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Today's News by Michael (Cletus is on vacation) Gin~Sing by Michael Rabe  | A big day here at ResExcellence! We're very proud to introduce Michael Rabe as our new Appearance Theme Editor. Michael has been hard at work building the new Theme Archive. Over 90 themes are ready for you to download based on excellent previews. (Don't bother looking for the banned themes. Let's just say we want to avoid any Imperial entanglements.) Michael is also pleased to release his latest Theme, Gin~Sing. Grab it from the new archive.
Now that Clixsounds is back, be sure to stop by and download the "Sound of the Week". This week, it's Spam Alert, an email alert replacement sound. Agent Audio and Agent Audio Pro have also been added to our Software Archive. These are the premier tools for manipulating sound resources and files on the Mac.
From his secret vacation hideout on the other side of the world, Cletus managed to add Fat Cursors to the Software Archive so it's easier to find!
MacInstruct has a new tutorial by Vivian Lynes. Preparing Graphics For The Web deals with using Graphic Converter to save images in the correct format to save space and look good on your web pages!
Since Jeremy is taking the day off from the Snapshot Archive, why get not your 'snapshot-fix' from X-Themes.org! They have posted 10 Linux snapshots to show you how the other side lives.
Anyone interested in blazing fast networking via firewire? Unibrain sells a software product called FireNet that claims to do just that! Do any of you have experience with this? Is there a similar system to network two computer via the USB port? Inquiring minds want to know. Scheme News. RAILHead updated the amazing AquaX III 1.3 scheme. It has been tweaked and updated with the latest changes in the Aqua user interface. All the controls have been redrawn, all the patterns have been updated, and more. Head to the Schemes page and get the latest version of this interface gem! Plus RAILhead plans on updating MacQNX, their second most popular scheme.
Submit Software and General News Suggestions!
Complete Cable Management For The Home & Office.
Tools of the Trade by Michael
Brenda Von Ahsen dropped a note to let you know about a handy little utility she stumbled upon. TMDC Droplet Builder creates drag and drop applets that let you change a files creator/type code. While you can do this with an Applescript, TMDC Droplet Builder also lets you modify several other attributes. Their website also lists several other utilities that ResEx readers may find handy. There is also an archive of REALbasic tutorials.
Will Rhea noticed that MacCentral and ResExcellence are running identical polls. On MacCentral, more readers like the new iMac designs than at ResExcellence What does this prove? That ResEx readers have better taste. (Just kidding guys!)
Doh! Michael Morales caught an error! "Just thought I'd mention that the comment made about the Biggy-Light software was incorrect in that it stated it was priced at $99. I was almost scared away from even clicking on the link because of this, but when I ventured to the site I noticed that it is in fact, being sold for a mere $29. Still not extremely cheap as far as shareware goes, but still not $100."
That wasn't a typo. I'd swear when I first went there it said $99. Must be my aging eyesight. Sorry Biggy-Light!
Chris Sherwood's site, Two Faced Mac, has updated with some new desktops and an iTunes Skin.
Gilles Durupt has always disliked the rounded shape of the original Location Bar in Internet Explorer, so he has posted a black makeover on his site. Be sure to checkout his dark HiTech schemes.
User Contributed Splash Screens: by Michael Coyle
- Frank Thomas is in spring training, and to celebrate, Bill Hughes set this Chicago White Sox MOSS!
- Does the default look of Apple's iTunes leave you feeling bored? Then this makeover is just what the doctor ordered - Dr. Barney Hadden to be exact! Take a look at the bronze and marble set he put together.
- Laurent Peraldi sent a great looking splash for Explorer. Hey Laurent, how about a whole set for Office?
- While we're on the topic of Office, Stephen Sobek submitted this full set of splash screens. These are very nice, very different.
- Users of MacOS 9.1 will like this About this Mac replacement by Joseph DelPopolo.
- Heads or Tails? Use this spinning Nickel Explorer Throbbers from John Hall. To settle family arguments.
