A Comment About Comments

Please comment if you have any input about any post! All you need is a name (don’t use your real name) and an email address (just ask your parents to use theirs). Ignore the URL box. That is only if you link to me. Please, if you have any input, comment!

P.S. Your comment won’t be on the post instantly, we have to hand-approve every comment.

InsideR Secrets: iBook G4

Today’s InsideR Secrets photo is the inside of my new iBook G4. It doesn’t work yet, but we will be replacing the hard drive soon, and then hopefuly it will. Enjoy!

Review of Sky Burger

Sky Burger is an iPhone/iPod Touch app.

My dad bought Sky Burger a while ago, and he let me play it on his iPhone. It seemed like fun, so I downloaded it. Now I can’t stop playing it! I thought it deserved a review.

We’ll start with a little background:

Quote from app description:

Sky burger puts you to work stacking burgers to order! Catch the right ingredients as they fall from the sky, and don’t forget that top bun when you’re done!

Good:
Fun and addicting!
Starts easy, gets harder.
Perfect for passing time when you’re bored.

Bad:
Makes me hungry!
Higher levels are hard!
Age group: 8+

Difficulty Rating: 1-10 depending on level

Fun Rating: 10

Price: $1.99

Where: (iTunes store link) http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=311972587&mt=8

Overall, this is a great app! In fact, it is our first review to get a five out of five!

Twoey! IIe! Tooeeeee!

You may be asking, “What? Twoey? What are you talking about?!?!” I can explain. When I was in fifth grade (last year), we did reports on famous Americans. I got Steve Wozniak. I barely knew who Steve Wozniak was, so I did some research. He was co-founder of Apple with his friend Steve Jobs. He designed the Apple I, II, and III, and built the Apple I.

Back to my report. For my report, I really wanted to have an Apple II. I managed to get a non-working one to show for my report, then I had to give it back. I still wanted one of my own. That was almost a year ago, and just a few days ago, an Apple IIe arrived. I had bought it on eBay a few days before.

It included the IIe, a Disk II floppy (really!) drive and its manual, some software, and the original manual for the IIe. The eBay listing said that it was from 1983, but the motherboard said 1982. We had an old monitor out in the garage that my dad said he used with his Apple II. Turns out I heard him wrong, and the monitor was for a Mac II, not an Apple II. Oops!

The hookup for a monitor on the computer is the same as a standard TV video cable, but we didn’t think it would work with our modern (sort of…) TV. It worked! I played a few games, then turned it off. I put it in my room with the monitor for display and another Disk II I had bought for $5 at Weirdstuff in Sunnyvale.

The picture below shows it on display. The monitor is the one that doesn’t work with it (the only one I have). The Disk II on top is the one I had. Enjoy!

Click here to view picture

Where’s my Camera? and the September 9th Event

I still have the first generation iPod Touch. I never bothered to upgrade to the second generation. The only new feature was a built-in speaker. Big deal! So when I heard about the September 9th Apple event, and the chance of a new iPod Touch with camera, I got really excited. I really wanted an iPod Touch with a camera! The day of the event came, and I couldn’t wait to see what had happened. My teacher let me use a computer in class (PC) to look it up. I was amazed at what I saw. Here are the facts:

iPod Touch:

• Larger sizes: The third generation only comes in 32gb and 64gb sizes. The 8gb model is still the second generation. There’s no 16gb model.

• Faster processor: Games play faster. What else is there to say?

• Voice memos: You can now use the iPhone earbuds with microphone. They are included with the iPod Touch.

• Bluetooth 2.1: Faster Bluetooth

• NO CAMERA!!!

iPod Nano:

• VIDEO CAMERA!!! Video, but no still photos. Cool video effects.

• Larger screen: 2.2 inches (diagonal).

• FM radio: FM radio tuner with pause.

Other stuff:

• iPhone OS 3.1: Rearrange icons from within iTunes.

• iTunes 9: Interface changes. Home sharing.

I hope you found this interesting. Sorry about the big gap between posts.

Amateur Radio

Here’s my new hobby: amateur radio (ham radio). To do amateur radio, you must get 26 or more questions correct on a 35 question test. Tests have to be given by three General class or higher amateur radio operators. Tests are given from time to time by local clubs. If you pass the test, a few days later you will get mail from the FCC (in the USA) with two copies of your license. Your license will tell you what your callsign is. For example, I’m KI6ZON. Now that you have your callsign, you can get a radio and get on the air.

For my information on amateur radio, visit the amateur radio relay league at ARRL, or Google amateur radio.

If you live in the Sonoma County, California area, try contacting me on the local repeaters.

