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The Inside Mac Show - October 30th 2004

LIVE 1-3pm Pacific - Call Us At 800-490-0058

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Stewart Copeland - The Police / Composer - Songwriter

"I'm more fanatic, more a complete gearhead, than I ever was before," says Stewart Copeland, co-founder and drummer of The Police, about re-entering the rock world after a ten-year hiatus during which he became an acclaimed film composer. "I'm doing it for the fun of it. I even love practicing. Every time I sit at the drums now, I realize it's a gift."

Beginning with a 2000 call from Primus leader Les Claypool to join Phish's Trey Anastacio in the jam band trio Oysterhead, and most recently an invitation from Ray Manzarek to help resurrect the legendary Doors, Copeland has stepped outside the film scoring studios and returned to the rock stage.

"Film composing is a better job than rock star," says Copeland, whose upcoming credits include the feature I Am David as well as Showtime's "Dead Like Me," for which he just received an Emmy nomination. "But there's nothing like the instant gratification of 50,000 people in a stadium yelling 'Yeah!'"

Copeland has of late also probed The Police catalog with what he has dubbed "derangements." "They are Police tracks lobotomized to concoct new recordings," he explains. Mixing live and studio versions, instrumental tracks of an original with the vocals from a later version, the jam from mid-"Roxanne" with the lyrics to "So Lonely," and so on, these derangements are expected to be heard as bonus tracks on new reissues following the 2002 release of The Very Best Of...Sting & The Police.

For the member of The Police, a band that exited the stage as the world's most popular--sales of more than 60,000,000 albums and winner of five Grammy awards--a homecoming of a more unusual nature involves The Doors. "I'm in the bullseye of The Doors' fan base. 'Strange Days' transformed my life. When I sat in to rehearse, I already knew all the songs. Playing 'L.A. Woman' and 'Light My Fire,' I'm 13 again trying to master John Densmore's licks."

Even before The Police went into hibernation as a group in 1986, Copeland had begun to move beyond the rock arena by creating the memorable score to Francis Ford Coppola's 1983 film, Rumblefish. Copeland thus became one of the first rockers to move into film composing. Earning a Golden Globe nomination for Best Score, he has since gone on to write some of the most innovative and groundbreaking music on screen.

His adventurous style, fed by a lifelong interest in exotic music (he was raised in Egypt, Lebanon, England, and California), brought him to the attention of Oliver Stone, for whom he scored Wall Street and Talk Radio. He has enjoyed successful collaborations with other acclaimed directors as well, including Bruce Beresford (Silent Fall), John Hughes (She's Having A Baby), John Waters (Pecker), Ken Loach (Riff-Raff, Hidden Agenda, Raining Stones) and Bruno Barretto (Four Days In September). He has also been heard with cutting edge scores to Wide Sargasso Sea, Rapa Nui, and Fresh, and on recent films from Deuces Wild to She's All That to Very Bad Things. While he does studio films, Copeland notes his niche is art movies: "A Robin Hood policy of taking from the rich and giving to the poor."

Copeland has also ventured into other musical worlds--opera, ballet and orchestra. "The success of The Police was an enabler," he says, "encouraging and empowering me to explore more original music. It never bothered me that I was learning in public; perhaps that's the best way to learn because you don't fit into a box. It wasn't so much thinking outside the box," he adds with a laugh, "but 'What box?'"

He composed King Lear for the San Francisco Ballet and Holy Blood And Crescent Moon for the Cleveland Opera, performed by a 90-piece orchestra and 60-member chorus. He penned the new Horse Opera, commissioned and broadcast by the U.K.'s Channel 4, and wrote the music for the one-act opera Cask Of Amontillado, based on the short story by Edgar Allen Poe, and Ballet Oklahoma's Prey.

