"The eMac Repair Extension Program for Video and Power Issues applies to eMac computers that exhibit a certain video or power-related issue (scrambled/distorted video, no Video or No Power) as a result of a specific component failure. These computers were sold between approximately April 2004 and June 2005 featuring 1GHz and 1.25GHz G4 processors. If your eMac is exhibiting any of the symptoms listed below and your computer's serial number is within the noted ranges, your computer may be eligible for repair, free of charge. If Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider (AASP) determines that your eMac computer is eligible as part of the program, the repair will be covered by Apple for up to three years from the original date of purchase even if your eMac is out of warranty. This is a worldwide Apple program.
Serial Number ranges:

G8412xxxxxx - G8520xxxxxx

YM412xxxxxx - YM520xxxxxx

VM440xxxxxx - VM516xxxxxx"

"New SuperDrive bundles for even better values! Upgrading your existing DVD/CD optical drive in your PowerMac G3, G4, G5; eMac G4; or iMac G4 - is a great way to get more from your current Mac! Adding one of the latest Pioneer Superdrives lets you burn in the latest DVD and CD formats, including 8.5GB Dual-Layer DVD + cranks up read/write performance for up to 40X CD and 16X DVD read/write speeds.
Pioneer DVR-110D w/Beige Bezel, DVR-111D w/Beige Bezel, and DVR-111D-BK w/Black Bezel are available as drive only from $44.99. Both models offer up to 16X DVD Burn, Dual-Layer 8.5GB DVD Burn at up to 8X, and 40X CD Burn capabilities.
These models are also available in 'SuperDrive Value Bundles' that save you money and help get you started too.

NEW Bundle#1
EMC/Dantz Retrospect Backup Software
5 Pieces of DVD-R Media w/Jewels
1 Piece of DVD Dual-Layer 8.5GB Media w/Jewel
$49.95 w/DVR-110D, $51.95 w/DVR-111D or DVR-111D-BK

Bundle#2
EMC/Dantz Retrospect Backup Software
NTI Dragonburn DVD/CD Authoring Software
5 Pieces of DVD-R Media w/Jewels
10 Pieces of CD-R Media w/Jewels
$55.99 w/DVR-110D, $59.99 w/DVR-111D or DVR-111D-BK

New Bundle#3
EMC/Dantz Retrospect Backup Software
10 Pieces of DVD-R Media w/Jewels
2 Pieces of DVD Dual-Layer 8.5GB Media w/Jewel
$57.95 w/DVR-110D, $59.99 w/DVR-111D or DVR-111D-BK

Bundle#4
EMC/Dantz Retrospect Backup Software
NTI Dragonburn DVD/CD Authoring Software
20 Pieces of DVD-R Media w/Jewels
25 Pack Spindle of CD-R Media w/sleeves
$67.99 w/DVR-110D, $71.99 w/DVR-111D or DVR-111D-BK

New Bundle#5 - iLife 2005 Starter Kit
Apple iLife 2005 Complete Installation set w/manual
10 Pieces of DVD-R Media w/Jewels
2 Piece of DVD Dual-Layer 8.5GB Media w/Jewel
$97.00 w/DVR-110D, $99.00 w/DVR-111D or DVR-111D-BK

New Bundle#6 - iLife 2005 Creative Starter Kit
Apple iLife 2005 Complete Installation set w/manual
50 Pack Spindle of DVD-R 4.7GB Media
10 pieces of DVD Dual-Layer 8.5GB Media
30 pieces 'Movie Style' DVD Single disc cases
10 pieces 'Movie Style' DVD Two disc cases
$137.99 w/DVR-110D, $139.99 w/DVR-111D or DVR-111D-BK
Above solutions found at:
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/optical-drives/superdrives/powermac/
Ground Delivery available for $4.50 or less.
Superdrive solutions for PowerBooks, Cube, Mac mini, and other models also available here: http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/optical-drives/superdrives/"

" Have you ever run Parallels Desktop and noticed the overall speed of your Mac decrease? I have, and as an experienced Mac developer I can tell you exactly what the problem is. Parallels Desktop is filling up your system's RAM with pages from the HDD and SAV files.
I've created a little utility called PD Tweaker that enhances the speed and reliability of Parallels Desktop. It's freeware, it uses Unsanity's Application Enhancer 2.0 to do its thing, and the source code is available under a Creative Commons attribution license.

