today-is-a-good-day

MacNotables #823: Ted Landau Evaluates the XO Laptop

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Ted Landau

Subnotebooks come in all shapes, sizes and flavors, starting with the MacBook Air and going down. Ted Landau has been working with one of the least expensive options, the XO laptop from the “One Laptop per Child” initiative, and discusses how it stacks up to the competition. Ted covers everything from the XO’s operating system to the included applications, comments on the laptop’s communications capabilities and helps you decide whether you should try to track down one of these little gems, or if you should spend more money for more capabilities.

MacJury #807: More on the Microsoft/Yahoo Merger, and “Can I Get Rid of Office Yet?”

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The MacJury hears more evidence on the on-again, off-again Microsoft/Yahoo merger…or buyout…or whatever it is as you read this. The panel discusses the latest information, Yahoo’s motivations, Google’s involvement in the developments, and why you should feel sorry for Microsoft. Also on the docket is the question of whether current software such as iWork ’08, open source alternatives and cloud computing make it possible to abandon the Microsoft Office suite.

The members of the panel include:

Jacqui Cheng Scott McNulty Warren Williams Chuck La Tournous Chuck Joiner
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MacJury #806: iTunes Same-Day-As-New DVD Purchases, Movie Selection, the Apple TV and More

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The MacJury examines the case of same-day-as-new DVD purchases from the iTunes Store, the market they’re going for, and who’s fault it is that there aren’t same-day-as-new rentals. The panel also discusses the value of DVD extras, the importance of movie selection in any rental situation, where the Apple TV Take Two stands in all of this. New iMacs are out, and the MacJury talk about why the performance bumps are important for everyone, debate glossy vs. matte and much more.

The members of the panel include:

Jeff Gamet Tom Negrino Steve Sande Matt Neuburg Chuck Joiner
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MacVoices #881: Gus Mueller Discusses the Flying Meat Family of Software

Gus Mueller
Flying Meat offers some of the most interesting and unique software in the Mac space. Gus Mueller joins us to deliver a tour of the Flying Meat offerings. Gus talks about how VoodooPad, his first product, launched his indie software career, how getting information in and out of the program is a breeze, and why he created multiple flavors to address different levels of interest and use. Acorn, Gus’ image editor evolved from another product, FlySketch; Gus explains how both pixels and vectors ended up in Acorn, and hits at the future of both products. Finally, Gus covers FlyGesture, a unique program that combines mouse movements with actions to improve your productivity, and closes with some thoughts on software pricing and categories from the developer perspective.

MacNotables #822: Jim Dalrymple Embarks on a New Adventure: Recording and Releasing His Own Album

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Jimdalrymple0107-5Jim Dalrymple joins us from safari, and shares his love of roller coasters before discussing his latest project: writing, recording and releasing his own album. Jim details how he got started with this and how he is documenting it on Macworld, the response he received from contacts in the recording industry and more. Few projects like this are truly a solo effort; Jim talks about some of the folks he’s working with, why he’s not limiting the software tools he’s using for the project and how GarageBand is taking center stage in the creative part of the process.