Okay, this nearby house's decorations are not terribly gaudy, over-the-top, blinding, or a particular eye-sore, but the lights give me the heebie-jeebies every time we drive past them


Yes, friends, what you see is the scripture, "The Word became flesh," in lights above a Nativity scene. To top things off, of course the word "flesh" has to be in bright red just above the baby!


I don't know. This doesn't give me feelings of comfort and joy. It makes me feel like Mary and Joseph are getting ready to feast upon the Baby Jesus, and that's just not an image you want in your mind for Christmas. To reiterate: Creepiest. Lights. Ever.

Tags: silly

A woman I've known for several years has been fighting cancer over the last several months, and now she has suffered a stroke. We've been out of touch for several months, but I still care about her and am very concerned. Please keep Susan Colvin, her husband, and her children in your thoughts and prayers.
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12/07 Update: It appears the cancer has spread to her brain. I can't imagine what she and her family must be going through right now.

12/10 Update: I'm bumping this to the top for now. It appears insurance will not cover treatment at a specialized facility she is being recommended to in Texas. I hear her family has set up a special fund for donations to cover treatments, but I don't know the details. I'll update again when I know more.

12/23 Update: Anonymous donation can be made at:

Community Bank
830 Logan Street
Noblesville, IN 46060
(317) 845-0800 or (317) 773-0800

I'm not publishing the account number for donations for obvious reasons, but both branches whose numbers are listed will know where to direct funds if you tell them its for the Colvins.

Those of you who have been with this blog for a while know about my trusty PowerBook G3 that has been serving me since 2000. Six years is a long time to keep a laptop, but its been a hard worker. I also have some sentimental attachment to the machine due to it being the first Macintosh computer I ever owned. Unfortunately, I fear it's life of usefulness is coming to an end.


It all started about four years ago when my laptop shorted out due to a damaged power converter. Actually, it kind of fried. If you've ever smelled the lovely aroma of burnt electronics, you know what I mean. Strangely enough, the machine booted up about an hour later, but, with no power converter, its usefulness was obviously limited. We talked about replacing it that night, but all we could have afforded was an iBook G3 – not much of an improvement.

Instead, we bought a new power cord and converter. Shortly after this, we bought a new battery because I was only getting about 45 minutes to an hour of battery life at a time. We never did replace the laptop. The iBooks moved from G3s to G4s. PowerMac G5s were released (which we got one of). The Intel transition was announced and completed, and my PowerBook G3 kept chugging along as it passed its sixth birthday and approached its seventh.

In the last couple of months, though, things have been going downhill quickly. My PowerBook has been regularly locking up while running Pages, forcing me to change my workflow to include MS Word on my desktop, so I can be reasonably sure I can work on my laptop on a document if I need to. Keynote is basically inoperable, and PowerPoint runs with all the speed of a snail caught in molasses going uphill. To top things off, I'm only getting about 30 minutes of battery life per charge, and the battery monitor doesn't seem to know exactly how much charge its carrying.


Apple's current laptops look very tempting, but I'm much more interesting in the MacBook Pro end of the lineup due to the inclusion of dedicated graphics cards (which I think could make a big difference within the next couple of Keynote releases). Unfortunately, my wife is adamant that there is no way we can afford a new laptop at this time. It's possible that I could bump the memory in my G3 to 1 GB, and we could get another new battery, but that's $300+ spent on a machine that probably wouldn't fetch that amount on eBay.

Last year, I lucked out on a big presentation I gave downtown, but I've been having to rely on luck or borrowing other people's laptops (which brings up a whole separate set of issues) for too long. I don't want to spend any more money on maintaining my G3 at this point. I don't even know if those purcahses will really help the problem, but I don't see what choice I have.

In the face of so many global problems and issues I know others are dealing with, I know this must seem insignificant, but it does matter to me that my laptop is quickly becoming essentially useless – especially given the amount of public speaking I'm going to be doing in the coming year. Oh well. Here's hoping that some more luck rolls this way in 2007.

Tags: macintosh

For those of you who don't know, this month's issue of the Official Playstation Magazine will be its last. (In fact, I don't know how much longer that link will be valid.) The story was published on 1UP.com back on November 14 as well as on GameSpot. The biggest official reason Ziff Davis Media published is that, due to the ease of online distribution, the practicality of a demo disc driven magazine is no longer significant. As a result, after nine years and 112 issues, OPM is no more.

Various OPM employees have blogged about the demise of the magazine and what it means to them. (Joe, Dana, Scooter) As it turns out, it seems some of them, even the biggest contributors, are just flat out-of-work now. The OPM Message Boards have had numerous posts of frustration, encouragement, and memories, and one last RadiOPM is being broadcast as a final sendoff. Also, the final magazine itself features farewells from the staff and well-wishes from readers.

OPM was nothing earth-shattering. It was a well-done magazine about games. Admittedly, that is a rarity, but it's not like the publication solved problems like cancer, world hunger, global warming, or HIV. What it did do, though, was bring some joy to the gamers that were old enough to appreciate it for what it was.

OPM has been the only magazine I've regularly purchased for the last five or six years. They still packaged PS1 demo discs on alternating months when I first began reading. In fact, I saved those monthly demo discs for a while because we didn't even have a PS2 back then (and we've never owned a PS1)! How strange is that? Even in this age of websites and downloadable content, a part of me likes the feel of holding a magazine, enjoys the immediacy of a demo disc over waiting for a download. To me, those tangibles were worth the $10 per issue.

I hope everyone at OPM lands on their feet all right. Thanks for the great magazine!

Tags: video games, media

The record labels just never seem to give up. Time and again, they have thrown their weight around to suck as much money out of their customers as they can, completely disregarding anything that resembles decency and ethics.

RIAA's Earned Reputation

I can think of no other industry that holds its consumers in such general contempt as the recording industry (except, perhaps, the oil industry whose executives hold our very planet in contempt).

In fact, let's take a stroll down memory lane:

• Ars Technica: RIAA says CD ripping, backups not fair use
• Arts Techica: RIAA defendent argues damages are excessive
• Ars Technica: RIAA lawyers bully witnesses into perjury
• WinInfo: Microsoft caves to Universal in music deal (I might also mention that this Internet Nexus post claims Micrsosft has had to enter into similar agreements with the other music labels.)

This is but a small sampling of the RIAA and music labels stepping on others' feet, and all but one of these links is from this year! Again, the only explanation is that they hold their customers in absolute contempt.

The Latest Offense

Now, record executives aren't just being disrespectful to their source of income (read: you and me). They are now claiming too much profit is making its way to the hands of recording artists trough new avenues of distribution such as iTunes, the Zune Marketplace, and cell phone ring-tones.

The IGN article states it well:

"At best the RIAA is kicking artists when they're down via this action, and at worst has fully revealed that despite repeated claims that artists need to be protected from piracy, the organization is very much the tool of the major labels and publishers who have famously never really cared about the artists in the first place."

Growing Irrelevancy

Middlemen – that is all the record labels are. They are to music what Dunder Mifflin is to paper. They take stuff others created, package it up, overcharge for it, and then take the lion's share of profit for themselves. Again, except for the oil industry, can you think of another industry so willing to alienate all around them for the sake of profits?

Unfortunately, the record labels are slowly becoming irrelevant, and they know it. However, instead of evolving with the times and redefining their roles in the marketplace, the big labels are merely throwing their collective weight around, trying to cash in on as much as they can before the axe falls.

What would be great is if major online music retailers like Yahoo! Music, iTunes, Urge, and Zune Marketplace would allow artists to submit tracks and albums directly, bypassing the publishers entirely. The problem with this, of course, is that the artists still rely on the music labels to provide studios and equipment to record with. Also, the studios often own the copyright to an artists work rather than the artist him-/herself, and there may be no quick solution for these issue.

Regardless, the RIAA has become a dinosaur that has become both carnivorous and cannibalistic in its attempts to maintain a stranglehold on its profits. These executive don't care about the artists they represent, nor do they care about the consumers that purchase their product. If the record labels and the RIAA continue their reign of terror, it won't be long until artists and consumers start looking for ways to eliminate them from the equation entirely.

Tags: riaa, opinion

Final Fantasy XII is turning out to be a very enjoyable game. I don't play a lot of them, but when I do, I really get into playing console RPGs. I've played most of the Final Fantasies, the Dragon Quests available in the US, some Xenosaga, Dark Cloud, and a smattering of other titles. Usually these are engaging, thought-provoking, and rewarding experiences – but fun? That's what I have We Love Katamari and Burnout Revenge for! Anyway, here are some aspects of FFXII that bump up the enjoyment factor:

The Battles. Simply put, the battle system is great. The battles flow well, and they do not feel near as random as in previous installments. To get Licensing Points, you have to fight tons of enemies – each worth only one LP. In fact, Licensing Points are very similar to Ability Points in other series entries like FFX-2 and FFV, but they don't feel near as tedious to accumulate thanks largely to the battle system.


Image from Wikipedia

The Licensing Board. The Licensing Board is similar to the sphere grid in FFX but with tons more versatility. I'm loving filling out the board and creating black mage-ninja-warriors and other combinations. In fact, I've probably spent more time filling out the Licensing Board than I have been following the plot!

The Art Direction. FFXII is a beautiful game. Characters, environments, and enemies all look fantastic. The look and feel of the game has been very consistent so far, and everything works together to make the world seem all the more epic and grand.

Exploring. Even though FFXII is every bit as plot-driven as its predecessors, I don't feel near as tied down to a specific area or course of action. Many areas open up quickly (even regions where death is guaranteed), and you can walk away from many missions to explore surrounding areas for hours. Regions are connected fairly seamlessly, and you get a terrific sense of distance while you are traveling across the lands.

The Command Screen. Basic commands can be brought up at any time with a tap of the "X" button, and (greatest of all) you can drop into the menu screen at any time, even during battles, and change members or equipment with no turn penalty. I always hate it when you lose a turn for changing swords in the middle of a fight. (I'm looking at you FFX.)

The Settings and Characters. This game feels epic and fantastic at every turn, even with its smaller-scale plot. No summoners turned pop divas; no airborne castles; no soldiers singing arias; and no sports stars turned warriors. So far, every character and location feels consistent with the tone of the game, and all of the characters' actions harmonize with who they are. Even Moogles seem noble, and that has to count for something.

For fear of sounding like a fanboy, I think this is the best Final Fantasy I've played since FFIV. This game is hard to put down, and anyone with a PS2 really should give Final Fantasy XII a try. If you're not big into RPGs, rent it, but I think you will be pleasantly surprised. Reading up on this game before it came out, I was worried how I would like it. Now that I've been playing it for 40 hours (with tons to go), I'm hooked!

Tags: video games, opinion

The Presentation Tips category is now its own section – separate and apart from the main blog. It also has its own RSS feed independent of the main blog. Unfortunately, the new blog does not yet have categories, and this is where you come in – I'm open to suggestions on how to best divide those posts into categories. Please email me your suggestions at crysnrob@mac.com, and I'll make some decisions in the next week or so.

On the main blog, I've added an autism category. I just think it makes sense seeing how I'm posting more and more on that topic. Also, the Screen Grab section is completely gone. It never served much of a purpose anyway.

Finally, the site is using a new template. If things look weird, clean your browser cache and refresh. (I am keeping a backup of the old version of the site if I decide this doesn't work out.) I think that's it as far as updates go. Let me know if anything looks messed up or if you find any dead links to parts of this site.

PS: Right now I know the link for February 2006 is broken as is the Technology category on the main blog. Also, the November 2006 archive is broken on the Links blog. Sheesh... I'll post a note when they get fixed...

Update: I'm getting a bad feeling that fixing those broken archives is not going to be a small task. It may have to wait until I'm on Winter Break to get fixed. However, I'll let you know if I make any progress!

