Geek Gadgets

Dear Mac Reader,

If you find yourself in a serious, all-business kind of mood, then this might not be the letter for you because I'm going to talk about toys. (On second thought, this might be the perfect letter for you :)

Here's the set-up:

I remember a while back when some of the book people at O'Reilly were amazed by our intense sales at Macworld San Francisco and New York. They'd comment, "But Macworld is a *consumer* show; who there would be interested in O'Reilly books?"

I'm thinking, "You don't think developers like to play with toys, especially Mac developers?" We go to Macworld to see all the new stuff on the tradeshow floor. You don't think we're there for the classes do you? (Now before you flame me, I'll be teaching at Macworld, so I can say that.)

This is also why we make sure we cover gadgets on the Mac DevCenter. And what a perfect time of year to discuss some of our favorite goodies.

Now the payoff:

Terrie Miller has been testing techno toys for the last month, and has just published her favorites in, "Gifts for Geeks on the Cheap." She shows you all sorts of digital hub enhancements to please just about any Mac nerd--all for under $50. Plus, if others are asking you for hints, you can cut and paste your favorites from this article and send it to them.

I also want to draw your attention to the new O'Reilly Store on the Think Geek Web site:

http://www.thinkgeek.com/interests/oreilly/

There's a variety of O'Reilly animal T-shirts, plus a tarsier coffee mug, open source beer coasters, and the just-completed 25th anniversary 2003 calendar.

So if you find yourself with a little free time, come on over and have some fun with us.

Until next time,
Derrick
--
Derrick Story
O'Reilly Network Managing Editor
derrick@oreilly.com

Featured Articles

Gifts for Geeks on the Cheap
Looking for gift ideas that will delight your digitally minded friends? Terrie Miller has assembled a list of cool gadgets for under $50 that's bound to keep you on the "most favored" gift-giver list, or can serve as subtle hints to others shopping for you.

Controlling iTunes with Perl
Perl can interact with Aqua applications through AppleScript. Using Mac::iTunes as a back end, you can create multiple iTunes interfaces that can be used on the same computer or on other computers on the same network. brian d foy shows how anyone on the network, including AirPort networks, can control iTunes using this module.

Installing Oracle 9i on Mac OS X, Part 2
In Part 2 of this series on the Oracle 9i Developer Release for Mac OS X, David Simpson differentiates between FileMaker Pro and Oracle, with a side conversation about WebObjects. An overview of Oracle's pricing structure is included.

Connecting Mac OS X to Windows PCs
A hands-on look at how you can share files between your Mac and your Windows machines, then explore how Windows applications can be run on your Mac.

Incorporating Rendezvous into Your Cocoa Applications, Part 2
In Part 1 of this series, Mike Beam explained how ZeroConf networking provides solutions to addressing, naming, and service discovery hurdles. Now in Part 2, you roll up your sleeves and build your own iChat-like client in Cocoa.

Use Metadata to Improve Your Pictures
Every time you click the shutter on your digital camera, it records mountains of useful information that you can retrieve and analyze to improve your photography skills. Here's how to access that data and put it to use.

Installing Oracle 9i on Mac OS X, Part 1
The Oracle 9i Developer Release for Mac OS X opens up a new world of corporate database management for both Apple and Oracle. David Simpson begins this series with a look at the issues for DBAs who are considering making the move to Oracle on OS X.

Mac Devcenter Top Five Articles Last Week

1. Connecting Mac OS X to Windows PCs
   A hands-on look at how you can share files between your Mac and your Windows machines, then explore how Windows applications can be run on your Mac

2. Installing Oracle 9i on Mac OS X, Part 2
   In Part 2 of this series on the Oracle 9i Developer Release for Mac OS X, David Simpson differentiates between FileMaker Pro and Oracle, with a side conversation about WebObjects. An overview of Oracle's pricing structure is included.

3. Use Metadata to Improve Your Pictures
   Every time you click the shutter on your digital camera, it records mountains of useful information that you can retrieve and analyze to improve your photography skills. Here's how to access that data and put it to use.

4. Connecting Mac OS X to Windows PCs
   A hands-on look at how you can share files between your Mac and your Windows machines, then explore how Windows applications can be run on your Mac

5. Apache Web-Serving with Mac OS X: Part 1
   In this first part of a multi-part series, Kevin Hemenway shows you how to start serving web pages directly from your Mac using its built-in Apache server.

Return to list of Mac Newsletters.

Return to the Mac DevCenter.