In 1993, Copeland made his first appearance as a Featured Guest Percussionist with a major symphony orchestra, the Seattle Symphony, performing original compositions including a world premiere entitled Solcheeka and an excerpt from The Stars That Played With Luck Joe's Cards. In 1995, a collection of his compositions was recorded with the Albany Symphony Orchestra under the direction of David Alan Miller and with Miller's avant-garde ensemble The Dogs Of Desire. Between those two efforts, he headlined a national tour featuring a diverse group of musicians including UAKTI from Brazil, Percussion de Guinea, Vinx, and Ray Lema, supporting his solo album The Rhythmatist. (His other solo album, under the pseudonym Klark Kent, was 1980's eccentric Music Madness From The Kinetic Kid.)

Copeland also performs worldwide in the format called orchestrali, for which he travels on tour and to festivals where a 20-piece orchestra plays his arrangements of original opera, ballet, etc. Additionally, he has delved into interactive media by scoring the PlayStation series Spyro The Dragon.

For more than a decade, however, he put aside his rock 'n' roll drumming. "You do less and less and eventually none at all," he says. Then came Oysterhead. When they first convened, he was "completely blown away with their virtuosity and that we were all on the same musical wavelength." The 2001 album The Grand Pecking Order and a one-month tour followed.

"In film, you're no longer the artist, the director is, so you serve someone else's vision. That's fine; I'm a team player and since your collaborator is not a musician you get to do all the music yourself. But bands are intense experiences. The tour was a blast of fun, energy, and excitement. When you're a kid you have to take on the world. But with this I could just keep my head down and bang away on the drums." An album follow-up is likely in the near future, as is an album from the new Doors.

From the very beginning, says Copeland of The Police, "we assumed we would achieve world domination. We wouldn't have done it otherwise." Accomplishing that, the band's success has helped propel Stewart Copeland's own original work onto the classical stage and the silver screen, creating one of the most fascinating bodies of work of any modern musici

Andy Ihnatko - The Chicago Sun-Times

Andy Ihnatko is a Boston-based geek and writer who works for anyone foolish enough to pay him. He's The Chicago Sun-Times' technology columnist as well as Macworld Magazine's back-page opinion guy, and his writings also appear in Playboy, Yahoo! Internet Life, CNN.com, and in the occasional book. Roger Ebert credits him for writing "at least a third" of his "Little Movie Glossary." He (Andy) would also like to point out that he made his indy film debut last year, owns two goldfish named Click and Drag, builds animatronic toys that can be controlled via telepresence to hassle cats, has one published credit contributing to a single issue of the "Ren & Stimpy" comic, that the column he wrote about modifying his girlfriend's coffeemaker is a true story, that while said girlfriend is no longer in the picture, the business with the coffeemaker was in no way at fault, and that he has had to say "No, really, this is probably the best you can do with my hair" to TV makeup people often enough that he's had the phrase printed on embossed pocket-sized cards for convenience.

Alan Oppenheimer - Macintosh Pioneer & CEO - Open Door Networks

Alan B. Oppenheimer, president and founder of Open Door Networks graduated from M.I.T. in 1983. Alan worked for Apple Computer from 1983 to 1994, helping to design the AppleTalk network system and working on such products as the LaserWriter printer, AppleShare file server, Apple Internet Router and Apple Remote Access.

Alan founded Open Door Networks in January of 1995. Open Door is a Macintosh-focused Internet company. Open Door's products include ShareWay IP (used for Mac OS 9's Internet File Sharing), the DoorStop Firewall (used by Symantec as the basis of its Norton Personal Firewall), the Who's There? Firewall Advisor and most recently Envision: the New Way to Experience the Web (or "Your Macintosh as Modern Art").

Alan is co-author of the books "Inside AppleTalk" and "Internet Security for Your Macintosh: A Guide for the Rest of Us". He's also now a no-longer long-suffering Red Sox fan.

Sam's Cool Mac Pick's - October 30th 2004

Canon's PIXMA iP-4000 Printer

Exceptional Photo Quality with Impressive Speed and Flexibility

Canon keeps coming up with solid inkjet printing solutions. Even supports direct camera (PictBridge) to printer function.

