iVisualize is a plugin for iTunes. It manages an included suite of visualizations that focus on that virtual CD case metaphor. It taps into the Quartz Composer engine that’s part and parcel of Tiger (the same engine that drives Front Row so well), giving you that whole shiny table / leisurely flips / reflected surfaces experience…
This is all very interesting but what struck me (from the same site) was the difference between the interior of the iMac G5 and the iMac Intel.
The horrible looking thing above is the intel, below is the G5.
Did someone high-up say, “Look, no-one’s going to see it so stop wasting money making it beautiful….”
This is a collection of web-based services that make life a little easier when you’re browsing the web with Safari. These sites and bookmarklets all work perfectly when used in conjunction with the Safari browser, but they also work on other browsers, and on other platforms…
From David Pogue:
These photos will blow your mind. “Basically,” an alert reader writes, “this guy does sidewalk art that looks distorted from most viewpoints, yet incredibly three dimensional from a predetermined point of view. The last two photos on the page really illustrate the genius of it.”
To understand what’s really going on here, you really have to force your mind into uncomfortable positions.
Pogue’s Posts - Technology - New York Times Blog - Art That Distorts Perspective, All on a Sidewalk
AcidSearch is an unobtrusive, yet powerful add-on for the Safari web browser. The most obvious effect that it has is to add more options to the search field found in the toolbar. By clicking on the magnifying glass you can choose from several pre-packaged search options…
A new section of tips relating to the applications that are included with OS X. So far just a handful concerning TextEdit and Safari, with many more to follow.
I’ve been a space fan since I don’t know when. For years I’ve cringed every time I’ve heard someone repeat that stupid myth about the million dollar pen vs the Russian pencil.
Below is a link to the whole sordid story finally being explained…
A while back I read an interview with Steve Jobs (I think it was in Rolling Stone); when he was asked what it was that’s so special about Apple, he replied by saying that it’s the delightful surprises that you discover over time. He said that months into the ownership experience you’ll want to do something new and when you try it—sure enough, it just works.
It’s little things that don’t even rate a mention in a help file or warrant a confirmation dialog. So, I remembered that and was inspired to add a few pleasant surprises to the Mac Tips site—things that are totally invisible, but might provide a pleasant surprise if stumbled upon.
I started with the “X” logo on the main page. I made it so that if you happen to click on it you’ll be taken to a page showing all the Quick Look pages, categorized.
The next thing I changed was the footer. Previously it had some blurb that included a link to this blog. Now all of the text (and in most browsers, all of the footer panel) links here, with no underlines or other nags that it is in fact a link.
Lastly, I did the same with the header panel. It always takes you back to the index page, except on the index page itself, where it does nothing.
There are others, but they are surprises…
