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Topics

Network News

the Apevine

Very Ape

Bananas

Monkie Business

December 19, 2001

Stay Tuned! - We're goin' Coconuts! Cool stuff is just around the corner!

December 18, 2001

GUI News in 2's! - Two of the Mac community's finest, Rampant Mac and the Doghouse, both have a pair of GUI Goodies to get a smile out of your Mac! Rampant Mac adds two fine new desktops to the already awesome collection and the Doghouse makes your Mac smile all over with two brand new themes. Check 'em Out!

December 16, 2001

New GUI! - Dan "the Man" Flax, master mind of Flax Creations and Desktop Editor of ResExcellence, has up dated his site with 5 fabulous new desktops! Head over to Flax Creations and Check 'em Out!

December 14, 2001

In the Mood for a Melody - Apple has updated iTunes for OS9 and OSX to version 2.03. Get your copy via the Software Update control panel or heading over to Apple's iTunes Download Page.

December 13, 2001

GUI Goodies! - For all you who are graphically inclined, Graphic Converter releases version 4.2 for both Mac OS9 & OSX. Corel also has released an update to Bryce, version 5.01. Get 'em while they're HOT!

Have a Cigar! - Rene of Happicon announces the birth of a bouncing baby set of...icons: XmasOnes! The set includes 2 new fun Christmas icons to add to your collection. Hurry over to Happicon and grab your set today!

December 12, 2001

Monkie News! - My, my, my! What a day! When it rains, the flood gates open wide! This update was plagued with mishaps! And of course, just as we were ready to upload the most recent edition of MacMonkies, AT&T Broadband went offline again for about the 4th time this week! A basket full of apologies are offered to all of you! We will make it up to you. Please read on:

• Frustrated! - Sheesh! That was the LONGEST it has ever taken to update the MacMonkies site! All kinds of technical difficulties! Is the Monkie miffed? Oh yeah! But the Monkie confesses...many of the problems could have been avoided with a little extra prep work. So how miffed is the Monkie Dude? So much so, that something will take place very soon to "make it up to you" for the inconvenience! Keep your Bananas pealed!
  
  
• Special Event! - A very special event will be taking place next week at MacMonkies! Be sure sneak by to see what we've got swinging!
  
  
• Rest of the Mac Survey - The results are in! MacMonkies placed in the top 30 of 41 sites surveyed in the Rest of the Mac Web Survey at Low End Mac. The results were rather interesting. Here's some of what was said at Low End Mac:

I like the attitude at MacMonkies. I don't know how much of its 29th place rating was due to being negatively targeted by (another site), but I think this one is an up-and-comer. I'd like to see them move to their own domain someday; being hosted on mac.com just doesn't have the pinnace of your own domain.

Regarding the "other site," Low End Mac remarked:

Despite a blatant "vote early, vote often, vote excellent (I'm gonna come visit you after borrowing Quadzy's broom!)" campaign, (this site) showed up in the middle of the pack in popularity and below the middle by user rating in the sites on this survey. (A score of 3.13 would have made it 45th out of 56 on our Best of the Mac Web survey.) We were less than impressed with the efforts of (their) forum members to trash the reputation of MacMonkies and teach users how to vote more than once.

We at MacMonkies found the results rather interesting! While a good deal of negative activities took place, there are definitely positive consequences. We certainly found that popularity comes in different forms. While those of you who voted for us did so because of what we have to offer, others voted because they love to hate us! Now isn't that a twist! Furthermore, the "other site" made it to #24 on the survey with "multiple voting." Whereas MacMonkies followed only a few places behind with single voting. In other words, we did better than it appears on "paper!"

No complaints here! If you want to hear the mushed Banana thoughts, check out the MonkieBarrel. =)

• MacMonkies At Home! - Ah! At long last! MacMonkies will soon be making our move to a new home with many new "rooms" and improvements. So, if you are currently using the www.macmonkies.com URL to surf to MacMonkies, please keep the following URL handy in case you have any troubles getting aboard:

http://homepage.mac.com/macmonkies

Both URL's are currently active, but their may be a slight lag during the transfer to the new server. We will also continue to mirror the site on the mac.com host for a period of time after the transfer is complete. Thanks for your patience while we make the move!

