Peace on Earth...

Haloscan has been trouble-free for the last few days, so we are turning the comments feature back on. We'll see how it goes....

MacNN.com reports that MacWireless has unveiled its 11g USB Stick, offering wireless internet connectivity for any Mac with a USB port. The low cost alternative to Apple's original AirPort card is fully compatible with Apple AirPort cards and base stations, as well as all 802.11b, 802.11g, and pre-n networks. The 11g USB Stick also supports WEP and WPA encryption for secure network connectivity. Offering a range of 100-300 feet indoors or 300-900 feet outdoors, the device provides up to 54Mbps of bandwidth when compatible networks are available and the accessory is plugged into a USB 2.0 port. The 11g USB Stick is priced at $80, and requires Mac OS X 10.3 or later.

source: MacNN

Jefferson Consulting will observe a Holiday Shutdown during the period from Friday December 22, 2006 thru Tuesday January 2, 2007. We will reopen Wednesday January 3.
Any emails and voicemail messages received during the Holiday Shutdown period will be addressed after we return on Wednesday January 3.
Thank you for your business in 2006! We wish all of our clients and their families a joyful holiday season and extend best wishes for the New Year!

---
currently on iTunes: ''Silent Night'', by Sarah McLachlan

Got my voice back, and feeling about 90%. Taking care of appts. rescheduled from last week. Wow this year is coming to a close pretty quick! Any tech support issues not addressed this week will probably need to be scheduled for after the first of the year, as we're taking some time off to be with the family.
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Currently on iTunes: ''Juke Box Hero'', by Foreigner
The delayed stock quote for AAPL is: 87.72

Griffin Technology on Friday announced a new multimedia flash card reader designed to work with MacBook Pros, which feature an ExpressCard/34 expansion slot. The 5-in-1 card reader costs $29.99. The reader supports Memory Stick and Memory Stick Pro, Secure Digital (SD), MultiMediaCard (MMC) and xD-Picture card formats. The card is “plug-and-play;” no drivers or installation software required; simply plug it in and your MacBook Pro begins to recognize those cards immediately when they’ve been inserted into the card’s reader.
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Currently on iTunes: ''Free Fallin'', by Tom Petty
The delayed stock quote for AAPL is: 87.72

MacWorld is reporting the on Friday, December 15, Adobe will release a public beta of Photoshop CS3. This beta, available to Photoshop CS2 and Adobe Creative Suite CS2 users, will run natively on Intel-based Macs. That will remove the performance penalty Photoshop users experienced when running CS2 on Intel-based Macs using Apple's Rosetta emulation technology.

For more details on the Photoshop CS3 beta, including new features added to the next version of Photoshop:
http://www.macworld.com/news/2006/12/14/photoshopbeta/index.php

MacWold also has a special edition podcast, reviewing Photoshop beta:
http://www.macworld.com/weblogs/mwpodcast/2006/12/mwpodcast61/index.php

---
Currently on iTunes: ''Foggy Dew'', by Maggie Sansone
The delayed stock quote for AAPL is: 88.46

MacNN.com reports that Microsoft has issued a security advisory for a new vulnerability in Microsoft Word that could allow remote code execution by an attacker. The Redmond-based company is investigating a new report of limited 'zero-day' attacks using a vulnerability in Microsoft Word 2000, Microsoft Word 2002, Microsoft Office Word 2003, Microsoft Word Viewer 2003, Microsoft Word 2004 for Mac, and Microsoft Word v. X for Mac, as well as Microsoft Works 2004, 2005, and 2006. Users must first open a malicious Word file attached to an email or provided by an attacker by some other means before the attack can be carried out. Both Microsoft and Jefferson Consulting suggest exercising extreme caution when opening unsolicited email attachments from both known as well as unknown source.

---
Currently on iTunes:
''Wall Street Journal Tech News Briefing'', by podcast@wsj.com
The delayed stock quote for AAPL is: 87.47

Sorry mates, a head cold done snook me hard and I 've lost my voice...Available only by email and iChat for the next few days...until I kick this thing.
---
Currently on iTunes: ''An Nighean Dubh'', by Celtic Nots
The delayed stock quote for AAPL is: 86.14

We weren't getting any comments anyway...
We have learned that when Haloscan's site is down, it affects the loading and display of our blog page. Haloscan is a service providing free hosting of blog comments in RSS format. Well you get what you pay for!
Disabling the comments on the blog fixed the problem, and now the news page loads with no delay. We'll leave it that way for awhile...

Alsoft has released DiskWarrior 4, enhancing the software designed to maintain, repair, and recover Mac disks on both PowerPC and Intel-based Macs. DiskWarrior 4 runs natively on Intel-based Macs as a Universal Binary and repairs invalid file permissions. The update includes an additional suite of file and folder tests to discover problems early, and identifies corrupted Preference (.plist) files. Users can recover more data from drives with hardware malfunctions using the latest revision of DiskWarrior, according to Alsoft, and the application can repair as well as rebuild FileVaults. DiskWarrior 4 provides full support for case-sensitive file names, repairs and rebuilds Attribute B-trees, and repairs Access Control Lists (ACLs). DiskWarrior 4 is available for $100 to new users and $50 for upgrading license holders. The software requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later.

source: MacNN

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Currently on iTunes: ''Snap!'', by David Benoit
The delayed stock quote for AAPL is: 88.75

