mrbrown.com

G5 iMac announced

New Apple G5 iMac lai liao!!!!

Do not break your bonds, worthy investments of Singapore

Got this off Balderdash's site, it was part of a series of posts covering everything from Jack Neo, China vs Taiwan, and a link on the NUSSU hotlines page.

I particularly liked that exhortation at the end of the letter to "study hard and expand your personal horizons, then come back to contribute and prove yourselves as worthy investments of Singapore."

Moral Responsibility of A*STAR Scholars

Dear A*STAR Scholars,

As you embark on your new journey, I wish you the very best in your academic studies.

At the same time, I take this opportunity to remind you of your significant responsibilities as A*STAR scholars towards your sponsors and country.

As A*STAR scholars, you assume serious social and moral commitments when you, of your own free will, apply and decide to take up our scholarship. These commitments entail returning home on completion of your studies to contribute to the scientific research and economic capacity of Singapore to build a knowledge-based economy for ALL Singaporeans.

Accepting the prestigious A*STAR scholarship carries with it a high moral responsibility beyond the contractual and legal obligations. A*STAR draws on Singapore tax payers’ funds to provide the best undergraduate/graduate education and intellectual exposure to fully develop each scholar’s passion and potential. Each A*STAR scholarship is therefore a generous investment of capital, time and effort.

Receiving the prestigious A*STAR scholarship is an honour and opportunity. A*STAR Scholarships are highly competitive, with many equally qualified applicants going through a stringent selection process, from which only a privileged few are accepted.

Consequently, a scholar who breaks his or her bond is deliberately depriving a fellow young Singaporean of the best undergraduate/graduate education and a major change in his or her life’s path.

A*STAR takes a very serious view of any scholar who deliberately breaks his promise. We will not hesitate to publicly name irresponsible scholars who intentionally break their bonds for selfish interests. Being named as a bond-breaker will irrevocably affect one’s standing and reputation in society.

Make the best of your scholarship, understanding that your fellow Singaporeans are the sponsors of your special education. Study hard and expand your personal horizons, then come back to contribute and prove yourselves as worthy investments of Singapore.

With Best Wishes,

Prof Lam Khin Yong
Executive Director
A*STAR Graduate Academy

The price of blogging fame

I suppose this is the price of fame and being interviewed by the Sunday Times as Singapore's most widely-read blogger. If there is anything more annoying than being criticised by a doctor, it is being criticised by the Bengs of Sammyboyforum.

Excerpt:

Today, with the Straits Times reporting about my website, there are more stupid/narrow-minded people than ever who read me, although the increase in traffic also includes many people who appreciate my site. (Note for self-assuming people: I did not say everyone who hates me is stupid, I said (some) stupid people hate me - it's different.)

And this doctor really doesn't seem to like "SheWhoShallNotBeNamed".

Excerpt:

Someone out there coined the phrase "The William Hung of Blogging" to describe her. It's surprisingly apt.

Fame - what price? At least William Hung knows that he's famous because people are laughing at him, rather than with him though.

And at least people are laughing at him.

Ouch.


Update: Phil has some thoughts on this too.

Iron rice bowl no more?

Coffee Shop Talk from the best (at the very least, the most entertaining) forum in Singapore, Sammyboy's.

(Views expressed here are not mine, blah blah blah).

Subject: Latest!!! I heard from PM office

From: FWChongKing

Dear all,

I was aghast!!!! I am shocked...I happen to be rep my boss yesterday for a meeting with other ministry and this is the most shocking news I heard...

For those working in Civil Services...please note

First Lee has already delivered the sweet news...5 days work week blah blah..

now the bad news that will be annouce in the coming future...

3% cut in civil servants headcount per year over the next few year.

Outsourcing of non-critical and administrative jobs in civil jobs

Now Ministry of Manpower will be finalising the structure before this is announce Performance Review

Revised of performance review are coming soon...Civil Servant will Grade D and E will be given 6 month performance review to buck or ship off...this will be made official soon



From: @@ (D_Yamato) in reply to FWChongKing

Over the past half year or more, those with D grade for two review periods consecutively will get the boot.

