TechStuff Canada

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Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:11 AM | Permalink

The Mac Business Unit at Microsoft has announced a $100 rebate for U.S. customers who buy Microsoft Office for Mac during this week's Black Friday shopping frenzy.

Unfortunately, Canadians are not eligible for the $100 rebate, but we can take advantage of another "suite" deal. How would you like to get Office 2004 and Office 2008 for just $189 plus tax?

When you buy Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac Standard Edition, Office 2004 for Mac Standard Edition Upgrade, or Office 2004 for Mac Student and Teacher Edition, we'll send you Office 2008 for Mac Special Media Edition (a $500 value) for FREE - you only pay shipping and handling.

Yes, you read that right. The Super Suite Deal applies even if you buy the student and teacher edition. Amazon.ca has it for $179 - a sweet deal indeed.

Follow this link to buy Office 2004 from Amazon.ca.
Follow this link to get the Super Suite Deal application form.

Update: The Apple online store has Office 2004 at $149 for its one-day Black Friday sale. That's $50 off the usual price.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:55 AM | Permalink

Apple subsidiary FileMaker has announced an interesting new product called Bento.

Bento is the new personal database from FileMaker that's as easy to use as a Mac.
Bento organizes all your important information in one place. So you can manage your contacts, coordinate events, track projects, prioritize tasks, and more -- faster and easier than ever before.

Unlike other FileMaker products, which are available for both PC and Mac computers, Bento is "designed exclusively for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard."

A free preview version of Bento is available for download from the FileMaker site. No price has been announced yet. (Update: Single user license will be $50; family pack will be $100.)

What's in a name?
According to Wikipedia, Bento is "a single-portion takeout or home-packed meal common in Japanese cuisine." This appears to be the metaphor for the product; the personal database is an empty box that you can fill with anything you like.

Long-time Apple fans may also remember that the OpenDoc compound document file format created by Apple was also called Bento.

I haven't had much time to play with Bento yet, but it looks promising. On the face of it, Bento's apparent focus on simplicity and function is a welcome departure from previous versions of FileMaker, which were powerful and feature-rich, but always seemed to require a team of consultants to set up and operate.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 8:56 AM | Permalink

Online retailer Amazon.com is testing an online store called Amazonmp3 -- a direct competitor for Apple's iTunes Store.

Amazonmp3 is not available outside the US yet, but I'm excited anyway because it doesn't use electronic copy protection (aka DRM). In other words, when you buy a song from Amazonmp3, you get a high quality digital version of the song with no electronic lockdown. It's a song you can freely enjoy, copy and use on any digital music player, not just iPods. I love iTunes, but this is very, very good for consumers.

If you like Amazon's latest offering, you can blame Apple:

The self-created headache for the industry is that the highly popular iPod and new iPhone only play music protected by Apple's proprietary FairPlay DRM solution or music that isn't protected at all. And Apple chairman Steve Jobs has repeatedly balked at licensing FairPlay for use on competing download services or devices.

Read more here.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 8:55 AM | Permalink

As noted here, the latest version of Google Earth contains a hidden feature: a basic flight simulator!

I haven't tried the Windows version yet, but the Mac version works.

It's not a true game yet. There are only two planes, no sound effects, no assigned missions, etc. It's more of a Superman simulator really -- you launch yourself into the air, then fly around, enjoying the view from the air as you swoop around.

It's very fun. Download here. The list of keyboard controls is here!

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:43 PM | Permalink

That didn't take long. Here's Apple's response to NBC's decision not to renew its iTunes contract:

iTunes Store To Stop Selling NBC Television Shows

Apple's agreement with NBC ends in December. Since NBC would withdraw their shows in the middle of the television season, Apple has decided to not offer NBC TV shows for the upcoming television season beginning in September. NBC supplied iTunes with three of its 10 best selling TV shows last season, accounting for 30 percent of iTunes TV show sales.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 8:57 PM | Permalink

The New York Times reports that NBC Universal will not renew its iTunes contract.

This means no more NBC television shows will be sold by the iTunes Store after the contract ends. That's especially sad news for viewers outside the US, many of whom have never had the chance to buy TV shows from the US-only service.

If you ask me, NBC is trying to avoid the unavoidable. They don't want to cede control of online video sales and distribution to Apple, but it's already too late. iTunes is the industry standard, the market leader, the 800 pound gorilla of online video sales. There simply is no direct competitor.

Of course, NBC could try to build an iTunes competitor.

Oh, wait. They are trying to build an iTunes competitor! Starting in October, TV shows from NBC and FOX will be available for download to testers of a new video service called Hulu.

Here's a blurb from the site:

The Hulu private beta will be available in October. In the interest of delivering a great customer experience and making sure that we can address any feedback that comes along the way, we're going to start small and grow iteratively in terms of the volumes of people that we invite to participate in the beta. Within that same timeframe, we will also be offering great programming through our distribution partner sites: AOL, Comcast, MSN, MySpace, and Yahoo.

I'm assuming that Hulu will become widely available by January 2008, when NBC's contract expires. I guess we'll see.

There's no word yet on whether Hulu will offer videos for sale to viewers outside the United States. (Yes there is. See below.)

Meanwhile, since no legal options exist, many Canadians will continue to share episodes of NBC shows via peer-to-peer networks. This is legally murky, since the courts have ruled that Canadian copyright law permit downloads of copyrighted material, but uploads are illegal. (Many people don't seem to care. If you browse P2P networks, you'll find plenty of video files uploaded by CTV and Global TV viewers.)

Speaking on behalf of Canadians who are willing to pay for legal downloads, I hope Hulu (and iTunes) will soon make American TV shows available to Canadians.

My wallet is ready and waiting. Sign me up.

Update: Sigh. The Hulu Terms of Use page answers my question:

EXPORT CONTROL
Unless otherwise specified, the materials on this Site are presented solely to for use in the United States, its territories, possessions and protectorates. This Site is controlled and operated by Hulu from its offices within the state of California, United States of America. Hulu makes no representation that materials on this Site are appropriate or available for use outside the United States and authorizes no one to do so. Those who choose to access the Site in contravention of the foregoing from outside the United States do so on their own initiative and are responsible for compliance with local laws, if and to the extent that local laws are applicable.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:03 PM | Permalink

Why is there more than one "standard" paper size?

Before the standards wars between Beta vs VHS or Blu-Ray vs HD-DVD, there was A4 vs US Letter.

Ever downloaded a document or received a file from a friend only to have it print out badly?
There are lots of potential causes of such problems: different typefaces available to the creator and the printer; different operating systems and different versions of the same operating systems exposing limitations in supposedly cross-platform standards; different printer engines, especially when crossing between ink-jet and laser; and so on.
An oft-overlooked cause of problems, however, is different paper sizes.

Read the article here: A4 vs US Letter by Brian Forte

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 7:59 PM | Permalink

This isn't new, but I saw it for the first time today:

Tech blogger and former Mac evangelist Guy Kawasaki suggests the following three guidelines for PowerPoint presentations:

1. No more than 10 slides.

2. No more than 20 minutes long.

3. No font smaller than 30 points.

Simple, yes?

If you must make a presentation with PowerPoint -- and I think there are many arguments against any use of PowerPoint -- these are some good guidelines to follow.

Read the whole thing here.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 8:41 PM | Permalink

Shiva Rajaraman, product manager for YouTube, said internal tests show more than 70 percent of people give up when they see a pre-roll. By contrast, less than 10 percent decide to close an overlay, which they can exit by clicking on an "X" in a corner. The overlay format also gives advertisers more flexibility, he said, because they aren't constrained to keeping a video ad at 15 or 30 seconds to avoid defection. Because a viewer chooses to watch, a video ad can run much longer - clicking on one pre-launch overlay launched a 2-minute trailer for "The Simpsons Movie."

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:46 PM | Permalink

Here's a great little story: software developer Andy Brice received more than a dozen software awards from web sites that never tested his software.

He knows they never tested it because the software doesn't work. His submission was not software at all; just a plain text file that does nothing (and even says it does nothing).

Read the details here: The software awards scam.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:28 PM | Permalink

This article provides a good explanation of the problem with copy-protected media.

Summary: Google Video is shutting down its download-to-own/rent program on August 15.

This will leave its customers with video clips that will no longer work.

Those who bought copy-protected files from Google Video will get a partial refund, but they won't be able to watch the clips they purchased once Google turns off the system.

This is why DRM is bad for consumers: after you buy the product, control of the product remains in the hands of the vendor.

Update: Google's decision has not been well received by customers, so they've have decided to refund purchase costs and let customers keep the Google Checkout credits they've already been issued. Which, ironically, makes the greedy part of me wish that I had bought or rented DRM'd videos from Google.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 4:05 PM | Permalink

The slow death of AppleWorks began in 2005 when Apple announced a new product called iWork.

"With iWork '05, we're building the successor to AppleWorks by taking advantage of the latest innovations in Mac OS X and iLife '05," said Sina Tamaddon, Apple's senior vice president of Applications. "iWork '05 makes it incredibly easy for anyone to create really great-looking documents, newsletters and presentations quickly and easily."

Now that Apple has added Numbers ("Spreadsheets the Mac way") to the iWork software suite, it seems that the successor is finally built. Last week's release of iWork '08 appears to mark the unofficial end of AppleWorks and the passing of the torch to its successor.

The closest thing to an official announcement is the disappearance of the AppleWorks web page. If you visit apple.com/appleworks today, it redirects your browser to the iWork web page.

iWork '08 doesn't have all the features available in a more expensive program like Mac Office, but it offers great user-friendly features for a lot less money -- just $79.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:19 PM | Permalink

According to this BBC story, tiny toner particles from some laser printers can cause lung damage.

An investigation of a range of printer models showed that almost a third emit potentially dangerous levels of toner into the air.
The Queensland University of Technology scientists have called on ministers to regulate these kinds of emissions.
They say some printers should come with a health warning.
The researchers carried out tests on more than 60 machines.
Almost one-third were found to emit ultra-tiny particles of toner-like material, so small that they can infiltrate the lungs and cause a range of health problems from respiratory irritation to more chronic illnesses.
Conducted in an open-plan office, the test revealed that particle levels increased five-fold during working hours, a rise blamed on printer use.
The problem was worse when new cartridges were used and when graphics and images required higher quantities of toner.

That settles it. Let's go back to hand-cranked Ditto machines. If I'm going to die from making copies, I want to go with a smile on my face.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:53 PM | Permalink

Another day, another new web site featuring short videos. This one looks interesting.

My Damn Channel offers exclusive original videos featuring (among others) comedian Harry Shearer, filmmaker David Wain and music producer Don Was. The new venture is the brainchild of former MTV and CBS Radio executive Rob Barnett.

From the site:

My Damn Channel is an entertainment studio and new media platform created to empower artists to co-produce, distribute and monetize original, episodic video content. Programming is created by artists for the My Damn Channel site and for syndication on today's most heavily-trafficked online communities and social networks. My Damn Channel gives its artists 100% creative control to develop their own brands and new storylines. My Damn Channel produces a diverse array of programming and... blah, blah, blah. Are you still reading this crap? This is the web age. People don't read anymore. If you really want to see what we're all about, check out PromoSexual.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:04 PM | Permalink

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:09 PM | Permalink

I just helped a friend move his e-mail messages and contacts from Outlook 2003 to Apple Mail using a little utility called O2M.

I highly recommend this program. It does one thing and does it well.

O2M successfully (and quickly) found all his e-mail messages and contacts, then converted them to file formats that Mail can import. The step-by-step instructions were simple, and easy to follow. It explained not only how to export the data from Outlook, but also how to import it into Apple Mail.

The cost? Just $10 -- well worth it considering the time I saved.

Note that O2M is for Microsoft Outlook, not Outlook Express.

Link: O2M from LittleMachines.com

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:26 PM | Permalink

Many popular web sites went offline today, thanks to a series of power surges in the SoMa district of San Francisco.

The power problem became worldwide news because it seems to have interrupted power to 365 Main, a busy data centre that provides connections for many well-known web properties. Sites known to be affected by the outage include Craigslist, Technorati, AdBrite, RedEnvelope, Yelp and all SixApart properties (Typepad, Livejournal and Vox).

Not long ago, fake news site The Onion predicted that something like this would happen. The headline for their fake news report was "All Online Data Lost After Internet Crash."

According to O'Reilly Radar, 365 Main issued a back-patting press release this morning that (ironically) celebrated two years of uninterrupted uptime for RedEnvelope, one of their customers. As of this writing, the 365 Main site makes no mention of the service outage, but the press release is gone.

Update: 365 Main responds to questions

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:55 PM | Permalink

My friend (and my pastor) Darryl Dash comments on his relationship with Apple Inc.

I hate Apple... my MacBook Pro's hard drive has failed and it's less than a year old. It's in for repair and it won't be back until the week is almost over.

I love Apple... thanks to SuperDuper! I have an up-to-date mirror of the failed drive on an external disk. I just plugged it into Charlene's iMac, booted from the external drive, and I've been working as if it's my computer all day.

Can't figure out what to think about this crazy company.

Apple quality control seems to have slipped over the past few years. Maybe Steve Jobs needs more hours in the day to run a computer company, a music company, a phone company, a chain of retail stores and a movie studio?

Darryl's previous portable, an iBook, was one of the models affected by the dreaded logic board failure problem. I hope he has a better time with this MacBook Pro after this problem gets cleared up.

Mac users everywhere should take a tip from Darryl and get SuperDuper! backup software.

Back up your important data. Do it now before it's too late!

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:49 PM | Permalink

The open source video player software formerly known as Democracy Player has a new name: Miro.

What is Miro?

Miro is a free, open-source software project led by a non-profit organization. It's a platform that benefits everyone by keeping online video open. Our organization isn't controlled by venture capitalists or stockholders, which means we always put our users first.
Open video will only have a real impact if it can reach a mass audience. Your ideas and efforts work better than any paid marketing campaign, because it comes from somewhere real.

Read the Miro FAQ for more information.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 7:16 PM | Permalink

Simply put, write shorter e-mail messages.

The problem, explained so well here by Mike Davidson, is that e-mail messages can dump unwanted responsibility on us. A quick question sent by e-mail can require 10-30 minutes of response time -- time we don't really have.

Mike proposes we fight e-mail overload with sentenc.es.

The Problem

E-mail takes too long to respond to, resulting in continuous inbox overflow for those who receive a lot of it.

The Solution

Treat all email responses like SMS text messages, using a set number of letters per response. Since it's too hard to count letters, we count sentences instead.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 3:18 PM | Permalink

Hmm. Should I be concerned that this story strikes a chord with me?

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 3:13 PM | Permalink

&CRN reports that all of the 11.6 million Xbox 360total hardware failure.

Microsoft will extend Xbox 360 warranty coverage to three years. The company has not announced any plans to recall or exchange the flawed machines.

The extended warranty period is limited to hardware failures indicated by three flashing red lights on the console. Users of consoles suffering from such problems are entitled to free repairs and shipping.

Continue reading "Microsoft admits Xbox 360 problem" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:16 PM | Permalink

News from this week's E3 conference includes word of another smart game idea from Nintendo: Wii Fit.

The active-play phenomenon started by Wii Sports now spreads to your whole body thanks to the pressure-sensitive Wii Balance Board (name not final), which comes packed with Wii Fit. The board is used for an extensive array of fun and dynamic activities, including aerobics, yoga, muscle stretches and games. Many of these activities focus towards providing a "core" workout, a popular exercise method that emphasizes slower, controlled motions. Family members will have fun staying active and talking about and comparing their results and progress on a new channel on the Wii Menu.

Wii Fit is another smart appeal to people who have never seriously considered themselves video game players. While Sony and Microsoft are fighting tooth and nail for a slice of the hardcore gamer pie, Nintendo is enlarging the pie, and baking new pies. (Whoops! I think I broke my analogy.)

Business and competition aside, Wii Fit looks like a lot of fun. Check out the preview video here.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:49 PM | Permalink

TUAW notes that the latest update to Apple's QuickTime media player software includes a big new feature: the ability to view videos in full screen in the regular QuickTime Player.

Until now, support for full screen viewing has required a paid upgrade to QuickTime Pro. It's been a long time coming.

So why would anyone pay $30 for the Pro version? You still need QuickTime Pro to save QuickTime movies to your disk, or to convert video files to different formats. Read more about Pro features here.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 7:20 PM | Permalink

If you like quirky music, delightful surprises await on The 1920's Radio Network.

How to get it:
- launch iTunes
- in the left column, select Radio as your source
- in the right column, click the triangle next to Eclectic
- scroll to the bottom of the list of Eclectic stations
- click on The 1920's Radio Network to start listening

Enjoy! Thanks to Merlin Mann, who mentioned this recently on MacBreak Weekly. You were right, Merlin. It's great!

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 3:43 PM | Permalink

The big news from WWDC, Apple's developer conference, is the release of Safari for Windows – a new web browser that will compete with Internet Explorer and other browsers like Firefox and Opera.

This announcement, combined with the news that software for the iPhone will run in Safari, gives a clue about Apple's strategy: cool software written for the iPhone will also work in Safari – on Mac and Windows.

Link: Safari 3 public beta

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:28 PM | Permalink

Mark Pilgrim, a Mac user who switched to Linux one year ago, offers an interesting perspective on software updates.

link

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:04 PM | Permalink

A delay on the TTC this morning sent me scrambling to make a call from a Bell pay phone.

When I reached the front of the line, I dropped in my quarter and dialed the number. "Please insert twenty-five cents," said the recorded voice.

Huh, I thought. There's something wrong with this phone. I hung up, retrieved my quarter, then tried dialing the number first. "Please insert fifty cents," said the recorded voice.

Pardon?!

Continue reading "Bell doubles the cost of pay phone calls" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:34 PM | Permalink

Some thoughts about the Palm Foleo, which was announced Wednesday at D5. I had a chance to see one at a press event in Toronto.

What it's not
Palm describes Foleo as a "mobile companion" - a brand new product category. Foleo is not a notebook computer (or a subnotebook or a notebook replacement). It doesn't have a hard drive or a CD/DVD drive.

Foleo will have a full-featured Opera web browser, but Palm says YouTube videos will stutter and mp3 files may not play well. Foleo is not a media player.

Continue reading "Palm Foleo - first impressions" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 4:07 PM | Permalink

What kind of amazing technology can connect distant acquaintances and destroy marriages at the same time?

Hmm. Come to think of it, a lot of new technology has done this very well. By providing an instant, always-on connection, pagers and cell phones and BlackBerrys (BlackBerries?) have given us new ways to meet friends and ignore our spouses at dinner.

But this item is about Twitter, a new service that connects and destroys more efficiently than ever before.

Continue reading "Twitter threatens friendships, marriages" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:52 PM | Permalink

I've been neglecting this site (again) thanks to a great new job.

I'm currently working as a technical writer at the CBC in Toronto. I'm working on an internal project that has very little to do with consumer technology.

The learning curve was steep, and the new job has been consuming most of my time and creative energy, but I intend to return to blogging several times per week, both here and on TasteBuddy.ca.

More to come.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:20 PM | Permalink

Whenever I watch NFL football on TV, I find myself distracted by the technology.

One of the most fascinating on-screen effects is the first-down indicator. A blue line on the screen shows where the play began, and a yellow line shows how far the team has to go to get a first down.

The players and the fans in the stadium can't see these lines. They're not really there, and they move with the play. But to the viewers at home, these lines appear to be painted on the field. In fact, when the players and the referees walk past, the lines appear to be under and behind them.

So how is this done?

Continue reading "Super Bowl technology" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 8:44 PM | Permalink

Canadian DVD rental giant Zip.ca has announced a contest to celebrate its success.

One lucky member will win a 10-year membership and $1,000 to spend at Best Buy, just by adding a new movie to his or her Ziplist -- the page that records their DVD rental requests.

Visitors to the Zip.ca site will be able to see the progress of the counter until it gets very close to the milestone, probably in early March. As of this morning, more than 9.1 million titles have been added to customers' Ziplists.

Continue reading "Zip.ca celebrates DVD shipping milestone" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 7:36 AM | Permalink

Apple CEO Steve Jobs stepped into the spotlight today in San Francisco and announced two big new products.

Apple TV (pre-announced last year as "iTV") is a wireless gadget that bridges the gap between TV and computer. With Apple TV, you can use your big screen TV with your computer to view movies, video, and photos, and listen to digital music. Apple TV will be available in February for US $299.

That was the warm-up act. The big news of the day is the iPhone, the long-rumoured and much-anticipated Apple-designed cell phone.

Continue reading "Macworld news: Apple TV and iPhone" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:17 PM | Permalink

Attention, last-minute Christmas shoppers: the warranty on the Xbox 360 game console has been increased from 90 days to one year!

This change is retroactive -- it applies both to new purchases and to customers in Canada and the U.S. who bought an Xbox 360 in the past year. Better still, customers who paid for out-of-warranty repairs in the past year will be reimbursed.

If you're thinking of buying an Xbox 360 as a gift, please note that there are two different Xbox 360 consoles. The "Core" system is less expensive, but is missing some important features. Follow this link to compare the two.

Continue reading "Xbox 360 gets one-year warranty" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:17 AM | Permalink

My Junk mail folder is brimming with offers to sell me a copy of Windows Vista Ultimate (a.k.a. the good version) for $79.95.

That's more than $300 off the retail purchase price. It's a steal!

No, really -- it's a steal. They're stealing from you, or they're stealing from Microsoft, or both. The real Windows Vista won't be available until January 30, and it won't be sold by a third party as a software download. It will come in a box (or with a new PC) and it will be sold for a hefty price.

This really should go without saying, but I'll say it anyway: Do not respond to email requests to visit strange Web sites and give them your credit card information.

If you get an email message like the one below from "DS Team," mark it as spam and delete it. This is a clumsy attempt to rip you off.

Continue reading "Windows Vista Ultimate for $79.95" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 8:44 PM | Permalink

Sanyo's new DVD Boomer looks interesting.

It's a DVD player in "boombox" format, combining DVD video playback with CD audio, AM/FM radio, and even karaoke.

Given all the features, the $220 price tag is remarkable.

Continue reading "Sanyo's new DVD boombox" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:01 AM | Permalink

Who makes the best-selling video game machine? It depends on how you spin the numbers.

