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Today's News by Cletus™  Web Jumper 1.0 is T.J. Mahaffey's first Mac OS X software program. From the home page: "This little guy provides a window into which a user may enter search criteria for any of 4 search engines. Next, hit the "Search" button or the "Enter" key and off you go directly to the chosen search engine with an automatic query of the entered text." Give this new piece of software a try.
RhapsOGL X 2.0b5 is an iTunes OpenGL visual plugin. This update provides a new and faster independent window mode and texture customization. (Auto mode changing not activated by default now in beta5)
A Better Finder Rename X 4.5b1 is a CMM to quickly batch rename multiple files. "From version 4.5 onwards A Better Finder Rename works as a context menu within the Mac OS X Finder. Previous versions relied on drag & drop exclusively. The droplet feature of the Mac OS 9 version is not yet available under Mac OS X."
Load Monitor 0.93 gives the system load, not the CPU load. It tries to mimic the behavior of the well-known "xload" available with a X11 server. As to the question of letting my LaCie CD burner run 24/7, I received 40 plus responses. They were pretty much split. Leave it on or keep it off until needed. Interestingly, it seems many left their CD burner off until needed because of the noise it makes. This is basically why I have decided to continue to turn it on only when needed. The fan makes it louder then my computer. Perhaps this is why I was concerned about leaving it run.
 Every now and then you stumble upon something interesting. This time I found out that using the Comment feature in the Get Info window can be fairly useful. Thanks the 50 plus of you who contributed to this list.. I want to take a moment to list a summary of the most typical. Maybe it will be useful to you:
- Listing the serial code and download link for a particular application.
Notes about potential conflicts or items of interest from the Read Me. Lots of variations on this.
- Listing a URL where you got a movie clip or image for later reference. Additionally adding links in files you upload for your web site.
- "Enter meta-data associated with image files for use in a database." This person actually wrote AppleScripts to process a files comments.
- Transfer info to friends in the Mac labs without getting caught by our snooping teacher who liked to walk around during class. Phone numbers, what to do after school, hints on assignments, or just chat. Those were the good old days.
- Hotline supports viewing comments so it can be handy to use a comment on files to give people a better idea of what the file is rather then just the 32 character file name.
- Notes of who has received the file/document or who you have given it to.
- I use to use comments for sending info on files to other people who were doing development with me, rather than using another document, like a read me file. In many cases, we used a label color when an item had some comments.
- I often use comments to define the association between an app. and its extension(s).
- Use comments to describe compressed files. If you are running a large file server or database you can often find yourself with many files that you know nothing about.
- IE will add comments to downloads that contain the URL. Comes in handy for returning to a site where you have been before. Doesn't work in IE for X.
- As high-end photo retoucher it's not always practical to open large files just to give someone some very basic info about them. Photoshop drops info like this in the window "8-bit CMYK layered TIFF file, 8250x4875 pixels (27.50x16.25 inches) @ 300.00 pixels/inch, written by Adobe Photoshop 6.0." This was second most popular with Photoshop users.
- The MP3 filename is the song name, and the Comment is the artist name. Add the column "Comments" in the Finder list view, and you can sort by Song name OR Artist! This was the most popular use.
Whew! I know it was a tad long, but this is short. And it is something that has bugged me also— "The case of the dodging Dock Icons" and the cure!
Have a Press Release? Software or General News? Submit it here: Suggestions!
Tools of the Trade. by Michael Coyle  Adrian Chow from Justy, the maker of this cool white two button mouse, emailed to let me know that there are no distributors in the US for his products, but he will ship me his minimum order of 12 mice if I can find enough ResEx readers to buy them. He's going to contact me with a total price including shipping to Chicago, and I'll compute a cost per mouse to ship to interested readers. Pricing will be something like:
Price of mouse to reader = ((12mice + shipping from Hong Kong)/12 + cost of shipping to reader) Of course, once it's all priced it may be cost prohibitive, but it can't hurt to look into it. You can read more about the mouse at this translated page to be certain what we are ordering! If you are located in the UK, Lindy sells a very similar mouse, though the scroll wheel is red not blue.
The email on small javascript applets has been fast and furious. Last post, I referred to them as Favelets. Dale Gillard wants us to know, "At the risk of being accused as being anti-Microsoft ;-) you should know that before they were favelets they were bookmarklets. Check out www.bookmarklets.com for an alternative source of info and some background on them (site currently down)." Here are a few pages with more information and code samples: About.com, Jorn Barger, World of Bookmarklets, and my favorite, Doc Java.