Adobe today released Adobe Reader 8 as a free download from its website. This final component in the Acrobat 8 suite released in November, allows users to search, view, and collaborate with PDF files. Adobe Reader 8 features a new “Start Meeting” button that launches Adobe Acrobat Connect, an Adobe-hosted software service that provides real-time online collaboration through Adobe Flash Player. Version 8 features a new, streamlined interface with user customizable toolbars, allows Adobe Reader users to fill and submit forms, save data, and digitally sign documents. Adobe Reader 8 also features graphics processing unit (GPU) acceleration, which boosts performance when viewing graphics-intense PDF files, such as 3D content. Adobe Reader 8 is available on Windows, Mac, Linux, HP/UX, AIX, Solaris and SPARC platforms.

source: MacNN

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Currently on iTunes: ''Hollerin' for Haggis!'', by The Rogues
The delayed stock quote for AAPL is: 89.93

Delaware Computer Exchange, an Apple Specialist store in Dover DE, is offering Christmas shoppers a lay-away option, with 25% down and pickup before Christmas, according to their website. The independently-owned Apple retailer and service center also has a 90-Days Same-as-Cash financing offer. For more information and store hours, contact Frank Mott at 302.735.7720. Newcastle County, MD, and PA customers can call 800.828.1060.

---
Currently Playing on iTunes: ''Southern Cross'', by Crosby, Stills & Nash
The delayed stock quote for AAPL is: 91.12

Apple Store Christiana has posted holiday store hours at their website. Note that most US Apple Stores will remain closed on Christmas Day (December 25). On December 31 (New Year's Eve), most stores will close earlier than normal. Due to these special holiday hours, regularly scheduled workshops and events may occur at irregular times or be canceled on certain days. If you are interested in a specific workship, call the Christiana store at 302.292.3201 to confirm the workshop is still being held.

According to rumor site Think Secret, sources recently disclosed that as development enters its final months features of the upcoming Adobe Photoshop CS3 have remained true to what Adobe originally planned. For many Creative Pro Mac users, the most notable improvement Adobe will be delivering with Photoshop CS3 is native support for Intel-based Macs. Sources stressed that the new version of Photoshop, which sports an upgraded and more responsive interface, continually exceeded their performance expectations, including on PowerPC hardware.

Photoshop CS3's interface is said to closely resemble the look and feel of Adobe After Effects 7, with easy palette organization and brightness adjustment for the overall interface itself. Another new feature substantially improving both workflow and raw performance is Live Filters. For example, the pixel radius of a Gaussian Blur, for example, can be adjusted long after it has been applied with just a single mouse click. Sources also report substantial performance improvements to the filters themselves, as well, and have speculated that Photoshop may now be tapping the GPU of the video card to help the CPU crunch filters.

Think Secret reports that 3D objects can not only be imported now, but their textures can easily modified, as well. Video support has also been improved with Photoshop CS3, allowing a film strip to be imported and saved as a PSD file with markers that Adobe Premiere and After Effects can read. In addition, a new Analysis menu includes a number of measurement tools sure to please engineers and 3D artists, while the new built-in Device Library contains listings for virtually every phone and smart device in existence, allowing users to preview how their creations will appear on the screens of such products. Substantial improvements to Photoshop's Save For Web functionality also appear in store. Support for Flash animation is also expected.

Adobe has previously said it is targeting the release of Adobe Creative Suite 3 for the second-quarter of 2007.

--
Currently Playing on iTunes:
'"License To Chill'', by Jimmy Buffett with Kenny Chesney
The delayed stock quote for AAPL is: 91.12

Currently Playing on iTunes: ''Thanksgiving'', by George Winston
The delayed stock quote for AAPL is: 90.31

We are closed Thur. 11/22 thru the weekend, reopening Mon. 11/26.
From all of us at Jefferson Consulting, our family to yours, we thank you sincerely for your support and wish you a very Happy and Safe Thanksgiving!
Enjoy your holiday weekend! Don't eat too much...save room for pie!

The History of Thanksgiving
The Mayflower Society
Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation 1863
Thanksgiving Recipes
Football

Apple revised its MacBook line today, moving to Intel Core 2 Duo processors. With prices starting at just $1,099, the new MacBook lineup includes three models: sleek white 1.83 GHz and 2.0 GHz MacBook models, and a stunning black 2.0 GHz MacBook model. With Intel's latest Core 2 Duo processors, the new MacBook is up to 25 percent faster than the previous MacBook and up to six times faster than the iBook. Consumers will also benefit from double the memory and greater storage capacity than the previous generation, as well as a double-layer SuperDrive for burning professional-quality DVDs.

While positioned by Apple as a consumer portable, the MacBook is also powerful enough to be a reasonably priced business system. This now makes my choice more difficult....hmmm...Core 2 Duo MacBook Po, or smaller, slightly lighter newer Core 2 Duo MacBook?. Tough Decision. The MacBook is looking very, very good!

Are you considering a new Mac portable purchase? Check out the MacBook/MacBook Pro comparison chart.

Currently Playing on iTunes: ''Me and My Gang'', by Rascal Flatts
The delayed stock quote for AAPL is: 80.51

Happy Halloween! What a conflicted holiday it is... Originating from Celtic ritual around 5 BC, the holiday was absorbed by the Catholic church as the night before All Saints' Day, or All Hallows' Day. That night was then known as All Hollows' Eve, hence the evolved name Hallow'een. Some circles have called the holiday evil, and Hollywood movies have certainly capitalized on that! The ancient Celts celebrated it as Samhain ("sow-en"), a time of year marking the change of seasons, the end of Summer, the beginning of harvest, a time to prepare for Winter. Oh yeah, there was also that thing about dead ancestors walking the earth and the Druids being able to see the future...

Today Halloween is commercialized to no end, but it is a fun time for the kids, and that is how we like to look at it. For us Mac Folk, this is also a time to look forward to end-of-year special sales on Macs and accessories, and the upcoming MacWorld Expo in San Francisco. We still have two months to get through first ... so be safe, and don't eat too much candy!

