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Today's News by Cletus™ Just a reminder that Saturday midnight is the deadline for entering the Wapp pro Giveaway. At that time Jerome will be randomly drawing 10 winners for the free registration. So pop over to the contest page and get yourself entered to win. A-Dock 2.3 public beta 4 has been released. Jerome is working virtually round the clock to finish this version of his application launcher. - No need for the TSM Fix extension anymore
- Redesigned the contextual menus
- Desktop menu is now spring-loaded
- A few cosmetic bugs fixed
 Zapop is the newest alert sound available at the recently re-opened Clixsounds. Be sure to check out all the new design features while at the site, such as the application specific sounds section for Kaleidoscope, AOL and System clock sounds.
With the release of the newly designed iMacs yesterday, it was inevitable to find forum threads filling up with everyone's opinions about the new colors. I like the new machines. Themes and Schemes:  Greg Landweber has released version 2.3.1 of Kaleidoscope. I doubt I need to describe what Kaleidoscope is, but I will post a partial list of changes for this version:
- The menu bar clock draws in the right place under Mac OS 9.1.
- Enhanced menus draw and erase correctly under Mac OS 8.1 and earlier.
- Fixes a potential crash when using Page Setup with LaserWriter drivers.
- AliasMenu uses the correct Substitute System Font in its menus.
- MYOB AccountEdge once again lets you select text fields by clicking on them.
- On older systems without Navigation Services, the Select Scheme box in the Kaleidoscope control panel lists Kaleidoscope 2.3 schemes correctly.
- ColorSwitch Pro draws its menus correctly in schemes without enhanced menus.
- The tooltips in Macromedia Fireworks draw and erase correctly.
- Several other minor changes and improvements.
SchemeChecker version 1.4.9 is out. This update deals more with copywrite and e-mail address revisions. There has been no under the hood changes to either the code or features. SchemeChecker source code remains in the public domain. Michael Rabe has some news for us today from the Doghouse; "I will be releasing an updated preview of the theme 'Vortex,' along with announcing the release dated for Gin~Sing, Vortex, and the ‘i’ themes." Marcos Lopez also dropped me a line about a new theme he has posted called "Sky." If you intend on getting this theme, I would do so now. The site it originated from is called iMac Island. The theme is also available there. Peter Harte has posted an update to his AQUA II+ Kaleidoscope scheme. It is described as a maintenance release and brings the scheme to version 2.6.3. Submit Software and General News Suggestions!
Complete Cable Management For The Home & Office.
 Tools of the Trade by Michael
In a sneaky come from behind victory, Melissa is the sole survivor on the Island! While the men were busy undermining each other, she just kept smiling until she was we stabbed each other in the back! She now wins $1,000,000. Unfortunately, Melissa's allowance is $7 a week, so it will take 2747 years to award her the prize.
Doug Adams wanted to let ResExcellence readers know about his two AppleScript sites. The first, "The Official AppleScripts for Tex-Edit Plus Archives" has been up for two years. It's a collection of over 200 user-written scripts for the shareware text editor, Tex-Edit Plus, and offer information and tips for writing AppleScripts for it.
The second site is very new. "Doug's AppleScripts for SoundJam" features some scripts I've written for SoundJam -- mostly Playlist organization and some control scripts -- and will hopefully blossom into an archive-and-info site like the Tex-Edit site.
DV Graphics has two new makeovers, one for iTunes and one for Windows Media Player, plus two new splash screens and 13 new desktop pictures.
 The pitchers and catchers are in camp! It won't be long before opening day. If you are a Cleveland Indian's fan, Jon Breitenbucher told me their site has posted a team desktop picture in several resolutions. On Monday, watch for John's Cleveland Indian MOSS and ATM.
There are only three things you can be certain of: Death, taxes, and your hard disk will fail. Maybe it's time to visit MacInstruct and read their latest tutorial on backup strategies.
Now that he's not making MOSS, Peter McHugh has more time to aimlessly wander the web. His recent journey brought him to Astigmatic Fonts, where you can download Dog and Cat Fonts (not again!). There are tons of free fonts there for Mac and Windows (remember Windows TrueType fonts work great in Linux).