Based on the U.S. sales figures in this article, Nintendo's new Wii console is outselling Sony's PS3 more than two to one.

The PS3 launched Nov.17 and sold 197,000 units by month's end. This was less than half the sales of the Wii, which launched two days later and sold 476,000 units by November 30.

Continue reading "Which video game console is most popular?" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:12 PM | Permalink

One of my clients called me recently, with panic in her voice. Her PC had been showing symptoms of a hard drive problem. When she turned it off then on again, the PC did not start as usual. Instead, it displayed an error message, then stalled.

Uh-oh.

After some detective work and several Google searches, we were able to recover her hard drive long enough to back up her data.

Continue reading "How to recover from a hard drive crash" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 4:18 PM | Permalink

There's a good article about spam (junk email) in today's New York Times. The author is Brad Stone. Here's the link:
Spam Doubles, Finding New Ways to Deliver Itself

If your Inbox is filled with junk, you're not alone. Spam is on the rise again, thanks to some new techniques that are making spam smarter than the current junk filters.

The biggest new problems are image spam and "zombie" computers.

Continue reading "Are we losing the war against junk email?" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:41 PM | Permalink

"I'm a Mac."

"And buy a PC."

So begins the latest ad from Apple, in which actors Justin Long and John Hodgman reprise their roles as talking computers.

The Get a Mac campaign gets its message across in an entertaining way, and it seems to be helping Mac computer sales.

The new TV ads are airing during many popular prime time TV shows, but you can also view them online at Apple.com.

Continue reading "Three new "Get a Mac" ads from Apple" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:37 AM | Permalink

McAfee 's Avert Labs has released a list of predictions for the top security threats of 2007. After surveying the damage done this year, the big brains who spend their work hours sifting through spam, spyware, and other techno-junk have looked ahead.

What they see is not pretty.

Continue reading "2007 security threat predictions" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:51 AM | Permalink

So, it has come to this: HMV in Canada has decided to implement an online lottery to sell its limited stock of PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii game consoles.

"We understand the challenge consumers are facing trying to secure these popular items," says Humphrey Kadaner, President, HMV Canada. "HMV values its customers and this is our way of ensuring we're giving consumers an equal chance to buy the Wii or PS3."

Continue reading "Game machines sold by lottery at HMV" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:45 AM | Permalink

Maybe the best way to understand the fuss about the Nintendo Wii is to watch this video.
Go ahead. I'll wait.

The video shows a young man playing a driving game. The object of the game is to keep a fast-moving truck on the road, and beat the other drivers to the finish line. It's harder than it looks.

Notice how he steers the truck. In addition to moving the controller, he moves from side to side, leaning into the corners, turning his whole body.

Continue reading "The genius of the Wii controller" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:55 AM | Permalink

When Sony released the second PlayStation game machine, one of its best features was "backward compatibility" with older games. In addition to the new games released for PS2, the new system could play games released for the original PlayStation.

This was a very smart move on Sony's part, because there were hundreds of PlayStation games available at the time (and not a lot of next generation games available for the PS2). Furthermore, it set them apart Nintendo and Sega, whose game machines were not compatible with their previous game titles.

Sony promised the same backward compatibility for this year's model, the PS3. Older games released for the PS2 are supposed to work on this new game machine.

But when the PS3 was released in Japan last weekend, consumers were told that some older games are not supported by the new system.

Continue reading "PS3 has problems with some older games" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 3:32 PM | Permalink

Why has the iPod been such a huge success? Sure, it's easy to use, and the click wheel is cool, but there's more to it than that.

The success of iPod has a lot to do with Apple's ability to control the whole widget. It's not just about the iPod player; it's also about the iTunes music software, the iTunes store, and the tight integration of all three parts.

Microsoft's soon-to-be-released Zune music player will take a page from Apple's playbook. The device will be integrated with special Zune software, and with an online store called Zune Marketplace.

Continue reading "Microsoft Zune versus Apple iPod" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:36 AM | Permalink

Would you like to know how to protect your Windows-based computer from viruses, worms, spyware, and other threats? There is a way; a simple one-step solution to prevent these common computer problems.

You don't have to read any manuals, or switch to Mac or Linux, or explore the Windows Registry.

Not only does this simple solution protect you from 100% of computer malware; it also guarantees that your computer will never crash again.

Best of all, this fix is completely free. It will cost you nothing. In fact, it will save you money, because you can stop using security software.

You heard me right: you will no longer need to buy anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-hacker software to protect your PC.

Read on to find out how your PC can be 100% secure and crash-free.

Continue reading "One easy step to make Windows 100% secure" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:42 AM | Permalink

Welcome to the new and improved TechStuff Canada.

The colours and layout have changed. The publishing engine has been updated, cleaned and polished. Most of the dead links have been found and removed.

Now what?

Continue reading "The official relaunch" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:36 PM | Permalink

This is part 3 of 3. Have you read part 1 and part 2?

In the summer of 2005, I was fresh from my Rogers contract, looking for work, and wondering what to do about TechStuff. Armed with the knowledge that a Web-based publication requires more than just your spare time, I hesitated to relaunch the site until I knew where I would be working.

Around this time I got a call from my friend Darryl Dash, the senior pastor at Richview, our church. Darryl asked to meet with me and Lori, to discuss Something Important.

Continue reading "The history of TechStuff - part 3" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:30 AM | Permalink

In the fall of 2004, my Mac focus paid off. I was hired by Rogers Media to help the Publishing division with its transition to Mac OS X.

Continue reading "The history of TechStuff - part 2" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:29 AM | Permalink

Hi. My name is Sandy McMurray. This is the story of TechStuff Canada.

I began publishing my tech writing on the Web in 1995. It was self defense at first.

I was working for the Toronto Sun newspaper. Every week, after my column was published, I would hear from readers who asked me to send the column by email.

Even then, I knew this was a slippery slope. If no one bought the paper, why should the paper pay me?

Continue reading "The history of TechStuff - part 1" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:28 AM | Permalink

Do you need a new computer? Wall Street Journal columnist Walt Mossberg suggests you should wait until next spring, when you can buy a new PC pre-loaded with Windows Vista.

Or buy a Mac.

Continue reading "New PC? Wait for Windows Vista" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:22 PM | Permalink

The new album from Barenaked Ladies is available on CD, in record stores, as usual. You can also buy it from the iTunes store if you're so inclined.

But wait! There's more! There's an old school vinyl version of the record. (Yes, I said "record.")

And there are two new digital formats: unprotected mp3, and FLAC audio.

What's the big deal?

Continue reading "Barenaked Ladies' big risk" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:42 AM | Permalink

If you have an email account, you have probably noticed a spike in junk mail (aka "spam") in your Inbox.

Unlike the usual spam messages, which promote discount drugs, grey market software, and impotence cures, this campaign is pushing a penny stock.

Why send hundreds of thousands of messages to promote a specific stock? The answer is pretty obvious when you think about it. The goal is to convince as many people as possible to buy some stock, to drive the price up.

But the campaign is not orchestrated by the company. It's a common fraud strategy called pump and dump.

Continue reading "Pump and dump junk mail" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:49 AM | Permalink

Apple has announced official support for Windows on Mac hardware, via new software called Boot Camp.

The just-released free beta version of Boot Camp makes it possible to exit Mac OS X and "reboot" in Windows XP. (You need a new Intel-based Mac, plus a real copy of Windows XP software to take advantage of the Boot Camp software.)

Continue reading "Boot Camp brings Windows to Macs" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:36 PM | Permalink

The pranksters have been hard at work, putting together April Fool's jokes to surprise and amuse.

Here's a roundup of some of the jokes:
 • new iPod ad is visible from space
 • NBC public service announcements from The Office
 • ThinkGeek selling caffeine inhalers and wireless extension cords
 • Blizzard Entertainment's new restaurant chain, BurgerCraft
 • Steve Jobs freed from captivity (That explains Apple & Intel!)
 • Microsoft blogger Robert Scoble announces new job at Google
 • Google Romance appears to be a joke, but Gmail was launched on April 1.
 • Microsoft buys MS Office competitor OpenOffice.org
 • HomeStar is upside down!
 • blogging tools WordPress and TextPattern merged to create WordPattern
 • Xbox 360 now fully compatible with older Xbox games (ha!)
 • GameSpot announces World of Starcraft
 • 3D Realms finally releases video game Duke Nukem Forever!
 • Huh? Corporation. (Not a new joke, but it's still funny.)

Continue reading "April Fool's Day 2006" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:33 AM | Permalink

According to this Variety article about Sony CEO Howard Stringer, we should not expect to see the PlayStation 3 before November.

Sony's new PlayStation 3 was widely expected to be introduced this spring, but will be delayed as the company fine-tunes the chips that are crucial to the success of the console's Blu-ray function. [See below for details about Blu-ray.]

The PlayStation 3 --- which is being called "the poor man's Blu-ray" --- is vital to Sony's plans because it plays Blu-ray discs as well as videogames.

Sony will roll out the PS3 by year end, in time for the holidays. If PS3 "delivers what everyone thinks it will, the game is up," Stringer boasts.

Blu-ray is the system developed by Sony to view next-generation high-definition DVDs. Rival format HD DVD is championed by Toshiba. Microsoft recently joined the HD DVD camp, a move that came as its Xbox 360 videogame console is trying to grab market share from PlayStation, the industry leader.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:35 AM | Permalink

My son Alex has a new iPod nano. It's the latest release -- the 1 GB model, which holds 240 songs. Alex chose stylish black over the standard milky white colour. He has already transferred several CDs (and audio clips from Homestar Runner) to his new portable music player.

Before we could escape from the Apple retail store in Toronto, Alex discovered the giant wall of iPod accessories. He bought a wallet style iPod case, and I bought him an A/C connector for the rechargeable battery. (More on that in a moment.)

The iPod nano was a birthday gift from both sets of grandparents, who probably muttered darkly about "kids today and their high tech toys" before sealing their money inside the birthday card envelope.

Actually, the grandparents were quite cheerful about it. I'm the one that's muttering. I'm jealous. Alex is the first person in our family to own an iPod.

Continue reading "New iPod nano in the house" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 4:44 PM | Permalink

A couple of weeks ago, over dinner, I mentioned to my wife Lori that Nintendo was about to release a new version of its popular handheld game console. The current version is known as Nintendo DS. The new version, which just launched in Japan, is called the DS Lite.

Since our daughter's birthday was approaching, Lori decided to ask about the DS Lite at a local game store. Naturally, the clerks knew nothing about it. After all, news of its existence was less than 48 hours old.

The DS Lite is now officially available for sale, but only in Japan, and only if you are willing to pay through the nose. I have no idea when it will be available in North America.

I was excited about the DS Lite because of its improved design and shape. The case is thinner and smaller, but the screen is the same size.

In addition to being lighter, the DS is also brighter -- as you can see from the picture above (source: CTU Kyoto, via 4 Color Rebellion). That's not just brighter. It's much brighter.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:24 PM | Permalink

The beginning of a new month is as good a time as any to post an update, and get back in the habit of regular posting. I've been preoccupied by health concerns for a couple of weeks. Nearly everyone in the house was hit by a nasty stomach virus. At the same time, my wife Lori was fighting an infected tooth. (The tooth lost.)

We're on the mend now, and I'm back at work. Fresh postings to follow.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:00 AM | Permalink

For some, this question is easy.
The Xbox 360 is new and shiny. What's not to like?

However, for those who don't have money to burn, GameSpot compares the Xbox 360, and asks if it's really worth it to upgrade now.

Link: Xbox vs. Xbox 360: Do you really need HD?

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 4:14 PM | Permalink

Are you tired? Tense? Anxious about something?
Visit this site to relax.*

Use your mouse pointer to steer, and fly through the clouds like Superman.

Update: Windows users may also want to look at this game.

* Unless you're desperately afraid of heights. Virtual heights.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:58 PM | Permalink

Make magazine is for people who like to take things apart and put them back together.

If you know someone who prefers do-it-yourself to pre-packaged tech, you should read Make's Mostly Under $100 Gift Guide.

For more great gifts for geeks, see ThinkGeek.com.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 3:46 AM | Permalink

The new Xbox 360 game console was in short supply during its first week of existence. This led to some disappointed fans, some pushing and shoving in lineups, some price gouging, and at least one armed robbery.

The foolishness appears to have reached its peak on eBay, where at least three empty Xbox 360 boxes (yes, empty boxes) were sold for hundreds of dollars. Buyers apparently were so keen to get an Xbox 360 at any price that they did not notice warnings like "this auction does not include the game console itself, or any of the items listed here except the empty box."

See the auction listings here, here, and here.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:38 AM | Permalink

Download Squad has some good tips to improve iTunes for Windows. The post mentions several useful add-on programs, including iTunesKeys and idleTunes.

idleTunes has a host of useful features:
- find and insert album artwork into tracks
- copy iTunes playlists to any MP3 player
- export iTunes playlists as M3U, PLS, or B4S
- remove "dead" tracks from your library
- create playlists for all of the albums in your library
- create playlists for all of the artists in your library
- delete user playlists

By far the coolest feature of idleTunes is the way that it makes iTunes compatible with non-iPod portable music players, including intelligently renaming files when copying a playlist onto a screenless flash player to ensure the play order stays intact. Brilliant! And did I mention it’s free?

Finally, no post about how to fix iTunes would be complete without some directions on how to clean up your library and get consistent ID3 tags. For that, I'll direct you to Connected Internet, who has a great primer on how to use MusicBrainz Tagger to rationalize your music collection. It takes some time, but MusicBrainz makes it as quick and painless as it can be, and the results are definitely worth it.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:54 PM | Permalink

I spent some time recently exploring the market for used iBook portable computers. I'm especially interested in the last generation of the clamshell iBook (iBook SE), but my hunt led me to good markets for all kinds of used Macs.

Here are some of the links I bookmarked:

Continue reading "Used iBooks and PowerBooks" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:09 AM | Permalink

Pandora is personal radio that learns what you like.

Give Pandora the name of a song or an artist you like and it responds with similar music. Tell Pandora when you love or hate the song that's playing, and it learns and changes your personal radio stations. If you really like a song, Pandora makes it easy to buy the track from iTunes or Amazon. (At least, that's the way it will work when the finished product launches.)

There are other music recommendation services, of course. There's last.fm, which does a good job of suggesting music you might like based on the taste of other users. That's a cool idea.

But Pandora is different. It matches the style and instrumentation of the music you suggest. If you make a personal radio station based on Bruce Hornsby, you're going to get a lot of piano music. If you make a station based on Enya, you're not likely to hear much acoustic guitar. It's not just a recommendation service along the lines of Amazon's People who bought A also bought B -- it's something else.

Pandora plans to charge US$36 per year when it officially launches, but you can preview it for free right now. Visit Pandora.com and enter your e-mail address to request an invitation to join the free preview.

You can read more about Pandora here and here and here.

Or just go here and get it!

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:53 PM | Permalink

Unless you're Oprah, mainstream publishers haven't been panting to publish a magazine about you. And, if you are Oprah - pick a weight, girlfriend.

Don't despair.

Now, you can do it yourself, thanks to the handy Magazine Cover, Flickr toy. Flickr is a photo-sharing site that has sparked a ton of cool add-on applications.

To use the Magazine Cover, just pick a Flickr image, then add a snappy magazine title, headlines and subheads. Then, share your work on in the Flickr magazine cover pool. That's so, YOU, isn't it, hanging out with the A list around the pool?

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 3:36 PM | Permalink

What does the name Panasonic mean to you? Does it make you think of TVs, stereos, VCRs, and telephones? Maybe it reminds you of the company's rugged Toughbook portable computers.

Did you know that Panasonic also makes vacuums? I had no idea until recently, when I noticed the MC-V7720 upright bagless vacuum on Panasonic's list of 2005 consumer products.

(The company also makes microwave ovens, air conditioners and massage chairs, but I was interested in the vacuum.)

Continue reading "Panasonic makes vacuums?!" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:11 PM | Permalink

When you get tired of Solitaire and you need a little mental stimulation, try this: Games for the Brain has some terrific brain teasers and word games.

Check it out:
gamesforthebrain.com

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:51 PM | Permalink

If you've been using the Web for any length of time, you've probably discovered the Internet Movie Database. This site is a treasure trove of information about film and television actors, directors and productions.

Whenever I finish watching a movie or TV show, I turn to the IMDB for information. When I'm asking, "Where do I know that guy from?" the IMDB has the answers.

This week, it was Batman Begins. I couldn't place the actor who plays mob boss Carmine Falcone, but IMDB reminded me that he was Tom Wilkinson - the doctor in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. So there.

Put it on your short list of must-have bookmarks:
http://www.imdb.com/

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 8:36 PM | Permalink

The new Mighty Mouse from Apple aims to combine one-button simplicity with multi-button power. It features four programmable buttons and a new 360-degree Scroll Ball for easier movement on the screen.

Mighty Mouse can plug into any USB port, and works with Mac, Windows XP, and Windows 2000 systems. It will sell for $65 (US$49).

Continue reading "Apple's Mighty Mouse" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:08 AM | Permalink

Build a city, one block at a time, while the clock is ticking.

Hurry up!

Stackopolis is fun at first, but the difficulty level increases very quickly. By Level 4, this addicting game becomes nearly impossible, or so it seems to me. Let me know how far you get.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:32 PM | Permalink

Digital music players like Apple's popular iPod will continue to be exempt from the levy that's charged on cassettes and other blank media in Canada. Here's the CP news story (via Canoe):

The fight over a levy on iPods and other digital music devices ended Thursday when the Supreme Court of Canada refused to hear any further arguments on the matter.

That means there will be no levy applied to digital audio recorders such as Apple's popular iPod and iPod Shuffle as well as other MP3 players like iRiver.

"Obviously we're disappointed. We felt it was self-evident that those products are sold for the purpose of copying music," said David Basskin, of the Canadian Private Copying Collective, the non-profit agency that collects tariffs on behalf of musicians and record companies.

The group had wanted the high court to overturn last year's Federal Court of Appeal decision, which quashed the levy on the popular gadgets.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 4:22 PM | Permalink

Avoider is a free Web game that challenges you to keep your arrow pointer safe from a little man who tries to grab it.

At first it seems easy, because he's just jumping and grabbing, but it gets harder.

Link: OneMoreLevel.com

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 4:29 PM | Permalink

A Russian design studio has come up with a clever design for computer keyboards. The Optimus keyboard from Art. Lebedev Studio has tiny digital displays that change the printing on each key, depending on which computer program you're using.

Imagine the possibilities! Not only could the keyboard instantly adapt to different language settings, but it could also change to highlight specific keyboard commands used in programs like Photoshop, or when playing computer games like Quake.

The Optimus keyboard is just a design so far, but the company says it will be a real product, possibly by next year. We'll see. Given that the projected cost of each keyboard will be high ("less than a good mobile phone") I'm not sure how many customers they'll have.

Still, it's a cool idea.

Continue reading "Cool Customized Keyboard" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:16 AM | Permalink

The next version of Windows now has an official name and launch date.

The system software formerly known by the code name "Longhorn" will be called Windows Vista and is scheduled to launch in 2006.

The first beta (test) release of Windows Vista will be made available to developers and IT professionals next month, on August 3.

Related Links
- Windows Vista name announcement video (requires Windows Media Player)
- Where did the code name Longhorn come from?

Continue reading "Windows Vista is coming" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:00 AM | Permalink

In honour of the first manned Moon landing on July 20, 1969, Google Maps and Google Earth present Google Moon: Lunar Landing Sites - a combination of NASA images and Google software.

See the sites where Apollo astronauts made their landings, then zoom in all the way to the Moon's surface for a special treat!

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 8:50 PM | Permalink

Take 2 Interactive has announced that the ESRB game rating for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas has officially been changed from Mature (M) to Adults Only 18+ (AO).

The rating change is related to the unauthorized "Hot Coffee" software update, which unlocks sexually explicit material in the game.

Continue reading "Hot Coffee burns game makers" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 4:35 PM | Permalink

My son Alex and I have spent way too much time this week playing Burnout 3 on Xbox. This video game, published by EA, combines the thrill of car racing with the destructive fun of Smash-Up Derby. (Does anyone else remember Smash Up Derby?)

There are two types of driving video games. Simulations, like Gran Turismo, are a little too real for my taste. I prefer arcade games that help me pretend that I can drive around a corner at 200 MPH without crashing.

Burnout 3 goes one step further: it actually rewards you for crashing into other vehicles. In addition to the racing part of the game, which includes bonuses for knocking other drivers off the track, there's a section that rewards you for wrecking as many vehicles as possible in a metal inferno.

I know Burnout 3 is not a new game, but I've just discovered it, and it's fun. Check it out.

Continue reading "Crashing for Fun" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 4:12 PM | Permalink

Currently playing in my head: In the Arms of a Woman by Amos Lee. What a voice!

Lee's label, Blue Note Records, makes it easy for you to hear (and buy) the song. This is some good marketing.

BlueNote provides links to Amazon and to the iTunes Music Store on Lee's site, so you can hear short samples of his music. But that's not all. On AmosLee.com you can listen to three whole tracks without downloading or installing anything. All you need is a browser. (The player uses Macromedia Flash technology, which is built into most Web browsers.)

Listen for free: this is In the Arms of a Woman by Amos Lee.

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Some people can type 70 words per minute and never look at the keyboard. Me, for instance. But how to show off this amazing ability and cause people around you to gasp and stare and point?

Enter Das Keyboard, the perfect gift for confident geeks who can type without looking down. Since it has no marks on its keys, Das Keyboard requires you to know what you're typing. Ideal for ubergeeks, show-off touch-typists, and Dvorak enthusiasts who have better things to do than rearrange the keys (or the stickers) on Qwerty keyboards.

IBM keyboard fans will probably want to stick with the SpaceSaver II.

Das Keyboard comes in any colour you like, as long as it's dark grey.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:06 PM | Permalink

The current TV ad campaign for Dyson vacuums presents a clear marketing message: the Dyson upright is technologically superior to vacuums that use bags and filters.

Company founder James Dyson calmly explains, in a crisp British accent, that bags and filters eventually clog, which reduces suction. This does not happen with a Dyson, he says. Not ever.

