For my birthday, Alicia got me a copy of Leopard, which is the first OS X update I didn't install as soon as it came out. I'm glad I waited, as the day after I installed it, Apple released 10.5.2 which fixed some really annoying things in Leopard. Overall, I'm really liking this update. Spaces and the new iChat are the two best features so far. I really enjoy the much cleaner and more useful interface, and the new screen sharing feature is super useful. Add on the grid based stacks, new core image stuff (free upgrade to Pixelmator, woot!), and upgrade Spotlight features, and you have a great installment to the OS X family. I haven't gotten to use things like Time Machine or Quick Look yet, but I can see how these can come in handy. After two days of owning Leopard, I solidly believe it's by far better than any other OS Apple ever created!

Ever have an LCD monitor that has a burn in effect (not common) or a stuck pixel (very common)? Most of the time, there really isn't anything you can do about those unwanted features. That is, until I found the JScreenFix. This little Java applet can be run from ay web browser, and displays a certain pattern that is supposed to turn a stuck pixel back into a properly working pixel within 20 minutes. I am lucky enough that I don't have anything to try this on, but if there is anyone out there with a stuck pixel, give it a shot, maybe you won't be bothered by that little bright red spot ever again.

I have a lot of ideas run through my head, but if I don't write them down, I often forget them or remember them way after I needed to. Thus, I normally have a pen and some post it notes at hand. But with the newest shareware pick, I no longer need to waste paper. I have only used this program for about a week, but I already like it much more than any other program I have tried to keep track of what I need to do. I love how simple and fast it is, which is really what I always wanted in a to-do application. Plus, it has some really handy features I wouldn't have thought of including in such an app.

The internet is a great resource for information, news, and funny pictures. Like everyone else, I am inundated with funny pictures via the web on almost a daily basis. However, only a few of those images really make me laugh so hard that my side aches. That's why I have created a yearly tribute to the funniest picture I saw in the past year. 2007 gives us a great picture from one of the best shows the Sci Fi channel has ever broadcast. Ify ou are a fan of Battlestar Galactica, you may never stop laughing at the best image of 2007.

I just completed my review of my new toy: the Canon S5 IS digital camera. This ultra zoom (12x optical) with super macro (focuses at 0.0 inches) camera produces amazing 8 Megapixel images. With image stabalization and as much customization as anyone except a professional photographer could need, this camera delivers a lot of punch in a "compact" package. If you want a preview of what to expect from this camera, take a look at this Picasa album, full of random photos using the different camera settings.

For the first time in longer than this site went without an update, the About Me page has been udpated. It includes a new picture (one of our engagement photos), and a completely re-worded body. Soon the photo album page will be updated as well. I have a lot of new photos to put up, so I might make some good use of Google's PIcasa photo sharing service. I have used it a bit, and thus far I'm pretty impressed.

Well now, it's been almost a year since I have posted anything to this website. Why the absence? There are a bunch of reasons. The main reasoning is that I met a girl named Alicia shortly after making my last entry. She kept me really busy all throughout the spring and summer, then in the early fall, we got engaged! As of this post, there are only 270 days until I'm a married man. More details on the wedding can be found at one of my recent side projects: our wedding website.

Other than that, it's really been laziness for my lack of updates. Hopefully, that will begin to change. I moved all my website source code to my MacBook Pro, making it much more accessible. To start off the updates, I have a variety of changes including a new shareware pick (with a new design to this section), a new iFruit comic, a new interesting link full of digital photography tips, a review of an indispensable gadget, and various minor updates throughout the site. I hope you enjoy the new content; I'm sure more will be coming soon.

Do you have a video iPod? Do you have a lot of DVDs? Then this Shareware Pick is for you. This software makes it a breeze to copy the movies you already own onto your iPod so you can watch them on a plane, at a hotel, or even as work. Converting a movie takes less than an hour (depending on the speed of your machine), and reveals a properly formatted MPEG4 video which the iPod loves. Of course, I have to warn against copying DVDs which aren't yours; but nobody does that, right?

