Linked List: March 28, 2008

Friday, 28 March 2008

Aperture 2.1 Image-Editing Plugins 

Rob Galbraith on Aperture’s new image-editing plugin API. PictureCode expects to have a version of Noise Ninja out in May.

This is an interesting development in the Aperture-Lightroom rivalry, because the whole point of these plugins is that they obviate the need to use Photoshop. For obvious reasons Adobe might be unwilling to do this with Lightroom — but if they don’t, it’s going to make Aperture a much more compelling product than Lightroom. I’m a happy Lightroom user, but this has me considering Aperture.

BBC Interview With Ingmar Bergman 

Wonderful BBC interview with then-85-year-old Ingmar Bergman. In six parts on YouTube, and available via iPhone and Apple TV. (Via Jim Coudal.)

Update: I hadn’t seen this before: the official Ingmar Bergman web site.

Living With the Trojan iBrain 

Good piece on the iPhone by Michael Parson in the U.K. Times:

There’s a pretty simple way to place a losing bet in the technology game. Try to build an alternative to the web, or try and pretend it’s not there. The brutal Darwinian politics of networking mean that the web, like the house, always wins. It’s always better, faster, and stronger. I think a good web experience is really the biggest weapon that Apple has smuggled into the carrier’s world via the iPhone — it’s a Trojan horse that brings the power of the web into their walled gardens. They don’t stand a chance.

Mac Indie Deals 

My thanks to the indie Mac developers Dejal, Decimus, Xeric Design, and Helium Foot Software for banding together to sponsor this week’s DF RSS feed. They make a slew of nifty Mac apps, including Simon, Synk Pro, Screen Mimic, and MercuryMover, all of which are available at a discount to DF readers with the coupon code “DF08”.

Charlie Miller Wins MacBook Air in CanSecWest Exploit Contest 

Charlie Miller, who discovered the first iPhone exploit last summer, won $10,000 and a MacBook Air by gaining full control of the system:

The exploit involved getting an end user to click on a link, which opened up a port that he was then able to telnet into. Once connected, he was able to remotely run code of his choosing.

More coverage from Rich Mogull at TidBITS.

George Ou Laid Off From CNet/ZDNet/WhateverNet 

Search the DF archives for some of Ou’s greatest hits.

Aperture 2.1 

Apple:

Released today, Aperture 2.1 introduces an open plug-in architecture that lets photographers use specialized third-party imaging software from right within Aperture. In fact, customers downloading the Aperture 2.1 update will receive the new Dodge & Burn plug-in.