There’s a reason Apple no longer calls its portable computers "laptops": they’re too hot for laps! Adam’s "private i" alter ego investigates the problem of toasty MacBook Pros. Meanwhile, Adam also examines Microsoft’s purchase of iView Multimedia and Jeff Carlson looks at video timecode calculators. We also roll into July with a bunch of updates: Apple releases Mac OS X 10.4.7, iTunes 6.0.5, iPod Software Update 2006-06-28, and QuickTime 7.1.2, while Ergonis Software’s PopChar X 3.0 makes its debut.
Apple Releases Mac OS X 10.4.7 Update -- Apple last week released Mac OS X 10.4.7, a free update to Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger, with a variety of improvements and bug fixes
PopChar X 3.0 Improves Usability -- Ergonis Software has released PopChar X 3.0, a notable upgrade to the company's long-standing utility for discovering and inserting the thousands of characters available in modern Unicode fonts
iTunes, iPod Firmware, and QuickTime Updated -- Delivering on a promise made in late May, Apple has updated iTunes and iPod software to work with the Nike+iPod Sport Kit, a gadget that links an iPod nano with Nike+ shoes to track a runner's performance (see "Grab your iPod and Run")
PDFpen 2.4 Adds Comment Support -- SmileOnMyMac has updated PDFpen (and its form-creating big brother PDFpen Pro) to version 2.4, adding support for PDF comments so users can add editable comments to PDF files
Now here's an unexpected bit of news. Microsoft has bought iView Multimedia, makers of the iView MediaPro and iView Media digital asset management applications
A few years ago, I considered trying to find a programmer who could write an essential little video editing utility: a timecode calculator. Timecode is the way video is measured, and takes the format of hours:minutes:seconds.frames
[The film noir music rises as the scene fades in again on a 1950's-style office, the glow of twin LCDs illuminating the back of a man staring out the window
Special 30 Percent Off Coupon for PopChar Purchasers -- For those font fans thinking about picking up copies of Sharon Zardetto Aker's "Take Control of Fonts in Mac OS X" and "Take Control of Font Problems in Mac OS X", you'll receive a coupon worth 30 percent off your next Take Control order when you purchase a new copy ($30) or upgrade renewal ($15) of Ergonis Software's just-released PopChar X 3.0
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Files in databases -- What are the advantages and disadvantages of storing files within databases, especially in terms of a database-driven filesystem? (5 messages)
Working with Amazon S3 -- The latest version of Interarchy supports Amazon's S3 network storage service, leading to a discussion of similar utilities and services and how well they perform