It was May of 1996, two and a half years ago, that I wrote a welcome here on this page to a new member of the My Mac staff and talked about a new position, a full time cover artist. Up until that time, I had done the covers for the magazine, which is to say, they weren't really very good. (Trying to be nice to my own ego... they were actually quite horrible.) It was issue #13, and Mike Gorman took center stage doing our covers.
The popularity of My Mac can be attributed to many things, from our great writers to the dedication of the production staff. But for the past two and a half years, no issue was ever really done until it had a Mike Gorman work of art on it. (In fact, there was only two issues Mike did not do the cover) Sadly, after this first issue of 1999, Mike Gorman is leaving My Mac.
Mike lives to draw. His artwork is what brings in the money. It pays for the roof over his head., puts the food on his table and buys the not-very-inexpensive diapers his new born daughter must wear. My Mac, however, is a free magazine. And Mike has been getting more and more business as of late. Something had to give, and while I wish it wasn't My Mac, it only made sense economically for Mike to come to the decision that he has reached.
I would like to thank Mike for his long tenure at My Mac. His artwork has been an inspiration to me. He is a great guy, a wonderful artist, and I know I speak for the entire staff when I wish his all the luck in the world with his newest creative endeavors.
Thank you, Mike.
Where's Susan?
Susan Howerter, one of our regular and well-liked writers, is at home and recovering from a touch of pneumonia and some other complications. So, we've given her the month off (or as much as she needs) until she's back and writing at her usual frantic pace. Get well soon, Susan!
Themes
While it's true you now can have different "Themes" thanks to the Appearance Control Panel as part of Mac OS 8.5, so far we're still stuck with the been-there, done-that "Apple Platinum" appearance. Early beta versions of 8.5 did have other Appearances, but rumors suggest they were "Steved" before the final release.
While there is no way yet to create Themes, there is a team of diligently at work as we speak to try to do just that. The Allegro Themes Project <http://www.digitalsanctuary.com/themes/index.html> is working on a solution to this problem. Go to their home page and take a look! With more support, maybe we will have a choice very soon!
One last comment here on Themes: I wonder if anyone is looking at a tool or program to convert Kaleidoscope schemes into workable 8.5 Themes? While I've not had much luck using K2 myself (crashes), there are thousands of users who do use it all the time with no problems. This would be an even more viable solution, I would think, as there are literally thousands of K2 schemes out there, many of which are very good.
Apple Does It!
According to PC Data's November Retail Hardware Report, the iMac from Apple Computer was the number one selling PC through retail and mail order channels in November. The iMac accounted for 7.1 percent of all unit sales, as well as 8.2 percent of the dollar volume. Not too bad for a company that many people in the business and the media called "dead and out of touch with the consumer."
Geeks
Does it make any of you mad when people refer to geeks as people who "Use computers, watch Star Trek, etc…" It does me. I like Star Trek, am on-line at least once a day, and I also watch football every Sunday in the fall, listen to Metallica, and other "non-geek" things.
Isn’t it about time to change the stereotypical mental image of a geek? For now on, let's refer to "geeks" as those who don’t know the difference between an email address and a website. Or those who jog and listen to Yanni. Or those who just don’t get Drew Carey or Dilbert. Those are the geeks. The rest of us? We simply live in the present and take advantage of technology to enrich our lives. What do you think?
Looking for a Freeware website?
Check out the Macintosh freeware-only website at <http://Macs.Bon.Net> The website is packed with Macintosh freeware, news, and web utilities in a Macintosh-desktop environment.
Another "must-see" website
If you haven't checked out the following website yet, and are looking for something "different", this website is definitely different. Hop on over to <http://www.xensei.com/users/ileneh/td/macpeople.html> and see what we mean.
My Mac Chat Transcripts
You can download the DOCMaker transcripts of our weekly chat on World Without Borders from our website, but did you also know you could read them on-line? Quite true, but what's even better, there's a discussion board at this web page that we encourage anyone to use for Mac topics and the like. Take a look at <http://WWBChat.com/webx?confa-14@@.ee6e315>
Color Classic
Many of you have a new Mac. However, for those of you still using a Color Classic, you may want to check out the Color Classic Forever home page. With links to upgrading, modifications, some cool screen savers and desktop pictures, it's a site worth visiting. Check it out! <http://home.hkstar.com/~patrickn/colorclassic>
HELP WANTED
My Mac Magazine is looking for an assistant webmaster to help our outstanding webmaster, Adam, with all those daily, weekly, and monthly jobs that are just becoming too much for one person. Should be able to work in HTML without the assistance of a WYSIWYG editor and needs to know how to use an FTP client. He/she needs to be able to complete assignments in a timely matter and meet deadlines regularly. Needs to be dedicated to the magazine and the Macintosh platform. Must be able to give 5 hours a week to help out. Ability to meet with Adam on-line and answer email in a timely matter. A brief resume would be excellent, limited to web experience only. Non-salaried position. Contact Adam at <webmaster@mymac.com>
