Top Stories
Shake Rocks Ape: Compositing “King Kong”
“King Kong” roared into theaters just in time for the holidays, carrying big name talent, Oscar buzz and eye-bending special effects created by Weta Digital using Shake. [Dec 24, 2005]
Charity Checks: The Gift of Giving
Still looking for last-minute stocking stuffers? Don’t get desperate, give Charity Checks. Charity Checks is a giving program that lets you make contributions to any charity in the name of a family member or friend. [Dec 24, 2005]
Digital Pioneer
Kevin Foley’s global roster of clients — including Debra Messing, Anthony Hopkins, Brooke Shields, Morgan Freeman, to name just a few — are no strangers to the camera. Yet that doesn’t mean they don’t get nervous before the shot. All that changed, however, when the photographer decided to go all digital. [Dec 23, 2005]
Riding Across Oregon
Every year, riders of all ages come together for Cycle Oregon, a seven-day trek across the beautiful Pacific Northwest state. This year, Brian Niles, a fledgeling filmmaker and aficionado of outdoor adventure, captured the event on DVD so that its particpants could relive it for years to come. [Dec 23, 2005]
Mac OS X Tip of the Week: Moving Your Stuff to Your New Mac
Here’s the perfect tip to go with the new Mac you’re getting for the holidays. Learn how Mac OS X Tiger makes it a cinch to move your stuff — files, email settings, bookmarks, etc. — from your old Mac to your new one. [Dec 21, 2005]
“Taken to a New Place, by a TV in the Palm”
“The new iPod is its own little addictive medium,” writes David Carr for the New York Times. “Its limitations — a viewing experience that requires headphones and a hand-held screen — create a level of intimacy that arcs to television in its infancy, when the glowing object was so marvelous it begat silent reverie.” [Dec 19, 2005]
Software Enhances Music Education
“A revolution is quietly taking place in music education,” says eSchool News. With the help of programs like GarageBand, students who don’t even play an instrument can compose music and learn more about music theory in the process than ever before possible. [Dec 16, 2005]
Capturing Bluephoria
Blue Man Group has mesmerized audiences the world over with its otherworldly blend of comedy, music and multimedia magic. When the group’s show recently opened in Toronto, it fell to Kevin Rhoades to make an HD video of it — within a month. To pull it off, he turned to the New York production house Digital Arts and Final Cut Pro. [Dec 16, 2005]
PowerBook as Live Instrument
The members of STS9 ignore genres, classifications or labels. They just want to make great music — whether they’re laying down funk grooves, generating electronica or pounding out progressive rock. And with PowerBooks to help them out on stage, they’re exploring soundscapes they never thought possible. [Dec 16, 2005]
Mac OS X Tip of the Week: One-Click ZIP
Before you email that file, it’s always a good idea to make it as small as possible to make the file transfer as quick as possible. Did you know that Mac OS X lets you create ZIP compressed files with a single click from right within the OS? Today's tip shows you how. [Dec 14, 2005]
Where the Students Run the Show
You learn by doing. Nowhere is that adage taken more to heart than at Portland State University’s Ooligan Press, a commercial trade press run entirely by students, who earn a master’s degree in the process. It’s the only program of its kind and it’s powered by Macs and Mac OS X. [Dec 09, 2005]
The Making of “Trailer Park Boys”
A faux reality series about the denizens of Sunnyvale Trailer Park, the award-winning “Trailer Park Boys” on Canada’s Showcase channel derives its hilarity from the raucous antics of its unkempt characters. But behind the scenes, the production — anchored on Final Cut Pro and Power Mac G5s — runs like clockwork. [Dec 09, 2005]
Mac OS X Tip of the Week: Fast App Switching in Exposé
As a Mac OS X user, you know that Exposé gives you instant access to all of your open apps. Now here’s a handy tip that shows you how you can quickly toggle through them. [Dec 07, 2005]
New Oxford American Dictionary Word of the Year: “Podcast”
