Apple's new iBooks and Mac minis

Apple just launched their new iBooks and Mac minis, as expected. After much speculation about a widescreen iBook, it's a bit of a disappointment. The good news is Apple is admitting that Mac OS X Tiger really needs 512MB of RAM to work well - now all of their entry-level machines have 512MB on board. The new iBooks and Mac minis sport faster processors and now feature Airport Extreme (802.11b/g) and Bluetooth 2.0 as standard. This makes the Mac mini an even better value, and will surely enhance its ability to act as a media centre. I think nobody really expected something radically different from Apple this time around; this is merely a stopgap upgrade while waiting for the Intel Macs to arrive. Tags: Apple iBook Mac mini

Battlestar Galactica is back!

Battlestar Galactica is the best-written SF space-opera since Firefly. Last season ended with an unexpected cliffhanger : Adama shot! By Boomer! President Roslin arrested! Starbuck fighting for her life! Ok, that's enough exclamations. Can you tell I'm excited yet? The Battlestar Galactica crew is back for a second season, which is due to drop on Friday. So make sure you tune in tomorrow night on the SciFi network if you're in the US. If you live elsewhere, then *ahem* versions should be appearing via you favourite locations by Saturday. Oh, and for Malaysians, the first season's on Cinemax/Astro I believe. If you can't wait, you can catch the Executive Producer's behind-the-scenes video blog and watch the season one finale online. Tags: TV Battlestar Galactica

Hacking the Planet - for real

So what do we do when governments can't agree on cutting down levels of CO2 emission? With global warming rearing its ugly head, taking small steps like getting a hybrid-electric car is not going to help by a whole lot. A group of scientists came up with the premise that if we're changing the climate anyway, why don't we change it for the better? Popular Science has a fascinating article on some strange yet plausible ideas in the “Response Options to Rapid or Severe Climate Change.” It's literally, "hacking the planet". Tags: Popular Science Climate Change Hack The Planet

Mac OS X Update 10.4.2

If you use Mac OS X Tiger, go ahead and download the 10.4.2 update. Among the fixes : What’s New in this Version Delivers overall improved reliability and compatibility for Mac OS X v10.4 and is recommended for all users. It includes fixes for: - file sharing using AFP and SMB/CIFS network file services - single sign-on authentication and reliable access to Active Directory servers - autologin for managed user accounts - AirPort and wireless access - Core Graphics, Core Audio, Core Image, including updatedATI and NVIDIA graphics drivers - Finder updates including finding on Kind and using Slideshow - synchronizing your iDisk with .Mac - installation reliability - managing Dashboard widgets - Address Book, Automator, iCal, iChat, Mail, Safari, and Stickies applications - compatibility with third party applications and devices For more information, go to the Apple Knowledge Base entry. I'm stuck at the office with an IBM Thinkpad instead of my iBook, so I have to wait till later to update. Tags: Apple Mac OS X Tiger

A new site : Treo Today

A brand new month, a brand new project. I'm starting a new blog focusing totally on the Treo family of smartphones. It will feature devices, accessories, software, and news. Expect lots of changes for the first week or so, as I experiment with layouts and add features. Tags: Treo Palm Smartphone