Delivered this morning by stork: the first run of our TUAW t-shirts! We'll be giving away about a dozen of these next week during WWDC (not all of which we'll give away on Monday night, so look for the prize patrol). And yes, those not attending WWDC will have a shot at winning a t-shirt later this year. We're not sure when and we're not sure how, but it'll happen.

To take a gander at the full shirt, check out the gallery.

WFAA has posted an article about the fundamental dualities of the world: Ford vs. Chevy. Coke vs. Pepsi. Mac vs Windows. It's not a very deep article or a long-one, but several quotes (particularly those from WFAA's online operations manager--and Mac aficionado--Doug Boehner) made me laugh out loud. "It's strange and cult-like...Once you kind of drink the Kool-Aid of the Apple product you realize: Oh my gosh, this is what a computer should have been doing all along."

I personally didn't know that retailer JC Penney was switching from Windows to Mac. Good for them!

The feature-packed iStat Pro Dashboard widget is a reigning favorite here at TUAW, and its recent v3.3 update has heralded some handy new features. First, it now includes (though prompts you to install upon first run) a new module that can read the temperature and fan speeds of Intel Macs. That's right - SpeedIt-be-gone. The other nice enhancement is an active AirPort signal quality meter - the AirPort icon in iStat Pro's network section will now dynamically display a quality meter based on the network you're connected to. Of course, for the record, other bugs and "various minor improvements" made this new version, and it's available either by running the widget (it auto-checks for updates by default), or by heading over to iSlayer.com.

I wasn't going to post about smcFanControl, but the last few days we have been getting at least 3 tips a day pointing it out. Clearly, there is an audience for this little app, so post about it I must!

smcFanControl, as you might have guessed, is a small application that lets you control the speed of the fans on your MacBook or MacBook Pro. Why would you want to do this? To keep it cool, of course!

Now, why wouldn't I want to post about this? Simple, I fear that many people are going to be running their fans at full speed for hours on end, and then the fans will fail. And then you need to get them replaced, and that's no fun.

smcFanControl is free, and requires an Intel Mac.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in.

Rickard Almqvist at MacInTouch is reporting that Apple has apparently (and finally) produced a tweaked version of the MacBook Pro logic board in response to everyone's whining - MacBook Pro whining, that is. Rickard received a letter from Apple detailing the new board and stating that it was brand new, "only a few days old". Also of note is the need for new installation DVDs that contain 10.4.6, not the 10.4.5 discs the machine originally came with. And just for all you skeptics out there, Rickard has also posted a picture of Apple's letter on his blog, so you can let your "that was Microsoft Worded" and "Photoshopped!" naysaying fly.

Here's hoping MacBook Pros everywhere can finally stop whining. The one question I have is: are you going to be sending your MBP in for the new board? Or is iTunes usually blaring loud enough for you to still wonder what all this 'whine' talk is about?

[via MacDailyNews]

Thanks Miguel

Leander Kahney, author of the successful Cult of Mac book, has posted an interesting gallery of Apple fan art at Wired. While I think I recognize some of these images from browsing the Cult of Mac book at the local bookstore, this gallery is an interesting look into just how far Apple's loyal following are willing to go to show their love for the Mac.

While I'm glad to see posts like this, I have to wonder: where are the Cult of Windows books and art galleries?

I have a minor dilemma, folks. If you remember, I reported on numerous problems with my MacBook Pro, some of which Apple acknowledged, some it didn't.

I'm having a new difficulty: the left-side fan of the machine is constantly running, non-stop, from the moment I turn on the machine. The Apple Store Geniuses continually tell me this is "normal" and "within Apple parameters," but I can't seem to remember my pre-replacement MBP sounding like a small aircraft auditioning for a spot on O'Hare's runway. So I ask you, dear MBP-owning readers: Is the left-side fan on your machine always on, making a sturdy and constant whooshy hum?

Oh, and one other thing: While the Genius was "testing" my machine in the back room, I glanced at his PowerBook's screen, which was open to a page diagnosing MacBook Pro problems. It mentioned the infamous processor whine, and described it as a problem with an internal component (obviously) and listed various serial numbers affected. It also -- brace yourselves -- seemed to indicate that the problem was fixed, and could be fixed on affected machines. The Geniuses seemed to be trained to tell you the problem is "normal" and a fact of life, but this page said that it certainly could be fixed by a replacement part if, and I'm paraphrasing here, the customer deemed the noise to be 'unacceptable' and threatened to return the machine. So, if the processor whine bugs you, just go to a Genius bar and demand a fix -- they'll probably oblige.

Update: In response to the 1,435,987 questions all asking the same thing: Yes, I am 100% positive the page I read involved the processor noise and not the LCD, because right above that paragraph about the whine was another paragraph describing the LCD inverter problem. They are two very separate issues, and I do -- despite allegations to the contrary -- understand the differences between them.