Also, those deemed in excess of dept/division manpower requirements will receive invitation letters for retirement (young but lazy will get, old but ??? will get). Can refuse to retire the first time receive. However, another six months to a year, will get another invitation letter to retire. This second one, is not INVITATION, is INSTRUCTION TO RETIRE/RESIGN.

Finally, the MOTHER-F**KING Govt Civil Service is EATING THEIR OWN SHIT for their F**KING GREED for out-of-the-world HIGHER-THAN-private-sector SALARY !!! One full cycle comes around.

Civil Service is there to provide a stable working mechanism for the contry's smooth running, not there to F**KING SUCK away the nation's resources just because the private sector is paying well to attract the talents. Just look at the F**KING pap govt/cabinet, paying F**KING FILTHY World No. 1 Salary to the bastard scumpigs in white, who can do NOTHING to provide jobs/work/stability for peasants to procrate and have babies.

F**king useless pap ministers/civil service. They deserve to die and rot in hell for what they are paying themselves.

This week just spoken to a group of civil servants. 66% has families members migrated/intent to migrate, 33% has confirmed intention to migrate, 33% has possible wish to migrate. 99% cursed and f**ked the pap govt. 1% dared not say anything against the pap.



From PeasantJUDGE in reply to FWChongKing

we peeple in private sector work so long under this type of system already, got perfrormance appraisal, productivity benchmark and all dat. it is about time the civil service also face the same shit becoz got so many useless zombie working inside there. some more, they want to enjoy private sector pay and benefits even better, still want to expect iron rice bowl??? come on lah.



From: nav14 in reply to lanlan8

I heard from people working in govt agencies that what has been speculated is in fact true especially the part about 3% manpower reduction per year for next 3 years or total of 9-10%. Otherwise they will have to pay a penalty. In fact Lee Hsien Loong has already mentioned about the manpower reduction and penalty if Ministries do not want to reduce manpower some time back. Nothing new but I understand the info has just recently been officially made known to Ministries.

The thing about sacking those with 'D' grades after a review period is also very likely. Right now 5% of all grades officers must be graded 'D and this applies to even Superscale officers. The speculated sacking has been applied to "E" graders since many years back but not 'D'. They will have to change the definition of 'D' grade performance since it is defined as satisfacory performance that meet the needs the requirements of the job. Based on this definition they will not be able to sack so can expect some changes in the performace appriasal system and its definitions. But then again they cannot now insist that every year must get 5% 'D' graders. which will mean that most civil servant will not be able to work more than 15-20 yrs before they reach their CEP and start getting 'D grades. It is easier for a person to get a 'D' grade once you reach your CEP which is usually by the time you touch 50s. This will mean that most Civil Servants can never expect to work beyond 50 which I know is quite common in pte sector but Civil Service always wants to be a role model and by getting rid of most above 50s due to its performance system will not reflect well on that it is trying to help solve the present problem of higher retrenchment in the group above 40s. Lee Hsien Loong has already said in recent National Day rally that Civil Service is no longer a iron rice bowl.

Civil service has gone through many changes in the past 10-15 years and there are very few free riders left. What they are doing is to have a Civil Service with comparable personnel standards to the top firms in Pte sector. But the problem is with all this new initiatives Civil Service is no longer attractive and this includes the salaries for most jobs.

Previously there used to be generous medical benefits but these have been taken away. From about few years back all new appointees are placed on a mdecial scheme where you are only eligible to claim $350 maximum in outpatient treatment. That is why the govt has finally agreed to extend the medical benefits to female officers children. Because almost 50% of female civil servants are under this new medical scheme and thus the total amount the govt pays is limited to only $350 for 50% of these employees.

Job security is no longer there which was one of the most important attractions. Many Ministries have began to employ their staff only on 2 year Contracts (Div 1 to Div 4) and I understand that this Contract scheme is going to apply to almost all appointments very soon.

The salaries of civil servants is still below those in pte sector.

