I don't know whether it's just me, but the one thing that I've always felt was lacking from Spotlight was the ability to quickly and easily reveal the enclosing folder for search results. It was never a major problem, but on the rare occasion when I do use Spotlight, I often seem to need to see the search result's containing folder. Earlier I was looking up a rogue "mds" process which was hogging 60% of my MacBook's CPU when I came across an article on Macintouch, with this little tidbit at the end from Chong-Yee. "Apple's "Spotlight Tips" page is good, but doesn't include the following tip I discovered. If you want to reveal a file in its enclosing folder from the drop down Spotlight results list, hold down the Command key and click the result."
This is probably something I should have discovered on my own anyway (holding down Command during any action in OS X usually reveals some kind of useful alternative action), but because the problem wasn't so annoying that I felt the need to research it (hence my accidental discovery) I never thought to try. Usually I'd click "show all", and then right click the item and press "reveal in Finder". That usually took a few seconds -- now the process takes less than a single second.
This personal example reminds me of Steve Garfield's entertaining interview with David Pogue (seriously, check out the bit at the end where David sings and plays the piano) where he talks about cool shortcuts that developers put into their work which, for whatever reason, don't make their way in the official documentation.
Conrad Quilty-Harper, a writer for Mac site TUAW.com, has decided to continue using his Macintosh computer, countering the recent trend for high profile Ubuntu switches
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Canterbury, Kent, United Kingdom (July 26th, 2006) - Conrad Quilty-Harper, a writer for the popular Macintosh blog, The Unofficial Apple Weblog, has announced a bold plan to continue using Mac OS X for the foreseeable future. According to Conrad, this move is partly in reaction to the recent trend for relatively high profile figures across the web to announce their plan to switch away from the Mac OS operating system to Linux-based operating systems, in particular Ubuntu.
On the subject of Ubuntu switchers Cory Doctorow,Mark Pilgrim and now Bryan O'Bryan, the owner of Mac modding and hacking site ResExcellence, Conrad said, "I just don't care." He also poses the question, "Since when did a person's computing platform of choice become a matter that must be announced to the public?"
As an example of his extraordinary resilience, Conrad says that he will continue to use the Mac until either his needs exceed the Mac operating system's capabilities, or he gets a life and decides that he didn't need a computer anyway. Conrad also states that he agrees with John Gruber's point of view regarding the Ubuntu switching trend. "I defend the right of others to switch to other operating systems, and even to point out the shortcomings of the OS they are switching away from, but please, can we stop the whole 'NEWSFLASH: random dude switches away from the Mac!' nonsense?"
Just as everyone expected, Apple has released a Bluetooth version of the Mighty Mouse, bringing wireless capabilities to the peripheral for the first time. Like the recent FCC filing leak suggested, the device is powered by AA batteries, but according to the tech specs on Apple's site the new wireless mouse can be powered by just one battery, although there is room for a second. Another tidbit about the new mouse is that the tracking is based around a laser, not the optical method used by the wired version. That should mean greater accuracy. Everything else about the wireless Mighty Mouse seems to be identical (are the side "buttons" an off-white color in the regular Mighty Mouse?) to the wired version.
The new wireless laser Mighty Mouse comes in at $69.99, so it's up to you whether you think the wireless and laser capabilities are worth the $20 premium over the regular wired version. Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
Saw thison digg: Dennis Sellers, a writer over at Macsimum News writes:
"Now that the MacBook Pro, MacBook and iMacs all have built-in iSights, it makes sense for Apple to revamp its display line and include the same feature" and "if such updated monitors are in the works, it will be interesting to see whether Apple offers them with glossy and non-glossy screen options as it does with the MacBook."
Now, a bunch of -- what I can only assume to be matt screen loving/iSight hating -- digg users have reported that the story may be inaccurate, but how far from the truth can it be? You don't need to be a genius to see MacBooks with iSights and glossy screens and think "hey, maybe Apple will make new Cinema Displays with those features!" We even guessed this in the latest edition of the TUAW podcast just over a month ago -- if we could guess it, everyone and their dog should be able to! Yet more evidence that the majority of Apple rumors consist of Mac users looking at Apple's current line-up and letting their mind wander into the land of obvious features.
When was the last time there was a factual Mac rumor about something that wasn't immediately obvious? Or, for that matter, the last time that an obvious Mac rumor was inaccurate?
