Dec2006 31

Haiku Podcast"This month, the final podcast for 2006 - unfortunately, no guests today, just straight into the latest Haiku news, so you can all start ringing in the New Year.

It's been a great year interviewing all our guests (Michael Phipps, Charlie Clark, Karl vom Dorff, Danny Robson and Stephen Butters) and I'd like to thank them for their time. It was a pleasure talking to like minded BeOS/Haiku developers and users."

You can find us on iTunes, Feedburner or visit us at HaikuPodcast.com.

Dec2006 29

It's that time of the year, when we don't feel like working, so here's something motivational to cheer you up :P



"Motivation

Dec2006 27

James Brown is Dead

Posted In |

No, really this time ...







Dec2006 24

Merry Christmas to all from Sikosis.com.


Enjoy this little flash game that uses your Web Cam called Christmas Pop.







Oh and this little treat ;)





Dec2006 24





The fifth episode of the GameGab Podcast is now up.


"This episode we review - Need For Speed Carbon Demo. Your hosts for this podcast are Oddbod, Minkaman, Sikosis, Eazy-P and Melonfarmer."


'GameGab'





Dec2006 21

{mosimage}Get ready to transform and roll out !

Michael Bay, who brought us the Bad Boy movies, *coff* Pearl Harbour and The Island, is now bringing us a live action CGI Transformers movie. Check out the official trailer hosted by Yahoo.


The movie is due for release on the 4th July, 2007 (US). The jurys still out for me ...

Dec2006 20

{mosimage}Elgato have released the latest version of EyeTV 2.3.3, which adds new hardware support, one new faster iPod exporting and better metadata for standard MPEG-4 shows (can be used in iTunes), support for DivX 6.6, and a number of bug fixes.



Click here to download.



Here's hoping they've fixed the long-standing bug where the unit turns on, even though, the preference is ticked to have it not behave like that. If not, I'm going to start hassling them.

Dec2006 20

{mosimage}Apple has released a new Security Update, number 2006-008. As always this update is recommended for all users and improves the security of the following components:


  • Quartz Composer
  • QuickTime for Java

For more information, click here.

Dec2006 18

{mosimage}"Linking to copyright music posted elsewhere online without permission can be illegal, an Australian appeals court ruled today.



The issue before a three-judge panel at the Federal Court of Australia was whether Stephen Cooper, a retired policeman who ran the now-defunct site MP3s4free.net, was legally allowed to post links to mostly copyright MP3 files hosted on other servers. Cooper does not appear to have hosted any copyright music on MP3s4free.net."



I wonder what this would mean for torrent sites ...

Dec2006 18

Check out this TV commerical from the 50s, about a new toy dog made by Ideal.






Dec2006 13

{mosimage}Wired News's article goes on to say "Visual splendor is [Windows] Vista Ultimate's greatest selling point -- the new operating system does offer a graphically intensive interface that differs greatly from that of Windows XP.



However, I encountered several bumps in the road during testing that show Vista is not ready for everyday use by millions of people just yet -- no matter how pretty it looks."



Click here for the full story.

Dec2006 08

Nov2006 29

New Mac Ads

Posted In Music |

{mosimage}Just in time for the holiday season, Apple has released 3 new PC/Mac Guy ads. Interesting, you'll notice that Mac guy isn't wearing the same clothes that "some" people were complaining about.



Anyway, click here for the ads.

Nov2006 29

Security Update 2006-007 is recommended for all users and improves the security of the following components:


  • AirPort
  • ATS
  • CFNetwork
  • Finder
  • Font Book
  • Font Importer
  • Installer
  • OpenSSL
  • PHP
  • PPP
  • Samba
  • Security Framework
  • VPN
  • WebKit
  • gnuzip
  • perl

For detailed information on this Update, click here.

Nov2006 28

{mosimage}Moishe Lettvin from Seattle, Washington, USA writes "I worked at Microsoft for about 7 years total, from 1994 to 1998, and from 2002 to 2006.



The most frustrating year of those seven was the year I spent working on Windows Vista, which was called Longhorn at the time. I spent a full year working on a feature which should've been designed, implemented and tested in a week."



This is one of my fav quotes from the article:- "We had a Mac that we looked to as a paragon of clean UI."




Read on for the what that feature was ...

Nov2006 27

{mosimage}The Chicago Sun-Times writes "Yes, Microsoft's new Zune digital music player is just plain dreadful. I've spent a week setting this thing up and using it, and the overall experience is about as pleasant as having an airbag deploy in your face.

"Avoid," is my general message. The Zune is a square wheel, a product that's so absurd and so obviously immune to success that it evokes something akin to a sense of pity."

Click here for the lowdown ...

Nov2006 24

{mosimage}"A Taiwanese source has confirmed that an Apple iPhone is now in production and that more than 10 million will be available by January when Apple Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs will formally launch the new iPhone at Macworld in January in San Francisco."



"UBS analyst Benjamin Reitzes wrote in a research note recently "This data point is in line with our expectations that a cell phone could be discussed in January at Macworld with limited sales by February and broader distribution in spring 2007."



Click here for the full story.

Nov2006 21

FreeNAS 0.68 Released

Posted In |

{mosimage}Olivier Cochard-Labbé, the FreeNAS main developer, writes "Major new features: new experimental geom raid 5 module, unison and lot's of bugs fixed."


Also, recently AMD donated a dual Opteron processor server, so they can now work on a special branch of FreeNAS optimized for AMD64. I'm an Intel guy, so that news doesn't overly affect me, but it's nice to know and good on AMD for stepping up like this.


Click here for the upgrade information or click the read more link below to read on about the full list of updates.


Nov2006 20

{mosimage}I've just come back from the Kylie Concert, which was originally planned for June 2005, but was postponed due to Ms Minogue being diagnosed with cancer.