This latest interesting link is specific to those living in the Madison area (such as myself). If you have some "junk" to get rid of, or maybe you're looking to pick up a used article for cheap, take a look at Madison Stuff Exchange. The site is aimed at reducing the waste in landfills by letting people freely post for sale and trade items. The most you can charge is $99 for your product, so you're guaranteed that everything is cheap and local. But for those of you who are in Madison, you might have a similar project in your neighborhood (or even statewide). Check out i-WasteNot for an up to date listing of exchanges across the country.

I was playing with my new 30GB video iPod today when I stumbled across a simple, yet in-genius feature. After getting back from a short walk, I was finishing up a song before putting the iPod away. This particular song had a couple seconds of silence at the end, so I disconnected the headphones, expecting the next song to start, at which time I would pause it, and pick it up later. To my surprise, the iPod recognized that the headphones had been disconnected, so it automatically paused the current song for me! This prevents you from gaps in your listening if the headphones come loose during strenuous activity. Just like OS X, it's all the little things that make the iPod so much better of an MP3 player than it's competition. I look forward to finding other little gems as I explore the iPod.

With the recent redesign of Maintidget, I was given the image files used to make the various images in vector (SVG) format. I had a couple programs installed that could do some simple vector graphics, but nothing that really worked as well as I wanted. Luckily, I found the current shareware pick. It's a free, full featured vector image editing program that allowed me to update the images I needed with relative ease.

I finally joined the iPod revolution with a 30 GB Video iPod, but I really don't like the earbuds that ship with it. They aren't comfortable, they aren't black (my iPod is black), and they don't really get all that loud. Therefore, I replaced them with the Jbuds earbuds which are inexpensive, yet deliver some good sound. If you are looking to replace some earbuds without breaking the bank, take a look at this model.

I came up with an idea for a new feature to add to this website tonight. My friends like to send me links to funny images. Some are good, some not so much. But the best ones of the pack need to be shared with the rest of the world. Therefore, I have added the Best Image of the Year, where I pick my favorite image from the past year, and post it here for everyone to see. Currently, there is a pre-2006 image which has been one of my favorites for years, and a 2006 image that gave me a great laugh last year. I already have one image in the running for the 2007 award, but we have a lot of time to top that. Enjoy!

Yet another one of the software titles I picked up from the famous MacHeist bundle is Pangea Arcade. From the makers of classic games such as Nanosaur, Bugdom, and Bloodsuckers (remember that game?), this software package envelopes three various on some of our favorite games from the past. Pangea Software makes some excellent arcade games, and this one is no exception. Check out the full review of Pangea Arcade.

One of the questions I often see is people wondering how they can get started programming on OS X. Almost everyone responds with "you should read Cocoa Programming for Mac OS X by Aaron Hillegass." While I agree that the book is a great starting place, not everyone can sit through a coding book. Therefore, I would like to introduce you to the Weekly Cocoa App Challenge. Chris Forsythe has decided to post a progressively harder to develop cocoa program on a weekly basis. Your objective is to re-create the program from the ground up. The following week, Chris will post his source code so you can check your work. This should be great for beginners and the experienced alike.

For the first time ever, I have included two programs in the shareware pick. The main program is an RSS reader I got as part of the MacHeist bundle. That program is easily my most-used program of the bundle, as it is running whenever my MacBook Pro is awake. The second program is an open source RSS reader offered as an alternative choice. Whichever you choose, it's definitely time to get on the RSS bandwagon. Check out why in the latest Shareware Pick double feature.
BONUS: This site now offers a simple RSS feed so you can easily discover the latest updates.

It has been quite a while since the last Interesting Link, so it's a good thing I have a really cool one. For those that haven't heard of the MythBusters, it is a show on the Discovery channel where they put urban legends, myths, and public opinions to the test. They run various tests, and usually come up with a solid conclusion one way or the other. With all these tests, it can be easy to forget the outcome of some of them. Just when you thought you would have to wait until a rerun to prove your friends wrong, along comes MythBusters Results. Here you can see what the outcomes were, and why the busted, confirmed, or partially confirmed a myth. Very cool.