There are two cool new skins available for Mozilla. My favorite is Pinball with its colorful mouse overs and smaller buttons. The second addition is Grey Modern, an older skin updated for version .0.9.9, that's a variation on the bundled Modern theme. To view and install them, from within Mozilla select View->Apply Theme->Get New Themes. Users of Linux and other unix-like operating systems are familiar with the CD ripping program called LAME. LAME is a command line program so there is often another application used to put a graphical interface on the program. Beamsplitter has written such an interface in his first Cocoa application, RipBeak. Before you can use RipBeak, you will need to install the LAME package for MacOS X.
User Contributed Splash Screens. by Michael Coyle It's easier than ever to contribute using the new Browser Based Upload Page! If you contribute a file to any section of ResExcellence, you could win a PowerMax gift certificate worth $50 ! (How?) - As the owner of a Ti-Powerbook, I think this replacement for the Eject Icon from Joseph Williamson is very cool. Instead of the default silver up-arrow, you get an image of the CD ejecting from the Powerbook's drive bay. It includes easy detailed instructions for installation.
- Another great MOSS was created by Manuel González. This one features the older MacOS 9 logo with the Sherlock magnifying glass.
- Based on the icon for AIM, Bill Hughes created a replacement splash for instant messenger
- A very cool purple iTunes skin was created by Snow.
Click here to learn more about Toast 6 Titanium
Snapshots by Jeremy Hoesly Finish off the week in style. Check out Friday’s snapshots: - Calvin is once again streaming content in this vividly colored screenshot from Coollay. Snapz Pro is manning the snap button.
- A desktop picture extracted from OS X’s Cosmos screensaver and the Iridium Quicksilver Theme debut in this submission from Clock Nova. Virtual PC is running Ultima VIII and Fallout 2 in separate sessions. Hein Mevissen’s Nice in the Dock and Game Icons collections share the spotlight.
- This screenshot from TheGranz features MacDesktops’ amusing “Bummer Dude” desktop picture which is a parody of Dell’s teenager posterchild. iTunes, tweaked with the iGoom Visualizer, is cranking out music along the bottom. Icons from Xicons lurk about.
- Michael Wolfe contributes this snapshot sporting a Perfect Yosemite desktop picture. OmniWeb stands ready to explore the web, whereas OmniDictionary is poised to tap the Internet’s DICT servers. Icon Factory’s World of Aqua icons abound.
See just how easy it is to contribute to ResExcellence! Give our browser-based submission upload page a whirl.
Icon & Desktop News: by Dan
 Icons - Desktops: We've got a huge lineup here! How about a whopping (8) New Desktops, (2) New Icon Sets, and of course, updated "News From Around the Web". All on display for today's update.
Announcements:
In an ongoing effort to make it easier for you to send us your Icons and Desktops, we've designed a new Browser Based Upload Page for the task. Just follow the easy to use instructions, and you'll find submitting your artwork is now a piece of cake! - MacuserX sends us a couple of Invader Zim icons for OSX, based on the Nickelodeon Cartoon, Invader Zim. This odd character was created by Jhonen Vasquez creator of Johnny the Homicidal Maniac and Squee Comics published by Slave Labor Comics. It’s a great cartoon that you should check out if you haven’t already.
- "RK Game Icons Vol.4" by Daniel Manley, is the final of four OSX icon sets featuring a slew of Gaming icons and folders. This one starts with Halo, and ends with "You don't know Jack".
- Ed Allen of EA Designs departs from his 3-D and Bryce endeavors for the moment, and instead presents us with another beautiful and striking collage titled "Creativity". Available in 1024x and 800x resolutions.
- "Think Freedom" is a series of 10 different desktops made by Michael S Payne, inspired from another Think Freedom desktop picture he found on Resexcellence. All of the pictures used were taken in direct support of OEF (Operation Enduring Freedom) in Afganistan. Refer to the included read me file for more explanation on each All are available in 1024x resolution.
- "Solar Blue" began it's existence as of the many awesome pictures found on Nasa's Astronomy picture of the day website. Jamie McCanless gave his selection a touch of graphical magic, and presents this striking image to you in three different resolutions.
- "Insanely Great" by Conrad, showcases the future and celebrates the past of our favorite platform. The Macintosh has come along way since the Mac 128 and the new iMac symbolizes the amazing progression of that progress. Comes in 1024x and 1280x resolutions.
- We finally get a chance to take a look at Mario Chrome's "Apple Sand" desktop. Nicely textured and bright, this one comes in 1024x resolution.
