...from
http://playlistmag.com/news/2006/01/24/itunesu/index.php/?
lsrc=mwweek-0130
Apple's iTunes U puts school lectures and more online
By Peter Cohen
Apple has expanded its iTunes U program, which allows colleges and
universities to post audio and video educational content online using
a content management system based on iTunes.
iTunes U is a hosted content management system that provides a way
for colleges and universities to make both audio and video content
from lectures, interviews, audio books and more available to students
online. Students can download the content to their Macs and PCs, or
take it with them using the iPod.
The system has been set up to allow instructors to post and change
content themselves, so iTunes U won’t impact local IT staff.
Students can also upload their own content to share with teachers and
staff.
Apple’s already tested the waters for iTunes U with pilot programs
at Stanford, Duke, the University of Michigan and other schools.
The technology that powers iTunes U is based on what drives the
iTunes Music Store — in fact, students can also connect to the store
to purchase and download music (Apple also makes available a “Volume
Songs Program” for schools that ant to purchase songs at a discount
on behalf of their students). In addition to their own content,
schools can customize their iTunes U with school colors, logos and
photography.
---------------------------------------------
...from:
http://playlistmag.com/news/2006/01/30/myvu/index.php
Watch video iPod on 25" virtual image
By Peter Cohen
So you’ve invested in a video iPod, and it’s great to download
television shows and rip videos and convert them to the iPod
yourself. But it’s also a pain — literally — to hold your hand
up a few inches from your face and watch the iPod’s display for an
hour or two. The MicroOptical Corp. has developed a solution — the
$269 Myvu, which debuted at Macworld Expo in San Francisco this January.
[...]
Display Format Binocular
Display Type AMLCD
Video Signal NTSC/PAL (auto selecting)
Resolution 320 x 240
Aspect Ratio 4:3
Focus Image Location 1 meter
Field of View Approximately 13.5o horizontal, 16.8o diagonal
Image Size 25" image (virtual screen) @ 2 meters
Refresh Rate 60 frames/sec.
Color Depth 24 bit
Optical System SolidOptexTMtechnology
Audio Integrated stereo sound via earbuds
Viewer Weight 68 grams
Nose Pad Adjustable
Prescription Lens Snap-on option (integrated with nose pad)
Power Supply 3 AAA batteries
Power Consumption < 400 mW, <150 mW if integrated*
Power Saver Auto shut off
Battery Life Approximately 6 hours
Operating Temperature 0 to 40oC
Control Box Function Power on/off button
Control Box Dimensions 56 mm x 90 mm x 19 mm
SolidOptexTMassemblies comprise a patented
optical system in which the optical path is inside
a refractive optical polymer instead of free
space. By being in a rigid form, alignment of the
componentsurfaces is maintained, the intrusion
of dust and moisture is prevented, and the optical
path length is folded to move the displayand
back light away from the eyes. The result is the
thinnest, lightest and sturdiest viewer possible.
*The myvu controls can be integrated into a video source with an OEM
program.
---------------------------
...from:
http://www.macworld.com/2006/01/features/intelfaq2006/index.php
[...]
So there’s an Intel chip in a Mac. Why should I care?
If you’re a casual Mac user, you shouldn't care. If you sit down at
an Intel-based Mac, it’ll still feel exactly like a Mac. However, the
transition to Intel chips will affect many Mac users, especially
those who rely on older software that hasn’t yet been updated for
Intel-based Macs. And the Intel transition will have a long-term
impact on the Mac world, affecting the design and speed of new Macs
for years to come.
[...]
Okay, so… Core Duo. Is there also a Core Solo?
You’ve been peeking. Indeed, there is—Intel’s got a lower-power,
lower-heat sibling to the Core Duo called the Core Solo. When we
asked Apple about its choice of the Core Duo for the iMac and MacBook
Pro, company representatives said that “using dual-core processors
for these products was exactly the right thing to do.”
Of course, when Apple makes statements, you’ve got to parse them
carefully. What we took out of this statement is that you might see a
Core Solo processor in some other Macs in the future—ones that don’t
need the power of a dual-core chip. For example, future Mac minis,
iBooks, or even ultra-light notebooks might be candidates for such a
chip. But that’s sheer speculation on our part. Intel’s got lots of
chips. Apple will use some of them
[...]
Will Classic mode run under Rosetta?
No, Classic mode won’t run on Intel Macs at all. If you still rely on
Classic applications, Intel-based Macs aren’t going to work for you.
This would probably be a good time to begin investigating OS X-native
alternatives to the Classic programs you’re currently using.
[...]
Now that the first new Intel Macs have come out, should I go buy one?
It depends. Our lab tests indicate that an iMac Core Duo does run
native applications 1.1 to 1.3 times as fast as an iMac G5, and
performs even better with applications that take advantage of
multiple processors. And if you've gone a few years between iMac
upgrades, you’re likely not to even notice the performance hit when
running applications with Rosetta.
