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Car modder installs water-cooled LED-backlit LCD
If you think hooking your ride up with an in-car PC is 1337, or if you were impressed with Samsung's lineup of LED-backlit LCDs earlier today, you'll probably admire this one as well. For reasons unknown to mere men, a crafty car modder set out to not only install a water-cooled LED-backlit LCD into his ride, but to actually construct it. Taking a 12.1-inch widescreen display, he replaced the CCFL lamp with no fewer than 32 one-watt Luxeon LEDs, resulting in brightness akin to staring at the world's largest star. Additionally, he utilized a liquid-cooling setup which he later stated wasn't entirely necessary, but it does give you one more reason to boast. While we highly doubt the novice DIY crowd should try to replicate this without tons of dough and time to waste, be sure to click on through for a few more works-in-progress shots, or hit the read link for the full skinny.[Via Hack-A-Day]
BC download now available for North America as well
Rejoice! Now we North American types can also upgrade and download the Burning Crusade! I was heading over to www.worldofwarcraft.com just now and was hit with the following message: You can now buy account upgrade keys and download the game client for World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade directly through the account management section of www.worldofwarcraft.com. With this new direct online upgrade method, you don't even need to leave your desk if you decide to upgrade to The Burning Crusade and join more than two million players who are already adventuring beyond the Dark Portal. Pretty sweet, eh? Head over to the account management page to get your upgrade on.I was chatting with Elizabeth Harper about why they might choose to offer direct download now, and not at launch. Here's what I came up with: Offering direct download at launch might irritate retailers. Offering it now might get a few people to buy who weren't motivated enough to go out to the store. It probably costs them relatively little to do this. What do you guys think? Was it a sensible business move to wait until now for this? And how many of you are going to buy, now that you can do it without moving more than five or six muscles?[thanks also to Doug for tipping us off]
Blizzard posts Burning Crusade FAQ
Well, this should cut down on forum spam. Blizzard his posted a pretty extensive FAQ on the ins and outs of installing BC, upgrading your account, et cetera. Points of interest include: What time will I be able to log in and play BC? You will be able to log in and play as soon as you have purchased your copy of the Burning Crusade, installed it, and activated your key. Many retailers will be open at midnight. Please check with your local store for more information. Will I need to install from the CD? Why? It will be necessary to have a Burning Crusade CD and a Burning Crusade authentication key in order to play The Burning Crusade expansion. There is content on the Burning Crusade CD that will need to be installed that was not included in the patches we recently released. Each account (in the event multiple are played by one person) will need its own copy of The Burning Crusade expansion to install the additional content, and be upgraded with the included authentication key. If I have the beta already, do I need to delete the beta and install fresh? When the game goes live, you will need to uninstall your beta client before installing the expansion. Use your computer's Add or Remove Programs function to remove it. If you do not see the beta listed there, just simply delete the Burning Crusade Closed Beta folder. Remember to back up any screenshots or UI settings that you may want to keep. The whole FAQ is reposted after the jump, for those of you reading from work.
OLPC XO caught playing Super Mario Bros. 3
We've always considered computers to be entertainment machines first, means to an end second, and tools for learning a distant third, so it's no surprise to see thrill-seekers everywhere squeezing every last drop of excitement from the recently-shipped OLPC XOs. While we've already witnessed someone getting their fix of 1992 by hitting up a few rounds of Doom, the latest case of "installing noneducational software on laptops geared for learning" involves none other than Super Mario himself, as a clever individual has not only got Super Mario Bros. 3 up and running on the XO, but captured a video of the feat as well. So go on and click through to sneak a peek yourself, you know you can't resist.
Windows Vista RC2 doesn't work on Macs via Boot Camp?
