Dashcode

Apple released a public beta of Dashcode to ADC members (including the free accounts). I have to say I am deeply impressed.
It has still some quirks, but it is stable and has stunning features.

I started this week to play around with it and I can assure you it’s fun.
Implementing a Scrollarea gave some problems for me tho.
(I admit, has a lot to do with my JS n00bness…but hey…)

If you you update the content of your scrollarea, don’t forget to refresh it…

example:

if (logstatus == 0) {
		loginhoud = logcall.outputString;
		content.innerHTML = loginhoud;
		document.getElementById("scrollArea").object.refresh();
	}
	else {
		content.innerHTML = "Problem fetching server data...";
	}

I think this is missing in the documentation…(yup, reporting it to Apple as well).

Podcasting

Having an update iPod since a couple of weeks, finally got me on the podcasting train. Not as a producer of podcasts (don’t worry, I don’t plan to do it either) but as a consumer. A short time before I got my iPod, iTunes 4.9 was released with podcast-support (…all over the place really).

I’m subscribed to three podcasts now. The drawback is that iTunes still isn’t built for multiple computers. Somehow your iPod is only able to stay in sync with 1 computer. @work, I’m subscribed in iTunes to 3 podcasts and those are syncing up nicely with my iPod (which is named “ieniemienie” by the way). But when I’m at home, and hook up my iPod to my iBook, I’m not able to get the latest podcasts in my podcast”playlist” on my iPod. That sucks. I have to drop those podcasts in my ordinary library on my iPod. I really hope it will be made possible in future iTunes releases.
Another feature (not bug!, feature:) of iTunes, and it’s in a way related to the problem described above, is that itunes keeps track to which podcasts you have listened in the last few days.

As you can understand…this isn’t very reliable if you listen to podcasts downloaded through different computers.
But where I started with, I like podcasts. At, least…I like listen to the daily source code of Adam Curry. Adam Curry is known in Holland from “CountDown” an 80’s television music show. When he stopped doing that show, he returned to the States and got very rich. A couple of years ago, he was in the news because he flew in with his own helicopter to his radioshow (keep in mind that holland is 400 km from north to south, he had to fly about 200 km).
But…I really really like his dialy source code. They are fascinating and he is very Apple-minded (which is always a big plus for me). This morning while commuting to work I listened to an episode where he did a “soundscape”, which is a nice word for walking on the street with a running microphone.
And it really was fascinating listening to all those San Francisco street-sounds whilst driving in a bus through Friesland.

New Hardware

New toys…for me…how nice!

@work, 3 weeks ago, the decision was made to get rid of an old iMac 350 (blue, dv).
Hooray! The user of the iMac was given my G4 450, and I was told to buy a new iMac G5.

The fun thing was…there wasn’t an iMac in Stock in the whole Netherlands…I phoned several mac-dealers. Begged to to sell me their show-models, but no luck.
But….there where several who did have the 1.8 Ghz G5 in Stock.
And I got clearence to buy it!
(actually, I prefered the tower over the iMac, because I like my Phillips TFT 19″)

Jeej!

The same evening I rushed to the Apple-dealer to load the very heavy box in my car, together with some additional ram.
The design, the look, the feel…wow…the first days I found myself stroking the shiny aluminium over and over again. The machine is less noisy as my previous G4, and the new graphics card is making Tiger even look better. I know it’s the entry level (since 2 days even EOL in Europe) but boy, compared to my G4 it screams.

And the real fun…6 days later on my birthday, I got an iPod Mini, in gray, because that matched my new G5 so nicely :-D
I did have the 1G 5Gbyte iPod. But that one was showing it’s age. I like the newer OS of the ipod, it has really matured compared to the 1G iPods. And I discovered that podcasts are fun. Listening on the returntrip of work to the Daily Source code has really made the bus less boring.

Even more vintage videos

I’m glad I do have friends who help me filling up all the diskspace on a Xserve.
( Is there some sarcasm here?)

But here are some more vintage Apple video’s.

Three commercials:
Apple 1984 montage
Apple IIc
Test drive a Macintosh

And almost the complete keynote of 1984 in four parts:
1 1984 launch
2 1984 launch
3 1984 launch
4 1984 lanuch

1984 Apple Keynote

Sometimes you find nice things on the internet.
Like a five minute intro of the 1984 Apple keynote, presented by Steve Jobs himself.
In this keynote, the original Macintosh is announced. The quality is quite decent.
Click on the picture below to watch the quicktime movie (watch out, more than 20 mb!).