Icon/Desktop News 03-02-01 Icon & Desktop News by Dan  In the grand scheme of "Internet Ethics" one of the nastier offenses is the borrowing of another's artwork, and calling it your own. I received a note today from a somewhat annoyed fellow stating "it would behoove artists to look around to see if what they are submitting is in fact original". I do my best to look out for such things, but can't possibly keep track of all of it. All ResExcellence submissions MUST be your own original work. If I discover to the contrary, your pirated goodies will quickly find their way to the dump.
Icons - Desktops: One new Icon Set coming your way, as well as six shiny new desktops. All on display for today's update.
- "Aqua Icons Part 1" by Derek Gordon are another assortment of icons for OS9 and OSX based on the latest build of OS X 1.0 (All icons are labeled according to OS).
- In my journeys around the net, once in awhile I run across some artwork that just knocks my socks off. The "Decipher" series of Icons (2.0 and 2.1) for OSX by Reed Loar of Macgrounds is one such works. If you are going to be using OSX, then these two sets of 18 each system replacement icons are a must have, and are bound to become classics.
- Garrett Walbridge was obviously so taken with last year's Emmy award winning movie "American Beauty" that he created a set of desktops for it. Beauty comes in four different resolutions.
- You can just imagine yourself floating on an iceberg in the far frozen North when you look at "Frio" by Dean Fusaro. This is another of Dean's dream like desktops, and comes in 1024x resolution.
- K.C. Lofty enjoys the things you can do with Photoshop, endless possibilities of play in light and color. His latest desktop creation is titled "Kaleido-vortex", and comes streaming at you in 1024x resolution.
- John Rose continues with his celebrity desktop series now featuring "Singer deskpix" . This grouping includes Jennifer Lopez and Jessica Simpson. All are set up with docking areas and come in two different resolutions.
- Twist got the idea for the set of desktops he calls "Sunny Day" while playing an old Super Nintendo game called Yoshi's Island. The game is made to look like it was drawn by a child with crayons and it reminded him of his days as a child and how he liked to paint with water colors.
- The release date for OSX is right around the corner now. "Xcom" desktop by Paddy Garcia shouts the upcoming event to the world in 3 different resolutions.
News From Around the Web: The Devil's Desktop has been updated with 9 new desktops!!! Brycetopia is back from an unexpected hiatus with new management. Ryan Frank is now the head Webmaster. Rampant Mac has updated with 4 new desktops, three last week and one today Look for 'Phantasmaghora' in the ResEx archive. Colheres updates with New icon set by a new iconist: "la rose" (by Joaquim) I just want to let you know that http://www.mandolux.com has just released 24 new desktops. idealMAC has updated the Arcade, and other minor improvements. Check it out. Very very important!!! The url for Happicon will be changing. Bookmark the new address @ http://members.ams.chello.nl/ymollema KC'z Custom Desktops updates with another page of eight desktop pictures and patterns. Twisted Technology has a new site design, and it has moved to a faster and banner free host, and with it's own domain.
Mike Davidson's Mac File Library, your home for Mac Related Transparent Desktops, icons, flash/director screen savers has been updated once again with quality desktops. Live pencil updates with a pile of new stuff. So what's up WWW? Icons? Desktop pictures? News? Inform us! We'll post it!
Visit the Mac Experts!
Today's News by Michael (Cletus is on vacation) I can't wait to get home from work and put this on the kid's computer! StimpSoft has released a cool program called "The Planets". It's an application that puts 9 spinning planets and 2 moons of our beautiful Solar System on your desktop. They can all spin at once, or one at a time. Each planet also has a small information window giving a little story and data about itself.
