Macenstein

A cool trick if you have cycles to waste

Cruising around Reddit today I picked up a cool and of course, USELESS trick that I assume you will want to try for a day and then put back to normal, just like I did. Check out what you can do with the Activity Monitor’s icon. I would assume showing your CPU’s usage in the dock uses up more processing power than it’s worth, but still, it’s a sweet little bit of Eye Candy, and if you’re one of those people who overbought and has cycles to waste on... Read More

Review: Otterbox iPhone 4 Reflex Case

Ahhh iPhone Cases – the $40 accessory you never factor into the cost of owning an iPhone. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, the fact is you need ‘em, so you might as well get a good one. Otterbox has a well deserved reputation for providing best-in-class (somewhat bulky) protection against falls and spills, and their Reflex case for the iPhone 4 is another nice addition to their lineup. While some of the colorful, slim cases offer protection from scratches on the rear... Read More

“Yeah, good luck with that”

Upon news that Ron Johnson, Apple’s current President of retail, is leaving Apple to head up JC Penny, Apple released the following statement, stopping just short of saying “Ron’s dead to us”: “Ron is excited about this opportunity and we hope it goes well for him. We’ve got a great retail team in place and are actively recruiting for his replacement.” Wow. Someone should warn Tim Cook to not bother listing Steve Jobs for a job reference.... Read More

WearaBraille virtual wireless Braille keyboard demoed with an iPhone and VoiceOver

As a sighted person, I find it truly inspiring when I see a blind person get through their day, seemingly easier than I do. For me, the thought of taking the bus into the city with perfect eyesight is hard enough to comprehend, let alone without the use of my eyes. Truly, the human brain has shown an amazing capacity to adapt, as well as to innovate. Case in point, the WearaBraille keyboard, shown below, created by Dr. Joshua Miele. Even after watching this video, I’m not... Read More

Marco Tempest (the Virtual iPhone Magician) is at it again

I would imagine this probably took at least an hour (maybe two) to perfect. Well worth watching.  Read More

Macenstein’s “Mac Chick of the Month” (June 2011): Amanda Vanderpool

Welcome to Macenstein‘s “Mac Chick of the Month”. Each month we feature a different die-hard, Mac-loving girl who is (almost) as well designed as the Apple products they love. This month we present you with the lovely Amanda Vanderpool, a TV Host and Model, and of course, a die-hard Mac Chick! Amanda Vanderpool is the quintessential “girl next door,” who loves all kinds of communication technology, new media, the world of entertainment, and sports, especially... Read More

Angry Birds Live

When I first saw this “Angry Birds Live” spot for T-Mobile, I immediately thought two things. : 1) Wow, this is cool. 2) Wow, they sure hired a lot of hip young attractive people for all the reaction shots. But, if you can detach yourself from the “forced” feeling of the crowd reactions (and the fact that it’s a T-Mobile spot using a game that’s available on pretty much every mobile device to act as a selling point instead of anything truly... Read More

Apple brings back the Click Wheel with its new Cupertino Campus proposal

Everyone’s saying Apple’s new proposed office campus looks like a spaceship, and I won’t argue, but I must say that from the air (especially If that damn apartment building on the left had let Apple buy them) I’m pretty sure Apple’s new corporate park would look more or less like an iPod classic. The video below is footage of Steve Jobs showing off the proposed campus to the Cupertino City council, and it’s a really fun watch, as far as City... Read More

WWDC 2011: The Good The Bad, and the Meh

As with all big Apple events, I once again find people turning to me for my opinion on the announcements from Apple’s 2011 World Wide Developer’s Conference. Honestly I can’t blame them, as my opinion is often the only correct one when it comes to such things. I seem to have the uncanny ability to cut through the hype with laser beam-like precision, and somehow categorize the day’s events into one of three categories: Good, Bad, and Meh. Here’s... Read More

Mmmmm… 25 years of shiny balls

I remember back in the early days of 3D on the Mac – fumbling through True Space and Electric Image – and being happy when I made a shiny sphere. Nice to see the shiny sphere is still kicking ass. Check out this sweet video made by Maxon celebrating 25 years of their Cnema 4D software being on the Mac platform. via @markgurman  Read More