So would anyone in the right frame of mind want to become a civil servant now. I will be better off in the pte sector since the risks are the same but I will be rewarded much better if I work really hard. In the last 1 year they have been getting many applications because the economy was bad. In years to come they will only get applications from the very mediocre applicants with part time degrees .

concept of contract employement in Civil service is contradictory to all the pro-procreation benefits they have announced. With Civil Service itself employing workers on contract on a large scale almost all pte companies will also start doing so (esp those who have not been doing so). You have a nation of contract workers. With a nation of contract worker how on earth you expect the workers to go for 3rd or 4th child when they do not even know if their contract will be renewed. So I think all the 300 million dollars on procreation benefits is a waste of money. I have a staff in my office who do not intend to have any more children but has now decided to employ a maid with the $90 savings. This is what you will get.



From: FWChongKing in reply to ALL

For those of us who think that the cut is meant for the top civil servant,

IF YOU ARE A SUPERSCALE officer, you are RETRENCH-PROOF !!!!!

Retrenchment is only meant for bread and butter people we know are are our friends, uncles and those who make a decent living...

Those bloody idiots who are schoolars grades or policy makers are not affected at ALL.

I think everyone knows this news. LHL has annouce that his cabinet will get pension schemes while those newly recruited are in the new scheme which pale in comparision to the benefit of what senior staff gets. ie MC, Leave, wages etc.

iPod has a mind of its own?

Tunes, a Hard Drive and (Just Maybe) a Brain
By RACHEL DODES

Published: August 26, 2004, NYT

WHILE Bob Angus was presiding over a summer dinner party at his Upper West Side apartment in Manhattan, his Apple iPod decided to reveal its softer side.

Mr. Angus, a second-year graduate student at Columbia Business School, had selected the Shuffle Songs mode on his iPod, which was connected by an adapter cable to his stereo receiver. By doing this, he relinquished control of his 1,300-song music library - and, as he would soon find out, of his party.

We'll just go to COMEX to look and not buy...

We know it is going to be crowded. We know most of the product can be found back in Sim Lim or Funan. We know we are going to blow some money on some tech we told ourselves we didn't need. But we go anyway.

Yes, I am talking about COMEX and other computer shows like it.

Adri reviews COMEX, that Sim Lim in Suntec event that we all know and loathe, except when you are looking for a cheap printer, or you like to hang with digital camera bimbos in very small outfits. Very very small outfits.

TODAY: Babies ARE the bonus

Latest TODAY column: Babies are the bonus

Excerpt:

SINGAPORE is looking for a few good eggs. If you are a fertile woman of child-bearing age, or you are a foreign talent chicken untainted by the H5N1 avian flu virus, please report to your nearest Residents Committee.

Babies due this month, who have been told by their mommies to tahan (hang on) a while more and stay inside mommy's tummy a little longer, breathed a sigh of relief, I think, now that the new baby package has been announced.

An iLife wow moment

Our dear friend Josephine from Hongkong just left Singapore after visiting us for four days. It was a dizzying four days of catching up, and taking her on food trips so that she could eat every local dish she had on her list (it was a long long list). She missed the food here so much.

My wife met Josephine when she was working in Singapore and they became fast friends. When she had to return to Hongkong, it was really painful for the missus to lose a good friend. We had five years of not seeing her to make up for, so this visit of hers was a real event for us.

She was our bridesmaid back when we got married, but since her return to Hongkong, she has never seen the kids, except in photos. She was thrilled to finally see them in person. Auntie Josephine came bearing many many gifts of clothes and toys.

Also, prior to this visit, she had only read about Faith’s condition in our emails to her. It was something else to see it in person. It made her cry.

Last night, as we sat in the living room to do some final chatting, I remembered a DVD I made with Apple's iLife software, entitled "Our Kids". (You can tell this is going to be a Summer blockbuster just from the title alone, can't you?)

It was a series of iPhoto slideshow movies I put together with all the photos I had ever taken of Faith and Isaac, from birth to present. With a little help from iTunes to provide the movie soundtrack, and iDVD to create the DVD and the chapters.

It was like watching the history of two little lives unfold on TV. Josephine would pause to ooh and aah, while we the proud parents provided the running commentary. Sort of like what you hear on a Special Edition DVD of a movie.

