10 Essential Tools for Cleaning Your Mac -
While dirt on a Mac could add character, it could also be a detriment to how your machine performs, especially if the dust and grime starts to seep into your inner components. That's why it's important to do a little spring cleaning for your Mac. Here's all you need to create your own arsenal of cleaning products to keep things looking like new.
(Via Mac|Life all.)
5 Best Viral Videos Filmed in an Apple Store -
Have you ever wondered what exactly a person can accomplish at an Apple Store when they set their mind to it? These five videos illustrate just that. We watched every YouTube video filmed in an Apple Store to make sure we could bring you the 5 best viral videos filmed at our favorite retail destination.
From pizza delivery to theivery to lots and lots of singing and dancing, these Apple-themed viral videos are sure to amuse you.
(Via Mac|Life all.)
Netflix streaming deal with Starz ends - The movie channel announced last September that its titles wouldn't be available for Netflix streaming, and now that end day has finally come.
(Via CNET News.com.)
Amazon's Kindle Lending Library touts indie writers - Now, with more than 100,000 titles in its lending library, the e-commerce giant says more independent books are being bought and read.
(Via CNET News.com.)
Apple rejects iBook with links to Amazon's store -
This is just one specific case out of the many, many organizations and individuals publishing content on Apple's iBookstore, but it's an interesting call by Apple nevertheless. Seth Godin tried to publish a book of his through Apple's iBooks, but the content was rejected by Apple's system. Not because it was offensive in some way, but simply because it contained links to Amazon's booksore. These weren't even links to Godin's books -- they were simply links to reference books, but because they went out to a competing service, Apple pulled the plug.
Before anyone starts yelling about censorship, keep in mind that this is Apple's playground, and it can take its ball home whenever it wants, no matter how inane the reason. But this reason seems particularly inane -- Apple can't really be worried about one link in a ebook promoting a competitor's sales, right? Not to mention that the book in question was a hardcover copy, and unless I'm mistaken, wasn't even sold on Apple's iBooks store anyway.
Apple's staked a claim to be at the center of technology and creativity, and of course it's done plenty to cement a spot for itself there. But education and information are a key part of creativity, and if Apple is openly choosing to shut down certain purchases on its stores just for the petty reason of trying to keep one or two sales away from a (sort of) competitor, that's a mistake.
Opinion: Seven ways to improve the iTunes Store - 
Kirk McElhearn takes a look at several things about the iTunes Store that he'd like to see changed, fixed, or simply killed off.
(Via Macworld.)
How to Enhance Old Pictures in iPhoto -
Early photographs keep surprisingly well compared to more modern dye-based prints from the 70s and 80s. But they do eventually deteriorate – the paper gets creased and mottled by mold, which thrives in the damp garages and lofts where most of us keep our old family photos.
So it’s a good idea to scan them in as digital images before they get past the point of no return, especially given the upsurge in interest in family history. This doesn’t have to take forever, and you don’t need a fancy scanner. Any desktop multi-function device is adequate, and many can scan several smaller pictures at once and save them as separate images, saving you time.
BEFORE: Old Victorian photos are prime material for iPhoto retouching.
AFTER: Using iPhoto’s tools, you can bring your pictures into the 21st century!
You don’t need fancy software, either. If you were attempting a top-quality restoration of a badly degraded image, you’d be better off in Photoshop, but usually you can get by with a handful of adjustments and iPhoto’s Retouch tool.
Old photos usually have the same problems: fading, color shifts, skew, creases and scratches, and marks and stains on the paper base. The picture in our walkthrough has most of these, and presents an especially challenging retouching job.
There’s a knack to using the Retouch tool. Although it appears to fix blemishes by magic, it’s actually using the surrounding areas as the source for the repair. This means that if you get the Retouch brush too close to an area of different tone some of it can "bleed into your repair. You can also "brush" as well as "dab", but while "dabbing,” maintains the original texture of the area quite well, "brushing" tends to smear the pixels and produce an unnaturally smooth-looking repair.
But you can use this to your advantage when enhancing portraits like this one. Let’s have a look.
(Via Mac|Life all.)
8 Excellent iOS Apps for Writers -
One of the great things about being a writer in these tech-driven times is the ability to work from just about anywhere. Productivity while on the go can be a life-saver, but even bashing out a chapter of your novel or penning magazine articles from the comfort of your cushy couch has its own perks. Luckily, the App Store is brimming with handy tools for writer folks. From organizing your thoughts and taking notes to conducting research and knocking out articles without a computer, we’ve rounded up eight must-have apps to help you get the words flowing.
(Via Mac|Life all.)
So how much is a fair price to pay for an e-book? - This issue is going nuclear and a lot of people believe that charging $10 or more for the portability and convenience of an e-book is ridiculous.
(Via CNET News.com.)
Dropbox update brings photo uploads - 
Dropbox wants to be your new online photo repository: An update to the service allows you to automatically upload full-size copies of your snaps, whether you're on a Mac, PC, Android phone, or (coming soon) iOS device.
(Via Macworld.)
Will Apple dump the iPhone’s aging 30-pin connector? -
For a company as forward-thinking as Apple has been in the mobile world, it still depends on a relic of its pre-iOS days as the primary connection for charging iPhones and iPads. But now that Apple can update its iOS devices over wireless networks, the 30-pin connector may have run its course.
