O'Reilly Releases "Modding Mac OS X: Extreme Makeovers For Your Mac

Computer users have been known to take hacksaws to their
machines from time to time: hacksaws, chainsaws, even sledge hammers.
Indeed, some have been known to attempt to effect radical changes by
launching their machines from second-story windows. But these are
generally not Mac users.

Among Mac users, you can find wonderfully original modifications that run
the gamut from intriguing case "mods" to cool interior lighting effects,
but there are also amazing adaptations users can make without touching the
case at all. In "Modding Mac OS X: Extreme Makeovers for Your Mac"
author Erica Sadun shows you how to take control of
your Mac's user interface, unlocking its secrets and bending its will to
your own.

According to Sadun, "Modding Mac OS X" teaches readers how to take
advantage of the undocumented power that lies beneath the surface of their
operating system. "With Panther and the upcoming Tiger, Mac OS X really
has come into its own," Sadun notes. "Almost everything that you take for
granted as immutable--how an application looks, how it responds to your
requests--is fully customizable in OS X."

"Modding Mac OS X" starts out with the very basics of configuring your
Mac, beginning with simple tasks like changing Finder views, using an
image from iPhoto's library on your Desktop, and finding and using
screensavers. From there, the book shows you how to:

-Find hidden features in your favorite applications
-Give your Dock a makeover
-Dive inside application bundles to find secret resources
-Explore application and system resources
-Customize application icons
-Hack property list files
-Discover undocumented preferences
-Alter an application's interface
-Script the unscriptable, and more

Each modding example includes detailed step-by-step instructions that even
a novice Mac user can follow, while also providing the necessary detail to
satisfy the experienced hacker. Projects are rated according to Time,
Difficulty, Geekitude, and what Sadun refers to as "Chinese Take-Out
Equivalent."

And, finally, Sadun advises her readers, "At some point in your life, you
need to relax and 'be' the geek. Let your inner geek express itself and
simply have fun."

Sound like fun! What do you do this week-end...?

Modding Mac OS X
Erica Sadun
ISBN 0-596-00709-4, 276 pages
http://www.oreilly.com

Apple shuts out older iTunes versions from Music Store

After Apple's recent prompt urging users to upgrade to the recent version of iTunes, the company has now made users of iTunes 4.2 or lower unable to purchase or download music from the iTunes Music Store.
"As of today, customers will need to use one of the three most recent versions of iTunes -- 4.7, 4.6 or 4.5 -- to continue purchasing and downloading songs," Apple said in a statement.
Apple's latest update to the iTunes software came last week at the special event that unveiled the iPod Photo and Special Edition U2 iPod. iTunes 4.7 sports several features including iMix, Party Shuffle, CD insert printing and support for the complete line of iPods.

World of Warcraft hits stores November 23

Blizzard Entertainment today announced that World of Warcraft will be in stores in North America on November 23.
Brace yourself!

Contour Design Right on Time for new iPod with iSee cases

We have just experience Contour Design newest iPod cases: iSee product line.
We are glad to report that they are fantstic add-ons to any iPod experience. Made of a super clear, super solid plastic composite, the iSee-20, iSee 40 and iSee-mini bring superior protection to your 4G Click Wheel iPod or iPod Mini. These realy are Premium and Stylish protection for your iPod. The design allow for usage of your iPod accessories (iTrip, car chargers etc) without removing any part of the casing.
Kudo to Contour Design for releasing this stylish Clear iPod case. Your search is over for the (near) perfect iPod Case ; This is the one you should get, at a price that is just a steal.

We give the iSee case a well deserve 4.5* out of 5* making it the Digital Dispatch Product of the Week.


www.contourdesign.com

Virginia Tech hits 12.25 Teraflops with XServe G5's

Virginia Tech announced that its System X now operates at 12.25 teraflops, or 12 trillion calculations per second, up from 10.28 teraflops in its original incarnation, which used 1,100 Power Mac G5 towers and has now been upgrade to XServe G5's.

Google confirms Google Desktop for Mac

According to a Reuters story, Google CEO Eric Schmidt confirmed on Friday that the company intends to build a Mac version of Google Desktop, which enables users to search their e-mail messages, files, Web browser histories, chat logs and more. He admitted, however, that such an undertaking will require the Mac version to be "rebuilt from the ground up" because of the "fundamental differences" between Mac OS X and Windows. No timetable was set for its release. The Windows version was published earlier this month.