Malware Found!

I was working this afternoon, minding my own business when out of the blue, I get a Skype message telling me that my Windows machine was infected with malware. Ouch!! I know that stuff can be nasty, so I was really worried. Part of the text reads "ATTENTION! Security Center has detected malware on your computer!"

Holy cow, I was really, really worried and nervous that I was now part of a larger scheme where ultimately, some crazed maniac in a garage somewhere was going to take over the world, one IP address at a time. That was until I remembered I was on a Mac. Shwew! The world is now safe again.

Click on the image to enlarge.

Steve Jobs' Macworld Keynote Highlights

As you likely have heard by now, Steve Jobs delivered his annual Macworld keynote speech Tuesday to a packed crowd of Mac enthusiasts, media and VIPs at the Moscone Center West in San Francisco. Among other things, he announced the new MacBook Air, Apple's new ultra-thin portable. It's one of those things you need to see to believe, and it feels very good to the touch.

For those that have 90 minutes to view the entire presentation, I highly recommend doing so. You can view the video directly from Apple's site here.

For those who are pressed for time, and only want to see the highlights, check out the video below. This was cleverly created by Veronica Belmont and company over at Mahalo Daily.

2D TV is so 2007

Watch how Johnny Lee turns his ordinary 2D TV into a 3D TV using a Wii remote. Very cool!

.Mac Pricing Options

I have been using Apple's .Mac service now for quite a while... about 3 years. It started off as a pretty good service, and has gotten better ever since. I would now consider it to be a great value for the price, and new features are being added all the time. I use it heavily for e-mail, web hosting, photo & video sharing, FTP, iSync, and much more. The greatest part about it is that it integrates seamlessly with a lot of my applications (iPhoto, iMovie, Mail, Address Book, etc).

Although some people feel like $99/year is still too much for the service, I thin it's a great bargain. For those that do feel it's too expensive, there are other options besides &99/year. Most people don't know about these other plans. For example, if someone wanted to use it for e-mail only, they may consider the $10/year plan which offers only e-mail services. You can even pay a straight-forward price to upgrade your single .Mac account to a family pack (allowing others in your family to piggy-back on your account).

Below is a list of prices for features:



For more information on pricing and to sign up for a free 60-day trial, go to www.mac.com.

Apple Pro Tips Archive

If you're looking for a one-stop shop for official Apple pro tips, look no further than the Apple Pro Tips website. Here, you will find tips on how to resize photos for efficient e-mailing, learning all about various ColorSync utilities, and even some of the basics like how to add icons to your Dock. The range of tips here is sufficient for anyone, from beginner to advanced.

Check it out today!

71-Year-Old Physics Professor, Star of iTunes U

iTunes U (the free educational section of iTunes) is jam-packed with thousands of audio and video podcasts aimed at helping all of us know just a little more than we now know. Professor Walter H. G. Lewin, a 71-year-old M.I.T. professor is among the crowd. In fact, Dr. Lewin was for a while the most downloaded iTunes U podcast available.

I walk with a new spring in my step and I look at life through physics-colored eyes.

There's no reason to hesitate... brush up on your Physics now, the fun way. Download Prof. Lewin's classroom sessions here.

iStat Pro Widget

The good folks over at iSlayer have done it again! The recently revamped iStat Pro Dashboard widget for Mac OS X is better than ever. For those who aren't familiar with it's feature-set, this is a free widget that gathers a myriad of information in a single, easy-to-read window that gives you a rich overview of your systems resources and overall health.



As you can see form the image above, some of the features it offers is drive usage, network information (IP addresses and speeds), fan speeds, various componant temperatures, and much more. To get this same information, you would have to visit 4 or 5 different locations throughout OS X, as well as know various Terminal commands (some of this information is not available through the OS GUI).

Get iStat Pro now!

Video Tips a Go?

I was thinking the other day that I might start doing some tips (probably weekly). I've done this before on a daily basis, but I found that it took a LOT of my time, and it wasn't as effective as it could have been. Mainly because it was all text-based. I'm thinking of doing video tips. Here's one that I have toyed around with. I know it's blotchy... audio needs work, screen capture utility didn't do too good, etc, but hey... it's a first shot at something. It can only get better, right?

Check it out and let me know if it's something worth exploring.