook Pro's are available in a 15" and a 17" display form factor. The smaller machine uses LED technology to backlight the LCD display instead of the usual fluorescent tubes. That means no mercury in the 15" display as Apple gets a bit more environmently friendly. The 17" unit still uses cold cathode fluorescent lamps to illuminate the display.

I'm still waiting for my next laptop; one that has a 12 inch or even smaller screen with a great video chip set and a DVI out.

Speaking of laptops, today, computer maker Asus introduced the Eee PC 701. While all the specs are still not known, the device sports a 7" screen, Ethernet, WiFi and a web cam. The mini-laptop has a RAM drive and runs Linux or Windows. The best part is the price. The device is listed with a retail of under $200. I'm still waiting for the Mac OS miniBook, but if the Eee PC pans out, it will have a major impact on the computer business.

Looking to extend your wireless network? Mesh network developer Meraki has introduced a low cost solar powered wireless WiFi repeater. The $99 device extends a wireless network up to 700 feet.

When Apple CEO Steve Jobs takes the stage at next weeks WWDC, one thing he may announce is that Mac OS Leopard may switch to the Zettabyte File System developed by Sun. Sun CEO Jonathan Schwartz let the news slip today at a meeting in Washington DC.

OpenOffice.org has released an alpha version of OpenOffice Aqua. This is a full office application suite that runs natively on a Mac OS X machine. Prior to the release, OpenOffice would only run in the X11 environment on a Mac. Remember that this is early ALPHA level software and there is no guarantee that it will be stable. If you are brave and don't mind the possibility of losing data, you can download it here.

The music played on todays podcast is by Smallfish. The tune is "Waves" and comes to us from the Podsafe Music Network.

5 Minute Mac is a production of Radio MacGuys and the Grumpy Old Guys Broadcasting Network. You can find show notes and links for the items on todays podcast by going to our web site at http://www.macguys.com. You can send us comments by writing to macguys at mac dot com or by calling our Tokyo listener comment line at +81-345-506-868. This is Dave Brightbill reminding you that whether you use alpha, beta or software in a box from the Apple Store, it's still important to BACK IT UP!.

5mm3 - 5 Minute Mac

2007-06-05T00:02:00.000-04:00

Preparing for the June 29 launch, iPhone commercial hit the airwaves in the US this week. At the recent WSJ D conference, Steve Jobs said that the iPhone ran the real deal, Mac OS X. Developers are drooling at the possibilities of building all sorts of apps for this exciting new platform. There is some speculation that Apple will release a new "developers tool kit" for the iPhone at the upcomming WWDC. The new ad's are available for viewing on the Apple US web site.

More good news for Apple TV and the iPhone. According to an article in Computerworld, Google company, YouTube is in negotiations to add local television news and weather to their online offerings.

Version 1.5b of the popular Mac web browser, Camino is being released this week. The new version includes enhance spelling correction, the ability to restore a session which was force-quit, and the ability to block flash videos and other plug-ins.

Former Apple hardware guru Jon Rubinstein has joined the Palm Board and will act as the executive chairman of the company.

The Apple Xserve has helped propel Apple to the top ten list of server manufactures.

Google has purchased the popular RSS generation service, Feedburner. Radio MacGuys and the other podcasts from the Grumpy Old Guys Broadcasting Network are Feedburner clients. Expect tighter integration between RSS and Google Adsense.

In a recent report, Deutcsche Bank has suggested that Apple TV will take sales away from the DVD player market.

Do you really really really want to make sure your documents are erased? Thanks to Lifehacker for telling us about Permanent Eraser.

Music on todays podcast is Merigans Reel by Canadian Jim Fidler and comes to us from the Podsafe Music Network. 5 Minute Mac is a production of MacGuys, LLC and the Grumpy Old Guys Broadcasting Network. Show notes and links are available at www.macguys.com. You can contact us by writing to macguys at mac dot com or calling our Cupertino listener response line at (408) 513-0245. From Miami Florida, this is Dave Brightbill reminding you to practice safe computing by installing lightning arrestors, and don't forget to BACK IT UP!.

5mm2 - Five Minue Mac for June 3rd, 2007

2007-06-03T22:24:00.000-04:00

File 5mm2 - from Radio MacGuys, this is 5 Minute Mac.

Did you ever wonder what it takes to be an Apple Store "genius" and how a genius is trained? MacLife magazine has an exclusive online report by Eugene Robinson on the care and feeding of people in this unique position.

Steve Jobs and Bill Gates sat down together recently for a joint interview/panel at the D: All things digital conference sponsored by the Wall Street Journal. Watch the video here. The encounter was cordial and kind of sweet.

The online Apple Store has a new section: The Apple Outlet Store; which replaces the old special deals section and does a bit better at explaining the deal on clearance and refurbished deals.

Wincentric reseller Dell, has started shipping computers with Ubuntu and have cast their lot with Wal Mart.

Speaking of WinCentric, Microsoft CEO Steve Balmer is trash talking the iPhone saying that it's too expensive.
Meanwhile, the wizards of Bellevue are starting a new promotion for emerging musical acts. Wake me up when the iPhone ships.

If you want to be the first to have a new iPhone, don't go to the Apple Store. Steve Jobs said that he expects the lines to be around the block at introduction. Apparently Cingular/ATT stores will also have a few units to sell.

WWDC is just around the corner and euro Mac news sites are leaking a story that a new MacBook Pro is about to be introduced in the days leading up to the developers conference.

No answer from Apple yet on why the new DRM-free "iTunes Plus" music downloads have the buyers name and email encoded in the download.

Finally from New York City, Apple Computer has joined the Standard and Poor's 100 Index. I'm totally digging owning a blue-chip stock.

From Radio MacGuys, this has been 5 Minute Mac. Music on todays podcast is from the Podsafe Music Network. Todays tune is from the Nashville Session Players. The tune is called "writing on the wall." You can find show notes for todays show, linkes and more by going to our web site at http://www.macguys.com. Our email address is macguys at mac dot com. You can call our Cupertino comment line by dialing (408) 513-0245. Remember to practice safe computing by installing lightning arrestors, and don't forget to BACK IT UP!.

蘋果電腦使用者通訊第3期

2007-06-03T21:35:00.001-04:00

蘋果電腦使用者通訊第3期
Originally uploaded by wahaha_wu.

A photo from the grand opening of a new "Premium" Apple Reseller in Taiwan.

5 Minute Mac

2007-06-02T21:51:00.000-04:00

File 5MM1 - From Radio MacGuys, this is episode 1 of 5 Minute Mac

Lately there have been some announcements of the "paradigm shift" variety. Let's start with the Apple TV. The evolution of this product into a real media hub is just beginning to unfold. The recent announcement regarding the availability of YouTube content on the Apple TV is very significant. Remember that Apple TV is basically an iPod on steroids. There is a good reason why Apple never put an FM tuner in their iPods and don't include a cable tuner in the Apple TV. Apple has engineered a paradigm shift in how people around the world relate to media. In the iPod/iTunes/Apple TV world, consumers program their own network choosing a combination of music, news, information and entertainment.

When Steve Jobs first introduced the iPod Shuffle, I was dubious. I was an early iPod adopter and enjoyed being able to pick an album and play it. Then podcasts came along and suddenly I live in an audio world where a Jimmy Buffett tune is followed by the news from Radio Netherlands. I don't listen to much commercial radio with the exception of a little independent country station down the road that plays oldies. I listen to NPR every now and then on the FM, but most of that content is also available as a feed and is loaded on my iPod.

This week, with a few bumps, the rules changed with regards to content purchased from the iTunes Music Store (iTMS). Under the new rules, called iTunes Plus (so far only adopted for a potion of the iTMS library), you are charged a little bit more for a tune but the stupid copy restrictions are gone, and the copies are of much better quality. This shows that Steve Jobs and Apple really get it. I suspect that the earlier policy was adopted in order to get the digital rights companies to play along.

The third interesting tidbit is a rumor going around that was from AT&T is going to bring commercial television content to the Apple TV. This is most likely a price restructuring announcement. Currently TV shows on iTunes cost $2 an episode. I suspect the price is about to come waaaaaaaaaay down with some sort of low cost subscription service very soon. I also suspect that the cable TV industry is following this development very closely.

Special note to Steve Jobs: Steve, my 12" Powerbook G4 is nearing retirement age. Please make me an Intel replacement. Blow me away with something small, lightweight and extensible.

The Apple World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) is about to happen in San Francisco. It's where the real heros of the MacOS world hang out once a year. The conference consists of presentations by Apple engineers and scientists. The attendees are the developers who write the big applications and the little ones too.

In a similar fashion to the MacWorld Expo keynote address, Steve Jobs will take to the stage at the WWDC Keynote. If past events are any guide, there will be a review of Leopard, the new release of the operating system, a review of new technologies released in the last year, and if we are lucky, a product announcement or two.

Music on todays podcast is from Blue Dew, a Dutch band, and comes to us from music.podshow.com.

This is Dave Brightbill and this has been todays edition of 5 Minute Mac. You can find out more about this show by visiting our website at http://www.macguys.com or contacting us via e-mail. Our address is macguys at mac dot com. Remember to install lightning protection on power, phone, dsl and cable TV connections to your technology and don't forget to back it up.

-0-

Telephone Number Update

2007-05-07T22:39:00.000-04:00

Our new phone system is up and running. Do you have a comment, question, suggestion, complaint or concern? Pick up the phone and give us a call.

Tallahassee, Florida (850) 391-4955
San Diego, California (619) 330-9019
Tokyo, Japan 03-4550-6868 (+81-345-506-868)

RMG207 - Ohayou from Tokyo

2007-04-17T21:53:00.000-04:00

Dave des. Konichiwa from Japan. I'm in Atsugi this morning, a town located between Yokohama and Tokyo.

The sounds in the background are from Yoyogi Park, a very cool place to spend a Sunday afternoon in Tokyo.

One of the Maccentric surprises here was seeing a commercial on Japanese television for Apple. It was the Mac guy/PC guy setup that we're all familiar with, but with a change. Instead of John Hodgman playing the PC and Justin Long playing the Mac, the parts were played by Japanese actors. While the ads are, of course, in Japanese, they're still a hoot to watch. You can see them by clicking here.

One of the reasons I'm in Japan is to do a little troubleshooting on a friends laptop. Before she moved here, I convinced her dad that he should move her to the Mac because troubleshooting from across the ocean was not easier, and that Mac's rarely have problems. Of course, soon after she arrived, a problem appeared. "It runs really slow on the Internet", she reported to her dad. We tried all the normal things over the phone and soon came to an stone wall. It's a slow time at work right now, I have a bunch of frequent flyer miles and I've always wanted to visit Japan, so here I am.

It turned out that the problem was easy to solve. My friend lives in a large apartment house and has a wireless router attached to her cable modem. She left the router completely open. When I first checked, there were 10 outside users sucking up the bandwidth. Locking down the router solved the problem and I guess the other anonymous users are going to have to find a new way to download those bittorrent files. It's made me rethink my policy of open net's/closed pooters.

Of course, I had to make a visit to the Apple Store in Ginza. I went with a friend who had a broken iPod just a few weeks out of warranty. Last month I visited the Apple Store in Tampa to have a broken iPod IN WARRANTY repaired. I had a very frustrating experience with a surly "genius" and ended up having to send the unit off to my heros at 1-800-SOS-APPL.

The experience in Ginza was the complete opposite. A very nice young man looked at my friends iPod, agreed that it was kaput, and replaced it for her. Apple stores are mostly a class act and I hope that my experience in Tampa was the result of someone having a bad day instead of being the norm.

I've received a few questions since the last podcast, mostly revolving around travel issues. Bill from Long Beach in California had a question about email on the road. His ISP/email provider won't allow outgoing email unless he is on his home network. There are a couple of solutions. If your provider has a webmail client available, you can send and receive there. Another solution is to use services like gmail or hotmail. My solution is to set my laptop up as it's own SMTP server using the built in sendmail server in MacOS. A good step-by-step instruction page is here.

I'm starting to get emails from people planning to attend WWDC. Alice from Adelaide in Australia wrote to ask about local transit. You can find hints, tips and suggestions for San Francisco on my WWDC hints and tips page.

