Linked List: June 28, 2007

Thursday, 28 June 2007

AppleScripting Google Desktop 

Yet another way Google Desktop is better than Spotlight.

MacJournals on the Supposed ‘Apple Cult’ 

Free back issue of MWJ obliterating the notion that Apple’s customers exhibit “cult-like” behavior.

Maybe That Transparency Is Not Such a Good Idea 

First good zinger on Craig Hockenberry’s new weblog. I recommend subscribing.

The Talk Show: New Weekly Podcast With Me and Dan Benjamin 

So my friend Dan Benjamin and I have started a podcast, The Talk Show. 30 minutes (or so), once a week (or so). Take a guess what this week’s debut episode is about.

Jacqui Cheng Summarizes Jobs’s All-Hands Address 

Jacqui Cheng:

Someone from the audience asked whether Apple was concerned about cannibalization of business from the iPod with the introduction of the iPhone, and Steve answered that if there’s going to be cannibalization of Apple, they want it to be by Apple. He also answered a question about “why EDGE?”, saying that EDGE is more pervasive than 3G networks and that 3G chips are also power hogs.

I’ll Show You a Greasy Finger 

No one cracks me up like an angry John C. Welch.

Jobs Calls All-Hands Meeting for 11am Today 

Not exactly “rare” — these take place once or twice a year, when there are big product announcements.

Update 1: First time ever, the all-hands meeting is jammed full. Hundreds of Apple employees have been turned away and are wandering aimlessly around campus.

Update 2: Jobs’s announcement: Every full-time employee (and part-timers who’ve been there for at least a year) will get a free 8 GB iPhone by the end of July.

DayTime: ‘Searching for the HIG’s Boson’ 

Thoughtful essay by Sanjay Samani on the state of the HIG and consistency in Mac UI design.

Ditherati Returns 

On hiatus for years, Owen Thomas’s Ditherati returns.

Apple Changes Screenshot for .Mac iPhone Feed Reader 

Trust me, it’s a feed reader. Also, readers keep emailing me asking why the iPhone would need a web-based feed reader if it has Safari. Easy: iPhone Safari doesn’t have built-in feed reading. iPhone apps are totally and utterly different than Mac apps.

Securing Communications with SSL/TLS: A High-Level Overview 

Ever want to know the basics of how SSL works to secure a network connection? Check out Chris Pepper’s overview in TidBITS.

Is the Search for Aliens Such a Good Idea? 

Astronomer David Whitehouse asks why we’re trying to make contact with alien civilizations, given that the only ones that might possibly respond within our lifetimes would be, by definition, so technically advanced that they could conquer or destroy us.

I say don’t worry, Will Smith or Bruce Willis will figure something out.

Apple: iPhone Premieres This Friday Night 

Apple:

All 164 Apple retail stores in the US will stay open until midnight, and customers can purchase up to two iPhones on a first come, first served basis. Beginning Saturday morning, iPhone customers can learn how to get the most out of the iPhone with free, in-depth workshops offered throughout the day at all Apple retail stores.

Pogue’s iPhone FAQ 

The keyboard does work when the screen is in wide orientation, but only in Safari. According to Pogue, Apple’s reason for not going with faster 3G data networking is the current 3G chipsets burn through batteries. (Given the iPhone’s long battery life compared to rival devices, this sounds plausible.) No stored passwords in Safari; I hadn’t thought of that.