I get a lot of questions about issues with wireless routers and we have covered it some on the show. Listener Chris sent me this comment and I think it is a good reminder that the firmware should be one of the first things to check when you start to have any issues with a piece of aging hardware.

It has worked fine w/ my 2 PC for the entire month. When I got my new iBook a month ago it would work fine for 10 minutes then the router would lock up. I would need to reset it by unplugging it. This happened pretty much every time I used it. I went to the Linksys web site, grabbed the latest firmware, flashed the router. That fixed the problem. I was out 4 revisions back from the latest firmware. Just a reminder for people to check the router firmware if they’re having similar problems.

Hey geeks. For those of you using PlayPod I just received this email from the developer

I am the developer of PlayPod. I heard you mention to your listeners that some people using PlayPod weren’t getting your updates. Just wanted to let you know that PlayPod 1.0b6 fixed a nasty bug that prevented some feeds from automatically downloading podcasts.

Kind Regards,
Ian

Ian G. Gillespie, Ph.D.
IGG Software, LLC
www.iggsoftware.com

I recommend going over to www.iggsoftware.com and getting this update.

Listen to today’s show here!
MC20050330.mp3 [19.8mb (43:21) 64kbps]

A podcast about Macs done by a Mac geek for Mac geeks. Show 43. DVForge response to Mac virus challenge, Gartner Dataquest warns of Mac spyware, HP renews interest in iPod, New 10.3.9 and 10.4 builds relased Tuesday, rumor of iTunes Australia soon, more iPod crime in NYC and AppleInsider rumors of new consumer Macs. Listener review of ElGato’s EyeHome, PlayPod issues and updating bookmarks, correction on educational discounts for high school students, Mac’s support for microphones and recording and a bonus review of the Sony Playstation Portable. New music from Se La by Neto. You should hear this. Shownotes in HTML or OPML

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Listener Mike sent in this great explaination on why AppleCare is not available in Florida

Just want to shed a little light on the AppleCare in Florida issue. I am a Product Specialist for AppleCare tech support.

From what I understand, Florida state law (Chapter 634 of the Florida Statutes) requires companies to be licensed to sell extended repair or replacement services. Apple currently does not meet the requirements defined by this law. The law is in place to protect the large elderly population from “warranty scams.” Unfortunately, I do not know what the requirements are to become licensed.

AppleCare CAN be sold to businesses, agencies, non-profit organizations and educational institutions as long as they have a valid Tax ID, proving they are a business.

If a consumer enrolls AppleCare on a machine and they live in Florida, Apple is required by law to refund their money. This has been the case for several years, and only the Florida legislature can change these requirements.

Here is some great info from listener Art:

Really like listening to the MacCast podcast. I just heard your latest podcast (March 28, 2005) and you talked about browser performance and optimizing it. There are a few programs that you can download to optimize web browsing performance.

1.) SafariSpeed (http://www.scifience.net/safarispeed.html)
This program optimizes Safari by disabling the page loading delay, which is built into Safari. It only seems to work in Safari and not in other browsers.

2.) Panter Cache Cleaner (http://www.northernsoftworks.com/panthercachecleaner.html)
This program optimizes not only Safari, but also other browsers by optimizing or cleaning the file cache.

As for why it would seem that web browsing on PC seems to be faster than doing so on the Mac, there is a website that might answer the question (http://www.xvsxp.com). This is a website that compares OSX and Windows XP as objectively as they can. In the web browsing section, they mention that some websites are specifically coded for IE for PC by web developers. And I personally think that when a company tests its website before launch, they usually only test with a PC and not a Mac.

Hopes this answers the questions that were asked on the podcast. Continue the great work.

Listen to today’s show here!
MC20050328.mp3 [21.0mb (45:51) 64kbps]

Show 42. DVForge offers $25,000 for Mac virus, Darrell’s Guide for New Mac Geeks, Apple looking for Open GL developers and CaminoBrowser.org site launched. Listeners comments, correction on RAIDs and matching drives, Flickr export plug-in for iPhoto, Sony PSP and the Mac, how to speed up Shuffle transfer with USB 1.1 on G3 iBook, how to view iTunes track info from across the room, promoting your Podcast, PartyShuffler for iTunes and Spark, the Journey to Apple’s Core, Mac vs PC Browser performance, no AppleCare in Florida or Wyoming? And a special thanks for MacCast donors. New music, Come Back to You by Samantha Murphy Put it in your ear. Shownotes in HTML or OPML

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PodBuddies is a company releasing it’s first iPod product. The PodBuddy is the sickingly cute iPodShuffle holder pictured here. For only $15.00 USD this little guy can hold your iPod shuffle, but he won’t be able to hold up your dignity. :)

I received this question from listener Ted:

Have you ever tried using the Autofill method of transferring content to your iPod Shuffle? I have found that these files are ignored. If you drop the file directly onto the iPod Shuffle icon (in iTunes) or drop a playlist containing these (.mp4b) onto the icon, everything works as expected. However if you were to specify the same playlist (containing 1 or more bookmarkable aac files) in the “Autofill” dropdown, these files are skipped when you “autofill.” At least for me.

Have any of you experienced this? Does anyone know why this might be happening?

Listen to today’s show here!
MC20050325.mp3 [23.4mb (51:05) 64kbps]

Show 41. Apple says they don’t want to send student to jail, Apple Shuffles for college students giveaway, the worlds first “Podcast” novel, iPod Photo update adds new transitions, a Mac Mini interface for your car, Tiger is ready, almost. Listener FeedBack on setting up external FireWire RAID, How much RAM for Mac Mini, Using 2 USB Mics with GarageBand, You Know Your a MacGeek When…, Staring screen saver using a hotkey, how to customize OS X icons, the KQED mystery solved! Plus shop to support the show. Stick it in your ear. Shownotes in HTML or OPML

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Featured Music: www.jesus.com, Father Hennepin

Listener Mark sent in this response to a question on how to recharge an iPod from the USB port on the PC, but not have the iPod mount or sync with iTunes.

You had a listener a few podcast ago asked about charging his iPOD at work using PC power only. Today I purchased a Targus Ultra Mini USB 2.0 4-Port Hub. The connecting USB cable from the hub to the the computer has two plugs. The black plug is for power and data flow, or you can use the red plug connector for power only. I think this would work for the situation your listener described.