Now, she's back and looking great -- put on a little bit of weight, not that you'd overly notice. Her performance wasn't as animated as her previous concerts, understandibly and the concert included an interval. She took a number of breaks during the show, albeit to change costume as well.


The first song, "Better the Devil You Know", unfortunately was terrible, the sound engineers were still trying to get the levels right with the band and her vocals, and at one point half the speaker stack dropped out -- tho by the time her 3rd number was underway (2nd number was her new single with the Sister Scissors) everything was right.


Some of the other highlights for me were hearing "You have been Deleted" and then seeing Cybermen custumed dancers during the "Can't Get You Out of My Head" number, her singing "Turn It Into Love" one of my favs from her first album (the song was only released in Japan, where it went to #1) and she did an excellent version of "Locomotion" in a very "Big Spender" kinda-fashion.


On a side note, I felt my concerting experience was ruined by this little girl with her strobe light that she kept on, for the entire concert, something no other patron did. I guess it's not her fault, I blame the parents.

Nov2006 14

RemoteBuddyRemoteBuddy has been updated to version 1.0 Preview 10b.

Just a couple of minor updates in this release.

Nov2006 13





The fourth episode of the GameGab Podcast is now up.


"This episode we review - Medieval 2: Total War Demo. Your hosts for this podcast are Eazy-P, Oddbod, Melonfarmer, Minkaman and Sikosis."


'GameGab'





Nov2006 12

Training at Samford

Posted In |

{mosimage}On Sunday, we ventured out for a very hot day of paintball at Samford.



Here's a few snaps that were taken during the day.



Cheers to all the players that turned out, especially that guy, who I lit up in the snake :D

Nov2006 11

RemoteBuddyRemoteBuddy has been updated to version 1.0 Preview 10.

This version contains a number of updates.

Nov2006 05

HaikuPodcast.com writes "Unfortunately, this didn't go as planned. Jorge Mare (aka Koki) was due to be interviewed at WalterCon, but was unable to make it. We hope to interview him in the future.



Whilst this isn't technically a Haiku Podcast, I have been slaving away working on this video for your enjoyment. First, I'd like to thank The Jem Report for the use of their footage and the odd picture from the WalterCon Photo Gallery. And now, on with the show ..."







Oct2006 28

Michael Phipps, Haiku's CEO/Fearless Leader delivers this address on the "state" of Haiku, at this years WalterCon - The Haiku OS Annual User and Developer Conference.





Oct2006 27

"Haiku Rocks" video and music by Darkwyrm - shown at WalterCon 2006 - The Haiku OS Annual User and Developer Conference.





Oct2006 27

{mosimage}I originally saw djay being shown off on Call for Help. Whilst, Amber has no DJ skills what-so-ever (she actually liked Numark's iPod Mixer), she wasn't able to show it off as best as I would have liked. To cut a long story short, I use to DJ (Drum n Bass / Big Beat), have decks and switched from vinyl to MP3s when FinalScratch came out.

So what is djay ?
The German students, who have coded this free app, describe it as "groundbreaking new software for Mac OS X that takes full advantage of Apple's latest audio and graphics technologies, and runs natively on both Intel and PowerPC processors."

Some of the features I was impressed with were:-


  • iTunes Integration
  • Automatic artwork image loading on both turntables
  • Pitch-Shifting
  • Pre-Cueing (requires multichannel sound card)
  • Crossfade automation
  • Magnetic tempo slider for precise beat matching
  • Cue points for beat-juggling

So, why not give it a whirl.

Oct2006 26

EA says No More Stats from BF2142Tracker.comBF2142Tracker.com reports "I have received a letter from EA/IGN and they asked me to disable the stats services. I am not allowed to collect stats anymore."

Good one EA. Thanks for killing the ONLY available service for tracking your stats in Battlefield 2142 with your buddies and clan.

The stats site went on to say "I am really sorry for this. I hoped to get access to stats soon (in BF2 it worked very well), but now we have to make a longer pause and wait for their decision and the official stats-feed for us (if we will ever get it; I don't believe it anymore after I read our forums today and saw the new 'official stats' website from EA ...)".

Update 28/10: In the meantime, head on over and Sign the EA Stat Petition.

Oct2006 22





The third episode of the GameGab Podcast is now up.


"This episode we review - Battlefield 2142 Demo. Your hosts for this podcast are Melonfarmer, Sikosis, Oddbod, Eazy-P and Minkaman."


'GameGab'





Oct2006 17

RemoteBuddyRemoteBuddy has been updated to version 1.0 Preview 9b.

This version contains more things than you can poke a stick at.

Oct2006 16

BF2142 has landed !

Posted In |

{mosimage}It must have been fate.



I was on my way to have lunch when I ran into Eazy-P and he suggested we head down to EBGames and see when BF2142 is due to come out. The word on the street was the 19th, in 2 days time.



After getting to the store, finding no copies anywhere, I thought I'd ask the guy behind the counter when it was coming out -- he looked at me with a smile, because he was actually reading the back of it :D



Yes, that's right. Both Eazy and I managed to pick up for $109 (the most expensive game I've bought) BF2142.



Cough Cough ... I think I'm feeling sick :P

Oct2006 10

{mosimage}"Prices for Vista will start at $385 for the basic home edition. The premium version for consumers comes in at $455. For businesses looking to upgrade, the normal edition will cost $565 per user. Comparatively, a full version of XP Professional, which is aimed at business users, costs about $497.



Microsoft has priced the Ultimate version at $751 per licence.



Pricing for the cheaper upgrade versions of Vista, which require an existing XP licence, has not been released."

Oct2006 08

Haiku Podcast"Back with the audio this month, we hope you've enjoyed our videos of Haiku, we certainly got a lot of feedback, both positive and negative. But here we take the good with the bad and learn from it.

Anyway, enough of my ramblings, this month, we have an interview with BeOSNews.com's site owner and operator - Stephen Butters. We also have the latest news and our usual segments."