User Contributed Splash Screens: by Michael Coyle
Snapshots by Jeremy Hoesly Friday’s snapshots are comin’ at ’ya: - The fruits of Amapi 3D are displayed in this snapshot from Kuzey Atici featuring a rendered custom desktop picture coupled with the QT4 Modoki Theme. Custom icons roam the desktop.
- Thomas Blaschy submitted this contribution showcasing a desktop picture from MacDesktops in combination with Maury McCown’s AquaX III K-Scheme. iTunes is providing the background music along the bottom.
- This contribution from Dana Evans touts the “White Star Attack Run” desktop picture. SoundJam, equipped with the Music Player Graphite skin and Eclipse visualization plugin, is serving up music in the upper left-hand corner.
- Blue Sky Heart’s “DC Volt” desktop picture and Maury McCown’s AquaX III K-Scheme are showcased in this submission from Thomas Haller. Audion, outfitted with the Glass face, is dishing out tunes in the center. Custom icons abound.
- Jimmy Pappas’ “Monolith” desktop picture and Izawa Takashi’s Dark Side of IZA K-Scheme debut in this submission from Minge. Macast sits in as digital DJ along the bottom, and Pixelpalooza 2001 icons are on display.
- Aaron Moses contributed this screenshot sporting the custom “Graff-Aiight” desktop picture and Maury McCown’s AquaX III K-Scheme. iTunes intertwines music with mesmerizing patterns in the center. Icons.cx’s Spiffy Apps inhabit the desktop.
Captivated with the thought of sending your own snapshot? Read our submission guidelines and then hop to it!
Icon/Desktop News 02-23-01 Icon & Desktop News by Dan  This probably is my last and final entry into the Gilligan's Island journal. Being of somewhat sound mind and body, I bequeath my trusty G4 to Jeremy, since he badly needs a new machine that won't crash every 20 minutes, my software collection to Cletus since he likes to use the disks for golf practice, and last but not least I leave my entire desktop picture collection to Michael. Perhaps he can sell them to help fund the hostile takeover of our competitors.
REPOST: some time back I sent out a plea for any information concerning how to convert our beloved Mac Icons into (gasp)Window's Icons. Our friend Corey Marion from the Iconfactory comes up with the info: "The easiest solution still requires a Mac. There is a very cool little utility by Hideki Itoh called FInder Icon which can batch convert a bunch of Mac icons to .ico files. Get it at http://www.pixture.com/mac.html." Thanks Corey!
Icons - Desktops: Sorry, no Icon Sets to add to the archives at the moment (hint hint), but we do have six brand new desktops. All on display for today's update.
- The new design layouts for OS9 speaks clearly of elegance and simplicity, as does the "OS9 desktop" by Chris Sherwood. This one comes with a right handed dock in 800x and 1024x resolution.
- "Apple desk pix" by John Rose is a well done set of three Apple-centric desktops. All are designed with docking areas in different configurations and come 1280x resolutions.
- "Tatto" by D. Fernandez, is a stylish backdrop which celebrates the art of body decoration in 1024x resolution.
- "Nitefall" by is a beautiful dream like water scene by Dean Fusaro. This backdrop comes in 1024x resolution.
- As much as I want to scream when I see those little yellow smiley faces, "Its A MacDay" by Juan Santiago is an exception. This cheerful Mac desktop with left hand docks comes in 1280x resolution.
- "The Fitz" by Talia DiRocco & Dad was made by 8 year old Talia. (With just a very small amount of help from dad). She has a very big interest in The Edmund Fitzgerald ever since she saw the show on the Discovery Channel last year. She now reads and watches everything she can find about it.
News From Around the Web: idealMAC has returned, and the webmaster, Brien Edick, holds himself responsible, but blames the bankruptcy of his ISP and the death of his trusty performa 6300 for not being able to update the site. Live pencil updates with a pile of new stuff. The Devil's Desktop has been updated with 4 new icon sets and 1 new desktop! IconHQ is back. With a new domain.