The overhaul is coming along slowly. I don't want the site to go dormant while I'm working on it, so normal updates are still a priority (as are my job and my classes). I was wondering, though. The Presentation Tips category is getting pretty epic. Do you think I should separate that out into its own blog with its own categories? Drop me a line on this one.

I'm probably going to eliminate the Screen Grabs section in the long run, and I'm yet to find a RapidWeaver theme I'm really thrilled with. iWeb experimenting has halted – it does not play nice with Internet Explorer. Part of me wants to say "forget it" to IE compatibility, but too many of my friends and family still use IE (Get Firefox already people!) for me to do that. Finally, as of today, the Links Blog will only archive back six months.

I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving. Get ready for shop-a-geddon!

PS - I've given the ICE 2006 slides and handout a small overhaul. You can check it out on My Presentations.

Okay, the title sounds epic in proportion, but this post will be far from profound. I'm just musing here on the Nintendo Wii and Sony Playstation 3 in context of the tech-giddiness you all know I suffer from and which console(s) I'm most likely to spend my hard-earned cash on.


Of course, I wouldn't be fair if I didn't consider Microsoft's established player in this field – the XBox 360. Many things, from its design to the well-implemented online service, impress me about the XBox 360. Price-wise, it's middle of the road. However, to play next-generation movies on the console, an additional $200 purchase is necessary. The real problem with the XBox 360 is that none of the games particularly excite me. Gears of War and Halo 3 do look very nice as does Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Unfortunately, shooters have lost much of their appeal for me, and Oblivion is not exclusive. I like the 360. I just don't $400 like it.


On the downside, the PS3 is really expensive. Fortunately, I could see myself settling for the base model with no qualms, so that trims $100 off the investment. Still, can I see myself plunking $500 down for one of these? In a word, no. However, the PS3 will be home to new installments in the Final Fantasy, Ratchet & Clank, and Metal Gear Solid series – franchises I am near fanatical about. Add these to the eventual release of a new Burnout title (which will also be available for XBox 360), and Sony's gaming machine looks tempting.

The tipping point could be Final Fantasy XIII, but that may not be out for a while. If I do get a PS3, it won't be until two things happen. First, its library of games that really interest me grows, and, second, the price comes down a bit.


The wild-card of the new consoles is the Nintendo Wii, and I'm going to spoil the ending by saying I am most immediately interested with this product. Between the 62 physical and virtual titles to be released by the end of the year, I see quite a few interesting leads – including a new Zelda game on launch day. Also, at $250, the Wii is much less of a hit on the wallet, and it even comes with a game, meaning I'm not obligated to shell out an additional $50-$60 to make use of my shiny new console.

The big drawback with the Wii is the lack of HD resolutions. However, all we have is a standard definition TV in our house, and I don't see that changing anytime soon, so the lack of HD is a non-issue at the moment. Still, I want to actually try this machine out before making any decisions.

All the same, I'm getting a lot of use out of our GameCube and PS2, so I feel no rush to buy any of these. Last generation, we didn't pick up a PS2 until Final Fantasy X was out, and the GameCube was acquired an entire year after that. Still, there is a very good chance that when we do get a new console, the Wii will sit at the top of the list, and I promise to post unpacking pictures and impressions whenever we get around to buying one!

Tags: video games, opinion

In Mark Haddon's book The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Christopher simply states, "I see everything." In this, he encapsulates the problem many autistic individuals have filtering the information around them.



In some cases, higher-functioning autism is misdiagnosed as ADHD – and for good reason. With both cases, you have what appears to be a general lack of focus in highly stimulating environments, but the root causes are different. With ADHD, the brain has difficulties focusing in on any one stimulus at a time and begins cycling through various points of attention in the environment – both external and internal. With autism, the brain has problems prioritizing stimuli, and it tries to simultaneously process too much information, resulting in a jumble of inputs.

Every autistic child will likely have one sense that is more prone to this than others. Sight and hearing are the most common. In any setting where there is a lot of aural or visual stimulation, it is a good idea to begin monitoring any children you have with autism. If the brain becomes overwhelmed in its attempts to simultaneously process everything, the child may go into a social seizure. If you see signs that a meltdown is imminent, it's a good time to utilize any safe spot you have determined for that child.

Too many inputs can create a state of confusion within the mind of an autistic individual. I had one student once tell me, "I don't like it when everyone talks at once. It stops making sense." It may be difficult, but if you have an autistic student or child, be aware of the amount of information that may be flooding the child's senses, and look for ways to regulate that stimulation when possible.

Tags: asd, education

At home or in the classroom, an autistic individual needs a place of escape – someplace that feels safe and secluded when social seizures or meltdowns occur. One of the harder things for parents and teachers to accept is that an autistic social seizure is not a choice. This is not a case of throwing a temper tantrum because the child is upset. A meltdown is far deeper than that.


I've heard social seizures compared to a psychological Control + Alt + Delete, but, in some cases, it may be more appropriate to describe them as hard reboots. Many factors can lead to this reboot, and it is seldom one specific trigger that leads to the meltdown. A variety of stimuli begin to create conflicting processes in the brain, and they become impossible to sort out, prioritize, and deal with. The result is a social seizure.

When (not "if") these occur, it is important that the autistic individual be able to remove him- or herself from the immediate environment and escape to a safe place. If not provided, the child will often create a safe place, such as a corner, under a desk, or in between bookcases – someplace where external inputs can be limited and monitored. By selecting a safe place ahead of time, you create a predictable structure to follow that benefits both you, the child, and other students in the class.

While the student is in his/her safe place, it is also important not to force them out too early. Just like you can't go printing a thesis the moment you reboot a computer, it will take time for the child's brain to return to its normal functioning level. Once back, the autistic individual may be able to carry on as if nothing happened at all. Break the process too early, and a more severe meltdown or outburst may be the result.

Even among the most high-functioning autistic individuals, social seizures are a fact of life. They may grow more rare with time or medication (in more severe situations), but, regardless of how intelligent or rationale an autistic child may be, caregivers and teachers need to have a plan in place when that rationality breaks down. A basic step in that plan is a place of escape when meltdowns occur. Create a safe haven for the child where he or she can recuperate, and you will save yourself and the child a great deal of grief.

Tags: asd, education

I haven't done one of these posts in a while! You know you've been playing too much Final Fantasy XII when...



• You want to visit the Playboy mansion just so you can see a real life Viera.

• You harbor a strong distrust of cute bunnies, onions, and tomatoes.

• You wish your real friends could be controlled by gambits.

• You believe there is a direct correlation between how much you sell to the local consignment shop and how awesome their stock is.

• You talk to no one who doesn't have a smiley-face icon above their head.

• You berate chess players for wasting Licensing Points.

• You go to your favorite bookstore to try and buy spells, gambits, and techniques.

• You check public bulletin boards for notices on monster bounties.

• You know you could ask him/her out on a date if only you unlocked the right Licenses.

• You expect colored arcs to travel between others and yourself depending on if they are planning on being nice or attacking you.

• You visit jewelry stores looking for Teleport Stones and Save Crystals.

• You begin to think metal thongs and fez vests are stylish.

If you liked this list, check out this one as well: Too Much DQ.

Tags: video games, silly

I can't say I've ever felt the need to enter into the realm of blog rebuttal before, but this article absolutely takes the cake. In many cases, I don't agree with anti-Mac articles, but I can, at least, see where the writer is coming from. In this case, Larry Bodine of Law.com writes an article that is so off-base and full of misinformation I just can't resist.

In the first paragraph, he claims to have purchased a PowerMac G5 Dual 2.7 GHz model. Then he tells the world how terrible it was to use his Mac.

I was suckered in by the hype about freedom from viruses, simplicity of computing and versatility. Instead, I bought a boat anchor that can't view Web sites properly, is not compatible with Microsoft Word and can run only dumbed-down versions of regular software.

Mr. Bodine makes four claims in this paragraph.

• "I was suckered." Twice in the article, Mr. Bodine talks about the enticement of a virus-free computer. However, nowhere does he clarify whether or not this is the case. The way he words his sentences makes it sound as if Macs are prone to viruses and spyware, which they are not. Intentionally or not, the author is being very misleading.
  
  
• "[It] can't view websites properly." Mr. Bodine gives no examples to back this claim up. Currently, I have 65 websites bookmarked. Some examples are IGN, Ars Technica, Homestar Runner, Fifth Third Bank, IUPUI Angel, IUPUI Oncourse, IUPUI OneStart, Flickr, and many others. Every one of these sites functions perfectly well in Safari. Admitedly, eBible.com has crashed Safari a couple of times, and I use Camino for that site.
  
  
• "[It] is not compatible with Microsoft Word." I have Microsoft Word on my PowerMac. As a matter of fact, so does he as he writes about his frustrations with Word later on. I don't know what he means with this claim.
  
  
• "[It] can only run dumbed-down versions of regular software." How do you define "regular" software, Mr. Bodine? Macs can run Adobe Creative Suite CS2, Final Cut Studio, Shake, Microsoft Office, Filemaker, Sibelius, Aperture, Dreamweaver, and many more. How are any of these "dumbed-down" products?

This article is shaky from the get-go, but it only gets worse the further you read:

"I'll be lucky to get half of the $4,552.71 I paid for the Mac on May 21, 2006."

You paid what? When? For which model? The lineup this Mac was a part of was replaced in October 2005. Granted, it remained purchasable on the Apple Store for some time after that due to the PCI-X compatibility issue, but the price is another problem. New, one of these retailed for $2,999 sans screen. I'll grant, a monitor purchase might have been necessary, but how much did this guy splurge? Money management must not be a forte because in May 2006, he could have gotten a more powerful quad-core G5 for less.

Edit: Since his original article, Mr. Bodine has corrected himself and stated he bought the Mac in July of 2005. How you make a mistake like that is beyond me, but I'll take his word for it.

"I was encouraged to make the switch by artists, ad agency employees and junior high school kids, even though I don't really create graphics, listen to iTunes or make movies."

So you bought a computer because it's popular in a line of work you're not involved in and because teenagers told you to. Tell me, do these teens speak to you often? Do you follow this rationale when buying things like cars? If I listened to my students' advice, I would be wearing faux gold chains, collecting Bratz dolls, trading Yu-Gi-Oh cards, and avoiding showers for days at a time.

"The signs of doom were there on day one, but I ignored them. I pretended that I liked the one button mouse. I quickly started using click + command keys (and other keyboard shortcuts). I really missed the little scrolling wheel in the center of the mouse."

Again with the dates. Yes, the one-button mouse was a hold-off for years, but it was dumped in October 2005. Apple now ships a four-button mouse that does have a scroll wheel with all of its desktops and workstations. Even if this Mr. Bodine did get the one-button Apple Mouse, he spent $4,500 on his rig and can't go buy a $20 optical mouse to plug in. (Incidentally, my Kensington mouse has four buttons, a scroll wheel, cost $20, and "just works" when plugged in.)

"I noticed it was slow; I saw that stupid spinning colored wheel a lot. The Mac would hang up; the TV ads said Macs didn't do that."

I see the beach ball occasionally too, but not often. I can still count the number of "hang ups" my PowerMac has had on one hand (even after about three years), and most of them are iDVD-related. I'm sorry his exponentially more powerful machine was so much slower than mine is. I guess mileage may vary.

"What drove me nuts was that I would open Word for Mac and couldn't delete files while I was in Word. There is no File | Delete option. So the documents took up space on my hard drive, until someone told me I had to find the document in Finder and then move it into the trash from there. This seemed stupid to me; I just wanted to highlight a file and tap 'delete.'"

This is true. you cannot delete files from within a Mac OS X save dialog, and MS Word uses a standard Mac save dialog. This problem is just a fundamental difference in design. Unfortunately, I've noticed that a few Windows users get frustrated on Macs because, on Windows, you can add and remove files and programs with absolutely no understanding of how your system is organized. The Mac Finder is organized very well, but too many people don't even know to use it if they have grown used to Windows' hand-holding.