So, head on over via iTunes, Feedburner or visit us at HaikuPodcast.com.

Oct2006 07





The second episode of the GameGab Podcast is now up.


"This episode we review - FIFA 2007 Demo. Your hosts for this podcast are Minkaman, Oddbod, Sikosis, Eazy-P and Melonfarmer."


GameGab





Oct2006 05

RemoteBuddyRemoteBuddy has been updated to version 1.0 Preview 9.

This version contains a bunch of new behaviours and fixes. Let's hope it fixes those random lock-ups I've been having since Preview 8.

Oct2006 04

Check out this brief look at Week 1 of the Smart Parts World Paintball Championships.


PLEASE NOTE: Unfortunately, it appears that this video has been pulled from YouTube. Perhaps, ESPN weren't happy with Smart Parts posting it up ?

Oct2006 01





The first episode of the GameGab Podcast is now up.


"This episode we review - Call of Juarez (Single Player Demo). Your hosts for this podcast are Sikosis, Minkaman, Eazy-P, Oddbod and Melonfarmer."


GameGab






Sep2006 27

RemoteBuddyRemoteBuddy has been updated to version 1.0 Preview 8.

Remote Buddy was the winner of the MacGeneration Award 2006 in the category "Best use of Apple Technologies". This new version includes support for more remotes.

Sep2006 25





Sep2006 21

{mosimage}"It sounds like an unlikely revival, but vinyl is scratching and crackling its way back to the top. Seven-inch vinyl records are once again a popular format for some indie singles' sales in the UK. Sales of 7-inch singles have risen to well over one million this year. The last time things looked this good for vinyl was 1998.

It doesn't stop there -- the NME's Alex Needham is championing the format to supersede CD. "I think it's very possible that the CD might become obsolete in an age of download music but the vinyl record will survive," he said."

Click here for the full story.

Sep2006 21

{mosimage}Apple has released a new AirPort Update 2006-001.



This update addresses the following CVE-IDs - CVE-2006-3507, CVE-2006-3508 and CVE-2006-3509.

Sep2006 18

RemoteBuddyRemoteBuddy has been updated to version 1.0 Preview 7b.

This version contains fixes for Increased reliability of zoom in / out functions in some behaviours and the odd application crashes on resolution changes.

Sep2006 15

Don't Bother.

Sep2006 13

{mosimage}Mac users can now finally make free video calls to other Skype users, Windows or Mac with the latest beta version of Skype for OS X.
Skype for Mac OS X 2.0 beta requires OS X v10.3.9 or newer, a G4, G5, or Intel processor running at a minimum of 800 MHz.


Can't wait to get home and try it out with my Windows buddies.

Sep2006 12

{mosimage}Check out the latest keynote from Apple CEO Steve Jobs as he delivers a special announcement from the Yerba Buena Center. First, Jobs stated that the iPod has 75% of the MP3 Market Share in the US and the Nike iPod Kit is selling well.

He then went on to say that the new iPods are getting Brighter Screens, Extended Battery life, New Headphones and 5th Generation iPods+ are getting Games such as Bejewelled and Pac-man.

I was most interested to see the Shuffle getting updated. They've now dubbed it "The World's Smallest MP3 Player" - 12 hour Battery life, 1GB in size, Built-in clip on the back, comes with a Dock station and it's $79 US ~ $105.18 AU. Shipping in October.


iTunes 7 was released today and sports a bunch of new features such as Managing your iPod and Cover Flow. They then announced that 75+ movies will be available via the iTunes store. Personally, I don't watch movies on a small screen like the iPod and scaling them up on my TV, I don't think they'll cut the mustard, I guess we'll see. But I'll bet, the store performs well. Apple, once again, have utilized new technologies to give users a LEGAL way of purchasing movies and TV shows.


One last thing ... iTV (not to be confused with Elgato's EyeTV). This is essentially, a box with a HDMI and Component Out / SPDIF connectors and talks to your Mac/PC via Wireless or Wired networks. It also was usable via the Apple Remote showing the future of Front Row.

Sep2006 12

RemoteBuddyRemoteBuddy has been updated to version 1.0 Preview 7.

I've been having fun customizing the current behaviours and making new ones. RemoteBuddy is just so customizable, the options are endless.

Sep2006 10

"He has smuggled fake artwork into Tate Britain, and sprayed a vision of paradise on the Palestinian side of Israel's "security wall".



Now, the "guerrilla graffiti" artist Banksy has taken aim at the cult of empty celebrity and its current poster child, Paris Hilton."





Sep2006 07

{mosimage}The long, long, long awaited v1.4 patch for Battlefield 2 is now out! It contains a new map called "Road to Jalalabaad" (Conquest 16-32-64, Singleplayer, Co-op).


Also, the vehicle drop has been modified to help prevent exploits such as blocking
enemy vehicles, destroying vehicles and commander assets, or as an alternative to artillery, C4 tossing distance has been reduced and a prone->crouch delay has been added.


Grab the patch from v1.3 or the full patch locally from AusGamers.

Sep2006 05

Say No to Netgear

Posted In |

{mosimage}Now I don't normally write rants like this on my blog, but I have had it with Netgear products. I don't know how many times I've ended up bashing my head against a brickwall trying to configure Netgear Wireless products.


I just spent half a day getting a brand new RangeMax WAP up and running and as soon as I connected a WiFi device to it, I could no longer log into the WAP. Somehow the password changed. I then found out that the WAP doesn't actually support DHCP Passthru, which is a necessity.



Wireless networking wasn't meant to be difficult, but companies like Netgear and D-Link have made WiFi on Windows, an absolute nightmare/joke. Now, take an Apple Airport Express, it's a beautiful piece of hardware, elegant looking and you know what, it just works. You can also stream music across the network via iTunes.