During the middle of last week, I got a surprising email. A very nice chap named Jason Jacques wrote to let me know that he really likes the idea of Maintidget, but didn't like the design. But instead of just telling me the design was sub-par, he actually spent the time to come up with a whole new look. I then expanded his work to provide six more color schemes which are user selectable. Moreover, I expanded the feature set by including the ability to check for updates from within the widget and open the log files in the Console (by clicking the Daily/Weekly/Monthly headings) so you can see exactly what was done when running the scripts. Head over to the Maintidget page to download the latest version. A great big thanks to Jason for his redesign!

Bill Amend has decided to end the daily production of FoxTrot daily comic strips. From here on out, it will be a Sunday only strip with the possibility of some dailies on the web. Thus, the chances for new iFruits has very much decreased. Luckily, Bill released two more iFruit based FoxTrots before the strip ended. You can see them as the last one on iFruit page 21 and the only one on iFruit page 22. Here's hoping to a few more iFruit over the next year.

This year has been full of Mac shareware deals. First it started with MacZot, then along came My Dream App, quickly followed by Mac Heist, and even free software from Mac App a Day. Now the latest venture into providing great Mac shareware at reduced costs is MacSanta. This site features an ever growing list of shareware products at 20% discounts. If you have been looking to purchase a particular shareware license, now might be the time.

Last week there was yet another five new iFruit comics. All iFruits have been posted to iFruit page 21. Enjoy.

Over the past few weeks the Fox Trot iFruit comics have been slowly piling up on my desktop. I finally got the ambition to post them all. If you want to see the four newest iFruits, check out iFruit page 21. These latest comics feature Roger trying to play chess, a "guest appearance" by Teller (from Penn and Teller), and the family getting prepped for Xmas. Hopefully I will have the time in the upcoming weeks to post more often.

Lots of stuff going on lately has kept me from posting much lately. In fact, I have two iFruits to post, but because I'm too lazy to create a second page, I have only posted the first. So, if you want to see this one, take a look at the last comic on iFruit page 20. P.S. It's the 200th iFruit comic!

First, some great news: MacAddict decided to include Maintidget on their CD! It's in the December issue, which means thousands of people already have access to it. Of course, with a lot of access means more situations that I didn't handle when creating it. One of those situations is admin accounts with no password assigned. In those cases, Maintidget did not allow the scripts to be run. Today I set out to find a solution, and I'm happy to report, I have one. Maintidget 1.2 can now run the scripts by both admin users with a password, and those without. If you fall into the later category, get the update now!

Have you seen this little gut yet? His name is Hubert and he seems to be taking over the Mac Web. We don't have a lot of information on him (click him for his rules), but there is certainly more coming soon. He was created by the folks over at MacHeist to get everyone in the mood for the upcoming "heists." If you head over to My Dream App you may just see Hubert in the hiding somewhere on the page. If you're a real sleuth, you should find out what happens next **shifty eyes**.

P.S. I am not affiliated with MacHeist in any way, but I did get an early invite!

Like fiddling around with Mac OS X? Afraid that you will break something by using the terminal? If you answered yes to both of those questions, check out the newest Shareware Pick. This program lets you change a wide array of obscure OS X settings to do just about anything you want. A very handy program for those that think their computer could work just a bit better.

I have posted a new Cocoa program to my list of Open Source programs. This one uses/modifies the Launch Services database to help the user choose their favorite browser. This program also features building a popup menu with icons of each browser install on the computer, and a blending of Carbon/Cocoa to access/change the Launch Service defaults. Out of the 13 browsers I have currently installed, only Safari and Camino seem to also properly implement this feature.

Over this past week Jason fox has been irked by not being picked for the latest beta test of World of Warquest. Most of the comic strips revolved around Jason trying to get in, but three of them featured the iFruit computer. All three of these comics have been posted to iFruit page 20.