"Word files transferred from the Mac were missing pictures. PowerPoint files transferred from the Mac would lose their formatting. PCs and Macs are not compatible, regardless of what they say."

This also happens PC-to-PC if the machines are running different versions or editions of Office. Personally, this has never bitten me, but I use Office only minimally.

"Things I could do with a PC in two keystrokes took four or five clicks with the Mac. To do a "fast print" required clicking File, Print, find Copies & Pages, click Paper Type/Quality, click Normal and finally clicking Fast Draft."

Like the Windows version of Office, there is an icon of a printer in the main toolbar. Click it, and the printer spits out your document – one click, not five.

"Doing a simple screen capture was an immense chore. On a PC you just press Alt and tap PrtScr. With the Mac I had to download and launch special programs to accomplish this simple task."

Cmd-Shift-3 captures the entire screen. Cmd-Shift-4 allows you to select a certain area to be captured. Press the space bar, and you can highlight specific elements such as an active window, the dock, or the menu bar. No third-party utility is required.

"I didn't even bother with the Mac's iCal or Mail, which required me to buy an @mac.com address. Instead, I went straight to Outlook for Mac."

Neither iCal nor Mail require .Mac accounts to function properly. It's a shame he left these alone. They are nice applications. (Microsoft is even imitating iCal in Windows Vista.) Mail's handling of junk mail is really quite good, and I like the option of bouncing messages I don't want. I get almost no spam anymore.

"For me the killer was the Web browser. Safari simply cannot read Flash. It is, quite simply, a second-rate browser."

Really? In the last 48-hours, I have visited Adobe.com, Ugo Player.com, Homestar Runner.com, and YouTube.com. All of these sites use Flash, and all of these sites look just fine in Safari. I wonder if Mr. Bodine checked to see if the Flash plug-in was installed. After all, even Internet Explorer won't work with Flash sites if the plug-in is not there.

"I even called Apple headquarters and asked when a better version would be available and was told that Apple is in no hurry to improve it."

I don't believe this for a second. First, he may be misrepresenting Apple's usual "we don't comment on future products" reply. Second, there are various enhancements for Safari planned for Leopard. Third, this blog provides very open information about WebKit (Safari's foundation) and it's development.

"On the suggestions of friends, I downloaded Netscape and Firefox, which were no better."

I have no comment on Netscape, but I'll let the Open Source crowd address him in regards to Firefox.

There is more to the article, but this really gives a decent representation of his flawed reasoning. The fact is, Mr. Bodine makes some claims that are sometimes outright wrong and others with no corroborating evidence. Despite his law degree and position as a tech advisor he seems lacking in basic fact-checking and computing skills. I doubt he really is, but this article makes him seem that way. I've even read one blogger that feels Mr. Bodine just made up his whole experience for the sake of traffic. I don't believe he's outright lying, but his way of telling the truth is not terribly honest-sounding.

I'm very glad many Mac users have offered to help make Mr. Bodin'e life easier, but I wish he would correct his article for integrity's sake. I don't care if he likes his Mac, but if he is going to advise people to avoid Macs, he should do so for legitimate reasons.

Tags: opinion

I've updated two of the slideshows on my Presentations page. Both "Handling Hard to Handle Kids" and "Salvation Through Water" have seen significant visual updates. In fact, my most recent post in Presentation Tips covers some of the process I went through updating "Hard to Handle." Here are a couple of pictures of the updates:

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"Scrabble in the Classroom" is taking a while to finish up. There are a couple of things I want to illustrate that I'm having a tough time working around – it's just tedious, not really difficult. Also, I've just started assembling a talk on something I've been curious about: "Is God Green?" We'll see if that one goes anywhere. Here's a peek at both:

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Right now I can't confirm anywhere else, but I am planning on presenting "Hard to Handle" and "Scrabble" in the near future at my school. I'm thinking about offering "Simply Presentation" there as well. We have quite a few members of staff who have to speak in front of colleagues from time to time, and I wonder if they would be interested in that material.

This is so neat, I have to share: In the Mac OS X 10.4.8 update, the Keyboard & Mouse Preference Pane has been modified to allow for automatic screen zooming (independent of Universal Access controls).



As you can see, if you hold down Control while using the scroll wheel, zooming is automatically enabled. Here are a couple of screen captures. One is a normal shot of the screen. The second shows zooming enabled.

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Also, once the screen is magnified, you can navigate around simply by moving the mouse. You can actually achieve a pretty intense magnification with this method, and it is another hint at resolution independence being a possible feature in Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. (It's already available in Tiger but not at the user level.)

Furthermore, this is a pretty handy feature for presentations that include software demonstrations. Right now, enlarged icons and controls look fairly pixelated, but the use of resolution independent elements could make this feature even smoother. Imagine being able to demo iMovie or MS Word and smoothly zooming in on a feature you are elaborating on without having to visit a preference pane or using a static magnified screenshot.

Little touches like these make me like my Mac even more. Thanks to the great Daring Fireball for pointing this feature out. (You can see his blog in the screenshots.)

Tags: software, os x

Usually, I would just stick something like this in my Links Blog, but this one actually makes me want to jump up on a soapbox.
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A new HP camera is actually being marketed with the idea that it can slim the subject of the photograph. Yes, friends, if you think your significant other is just too heavy looking in a shot on your vacation, no problem! Merely adjust a slider, and you can help him or her virtually shed unnecessary pounds! Here are some shots of it in action (straight off HP's site):





Now let's take some notes:

• The models on HP's site are only females – talk about gender stereotyping.
• The models look fine as they are. HP marketing is essentially saying healthy-looking women are in need of slimming, so you must be too.
• Can we talk about social pressures regarding anorexia at this point?

I may be a bit harsh here (which, you have to admit, is very unusual for me), but this whole concept is being promoted in a very irresponsible way. "You are not good enough. You look fat on film. Let us fix you." I can admit that, by and large, many Americans are overweight. Even I'm not as fit as I could be, but is this how we need to solve the problem? Are we so incapable of caring for ourselves that we need to artificially create better selves? I hope not.

Stuff like this just boggles me. All this really does is vertically stretch the entire picture, but it just makes me a little sick-to-the-stomach that somewhere another boardroom has made a decision that only further exploits weight insecurities (specifically in women) at both extremes. I no boycotter, but when we get a digital camera, I doubt it will be a HP right now.


Also, Jason Fried of 37 Signals has made a post about this "feature."

Tags: opinion, technology, software

Apple's event on Tuesday brought about an updated iTunes application among other announcements. Historically, iTunes has foreshadowed future trends in Apple's GUI from the brushed metal appearance of iTunes 1.0 to the darker unified look of iTunes 5, so I thought the new iTunes was worth a look.
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First up, I couldn't help but notice (as have many others) that the icon returns to the blue of iTunes 2, but the beam connecting the eighth notes is thicker than in previous versions of this icon. I'm glad blue is back. It was my favorite iTunes icon!
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Now right here is a shot of iTunes 6 & iTunes 7 side-by-side. (You can click these images for a larger view.)



Immediately, it is noticeable that iTunes 7 sports a much more subdued interface. Colors in general are muted, and it doesn't even use standard aqua scroll-bars and checkboxes. Also, some elements have been moved around, but it didn't take me too long to find everything (except the Visualizer button seems to be entirely gone).

The sidebar sports more defined categories than did iTunes 6. The headers (oddly) are in all caps, but they do a nice job separating built-in libraries from online elements and user-created playlists. Overall, the sidebar looks much cleaner than before.

Also new are some buttons that control how you are viewing your media. The first button is the classic iTunes list view; the second button shows a list with album art, and the third button is the new Cover Flow view (in which Apple did the "right thing" and bought out the developer who inspired them).

Below is a shot of the new Cover Flow view. It's a very nice way to view your album art, but I have noticed it can be a little glitchy when browsing too quickly.



On the store side of things, movie downloads and games are new features. So far, only Disney-owned studios are available for purchase, but that still makes for a devent variety of films to choose from. I'm not thrilled with the movie prices, but they aren't bad either. Here's a look at the movie section of the store:



As you can see, Apple implements the new Cover Flow view into the movie store. This is also true of the TV store, but the music store hasn't adopted this look yet. I found browsing through the movies and watching trailers rather painless, but I haven't purchased a movie, nor do I foresee myself doing so in the near future. In thruth, I don't understand all the excitement surrounding video downloads, but I'm not much of a TV-watcher or movie-goer as it is.

Here's the new game section of the store:



The addition of this section, I have to admit, was surprising to me. I had heard rumors about Apple hiring and contacting game developers, and iPod related games seemed a natural progression. I guess I just didn't figure they would start selling them through the iTunes Store. It is a pretty convenient way to make sure iTunes can manage all things iPod.

I've been using iTunes 7 for a couple of days now with no real problems. The only glitch I have run into is the fact that Cover Flow sometimes uses placeholders instead of album art if I scroll too quickly. Otherwise, this is a great update. I love the new view options (even if one does seem directly copied from Windows Media Player 11), and everything else seems to be pretty well polished.

As I said earlier, iTunes often seems to preview future trends in Mac OS GU, and I admit that I hope this continues. By and large, I like the direction iTunes is going with its UI. The muted colors and subtle gradients work, and I even find myself drawn to those "fuzzy" scroll-bars. The only thing about iTunes 7's interface that bugs me is how strongly it contrasts with the rest of Mac OS X. Hopefully, the rest of the Mac OS experience will continue to follow iTune's lead.


By the way, Paul Thurrott has uploaded a nice gallery of iTunes' new iPod interface. You can take a look at it right here. (Wow, I never thought I'd link him twice in one day.)

Tags: software, opinion

This is going to be my last post fawning over the new iMac, I promise, but I wanted to elaborate on the iMac price versus the Dell XPS 410 price two posts ago. Here's a table of the exact specs I chose for the Dell when compared to the iMac. Please note that I've highlighted where one machine has a clear advantage over the other.



Some notes to finish up with: There are intangibles involved. For one, the included software on the Mac is certainly more diverse, but what comes on the Dell is pretty necessary. In fact, the lack of any permanent Office software on the iMac is a gaping hole. Also, I included power consumption because that does have an effect on one's electricity bill. Furthermore, I just like products that require less power. (As an aside, the wattage on the Dell does not take the monitor into consideration.)

To address some of the Mac's apparent shortcomings, on the Apple Store, I added Apple's USB modem, iWork (for text and slide editing), and a 256 MB nVidia GeForce 7600 GT, and the price came to $2,252 – only $14 more than the Dell.

Yes, you can still get cheaper computers than Macs, but when it comes to spec-by-spec comparisons, Apple's prices actually are competitive for what they offer. No, they still do not compete in the bargain-basement market, but the price-to-performance ratio is much definitely more attractive than it once was, and the iMac is a great example of that improvement.

Tags: macintosh, technology, dell

Yesterday's post about the iMac got me playing around, and I thought I would post a quick comparison of the iMac with other all-in-one desktop computers (and one "deskbook" computer) just to see how things shake out. This is not a comprehensive comparison, but it is kind of fun.

The Apple iMac

iMac comes in stock variations from $999 to $1999. Processors are Core 2 Duo across the board, 1.83 GHz up to 2.16 GHz. The base model has 512 MB DDR2 memory, and the others have 1 GB. Hard drive capacities run from 160 GB to 250 GB. The base model has an Intel GMA 950 video processor with 64 MB of shared memory; the middle models feature ATI Radeon X1600 cards with 128 MB, and the top model has an NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT with 128 MB. Except for the base model, all come with 8X CD/DVD burners. (Please note I am excluding BTO options.)

Every iMac comes with Mac OS X + Front Row, an Apple Remote (except the base model), an optical mouse, and a keyboard. Each is packaged with iLife and a variety of other software titles, and they all feature built-in Bluetooth (except the base model) and Airport (WiFi). Screen sizes come in 17, 20, and 24-inches.