X-Launch 2.1 has been released by David Yeh. David has made more than a dozen changes to the utility, but my favorites are: - added auto-windowshade option to windowshade X-Launch when in the background
- added adjustable button spacing
- option to disable the command-Q keyboard shortcut to quit X-Launch
- option to draw button names without the background label
- option to display X-Launch vertically
X-Launch 2.1  |
Programmer Jerome Foucher has been busy! Two of his excellent utilities have been spruced-up. A-Dock 2.3b4 got a few bugs squished, especially the one that caused a crash-at-shutdown on some system configurations. And Wapp Floater 3.1 sports a brand new look, support for copy/alias cursors, improved drag & drop support, and enhanced contextual menus.
It's an itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny mp3 player. MP3 Strip 1.2 is a $15 shareware control strip module for playing MP3s. You can download a 30 day demo from their website.
Themes and Schemes: Kaleidoscope Scheme Archive has been updated. They have 4 new and 8 updated schemes ready for you to download. Since I'm a sucker for anything that's brushed aluminum, my favorite in this batch is I.K.I. by Kei Inagaki. Submit Software and General News Suggestions!
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Tools of the Trade by Michael
Lauren is an art director at one of those BIG IMPERSONAL advertising agencies. She also has one of those BIG Apple Cinema displays. The problem is the mouse is so small, it looks like a gnat crawling on the screen.
Here are two tools to enlarge the cursor for you. Fat Cursor is a $10 shareware control panel that can change the main pointer and text I-beam to chunky counterparts. If you want the ability to customize the cursors even more, then Biggy-Light is for you. At $99, it isn't cheap, but it lets you create animated cursors of unlimited design and size.
Dat's Phat!
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MacInstruct Tutorial has posted part two of Introduction to Darwin. This tutorial, a follow up to last week's, focuses on using the Command Line. There are also many other tips that work under MacOS X.
Since this week's Poll deals with the new iMacs, you make want to take a look at this humorous page from Michael Munger.
Before leaving for an extended vacation, Ian was kind enough to leave a present for PPC/Linux users: a nice set of final RPM's for KDE 2.1. Read this article on how to download and install, and enjoy!
It's very easy to create themes for KDE 2.1. Everything is basically in a single text file, plus any custom buttons or background patterns you wish to include. There is a tutorial at artist.kde.org. Gee. Imagine. An operating system/desktop environment that actually encourages you to customize. (In a related note, Apple Patented the letter "X" claiming it represents proprietary information.)
Born on a Leap Day, this year February 28th is the closest we can come to wishing Icon Goddess Ilona Melis a happy birthday. If you have never visited her site, Ilicon, what the heck are you waiting for?
User Contributed Splash Screens: by Michael Coyle
Snapshots by Jeremy Hoesly Get your Wednesday snapshots right here: - Digital Blasphemy’s “Equatorial” desktop picture and Ben Mackin’s Liquid Theme debut in this submission from John Bailey. SoundJam, equipped with a custom skin, is churning out songs in the upper left-hand corner. Icons from icons.cx are also present.
- Regular contributor Jade Barton submits this OS X Beta snapshot sporting The Apple Collection’s “Mac OS X Files” desktop picture. Cool.
- This contribution from Deirdre touts a custom desktop picture and Richard Bensam’s Ink K-Scheme. iTunes, tweaked with an alternative pattern, is sitting in as digital DJ in the lower right. Yoshihiro Kondo’s More Birds icon collection fits in nicely.
- Thomas Ritter contributed this snapshot featuring the “Music Room” desktop picture and the 1991 Evolution K-Scheme. iControl’s Liquid System icons roam the desktop alongside selections from Mendelini.
- William Bart’s “Fluffy” desktop picture and BBX Platinum K-Scheme are showcased in this screenshot from Shawn. A smattering of icons from Gort’s Icons, Mendelini, and Icon Factory are scattered throughout.
- William Wilson sends this submission bearing Fantasy Cars’ “Audi TT” desktop picture along with Richard Davis’ Classic Chrome K-Scheme. iTunes, hacked with an alternate pattern, is shuffling music tracks in the lower right.