Currently Playing on iTunes: "Feed My Frankenstein'', by Alice Cooper...

History of Halloween
Halloween on the Web
Ghost Stories
Scary Movies
Mac-o-Lantern
Halloween Smileys

The San Jose Mercury News reports that the "fleecing at the Apple corporate store continued Monday with the theft of two more iPods and 10 software packages from the employee store inside the headquarters at 1 Infinite Loop in Cupertino. The total estimated value of the latest theft was approximately $4,688, on top of the 11 music players previously reported stolen from the company's Cupertino offices." The report says that nine black 80GB iPods -- worth just over $3,000 -- were reported stolen from the Apple employee store over the weekend as well and that two iPod nanos were reported missing in a shipment from Elk Grove that arrived at the company's headquarters on Oct. 17. There are no suspects in the case.

Sure officer, I was there but I swear, all I did was buy a T-shirt!

Apple today announced that its entire MacBook Pro line of notebooks now includes the new Intel Core 2 Duo processor and delivers performance that is up to 39 percent faster than the previous generation. All MacBook Pro models now offer double the memory and greater storage capacity than the previous generation, as well as a FireWire 800 port for connecting to high-speed peripherals. The new MacBook Pro’s stunning, lightweight, aluminum enclosure is just one-inch thin, available in 15- and 17-inch models, and features a built-in iSight video camera for video conferencing on-the-go.

I will be out of town Oct. 17-20, to teach Mac OS 101: Mac OS X Support Essentials 10.4 at Apple's Executive Briefing Center at # 5 Infinite Loop in Cupertino. I will have limited email and voicemail while I am in the classroom, but will respond back as soon as I can. Back next Monday!

Apple today announced the iPod nano RED Special Edition. (RED) was created by U2 lead singer Bono and Bobby Shriver to engage business in the fight against AIDS in Africa by getting the world’s most iconic companies to make uniquely branded products. A portion of the profits from these products goes directly to the Global Fund to fund programs for women and children affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa. The iPod nano RED comes in a beautiful red aluminum enclosure and features 24 hours of battery life, Apple’s innovative Click Wheel and an incredibly thin and light design. Apple will contribute $10 from the sale of each iPod nano RED to the Global Fund to help fight HIV/AIDS in Africa. According to a press release, Apple will also offer a $25 iTunes RED gift card available for purchase at Apple’s retail and online stores next month.

I want to comment on a solution that I installed for a client recently. Parallels Desktop is a virtual machine that installs on an Intel-based Mac. This creates a virtual environment inside a window, on to which you install Windows XP. Yes, you must purchase Windows separately. It works! And it works very, very well! I'd say it's about 90% as fast as a 'real PC.' This is a great solution for Mac users who have the occasional need to run Windows applications, or those who want to use a Mac but have that one critical application that must run in Windows.

Parallels Desktop must run on an Intel Mac, and I recommend lots of RAM...upgrade to 2GB if you can. So far, I have found that Parallels with WIn XP runs great when allocating 384MB to the virtual machine. Remember, Parallels Desktop may not be the only application your Mac is running. The rest of that 2GB is for the Mac OS and your other apps. One note of caution: as of this date, the version shipping in the box does not run well with the latest iMacs with Intel Core 2 Duo processors. You must download the latest update. Also, there appear to be some issues with Parallels and the new Mac Pro, something about how the virtual machine runs with Intel Xeon processors. The latest update claims to fix the problems with Mac Pros, but we have not tested this yet.

Google today confirmed previous rumors by announcing that it has agreed to acquire online video provider YouTube for $1.65 billion in a stock-for-stock transaction. The new deal gives Google an effective monopoly over Web-based video, and could bear serious consequences for Apple as it provides Google CEO Eric Schmidt -- who sits on Apple's board of directors -- a strong influence over Apple's recent movie initiative.

The PocketMac Team has released PocketMac 4.0 for BlackBerry, revealing a change in the user interface that looks more like Apple's iSync software. PocketMac for BlackBerry offers Mac users an easy way to safely sync their BlackBerry handheld devices, supporting many of the popular Mac applications that track or maintain important information. The updated PocketMac software can sync entire Entourage Calendars, Contacts, Tasks, and emails as well as Apple's iCal, Address Book, and Mail Apps. PocketMac 4.0 also syncs DayLite, Meeting Maker, and more.

Mac news site MacNN reported this past Friday that Apple has released Mac OS X 10.4.8, an update to its Tiger operating system. This update brings many bug fixes as well as several security fixes, which are also available for Mac OS X 10.3 (Client, Server). Mac OS X 10.4.8, available for both PowerPC (Client/Server) as well as Intel-based Macs (Client/Server), improves support for printing, Finder, applications, networking as well as modem connectivity, third-party software, and other miscellaneous items including Rosetta and system security. Mac OS X Server 10.4.8 for PowerPC systems addresses Apple File Service, NetBoot/Netinstall, NFS, Password Server, networking, Windows File Service, and miscellaneous items. Mac OS X Server 10.4.8 Universal improves AFP Server, Filesystem NetBoot/Netinstall, networking, NFS, QuickTime Streaming Server, and Xsan support.

As always, if you are concerned about installing this update on your systems, please contact Jefferson Consulting for assistance.