Last week I carried out an interview with Peter Molyneux (the founder of Lionhead Studios which has games like Black & White, Fable and The Movies to its name) over at TUAW sister site Joystiq. I made sure to ask him a question or two about the state of Mac gaming because one, I *used* to be a relatively hardcore Mac gamer and two, Lionhead has a track record of bringing all of its games to the Mac. That isn't changing with Microsoft's recent acquisition of the company (haven't we heard all this before?!).
The relevant part of the interview: "There's this Catch 22 situation where not many people play games on the Mac and therefore developers don't want to make games for the Mac.
Exactly. I think it would need Apple to get behind games. There's nothing in their operating system that panders to games at all and I take my hats off to Microsoft. I think they've realized that games are important."
Macworld's Peter Cohen suggested that Molyneux was referring to Apple's lack of a unified application programming interface that would make the jobs of game programmers much easier. I think this suggestion is spot on, but not the only thing that Molyneux was referring to. One passive improvement could include getting Apple to kick its recent integrated graphics habit (Molyneux called my MacBook "a perfect thing" in the interview - pity it can't play games). Sure, we'd all like an iTunes Games Store, a mid-range upgradeable Mac with a decent graphics card and an Apple that publishes games, but it ain't gonna happen while you-know-who is still around.
Unless Apple gets off its arse and gives game developers more than the bare minimum of support, Mac gaming is going to disappear thanks to the rapid emergence of easy access to Windows games via Boot Camp or GPU virtualization (when it finally appears). Only then will we see articles on Apple.com about how awesome Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter looks on the Mac, instead of long features about how the GRAW music was composed using a PowerMac G5.
Here's an interesting feature that Apple, understandably, didn't place on the iPod nano's public feature list: deadly killing machine. A tongue-in-cheek article entitled "Eight ways to kill someone with an iPod nano, according to ex-marine Brad Collom" offers just that: a guide to killing someone (effectiveness not guaranteed) with a little plastic box that plays music. Who knew?
According to a Skype developer, an old and unstable version of Skype for Mac has been leaked onto file sharing networks across the globe. If you spot this file, do not download it! "It is an internal unstable development version, and thus it is extremely buggy" and "it will destroy your contacts and other data". We wouldn't want that now would we?
Since the Windows version of Skype gained video conferencing support in March, many Mac user have felt left behind and stuck with the non-video capable version of Skype. Fortunately, this warning also comes with some good news; Skype version 2.0 for the Mac is nearly ready for primetime. The screenshot of a video capable of Skype on the left of this post is the tantalizing proof.
So, try and resist the temptation to go searching for a pre-release version that could potentially destroy your Mac, and wait a little longer for the official version. Remember what happened the last time someone bit the Apple?
The results of our MacBook discoloration poll are in; 20% of TUAW reader's MacBooks exhibit discoloration. It's hard to judge how accurate these results are, but if the real numbers are anywhere near these levels then Apple has a serious problem on its hands.
Fortunately, there are signs that Apple has taken notice: the creator of StainedBook.info recently managed to get Apple to agree to replace the plastic on the top of his MacBook's casing. That's a big step, but I'm sure many MacBook owners won't fancy calling up Applecare every two weeks after their replacement starts showing stains again. Clearly, a more permanent solution is required.
Jobs: Maybe if I focus intensely on this empty wine glass it'll start vibrating to the tune of U2's Vertigo! Neuggghh, gneeuuugh... Gates, to himself: It works! The mind control device the guys developed back at the lab actually works! Now that Jobs is obsessed by that annoying band, he'll dedicate the iPod design team to cranking out U2 themed iPod after U2 themed iPod, giving Microsoft a chance to catch up and produce a viable iPod killer!
Jobs: Neeuuugggh...
Update: we've removed the image due to a request from the original photographer. In the meantime, check out the pictures here.
With many owners of Apple's MacBook reporting strange discoloration of their machine on areas that come into frequent contact with the skin (wrist rests, trackpad, button and areas near the iSight being the main concern), we've created this poll to get a better idea of how many MacBooks are affected. When I first saw this issue I believed that the people reporting these problems were simply neglecting to wash their hands; that's until my own white MacBook started displaying symptoms.
If you believe that your MacBook has this problem, vote on this poll, submit your details to Stainedbook.info and make sure to contact Applecare to notify Apple of the problem.