Show the Mac world how you’ve tamed and trained your desktop to your own liking. Read our submission guidelines and then fire away!
Icon/Desktop News 02-26-01 Icon & Desktop News by Dan  *Note to our Desktop and Icon fans: I've been getting quite a pile submissions lately, and I'm super pleased with the quality, quantity and level of creativity. Unfortunately, with that much volume it probably means your submission won't be posted for a few days. Please be patient. I will keep them all safe till they come to the top of the list. Thanks
Icons - Desktops: Two new Icon Sets coming your way, as well as six (count em) 6 brand new desktops. All on display for today's update.
- I've been hoarding Josh Bishop's wonderful icon sets, and releasing them a one at a time over the last couple of months. Alas, "Fruity Icons" is the final small set in my cupboard from this talented iconist.
- "Photocons" Vol. 3 by Adam Potts was created shortly after the 2001 MacWorld Expo in San Francisco. This eclectic group of icons includes 16 photo realistic works.
- "Phantasmaghora" by the digital 3-D master Scott Chitwood of Rampant Mac is one of his latest works to hit the net. Visit the site for the download and to catch a glimpse of three more of his new masterpieces.
- SoulRocka Nasty Nene has been a busy boy. "Soul Rocka 18" is the latest installment from the prince of Mac funk. This one includes a giant set of 9 different desktops, all in 1024x resolution.
- Juan Santiago proves his case for the existence of "intelligent life" on planet Earth. Owning a Mac is proof enough he says, and certainly made only for superior life forms. Comes in 1280x resolution only.
- "Cold" by Andy Sohoza is a mysterious looking desktop composition, and comes in 1024x resolution.
- Our favorite globe trotting photographer, Peter Mac, will satisfy the arm chair travelers in the crowd with his latest set of photographs. This group includes 2 "Floral Viewpoints" and 2 "International" scenery shots in various resolutions.
- "Caliente" is another really nice dream like backdrop by Dean Fusaro. This desktop come in 1024x resolution.
News From Around the Web: Rampant Mac has updated with 4 new desktops, three last week and one today Look for 'Phantasmaghora' in the ResEx archive. Colheres updates with New icon set by a new iconist: "la rose" (by Joaquim) I just want to let you know that http://www.mandolux.com has just released 24 new desktops. idealMAC has updated the Arcade, and other minor improvements. Check it out. Very very important!!! The url for Happicon will be changing. Bookmark the new address @ http://members.ams.chello.nl/ymollema KC'z Custom Desktops updates with another page of eight desktop pictures and patterns. Twisted Technology has a new site design, and it has moved to a faster and banner free host, and with it's own domain.
Mike Davidson's Mac File Library, your home for Mac Related Transparent Desktops, icons, flash/director screen savers has been updated once again with quality desktops. 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.
So what's up WWW? Icons? Desktop pictures? News? Inform us! We'll post it!
Need more workspace? Get Virtual Desktop!
2/27/01 Snapshots by Jeremy Hoesly Give your mouse a workout with Tuesday’s round of snapshots: - Josselin Guédes submitted this snapshot containing a custom “Think Love” desktop picture he created for his sweetheart coupled with Maury McCown’s AquaX III K-Scheme. iTunes is supplying the background music in the upper right. Custom icons are also shown off.
- This screenshot from Matthieu sports a desktop picture from Game Wallpapers. iTunes is cranking out music in the upper left-hand corner. Icons from Perfect Yosemite, among others, are situated along the right edge.
- A custom desktop picture created from a Hubble Collection photo is showcased in this contribution from John Power along with the GG Turkis Theme. MacAmp, retooled with the Boom skin, is shuffling selections in the upper right while iTunes kicks out soundwaves in the lower right. Icons from Xicons line the right edge.
- William Bart’s “BB Circuit Sheen” desktop picture and Hypersleek Pro Darkside K-Scheme debut in this contribution from Arjun Rau. Audion, outfitted with Rob Gentile’s Fish face, is serving up music in the upper left. Icon Factory’s Photonica collection is also in the limelight.