- Conrad submits a couple of nicely done Apple-Centric desktops for your enjoyment. Though not always the most popular or profitable companies, Apple and NeXT Computers both introduced technologies that have revolutionized computing. That tradition of innovation continues today with through Apple, thanks to the technology brought by NeXt. Both desktops are available in 1024x and 1280x resolutions.
- Jonathan Gurule` nabbed some of the cool promotional material made for Microsoft's "Entourage", and turned it into an interesting desktop in 1024x resolution.
- Tagline has a nice way of taking photos of ordinary everyday things, and making them into interesting or beautiful compositions. "Ashtrays and Bigboy Revenge are two of his latest, both coming in 1024x resolution.
News From Around the Web: John's Sketchpad has updated with a dozen new desktop pictures, some new illustrations and a new portfolio section. Take a look! Mando just wanted to let you know that there is one new desktop at http://www.mandolux.com representing a continuation of the 'Technosis/Athraxis' desktop theme: Inverted Waves. Live Pencil updates: ICONS: 12 new icons in a new set; Smilies' Teeth. IT IS YOU: Once again we can see a funny funny animation of two kids. LIVE-ANIMALS: Chicks, all sizes, to be used in your e-mails. Tjmahaffey.com updates with a new icon set: Nostalgia Volume 2. Released officially today! Ethereal Creations pleased to bring you one new release entitled Visions of Heaven. Rendered in Poser4 and Bryce5, this one will strike the fancy of those of you who appreciate angels of a more realistic nature. The main splash page graphics have also been beautifully re-designed and we've got a new issue of the View From Here and more Site News. MacMonkies adds 7 spectacular new desktops to their gallery including 2 new pics from MacMonkies, a "heart-filled" piece from Andy Moraitis, a pair of pics from the boys at EA Design, some "double" fun from Todd Darland, and a fine debut from MacMonkies newest contributor Neil Roberts. The Iconfactory, in conjunction with Polymorph Software Development is pleased to announce the release of our latest freeware icon utility, IconViewer. IconViewer is a quick and easy way to view any and all resources contained within a Macintosh desktop icon. Simply drag and drop any icon onto IconViewer (or launch the program and select one from the File menu) and a small inspector window appears that allows you to browse the various sizes and bit depths of that icon. Layne Karkruff of Blueskyheart and invites you to visit his web site and view the new design. MacuserX.com has been updated with 2 new desktops, Souljor with Staff and Adium and one new icon set, CDR's. FlaxCreations updates with a New Aqua Desktop, and the final set of Borgcons for OSX. So what's up WWW? Icons? Desktop pictures? News? Inform us! We'll post it!
REALbasic Tile Mixer by Erick Tejkowski Are you tired of navigating through all of the windows in your browser? Today we will expand on some Javascript hints that Michael Coyle has recently posted on ResExcellence. With the help of REALbasic, AppleScript, and Javascript, we can clean up our web browsers in a flash. (Continued...)
Complete Cable Management For The Home & Office.
Today's News by Cletus™  I have received the results of the OmniWeb contest. ResExcellence and The Omni Group wish to thank all those that submitted unique ways they use the browser. They were so impressed with four of them, that they upped the winning registrations to 4 instead of three. Congratulations to the winners listed below. I tried to summarize their submission. Theyes got involved. I only can give a gist of what they submitted.
- Rick Lyon— Better checking/editing of HTML code.
- Marc Grubb— Quickly editing the URL by double-clicking on it. Only the name hi-lites.
- Tom Hackett— Better checking/editing of HTML code.
- Dan Sauvé— Use in car on iBook, with cell phone for a variety of needs.
Sig Software has announced the release of Classic Menu 2.5.1 for Mac OS X Like the traditional OS 9 apple menu, it displays the icons and names of files and folders in the Classic Menu Items folder and allows up to 5 levels of hierarchical menus for folder contents. Version 2.5.1 adds a Japanese translation, updated menu icons for Mac OS X 10.1 and improved detection of packages, network aliases and hidden files.
 Northern Softworks has release Trash X 1.3. Trash X is a fully functional trash can for Mac OS X. Extremely simple to use, it functions just like the classic Mac OS Trash can - files and folders dropped on it are moved to the trash, and disks dropped on it are ejected. The list of new features is very long and can be found on the home page.
PickChar 1.1 is a Mac OS X application that allows inserting special characters into text. - Bigger characters (16 point instead of 12 point)
- PickChar icon for the menu bar
- The PickChar window remembers its position.
- You can choose whether to show recently used fonts at the top of the menu or not.