• New in the Gallery! - This week we have FIVE new desktops in the Gallery!

Our "Solo Act" this week is True Light as it is the only one to enter the Desktop Area.

Tigger and Wobbles help us wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Merry Christmas II with Scrooge and a Happy Holidays! Now, did you get that?! That's a total of FOUR in the ETC. Dept!

 

Communication Breakdown - As we reported in our Last Edition of MacMonkies, the recent restoration of many AT&T Broadband Internet customers left users of America Online 5.0 for Macintosh without AOL connectivity. Though AOL offered a temporary fix for the problem, the issue is much more complicated. MacMonkies spoke with both AT&T and America Online and have the following information to offer:

• Though America Online offered the temporary fix of installing an older version of the AOL software, the older software actually adds complications to internet connectivity as well as computer use. The most obvious are the newer features in AOL 5.0 not in the older version are not accessable using the old software. Perhaps less obvious, but certainly not less important, is the problem of outdated and expired security certificates, preventing one to do such tasks as online banking. Other problems arise with the outdated software in creating conflicts with newer operating systems. The older versions of AOL can also be considerably more buggy than newer versions.

Though AOL could not give us a date by which the problems would be fixed, they did assure us that they are working on the problem. They also said that if AOL customers are without connectivity, they would be more than happy to issue credit to members that have gone without their service. For information, call their Billing Department at: 1-888-265-8003.

For more technical information, call the AOL Mac Tech Support at: 1-888-265-8007

• Our source at AT&T Broadband informed us that when the judge denied their offer to buy the Excite@Home Broadband Network, they were forced to rely on their own network's backup server in order to get customers back online. However, the system had not been thoroughly checked before it went live, so they are currently troubleshooting the system in real-time. We were also told that they were also forced to cut back on bandwidth so that the entire network would not crash when restoring service to the large number of people. Though we were told that some problems would be resolved within a week or two (such as the slower internet speeds), time lines concerning the resolution of other issues, such as the conflict with America Online's software, are uncertain at this time.

We will continue to keep you informed as we learn more.

New Dynamics! - Don't forget to stop by the White Fire site and pick up your mid-week dose of inspiration with Andy Moraitis' column "The View From Here."

And speaking of White Fire Ministries, rumor has it that the White Fire web site is being re-designed and that the new dynamic version will be deployed this coming Monday. Be sure to check it out!

Sock'em, Rock'em, Sarah! - A fifteen-year-old girl named Sarah left Bill Gates fumbling during a recent MSN gig. She buttered him up by asking him how it feels to be the richest man in the world, then slammed him with questions such as:

• "Your company is now a household name but some people claim you have a monopoly on the IT industry. How do you react to that?"
  
  
• "How did you take the news that Microsoft were going to be taken to court over the supposed monopoly?"
  
  
• "On the subject of success, what do you think of the way some people seem to dislike the success you've had with Microsoft?"

And last but not least:

• "What do you think it is that they particularly dislike?"

By the end she had Bill, the richest man in the world, dodging questions left and right. He even admitted that his computer "definitely" crashes! What's the matter Bill? Cat got your tongue?! - from The Register

The Cyber Real Thing - Coca-Cola, the world's number one soft drink company, is now going to be one of the first companies to move its entire advertising and brand history to an online digital media archive. According to Philip Mooney, director of Coke's corporate archives, Coke employees around the world will be able to communicate with one another more quickly and effectively through this online archive. With the new technology, Coke's employees will have access to "thousands of graphical images, television ads and text documents, improving coordination on such things as marketing and advertising campaigns." - from Yahoo

Super Dooper iPod Case - MacMonkies recently reported that the company JR Hill was putting out two cases for the iPod. Additional options are now available. Also producing iPod cases are Other World Computing with "The Pod Protector" and Waterfield Design with the Super Dooper iPod Case and the iPod SleeveCase. Whether you are buying an iPod for yourself or for someone else this season, there will be plenty of iPod cases to go around.