Give it power, a network cable and then configure it (PCs need to be wired, Macs can do it wirelessly) and its done and dusted. So, with that said, I am never touching any WiFi networks unless they're run by Apple gear.


Updated 13/8: Just got an Apple Airport Express and had it setup and working within 8 minutes.

Sep2006 05

Haiku Video PodcastTo coincide with Haiku's 5th Birthday and our 5th Podcast, over at HaikuPodcast.com, I've decided to bring to you a little video treat, called the "Introduction to Haiku" (8mins 40secs).


Download: 15MB - Low Quality (iPod) | 58MB - Better Quality (DivX)

Then once you've watched the video, head on over to rate your favourite icon set in the Haiku Icon Contest.
For more information on Haiku, visit the Haiku web site.

Aug2006 31

{mosimage}Elgato have released a small update to their EyeTV software. Version 2.3.1 enhances the new look Fullscreen (Front Rowesque).


They have changed the look to be Navy, which I'm not too sure about. I preferred the black look as it was consistant with Front Row's look. Also, they've included a section called "Stuff to Watch" under Recordings.



Hrmmm ... anyway, click here for the update.

Aug2006 30

{mosimage}Microsoft UK apparently commissioned Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant to do a (spoof) training video with Gervais playing David Brent.



The two videos which run for 20 minutes and 17 minutes, respectively, were made in 2004 and have recently been leaked onto the Internet. Microsoft said they were never intended for public consumption and are trying to find the source of the leak.



Anyway, check 'em out below, they're on Google Video. It's like watching a missing episode of The Office.







Aug2006 29

3 New Mac Ads

Posted In Music |

{mosimage}Apple released three new Mac Ads, which were shown on American TV during the 58th Emmy Awards.


Check out the Accident, Angel / Devil and Trust Mac.

Aug2006 27

RemoteBuddyI was surfing the net looking for code on how I might write an app that takes advantage of Apple's Remote that ships with all new Macs. I stumbled across RemoteBuddy and the rest is history.

RemoteBuddy gives you the ability to control the rest of your computer via the Apple remote control. It also includes a creation kit for making new "behaviours" ie. your own customed remote features for any app or part of the Mac. I gotta say, I'm excited. My mate, Oddbod said, "RemoteBuddy is buddy brilliant!"

I can't wait to start making my own customized Action Pack.

Aug2006 20

{mosimage}Check out Redcape Cinema's 40 minute movie called Wonder Woman: Balance of Power.



Whilst not as good as Grayson (Best Fan Film/Trailer Ever), it has some interesting techniques and rather good special effects. The film was created to be used as a showcase for the filmmaker and it's talents.


Woman Woman, Chloe Sullivan, Clark Kent and Lex Luthor ... See it for yourself here.

Aug2006 18

Happy 5th Birthday Haiku

The Haiku OS project turns 5 today. Back in August 2001, Michael Phipps "founded" the open source replacement for BeOS, called OpenBeOS, on the mailing list.

In 2004, the name was changed, in order to avoid infringing on Palm's trademarks (now owners of BeOS). The new name was influenced by an official community vote and was then revealed at WalterCon, the US-based Haiku annual conference.

Five years on and Haiku now boots on real hardware to an accelerated desktop. It can run many R5 applications, has a network stack in post-alpha (soon to be beta), and can performed tasks via USB that R5 could only dream of. It's stability increases week by week and should be capable of replacing R5 and going beyond in the not too distant future.

Aug2006 16

{mosimage}"Google has said it intends to crack down on the use of its name as a generic verb, in phrases such as "to google someone."



The Internet search giant said such phrases were potentially damaging to its brand.



"We think it's important to make the distinction between using the word 'Google' to describe using Google to search the Internet and using the word 'google' to generally describe searching the Internet. It has some serious trademark issues," a representative for the search company said."


Personally, I think they should pull their head in. People using the word google as a verb / term, is a compliment and goes to show how far reaching their search technology has been. Quite frankly, behaviour like this from Google, could be signs that they aren't the "cool" company we were lead to believe.

Aug2006 13

GTA Coke

Posted In BBQ |

Check out this cool Coca Cola Ad that's got a nice twist on the GTA theme :)



Aug2006 12

EyeTV 2.3 Update

Posted In Events |

{mosimage}EyeTV has now been updated and in their words, it's one more seat in the Front Row.
By this they mean, EyeTV 2.3 adds full screen menu support for EyeTV from within the comfort of Front Row. Nice.


It's a shame it's not part of the carousel, but the Delete feature is a god send. Also, I'm loving the DivX export. Thanks Elgato.



For more information, click here.

Aug2006 08

Apple WWDC 2006

Posted In NFL |

{mosimage}"Watch Apple CEO Steve Jobs kick off the company’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) with a keynote preview of Mac OS X “Leopard” from San Francisco's Moscone West."


See the New Quad Xeon 64 bit Mac Pro machine starting at $3,999 AU and new features in Leopard such as new Front Row, Dashcode, Spaces, VoiceOver, and the very cool Time Machine. I must say, can't wait to have a deeper look at the technology behind it.


Click here to see the keynote event or here for PC Guy's Intro to the WWDC.

Aug2006 08

Haiku PodcastI hate deadlines ... and I do apology for the delay, I was away at a paintball tournament on the weekend. So, without further ado, here's episode #04.

This month, we have an interview with Weekly Haiku's site operator - Danny Robson. Also, we have the latest news (a little stale now sorry) and our usual segments. Working on a new segment for next month, stay tuned.

So, head on over via iTunes, Feedburner or visit us at HaikuPodcast.com.

Aug2006 06

Paint Savvy @ SouthPacs 2006On August 5th and 6th, Samford Skirmish hosted Round 3 of the Super 7 Series aka South Pacs 2006, one of the longest running and most competitive paintball tournaments in Australia.

Congrats to SWAT, who took out the Pro division, Strategic Sports in the Semi-Pro division and Uprising for taking out Div 1.