A typo in Engadget.com got the troops excited when they posted that the WWDC keynote on June 11th was scheduled to be 3 hours long. Woo hoo! Actually, the keynote is scheduled to run from 10 AM until 11:30 AM. Plan on seeing lots about Leopard, the new iPhone and please, please, please, a new subnotebook.

Remember that early registration for WWDC ends on April 27th.

What's happening to the bees? Albert Einstein said that if the bees died off, humans would have a maximum of 4 years of life on the earth. In an article in the Independent, it is speculated that the growing problem of Colony Collapse Disorder may be the result of interference with the bee navigation systems from cell phone radiation.

Today's podcast ends with a tune from Tokyo band Funkamental. The tune is ONIGOROSHI (The Sake Party). The band comes to us through garageband.com. Take care, be safe and drop me a line to tell me how things are going in your technological life. Sayonara from Tokyo.

Help save internet radio

2007-04-07T22:40:00.000-04:00

Do you like listening to internet radio? I'm not talking about podcasts like Radio MacGuys, the TallyCast or the GrumpCast. Like most podcasters, I play independent artists or music that's too old to be controlled by the RIAA. I'm talking about streaming internet radio stations. I listen to several including a great NPR station in Lafayette Louisiana (amazing Cajun, roots and international music) and of course, the Cowboy Cultural Society.

I listen to internet radio because I can find the music I enjoy listening to instead of the same old crap that every old skool radio station in the US plays.

The recording industry has never had an easy time understanding the value proposition of the internet and have, at every opportunity, tried to shut down the media until they figured out a way to put a meter on it.

They finally have; in the form of the a substantial increase in the royalty rates charged to internet radio stations. The new rate structure is so high that most independent stations are not going to be able to stay in business.

While some people may think that they don't have a dog in this fight, it's not true. It turns out that the royalty rate is actually set by the United States Government. On March 2nd, the Coypright Royalty Board (CRB) approved the increase requested by the RIAA.

Please join me in learning about the issue and if you agree that it's a bad decision, sign the online petition and drop a note to your congressperson. Whether your genre is afropop, polka or j-indy, streaming internet radio is just about the only place to hear what you enjoy.

Save Internet Radio!!!

RMG206 Packing My Bags

2007-04-03T00:38:00.000-04:00

This is the "packing my bag" edition of Radio MacGuys. In about a week from the time I post this, I hope to be on my way to Japan. It's my first visit to Asia and I'm looking forward to being amazed. Think "Gomer Pyle". Gooooolllllieeee.

Photo of Sensoji Pagoda from Wikimedia Commons.

Opening music: SYNCHRONICITY by DeviceHigh, a group of electronica musicians who normally build music for video games. From GarageBand.com

Today's podcast is, not surprisingly, focused on travel, and especially traveling with technology.

Nokia WiFi N95 Phone.
Motorola WiFi Phone
Gizmo Project
Skype

SuperDuper

Edirol R-09 WAVE/MP3 Recorder
Bicycle Mark's Communique
Zoom H4 Digital Recorder
Apple Computer announced that EMI Music's entire digital catalog of music will be available for purchase DRM FREE at the iTunes Music Store (iTMS) starting in May.

Traveling In Your Eyes by ATM, a band from Kemerovo Serbia in the Russian Federation.

You can reach me in Japan at (Country Code +81) 345-506-868. I'm especially interested in hearing from people who have suggestions about things to see and do around Tokyo for the next few weeks.

RMG205 - Controlling your ears

2007-03-04T21:43:00.000-05:00

Today on Radio MacGuys we look at laptop living, explore the maze of digital rights management and media consolidation and how it might effect the pod-O-shpere and answer some listener questions. It's Radio MacGuys.

First off, a special shout-out to the product specialists who answer the phone at 1-800-SOS-APPL. AppleCare continues to be a part of my technology risk management portfolio and if recent experience is any indication, well worth the cost. At a slightly higher cost, but equally worth is is AppleCare Help Desk Support.

Images in this post are from Wikimedia.org. Click on an image for attribution information.

Speaking of Apple, it's time to start planning your trip to WWDC, the World Wide Developers Conference. It's running from June 11th to 15th in San Francisco. We have a page of hints and tips for those of you lucky enough to be going to the meeting. We cover WWDC hotels for folks on an expense account and those who are traveling on their own euros.

Laptop Nation!

I am making a recommendation to look at laptops first.

Steve Jobs weighed in on digital rights management last month. Responding to the concerns of European legislators, Jobs suggested distributing music without DRM. Meanwhile, the last mile providers are working hard to assert their control of the Internet. Comcast made the news by sending out letters telling certain users, who signed up for "unlimited usage" that they had been abusing the system and were about to lose their access.

It's all about controlling the internet. One solution are community networks. FreeNetworks.org is tracking community networks. While many of these are WiFi or MESH networks, there are some excellent examples of communities building out their own DSL.

Listener Tom Watson has a great photo set from MacWorld Expo up on Flickr. Thanks Tom.

The podcast ends with a tune from a UK band, Aidy. The tune is "Seattle's Filled With Stars" and comes to us from GarageBand.com where you can find their new CD.

RMG204 - iPhone, SIM cards and GSM

2007-02-04T09:44:00.000-05:00

Link

RMG204 - iPhones, SIM cards and GSM.

You've heard me talk up open source here in the blog and on Radio MacGuys. Dave talks about a USB stick initiative in France where the school system is giving out 175K memory sticks pre-filled with open source software and available to use anywhere the student can find a computer.

A lot of questions revolve around the iPhone and it's SIM card. I explain a little about GSM and it's role in the world-o-cellphones.

The Apple Support Discussions Site has added a "Pre-release section containing articles on AppleTV and the iPhone.

A question from a listener in Guadalajara: Maria asks about how she should clean her new MacBook. Dave recommends iKlear Apple Polish from KlearScreen.

A computer security expert who is going by the nickname "LMH" has completed a "Month of Apple Bugs" project. Last week Apple released a security fix to address the first bug identified by the project. Meanwhile, Bill Gates uses the project to talk smack about the Mac and how Windows is so much more secure. (from an article in Newsweek)

More about the new Airport Extreme and it's USB port.

PC World is reporting that the government of Norway has outlawed iTunes because of the restrictive DRM which prevents players other than an iPod getting access to ITMS licensed content.

Speaking of music; this podcast ends with "Shoulder to Cry On" an upcoming release from Bloom; available at www.bloom-music.co.uk.

RMG203 - MacWorld Wrap Up

2007-01-14T22:40:00.000-05:00

RMG203 MacWorld Wrap Up

Music for today's podcast from the Garage Band Loop Symphony Orchestra and ends with a tune, Email Girlfriend (sic) from Canadian singer/songwriter Jon Davies and comes to us from GarageBand.com.

News from MacWorld Expo and from Mom's house.

Yet another take on the iPhone.

Cool new product: Belkin TuneStudio.

Cooler new product: ModBook.

Cool new Apple product: The AirPort Extreme.

Apple Computer Inc. is now Apple Inc.

The Bru-ha-ha over Apple stock options is not over yet.

We mention Four Eyed Monsters, an indie film that was screened last week in Second Life.

RMG202 - MacWorld Buzz Machine -

2007-01-07T20:55:00.000-05:00

Podcast show notes for Sunday, January 7th, 2007.

Album artwork for this episode is a photo by Grombo and can be found at wikimedia commons.
Music on this episode comes from Victor Imbres through IODA Promonet

Buy at iTunes Music Store

The Apple web site has a new teaser on the home page; "The first 30 years were just the beginning. Welcome to 2007". What's going to be announced next week is still a secret, but the iTV device
previewed at WWDC is a good bet. There is Apple phone speculation all over the internet and in the financial trades.

In any case, we'll all know what's up in just a couple of days. Sadly, for the first time in a long time, I'm not going to be able to get to San Francisco. If you're there and would be willing to be interviewed about your impression of the show, please drop me an email. (macguys[insert at symbol]macguys[insert period]com) Let me know your phone number and a good time to call.

Staying home in North Florida isn't all bad. The weather is warm and a bit moist. There's lots of speculation in the media, old and new, about what's coming on Tuesday when Steve Jobs steps up and opens his bag.

I talk a bit about MacGuys web sites, old and new, the Hess Memorial Macworld Events List, my expo hints and tips list and our list of San Francisco and Expo events this week.

Do you believe the rumors on the net? I expect that we'll see more on iTV, Leopard, and maybe some new displays. I'd like to see Apple announce that they have come up with a good solution for eco-friendly packaging.

I'd also love to see Apple announce a way cool replacement for the 12" Powerbook G4.

We got a refurbished iPod Photo at our house this holiday season. It had a problem and we had a successful but confusing AppleCare experience. Apple is advertising for an individual to manage their iPod service. I hope they find someone good.

If you're in San Francisco this week, consider going to the Electronic Frontier Foundation's 16th birthday party on Thursday. These folks are heros of mine. If they're hero's of yours, stop by and tell them thanks.

Thanks for listening, reading and participating in the web commerce on this site.

Dave.

RMG201 - Getting Ready for MacWorld Expo

2006-12-29T01:31:00.000-05:00

Happy holidays from Dave and RadioMacGuys to each and every one of you.

It's almost Expo time and the speculation is insane; especially regarding new "lifestyle" MacOS D devices. Among the possibles, the iTV device pre-announced by Steve Jobs at this year's World Wide Developers Conference, and the much anticipated Apple cell phone. What will Steve really pull out of his hat? I don't know and neither does anyone else except for a handful of folk hanging out around 1 Infinite Loop.

If you're going to the Expo, avoid being double-overbooked by checking out our hints and tips for things to see, do, places to stay, and especially, places to eat.

The Financial Times is reporting that our Favorite CEO, Steve Jobs, may be in a bit of trouble. According to today's article, Apple may have "backdated" stock options give to Jobs in 2001. More details are expected in an expected SEC filing from Apple in the next few days.

Better news for Apple from Business Week where the company has the number two spot on a list of the top 50 high growth tech companies.

Today's first question comes from Wilma in Paducah. Wilma wants to know about internet "cookies". Dave explains what cookies are and how they are used and sometimes misused.

With the MacWorld Expo just around the corner and the end of many peoples fiscal year just a few days away, a listener from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville asks about the timing of a new purchase.

Music for this podcast is Great Big City from the album Morning Sun. The artists is Chris Whitley. The track comes to us courtsey of iodaPROMONET.

Buy at iTunes Music Store

RMG200 - How to Get a Broken Mac Fixed

2006-07-19T00:08:00.000-04:00

Last updated 17 July, 2006.

This information will be most useful for Apple computer users. The information on repair providers will be of most interest to listeners in the US.

Almost every day, I get a call from someone who has a broken computer and is looking for advice on where to get it fixed.

This guide covers what to do when you're sure the problem is with the hardware itself (the physical part of the computer) and not the programs (software) which run on it.

I'm assuming that you're not a Flashing 12 and that you've checked all the "duh" things. I'm also assuming that you've got your internal hard drive (or at least the important information on it) backed up.

Usually, it's pretty easy to tell if your hardware is broken or if the problem is with the software or network. Start the computer up using the software on a CD (or DVD on newer boxes) instead of the internal hard drive. On a Mac, you do that by inserting a bootable CD, restarting the computer, and holding the "c" key down.

If it boots runs somewhat normally, it's time to get out that Disk Warrior CD and try to repair your hard drive. If Disk Warrior won't fix things, then it's time to decide how important that data is. If it's real important, call DriveSavers. If you give them the MacGuys promo code of DS10232, you might save a bit.

If the machine won't run from a bootable CD, then it's pretty likely that the computer needs work.

If your computer is still under warranty, this is a good time to call 1-800-SOS-APPL and talking to one of the award winning Applecare consultants.

If your Apple computer is less than a year old, consider buying a AppleCare Protection Plan for it.

If you live in an area where there's a local Apple Store, having Apple themselves provide warranty or AppleCare Protection Plan service is a no brainer.

You can reach AppleCare at 1-800-SOS-APPL.

If you live in the "whitespace", your options are much more limited. "Authorized" service providers handle repairs for Apple, and some of them do a good job. There is a lot of variability in "Authorized" service providers. Remember, it was Apple Computer" that got the high marks in customer satisfaction and not necessarily the 3rd party provider that you're visiting.

For those of us who don't have a reliable local service provider, and for those who do but want to save a few dollars, there are some pretty decent mail order repair providers. TechRestore does fairly priced repairs on Laptops, iPods and even Sony PSP's. AllMac (formerly 1-800-we fix macs) has done great work for me in the past. They will fix your mac or sell you the parts to do it your own self.