I will be out the next two days teaching an intro class at the Voice of America, in Washington D.C. The class is Mac OS 100: Intro to Mac OS 10.4 for Technical Professionals, to bring the staff up-to-speed on Macs, ahead of Final Cut Pro classes the following week. According to their website, the Voice of America (VOA) broadcasts in 53 languages to an estimated worldwide audience of 94 million people. VOA programming is carried on short wave and medium wave (MW or AM) from 13 IBB transmitting stations around the world, and is rebroadcast through a global network of more than 1,300 affiliate stations. VOA's more than 1,000 hours of weekly programming is also available on the Internet and includes 28 hours of original television shows. Since its first broadcast on February 24, 1942, the VOA misson has been to present a balanced and comprehensive view of significant American thought and institutions, and clearly present the policies of the United States. And here I thought Radio Free Europe was just an REM song!

It is hard to believe that five years has passed....Our parents can think back and remember where they were when JFK and MLK were shot. Our grandparents still remember the shock and horror of Pearl Harbor. Some say my generation's defining moment was when the Berlin Wall came down. Today is the anniversary of this generation's defining moment, and a defining moment for us all. Politics aside, let us take a moment and remember the souls lost in New York, The Pentagon, and the fields of Pennsylvania. Let us pray that their families remain strong, and that America remains strong, too.

Jefferson Consulting has contracted to provide IT support services at AirLiquide/MEDAL in Newport, DE. Air Liquide is the global leader in advanced technology methods to purify and produce gases for a wide range of applications. MEDAL, L.P. (MEmbrane Systems DuPont Air Liquide), originally a joint venture begun in 1988 between Air Liquide and DuPont, has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Air Liquide since 1992. Based on DuPont's polymeric fiber spinning technology, Air Liquide/MEDAL has developed and commercialized the most advanced gas separation membranes available to industry. MEDAL manufactures hollow fiber membranes for air separation/nitrogen generation, carbon dioxide removal and hydrogen purification. Onsite hours are generally from 9am to 1pm, and regular consulting appointments can still be scheduled in the afternoons.

Hope everyone is enjoying their holiday weekend, because tomorrow it's back to work!

Apple's new Mac Pro looks like it's predecessor the PowerMac G5. But the discerning eye will notice not one, but two optical drive slots on the front. The standard models all come with one 16x DVD-R "SuperDrive," and you have the option of adding a second internal optical drive. Also on the front of the case are now two USB 2.0 ports, and not only an FW400 (as the previous G5) but also an FW800 port. While the outward appearance of the Mac Pro is similar to that of its G5 predecessor, what is under the hood is very, very different. The new Mac Pro sports two Intel Duo-Core Xeon "Woodcrest" processors, running up to 3GHZ. It has been clocked at twice the speed of the previous Quad-processor G5.

For creative professionals in video, music, and photography, using Apple's Pro Apps, such as FInal Cut Pro, Logic, and Aperature, this system is the beast you've been waiting for. If you are a creative professionals using the Adobe apps such as Photoshop CS2 and Illustrator CS2, you probably want to postone an upgrade until Adobe releases a Universal version of the Creative Suite which will run native on the Intel platform. Adobe apps run fine under Rosetta, but at nowhere near the performance you could be getting.

Hope everyone had a great weekend! I am working on some posts regarding the new Mac Pro as well as some of the exciting new features of the upcoming Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. But for now...I am headed to Boston to teach a class for Apple. I will not be available for onsite support at all this week. Also, the schedule for next week is filling up fast..I am already booked for next Monday 8/28 and also Tuesday Morning 8/29. If you need me for next week, get your appointment on the books soon!

Heads up for next week: I will be away Monday 8/21 thru Friday 8/25, with limited email and voicemail access. I will be teaching Mac OS X Support Essentials 10.4 at Apple's Boston Market Center (which has nothing to do with rotisserie chicken and yummy mashed potatoes).

Some mobile professionals may have been putting off upgrading to the new MacBook Pro due to lack of a cellular card solution. They no longer have this as an excuse! The MacBook Pro's have a newer, faster, and a bit smaller, ExpressCard/34 slot. Existing PC Card offerings do not fit. But now Verizon has a card that does fit! And it works with Macs! Mac OS X 10.4.7 required. It uses the fast BroadBandAccess network in supported areas, and in theory, will shift down to the slower NationalAccess network when not in a Broadband area. The card runs $179.95 + monthly service charges, typically $59.95. You can order it from the Verizon Wireless Store or from EDVOInfo.com. Initial User Comments posted on O'Reilly.com are positive, but apparently there is no Cisco VPN compatibility at this time. Apple has released an update that addresses sleep issues with ExpressCards.

News Page: Our javascript feed from MacNN will conk out sometimes, leaving us with a blank News page. The MacNN server is just not giving up the goods. We are looking into featuring live-updating RSS feeds on the News page, but this will require PHP which is no big deal, but there is alot going on this week before we leave to teach a class in Boston. So for now, the sometimes-on-sometimes-off MacNN News feed has been replaced by a few links to our favorite news sites.

Podcast: This project has been postponed until after Labor Day.

Calendar: Looking into posting an iCalendar on the site so that clients can see what is available for consulting appointments. More to come...

Survey sez...
The shrink-wrap retail version of Mac OS X Server 10.4.7 (Universal) supports Intel-based Macintosh computers that meet the system requirements (http://www.apple.com/server/macosx/specs.html). Note: You cannot install earlier versions of Mac OS X Server on Intel-based Macintosh computers.
Intel-based Mac OS X clients can connect to PowerPC-based Macs running any version of Mac OS X Server. The Server Admin Tools for Mac OS X Server 10.4.7 can also be installed on Intel-based Macintosh computers with Mac OS X 10.4.4 or later. For more information, see this article.

source: Apple Knowledgebase Article # 303127

Today, Apple released Mac OS X 10.4.7 Server, which is recommended for all servers. The update includes fixes for:

• AFP server deadlocks and dropped connections
• saving Adobe and Quark documents to AFP mounted volumes
• resharing NFS mounts with AFP
• configuring up to 64 NFS server daemons in Server Admin
• virus filtering and quarantine; update to ClamAV version 0.88.2
• updating Kerberos keytab files when using changeip
• periodic rolling of Password Server log files
• configuration issues affecting MySQL performance
• preallocating files when using tar, cp and mv with Xsan volumes
• rebooting SAN clients without causing other clients to hang
• reporting software RAID rebuild status in Disk Utility
• compatibility with third party applications and devices
• previous standalone security updates

Download Links
Mac OS X Server Update 10.4.7 Combo (192MB)
Mac OS X Server Update 10.4.7 (95MB)

Which link should you use? If you have Server 10.4.6 installed, use the standard link. If you have earlier than 10.4.6, then use the Combo Updater link. If you are still unsure what to do, or are not comfortable performing this update, DO NOT download and contact Jefferson Consulting for help.

Apple Computer on Tuesday released Mac OS X 10.4.7, a maintenance and security update to its Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger operating system. The update is recommended for all users and includes general operating system fixes, as well as specific fixes for the following applications and technologies:

• sharing using AFP, SMB/CIFS, NFS and FTP file sharing protocols
• reliable access to Open Directory, LDAP and Active Directory services
• login and authentication in a variety of network environments
• file access and byte range locking with AFP file sharing
• network access when using proxy server automatic configuration files
• connecting to Cisco VPN servers using IP/Sec and NAT
• AirPort and Bluetooth wireless connectivity
• RAW camera support, including updated ATI and NVIDIA graphics drivers
• usability of Dashboard and widgets
• searching iWork '06 and Microsoft Office documents with Spotlight
• saving Word documents automatically when using a network home directory
• viewing of QuickTime streaming media behind a firewall
• audio playback in QuickTime, iTunes, Final Cut Pro, and Soundtrack
• ensuring icons are spaced correctly when viewed on desktop
• determining the space required to burn folders
• synchronizing contacts, bookmarks, calendars to .Mac & mobile phones
• mounting and unmounting iDisk volumes
• time zone and daylight savings for 2006 and 2007
• Address Book, AppleScript, Automator, Dictionary, Font Book, iCal, iChat, DVD Player, Keynote, Mail, Preview, Safari, and Stickies
• Disk Utility, Keychain Access, Migration Assistant, and Software Update
• compatibility with third party applications and devices
• previous Mac OS X updates and standalone security updates

Download Links
Mac OS X Update 10.4.7 Combo Intel (215MB)
Mac OS X Update 10.4.7 Intel (131MB)
Mac OS X Update 10.4.7 Combo PPC (145MB)
Mac OS X Update 10.4.7 PPC (64MB)

Which link should you use? If you have 10.4.6 installed, use the standard link for PowerPC or Intel processors. If you have earlier than 10.4.6, then use the appropriate Combo Updater link for your processor. If you are still unsure what to do, or are not comfortable performing this update, DO NOT download and contact Jefferson Consulting for help.

We're baaack.....It was a good weekend! It was while we were waiting Monday afternoon in Charlotte for our ride on a US Airways hot-sardine-can-with-wings, that I got the alert on my Verizon Treo 650: "New Announcements at WWDC!"

Wow, leave for the weekend and look what happens? All kinds of stuff! Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced the upcoming new version of Mac OS X: Leopard. Also announced were the last of the Macs to be transitioned to the Intel platform. Say "bye-bye" PowerMac G5 and "hello" Mac Pro, and a big-'ol "Howdee" to the new Intel-based XServe, Apple's 1-U rackmount server. What an exciting time it will be now that the entire product line has now transitioned to Intel chips! Most software companies have already stepped up with Universal versions of their products (can run natively on PowerPC or Intel). Even Quark released a Universal version of QuarkXpress. We are still waiting for Adobe and Microsoft to do the same with their flagship products...

We'll be shutting down from Friday Aug. 4 through Monday Aug 7. Flying down to Charleston, SC for little bro's wedding! Back in the office Tuesday morning, Aug. 8, just in time to see what's going down at WWDC.

What? only two posts in July? My bad...it has been a busy month and time just slipped away. But not away completely: today we announce some exciting changes to the website, some of which you may have already noticed:

Full Featured Weblog from (me) CEO Davis Jefferson: At the new Blog link, I will be posting announcements, analysis, exclusive reviews and commentary on new hardware an software products that we are using here at Jefferson Consulting, as well as solutions that we have implemented. Blog comments are now enabled, hosted thru Haloscan.com. Comments will be moderated so let's keep it clean and positive, please.

Mac Industry News from MacNN: The "new" News link will feature an auto-updating javascript feed from MacNN, the Macintosh News Network.

Web Resources Link: This special section of the website will feature resources for learning about, and exploring more of, the Macintosh Universe. We will have featured downloads and whitepapers, some of our favorite links, Video-of-the-Month, Photo album, and coming soon...Jefferson Consulting Podcasts.

Custom Error Page: Now we have a custom error page which allows you to redirect to another point on the site and maintains continuity for the user. No more ugly 404 Error Pages from our ISP.

So those are the website updates! I am now working on a Podcast for the site, and later, a video Podcast! It's hot out there... you are staying cool!

Jefferson Consulting will be closed Monday July 3 and Tuesday July 4, reopening Wednesday July 5. We wish our clients and friends a relaxing and safe holiday weekend! We send out a heartfelt "Thank You" to the men and women serving our country and protecting our freedom...

Declaration of Independence webpage at the National Archives.

"Happy Birthday Mac Daddy!"
Caroline wants you to know that her daddy loves birthday cake!