I heard about this site recently that can graph out websites based on the tags contained within. It's kind of an interesting way of seeing how some pages are designed. The site is located at Websites as Graphs with a couple more popular sites and the explanations listed at the author's site. To the right you can see what this website looks like as a graph. As you can see, my HTML By Hand technique has provided some very clean code. There are no tables, but a lot of div tags that make up the layout. The yellow/green branch signifies the search engine. The tight orange/blue cluster denotes the navigation links. The large branch that is mainly green with a handful of grey, blue and orange makes up the actual content of the page. Pretty cool!

Sometime last week I learned of a program that has been installed on my hard drive for some time called Quartz Composer. Not knowing much about what I was doing, I quickly found myself creating some cool little animations. However, I was struck by the overall lack of tutorials there are for this application, so I decided to create my own. If making your own audio visualizations, screen savers, and slideshows sounds fun to you, check out my Quartz Composer Introduction.

For the first time in a long time, the OS X Speed Tips page has gotten a much needed update. Many of the tips have been enhanced with more information, some tips have been removed as they no longer apply (at least not as much as they used to), and a handful of new tips have been added. If your machine has been acting kind of sluggish, try out some of the listed tips to see if you can gain back some of your performance.

Lately I have been downloading a lot of the PDF documents available at Apple's Developer Connection website to reference while playing around with Cocoa. All of these files were cluttering up my hard drive, so I was glad when I found the latest Shareware Pick. If you too are feeling overwhelmed by the number of PDFs on your computer, you may want to give this software a try.

I recently stumbled across a page that I think needs a lot more publicity. I'm sure everyone reading this has called a company at one time or another for tech support, customer service, or dozens of other reasons. In doing so, you probably found out how difficult it can be to get a real human on the phone. That where GetHuman comes into play. This site contains a database of thousands of companies, and how to access human support reps as soon as possible. The next time you need to call about your TV or computer not working, check this site, and get your issue resolved quickly.

Ok, so this iFruit has been available for a few days. But my recent trip kept me from getting it posted to the site. This comic tackles the increasing trend of viral videos on sites like YouTube. If you don't know what a viral video is, obviously you haven't been using the Internet for long. See Bill Amend's take on this phenomenon on iFruit page 20.

Back from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where the snow is already falling with a great Shareware Pick. If you ever wanted more clipboards, or even better, the ability to share your clipboard(s) across a network, then this program is for you. I really enjoy copying text on one computer, and pasting it to another. I just wonder how soon apple implements this into the OS.

First off, iChat Idle has been updated again. This time I included the ability to detect changes in screen resolutions or hot-plugging of monitors. But more importantly, I created a new application called Notification Sniffer. This program watches for and displays all distributed notifications on your system. Moreover, it features some really cool things such as user customizable window option (background color, partial transparency, text color), printing of a text view with correct pagination, saving of text files, and using the preferences to remember the user's settings. A lot of good examples wrapped into one fairly simple program. Get it here.

Do you have a lot more free time than I do? Are you constantly bored? Do you like endlessly looking at pictures for minute details? Then this interesting link is for you! Clickworkers is a NASA experiment where regular citizens examine the contents of MARS photos, mapping out the terrain. If that's your cup-o-tea, give it a shot. You might just find something cool!

After a couple days of nothing but iChat Idle, I decided to create another sample Cocoa application. In fact, I created two! These two programs work together in sending and receiving system wide messages (Distributed Notification). The first program puts the message on the Notification Queue. The second program will receive that message, and displays some text (in a random color). These two programs don't actually do anything useful (besides teach us some programming lessons), but can easily be enhanced to provide some practical function. Get both of these programs via a single download link on this page.