For more on whether this is the right iMac for you, check out Henry
Norr's review of the new models.
[...]
Can these Intel-based Macs run Windows?
Ask people from Apple this question, and they’ll do one of two
things: shrug, or plug their ears and pretend they can’t hear you.
Basically, Apple’s official policy is that if someone wants to figure
out how to run Windows on a Mac, they can go ahead and do it, but
Apple doesn’t want to know about it.
One interesting quirk of these new Intel-based Macs is that, unlike
the developer test systems released last summer, these systems use
Intel’s Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) instead of the tried-and-
true BIOS that classic PCs use. Windows XP doesn’t actually support
EFI, although the forthcoming Windows Vista will.
So the question is, how will people get Windows to run on the Mac?
We’re sure someone much smarter than us will figure it out. Whether
you’ll be able to re-boot into Windows or run it in some sort of
compatibility box—hello, Virtual PC!—remains to be seen.
Hello all,
I've got an Apple MultipleScan 15av Display that I don't need anymore. If
anybody wants it (for free) let me know.
Andre Worms
Information Technologist
Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation Studies
University of Manitoba
474-7171
wormsad(a)cc.umanitoba.ca
...from:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/20/business/media/20pixar.html?th&emc=th
Tomorrowland: Apple Chief Set for Disney Role
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By LAURA M. HOLSON and JOHN MARKOFF
Published: January 20, 2006
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 19 - Steven P. Jobs could be considered the Walt
Disney of his era, breathing new life into animated movies with hits
like "The Incredibles" and "Toy Story," and reinventing Apple
Computer as a media darling with its popular iPod.
Skip to next paragraph
Enlarge This Image
Walt Disney Pictures/Pixar, via Associated Press
Pixar, the creator of "Finding Nemo," teamed up with the Walt Disney
Company, which distributed the animated movie.
Now Mr. Jobs is in negotiations to join forces with the Walt Disney
Company itself.
A deal would involve the sale of Mr. Jobs's Pixar Animation Studios
for more than $6.8 billion to Disney, according to three people
apprised of the negotiations. The sale, whose terms are still being
negotiated, would make Mr. Jobs a major shareholder and director at
Disney, which has been trying to find its footing in the changing
world of animation.
[...]
...from:
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-6025579.html?tag=nl.e622
Homeland Security helps secure open-source code
By Joris Evers, CNET News.com
Published on ZDNet News: January 10, 2006, 5:05 PM PT
• Forward in
• EMAIL
• Format for
• PRINT
• ZDNet Tags: Open source Security Federal government Software
engineering/development Symantec Corp
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is extending the scope of
its protection to open-source software.
Through its Science and Technology Directorate, the department has
given $1.24 million in funding to Stanford University, Coverity and
Symantec to hunt for security bugs in open-source software and to
improve Coverity's commercial tool for source code analysis,
representatives for the three grant recipients told CNET News.com.
The Homeland Security Department grant will be paid over a three-year
period, with $841,276 going to Stanford, $297,000 to Coverity and
$100,000 to Symantec, according to San Francisco-based technology
provider Coverity, which plans to announce the award publicly on
Wednesday.
[...]
The list of open-source projects that Stanford and Coverity plan to
check for security bugs includes Apache, BIND, Ethereal, KDE, Linux,
Firefox, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, OpenSSL and MySQL, Coverity said.
[...]
As most of you probably know, Apple announced their Intel-"Core Duo"-
based computers last week. There were two models:
- iMac starting at 1.83 GHz CoreDuo processor, 2MB on chip L2 cache
at processor speed, 667 MHz system bus, 512 MB RAM, 160 GB hard
drive, 8x SuperDrive, Bluetooth, 10/100/1000 Ethernet, wireless
support of 802.11g, 17" LCD, ATI Radeon 1600 graphics, built-in
iSight camera, Apple Remote control for media
- MacBook Pro: starting at 1.67 GHz CoreDuo processor, 2MB on chip L2
cache at processor speed, 667 MHz system bus, 512 MB RAM, 80 GB hard
drive, 4x SuperDrive, Bluetooth, 10/100/1000 Ethernet, wireless
support of 802.11g, 15.4" LCD, ATI Radeon 1600 graphics, built-in
iSight camera, Apple Remote control for media
In conjunction with these announcements, Apple's "Universal
Binary" initiative allows for applications that can support both
older PowerPC Macintosh and new CoreDuo Macintosh machines. Software
shipping with this logo will work with either platform out of the
box. "Rosetta" is the environment provided with each CoreDuo
Macintosh that allows OS X "non-Universal" applications to be run on
those machines. Double-click the application icon and, behind the
scenes, Rosetta dynamically translates most of your PowerPC-based
applications to work with your Intel-based Mac.
More CoreDuo information can be found at:
http://www.apple.com/imac/intelcoreduo.
More "Universal binary" information can be found at:
http://www.apple.com/universal/
More "Rosetta" information can be found at:
http://www.apple.com/rosetta/
Wayne