And speaking of lock-ups, my Embarq DSL has been very unreliable the last 24 hours. (It's went out several times since around midnight last night - back up again for now, but was down again this morning). Might be some phone line issues also, as trying to use a USB modem w/dialup acct froze the iMac (at the modem negotiation state - stuck on the 'squeal' - had to force a shutdown). On restart all drives (including ext. TM backup volume) verified OK but attempting to do a 'backup now' with Time Machine took a long time at the "preparing" stage. (5 min at least) Checking the system log showed several messages such as "/System/Library/CoreServices/backupd[282] Event store UUIDs don't match for volume Macintosh HD", and "Node requires deep traversal:/ reason:kFSEDBEventFlagMustScanSubDirs|kFSEDBEventFlagReasonEventDBUntrustable". It finally completed ok, but the phone line/DSL problems lately have made ISP stand for "Intermittent Service Provider"...
(Just had another total OS X lockup during USB modem dial-up connect again this afternoon.)

"I just got off the phone with Apple sales who at first said Tiger will work fine with the new (2008) Mac Pros. I then asked about installing Tiger, I only have the Tiger install disk that came with my G5, at which point he conferred with Apple tech support. When he came back he stated that the new Powermacs can not run on the Tiger OS.
(I asked to confirm that a std retail 10.4.x install would not run, in case he was referring to an OEM disc included with his G5 tower)
He flat out said that the Tiger OS will not run on the Mac Pros (Early 2008).
I run a recording studio and was hoping it might due to various plug-in incompatabilities with Leopard. By the way, Thank You for a very helpful Site!
-Kenny
Mesa Recording"

If anyone decides to ignore Apple's comments and try OS X Tiger on a 2008 Mac Pro, let me know.

"Digidesign Users Upgrade FREE to AmpliTube 2 DUO and get Ampeg SVX UNO! IK says "Thank You" to Pro Tools Users
January 2008, Modena, Italy - IK Multimaedia would like to thank all of their Digidesign customers for helping to make AmpliTube one of the most popular guitar amp and effects modeling software packages in the world. IK will show their appreciation by upgrading Digidesign Pro Tools users of AmpliTube LE to the new AmpliTube 2 Duo software and also giving them Ampeg SVX UNO - for FREE!

Who is eligible?
Any customer who owns a Digidesign Pro Tools HD or LE product is eligible to receive these new plug-ins. It's IK's way of saying thanks! All registered users of AmpliTube LE, which comes packaged inside the Digibundle, qualify for this free upgrade to AmpliTube 2 Duo, a major upgrade to the new software with more amps and effects. These customers will also receive a free download of Ampeg SVX UNO bass amp and FX software. Both new products are readily available for download from the IK user area...
For more information on this promotion from IK Multimedia, please visit:
http://www.ikmultimedia.com/NewsDisplay.php?Id=995"

Maybe they're taxed tonight but I can't get that page to fully load. (Stalled several times.)

" Apple will process for warranty service hard drives originally installed in Apple products that have been subject to data recovery services by DriveSavers or OnTrack, third-party companies specializing in data recovery services.
Hard drives that have become non-functional through normal use, and have had data recovery performed on them by DriveSavers or OnTrack can be returned to Apple for warranty service. This includes products covered by the AppleCare Protection Plan. The cost of any data recovery attempts is not covered by the Apple Limited Warranty.

Apple has worked with both of these companies to ensure that their data recovery methods meet Apple's standards, and will fulfill its warranty obligations if the returned drive has a DriveSavers or OnTrack label indicating that the respective company worked with the drive for data recovery purposes. Typically, if the factory seal on the hard drive is broken or removed, the hard drive will be excluded from coverage, however, if an authorized DriveSavers or OnTrack label is on such a hard drive, Apple will not exclude coverage on that basis.

Drives that are no longer functional due to a failure outside of normal usage - such as damage from an impact, being dropped, exposure to moisture or other circumstances outside of normal usage - are not acceptable for warranty exchange regardless of whether data recovery is performed.

Currently Apple and its suppliers have not verified the standards used by other data recovery service companies and therefore their services are not subject to this process. Use of DriveSavers or OnTrack as a data-recovery company is at the sole discretion of the customer. They are not an Apple Authorized Service Provider, nor does Apple warrant any services performed by either company."

When I first saw this it reminded me of a thread I linked to last week at slashdot about Mac owners wanting their failed drives returned after Apple service.

"I just found out that a new firmware is available for the LG GSA-55N dvd writer: v1.05. I have already updated my LG GSA-55N drive's firmware from 1.03 to 1.05. (No OS X flasher however.)
http://us.lgservice.com/index_b2c.jsp
Go there, then select Device Driver, then select DVD-ROM (writer) and hit search. This gives a list of all the firmware for LG drives (shows the 1.05 update for LG 55N). I can't link directly to the file.
-Robert"

• Apple a year ahead of the competition (Fortune - w/reader replies)
• Flip Video Camcorder Update (Dec 2007) (from a vendor email today)
• Image Tricks 2.4
• Cineon/DPX Pro QuickTime Components for Final Cut 2.5.11
• Disco XT 4.1.7
• SideTrack 1.6 (scrolling trackpad driver, v1.6 compat. w/Leopard)
• File Juicer 4.9.3 (extract images/video/audio from files/folders and more)
• Cheetah3D v4.4
• U.K. music fans to enjoy cheaper iTunes downloads (cnet)
• Apple seen set to resolve EU iTunes case (reuters)
• Apple to Allow ITunes Users to Rent Films (already rumored last week)
• PSP Flexes Non-Gaming Muscle at CES (Blu-ray to PSP movie xfers, GPS tracking, Skype and 16GB memory stick)
• Netgear Recalls Faulty XE103 Powerline Ethernet Adapter
• Microsoft 'Stands Behind' HD DVD Despite Setbacks
• Microsoft Patches Flaw That Could Trigger Worm Attack (FYI to bootcamp/windows users)
• Report: IRS information security still poor
• Paramount: Current plan is to support the HD DVD format
• Fistful of Frags beta v1.1 (Western mod for HL2 - FYI for bootcamp/windows users)
• Watching YouTube on TV: Matsushita Enters Picture (Forbes)
• First iPhone Trojan rolls into Town