GrabbyWindow 1.0 is a file browser hovering over applications in Mac OS 8.5 or higher, that simplifies drag and drop actions. This is the final version. All known bugs are fixed and drag and drop support for Quark 5.0 was added
iTuner 2.8.1 associates audio files to open with iTunes. Pretty cool. Drag one or multiple iTunes compatible audio files or folders containing them onto iTuner to associate them to iTunes. Thus these files will open in iTunes. The audio files will have the iTunes file icon.
GraphicConverter 4.3 is available for both Classic and Mac OS X. It allows you to view, edit, and convert most any graphic file format.
Easy Fractal 2.0 is a "program that calculates fractals in real time. With it, you can create fractals from the Mandelbrot set and the corresponding Julia set. It also features ten billion-percent zooming capabilities, unlimited scrolling over the computed fractals, and kaleidoscopic animated color effects."
James Huff reminded me about this, and I had forgot to post it before. Stimpsoft has closed its doors. They were the creators of some really wonderful Freeware applications such as Son of Weather Grok and Solscape among others.
I have received over 40 replies for uses for the Comment feature. I thought I had a contest going on for a minute. They are still coming in and I find some uses rather interesting. It seems to me it would be worthwhile to list them for you. Check back Friday and I will provide a summarized listing of the most common uses.
I have another question to quench my curiosity. I have a LaCie SCSI CDRW hooked up to the desktop G3. The type really doesn't matter. I typically only turn it on when I need to burn something, but a lot of times it means restarting unless I happened to plan a burn session. My question is whether you leave your external CD burner running all the time or only turn it on when you need to burn. Let me know!
Have a Press Release? Software or General News? Submit it here: Suggestions!
Tools of the Trade. by Michael Coyle  Many readers emailed this link to a Yahoo store selling the Crystal Optical Mouse for $45. It's available in black and blue and seems to be a two button (by rocking) USB mouse that should work great under MacOS X.
Another contender for "Colorful Mouse of the Week" is this Justy Mouse. Unfortunately, it seems to only be available in Japan. I emailed the manufacturer and if there is a US outlet, I'll let you know.
How would you like your Applescripts color-coded like the printout below? Download this little AppleScript Installer to change the default just-black format of the fonts in the MacOS X Script Editor. It's courtesy of Tice from Mac4Ever. Visit the site to grab the Classic version of the application.
User Contributed Splash Screens. by Michael Coyle It's easier than ever to contribute using the new Browser Based Upload Page! If you contribute a file to any section of ResExcellence, you could win a PowerMax gift certificate worth $50 ! (How?) - Based on a beautiful image of the twin towers of light in New York, Robb Fladry created a MOSS.
- This High Tech Boot Panel from Gregg McFarland features an android holding the earth.
- A spinning heart with an Apple logo is the theme of this Explorer throbber from Michael Montoya.
- From South America, another great looking MOSS for uses of MacOS 9.2 is available from Manuel González.
Complete Cable Management For The Home & Office.
Snapshots by Jeremy Hoesly Wednesday’s snapshots are on the loose: - Hexley, a mascot of the open source software movement, displays his latest catch in this anonymous contribution. Intriguing.
- Clif Duhn submits this screenshot sporting a custom “Louise Brooks” desktop picture and matching icons created from photos found at The Louise Brooks Society website. A Star Wars Episode II trailer is playing in the lower right.
- This screenshot from Will Forsyth shows off Net Tool Box, an arsenal of industrial strength TCP/IP networking utilities. Aquisition, a software and multimedia search tool, is displaying query results along the left edge.
- Macalodeon’s “Aqua Abduction” desktop picture and the Titanium Theme are showcased in this submission from Pantalla. Audion, equipped with the Phaser face, is striking up the band in the upper left. Icons from Xicons abound.
See just how easy it is to contribute to ResExcellence! Give our browser-based submission upload page a whirl.
Icon & Desktop News: by Dan
 Icons - Desktops: We've got a huge lineup here! How about a whopping (8) New Desktops, (2) New Icon Sets, and of course, updated "News From Around the Web". All on display for today's update.
Announcements:
Caution! Never try and dry out an Apple extended keyboard with a hair dryer after you spilled a mug of coffee into it. The keys melt - DOH! In an ongoing effort to make it easier for you to send us your Icons and Desktops, we've designed a new Browser Based Upload Page for the task. Just follow the easy to use instructions, and you'll find submitting your artwork is now a piece of cake! - Talented Joseph Tucciarone had an early childhood fascination with dinosaurs, which led to classes at the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, dinosaur paintings and now to hand drawn "Dinocons" for OSX. This set includes 14 of the most familiar dinosaurs in Jurassic 128x128 sizes.