Gateway Profile 6

The Gateway Profile comes in one stock configuration with several upgrade options. The stock Profile has a 3 GHz Pentium D processor and 512 MB DDR2 memory. It has a 160 GB hard drive. Graphics acceleration comes from an Intel GMA 950 with up to 224 MB shared memory, and it has a 16X CD/DVD burner.

The Profile ships with Windows XP Home, Office Basic 2003, Acrobat Reader, and six free months of AOL. It comes with an optical mouse and a keyboard. No wireless connectivity is built in, and it has a 17" screen. The Profile sells for $1,199. (Oh, and the Profile is really ugly.)

Sony Vaio LS1

Other than the iMac, the Vaio is probably the nicest looking machine in this post. The Vaio sports a 1.83 GHz Core Duo processor and 2 GB of DDR2 memory. It's hard drive is 250 GB, and its graphic acceleration is provided by an Intel GMA with 128 MB of shared memory. It also has an 8X CD/DVD burner.

The Vaio includes Widnows XP Media Center 2005 and a TV tuner. It comes with a wireless keyboard and mouse (RF), and it has 802.11g wireless networking. Software-wise, the Vaio comes with a lot of Sony's own digital creation software as well as Photoshop Elements and Premier Elements. It also comes loaded with trial-period software including MS Office and MS Works demos. The Vaio has a 19" screen and costs $2,099. There seem to be no BTO options.

Dell XPS M2010

I will be first to admit that this is not entirely fair, but it's the closest thing Dell has to an all-in-one, so I'm going with it. While technically a laptop (at 18 pounds!), it is considered a desktop replacement. The M2010, comes in three stock configurations with several BTO options. Those models all have 2 GHz Core 2 Duo processors with 1 GB - 2 GB of DDR2 memory. Each has an ATI Mobility X1800 with 256 MB and an 8X CD/DVD Burner.

The Dell comes with Windows XP Media Center 2005, some anti-virus software, and MS Works. It has an integrated keyboard, trackpad, and camera. It offers wireless networking, and each model has a 20" display. Prices range from $3,499 to $4,050.

Conclusion

When it comes to the all-in-one design, Apple seems to have set a bar that is difficult to match. The Sony here is the most compelling Windows alternative, but I can't help but be surprised how difficult it was to find other all-in-one computers. Really, the Dell doesn't count because it is a "laptop," so I could only track down two other currently available alternatives easily. When it comes down to it, Apple has defined all-in-one design with the iMac, and it's easy to see why that computer has become the machine most people define Apple by.

The new iMac is a competitive machine, and I hope people can get around their Mac-predjudices and give it a whirl. Even if you end up hating Mac OS X after a few months of ownership, remember Macs can now run Windows, and it's not like the iMac commands a premium over similar computers. I love all-in-one designs myself, and I was sad that I had to pass up the G4 iMac as my current desktop. (I ended up with a Rev A PowerMac G5 instead.) Fortunately, with the direction Apple is taking their consumer flagship, I have no doubts that I'll be able to return to my favorite Mac in the future.

Tags: macintosh, technology, dell

Pretty much out of left field (and on a Wednesday at that), Apple has announced a couple of upgrades to their product lines.


First up is the ever adorable Mac mini. The only real change here is that you can now choose between 1.66 GHZ or 1.83 GHz Core Duo (Yonah) processors. The previous generation had 1.5 GHz Core Solo and 1.66 GHz Core Duo respectively. Prices haven't changed, but Apple now offers a 160 GB hard drive as a BTO option. I guess that's all there is to say about the mini.


Here's the real upgrade of the day. The iMacs have moved from Core Duo (Yonah) to Core 2 Duo (Merom) chips, and Apple has added to the low and high ends of the iMac lineup.

At the entry level, we now have a $999 iMac that has a 1.83 GHz Core 2 Duo. The big sacrifices here come in the fact that the $999 model does not come with a remote (only a $29 add-on but still a bit of a bummer) and Intel integrated graphics. I think this machine is best suited toward someone thinking about a mini but can't BYODKM (Bring Your Own Display, Keyboard, & Mouse). For those who have been keeping track, yes, this is basically identical to the previously education-only model.

At the high end, we have a 2.16 GHz Core 2 Duo (upgradeable to 2.33 GHz) with a 24" screen. Even the rumor sites missed this one by one inch! (To their credit, the iMac does share screen resolution with the 23" Cinema Display.) Another improvement is the addition of an NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT graphics card with 128 MB (upgradable to a 7600 GT with 256 MB), and the new iMacs can hold up to 3 GB of memory and 500 GB of storage.

Now, for fun, here comes the interesting math. Take a Mac mini; spec it as close as you can to an iMac; add a 23" Cinema Display. What does it cost? $2,073, and the 24" iMac will still have better graphics and a larger hard drive. For more fun, a similarly equipped Dell XPS 410 with a 2.13 GHz Core 2 Duo processor is $2,238 (but it does have a faster optical drive and better video card to be fair). The 24" iMac is $1,999.

The Mac mini upgrade may be a simple step, but this iMac upgrade is very compelling – so much so that I could see it cannibalizing Mac Pro sales to some extent, but, honestly, the Mac Pro has moved to an entirely different tier of computing. As for me, I can't wait to get into an Apple Store to try one of these out!

Tags: technology, macintosh

Some pretty neat stuff came out of WWDC 2006's Stevenote today. I didn't get what I wanted to see (Merom-based MacBook Pros), but the announcements today made for a good show.

The Completed Transition

Apple's new workstation is a powerful machine. It contains two dual-core Xeon 5100 processors (a.k.a Woodcrest) in speeds of 2.0 GHz, 2.66 GHz, and (finally) 3.0 GHz with a 1.33 GHz frontside bus. It ships with 1 GB of memory, expandable to 16 GB, and 250 GB of internal storage, expandable to 2 TB. We have an NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT PCI Express graphics card with many upgrade options, and the the option to have dual optical drives.

On the education store, I was able to strip one down to $1,962 USD (not including a display). On the other end of the spectrum, if you go for all the bells and whistles, you'll be out over $11,000 UDS (still not including a display). From what I hear, the pre-configured $2,499 model is pretty competitive, but it is definitely out of my pricerange!

Along with the Mac Pro comes a Xeon-based XServe, making for a speedy update to Apple's server solutions.

The New Cat In Town

The Steve also had a sneak-peek at Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard on display. Many of the features demoed were far from Earth-shattering, but they do go towards making the Mac experience more fun for us veterans and more familiar to Windows converts. The updates to Mail, Dashboard, iCal, and iChat are evoutionary enhancements (except I think the backdrop thing in iChat is pretty cheesy).

The exciting stuff here is in Apple's implementation of virtual desktops, known as Spaces. I really didn't think this feature would be included. Sure, there are a few third-party solutions for virtual desktops, but, by and large, I doubt many people know what these are. Time Machine brings a much-needed backup utility to Mac OS X with the usual Apple flair, and Core Animation will make it a bit easier for developers to add some eye candy to their apps.

I can't say I'm excited about Leopard yet, but this was just a limited preview. In the future I'm sure we'll see resolution independence as well as a refined interface along with some features that aren't being talked about yet. Still, the Intel transition is complete. Leopard is progressing toward a Spring 2007 launch, and Apple is continuing to make being a Mac user an exciting experience.

Tags: macintosh, technology, wwdc, leopard, os x

I just noticed that the site looks poor on my work computer (Win2000 + IE6). I'm looking into fixing the problem.

I need to find a WinXP machine to see if the same problems appear there: Paragraph spacing is nonexistant, and the Screen Grabs page is really messed up.

Everything should look fine under WebKit and Mozilla based browsers.

New: I've made a new Screen Grabs page. I hope this one works ... I had a little fun with it this time.

"Look at me when I'm talking." How many times do we say that when trying to communicate with a child – even if we know full and well this request poses a serious challenge for that individual? Even I catch myself doing this, and I should know better.


When speaking with an individual with a PDD such as Asperger Syndrome, don't demand eye contact. While seeing the eyes may make us feel we are being listened to, the fact is, the other person is concentrating so hard on maintaining eye contact that he/she may be having difficulties retaining what you are saying.

In my experience (on both ends of this challenge), I've found that I can allow the child's eyes to wander freely, but maintain a close proximity. Asking the child to re-explain what you are saying can help confirm understanding. Do this every couple of sentences. Finally, Kneel down to his/her level. The child will have an easier time making occasional eye contact if you do this.

In addition to these tips, over time, guide the child in trying to look at a part of a speaker's face close to the eyes – the bridge of the nose, for example. Most people really can't tell a lack of eye contact if it is "close enough." This helps the individual fit in better at social settings without doing too much damage to those social boundaries unique to autism.

Remember, eye contact, or lack thereof, is not necessarily an indicator of attention. When it comes to PDDs, demanding eye contact may damage comprehension, so look for other ways to confirm and reaffirm attentiveness that don't involve breaching social comfort levels. However, every autistic individual is unique. My suggestions work for me, but they will not work for every individual. Persistence and patience will eventually lead to better communication as you grow to better understand your autistic friend.

Tags: asd, education

You might notice some new badges in the sidebar. The interesting one (not that the other two are merely filler) is the RSS icon. For some time now, my journal, the Links Blog, and Sermon Notes have had RSS feeds available, but, unless you were using a web browser that alerts you to such feeds (such as Firefox), you might not have known they were available. Now, those of you who use news aggregators like NetNewsWire (Mac), NewsMac Pro (Mac), or RssReader (Win) can subscribe to the site. The RSS feed contains entire articles, images and all.

With the availability of subscriptions, I'm going to stop listing additions to the Sermon Notes page on my main blog. I don't mention updates to the Links Blog here, so it just seems inconsistent. The Sermon Notes blog tends to get regular weekly updates. Also, I am considering merging my Spirituality category over to the Sermon Notes blog. It seems like it fits better on that page. I may not, though. We'll see...

FInally, now that I'm getting more comfortable with messing with the site's css, I may begin messing with some of the pages' color schemes in the near future. I miss the different sections being different colors. It won't happen right away, but I don't want y'all to be surprised. ;-)

Finally, for those of you who kept running into broken images or messed-up pages earlier today: here's the extremely helpful error message I kept getting as I was trying to fix that.



Since I'm really enjoying these recently discovered faces, I'm just going to say that this dialog box made me feel this way: :-|

Here it is – My new Nintendo DS Lite!



I wanted to get a DS back when they came out but could never justify the $150 for the little system – especially since Mario 64 was about the only game I would have wanted at the time. Eventually, however, some more titles came out, and the system became more and more attractive. Then, when an improved version came out for $20 dollars less than the original, I was sold. Fortunately, thanks to Animal Crossing: Wild World, my wife agreed.

Now, I have had a GameBoy advance for some time. In fact, my GBA harkens back to the days prior to backlit screens, so, needless to say, the DS Lite is quite an improvement in our portable gaming.



In the lovely picture above, the DS Lite is running, as you can probably tell, Metroid Prime: Hunters. Can you tell me, though, what game is playing on the GBA? If you said Metroid: Zero Mission, then you know me well because there is no way you can see what game is playing on that screen. As you can also see, the DS Lite is thinner than the GBA (even shut), and it is about the same height as a GBA when closed. Using only my hands, I can't really tell which is lighter.

Overall, the DS Lite is very compact, and I have carried it in a few different pockets with no annoyance. It is comfortable to hold. The touch-screen reacts well to the provided stylus, and I haven't successfully killed its battery yet, but I did recieve a low battery warning once after playing Animal Crossing off and on all day. Furthermore, the DS Lite looks like it would smudge very easily, but I have not found this to be the case, and what marks do show up on its shiny exterior are easily removed.



