Articles



Spelling checker causes political row in Scotland

Those who are completely dependent upon spelling checkers for making their documents correct should take heed. This story from the Scotsman tells of the problems and consequences of depending too much on your spelling checker. The article recounts the story of the Scottish National Party and their recent mistake of …


Vonage phone dialer for Mac

For those unfamiliar with it, Vonage is a Voice over IP telephone service that includes hardware and allows you to use a normal telephone to make phone calls over the Internet. This isn't news, though. In conjunction with some beta tests being done by the company at Click2Call, the folks …

McPaper has a McTruth problem

Probably everybody has seen this already, but I just wanted to chime in on the disclosure by USA Today reporter Jack Kelley falsified a number of stories, including one that got him nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. To their credit, USA Today has a number of articles this week disclosing …


Apple gives people a chance to talk to OS 10.4

To call it a preview would seem to be inappropriate, as Apple used the 19th annual Technology & Persons with Disabilities Conference in Los Angeles to let the Macintosh speak for itself on issues of access by the blind. The move will secure Apple's ability to work with the visually impaired …

Good for crime fighting, bad for the locker room

With the recent uproar about camera phones being misused in locker rooms and other private areas, there is now some evidence that cell phones cameras are useful as a crime fighting device. Over the last year, there have been a number of articles (such as this article from last year …


Kurt's 64-bit Windows experience

The following is a very slightly edited account of Kurt's foray into using 64-bit Microsoft Windows with AMD's Athlon processors. Links to the software, hardware and drivers are scattered throughout. For those Mac users out there, this is a taste of what the PC-based 64-bit world is going to be …

iPodRace

Thanks to Rob for passing this one along. This is a Christmas movie about the Apple iPod merged with Star Wars Episode I.

Pixar switching to Macs

MacNN is now reporting in an article that Apple/Pixar CEO can breathe a sigh of relief because Pixar has finally decided to go to Macs starting this year. It appears that the combination of the video workhorse, the G5, and the introduction of OS X Panther's new Pixlet technology …

Neoconservatives, intelligence and the pentagon

An article from Salon today, written by a former Pentagon staffer, gives an insider view of what happened in the Pentagon leading up to the Iraq war. It is one person's view and your take may vary, but it seems entirely plausible and is worth a read. Normally, Salon.com …

Privacy rights and terror

Timing is everything. When I read this article from the New York Times this morning, it was a slam-dunk for publishing a pointer to it here (thanks, Amanda, for the pointer). The article is about privacy, and talks about how medical privacy laws are being pushed to (or perhaps beyond …

Lucy in the Sky With Shatner video

For those of you familiar with the song Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds, by the Beetles, this has got to be the worst rendition ever. Recorded in the 1960's at the height of Star Trek's popularity, William Shatner made a mockery of this already bizarre song. However, this video …

SSL for Panther Server mail

This is a pretty technical article for those who are interested in putting SSL facilities on a Panther Server. So, you have obtained a certificate for your XServe or other OS X server and you want to use that certificate for the built-in email services. Unfortunately, if this is documented …

UK spy agency expands 50%

With terrorism awareness on the rise, the UK's MI5 (home security service) is announcing it will be recruiting 1000 new employees to add to its 1900 existing staff members, according to an article from BBC News.

Klingon software quality assurance

Humor... Klingon style and about software. This was found on this page at Mathew Norton's blog. Top 12 things likely to be overheard if you had Klingon programmers working for you. Starting with: Specifications are for the weak and timid!! Specifications are for the weak and timid!! This machine is …

iPod Mini reviewed by Washington Post

The Washington Post has a review (registration required) of Apple's new iPod Mini. Their technology writer likes it. In summary, the iPod Mini is a suitable replacement for just about any flash or hard drive-based player and if you are willing to pay the money for the size (a "real …

Ralph don't run

With a country split mostly down the middle, recent elections (1992 and 2000) showcased third-party candidates not only as vote getters, but as a fine way to erode support. In 1992, it was George H.W. Bush who was ousted when Republicans couldn't hold their lead over Bill Clinton. In …