Macmerc's latest desktop creation "Bitter Apple" is available for download. Mando Gomez is happy to announce the immediate availability of eleven new desktops at
http://www.mandolux.com with the theme of the Joint Strike Fighter. Tray's trove updates with eight new desktop designs on 2-18-01. Stephen Sobek announces the opening of his own website, featuring a tutorial for making a Startup Movie. Ra's page updates with a new "desktops" section. So what's up WWW? Icons? Desktop pictures? News? Inform us! We'll post it!
2/22/01 Snapshots by Jeremy Hoesly Thursday’s snapshot rollout is ready for action: - Nick Adams contributed this screenshot touting the “Napster Cat 3D” desktop picture from ResExcellence’s own Desktop Archive along with Toren Valimir’s I/OS X Graphite K-Scheme. iTunes, tweaked with some alternate textures, is juggling songs along the top.
- EndEffect’s “Mechanical Warfare” desktop picture and William Bart’s BBX Platinum K-Scheme debut in this contribution from Gwenhiver. Audion, overhauled with the Reintegration Graphite face by Jake Rodkin and Scott Denowh, shuffles music tracks in the upper left-hand corner. Icons from ResExcellence’s own Icon Archive, Perfect Yosemite, and icons.cx are scattered throughout in addition to some of the custom variety.
- This two part snapshot from Thomas Haller sports Blue Sky Heart’s “Denim” desktop picture and Maury McCown’s AquaX III K-Scheme. Audion, outfitted with the Glass face, is kicking out soundwaves in the center. Custom icons inhabit the lower edges of the pocket.
- It’s hard to explain the Matrix… especially when the Simpsons are involved! Benjamin Hatfield sends this hilarious OS X Beta submission sporting the “Simpsons in the Matrix” desktop picture. Notice how the dock is hugging the top of the screen. Configuration instructions are in the Terminal window below.
- This dark screenshot from Siso features Sandy Marnat-Damez’s Wall Street Black & Bronze SMB K-Scheme. Cool.
- This quaint snapshot from Vivian Yuan presents an impressionistic desktop picture with a pastel green K-Scheme. The Charlie Brown Halloween and Spring Fling icon collections from Icon Factory are situated along the right edge.
Captivated with the thought of sending your own snapshot? Read our submission guidelines and then hop to it!
Complete Cable Management For The Home & Office.
Today's News by Cletus™ The Wapp pro contest is still going strong. All the information is included on the contest page for entering. Considering the format being used, there is no reason not to give it a try. Who knows, you could be one of the ten lucky winners!  Jerome is expecting the final release of Wapp pro to be very soon. He has released another version as a final candidate. He anticipates this will be the last before version 3.0 is released officially. He has also released a new version of Wapp Floater version 3.0. Wapp pro is the palette companion of Wapp pro. This version provides the following:
- Compatible with Wapp pro 3.
- The TSM Fix not needed anymore.
- A few cosmetic changes.
- Added a contextual menu that provides an easy access to the following commands: Open Control Panel and Quit.
 Extension Overload 5.7.2 is now available. Described as the "simplest way to keep your Mac healthy," Extension Overload is an extensions, control panels, control strip modules and contextual menus management application. It can virtually provide you with a definition of any part of your Macs system software. A list of changes with this version is listed below:
- Fixes the Navigation Services Missing problem with 8.1 or earlier.
- Fixes a display/possible crashing bug in the search dialog.
- Added description of 25 control strips modules, 15 extensions, 27 Contextual Menu Items and 5 control panels.
- Total of 4430 extensions, Control Panels, CSM and CMM plugins.
- Better support for non English Mac OS.
The Free Memory Show was recently updated to version 2.1. New in this version is: a new preference "Float grows to right": Lets the float window increase/decrease its size to the right side so you can place it to the very left side on the screen if you like. The display now appears initially under the menu bar in the middle of the screen. Of course, it can still be moved to anywhere and the position is stored. Sometimes a harmless error occurred on quit. This has been fixed.