Also on this date in:
1491...England's King Henry VIII was born in Greenwich.
1836...James Madison, the fourth president of the United States, died in Montpelier, Va., at age 85.
1838...Britain's Queen Victoria was crowned in Westminster Abbey.
1888...Writer Robert Louis Stevenson and his family leave San Francisco for their first visit to the South Seas.
1894...Congress established the first Monday of September as Labor Day.
1862...Confederates capture the commercial vessel St. Nicolas in the Chesapeake Bay.
1919...The Treaty of Versailles was signed in France, ending World War I.
1926...Writer/Producer Mel Brooks is born (He turns 80 today).
1948...Actress Kathy Bates is born (she turns 58 today).
1950...North Korean forces captured Seoul, South Korea.
1960...Football hall-of-famer John Elway is born (he turns 46 today).
1966...John Cusack, actor is born (he turns 40 today).
1975...Rod Serling, best known for The Twilight Zone, which he created, wrote, and hosted, dies at age 50.
1996...The Citadel voted to admit women, ending a 153-year-old men-only policy at the military school.
2000...Elian Gonzalez was returned to his native Cuba seven months after he was cast adrift in the Florida Straits.
2001...Slobodan Milosevic was handed over by Serbia to the U.N. war crimes tribunal.
2004...The United States resumed direct diplomatic ties with Libya.

Somewhere in this timeline on June 28, Caroline's daddy, Jefferson Consulting CEO Davis Jefferson, was born and will forever be "29."

MacNN titled the report "Baltimore schools remove last Macs." Despite the bright future with Apple's new line of Intel Macs, another school is moving away from the Mac platform and some teachers argue that the administrative decision is not the best thing for the kids. Baltimore City Schools are replacing the Macs in their graphic design and multimedia labs with Windows-based PCs, according to The Baltimore Sun article referenced by MacNN (the article is no longer available at the Sun's website). "During spring break, the school system converted Mac computer labs at the Western School of Technology and Environmental Science. By fall, 11 programs at 10 schools will move to PCs, at a cost of more than $1 million, said Rhonda Hoyman, supervisor of technical programs in the Office of Career and Technology Education." The administration claims that the move will save tech support money in the long run by standardizing on a single platform. The school reportedly considered keeping a few Macs in each classroom but abandoned the plan because of the cost.

Delaware's public school made the move to PCs several years ago. Delaware's private schools, usually with smaller pocketbooks then their public counterparts, have embraced Macs and have learned that that the MacOS platform does indeed offer lower support costs and longer life cycle. While it may be too late to change minds on this issue for Baltimore and in Delaware, parents and tax payers faced with similar decisions, need to ask their public school officials some tough questions:

What about the additional cost of staff required to support all these new PCs?
Are Microsoft licensing costs included in the calculations?
How are the costs and lost productivity associated with virus and spam issues, being accounted for?
What about planning for repair and replacement costs?

Decisions made based on Return on Investment (RIO), which account for longterm "hidden costs," can be very different from decisions based on "what fits in a budget for this year." Let's face it: schools, like other agencies, or even private businesses cannot afford to buy new technology evey year. You can plan on every three years, but what if you could stretch your dollars beyond three, to four or five years? Ask any Mac administrator and they will tell you they need to replaced their Macs far less often than their Wintel machines.

Bureaucracy beats Education everytime, unless parents and taxpayers demand accountability from their school officials. School officials should disclose "the how" as well as "the why" are these decisions being made. They should explain why the computer systems they choose are the best tools for the job -- teaching our kids.

Google has just released an updated beta version of Google Earth for Mac, that is Universal Binary so it will run on Intel Macs. If you've never seen this application, you've gotta download it and try it. You can zoom in for a bird's eye view of just about any address in the world! Take a flying tour thru downtown Wilmington! Take a flying tour thru downtown Baghdad! Or where ever... Whether you make business decisions where location is a critical factor, or simply love to explore, Google Earth takes you there. Quickly zoom from space down to street level and combine imagery, 3D geography, maps, and business data to get the total picture in seconds. A broadband internet connection is required, as well as a Mac that can handle alot of data!

Fellow Apple Consultant Michael Bartosh died Sunday in Tokyo, Japan. He was 28 years old. According to a posting on Mac OS X Server site AFP548, Bartosh accidentally fell from a balcony early on Sunday morning. MacWorld.com reports that Bartosh, a former Apple systems engineer, was author of O’Reilly Media’s book Mac OS X Panther Server Administration. He was president of Mac OS X consultancy 4am Media and a constant fixture at Macworld Expos and Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conferences (WWDC). Bartosh was considered by many to be without peer for his knowledge of Mac OS X Server and his willingness to share what he knew. Bartosh is survived by his wife, Amber.

I never met Michael, but read his articles and listserv posts with interest. I considered Michael a Jedi Master and with his passing there was a deep disturbance in The Force. Jefferson Consulting sends out our condolences to Michael's family and friends.

MacNN reports that today Apple introduced the new iPod U2 Special Edition, as part of a continued partnership between Apple, U2 and Universal Music Group (UMG). The new U2 iPod is based on the fifth generation 30GB iPod and holds up to 7,500 songs, 25,000 photos or over 75 hours of video and features a distinctive, all-black stainless steel enclosure, red Click Wheel and custom engraving of U2 band member signatures. U2 iPod customers will also receive 30 minutes of exclusive U2 video downloadable from the iTunes Music Store. The new U2 iPod includes earbud headphones, USB 2.0 cable, a case and dock insert. U2 iPod customers will also receive a coupon for 30 minutes of exclusive U2 video content downloadable from the iTunes Music Store. iPod requires a Mac with a USB 2.0 port and Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later and iTunes 6; or a Windows PC with a USB 2.0 port and Windows 2000, XP Home or Professional (SP2) and iTunes 6.