The style of the ads grabs me. When Dyson concludes by saying, "I just think things should work properly," I find myself reaching for my wallet. That's good marketing. I'm lucky there's no 800 number to call.

In fact, Dyson products are not yet available in Canada. The ads I'm seeing are on American TV stations, aimed at American consumers.

Tech Stuff in Plain Language gets my attention. I'm getting worked up about the worldwide distribution of a vacuum cleaner.

Maybe I should go lie down for a bit.

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Continue reading "Two Lineups I Won't Be In" »

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Continue reading "Game Consoles Go to Next Level" »

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Continue reading "To Do: Report in on Organizing Tools" »

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Continue reading "Torn About VOIP Ruling" »

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Continue reading "An Eye for an Ear" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 8:16 AM | Permalink

Interested in doing your own podcast? Sure you are. Here are a few tips I learned from doing my first one a couple of weeks ago:

1) Put your money where your mouth is,
Get a good vocal microphone. An inexpensive recorder will sound better with a good mike. A great recorder can sound terrible with a cheap mike. Plan on spending about $100 on a decent mike (that's relatively inexpensive, good ones can run $800+).
2) Plan on buying more than one mike
Not all mikes do all things well. Most interviews are recorded in mono, but most "soundseeing" tours are done in stereo.
The rule of three

Continue reading "Podcasting Coach" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 8:35 AM | Permalink

Can an iPod serve double duty as a Personal Digital Assitant (PDA)? That's what I'm going to find out in the next few weeks. I just picked up a 20 gig Apple iPod. Great, but, compared to my svelte iPod Shuffle, it's off-diet Oprah next to Calista Flockhart. When I'm out and about, I carry my cellphone, my Moleskine notebook, sometimes my Tungsten C PDA and, now, perhaps my new iPod. Time to put my belt on Jenny Craig. But how?

Continue reading "iPod as PDA?" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 7:45 AM | Permalink

Last week I promised I'd share more about my podcasting adventures. Today, I'm pleased to announce Radio Fireball, a downloadable MP3 audio show I've developed with the Faculty of Engineering at McMaster University.

I'll be doing four podcasts over the course of the summer. They're all aimed at encouraging students to consider studying engineering at McMaster. It's the first time I know of that a Canadian university has used podcasting to appeal to students. It took Lucy Sheung at Mac about five seconds to decide to jump on it. Very cool.

I recorded most of the audio using a flash memory MP3 recorder from iRiver with a very nice audio-technica mic plugged into it. I assembled the podcast in Apple's Garageband and recorded bridging narration straight into Garageband using an external USB mixer. I also used Amadeus and Sound Soap to clean up and fine edit the audio tracks. Hope you like it. More details later this week.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 3:10 AM | Permalink

Last night I listened to a great interview podcaster Chris Pirillo did with techno-activist-author Cory Doctorow.

I've been a fan of Doctorow's posts on my favourite weblog, Boing Boing, for some time now. But, until a few hours ago, I'd never heard him speak.

Doctorow is an engaging, articulate man who makes so much sense about digital copyright, online book distribution and stolen underpants (you have to listen) that, in a perfect world, record industry boffins should just listen to him and change their evil ways.

One of my favourite parts of the interview is when Doctorow describes his latest novel, set in Toronto.

Doctorow: It's your basic family revenge, wireless networking, First Amendment effort, network infrastructure, contemporary fantasy (beat) love story.
Pirillo: Well, they just added that section to the Barnes and Noble, so I know exactly where to find it.

When was the last time you heard wit that fast on the radio? Podcasts? I'm lovin' 'em.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 7:57 AM | Permalink

Regular readers of TechStuff know that I'm a news and politics junkie. I was one of the dozen or so Canadians outside of Ottawa who looked forward to hearing the Prime Minister speak last night.

Mr. Martin's address was scheduled for 7:45pm, and I made a point of tuning in. Imagine my surprise when I turned on the TV looking for pre-speech coverage, and found that the main event was already over at 7:15.

What followed was reaction speeches and discussion by pundits and journalists. They showed clips of the speech (and opposition reaction) but the Prime Minister's address was not replayed at 7:45 -- at least, not on the channels I checked. So much for that.

Kudos to the Globe & Mail, which has posted the full text of Paul Martin's speech on its Web site. The Globe also has the text of the responses from Mr. Harper and Mr. Layton. (Bloc leader Duceppe's speech is conspicuously absent. Perhaps they will add it later.)

Meanwhile, Dose.ca has posted the Prime Minister's speech as a series of video clips, suggesting that readers should use the clips to have some fun with video editing. Which raises the question: What music goes perfectly with a mash-up video of Paul Martin's statement?

Update: You can watch the leaders' statements online at CTV.ca or CBC.ca.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 8:37 AM | Permalink

I've recently joined the proud cloister of podcasters (more on this next week). In the process, I've invested a few hundred dollars in audio hardware. I'm pleased with all of it, but I have to say I am astonished by one item in particular.

I picked up a pair of $100 sound-isolating earphones - the Shure E2s. That may sound like a lot for earphones. Well, it is a lot to pay for headphones, but these things are remarkable. Plus, you won't look like a Star Wars character wearing them.

Continue reading "Ears Wide Open" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 6:36 AM | Permalink

A couple of days ago I discussed how ringtones are a multi-million dollar North American business (and even more viable in the rest of the world). This morning I found a very cool site that may put a tiny dent in that business. Smash the Tones is free web-based service that allows you to convert any sound or MIDI file on your hard drive into a ringtone you can install on your cellphone.

It works with Canadian carriers and most of the cellphones they provide. I tried it with Fido/Rogers and my Sony Ericsson T610 and converted a MIDI version of Sting's "Shape of My Heart" (the T610 doesn't support MP3 ringtones) into a ringtone in no time. I just followed the steps on the site and it automatically sent a text message to my phone so I could install the ringtone. Very cool. I suggest using a German accent to record, "It's Pope Benedict. God answers prays, the least you could do is answer this call."

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 8:44 AM | Permalink

A new article on TechnologyReview.com points out a fascinating contradiction about digital music. The piece focusses on U.S. cellphone company, Cingular Wireless and its recent deal with Coldplay. The wireless giant bought the right to sell the fussy UK band's tunes, as ringtones.

Ringtones are custom musical snippets that cellphone owners can use instead of the generic ditties that come with their phones. Most a only a few seconds long and, coming from cellphone speakers, sound like cover versions performed by hamsters in a soup can. But, here's the weird thing.

Continue reading "A Ringing Irony" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:57 AM | Permalink

Every now and then I come across something on the Web that is so odd it stops me in my tracks. The Japanese Delight World site, for example. It looks like animated washroom icons delivering urban smoking etiquette tips in Dadaist haiku. "The cool cowboy flicks his cigarette butt into the street. But he lives in an old movie", one pop-up caption reads. "Inhaled. Burned. Thrown away. If it were anything but a cigarette, it would surely be crying," extolls another.

If someone reads Japanese and can explain the context of this site, I'd love to know.

Update (April 14): Techstuff reader Steven Toth has done some Japanese detective work. The site is produced by JT, the Japanese Tobacco Association. According to Steven's Japanese friend, you can print out an anti-smoking poster from the site. Steven says the emphasis on invading personal space with smoking is a unique Japanese approach to the problem as "the health message hasn't had any impact in Japan" and invading personal space in Japan is seen as very impolite. Thanks Steven.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 7:59 AM | Permalink

Michael Geist, the Canada Research Chair of Internet and E–commerce Law at the University of Ottawa, has written a short, but devasting deconstruction of the Canadian Recording Industry Association's claim that music file sharing on the Internet has cost the music business in Canada $450 million a year.

In fact, Geist argues, that Canadian artists have made more money from the Canadian blank media levy than they have lost via illegal music downloads. Really worth a read. Would love your feedback.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 7:28 AM | Permalink

Science fiction author William Gibson once wrote, "The street has its own uses for technology." Here's a perfect and ironic example of that. An inventive group over at the photo sharing community, Flickr, fell in love with Google's new satellite image mapping feature we discussed earlier this week.

But, instead of using it to view a destination or get directions, they zoomed in on their childhood neighbourhoods. Then, the fun started.

Continue reading "My Map, My Life" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 6:19 AM | Permalink

Recipe for Web art:

Take the thousands of fresh images posted on the Internet.
Blend well.
Make a high resolution collage.

That's just what Sébastien Sauvage has done with his fascinating WebGobbler program. Check out the results. The images are rich in texture and detail and give you a time-compressed sense of global voyerism, as if you're looking at freeze-frames of a thousand lives at once.

If your computer runs Windows, you can download the program and create your own real time screensavers, but, be warned, it takes programming knowledge to make it work.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 6:09 AM | Permalink

When Google bought Keyhole last year, I figured it would have an impact on Google Maps. Satellite photos plus map software = useful tool, I thought.

I had no idea it would be part of this amazing new thing.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 8:11 AM | Permalink

A couple of months ago the monster search engine, Google, introduced a remarkable new feature, Google Maps. The site allows you to zoom down to street level in most cities in North America (with a focus on close-to-U.S.-border locations in Canada). As with Mapquest or MapBlast, you can also get driving directions etc.

Now, Google's raised the bar. With a single click on the "Satellite" link on the upper right-hand-side of the map page, you're instantly switched to a high resolution satellite photograph of exactly the area you're looking at. I can see my house from there. I can even spot my old home in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. You can also overlay a driving route on the satellite map. This is a remarkable tool especially because it's free, fast and fascinating.

Of course, it also marks the last time I'll garden in my underpants.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 7:36 AM | Permalink

And you thought the TechStuff Store was goofy. This morning's Globe and Mail newspaper bore with it, like a lamprey eel, the annual Hedonics catalogue (aka the flyer that makes geeks look worse). I always get a guilty pleasure leafing through the publication because it is filled with items that look like they were culled from a Radio Shack remainder rack. Those that aren't completely useless have dubious value and the design asthetics usually invested in rappers' neck chains. Take the Kooler Klub. It's a Thermos, cleverly disguised as a golf club, so you can sneak hot coffee or Chivas onto the fairway. Aimed at the same demographic, appears to be the Waistband Stretcher, that deforms the top of your pants up to five inches. But wait, there's more!

Continue reading "Hedonics Hooey" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 7:39 AM | Permalink

In 1986, New York photographer, Frank Jump, was diagnosed HIV positive. His response was a feverish outpouring of photographs and music. Part of that output is the Fading Ad Campaign, an online gallery of vintage, hand-painted ads, or what's left of them on the brickwork of New York buildings. It's a lovely collection of images that capture almost lost custom typography and a dying artform. Jump sees the images as a metaphor for his life with HIV. Like him, he says, they have lived long past when they were expected to. Jump, still shooting today, has captured some ad images from Canada as well. I love these images online, because it's a great example of a new media preserving an old one.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:44 PM | Permalink

Remember the M.I.A. Mashup I mentioned a few weeks back? Well, techstuff.ca reader Jeffrey Warren has called my attention to another fun mashup of M.I.A's tune. This time, she's been blended with the Big Easy swing revival stylings of The Squirrel Nut Zippers. Give it a listen. Thanks Jeffrey! Love those crazy Zippers.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 7:26 AM | Permalink

Just a quick note to let you know the altruistic folks at iPodLounge have just released the second edition of their excellent iPod Buyer's Guide. It's a free download from their site, as a beautifully screen-formatted PDF (Portable Document Format). It is a gem, especially if you're in the market for an iPod or associated accessories. Also, there's a great beginner's guide to the iPod world. I've seen newsstand magazines that don't look as good as this, and, big advantage, no perfume inserts in downloadable files.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 4:28 PM | Permalink

Some of you may remember that last July Apple and Motorola jointly announced the "iPhone", a cellphone that could store and play music from the iTunes Music Store and which would sport an iTunes-like interface. That hotly anticipated phone has yet to turn from vapour into real product.

At first, the word on the street was that the phone was delayed because Apple wanted to be able to announce the device and sell it almost immediately, and it wasn't ready for prime time.

But now, Business Week is reporting that the real reason for the delay is that major U.S. carriers, including Verizon Wireless and Cingular Wireless don't want to support the phone.

Why?

Continue reading "iPhone Not Ringing Carriers' Bell" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:01 AM | Permalink

These days one of my favourite podcasts has become The Catholic Insider. Given that I'm a cynical atheist, this would appear to be an odd choice. But, Father Roderick Vonhogen, the 36-year-old priest behind the podcast, is not a fusty, pedantic clergyman.

Though from Holland, his podcasts are often beautifully recorded soundscapes of the Vatican, Rome or various parts of the Netherlands. He also takes on The DaVinci Code, plays some great gospel and rock, convinced the Vatican to start podcasting itself, and got behind the scenes when the Pope first took ill. Not bad for a podcast that launched just over a month ago.

He's also funny, self-deprecating and has a light hand when discussing his faith. Well worth a listen. And, you've got to love his graphics. I'm for anyone who mixes an iPod with a clerical collar.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:48 PM | Permalink

I just read Sandy's fine rundown on the PSP, aka Really Expensive Gameboy with Pretensions. Two words. 32 Megabytes. Sony, what is up with that? You come out with a device that theoretically can play movies and music and you pack it with enough RAM to hold a Trident commercial?

If we want a reasonable amount of space for video, like a gigabyte, it will cost us as much as the handheld console itself? Sign me up.

And, speaking of video, exactly what am I going to watch? Movies on some proprietary mini-disc, that apart from Sony products, can only be used as a shot glass coaster? Movies I might have already bought on DVD? I think not.

Perhaps I'm supposed to convert existing video clips to a format that is practical for the PSP player. Few of us really consider that sort of thing fun (to see how un-fun visit this page). But, it would be more fun than swapping clips back and forth between the Paris Hilton-priced memory stick and a hard drive.

At first blush, the PSP reminds me of one of a wind-up, solar-powered, sports flashlight with a built-in radio. Lousy radio kludged on to a decent torch. Well, except the emergency flashlight doesn't need charging.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 8:49 AM | Permalink

The new PSP (PlayStation Portable) from Sony is now available in Canada, at a suggested retail price of $299. Each new game for the system will retail for about $60 Canadian.

Although the PSP is primarily a handheld game console, Sony is marketing the device as a "portable entertainment system." In addition to games, the PSP also displays photos, plays music, video and movies. "PSP lets users control their entertainment options, all in one package," says the Sony press release.

I look forward to getting some hands-on time with a PSP soon. Meanwhile, here are some first impressions based on the information I received at a launch event yesterday.

Continue reading "Introducing the PSP" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:30 PM | Permalink

One of my favourite tech writers, New York Times columnist, David Pogue, recently did a very public flipflop (aka pulled a Paul Martin) about the value of multi-megapixels in digital cameras. Pogue first argued, correctly, that big pictures are not necessarily better pictures, sometimes they just take up more memory and are slower to download.

But, the next week, he concurred with dissenting emailers who argued that even amateur snapshooters will reach back in time and kick themselves in their now-aged butts for not shooting a hi-rez image of Aunt Gertie who passed away two months later. Pogue wound up advising to shoot it big, or stay in bed. I think Pogue was right the first time.

Continue reading "Megapixel Madness" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 7:59 PM | Permalink

Yesterday, we reported that the Canadian online photo community, Flickr, had been snapped up by Yahoo!.

You might expect that loyal Flickr users would be dismayed, disappointed or even disgusted by the news. Anyone who has watched, or has been part of the growth of any loyal online community knows the fierce affection that can develop between community members and their sacred space. However, at over 500 messages already, Flickr fan reaction has been almost unaminously positive. In fact, even though many users are a tad nervous that their beloved Flickr is about to change forever, they can't help pouring love all over Caterina Fake and Stewart Butterfield, the couple at the centre of Flickr.

It's like they're congratulating the parents of the bride, knowing the newlywed isn't a child anymore.

Will Flickr become a victim of Yahoo!'s egregious ad-clutter and general butt ugliness? Fake and Butterfield are confident it won't. They hope, instead, a little bit of the Flickr magic might rub off in the other direction. That so seldom happens. But, photo community fans everywhere are waiting to see what develops.

Cool addition: Last night, Caterina mentioned a couple of my Flickr portraits in the Flickr blog. I found out because this morning I've got over two dozen new contacts and the hits on the images have spiked insanely. More proof that Flickrites listen to Caterina.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:32 PM | Permalink

This is a Grumpy Open Letter to everyone who uses cell phones, pagers, music players, personal digital assistants, game machines and digital watches in public places:

Please be quiet!

I travel to and from work each day on the bus and subway. Each day, more and more people bring electronic gadgets on board, and use them during the commute. I often bring a music player or laptop myself. More people than ever are talking on the phone, listening to music, playing games and checking their messages in public places.

This would be fine and dandy except for the noise. Cell phones ring, music blares, and gadgets beep, to the tick and tap of handheld computer keyboards and styli.

Some tips for public use of electronic devices: - If your gadget has a headphone jack, please use it. - If others can hear the music from your headphones, it's too loud. - No one else likes your ring tone. Set your phone to vibrate in public. - If you must have a phone conversation on the bus, make it brief. - When playing electronic games, turn off the sound or use headphones. - Consider turning off your electronics and reading a book instead.

For the sake of peace and quiet, and to keep the violence on public transit to a minimum, please be quiet.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:02 PM | Permalink

If you've been wanting to get into podcasts (downloadable audio shows), but didn't know how, check out iPodder 2.0. The program (aka iPodder Lemon) is a cross-platform podcast aggregator. That means that Windows, Mac and Linux fans can use the free software to subscribe to podcasts listed on a variety of podcast directories (access to the directories is built into iPodder).

As I mentioned in Podshow Me the Money, a lot of podcasts are amateurish, but there are some gems. You'll need to root around a bit. Consider it a garage sale for your ears.

With iPodder 2.0, you can easily add podcast feeds you find. The software will also automatically ship fresh podcasts over to iTunes or whatever MP3 player you like best. You can also clean up your download directory inside iPodder, which is very handy.

This version, which was just released a few days ago, is stable, features a very clean, citrusy interface - with a fun lemon icon - and is very easy to use and configure. Don't confuse iPodder with iPodderX, which is a Mac-only podcast client and, in my opinion, not as useful as this new version of iPodder. The multi-national iPodder development team is looking for Paypal donations to help with their work. If you dig it, donate. It's guys like these that make the Web easier for the rest of us.

Want to kick start your podcasting experience? Try the Daily Source Code, the not-safe-for-work Dawn and Drew Show or the very cool cover tunes podcast, Coverville. Let us know what you think, and please, share your podcast discoveries with the rest of the techstuff.ca community.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 8:28 AM | Permalink

Monday, on his popular podcast The Daily Source Code, former MTV VJ Adam Curry announced podshow.com. He was a bit vague on the details, but, basically, his new site will be a nexus for the next stage of podcasting - the stage where people can actually make some money at it. It's backed by the newly-formed BoKu Communications, a company Curry founded with marketer Ron Bloom. Right now over 4,000 podcasts are peppered across the Internet and are funnelled into RSS feeds. Many are self-absorbed drek. But, that’s true of most pop music, blogs, literary fiction and fashion magazines.

In any medium, there is more gunk than gold. For every Ashlee Simpson, Lindsay Lohan or Hillary Duff, there’s a Suzanne Vega or a Peter Gabriel. What's up Curry's sleeve?

Continue reading "Podshow Me the Money" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 8:29 AM | Permalink

My new day job came with a BlackBerry wireless pager. Whenever co-workers need to reach me, they can send a message to this little device on my belt. When their message appears on the screen, I can type a quick reply using the tiny thumb-powered keyboard.

I have never had any desire to own a cell phone or a pager. The idea that I could be contacted anywhere by anyone at any time is not my idea of a good time. Sometimes I want to be unavailable and alone.

However, I'm beginning to understand why people use the word "CrackBerry to describe this curiously addictive device. Now that I have a BlackBerry, I finally get its appeal. And I'm hooked.

Continue reading "The lure of the Blackberry" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:30 PM | Permalink

This is the sort of thing I love the Web for. First 27-year-old Maya Arulpragasam (aka M.I.A.) puts out sort of spastic dancer world music video called Galang-alang-alang-a . It features M.I.A. bowlegged-dancing in front of her own Tamal- Tiger-friendly graffiti art (her parents are Sri Lankan, but she was born in London, England). Next, over on cry.on.my.console
a DJ named Josh creates a mashup that mixes M.I.A.'s tune with Super Mario themes. A mashup is a digital blend of two or more songs, playing over top of one another. The result is Superlangalang a catchy tune any N64 player will immediately recognize.

So, world music, pop and graffiti become tune fodder for a hip Londoner with Sri Lankan roots. That, and vidgame ditties, become raw materials for a mashup, and we get to find them with no mainstream distribution channel in the way. You can discover more mashups here. This one struck me as worth noting because it mixes world culture with Web buzz, mashup tech and Internet as a medium. Plus, it's funny. I'll always give bonus points for funny.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 6:15 AM | Permalink

If you're a podcast and an iPod shuffle fan, like me, here's a quick tip.

Want to make sure you hear your podcasts first, and all together when you dump a ton of tunes to your shuffle? Here's how. In your podcast software (e.g. iPodderX), assign a custom genre to your podcasts -- one that is sure to always be at the top of the Genre list in iTunes. I use "aaapodcast" (the old Yellow Pages trick - AAADaycare, "First in the phonebook, last in provincial safety reports").

Once you've copied your tunes over to the shuffle, just list the tunes by Genre and sync up your little white music stick. All your podcasts will be ready and waiting for you at the top of the heap when you go mobile. That's way better than click-click-clicking in a blind search. Especially when your wife's trying to get to sleep.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:00 PM | Permalink

Last week I picked up Apple Computer's new iPod Shuffle. I'm lovin' it. As you may know, the Shuffle is a sub-$200 iPod that can hold up to 240 songs (in its one gigabyte incarnation). It's tiny, it's light and, man, is it smart. I've taken it on long runs, to the gym, on the Go bus and for walks around town (Hamilton, btw). What have I been listening to? Podcasts, mostly. And, that's the point of this entry. What I think is the coolest aspect of the iPod Shuffle is this: It untethers the Web.