(Via TheAppleBlog.)
iFixit Takes a Closer Look at the 'iPad 3 Retina Display' - Last week, we reported that we had been able to obtain a 9.7-inch display claimed to be for the iPad 3, confirming through microscopic analysis that the display offers twice the linear resolution and four times the total number of pixels as the iPad 2.
Houston to NASA Mainframe: You're Through! - First the Space Shuttle, now the mainframe. It seems like NASA is doing away with the last vestiges of its swinging '70s heyday, when TV astronauts were played by stars such as Farrah Fawcette. NASA pulled the plug on its last mainframe computer this month, an IBM Z9 mainframe at the Marshall Space Flight Center, NASA's giant research facility near Huntsville, Alabama.
(Via Wired Top Stories.)
Amazon seen micromanaging next Kindle Fire to trim price - 
Amazon may be hoping to shave even more costs ...
Amazon Kindle Fire climbs to top of Android pack - A new report from IHS iSuppli tells us that Amazon is on its way to owning the Android tablet space with a 14 percent market share for the Kindle Fire.
(Via CNET News.com.)
Iraq war veteran's iPod found 6,000 miles away, returned to him -
You always hear about a lost cat or a dog traveling hundreds of miles to find its owner. Here's a story from WFMY2 News in Greensboro, NC about an iPod that traveled thousands of miles to make its way home to a soldier in Iraq. The story begins with Venice Curtis,who had an iPod that he used for music, to take photos and keep track of contacts while serving in the Middle East. He sent the device home to Louisiana, but it was lost in transit. Believing the device was gone, Curtis got a new one for Christmas.
In the meantime, fourteen-year-old Dalton Williams was at Cone Hospital in Greensboro, North Carolina. Deep in the crack of a waiting room couch, he found an iPod. He reached down into the crevice, so small his hand could barely fit, and pulled out the device. Browsing through the iPod, he saw pictures of military helicopters and names of people with their ranks. After doing some sleuthing with his Dad, Williams found Venice Curtis, the iPod's rightful owner. The teenager sent the device back to Curtis, with a note thanking him for his service to our country.
Curtis talked to News 2 and said he was thankful that Williams sent him his iPod back, but was more grateful for the heartfelt note.
Skype co-founder wants to give you free mobile broadband - Backed by Niklas Zennstrom, the industry disruptor behind Skype, FreedomPop selects Clearwire for its new free mobile broadband service.
(Via CNET News.com.)
Lemnis unwraps LED bulb under $5 - Lemnis Lighting introduces two no-frills LED bulbs--one priced under $5 and one under $7--that don't give off much light but may tempt consumers to try efficient LEDs for general lighting.
(Via CNET News.com.)
Why NASA's really into making video games - The space agency may be best known for launching spaceships, but it also has an obsession with creating educational games that might inspire kids to one day become rocket scientists.
(Via CNET News.com.)
FBI publishes Steve Jobs background file - 
The FBI has released a 191-page file on former Apple CEO Steve Jobs, Gawker notes. The document actually dates back to 1991, when Jobs had long left Apple, but was being considered for an appointment to the President's Export Council in the George Bush Sr. administration. It also makes reference to an earlier bomb threat against Jobs, dating back to 1985 ...
FBI file on Steve Jobs reveals he was considered for White House position - The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation has released its 191-page file on Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, revealing he was considered for an appointment to the White House in 1991, and that there was a bomb threat against him in 1985.
(Via AppleInsider.)
Flip camcorders down, but not out - 
Just because Cisco has discontinued the Flip camcorder doesn't mean you can't continue using it, even without Cisco's FlipShare software.
(Via Macworld.)
Add USB charging ports to any AC outlet - 
RCA's $20 USB Wall Plate Charger adds a pair of powered USB ports to a wall socket, making it easier to charge your favorite devices.
(Via Macworld.)
On the Web, latest 'Bourne' trailer goes boom - Anticipation is high for the latest installment in the popular spy-film series, if online reception to a new trailer is any indication.
(Via CNET News.com.)
Paul McCartney pulls tracks from streaming services - Paul McCartney follows bands such as AC/DC and Coldplay in snubbing streaming services, pulling all his music from Rhapsody and others.
(Via CNET News.com.)
Shanghai Tower elevator to climb at 40 mph - Mitsubishi Electric says its new technology will allow elevators in the Shanghai Tower, under construction, to travel some 40 mph.
(Via CNET News.com.)
CLINT>> I really dislike these "surveys." I mean, some of that 54 per cent of non-satisfied owners were irritated that the Fire didn't have a camera. But why do people research their purchases, then moan of features that were never supposed to be there? How valid is that study group/survey?
So, I am not even posting the URL to this study. A waste of your time, IMHO.
Five keyboard shortcuts you should set up now - 
Why are you opening the same menus and submenus, looking for the same commands again and again? Access menu commands across apps with these time-saving tips.
(Via Macworld.)
Neil Young: Steve Jobs preferred vinyl, wanted new format - 
Musician Neil Young in an interview at the D: Dive Into Media conference made the contentious claim that Apple's late chief Steve Jobs would have been pushing hard for improved audio quality. The "Needle and the Damage Done" creator claimed that Jobs, despite creating the iPod for digital music, preferred to listen to vinyl records at home. Apple's co-founder would have allegedly been working on higher quality devices, not just formats like Apple Lossless, to improve audio quality ...
Neil Young: Apple was working on super high-def music - The popular recording artist says that he was working on a project with Apple co-founder Steve Jobs to bring studio-quality digital recordings to the masses.
(Via CNET News.com.)