One slightly unfortunate side effect of the DS Lite's slimmer profile is that GBA cartridges inserted into the bottom slot stick out ever so slightly. Also, I am finding it annoyingly easy to accidentally press the shoulder buttons. These complaint, however, are very minor and do little to tarnish the experience I've had with this little console. The games we have (Animal Crossing: Wild World and Metroid Prime: Hunters) have been enjoyable. The screen is visible even in daylight, and closing the DS Lite puts the system to sleep just like a laptop. Open it up, and you can pick up exactly where you left off.

In parting, I'll leave you with one last wonder of the DS – the size of a DS card. The shot below has a GameBoy Color cartridge, Super Mario Bros. DX, a GBA cart, Metroid: Zero Mission, and a DS card, Metroid Prime: Hunters, all next to each other. Cool, huh? The DS card is about 1 inch wide and 1 1/4 inches tall!

Tags: video games, technology

My journal is now what comes up first when you visit "http://homepage.mac.com/crysnrob." You'll notice the Professional and Spiritual categories are now completely gone. The content will be back eventually but categorized differently. I am shooting for a layout that will avoid too much clutter but will also avoid subsites. I've decided subsites annoy me.

Right now, a lot of image links in my journal are broken, but that seems to be the only real problem at the moment. An About Me section will be up soon, and everything else will migrate back online as I figure out how to link to my .Mac Public Folder (to avoid too many uploads). Stay tuned. I'm continuing to update the areas that have remained online.

Update 1(6/26 1:30 pm): I've fixed the images back to April 2006. Everything earlier than that is still broken, but I'm stopping right now to go have a life!

Update 2 (6/26 4:00 pm): Images are updated (or removed) back to November of 2005. Unfortunately, RapidWeaver is not allowing me to edit journal entries past October 2005. I'll have to check their forums and see if anyone else is experiencing this problem. For right now, images in April through October 2005 will remain broken. Sorry about that.

Update 3 (6/27 1:30 am): The new About Me page is live with some facts about me, a cover letter, and a resumé. Additionally, a page is up for my presentations, and I will be adding both church and work related presentations here in QuickTime format. I'm stopping until tomorrow now.

Update 4 (6/28 6:45 am): Except for a few broken images in old blog entries and the Bible Lessons section, everything is pretty much back to normal. I'm going to stop updating this post now, but I've added a category for site updates to this journal. Sometime soon I'll be posting some impressions of my new DS Lite, and a couple of new lessons have been added to my Sermon Notes blog.

One of the more interesting aspects of working with Asperger Syndrome is that some of the qualities are very childlike in nature. In other words, you would almost expect any child to posses that given quality, but the aspie child will not necessarily "grow-out" of that quality as he/she reaches adulthood.

One such quality is that of literalness. Most individuals with Asperger Syndrome (and other forms of autism spectrum disorder for that matter) have a difficult time translating idioms, figures of speech, and sarcasm into the intended meaning. Furthermore, differentiating a rhetorical question or statement from a purposeful question or statement can pose a problem.

Three Examples

1. A mother is printing out an important document and runs out of printer paper. She calls to her son: "Can you run to the store and buy some more printer paper?" Forty-five minutes later, her son rather sweaty, the mother is handed a new ream of printer paper.

What happened? The child jogged to the store, bought the paper, and jogged back – exactly as he was asked to do.

2. A girl drops a bowl on the floor, and it breaks. Mom throws her arms up in the air and yells, "Well that's just great!" when she sees the mess. Hearing this, the girl proceeds to throw another bowl on the floor.

What did the girl hear? "That's just great!" Now you could probably read voice inflection into that statement, but the autistic individual may not be able to translate voice inflection in a meaningful way. Read the example again, and try to remove any inflection from your inner voice. Can you understand why the girl threw another bowl on the floor?

3. On a test, a boy reads the question: "Can you explain the theme of this book?" The student honestly writes, "No," in the provided space and proceeds to the next question. Later, he is shocked to see that answer marked as wrong.

Again, look at the wording of the question. "Can you explain..." The student answered the question, but he honestly misunderstood the meaning of that question.

Now, if I said each of these examples were 6-8 year-olds, you would shrug your shoulders and say something like, "Kids do the silliest things." However, what if these are all teenagers? Well, the first one is just dumb, I guess, and the other two may be mistaken as serious attitude problems.

A Simple Matter of Mistranslation

A child with Asperger Syndrome will be very intelligent in many areas, so much so that we adults who interact with them may forget those areas where they are still developing. They are not being smart-aleks when they fire off an answer to a rhetorical question. No attitude is intended when an unexpected answer is given to a request. It is just a simple mistranslation. You said one thing, the meaning clear in your head, but the receiver heard exactly what you said and took every syllable literally.

Examples like numbers two and three still throw me off occasionally to this day. I answer rhetorical questions all the time, and I (admittedly) have no clue how to pitch my voice to correctly use figures of speech, sarcasm, or rhetorical questions in my everyday conversations. In fact, I've given up on rhetorical questions so entirely, I couldn't even come up with an example of one in the above illustrations!

These language devices are very common in everyday speech – so much so that it would be a difficult conscious effort for many to avoid using one or all of them for an entire day, but don't assume that everyone who hears you understands your meaning. You may have listeners who only understand exactly what you say.

Tags: asd, education

Sheesh. How long has it been now since the MacBooks were released? Why haven't I posted about them yet? The truth is out there somewhere, and I think it lies in the land of laziness!

The Basics

The MacBook is a nice little machine. You can choose between a 1.83 GHz or a 2.0 GHz Intel Core Duo processor. Models ship with either a 60 BG or 80 GB hard drive, and you can custom order up to 120 GB. Each ships with 512 MB DDR2 SDRAM expandable to 2 GB. The base model has a Combo Drive (DVD-ROM/CD-RW), and the others have a basic Super Drive (DVD±RW/CD-RW). The MacBook has a built-in iSight, a 13.3" widescreen display, the usual array of Apple ports, and Intel GMA 950 integrated graphics.

In addition to the computer itself, the MacBook comes with the snazzy little Front Row remote, the iLife suite of applications, a nifty program called Comic Life, Freeverse Big Bang Board Games, Photo Booth, and Omni Outliner.

Prices range from $1,099 to $1,499.

The Surprises

The base price of the MacBook is up $100 from the iBook which started at $999. However, even the base MacBook is a much more full-featured laptop than even the $1,499 iBook was. For those who like more display real estate. The resolution of the MacBook display is 1280 x 800 as opposed to the iBook's 1024 x 768. The horizontal pixel gain is quite noticeable. Furthermore, in the display department, the MacBook supports extended desktop mode up to 1920 x 1200 (or a 23" Apple Cinema Display) and lid-closed mode up to the same resolution. The iBook only supports video mirroring.

Another nice addition came in the form of an optical digital input/line in. The audio port that used to be reserved for PowerBook G4s when they came out has finally filtered through the whole line. The lack of any audio-in port on the iBook used to be a major factor in me never considering one as a potential replacement for my PowerBook G3.

Finally, there is no Core Solo version of the MacBook. Because the entry level Mac mini features a Core Solo processor, I think most figured the MacBook would have one as well. In the end, I'm glad that the Core Duo made it in to these machines. Other nice features include the magnetic latch and the included Sudden Motion Sensor Technology. (Ooh, and the Front Row remote works with Keynote presentations. I know because the lady at the Apple Store let me try!)

Oh yeah, and it can come in black.

The Sacrifices

Where are the cuts that keep these 'books from being the Pro models? First of all, there is the graphics card – or lack thereof. The MacBook sports an Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 with 64 MB of shared memory. Yes, this means the graphics chip siphons off of your system memory. The solution? Buy more RAM! Ordering a MacBook with 1 GB of memory instead of 512 MB only costs $90. Modern games will not perform well on a machine with integrated graphics, but the MacBook runs Keynote presentations as well as H.264 high definition movie files like a champ.

Problematic for few, the MacBook (like its Pro counterparts, iMac, and Mac mini) has dropped the internal modem. If you need a modem, Apple sells a $49 USB modem. It's not ideal, but it's not a deal-breaker either. The only other cutback I found is in the fact that no Mini-DVI to Anything adapter is included, meaning presenters will have to spring for a $20 adapter before hooking their MacBook up to an external display. Really, at $20, Apple could have at least tossed in a Mini-DVI to VGA adapter.

Hands-On

I made a quick visit to our local Apple Store to give one of these a spin, and my first impressions were quite good. Launching applications and resizing windows felt snappy. Various H.264 QuickTime movies played very smoothly (and this is a file format that gives me headaches on my PowerMac from time to time). Photo Booth is a fun little application. Finally, Keynote, an extremely important application to me, worked smoothly and flawlessly.

From a hardware point of view, I still prefer the classic white model over the more expensive black design. The magnetic latch works well, and the MagSafe power cord functions exactly as expected. The redesigned keyboard is firm and responsive, and the scrolling track-pad is neat. I especially like the functionality that allows you to use the track-pad for both left- and right-clicking. Furthermore, the glossy display is fine. The colors are crisp, and there was hardly any glare on the screen in the Apple Store (which is a very brightly lit environment).

Conclusion

Overall, I am impressed with MacBook. Apple has done a nice job of balancing form and function as well as features and price. It's a very unique product in its own way, and I'm glad for the improvements Apple has made over the iBook line.

For more reading, see Ars Techica's review of the MacBook (9/10), Time Magazine (Gadget of the Week), PC World's review (4/5), and MacWorld's review (4.5/5).

Tags: technology, macintosh

Okay, seriously, in case you have been living under a rock lately, Apple has become much more competitive in their product prices since the switch to Intel processors (Mac mini notwithstanding). Although it may be an extreme example, this computer reviewed on C|Net is a great example of that.

Dell XPSM2010
Processor: 1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo
RAM: 1 GB
Display 20.1" 1680 x 1050
Graphics: ATI Mobility Radeon X1800 256 MB
Hard Drive: 80 GB
Optical Drive: DVD-ROM DVD±RW
Weight: 18.3 pounds
Price: USD $3500

Apple MacBook Pro
Processor: 2.16 GHz Intel Core Duo
RAM: 1 GB
Display: 17" 1680 x 1050
Graphics: ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 256 MB
Hard Drive: 120 GB
Optical Drive: DVD±RW (Dual-Layer)
Weight: 6.8 pounds
Price: USD $2800

Note that the MacBook Pro, while sporting a slightly smaller display, uses the same resolution – producing a crisper image. Furthermore, Apple's laptop has a faster processor and more storage as well. Really, the only advantage this Dell has is in its graphics card. Atop these advantages, the MacBook Pro has other features such as a sudden-motion sensor for the hard drive, a magnetic power cord, and a backlit keyboard, not to mention that the Dell seems to be missing any burning capabilities. Correction: It has a DVD burner – just not dual-layer.

If I go to Dell's store and custom order the XPS with the same hard drive size and processor speed as the MacBook Pro, its price raises to USD $3925! I'll concede that you can get laptops cheaper than anything Apple has to offer, but, if you are looking for a machine with comparable specs and design, Apple's prices suddenly become very competitive.

Tags: macintosh, technology, dell

May is the long dark tea time of the soul around here, resulting in the site pretty much going dormant for a month. Well, that is all over, and it's time to write about this year's DVD created for our fifth grade's completion ceremony.

The Process

Just like last year, no souls were tortured with Microsoft products throughout the duration of this project. Well, that's not quite true. I tried to burn a photo CD at work, but the computer kept crashing mid-burn. I still think the paltry 256 MB of memory on those things is the root of all evil.

• All photographs of teachers and children were dumped into iPhoto where they were organized and enhanced. This year's school album contained over 600 images at one point.
• The slideshow of images was assembled in Keynote and exported as a QuickTime file.
• All music was handled by Sibelius 3.
• The children were recorded using Audio Hijack and organized in iTunes.
• Everything gets put together in iMovie.
• iDVD finished everything up.

