NOT a Mac specific post at all but I think a lot of us may be in the same boat tomorrow – not that I would advocate drinking in excess at all BUT if you do just happen to have one or two to many this seems like a good tip.

Me – I am off for a few beers now European Style in the marina, who knows what will happen after that. Whatever it is that you get up to have a good, safe one, thanks for reading the blog in 2006 and I look forward to seeing you in 2007.

Welcome to episode 88 of the MacReviewCast, I want to thank you for downloading and listening to the podcast. We have a lot of great folks on today’s episode with their reviews and comments on software, hardware and websites that make using the Mac special. Plus I’ll have the top freeware Mac MenuBar apps and much more.

Here is the freeware and shareware I look at during the podcast:
Allison Sheridan: NosillaCast Podcast: Imagecaster From EconTechnologies
divShare: http://www.divshare.com
Jeweled Platypus: http://www.jeweledplatypus.org
Bloglinesmenu: http://www.runstate.com/proj/blmenu.html
DiggUpdate: http://www.dbachrach.com/opensoft/index.php?page=DiggUpdate
dotMacMenu: http://www.infinitenexus.com/dmm
MacBiff: http://macbiff.sourceforge.net
MailCountX: http://www.squeaksoft.com/products/MailCountX
RSSMenu: http://www.edot-studios.com/webgroups2/index.php?menu_item=212
HimmelBar: http://softbend.free.fr/himmelbar
TigerLaunch: http://ranchero.com/tigerlaunch
ClipboardSharing: http://www.lagercrantz.ath.cx/software/clipboardsharing
JumpCut: http://jumpcut.sourceforge.net
JetClock: http://www.cooperative-fruitiere.com/jetclock/index_en.html
Meteo: http://heat-meteo.sourceforge.net
Tiny Alarm: http://www.pixelatedsoftware.com/products/tinyalarm/index.php

I have been a Mac user for a year now, and one of the most rewarding aspects of this has been the participation in a number of Mac related schemes and communities. I have made some great contacts, and daily meet up with interesting people. Although all my kit is new I have been fascinated by the older equipment that is still going strong.

As you would expect at this time of year there are a lot of articles on the good the bad and the ugly of Apple in 2006 and what we would like to see from them in 2007. This article steps back from the hype regarding the products and looks at a slightly wider picture. It is well worth a read:

Cult of Mac: ”

Earlier today I launched CastCount on MAAD and Tim over at Surfbits very kindly interviewed me and posted on his site:

Surfbits (SB) – CastCount is a new application, can you tell us what it does.

MyAppleStuff (MAS) – At the moment CastCount is a great little tool that will sit in your dock and menu and if configured this way will show you the total number of ‘casts and the number unplayed in the menu, whilst the dock will show you how many of your four favorite podcasts are unplayed.

I have blogged about Flickr before and have always been really positive, so I want to share something with you that I feel is really underhand.

If you remember I was really surprised and pleased on the 13th December when out of nowhere my account became a PRO account. No warning, no notice, no email after the event – a total mystery. It has been great having the unlimited sets and I have started to use it more.

Peachpit is offering free passes to the upcoming Macworld Conference & Expo
taking place at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, January 9-12, 2007. To
request a pair of passes (exhibit-only passes, a combined $90 value), send
an email message to press@peachpit.com with your name and postal address,
and Peachpit will mail out the passes. If you prefer to register online and
obtain your own free passes, simply go to http://macworldexpo.com/register
and use the Priority Code: PC0249.

All free passes from Peachpit are available on a first-come, first-served
basis, and Peachpit must receive requests to press@peachpit.com by January
3, 2007.

I hope everybody has a great time doing whatever it is that they do (or don’t) at this time of year. Be safe, enjoy your family and friends and if you get any new AppleStuff be sure to drop me a line and ideally a picture.

I know for sure I am not getting anything Mac related so the least I can hope for is to share in your joy

Earlier today I spoke to Tim on his show and I am delighted to share with you the details of this his 87th episode. If you don’t listen to his show yet I think you should give it a go. Load it on that new Christmas iPod.

Wow this is frustrating:

I am repeatedly getting this error message on both the Mac mini and the iMac when I try and update both of the 1G iPod Shuffles.

I have checked the Apple forums and there is nothing new there. I have restarted both the Mac and iTunes with just the Shuffle attached i.e. none of the other iPod’s, and I have even tried to restore them to their original settings and I still get this message!

Would this design work for you? I have moved from candy bar to flip over the years and I think in general I would much prefer a flip (clamshell) type design myself. Primarily because I tend to throw my phone in a bag, stick it in a pocket etc and I think it is protected better if it is a flip design.

ChronoSync ($30) “is an easy to use data management tool that allows you to efficiently synchronize files and folders from one disk location to another. Using the document-based interface, you can easily identify a group of files, specify a destination, then schedule the action to occur as often as necessary”