Each image blended into the next:

That's Faith when she was 6 months... there's the first trip we took as a family... Chinese New Year 2002... Faith learning to walk... and that's Isaac on day one... ah, Faith's first day at school...

While regular photo albums are a fine way to keep pieces of your past, there was something about seeing almost four years of bringing up kids compressed into less than one hour of DVD. Like an out-of-body experience, two parents and a friend, in the dead of night, watching the life story of someone else's kids. It was very moving.

We gave Josephine the disc as a gift (I had the iDVD master document to burn another one anyway), to let her take a piece of our memories with her.

The DVD slideshow movie was my first attempt at using the iLife suite, and while the transitions and music fade-ins and fade-outs needed work, I reckon that if I ever made any future home or commercial movies, I will still consider this my finest work.

Please ensure your children fall sick only two days a year, thank you

For all the gushing praise the PM's speech has been receiving, especially in the announcement of the baby incentives, there is at least neurotic teacher who did not think the measures went far enough.

I quite agree with her that the offerings like child care leave do not totally cover all of a parent's needs, but then, I am easily content. After coping this long with two children (and one with special needs) without any niceties like child care leave and the like, my wife and I welcome any relief, even crumbs. Better than nothing, I say.

Excerpt:

So, that's 2 days child care leave a year for 7 years. Seriously, how many kids get sick ONLY 2 days a year? And when they do get sick, how long are they sick for? Chicken pox, mumps, the measles all last about 2 weeks and the first few days are a total horror from what I recall from my own experiences. A colleague of mine was away for 4 days because her son had 40 degree fevers and when she came back, the poor lady looked like she was about to collapse out of exhaustion. So, is 2 days really enough to nurse a sick child back to health and to give yourself some rest before going back to work? Or does the employer really not care when you get the rest as long as you're back and can function at a basic, answer the phone, in my case go to class and set work level?

This really pisses me off.

Tricks of the Trade

Get the inside info on how various professions use their bag of tricks to get their job done. Professions covered from A to Z. Great stuff. (via Boing Boing)

Excerpt:

Desktop Support

When desktop support technicians resolve a ticket, they are usually required to document the cause and solution to the problem. Supervisors see these records, so you have to be professional, but can usually get away with using the acronym “PEBKAC” in situations where the user caused the initial problem. PEBKAC stands for “Problem Exists Between Keyboard and Chair.”

Graphic Designer

If you have a client who is unable to approve a proposed design without putting her stamp on it, just put an obvious error in the proposal: a logo that’s too large, a font that’s too small, or a few judiciously seeded typos. The client requests the change and feels she’s done her part—and your design, which was perfect all along, sails through to approval.

Browser Switch stories

Apple had their Switch campaign, and now, alternative browsers to IE have theirs too.

Excerpt:

Ms. Sandlin is so devoted to [Firefox] that she has taped a note to her monitor warning guests not to click on the desktop shortcut to Internet Explorer. Do not touch the blue ‘E!’ the note says.

Update: For the curious, mr brown uses Safari very happily every day. Occasionally, he also uses Firefox for Mac when the silly Gmail doesn't want to load in Safari. For DBS Internet Banking, he is forced to use Netscape 7.02 ($&#!@*#). On his PC (strictly for gaming only, and never for real work), he runs Firefox, and bans anyone from launching IE because he hates running all the anti-spyware and anti-virus apps to clean his system out.

The expensive but powderful US military

When you read this post, you can't help but wonder, "Where does the US defence budget go?"

-8,612 medals for 7000 troops involved in the invasion of Grenada
-Grenada military cockups
-B2 bombers that cannot go out on missions if it rains
-Maverick missiles that mistake a distant campfire for a tank
-Aegis high-tech radar system that can mistake an Iranian Airbus climbing for an F-14 descending into attack position
-C-17 transport plane that costs way more than a modified Boeing 747 but does way less

Excerpt:

Alas, the C-17 is incapable of carrying out its assigned task of forward resupply.  The enormous aircraft needs at least 4,000 feet of runway to land, 1,000 more than the Air Force claims.  The C-17 cannot come down on a dirt airstrip because its jet engines will “ingest” earth.  A used Boeing 747 — which can be bought and modified for less than $100 million — can carry three times as much cargo twice as far as the C-17.