It allows you to effortlessly take content off the grid in a device that is almost weightless, and certainly painless to use. It's like fashion jewelry that talks to you. Yes, I know that, for months now, folks have been pouring podcasts into iPods and iRivers and iWhatevers. But, the Shuffle is different. It's so cheap, light and elegant it could be a breakthrough Web content device. The entire "supply chain" isn't in place yet. Podcast aggregators like iPodderX still need to be de-geekified, but soon the workflow - from RSS podcast feed to aggregator to iTunes to iPod - will be seamless. Then the Web will be wireless in a whole new way. Can't wait. Stay tuned for more on podcasts coming soon.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:32 AM | Permalink

Thought I'd start off my contributions with a few words about the remarkable online photo community, Flickr. As an avid digital photographer, I've been a member of Flickr for several months now. At first blush, it looked like a great place to store and share photos. I had used earlier online photo repositories like ophoto and shutterfly, but found I'd lost interest quickly and just kept my images safely in iPhoto. Flickr, I quickly discovered, was different. It wasn't an online photo album, it was an online photo community for which photos were a catalyst to conversation.

Continue reading "Our Friend, Flickr" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:00 AM | Permalink

Although the Fox broadcast of Superbowl XXIX is available to Canadian viewers, the advertising shown will not be the big money ads shown in the States. We're stuck with national ads from Canadian companies. (These ads are on every channel carrying the game; even on the Canadian feed of Fox.)

If we want to see the U.S. Superbowl ads, we have to watch 'em later. Fortunately, that's easy to do. The 2005 Superbowl ads will be added to the iFilm Web site as soon as they are broadcast during the game.

Click here to see the TV ads from Superbowl XXIX.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:04 PM | Permalink

Apple's remarkable new iPod shuffle is the company's most affordable digital music player. The entry-level model will retail for US $99 ($129 in Canada).

Like its more upscale iPod relatives, iPod shuffle works with Apple's iTunes software (for Mac and Windows), and with the iTunes Music Store.

There are two version of the iPod shuffle. The $129 model holds 120 songs or 512 MB worth of data (the equivalent of more than 350 floppy disks). There's also a $179 model that holds twice as much: 240 songs or 1 GB of data.

Continue reading "The $99 iPod arrives" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:23 PM | Permalink

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:33 PM | Permalink

It's an annual tradition. NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) has opened its Santa Tracking Web site: NoradSanta.org

This year's site offers music, pictures and radar tracking of the jolly old elf. Video features require the RealPlayer software from Real.com.

Be sure to leave out milk and cookies tonight!

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:45 PM | Permalink

from the Google Blog:

"Google Scholar is a free service that helps users search scholarly literature such as peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, preprints, abstracts and technical reports.

Just as with Google Web Search, Google Scholar orders your search results by how relevant they are to your query, so the most useful references should appear at the top of the page. This relevance ranking takes into account the full text of each article as well as the article's author, the publication in which the article appeared and how often it has been cited in scholarly literature. Google Scholar also automatically analyzes and extracts citations and presents them as separate results, even if the documents they refer to aren't online. This means your search results may include citations of older works and seminal articles that appear only in books or other offline publications.

"Computers are stupid. Years ago, to save space, we told them that 60=1960, and they believed us!”

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:36 PM | Permalink

When the U.S. Department of Justice went after Microsoft for alleged anti-trust violations, the company argued that Internet Explorer was an integral part of the Windows operating system. It would be impossible to "de-couple" Internet Explorer from Windows.

Although Microsoft's claim was debatable at the time, the company has since made this true. Internet Explorer has been a component of Windows since the release of Windows XP (at least).

Ironically, that integration is now causing a problem for Microsoft. Although the company can make changes to Internet Explorer by updating Windows, any improvement reduces the incentive for people to buy future Windows upgrades.

Continue reading "Internet Explorer's arrested development" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 3:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The official launch of Halo 2 is tomorrow, but Microsoft and its retail partners will release the new Xbox title at 12:01am at several "midnight madness" events.

"Pre-launch festivities will include Halo 2 gameplay, contests, giveaways and even an appearance from Master Chief, the futuristic cyber-soldier star of Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2."

(Wait a sec -- how can Master Chief attend midnight madness events in several cities at once? Maybe this is what shopping mall Santas do between gigs?)

Continue reading "Halo 2 launch celebrations" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:05 PM | Permalink

As a technology reporter and a news junkie, I have spent several election nights in front of my computer screen, hoping to see the best that tech has to offer. In the past, I've always been disappointed.

In spite of all the powerful tech available, the Web has never been used to its full potential. Most of the online action in previous elections has focused on Web "extras" designed to support television, radio or print coverage. There was nothing good enough to make me turn off the TV.

That changed on November 2.

Continue reading "U.S. Election on the Web" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:05 PM | Permalink

Strictly speaking, U.S. citizens do not put their president in office; their Electoral College does. And until the 2000 presidential election, when the candidate with the most Electoral votes did not have the most popular votes, this fact hardly entered the typical voter's mind. Those days are gone.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:21 PM | Permalink

Just in time for Halloween, CNET has published a new feature called "Tech Nightmares," which explores some of the problems people have experienced with Windows XP Service Pack 2.

Continue reading "Service Pack 2 problems" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:17 PM | Permalink

Contrary to what you may read elsewhere, the news at this week's Apple event was not all about Canada.

Here's the real news:
- iPod Photo introduced
- iTunes software updated
- U2 Special Edition iPod released

iPod Photo was not a complete surprise, but many had expected Apple to announce photo browsing as a new feature for existing iPod products. Instead, we got iPod Photo -- an entirely new product with a colour screen, new features and a higher price tag than the iPod mini or regular iPod.

Continue reading "iPod Photo and more" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:10 PM | Permalink

Game developer Bungie officially answers the question, "Will there be bots in Halo 2 multiplayer?

Um, you never mentioned bots? Have you see this Frequently Asked Questions page on the Bungie site?

Hey, Bungie -- it's possible that people got the idea from your own Web site, which still says you "have not made a final decision" about bots in Halo 2.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Like many popular game magazines, the Windows XP Game Advisor provides information about fun PC games, but it doesn't stop there. Game Advisor provides quick access to game demos and artwork, and it can download the latest updates for games you already own.

Not sure if your computer can handle the latest games? Game Advisor will check your computer to see if you have enough horsepower. Cool idea.

The Game Advisor would be even more useful if it did not favour games made by Microsoft (including the MSN Game Zone online game system). Also, there's no excuse for making people turn off their pop-up blockers just to use the tool. All in all, though, I think the Windows XP Game Advisor is a great idea.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:44 AM | Permalink

We're just days away from the release of The Incredibles -- the new film from Pixar, the studio that brought you Toy Story and Finding Nemo. (You may also know their short films -- my favourite is Knick Knack.)

Follow this link to see a preview of The Incredibles.

November 5 can't come quickly enough to suit me.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Dropcash combines the PayPal online payment system with a tool called TypeKey, then adds its own bits to make the auto-updating badge that accompanies this item.

It's a pretty slick little system. I hope you'll try it at least once. ;-)

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Top 10 ways the Canadian version of Halo 2 differs from the U.S. version:

Continue reading "Halo 2: Canadian version" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:41 AM | Permalink

Once in a while, I get the opportunity to preview a new tech product or service before it's announced to the public. This sometimes involves signing a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) -- a legal document that requires me to keep quiet about whatever I see or hear until an agreed-upon date and time.

Continue reading "I can't talk about it" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 8:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

World on Fire is Sarah McLachlan's answer to the question, "What's the best way to spend our $150,000 budget for this new music video?"

World on Fire may not make it to heavy rotation on MTV or MuchMusic. It's a hard act to follow, after all. The catering and production folks will be mighty annoyed if this becomes a trend.

Fortunately, we have the Web. Even if this video never shows up on TV, anyone in the world with an Internet connection can watch it, commercial-free.

Follow this link to see (and hear) World on Fire by Sarah McLachlan.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Google's local search tool, designed to help locate things near a specific location, is now available to Canadians.

Suppose, for example, you're searching for "pie" in "Toronto, Ontario." Google's local search tool would produce this page of results.

It's far from perfect, but Google Local is a pretty cool tool.
http://local.google.ca/

Continue reading "Google Local now in Canada" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:49 PM | Permalink

The second Tuesday of the month is here, and that means one thing: fresh Windows updates!

There are two updates this month, including one that has the potential to harm Windows-based computers that are simply browsing pages on the Web!

Continue reading "Updates for September 2004" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:18 PM | Permalink

The Toronto Star newspaper has launched Pages of the Past - a searchable archive that goes all the way back to 1892.

A free preview of the archive is available now. Presumably, they're going to start charging for access to the archive shortly, so you might want to explore a bit before the price goes up.

Continue reading "Toronto Star archives" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 4:47 PM | Permalink

Why would you want such a thing? Maybe you want to keep track of the time in a different time zone, or you just want an attractive reminder of the passing moments.

Or maybe you just like cool gadgets.

ClockLink.com provides several different free clocks (analog and digital) as well as step-by-step instructions to help you put the clocks to work.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:37 PM | Permalink

Has someone in your family suddenly started lobbying for a newer, more powerful computer?

It could be because Doom 3 is scheduled to be released on August 3.

Doom 3 is the latest in a famous series of first-person shooter video games. (If you're not familiar with the genre, here's a quick summary: players shoot monsters, mutants and each other with ridiculously big guns in dark and scary dungeons. The action is shown from the shooter's perspective.)

Historically, each new Doom game has pushed the limits of PC hardware, and driven dedicated gamers to upgrade their systems. Doom 3 is no exception.

In fact, if you're planning to play this game, you may need a whole new computer.

Continue reading "Doom 3 system requirements" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:35 PM | Permalink

Switch2Firefox.com is a new Web site that explains why you might want to abandon Microsoft's Internet Explorer Web browsing software in favour of Firefox, a new alternative.

The site is obviously "inspired" by Apple's "Switch" marketing campaign.

Update: Some notes for Internet Explorer users from the makers of Firefox.

Continue reading "Why switch to Firefox?" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:32 PM | Permalink

Follow this link to see Spider-Man: The Peril of Doc Ock by Spite Your Face Productions.

This clever, funny animated short was commisioned by Sony Pictures, Marvel Studios and The Lego Group to accompany the release of Spider-Man 2.

See it now!

Bonus links:
- Spider-Man 2 movie trailer
- Internet Movie Database listing for Spider-Man 2
- Spider-Man 2: the video game (Activision)
- taking photos of Spider-Man
- another source for the LEGO movie

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 3:07 PM | Permalink

Apple introduced three all-new, redesigned Cinema Displays today. Each display features built-in USB and FireWire ports in a new enclosure that matches the Power Mac and PowerBook finish.

The 20-inch and 23-inch models, which are PC-compatible, will sell for $1,799 and $2,799 respectively (Canadian funds).

The new 30-inch Cinema Display is a monster. It requires the two DVI video ports provided by a brand new customized NVIDIA video card . It also requires a second mortgage; the 30-inch model will sell for $4,699 Canadian (plus another $829(!) for the video card).

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:28 AM | Permalink

As the election results come in this evening from ridings across Canada, I'll be flipping from channel to channel on TV. CBC's coverage will feature comic Rick Mercer; Global has Warren Kinsella; CTV has Lloyd Robertson talking to John Crosbie. (City-TV's clever counter-programming is the movie Wag the Dog.

As far as I'm concerned, the best place for election information is this site, brought to you by Canadian Press and the Toronto Star. It's commercial-free, pundit-free and interactive -- you can look up the information you want, when you want it.

Continue reading "Election coverage" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 7:50 PM | Permalink

Are you tired of fighting with Internet Explorer? There's a better way to surf the Web.

The latest version of the Firefox Web browser offers a host of useful features including:
- pop-up ad blocking
- tabbed browsing
- built-in Google search
- better privacy and security, and
- easy setup and installation

Firefox -- formerly known as "Firebird" -- is a smaller, lighter version of the Mozilla Web browser. (The Mozilla software is also the foundation of the latest Netscape software.)

You can download and run Firefox without disrupting any of your current settings in Internet Explorer. Best of all, it's free. Check it out.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:09 PM | Permalink

The phrase "pocket-sized" does not really do justice to the Pentax OptioS4. When powered off, the lens retracts inside the case, and the resulting package is about the size of a deck of cards. It fits easily in a shirt pocket or purse, and you'll hardly notice the weight.

I borrowed this camera from Pentax Canada back in January, and have been reluctant to send it back. I feel like James Bond whenever I use it.

Continue reading "Pentax Optio S4" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 3:55 PM | Permalink

Situation: You need to send a large electronic document to a friend.

Problem: When you try to send the e-mail, it takes a long time to send, and eventually gives you an error. Your friend never gets the file.

What's happening? Most Internet providers limit the size of e-mail messages to 2-3 MB (the equivalent of the contents of 1-2 floppy disks). If the message won't go, either your provider or your friend's provider has this limit.

Solution: Try YouSendIt.com -- a free service that makes it easy to send and receive large files.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:07 PM | Permalink

AirPort Express, announced today, makes it easy to broadcast your music from Apple's free iTunes software to any stereo. It works with both the Mac and PC version of iTunes.

Of course, it's more than a wireless music device. AirPort Express also provides wireless Internet sharing and print sharing. Follow this link for all the details.

AirPort Express will be available in Canada next month for $179.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 7:46 PM | Permalink

Technology can be useful, and it can be fun. Some people use technology to save time; others use technology to waste time.

Which group do you think would be more interested in a Lego robot that solves Rubik's Cubes?

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:02 PM | Permalink

The annual Webby Awards program recognizes the best of the Web in many categories, including Education, Film, Games, Health, Music, News, and much more.

Two sites that caught my eye among the 2004 award winners: Noggin and Puzzle Pirates. (I like the kids' sites.)

Follow this link for a complete list of 2004 Webby award winners.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:01 PM | Permalink

It's official: Halo 2 will debut, exclusively on Xbox, on November 9, 2004.

Continue reading "Halo 2 coming Nov. 9" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:13 PM | Permalink

Blogger is a free tool that makes it easy to build and maintain a simple Web site. The latest version, launched today, has a shiny new look and some great new features. Check it out.

The new and improved Blogger, now owned by Google, (re)enters the market at an interesting time. In addition to its main competition (TypePad), Blogger must also compete with a host of similar tools designed to make Internet self-publishing so simple a child can do it.

That's good news for me, and for anyone else who wants to self-publish online. You still have to figure out what to say, but the how is under control.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 6:08 PM | Permalink

Microsoft is currently testing a software update for Windows XP that promises to add more security features. Windows XP Service Pack 2, due later this year, features a new Windows Security Center that's designed to lock down insecure bits of Windows XP and ensure that future updates are received and installed.

I thought you might be interested in a Web page that's used by this new system. It's a directory of antivirus software vendors.

Microsoft Antivirus Partners page (dated June 2003):
http://www.microsoft.com/security/partners/antivirus.asp

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:59 PM | Permalink

Babies are great. Sleeping is overrated.

Unfortunately, when you're sleep deprived, it's hard to put together clever, cogent analysis of what's going on in the Mac market.

Back soon, I promise.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 3:32 PM | Permalink

GlobeTechnology has posted this review of Windows Solitaire.

Despite its lack of a decent soundtrack, Solitaire is still a solid all-around package for card sharks or rookies alike. In fact, I have no hesitation saying this is by far the best thing to come around since the real card game was invented.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:57 PM | Permalink

The Desktop Zero-Point Power Generator is an amazing little gadget that converts naturally occurring electromagnetic energy into simple AC power. It's like pulling power out of the air.

At the quantum level, all matter in the universe vibrates constantly - even at absolute zero! The Desktop Zero-Point Power Generator takes advantage of this seething abundant energy by converting naturally occurring EM energy into 120 Volts / 200 Amps of electricity.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:28 PM | Permalink

Sandy and Lori McMurray give thanks to God for the safe and healthy arrival of six pound, thirteen ounce baby girl!

Photos are available here.

Now we're looking for names...

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:56 PM | Permalink

Today at the CeBIT trade show in Germany, VIA Technologies and Mini-ITX introduced the Nanode - "a jewelry-box-sized digital entertainment device."

I don't even know what it does yet, but I want one. Yes, I'm a sucker for pretty design.

The Nanode device will be available for purchase later this year. Meanwhile, check out the Mini-ITX site for dozens of other tiny PC designs.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 3:17 PM | Permalink

No, I haven't dropped off the face of the earth, but I'm mighty distracted.

My wife and I are expecting a baby on Monday. We've spent this week racing to tie up all the loose ends -- work, nursery preparation, filling the freezer with easy-to-prepare meals, etc. -- before Baby arrives.

As a result, my mind is mush -- even more than usual. If time allows, I'll post a few things I've been thinking about between now and Monday. (If no new entries show up, you'll know Baby was early!)

No cigars please, just send coffee via my TechStuff.ca site.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:55 PM | Permalink

If you're unsure which version of Windows is on your PC, you can use these instructions from Microsoft to find out:

1. Click the Windows Start button
   (lower left of screen).
2. From the pop-up menu, select Run
3. Type winver
4. Click OK.

A dialog box displays the version that you are running.

Continue reading "Which version of Windows is on your PC?" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:45 PM | Permalink

This month's software updates from Microsoft address security problems in Windows 2000, Microsoft Office and Windows Messenger:
- Security Update 832359 is an update for Windows 2000.
- Security Update 828040 is an update for Outlook 2002 or Office XP.
- Security Update 838512 is an update for Windows Messenger 6.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 3:35 PM | Permalink

In the month of February, TechStuff.ca hit two big milestones:
- more than 575 "unique visitors" per day
   (16,753 total for the month)
- more than 2,000 "page views" per day
   (65,565 total for the month)

The daily numbers for March have been even higher (over 2,400 page views per day). Traffic has more than tripled since November!

Continue reading "TechStuff.ca Traffic Report" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:51 PM | Permalink

If you're in the Ottawa area, you can hear Sandy this morning at 11:30 on The Computer Radio Show on CFRA (AM 580).

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:48 AM | Permalink

The Top 101 Web sites for teaching and learning:
http://www.assortedstuff.com/top101/

The site includes some great resources for anyone who wants to learn the basics of setting up and maintaining a Web site.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:08 PM | Permalink

Many of the classic games that sucked up so many quarters two decades ago are now available free on the Web.

All you need is a Web browser and the Macromedia Flash plug-in (probably already installed in your browser software).

Visit Classic '80s Games for:
- Asteroids
- Donkey Kong
- Duck Hunt
- Frogger
- Moon Patrol
- Pac-Man
- Pong
- Simon
- Space Invaders
- Star Castle
- Tetris

Get 'em here:
http://www.80smusiclyrics.com/games.html

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:52 PM | Permalink

Did you know that you can sort the items in your Windows Start menu?

For example, to sort the items in your Programs list alphabetically, you simply right-click anywhere on the list of programs and select "Sort by Name" from the pop-up menu.

Here are step-by-step instructions:

Continue reading "Sort your Start menu" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:40 AM | Permalink

One of the best ways to free up space on your computer is to deleted unused and unwanted programs. This is easy to do; in fact, Windows provides a control panel that automates the process.

Note that you can't simply drag unwanted programs to the Recycle Bin. This leaves traces of the program behind, and may even cause Windows to become confused later.

The Add/Remove Programs control panel is the "official" way to remove unwanted programs from Windows. Here's how it works:

Continue reading "How to delete unwanted programs" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 8:30 AM | Permalink

My kids have no idea why I think this is cool, but that's because they never played the original. Pitfall: The Lost Expedition promises more than 50 levels of action and puzzle-solving adventures.

The game challenges players to swing, fight, climb and crawl through multiple types of treacherous South American environments including lush jungles, dark tombs, ancient Incan ruins and glacial mountains. Pitfall: The Lost Expedition also includes favorite features from the earlier Pitfall games such as vine swinging, gaping chasms, crocodiles and scorpions.

Update: Pitfall was a hit this weekend with my son (10) and his cousin (13).

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:03 PM | Permalink

Make your own software for Mac, Windows or Linux with the latest version of REALbasic.

A free demo version of the program is available for Windows, Mac OS X and Mac Classic.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:43 AM | Permalink

Project management is a challenge for every organization. If you want to get stuff done, people need to talk to each other and share ideas (as well as documents, images, etc.).

Unless all the members of your team live and work in the same building, it's a challenge to schedule meetings and get people on the same page.

Basecamp is a new Web-based tool that makes simple project management a lot easier. It provides a central place where discussions and project information can be stored -- a place that every member of the team can use and update according to their own schedule.

Continue reading "Basecamp - simple, affordable project management" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:21 AM | Permalink

Microsoft is offering a free CD-ROM with updates and security software for several versions of Windows.

Continue reading "Free CD from Microsoft" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:06 AM | Permalink

The Rumor That Will Not Die is on its feet again. Although it's been less than a year since Steve Jobs said Apple will not make a handheld computer, this article claims a new Apple handheld is coming this summer.

The latest rumor appears to be linked to the announcement that Palm will stop making its own Palm-to-Mac software and will rely The Missing Sync instead.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:55 AM | Permalink

Later today, Atari and Epic Games will release the official demo for Unreal Tournament 2004, the next big thing in first-person shooter games.

The demo includes five playable game modes, including "Onslaught" (team-based challenge, with vehicles) and a redesigned "Assault" model (last seen in Unreal Tournament). See UnrealTournament.com for more information.

The game goes on sale in March.

Continue reading "Unreal Tournament 2004" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:57 PM | Permalink

iCapture is a handy tool for Web designers who don't have access to a Mac. The site takes any Web address you enter and shows what the page looks like in Apple's Safari browser.

Designers with a big budget can already do this (and much more) using BrowserCam, but iCapture is completely free.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 8:26 PM | Permalink

This is new: I've set up an account to sell some of my writing on Lulu.com.

The site is a sort of do-it-yourself storefront for anyone who wants to sell music, writing, photos, etc. The founder is Bob Young, the co-founder of Red Hat and the new owner of the Hamilton Tiger Cats.

My first article on Lulu.com is the PC Buyer's Guide I published a couple of weeks ago here on TechStuff.ca. We'll see what happens.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:36 AM | Permalink

When can we expect to see the next generation of video game machines? Only Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft know for sure.

According to this article from IGN, we won't see anything new from Sony or Microsoft until 2006.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:48 AM | Permalink

It's official: Halo 2 will ship this fall, in time for Christmas sales.

