Looks like I bought a Mac just in time. I never bought the “Apple Computers are immune to viruses, adware and other annoying Internet trickery”, because people are resourceful and will crack most any code. I always chalked it up to the fact that Apple has a 5% market share and it’s not worth anyones time to infect macs. Well, it seems the times may be changing, as CNET is reporting a sample Adware program is able to install itself on OS X machines without administrative rights. I have also recently read about proof of concept kernel and similar viruses for the Mac. Should I be thinking about buying anti-virus software for my new MacBook?
Archive for November, 2006
The Toronto Transit Map is one of the best Google Map mash-ups i’ve seen. Find out where that bus goes, how to get on that street car, or if you can take a bus, subway and streetcar to go buy your new shoes from the store. It also includes data for: GO Transit, VIVA, Brampton Transit, Mississauga Transit and Vaughan Transit. Now let’s add some pop up clouds so I can see when the transit will be at each stop.
My MacBook has arrived. I eagerly await the moment when I can open the box and take in its Appley White glow. I have been tracking the path of my new computer via a Google Maps mash-up called PackageMapping. My MacBook traveled 13 558 km in 85h 53min, at an average speed of 158 kph. Those statistics are mind-blowing. We truly live in a global village. (I’ll have to crunch the numbers to figure out if the computer has traveled more km’s than me life-to-date; it might be close)
A colleague at the office just returned from the Netherlands and brought back an assortment of chocolate. I was impressed by the variety of bars, but then again, I suppose that area of the world is known for it’s chocolate. The definite winner of the batch was the Coffee-Plum with Caramelized Bacon. Surprisingly it’s the dark chocolate, and not the caramelized bacon, that keeps me from trying it.
Google Earth is starting to incorporate more and more data out of the box (so to speak). A few month ago I ran across some historic maps of London that needed to be loaded separately, but recently I read an article that directed me to the fact that you can now access these maps — and many more historic maps — directly from the ‘Layers’ menu. To view this content expand the ‘Featured Content -> Rumsey Historical Maps’ in the Layers panel. By using transparency sliders you can see what has changed over the years. [via ZDNet]
Microsoft Lab’s Photosyth went live recently with an online tech-preview. You can’t use your own photos yet, but you can fly through locations assembled from photos MS has taken. I’ve been waiting patiently to play with this application ever since i first read about it and posted about it here on thisyear. I can’t wait until i can punch in 100 of my own photos, then let it roam flickr to find 100 more from the same location to create a 3D-esque representation. Load up Internet Explorer and check it out. It is so slick. Mouse wheel zooms in and out with ease, and there is no slow down on changing photos. One of the coolest things I have seen in a while.
A group of teens got the bright idea to rob David Copperfield (master illusionist) after a performance. I would think robbing an illusionist would be a lot like trying to rob a Jedi, as they can both make you think they have nothing on them. Let’s think about this for a moment — it’s his job to make things disappear.
“..the illusionist turned his pockets inside out to reveal nothing, although he was carrying his passport, wallet and cell phone. He said in depositions that he had things on him, but it wasn’t difficult to make it seem like there was nothing there.” (source)
A few weeks back ram posted a comparison photo on his site of a section of Toronto today compared to 40 years ago (give or take). Changes of this type can be subtle or staggering depending on the location. With the proliferation of the digital age I’m a little surprised there are not more sites that cater to comparing photos old and new. Today I did run across an interesting site (via UNEASYsilence) that combines old photos with new photos — in the same location. They do an interesting image overlay technique that lets you fade in and out the historic photo. Check it out.
October 28, 2006: Macewan Hall, Calgary.
The Tragically Hip perform Fiddler’s Green live for, what is believed to be, the first time ever. Rumors say it is a deeply personal song by Gord Downie about a family friend. Thus we ask: why play a song from Road Apples (1991) live now?
Starting today you can stream the 5-CD set of Sufjan Stevens Christmas Songs. I previously mentioned this set on thisyear. The hard copies hit store shelves November 21st, 2006.
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