‘Once you go Mac, you don’t go back’ – REM’s Michael Stipe: “REM deliver storming set to mark third year of Apple’s Live From London
series

REM played a storming set at Apple’s Regent Street store last night, mixing
new tracks taken from current album, Accelerate with a selection of classic
songs.

(Via Macworld UK.)

Photoshop Express: Not the Full PS Package, but Good Web-Based Editing [Photoshop]: “

More than a year after web-based photo editors began swarming the scene, Adobe this morning unveiled its free, long-anticipated Photoshop Express web app. It doesn’t have nearly a quarter of the options, tools, and tricks of its desktop-based namesake, but it seems like a good platform for anyone who likes to spend a little time refining, and then sharing, their digital photos. The Flash-based app has just 17 basic buttons for editing, a thumbnail display of all the different changes you’ve made, and the album storing (2 GB of space), import (from Picasa and Facebook, among others) and sharing features seem up-to-snuff. In other words, you won’t get layers, channels, and dodge-and-burn, but you can remove chocolate stains from white shirts pretty handily.

(Via Lifehacker.)

Automatically Quick Look Your Downloads [Mac Tip]: “

All-things-Mac web site Mac OS X Hints discusses how to automatically Quick Look certain files as soon as they’re downloaded to your Downloads folder. The best approach from the thread involves setting your browser to automatically open certain file types (like your PDF or Word documents) with the Quick Look Droplet, a simple application that launches a Quick Look preview of whatever file it opens. Of course you could just set your browser to automatically open downloaded files with their default applications, but if you don’t want to load up heavy software like Microsoft Word just to peek at the file’s contents, this Quick Look Droplet might be a worthwhile solution.

”

(Via Lifehacker.)

Apple prepping a new Mac mini: “Apple is preparing an updated model of Mac mini, report
claims

Debate as to the fate of the Mac mini has circulated for months, but now it
appears the product is to get a well-deserved revamp as Apple sees the sense in
offering a lower cost computer.

(Via Macworld UK.)

Force ‘new window’ links to open in new tabs in Safari: “After browsing for a few hours in Safari, it’s possible to end up with a dozen windows or so because of links that open a new window (links with target='_blank'). I’ve always wished there was a way to have these links open in a new tab instead of a new window (sometimes referred to as single window mode).

In the latest Safari 3.1, Apple finally added a (hidden) preference to do just this! To enable single window mode, which forces all links that would normally open a new window appear in a new tab instead, we only need to enable the TargetedClicksCreateTabs preference using the following command (paste it into Terminal):

defaults write com.apple.Safari TargetedClicksCreateTabs -bool true

[robg adds: This worked for me, but note that it will create those new tabs in the foreground, not the background. Command-clicking the link, however, will open the page in a new tab in the background (this has always been true, as I recall…

(Via MacOSXHints.com.)

Review: Time Capsule: “Thanks to a timely software update, Apple’s Time Capsule is an easy-to-use backup appliance that provides speedy wireless network access while keeping your data safe.

(Via MacCentral.)

The Great Beta Roundup [Beta Beat]: “

An explosion of public beta releases of our favorite web browsers, operating systems, and webapps recently have made brave testers and curious early adopters very happy. Many of these betas appear fit for full-time use, but they all come with that obligatory disclaimer that things may break. Whether or not you’re willing to test unstable software, here’s a quick roundup of what’s hot on the beta beat.

• Firefox 3 Beta 4 (direct link)
  Leaner, meaner, and much more polished than Firefox 2, Firefox 3 may be in beta, but its significantly reduced memory consumption and snappy performance makes it worth the risk of running it full-time. Remember, you can test the Firefox 3 beta safely using the portable version, and make your old extensions compatible with a few about:config tweaks.
• Mozilla Add-ons preview
  Along with Firefox 3, Mozilla’s cooking up a new add-ons site that’s cleaner, prettier and easier to use.
• Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1 (direct link)
  Microsoft is still playing catch-up with Firefox in the features department, and Internet Explorer 8 is a step in that direction, with an interesting non-Firefox-like feature called ‘Web Slices,’ which monitors sections of web pages that change often, similar to Mac OS X Leopard’s Dashboard’s Web Clips.
• Ubuntu Linux 8.04 ‘Hardy Heron’ Beta (direct link)
  The next version of Ubuntu Linux, named ‘Hardy Heron,’ is the basis for Ubuntu’s next long term supported release. Check out our exclusive interview with Ubuntu founder Mark Shuttleworth about Hardy Heron and how he gets things done.
• Bloglines Beta (direct link)
  Available at least since August of last year, the Bloglines Beta offers a drag and drop interface plus more customizable features. Question is, when does it become official?