MacNN reports that The elevator at Apple's new Fifth Avenue Store in New York last week malfunctioned, trapping five passengers inside beneath the large glass cube. Visitors on a school trip boarded the elevator to ascend to street level after visiting the store, only to find themselves stranded after one passenger exited the lift. "When we got to the street level I got out of the elevator, and the door closed behind me," wrote the passenger who managed to exit the elevator. "The exterior [door] wouldn't open but the inner door kept on opening and closing." Some of the passengers were reportedly dancing as Apple employees searched for a means to free them. Water bottles were handed down from the roof of the tube through the malfunctioning doors to the occupants, and after a brief period the New York Police Department showed up to help free the visitors.

In observance of the Memorial Day Holiday, Jefferson Consulting will be closed thru the weekend and Monday. Thank a veteran. Pray for our troops.
We wish all our clients and friends a safe and enjoyable weekend!

National World War II Memorial

The National D-Day Memorial

Korean War Veterans Memorial Homepage

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall Page

U.S. Memorial Day History and Information on U.S. War Memorials

PBS: National Memorial Day Concert

Last Tuesday Apple unveiled the newly designed MacBook, its new consumer notebook featuring the Intel Core Duo processor and a new 13-inch glossy widescreen display. The new sleek design is up to five times faster than the iBook and up to four times faster than the 12-inch PowerBook. Together with the 15-and 17-inch MacBook Pros, the new MacBook, which starts at $1,099, completes Apple's Intel-based portables lineup and replaces both the iBook and the 12-inch PowerBook. Apple's line of portables now offers Intel Core Duo processors; a built-in iSight video camera for video conferencing on-the-go; Front Row media experience with Apple Remote; and several advanced features including DVI with dual display support, optical digital audio input and output, Gigabit Ethernet, Sudden Motion Sensor, Scrolling TrackPad and MagSafe Power Adapter.

Three MacBook models are available--two white models for $1,099 (60GB/Combo) and $1,299 (60GB/SuperDrive) and a black model for $1,499 (80GB/SuperDrive). Both the black and white models are now on display at the Apple Store at Christiana Mall. I have seen them and they are awesome! For more information or to reserve yours, contact Jim Driscoll, Apple Business Consultant via email or call him at (302) 292-3201.

Wow! And to think I was only a few blocks away! I would have gone and mingled with the masses but my train left at 7:30pm Friday night, and I would have missed riding the train with CBS news anchor Bob Schieffer! So when I realized who I was standing next to in the cafe car, I smiled, nodded and asked "So...what's news?" We exchanged pleasantries and then returned to our seats and cell phones to check messages. He was on his way back to Washington and I was on my way back to Wilmington. It was pretty cool to see Bob. I've been watching him on TV since I was a wee lad. It was people like Bob Schieffer, Barbara Walters, Roger Mudd and Walter "That's the way it is" Cronkite, who got me interested in journalism and politics at a young age.

So what am I doing in specialized information technology with a political science degree? Well.....this is more fun and I make a my own impact on the U.S. economy without getting grilled on Face the Nation! Think globally, act locally, right? The way I look at it, Jefferson Consulting Associates LLC is doing it's part to help keep America strong by helping you keep your business strong!

Where was I...oh yes...this Apple Store is truly amazing, and the first with the big glass cube thingy! The Apple Store-Fifth Avenue will be open 24 hours a day/365 days a year. In the city that never sleeps, neither does this store,” said Ron Johnson, Apple’s senior vice president of retail operations.

The store's website features web-cam time-lapse video from the street in front. The video covers the last 24 hours in front of the store, and it is reported a marriage proposal was captured on the first day!

My recommendation to the Apple Store at Christiana Mall: take over the old Lord & Taylor space, and put one of those big glass thingys out in front! No but seriously...you guys are cool...no glass thingy required!

Davis

Just a note that I have been in NYC teaching two classes for Apple, and have not been able to answer all of your calls. If you email me, I will be able to respond in the late afternoon or evening, when the class has finished for the day. Otherwise, I will return your call when I return next week.
The classes I am teaching are:
Mac OS 100: An introduction to Mac OS X for IT Professionals
and
Mac OS 101: Mac OS X Support Essentials 10.4
If you are interested in taking either one of these classes, Apple's training site has more information on scheduling. Apple's new 5th Avenue store will be opening up at the end of the week, but I will probably miss it because I must catch a train back to Wilmington. Hope everyone is having a great week, and we will see you when I get back!

Davis Jefferson traveled to Charleston, SC, this week to attend his "little" brother's graduation from The Citadel. Samuel P. Jefferson graduated cum laude with departmental honors in Education. In addition to his ROTC and cadet responsibilities, Sam played lacrosse and made dean's list every semester. During the summers, he earned his Airborne wings, trained with the Special Forces, and visited U.S. bases in South Korea. Sam was commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant in the US Army, and will report for duty with the Corps of Engineers. We are very proud that Sam is part of The Citadel tradition that spans back to 1842. He has already proven himself a strong leader; we believe he will be a fine officer as well.

The commencement address was given by Marine General Peter Pace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. General Pace offered the graduating cadets the following advice:

1. Grow where you are planted.
2. Check your moral compass regularly.
3. Have the courage to make decisions.
4. Take care of those in your charge.

This is advice that can be applied to the business world as well as the military. The full text of the commencement address can be found here.

Jefferson Consulting was there... as Jason D. O'Grady of PowerPage was the keynote speaker tonight at the April meeting of the Macintosh Users of Delaware. Jason spoke to the group about Apple's new Intel-based MacBook Pro and brought his own unit to demonstrate all of the advantages of this mobile computing powerhouse. He pointed out that in addition to the Intel Duo Core processor, the MacBook Pro has a very fast 667MHZ backside bus, Serial ATA drive, a 67% brighter display, and it is overall "faster than you can imagine."