If you are an amateur radio operator or want more information, post a comment, or email us at mackidsblog@donaldlaird.com

Have fun!

Computer Poems: I Hate Windows

Next up in our computer poems series, I Hate Windows!

I hate Windows, yes I do,
I hate Windows, its Start menu too.
I hate Windows, Start to Shutdown?
I hate Windows, on laptops and phones,
All around town.
I hate Windows, yes I do,
I hate Windows, its Start menu too.
I hate Windows, it’s not user-friendly,
I hate Windows, if I were in charge,
I’d put an endly,
To all this nonsense!
I hate Windows, yes I do,
I hate Windows, its Start menu too.
I hate Windows, viruses and more,
I hate Windows, what is there to adore?
I hate Windows, what else is there to say,
I hate Windows, every single day.
I hate Windows, Microsoft too,
I hate Windows, why don’t you?

iPod Touch 3.0!!!

Woo hoo! iPod touch/iPhone 3.0 is here! As anyone that has read this blog for a while knows, I have a first-generation iPod Touch. I got back from a trip to Ventura, California on Friday and that night I installed 3.0. Having to pay $10 is annoying, but it was worth it to me. Just be warned: After you install and do your first sync, the backup will take FOREVER!

New features I’ve tried:

Spotlight: Spotlight is the new search page, which can be found before the first page on the home screen. Spotlight can search through all contacts, emails, calendar items, apps, notes, music, podcasts, videos, and audiobooks.

Copy and Paste: Copy and paste works a lot better than I imagined. I can’t explain how to use it, it is just too hard to describe.

I may update this post with other features after I test them.

Computer Poems: My PC Has Froze

This is the first in my Computer Poems series. I hope you enjoy it!

Note: I don’t have a PC

My PC has froze,

Oh noes!

It lost my great file,

That I worked on for a while.

My hard drive needs defragging,

While my friend is bragging,

This doesn’t happen on his Mac.

The operating system is terrible,

It is almost unbearable.

Of patches, there are so many,

What problems do they fix, not any,

Compared to the number of bugs.

Trojans and viruses oh my!

Wait, that programs a spy.

If this keeps up I’m gonna die!

My PC has froze,

Oh noes!

I know I should be sad,

But actually I’m glad,

Because now I’m buying a Mac!

Skype Spam Message

I got this message from Skype today. This is the second message I’ve gotten about a virus on my PC (yes, I am on my Mac). The link for the “fix” has been removed for the safety of PC users everywhere. If you get one of these messages, DO NOT click the link. It is problably worse than whatever your “PC” has.

WINDOWS REQUIRES IMMEDIATE ATTENTION

=============================

 

ATTENTION ! Security Center has detected

malware on your computer !

 

Affected Software:

 

Microsoft Windows Vista

Microsoft Windows XP

Microsoft Windows 2000

Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0

Microsoft Windows Win98

Microsoft Windows Server 2003

 

Impact of Vulnerability: Remote Code Execution / Virus Infection /

Unexpected shutdowns

 

Recommendation: Users running vulnerable version should install a repair

utility immediately

 

Your system IS affected, download the patch from the address below !

Failure to do so may result in severe computer malfunction.

 

I sure am glad I’m not a PC user.

TextEdit Icon Text

Have you ever wondered what the icon in Mac OS X’s TextEdit says? I did too. So, here it is.

Dear Kate,

Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. But they have no respect for status quo. You can praise them, disagree with them, quote them, disbelieve them, glorify or vivify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things.

Take Care,

John Appleseed

Does it make any sense? No, none at all. Can you make any sense of it? Leave a comment!

Polling: Favorite Mouse

What is your favorite mouse? Do you have a special mouse, or do you use the one that came with your computer? Do you like one? Two? Scroll wheel? Scroll ball? Post a comment with your choice!

Comments close May 15, then I will post my favorite mice.

My Favorite Mice:

3. Apple USB Pro Mouse

This was Apple’s mouse before they introduced the Mighty Mouse. It is shaped just like the Mighty Mouse, but it’s clear and has only one button. They no longer make this mouse.

Picture

2. Apple USB Mighty Mouse

Most people know what this one is. It has two buttons with a scroll ball in the middle, which allows for 360˚ scrolling and is also a button. Squeeze the mouse to activate the fourth button.

Picture

1. Things Remembered Silver-Plated Mouse

This mouse has a more traditional mouse shape. My dad won this one and it has his name engraved in the back.

Picture

PowerBooks in the Smithsonian?!

A few weeks ago, my family was on vacation in Washington D.C. from California. These PowerBooks were in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.

