'Rember' - Handy Free Software for Testing Mac Memory Integrity

"Rember is a front-end GUI to the 'memtest' command line memory testing program."

OK, so you are in a mac support forum, you've got a bug you are trying to isolate, and someone has the nerve to suggest that the problem is due to a bogus memory chip! ;)

Now you can use this handy utilitiy to know once and for all.

Getty Images Launches 'Creative Express' subscription service

Getty Images - Creative Express: "Creative Express is available in one-month and one-year subscription plans, so whether you need images on a project-by-project basis or year-round, we've got you covered."

Taking a cue from the music download biz I see. For certain agencies, I guess this might be appealing.

First Worldwide Adobe Photoshop Competition Launched by NAPP

"The deadline for submissions is Sat., Dec. 31, 2005 at 12:00 midnight, and each entrant may submit up to three pieces for consideration by a panel of judges, which includes some of the leading names in the Photoshop industry today. The entry fee is $35 per piece and $25 per piece for NAPP members."

Pixadex 2 released by IconFactory

"Pixadex 2.0! What iPhoto is to photos, Pixadex is to icons..."

They've added things like smart collections, nested folders, spotlight integration and broader import / drag and drop capabilities.

Vigils for 2000 US Soldiers Killed in Iraq

"This week, the number of American soldiers lost while serving in Iraq reached over 2000..."

The DECK ad network launched

"A List Apart, 37signals and Coudal Partners have formed The Deck, the premier advertising network for reaching web and design professionals. The three sites serve up millions of page views each month and The Deck ad program is uniquely configured to connect marketers to a targeted, influential audience."

Capitalizing on good blog traffic, good for them!

New (Flock) browser gives taste of Web 2.0

"A small team of developers in California on Friday launched a cutting-edge Firefox-based Web browser dubbed Flock, which integrates next-generation Web technologies such as RSS content feeds, blogs and bookmark and photo sharing."

Going to check out the developer beta...

R.I.P. WYSIWYG - Results-Oriented UI Coming

"Macintosh-style interaction design has reached its limits. A new paradigm, called results-oriented UI, might well be the way to empower users in the future."

Here's an interesting article that focuses on the upcoming Office 12 interface and its implications for the future of UI design. Considering the omnipresence of Office, and the tendency to look to it as a benchmark for business software, this will be an important development to watch.

Best Practices for Encoding Video with the VP6 Codec (Flash Video)

"Flash Video is rapidly changing the landscape of video on the web. Developers will need a new set of skills and knowledge relating to video editing, encoding, and delivery. This article introduces the video encoding process using the Flash 8 Video Encoder, a simple yet powerful tool for Flash developers."

Here's a short article that has some very helpful tidbits.

Extensis Suitcase X1 stops responding on Mac OS 10.4 Tiger

"When using Suitcase X1 along with iChat in Mac OS 10.4, if the iChatAgent process stops responding Suitcase will also stop responding..."

Well, this is not fun. I almost deleted my Suitcase prefs and had to rebuild all my sets, but I searched deeper in support and found out why I couldn't get Suitcase to quit. It seems that iChat is the culprit - Follow link for the full workaround.

Real, Microsoft reach truce

"Microsoft and RealNetworks announced a sweeping deal on Tuesday that puts aside their legal differences and aims to shore up their respective digital-music strategies."

I guess we'll see if Apple's announcement today can totally eclipse this headline...

Iraq war now costing $6 billion a month

Heads up for the fiscally conservative: "WASHINGTON - The Bush administration is spending about $7 billion a month to wage the war on terror, and costs could total $570 billion by the end of 2010, assuming troops are gradually brought home, a congressional report estimates."

CoverFlow - a beautiful way to navigate your digital albums

This latest (1.9) release of CoverFlow "technical demo" is so very cool. It's an alternative way to browse your iTunes collection, allowing you to 'spin' through your album artwork in 3D. It has basic search and you can sort by artist or ablum and use an alphabetical sider or search. Double clicking on an album starts playing it in iTunes.

Ruby on Rails has a Podcast

"News and views from Ruby on Rails core team"

Link in title is to Odeo summary page - or Grab it on iTMS

"10 Programs I Can't Live Without, 2005 Edition"

From digitalproducer.com, these types of articles are always full of good stuff. The first MPEG app looks useful...

Yahoo! launches podcast service

"Yahoo! has embraced podcasting in a major way with the launch of a new online destination that lets users easily find, listen to, rate and subscribe to podcasts. The service, which is now in beta stage and located at podcasts.yahoo.com, features a large podcast directory, community tools, and compatibility with iTunes and iPods."

