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Filed under: Fun, Video, Blogging, Apple

Done in 60 seconds: The Steve Jobs Keynote

So you can't find time in your day to watch the 90 minute Steve Jobs Keynote that took place yesterday, even though you live and breathe Apple? Is your computer in the manager's line of sight, so you can't even watch it at work?

Mahalo Daily has got you covered: they've managed to shoehorn the Steve Jobs Keynote into 60 seconds. No, this isn't some fancy new video compression; let's just call it a "highlight reel." Or, better yet, a "highlight reel with ADD."

So how much of Steve's reality distortion field comes through in 60 seconds? Plenty: when Steve slides the MacBook Air from that plain manila envelope, it was all we could do to keep from licking the screen.

[Via Calacanis.com]

Filed under: Fun, Games, Macintosh, Freeware, Time-Wasters

Liquid Mac - Today's Time Waster

Liquid MacThis little Mac application is the definition of a time waster; it performs no real useful function, and yet we can't stop playing with it. It's not a game, as such, in that there is no goal and no score, but it sure is fun to play with.

To see what we're talking about, you're going to need to be running a newish MacBook or MacBook Pro with an accelerometer built in. Got that? Good.

So basically, Liquid Mac uses the accelerometer in your laptop to determine whether it is sitting level, or tipped to one side or the other. It then animates "liquid" on screen, pouring side to side as you move your laptop around, much like real liquid would in a real container. Of course, the fun here is the optical illusion.

That's all it does, but it sure does it well.

Filed under: Security, Macintosh, Apple, Commercial

Undercover: LoJack for your MacBook

UndercoverIs it just me, or is the market for novel anti-theft apps for laptops exploding? Undercover is a program for Apple laptops from Orbicule that does a number of things to help you recover your laptop in the event of its theft. When the laptop boots, Undercover checks Orbicule's web server to see if you've reported your laptop missing. Once it knows it's been stole, Undercover begins doing all sorts of things, including sending Orbicule its IP address, taking photos of the perpetrator and its surroundings with the built-in iSight camera, and sending screenshots so you can see what the thief is up to. If the laptop can't be recovered, or if it can't connect to a network, Undercover will simulate a "hardware failure" by gradually dimming the screen, which Orbicule hopes will prompt the thief to unload the laptop on someone else. Software like this is really no match for a savvy thief, but most aren't, so for all it promises Undercover's $30 price tag doesn't seem so expensive. There's also a money-back guarantee if Undercover fails to save your laptop, but $30 hardly seems like much consolation in that event.

[Via Undercover]

Filed under: Security, Macintosh, Apple

iAlertU: Camera/tilt sensor theft alarm for your MacBook

iAlertUYour MacBook Pro has a built-in tilt sensor and camera. Since using Apple products for their intended purpose (like, say, running Mac OS X), here's a cool way to repurpose those features: iAlertU is theft alarm software that monitors your MacBook's camera and tilt sensor and, if it thinks your laptop is being manhandled while you've stepped away to grab another latte, sounds a loud alarm. Currently iAlertU is in beta, and Evan Blass over at Engadget says that it's not perfect, but actually works pretty much as advertised. You can see a video of it iAlertU in action at YouTube. The arming and disarming sound effects are pretty cute.

Filed under: Windows, Macintosh, Office, Apple, Microsoft

Apple and Microsoft in cahoots again

MacBook ProLargely lost in the shuffle among yesterday's flurry of Mac news was this bit: Microsoft and Apple have signed a five-year pact in which Apple agrees not to prevent users from installing Windows on their Intel Macs and Microsoft agrees to keep making Office apps for OS X. The first part is cool, but the second seems strange, what with Apple announcing an update to its iWork office suite. According to Macworld, though, the pact is "about reassuring the public," and if you think about it, five years really isn't that long.

Featured Time Waster

Graveyard Shift - zombie-busting Time Waster

With Halloween fast approaching, it's a great time to get in some practice defending your territory against zombies. In Graveyard Shift, you take aim at zombies and other creepy-crawlies, blasting them into splatters of cartoony green guts. It's a casual first-person shooter, and it's very easy to get the hang of - use the mouse to aim, click to fire. Graveyard Shift has at least 15 levels, and it might even have some secret stages I haven't unlocked yet. They key to getting good at Graveyard Shift is learning to use ...

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