What’s your current favorite beta? Anything here ready for primetime yet? Let us know in the comments.

(Via Lifehacker.)

Get the Most from Your Rechargeable Batteries [Saving Money]: “

Blogger Jeff Atwood has been rolling with rechargable batteries since the late 90s, and after a bit of research he delves into the finer points of making the most of your rechargeable batteries, from choosing the longest lasting batteries to finding the best types of chargers. In both cases, Atwood highlights the tools that will give you the most bang for your buck. Whether you’re keen on rechargeable batteries but quickly draining batteries have you questioning your rechargeable ways, or you want to start saving money and the environment by switching to rechargeable, this post is a must-read.

Apple Updates Time Machine and Airport: “Apple has released a Time Machine and Airport update today. The 10.4 MB download for Mac OS X Leopard provides ‘compatibility improvements for using Time Machine with Time Capsule, as well as AirPort driver fixes.’

Time Machine is App…”

(Via MacRumors.)

Windows/Mac only: Share any song in your iTunes library and download any song from your friends’ iTunes libraries over the internet with freeware application Mojo. Essentially, Mojo makes sharing music with your friends through iTunes wildly simple, from its simple interface to its brilliant…

LifeHacker

When your hot laptop needs ventilation and your wrists need a break from a flat keyboard, you can drop 50 bucks on a fancy commercial laptop stand—or you can build one of your own. Do-it-yourself laptop users have built several creations from common household materials to keep their notebooks elevated while they work . Made of everything from wine corks to door stops to paper (and paper towel) holders, check out our favorite top 10 do-it-yourself laptop stands for your lap and workspace pleasure.

Read More : LifeHacker

Well, er, um,… I sold my ibook G4 933 that had 1.5 Gb ram for $700 bucks and bought a new 17 inch core 2 duo Compaq with a 250 GB hard drive and a DVD burner. I paid $699.00 for this laptop at FutureShop

Yes, it runs Vista.

And, I am writing this post using “Windows Live Writer” blogging software.

My intentions were to run Linux (Ubuntu 7.1) has worked the best so far. I thought I would get the Vista side configured and then abandon it to run mainly in Linux. I am still in Vista.

I have my sidebar gadgets configured with “The Weather Channel”, “Xirrus Wifi Monitor”, “NHL Scoreboard”, ‘Vista Clock + Calendar”, and “Trash can”.

Yes, Safari is installed along with Firefox and Thunderbird.

What’s the point?????

Well, I am not sure because I have been experiencing some odd feelings….feelings that I had once when I purchased my first Mac (iLamp).

My main machine is still my Intel iMac, but I have not sat at it for over 3 days.

I don’t know… $699.00 for a laptop with essentially the same specs as a Macbook (Yes it also has a webcam) and runs Vista. No, I have not tried to change the themes to make it look like a Mac.

I guess I will power it down when i start to feel too dirty?

Dazed and Confused.

iJailBreak 0.6 supports iPod Touches and iPhones on 1.1.4: “AriX and Ben have announced the immediate availability of iJailBreak 0.6, the latest version of their open source Mac OS X jailbreaking and unlocking utility. iJailBreak 0.6 brings support for all iPod Touch and iPhone models running firmware 1.1.4. iJailBreak’s 0.6.x branch is an automated iPhone and iPod Touch unlock and jailbreaker for Mac OS X, taking advantage of ZiPhone as its core.

Those…

(Via MacMerc.)

Time Capsule at long range: “Company ships external antenna to extend, boost Time Capsule wireless
range

Time Capsule owners can wrest 50 per cent better wireless range from their
device, thanks to a new antenna upgrade from QuickerTek.

(Via Macworld UK.)

Tweak Leopard’s Hidden Features with Secrets [Featured Mac Download]: “

Mac OS X Leopard only: Free, open source application Secrets rolls every hidden feature of Leopard into an easy-to-use preference pane in your System Preferences. Developed by the author of the much-beloved Quicksilver, you can browse Secrets by application to see what tweaks are available for the apps you have installed. There’s a ton to look into with Secrets, but the one secret that blew my mind off the bat was the ‘Arrows link to library instead of store’ tweak in iTunes, which may be the most useful thing I’ve ever done to iTunes (and I’ve covered the best iTunes add-ons). Secrets is free, Mac OS X only. If you give it a try, share your favorite Secrets in the comments.

”

(Via Lifehacker.)