Before you spend a whole lot of money on a repair, think carefully. Wouldn't you really rather buy a new computer?

This podcast ends with a tune from Austin (tejas) band La Tribu. The tune is Sylvia and comes to us from Garageband.com.

RMG199 - Traveling Mac Daddy

2006-05-04T00:42:00.000-04:00

RMG199

It's the "gee it's hot" edition of Radio MacGuys sponsored by Summer Vacations.

To start with, you'll need a little extra cash to spend along the road. Remember those Epson printers they gave away with the purchase of a iMac or laptop a couple of years ago. If you purchased an Epson printer or MFU after 4/8/99, you need to check here.

Next, you need to back it up. I'm using Backup, the way cool utility that comes with my .mac accounts. I back up a little bit of my stuff to .mac but all of it to an external drive.

I'm tough on my technology and my Powerbooks always have a few dents and dings. Having a good case is very important. I am currently using a Brenthaven bag designed with my 12" Powerbook in mind. It's pretty but it's a bit too big and I end up carrying more than I need. I also use a Higher Ground lap desk from Shawn Jackson designs. It's great for train trips, sitting in airports and other situations where you have enough leg room to unfold it.

Just because you're on the road, it doesn't mean that you can forget about surge protection. Just make sure it's rated for the proper voltage.

Security is a big issue for laptop travelers. My advice is that if you don't have it locked up, keep it with you. If you're taking a nap in the airport or train station, make sure that your bag is latched and connected in some way to your body.

Most laptop thefts are crimes of opportunity. You set your bag down for a minute and when you look back, it's gone with no one in sight. Violent laptop jacking is a growing problem. In one of my favorite cities, San Francisco, there have been a series of daylight laptop robberies in coffee shops. Last week, on Valencia Street in the Mission district, a coffee shop patron noticed someone unplugging his laptop power cord. When he stood up to investigate, a second person stabbed him in the chest and grabbed the laptop. Both thief's ran from the coffee shop and were picked up by a waiting car. San Francisco police are investigating.

Laptop theft is becoming a issue in San Francisco --

Some ways to keep it safe: iAlertU, orbicule Undercover,

There's a great interview in the Seattle Times with Steve Wozniak.

Tonight's podcast ends with a tune from the very talented Tantra, a band from Antwerp in the Netherlands, and featuring the fiddle playing of Janneke Donkersloot.

RMG198 - Whoopee, we're a real computer now!

2006-04-06T23:01:00.000-04:00

RMG198

Apple had some pretty big news this week. They announced a public beta of a software package that allows you to install Windows XP on an Intel Mac. The package is called Boot Camp, which in Florida is an unfortunate choice of names. Boot Camp does not include XP. You have to get that yourself. It does include all the drivers that allow you to do the wiz bang Apple hardware stuff.

Apple stock moved up 10% on Wednesday after the announcement.

If you like Radio MacGuys, please tell a friend, drop us a line, and vote for us at PodCastAlley.com

Sorry, no 30th anniversary Macintosh but lots of interesting April Fools items.

It's almost our anniversary here at Radio MacGuys. In a very short time, we'll be posting our 100th show. We're looking for the perfect tune for the show and hope that you have a suggestion. It has to be available on the internet and available for podcasting. If you've got a suggestion for the perfect tune for our 100th show, please send it on. Our email is macguys at mac dot com. (you know what to do) We're making this a contest. If we use your tune, we'll send you a little gift.

The music for this episode comes from Stellamara featuring Sonja Drakulich and Garl Hegedus. Their music is on the Magnatune, "we're not evil", label; a source of some very interesting music. We recommend you give them a visit.

The photo in the blog today comes from the Radio MacGuys photo stream at Flickr.

Mary in Marin reports that our advice regarding Data Rescue II was spot on and that she recovered much of the "lost" data on her iBook. Shout out's to Darla in the Ouachita mountains of Arkansas and to Heidi in Germany.

If you own an internet cafe, or are thinking about adding a few iMac's to your coffee shop, you should check out iCafeSystem. The server based system control's a roomful of Mac workstations, handles payment, access, timekeeping, etc.

Dates for the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference for 2006 has been announced. The conference will run from Monday, August 7th to Friday, August 11th, 2006. Registration information here.

If you're going to WWDC, be sure to check out our San Francisco hints and tips for WWDC site. We'll fill you in on good eat, drinks, and fun in general.

Listener question #1 comes from Ellen in Fargo, North Dakota. Ellen needs to move a whole bunch of files from her iMac to her PowerBook G4. Dave explains Target Disk Mode.

A new version of Little Snitch has been released.

Listener question #2 comes from Michael, who needs to timeshare his Powerbook with his wife and wants to know how.

If you live in London, in the UK, check out the monthly meeting of the London Macintosh Users Group. They're meeting at the Hobgoblin, a great pub that serves real ale. The topic of the meeting is going to be data recovery.

Have a great week. Don't forget, back it up!.

Podcast ends with Zephyrus from the album Star of the Sea by Stellamara. Peace y'all.

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RMG197 - Zen Macs - Apple and Europe - Birthday Entity - April Fools

2006-03-27T23:34:00.000-05:00

RMG197
Welcome to the 97th edition of Radio MacGuys.

Photo by David Brightbill

Todays podcast is sponsored by Spring, nature's way of saying "Cheer Up. Things aren't THAT bad", and by the zen hot dog vendors association (Let us make you one with everything). The Flashlight LED iluminated flying disc is our Geek of the Week.

Music on today's podcast is from Texas singer-songwriter Scotty Schuffield. It's called Birthday Suit and is offered in honor of our favorite about-to-celebrate-a-birthday entity, Apple Computer. Thanks to GarageBand.com for hosting the tune.

April 1st marks the 30th birthday of Apple Computer. Finally we can take them seriously.

The San Francisco Chronicle has posted a series of audio interviews with some of the early Apple illuminaries including Steve Wozniak, John Scully, Guy Kawasaki and Andy Hertzfeld. It's good stuff and worth a listen.

Shout outs to Jim in San Francisco, Cat in the Russian Republic, Roger from Madison, Bex in the Bear Gulch Cave, and Oscar in Santiago Chile. Thanks for them and for you for listening to Radio MacGuys.

Today's first listener question comes from Sky in Hong Kong. Sky has an iBook and is wondering what to do to make it work faster. My recommendation: more memory. I have recently been ordering my memory from OtherWorldComputing at macsales.com.

Mary in Marin has a all too common problem. Her hard drive is hosed, and surprise, she doesn't have a backup. We talk about Data Rescue II from Prosoft Engineering and Disk Warrior from Alsoft.

Our tip of the week is unmount your external firewire drives before shutting down or removing them.

If you're somewhere near Cleveland Ohio in the United States, the Cleveland Digital Publishing Users Group will be meeting this Thursday, March the 30th at Dodd's Camera and Video. The meeting will focus on 3d applications.

In EuroNews, a trial starts this week in the High Court in London where Apple Computer is being sued by Apple Corps.

Meanwhile, last week, the those crafty French have passed a law requiring Apple to open iTunes up to other music players. Will Apple say au revoir to la belle France? Stay tuned.

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RMG196 - Wifi weirdness and insecure elections

2006-03-20T11:46:00.000-05:00

RMG196 - Wifi weirdness and insecure democracy.

This edition of Radio MacGuys is sponsored by Electricity. Tame your electrical devices with a PowerSquid.

Happy St. Patricks Day. We honor the music, beer, whiskey and beauty of the emerald isle.

The tune, Si Bheag Si Mor, comes from a band name Bedlam, from a great Irish town, Boston Massachusetts in the United States. Thanks to Garageband.com. The photo in the feed comes from Flickr and is reproduced under a Creative Commons Attribution License. The photo is attributed to Ben Ostrowsky.

Wherever you go, there you are. Google has added the planet Mars to its online mapping system.

In the "wow, they make a lot of money" department, salaries for Apple's executives were made public today in an SEC filing. CEO Steve Jobs received a whopping salary of $1. Story here.

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak's new company, Acquicor Technology reported that it has raised $150 million dollars.

A listener pointed out that there is one more not totally wonderful, but it works pretty well, virus protection product for the Macintosh. It's VirusBarrier from Intego and is currently rated at 3 out of 5 stars on VersionTracker.com

News from France about iPods and open music. Several years ago, Apple had another problem in France with the sound volume of iPods.

Today's tech question comes from Mark in Berkeley whose WiFi network is giving him a splitting headache.

A lot of the Mac blogiznes are making a big whoop about the guy who figured out how to get Windows XP to boot on an Intel iMac. What's the point?

Finally, Radio MacGuys goes local with a report about election problems in Florida, and one of my heros, Leon County Florida Supervisor of Elections, Ion Sancho.

RMG195 - Mac Security in an Insecure World

2006-03-07T22:26:00.000-05:00

RMG195 - Macintosh Security In An Insecure World.

Once again, the popular press is making noise about Apple Mac OS security vulnerabilities. Several weeks ago, it was Oompa Loompa's in iChat and evil web sites in Safari. Apple quickly issued patches to address both.

Now news of a new security issue surfaced yesterday. The ZD Net Australia site reported on a challenge issued in Sweden where it was reported that a Mac mini was compromised in less than 30 minutes.

Actually, the news isn't all that bad, as the individual issuing the challenge gave the hacker a user account on his Macintosh and had enabled SSH.

While this wasn't the end of the world, it points out that we shouldn't be too complacent about security on the Macintosh. I was recently asked about virus protection software for the Macintosh, and sadly, I have nothing to suggest. MacScan from SecureMac.com has an application that watches out for remote administration exploits, key loggers and spyware, but really hasn't had anything thrown at it to test it.

The best advice I can give is to secure your machine and your network. I can't say "non-trivial passwords" too many times. Tiger has some excellent security features. The Password Assistant will tell you how strong a password you are using.

Keychain keeps your passwords straight. Here's a great Apple page on Tiger security. Be sure to keep your keychain backed up.

On that same page, you can find information on Apple's implementation of the UNIX ipfw firewall. How difficult is it to turn it on? Not very. Just go to the Sharing preference pane and click on the Firewall tab. Press "Start". That's it.

I have to give props to Apple for staying up-to-date on the security stuff. Listen. If Apple releases a Security Update through the Software Update system, install it.

When messages pop up and warn you that you're doing something insecure, stop and think about what the message says. Are you sure you want to install that application? Where did it come from?

Finally, and you might have heard me say this before, BACK IT UP!

The podcast ends with Lost in Austin by NYC band, Buddy Woodward and the Nitro Express. The tune comes to us from the Podsafe Music Network and is dedicated to all the hard workers at the Apple Campus in Austin Texas; especially those folk working in the technical support trenches. You guys rock!

RMG194 - Intel Mac mini's

2006-03-06T00:55:00.000-05:00

RMG194

Apple has released a security update to address the problems noted in our last podcast.

It's a new month. Please take a moment and give Radio MacGuys a vote on PodcastAlley.com. Thanks!

After you vote for Radio MacGuys, do something REALLY important and support the Common Cause "Hands Off My Internet" campaign.

Of course the big news comes from the Apple Event last wek at the Apple Campus in Cupertino. A new macMini was announced. This is a Intel based computer with either a single or dual core processor (depends on the model)

Bonjour added to FrontRow.

Leather iPod cases in mid March.

iPod HiFi- - iPod dock on a speaker system. $349 - shipping today

Also, in iPod news, a jogger running in the San Francisco Persidio Park was the victim of a hit an run. The woman was unidentified until the police traced her through her iPod.

The Grand Old Party is doing a little social data mining in Minnesota.

Network World has an interesting article on the TCO of various computer platforms. It's no surprise to MacGuys, but the author was astounded at what a bargain Mac OS machines are.

Similar to Woot, MacZOT has a new deal everyday on Mac OS software.

Today's podcast ends with "Talking on the Telephone", a tune from Rhonda Watson and found on GarageBand.com

RMG193 - Macintosh Threat Level Elevated!!!!!

2006-02-24T12:02:00.000-05:00

Welcome to RMG 193.

Hey folks, it's a Yellow Alert in the world-o-mac.

Oompa Loompa's invade iChat.

Safari has it's own security problems.

To the listener looking for RMG 1 - 100; "Fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again."

