Using the overheating MacBook as a toaster

Have you ever used you macbook for a few minutes over you lap, just to blame Steve Jobs an Apple for creating such a hot machine (in the wrong sense)! You are not alone. Many people have discovered that a MacBook can run very hot if you use some processor-intensive applications.

To prove this with a real-world experiment, some smart guys proposed to cook their own lunch using the MacBook. In this way, you can benefit from the overheating problem by reducing your light bill...
The instructions are show in a video, and in the following recipe:

1. Get a macbook and turn it over so the screens over the edge of your desk/counter (shown in picture)
2. Run your favorite process intensive program to get it to heat up
3. Some tinfoil on uper left part of the laptops underside (the hottest part of the macbook
4. Put your cup of coffee on the power supply to keep it warm
5. Cook your egg on the tinfoil, it will take longer than normal
6. Enjoy your breakfast
7. Now you know the secret of the overheating notebook

Link via TechBlog

Technorati Tags: Apple, Computers, Mac, video

Firefox 2.0 available for Mac

For those who love to use Firefox on Mac, a great news is out today. The newest beta of the version 2.0 of Firefox is available for the download pleasure of Mac fans.

The new version has several improvements, such as better security, search suggestions in the search box, spell checking on text box (finally catching up with Safari...) reopening of closed tabs...

Go and grab it fast!

Related posts:

Comparison of browsers for Mac

Technorati Tags: Apple, Internet, Mac, Software

Mac OS X versus Windows: Is Vista Enough?

An ongoing discussion in the osx86project delves into the comparison of Mac OS X and the long waited version of Microsoft Windows: Windows Vista.

Most people in the thread believe that the main weakness of Vista as an operating system is exactly its inheritance. It has to provide even the same bugs that many preceding versions of Windows had. As one of the commentator said:

If Microsoft had a clue about operating systems, they would have thrown Windows out with the trash and started with a clean slate. Then they should have simply followed an OS X or NeXTSTEP-like architecture pattern. Specifically, they should have started with a well developed, secure Unix-like operating system, like a BSD, then bought something like BeOS for the GUI, and added some advanced Cocoa-like application development environment and perhaps a high performance kernel like maybe L4.

Link

Technorati Tags: Apple, Computers, Mac, Microsoft

Comparison of Web browsers for Apple

A very nice article comparing the pros and cons of the major Web browsers for the Mac platform was produced by the guys at MacIntalk.

Among the conclusions, is that the browsers based on WebKit are much more efficient and standard compliant in some web pages than browsers based on Gecko.

This somewhat confirms my personal view of the issue. Firefox is great on Windows for lack of other options, but it still doesn't beat Safari on the Mac OS X. I just wished Safari had a decent implementation editable areas... Hopefully this will be released soon.



Link via MacIntalk

Technorati Tags: Apple, Computers, Mac

Running classic Mac OS 9 on Intel Mac

Maybe you don't remember it, but there are still people out there who love the classic Mac OS 9, the operating system that powered the Macs for a long time during the 90s. Although Mac OS X is the-way-to-go, Mac OS 9 has a distinctive look that makes a lot of people still like it.

So, it is not very surprising that someone decided to run the Classic OS 9 in one of the newest Mac Intel machines. It is something doable, but not easy to do, since Apple has no intention to support Mac OS 9 in its new line of machines.

The basic trick behind it is to use SheepShaver, a run time environment for programs written to the PowerPC processor. It is a free software, and it was created mainly to run mac programs in the Linux and Windows OSs. As we see, with a little hacking, you can make anything working on anything else...


Link via the Apple Blog

Technorati Tags: Apple, Computers, Mac

Apple financial results web cast

If you are a hardcore Apple fan, of just another investor that believes that the fruit company is still a great investment, you should not miss the Apple webcast.

The webcast will take place at 2pm PT/5pm ET on Wednesday, July 19, 2006. Apple's Financial Results Conference call provides the recent sales numbers for Apple's product lines and typically provides some insight into Apple's plans.

Link via Digg.

The iPod hallo seems to be working

After years of being nothing more than speculation of industry analysts, the so-called "iPod halo effect" seems to be working for Apple. In the first quarter of the year, it seams that a large number of Apple computers have been sold -- much more than in the previous years, in percentage terms.

This may be a signal that Apple is finally becoming a major seller of computer, after years of shrinking revenue. I hope the best years of Apple are still to come...

Apple can redesign iPod nano to avoid scratches

While we approach the season of new announcements by Apple, forecasters start to get busy at work. According to MacObserver, the new rumor is that the iPods will now come with a better case, made of magnesium, which will be much more protective and avoid scratches all over the iPod.

According to the article:

American Technology Research Analyst, Shaw Wu, thinks the next generation iPod nano is likely to have a magnesium-based metal case instead of the polycarbonate version used in current models. While some analysts are speculating that a redesigned nano will be announced in July or August, Mr. Wu thinks that problems in converting to a system on a chip (SOC) architecture are slowing the process down.

Link via MacObserver

Apple removes eMac from its line

After years as the low-priced version of macs, the eMac is finally retiring.

For some time, the eMac has only been used by schools, which want to buy cheap models to serve hundreds of students. Now, Apple is introducing a new version of the iMac target to schools at the low price of $899.00.

With this, there is no real need for the old eMac, since everything it did can now be done with the iMac, for the same price.

Moreover, Apple will not be required to change the processors of the eMac, in order to transition completely into the Intel world.

Technorati Tags: Apple, computers