I have posted another update to iChat Idle. This time I added an icon (I was getting sick of the generic application icon), made the window resizable with restrictions on the size, and most importantly: multi-threaded the application. Multi-threaded applications is nothing new to me, but this one is a bit different than anything I created before. This time, I decided to create a new thread for each CPU/core in the computer. This means if you have a single CPU/single core system, only one thread will be generated which will have to loop over all 1800 lines. If you have two CPUs, both dual core, then four threads will be generated each only looping over 450 lines. The hard part was determining when each sub-thread was complete with its data set. Once that happens, then the main thread can finish its task. Check out the latest iChat Idle to see how I accomplished that. Also note that the programming links have been updated with with some new links.

I made an update to iChat Idle. It will now check to see if iChat is running before trying to set the idle away message. If iChat is running, it will alert the user, and not allow the change to be made. To accomplish this, it uses an AppleScript that calls the "System Events" application to make this determination. If your interested in this type of thing in your Cocoa apps, grab the latest iChat Idle here.

Lately I have had the urge to delve deeper into the world of Cocoa and Objective-C. Those two languages combine to provide developers with some extremely creative tools to build some extremely creative programs. In an effort to keep my Cocoa skills sharp, I often program up little do-dads to try out new and exciting things. Then, when I finally get it to work, I post the code for the world to use. My latest experiment includes opening a file, putting every line into an array, parsing that array for a specific prefix, replacing an item in the array, converting that array back to a string, and finally writing the string back to the disk as a file. If you are interested in any of those steps, check out iChat Idle on Giantmike's Random Programs.

This past week has seen Jason Fox building an incredibly complex website for a school project. As expected, a couple of the comics featured the Fox family's iFruit computer. I present those two comics to you on the iFruit page 20.

I ran into this site a while ago, and instantly knew I should post it as an Interesting Link. Imagining the 10th Dimension is just what it sounds like, a guide to helping us understand the tenth dimension. I suggest using the Flash version, and clicking the Imagining the Tenth Dimension link under the Navigation menu. You will be presented with a nice animated presentation that really gets you thinking. Never again will you think of life in only three or four dimensions.

Recently I have been getting more into digital photography. Many of the shots I take are at night, which means they often exhibit high noise levels. If I play around with my camera settings enough, I can usually get good looking pictures without the noise. However, we don't always have the time to take and review 20 shots just to keep one, so a tool is needed to recover those noisy images. That's where the latest Shareware Pick comes in. If you have ever experienced noise or grain in your low light photos, then this tool will likely be a life saver.

On Saturday there was a new Fox Trot iFruit comic released. Of course, I was too busy installing the new search engine to get it posted right away. Nonetheless, it's been added to the site now. If you would like to see Roger Fox trying to play chess with anyone that's willing, head over to iFruit page 20.

Yesterday I was making a fairly major change to the website which should have been mostly transparent to the end users. I was fed up with the Google based search engine not indexing frequently enough, so I found a PHP/MySQL based search engine called Sphider. After much finagling with the underlying PHP, creating some new template files, and including my navigation HTML as part of the page builder, I was able to put together a fully integrated search engine. It features such things as suggested spellings, indexing exclusions, and search statistics. The only thing it doesn't provide is scheduled indexing, but I'm working on that. Of course you can use it via the link above, or using the search box on the right side of every page. Enjoy the integrated searching!

I recently stumbled across some really cool software that I just had to share with everyone out there. My latest Shareware Pick features some software called ArtRage that lets you create life-like art without spending hundreds of dollars on supplies. There is a free version for those who don't need a tool, and a full version for the real artists out there. I have very little artistic talent, so I provide this link to those who may create the next Mona Lisa...on their computer!

I normally don't highlight link that go into the links section, but this one is worth it. If you ever wanted to known exactly how Mac OS X works, then the Mac OS X Internals book is for you. It doesn't just go into how to use the operating system like most OS X books. Instead it delves into the most technical inner workings that you really can't find anywhere else. I admit the website is mainly an advertisement for the book (I do NOT receive compensation for the link), but it does provide bonus chapters, source code, and other goodies to get you started investigating what makes our favorite OS tick.