App of the week is iScroll2. It's a cool preference that allows certain pre-2005 Powerbooks and iBooks to have access to the scrolling trackpad feature introduced in 2005.

The podcast ends with a Mildred's Garden, a lovely tune from a lovely singer/songwriter with a lovely voice. Michelle Anderson is one half of Red River, a duo from Minnesota. Via the Podsafe Music Network.

Don't forget that we like those PodcastAlley.com votes. Oh yes. Give me more baby.

RMG192 - Upgrading to 10.4.5

2006-02-16T18:10:00.000-05:00

RMG192

It's iBooks again in Henrico.

Bizarre Life Department: People with Implanted Chips.

Mac OS 10.4.5 is out.

Is there a new Mac OS Virus out there? Slashdot says maybe, but don't get too worried.

A listener wants to know about backing up.

Grants.gov is a web site that institutions and researchers applying for US Government grants are required to use. Unfortunately, the site only supports users on Windows computers. Fortunately, the University of Wisconsin has a workaround.

The podcast ends with a tune from GarageBand.com. Eric Zai is from Piteå, Sweden and has a great voice. The tune is called Waters by the Shore. On the podcast, I named the members of Eric's band; however it turns out that this piece is a solo effort.

Peace
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RMG191 - eMail in Heaven - feed-fixed

2006-02-10T09:08:00.000-05:00

RMG191

This is the 91st edition of Radio MacGuys

Do they have email in heaven? From the Podsafe Music Network.

tuaw.com is reporting on a problem with the Flip4Mac WMV plugin. The software, recently purchased by Microsoft, appears to break the export functions of QuickTime Pro.

William Agnew had a business running an ice cream vending truck in the UK Last week he was convicted for software and video piracy, reportedly selling thousands of DVD's, CD's and games along with chocolate, vanilla and espresso cream.

In his proposed 2007 budget, President Bush has included a 'user fee' for wiFi connections.

Shout out to podjournalist, podcaster, and all-around fine fellow, Bicycle Mark who recently posted his 100th show. Mark is a young guy living in Amsterdam. A lot of my fellow grumpy old guys look at the youth of today and shake their heads sadly. Bicycle Mark gives us hope for the future. You should give him a listen.

I ordered my copy of iLife '06. Get iLife 06 for less at Amazon.

Speaking of iTunes, todays question comes from Marina in the state of Oregon. Marina is about to replace her iMac and want's to know what to do about her iTunes.

This edition of Radio MacGuys ends with a tune from the Nashville Session Players. The song is "What You Preach" written by Sarah Crews. Thanks to the Podsafe Music Network.

Peace

RMG191 - eMail in Heaven

2006-02-07T22:45:00.000-05:00

RMG190 - Driving with an iPod.

2006-01-29T21:13:00.000-05:00

RMG190 - iPods in Cars, flickr, Oshkosh B'Gosh

Pall Thayer has figured out a way to use the built in Powerbook motion sensors as a level.

If for you, money is just a concept, the blog site, Ubergizmo, is reporting on French guy who managed to port FrontRow to the dashboard of his Audi A6 (Elie).

I know from recent personal experience that driving with an iPod or a cell phone can be dangerous. Keep your eyes and mind on the road. If you have to use a cell phone, use a headset. This headset by Panasonic is a serious instrument and works well.

A big "woo hoo!" to the Flickr team. Flickr turns two on Saturday, February 11th. (Dave's flickr.com photos here.)

Today's listener question, from Paul in Oshkosh Wisconsin, has to do with enabling zoom when reading PDF documents in Safari.

Finally, a professor from Pennsylvania State University has put up a web page featuring an impressive collection of Apple video's including the Pentium snail commercial.

The podcast ends with Land of Good and Plenty (a tribute to Woody Guthrie) by the Nashville Session Players.

RMG189 - MacWorld Part 2

2006-01-20T12:12:00.000-05:00

Thanks to lots and lots of folks who have been making my life better lately.

My new iPod rocks! Video on the iPod is so cool. You have to check out TikiTV

This is the 89th edition of RadioMacGuys.
Todays RMG focuses on hard drives and includes an interview with Chris Stevens from Other World Computing, a company that gets excellent ratings for customer service. I did a short hard drive piece on the Adam Curry's Daily Source Code, in June, where he didn't take me seriously.

In the interesting web site department, check out Postsecret, a collection of scanned images of secret messages sent in on homemade postcards. It's very cool.

Believe it or not, I get a lot of email from preachers. At MacWorld Expo, we ran across a company called "LiveWorship", a specific presentation system for the spiritual providers among us.

This show ends with a tune (the Popeng Polka) from a band in Germany who call themselves Arschpopeng. They come from Aachen in Germany and say that they don't take themselves too seriously. The cut comes to us from the Podsafe Music Network.

Image fromWikipedia Media

Peace out.

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RMG188 - MacWorld Expo Part 1

2006-01-16T01:58:00.000-05:00

Some people are still running legacy systems! (From Wikimedia Commons).

Welcome to the 88th edition of Radio MacGuys and Part 1 of our special MacWorld Expo 2006 Edition.

It was an amazing week at the MacWorld Expo. I met lots of interesting people, saw cool new stuff and ate amazing foods and several incredible beers.

I recorded part of the podcast at the Sony Metreon, a high-tech entertainment, restaurant and shopping complex next to Moscone Center.

One of the highlights for me was attending a seminar presented by Schoun Regan on Tiger security. I left the seminar quite a bit more paranoid regarding my system security.

Of course, the star of the show as the new MacBook Pro. I'm waiting for the 12" form factor and for a little more information on the unit's battery life. I can tell you that the new book is wicked fast.

If you're worried about spyware, trojan horses and things like keystroke loggers, check out MacScan from SecureMac. Their newly upgraded product is designed to do just that and well worth taking a look at.

As we were walking home from an amazing party, we came across a group of men singing acapella outside of the Metreon. They turned out to be the Richter Scales, a group of folks who have strong ties to the IT industry. The podcast ends with "I've Got Mail" by group member Brian Rosen who has a day job being the Technical Director for Pixar.

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RMG187 - Going to California

2006-01-03T00:18:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the 87th edition of Radio MacGuys.

Apple VP and industrial design god, Jonathan Ive, has been awarded a membership in the Order of the British Empire from Queen Elizabeth.

Microsoft has announced that they are no longer going to develop Internet Explorer for the Macintosh.

Listner Questions: Wanda asks why mpeg videos imported from her still camera won't show up in iPhoto. The answer is as easy as iLife 05

Lots of new events have been posted to the MacGuys Expo Events List.

Jambo, a social networking tool, is being showcased in San Francisco during MacWorld Expo.

Due to popular demand, MacGuys shirts and hats are back.

Photo Booth is so cool. Currently, it's my second favorite toy, right after my Flashflight Flying Disk

Podcast ends with "Raining in California" by the Mayberry Band.

RMG186 - Party Edition - Part 2

2005-12-22T23:22:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the 86th edition of Radio MacGuys. This is Part 2 of our winter holiday party and features some of our favorite tunes by independent artists we discovered year.

The set starts off with a high energy tune by the very lovely and talented Circe Link. The tune is called "I like knowing that you miss me."

"It only hurts" is a sweet song by Jaimee Harris who performs with her papa, Chris Harris and other friends under the name, "Better off Dad". They're cute as speckled puppies on green grass, and musically, they rock.

"There will be a brighter day" was by The Bee's Knees, a very dynamic American band from Worcester, MA.

Christa Couture is simply amazing. Her voice is like liquid honey. She lives in Vancouver British Columbia, which we understand is like Seattle, only cool. Like all the artists we've featured in this edition, Christa, as the musicians say, "plays out". If you're cool enough and lucky enough to live in BC, you need to hear this woman sing.

The set ends with a cut by a song writer that you will never hear in a live concert. Don Grooms died too young in 1998 but left an amazing body of work. In this cut, recorded live at the Florida Folk Festival, Don talks about those absolute beliefs which seem to get so many of us in trouble. The cut comes from the excellent Florida Memory project at the Florida State Archives. You can find photographic tribute to Don Grooms here.

Y'all take care of yourself and each other. Radio MacGuys will be back with it's normal content before the first of next year. Peace on earth to those of good will.

RMG185 - Party Edition

2005-12-22T22:22:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the 85th edition of Radio MacGuys. This is the Holiday Party edition

Dave will be back shortly with his usual words of wisdom and drivel, but this edition of Radio MacGuys is blissfully short. It's followed by RMG186, a best-of edition consisting of our favorite music from the artists we played in the first 85 shows.

December 20th marked the shortest day of the year, the winter solstice, a time to reflect on our place in the universe and to celebrate the wonder of creation. No matter what your religion, philosophy, political affiliation or home planet, my wish for you is to have as much fun as you can, share your toys with the other kids, clean up after yourself, and leave the planet nicer than you found it.

You can find information on the artists and music on RMG186 by looking at the show notes for that feed at http://www.radiomacguys.com.

RMG184 - The REAL Music Pirates

2005-12-16T14:48:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the 84th edition of Radio MacGuys.

Todays podcasts starts and stops with Camilia la Tejana by Mariachi Jalisco. The music comes to us courtsey of the Florida State Archives.

Going to the MacWorld Expo? Check out El Toro for really tasty Mexican food. You can find more information about MacWorld Expo on our hints and tips page.

It looks like lyrics sites on the internet are the latest focus of the music industry. It's a downhill battle.

The Times of London is reporting that white iPod headphones are a flag for muggers and suggest that iPod users replace them with more mundane phones.

Ranchero Software has released a beta of Version 1.1 of MarsEdit, their popular blog editing software.

Thanks for voting for us at PodcastAlley.com.

See you in San Francisco.

RMG183 - Home Networks and Religion

2005-12-10T13:21:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the 83rd edition of Radio MacGuys.

Our MacWorld Expo Hints and Tips and Special Events pages are getting lots of hits thanks to being mentioned on macslash.org and The Unofficial Apple Weblog (fast becoming my favorite site). I'm updating both pages almost daily as new suggestions and announcements are sent to me.

If you have an investment in FileMaker Pro 7 technology, your last chance to add licenses is fast approaching. While FileMaker 8 is worth the upgrade, some users want to hold off. If you need an additional FMP 7 license, buy it before the end of the year. After that, Filemaker, Inc. will no longer have it available.

Ken Reist from Steenokkerzeel, Belgium downloaded the 100 millionth iTune from the iTMS and won a lot of nice prizes.

I've been experimenting with Google adwords and adsense and have a report.

In the "new ways to practice the teachings of Christ" department, University of Kansas professor Paul Mirecki resigned as chairperson of the Department Religious studies after being attacked and beaten by two men who didn't agree with his anti-creationist philosophy.

Joy Ministries preforms I See Jesus from GarageBand.com. I hope you see peace and joy in whichever form you visualize it.

Dave

RMG182 - Safari Problems

2005-12-06T12:40:00.000-05:00

Edition #82 of Radio MacGuys

It looks like my problem with Safari and redirects is being noted by lots of other people. The problem seems to be with sites registered to GoDaddy.

According to the Washington Post (registration required), BellSouth has withdrawn their offer the use of one of their damaged buildings in New Orleans by the police after the city announced that it would provide free high speed wireless internet access.

A cool project was covered in The Unofficial Apple Weblog today. A guy in the Netherlands has posted a project page on how to build an iPod charger for your bicycle.

Apple's new and totally amazing photo editing application, Aperture. Not any old Mac will run Aperture. Fun the Compatibility Checker to see if your system makes the cut. Aperture costs $499 from Apple, or you can buy it from Amazon at a 10% discount.

US mega-ISP Comcast has acknowledged an issue with email sent from Comcast accounts not making it to Hotmail or MSN mailboxes.

Real Networks has ported their subscription music service, Rhapsody, to MacOS.

The American Civil Liberties Union has filed suit in the matter of the new FCC rules that require ISP's, Universities, and other internet providers to incorporate technology that allows the FBI access to users data transmissions remotely.

Wired Magazine is covering the story of a 55 year old civil engineer from Anchorage Alaska who plans to install a 200 ton cyclotron in his garage. The neighbors have other ideas.

Apple has launched a new web site, iPod 101, full of hints, tips and specs for iPod owners.

The Adobe/Macromedia acquisition is a done deal.

