Catching up with the Mac
Lately I’ve kind of been lamenting how little Mac content there has been on this site, which was once rife with it. So, here, in one massive post that probably no one will read, is my backlog of Mac ruminations:
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I completely missed posting any MacWorld commentary (even though I briefly attend the show), but I would just like to go on record as saying that I seriously dig the iPod mini. As with most of Apple’s stuff, you really have to see it “in the flesh” to appreciate it. The new scroll wheel design is typically brilliant Apple industrial design, and the anodized aluminum (which isn’t really done justice by the photos) should be a welcome change from the old “Most Scratch-Prone Substance Known to Man™” finish. Also, like Steven Frank, I really dig the new display font.
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I had intended to have a GarageBand composition or two posted by now, but I’m afraid work, my weblog, my personal software projects, and the inevitable necessity of contact with “other people” leaves barely an hour a week in which to get funky with my trusty Telecaster.
My little brother Bobby, on the other hand, has proven to be exactly the sort of bedroom Kevin Shields or Jason Pierce that Apple had in mind when it created GarageBand. Within a few days of getting his hands on the software, he was already turning out stuff like the song below:
- I Know (MP3, 8 MB)
In general I tend to agree with Alexander Payne’s assertion that most GarageBand songs will have an inevitable sameness (I’ve been known to call GarageBand’s “pro” sibling, Soundtrack, the PowerPoint of music software), but Bobby’s work-in-progress makes me optimistic about its possibilities.
And heck, Jonas has already had his GarageBand work played on NPR! Can Clear Channel infiltration be far behind?
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As someone who is involved with the software update process at Apple, I’ve been dying to call everyone’s attention to one of my all-time favorite As the Apple Turns episodes, in which Jack exposes the terrifying truth about how Apple software updates are spawned. I just hope linking to his harrowing exposé won’t draw the wrath of the powers that be! At least now you’ll know why I get so busy from time to time…
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Even though it’s old news by now, I would be seriously remiss if I didn’t give massive props Andy Hertzfeld and Folklore. The weekend that site was launched, I lost serious time reading anecdote after amusing anecdote about the original Mac team, and I know a lot of other Apple employees would admit to sneaking a peak from time to time while waiting for something to compile.
What I love about Folklore, as opposed to the Computer History Museum’s Apple History Weblog, is its tone. It’s not overly reverent, but it also isn’t populated by bitter people with a bone to pick or pet theory about “Why Apple Failed!” Rather, it simply leaves you with enormous appreciation and respect for the eccentric geniuses (such as the largely forgotten hardware designer Burrell Smith) whose vision made Apple and the Mac so special.
Phew—after all that, I shouldn’t have to update my weblog for a week!