Safari. It’s the browser in OSX. I keep using it because it’s there, but honestly, I wouldn’t miss it if it wasn’t on there. Apple’s done a decent job with it, and for the most part, it does what it is supposed to.
Safari has a Private Browsing mode that doesn’t keep a webpage history, form information, downloads, and searches.
“Wink, wink. Nudge, nudge. Say no more, say no more.”
Now add the fact that you can rename menu items in Safari fairly easily, and you get this, more accurate moniker.
I’ve been playing with it for a bit and here’s my impression so far.
1. Spotlight is not a Quicksilver replacement. Speed is pokey on my machine, but then again, my PowerBook is two years old. Quicksilver does the same job, faster, and with less keystrokes. I’ve modified my preferences to only search for applications, and it’s still slower.
2. Widgets are fun toys. I did use one of them this weekend to keep an eye on Jerry and Susie’s flight into Dulles. It was great seeing a map of the United States with a small plane going from San Diego to Washington, DC.
3. Mail looks different.
4. Apple at upper left now a smoky grey. .sit file type no longer supported natively.
5. Address Book has useful print options. Finally.
6. Calendar has useful print options. Again, finally.
7. iChat now has buddy lists. However, I still don’t know whether or not it’s going to handle multiple screen names for people listed in your Address Book. Never handled that very well, always defaulted to one, and to start a conversation with the second screen name, you had to manually start a chat with them.
8. Big silver metallic X with serifs replaced with Big silver metallic X without serifs.
9. Quicktime 7.
10. Only comes on a DVD.
10.4. I like the fact th
So, there you go. 10.4 things. I’ll probably find more to like, dislike, as I spend more time with it. So far, so good. It works, but we’ll have to wait and see how it matures via the patch cycle.
EDIT: Okay, so the graphite apple is me picking the graphite scheme.
Ah, the Loonatics.
An eleven year old boy just struck a blow against extreme marketing and convinced Warner Bros. to rethink their new character designs for Buzz Bunny and crew. Amazingly, he managed to do this with an online petition .
You think Warner Bros. would have an eleven year old on staff to tell them that the new designs for their cartoons are “dethh-picable.”
“John, you need to step into my office.”
“Yeah boss, what’s up?”
“Well, you see, it’s that new idea you had about reinventing Looney Tunes.”
“Yeah, it’s totally awesome, to the max! I know!”
“Actually, John, an eleven year old just convinced 80,000 people that this wasn’t a good idea.”
“. . .”
“Also, you’re fired. To the max. Totally.”
Man, that didn’t happen, but I really wish it did. Too bad they’re not actually doing anything to the show, other than telling the kid that they have revised the character art into softer looking characters.
I know what you’re thinking.
You’re thinking, “You know, I really wish that someone would take the characters from Les Miserables and put them in a 2D fighting game a la Street Fighter.”
Your wish has been granted.
The Les Miserables 2D fighting game.
Play as Cosette, Tenardier, Valjean, Javert, Eponine and others. Enjorlas has this really incredible special attack where he drops the Barricade on you and then sets it on fire. Valjean, is your big guy. Eponine is the sassy, street smart, dirty tricks fighter. The rest of the characters are characterized in a way that makes sense, while staying true to fighting game conventions.
Installation is easy. Most dialog boxes are garbled, due to the translation, but it is fairly easy to feel your way around the menus. I recommend going to the options and checking out the button configuration for keyboard.
To start the game just hit any of the attack buttons. If you are familiar with the Street Fighter School of Special Moves Input, you will do fine. (Quarter circle forward + punch, back to forward + kick, etc.)
This is a remarkable game. It was put together by one guy over five years. Why?
Because he is a fan of Les Miserables. Here’s an interview (scroll down for the English) with the creator of the game, Takase.
Now I ask you, “Can you stand up against the mechanized might of ROBOJEAN?”
When I had Jury Duty I brought the Neo with me. Jotted down a few things that I found interesting about the city. (I probably sold about half a dozen of the devices to interested onlookers, too.) This bit was written during one of our three hour lunches.
I walk around the city for a while. I see some landmarks that I’ve taken pictures of. There are the stylized horse and man in front of the FTC. The metalwork statues at the restaurant at 7th and D.
I’m in the Starbucks at the Navy Memorial. I feel bad spending my money here, but I get an iced tea for two dollars. I don’t even know why I feel bad about it. I guess I’m just programmed to hate the Starbucks Empire. Which isn’t a bad thing, I guess.
It’s packed, and I’m surprised at the number of people getting hot coffee on a day like today. I guess that people really need their caffeine.
It’s 80 degrees out, and I ducked into the Starbuck’s mainly because I knew I could get a drink there. The weather is something else right now, because it’s still Spring, the cherry blossom festival is done, and it shouldn’t be this hot already.
Of course, I know that it’ll be hotter still when Summer comes in earnest.
The judge has given us a two hour break before we have to return to the courthouse. I’m still in the area, but far enough away that I can’t see it. That’s enough for me.
The Baristas yell out order after order after order, and lattes walk out the door. No one stays to drink their coffee. Presumably, they all go back to work. I wish it were quieter, but there’s nothing I can do about that.
It’s approaching two o’clock now, and I’m thinking about heading back to the courthouse. I don’t know how far away I actually am. The lunch rush seems to be dying down, and part of me is aching for the quiet.
I take a sip from my green straw in the clear plastic glass, and I realize I’m out. While I tilt the cup towards me and punch through the ice, the sirens start again on Pennsylvania Avenue.
It’s time to head back.