HexMan is reporting that he is working on a new program- aCalc. It is a calculator with an Aqua look. He writes, "It is very easy to customize this interface with a copy of ResEdit and a graphics program such as AppleWorks." Screenshots are found here. Other tidbits of interest: MacFixIt is reporting that Speed Startup from Casady & Greene will be discontinued. I use to use this and perhaps some of you also did. Casady & Greene's page does confirm that the product will no longer be developed. MacCentral reported that Opera Software will be releasing their browser for the Mac on Thursday. The Opera homepage has the information you may be looking for. Themes and Schemes: It's here...no it's there! AquaX III Graphite can now be downloaded at RAILhead Design. Maury assures us that this scheme is totally realistic, totally reworked with the latest information available on Graphite and just flat out totally cool! Yep! I agree! The Kaleidoscope Scheme Archive has been updated with 3 new and 10 updated schemes. New schemes include: Dragons And Dungeons, Envy and Not Fade Away. Submit Software and General News Suggestions!
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Tools of the Trade by Michael
This is pretty funky! Dragon Tongue has posted cutout tabbed iMacs. Just print them on your printer, cut on the dotted line, and insert TAB A into SLOT B. Go to his site and click on the downloadz link on the left. Comes with 5 desktop screens. :)
Scott Miller painted his PowerBook G3/300, and just about every other piece of computer equipment in the house! Unlike other Powerbook paint jobs I have seen, Scott has added a textured look to his work. He's also looking for style suggestions on how to paint a Mac Plus and a couple of SEs that are currently holding up a book shelf!
More on MP3 Playing Autos! Destin, creator of the original Pathintosh is hoping some readers can help him solve a problem. Do you know of a way to increase the playlist font size in SoundJam? Let him know.
MacInstruct has posted a new tutorial titled, "Introduction to Darwin".
Well, Mac OS X comes out in about a month. Will people know how to use it?
We don't think so. That's why we're providing this helpful introduction to
This tutorial was written by Marcus Schiermeier. Find out the buzz on the hidden underbelly of MacOS X.
User Contributed Splash Screens: by Michael Coyle
- Yowzers! After not much activity in this section, Dragon Tongue created a bunch of skins for Internet Explorer. There are four for your viewing in the archive, and more at his site.
- Another in the great looking jelly splash series has been contributed by Tom Hastings. This one is for Internet Explorer.
- This MOSS is a sight for sore eyes after the long Midwestern winter. Andrew Symington sent this Giant MOSS called Paradise.
- John Bailey felt the contextual menu for Extension Strip could use a little makeover. Take a look to see if it's a mod you want to use on your version.
- Continuing his AIM splash series, Jeff Delauney sent a set of three Batman replacements.
Snapshots by Jeremy Hoesly Hold on to your hats! Wednesday’s snapshots are coming to town: - This snapshot from Andre Crespo sports a modified version of the “Quantum Foam” desktop picture along with the Aqua K-Scheme. Audion, tweaked with the FreeceX face, is dishing out tunes along the right edge.
- This dual monitor snapshot from George Guerrette features Blue Sky Heart’s “Swan” desktop picture in conjunction with Eric Lob’s Tubular Sky Theme. SoundJam, retro-fitted with the Drop skin, is kicking out soundwaves in the lower right-hand corner. Icons from Dario are situated along the right edge.
- This two part snapshot from Matt Huitson illustrates that one can have a clean but surprisingly loaded desktop in this screenshot featuring a custom desktop picture and a custom blend of the Turbo, Grafito, and Extra Virgin K-Schemes. Audion, geared with the Wisp face, is serving up music in the lower left. A smattering of custom icons and selections from the Silencio K-Scheme lurk on the desktop.
- Epoch Icons’ “Solar Epiphany” desktop picture and Ben Mackin’s Liquid Theme are showcased in this contribution from Ryan Meek. Audion, overhauled with Paul Johnson’s H/K face, is handling the background music on the left side. Various custom icons along with Layne Karkruff’s BlueSkyIcons 7 icon set are scattered throughout.
- MacDesktops’ “RustyApple” desktop picture and Timechanic Industries’ Boilerplate K-Scheme debut in this submission from faithful contributor Evan Sharp. Audion, equipped with Jeremie Hornus’ Copper Contraption face, is churning out music in the upper left. Icons from Icon Factory line the edges.