Gaming Trends

If you are working on the Next Big Thing in gaming, you may want to consider the ten trendiest concepts in game design (via Grumpy Gamer).

Excerpt:

3. Crime
The biggest trend in gaming at the moment, mainly due to the success of GTA. We’ve had hired assassins (Hitman), cockney gangsters (The Getaway) snuff movie murder (Manhunt) and the Mafia (erm, Mafia), and we’ll soon see robbery (Acclaim’s The Last Job) and another LA gang thriller (25 To Life from Eidos). Boardrooms across the globe are right now trying to work out the next big crime concept. Unfortunately, all that’s left are pick-pocketing, jay-walking and indecent exposure.

If too many games start to do the Crime trend, I fear we Singapore gamers will see less of these games hit our shores. GTA: Vice City is already banned here for its content. So please don't be making the game Geylang: Vice City, or you will only be able to see it overseas. Like the uncensored version of the movie 15.

Forget the Superman costume, get a Pimp outfit for your kid

Yo yo yo! Pimp and Ho costumes for kids. Bring out the inner pimp and prostitute in your child.

Model student

I just spied two interesting comments left on my site by a certain Zhang Man Lu, who at 14, was the youngest and tallest (1.83m) contestant at the Elite Model Look 2003 competition last year.

It was in reference to point 20 of SNE 92, which read:

20. That soon, you will be a promising supermodel at 12, reach the end of your prime by 14, and be considered washed up and over the hill by 16.

'Our daughter's not too young to model'
Parents of Zhang Manlu, 14, are encouraging her to make the most of talent
By Arlina Arshad and Lee Hui Chieh -ST

First of all, I'd like to say, hi, and welcome to my little corner of the web, and secondly, I'd like to say that point 20 was never meant to be directed at her at all.

It was just that the ST article that featured her led me to reflect on how much younger the models entering the model business are these days, and how fast the modelling industry chews up their young talent. An opinion shared by others, even Mick Jagger.

So nobody is even suggesting that you're going to be washed up at 16, young lady. I am sure you will do well enough, you did make quite it far in that model competition. You might want to go easy on the bad language though.

Here are her comments (I had to clean them up a little):

you know what you f**king idiot singapore education who the hell you think you are you education f**king sucks and it is like shit you guys had a group of insane teacher that call student a sex kitten and a supermodel never washed up as once your are famous you will always be remeber as a super model and i am goingh to sue you if i saw another world from you f**king mouth

Posted by: Zhang Man Lu at August 22, 2004 11:44 AM

Mr brown if i hear you bad mouthing me again you will see my lawyer and i will not be wash up at 16 you will be washed up if i see you writing about me again

Posted by: Zhang Man Lu at August 22, 2004 11:47 AM

Expensive Geography lessons for Microsoft

shawntim on SPUG unearthed this interesting read on How eight pixels cost Microsoft millions

Excerpt:

Microsoft's lack of multicultural savvy cost the Redmond behemoth millions of dollars, according to a company executive.

The software giant has seen its products banned in some of the biggest markets on earth--and it's all because of eight wrongly colored pixels, a dodgy choice of music and a bad English-to-Spanish dictionary.

Speaking at the International Geographical Union congress in Glasgow on Wednesday, Microsoft's top man in its geopolitical strategy team, Tom Edwards, revealed how one of the biggest companies in the world managed to offend one of the biggest countries in the world with a software slip-up.

When coloring in 800,000 pixels on a map of India, Microsoft colored eight of them a different shade of green to represent the disputed Kashmiri territory. The difference in greens meant Kashmir was shown as non-Indian, and the product was promptly banned in India. Microsoft was left to recall all 200,000 copies of the offending Windows 95 operating system software to try and heal the diplomatic wounds. "It cost millions," Edwards said.