High-performance 5-color printing

If you're looking for outstanding quality, high speed and advanced convenience features, the Canon PIXMA iP4000 Photo Printer is ideal. Its ContrastPLUS 5-color ink system with four dye-based inks plus a pigment-based black ink produces true-life photos with improved color saturation and contrast along with laser-quality text. Plus, it achieves a resolution of up to 4800 x 1200 color dpi1, for exceptional detail and photo-realism. Canon Full-photolithography Inkjet Nozzle Engineering (FINE) uses a high-performance 1,856-nozzle print head that ejects consistent, prescribed-volume droplets as small as 2 picoliters. Simply put: more nozzles with higher accuracy equal better results at impressive speeds. You can even produce edge-to-edge borderless photos in 4 x 6, 5 x 7 and 8.5 x 11 in. sizes, with the look and feel of traditional photographs.

Using the PIXMA iP4000 Photo Printer is fast and easy. How fast? It can produce up to 25 ppm in black and up to 17 ppm in color, and a 4" x 6" borderless print takes only 36 seconds2. How easy? With direct photo printing, you can even print without a computer: simply connect any PictBridge compatible3 digital camera or DV camcorder, and print!

Canon Think Tank System

To help reduce printing costs4, this efficient system has five individual ink tanks that let you replace only the color that runs out, rather than an entire cartridge containing unused ink. Plus, a unique low-ink sensor alerts you when ink levels are low, so you are prepared to just drop in a new tank as needed.

• ContrastPLUS ink system for true-life photos and laser-quality text
• Up to 25 ppm black/up to 17 ppm color
• Dual paper path with built-in 2 sided printing
• Maximum 4800 x 1200 color dpi with microscopic droplets as small as 2 picoliters
• Direct photo printing from PictBridge compatible digital cameras & DV camcorders
• Borderless 4" x 6" photographs in approx. 36 seconds

Canon iP 4000
MSRP: $149.99
http://www.canon.com

Available through Apple Retail Stores, CompUSA, Canon.com, and many consumer electronic outlets

BOOQ Laptop Backpacks, Laptop Sleeves (for all PowerBook and iBook models)

Style coupled with design and comfort. Multiple ways to mix and match backpack systems makes it fun to carry your PowerBook/iBook.

Booq's Boa Backpacks offers the ultimate in protection and versatility for your 15/17-inch PowerBook or PC laptop.

Choose from PowerSleeve15 or PowerSleeve17, includes FonePaq and PDApaq. The powerful solution for high-performance laptops.

The All-New 2004 PowerSleeve12

If you want one of the coolest sleeves for your PowerBook, then check out Booq's new PowerSleeve. It's stylish, comfortable and available for the PowerBook/iBook 12, 14, 15 and 17".

Booq's all-new PowerSleeve12 is the ideal compact carrying case for your 12-inch PowerBook or iBook and a couple of accessories. Tougher, more durable than ever before, the PowerSleeve12 offers awesome protection for your PowerBook. And, with its superwide seatbelt-nylon shoulder strap and custom molded shoulder pad this rugged case achieves a level of comfort unheard of in a sleeve.

BOOQ's PowerSleeve12 is a rugged and sleek laptop sleeve made from extremely durable 1680D ballistic nylon. This padded, toploading laptop case features a durable buckle flap with zippered pocket, custom BOOQ hardware, and a large back pocket. This case also serves as a great document folder for your next class or meeting! Order yours today!

PowerSleeve12 features:

• carrying case with 0.5" padded protection for your 12-inch iBook or PowerBook;
• made from tough and weather-resistant 1680D nylon - virtually indestructible;
• front pocket for small items, power adapter, disks or cards;
• back pocket for small documents;
• rugged carrying handle;
• comes with detachable 2-inch seatbelt-nylon shoulder strap with movable, molded shoulder pad;
• designed to fit into our BP3 backpack;
• it's a great gift!

BOOQ Backpack, PowerSleeve
MSRP: $44.95 - $199.95
http://www.BOOQBags.com

iPal (Portable Audio Laboratory)

Battery operated speaker with built in AM/FM radio that matches the iPod is hands down a winner for anyone who travels and/or works listening to a radio.

Heck, they even built an (optional) carry case for it too!