- James Steele shows what Apple Share means to him in this contribution touting the custom “Apple Share” desktop picture and Peter Harte’s Aqua II+ K-Scheme. SoundJam, retooled with the converted BCK-Reg Audion face, is sitting in as digital DJ in the lower left-hand corner. Derek Gordon’s OS Drives icon collection is also in the spotlight.
Captivated with the thought of sending your own snapshot? Read our submission guidelines and then hop to it!
Icon/Desktop News 02-21-01 Icon & Desktop News by Dan  Short of hacking the ResExcellence server or bribing the game keeper, it looks to me like beauty and youth will win out over wisdom and age. Gilligan's Island has been a challenge, but I've managed to survive this long. Perhaps the readers will do the right thing after all, and get rid of Melissa instead?
Some time back I sent out a plea for any information concerning how to convert our beloved Mac Icons into (gasp)Window's Icons. Our friend Corey Marion from the Iconfactory comes up with the info: "The easiest solution still requires a Mac. There is a very cool little utility by Hideki Itoh called FInder Icon which can batch convert a bunch of Mac icons to .ico files. Get it at http://www.pixture.com/mac.html." Thanks Corey!
Icons - Desktops: We're pared down to one great Icon Set to add to the archives, plus six brand new desktops. All on display for today's update.
- "Smooth Icons" by David Drayton is a nice set of 20 system related icons. Complete with some bright color and nice soft edges to soothe the eyes.
- "Diffuse" by Timothy Zulewski of CricketBow Design is a beautiful composition that I'm sure most will enjoy on their desktop. This one comes in 1152x resolution.
- Our good friend Xochi lends us another of his exceptional desktops for today's update. This one is titled "litshadoe" and comes in 1152x resolution. He also notes that you are welcome to do whatever the heck you want with his art work, but if you happen to make a million dollars on one, you have to send him a share.
- Chris Sherwood wants you to know if you haven't got a Mac, you must be mad. "Nomac" speaks for itself in 800x and 1024x resolutions.
- Steve Sobek premieres his second "Startup Movie" on ResExcellence. This psychedelic Apple Quicktime movie will liven up your boot time. Included in the same folder is a supplemental startup screen as well. If you are wanting to know how these are made, visit Steve's site for an online tutorial of the process.
- Steve Sobek takes a break from movie making and shares his perspective on "Life" in 1024x resolution.
- Raool of Ra's Page submits a desktop version of what one might feel like being in "prison". If you're feeling hemmed in and need some new scenery, download this creative backdrop in 1152x resolution.
News From Around the Web: Live pencil updates with a pile of new stuff. The Devil's Desktop has been updated with 4 new icon sets and 1 new desktop! IconHQ is back.With a new domain.
Macmerc's latest desktop creation "Bitter Apple" is available for download. Mando Gomez is happy to announce the immediate availability of eleven new desktops at
http://www.mandolux.com with the theme of the Joint Strike Fighter. Tray's trove updates with eight new desktop designs on 2-18-01. Stephen Sobek announces the opening of his own website, featuring a tutorial for making a Startup Movie. Ra's page updates with a new "desktops" section. Shroomgfx has a whole new look, as well as 2 new desktops based on some old macintosh ads with a nice retro look Colheres updates with the new desktop picture "Sleeping" by Luisa. So what's up WWW? Icons? Desktop pictures? News? Inform us! We'll post it!
Click here to learn more about Toast 6 Titanium
2/20/01 Snapshots by Jeremy Hoesly Tuesday’s snapshots are here for your viewing pleasure: - André Behrens contributed this two-part screenshot demonstrating the wonders of Drop Drawers. A custom desktop picture is in the background while icon selections from Xicons are clustered in the upper right-hand corner.
- Pixel Addict’s “Infinity” desktop picture and the Hi-Tech Theme are showcased in this snapshot from Jon. Audion, equipped with Didierl’s Glass face, is tickling the eardrums in the upper right-hand corner. A smattering of icons from Perfect Yosemite, Icon Street, and Sascha Höhne are scattered throughout.
- iTunes is the focus in this submission from Jesper Møller-Fink. A modified version of the “Quantum Foam” desktop picture contains four miniature screenshots of iTunes’ visualizer. iTunes itself is shuffling music at lower center.