TODAY: Youth, SMS your views to the Govt

Latest TODAY column: Youth, SMS your views to the Govt

Excerpt:

Young people should speak up and make themselves heard. Even the Government wants to hear from you.

I read with great joy that the Government wants to solicit views and ideas from young people, by all means possible, even via SMS and email. I am happy because "young people" was defined as anyone born after 1965. And all this while, I thought I was an old fart. I feel a renewed sense of youth. I am young again because the Government says so.

I hope they employed some specially trained people to take down the feedback of the youth though. Have you ever read SMS sent by young people? You need English subtitles to understand it, if you are middle-aged and above.

My parents, especially when they first started using SMS, would use full sentences and spell everything correctly (and even start the SMS with "Dear son", like it was a letter). Not so our young SMS speed demons.

I can imagine some civil servant looking at some youth feedback and asking what on earth is:

"doom3 roxors! we aL shud plA doom3 cuz we R l33t! doom3 4 prez!"

You have been in Singapore too long when...

36 signs you've been in Singapore too long, especially if you come from a Western country:

1. You've lost your sense of irony, sarcasm, and cynicism.

2. You don't know what's lame and what isn't anymore.

3. You think there's nothing wrong with putting chili sauce on everything you eat.

4. You wait for instructions from people in authority before doing anything. Always.

5. You join queues without knowing or caring what the queue is for.

6. You know what "queue" means!!

7. Your idea of a good night out consists of having dinner at a hawker centre, drinking beer, and then going to another hawker centre and eating again.

8. You've lost your ability to criticize people in higher positions than you, even if they're wrong.

9. You think it's okay to have only one meaningful choice on a ballot.

10. "Crossing the country" means taking the MRT tothe end of the line.

11. You have a high tolerance for nagging.

12.Most or all of these acronyms make sense to you: NUS; NTU; ERP; SDU; PAP; MRT; LKY; GCT; PRC; TIBS; SBS; SMS; JB; JBJ; AMK; AYE; PIE; ECP; ISD; ISA; 5 C's; CPF; CHIJMES; SPG; CWO.

13. You use too many acronyms when you talk, or you create new ones.

14. You think that nothing makes a girl or guy more attractive than to dress exactly like hundreds of thousands of othe girls and guys who all dress exactly like girls and guys in malls.

15. You think that S$100,000 [= US$ 57,000] is a reasonable price for a Toyota Corolla and S$1,000,000 is a reasonable price for a bungalow, but S$5 [= US$2.85] for a plate of fried noodles is a barbarous outrage.

16. You believe that not being able to get decent roti prata outside Singapore is enough to keep the best and the brightest people from leaving.

17. You see nothing wrong with forming committees of select elite people to deliberate and study ways to stimulate creativity and spontaneity.

18. You justify every argument with the phrase "in order for us to be competitive in the 21st century."

19. You think everything should be "topped up."

20. You see nothing unusual about an organization of trade unions spending more time owning and operating supermarkets, parks, drugstores, amusement nightclubs, and financial services than planning the next strike.

21. You believe that a lack of land is enough justification for the goverment to do what it wants.

22. You wear winter clothes indoors and summer clothes outdoors.

23. Durian and belachan no longer stink to you.

24. You like to have fun, but not too much fun, since you need to correctly gauge the amount of fun necessary to achieve the optimal result. Any more fun that that would bring shame to your family and your country.

25. You're not confused by a street naming system that locates streets like Clementi Road, Clementi Street, Clementi Crescent, Clementi Lane, Clementi Drive, Clementi Way, and Clementi Avenues 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 all within walking distance of each other.

26. You get irritated if you don't see a sign telling you how long your wait's going to be for a bus, a train, or the expressway to take you where you want to go.

27. You're certain that Holland Village is for hippie bohemian artist types and not for overpaid yuppies.

28. When you cross the border into Malaysia, you automatically and deeply fear for your life and your wallet. Especially your wallet!!

29. No matter what you're doing at the moment, you'd rather be shopping.

30. No matter how miserable you may be here, you thank God you're not in Indonesia.

31. You're impressed by high-rise apartment buildings with actual lobbies instead of bare exposed pillars on the ground floor [such as are found in much government-built housing].