Webshots - Due to the Chapter 11 bankruptcy of the At Home Corporation, they are in the process of selling off some of its assets, one of which is the Webshots
business. The buyer of the Webshots business will need current members' consent for the transfer members account and Personal Identifiable
Information, as described in the Webshots Privacy Policy. If you are a member and wish to continue membership with Webshots, no action is required. However, if you wish to discontinue membership, CLICK HERE and follow the listed instructions.

What's the Deal? - Apple CEO Steve Jobs is critisizing Microsoft because they offered $830 million worth of software to our schools to settle a $1 billion lawsuit. Apple, having led the market in education for quite some time, feels that a better solution for the settlement would be for Microsoft "to give their proposed $1 billion - in cash - to an independent foundation, which would provide our most needy schools with the computer technology of their choice." By offering their own software as a settlement -- software which is valued at much less than the settlement cost -- Apple feels that Microsoft is trying to overstep their boundaries into the education system. Can someone say Monopoly? - from Macuser

Merry Monkies! - A zoo in Lucknow, India will be serving brandy to their primates to keep them warm this winter. Authorities have approved this method of keeping the apes and monkies warm because of the below-freezing temperatures during the months of December and January, and because the apes have a digestive system that is able to handle the alcohol. Every primate will be given their daily dose of brandy based on size, age and weight. - Isn't that like contributing to the delinquency of a primate? Or is that just one too many drunky monkies? from Excite

The Bear Facts - MacMonkies recently shared a story about a Canadian inventor who was to try out his invention of a bear-proof suit by letting a bear attack him. We have since learned that the bear was actually scared of the suit at first, but after facing the "bear facts," ripped it to shreds instead. Fortunately, inventor Troy Hurtubise was not wearing the suit at the time. After watching the bear rip the suit to shreds, the trainer of the bear would not let Troy have body contact with the bear, but Troy is still hoping for a full-contact encounter with the bear in the Spring of 2002. Umm...Can someone say "Basket Case?!" - from Ananova

Christmas Earie - A Swedish man left the hospital without his ear even after four hours in the emergency room. And what exactly happened to his ear? A neighbor's dog was frightened by the man, bit off his ear and swallowed it. The vet tried an enema on the dog to get the ear, so it could be stitched back on the man. After the procedure didn't work, the vet performed stomach surgery to get the ear back. However, the dog's stomach acids had deteriorated the ear to the point that it was useless. - from iWon

 

Have you Heard?

Just "X-Press" Play - MacMonkies has been reporting on XPod, the software package that will allow the iPod to be run on Windows Operating Systems. The name XPod has now been changed to XPlay. Mediafour changed the name of the software at the request of Apple. They felt they had a legal right to use the name, but they didn't want to risk their relationship with Apple, which is very good. The preview version of the newly named XPlay will be available by Christmas Eve.

iMore - More news has surfaced regarding the new iMac2. The Register reports that "Apple has hired Taiwanese contract manufacturer to produce one million iMacs with built-in 15in LCD screens." Quanta, who Apple signed with, is well known for producing portable systems, and this is their "first non-notebook order". This deal seems to solidify the idea that the iMac is about to go through some major changes. The Register also reports that "Quanta will supply one million iMacs at a rate of 100,000 a month," and "shipments will begin during the first quarter of next year."

Have some inside information on upcoming events? Review our Submission Policy and drop us a line!

 

Check 'em Out!

Happy Snapping! - If you are in the market for a digital camera this holiday season but don't want to completely strip your bank account, check out these top five customer-preferred digital cameras. They are all under $500, and you may find just the right snippette for your Christmas list clicking!

-Toshiba PDR-M61
-Casio QV-2900UX
-Olympus Camedia C-2040 Zoom
-HP Photosmart 318
-Canon PowerShot A20

For the nitty gritty details on any of these models, click the following link:

Click Me, Shutter Bug!!

Just Plain Nutz!

SNOWBALL FIGHT!!