So remember last year when we told you we don't announce release dates until we're confident we'll meet our deadline? Well now we're confident. Halo 2 will ship in Fall, 2004.

Why all the fuss? The original Halo is one of the best video games ever made. Four million copies have been sold worldwide so far, and it's still selling. Two years old, even without online play, I think it's still the best game available for Xbox.

You're just going to have to wait.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:49 PM | Permalink

It's either two years early or two years late to be an Olympic event, but penguin bashing is the game of the week. Make sure all your important work is done before you follow this link.

What's your record? 265 is my best so far.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:18 AM | Permalink

Microsoft released an update for Word 2003 today.

"Under certain circumstances Word 2003 can become unresponsive when the user saves a file or when Word automatically saves an AutoRecover file. This update corrects that potential error."

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 8:16 PM | Permalink

During his keynote address at Macworld, Apple CEO Steve Jobs noted that the original Macintosh computer was introduced on January 24, 1984.

Although pre-show speculation had focused on rumors of a $99 iPod, many in the Macworld crowd expected that Jobs would conclude the keynote by introducing "one more thing" -- a new product related to the Mac's 20th anniversary.

It didn't happen. After acknowledging the anniversary, Jobs realigned expectations by promising that "incredible new products" would be released throughout the year.

This week, the question on the minds of many Mac fans is, "Will Apple announce any 'incredible new products' this week, to mark the 20th anniversary?"

Continue reading "20th anniversary rumors" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:24 AM | Permalink

Shopping for a new computer can be confusing. There are so many options to consider and so many choices to make!

This document covers the basic stuff you need to know, providing clear guidelines in plain language to help you make the right choices. It focuses on desktop computers (rather than laptop/notebook PCs). It also assumes that you're shopping for a Windows-compatible computer. For information about buying a computer from Apple, please skip to the end of the article.

Continue reading "Desktop PC buyer's guide" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:49 AM | Permalink

Travel day. I'm heading back to Toronto, where -- according to WeatherPop -- it's currently -6 degrees. Brrr.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:22 AM | Permalink

Media at CES are looking for iPod killers.

I've already seen several reports that describe new digital music players as "challengers to the iPod."

Some challengers: here, here, here, here, and here.

Continue reading "iPod killers" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:50 PM | Permalink

I'm a little overwhelmed by the response to this new weblog. Thanks to everyone who has sent me e-mail, press releases, suggested links, etc.

If you're trying to contact me, please use the links I've posted in the right margin. Given the sheer volume of e-mail that's come in this week, I can't promise to reply to your message promptly, but the links in the margin are your best chance of cutting through the noise.

In answer to a few of the frequently asked questions:
- Yes, I do use Windows XP as well as Mac OS X.
- Yes, I review products/services for both platforms.
- No, I'm not going to CES or NAB right after Macworld.
- No, I don't know your [friend/relative] from Canada.
- I'm happily married. Go away.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:20 PM | Permalink

One of the reasons I look forward to Macworld each year is the amazing collection of gadgets that turn up here. Since Apple tends to create or adopt technology before it's in Windows, many Mac users are early adopters.

As a result, Macworld is probably second only to CeBIT or CES in terms of the sheer volume of technolust-inspiring gear. If you give extra points for gear that's actually shipping (i.e. stuff that's in the hands of the people on the show floor rather than the people in the booths), Macworld might even place first.

Continue reading "Early adopter heaven" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:51 PM | Permalink

I'm pleased to announce the launch of a new online writing project. Starting today, I'm writing a daily weblog about all things Apple for Corante.com.

From the site:
Corante is a leading news service on technology that's read by many of the sector's top entrepreneurs, executives, funders, followers and thinkers.

Every day our expert editors scan scores of newspapers, magazines, journals and blogs finding, distilling and pointing to the news stories and articles that truly inform and provide the context, perspective and analysis busy professionals need.

We help you stay up to date on subjects of interest, turn the raw data of news into knowledge, direct you to sector intelligence you need to know about and save time.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:46 PM | Permalink

The iTunes Music Store is the current leader in an increasingly crowded market. In addition to iTunes, MusicMatch and the new Napster, there are half a dozen other contenders, with more on the way, including new music stores from Wal-Mart and Coca-Cola.

Sounds good, right? Unfortunately, if you live outside the United States, your options are severely limited. So far, the legal download deals with major labels have been restricted to specific regions.

Continue reading "iTunes for the world?" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:51 AM | Permalink

Apple's most-anticipated product of 2004 may not exist. Although rumors have been swirling about an entry-level iPod, which might sell for as little as $99, skeptics have remained, well, skeptical. We won't know for sure until Apple CEO Steve Jobs takes the stage today at Macworld.

The problem is storage. Unlike less expensive MP3 players, which use flash memory for storage, Apple's iPod uses a tiny hard drive to hold up to 10,000 songs. To make a tiny, inexpensive iPod, Apple needs a tiny, inexpensive hard drive.

Continue reading "iPod needs inexpensive hard drive" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:00 PM | Permalink

We're still working on a name for this weblog. I want something clever and funny that makes you think of Apple Computer yet isn't obscure or confusing for new readers. We've kicked around several names, but none has been quite right. Some have been really awful.

It's more difficult than you might think. Mac users are prolific writers, and in their zeal to share the Mac experience they often start Web sites (and weblogs, newsletters, zines, etc.) to express their profound admiration for Apple and its products.

Unfortunately for me, the Mac community has burned through a lot of great names and clogged the domain name registry with options no longer available to me.

Continue reading "Name this weblog" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:45 PM | Permalink

The latest concept cars are on display this week at the 2004 International Auto Show.

See here and this page for photos from the show.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:59 AM | Permalink

It's an annual tradition. NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) has opened its Santa Tracking Web site: NoradSanta.org

This year's effort seems to be a little more high-tech than previous years, and (unfortunately) requires you to have the RealPlayer from Real.com installed on your computer.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:52 PM | Permalink

What do you get for the geek who has everything? How about a fancy paint job?

ColorWare Inc. makes Windows PCs in stunning colours. The company also adds colours to existing products. With a little paint (and a glossy finish) ColorWare can turn a desktop or laptop computer (or an iPod) into a head-turning, eye-catching masterpiece of bright blue (or red or green or...).

See http://www.colorwarepc.com

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:03 PM | Permalink

We received an unusual Christmas present from friends this week. They bought a goat in our name through World Vision.

I think this is a terrific idea. We don't need more stuff, so programs like this one and the Heifer International catalog are great.

But here's how selfish I am. When I opened the card and read our friends' note, my mind jumped immediately to the long grass in our very messy backyard. Instead of thinking of the good being done in our name, my first thought was, "Rats. We could really use a goat."

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:08 PM | Permalink

Avery is probably best known for its labels, and for the handy numbering system used to identify its products. Recent versions of Microsoft Word, Corel WordPerfect, and other software have been conveniently pre-programmed with built-in Avery templates, so you can easily create documents that print perfectly on Avery paper products.

Now Avery is making it easy for anyone to prepare documents for easy printing, even without special software. Avery Print helps you prepare the text and images you want, then creates a page in PDF format, which can be viewed and printed on any printer using Adobe's free Acrobat Reader software. It's clever and convenient.

Hats off to Avery. This should help them move a few million more labels.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 4:44 PM | Permalink

IGN Entertainment – home to IGN.com, the Web’s largest gaming and entertainment destination for young males – and GameSpy Industries, a leading online entertainment and technology company serving game enthusiasts and game developers, today announced that they have signed a definitive merger agreement creating the Web’s largest network of destination sites for gamers.

The official merger announcement is here.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 4:42 PM | Permalink

An article on The Register notes the existence of several devices like this one from Gigabyte -- gadgets that combine tiny, portable data storage with wireless capability.

Okay, now I know what I want for Christmas.

Unfortunately, according to The Register, these combo keys appear to be available only in Asia so far. If you know where they can be found in Canada, please let me know.

Continue reading "Handy wireless storage" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:18 AM | Permalink

According to my Web logs, more people are visiting TechStuff.ca than ever before. Traffic has been steadily increasing since I moved to a new Web host three months ago.

For those who are interested -- including potential advertisers -- here are my stats for the month of November. Click on the links that follow if you want a definition of the most common terms used to describe Web traffic.

Continue reading "Web Stats" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 3:38 PM | Permalink

This is cool. I found TechStuff.ca today listed in the "Technology" sites category of MyWireService.com. This is sort of a Web-based version of news readers like NetNewsWire.

The link is here:
http://www.mywireservice.com/sources/list?tid=16

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 7:29 PM | Permalink

Microsoft is expected to make a major announcement this week to mark the second anniversary of the Xbox game console.

Rumours had been swirling about a possible early release of Halo 2, the much-anticipated sequel to the best-selling Xbox game, but that theory was shot down by a member of Bungie's development team, who confirmed "with absolute certainty" that Halo 2 will not be released in 2003.

Instead, it appears that Microsoft may introduce something called Halo Deluxe -- a new online version of the original game.

Continue reading "Halo Deluxe" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:49 PM | Permalink

Mac users like to tease Microsoft about the company's boasts of innovation. Bill & Co. are an easy target -- they've been known to list "Color Variety" under the heading of "Innovations."

Truth be told, where Microsoft excels is in packaging and marketing existing ideas, but there's no denying that the company sometimes comes up a few gems. Consider, for example, the holiday lineup of computer mice from Microsoft. In addition to some aesthetic changes and some improvements in power usage, the best new feature in this year's mice is something called "Tilt Wheel Technology."

Continue reading "Mouse innovation" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:19 PM | Permalink

Here's a terrific stocking-stuffer for the gadget guru on your list: a handy, flexible light for their computer.

The FlyLight from Kensington is a simple, brilliant gadget. Plug it into the USB port on any computer and it instantly lights up, providing light for your keyboard, your notes or just ambient light for your work area. Bend the neck to aim the light wherever you want, and it stays there until you move it.

Continue reading "Handy USB light" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:18 PM | Permalink

I went shopping for a second AC adapter for my PowerBook today. Apple's own adapter sells for $130, but the salesman steered me towards the $160 Juice adapter by iGo.

The Juice adapter is a clever little gadget designed to provide power for notebooks in a home, car or airplane. It ships with a dozen different tips to adapt power for many different brand-name notebooks, not just the PowerBook.

iGo also makes PPS -- an add-on accessory for the Juice that can be used to charge cell phones or handheld computers at the same time your notebook is charging.

Obviously, this isn't a comprehensive product review -- so far, I've only opened the package and plugged it in -- but it's a cool little gadget.

Update: Here's a link for those who are asking "Where can I buy this?"

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:15 PM | Permalink

Several people have e-mailed me asking for advice about buying MP3 players. As the holiday season approaches, many of you may be thinking about getting your first digital music player, or you may want to buy one as a gift.

Here's a quick overview on the subject to help you shop for MP3 players.

Continue reading "MP3 player buyer's guide" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:17 PM | Permalink

Here's another cool site for Canadian political junkies: ElectionPrediction.com

Note the numbers in the graphic, which represent a prediction made on the eve of the Ontario election.

Now consider the actual numbers (as of 10:30pm on election night):
- Liberal 72
- PC 24
- NDP 7
- Other 0

I don't know how the system works, but it's amazing how close the prediction was.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:34 PM | Permalink

There are plenty of places to look for Ontario Election coverage, but this page, hosted by the Toronto Star, is the most useful interactive tool I've found tonight. Check it out.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:18 PM | Permalink

When you search for "remove Blaster" with the Google search tool, TechStuff.ca shows up at #1 and #2 in the search results. (That's worldwide, not just in Canada!)

Many higher-profile tech sites like c|net had their own "How to Fix Blaster" solutions. Microsoft published an official help page to help users recover. According to Google, this site had the most popular solution to the problem.

Apparently, people really do want "Technology in Plain Language."

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 3:09 PM | Permalink

Does your Internet connection seems slower than usual? Maybe there's a lot of "traffic" on the "information highway."

The Internet Traffic Report measures the busyness of major networks, and shows where the problems are.

If you want to know how busy the Internet is, try Internet Traffic Report. (If the site loads very slowly, or doesn't load at all, there's your answer.)

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:42 AM | Permalink

In light of this week's virus scare, I thought it might be helpful to remind people of the following Five Steps to a Safer PC.

Continue reading "Five Steps to a Safer PC" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:30 PM | Permalink

The latest "Tomb Raider" game, and the first created specifically for a next-generation console, has a lot going for it: a convincing and mature story, new gameplay elements that compliment the series, a beautiful musical score and lest we forget, millions of anxious fans who've waited more than three years for a new Lara Croft game.

Marc Saltzman's review of Tomb Raider - The Angel of Darkness, is now available here on TechStuff.ca.

More GameGuy reviews to come, very soon...

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 3:43 PM | Permalink

When typing an address into the To:, Cc:, or Bcc: field of a new message in Microsoft Outlook, the program automatically suggests addresses you have previously used.

This feature, called AutoComplete, can be very handy. Unfortunately, AutoComplete doesn't just prompt you with the best, most recent addresses. It also remembers the letters that appear every time your cat jumps on the keyboard while you're typing...

Continue reading "For a brighter Outlook" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 4:37 PM | Permalink

Texas-based FireWire Direct has just released a tiny device that can hold up to 80 GB of data.

Think about that for a second. Floppy disks still cost anywhere from 40 cents to 60 cents each. This drive -- which can hold more data than 55,000 standard floppy disks -- sells for US$385.

Continue reading "Giant storage, tiny package" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:54 AM | Permalink

"The place where words you've made up can become part of an actual online dictionary!"

Pseudodictionary is a Web site that collects definitions for slang, colloquialisms and "webspeak" -- words you wish were in the dictionary but aren't. So far.

Warning: This site may not be suitable for people who think the newer versions of the OED are too permissive.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:20 PM | Permalink

From the "How did they do that?!" family of fine products: moments after you visit their site for the first time, Toronto-based Klick Communications Inc shakes your computer screen. Fun!

Klick people worked on a bunch of Web sites you might have seen in your travels.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 4:53 PM | Permalink

Cool cars, hot babes, extreme sports and high-tech gadgets -- that's what many young men are looking for.

Men's magazines like Maxim, FHM, Stuff and UMM understand this. They deliver the goods each issue, presenting lifestyle articles about parties, lingerie, gadgets and video games, accompanied by pictures of scantily-clad supermodels. Perfect.

(What am I talking about and what does this have to do with technology?)

Continue reading "Hot babes and cool tech" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:53 PM | Permalink

Windows Update is a convenient way to make sure your copy of the Windows computer operating system is current, secure, and running smoothly.

Unless it doesn't work.

Continue reading "Windows Update stops at 0%" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 4:02 PM | Permalink

In light of today's software update from Microsoft, you might be wondering, "How secure is my Windows PC?"

Here are some useful sites to help test your system:

Continue reading "Security Check" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 3:18 PM | Permalink

This morning, shortly after Vancouver was named the official site of the 2010 Winter Games, I received an e-mail urging me to visit a Web site to hear a cheer for Vancouver.

This silly little cheer site, provided by Bell, is fun and it's free. Try it here.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:24 PM | Permalink

An improved search page is now available from Yahoo! Canada.

The new search tool makes it easier to find results from Canada, and features a cleaner look and easy access to common search categories like images, maps and shopping.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 4:45 PM | Permalink

On Monday, I teased readers about a big announcement related to video games and gave one hint: it rhymes with "spark."

Now it can be told. Marc Saltzman, Canada's GameGuy, now has his own section on TechStuff.ca.

Marc's "GameGuy" column, launched today, will feature reviews of recent video games for PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, Game Boy Advance and Windows PCs.

Read on...

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:03 AM | Permalink

My second iThink column has been published on GlobeTechnology.com.

The topic this time is "innovation" in the technology industry. Click here to read it.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:09 PM | Permalink

I'm the designated driver for a writers' conference this week, going to and from the Toronto and Hamilton airports to pick up each new arrival.

One of the speakers told me about FlightArrivals.com - a great site that tracks planes from departure to destination.

Thanks to this site, I know that I'm going to be late to pick up the latest arrival if I don't leave for the airport right now.

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Featuring the best short films and videos on the Internet, the best places to watch video on the net, as well as teaching you everything you need to know about shooting, editing and posting your own video masterpieces.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:57 PM | Permalink

David Gledhill writes from Sutton in the UK to ask if I ever review software. He has created something called Cafe Yoga - a multimedia presentation that shows a series of yoga exercises as a screen saver or a break reminder.

This doesn't interest me at all, but it might grab you. You can see a demo at David's site: www.stressednot.com.

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"They have a great free edition that I have used for years and have recommended to many people without any complaints. Just download the free version and keep it updated for worry free virus protection. It even integrates with Outlook and Outlook Express for full e-mail protection."

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There were many different aspects of the apartment hunt that you outlined as being problematic, and although not all of the features have been addressed through [ViewIt.ca], many have been. Most importantly, tailor making geographic searches and photographic ads seem to expidite the process considerably.

Continue reading "Find apartments with ViewIt.ca" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:41 PM | Permalink

I'm pleased to announce the launch of iThink - a new column about Mac-related technology topics.

iThink will be published on GlobeTechnology.com, and will be archived here on the TechStuff.ca site.

To suggest a topic for a future iThink column, drop me a line.

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A reminder: NEVER open or click on a computer program that comes as an "attachment" to an e-mail message, even if the message is from someone you know and trust. (The only exception is when you have invited or expect files to be sent as an attachment.)

I mention this because there's a new virus/worm circulating today that relies on this now-familiar tactic.

The "Lovegate" virus/worm may be sent by someone you know -- a friend, family member, co-worker. The message will say, "Take a look at the attachment and send me your opinion." If you click on the attached file, your computer will be infected, and the virus will spread to others.

When activated, "Lovegate" sends a reply to every message in a user's Inbox (Outlook or Outlook Express). These messages appear to be from the user, but they include the virus as an attachment.

If you get a message like this, simply delete it. (You might also want to inform the person who sent it that they seem to be infected with the "Lovegate" virus.)

You can get more information from McAfee or Symantec.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 4:26 PM | Permalink

This site has been quiet for several weeks thanks to another project that has taken a lot of my time. Eric Wright, an author friend of mine, hired me to patch up his Web site. He has a new book, you see, and he wants to promote it using his site.

Eric wanted to pay me, but I had no idea how much time and effort the project would take. I had no experience with quoting on a Web project. Although I've designed and built several simple Web sites in the past, most of them were personal projects, done over time with no deadline and no boss or client other than myself.

In the end, Eric and I agreed on a flat rate, understanding that the work would cost much more if he went to a professional. (It was also understood that he might get better results from a pro, but that was his part of the bargain.)

The idea, for me, was to use the project to learn as much as possible about modern Web design, layout, accessibility, etc. Whatever happened, I would come out of the project with some good experience and at least one good reusable "template" for sites I build in the future.

What Eric wanted was pretty straightforward, but it wasn't possible to simply patch up his old site. The whole thing had to be torn down and rebuilt from the ground up.

I experimented with several layouts and colour schemes, and read several books' worth of information about HTML (the language of the Web) and the nightmare that is cascading style sheets (CSS).

Yesterday, the new site was finally launched. CountryWindow.ca is Eric's home on the Web -- the place where he sells his books and his professional writing services.

Today, after weeks of learning and upgrading my skills, I consider myself to be a professional Web designer. Not the best one, to be sure, but good enough to consider adding this to my list of professional services.

So that's what I'm going to do. Starting today, if you'd like to have a simple Web site built, you can get a quote from TechStuff.ca Web Design. (Click on the link to send an e-mail message.)

This being TechStuff.ca, I also have free tips for those who want to build their own sites. See the next entry for what I learned while making Eric's site.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 4:40 PM | Permalink

Wikipedia is a multilingual encyclopedia that's created by volunteers and published free on the Web. The English-language version reached a milestone last week, when its 100,000th article was published.

Wikipedia is an example of open content -- information that is not only free (as in "free beer") but also free (as in "free speech"). The Wikipedia copyright page says "content can be copied, modified, and redistributed so long as the recipient grants the same freedoms to others using their version and they acknowledge Wikipedia as the source."

Wikipedia belongs to everyone. Check it out.

P.S. See also H2G2.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:56 AM | Permalink

What happens when you're away from your computer?
Apparently, your icons attack each other.

This cartoon gives a new meaning to the phrase "Active Desktop."
(free Shockwave animation player required)

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 4:15 PM | Permalink

My copy of War of the Monsters arrived today, and I spent a couple of hours playing it this evening.

It's a really fun game.

Here's the concept: you're a giant, angry, radioactive monster. All around you there are cars, planes, helicopters and buildings that fall down if you swat them. Large crowds of pedestrians run, screaming, through the city streets. They are no match for you.

Fortunately, you're not the only giant, angry radioactive monster in town. So you will fight a big lizard, a powerful robot, a rock monster, a giant ape -- perhaps all four -- before the game ends.

If you play with a friend, you can destroy each other and the entire city.

If you're old enough to remember the arcade game Rampage, it's like that, only much, much better.

This is the most fun I've had with a video game in a long, long time.

From the PlayStation marketing department:
"Inspired by classic sci-fi and giant monster movies of the 1950's and 1960's, War of the Monsters pits gargantuan beasts in a raging battle on planet Earth."

"Embody the soul of a 100-foot tall monstrosity and clash with opponents in thriving cities. Wage war atop towering buildings and bring them crashing down. Clobber opponents with thunderous uppercuts, hand-to-hand weapons and destructive special attacks. Use a steel girder as a bat, or hurl an automobile at charging opponents. Relish in the dramatic original music score as each monster slugs it out for ultimate supremacy."

See also: Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters for Nintendo GameCube.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:39 AM | Permalink

The next big thing from Nintendo is the redesigned Game Boy Advance SP.

This new special edition Game Boy adds two great features: rechargeable batteries and a backlit screen. Game Boy players have been asking for a light for years; now it seems that it's not only technically possible but actually affordable to do it.

Nintendo claims the rechargeable batteries will let you play for 10 hours on a single charge with the light on (18 hours of play with the light off). Not bad at all.

Game Boy Advance SP targets older players with its brushed metal appearance, flip-screen design and higher ticket price. The SP, which is scheduled for a March 23 release in Canada, will retail for $149 -- about $50 more than the current Game Boy Advance.