- Guillermo Montes submitted this contribution touting a MacAkio desktop picture and an Aqua K-Scheme. SoundJam is cranking out songs in the upper left. Xicons provided the displayed icons.
- This snapshot from Trevor sports a desktop picture from Digital Blasphemy. Icons from icons.cx, Xicons, and Gort’s Icons are shown off.
- Appleholics Anonymous’ “Geigersaur” desktop picture and William Bart’s Ultrasleek Designer Sharkskin debut in this contribution from Vaughan Woolley. Audion, outfitted with Scott Raleigh’s Wetware face, is dishing out tunes in the center. Icon Factory’s SD Gundam icons roam the desktop.
Captivated with the thought of sending your own snapshot? Read our submission guidelines and then hop to it! Applescripts 02-20-01 Applescript/Scripting by Michael John Franklin created this drag and drop script to handle the job of converting a file's creator code, and then opening the file in the new application. A few comments on this script from John: Rather than attempting to process "stuff", which would work for a single item, this script treats stuff as a list and iterates through the list. If you try it without the "repeat" lines and replace "x" with "stuff", the script will operate perfectly well... until you use it on more than one file at once. The line "set x to x as alias" has to occur outside the tell block because the Finder attaches a different meaning to "alias" than standard AppleScript. ("set x to x as alias" tells AppleScript to take x -- whatever it is -- and make it into a reference to the file represented by x. These references are understood by practically any scriptable application. If "set x to x as alias" is moved into the tell block, on the other hand, the Finder attempts to make x into an alias file; while the Finder can be scripted to make alias files, that isn't how it works.) "set the creator type of x to "ogle"" makes the file into a PictureViewer file, as ResEdit-aware people will know. Once it is a PictureViewer file, "open x" acts exactly like double-clicking the file. (Including the Mac OS Easy Open dialog if PictureViewer is missing.) It would be possible to have PictureViewer open the file directly, but doing so would either make the script ask for PictureViewer's location every time it executes on a new machine (a well-known problem) or else make the script needlessly complicated. This method takes advantage of the GUI mechanisms built into the Mac OS.
MacInstruct has posted a new tutorial: 15 Step Program to Accelerate Your Mac. What was one of MacInstruct's most popular tutorials last month? The "Speed Up Your Mac" tutorial by Ben Shelton. Well, Ben completely rewrote the tutorial. It has eight new steps and he rewrote some of the first seven steps as well.
Visit the Mac Experts!
Today's News by Cletus™  ResExcellence and Jérome Foucher are teaming up for another great giveaway. How does 10 free registrations for Wapp pro sound? Wapp pro is a window switcher. It displays a menu with every window opened in every application, allowing you to switch to the window of your choice. For information on how to get into the giveaway, head over to the contest page.
Naratt Cyber World has updated Iconizer Pro to 1.3.8. Iconizer Pro will allow you to create a background image for a folder or CD from a group of icons. This update includes: - Improved the quality of the icon set when the master is a JPEG image.
- Fixed a memory leak when opening a very large TIFF image.
- Fixed a Type 10 error when trying to access protected volumes.
- Fixed a system freeze when users quit application while engines are running.
- Updated contact information on Iconizer Pro’s Apple Menu command.
 Clixsounds is back after more then a year hiatus. Now being handled by 323 Enterprises, they are bringing you a new free sound to kick off the re-opening: Gindu- "Oh you shouldn't have done dat!" They plan on continuing the tradition of offering a new sound every week. A nice feature of the new site design allows you to sample the sound prior to downloading if you have the Flash Plug-in installed in your browser.
Scotty Weeks wrote us about a nice little application he found for Mac OS X called Space.app. It is at version 0.6 after its third release. "Space.app provides up to sixteen "virtual workspaces" to help you to organize your desktop." The page has a screenshot showing it in action. It is free software, distributed under the terms of the QPL Open Source License. Themes and Schemes: Aquacid 1.0 by Aquacid Project is the newest Kaleidoscope scheme being shown at Desktopper. As you may have deduced, this is an Aqua based scheme. Submit Software and General News Suggestions!