The level of competition was of the highest calibre and whilst we were placed in a tough pool draw, we played our best against some of the top teams in Australia. We also had heaps of fun and there were no organizational hiccups or team arguing on/off the field. We played like gentlemen and left the field with our heads held high.

See you all in 2007 !

Aug2006 04

{mosimage}It was been reported that Universal Pictures will fully finance and distribute Hellboy 2 and will be directed again by Guillermo del Toro. I still haven't forgiven him for Blade II though.


Apparently, Revolution Studios was set to make the project but went bust and now Universal are bring it out in 2008.



Ron Perlman will return as Hellboy, in a script by del Toro. Selma Blair and Doug Jones are also returning with production starting in April in Budapest and London.

Aug2006 02

{mosimage}"Apple Computer issued updates for its Mac OS X operating system to fix 26 security flaws, some serious.



Several of the vulnerabilities affect the way in which Mac OS X handles images and the file-sharing capabilities of the software, according to an Apple security advisory.


Other flaws were found and fixed within components such as Fetchmail, file compression features, and DHCP networking functionality, Apple said."

Jul2006 31

{mosimage}"Warner Brothers announced that its upcoming sequel to 2005's hit Batman Begins will be called The Dark Knight and will feature Heath Ledger as the Joker.



Christopher Nolan is set to direct from a script by Jonathan Nolan, based on a story by Christopher Nolan and David Goyer, who both wrote the screenplay for the previous film. Production is set to begin on The Dark Knight in early 2007."

Jul2006 24

SysInternalsMark Russinovich writes "I’m very pleased to announce that Microsoft has acquired Winternals Software and Sysinternals. Bryce Cogswell and I founded both Winternals and Sysinternals (originally NTInternals) back in 1996 with the goal of developing advanced technologies for Windows.

There’s nothing more satisfying for me than to see our ideas and their implementation have a positive impact."

I'll bet the cheque from MS was pretty satisfying too. It'll be interesting to see what happens with SysInternal's great freeware tools. Will they just be another company that MS buys and then stops all innovation ?

Jul2006 20

TMNT are back !

Posted In Google |

{mosimage}The heroes in a half shell return to the big screen in this CGI animated movie.


The animation looks pretty slick, but as it's only a teaser trailer, it's hard to judge what the rest of the movie will be like. I feel like Pizza now :D


Check out the teaser trailer.

Jul2006 15

Ollie Lang Paintball ClinicToday, I attended the Ollie Lang Paintball Clinic at Velocity Indoor Paintball, along with around 20 other eager-to-learn paintballers.

After a gruelling day of drills, I was exhausted but in high spirits as I had been shown a few techniques and also absorbed more knowledge of the sport from one it's best, if not the best. Ollie was a true gentlemen, he schooled us, we adapted and then used that training in the second half of the day, to which, Ollie was very impressed with.

All and all it was an awesome day and a great precursor for South Pacs.

Jul2006 05

{mosimage}"Security threats to PCs with Microsoft Windows have increased so much that computer users should consider using a Mac, says a leading security firm.



Sophos security said that the 10 most commonly found pieces of malicious software all targeted Windows machines.



In contrast, it said, none of the "malware" were capable of infecting the Mac OS X operating system."


Click here for the full story.

Jul2006 02

{mosimage}Fear not ... episode three of the Haiku Podcast is now available. This month, we have two interviews.


First up, BeGeistert's front man, Charlie Clark talks to us about his history with BeOS and the events he organizes and then we get into the mind of Karl vom Dorff, from Haiku Bounties. Plus, there's our usual bits 'n pieces.



So, head on over via iTunes, or Feedburner. You can also visit us at our new domain, HaikuPodcast.com. New site pending ...

Jun2006 30

{mosimage}Get ready to transform and roll out !

Michael Bay, who brought us the Bad Boy movies, Pearl Harbour and The Island, is now bringing us a live action CGI Transformers movie. Check out this brief teaser trailer.


The movie is due for release on the 4th July, 2007 (US). Looks promising.

Jun2006 28

{mosimage}Spidey is back !


A specimen from the moon gives Spider-man new powers and a black suit, while Spider-man must battle the second Green Goblin, Sandman, Venom, and other dangers.


According to rumours, there's a fourth villian that has yet to be announced.


Look out for this movie in May 2007, but for now check out this trailer.

Jun2006 21

{mosimage}"Robotics has captured the minds and imagination of those inside and outside the technology market, but as a market unto itself, robotics can barely get its act together. Microsoft today announced during Robo Trend Inc.'s RoboBusiness Conference in Pittsburgh, PA, a set of development tools that it believes can help unify this fractured market."


Check out the MS Robotics blog, MS's Channel 9 interview with the MS Robotics team or for more information, click here.

Jun2006 09

{mosimage}Microsoft have finally posted a public beta for its long-awaited, multi-delayed Windows Vista OS, but be careful, as there are a few gotchas with this particular version.


  • You'll need a DVD burner or Virtual PC ...

  • It dies in 2007, well, it is a beta after all.

  • Once it's there you can't go back and you won't be able to upgrade it to the full when it comes out.

  • It doesn't come without it's share of warts. The Vista Beta 2 Release Notes might be worth bookmarking.


So, if you're ready for all that, then click here to venture forth ...

Jun2006 02

Boycott BF2 Day


Today is Boycott Battlefield 2 Day, the day where we take a stand and vote with our feet.

"With this campaign we would like to convince DICE and EA to communicate with players and modding teams in advance before releasing a patch instead of delivering accomplished facts."

More details can be found here.

May2006 25

{mosimage}Make sure you stick around after the credits for a special scene.



Rating: "star" "star" "star" "star"

May2006 25

Haiku PodcastI've just published episode two of the Haiku Podcast. This month, we have an exclusive interview with Michael Phipps, fearless leader of the Haiku OS project, along with all our regular segments.

