Universal Rule

Book Reviews

Saturday, August 31, 2002

Grid is still hot -- Comment()
Grid: there are dozens of writings about Grid popping up. I'm still (after a year) asking the same question: can computation be thought to be similar to electrical power, easy to standardize, distribute and market?

Cook a radio receiver -- Comment()
Radio from soup: do you know the recipe for cooking a radio receiver? I once read a sf novel about group creatures with one mind in multiple bodies using wireless communication to keep the self together. Would it be possible for living creatures to use radio instead of sound for communication?

-- Comment()
Geckos' feet get sticky from static: sometimes even the obvious can be non-obvious. This is the reason I like science: someday someone somewhere will ask a really obvious question, which so far has not been asked.

Gold atom by atom -- Comment()
Understanding Gold: nanotechnology advances step by step. However, it isn't clear at all what finally can be accomplished this way. What are the natural limits for technology in the small end of the scale?

Mac OS X for switchers from Windows -- Comment()
Ease into the Switch: "When new users come to the Mac platform, they bring fresh eyes and sometimes keen observations, which are useful for all of us. Here, recent switcher Michael Brewer offers a bucket-full of useful Mac OS X tips that he put together the old-fashioned way." [Mac Net Journal]

This is a competent introduction to find the power of Mac OS X for Windows users. But you have to have Jaguar (Mac OS X 10.2) to really start to like the system. There are a couple of nice "reminder" tricks even for the seasoned Mac OS X users.

Spring-loaded folders and Finder toolbars -- Comment()
Utilize spring loaded folders in Finder toolbars [Mac OS X Hints]

This seems to be a nice way to get even more organized with Mac OS X. I didn't much use spring-loaded folders in Mac OS (I started to use Mac way before this feature was introduced, and old habits die hard). However, I have already started to like this feature in Jaguar (Mac OS X 10.2). This is certainly a nice way to avoid cluttering the Finder desktop.

Writing about Jaguar -- Comment()
Today I wrote 689 words about Jaguar (Mac OS X 10.2). Have to edit the text and make it more concise. Some details have to be verified, and some basic information added. All in all, I think that my second article about the new version of Mac OS X is about ready.

Conclusion: the new system is a fine piece of work. I you are of the cautious type, you should however wait a few weeks for possible problems to be solved. But this version of Mac OS X is a compelling reason to switch even for the diehard "old" Mac OS users.

It is a pleasure to write about this well designed system. Of course, there are some problems to be solved, and a few user interface issues also, but I must say that I'm a very satisfied user - with one week of experience of Jaguar, and one-and-half years of experience of Mac OS X.