First up, a PowerBook G3 Lombard or Pismo found in the glass cases right as you walk in. It was used on a TV show.

Next up, we have a titanium PowerBook G4 used to edit video by an NBC cameraman during the Gulf War. You will find this computer in the war exhibit.

Enjoy! Sorry about the long silence.

Mac 911: Intel iMac

My 2-year-old baby sister grabbed a CD or DVD off my desk and smashed it into the optical drive of my iMac. We pushed it the rest of the way in, thinking we could then eject it. That didn’t work, and the disk became stuck. It would not eject the disk. We tried all sorts of ways to get it out, but ended up making an appointment at the Apple Store. That’s where I am now. I’ll let you know what happens.

UPDATE: The people at the Apple Store couldn’t eject it either. They are going to replace the optical drive. It is under warranty for another three weeks. My iPod Touch and my Powerbook Wallstreet are my computers now.

Review of 2000+ Games for Mac OS X

I bought 2000+ Games for Mac OS X at Macworld 2008. I am just now playing with it a lot and I thought I would share my thoughts with my readers.

2000+ Games for Mac OS installs itself in the form of an HTML file. In simpler terms, you don’t play it in a special application, you play it in Safari. For this to work, all the files are stored on your computer like websites are stored on a server. Anyway, like the name says, there are over 2000 games. They seem to be gathered from all over the internet because they aren’t all the same company.

Now for my review.

Age Group: Any, games range in difficulty
Difficulty rating: 0-10 Depending on Game
Fun Rating: 8
Price: $9.99
Where: http://www.selectsoftnow.com/software/info.php?ID=5803

The only problem that could happen because of this game is that almost all games require Flash Player, if not all. This is only a problem on older Macs that can’t run a new version of Flash, so…

Read the System Requirements

• G3 700 MHz or faster, or Intel processor (1.2 GHz recommended)

• 512 MB RAM

• 500 MB free hard disk space

From www.selectsoftnow.com

iPhoto ‘09 First Impressions

I just got iLife ‘09 yesterday! I have not had much time to play around with it, but today I wil give you my first impressions about iPhoto.

Faces
iPhoto’s new face detection feature works quite well. You tell it who some pictures are of, and it will go through and try to find other pictures of that person. It has some crazy ideas as to what is a face. I have seen it think a knee, a tire, a flower on a shirt, and a lens cap leash on a camera are a face. Telling it whose face is whose is very simple.

Places
I haven’t gotten to try Places much because I don’t have any photos with a location attached to them. If you have tried this, leave a comment with your thoughts! From what I can tell, it looks pretty cool.

Upload
Since I am not a MobileMe, Facebook, or Flickr user, I haven’t gotten to try the upload options for these sites.

Slideshow
The new feature to play a slideshow of photos in an album works great! You can choose effects and music to play during your show.

If you have any thoughts on iPhoto, please leave a comment!

Blog Searches

I just added MacKids Blog to a bunch of blog search engines and I am supposed to link to them. Check out these sites if you have a blog or are looking for a blog about a certain topic.

http://condron.us

http://www.blogsearchengine.com
http://www.readablog.com
http://blogs.icerocket.com/
http://www.blog-search.com
http://www.zuula.com

Review of DarwiinRemote

Darwiin Remote

DarwiinRemote is a very cool program for anybody who has a Wii. I had heard about a program that lets you use your Wii remote as a mouse, but that program cost like $20. Then I found DarwiinRemote. It is a free program that lets you use your Wii remote as a mouse. It takes a little exploring the program to get it to work, but if you have any questions, email me at mackidsblog@donaldlaid.com. You can even program the buttons on the remote to do stuff like click with the A button or use the arrows as the computer’s arrow keys. Have fun!

iPhone/ iPod Touch Game Review

Bejeweled 2 (link takes you to iTunes store)

Good:
Just like Mac version
Cool 3D effects
Hints
Saves your game

Bad:
Doesn’t show time bar when running
Hints cost a lot of points

Overall, I very highky reccomend this game if your are a fan of Bejeweled 2 for Mac or even if you’ve never tried the Mac game.

Photos

Check out the new MacKids photo album! I will sometimes add new photos of Mac-related stuff. Use the subscribe button to subscribe to the photos in iPhoto and know when a new one is posted! The photo site created with iWeb.

MacKids Photo Site

Happy Birthday Macintosh!

I know it’s a little late, but I put together this video and System 1.1 tour for the 25th birthday of the Macintosh. Enjoy!
Happy Birthday Macintosh and Sytem 1.1 Tour