It has two major features which can be enabled separately:
Optimizes caching for HDD and SAV files
Always writes HDD and SAV files all the way to disk
With PD Tweaker installed, you should notice significantly less VM paging on your Mac during and after a session with Parallels Desktop. Without PD Tweaker, even a Mac with 2 gigs of RAM can quickly start paging up a storm when you do certain disk-intensive operations on your client OS.

PD Tweaker is just a temporary fix; at some point, the Parallels team should incorporate its features into a future release of Parallels Desktop. But until then, why wait?
For more information, and a technical description of how and why it works (and known issues), see the PD Tweaker homepage at http://www.multisolar.com/software/PDTweaker/
. -Drew "

I was going to ask if he'd contacted Parallels about this and then saw the sidebar has a link/note about that. (No reply from them yet.)
FYI: There's a recent update to Application Enhancer 2.0.1 which PD Tweaker requires. V2.0.1 has fixes which address two of the "known issues" mentioned at the PD Tweaker page.)
I don't have an Intel CPU Mac to run it, but if anyone that uses Parallels Desktop tries this, let me know if you think this helps performance.
(FYI - two readers today wrote after trying it, one mentioned he noticed an improvement in system performance (1GB RAM system) and another mentioned more free RAM available.)

" Mike, If you could put a link on the front page to this site, it would be greatly appreciated:
http://home.earthlink.net/~thoth-help/
Thoth is a newsreader program derived from the old Newswatcher from OS 9. The owner stopped development years ago due to lack of interest and piracy. Now he's gauging interest for his efforts to restart development. He needs all the publicity he can get. It would be a shame if one of the more truly useful programs for the Mac didn't at least get a Universal Binary release so it could continue to be useful on the new machines.
Jason Q. "

• Aperture: Cannot select root level of disk when importing images
• Apple Remote Desktop 3: About encrypted communication
• AppleWorks: Document Recovery Techniques
• iDVD 6: No audio on finished DVD
• iDVD: Choosing Best Quality or Best Performance
• iMovie: "Disk Responded Slowly" Alert
• iMovie: How to move clips from one project to another
• iPod Hi-Fi: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
• iTunes: Backup DVDs from my Mac don't work on my Windows PC
• iWeb: Publish to your .Mac account from more than one computer
• Logic does not recognize REX files
• Logic Pro songs sound different when played in Logic Express
• Mac OS X 10.2, 10.3: How to perform Mac OS 9 clean installation with Restore CDs
• Mac OS X 10.4: Issues authenticating after changing keyboard layout
• Mac OS X: Dial-up connection (PPP) fails to automatically disconnect
• No sound from some applications, but system alert sounds play (Mac OS X 10.3, 10.4)
• Pro Applications Update 2006-01
• QuickTime Pro: About the Conform aperture settings
• Safety tips for handling email attachments and content downloaded from the Internet
• Solving iPod Issues (also known as iPod 5 R's)
• WaveBurner: ISRC Code Error when burning disc

• Apple to preview OS X "Leopard" at WWDC 2006
• If Lights Blink on Your iPod Shuffle, It Could Be Bad News (PCworld)
• AppZapper 1.6 Released (uninstaller)
• Mountain Tanks 1.1.1 (game)
• RAID Monitor 1.0.2
• KrabbitWorld Labyrinth 1.18 (game)
• e2Sync Tiger 2.8
• Bugdom 2 v3.0.3
• Early experiences with Blu-ray disappointing
• Dell Investigates Report Of Laptop Explosion
• Firefox 1.5 vs. Opera 9
• Fixing .Mac - Idea 6: Privacy Management
• The Revolution will be Open Sourced