Since its introduction in 1989, Nintendo?s portable Game Boy line has sold more than one-half billion games worldwide.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:39 PM | Permalink

MSNBC has published a terrific multimedia presentation called 2002: The Year in Pictures.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:45 PM | Permalink

What time is it? This site appears to draw the numbers in real time, to show you what time it is, second-by-second. [requires Flash]

This site reminds me of a Simpsons episode in which Homer is surprised to learn that cartoons are not live television. "We tried it that way," said one producer dryly, "but the animators hands got tired."

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:40 AM | Permalink

When you receive an e-mail from a friend, warning you about a dangerous computer virus, THINK before you forward the message to everyone you know.

Is this a real virus or a HOAX?

Symantec has a helpful virus encyclopedia that lists both real viruses and hoaxes. You can find it here.

Even if the warning comes from someone you know and trust, don't just forward it to everyone you know. Please check the list first. It's quick and easy and your friends will thank you for not wasting their time.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:00 AM | Permalink

"Santa was last spotted crossing the Bering Sea near Alaska."

So says NoradSanta.org -- one of the Web's most popular holiday sites. Not only does the site provide live radar tracking information during Santa's annual trip around the world, but the site is home to Christmas facts and figures, history, pictures, music, and more.

Bookmark NoradSanta.org now, so you will have it handy on Christmas Eve. And don't forget to set out the milk and cookies.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:13 PM | Permalink

Forget the Energizer bunny. The best example of something electronic that keeps going and going and going is Gameboy from Nintendo -- "the world's only handheld video game system."

The current version of this toy, Gameboy Advance, has been on the market for 17 months. Early sales estimates (based largely on Thanksgiving weekend sales in the U.S.) suggest that Gameboy Advance is on target to reach 10 million units sold by the end of 2002. That's more than 18,000 Gameboys sold every day since its launch!

Last month, Nintendo announced yet another reason to buy one: next year, you will be able to play Gameboy Advance games on your TV, using an add-on for the Nintendo GameCube console. The new adapter will be available in May 2003.

I'd like to hear from players and from parents: is there a Gameboy Advance on your Christmas wish list?

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:16 PM | Permalink

If you like Tetris and similar puzzle games, now's your chance to get a try-before-you-buy version of ZooCube.

Acclaim hopes you'll learn to love ZooCube ZQ on your PC, then run out to buy the full version for GameCube or Gameboy Advance.

Download the demo here.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:51 PM | Permalink

from The Guardian:
"Pathe News has launched a free Web site (www.BritishPathe.com) where visitors can view more than 3,500 hours of news films originally screened in cinemas between 1902 and 1970. From the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 and the first shocking footage out of Belsen concentration camp in 1945, to the first moon walk, the archive covers some 100,000 news stories."

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 4:01 PM | Permalink

SmartFTP is powerful, easy to use file transfer software for Windows computers. SmartFTP costs US$30 for commercial use, but it's free for personal and educational use.

File Transfer Protocol (FTP) software is used to send and receive files over the Internet. FTP works faster than e-mail "attachments" because the files are sent immediately. (Attachments are usually "encoded" by the sender's e-mail software, then "decoded" by the receiver's e-mail software.)

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 3:24 PM | Permalink

Visual entertainment for a quiet Wednesday afternoon: ImplosionWorld.com hosts some very entertaining videos and pictures of buildings and other things that have fallen down with a boom.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:32 AM | Permalink

Metroid Prime, a new game developed exclusively for the GameCube console, goes on sale today. A companion title for Gameboy Advance, Metroid Fusion also comes out today.

Metroid Prime revives a popular franchise that's been quiet since the 1994 release of Super Metroid. More importantly, Metroid Prime is a "first-person shooter" -- the first FPS game to be released by Nintendo.

Metroid Prime is rated T (Teen) and will sell for $69.95. Metroid Fusion is rated E (Everyone) and will retail for $44.95. Nintendo of Canada will also offer a "bundle" that saves you $30 when you buy Metroid Prime and any Nintendo GameCube system "at select retail outlets" between November 20 and November 30.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:10 AM | Permalink

The School of Image Arts at Ryerson University launched a new Web site today: Images and Ideas: the Kodak Lecture Series showcases the works and ideas of "photo-based artists and thinkers" such as Janet Cardiff and Lynne Cohen.

The site features a searchable, online archive, containing images, text, and audio clips from more than 100 Kodak Lecture presenters. It also includes biographical information on each presenter (and it's a very nicely designed site, too).

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:27 PM | Permalink

A photographer named Eric Myer has put up a small gallery of facial photos you can play with. Combine the top half of one model's face with the bottom half of another and see what happens.

One tip: every face looks better if you use a friendly smile on the bottom.

The site is called Stereotypes. (Is it just me, or does this model with the cowboy hat look like Pierce Brosnan?)

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 4:24 PM | Permalink

November 15 is launch day for Xbox Live -- the new multi-player online game system from Microsoft.

Starting today, owners of the Xbox game console can challenge each other online, using any high-speed Internet connection. The Xbox Live starter kit, which costs $79 Canadian, comes with the installation software, a headset for voice communication, and demo games.

Continue reading "Xbox goes online" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:35 PM | Permalink

The promotional Web site for the new Jennifer Lopez / Ralph Fiennes movie Maid in Manhattan features 28 real couples describing how they met and fell in love in New York.

You can watch these people online, describing their experiences, then vote for your favourite love story. Votes will be counted until the movie is released in mid-December, then the most popular lovers will win a romantic weekend getaway.

I could be wrong, but I think prize weekend will be in Manhattan. ;-)

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:11 PM | Permalink

Microsoft has announced four new Web sites to help Windows XP users. The Windows XP Experience sites focus on digital photos, home movies, digital music, and online communication.

"The sites will be changed and updated regularly with informative and entertaining how-to videos, top 10 lists, and tips and tricks to help users take advantage of their digital cameras, digital video cameras and digital music players."

See www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/experiences/

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:01 PM | Permalink

If you're ever trying to find a location in Canada, Yahoo! Maps is a helpful resource.

You can also use this handy site to help someone find your location. Yahoo! Maps makes it easy to e-mail a map to a friend, or add a map (or driving directions) to any Web page. For example, this is the address of Toronto's CN Tower.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:29 PM | Permalink

Have you ever tried to send someone a Web address, only to discover that the URL was so long it gets 'broken' when you try to send it by e-mail?

Now you can make a shorter link, using this handy site: www.TinyURL.com

The TinyURL service converts any URL (Uniform Resource Locator -- a fancy word for Web address) into a smaller version that's easy to type into a browser, or send to a friend.

A similar service is available from MakeaShorterLink.com, but TinyURL is smaller. ;-)

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 4:50 PM | Permalink

The largest online game festival in Canada is coming east from Alberta to Ontario.

Fragapalooza is a huge LAN party (LAN = local area network) where you can play multiplayer computer games for 3 days straight:
    Date: November 29 (9:00am) to December 1 (5:00pm)
    Location: International Centre, Mississauga
    Featured games: Unreal Tournament 2003, Warcraft III, Halo
    Cost: $60 per player
    Details: here

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:09 PM | Permalink

Microsoft Canada has launched a new Canadian Web site to promote its Xbox game console.

Visit www.xbox.com/ca for information about Canadian game developers like Bioware, details about the current Canadian promotional tour, and, of course, prices in Canadian dollars.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 7:27 PM | Permalink

Sega's popular mascot, Sonic the Hedgehog, is coming to the Nintendo GameCube.

The new Sonic Mega Collection features seven classic Sonic games including some that date back to the Sega Genesis game console: Sonic The Hedgehog, Sonic The Hedgehog 2, Sonic The Hedgehog 3, Sonic & Knuckles, Sonic 3D Blast, Sonic The Hedgehog Spinball, and Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine.

The collection will also feature "additional unlockable games and a Sonic museum filled with art, comics and more."

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:49 PM | Permalink

Comictastic from Spiny Software is free program for Mac OS X that automatically downloads daily comic strips so you can view 'em all in one place.

Many strips controlled by United Feature Syndicate (e.g. Dilbert) are not supported by the service for legal reasons, but there are dozens of other popular strips here, including Adam, Bizarro, Doonesbury, Garfield, and Calvin & Hobbes reprints.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:10 PM | Permalink

"The Canadian Letters and Images Project is an online archive of the Canadian war experience, from any war, as told through the letters and images of Canadians themselves."

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:25 AM | Permalink

Fans of Nick Park's Wallace and Gromit films will be pleased to learn that a new short film is available today at BBC News Online

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:05 AM | Permalink

A segment on CBC Radio this morning talked about "spyware" -- unwanted software that installs itself on Windows computers and gathers information about you or your electronic activities.

I was surprised to hear the guest tell the listeners that there's not much you can do about this. I disagree. Unwanted software -- sometimes called spyware, adware or "malware" -- is disturbing and annoying, but you CAN do something about it.

Continue reading "Coping with "spyware"" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:14 AM | Permalink

Elvisnumberones.ca -- the home page for the new Elvis compilation album -- is a treasure trove of information for Elvis fans.

After just one visit to the site, I have a strange craving and the song Suspicious Minds is going around in my head...

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:20 PM | Permalink

While watching a new ABC show called Push Nevada, a Web address was displayed on the screen (on a document the main character was examining). It was obvious enough to notice, but subtle enough that it didn't stop the show.

The site, PushTimes.com, is part of the show. It provides viewers with clues and background information about the town and its secrets.

Meanwhile, a Google search this morning helped me figure out why the main character's name, Jim Prufrock, seemed familiar.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:54 PM | Permalink

Mike's New Car is a short new animated featuring Mike from Monsters, Inc. A preview of the film is available here.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:27 PM | Permalink

Tonight's broadcast of Monday Night Football will feature "videogame analysis" by John Madden, using Madden NFL 2003.

"This will be the first time that the Madden NFL game technology has been incorporated into the actual, in-game network broadcast," says the press release. "Madden NFL 2003 allows ABC Sports to show its viewers footage that could not be accessed from actual field cameras or from real game footage."

There are six versions of Madden NFL 2003; I'll be interested to see whether ABC is using images from Madden for Xbox, PlayStation 2, GameCube, or PC (Windows). It probably won't be the GameBoy Advance version, althought that might be fun to watch...

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:34 PM | Permalink

Mike's New Car is a short new animated featuring Mike from Monsters, Inc. A preview of the film is available here.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:27 AM | Permalink

Why did the VHS recorder beat its competition, Sony's Betamax? alt.folklore.urban presents this page -- a history of the market battle between VHS and beta.

I like this page because it uses the word "equanimous" in a sentence. I can't find it in my dictionary. Is it in yours?

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:36 PM | Permalink

Why did the VHS recorder beat its competition, Sony's Betamax? alt.folklore.urban presents this page -- a history of the market battle between VHS and beta.

I like this page because it uses the word "equanimous" in a sentence. I can't find it in my dictionary. Is it in yours?

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:36 AM | Permalink

He's a dynamic hero, a man in blue - a smooth cat with a red hat. Since his first appearance in the 1981 arcade game Donkey Kong, his heroic antics have made him one of the largest leading men in the world.

This Nintendo press release goes on to say that Mario video games have earned US$7 billion in revenue -- more than the $5.6 billion Hollywood made from Harrison Ford's films.

George Lucas responded immediately, announcing plans to go back and digitally tinker with the first three Star Wars movies. Lucas hopes that future DVD re-re-re-releases with Mario as Han Solo will sell better than the current re-re-release of the original movies. If all goes well, he may replace Jar-Jar Binks with Yoshi.

Ford, through his agent, said that he wasn't bitter, and looked forward to Mario remakes of What Lies Beneath, Blade Runner, Witness, the Indiana Jones trilogy, Mosquito Coast and, of course, Frantic.

The reason for this release, of course, is today's introduction of Super Mario Sunshine for Nintendo GameCube (suggested retail: $69.95). It looks like fun.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:42 AM | Permalink

Hey, sports fans -- check out the redesigned TSN.ca

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:42 PM | Permalink

My son, Alex, is 9 years old. He recently completed the Xbox version of Spider-Man: The Movie, playing on "Easy" difficulty. I've been trying to beat it on "Normal," and it's taking me longer.

Yesterday, he informed me that he started the game over on "Normal" difficulty, and was able to beat the game in just over three hours.

Congratulations, Alex! At least I can still beat you at Monopoly. So far...

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 4:11 PM | Permalink

Tired of chatting using text only? Download IM Video Companion from Logitech and add video to your chats. (You'll also need a camera that connects to your computer.)

IM Video Companion works with AOL Instant Messenger and MSN Messenger. Note that Yahoo! Messenger and Windows Messenger (Windows XP version) already have video and audio chat capabilities.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 4:57 PM | Permalink

This is the best idea I've seen in a long, long time: WeatherPop is a computer program that connects to the Internet throughout the day and checks the weather. Current temperature and weather conditions for the city of your choice are displayed in the menu bar.

For detailed weather information, just click on the icon. WeatherPop displays the latest five-day forecast plus humidity, wind, barometric pressure, visibility, sunrise/sunset times and dewpoint.

WeatherPop lets you keep track of weather in more than one place, saving Recent Locations in a menu so you can quickly return to favourites.

It's available only for Mac OS X so far. There's a free demo, but the full version (WeatherPop Advance) costs just US$8.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 3:22 PM | Permalink

The Brent Geese Satellite Tracking Project is watching a flock of geese as they make their way from the high Arctic in eastern Canada to their winter home in Ireland. Upon their arrival, the geese plan to launch a class action lawsuit claiming invasion of privacy. Or they may just look for food and a warm place to rest.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:08 AM | Permalink

The PlayStation 2 Tour will bring its 40-foot GameMobile to the Future Shop store in Richmond, BC, from August 23-25. This free event will feature 17 game kiosks (6 PlayStation, 11 PlayStation 2) for users to play. The story is here.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 3:56 PM | Permalink

The Digital Journalist Web site hosts two September 11 photo galleries called Seeing the Horror. The second gallery includes pictures taken by photojournalist Bill Biggart, who kept snapping until the second tower fell on top of him. His digital pictures survived, along with one set of negatives that was not completely ruined. Amazing stuff.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:41 PM | Permalink

In the old Dell comic books, Turok, Son of Stone was an Indian who fought dinosaurs. The character enjoyed a brief revival in the 1990s in a new comic series that updated the character, giving him guns and rocket launchers in addition to bows and arrows. Turok fought intelligent, dangerous dinosaurs in the modern world.

Wouldn't that make a good video game? The folks at Acclaim thought so. Turok and Shadowman were among the characters acquired by Acclaim when the company purchased Valiant Comics.

This month, the UK division of Acclaim Entertainment is having a little fun with Turok. In a promotion called My Name is Turok they're offering an Xbox, Turok games and money to anyone who legally changes their name to "Turok: Evolution." I'm not sure if you have to keep the name after you win the prize, but there's bound to be someone who will take them up on this offer.

You might remember the Acclaim UK marketing for Shadowman: 2nd Coming featured another memorable stunt: the game featured dead and undead characters, so the company offered to pay people who would advertise the game on their cemetery headstones. Tasteful? No. Did it get publicity? Yes.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:03 PM | Permalink

My brother Peter sent me an e-mail today, gently suggesting that this Games page is stale. "Did you ever get WarCraft III? Do you like it? Say something!"

The good news: WarCraft III is a great game. I highly recommend it, both to Windows users and Mac users. WCIII features beautiful graphics, good game play, great balance of character abilities, and amazing cinematics (the little movies that appear before levels begin).

The bad news: WarCraft III has a very high WAQ (that's Work Avoidance Quotient). It's the sort of game that makes people disappear into their computer room and not come out for days. This game (and Halo for Xbox) have consumed hours of time in July that I should have spent working on TechStuff.ca.

I haven't played online, but Peter raves about a wonderful new option: the ability to save multiplayer games. This is a great innovation that has the potential to save relationships as well as games in progress. If your significant other wants you to come to bed before 4:00am, you can -- just save the game and come back later. What a great idea!

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:38 AM | Permalink

Kermitage is home to an amazingly complete Muppet Show episode guide, and an impressive round-up and description of all the characters that appeared on the show.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:20 PM | Permalink

I was driving home from a conference with some friends and we drove past a construction site. We started talking about the cranes used to build skyscrapers, then one guy asked, "How do they get the crane down when the building is built?" Hmmm.

Continue reading "Curiousity + Web = Satisfaction" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 4:41 PM | Permalink

Attention space fans. Visit this site for some sharp new photos of the Moon.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:22 PM | Permalink

Bungie and Microsoft announced today that there will be a sequel to Halo, the best-selling game for the Xbox game console.

Previously, Bungie announced that -- due to popular demand -- PC and Mac versions of the original Halo are (finally) being developed for gamers who don't own an Xbox.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:50 AM | Permalink

Where do fictional bad guys buy the stuff they need to carry out their nefarious plans to take over the world? The answer, of course, is VillainSupply.com.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:32 PM | Permalink

Take the TV game show Survivor and mix it with Maxis' best-selling game The Sims. The result is something that could only exist on the Internet: Sims Survivor Bobopolis. The next season begins this fall. Who will be the first to be voted off the hard drive?

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:27 PM | Permalink

The latest cartoon from Macboy.com stars Steven, the Dude, you're getting a Dell guy.

It's another parody of Switch, Apple's current TV advertising campaign. Previous episodes have featured Bill Gates and Big Brother (a special treat for anyone who remembers Apple's "1984" Superbowl ad).

If you use Google to search for Apple Switch parody you'll find many more people having fun with the Switch ads. This one, for example, is for PC gamers.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:13 PM | Permalink

Wouldn't it be great to have an Address Book that automatically updates itself when someone you know moves or changes their phone number?

This service doesn't exist for consumers yet -- as far as I know -- but businesses can subscribe to services that keep track of customers' contact information. Melissa Data, for example, has built a business on keeping track of customers' addresses and phone numbers. The company is focused on American information, but it maintains and sells Canadian information as well.

If you have family, friends or business associates in the U.S., you might be interested in the company's page of free lookup tools.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:14 AM | Permalink

Have you ever wondered how much other people are paid? Using the Salary Wizard from Monster.ca, you can look up your job and others and find out.

The Salary Wizard relies on information provided by human resources professionals, so it works best if Monster.ca knows a lot about your industry. Still, if you find your job description here, this tool will let you compare your pay with others in your field.

The Media - Print database is pretty thin. I would love to find out how much other freelance writers take home each year, but I can only compare my pay with the guys in the Graphics department:
A typical Graphic Design Specialist working in Ontario -- Toronto earns a median base salary of $48,802, according to our analysis of data reported by corporate HR departments. Half of the people in this job earn between $43,544 and $52,586.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:44 AM | Permalink

All Too Flat

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:09 AM | Permalink

17" iMac and iPod for Windows
At Macworld today, Apple introduced a new iMac computer with a widescreen liquid crystal display (LCD). The new 17" iMac screen boasts a "viewable area" as large as most 19" monitors, and better graphics than ever, thanks to the new video card (GeForce 4 MX from NVIDIA).

The only other hardware announcement was the debut of a 20GB version of Apple's iPod digital music player ("4,000 songs in your pocket" for $799). The prices of the 10GB and 5GB models have been reduced to $629 and $479 respectively. A new iPod carrying case and a remote control will now be included with the 10GB and 20GB iPods.

Apple also announced plans to release Windows-compatible iPods for the first time. The Windows models will cost the same as their Mac counterparts, but will include adapters for PC Firewire plugs and will feature software provided by MusicMatch.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 3:35 PM | Permalink

Quicktime for Windows and Mac
If you like to preview movie trailers before plunking down your $13, check out the latest version of the Quicktime media player. Starting today, Quicktime 6 is available free for both Windows and Macintosh.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:50 AM | Permalink

The Librarians' Index to the Internet (www.lii.org) is a well-organized list of more than 8,000 Internet resources selected by public librarians.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 7:05 PM | Permalink

Are Mac users smarter?
"Those who surf the Web using a Mac tend to be better educated and make more money than their PC-using counterparts, according to a report from Nielsen/NetRatings." [news.com]

The report was not commissioned by Apple, but the results should make them happy. "The Mac population presents a very attractive target for marketers, both online and offline," according to Nielsen/NetRatings.

Scientists, researchers and programmers who use Linux were quick to note that the study focused exclusively on Mac and Windows users. One post on the "news for nerds" site Slashdot suggested that a better measure of intelligence might be the number of buttons on a user's mouse. (Linux users often have three; Mac users usually have one.)

I don't know who the smartest computer users are, but I suspect that Mac and Linux users have lower blood pressure than Windows users...

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:35 PM | Permalink

If you're looking for baby names, the obvious site is BabyNames.com. You might also be interested in the annual list of the most popular baby names in the United States.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:01 AM | Permalink

What does your computer do when you walk away for a few minutes?

Most PCs automatically show a "screen saver" -- moving pictures that remind you the computer is still active. The first screen savers were designed to prevent "burn-in" -- the permanent etching of an image onto the screen. (You can still see this at some bank machines where the Welcome / Insert Your Card message is visible, ghost-like, after you begin your transaction.) If you search the Web, you'll find dozens of screen savers you can download and install yourself.

My favourite screen saver is the Serene Screen Aquarium -- an amazing simulation of real fish in an aquarium. The free version comes with just one fish and some bubbles; for about $35 (US$22) you can fill the tank with virtual fish.

SereneScreen Aquarium is available for Windows and Mac OS X.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 3:10 PM | Permalink

If you're a fan of Midway's classic arcade games (i.e. Spy Hunter, Robotron, Tapper, Defender, Rampage, Joust), visit this site to play these old favourites on the Web.

Note: This site is designed for computer running Windows and requires the free Shockwave player software from Macromedia.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:25 AM | Permalink

I Want My Flash TV is a new list of sites that use Flash to show animation and sound. If you're using a dial-up Internet connection, you can safely skip this one -- the files are pretty big. But if you have a high-speed connection, these tiny movies made with Flash MX are very impressive, and load much faster than traditional video. Take a look.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 3:44 PM | Permalink

What we're playing this week - part 2
My copy of Warcraft III just arrived, so you may not hear from me for a while... ;-)

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 3:10 PM | Permalink

The latest great game to arrive at TechStuff world headquarters is Freekstyle from EA Sports BIG.