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Help Wanted by Michael
Our once little out of the way web site has grown over the years. Based on reader feedback, we've opened new sections and are constantly making changes to improve what we feel is the best darn User Interface site for the Mac! Every day we pump put over 3.5G of downloads for readers customizing the look of their Mac.
All that bandwidth costs money, and while ResExcellence's finances are in good order, our explosive growth means we have not been able to dedicate the resources to sell all of our ad banner inventory. For the next step in our evolution, I would like to add a marketing representative. If you have experience in marketing and sales and fully understand what ResEx is about, please drop me a line. The position should not demand an excessive amount of time and can be done at leisure from the comfort of your home.
 Polling Place by Michael
How disappointing. By a small margin, more ResEx readers are cat than dog people. :)
When I walk in the door, my dog rushes to great me, tail wagging, tongue panting. When a cat owner arrives at the door, he is met with a "where the heck have you been all day?" look. I don't need a cat to do that to me. That's why I have a wife!
This week's Polling Place is on a more serious topic. The breakup of AT&T and the deregulation of the phone industry was suppose to result in lower phone bills. Judging from my bills over the years, just the opposite is true. While per minute costs have fallen, I'm nickle-and-dimed to death with access fees and line charges. Between two cell phones, our regular phone line, and the computer ISDN line, the Coyle family dishes out over $180 per month in connectivity charges. How about you? What's your monthly total for phone charges?
And in the final week of our Editor's Survivor contest, Old Man Dan and Hollywood Starlet Melissa are left on the island to fend for themselves. There will be two challenges for our castaways: a '70's trivial quiz (a shoo in for Dan) and a test of physical endurance (a piece of cake for the younger Melissa). This will leave it up to you to decide who win! Vote in the left sidebar.
A Review of REALbasic 3.0 by Erick Tejkowski
Find out what's new and cool in the latest version of this easy to use programming language from the author of the soon to be released "REALbasic for Dummies", Erick Tejkowski. (Continued...)
Tools of the Trade by Michael
Melissa has added 6 new sites to the links page. She highly recommends PlanetKojo, but make sure you have flash installed.
Antonio Flores Aldama has written another handy little utility. This one is called MyiDisk and it simplifies mounting your iDisk over Appletalk.
Anthony Saxton dropped me a line regarding his edit to Modify Apple's CD/DVD drivers to mount third party drives.
The hack for 1.3.5 and 1.4.3 are both identical to version 1.3.1. Apple has made no changes to the SCSI portion of the CD driver since version 1.3.1.
Also, it might be a good idea to add a note that the Driver ID 33 should not be edited. It is the driver for the ATAPI (IDE) drives and already works with all IDE drives that it possibly could. There are no checks there for Apple ROMs. I'm telling you this because I received an email from a user with a DVD drive complaining that his DVD didn't work anymore. This was because he had edited both drivers.
Linux Icebox: KDE 2.1 Buttons and Panel.by Michael Coyle
This is a simple set of Tile Buttons and Panel Backgrounds I made for KDE 2.1. The sets contains four color combinations for any size buttons and any orientation of the panel strip. Download the archive and find instructions on this page.
User Contributed Splash Screens: by Michael Coyle
- Say it ain't so! Peter McHugh has submitted his last MOSS contribution! "I would like to say that since Mac OS is finished then so too will be my MOSS making .. therefore this is my last MOSS". Egads! That makes this Aqua styled MOSS as rare as any Picasso!
- Belinda has created a very beautiful Interarchy Interface titled "In Every Bit".
- Direct from Italy, this Explorer Splash by Dylan Daniélou is ready for your viewing pleasure.
- And for users of Netscape, milpool sends a splash showing the Earth from the lunar surface.
- Complete with simple instructions, John Bailey sent a replace page-turning sound for Apple's Notepad!
- For MacOS 9.1, Todd Shultz whipped up this About this Mac replacement splash.
Snapshots by Jeremy Hoesly Monday’s snapshots have arrived: - KC is pushing the limits of sanity in this screenshot sporting a custom desktop picture, the iGraphito K-Scheme, and a multitude of icons. Wow!