As usual you can get it via iTunes, or Feedburner. We now also have a domain, HaikuPodcast.com for any and all feedback.

May2006 20

{mosimage}What a boring movie. Talk about long winded. Hey, Ron Howard, you could have easily shaved off 45 minutes and it might have been a half decent movie.

As it was, the movie moved with a fast pace and then dead smack in the middle, it just stopped. We were then subjected to a couple of anti-climaxes and then it was over.



Of course, this didn't stop people from seeing what all the fuss was about. The Da Vinci Code has "opened with the second largest worldwide gross in history -- an estimated $224 million, $77 million of which came from the U.S. market. The total was exceeded only by last year's Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith, which premiered with $254 million." And Episode III eats the Code for lunch, dinner and breakfast.



The best things about this movie were Sir Ian McKellen's acting (of course) and the new glass Louvre.



Rating:
"star.gif"
"star.gif"
"halfstar.gif"

May2006 17

EyeTV 2.2 Update

Posted In Events |

{mosimage}EyeTV, the awesome PVR (Personal Video Recorder) software and must have for any Mac Media Centre, has been updated to version 2.2. As well as being a Universal Binary, Elgato have included a number of bug fixes and improvements.



For more information, click here.

May2006 16

Meteor Shower"South-East Queensland residents have been startled by a bright, green ball of streaking light that initially sparked fears of a plane crash." It is now believed to have been a Meteor Shower.

"I had a number of phone calls specifically from the eastern part of Australia regarding a meteor shower that has come through and broken up into a few pieces."

The Astronomical Association of Queensland's Peter Hall told ABC Radio: "It sounds like a meteor to me.

"Most of them are the size of a grain of sand but this one must have been larger."
Sounds a bit extravagant (and early) for a Superman Returns' promotional stunt :P

May2006 01

{mosimage}May 1st Reboot Day is the unofficial holiday on the web, which refers to the date when web developers / designers apply a new design to their site, a "spring clean", if you will.


I'd been working on getting my site ready but my host went down and this delayed the redesign. I ended up purchasing a new hosting account, so it's actually a big change going on here.


Please bare with us over the next couple of days as the transition is usually a little bumpy. Anyway, here's my new design, even though it's not 100% complete.


Update: If you're viewing this site with Internet Explorer, you will notice it looks fubared. Funnily, the site looks great in Firefox and Safari and after all, isn't that what really matters ;).



Update 4/5: After reading that IE doesn't actually support XHTML, I've decided there is no point in me applying IE-hacks to my code just so it works properly in that browser. So, you can't view this site with IE. You will be redirected to my Say NO to IE page, instead.



Update 9/5: I've now made my site accessible to IE users, after they have seen my "Say NO to IE" page first. Your browser will then set a cookie, which means you can then view our site with IE for a day and then you will be prompted with the "Say NO to IE" page again. This is mainly for people who have no control over what browser they're viewing this site with. If you do have control, do yourself a favour and use Firefox or Get a Mac.

Apr2006 23

Haiku PodcastI've been toying around with the idea of doing a podcast for awhile now and I thought, what better subject to talk about than the Haiku Operating System.

So, I hacked a little podcast together and I've put it up at Feedburner. I've also created a blogger page for any and all feedback.

Apr2006 05

{mosimage}"Boot Camp lets you install Windows XP without moving your Mac data, though you will need to bring your own copy to the table, as Apple Computer does not sell or support Microsoft Windows.


Once you've completed Boot Camp, simply hold down the option key at startup to choose between Mac OS X and Windows. (That's the "alt" key for you longtime Windows users.) After starting up, your Mac runs Windows completely natively. Simply restart to come back to Mac."



I guess if you're not fortunate enough to have a PC as well as a Mac, your prayers have been answered. Personally, I'd rather a faster emulation application, like Virtual PC. However, I've heard Microsoft are lagging (surprise, surprise) in that dept and we won't (if at all) see a new Virtual PC for the Mac until mid-2007.

Apr2006 04

{mosimage}The 10.4.6 Update is recommended for all users and includes general operating system fixes, as well as specific fixes for the following applications and technologies:


  • login and authentication in a variety of network environments

  • file access and byte range locking with AFP file sharing

  • network access when using proxy server automatic configuration files

  • connecting to Cisco VPN servers using IP/Sec

  • using Bluetooth wireless devices

  • searching iWork '06 and Microsoft Office documents with Spotlight

  • saving Word documents automatically when using a network home directory

  • creating Automator workflows for iPhoto 6

  • synchronizing contacts and calendars to .Mac and mobile phones

  • mounting and unmounting iDisk volumes

  • compatibility with third party applications and devices

  • previous standalone security updates

Mar2006 30

{mosimage}All I can say is ... Ahhh Yeah. Say hello to my new friend, the Mac mini Core Duo hooked up to my Sony Grand WEGA (LCD Rear Projection) TV.


I am absolutely loving the mini. It's awesome. Words just can't express how cool this device is. It makes Windows Media Centre (now a defunkt product) look like the biggest joke on the planet.

Mar2006 22

{mosimage}"The new version of Microsoft Windows, called Vista, has slipped again. It was originally going to ship in 2003. Then 2005. Then 2006. Now in early 2007. I'm not surprised, having seen a demo of Microsoft's new programs at an 'event' for tech buyers in New York last week," Daniel Lyons writes for Forbes.


"The new programs are phenomenally complex, with scores of buttons and pull-down menus and myriad connections among various applications.



Meanwhile, 500 tech buyers sat there in the dark, their eyes glazing over from the sheer mind-numbing pointlessness of most of this stuff. The audience laughed out loud when the Microsoft guy showed off a kludgey system that lets you fetch Outlook e-mail messages using voice commands from a cell phone."


Man ... Microsoft have truly lost it.

Mar2006 20

Protopage

Posted In Comic |

{mosimage}Protopage = personalized news + sticky notes + photos + email + weather + bookmarks, all on one page.