- Rene wants Drive10 so badly that he created a desktop picture showing it running, at least virtually. Icons from Xicons are featured along the bottom.
- This screenshot from Sean Terrill sports MacDesktops’ “Apple Quad” desktop picture. SoundJam, overhauled with the Reintegration skin, is dishing out songs in the upper left-hand corner. A smattering of icons from Icon Factory inhabits the desktop.
Show the Mac world how you’ve tamed and trained your desktop to your own liking. Read our submission guidelines and then fire away!
Today's News by Michael (Cletus is on vacation) Jerome Foucher and ResExcellence congratulate the following 10 winners of the Wapp pro Contest. We also would like to thank all those who entered the contest. Jerome will be contacting you on Monday (French Time Zone) with your registration. | Benjamin Bryant | Scott Piekarczyk | Richard Thompson | David Karl | Doug Adams | | Roy H. Drinkwater | Sean McKeever | Vincent Absous | Hes Nikke | Niki Standish | When I sit down at someone elses Mac, the first utility I miss is Glidel! It has been updated to version 5.1.2 to fix compatibility with AliasMenu submenus and File menu items not processed by Glidel are now disabled.
We have a new Theme from a relatively new theme designer, Zack Rothauser. Titled Sky, it's comes with a nice desktop picture! Another must-have program, Graphic Converter, is up to version 4.0.4. This release has almost two dozen new features and bug fixes. Submit Software and General News Suggestions!
 Polling Place
It appears my gripe against the giant telcos is not shared by the rest of you. The majority of readers are spending less than $50 a month on phone charges.
I was able to was a few bucks by switching to a call pack. The Ameritech representative was able to analyze my usage and suggest the best plan. And if you haven't already, make sure you pick an internet dialup number that is close to your house. Here in Illinois, calls to locations within 8 miles of your home are untimed. They only cost me 5¢ regardless of how long I stay connected.
Many readers have written to ask that this week's Polling Place get your opinion on the new iMac patterns. So even though I couldn't care less, I bow to your wishes...
Tools of the Trade by Michael
Nine new sites have been added by Melissa to the Links Page. There are now over 80 sites listed. How much longer can she keep this up?!
Fontosaurus Text has released five new free fonts for you to download (technically, they're donationware, but download away, people!). The new fonts are: Arduous, Bewbz, Crotchrot, Oddziab, and Runningback. They look great and please be sure to bring your sense of humor when reading the font descriptions.
John Bailey asked himself “is the ”Amico” extension taking up more time with its animation at startup?”
I think that it is, so I found a way to disable that animation. I had to bust out my ResEdit skillz and find out how to get rid of the animation. To my surprise, it is very easy. Just open a copy of the Amico extension in ResEdit and delete the resource “ANIM”. Close and save, that it! Have fun!
One of the hottest issues today is privacy and security. How can people keep information from peeping toms? The latest MacInstruct Tutorial addresses these issues and helps readers keep their classified information safe. Check out Maximum File Security: Part I.
User Contributed Splash Screens: by Michael Coyle
- As promised for the Cleveland Indian fans, here are Giant MOSS and About this Mac replacements by Jon Breitenbucher. It's really too bad they'll finish second behind my White Sox. :)
- Brian Ellis sent a Makeover for the Remote Access control panel to freshen up that ol' dialog window.
- For users of PhotoFlash, Christopher Tarfman created a new slash screen more in line with Photoshop.
- Another very cool MOSS was sent by David Messick. This retro-Genie will look great during startup.
- If you forgive dido for her grabbing the coat tails of eminem, then take a look at this Explorer splash by David Messick.
- Bruce Rader created a very nice replacement splash for One App.
- Medieval X submitted his latest splash for Netscape 4.x.
Snapshots by Jeremy Hoesly Start off the week right with a serving of snapshots: - This contribution from Oscar Bodini spotlights a gorgeous desktop picture from Rampant Mac. Icons from Mendelini are also featured.