Mac Daily News reports, “Erin McKean, editor in chief of the New Oxford American Dictionary, said: ‘Podcast was considered for inclusion last year, but we found that not enough people were using it, or were even familiar with the concept. This year it’s a completely different story. The word has finally caught up with the rest of the iPod phenomenon.’” [Dec 06, 2005]
“Apple’s latest iMac a winner”
Mark Kellner writes for the Washington Times, “In short, it’s [the iMac is] all business and yet it’s also primed for a fair amount of fun. But perhaps the greatest thing about the iMac is that it works, it works without failing, and it keeps working.” [Dec 06, 2005]
New TV Shows on the iTunes Music Store
NBC Universal and Apple today announced an unprecedented lineup of new primetime, cable, late-night and classic TV shows, including primetime hits such as “Law & Order” and late-night favorites such as sketches from “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” on the iTunes Music Store. iTunes now offers more than 300 episodes of 16 popular TV shows for viewing on a computer or iPod. [Dec 06, 2005]
Creativity Sparks Prosperity
Many architecture firms are known for concentrating on niche markets. Not Jackson & Ryan Architects. This Houston-based firm specializes in not specializing. From museums to churches, from private homes to hotels, they’ve built their reputation on innovation, flexibility and diversity. And they’ve built their office entirely on Macs. [Dec 05, 2005]
Recent News
A Logical Way to Musical Freedom
Blumpy has engineered recordings at world-class studios for the some of the biggest names in the music biz. But his latest project, produced with Logic Pro on a Mac, demonstrates a new direction in music production free of major label backing or a commercial studio’s millions of dollars in gear. [Dec 02, 2005]
Diving Right In
For a year and a half, photographer Paul Sutherland, his camera and PowerBook in hand, has been in pictorial pursuit of the Chilean sea bass and its poachers. [Dec 02, 2005]
“A New Gold Standard for PCs”
For the Wall Street Journal, Walt Mossberg writes, “To put it simply: No desktop offered by Dell or Hewlett-Packard or Sony or Gateway can match the new iMac G5’s combination of power, elegance, simplicity, ease of use, built-in software, stability and security. From setup to performing the most intense tasks, it’s a pleasure to use. And, contrary to common misconceptions, this Mac is competitively priced, when compared with comparably equipped midrange Windows PCs; and it handles all common Windows files, as well as the Internet and email, with aplomb.” [Nov 30, 2005]
Mac OS X Tip of the Week: Exposé Show-Off Trick
One of Mac OS X’s niftiest features, Exposé gives you instant access to all of your open windows with a single keystroke. Now gather your Windows-using friends or colleagues, start a DVD, play a QuickTime movie, click on the Visualizer in iTunes while a song plays — and watch their reaction when you press F9. [Nov 30, 2005]
Apple Announces Long-Term Supply Agreements for Flash Memory
Apple has reached long-term supply agreements with Hynix, Intel, Micron, Samsung Electronics and Toshiba to secure the supply of NAND flash memory through 2010. As part of these agreements, Apple intends to prepay a total of $1.25 billion for flash memory components during the next three months. [Nov 21, 2005]
“iMac G5: The Best Gets Better”
Stephen Wildstrom writes for BusinessWeek, “Improving an excellent machine was the happy challenge facing Apple Computer (AAPL) designers as they worked up new versions of the iMac G5 desktop. Against the odds, they have succeeded. Though the changes in the new 17-inch ($1,299) and 20-inch ($1,699) iMacs are relatively small, they help keep it atop the heap as the best consumer desktop around.” [Nov 18, 2005]
Fueling the Action with Pyrotechnics
When fires and explosions erupt, most people likely run for cover. But not Phil Bates. As CEO of Artbeats, he goes looking for them, captures them in breathtaking HD and turns them into clips for movie studios and designers to use to pump high-octane action into their work. [Nov 18, 2005]
“Kamataki” Takes the Prize
Most young French Canadians travel to France for inspiration. Filmmaker Claude Gagnon, however, decided to go to Japan. It was there that he filmed his award-winning film “Kamataki.” Shot in HD and edited with Final Cut Pro, the film tells the story of a troubled young Canadian who finds redemption in an unfamiliar world. [Nov 18, 2005]