Have you ever used GIMP? If not, you should really give it a try. This software is the only thing that can come close to Photoshop, but it's free! The best OS X version is gimp.app which is a prepackaged version that works great. If you do use GIMP, you will eventually want to delve into all the power it provides. That's when you will use my latest Interesting link. GIMPTalk is packed full of tutorials, has a community of users willing to help, and provides many links to other GIMP resources. Definitely a must have link for all GIMP users.

A new FoxTrot comic featuring my favorite mock computer was released today. It's been a while since Bill Amend created an iFruit based strip, but it was worth the wait. If you dislike PowerPoint as much as I do, you will really feel for Roger Fox in this one. You can find the 192nd strip on iFruit page 20.

I'm not purposely waiting a week between updates. But when 75% of your work day is taken up doing HTML/CSS/JS/XML/XSL work, you certainly don't want to come home and do it some more. Nevertheless, I'm featuring a fairly new program in my latest Shareware Pick. Just because it's new doesn't mean it is no good. Just the opposite. This program is already very good and has an extremely bright future. You might as well get in on it now!

If you are a user of Apple's Airport technology to connect to wi-fi networks, you have probably come across the need to find networks within range of your computer. You can use the Airport menu item, a wireless sniffing app, or the latest Shareware Pick.

This morning I woke up at 4:30 to start the longest bicycle ride of my life. Less than a mile from my current residence is the Fitchburg head of the Military Ridge State Trail. Starting out when it was still very dark (good thing I have this new light), i rode all the way to the other end in Dodgeville, WI. After a 40 minute break at Hardees, I started the trip back. All was going good until the wind picked up for the last 7-8 miles of the trip. Of course, the wind was coming from the direction I was heading, so I had to buck it for about 40 minutes. All in all, it was a great experience that I likely won't attempt again, unless they pave the entire trail :).

Oh yeah, I also fixed the Feedback Form. I had made a couple changes to try to curb some of the SPAM I was getting, but I made a slight mistake in the PHP source code. I wasn't getting any more SPAM, but I wasn't getting any real feedback either. Anyhow, it's fixed now, so you can send me your thoughts and questions once again.

I guess all I needed to do was complain here to get SmartPost to get my package moving. Early this morning it finally left the sorting facility, and arrived in time at the post office to be delivered to my residence. Thanks to the USPS for being so prompt!

As for a real site update, I have posted a new Interesting Site. If you remember a while back I posted a link to the 99 bottles of beer song written in hundreds of different programming languages. This link is similar, in that it features 101 versions of Stairway to Heaven. Listen to the classic Led Zeppelin song in more ways than you ever imagined!

On Saturday, August 5th, I ordered an LED headlight for my bicycle. It's now 11 days later, and I still don't have it. In fact, according to the tracking info, it's been sitting in a town about 50 miles away at some sortation center for 5 days! I don't blame the place I ordered from, but instead place blame squarely on FedEx's SmartPost division. This company is supposed to ship your package to the nearest USPS center, and have the mail carriers deliver it to your home. A good idea in theory, but their execution is sorely lacking. There is no reason that I should not have this product in my hands at this very moment. SmartPost has now made my list of shipping companies to avoid at all costs. I'll keep you updated on when I finally get this light.

I only read one blog regularly. Normally I'm not a huge fan of blogs, but this one is great for anyone in my industry. If you work in healthcare, especially the IT sector, you will certainly want to start reading HIStalk. This guy has great information on all of the healthcare software companies (including mine), and provides wonderful insights into where this market is going. Be warned, you may get hooked!

A few days ago Bill Amend released another Fox Trot comic featuring the iFruit computer. This time Jason Fox is having some fun playing with the immensely popular YouTube service. Check it out on iFruit page 20.

I recently bought 5 shareware apps for $5 at MacZot as part of their "mystery zot." Some of the apps are more useful than others (as expected), and I will be featuring some of the better ones as Shareware Picks. First program to get this treatment is billed as "The uninstaller Apple forgot." Take a look at what Apple left out of OS X here.

