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ExtraBITS for 28-Sep-09

John Siracusa Caps Off Creator Code Conundrum — Ars Technica’s John Siracusa has a nice article prompted in part by Matt Neuburg’s “Snow Leopard Snubs Document Creator Codes” (2009-09-06). Siracusa summarizes the issue neatly and offers a well-considered list of what Apple should do. Now it’s up to Apple to bring back the functionality of creator codes using modern technologies. (Posted 2009-09-25)

PGP’s CEO Explains Snow Leopard Issues — Phil Dunkelberger, CEO of PGP Corporation, has a straightforward blog post explaining why PGP isn’t yet compatible with Snow Leopard and apologizing for the company’s poor communications surrounding the issue. (Posted 2009-09-25)

Jeff Carlson Tracks Snow Leopard on MacVoices — Jeff sat down with Chuck Joiner on MacVoices to discuss his latest book, “The Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard Pocket Guide.” In addition to looking at what’s new in Snow Leopard, he and Chuck also touched on why 10.6 is as much a release for Apple’s benefit as for users’, as well as the considerations that go into writing a focused book about such a general topic. (Posted 2009-09-24)

USB Forum Rebukes Palm for iPod Foolery — The USB Implementers Forum, which controls the USB specification, has rebuked Palm for using an Apple USB ID to fool iTunes into allowing Palm webOS devices to sync. Palm was trying to get the group to give Apple a hard time; instead, the company finds itself on thin ice. (Posted 2009-09-23)

New iPhone Home Screen Proposal — Geoff Teehan proposes a new approach for the iPhone home screen that would replace the grid of apps with a customizable scrolling dashboard, so users could quickly scan for information and notifications, and jump from them to specific apps. If nothing else, this could replace the little-used search screen. Good ideas here, Apple! (Posted 2009-09-23)

Mac Portable Celebrates 20th Anniversary — In celebration of the Mac Portable’s 20th anniversary this week, Ars Technica has compiled a list of the finest – and foulest – Apple notebooks to have graced our cubicles, coffee shops, and couches. Enjoy the trip down memory lane! (Posted 2009-09-22)

Tile Your Kitchen in Tetris — Want a subtle way to remember one of the most popular computer games of all time? Check out Tetris Tiles; custom-made tiles in the maddening shapes burned into our brains by Tetris. Hmm, on second thought, be careful – you wouldn’t want to trigger a bad flashback to the 1980s. (Posted 2009-09-21)

Netflix Awards Million-Dollar Prize to Top Algorithm Designers — Netflix sponsored a $1 million prize to create an algorithm measurably 10 percent better than the company’s current recommendation system. Two teams met the challenge, with one taking home the prize by virtue of a slightly earlier entry, as the New York Times writes. Netflix has launched a new contest with another $1 million in prizes. (Posted 2009-09-21)

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