32. You forgot what chewing gum tastes like.

33. You're sure that the best way to change social behaviour is through consistent and comprehensive government-sponsored campaigns that permeate as many aspects of daily life as possible. And when they don't work, you never speak of them again.

34. You agree that what the government thinks of your personal habits and lifestyle should determine whether you get a condo and how much you pay for it.

35. You've become a fan of either Arsenal, Manchester United, or Liverpool when you barely knew what soccer was before you came to Singapore. And you don't care that none of these teams are Singaporean!

36. You think a bus is incomplete without a TV.

(taken from here)

Look! Apple is making the same mistake with the iPod!

Conventional wisdom states that Apple made an error of Armageddon proportions twenty years ago by not licensing the Mac OS.

Is Apple making the same mistake with the iPod that they made with the Macintosh? Daring Fireball offers an opinion.

Incidentally, John Gruber's fine writing always makes me happy that I decided to support his personal journalism efforts by becoming a member and buying a t-shirt.

Excerpt:

My reason for writing “The Art of the Parlay” — revisiting the conventional wisdom surrounding Apple’s mid-’80s decision not to license the Macintosh — is that current events have made the topic relevant.

Those current events, of course, are related to the Apple music platform: the iPod, iTunes, and iTMS.

The relevance to Apple’s 20-year-old licensing decisions is that nearly every mainstream media pundit who opens his mouth about the iPod — especially in the wake of RealNetworks’ Harmony announcement — has decided that Apple is, all together now, making the same mistake with the iPod that they made with the Macintosh.

I.e., that Apple didn’t license the Macintosh, Microsoft did license their operating systems, and that’s why Microsoft won and Apple lost. And now Apple is doing the same thing with the iPod and the iTMS.

I’m here to tell you this is utter bunk. Apple’s position with the iPod is significantly different — and much stronger — than their position with Macintosh 20 years ago. There are admittedly a few similarities, first and foremost of which is that both products are much better designed than any competing product. Second, uh, they both use 12-point Chicago as the system font. (Except for the Mini, which uses Espy Sans, the Newton’s system font.)

An iTunes wow moment

I had a wow moment yesterday.

I know I am late in the game, but I got iTunes sharing working in my home network last night and it rocked. Better late to the party than never showing up, I say.

It all started in the office, when Gavin showed us the power of iTunes sharing. Right now, we have 2 PCs, and a G5, and two Powerbooks, all sharing music in the same subnet. Like having your own radio stations.

I decided to try the same thing in my home network.

So back at the ranch, iTunes was running on my G4 Powerbook, my wife's iBook, and The PC (that hath no name) and all the music on each machine was shared.

My wife was listening to Radiohead from the study's stereo. What's so special about that, you say?

Well, the shared song was played on the PC (which was on the wired part of the network) and streamed to her iBook (on the wireless Airport part of our network), which was then sent from her iBook's headphone port to the Aux channel of stereo via an RCA-to-Din8 cable.

And the whole time, she was working on her iBook, oblivious to where this song on the stereo was coming from, or the path it took to get there.

The transparent way all this worked just blew me away. The PC has 16Gb of music on it (it has an 80Gb hard drive in it, so may as well use it for music, since it is only used for games). To be able to listen to this on my stereo, located far away, is too cool.

Setting this up was not very difficult, although I had some initial trouble with the PC's firewall blocking the port iTunes was using to share music (port 3689), but a visit to the firewall settings on the PC took care of that quickly.

My next mission will be to try to get an Airport Express, or better yet, something that can stream music to multiple speakers in the house. Maybe an Airport Express as a main music base station, sending music to the living room stereo, while having the ability to send music the other wireless access points attached to speakers in the bedrooms and the study.

And oh, a remote control, maybe with a touchscreen would be nice too. I have heard of people using Salling Clicker to control their Airport-Expressed iTunes via a Bluetooth phone. That would work too, I suppose.

I wonder if an iPod can be used to send music wirelessly to speakers located throughout the house too. Hmmm.