- "Handy Icons" for OSX by Flax Creations were inspired by some of the resources found in the new release of Microsoft Office for OSX. The hand artwork was "borrowed" from there, and coupled with the latest crop of Apple system level icons. If my aging memory serves me right, that bit of artwork was especially created by our friends over at the Iconfactory for Microsoft. While they were not properly congratulated for their beautiful work, you can visit the Iconfactory for the best source of Icons on the planet, and let them know how great you think they are!
- From the fertile imagination of Michael Addison comes two very cool 3-D rendered "Alien" desktops. Titled "Dance" and "Collection" respectively, both come in 1024x resolution. Michael uses a large variety and range of software to achieve his effects, including Photoshop, Carrara, Bryce, Infini-D, Cinema 4D, Poser, Tree Pro, and Amorphium Pro.
- "Coffee Shop" is John M's first attempt at desktop making, and we think he did just great. Colorful and dreamy, this stylish background comes in 3 different resolutions. Other sizes available by request.
- Gorgeous Super star, and every ones favorite Sandra Bullock makes a guest appearance on this new desktop by Nate Penwell. Comes in 1280x resolution.
- Moulin Rouge hottie Nicole Kidman graces yet another page of John Rose's celebrity sketchbook in 1280x resolution. While you're at it, check out John's extensive collection of other celebrity desktops found at his website.
- Ed Allen of EA Designs departs from his 3-D and Bryce work for the moment and instead presents us with a beautiful and striking collage titled "Inspiration". Available in 1024x and 800x resolutions.
- Conrad puts that ever smiling Macintosh logo right in your face in 1024x and 1280x resolutions.
- Erick Malange submits a sexy backdrop featuring some Cute and scantily clad babes in 1280x resolution. Displaying this sort of desktop is good for corporate male productivity, and should come standard with every computer.
- Robert Fridekrans thought it would be cool to have the original "Aqua" desktop picture which comes bundled with the install of OSX in a darker color instead. So he changed the colors to "aqua grey" and "aqua dark", and makes them both available in 1024x resolution.
News From Around the Web: Live Pencil updates: ICONS: 12 new icons in a new set; Smilies' Teeth. IT IS YOU: Once again we can see a funny funny animation of two kids. LIVE-ANIMALS: Chicks, all sizes, to be used in your e-mails. Tjmahaffey.com updates with a new icon set: Nostalgia Volume 2. Released officially today! Ethereal Creations pleased to bring you one new release entitled Visions of Heaven. Rendered in Poser4 and Bryce5, this one will strike the fancy of those of you who appreciate angels of a more realistic nature. The main splash page graphics have also been beautifully re-designed and we've got a new issue of the View From Here and more Site News. MacMonkies adds 7 spectacular new desktops to their gallery including 2 new pics from MacMonkies, a "heart-filled" piece from Andy Moraitis, a pair of pics from the boys at EA Design, some "double" fun from Todd Darland, and a fine debut from MacMonkies newest contributor Neil Roberts. The Iconfactory, in conjunction with Polymorph Software Development is pleased to announce the release of our latest freeware icon utility, IconViewer. IconViewer is a quick and easy way to view any and all resources contained within a Macintosh desktop icon. Simply drag and drop any icon onto IconViewer (or launch the program and select one from the File menu) and a small inspector window appears that allows you to browse the various sizes and bit depths of that icon. Layne Karkruff of Blueskyheart and invites you to visit his web site and view the new design. Mando just wanted to let you know that there are 6 new desktops at http://www.mandolux.com representing a continuation of the F-18 Hornet and Technosis/Anthraxis desktop themes. MacuserX.com has been updated with 2 new desktops, Souljor with Staff and Adium and one new icon set, CDR's. FlaxCreations updates with a New Aqua Desktop, and the final set of Borgcons for OSX. Iconstree updates with a new Wallpaper. Check it out! Eye9design has updated their website with a pile of new offerings." MAJArch Studios has a new look, Swing on by and take a look! Live Pencil updates with new icons, wallpapers, and animated email effects. Dan Linneman suggests a visit to http://www.netlaputa.ne.jp/~hirosea/hsw2/enter.html if you're in the mood for icons that are a far piece away from the mainstream. Colheres updates with a new desktop picture by Luisa titled "Crescer". So what's up WWW? Icons? Desktop pictures? News? Inform us! We'll post it!
REALbasic News by Erick Tejkowski This week in REALbasic news: - REALbasic 4.5 Alpha 4
- Sweet 16 - Go Dawgs!
- New Faces at REAL Software
- Time for some Quickies
- New Graphics Plugin
(Continued...)
Click here to learn more about Toast 6 Titanium
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