TubeTwist: 10 beta testers wanted
Posted by Macheadcase | Filed under Computer Industry, Cool, Design, Opinion, Other OSes, Personal, Software
I downloaded the demo of a game called TubeTwist a few months ago and I liked it so much I bought it. Of course, at $19.95US it’s a steal IMO. The graphics are cool and the physics behind the animation in the puzzles is astounding. You change a component in the puzzle and everything reacts in a different way and the outcome is totally different. I told you a little bit about this game right here, in fact.
In any case, as you can see I’m a fan. 
Distributed by, and using Garage Games’ Torque Game engine but developed by 21-6 Productions Inc., the game’s plot is as follows: Professor Jaymour is in charge of the Project TubeTwist and during one of her experiments something goes dreadfully wrong and she disappears. You have to find her by recreating her experiments one by one. And it ain’t as easy as it sounds. Some levels are so complex I have to go and take extremely lengthy breaks from the game so I can get a better perspective of how to solve them. It has happened on two occasions so far that I have left the game for a month or two to regain a new outlook on the puzzle I was stuck on. Anyway all this to tell you it’s a $20 well spent.
All this leads me to tell you this. When you buy the game, there are promises of extra experiment packs to come soon. I went to 21-6 Productions’ forum and they are now looking for 10 beta testers for TubeTwist: Quantum Flux Edition.
If I weren’t so rushed for time in my life right now, I would sign up for sure. Anyway if you’re interested just go to that link above, there you will find an email addie were you can apply for a beta tester position.
Of Micro$oft’s IE 7 and other things
Posted by Macheadcase | Filed under Apple, Computer Industry, Other OSes, Peripherals, Software
Proving that Micro$oft has learned its lesson well with the anti-trust lawsuits from the European Union (which brought a hefty fine for lack of compliance to the ruling from Gates’ company) and the U.S. Department of Justice (the DOJ barked loudly but only gave a small slap on the wrist), I just caught this off of CNET news, Microsoft tags IE 7 ‘high priority’ update:
Microsoft plans to automatically push Internet Explorer 7 to Windows XP users when the browser update is ready later this year. …
Although IE 7 will be pushed out over Automatic Updates, people will be able to choose whether they want to install it or not, Schare said. Automatic Updates will first notify people when IE 7 is ready to install and then show a welcome screen that presents key features and the choices to install, not install or postpone installation. …
Yeah rrrright. People will probably opt to install and use it right after the download, not having time, energy or know-how to mess with the software. Besides, if you choose “Postpone installation” won’t the installer become nagware? Anyone that believes M$’s corporate BS is not thinking too hard. 
Anyway.
A fun beta that is available for a short period of time is The Omni Group’s OmniPlan, a cool looking management application for your projects. With the app you can plan the estimated time for a given project, you can share the data in a truckload of ways, even with people using M$ apps. With the software, you can:
- Translate strategy into tactics everyone can understand
- Create summaries of work broken into lists of activities
- Distribute workloads fairly and efficiently
- Manage costs as you go
Plan, monitor, and control it all with software designed to make your job easier, not harder.
With OmniPlan, you can create logical, manageable project plans with Gantt charts, schedules, summaries, milestones, and critical paths. Break down the tasks needed to make your project a success, optimize resources, and streamline budgets. It’s project management made painless.
Hurry up, the beta will expire on August 26th.
SteerMouse, the driver for USB and Bluetooth multi-button mice that adds plenty of functionalities to your rodent peripheral, has been updated to version 3.4.
Updates again! iTunes version 6.0.5 and the iPod Updater 2006-06-28
Posted by Macheadcase | Filed under Apple, Computer Industry, Other OSes, Peripherals, Software, Technology
Holy smokes! Apple released today yet more updates! This time it’s iTunes 6.0.5 (download is 19.8 MB) and this update is a very good idea for everyone. It addresses a security flaw and is for the Mac and the PeeCee versions as well (Mac OS X v10.2.8 or later, Windows XP / 2000).
From the webpage:
CVE-ID: CVE-2006-1467Available for: Mac OS X v10.2.8 or later, Windows XP / 2000
Impact: An integer overflow in iTunes could cause a denial of service or lead to the execution of arbitrary code
Description: The AAC file parsing code in iTunes versions prior to 6.0.5 contains an integer overflow vulnerability. Parsing a maliciously-crafted AAC file could cause iTunes to terminate or potentially execute arbitrary code. iTunes 6.0.5 addresses this issue by improving the validation checks used when loading AAC files. iTunes 6.0.5 is freely available from http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/. Credit to ATmaCA working with TippingPoint and the Zero Day Initiative for reporting this issue.
Apple also released the iPod Updater 2006-06-28 (download is 49MB) which contains “Bug fixes” for various models of iPods… Uhm, yeah… 
So check the website for more info.
Services in Mac OS X
Posted by Macheadcase | Filed under Apple, Computer Industry, Learning/Knowledge, Other OSes, Personal, Software
I’ve known RacerX for over three years now. I met him when I joined Macfora in February 2003 and he has always come through as a one of the most brilliant guys I’ve ever met on the internet. Maybe even in my whole life.
He could probably very well be the last Rhapsody user on the planet and if anyone wants to know anything about Rhapsody, one only needs to visit that Rhapsody website of his as the information there is really complete.
He also has this other website where he offers computing alternatives to the reader. You only need to read some of his articles to realize that the guy really knows his stuff.
So RacerX has posted this great article over at Macfora forums and I want to link you to it, Services in Mac OS X. This article summarizes the “Services (in the Services menu), Input Managers and System Services (and their additional services)”.
Hopefully Apple keeps on supporting and maybe even developing further the Services menu. I’ve always felt like Apple is sitting between two chairs on this one and it’s too bad. It has a lot to offer, more in any case than this half baked offering which is disabled in plenty of applications including Apple’s own! Like for instance Safari, Mail, TextEdit, etc.
Another super article of his is Getting the most out of TextEdit with an update right here. Great reading! 
Too bad we parted ways in our friendship due to that horrendous MUF experience… I miss him like I miss hulkaros too. I would have asked him to join our blog gang if he was still in speaking terms with me. At least hulkaros has been very busy with his business and we still email each other once in a while when our schedule allows.
BTW… Nice blog, hulky! 
Terragen 2, more news
Posted by Macheadcase | Filed under Cool, Other OSes, Software
Just scanned the Terragen website and news about Terragen 2 is readily available and more abundant now so I would think the release is near. Jo Meder, the developer working on the Mac OS X version, is doing a fantastic job and is a really cool guy. In the TerragenMac Yahoo! Group he drops in to reply to user questions as much as he can and is really helpful as are all the users there but getting input from the developer is kinda special.
So, anxiously awaiting this release as renders look particularly impressive. Terragen 2 is going to jump light-years ahead of the current version. Vegetation, rocks, a node editor, volumetric clouds, etc. will be added. Pricing has yet to be decided as well as the release date. Last time I read Jo’s posts in the Yahoo! Group it was going to be soon. Registered users for Terragen 8.x and up will get a rebate on Terragen 2.
Resources for the current version can be found here.