Keeping San Francisco and the MacWorld Expo on our minds, today's podcast ends with Moving Out to San Francisco by Wilkenson.

RMG181 - Going to MacWorld?

2005-12-04T18:31:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the 81st edition of RadioMacGuys.

I'm fighting tennis elbow which isn't much of a struggle considering what other people on the planet are dealing with right now. However, it's a object lesson for you guys. Pay attention to your ergonomics and place your keyboard where it won't hurt your arms.

Question - I'm looking for a way for a person with very limited hand range of motion to turn on a Mac mini. Any ideas?

I've been getting some email about MacWorld Expo and have created a hints and tips page on the MacGuys web site for Expo visitors.

Big fun installing iMac G5's lately. Front Row is pretty remarkable.

The Mighty Mouse is pretty remarkable too, but reportedly has a problem with gunk building up under the ball. I haven't found an official Apple way to clean the ball and inner mechanism

Bill Bradford has posted a way to clean the Mighty Mouse rollers.

Slashdot is reporting that a BellSouth executive has proposed allowing ISP's to "rig" tie internet.

The proposal .xxx domain has been killed by the Bush administration and the .eu domain goes live next week.

I've built a very sketchy party list for MacWorld Expo. You can find it at http://www.macguys.com/expolist.html

This podcast ends with a tune from katie B, a singer/songwriter from North Carolina.

Going to the SF MacWorld Expo?

2005-11-27T14:04:00.000-05:00

I've published a page of Expo hints and tips from the perspective of someone who's been to a lot of them.

RMG180 - Speeding up slowed down Macs

2005-11-15T22:52:00.000-05:00

Dandelion, a sample from the freesoundproject.

While Apple sold 1 million videos in the first 20 days, one site reported 1 million free adult video ipod downloads in a week. In addition a new dating service featuring iPod videos has debuted.

Apple announced that the iTMS has a 60% market share in Japan

Visitors from 16 countries visited our web site in the past week.

The US will maintain control of the internet domain system in a agreement reached yesterday in Tunis.

This weekend markes the opening of three new retail stores in Los Angeles, Sherman Oaks and Salt Lake City.

Congratulations to the Apple Centre HRT which opens a new Apple Centre in Utrecht in the Netherlands tomorrow.

TextSoap has upgraded to version 4.5.

iPodder Lemon has changed its' name to "Juice".

Java 2 Platform Standard Edition 5.0 Release 3 has been released.

Do you think your Macintosh has slowed down? top is a command line utility that helps you monitor system usage and find out why your computer is running so slow.

The recent problems with Sony and DRM made us think about our favorite tattle tale

The podcast closes with "Florida Blues" by electrik, a band from Rostov Au Don in the Russian Republic.

RMG179 - Mahalo Edition

2005-11-08T01:46:00.000-05:00

Aloha from Haiku, Hawaii on the island of Maui. Maui is referred to as the "valley" isle, but from my perspective, it's the rainbow island. I'm staying with my daughter in a very wet part of Maui and perhaps that's why the place is et-up with rainbows. I've climbed down Haléakala, almost did myself in snorkeling at Black Rock Beach (it was good until I swallowed all that salt water), and eaten some totally yum food. My fave so far is tako poki. Poki is Hawaii's own version of sushi, and as any sushi eater knows, tako is octopus and it's very yummy.

The podcast opens with Hukilau, a tune by the Employee Council of the Ka'anapali Beach Hotel.

I have two Mac consultations scheduledd while I'm here on Maui, and am working on a project for a client on mainland, so it's not all hiking and almost drowning. One of my jobs involved a G4 iBook which was dropped and it's screen shattered. Yipes! I'm sending the client to
TechRestore, one of several mail order repair shops that specialize in LCD replacement on PowerBooks and iBooks. In the case of this client, she will be paying about $450 for the repair including parts and labor. If she lived on the mainland, that would also include shipping, but living on Maui, she has to pay the penalty for living in the most remote land mass on the planet.

Lots of Mac sightings on Maui including one independent Mac store (MacNet), one member of the Apple Consultants Network, one independent Mac consultant and one user group. If you're going to be on Maui on Thursday, November the 10th, the Maui Apple User Society meets at Maui Community College. I"ll be back in Tallahassee by then.

If you're going to be at the expo, stop by the Apple Consultants Network booth to get your toughest technical questions answered. I'll be working there on Friday from 10 AM until 1 PM. If the line is not too long, and you're in the exhibit hall, please stop by and say hello.

Mac OS 10.4.3 is out as a free upgrade for Tiger and Tiger Server. Since installing the upgrade (and getting some hard drive toe room back), things are much better on the lap dog. The upgrade isavailablee through software update, as a delta or as a combined upgrade from the Apple Support Site.

Lifehacker article on VNC.

On the iTunes video/Front Row front, Apple reported that they sold over 1 million videos in the first 20 days that they were available on the iTMS.

The podcast ends with Sol Hoopii - I Like You.

Mahalo

RMG178 - iMacs, eMacs, SIP/VoIP, nano and Aloha.

2005-10-25T23:23:00.000-04:00

Oct 25th Podcast:

I replace an FP iMac hard drive.

Farewell eMac

A class action lawsuit was filed against Apple Computer relation to a problem with scratches on iPod nano screens.

We talk about SIP, the open standard for Voice over Internet Protocol (internet phones).

Links: The Gizmo Project, SipPhone, Skype, Vonage.

Lightning can get into your computer through a cable modem or DSL adapter as easy as it can get in on your power connection. Amazon sells an excellent APC surge suppressor that covers ethernet, telephone, coax (cable TV and has 6 regular power outlets and 6 transformer outlets. Buy one here.

Today's podcast ends with a tune by Catfish John Tisdale who hails from Maui
where I'm heading next week. Aloha.

RMG177 - New Macs and New Executives

2005-10-22T23:08:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Tao Rodriguez-Seeger of the mammals for letting me open this podcast with Crickets in the Kitchen. I first heard the mammals at Festival International. You can find the mammals musics in the iTunes Music Store.

I tell about a listener who lost over 400 purchased iTunes when his hard drive failed. If only he had a .Mac account and had automatic backup turned on for his purchased tunes. If you absolutely have to get your data back from a crashed hard drive, check with DriveSavers.

Congrat's to Jon Rubinstein, the Senior Vice President of Apple's iPod division, who announced that he'll retire at the end of March, 2006. Jon successor in the position will be Tony Fadell. Congratulations also to Tim Cook who promoted from Execuitve Vice President of Worldwde Sales and Operations to Chief Opperations Officer.

New Powerbooks, New Powermac G5's.

The SG Show is a very cute father/young son podcast from California.

This episode ends with "I Believe", a tune from the late Don Grooms, and supplied to us by the Florida State Archives.

RMG176 - WebDAV. Certificates and FrontRow-feed fixed

2005-10-13T21:37:00.000-04:00

I've been working on an interesting server install the last couple of weeks. The client wanted a a way to provide a way for his clients to upload and download files from a private secure share. Except for the new Xserve, all the computers involved are running some form of Windows. WebDAV is cool. It's a way to provide a shared folder to clients over the web server ports. Thanks to my buddy Mike for showing me the WebDAV way.

The client also needed to insure that the site was secure. I installed a certificate from an authority and learned a lesson about chained certificates. I pretty much figured out certificates on my own but it took a few days.

This podcast includes "Hell and Scissors", a brilliant tune from The Foghorn String Band, an equally brilliant group of musicians from Portland Oregon in the US.

Speaking of brilliant, some cool newness from Apple this week. We'll talk more about it later, but my first impression of the new product announcements is that FrontRow is the beginning of a paradigm shift in home entertainment. A lot of folks pay big bucks for a cable connection to just view one or two shows a week. At $1.99/show from the iTunes Music Store, buying TV shows might be a bargain for certain people.

Exploring the Wild Divine is an interesting video game/bio feedback system/alternative reality environment and a very interesting new genre in computer based entertainment.

Sad news from Walt who reported that his hard drive just stopped working without weird sounds, or any warning at all. Remember, back it up!

RMG175 - Paris - The city of Light.

2005-09-15T14:41:00.000-04:00

Please keep the people of the US gulf coast in your hearts. If you have a few extra dollars, consider making a donation to the American Red Cross.

Did you miss me? The podcast opens with a tune by Circe Link.

As my regular listeners know, I'm a big fan of Skype, the virtual VoIP service. This week, Skype announced that is be acquired by eBay.

Skype is not the only player in town. Check out the Gizmo project.

Three new Apple stores open this weekend including one at the Florida Mall in Orlando, the Penn Square mall in Oklahoma City and South Hills Village in Pittsburgh.

iTunes 5.0.1 is released. It's a bug fix update.

In the yawn department, Microsoft has reorganized.

Microsoft has released service pack 2 for Office 2004. The update includes improvements to Entourage/Exhange interpoerability,

Meanwhile, OpenOffice.org has released a new beta of OpenOffice, a free office suite that works on several platforms, including Mac OS.

Apple stock is up. Microsoft is down.

From the Paris Expo, Apple has announced some major upgrades to .mac accounts.

Rory Murray, the COO of Omneta Plc, announced the development of a new european network of data centers running Xserve cluters. When fully developed, the new network will number in the thousands of Xserves.

In the "Aren't Mac mini's amazing" department, UK integrator Squarebox has announced the installation of a 22 screen linear display driven by a rack of Mac mini's all working together. Each of the NEC 40" displays is being driven by a separate Mac mini, working in concert, that cause the long display to work as one unit. The new system was installed in the Perth Concert Hall in Scotland.

Reuters is reporting that Microsoft is negotiating to purchase a 50% share of AOL from parent company, Time Warner.

Thanks to Walt from VirtualOutpost.com who wrote in to notify us of a new users group in Orlando Florida for Indesign users. The organization is meeting on September 27th at the Digital Media Center in downtown Orlando. You can find out more about the meeting at indesignorlando.com

RMG174 - Hard Drive Problems

2005-09-10T23:26:00.000-04:00

The American Red Cross

The iPod nano - wow. If you want to make your podcaster a very happy person, send me a 4 gig in black.

The new Cingular iPod GSM cell phone was finally announced last week.

Thanks to Jason for sending us a copy of the PowerMac "crash" sound.

We answer a question from listener Paul about hard drive problems. As usual, I recommend Disk Warrior from Alsoft.

If all else fails, Drive Savers are the folks to talk to. Be prepared to to pull out your wallet and open it wide.

Bill Staine's song, Lousiana Storm, should be the national anthem of the hurricane relief effort. Thanks to Bill for allowing the tune to be used in the Katrina relief effort.

Among the tech news coming from the Katrina is a storied in Wired Magazine about a group that wanted to bring a little independent information to the hurricane survivors, and got all the permissions needed, only to have the project nixed by the FEMA "Joint Information Committee".

If you're one of the tens of thousands whose life has been effected by the disaster, you can go to the FEMA web site and enter a claim, as long as you do it from a computer running IE 6 on Windows. In the "can they really be that stupid" department, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has excluded Macintosh and Linux users from being able to use the site.

Listener Pamala asks about how to fix an iCal sync problem with .Mac.

21:51

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RMG173 - Filemaker Pro

2005-08-31T23:48:00.000-04:00

Please keep the folks in Southern Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama in your hearts. Now would be a good time to open your wallet and send some money.

My final rant on sorry 3rd party Apple service. I promise.

Apple has scheduled a media event for Sept. 7th in San Francisco. Note to Apple PR - My invitation must have gotten lost in the mail.

Blink and you missed it. On Tuesday, a new Mac mini promo appeared on the Apple US web site. The promo offered a 30 day trial period. Under the terms of the promotion, buyers could return the mini within 30 days. The promotion disappeared from the web site the following day.

The Santa Fe MUG has two meetings this week.

Filemaker, Inc. announced Filemaker 8. We cover it's new features.

The podcast ends with The Night Tales Of A Fairy, by Fumitaka Anzai, from the Podsafe Music Network.

RMG172 - Wind and Rants

2005-08-26T20:09:00.000-04:00

As I write this, Hurricane KATRINA has torn across Florida, killing at last report, 7 people. It is now in the Gulf of Mexico and is expected to hit somewhere on the Gulf Coast on Monday. If you live in this part of the world, fill up the car with gas, fill up the water bottles, charge the batteries, and keep in touch with the local emergency authorities.

Thanks to Mike for Mike's Mic.

