Status-Q

Apple's not the only one introducing a 'Mini' - Google Mini is a smaller version of their very expensive search appliance; the new model costing just $5000.

A hint: If you're experimenting with iPhoto, and you want to make sure your old library is preserved, just rename the folder before starting up iPhoto. It will then tell you it can't find the library and offer to use a different folder or to create a fresh new library

From an article by Barb Dybwad: Gaining my religion: seeing the light of Mac:

Evans lists the primary strengths of the Macintosh computer as being usability and good looks. Both are absolutely true and yet, both are also so often used as arguments *against* the Mac, which is portrayed as losing a war in which the only salient metric is functionality. Usability and 'style' are seen as secondary considerations when in the market for a personal computer - as if packing more and more difficult to use features into a dull, utilitarian box is the only way to the top of the heap. This is absolute hogwash, as the success of the iPod clearly demonstrates.

...and man's.

So, the Mac Mini is out. The line is that Apple can make it smaller and better than most PCs because they make the whole thing:

From $499. (Costs about a third more if you buy it in the UK.) Very cool. This and a few other tasty new things at Apple's site.

In Seattle again - snow has been forecast for the last two days but hasn't arrived.

Meanwhile, at the Happels', dinner time is very cosy.

I hadn't come across the Economist's Big Mac Index before. Interesting. And here's Lattenomics.

The exchange rates are rather different now from when these were published, though.

My friend Seb has done a nice little WAP service which UK readers may find useful. Type in an ISBN number on your phone while browsing in Borders and it tells you how much the book costs at Amazon. Seb has some reservations about the ethics of this, but it's quite cute anyway! He decided it was up to you to decide whether or not to use it..!

More info at Amawap.

John's been posting some wonderful photos over on Memex recently. He claims the trick is to use a good-old 50mm fixed-focus lens with his (rather nice) Nikon D100. I think he may be right, but a large part of the trick is also to be a good photographer.