Jason also discussed the newly announced MacBook Pro 17" model, and Apple's Boot Camp public beta software that allows Windows XP to run on an Intel-based Mac. In addition to Boot Camp, there is a new "desktop virtualization" solution for Intel Macs called Parallels Workstation, which will run XP and other operating systems "in parallel" with Mac OS X.

Jason also talked about his favorite toy which allows him to digitally record podcasts while he drives in his car.

He wrapped up his presentation with some background information about "The Case," resulting from a story he ran in November 2004 about a never-released Apple product. According to O'Grady, Apple wants the courts to compel his internet service provider to release all of his email so that the source of the "leak" can be discovered.

Jason O'Grady is a Mac technology columnist who has been publishing the PowerPage since 1995, long before blogging was ever invented. Fan pages such as O'Grady's PowerPage provide free PR for Apple and other tech companies, and offer up news, reviews and commentary that customers crave but cannot get from other sources.

Apple today announced an expansion of its successful recycling program, offering free computer take-back and recycling with the purchase of a new Macintosh® system beginning in June. US customers who buy a new Mac through the Apple Store (www.apple.com) or Apple’s retail stores will receive free shipping and environmentally friendly disposal of their old computer as part of the Apple Recycling program. Equipment received by the program in the US is recycled domestically and no hazardous material is shipped overseas. Apple's free take-back program will extend Apple's existing US recycling program, which has recycled more than 90 percent of electronic equipment collected since 2001. Apple also operates a free drop-off recycling location at its headquarters in Cupertino for used computer systems and selected home electronics. Apple also announced that the fifth generation iPod, iPod nano and iPod shuffle are 100 percent compliant with the upcoming restrictions of hazardous substances (RoHS) in California and Europe, which are recognized as the new global standard for environmental regulation. iPod’s RoHS compliance comes months ahead of the July 1 deadline set by the European Union, and most of the materials covered by the RoHS directive, including mercury, cadmium, chromium VI and brominated flame retardants, were voluntarily eliminated from all Apple products years ago.

Information on Apple’s recycling programs and industry-leading environmental policies is available online at apple.com/environment.

Happy Birthday Apple! Apple Computer, Inc. and the first Apple, the Apple I were born in 1976. Apple didn't invent the computer, but with the Apple II, which went on sale in April 1977, the company "ignited the personal computer revolution" and introduced a machine people actually wanted to use. Even as the Apple II was still a star, Apple was hard at work on a pair of follow-ups, the business-oriented Lisa and its consumer sibling, the Macintosh. When the limited-editon 20th Anniversary Mac was announced in late 1996, it's breakthrough design was a foreshadowing of the iMac as we know it today. These units sold for $10,000 or more. Later, as inventory levels and consumer desire dwindled, they were blown out at $2000. Today it is a collector's item. This 30th anniversary has come without a commemorative product or any significant statement from the Mothership. Apple seems to have taken a low-key approach, possibly waiting until the World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC) or MacWorld Expo to make an announcement. So we here at Jefferson Consulting are taking a low key approach, too. We'll just say "Happy Birthday" and "Keep up the Good Work." And we will mention this excellent article at CNet.

BTW, For an historical perspective, be sure to check out CNet's Timeline: Three Decades of Apple Innovation. Now make a wish and blow out those candles...

Why does Jefferson Consulting work so hard for you? Because Davis Jefferson now has another mouth to feed!
Introducing Caroline Amanda Jefferson, born tonight at 5:38pm. At 5lbs, 8oz and 18.5 in. long, she is the sweetest little angel, and has red hair just like her Daddy! Mom and baby are doing fine, and we will be offline for the next couple of days while we get aquainted with our new little addition!

Join Jefferson Consulting and the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce on Tues., March 14, for a "Behind the Scenes" visit to the Apple Store in the Christiana mall! The staff will be giving demonstrations of products and services that can help increase the productivity of your business. Learn about software solutions such as Mac OS X, Microsoft Office, QuickBooks, FileMaker, Final Cut Studio, Aperture. See demonstrations of the power of the new iMac and MacBook Pro, featuring the latest technology from Intel.

Where & When:
The Apple Store
308 Christiana mall #1547
Newark, Delaware
Tues., March 14
8:00 - 10:00 a.m.

$10/New Castle County Chamber members, $20/non-members.
Click here to register. See you there!

Every Wednesday is Business Day at the Apple Store in Newark's Christiana Mall. March’s focus: Market Your Business Using a Mac. Discover iWork ’06. Learn how to use Pages 2 and Keynote 3 to create compelling brochures, newsletters, presentations, and more. While Microsoft Office is your everyday productivity suite, iWork ’06 is a design team at your fingertips. For more information on business solutions from the Apple Store Christiana, email Jim Driscoll or call the Business Desk at 302.292.3201 extension 3. Be sure to tell him that you were referred by Jefferson Consulting!

Davis Jefferson returned last week from Cupertino, CA where he attended Apple's "CT3" class. "Candidate Train the Trainer," was a four-day intensive program designed to prepare candidates to be Apple Certified Trainers. In addition to practicing and fine-tuning presentation skills, the course also covered principles of adult education and introduced the candidates to Apple's World Wide Customer Training (WWCT) division. More information will be posted to Jefferson Consulting's training link.

Many of Jefferson Consulting's customers now have Voice-Over-IP (VoIP) telephone service through Vonage. This is a great way to maximize your broadband internet connection while minimizing your phone bill. But e