The Good

iPhoto never missed a beat, and the new editing features (coupled with Keynote 3's image enhancement options) allowed me to entirely remove Photoshop Elements from my workflow. Furthermore, with all of my media being stored in iPhoto and iTunes, nothing was more than a click or two away thanks to the Media Browser built into all of Apple's iWork and iLife applications. Have I ever mentioned that I love Keynote?

Sibelius 3 worked very smoothly this time around. Christine's emotional melodies once again provided great inspiration, and I was able to create more original content to compliment her material.

iMovie HD was great to work in, and it saved my bacon too. (More on that later.) Finally, iDVD was as simple and intuitive as ever. The Drop Zones Editor was a great addition to the interface of that product.

The Scary

iDVD (surprise) did cause one scary moment when it repeatedly crashed while encoding audio. Fortunately, I went back to iMovie and saved the whole package as a self-contained QuickTime file. With that done, iDVD had no problem burning the final DVD.

Life Lessons

Again, I allowed things to get rushed because I wanted to include some school functions that were just a couple of days before the completion ceremony. Consequently, I couldn't finish up the music until I knew for sure how long the slides were going to last, and I allowed myself no time to account for major glitches like the one I experienced. Because of this, I had no copies of the DVD to sell at the completion ceremony, and I had to take orders instead.

Furthermore, music composition became a frenzied process at the end, and the music did not quite match the visuals. There is one particularly apparent moment of awkward silence where I ran out of music. Fortunately, I was able to correct this for the DVDs that parents will be receiving.

The moral of the story? I need to set a date I want everything compiled by so I can enter into the duplication process with less time pressure. The final step is always where things go wrong. As a result, this is where I need to allow myself the most time. Anything that falls after that date will just not be included in the DVD.

The Conclusion of the Matter

Overall, the DVD went well. There was one major snag, but it was easily resolved. Time is my biggest enemy every year, and I just need to realize that I do have control over that variable. I was my own worst obstacle when it came to time, so that's something I can learn to work around.

Product Links

Apple iLife – includes iPhoto, iMovie HD, iDVD, GarageBand, and iWeb.

Apple iWork – includes Keynote 3 and Pages 2.

Sibelius – great composition software. It's now up to version 4.

Audio Hijack Pro – nice little recording app.

Tags: work, macintosh

April is Autism Awareness Month, so I thought it was about time I had a coming out of the closet (no – not that closet!) party for myself. Simply put, I have Asperger Syndrome, a pervasive developmental disorder closely associated with autism. To some of my peers and colleagues, this may come as a surprise. Others may have seen it from a mile away (as one told me when we were talking about this a couple of weeks ago). For most of my adult life, I have tried to hide behind a facade of being neurotypical, but I have finally come to terms with this enough to openly talk about it.

My History As An Aspie

The term "Asperger Syndrome" was not coined until 1981 (despite initial research being conducted nearly 40 years prior), and the diagnosis was added to the DSM IV in 1994. As a result, I was a freshman in high school before there was a category for my behaviors and social difficulties. During elementary school (in the 80s), you really fell into one of three categories: hyperactive, retarded, or "get over it." Autism at the time was considered a form of mental retardation, and you had to be pretty low-functioning to be labeled as autistic.

Since then, more study has been conducted on the broad spectrum of autism and related conditions – referred to as pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs). Unfortunately, this work was of no benefit to me as I struggled emotionally with the difficulties of my condition; I was the weird kid, a target for bullies, and a loner. I found more solace in my collections than in other humans. Mind you, this is not meant to create a heart-wrenching drama. I'm just putting things in perspective.

I became what seemed to be a very self-absorbed adolescent, which is a common perception of many individuals with AS. Friendships were rocky and short-lived. I absolutely could not handle rejection of any form, and I was slumping into deeper and deeper depression as I entered high school. I was a complete and total mess. I would even make up elaborate lies about my health or some other aspect of my life in order to create some kind of connection (even if it was a fraudulent one) with my peers.

Then something happened. My sophomore year in high school, I began emulating behaviors of individuals I felt were socially successful. Over time, individuals like Ben L. & Kevin S. at church became social role models (though they were unaware of their status), and I learned my facade – a facade I still implement to this day when I am in social situations. Internally, I was still a wreck, but I could talk a good talk, and that made school easier. My last three years at high school were great, and I even met my wife during this time period!

Interestingly enough, it was Crystal who, while majoring in psychology in college, first brought up autism as a possible explanation for my bizarre private behaviors – rocking ceaselessly, finger biting, repeating phrases, seemingly unpredictable outbursts, aversion to spontaneity. However, I had not experienced a language delay (one of autism's defining characteristics), nor did I seem to experience the physical seizures that sometimes accompany the condition. In contrast, my linguistic abilities as a child were quite pronounced, and I often read books far above my grade level.

I had been teaching for a year when I met a child who could have been my clone. Physically, emotionally, and socially, this child was me all over. He was a fifth grader, and his teacher (the talented and lovely Ms. Hill) was convinced he was autistic. His fourth grade teacher (the equally talented but not-quite-as-lovely Mr. Hall) shared the same suspicions. However, his parents were extremely reluctant to concede to testing. Ms. Hill did not want this child to enter middle school without the proper services in place, so she was persistent.

At the time, I was mentoring this child, and I was making as many discoveries about myself as I was helping this child with. If he was autistic, surely I had to be. We had a very good bond, and his parents were quite fond of my involvement with their son. Consequently, in mid-Spring, I sat down with his mom and dad and spelled out the fact that there was a good chance that I'm autistic. Their son was a carbon clone of my former self, and they would be doing him a disservice by not having him tested. They agreed.

When the test results came back, autism was not the label. Asperger Syndrome was, and, at last, I had my diagnosis. AS fit me like a glove, but I remained very private about it, confiding only in a handful of associates. I even kept my direct supervisor out of the loop until March of this year (and I've been employed in the same place for five years now). You see, I was grateful to finally have a clear picture of myself, but I've been terrified of how others would react.

Behaviors & Workarounds

Many behaviors associated with Asperger Syndrome permeate my life, and, at home, these behaviors can be very pronounced. However, in public, I can usually temper them enough to avoid looking too strange.

Talking to Myself. Let me set the record straight: I'm not actually talking to myself. I'm holding a hypothetical conversation with someone who's not there. For example, if I'm thinking through a problem regarding helping a child read, I may pretend I'm talking to one of our literacy coaches, and I try to verbalize how I think she would answer my questions or constructively criticize my ideas. Most of the time, I can avoid doing this when people are around.

Self Stimulation. "Stimming," Stereotyped behaviors, what ever you want to call them – I can avoid most in public except for the rocking. I usually just pretend I'm cold – which I often am anyway, but it has nothing to do with the rocking.

Echolalia. This has always been sporadic. I'm much more likely to repeat myself than I am to repeat you. If I do repeat you, I've learned to turn the voice inflection to sound inquisitive. It's like the old joke about psychiatry: turn the last word of your patient's last sentence into a question, and you sound interested.

Eye Contact. I'm looking at the bridge of your nose or your eyebrows. Most people can't tell the difference.

Literalness. I still have struggles with this. I answer rhetorical questions. I take sarcasm seriously (though I understand how to use it thanks to Peanuts). I'm pretty good at noticing idioms and figures of speech when they are used, but that doesn't mean I necessarily know what they mean. My wife finds endless amusement in this fact, and my reaction to the first time I heard the phrase "Quit Cold Turkey" is a running joke around our house.

Emotional Vacancy. I can emulate the proper voice inflections and facial expressions for most emotions. Empathy is still a major challenge to demonstrate. It does get on my nerves when the term "emotionless" (or something similar) is used to describe AS. We experience the very same emotions you do. We just express them differently, and we have as hard of a time reading your emotions as you do ours. It's not a lack of emotion; it's a lack of nonverbal communication interpretation.

Meltdowns. I prefer the term "social seizure" because that is exactly what these feel like. I can usually defer these when others are around. In other words, I can put it off until later. Usually, I become very quiet when a social seizure is about to hit, and I may seem completely non-responsive for a moment. Then, I'll pop back to being engaged. I haven't avoided the meltdown. It's merely waiting in the sidelines until I'm alone. Noise is a huge trigger for me, and I've been accused by colleagues of going too easy on my classes when they become rowdy. The truth is that I am trying so hard not to inappropriately overreact that my behavior swings to the polar opposite. This is actually a huge area of challenge for me working in an elementary school, and it is the sole reason I seldom accomplish much during my prep periods.

I could really go on ad nauseam here. Really, an individual with Asperger Syndrome may have deficient coping skills, but his self-help skills are in tact. Once I figure out that a certain behavior of mine may seem odd to peers, I can usually find a way to mask it. Please understand, though, that this does not mean I have eliminated the behavior – I can only keep my act up for so long. Sometimes I do social seizure in public. Sometimes I do stare at the floor while talking to others. Sometimes I do pick at my face or chew my fingers in public. My seemingly outgoing and personable facade is just that: a cover. It is an act that takes concentration and energy to maintain. Some days are easier than others.

The Trade Off

Do I view my condition as a disability? Yes and no. Socially, Asperger Syndrome has leveled a heavy price in my life. I have few close friends. Many of my peers view me as eccentric or strange, and I do not fit in well during social events. I have a hard time engaging others in conversation, and I am much more likely to eat at a table by myself than I am to approach others or be invited by others. I come of as a trifle self-centered because I will try to steer conversation to topics I am interested in – topics many others find dull or tedious. No matter how many people I am around, I am still very much alone.

On the other hand, I am very smart. However, I do have a hard time broadly applying acquired skills and knowledge. I was reading Beverly Cleary & Judy Blume at six and Tom Clancy & J.R.R. Tolkien by the time I was twelve. In middle school, high school, and college, I would test very high in math, even when being tested on material for which I had never received formal instruction. I just "get" computers. One could say I like computers more than most people (by which I mean, I like most computers more than I like most people). I hold my own when watching Jeopardy, and I'm better at Double Jeopardy than the first round; Old Testament names give me very few problems; I am a Scrabble freak.

In other words, Asperger Syndrome is really a trade off. My IQ hovers around 130-140. On the other hand, my unaltered EQ is probably <80. (I say "unaltered" because I am quite capable of acting like an individual with a much higher EQ for a few hours at a time.) What I've lost in one area of my development I've made up for in the other.

The End

So there you have it. I'm outed, as the saying goes. Hopefully this entry helps you understand me a little better, and I will continually try to find ways to improve my methods of handling my condition. I have no desire for a cure (if such a thing is even possible – a discussion for another post), and medication of any kind is very aversive to me. AS is part of who I am and part of my individuality – something I do not want stolen from me. Asperger is my buddy, and, now that we're all acquainted, I hope we can get along.

Tags: asd, memoirs

Here we are with our new family member Cymry (Kim-ree)! He's a Corgi mix, and we adopted him from a rescue shelter. He's about 1.5 years old and weighs in at 26 pounds. He has adjusted well to our household, and he's definitely helping us get some exercise through walking. Additionally, he has taken to our couches and bed very readily. He likes to sleep in weekend mornings, so he's a dog right after my heart!

Hopefully, he'll be part of our family for many years to come!

Tags: family

I have to admit that I have been Microsoft hating just a little more than I would like lately, so I thought I would balance the karma with a post about something Microsoft is currently working on that intrigues me.



This is a picture of the Ribbon in MS Office 2007 (yoinked from Jensen Harris' great journal about the evolution of the MS Office interface and all of the work that goes into a project like this). Basically, it takes the place of the complicated system of menus, submenus, and toolbars Office has been using for the last decade or so.

Why does this intrigue me so?