It appears the just-released Windows Vista RC2 and the latest Boot Camp 1.1.1 don't play well for some reason. I just tried installing it to round up that Vista + Intel Mac post I've been working on, but the Vista installation process kept telling me it wasn't happy with the drive Boot Camp creates, and thus wouldn't touch it even after formatting.This is extra strange, as the RC1 installed and worked on Intel Macs just fine, and as far as I know, Boot Camp 1.1.1 has been updated for full compatibility with the latest Intel Core 2 Duo iMacs like the one I'm typing this on. What broke since RC1, how and whodunit (it was Ballmer in the meeting room with the office chair!) are a mystery to me, but what about you guys? Anyone else know what's going on?
New Vista build is Boot Camp friendly
A blog post that has risen through the digg ranks reports that a pre-RC1 release of Vista (build 5536) can now be installed easily on Intel Macs via Boot Camp. No more messy instructions, just a good clean install and (apparently) smooth running. Reports indicate that most of the fancy schmancy Aero effects are supported, even on a regular MacBook (Aero, for those who don't know, is a hardware-intensive new UI for Windows Vista with a lot of flashy effects and Transparency Everywhere™ technology).Microsoft has announced a Release Candidate 1 of Vista for September, for which we believe another public rollout and serial code registration process will be available. Those who manage to get ahold of a copy of build 5536 will need a registration code from the recently-closed beta 2 offering in order to install it.While we aren't quite sure how Microsoft worked around the EFI limitation in Vista (EFI support was axed along with many other features some time ago), but this Vista + Intel Macs development is good news for anyone who needs to build apps and test websites for Microsoft's new Windows version.
Apple releases Boot Camp 1.0.2 beta - sans details
Apple has updated Boot Camp to version 1.0.2 beta (remember: it's been a beta all along), but seems to have forgotten to release any details of what this update is all about. I couldn't track anything down at Apple's Downloads or Support sites, and even the VersionTracker entry notes that the MacFixIt ninjas came up empty as well. They managed to install the new version on a MacBook Pro without a hitch and settle for assuming that new Windows XP drivers are included with this version. They recommend installing the new version and burning a new drivers CD, then booting into Windows and re-installing the drivers.I'd try this out myself, but I decided the other day that I don't need any of the advantages that Boot Camp offers over Parallels (such as USB and true video card support), so I'm blowing away my Boot Camp Windows partition and reclaiming that space for a compress-able Parallels installation. Now I just need to find my Windows CDs in a townhouse we still haven't finished unpacking and moving into.Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
Hacker installs Core 2 Duo chip in Mac mini, hangs on for the ride
Macenstein has blogged a Mac mini CPU swap, as a poster in a Taiwanese forum has switched out the Core Duo chip for a Core 2 Duo chip, a next-generation CPU from Intel. The brain upgrade has resulted not only in the Mac mini stomping a PowerMac G5 dual 2.5 GHz in an iTunes MP3-AAC conversion test (remember: Mac minis have slower laptop hard drives than desktop PowerMacs), but it also runs cooler, due to the new architecture of these Core 2 Duo (code name: Merom) Intel chips.Given reports like this of these new chips, we might as well talk about the elephant in the room: if these reports of cooler running and even more powerful chips so soon from Intel are true, I foresee a lot of criticism of Apple jumping the gun on cramming Intel chips into their present lineup, in light of all these complaints about heat.[via MacNN]
Parallels releases VM Compactor 1.0 beta
Parallels sure has been busy these last couple of weeks, as they have now produced a beta of VM Compactor for Intel-based Macs (as well as Windows and Linux), an app that helps optimize VMs (virtual machines) and compresses the amount of physical disk space they use. The nice thing about VM Compactor is that it can help optimize VMs created with software other than their own Workstation, such as Microsoft's Virtual PC and VMware's Workstation.If you aren't quite familiar with why software like VM Compactor needs to exist, here's a quick example: with an app like Parallels' Workstation (which has been creating so much buzz in the Mac world lately), you can install and run multiple operating systems, such as Windows and Linux, inside of Mac OS X. This is referred to as 'virtualization' and is a bit different - and some would say more useful for general tasks - from using something like Boot Camp which requires you to shut down Mac OS X in order to boot into Windows.Well, over time, these other OS installs, called 'virtual machines,' can begin to take up extra and needless space on your hard drive, even when Parallels Workstation compacts and compresses their installation after each time you finish using them. This is where VM Compactor comes in: its purpose is to clean up, optimize and strip the fat out of these installs to make sure they run as well as possible and take up the least amount of disk space necessary.Parallels VM Compactor is in beta and offers a 30-trial, which suggests it should be available for retail purchase within the next month.