- This snapshot from Christopher Moore sports Scott Chitwood’s “Visions Bright, But Seldom Seen” desktop picture and Blue Sky Heart’s Scrollites Asia K-Scheme. Audion, tweaked with the Bubble Life face, is serving up music in the lower left-hand corner. Custom icons, selections by Scott Chitwood, and iconic creations from Blue Sky Heart and icons.cx are on display.
- Bart Simpson rolls through this screenshot from Roy sporting MacDesktops’ “Bart” desktop picture and Akio’s Sharp Tang K-Scheme. SoundJam, retro-fitted with Akio’s Sharp Tang skin, is pumping out soundwaves in the upper left.
- The custom “Radiohead: Five” desktop picture and Maury McCown’s AquaX III K-Scheme are in the spotlight in this contribution from Nikita Urazbaev. iTunes is supplying the background music in the upper left-hand corner.
- This OS X Beta submission from Manuel Velazquez features the custom “Ascension” desktop picture. The Adobe X Icons 2001 and Macromedia Pro Collection 2001 icon sets are also showcased.
- Interfacelift’s “QuickTime 4 Apple” desktop picture and Kei Kinoshita’s Diez K-Scheme debut in this screenshot from M. Warren. iTunes is shuffling music in the upper right. Icons from Perfect Yosemite occupy the desktop.
Captivated with the thought of sending your own snapshot? Read our submission guidelines and then hop to it!
Icon/Desktop News 02-19-01 Icon & Desktop News by Dan  Just when I thought Spring was finally here in the Great Northwest, Blam, we get 12 inches of snow. A brilliant warm sun is making short work of what was a gossamer white blanket, and the grass that's emerging from below is fluorescent green. Perhaps Spring is closer than we think!
Icons - Desktops: We've got another of Josh Bishop's great Icon Sets to add to the archives plus six brand new desktops. All on display for today's update.
- Josh Bishop's "Peppermints" icons will make your mouth water for all those Starbucks goodies we secretly covet every morning. This is a small set of 10 stylish hand drawn icons.
- Erik K.Veland managed to capture the look and feel of Apples latest casing with his "G4 2 bay desktop". Comes in Jumbo sized resolutions as well.
- "Space" and "Tunnel" by Rob Petrovec are his first submissions to ResExcellence. This set of 3-D other worldly desktops comes in four different resolutions.
- Martin Sundstrømust wanted to make a set of desktops that bridged the gap between Classic and OSX. So he took the original Mac OS desktop and added the look of Sherlock 2, iTunes and OSX to it and came up with "Afterthought desktops". This set includes three variations on the theme, in 1280x resolution.
- Our good friend Xochi lends us a third of his exceptional desktops for today's update. This one is titled "deep crack" and comes in 1152x resolution. He also notes that you are welcome to do whatever the heck you want with his art work, but if you happen to make a million dollars on one, you have to send him a share.
- Johnnutz of the NasyCru website submits a somewhat, well, bizarre desktop titled "Gas Mask" . This one comes in three different resolutions.
News From Around the Web: IconHQ is back.With a new domain.
Macmerc's latest desktop creation "Bitter Apple"is available for download. Mando Gomez is happy to announce the immediate availability of eleven new desktops at
http://www.mandolux.com with the theme of the Joint Strike Fighter. Tray's trove updates with eight new desktop designs on 2-18-01. Stephen Sobek announces the opening of his own website, featuring today a tutorial that will for making a Startup Movie. Ra's page updates with a new "desktops" section. Shroomgfx has a whole new look, as well as 2 new desktops based on some old macintosh ads with a nice retro look Colheres updates with the new desktop picture "Sleeping" by Luisa. The Iconfactory's Pixelpalooza ended at Noon, e.s.t. on Wednesday the 14th. Head on over to find out who the ultimate winners are. The Iconfactory gang is also pleased to announce the launch of The Iconfactory DeskBase; a searchable database of Macintosh, Windows and Linux websites that offer downloadable items to customize your computer. Etherbrian updates his site with 5 new icon sets whose names are the only thing more ridiculous than the icons within. So what's up WWW? Icons? Desktop pictures? News? Inform us! We'll post it!
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