Disclaimer: Please, only vote on this poll if you own a white MacBook. We're trying to get a handle on the percentage of white machines affected by this problem. Black MacBooks do not seem to exhibit this problem.
Freeverse has announced that Wingnuts 2, a top-down aerial arcade shooter game, is now available for online purchase and download. The title benefits from being an original and exclusive Mac game, developed and playable exclusively on the Mac. Freeverse co-founder Colin Lynch Smith mentions the advantages of developing games solely for the Mac over on Inside Mac Games: "This is the biggest game to be written specifically for the Mac in years. Targeting just the Mac means no performance compromises (and lower system requirements)-- and we can design in cool OS X specific technologies like CoreImage and iSight integration."
It's about time that game developers woke up to the benefits of creating games specifically for the Mac platform. Hopefully this will be the first title of many in a resurgence of big name Mac-exclusive titles. You can grab a demo of the game at this link and a video of the game (complete with an example of the fancy CoreImage effects) is available here. A DVD boxset of the game will ship in early July, but if you can't wait that long the game is available as a whopping 550MB download for $29.95 over on the Wingnuts 2 site.
You know the "cinema experience" that movie executives keep harping on about? Y'know, the "experience" that cinemas use to justify stupidly high snack and ticket prices? Well, a company has created a program that lets you relive this authentic experience from the comfort of your Mac.
Peanut Gallery, billed as a "shared media experience" by its creators, allows you to recreate this experience from within a virtual 70's style movie theater. You can even chat over the movie along with seven other viewers via the web or Bonjour and animate little silhouette avatars that sit in rows of seats. Getting up and leaving after you realize you've spent your hard earned money on another piece of Hollywood crap has never been so easy; you don't even have to leave your chair to leave your chair! Don't worry if you're a little late for the showing, because there's also an option for a pre-show reel which, for extra realism, you'll be able to fill with annoying commercials and trailers for films you're completely uninterested in.
Still, I'm a little angry that there's no implementation of a few other cinema features we all know and love including "mobile phone goes off at the tense bit" or the "crying baby". They didn't even place an obligatory anti-piracy PSA at the beginning! The pre-screening frisk down by a burly police officer is also missing. Another thing: Peanut Gallery doesn't disable my iSight or jam my cellphone for the duration of the film. Talk about unrealistic. How am I supposed to feel like I'm actually at the movies with essential parts of the cinema experience missing?!
I give the program a B+ for effort, but I think a little more of a police state/Big Brother-style attitude is needed.
Ash over at techpaedia dropped us a line to let us know about some photos he took of the new U2 iPod at an Apple retail store. The four photos over at his site show the rear black metal enclosure a little more clearly than the official ones on Apple's site.
Ash reports that "like the traditional stainless steel mirrored finish enclosure, it is a fingerprint magnet." We'd also have to assume that it scratches as easily as the reflective mirror finish on most other iPods too.
Now that Apple has created a completely black bodied iPod, how long do you think it'll be until they start bundling black accessories with its black products? Or will we just have to live with it, just like we've been living with the fingerprint and scratch magnet "feature" present on practically every iPod?
A forum member of Ars Technica has managed to get a working, albeit buggy, version of Internet Explorer 6 to run under OS X via WINE. Using a script designed to easily install IE 6 on a Linux machine alongside a version of WINE designed for OS X he managed to get the ubiquitous web browser to run. We don't need to tell you how happy web developers will be to find that they can test their sites on the Mac without booting into Windows, or even owning a copy of Windows for that matter.
Last week I carried out an interview 
Freeverse has announced that Wingnuts 2, a top-down aerial arcade shooter game, is now available for online purchase and download. The title benefits from being an original and exclusive Mac game, developed and playable exclusively on the Mac. Freeverse co-founder Colin Lynch Smith mentions the advantages of developing games solely for the Mac over on 
You know the "cinema experience" that movie executives keep harping on about? Y'know, the "experience" that cinemas use to justify stupidly high snack and ticket prices? Well, a company has created a program that lets you relive this authentic experience from the comfort of your Mac. 
Now that laptop case manufacturers have had a few weeks to react to the new MacBook, they've started to release an array of sleeves that fit perfectly around the MacBook's refined curves. There's something for everyone here, whether you want 
Ash over at techpaedia