Simple eh ? Click here for mine.

Mar2006 16

Mac mini Core Duo

Posted In Music |

{mosimage}Today I ordered my new Mac mini Core Duo 1.66 with 1GB of RAM and 120GB HDD. This device is going to be the crux of my Media Centre.



I was informed by Nextbyte, that if I wanted the 80GB HDD, I could have the unit that day, but as I wanted the bigger hard drive (quicker than an external), I was told there would be a 4 to 6 week delay.



In the meantime, I came across this site, OWC, who have posted a new video showing how to disassemble the Intel-based Mac mini. The video covers upgrading the Mac mini's hard drive, memory, and optical drive. Check it out.



Update (20/3): I've been told there is a 3-4 week delay. So, mid April.


Mar2006 14

Meebo

Posted In Comic |

{mosimage}"Meebo is a web based IM that lets you log into your IM networks from any computer with a browser and internet connection with no firewall issues.


It employs technologies (like AJAX) to make it act more like a desktop application, which dramatically improves usability."



It's pretty cool. Check it out here.

Mar2006 09

http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox/tls/trailer/large.html

Mar2006 08

{mosimage}After, ZDNet's much publicised accusation that OS X was hacked in 30 minutes (the machine was hacked because local accounts were given out), the University of Wisconsin threw down a real challenge.



"The testing period is now closed and the response has been very strong.


  • Traffic to the host spiked at over 30 Mbps.
  • Most of the traffic, aside from casual web visitors, was web exploit scripts, ssh dictionary attacks, and scanning tools such as Nessus.
  • The machine was under intermittent DoS attack. During the two brief periods of denial of service, the host remained up.
  • The test machine was a Mac mini (PowerPC) running Mac OS X 10.4.5 with Security Update 2006-001, had two local accounts, and had ssh and http open with their default configurations.
  • There were no successful access attempts during the 38 hour duration of the test period.

The Next Day ...


  • The site received almost a half a million requests via the web.
  • There were over 4000 login attempts via ssh.
  • The ipfw log grew at 40MB/hour and contains 6 million events logged.
  • More test results and information will be published here at a future date."

Unfortunately, the University had to take it down, as it wasn't a Uni sanctioned activity.

Mar2006 05

{mosimage}TechEblog.com has posted up their latest weekly Top 10 list, this week, they bring us the Top 10 Strangest (or Coolest) Lego Creations.




Personally, I gotta say, how cool is that Han Solo in carbonite ?

Mar2006 02

{mosimage}Apple has released a new Security Update 2006-001, which delivers a number of security enhancements, including a fix for the much publicized Safari "Auto-Execute after Download" issue, which has cropped up on a few public sites.



This patch also updates the following:- apache_mod_php, automount, Bom, Directory Services, iChat, IPSec, LaunchServices, LibSystem, loginwindow, Mail, rsync and Syndication.

Mar2006 01

{mosimage}"Ever feel like you're not making good enough use of your feet when you're catching up on your e-mail or sorting through all those digital pictures you took on that last vacation?



Computer scientists in Microsoft Corp.'s research division have developed a color-coded "dance pad" with buttons you can tap with your feet — or jump on — to scroll through electronic files.



It may never make it to store shelves, but that's no concern to Microsoft, which spends billions of dollars a year researching far-out technologies without worrying about whether the gizmos will ever make it to store shelves."



So, there you have it folks. That's the REAL reason that MS want your money, so they can blow it on Windows enabled Dance Revolution ripoffs.

Mar2006 01

{mosimage}"Apple today unveiled the new Intel-based Mac mini at its special event in Cupertino, which will replace the company's previous low-end PowerPC-based model. The new machines come in two flavors, one that includes a single core processor and another boasting a dual core Intel chip.


The new single core Mac mini is said to be up to three times faster than the previous model, while the dual core model is nearly four times as fast as its predecessor."


Just checking my savings account right now ...

Feb2006 23

{mosimage}"Windows Vista, the update to the operating system due this year, will add a feature called Sidebar. Sidebar is a small panel at the side of the monitor that can be used to view photo slide shows, RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds and other small programs, dubbed gadgets."



"While DVD movies have popularized wide-screen displays", Windows chief Jim Allchin said there are a lot of uses for the extra pixels. "That's why Sidebar is something important,".



Errr ... Sorry Jim, I think you've missed the mark there. People aren't buying wide-screen / bigger displays to watch DVDs on them. They're buying them for more desk space. You can be a lot more productive doing Development work or navigating an Excel spreadsheet, for example.
But, who in the right mind would watch movies in front of their computer. You've just bought the latest blockbuster DVD, you've got your popcorn ready and now, you and the family are going to huddle around your computer monitor ??? Get real.



I really have to wonder about the people at Microsoft. As for Sidebar, well sorry MS. Google have had their Sidebar available for existing copies of Windows, for quite some time. Konfabulator is free too, as is Samurize. It's like MS wants to compete, but can't get things turned around quick enough.

Feb2006 16

{mosimage}Apple today released minor updates to iDVD 6, iTunes 6, iPhoto 6, iMovie HD 6 and iWeb 1.



All the applications in the iLife package are now at version 6.0.1, with the exception of iTunes (6.0.3), iWeb (1.0.1) and Garageband (which received no update).


As always, use Software Updates and remember to Repair your Permissions after the update.

Feb2006 14

{mosimage}The 10.4.5 Update is recommended for all users and includes general operating system fixes, as well as specific fixes for the following applications and technologies:


  • iChat video conferencing
  • Safari rendering of web pages
  • usability of Dashboard and widgets
  • viewing of QuickTime streaming media behind a firewall
  • printing to some Epson printer models
  • iDisk and Portable Home Directory syncing
  • time zone and daylight savings for 2006 and 2007
  • VPN connections to Cisco servers when using NAT
  • compatibility with third party applications and devices
  • previous standalone security updates

Feb2006 12

{mosimage}Check out this new trailer, which spotlights comedy superstar Dave Chappelle with all-new freestyle standup material, and also one-time-only performances by Kanye West, Mos Def, Erykah Badu, Dead Prez, Jill Scott, and The Roots, among others.