First of all, the Ribbon reminds me of the Inspector found in Pages and Keynote (probably inherited from their NeXT ancestors), which are two of my favorite applications. Now don't get me wrong. I am not saying Microsoft is copying Apple with the Ribbon. I think the manners of implementation are different enough to be considered distinct concepts. However, despite its shortcomings, I like the iWork Inspector, and I find myself drawn to the Ribbon in Office 2007 because of the noted similarity.

Additionally, the Ribbon seems like an effort on the behalf of Microsoft to demystify Office to a certain extent. How often have you or someone you've worked grown frustrated with PowerPoint, Excel, or Word because feature XYZ is so buried in a sea of menus and dialog boxes that a strategy guide is needed to traverse the apparent labyrinth? I know I have. With the Ribbon, more features are accessible at the highest level of interface – right in front of your face.

Unfortunately, the Office Ribbon still contains some of Microsoft's signature clutter:



I mean, really, where do you even begin with this mess? How can this be streamlined and simplified without losing functionality and meaningfulness? Right now, this Write Ribbon from MS Word 2007 is an aesthetic nightmare. In all respect, though, pretty much any setting you need for formatting text is very accessible. In direct contrast, the default toolbar for Pages 2 is very unobtrusive, but a user (who has not found the Inspector) may be left wondering how to do so much as make his/her text bold or change the font size.

Where is the happy medium? Where does usability meet simplicity, and how can feature- richness be communicated without visual clutter? Can the ideas of the iWork Inspector, the Office 2007 Ribbon, and the simplicity of an Apple toolbar be merged? To me, the Ribbon is the most interesting interface element to come out of Redmond in years, and I am interested in seeing how it evolves as Office 2007 nears completion.

Tags: software, microsoft

Not more than a couple of days after I learn about Monaco, I see this little entry on M-Dollar about Windows Live Product Search and Academic Search, and I've come to a conclusion. I don't think Microsoft purposefully sets out to be the big imitator it comes off looking like. I think this "me too" image is purely the result of not knowing when to say, "enough is enough."

For the past decade (give or take), Microsoft has basically owned the operating systems market. Atop that, they dominate the market for office productivity. These two markets are highly lucrative, but it doesn't stop there.

• The Internet becomes popular. Browsers begin to emerge, and, after a few years of watching, Microsoft decides it wants to own the browser market and releases Internet Explorer. Of course, for the best web experience, websites should be optimized for IE. Sure, it may damage how they render in other browsers, but that's just collateral damage.
  
  
• Microsoft wakes up one day and notices that game consoles have been popular for the last twenty years. Perhaps it's time to jump into that market and try to dominate it with the One Development Platform to Rule Them All (which only works with Windows-based PCs and XBox, but you didn't want to develop for anything else). However, Microsoft did get online console gaming right.
  
  
• Security seems like a growing market on PCs. After all, active viruses are only a small problem (and this list doesn't even count trojans as far as I can tell). Microsoft notices a couple of companies are making money selling security software, so they decide that they will try to own that market as well with OneCare.
  
  
• Digital music seems to be doing well. There are quite a few retailers of digital music, and many of them require Windows Media Player. This seems to Microsoft like a great market to jump in and try to dominate as well.
  
  
• Companies like Google and Yahoo do well with the search market. In fact, Microsoft has already been overtaken in the initial round of the search engine battles. Does this deter Redmond? No. Defeat merely serves to infuriate the giant.

Is this list comprehensive? It is not even close, but it does serve to illustrate how Microsoft comes off as a copier. In each of these instances, Microsoft was late to the market. In fact, the market was well established before the Redmond Giant lumbered in. They can't sit back and allow other companies to fulfill the various niches the technology market allows. Microsoft seems to feel it has some Manifest Destiny to dominate in each and every sector of the market. As a result, Microsoft has to play catch-up with the products already available to consumers, and feature replication (a la Froogle) becomes inevitable. In the end, Microsoft looks like a bully, and their "innovative" features are just variations on what is already available. Hence, "Redmond, start your photocopiers."

Tags: opinion, microsoft, software

As watermarked, this photo is from MacMinute.com.

You know, back in 2004, when Apple unveiled this poster and others like it at its World Wide Developers Conference, it seemed like a pretty snarky thing to do. Despite the snide approach, many Mac users would say it rings true. Even some Windows users attest to it:

"If you're familiar with iCal, you know all you need to know about Windows Calendar."

"...just know that a DVD movie making application, similar to Apple's iDVD, is on the way."

--Paul Thurrott's SuperSite for WIndows December Vista Preview 2.

Still, some of Microsoft's moves seem logical at the time. For example, Outlook will not be shipping with the Home & Student edition of Office 2007, so bundling a simple Calendar application with Vista makes sense. Microsoft Movie Maker (a blatant rip-off of iMovie) is already offered for XP. Adding a DVD creator is the next logical step. Okay, it would have been a logical simultaneous step, but we're talking about Microsoft here, and slow progress is expected.

In truth, up until now, I was never much of a "Microsoft copies Apple" screamer. I mean, really:

• Adding a nicer interface and finally making use of graphics cards just makes sense even though OS X has been concentrating on this aspect for a while now.
  
  
• Yes, Safari beat Internet Explorer to RSS support, but I believe Firefox had RSS even before Safari.
  
  
• Yes, Apple had iTunes before Microsoft added a store to Windows Media Player, but they could've gotten that idea from anyone.
  
  
• Sure, Vista gadgets look like a Windows version of Apple's Dashboard, but Konfabulator and Desktop X were doing this first.
  
  
• Yeah, Apple supported drag-and-drop positively years before Microsoft did, but isn't drag-and-drop a natural evolution of GUI?
  
  
• Sorry, Windows had Fast User Switching before OS X.

Yes, Apple has beaten Microsoft to the punch with many things we now take for granted, but the tables have been turned from time to time. It is not a foregone conclusion that Microsoft just sits back and waits to see what Apple does so they can copy it. At least, that's what I thought.

Then I came along this – a project codenamed Monaco. I'm sorry, but how blatant and cheap is that? Let's see. Apple fulfills a niche market by offering GarageBand to its users through iLife, and Microsoft says, "Hey, they have a toy we don't! Let's do it too." It's not enough that there are plenty of third-party music sequencers for Windows. No, it seems that because Apple is making the product and bundling it with their computers (effectively making it seem like part of the OS), Microsoft absolutely has to do the exact same thing.

This is just sad. Redmond, start your photocopiers indeed.

Tags: software, microsoft, opinion, wwdc

Wow. Just wow. Things must be really cold right here at the moment. Thanks to Boot Camp (have to love Apple product names, even the temporary ones), Intel Macs can now dual-boot Mac OS X and WIndows XP.

I have to admit to not knowing what to think of this. On one hand, this could generate a lot of consumer interest in the Macintosh as switching is no longer an all-or-nothing proposition. Furthermore, this could be great for the education sector. Think about it; you can now teach about all of the major operating platforms on one machine.

On the other hand, I remember talking once to a developer who thought creating a Mac port of her product was a waste of time because Mac users could always pay for a copy of Virtual PC + Windows to run her software really slowly, and that solution was good enough. This move could potentially encourage some developers to get really lazy. "You want to use our software? Just dual-boot."

Should Apple be able to retain the developers, this could be a good move. As I earlier mentioned, this could entice people who might otherwise view purchasing a Mac as a risky investment.

Despite the weirdness of this announcement, you have to love some of the barbs Apple dishes out to Microsoft on the Boot Camp product page:

On BIOS & EFI:

"Macs use an ultra-modern industry standard technology called EFI to handle booting. Sadly, Windows XP, and even the upcoming Vista, are stuck in the 1980s with old-fashioned BIOS. But with Boot Camp, the Mac can operate smoothly in both centuries."

On Security:

"Windows running on a Mac is like Windows running on a PC. That means it’ll be subject to the same attacks that plague the Windows world. So be sure to keep it updated with the latest Microsoft Windows security fixes."

(Actually, I would avoid the internet with the Windows partition as much as possible!)

In the end, in case you can't tell, I really don't know what to make of this announcement. The thought of running Windows on a Mac makes me want to wash my brain out with soap, but I can understand the appeal to others. I just hope the major Mac-supporting developers stay on board, and I hope the smaller developers like Delicious Monster, RealMac Software, Panic, and the Omni Group continue to make their awesome Mac-only products that help make this platform unique.

I guess I, like many others, will just have to sit back and see where this goes.

Update 4/6:
A favorite blogger of mine, John Gruber posted this interesting write-up on what this whole Boot Camp thing means for the Mac. The article is called, "Windows: The New Classic." (Warning: language.) Toward the end of the article, he makes an interesting observation about the Boot Camp icon (which seems spot on), and he includes one of my favorite recent geek jokes in the article as well:

"What's the difference between OS X and Vista? Microsoft employees are excited about OS X..."

Additionally, I mentioned the potential for the Boot Camp solution in the classroom. Actually, this looks like a much more interesting solution for multiple platform environments.

Tags: software, microsoft, opinion, os x

The following post is completely unreliable speculation based on the fact that I've been wanting to use the name "MacBook mini" in a sentence for some time now:

Some predict the processor in this machine will end up in the upcoming Macbook (successor to the iBook). I disagree. I say this processor will be in the MacBook mini. 11"-widescreen TFT, 1.2 GHz ULV Core Solo, 512 MB DDR memory, 60 GB hard drive, Combo Drive, Intel Integrated Graphics, $999 USD. A tablet version will be available for $1,299 USD. (Oh, and the enclosure will resemble the finish of the iPod nano!)

Oh, yeah. You heard it here first. (Initiate Emperor's New Groove-style dance.)

Tags: silly, technology

I used to be a Mac-hater – honestly. I remember thinking of the Mac as a "toy" that couldn't run most programs, nor would my files be compatible with it because it couldn't run Windows 95, which was, to me, the pinnacle of all things computing at the time. Please understand, I was in my teens at time, and Apple was in its darkest hours. All Apple press was bad press. Yes, I was a teen in the 90s.

I remember seeing this poster my freshman year of college and thinking,"How lame. That has to be about the most hideous computer I've ever seen."



Then I took a long hard look at my IBM Aptiva. It was no looker either. In fact, it took up a whole lot more desk space than that iMac would. Furthermore, I began using the Macs on campus more and more. I even found myself beginning to make excuses to use the lab PowerMac G3s (not the blue & whites) rather than my home machine. I began messing with the iMacs on display at CompUSA, and the pretty colors of the revised iMacs became all the more mesmerizing.

Finally, in 2000 I got my first Mac: a graphite iMac with a 400 MHz G3 processor. A G3 PowerBook soon followed and became home to all my college assignments. (In retrospect, I could have probably made due with only the PowerBook, but my limited computer knowledge of the time never suggested that a laptop could have replaced a desktop.)

Even after a couple months of experience on the machines, I have to admit I was not necessarily completely sold on being a repeat customer. Mac OS 9 was fun and all, but it didn't give me anything Windows 9x really lacked – well, other than not being completely hideous, a problem that plagues Windows to this day. However, I became sold the minute I got my hands on the Public Beta of Mac OS X. My iMac would not transition until Jaguar, but my PowerBook has been an OS X machine from the moment the Public Beta hit my doorstep.

Since then, I have used every release of Mac OS X. I am an iLife and an iWork junkie, and I am currently the proud owner of A PowerMac G5 (1.8 GHz SP, 900 MHz FSB). Surprisingly enough, the G3 PowerBook I mention in recent posts is that same G3 from 6 years ago, and that 6-year-old iMac? It currently resides with my wife's grandparents as their web browsing and email machine, and it probably still has some life left in it. The iMac is running OS X 10.3.9, and the PBG3 is running OS X 10.4.5. I wonder how many 6-year-old PCs are running XP SP2?

So will my next computer be a Mac? Do you really have to ask? My laptop is in bad need of replacement (as I've done everything in my power to run it onto the ground), and I've even resorted to packing my G5 up when giving important presentations. I just can't seem to trust my old PBG3 to make through an intensive Keynote slideshow anymore – something about the app requiring a G4 processor. Needless to say, the new Core Duo MacBook Pro is looking very attractive indeed.