In recent years, we've seen a rash of games based on extreme sports. Tony Hawk skateboarding was the first big hit -- players earned points by performing various stunts.

After discovering the genre, the game industry beat it into the ground, releasing games based on snowboarding, ski-doos, sea-doos, BMX bikes, and the "stars" who made their sports famous.

Freekstyle is the first one I've truly enjoyed -- maybe because I love racing games in general. It combines the excitement of a great arcade racing game with the best of the extreme sports games. Win the race and you can advance to the next level. Jump and show off your moves with style during the race to earn points (and look really cool).

If you'd like to learn more, visit the BIG site for screen shots, short movies of actual game play and more information. Freekstyle is rated E for Everyone, and is available for PlayStation 2 (the version we're playing) and Nintendo GameCube. Recommended!

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 4:45 PM | Permalink

Here's a site that's guaranteed to make almost anyone giggle: Poke the Penguin.

Note: This site contains scenes of cartoon violence and may be offensive to people who think that Elmer Fudd should not fire a shotgun at Bugs and Daffy.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 4:41 PM | Permalink

Lexmark printers on sale
Lexmark Canada has announced a summer promotion featuring mail-in rebates on inkjet and all-in-one printers. Details are available here.

How do you choose a good colour printer? Check out this free Buyer's Guide. [Requires free Acrobat Reader software from Adobe.]

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:58 AM | Permalink

New virus targets Kazaa users
If you or someone in your household uses software called KaZaA to share music and other computer files, watch out for the latest computer virus. The so-called Kowbot worm masquerades as popular music and movie files, but it's actually a virus. [more]

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:57 AM | Permalink

It's Canada Day up Canada way according to Stompin' Tom. Canada's turning 135, but she doesn't look a day over 129.

The nice folks at Google.ca recognized the day with a special logo that's linked to all sorts of interesting July 1 facts.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:50 AM | Permalink

Fans of real-time strategy games are counting down to the July 3 release of the latest release from Blizzard Entertainment. Published previews of WarCraft III describe a fast-paced, well-balanced game that's bound to deprive game fanatics of sleep. If you know someone who loved StarCraft, this is what they want for their birthday.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:32 AM | Permalink

This site has helpful information and good advice to help you deal with e-mail chain letters and other forwarded messages. breakthechain.org

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:18 AM | Permalink

TechStuff.ca launches on Canada Day
Today is the official launch of TechStuff.ca -- a new Web site for Canadians who want their Technology in Plain Language. Poke around a bit, then let us know what you think of the place.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 8:53 AM | Permalink

iMacClothes.com claims to sell clothes for the new iMac and its accessories. I think it's a joke, since their first product -- the iMac screen shirt -- looks suspiciously like the little foam sleeve that ships with every new iMac. Then again, it does appear to have a hem, which the packing material doesn't. Hmmm.

Forward this link to all your Mac-loving friends, and see how many take it seriously. Maybe they will want to pre-order the "iMac keyboard scarf" or the "Epson printer cape."

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:25 AM | Permalink

JewelToy for Mac OS X is very similar to the popular and addictive Windows game Bejeweled by PopCap games.

The object is to line up three similar jewels by switching any two gems. The rows above fall down to fill in any empty space; carefully planned moves can match up multiple sets for bonus points. Time is limited, and the clock ticks while you look for your next move. It's challenging and addictive!

If you own a Palm handhand, you can also try this version.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:06 AM | Permalink

Amazon crosses the border
Today's launch of Amazon.ca should make things easier (and cheaper!) for Canadians who want to order books from Amazon. No more border crossing, no more currency exchange, and no more shipping from the U.S. -- products ordered from Amazon.ca will be packaged in Canada and delivered by Canada Post.

Amazon.ca will feature Canadian books, CDs and DVD movies, which is great news for Douglas Coupland, the Hip and, um, Les Boys III.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 4:14 PM | Permalink

New iPaq is also universal remote
Just announced: The latest iPaq handheld computer from the new HP will double as a universal remote control for various electronic devices and household appliances. The software that makes this possible is called Nevo. The iPaq Pocket PC H3900 series starts at $1,049. (Fortunately, it's much more than a remote control.)

Sony Clie owners already have this capability via built-in software called Remote Commander. If you have another type of Palm-powered handheld computer, you can turn it into a remote control with OmniRemote.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:55 PM | Permalink

Disney Interactive has released three games based on the new animated film Lilo & Stitch.

Hawaiian Adventure, for players age 4-8, works on both PC and Macintosh. Lilo & Stitch: Trouble in Paradise, an action game for older kids, works only in Windows. There's also a Game Boy Advance title: Disney's Lilo & Stitch.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:02 AM | Permalink

eBay.ca celebrates Canada Day
Starting today (Friday), the eBay Canada auction site will feature special Canadian categories for music, celebrities, sports, collectibles and books/authors. Whether you're looking for Inuit art or Tragically Hip merchandise, check out eBay.ca from now until July 1.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:01 AM | Permalink

Maxis and Electronic Arts are preparing to unleash an online version of The Sims on an unsuspecting world. If you're a fan of this best-selling game franchise, check out the teaser movie: The Sims Online.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:22 PM | Permalink

Disney's promo site for the new movie Lilo & Stitch includes a little program that puts Stitch on the Windows desktop.

Just after this picture was taken, he ate the My Documents folder...

To get the free games, go here.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:50 PM | Permalink

My kids, age 6 and 9, love the computer games created by Humongous Entertainment. The titles we've played so far include the interactive adventures of Putt Putt and Pyjama Sam. Spy Fox (the Humongous version of James Bond) is one of my favourite game characters.

Now the founders of Humongous have formed a new company called Hulabee Entertainment, and produced two new games for Plaid Banana. The stars of Plaid Banana's first games are Ollo (for younger children) and Moop & Dreadly (for older kids).

Demo versions of the new games are available free for both Mac and Windows computers.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 4:53 PM | Permalink

Activision's preview of DOOM III was the big winner in this year's Game Critics Awards -- a list of the best games and gear shown at the Electronic Entertainment Expo earlier this year.

DOOM III was named Best of Show, Best PC Game, and Best Action Game and received "special commendation" awards for both sound and graphics.

Here's the complete list of 2002 award winners:

Best of show:
DOOM III (for PC) by id Software/Activision
Runner-up:
The Legend of Zelda (for Nintendo GameCube) by Nintendo

Special Commendation for Graphics:
DOOM III (for PC) by id Software/Activision

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 3:24 PM | Permalink

"Styled with attitude"
Altec Lansing contacted me today to see if I would like to review their XA 3021 TV/game speaker system.

I love my job.

The system is designed to add great sound to your television, video game system or DVD player. It retails for about $150.

I don't know yet how it sounds, but the system looks really cool. Imagine this little baby side-by-side with an Xbox game console. Verrrry nice.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:57 PM | Permalink

Activision's preview of DOOM III was the big winner in this year's Game Critics Awards -- a list of the best games and gear shown at the Electronic Entertainment Expo earlier this year.

DOOM III was named Best of Show, Best PC Game, and Best Action Game and received "special commendation" awards for both sound and graphics.

See the Game Stuff section for a complete list of the winners.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:26 AM | Permalink

What will cars look like in the future? If you believe the folks who made this site, we're all going to be driving luxury cars that fly.

Yes, it's an obvious commercial for Lexus and the movie Minority Report, but it's very nicely done.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:52 AM | Permalink

Take your newborn baby to the movies without all those dirty looks from other patrons. CineBabies.com lists Canadian theatres with baby-friendly daytime screenings of new films for parents and their babies.

The special screenings are scheduled on weekdays in the early afternoon, "to take the best advantage of a parent's hectic, baby-oriented schedule." Baby wipes and stroller parking are provided free, and the thundering theatre speakers are turned down a few notches, to avoid offending the babies' sensitive ears.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 4:28 PM | Permalink

Movies for babies
Many people believe movies and babies go together like white carpet and grape juice.

Others think that parents should be able to take their newborns when they go to see movies on the big screen. That's why Sandi Silver founded CineBabies.com, a company that promotes daytime screenings of new films for parents and their babies.

The special screenings are scheduled on weekdays in the early afternoon, "to take the best advantage of a parent's hectic, baby-oriented schedule." Baby wipes and stroller parking are provided free, and the thundering theatre speakers are turned down a few notches, to avoid offending the babies' sensitive ears.

Starting today, the CineBabies program, which began last summer in Toronto, will be extended to other Famous Players locations in Canada, including Langley, Ottawa, Mississauga and Kirkland.

For more information, visit FamousPlayers.com or CineBabies.com

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 3:28 PM | Permalink

Callers in the 416 and 647 area codes can now dial 2-1-1 for access to community information and social services. There's also a Web site that could be useful to people outside the city: 211Toronto.ca.

The new service is a joint initiative of city, provincial, and federal governments, the Toronto United Way, and Community Information Toronto.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:32 PM | Permalink

Dial 2-1-1 for community info in Toronto
Callers in the 416 and 647 area codes can now dial 2-1-1 for access to community information and social services. There's also a Web site that could be useful to people outside the city: 211Toronto.ca.

The new service is a joint initiative of city, provincial, and federal governments, the Toronto United Way, and Community Information Toronto.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:30 PM | Permalink

FREE money? Sadly, no.
Occasionally, I receive a forwarded e-mail message that promises me money. All I have to do is forward it to all my friends.

They always come from the "trustworthy friend" of a friend who is six or seven times removed from you in the chain. It's a giveaway hoax, folks. Dozens of these make the rounds each week.

These are worse than chain letters that promise good luck -- no one will EVER get a cheque from Bill Gates for passing along one of these e-mails. Furthermore, if Microsoft actually was testing a system that would allow the company to track e-mail without your knowledge, why would you want it to succeed?!

For more information about giveaways that aren't, visit this page on the Hoaxbusters site.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:32 AM | Permalink

iPod for Windows
Windows users can now connect to Apple's iPod music player, thanks to new software from DataViz (and existing software from another company called EphPod).

The iPod may seem a little expensive compared to other digital music players, but its high-speed FireWire connector lets you transfer music to the player about 30 times as fast as a USB-based connection. When you start working with 1,000 to 2,000 songs at a time, that matters!

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:15 AM | Permalink

Imagine this: you hear on the radio that your car has been recalled. A design flaw, recently discovered by Consumer Reports, may cause the vehicle to explode in certain situations.

You're alarmed at first, but the manufacturer says it's aware of the problem, and promises to fix it for you "very soon."

Continue reading "more "Trustworthy Computing"" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:21 AM | Permalink

North Americans can enjoy a treat this evening: a partial solar eclipse. Sky-watchers in our western provinces will have the best view as the Moon glides in front of the Sun, creating a crescent shape.

Remember you shouldn't look directly at the Sun, even when something cool like this happens -- it's still bright enough to blind you!

NASA -- which scientifically describes the event as a "weird sunset" -- will post its images here.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 4:59 PM | Permalink

Is your computer safe while you surf the Web. Could someone break into your computer using a specially-designed Web page? Try the free Browser Checkup tool from Qualys and find out how secure your system really is.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 3:30 PM | Permalink

Apple invites Windows users to switch
Apple Computer has launched a major new initiative designed to attract people who use Windows PCs. The Switch campaign highlights some of the more frustrating aspects of working with Windows and invites users to visit a new section on the Apple Web site, to learn more about the benefits of using a Mac instead.

The campaign presents stories from real people who have recently switched to Mac OS X. The new TV commercials feature real people including a Windows network administrator, a computer programmer and a user who describes his frustrations with Windows' blue screen of death. The traditional Mac target audience of creative types is also well represented here, including a writer, a designer and a DJ.

I think Switch is a major milestone in Apple's history. The company obviously believes that Mac OS X is ready for prime time. It's been a long time coming, but Apple finally has a well-built, rock-solid next-generation operating system, and they're ready to make some noise about it.

This new campaign is also significant because it marks the beginning of a new chapter of direct competition with Microsoft -- competition Apple has carefully avoided since the 1997 deal that led to the development of Microsoft Office for Mac OS X. It appears that the gloves are off.

I use several computers each day, and I'm very familiar with Windows XP, Windows 98, Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X. If I had to choose just one, it would be an easy choice; Mac OS X is powerful, stable, and it keeps my blood pressure down.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:54 PM | Permalink

Affordable high-speed Internet everywhere?
High-speed Internet is a wonderful thing. Unfortunately, many computer owners -- especially those in rural areas -- don't have access to affordable high-speed Internet service.

The problem is often "the last mile" -- the expense of installing the wires and switches required to bring high-speed to your neighbourhood. (This is especially true if there are no neighbours.)

If you're not a in major urban area, your only high-speed option may be satellite Internet service, which is a poor substitute for the real thing. (It receives data at high speed, but requires a regular slow-as-molasses dial-up account to send anything.)

That's why today's New York Times article about EtherLinx Communications has caused such a stir. Tech writer John Markoff describes an inexpensive new system that adapts existing wireless technology to send and receive high-speed signals over long distances.

Read the complete June 10 New York Times article here (free registration required).

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:30 AM | Permalink

Palm launches two-for-one promotion
From now until July 8, if you buy a Palm m500 handheld computer, you can get a Palm m105 free (via mail-in coupon) -- a $250 value.

Palm has also released a free program called DualDate for Palm customers. Using Palm DualDate, you can view two calendars at once on your Palm, so it's easier to share your calendar with other users.

This promotion may have come about because the company plans to release new models soon, or because they have too many unsold units sitting on the shelves. Either way, if you've been thinking of getting two new Palms, this is a good time.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:33 PM | Permalink

MacOS X program smooths fonts
If Internet Explorer in Mac OS X makes your eyes tired, consider downloading a new program called Silk. It's a control panel that activates a hidden feature in Mac OS X 10.1.5 to smooth the appearance of fonts for "Carbon" programs (i.e. applications written to work in both OS 9 and OS X).

The same company makes several other clever programs for OS X.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:14 PM | Permalink

Mac OS X 10.1.5 update released
The latest free update for Mac OS X offers support for more digital devices (cameras, printers, etc) and fixes some bugs in Apple Mail and the Sherlock search tool.

I've installed it on two machines so far, and everything's fine. You can get details and download it from Apple.com or use the Software Update control panel in Mac OS X.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:21 PM | Permalink

If you're looking for something fun for kids to do on a rainy day -- especially once summer vacation begins -- add the Discovery Puzzle Maker to your list of bookmarks.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 3:13 PM | Permalink

Obvious link of the day: the official site of the 2002 World Cup.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:45 AM | Permalink

While you're waiting for World Cup action to begin, try this strange little game.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:36 PM | Permalink

I've spent more than a few hours this week playing a new game called Stronghold.

The game combines the best bits from Sim City and Age of Empires, in a castle simulation set in the Dark Ages. Stronghold challenges your ability to manage an economy and defend a castle at the same time. You have to grow and harvest enough food to keep the population alive, and build a fortress strong enough to keep the people safe in case of attack. Stronghold is one part civic management, one part combat, with cows, moats and wood-cutters thrown in for good measure.

All in all, it's a fun, challenging real-time strategy game that's suitable for all but the youngest players. (There is some violence and blood when your armies are attacked by the enemy, but it's not as "dark" as many similar games.) Stronghold is on store shelves now.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:59 PM | Permalink

When your home dictionary doesn't quite cut it, try Glossarist.com – a searchable directory of glossaries and topical dictionaries.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:39 PM | Permalink

Who controls digital VCRs?
I think digital video recorders are great. They make it possible to pause and rewind live television broadcasts. They use a hard drive instead of video tape to store television programs, preserving high quality digital sound and picture. Their interactive program guides make it easy to locate and record programs. The PVR 5100 from Bell ExpressVu has changed the way I watch television.

That's the good news. The bad news is that digital boxes can be programmed by the content providers. If recent tests by TiVo are any indication, our digital boxes may soon be sending us programs and advertising we don't want to watch.

This story describes the consumer backlash that followed TiVo's introduction of "sponsored recordings" in the UK.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 3:28 PM | Permalink

Rulers.org is a great reference site for anyone who's trying to trace the ruling history of almost any country in the world. Canadian information dates back to 1841.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:49 PM | Permalink

The Google search site has a history of monkeying with its logo for fun -- usually for a special occasion like St. Patrick's Day or the Olympics.

This week, Scott Adams' character Dilbert is responsible for coming up with a new logo for Google. See Google and Dilbert Doodle.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:37 PM | Permalink

Why so much game news?!
We're going to hear a lot about video games this week, thanks to an annual trade show called E3. The Electronic Entertainment Expo began yesterday in Los Angeles and continues until the weekend.

Thanks to E3, this is the week for the game industry; the prime time for product and partnership announcements, and previews of the titles that will ship in time for Christmas 2002.

Big companies like Sony and Nintendo have traditionally made a big splash at E3. Last year, Microsoft was the new kid on the block. This year, there's fierce competition for the hearts, minds and wallets of gamers.

Watch for lots and LOTS of game news coming out of E3 this week.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:12 PM | Permalink

Microsoft plans to launch an online gaming service this fall for Xbox users.

The service, called Xbox Live, will connect Xbox players via game and voice chat. It will also require an annual subscription and an Internet connection. [more]

Note to Microsoft Canada: the XboxLive.ca domain name is currently available.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 7:23 PM | Permalink

Malicious program hits KaZaA users
If you have the KaZaA file-sharing program on your computer, you may be affected by the Benjamin worm.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:46 PM | Permalink

New iBooks released
Apple has refreshed its consumer notebook line with faster G3 processors, more cache memory, better graphics chips and larger hard drives. Video professionals will be pleased to learn that the latest iBooks feature a new video-out port that supports VGA output as well as S-video and composite video with an optional adapter.

The entry-level iBook with CD-ROM drive and 12.1" screen is $1,899; the deluxe model with 14" screen and "combo" drive (DVD player and CD recorder) sells for $2,899.

I've been using one of the original dual-USB (white) iBooks for almost a year now, and it's a really sweet machine.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:20 PM | Permalink

The PlayStation 2 version of Grand Theft Auto was the best-selling video game of 2001. "Players are put at the heart of their very own gangster movie and let loose in a city in which anything can happen...and probably will..."

Now that GTA3 is available for Windows, PC gamers can visit Liberty City and see what all the fuss was about. Actually, the PC version may be even better, thanks to added features like customizable character appearance (using your photos), customizable music (using your MP3 files), customizable controls (for those who want to use keyboard and mouse instead of gamepad controller) and the ability to save replays.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 4:53 PM | Permalink

According to this article, entitled Xbox Economics, a price war on game console hardware reduces profits for all the console makers, but it hurts Microsoft most. [more]

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:52 PM | Permalink

Last week, the price of a new PlayStation or Xbox game console dropped to $299. Today, Nintendo upped the ante, dropping the price of its GameCube console from $299 to $229. The price change takes effect tomorrow (Tuesday, May 21).

"Nintendo is committed to offering our players the best games and the best price," said Ron Bertram, general manager, Nintendo of Canada Ltd. "We were the first manufacturer to reach the $299 price level and now we're leading the industry to $229 - allowing even more players around the world to get their hands on our legendary favourites like Mario, Zelda, Star Fox and Metroid this year."

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:58 AM | Permalink

TV says Mac=good, Windows=bad
Moral black and white was never so clear as in the TV series 24, where the good guys use Macs and the terrorists use Windows machines.

Imagine the negotiations that went on behind the scenes for product placement. Okay, we'll make sure there are some close-up shots of your client's computers during the series for $1 million. And for $10 million, we'll put your competitor's product in the hands of a terrorist!" [more]

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:25 AM | Permalink

PlanetNintendo has new screen shots from the GameCube versions of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Bounty Hunter.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 3:46 AM | Permalink

Do you have a virus or just a virus warning?
This article describes a rash of virus warnings about a non-existent virus.
"The rule of thumb here is if you find a copy of jdbgmgr.exe on your computer, then it's probably not infected; but if you receive jdbgmgr.exe as an email attachment, then it probably is infected. If you receive an unsolicited executable file in your email, delete the email." [more]

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 3:33 AM | Permalink

The End of Napster? (No!)
According to Wired News, Napster founder Shawn Fanning has resigned and the board of directors has rejected an offer to buy the company. Meanwhile, people have moved on to use other file-swapping programs instead.
Update: Fanning returns as Napster is sold for US$8 million. [more]

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:55 PM | Permalink

Bread and spam
A new junk e-mail making the rounds today (I got it twice) promises wonderful diet results using a 2,000-year-old recipe:
"HUNZA BREAD Miraculously Stops Your Appetite And Hunger and is based on a 2000-year-old recipe. The Hunzas are considered to be the healthiest people on earth. This bread is the main part of their diet. CLICK HERE to learn more about these astounding people and their delicious, nutritious and easy to prepare home made health bread that suppresses your appetite."

It doesn't take a genius to see that you would quickly lose weight if all you're allowed to eat is 2,000-year-old bread. I guess I should be grateful they didn't send me the long version of this letter!

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:23 PM | Permalink

With less than one week to go before the E3 game expo in Los Angeles, rumours of price drops have been confirmed by several unexpected pre-show announcements: (All prices quoted are in Canadian dollars.)

Sony dropped the price of the PlayStation 2 game console from $449 to $299, effective immediately. $79.99 is the new price for PSone, the original PlayStation.

Microsoft dropped the price of its Xbox game machine from $459 to $299 effective immediately.

Nintendo's GameCube was already priced at $299, but the price of GameCube controllers will drop to $29.95 (matching the price of PlayStation controllers). Nintendo's new wireless "WaveBird" controller for GameCube will debut June 10 at the lower-than-expected price of $49.95.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:36 AM | Permalink

This is perfect for really lonely people who are, nevertheless, doing a good job.

Here's a quote from the site: "The arm is constructed of skin-like extremely durable plastic. The High Five Arm is ready to give you encouraging words of success. Celebrate your successes, achievments [sic] and victories with a High Five!" [more]

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 7:14 AM | Permalink

A glowing preview of Stronghold has been posted on Apple's site. It's described as "a unique castle simulation game combining the best aspects from a builder and a real-time strategy game - it's sure to engage sim, strategy, and action gamers alike." We'll see.

