Two bits of sad news occupy this week’s issue: the suicide of Internet activist and advocate Aaron Swartz, and the closing of the pioneering podcast network ITConversations. On a happier note, Jeff Porten has filed not one, not two, but three reports of new products from CES 2013, some of which might even ship someday. Back in the world of the practical, Adam Engst explains how to remove duplicates from the Finder’s Open With contextual menu and looks at Amazon’s new AutoRip service, Josh Centers shares how iFlicks can improve an iTunes video library, and Rich Mogull answers the question of whether or not Mac users need antivirus software in today’s world. Notable software releases this week include MacBook Air EFI Firmware Update 2.6, Firefox 18, and Fission 2.1.1.
Aaron Swartz, a coder, activist, and open-access advocate, took his own life on 11 January 2013. He will be remembered for his participation in numerous projects that have played a significant role in the evolution of the Internet.
CES started with a press preview event, and once again, Jeff Porten was on the ground for TidBITS, nosing out products that are both weird and wonderful.
Jeff Porten continues on his journey to CES, stopping off for food and gadgets at the Pepcom Digital Experience, yet another press-focused event before the real thing starts.
Jeff Porten continues to ferret out the best and the britest (sic!) at CES, with products ranging from USB 3.0 display drivers and iPhone camera lenses to Bluetooth-enabled forks and brainwave-driven cat ears. Really.
Seeing duplicate entries in the Open With submenu when you try to open a document with something other than its default application? There’s an easy fix.
If you like buying music on CD, Amazon’s new AutoRip service gives you digital downloads of your purchased music, as long as the CD is among the 50,000 albums eligible for the service.
Doug Kaye and Phil Windley spent a decade listening to and sharing ideas about information technology at ITConversations, the earliest network of podcasts. They closed up shop in December 2012.
Want to rip your DVD collection, but are held back by the daunting task of converting video and adding metadata for your entire collection? iFlicks makes the job a snap.
Despite much-publicized Flashback infections in 2012, most Mac users still don’t need antivirus software. We explain why, and which situations might warrant it.
Notable software releases this week include MacBook Air EFI Firmware Update 2.6, Firefox 18, and Fission 2.1.1.