Apple is turning 30, and I've been a Mac user for one-fifth of that time. Here's to many more years of "insanely great" products that dare to "think different."

Tags: technology

Ten reasons you know you've been playing too much Dragon Quest VIII (in no particular order):



• For some reason, only green books interest you (bonus if said book is on the second shelf).

• You wish you could add skill points to your charisma or sex appeal.

• You see a cow in a field and wonder if touching it will give you a bottle of milk.

• You go to Victoria's Secret looking for a "dangerous bustier."

• You start randomly entering houses and rummaging through cabinets and other possessions. When the police cart you away, you retort, "You don't understand! The goddess put those there for me!"

• You begin mistaking Chuck E. Cheese tokens for mini medals and demand a Staff of Divine Wrath from the poor kid working at the exchange counter.

• You think more girls should go around wearing bunny suits.

• You randomly throw clothing and objects into a boiling pot hoping that something better will pop out in 30 minutes.

• You collect "cow-pats."

• You secretly want a pony, hoping it really turns out to be a princess.

Bonus: You go to 11 if you ordered the $40 PS2 controller that looks like a blue slime!

Tags: video games, silly

Okay, so here are the (slightly truncated) system requirements for Office 2004 and iLife '06, respectively.

Office 2004

• Processor: G3 (Mac OS X compatible) or higher
• OS: Mac OS X 10.2.8+
• Memory 256 MB

iLife '06

• Processor: 500MHz G4 or faster, G5, or Core processor
• OS: Mac OS X 10.3.9 or 10.4.3+
• Memory: 256 MB (512 MB recommended)
• Video: 32 MB

So, my PowerBook has a 500 MHz G3 processor, Mac OS X 10.4.5, 512 MB RAM, and an 8 MB video card. For a recent slideshow I created to help my kids memorize words to their program songs, which application do you think ran more smoothly – PowerPoint 2004 (from Office 2004) or Keynote 3 (form iLife '06)?

If you guessed PowerPoint, you are WRONG.

As long as I used simple transitions, such as appear or dissolve, Keynote transitioned between slides much more smoothly than PowerPoint. We're talking multiple second delays in PowerPoint whenever I would tap the spacebar to change slides while Keynote was near instantaneous. (Again, I had to watch what I was doing.) Even when editing the slides, Keynote felt slightly snappier.

Look back at the system requirements now. My machine doesn't even meet iLife's base specifications while it exceeds Office's! Try to figure that one out...

Tags: macintosh, technology

I've reloaded the attachment disorder presentation in a smaller resolution (which means a smaller download) with some typos fixed. In the meantime, I'm working on two more presentations for school: another one on classroom management and one on using Scrabble in the classroom. Take a guess which one is turning out to be more fun to put together.

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Additionally, I am overhauling the slides on attachment disorder, but I will probably keep the old slides online. Hopefully, it will make for an interesting comparison of two drastically different approaches to the same content. Here's a sneak peak:



That's all for now!

So I got this weird phone call a couple of night's ago. I was cleaning at the time – more accurately, I was fixating on some unusual spots on our kitchen floor – so the call caught me off guard. Slightly shaken, I picked up the phone with the usual, "Hello?"

"Hi, David. It's [some name I don't remember]. Blah, blah, blah..."

"Um, I think you have a wrong number. I'm not David, and I don't recognize your name."

Now, at this point, I expected the usual apology for a wrong number, and I was getting ready to hear a hasty "good-bye." Only, it didn't happen. The lady kept talking. I don't even know what she was saying – nor did I at the time – I was so knocked out of kilter by the fact that her voice was still going.

"Can I speak to your lovely wife?" My wrong-number-who-wouldn't-shut-up asked.

"Wife? She's out of town." At this point I should mention that I have a high-functioning ASD and was having a hard time making heads or tails of the situation. I didn't know why this person was still talking, clearly ignoring the fact tat I was not – nor am I now – David. I didn't know if I had perhaps misheard her name. After all, I had been fixating just prior to the call, so my brain might not have caught up with the auditory information I was receiving. All I could do was answer her question.

Presently, the woman went on to explain that my (David's?) wife had been invited to some party, and she had not RSVP'd. Things were still not adding up, so I ask for the woman's name again. She tells me, and I answer, "I don't know that name." By now, frustration was beginning to creep into my voice.

"Okay, whatever," my masked caller responded. "I'll talk to you later."

I hung up the phone, mildly confused, and wondering what the kitchen floor thought of the whole ordeal. I crouched back down with my Lysol and 409, getting back to my obsessive scrubbing when it suddenly dawned on me that the lady on the phone had thought I was lying to her. It made perfect sense – the way she kept going on after my first attempt to disengage, the "whatever" and the "I'll talk to you later." She must have thought I was just trying to avoid her! I couldn't clean for the rest of the night ... well, except for some dusting and vacuuming ...

Now I'm sure there is some moral to this story, but I haven't figured it out yet. It was so strange, though, that I had to tell someone about it!

Tags: silly, asd

... To post about Tuesday's Apple media event.

To put is succinctly, Apple's announcements were, in the words of Steve Jobs, "medium-scale." There is nothing terribly exciting here, nor did the Steve, who appears much more subdued and laid-back in this presentation, make any pretense that the products announced were much more than evolutionary steps of the Apple product matrix.

The iPod Hi-Fi

Mr. Jobs probably put the most emphasis on this product, mainly because this is the only completely new product introduced Tuesday. In truth, despite my musical background, currently I know little about frequencies. All I know is that my music, from Dave Matthews Band to the Beatles to Mahler to Glass, all sounds fine in iTunes, so it would probably sound dandy with these speakers. I imagine this is a nice accessory, but at $350, it's a bit pricey – and that's coming from a die-hard Mac fan.

Regardless, it does fit the Mac aesthetic quite well. The fact that it works with the Apple Remote is welcome. Also, it does feature audio-in, possibly placing it in a position to be an add-on for someone wanting to get a Mac mini as a media center.

Intel Mac mini

I like the Mac mini. It's cute and functional, but I'll probably never own one myself. (However, I wouldn't mind pairing one up with a Smart Board in my classroom!) This Mac mini boasts some new features, most notably two extra USB ports, built-in Bluetooth and Airport, Gigabit Ethernet, a SATA hard drive, and Front Row/Apple Remote support. The downsides are a $100 price hike and an integrated video processor which will eat off system memory. Of course, buying more RAM when you order will alleviate this problem.

On the whole integrated graphics issue: first, there appears to be little room for a dedicated graphics card in this thing. Since Apple seems to be pretty strict about maintaining form factors lately, integrated graphics may have been the only option. Furthermore, it seems that this is still a significant upgrade to the G4 mini's graphics system despite the fact it isn't exactly geared toward high-end gaming. I'm interested to mess with one of these in our local Apple Store.

I imagine we'll see some new products in a few more weeks as April draws close. I'm personally hoping for some revved iBooks. (The MacBook Pro is way out of my league.) However, I do hope future iBooks – or will they be MacBooks? – do have a dedicated video card and not some integrated system.

Tags: macintosh, technology

Crystal's mother has been in the ER all night due to severe abdominal pains. She has been there nearly twelve hours, but we still don't have a firm answer on the reason.

Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

Update 2/9:

It turns out that there was a mass on her ovaries. Fortunately, the growth was benign, and no further treatment will be needed. Crystal has been with her mom nearly non-stop for the past 48+ hours.

While it's distressful to have any family member undergo such a procedure, we do feel blessed that the surgery turned out as it did, and Crystal's mom should be home very soon.

Thanks to those who have been so supportive during this ordeal.

Tags: family

On an initial side note, I was planning on sticking something like this on my site (being a good Mac citizen and all), but the great site MacInTouch has beaten me to the punch. MacInTouch is a great first resource if you are experiencing technical difficulties with your Mac.

Speaking of technical difficulties, you know that presentation coming up this Friday? Well, early on in development, I realized my G3 PowerBook was not up to the task of running a Keynote presentation and demoing the iLife software in a manner that looked anything less than excruciating. Enter Dad's iBook – not an ideal machine for this job but better than the alternative.

The first order of business was putting in more RAM. It had 256MB, which, as any Mac OS X user will tell you, is less than you want to have. The first idea was to get another 256 MB module to bump up to 512 MB. The only problem was that no one around here seems to stock 256 MB RAM modules anymore, so we had to go with a 512 MB module, giving my father a grand total of 768 MB. Dandy.

With that out of the way, I was using his iBook at church to take notes when the screen began to freak out on me. Sometimes it would just die; other times, colored gibberish would streak around until it died. However, if we played around with the hinge, the picture might come back. Did I mention that this problem cropped up on Sunday – six days before the presentation?

Fast forward to Monday. It's apparent that this is a serious problem, so my wonderful wife trucks the iBook over to our local Apple Store (who treated her like an idiot, but that is another post for another day). The iBook has to be sent away to be worked on and won't be back for AT LEAST five days. Fortunately, my wife asked a question that would have never dawned on me: "Can we rent out a laptop?"

Thanks to her quick thinking, I have a G4 PowerBook to deliver the presentation with. Still, the Apple Store failed to throw in an ADC to VGA display adapter, but I fortunately have one because my G5 tower came with one. Let's just pray nothing else goes wrong between now and Friday.

Saturday, I'll write up a postmortem on how the presentation as a whole went.

Tags: work, technology

Take a look at this:



iPhoto has abandoned brushed metal. This is also true of iMovie and iDVD (which also got a spiffy new icon). Each of these applications has adopted the "Them With No Name" that iTunes introduced last fall, retaining the slightly darker appearance of brushed metal, but smoother and without those thick edges brushed apps (like the Finder) have.

I wonder if iCal, Finder, and the other remaining brushed metal applications will all adopt this look by the release of Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. Only time will tell.

Tags: software

Well, perhaps that is an overstatement, but I can't remember feeling so giddy during a SteveNote presentation since the PowerMac G5s were unveiled at WWDC 2003 (and I tend to get slightly giddy during any presentation given by Steve Jobs).

First, I like the iLife and iWork updates. Sure, there is still no dedicated spreadsheet application in iWork, but the additions to Pages and Keynote look great. As far as iLife goes, iPhoto has me the most interested, though the enhancements to the other apps – particularly iMovie and iDVD – will be welcome, especially since I haven't updated iLife for two years now.

The new Intel iMac is cool. I like the current form factor, so retaining it wasn't a bad thing. However, it would be nice if there was some way of distinguishing it from the PowerPC iMac other than the specs on the box. Regardless, it seems to be getting quite the performance boost for no more cost. No complaints from this gallery.

What really floored me was this:



Say hello to the MacBook Pro. Alright, so no points for the name, but a hundred points for the computer itself. Don't get me wrong, I fell in love with the PowerBook G4 long ago, but this thing just stole my geeky heart. 1.67 or 1.83 GHz Intel Duo processor, 667 MHz frontside bus (as compared to 167 MHz on the G4), Mobility Radeon X 1600, optical audio, dual-layer DVD burning, built-in iSight, backlit keyboard – I could go on and on.

It's everything the PowerBook was plus one important factor: Power.

Questionably, Apple has removed the FireWire 800 port, which strikes me as odd, and, according to this Infinite Loop post, battery life is somewhat disappointing. It is worth noting, though, that these machines do not ship until February, and progress could be made on the battery front between now and then.

Regardless of these apparent shortcomings, there is little to complain about here. This is one nice laptop, and it is easily the most competitive laptop Apple has released in a while. Sure, a Dell would be still cheaper, but it just wouldn't be a Mac. Congratulations, Apple, the Intel transition is underway. Here's to hoping the next several months go smoothly!

Tags: macintosh, technology, macworld