The unprecedented combination of comedy and music was shot on location, as Mr. Chappelle threw a party in downtown Brooklyn.

Feb2006 08

{mosimage}I came across this cool little USB device, USB Powered Air Darts.



"Powered by your Mac or PC, you’ll have hours of flying fun with these USB air darts. Let the mission begin!"


  • Control the aim and the firing mechanism of the darts via your computer mouse
  • Cylindrical base
  • 3 darts
  • USB powered
  • Software included


Click here to check it out.

Feb2006 05

{mosimage}Set in the late 21st century, a subculture of humans have emerged who have been modified genetically by a vampire-like disease, giving them enhanced abilities, and as they are set apart from "normal" and "healthy" humans, the world is pushed to the brink of worldwide civil war aimed at the destruction of the "diseased" population.


In the middle of this crossed-fire is - an infected woman - Ultraviolet (played by Milla Jovovich).



Check out this slick trailer.

Jan2006 31

{mosimage}"Microsoft took the wraps off Internet Explorer 7 Tuesday, releasing the new "preview" version of its Web browser to the general public for testing.


The program, still a work in progress, is available for download from the Internet Explorer section of Microsoft's corporate Web site, the company said. The company, which began limited testing in July, had promised to deliver a public beta by the end of March."



In my testing, first it needs to once again validate your Windows, then it needs a reboot. Before the reboot though, it tried to change my Search Page and my Home Page - thankfully, I've got MS's Anti-Spyware client installed and I was able to block those changes. Gotta love the irony of that , using their own tools to block them ;)



Then on reboot, it tried to change my Home Page AGAIN, so I told it "block" again and then launched IE. At this point, it wanted to fix my security settings, so I said, yeh go for it. I've now used IE for about 10 minutes and I gotta say, it looks like Opera 10, especially the tabs. Personally, I think I'll stick to Firefox.


Oh and how's this for annoying ? Not only have they changed the look of the Font - Arial (it looks fuzzy), but there is NO UNINSTALL with IE7. So, once it's on, it's not leaving.



Update 2/2: My mate, BeMark, found out "how to uninstall IE 7. Go into Add or Remove Programs, click on Show Updates, and look for Windows XP Software Updates".


Thanks BeMark, I'm removing IE7 right now.

Jan2006 26

{mosimage}To all my fellow Australians, have a great day today.



I'll be having a very quiet day, finishing off Need for Speed: Most Wanted ... err Frustrated, followed up by some Paintball training at night :D



So, have a meat pie or lamb chop for me.

Jan2006 18

{mosimage}"iLife ’06 is the easiest way to make the most out of every bit of your digital life. Use your Mac to collect, organize and edit the various elements. Transform them into mouth-watering masterpieces with Apple-designed templates. Then share the magic moments in beautiful books, colorful calendars, dazzling DVDs, perfect podcasts, and attractive online journals. All starring you."



That's the marketing blurb, but iLife is really a good software package and the updates in the 2006 version are quite impressive, especially the inclusion of the new iWeb and updates for GarageBand and iPhoto.



I'm still waiting for my iLife. Two days ago, I went to Nextbyte and paid for iLife ($119 AU) and was advised they might have copies later today. I wasn't that fused, so I thought I'd wait til the next day. It was then when I was checking out the Appletalk forums that someone mentioned that the same store I ordered my copy from had loaded it on all their demo machines, so they must have had copies.



I then emailed Nextbyte to find out where my copy is. They then rang me later and advised that they only received 3 copies and I was the 4th in line. I highly doubt that, I know that's just salesman BS to get me off the phone, so alas, I'm waiting.


Hopefully ... today.


Update 23/1 5:00pm: Maybe not. Still waiting ...

Jan2006 16

EyeTV 2.0

Posted In Events |

{mosimage}Elgato has just released version 2.0 of their awesome EyeTV software. This new version contains the following features:

 
 

Jan2006 13

{mosimage} Microsoft says it is no longer developing a Mac version of its Windows Media Player for Mac, following the announcement of a separate five-year agreement with Apple to develop Office for the Mac and Messenger.

"We have no plans to provide future updates or product support for Windows Media Player for Mac," Adam Anderson, Microsoft public relations manager, told CNET News.com.

I guess I'll watch less WMP content now. 

 

Jan2006 12

{mosimage}
 
Click here for the Update Combo (120MB) or Software Update as per above. 

Jan2006 10

{mosimage} Apple has made their latest keynote, from Macworld San Francisco, available.

From behind the black curtain, Apple introduced a number of new products: MacBook Pro, Intel iMac, iWork '06, iLife '06 and iWeb, and an iPod FM Tuner.

The new MacBook Pro is currently priced at $3,199 AU or $3,354 AU with 1GB of RAM. 

 

Jan2006 06

{mosimage}Google is to start selling video online, offering a way for people to search for and buy TV shows and more through its site.



"It lets anyone sell video," said Mr Page announcing the Google Video Store. "The content producers can decide what to charge."



Some 3,000 items will be available to rent or download and watch in Google's new desktop video player.

Jan2006 05

EyeTV ReviewHappy New Year !
Just putting the finishing touches on my review of Elgato's EyeTV.

Watch this space for more.

Jan2006 03

Those cool cats at NASA have witnessed a rare explosion on the Moon, caused by a meteoroid crashing into it.

The blast was equal in energy to about 70kg of TNT and was seen near the edge of Mare Imbrium (the Sea of Rains).

The object that hit the Moon was probably part of a shower of "taurids" which peppered Earth in late October and early November.



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