Boot Camp can run Vista, too
Some might say that using Boot Camp to run Windows XP on a Mac is so last week. Some enterprising hackers at the OSx86 Project seem to agree, as they have successfully gotten a preview version of Vista - Microsoft's upcoming Windows upgrade originally slated for 2003 - to run on an Intel iMac. Apparently there's some odd install hiccups to tinker with, as Engadget notes, so it sounds like this might not exactly be for the for the faint of heart Boot Camp Mac user.Nevertheless, if you are the lucky owner of an Intel Mac and have either a desire or a need to play with Windows Vista, check out this OSx86 Project thread.
Apple introduces Remote Desktop 3
Well I guess we know why the Apple Store was down earlier. Today, Apple introduced Remote Desktop 3, which is now a Universal Binary and includes over 50 new features that deliver better software distribution, asset management and remote assistance. Over 30 Automator actions, remote Spotlight searching of multiple Tiger machines, a Dashboard observation widget and automatically installing software on remote machines when they return online are at the top of the new feature buzz list, which includes: Remote Drag and Drop files and folders between local and remote computers Remote Copy and Paste for simple transfer of text and images between local and remote computers Persistent Task History and Task Templates to make it easy to save and replicate repetitive task Curtain Mode to hide the desktop of a system while it is being controlled remotely Application Usage and User History Reports to track software compliance and monitor the use of unauthorized applications Smart Computer Lists for dynamically managing systems based on specified criteria AES 128-bit encryption for secure communications between Apple Remote Desktop 3 and clients Apple Remote Desktop 3 is available immediately through the Apple Store for either $299 to manage up to 10 machines, or $499 for managing an unlimited number of machines.
Install Front Row (with Bonjour) on any Mac
So the new Mac minis are cool, and Front Row leveraging Bonjour is just plain smart. But what about the rest of us who can't afford to go out and buy yet another shiny new Apple product?Behold: instructions for installing the latest version of Front Row (with Bonjour support) on just about any Mac that can run 10.4.5 and iLife '06. A friend of mine turned me onto these instructions, and along with his Salling Clicker-enabled mobile phone, he has a pretty nice Front Row remote setup going on his 12" PowerBook. From the instructions it sounds like the setup is pretty simple, but as usual: this isn't exactly supported or even condoned by Apple (and is illegal since you're basically stealing Front Row and putting it on a non-Front Row Mac), so you're kinda on your own in case something doesn't go as planned.With all that said, enjoy (if you dare) the latest version of Bonjour-enabled Front Row for the rest of us.
My day in the Mactel underground installing OS x86
Last week I was listening to This Week in Tech, with the golden voice of Leo Laporte. Apparently Leo had refused a copy of os x86 that had been offered to him by some punk kids. Me? I love punk kids. They pay my bills (because I'm paid to teach them). So it was with great glee that one such punk kid let me know about a little experiment... He and some friends were going to put OS x86 on his Dell. He offered transportation to an undisclosed site where the grand plan would unfold, and I told him I'd check it out.Brace yourself for a walk through the seamy underbelly of Macdom. Let's face it, all this business has Apple a little ruffled. And Mac purists just roll their eyes, knowing whatever comes out of Cupertino next year will be loads better than the VAIO's, Dells, and e-Machines currently sporting the little OS that could. I'm going to explain what we had to go through to get all this working, and what we had by the end of the day. Read on— if you dare!