Musical Break: From Smallfish, Waves, in honor of our storm.

Reader Questions:

Broken USB port on a Powerbook. Here's a work-around.

Does the G5 Xserve have power problems? The answer is, no but some iMac G5 models may have a problem. To begin, Apple has announced a service extension on iMac G5's covering certain specific problems.

Today's podcast is all about service and much of it is a rant regarding my recent adventures in getting an eMac repaired under >AppleCare.

Y'all take care, keep it backed up, and stay safe and dry.

RMG171 - I'm With Stupid

2005-08-16T22:07:00.000-04:00

There was a mini-riot in Richmond Virginia earlier today when the Henrico County School Board sold thousands of Apple iBook computers for $50 each. The iBooks, assigned to teachers and students throughout the county, are being replaced by Dell laptops running Windows XP! As far as I know, there has never been a riot when used Dell laptops were sold cheap.

Stupid by Suburban Armchair Paranoia.

Apple Security Update 2005-007.

I answer a listener question about PRAM batteries.

Mac-Battery.com is one place to buy PRAM batteries. google for others.

Third-Perspective.co.uk offers a photo blog on replacing the battery in an fruit flavored iMac.

RMg170 -MUG's, Mini's and Repairs

2005-08-13T22:58:00.000-04:00

The music on this edition of RadioMacGuys is from the Podsafe Music Network.
We open with Merrigans Reel, a tune by Jim Fidler, a songwriter from Newfoundland.
Krystal and Wifi

Graphics update for 1.67 MHZ 15 and 17inch Powerbooks.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation has responded to the recent FCC VOIP ruling.

I did an interview last week with Amsterdam podcaster, Bicycle Mark on the topic of government regulation of internet communicaitons.

Silicone Valley MUG (SVMUG) having their normal 3'rd Monday meeting on the Apple Campus (Beatles Conference Room in DeAnza 3) starting at 7PM. This weeks meeting focuses on the entertainment products of Elgato Systems.

Design Matters, a MUG in Japan, is meeting on August 15th at 5PM at a local Apple Store

The podcast closes with a tune by Ryo Sode.

RMG169 - Repairs

2005-08-07T22:30:00.000-04:00

The Apple iTunes Music Store for Japan is open for business. 1 million tunes were sold during the first 4 days that the store was open.

Welcome to the three newest Apple Stores in Braintree Mass, Pentagon City, and Tokyo, Japan

Here I come, to save the day...

In the states, the FCC has decided that phone companies are no longer required to lease lines to ISP's a set rate. The FCC has also issued an order requiring broadband ISP's to "accommodate" government wiretaps.

Free GarageBand loops from MacJams.

Check out PatioTunes. from Mindola.

The great little freeware metronome/tuner, iBeat, has been upgraded to version 1.5.

Apple expo 2005 will take place in Paris, Sept. 20th to 24th.

The Alaskan Apple User's Group meets August 10th at the Anchorage Museum.

The Beijing MUG meets August 27th.

If you're in New Zealand, the Wellington Commercial Users Meeting witll be August 22nd at the Chamber of Commerce.

The UK Mac catalog retailer, MacWarehouse, has announced a new after warranty service plan which competes with AppleCare.

We answer user questions about finding reliable Apple repairs.

The podcast ends with a tune, Stages, by Lynn Harrison, a musician from Toronto Ontario, and is sent out to my buds who in Canada this week for a training camp. I wish I could be there.

RMG168 - Case Mods, Podcast Metrics and More

2005-08-01T20:03:00.000-04:00

Todays podcast includes a small dose of news, answers to a couople of technical questions, a little shamless self promotion, and a great tune.

For the doctors in the house, there will be a live webcast from Apple on 10 August. The topics are Practice Management and Electronic Medical Records on the Macintosh. The webcast is free and should be worth much more than the price of admission.

According to an article in Playlist Magaine, Apple changed the way it ranks podcasts in the iTunes Music Store. Before, the raking was based on traffic over the last 24 hours. Now the numbers are based on total subscriptions.

Last weeks ADHOC (MacHack) conference was aparently the last one ever.

If you just can't leave well enough alone, check out the MacMod web site where you can find all sort of over the top case modifications to your favorite computers.

We answer listener questions about lost passwords and general troubleshooting.

AppleCare is awesome.

I'm about to send one of my computers off for repair. Before I do, I'll clone the internal disk drive to an external drive to help insure that I don't lose any data. Until Tiger arrived, I used Carbon Copy Cloner. That application is not yet updated for Tiger so instead, I'll be using SuperDuper!

If you live in North Florida or South Georgia, I'll be presenting a session on new media, RSS and podcasting at the Florida Government Conference in Tallahassee, September 27th through the 28th.

Things have gotten complicated in Cobb County, Georgia (US) where a court has put a hold on the deal between the local school board and Apple Computer. The deal had been for up to 65,000 laptops, the biggest deal in Apple history. While there are good points on both sides of the issues, the ultimate loosers are the students. The School Board is meeting to disuss the situation as this podcast is being produced.

In honor of some very short sighted people up in Georgia, we'll end the podcast with Temple of Contradictions, a lovely tune from Anne Davis. The tune comes to us from the Podsafe Music Network.

RMG167 - New Macs, New News, New Music

2005-07-28T11:10:00.000-04:00

Thanks for listening. If you like what you hear, please consider voting for us at PodCastAlley.com.

New iBooks, macMinis.

A very happy Apple K12 salesperson has closed a deal for 30,000 iBooks in Broward Country, Florida.

Updates today to Garageband and iPhoto. Both of these are bug fix releases.

Are you brave enough to do your own work on your Powerbook or Mac mini? PBFixIt.com has take-apart guides. This is strictly a proceed at your own risk operation. You may void the warranty.

In the wow, that's sort of creepy department, a Japanese research lab has developed a very lifelike robot in the form of a young woman. (QuickTime video -- warning: long load time)

The US Congress has recommendedthat the Federal Trade Commission look into the sexual content of Grand Theft Auto. They are apparently not concerned about the violence in the game.

Photoshop World will include Adobe Certified Expert testing at their conference in Boston, September 7th through the 9th.

We answer listener questions.

Today's Garageband.com song of the day is Cloister by Sleepwalker Project, a band from Bulgaria.

Don't forget to back it up.

25:06 minutes
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RMG166 - Mommy, what's a "newspaper"?

2005-07-24T21:45:00.000-04:00

It's hot in Florida.

OK, it was 500,000,000 songs, not 500,000. I should have paid more attention in math class.

Microsoft is attempting to patent emoticons.

The European Union raided the offices of Intel Madrid Spain, Milan Italy, Munich Germany and Swindon in the UK.

Apple had better news in Europe last week when it was announced that sales in the Apple EMEA region (Europe, Middle East and Africa) had grown 48% in the 2nd quarter.

Apple's market share continues to grow in the enterprise space.

In the retail world, The ifoapplestore web site is reporting that Apple Retail VP and COO, Bridget Ryan Berman has resigned.

It's official, the new, long delayed update to Microsoft Windows is called Vista.

In the "People in the News" category, Mike Matas, co-founder of Delicious Monster is leaving that company to take a position at Apple Computer.

In honor of Mike, and his move from the Emerald City to the Santa Clara valley, I'm ending the podcast with a great tune, Farewell, from a Band Called Delicious.

RMG165 - Keychains

2005-07-19T12:09:00.000-04:00

Mark Hurd, CEO of computer industry giant HP has announced that the company will cut it's workforce by 14,500 jobs.

The investment company, Needham and Company has released an estimate that up to 400,000 Windows users have switched to Mac OS so far this year. (From MacWorld UK)

Apple has released an update to DVD Studio Pro.

The 500,000,000th iTunes song was sold over the weekend.

Telecommunications giant Vodafone has blocked access to the Skype web site saying that it's inappropraite content.

Our Garageband.com song of the day is day 4 by Vancouver BC songwriter Christa Couture. Christa will be performing on July 23rd at Crates Park in Deep Cover, BC.

RMG164 - Updates Everywhere

2005-07-14T11:01:00.000-04:00

Thanks for voting for Radio MacGuys on Podcast Alley. Last month, we made it into the top 200 podcasts. Woo hoo!

MacWorld Boston is in full swing. Yesterday they announced their Best of Show awards.

Yesterday, Apple announced their Q3 earnings.

Updates over the last few days from Apple including 10.4.2, iSync, iPhoto, Soundtrack, DVD Studio Pro and Final Cut Pro.

Firefox has released an upgrade to their popular browser.

Open Door Networks is shipping DoorStop X, a new Firewall for MacOS X.

David Pogue has published Mac OS X, the Missing Manual, Tiger edition. It's available from Amazon.

Comcast has announced that it's upping it's speeds for residential internet customers.

The CEO of Apple Europe, in an interview, stated that Apple will open an Apple Store in Zurich.

Listener question on when to fix, when to toss.

Our Garageband.com tune is St. Francis from C. Ashleigh Caldwell, who is performing tonight, July 14th, at Genghis Cohen in Los Angeles.

RMG163 - Storm Stories.

2005-07-12T10:29:00.000-04:00

Due to the hurricane and my schedule being crazed, show notes for this episode of Radio MacGuys have been delayed.

Dave

RMG162 - News Aggregators

2005-07-06T23:11:00.000-04:00

Sing-Si Schwartz - October 20, 1954 - July 3, 2005

Our first tune is a rendition of the traditional American gospel tune, Amazing Grace, sung in the Cherokee. It was recorded at the Cherokee National Holiday in 2000.

The excellent St. Petersburg Times is covering the story of a man who was arrested for using an unprotected wireless network.

In a related story, ZD Net Australia is running a feature about the sorry state of Windows security, including a statement that you have a 50% chance of being infected within 12 minutes of taking a new XP system online.

The National Association of Photoshop Professionals has announced a Photoshop World event in Boston, Sept. 7th - 9th.

Todays feature is on internet syndication. A client, dissatisfied with the quality and content of news from the major US news sources, asked about using technology to create an alternative to the major news providers. I like NetNewsWire Lite from Ranchero Software.

If you live in North Florida, you might want to check out our new podcast. If you are a graphic artist and are interested in building a logo/cover art badge for Radio MacGuys, please drop us a line.

This podcast ends with a tune from GarageBand.com. Enjoy "Prayer for Sara Jane" from Tennessee songwriter Keith Hinton.

RMG161 - Mac OS News and Stuff

2005-06-30T22:39:00.000-04:00

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NASA has announced that July 13th will be the launch date for the Space Shuttle Discovery. Despite an effort several years ago, NASA still have a few Mac OS computers

As part of an international crackdown, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation announced that they are participating in a crackdown on sites that participate in software piracy.

Apple has announced that over 1 million podcasts have been subscribed to via iTunes 4.9.

We answer user questions abourt iTunes 4.9, and give advice on rack mounting an Xserve. (Check the Omnirax RMX 6

I'm looking for people who are using the new VOIP application, Gizmo.

Apple is invloved in a dispute over music use fees in the United Kingdom.

Our Garageband.com tune of the day is This Town by Lisa DeRosa and Lush Budget.

RMG160 - iTunes and Podcasts.

2005-06-29T21:28:00.000-04:00

Today's show is focused on the new version of iTunes which arrived today. Version 4.9 has several new features including Podcasting!.

The iPod lineup changed today. The (US) price of the 1GB Shuffle dropped to $129. The mini remains the same. The rest of the line consists of a 20 GB, a 20GB U2 model, and a 60 GB model. All three feature color displays and the ability to load and view photos.

There's a special rebate for students buying an iBook, Powerbook, or iMac.

The US Supreme Court issued a ruling in the Grokster case today.

Microsoft released an upgrade to Virtual PC for Tiger compatibility.

Apple picked up a handful of IDEA awards today including Gold Awards for Mac Mini and the iPod Shuffle along with a Silver Award for the Airport Express.

Today's podcast ends with a tune from Antwerp musician Zuper. The tune is the stair.

RMG159 - Bandwidth

2005-06-22T23:51:00.000-04:00

NeoOffice/J rocks!

CodeWeavers announces that they will be porting Windows applications to the new Intel based Macintosh machines.

Logitech has a new Wireless Headset for the iPod.

CIsco is outsourcing 40% of it's jobs to China by the end of 2006.

The Euro version of the iTunes Music Store has sold over 50 million songs.

Today's podcast is all about bandwidth.