The iPAL is the perfect complement to the iPod. Functionally the same as our other PAL radios, it matches the sleek, modern, white and chrome appearance of the popular iPod MP3 player.

Use the auxiliary input to connect an iPod, CD Player or other device, and prepare to be amazed at the expansive sound, which must be heard to be believed. iPod can also be connected wirelessly using the iTrip FM Transmitter (sold separately). The environmentally-friendly NiMH battery, which fully charges in about 3 hours, provides many hours of cordless playback*. The clever little green LED serves as both a power and battery status indicator. The iPAL also features the world's most acclaimed AM/FM tuner, with Automatic Frequency Control (AFC) to lock on to the center of the station for best reception and lowest distortion.

The ultra-precise 5.1 ratio dial allows easy, accurate tuning. An adjustable telescoping FM antenna extends and rotates for improved FM reception (there is also a built-in AM antenna). NiMH battery pack, AC adapter, and stereo mini-cable included. One year warranty.

iPal speaker
MSRP: $129.95
http://www.TiviliAudio.com

Available through Apple Retail Stores, Apple Online, TivoliAudio.com and many consumer electronic outlets

Scott Sheppard - Executive Producer / Host

Scott Sheppard is the founder and editor of the popular Macintosh Web Site, http://www.OSXFAQ.com He is also a monthly Contributing Editor to Macworld UK magazine and produces a daily audio broadcast of Mac news and information Inside Mac Radio.

Scott Sheppard previously hosted the Inside Mac Show broadcast by CNET radio.

Scott has been using Apple computers for more than 25 years, as well as spending many years as a Wintel user, giving him the unique perspective of having spent a lot of time on both sides of the computer fence.

Sam Levin - Senior Mac Technologist

Sam Levin Co-Founded the Stanford Mac Users' Group in 1985, and has worked with leading Macintosh developers on business development, licensing, and strategic market development. Sam Directed licensing and business development initiatives for leading companies such as Axio, Virgin Interactive, Broderbund, Chronos, Mattel, Connectix, IBM Multimedia, IXLA, iSkin, Jiiva, Keyspan, Microsoft, MYOB, MacMice, Fathom Pictures, LandWare, Nova Development, Totally Hip Software, Y-E Data and more.

Sam has been using Macs for 20 years, as well as tied into the world of handheld and digital imaging, providing him a special angle on personal computing and consumer electronics.

Ken Ray - UTN Director Of Engineering

Ken Ray has worked both sides of the radio mic for over ten years. He has written and produced comedy bits for an alternative station in Boston, anchored two and half hours of news daily on TechTV Radio, was morning drive personality on an FM country station in the middle of nowhere, was operations director for an AM in Boston, was operations director for an AM in San Francisco, and has logged countless hours in production studios, tearing out everything from down and dirty :30 spots that need to hit the air yesterday to agency spots to long-form infomercials and even longer-form CD projects. Writing news, spots, promos and interstitials also fits somewhere in his repertoire. And he runs a mean radio board for in studio as well as remote broadcasts.

Outside of radio, Ken wrote for the magazine Global Technology Business.

He also makes a darn good bread pudding.

Greg Douglas - UTN Director of Network Operations

Gregory Douglas has fifteen years of experience in the radio, television and computer- related areas. He was the Director of Network Operations for Personal Achievement Radio, which included responsibilities for the production, operation and distribution of the "PAR" format. As the primary individual in charge of the on-air sound for "PAR", Mr. Douglas interacted with the motivational authors, Nightingale-Conant, ABC Radio Networks, PAR O & O's and affiliates and the broadcast talent. He pioneered the transition to digital for the flagship PAR studios. In addition, Mr. Douglas was M.I.S. Manager for Douglas Broadcasting Inc. where he was responsible for the traffic and business computer functions as well as the computer networking of DBI/PAR radio outlets.

Previously, he was the General Manager of DBI's Seattle operation and Station Manager at WBPS-AM in Boston. Also, Mr. Douglas has been involved in almost all areas of broadcasting, including traffic, business, engineering, production and sales.