Pixies Videos Available Online - from New DVD

So the Pixies have a new DVD called "Sell Out" that covers last year's reunion show. I saw them in Portland and they sounded great. Check out the 3 free videos, or just buy the DVD...

Level 3 Throws a Tantrum and Walls-up Internet

"Computer technicians scrambled to shore up their networks after Level 3 Communications Inc. refused to accept traffic from rival Cogent Communications Group Inc., rendering large portions of the Internet unreachable by others."

That's just dandy! Hey, if they want to play 'chicken' I suggest they go buy a couple of sports cars, dress up like James Dean, and see who actually goes off the cliff. In the meantime, perhaps they should behave like businesses that are responsible for a critical component of our economy.

Macromedia Releases Flex 2, Flash Player 8.5 (Alpha)

"Macromedia Inc. announced Thursday the availability of a new Eclipse-based tool and an updated player, targeted at software developers who want to build rich Internet applications with the Flash platform.

Alpha versions of the Macromedia Flex 2 product line and Flash Player 8.5, both available for download from the company's Web site beginning Oct. 17, are designed to be used as a foundation for building applications that bring together the responsiveness of desktop software and the cross-platform reach of the Web."

useit.com: Top Ten Web Design Mistakes of 2005

Top Ten Web Design Mistakes of 2005 (Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox): "The oldies continue to be goodies -- or rather, baddies -- in the list of design stupidities that irked users the most in 2005."

Jakob Nielsen lays down his law. Please take with a (non-graphic rendition of logotype, fluid layout, large Verdana font, blue underlined link, Flash-hating) grain of salt. But generally good stuff to consider as usual.

AOL to Buy Weblogs Inc.

"AOL signed an agreement to purchase Jason Calacanis' Weblogs Inc. Network (WIN), which owns dozens of blogs, including the tech-focused Engadget."

Hmmm, I don't know about the corporatizing of blogs. We'll have to see how this shakes out. What's great about sites like Engadget are their very direct feel, getting sucked into the AOL machine may make it easier for some more genuine blog to slip into its previously held position. I guess it's congrats to Calacanis for cashing in tho...

Vans Sk8-Hi

My loving wife got me some stylin' new kicks today!

Short & Sweet Behind the Scenes of "Corpse Bride"

"The culmination of a 10-year engagement, 'Corpse Bride,' directed by Tim Burton and Mike Johnson, is a revolutionary marriage of stop-motion animation techniques, digital photography and digital movie editing."

I'm a sucker for behind the scenes stories on these kinds of endeavors. I know this is just an ad for Final Cut Pro, but it has some interesting tidbits and a few great photos of animators manipulating models and sets - giving you a great perspective on the scale they were working at.

The Unofficial Web Applications List

Here's a useful simple site that aggregates all sorts of online / web-based 'applications'.

Autodesk acquires Alias

"Autodesk today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Alias, a privately held developer of 3D graphics technology, for $182 million in cash."

Looks like the pending Adobe and Macromedia deal will spur more consolidation in the pro graphics and a/v arena. So, who's going to buy Corel (or vice versa)?...

The Iconfactory offers up great 'Vintage Halloween' icon set

"Vintage Halloween by David Lanham - Halloween characters based on vintage designs"

Hats off to Lanham, I love the retro style!

Mercedes-Benz Free Mixed Tape 09 Released

Mercedes-Benz is offering up another free promo mix with the theme of "urban sounds from around the world"...

SQL Database Designer AJAXIFIED!!

I guess it's AJAX Monday: "SQL Developer? You will fall in love with this tool! Graphically design databases online real time with this AJAX powered demo. Check it out!!!!"

37 Signals Launches 'Writeboard'

37 Signals lifts the veil off of their latest project.

"Writeboards are sharable, web-based text documents that let you save every edit, roll back to any version, and easily compare changes. Use Writeboard to write solo or collaborate with others..."

AJAX gives software a fresh look

More good buzz: "An emerging Web development technique promises to shake up the status quo in PC software and blur the line between desktop and Web applications... At the moment, Web pages are limited, compared with most desktop applications. AJAX frees Web pages from the clunkiness they suffer from by making them more interactive and so more functional, Web developers say."

Microsoft Announce Native PDF support in Office '12'

"Yesterday Microsoft's Steven Sinofsky announced at the MVP summit in Redmond that they will build in native support for the PDF format in Office '12'. The PDF support will be built into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Publisher, OneNote, Visio, and InfoPath"