      
                                    \     |     /
                         \\     \  | |  /    // 
                         \\\    \\     //   ///
                     \\\  #########   ///
                   \\   ###           ###   //
                  --  ##                  ##   --
                  --  ##   squish!!   ##  --
                  --  ##                 ##  --
                   //  ###           ###   \\
                     /// ########  \\\
                       ///    //     \\   \\\
                       //  /  /  | |  \   \\
                             /     |     \

DR. SEUSS: COMPUTER GURU

If a packet hits a pocket on a socket on a port,
and the bus is interrupted as a very last resort,
and the address of the memory makes your floppy disk abort,
then the socket packet pocket has an error to report.
If your cursor finds a menu item followed by a dash,
and the double-clicking icon puts your window in the trash,
and your data is corrupted 'cause the index doesn't hash,
then your situation's hopeless and your system's gonna crash!
If the label on the cable on the table at your house,
says the network is connected to the button on your mouse,
but your packets want to tunnel on another protocol,
that's repeatedly rejected by the printer down the hall,
and your screen is all distorted by the side effects of gauss,
so your icons in the window are as wavy as a souse,
then you may as well reboot and go out with a bang,
'cause as sure as I'm a poet, the sucker's gonna hang!

When the copy of your floppy's getting sloppy on the disk,
And the microcode instructions cause unnecessary risc,
Then you have to flash your memory and you'll want to RAM your ROM
Quickly turn off the computer and be sure to tell your mom!

 

SIGNS YOUR CO-WORKER IS A HACKER

• Everyone who ticks him or her off gets a $26,000 phone bill.
  
• Has won the Publisher's Clearing House Sweepstakes three years running.
  
• When asked for their phone number, they give it in hex.
  
• Seems strangely calm whenever the office LAN goes down.
  
• Somehow gets HBO on their PC at work.
  
• Mumbled, "Oh, puh-leeeez!" 295 times during the movie "The Net."
  
• Massive 401k contribution made in half-cent increments.
  
• Their video dating profile lists "public-key encryption" among turn-ons.
  
• Instead of the "Welcome" voice on AOL, you overhear, "Good Morning, Mr./Ms.  President."
  
• You hear them murmur, "Let's see you use that VISA card now, Professor "I-Don't-Give-A's-In-Computer-Science!"

 

Have a good line or two that would put a smile on an Ape Face? Check out MacMonkies' Submission Policy and drop us a line!

Odds and Ends

SLIP SLIDIN' AWAY!

You know the nearer your destination, the more you're Slip Slidin' Away

- Paul Simon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            
 the Bottom Line

            
(What more did you expect?! )

OS X client for the online service

Dock icon to visually show the state of Classic

Execute programs & open files as root

Brings the Classic menu bar back in a quick way

ICQ instant messenger for OS X

Adds more prefs for Dock min effect, pinning, orientation

Extension, control panel, CSM & CMM info tool

Tool to display LAN IP & Internet IP

Total menu customization

Plays over 2,500 classic arcade games, must have for gamers

Client for the Gnutella file sharing system

Integrated client for OpenNap servers

Restore feature returns it to "factory fresh" condition

Launcher utility: organize & launch apps, docs, links

Web browser & email client

Popular Web browser

CD burning support for iTunes or Disc Burner

FTP client: Finder-like GUI & alternate browser for OS X

Slows down music without changing the pitch

Screensaver module with a spinning OS X logo

App switcher/launcher a bit like OS X's dock

Batch lock/unlock files in a selected folder

Full featured password storage utility

Automates any task, multi-step or repetitive action

Modifies system resources to change appearance & functionality

File attribute editing system with batch mode

Hierarchical file navigation & launcher

Programming tools for Mac OS X

Virus detection/repair tool

Creates nav bars, Javascript rollovers, image maps & more

Records/saves every typed keystroke, helps prevent data loss

Display, email or posts current IP address to a site

Multi track sound recorder/editor/mixer with moving tape display

Full featured firewall manager

Control strip launcher for apps, folders, files, etc.

3D triangle mesh modeling tool makes compact efficient objects

Organizes key info about your Mac configuration