Stronghold is scheduled to ship next week. "Have fun storming the castle!"

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:05 PM | Permalink

Gaming Age reports that the new wireless GameCube controller (joystick) from Nintendo will cost less than previously expected.

Nintendo will match the new lower price of PlayStation 2 controllers -- about $50 (US$35). The company will also cut the price of current GameCube controllers by $10-$15 (US$10).

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:15 PM | Permalink

Read all about it in this article from New Scientist.

As of this writing, the "Silence Machine" has not been offered as a commercial product.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:06 PM | Permalink

The official Web site for Unreal Tournament 2003 is up and running.

The original UT was an award-winning first-person action game that broke new ground in graphics and game play. The new site features news about the game and a gallery of crisp new screen shots. See UnrealTournament2003.com

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:52 AM | Permalink

When is a compact disc not a Compact Disc?
Record labels are experimenting with copy protection schemes on their CD releases. The problem seems to be limited to the UK, but you might want to check the CD label anyway before you go to the checkout counter.

Most copy-protected discs bear a different label that says something like "Will not play on Mac/PC." Recent copy-protected discs were released without the "Compact Disc" logo. (The "Compact Disc" trademark is owned by Philips, which -- so far -- has refused to allow its use on copy-protected discs.)

Recent releases that may be unplayable on computer:
- Celine Dion: A New Day Has Come
- Star Wars Episode II soundtrack
- Shakira: Laundry Service
- Sarah Connor: Green Eyed Soul
- Jennifer Lopez: J To Tha L-O: The Remixes!
- Destiny's Child: This is the Remix

For more information, visit the Campaign for Digital Rights Web site.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:59 AM | Permalink

If you think of Blockbuster as "the video store," think again -- Blockbuster plans to remodel many of its stores to make more room to sell more video games and even game hardware. [more]

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:34 AM | Permalink

Mini-Mizer is an interactive Web site that lets you mix and match arms, legs, faces and hair until you build a Lego person who looks like you.

Mine worked out okay, but it's far from authentic -- all the Lego heads are too small for me. [more]

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:28 AM | Permalink

With less than a week to go before the E3 Expo in Los Angeles, Nintendo is talking about its plans for online gaming.

Starting this fall, players will be able to play head-to-head via telephone or high-speed Internet using the GameCube video game console. Nintendo will sell adapters for dial-up and broadband modems for $49. The company announced that the first online game for GameCube will be Phantasy Star Online from Sega.

Is this a good idea?

"The profitable part of the online business is very likely several years away," according to Satoru Iwata, Nintendo's director of corporate planning. "Entering the business because it's the hot topic of the day doesn't make a profitable business nor satisfied customers. That's why it will be a part of Nintendo's strategy, not the mainstay, as other companies are attempting to do. There still are too many barriers for any company to greatly depend on it."

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 3:37 AM | Permalink

A new preview of the much-anticipated real time strategy game Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos has been posted at GameSpy. Here's a snip:
"The first three missions were fun and definitely have us interested in going back for more. Each campaign for the four races has 8-9 missions, so this little taste is but a teaser for a more involved game and story."

Coming this summer for PC and Macintosh. Isn't it pretty?

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:55 AM | Permalink

How strong is Spider-Man's web? Why did Superman's home planet of Krypton explode? If you lift a locomotive over your head, won't you sink into the ground?

The man to ask is University of Minnesota physics professor Jim Kakalios

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:46 PM | Permalink

Annoy grammatically correct friends with The Gallery of ''Misused'' Quotation Marks.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:43 AM | Permalink

Copy-protected music voids computer warranty?
At least one major music label (Sony) is experimenting with a copy-protection scheme that make discs "incompatible with computers." The European release of Celine Dion's latest release is one of the affected discs.

The music on these discs can't be "ripped" on a computer. In fact, you can't even listen to them on a computer. In a technical note on its Web site, Apple Computer says, "You may be unable to eject certain copy-protected audio discs, which resemble Compact Discs (CD) but technically are not." (Philips, which owns the trademark on the phrase "Compact Disc" -- refuses to allow these discs to be called CDs.)

Both Windows and Macintosh computers are affected by this problem, but these discs have been known to lock up Mac machines, making a service call necessary. And it's not under warranty --- the fault lies with the music disc, not the computer.

Apple gives its side of the story in this article.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:28 PM | Permalink

Analysts are now predicting that Sony will also announce a price reduction at E3. Is Sony responding to Microsoft, or was this planned all along? Either way, a new Xbox or PlayStation 2 may soon cost less.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:27 PM | Permalink

If you're considering the purchase of an Xbox game console, hold on for a few days. Microsoft is expected to announce a price reduction next week at the E3 Expo in Los Angeles.

If the rumours are true, the price of a new Xbox will drop from $459 (US$299) to $299 (US$199.99). Unless the competition follows suit, the Xbox will be the same price as Nintendo's GameCube and $150 less expensive than Sony’s PlayStation 2.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:19 AM | Permalink

What does the future hold for multi-player games? A new development called the Butterfly Grid could enable millions of people to play a single game together.

The technology, developed by Butterfly.net and IBM, will give new meaning to the phrase "game grid" (which always makes me think of Jeff Bridges and David Warner in TRON).

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 7:44 PM | Permalink

Free as in speech and beer
To understand the fuss about Linux and "open source" software, you have to understand what "free software" means. Internet Explorer is free as in "free beer." The Linux operating system and programs like OpenOffice are free as in "free speech" (and may also be free as in "free beer").

On Wednesday afternoon, Darren Wershler-Henry was on CBC radio, talking about his book Free as in Speech and Beer. I was so impressed, I bothered the publicist by e-mail and received a free copy by courier about 90 minutes later (which impressed me even more). It looks like a really good read.

Among other things, Wershler-Henry is the editor of Coach House Books, which provides free online access to its "frontlist" of titles. Cool.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:30 PM | Permalink

Playing with millions
What does the future hold for multi-player games? A new development called the Butterfly Grid could enable millions of people to play a single game together.

The technology, developed by Butterfly.net and IBM, will give new meaning to the phrase "game grid" (which always makes me think of Jeff Bridges and David Warner in TRON).

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:44 PM | Permalink

What the new HP means to you
Technology companies Hewlett Packard and Compaq have merged to form one company: the new HP.

What does the merger mean for customers of both companies?

Home computers:
The new HP will continue to offer both the Presario [Compaq] and Pavilion [HP] lines of consumer desktop PCs and notebooks.

"The two brands will compete, and we will market the unique value proposition for each. Today, for example, Compaq has compelling offerings for home/wireless networking and HP has strength in digital imaging solutions. Maintaining both brands will enable HP to leverage existing brand awareness and preferences and give customers the opportunity to continue to buy the brand and products that best meet their needs. The decision to maintain two consumer brands of desktop PCs and notebooks is driven in part by feedback from our retail partners."

Handheld computers:
Compaq's iPAQ handheld will be renamed the HP iPAQ Pocket PC. HP's Jornada products will be phased out in 2002. HP also will offer the iPAQ Blackberry device under the HP brand name.

Printers, all-in-ones and scanners:
The HP product lineup continues. The new HP will phase out Compaq-branded products in this category.

For more information about the new HP and what it means to HP and Compaq customers, you can read this list of frequently asked questions or this product roadmap from HP.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 3:56 PM | Permalink

The new HP
What do you get when you combine Hewlett Packard and Compaq? You get The New HP -- a name that makes me think of every television station recently renamed by CHUM.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:31 AM | Permalink

I'll have the Big iMac and fries, please.
BBC News reports that McDonalds restaurants in Japan have announced plans to offer Internet access.

I love the BBC photo caption: "Japan's love for technology is boundless." [more]

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:32 PM | Permalink

The need for speed
Why do you need a high-speed Internet connection? Because the tech companies assume you have one!

Anyone who has moved from a regular dial-up Internet connection to a high-speed connection will tell you that it's tough to go back. The excitement and convenience of high-speed access makes downloading files and checking e-mail an enjoyable experience. The telephone line is free and so are you. The only problem that remains is how to pay the monthly bill for Internet service.

Whether you choose DSL (fast phone), cable modem or satellite, an always-on high-speed connection lets you focus on the stuff you're doing and forget about the plug. The Internet recedes into the background like your electricity, water or gas service. It's just there.

Unfortunately, it's easy for tech companies to take high-speed access for granted. After all, most of their offices are wired with even faster Internet connections than we can get at home.

As a result, most of the big computer companies have made the Internet their primary means of distributing software updates. It's cheaper for them -- no packaging or shipping expenses -- and it allows them to offer updates more frequently.

In the case of Microsoft, this means that the latest Security Update to Internet Explorer can be offered via Windows Update as soon as it's available. Apple can instantly update Mac OS X to add services and features to users at the touch of a button -- release the update and people will come and get it.

The problem, of course, is that many users still do NOT have high-speed Internet access, but they're forced to sit through giant downloads of dubious value just to apply the latest feature set or security patch. Updating may be a snap with a cable modem, but it's a royal pain with even the fastest dial-up connection.

These thoughts came to mind today while I was setting up a new network printer from Hewlett Packard. I checked the HP site to see if the print driver in the box is the latest version. I found a new file dated May 1, so I clicked on the download button. The file is more than 34 megabytes in size -- that's more than 24 floppy disks' worth of data.

For me, that's no big deal. I click, I download, it's done. But how does this affect a small business owner in a small town with no high-speed options? I'm sure it's very frustrating.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:28 PM | Permalink

Man charged following "PC rage" incident
Fed up with a faulty machine and no help from the folks at the store, a Wisconsin man took a hammer to his Gateway PC. [more]

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:59 PM | Permalink

Dirty tricks or good business?
The latest story in the ongoing Microsoft legal saga: internal e-mail shows that Microsoft "integrated" its Media Player software into Windows in order to undermine Real Networks. [more]

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:41 AM | Permalink

Mystery solved! (see previous item)
One reader helpfully volunteered that he was responding to "Make Your Music Digital" -- an article that describes the process of converting music from CD to MP3 format.

What's funny is that I wrote this article more than a year ago. It was published on MochaSofa.ca in May of 2001.

Why did so many people discover the article today? It's been there for a year, in plain sight. But it took a year for the editors at MSN.ca to find it. (If you visit the MSN.ca home page today, you'll find a link to my old article. Mystery solved!)

The date of the article doesn't appear until the end, so it's understandable that so many people think it's new. The basics of the article stand up pretty well a year later, but my recommendations for software are a little out of date.

For example, SoundJam for the Mac was discontinued shortly after the article was published.

Oh, well. Whether you're arriving on this page from MSN or MochaSofa or parts unknown, Welcome! Thanks for reading my stuff. As long as you're here, why not bookmark this site and sign up for my weekly newsletter?

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:25 PM | Permalink

Music mystery
I've been getting e-mail all day about digital music. People address me as if I've just published something on the subject, but I haven't written about "ripping" CDs for quite a while. Very mysterious.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 3:06 PM | Permalink

The great thing about fireworks software is you can take risks without endangering your fingers or your neighbours' rooftops. I think the burning school house tells you everything you need to know about people who love fireworks, but that's just me...

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 7:10 PM | Permalink

FREE ice cream!
May 1 is free scoop night!

From 6-10pm you can get a free ice cream at many Baskin-Robbins stores.

Why not take advantage of their generousity and get yourself a free scoop before they come to their senses? [more]

Update: after lining up for just a few minutes, each member of my little family got a scoop of our favourites for free. What a fun promotion!

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 12:21 PM | Permalink

And now, a word about Web site design and content management software:
Argh.

I've been working on a new version of this site, based on software called PHP-Nuke. I really can't recommend it. Not yet, anyway.

The PHP-Nuke software goes on the computer at my Internet provider -- the company that "hosts" my site -- and I manipulate it from home, using any Web browser. PHP is a scripting language that's used to build each Web page from scratch each time someone asks to see it. That way, the page contents are completely up-to-date, and can be loaded with stuff like live news headlines from other sites, or the story I posted just a few minutes ago. (This assumes that I'm updating the site frequently. Which, since I've been working with Nuke, I have not been doing.)

Anyway. To make a long story short -- too late, I know -- the theory and the reality of PHP-Nuke are pretty far removed from each other.

Rant over. Sorry about that. Go about your life. This is just another little note to let you know that I'm still alive, and still trying to make Grounded better.

I also spent the day doing tax-related stuff. But the less said about that, the better. ;-)

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:56 PM | Permalink

AirPort security (not what you think)
On my way home from WinHEC today, I stopped by a wireless networking kiosk in the Seattle airport. I wanted to go online for a few minutes while I was waiting for my flight.

There are two basic ways to do this in the average airport these days: you can plug a notebook computer into a telephone (if you have a local dial-up number) or you can buy a network connection from a kiosk (if the airport has such a thing).

Last summer in New York, I stumbled on another way: a Wayport kiosk at the airport had a wireless network that showed up on my iBook. When I selected it from the menu, I was on. I surfed for free that day, and later realized that I should have offered to pay for the time.

When I switched on my AirPort card today, things were different. I did indeed see the familiar "Wayport" connection on the network list. But this time, when I made the connection, the first page that loaded on my Mac was an information page about Wayport's rates!

Very clever: make it work, then ask the customer to pay to continue. Cool.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 4:51 PM | Permalink

Coolest gadget at WinHEC
OQO introduced a teeny tiny PC before I got to the show. It's a complete PC in the form of a portable hard drive. You can use it with the built-in four inch LCD screen, or connect it to one of two proposed docking stations: one that converts it to a desktop PC and another that turns it into a notebook PC. [more]

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 8:55 AM | Permalink

Missing in action
Hi everyone. No, I have not dropped off the face of the earth. But I have been neglecting this site.

Today's update comes to you live from Seattle, home of Starbucks, Frasier and the 2002 Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC).

I'll post some reports from here late this evening (or possibly early Friday -- time zones confuse me). Meanwhile, here's what's been going on recently:

1. I've been working hard on the next version of this site. This works fine for one-way communication -- I write, you read -- but it's far from the interactive community I hope Grounded will soon become. If you're interested, I can tell you tales about various Web log and community content management systems (and how they don't work as advertised). I think I've found a solution that will work, and I'm building the next version of this site. I hope it will be ready by the end of the month, but I suspect mid-May is more realistic. We'll see.

2. As you may have heard, the parent company of Sun Media laid off many of the staff at Canoe.ca a few days ago. I'm still not sure what this means for the technology section, but I'm guessing it won't result in more tech coverage. Stay tuned...

3. Connect Monthly did not appear in print in April. The culprit -- and this is getting awfully familiar -- was a lack of advertising support. I wrote the articles, they were laid out for print, but they never made it to newsprint. I'll be able to post those articles here in the near future. I apologize to everyone who went out and bought a Sun on my promise of Connect content. I was as surprised as you were.

That's enough for now, I think. Off to another WinHEC session. What do Microsoft and its partners have planned for your Christmas season? Stay tuned...

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 4:55 PM | Permalink

When you hear the word "computer" you probably think of IBM or Dell or Apple. But do you remember the names Acorn, Luxor, or Eagle?

Starting in 1973 with R2E's Micral -- a computer with a processor speed of only 108 KHz old-computers.com lists more than 500 classic machines and operating systems.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 8:19 PM | Permalink

This article from CBC.ca covers some of the things you can do to reduce the amount of junk that shows up in your e-mail Inbox. [more]

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:53 PM | Permalink

How does the human body work? Find out about all the inner workings at Human Anatomy Online.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:52 PM | Permalink

When two linguistic opposites attract, it's called an oxymoron. Some common examples: pretty ugly and jumbo shrimp. The OxymoronList.com is an attempt to list every oxymoron in the English language. (My favourite from the list: "Microsoft Works.")

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:51 PM | Permalink

Coin-operated CD copy machines
Napster schmapster. According to this story, some Australian convenience stores now have vending machines capable of duplicating audio CDs.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:54 PM | Permalink

Junk mail from Yahoo!
Yahoo! recently alerted some users to a change in its privacy / marketing policies. If you have a Yahoo! e-mail address, you can check and adjust your account settings here.
Update: According to this story, some Yahoo! users who reset their marketing setttings have had problems with automatic e-mail forwarding.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:09 PM | Permalink

News.com helpfully provided a list of some of the more public April Fool's jokes that appeared on the Web.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:45 PM | Permalink

For those who like to explore, this site is a fascinating shrine to abandoned New York subway stations.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:21 AM | Permalink

The TV ad campaign for Lipton's Brisk iced-tea-like beverage has taken on a life of its own. Just in time for April Fool's Day, check out Puppets Against Brisk. (Requires Quicktime media player.)

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:20 AM | Permalink

This site describes a working robot that dates back to the Victorian era. (Note the date.)

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:01 AM | Permalink

An amazing technological breakthrough! See it here. (Note the date.)

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:04 AM | Permalink

The best search engine on the Web works so well thanks to Google's patented PigeonRank technology. (Note today's date.)

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 8:42 AM | Permalink

The term "Easter Egg" is used to describe any hidden menu, display or feature in software -- and now in music and DVDs as well. Like real Easter eggs, you have to hunt for them. Unless you go to the Easter Egg Archive instead...

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 8:02 PM | Permalink

Internet address "slamming"
If you own an Internet address -- a "domain name" ending in .com, .net, etc. -- watch out for a sneaky sales practice called "slamming." [more]

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:04 AM | Permalink

Apple raises prices; PC makers remove features
The new iMac will cost more because shortages of liquid-crystal displays (LCDs) and memory (RAM) have increased the cost of these components.

Will the cost of Windows-based PCs rise as well? Maybe. [Update: This story says NEC, Fujitsu and IBM will raise prices.] But PC makers are more likely to take out some RAM or install a smaller hard drive instead. [more]

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:08 AM | Permalink

The sale and rental of all computer and video games in the province of British Columbia may soon be restricted by law.

BC Attorney General Graeme Bowbrick has tabled legislation that would require new games to be rated, just like movies, based on audience suitability. The sale and rental of games would be restricted by age, based on a new provincial rating system. Game publishers would be required to submit their titles to the province for approval.

Continue reading "B.C. to restrict violent video games" »

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:20 AM | Permalink

Fun with a high-capacity digital camera. These short movies, made from still pictures, remind me of nearly every NFB movie I saw as a kid.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:23 PM | Permalink

What you can learn from Web addresses
If you watch TV at night, you might have seen an ad for Gold Rush 2002 – a video that showcases Canadian men's hockey at the Salt Lake City Olympic games.

I noticed that the Web address ("domain name") that accompanies the toll-free telephone number on the screen is http://www.hockeyonvideo.com/comedy/, which got me thinking...

Why "Comedy"? What's funny about Canada's team winning the gold?

Then I realized that I was watching the ad on The Comedy Network. It turns out the ad is also running on TSN, so you can also get the same information from www.hockeyonvideo.com/tsn/. Using different ads and Web addresses, the video folks can measure the response from each cable channel. The same technique is used when direct marketers put coupons in magazines (for example) – different numbers or markings identify the source of the coupon.

If you're ever curious about the owners of a Web site, you can use a tool called whois to look it up. The system used to register domain names keeps track of administrative and technical contacts for each site. Using a whois search, like the one at Internic.ca, you can find out who's behind these hockey videos.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:35 AM | Permalink

If you're looking for an alternative to Word, Excel, or PowerPoint – one that's compatible with these programs – consider ThinkFree Office. It's available for Mac, Windows and Linux. You can get more information here or download a trial version here.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 11:34 AM | Permalink

You say you've always wanted to learn the rules of Cricket? This site makes it fun.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 5:35 PM | Permalink

How fast is your 'Net connection?
Take the Speed Test at Bandwidthplace.com and find out.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:39 AM | Permalink

Dumb Business 2.0
The 101 Dumbest Moments in Business is a wonderful, entertaining list compiled by Business 2.0 magazine.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:11 AM | Permalink

Women who rocked
"Before Elvis was King, they were the queens..." Welcome to the Club presents the women of 50s rockabilly. No, this has nothing to do with technology, but it's the fastest way to get my mother-in-law to see it.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:00 AM | Permalink

New tool makes it easy to manage Mac networks
Apple Remote Desktop is designed to make it easy and affordable for schools or businesses to provide remote support for up to 5,000 Macs.

Apple will charge $479 for the 10 client version and $799 for the "unlimited" version (Canadian prices). The education market gets a significant discount. [more]

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 9:44 AM | Permalink

Graveyard advertising?
According to a story in The Guardian, video game company Acclaim Entertainment wants to advertise one of its games on headstones. [more]

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 2:59 PM | Permalink

Magic camera - don't try this at home!
Last August, a man named Farrell Eaves accidentally dropped his Nikon digital camera into a pond in New Mexico. After he dried it out, he found that the camera was broken... in a most interesting way. Now he calls it his magic camera.

The complete story is here. A gallery of pictures is here.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:40 AM | Permalink

Slowed to a crawl
The software used to put this site together slowed to a crawl Thursday, due to a problem with the Blogger.com service. Ironically, it appears that people using the free version were unaffected; only those of us who paid our shareware fee to access the pro version of Blogger were caught in the slowdown.

Things are working better today. I spent Thursday catching up on technology news and going through the 430(!) e-mail messages that arrived while I was away on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 10:01 AM | Permalink

Curling fans should check out Nokia Rocks, a free online video game. For beginners who still don't understand the rules after seeing Men With Brooms, this game should bring you up to speed.

Each week, a prize will be awarded for single game high score. Prizes include a Nokia Brier jacket. The grand prize winner, randomly drawn from all registered contestants, will receive a Nokia 3300 series phone (with 150 minutes of free air time) and Nokia Brier apparel. The contest runs until April 17.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 4:06 PM | Permalink

March break
Things are going to be a bit quiet around here for a couple of days. Talk amongst yourselves. I'm going to spend some time with my family, away from computers. Watch for a new Grounded newsletter late this week.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:48 PM | Permalink

More cool handheld computers
Sony Japan has introduced two new additions to its Palm-compatible family of CLIE handheld computers.

Both devices are extremely stylish and feature a pivoting flip-top design that allows the colour screen to be inside or outside when the CLIE is folded. No word yet on price or availability in North America. They're very pretty.

Posted by Sandy McMurray at 1:07 PM | Permalink