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.