M.A.W.B. Squad

Catching Up

A month since my last post and you guys haven't given up on me?  Careful, that almost left me speechless.  Then we'd be in a real pickle.  Me all choked up you havent forgotten the glory days, but unable to tell you that I appreciate it.  It's a delicate balance.

So here's some stuff that hopefully you haven't already seen in 100 other places.

-  The M4 project has cracked the Enigma code used by Germany in WWII.  Even better, you can download their application and help them out.

-  This Apple household was underwhelmed with the big meeting announcements yesterday of the iPod Hi-Fi and the Intel Mac Mini.  (The boy's iPod is busted and he's considering either a new one or a PSP.  Leaning towards the PSP.) I am interested to see that the MacBook Pro, (spits 'cause the name just sucks), is shipping.  One thing that never gets old though is making fun of Microsoft.

-  I've got a mouse friend running around the office.  So far he's smart enough to evade the traps.  Coincidentally, the Boy's field mouse that he dumped out of the boat in the barn died this week.  Maybe I'll get him to build something like this to catch our visitor.

-  We're definitely going to need to hire these folks to put all the tricksies into the MAWB compound.

-  While I was tucked away at the undisclosed location MAWB Squad passed its one year anniversary on February 16th.  To celebrate, I rescued the domain name yesterday.

-  On a more serious note, apparently the Flight 93 Crescent memorial isn't dead.  Check Gall and Wormwood here and here.

Speaking of Apple...

What, we weren't talking about Apple?  Well, buck up, 'cause I'm talking about Apple.  I missed my chance to say. "I Want One!", so I'm doing it now.  Of course I want one.  I am the American consumer personified!  Engine of the economy!  You really should be thanking me.  (Their employees should definitely be thanking me.)

We were Apple before Apple was cool.  1984 punk.  Match that you iPod waanabees.  We were thinking different before they even thought of thinking different.  Where's my lunch with the designer like the cool kids?

Been to the Apple store recently?  Two words.

Buy. Stock.

1 Million Windows Users Switch to Mac?

The momentum generated by Apple's iPod digital music players and related products continues to translate into new Macintosh sales according to one Wall Street analyst who estimates that over one million Windows users have purchased a Mac in the first three quarters of 2005......

According to checks with Apple Store Specialists, Wolf also said a larger than expected percentage of Windows to Mac converts appear to be purchasing Apple's higher-end systems and that their transition is fueled by the epidemic of viruses and malware on the Windows platform......

Welcome, converts!  It's always nice to have new friends in the Apple family.

Despite the Needham's positive comments on Apple, the firm on Monday downgraded shares of the company's stock to "Hold," saying it believes Apple shares are now "fully valued."

"We’re downgrading Apple from a buy to a hold because the company’s share price has reached our revised price target of $61," Wolf said. "During the past year, in response to the introduction of breakthrough new iPods and Macs and outstanding financial results, we’ve doubled our price target."

Personally, I rated Apple a "buy" based on recent visits to the Apple Store.  Of course, I'm not a stock professional and you should do your own research. Due diligence and all that....(I remember $12 a share....and $25 not so long ago.......like around the time I sold. That should tell you all you need to know about the risks of taking my advice on the stock market.) More at AppleInsider.

Stanford on iTunes

This is an interesting application for the iPod:

Download faculty lectures, interviews, music and sports. Play audio on your iPod, Mac or PC, or burn a CD. Stay connected anytime, anywhere. Experience Stanford on iTunes today and continue learning with Stanford.

Missed class today?  Pick up the lecture through iTunes.  It also says it will be expanding to include video.  Speaking of the Video iPod, I saw one at the Apple Store yesterday.  It was Shiny.  I don't own an iPod, though both household males do.  I could see using one on long flights to watch shows.  I could use my laptop, but the battery on the iPod would last longer.

Video iPod Questions?

Answered here.

iPod Video Emergency

So the rumors pan out and the new iPod is video, (and for you fashionistas, it's available in black!) It's also thinner and has five hours more of battery life for the same price as the previous iPod sans video.  How can I be sure?  Because I'm looking at an Apple Store receipt for a 60 gig iPod without video that has a purchase date of Sept. 29 and a return date of Oct. 13......which is tomorrow.  Yes Virginia, this is an iPod emergency.

Also new is the iMac G5 with built in camera, lighting, and Frontrow software.  The idea is to sit across the room with your remote, bring up Frontrow, and have access to your music, DVD's, videos, etc.  Add to the party built in wireless, bluetooth, and Mighty Mouse.  Basically they've turned it into a media center.

I gotta run, though.  I feel a trip to the nearest Apple store coming on.

Revolution in the Valley: The Insanely Great Story of How the Mac Was Made

Andy Hertzfeld, part of the original design team for the Mac, has put together a collection of antecdotes of those early days at Apple in Revolution in the Valley: The Insanely Great Story of How the Mac Was Made.  From the Forbes review:

The advantage to having these stories collected into a bound volume is that it counters the histories already published about Apple. As well-written as some of those are, none have the close and personal feel of Hertzfeld's book. When he describes bursting into tears during a "walking tour" performance review, the shock and disappointment is fresh and tangible in a way that a third party could never report.

The most intriguing personality that emerges is Burrell Smith. Brilliant, young and woefully underpaid, Smith designed the original Macintosh board that inspired Jobs to take ownership of the project. Smith obsessed over food (Jobs gets him to stay late and test circuit boards with the promise of pineapple pizza), referred to attractive women as "good prototypes," and fantasized about urinating on Jobs' desk on his last day at Apple.

As a former supervisor myself, I can attest to the power of free pizza as a sound employee motivation technique. Much of the material for this book is from the site folklore.org.  If it sounds interesting, you may want to root around there first.

Update:  From Extremetech, an imagination called, "If Microsoft Never Existed", which seems to hail Gates and company as bringing order and innovation to our lives. Poppycock, I say. He completely ignores the fact that Apple introduced the GUI, and the innovation that results from competition.  For those who think we should worship at the altar of Redmond.

Apple: They Really Are Geniuses!

If you remember my tale of woe with the hard drive in Crash and Burn, I'm pleased to report there's a happy ending. I was looking at paying megabucks to send the crashed drive off to have the data recovered. 

Then, the Apple Store called yesterday.  They'd installed my new drive, done some voodoo to get my old drive up, and transferred all my e-mails, drawings, quotes, spreadsheets, contracts, photos......to the new drive.  All under warranty.  It's a good thing they told me on the phone or I just might have kissed the Genius.

I was doing the Happy Dance all day.

Hopefuly I've learned my lesson for good so if I lose another drive, everything will already be on backups.

Crash and Burn

As far as I could tell, somehow a wounded animal had gotten into the kitchen. I entered warily, sneaking glances around the kitchen table, expecting the afflicted to leap out at me if I dropped my guard. Was it a rabid chipmunk? A squirrel? No. Reality was much, much more frightening than my feeble imagination.

The screaming wounded creature turned out to be my hard drive.

You know, the hard drive that I really, really, really meant to be backing up on a much more regular basis? That hard drive.

Where does a Mac User turn when there's no hope? The Genius Bar. No. Really. You sign in at any computer in the Apple store, then wait your turn at the Genius. My personal Genius has offered me hope of "data recovery."

I hope he knows how fragile I am right now.