Today's tune is River Stone by San Francisco singer/songwriter Christie McCarthy.

RMG158 - Xserve

2005-06-21T23:51:00.000-04:00

Jack Kirby, the inventor of the integrated circuit died today.

If you have a Brother printer and are experiencing application crashes when attempting to print, you should read this. The update is for the following models: MFC-210C, MFC-410CN, MFC-420CN, MFC-620CN, DCP-110C, DCP-310CN, FAX-2440C, MFC-3240C, MFC-3340CN, MFC-5440CN, MFC-5840CN, FAX-1835C, FAX-1840C, FAX-1940CN

If you want an alternative to Microsoft Office, check out NeoOffice/J

Todays podcast is all about the Xserve.

The podcast ends with a version of the traditional fiddle tune "Sailors Hornpipe", arranged and performed by the West Coast Playboys, a band from Sweden.

RMG157a - Geocaching corrected feed

2005-06-20T17:37:00.000-04:00

I made an error in the enclosure coding. Here is the corrected feed for RMG157

iPods as advertising specialties.

Steve Jobs the most underpaid CEO in the Silicone Valley.

Is Woz turning into a grumpy old guy? (And before you write that letter, yes, I do know that I said Asia was in Europe. It's late and I'm tired.)

Lots of listeners pointed out that we neglected to include a link to the Dave Harden tune we played on the last podcast. Sorry for the omission. It was a great tune. Here is the link.

Thanks for your vote on podcastalley.com. We are currently ranked #243 out of 3692 podcasts being tracked at the site.

Check out dittybot, an application that allows you to send an SMS to your Mac, which in turn, calls your cell phone and plays the tune you specified in the SMS.

Another interesting music application is iFill, from Griffing Technologies. This little program records internet radio streams and put them on your iPod.

The UK publication, the Sun is running a story about the Queen owning an iPod.

Tonight's podcast ends with a tune from the Russian band, V.E.N.A.. The song is covered by a Creative Commons Music Sharing License.

RMG157 - Geocaching corrected feed

2005-06-20T00:14:00.000-04:00

iPods as advertising specialties.

Steve Jobs the most underpaid CEO in the Silicone Valley.

Is Woz turning into a grumpy old guy? (And before you write that letter, yes, I do know that I said Asia was in Europe. It's late and I'm tired.)

Lots of listeners pointed out that we neglected to include a link to the Dave Harden tune we played on the last podcast. Sorry for the omission. It was a great tune. Here is the link.

Thanks for your vote on podcastalley.com. We are currently ranked #243 out of 3692 podcasts being tracked at the site.

Check out dittybot, an application that allows you to send an SMS to your Mac, which in turn, calls your cell phone and plays the tune you specified in the SMS.

Another interesting music application is iFill, from Griffing Technologies. This little program records internet radio streams and put them on your iPod.

The UK publication, the Sun is running a story about the Queen owning an iPod.

Tonight's podcast ends with a tune from the Russian band, V.E.N.A.. The song is covered by a Creative Commons Music Sharing License.

RMG156 - Migrating from OS 9

2005-06-16T08:45:00.000-04:00

It's HOT in Florida!

Thanks to Austin Michael Internet Solutions for hosting our feeds the last two months. We've outgrown the bandwidth available there and are moving to a provider who specializes in podcast hosting. Listeners should notice no difference.

Thanks to a listener who pointed out some problems in our audio. We've been working on it and hope that this episode is a little better.

Billed as "WWDC for the rest of us", the ADHOC conference is taking place in Michigan next month.

Steve Jobs delivered the commencement address at Stanford University. It was a great speech and today, Stanford posted a transcript.

Ad Age has a (registration required) story about the Sundance channel signing a deal with Apple to include Sundance podcasts on the new iTunes podcast list.

Today we cover transitioning from OS 9 (and earlier) systems to Tiger. Specifically we discuss Outlook Express and moving mail and address files to the new environment. Check out ABxfer, a very useful tool.

Marketwatch is covering the relationship between Apple and Wall Mart.

rmg155 - News Roundup

2005-06-14T00:28:00.000-04:00

Spotlight is way cool.

Apple and Wrigley gum have teamed up for a new promotion in the UK and Republic of Ireland.

Check out who won an Apple Design Award.

The German Mac Expo is this week.

Maxtor has a new OneTouch II that has Firewire 800 and 400 interfaces along with USB 2.0.

Apple and Nokia are teaming up to develop a new browser interface for cell phones.

Korean computer builder, U-Power, has announced a Pentium upgrade for the G4 Cube.

In the "We are the Borg" department, researchers in the UK are working on an implantable medical device that will monitor blood sugar, connect to a cell phone via Bluetooth and send an SMS to the clinic with patient data.

The podcast ends with a tune, "Tees" from the Belgian band, Tantra.

RMG154 - iRiver IFP-890 Review

2005-06-12T22:48:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Hillary from Podcrawl for her nice comments on our podcast.

On today's podcast, we review the iRiver IFP-890.

Our podcast ends with a tune from the Russian Republic. I found the tune earlier this year on a web site for a group called "sweet poison". When I went back to create a link to the site, it was gone. So, if you know Natalie Viktorova or the group "Sweet Poison", please tell them that they have a fan in Florida. The tune is called "Gluposti".

RMG153 - Getting Ready for the Storm

2005-06-10T21:14:00.000-04:00

Tropical Storm Arlene is on the way.

Quark, Inc. has an opening for a President.

Want to join the Apple Developers Connection?

WWDC is over. The Wallflowers played at the Campus Bash.

Our numbers are up. Thanks for voting for us at Podcastalley.com. Please thank Austin Michael Internet Solutions for hosting the MP3's for this show.

Today's podcast ends with a tune by singer/songwriter Arlene Bishop, from Toronto Ontario.

RMG152 - Remote Desktop

2005-06-09T01:28:00.000-04:00

There's a new security update out and available from the software update service, or from the Apple Support web site.

Powerpage.org has photos of the inside of the Mac running on an Intel box that Apple is providing to certain developers.

Lexmark has been refused a hearing by the US Supreme Court on their attempt to restrict ink cartridge clones.

today's podcast focuses on Apple Remote Desktop.

today's podcast ends with a beautiful tune from LA singer/songwriter Circe Link. Circe is currently touring in Japan. If you're in the neighborhood, you should definitely attend a show.

RMG151 - Intel Inside

2005-06-08T01:45:00.000-04:00

It looks like the regular press was right and most of the rumor bloggers got it wrong, but none-the-less, it's true. Apple is transitioning to the Intel platform. The announcement was made at the World Wide Developers Conference keynote address by Apple CEO Steve Jobs.

Even more interesting was the revelation that every version of Mac OS X released (from the 10.0 beta to Tiger) has had an Intel version developed "just in case".

For many developers, this will be an easy transition. These are the developers who have been writing native OS X applications and using Apple's tools and programming standards. For other developers, the task will be more difficult.

For users, this is not going to be a big deal, except for those folks running legacy OS 9 and earlier systems. These folks had better buy a few extra computers for spare parts, or move their enterprise into the OS X world.

Jobs keynote included an announcement that the iTunes music store will soon include the ability to subscribe to podcasts. During the keynote address, a short segment of Adam Curry's The Daily Source Code.

Also announced was the code name of the next version of Mac OS X. It's called "Leopard" and is due out around the time of the 2007 MacWorld Expo.

In other WWDC news, database developer, MySQL has released two visual tools for Mac OS X machines.

Today's Garageband.com tune is from Mesa Arizona fiddler, Buck Stud.

Tonight's podcast weighs in at 23 minutes.

Have all the fun,

Dave

RMG150 - Backing Up

2005-06-06T10:34:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the 50th episode of Radio MacGuys.

Welcome to the attendees in San Francisco who came from all over the world to attend WWDC. Whether or not the rumors are true, this is going to be a very interesting day.

Apple is offering a 10% discount on a new iPod if you bring in an old one for recycling. Details are here.

Apple design guru, and Vice President of Industrial Design, Jonathan Ive, picked up two awards in the UK recently.

In an article in Slashdot, it is suggested that 16% of computer users are on the Mac OS platform.

Last week, I responded to a Adam Curry's comments regarding the problems he was having with Lacie hard drives. Several listeners pointed out that I sounded like an apologist for Lacie and wasn't "standing up for the little guy". While my experience with Lacie has been mostly positive, I understand that when drives fail, it's a bad thing. On the other hand, they do fail, and it's important to back up. In this episode, backup strategies are covered.

Today's episode is a bit long and includes two tunes from the Florida State Archives.

Have all the fun.
Dave

RMG149 - iPod Battery Settlement

2005-06-02T20:13:00.000-04:00

Our Bonjour of the day goes to new French PM Dominique de Villepin.

If you own a 1st, 2nd or 3rd generation iPod, you should read this.

There is a legal challenge to the Cobb County (Georgia) iBook deal.

Today's Garageband.com tune comes from Russian band, Radio Gagara.

RMG148 - Troubleshooting

2005-05-31T16:45:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Austin Michael Interent Solutions for hosting this podcast.

A listener from Virginia in the United States described an installation problem and we offered a solution.

We cover a new wireless chip from Zaralink that is designed to be implanted inside a human body.

Three new Apple Stores open this weekend.

Todays podcast ends with a Garageband.com tune, Nova Scoita, from Jug In Hand.

RMG146A - MailSteward - repaired feed.

2005-05-25T19:18:00.000-04:00

This is a re-feed of the RMG 146 podcast which was sent out with an incorrect link. Sorry for the error. Dave

Thanks to our friends at Austin Michael Internet Solutions who host our audio files.

If you live somewhere in the general vicinity of the north end of Florida, check out the Florida Folk Festival in White Springs Florida this weekend.

On to the news...

Apple has a battery recall program for a specific series of 12" G4 iBooks, and 12 and 15" G4 Powerbooks. You can find the specifics here.

Dave talks about the Linus/Unix software index, http://osx.freshmeat.net/Freshmeat.net.

Interview with John Steward, the creator of MailSteward.

More on the FCC and Skype.

We say "Aloha' to MacSurfShop.com.

Todays Garageband.com tune is Peace by Lady Jane Gray.

RMG-147 Gone Phishing

2005-05-25T18:40:00.000-04:00

I'm sorry for the error in the last feed. You can click here to catch up.

Steve Jobs spoke at the D: All Things Digital conference in California on Monday and announced that the next version of iTunes (out in the next 60 days) will include a method for finding and subscribing to podcasts.

Jobs and Jonathan Ive (Apple's design god) will be in London this evening to attend the D&AD awards banquet and no doubt pick up an armload of awards.

On today's podcast, we discuss phishing.

Todays tune from Garageband.com is RhumAnCoffee(forGuyClark) by Oakland California singer/songwriter Emory Joseph.

RMG146 - MailSteward

2005-05-22T20:00:00.000-04:00

Thanks to our friends at Austin Michael Internet Solutions who host our audio files.

If you live somewhere in the general vicinity of the north end of Florida, check out the Florida Folk Festival in White Springs Florida this weekend.

On to the news...

Apple has a battery recall program for a specific series of 12" G4 iBooks, and 12 and 15" G4 Powerbooks. You can find the specifics here.

Dave talks about the Linus/Unix software index, http://osx.freshmeat.net/Freshmeat.net.

Interview with John Steward, the creator of MailSteward.

More on the FCC and Skype.

We say "Aloha' to MacSurfShop.com.

Todays Garageband.com tune is Peace by Lady Jane Gray.

RMG-145 - VOIP, Summer Camp and more

2005-05-18T11:51:00.000-04:00

Apple has announced a special series of "seminars" for kids called Apple Summer Camp.

The FCC has decided that VOIP providers must include 911 access.

We had a question regarding the Cisco VPN client for Tiger and where to get it. The file is labeled vpnclient-darwin-4.6.03.0160-GUI-k9.dmg, but be advised that you will need to have a Cisco CCO ID and password in order to access the site. If your organization uses Cisco VOIP, your network administrator should have this access.

A listener asked abotu the comment I made regarding "Mosquito Tennis" on a recent podcast. Click the Amazon link on this page to see what I'm talking about.

If you're listening to Radio MacGuys by downloading from this page, you might want to check out iPodder, an open source pod "catching" client.

EyeTV has a new version out.

Todays Garageband.com tunes come from pubside down from Switzerland, and Eric Zai from Sweden.