- This two-part contribution from Thomas Haller touts the “Beach Girl” desktop picture from Tray’s Trove along with Maury McCown’s AquaX III K-Scheme. Audion, retooled with the Glass face, is taking music requests along the right edge. John Bishop’s Lava Lamps icons are on display along with some custom icons.
- Rampant Mac’s “Electric Apple” desktop picture and Maury McCown’s incredibly popular AquaX III K-Scheme are showcased in this contribution from Steven Molloy. iTunes is supplying the background music in the upper left.
- Frank Patten contributed this snapshot featuring MacSurfshop’s “Windows Killer” desktop picture and William Bart’s BBX Platinum K-Scheme. SoundJam, tweaked with the OSX Player skin, is tickling the eardrums in the lower right.
- A “Naomi Campbell” desktop picture and the Black Gold Blockers K-Scheme debut in this submission from John Rose. Audion, retro-fitted with the Prop face, is shuffling music along the left edge.
- This snapshot from Anders Vessel sports the “Quantum Foam” desktop picture coupled with a slightly modified version of Maury McCown’s AquaX III K-Scheme. iTunes is kicking out soundwaves along the right edge. Icons from OS X and Mike Balonek’s iBlueberry K-Scheme roam the desktop.
Captivated with the thought of sending your own snapshot? Read our submission guidelines and then hop to it!
Icon/Desktop News 02-26-01 Icon & Desktop News by Dan  It's always a happy thing for me when the submissions that come my way include the authors name, and some sort of description of what the work is about. I do my best to figure out what you had in mind with your creative endeavor, but I'm sure sometimes I miss the mark. If you're so inclined, pen a few lines about your work included in the read me file, and make me even happier.
Icons - Desktops: Two new Icon Sets coming your way, as well as six (count em) 6 brand new desktops. All on display for today's update.
- "These icons stink" by Andy Sohoza were made for his personal use. Andy asks that you don't hate him because they're terrible. Hate him because they're derivative instead. Includes 18 different icons.
- "Custom OSX icons" by Derek Gordon is an assortment of icons for OS9 and OSX based on the latest build of OS X 1.0 (All icons are labeled according to OS). This set contains 23 icons and 14 custom folder icons (OS 9/X).
- Andy Sohoza likes Bjork. She never responds to his long letters about antibacterial soap being the downfall of humanity. He respects her for that and shows it with his two picture Bjork desktops set in 1024x resolution.
- John Rose continues with his "Celeb deskpix" series. This grouping includes Penelope Cruz, a gorgeous Denise (from the latest James Bond movies), and Jennifer Lopez. All are set up with docking areas and come in 1280x resolution
- "Eye of the Storm" by Tarl Raney is a stylish desktop radiating lots of power and fury in 1024x resolution.
- Dale McKie speaks his mind about the latest iMac color schemes with "Flower Power". This outspoken desktop comes in four different resolutions.
- Akeem William's of the Creative Box submits a pretty cool shot of a snowy scene titled "Noreaster Backyard". Filtered in Photoshop and presented in 1024x resolution for your viewing pleasure.
- "Room" by Raool of Ra's Page is another of his highly artistic desktops with a unique point of view. This one comes in 1152x resolution.
News From Around the Web: Very very important!!! The url for Happicon will be changing. Bookmark the new address @ http://members.ams.chello.nl/ymollema KC'z Custom Desktops updates with another page of eight desktop pictures and patterns. Twisted Technology has a new site design, and it has moved to a faster and banner free host, and with it's own domain.
Mike Davidson's Mac File Library, your home for Mac Related Transparent Desktops, icons, flash/director screen savers has been updated once again with quality desktops. 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. Stephen Sobek announces the opening of his own website, featuring a tutorial for making a Startup Movie. So what's up WWW? Icons? Desktop pictures? News? Inform us! We'll post it!
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