Jason Fox is at it again. He's just as addicted to World of Warquest as thousands of other people around the world. But this time, he's met his match in a female opponent. Check out the latest Fox Trot iFruit on iFruit page 19.

Printer Setup in Mac OS X 10.4 (and likely also Print Center in older versions of the OS) keeps track of all the print jobs you have completed. Sometimes this list either gets corrupted or very long. In either case, your print jobs may be taking longer than normal. If this happens, follow these steps to clear that list and restore your print times to an acceptable pace:

1. Open Printer Setup Utility (In the Utilities folder)
2. Double click your printer
3. Click on the completed tab
4. Use the Jobs menu to select Clear Completed Jobs List

Wow, it's been too long since the last update. But I guess that's what happens when you rock out to Head East, Tesla, Loverboy, REO Speedwagon, Foghat, and Styx! Three great concerts for $8 each; you can't go wrong! Anyhow, to reward your patience, there are six new Fox Trot iFruit comics. Once again, Jason is playing World of Warquest. This time he is farming for gold. Check out all six on iFruit page 19.

If you are like me, you have a handful of tools sitting in your Utilities folder for when you Mac acts abnormally. I always disliked requiring multiple tools to get the job done, so I was extremely happy when I heard about the newest Shareware Pick. Finally, you might be able to reduce the size of your Utilities folder while increasing your troubleshooting arsenal.

I have a long list of Interesting links and Shareware Picks to post, so there should be a fairly steady stream of those coming over the next couple weeks. Hopefully I will throw in some other stuff to you wondering what's coming next. Anyhow, the least interesting link, Alky Project, deals with converting a Windows program to become a Mac program. That's right, it actually converts them, so they run at full speed, without an interpreter. I don't know how successful this project will be, but it will certainly be worth following its progress.

Do you like making movies on your Mac? Do you wish you had more control over transitions and effects than iMovie gives you, without shelling out hundreds of dollars for Final Cut Pro? If so, the latest Shareware Pick may be just for you. I feel i will get very little use out of it, but I'm sure there are hundreds of people out there who have been looking for a tool such as this.

The United States Patent Office is a busy place. I once applied to work for them, in hopes of getting a free trip to Washington D.C., but that never panned out. Maybe it's a good thing I didn't visit, as I would have probably been astonished by the weird things that go through there. Well, I no longer have to wonder on what I missed out on because of a wacky site called Patently Silly. This site tracks all the goofy things that American inventors submit to the patent office, and display the oddest, strangest, and those that are just plain wrong. Take a look, but be warned, you may be laughing for the next few hours.

Are you a sports fan? Do you run Mac OS X Tiger? If you answered yes to both questions, you need to check out the newest Shareware Pick. It provides a great way to keep track of your current teams, and will make sure (hopefully) you never miss a game again.

A couple of cool links to keep you busy on a lazy Sunday afternoon. First is new interesting link: Instructables. That website contains hundreds of user submitted Do It Yourself projects. Some are extremely lame, while undeniably cool. The other cool link is to a web comic I cannot believe I had not encountered in the past. User Friendly is a comic whose sole purpose is to poke fun at technology. It is extremely funny, especially to those who have a little geekiness in them. This comic will be permanently featured on my Apple Comics page.

Who out there likes unsolicited email? Nobody? Come on, there has to be someone. Well, there is one person: Roger Fox. See why he actually likes SPAM in the 183rd FoxTrot iFruit comic on iFruit page 19.

One of the many hot topics with the MacBook Pro is how good the batteries are. Some people like myself see about 4 hours on a typical charge, while others are lucky to get 2. I don't have a solid reason for the discrepancy, but I do have a list of things for helping improve it. No matter if you are the top or bottom of the scale, you can probably use my MacBook/MacBook Pro Battery Life Tips.

After a couple weeks of using this MacBook Pro, I felt I could finally provide a in depth review. At over 4000 words, it certainly isn't short, but it is informative. I have included some tid-bits that are hard to find on the web, including a troubleshooting tip! Take a look at the extended MacBook Pro 15 inch 2GHz Review.