RMG-144 - Widgets

2005-05-16T21:11:00.000-04:00

The Communication Workers of America have joiined with several other high-tech labor organizations to oppose CAFTA.

Version 10.4.1 of Mac OS is now out for machines running Tiger.

The Tiger trademark law suit is over and the reseller who brought it has had their 15 minutes of fame.

Todays podcast is all about Dashboard, one of the coolest features of Mac OS 10.4.

Music on todays show includes tunes from Better off Dad and Big Hammer.

RMG-143 - LinkedIn.com

2005-05-15T22:54:00.001-04:00

It looks like the lawsuit brought by the Florida computer retailer against Apple Computer regarding the use of the Tiger name is starting to fall apart.

Thanks to our friends at Austin Michael Internet Solutions who host the mp3's for this podcast.

There is an interesting article in the Washington Post regarding the impact of iPods and podcasting on broadcast stations.

Today we talk about a very interesting and for me, useful web service, "Linked In".

The podcast tends with a song from Linus Carlsson, a singer/songwriter from Falun in Sweden.

See you tomorrow.

Dave

RMG-142 - Updates

2005-05-13T11:12:00.001-04:00

There is a new version of iTunes out and four new iTunes Music Stores (Denmark, Norway, Sweden & Switzerland)

Also in the upgrade department, a new version of Firefox is out that addresses the security issues I reported on earlier.

On the subject of Firefox, check you the videos which Mozilla Europe has recently released.

Ranchero Software has released a new version NetNewsWire.

Apple has announced the Apple Certification Alliance.

Todays Garageband.com song of the day is Redneck Girlfriend by singer/songwriter Mykel Milur.

RMG141-Being Up-To-Date

2005-05-11T22:35:00.001-04:00

Woo Hoo! My copy of Tiger arrived today. I installed it on one machine and am playing with it as I have time. So far I'm fond of widgets, very excited about Automator, and overwhelmed by Spotlight.

David from NYC wants to know if he can still get Panther. The anwser is yes, but not for long. If you want a copy of Panther, you can still find it at resellers. I found a copy for David at a CompUSA within a few blocks of his office.

I offer advice on stayin up-to-date on software.

Yahoo has introduced a new music download service.

Dell has announced that they have a 19" laptop in development. Several websites are pointing to a design patent issued to Apple for a tablet computer.

New updates out today for the pro apps, a new codec, and a new DVD player for Tiger.

Apple is offering a student discount of $100 on select computers.

Our tune for today is from a singer/songwriter in Lisbon Portugal. The band is gomo and the song is "Bald of Pride".

Please consider voting for Radio MacGuys at PodcastAlley.com.

RMG140-The Internet Archive

2005-05-10T00:31:00.000-04:00

Note: I've found a problem with the links on this show notes. I know what the problem is but don't have the time to fix it right now. Dave.

Thanks for the notes about my mom. She’s home from her adventure at the hospital and doing great.

Thanks also for the comments about the list on yesterday’s podcast.

This is my first podcast with a database back-end. I’ve been working in my spare time the last few weeks on some infrastructure for this work, and decided to, as the marketing types say, “eat my own dogfood”.

A new version of iTunes is out.

There’s a lot of buzz today about a potential security issue with Widgets.

Tonight we talk about The Internet Library, otherwise known as archive.org.

The podcast ends with a tune by a South African band which goes by the name of 3speed. The tune is calld “Talk to the Trees”.

Thanks to our friends at Austin Michael Internet Solutions. Thanks to all of you for listening and recommending us by giving us a vote at PodcastAlley.com.

Do you have somethign you want to share with Dave or our listeners? You can call our listener talkback line at +1 (415) 367-3746 or email us. Our email address is macguys@mac.com. If you have a product you’d like us to review, or a CD you’d like us to play, you can send them to our post office box. The address is:

Radio MacGuys
PO Box 13979
Tallahassee, FL 32317-3979

RMG139-What's on Your Mac?

2005-05-08T23:27:00.000-04:00

Happy Mothers Dayto all the mothers of the world. My wish is that every mother might be able to raise her children in peace.

My Tiger is enroute and I'm finally going to install a copy on one of my machines. I'm still waiting for the new edition of the Cisco VPN client before I can put Tiger on my production machines.

Tonight I talk a little bit about Ubuntu, a live linux distribution that runs on Macintosh hardware. If you're interested in Linux and want to give it a test drive, a Ubuntu Linux live CD is a good way to do it. Using a live CD, you can boot the machine from the CD, play with Linux all you want, and never touch the data on your hard drive.

Apple has released Bonjour for Windows. This is a zero-configuration plug and play network standard which allows machines on a local network to share services. Bonjour is the network protocol that allows you to share your iTunes library across your local network.

A listener left us a message on our talkback line. You can do the same by calling +1 (415) 367-3746 or by dropping us an eMail. April is a new MacOS user and wanted to know what software she should be shopping for. If I left something off my list, please let me know.

If you like the show, please let us know by voting for us at PodcastAlley.com.

Todays podcast includes two tunes from Garageband.com. One is from a Massachusetts band called The Bee's Knees and a very beautiful tune from a Los Angelse band called Circe Link. My appologies to the band as I misread "circe" as "circle". It's late folks.

Say "hi' to your mama for me.

RMG138-Keychains

2005-05-05T18:16:00.000-04:00

For todays podcast, we're going to use the show notes format that Adam Curry developed.

Today's podcast was recorded at the Radio MacGuys World Headquarters in rainy North Florida.

We do a short piece on deja vu adventure in Apple retail today.

Problem with my iPod and the solution I found.

News on IBM announcing that they will lay off 15,000 employees; mostly in the UK.

Meanwhile, in the land of OZ, otherwise known as Australia, there is a report of a project were laid off IT folks are doing open source software development to meet the community service requirements of people receiving government aid.

Today's question comes from a reader who asks about the Apple Keychain and the shareware application Pastor.

Welcome to the latest independent Apple Centere. A-Mac is located in Utrecht in the Netherlands. There's a nice set of photos of the grand opening on the Dutch language Mac OS site, MacOSX.nl.

Thanks to our friends at Austin Michael Internet Solutions for their sponsorship. Thanks to you for voting for Radio MacGuys at Podcastalley.com.

Our Garageband.com tune for today is The Stranger from Hong Kong band, Thinking Out Loud.

RMG137-Personal File Sharing

2005-05-04T08:35:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Austin Michael Internet Solutions for their sponsorship of Radio MacGuys.

More news on the VPN issue with Tiger. We mentioned a few days ago that the Cisco VPN client didn't work under Tiger. Yesterday eWeek reported that several VPN clients are broken under Tiger.

Todays question is about file sharing. A listener asks why he can't share external hard drives on his local network. The reason is that for (and this is a guess) security reasons, Apple does not support personal file sharing except for the contents of the public folder in your directory. One good way to get around this restriction is to use SharePoints, a very sweet little piece of "donationware" that brings back the ability to share files and devices just like we did prior to MacOS X.

Apple announced some new iMacs today. The new machines are faster, have more memory, a dual layer Superdrive (on models with a Superdrive), built in Airport Extreme and built-in Bluetooth.

Our GarageBand song of the day is from The Trisonics, an interesting band from Munich in Germany.

RMG136-Securing Wirelss Networks

2005-05-03T09:31:00.000-04:00

Thanks to our friends at Austin Michael Internet Solutions.

Today's podcast is all about wireless security. Answering a listeners question, I recommend open networks and locked up laptops. In listening to the podcast as I was creating the mp3's, I can't believe that I neglected to say anything about firewalls. I'll talk about it more in the next podcast, but for the record, please turn on your firewall.

Our listener feedback line is working now. If you want to leave us an audio message, please call our listener feedback line at +1(415) 367-3746.

Our GarageBand.com tune for today is by New Zealand song writer, dave keegan. Look for the link to his personal web site on his GarageBand page. It's worth a visit.

RMG135-iBooks -- Road Kill in Virginia

2005-04-29T22:23:00.000-04:00

Warning Will Robinson. Cisco has announced that their current Mac OS X VPN client will NOT work with Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger.

From the Mac's in School department, theHenrico Virginia school board has decided not to renew it's 4 year contract with Apple and instead has ordered 15,000 Dell Windows XP laptops to distribute to students. This is more than balanced by a report that the (registration required) Cobb County (Georgia) School Board has singned a contract with Apple that will include up to 65,000 iBooks for teachers and students in that district.

Software updates out today include QuickTime 7 and Quicktime 7 Pro, and Apple Remote Desktop 2.2.

Todays music selections include Road Kill Stew by Local Yokel and Da Backyards Boys, and Traveling On by the Nathan Sheppard Band.

Radio MacGuys is sponsored in part by Austin Michael Internet Solutions.

RMG134-Waiting for Tiger

2005-04-29T00:06:00.000-04:00

Thanks to the nice folks at Austin Michael Internet Solutions who help bring our daily podcast to you.

Today, while waiting for Tiger to arrive, we took a look at a Plantronics DSP-500 USB headset. Our evaluation was positive and we recommend this device, especially for people using Skpe or other VOIP systems. It's available directly from Plantronics for $109, or from Amazon.com for $54.99.

Getting ready to install Mac OS 10.4, Tiger, we recommend that you first back up anything that's important to you.

News sites are reporting that online computer parts reseller, Tiger Direct has announced that they are suing Apple Computer for a tradmark violation over the use of the word "Tiger" to market the new version of Mac OS. There were no reports of similar actions from other tiger branded organizations such as Tiger Beer.

Our podcast for today ends with a beautiful song from singer/songwriter Kelcy Mae who hails from New Orleans in the US. Her song is called "A Select Few".

RMG133-Booting from an external drive.

2005-04-27T22:59:00.000-04:00

Thanks to a listener who Skyped us a question. He asked if it is possible to boot his new dual processor G5 from an external FireWire drive. The answer is yes and today's podcast explains how. If you have a question, drop us an email (macguys@mac.com) or catch us on Skype. Our Skype ID is "MacGuys" of course.

Another user wrote asking for details on how to reset an iPod. The andwer depends on which version of the iPod you have. You can do a reset, or can restore the iPod to it's original (before you added tunes or other files) by follwing the directions in this Apple Tech Note.

A lot of smaller software developers today announced Mac OS 10.4/Tiger versions of their products today. Among them were the folks who build Cocktail, a very useful utility suite for Mac OS X. The company have two versions out; one which works with systems up to 10.3.8, and one that works with 10.4. Unfortunately, those of us who are running 10.3.9 seem to be out in the cold for the time being.

TextSoap, a wonderful application for cleaning up text moved from one environment to another, has also announced an upgrade for Tiger compatibility.

CNN is reporting on an incident where a flight from NYC to San Francisco was diverted to Chicago when one passenger noticed another doing something suspicious with a small white and sliver electronic device of some sort. When the authorities boarded the plane in Chicago, they discovered that the "suspicious passenger" was simply listening to music on his iPod.

Of course today's big news are the new PowerMac G5 models released today by Apple computer. The new machines feature faster processors, more memory, and a new dual layer DVD recorder. In addition, Apple announced large price cuts on two of it's Cinema Displays.

The podcast ends with a really nice tune from Austin Texas singer/songwriter named Nick Brown. The song is called "I Want Mine."

RMG132-Recycling Apple

2005-04-26T13:59:00.000-04:00

Thanks to everyone who extended kindness to me during my recent trip to Louisiana. I heard some amazing music and hope to share some of it on this podcast very soon.

The San Jose Mercury News has an article about the new unauthorized biography of Steve Jobs. According to the Mercury News, Apple has pulled all the books from the publisher (John Wiley and Sons) from the Apple stores in response to the publication of the book. While the book has not been released, you can preorder iCon Steve Jobs : The Greatest Second Act in the History of Business from Amazon.com.

Amazon has another new item available for preordering. In what is most likely a big error, Amazon has a Apple Power Mac G5 Desktop Dual 2.7ghz listed on it's website for preordering. Apple has not yet announced this product.

Be sure to check out SMSMac, a new piece of software that provides a way for sending SMS messages from a Mac to any cellphone.

The CodingMonkeys have released a new version of SubEthaEdit, a great application that allows a group to edit a document at the same time. Between now and Friday, they are offering a 2 licenses for the price of one deal.

Our tune of the day is by the lovely Laura Garcia from Argentina.