There’s less than a week before the entry deadline for the Maine Student Web Design Awards. There’s still time for enterprising middle school and high school web designers to design and enter a site in the contest. The prize list has expanded recently, including Adobe’s and Macromedia’s professional-grade web design packages, an X-Box, whitewater rafting trips, and even cash prizes! Remember that the theme of the contest is anything related to the State of Maine: outdoors, sports, recreation, family, school, groups, business, science, health, games, music, wildlife, etc… No entries will be accepted after May 1st. Check out the web site at http://www.mainehosting.com/contest/home.html for more details.

This week Apple posted a free update to it’s all-in-one productivity application, AppleWorks. There’s an update available on the Apple web site (http://www.apple.com/appleworks/update/) for Mac OS X, Mac OS 8/9, and Windows. The Mac OS X update provides improvements to the presentation module, AppleScript support, web content searching, printing, label printing, table support, and spell checking with user added words. It also provides better recognition and handling of Office 97 and Office 2000 files. If you have a slow internet connection, you’ll see improved speed in downloading Apple’s web templates and clipart. Improvements to the spreadsheet module include Auto-Calculation. If you’re still using Mac OS 8/9, the spreadsheet Auto-Calculation feature has been added, as well as improved support for putting multimedia files in database documents. If you’re using the Windows version, shame on you! (just kidding…)

This week Apple also updated the venerable iBook laptop line. The entry-level $999 12.1” model now sports an 800 Mhz G3 processor. The $1299 12.1” model has a 900 Mhz G3. The big screen 14.1” models both get 900 Mhz G3s, as well as more RAM. All models get the ATI Mobility Radeon 7500 graphics card with 32 MB of video memory, and all but the entry-level machine have CD-burning, DVD-watching “combo drives”. The increased video memory will improve the Mac OS X graphics experience. Still notably missing from the iBook line is a DVD-burning SuperDrive, the new Airport Extreme wireless networking card, and the more powerful G4 chips. Most observers feel that the iBook will be the last Mac to get the G4, as Apple doesn’t want to scavenge sales from the PowerBook G4 “pro” line until a faster chip is available (and that’s coming sooner than you might think, if you believe the rumor sites).

Keep those emails coming to petez@macmaineiac.com, and, as always, Semper Mac! Take care.

© 2003 Peter F. Zimowski