Mac OS X v.10.4 - Tiger

So, the next version of Apple's operating system slated for release in the first 1/2 of 2005 has been previewed at the Worldwide Developer's Conference. OS X 10.4 Tiger will have a bevy of new features and will be optimized to enhance system performance (UNIX and 64-bit addressing enhancements) and improve system display (Core Image filters).

Here are some other highlights:

Spotlight: A system-wide search engine that will produce a results page as you type rather than waiting for the search engine to scan through pre-indexed results. It also seems to rely on a robust metadata system that developers can access via API's in order to customize the application. Very cool.

iChat: It will allow you to have video chats with up to three people at the same time (with an elegant user interface to manage the three streams) and to audio chat with up to nine people. In addition, it will rely on Quicktime's next video compression technology to improve video quality: H.264/AVC (Advanced Video Coding).

Dashboard: Hmmm, I wonder what Konfabulator thinks about this particular development. I had discussed Konfabulator's widgets in a previous post. It seems that Apple has decided to make a stable of widgets part of their OS. Like Konfabulator, Apple allows outside developers to create widgets for the OS: "Developers can build their own Widgets using the JavaScript language to take advantage of Core Image capabilities."

Safari RSS: Apple's Safari browser will include interfaces to view and organize RSS feeds within the browser itself. Many are used to third-party news aggregators (such as NetNewsWire) doing this or to websites (such as Bloglines) offering these services .

Oh, and let's not forget the new line of Apple Cinema Displays released today. Is it time to begin the debate asking whether there should be a dividing line between something being a computer monitor and something being a television?

2.0 Ghz Dual-Processor Apple G5

Following my unofficial policy of upgrading or getting a new computer every three years or so, I recently got a new dual-processor Apple G5. So far, so smooth, sleek and fast. It has been whisper quiet as promised -- the cats are confused. They like to sit next to the tower, staring at it as if it were the cryptic monolith in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Since I am all excited about its arrival, I have been scouring the web for software and utilities for it. Since I tend to download many of these that then tend to accumulate digital dust, I have exercised some stricter judgment this time around. Here are some of the standouts so far:

Volume Logic by Octiv: This is a plug-in for iTunes that remasters the digital music on-the-fly as it plays. Apparently, tons of FM radio stations use this technology when broadcasting. The improvements are significant on my Creative Inspire speakers.

Konfabulator by Arlo Rose and Perry Clarke: This is a beautiful looking application that allows you to activate "widgets" on your screen that do tons of things depending on what developers build for it. Some examples include a weather indicator, retro clocks, news feeds, automatic CD cover art locators, etc. Take some time exploring the hundreds of widgets -- hours and hours of fun for the whole family.

Quicken 2004 for Mac by Intuit: This is a standout because this is the first time I will be doing banking, bill pay and stock portfolio management electronically. I am in the midst of migrating my funds away from a bank where notable discrepancies between my home-calculated balance and their own calculations happened every two months or so. Let's see if this helps figure things out.

Feel free to drop some comments letting me know about any cool and/or genuinely useful applications for the Mac.

By Eric, 01:00 PM in Apple, Design, Web/Tech

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June 15, 2004

Benjamin Franklin Parkway

The Philadelphia Daily News has posted a special section discussing possible ways to improve the Parkway. In addition to several articles championing different projects and maintaining current features (e.g., introducing a line of cafes along the Parkway, keeping the baseball park, etc.), they offer a couple of PDFs depicting how the western and eastern halves of the Parkway could be developed.

| Philadelphia Daily News: "Rethinking the Parkway" section |
| PDFs: Eastern half :: Western half |

By Eric, 11:26 AM in Architecture, Philadelphia, Urbanism

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June 11, 2004

Philadelphia views: 1800 - 1960 - 2000

Someone in the Phillyblog.com forums posted a link to a wonderful site that collects engravings and photographs of spots in Philadelphia as they looked in 1800, 1960 and 2000. The changes and continuities are truly intriguing to view.

| Birch's Views of Philadelphia |

By Eric, 08:03 AM in Architecture, Philadelphia

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Update: Tax breaks for Comcast Tower

Following up on the previous post about the future of Philadelphia's skyline:

| Philadelphia Inquirer - "Tax breaks for two projects advance" |

By Eric, 07:40 AM in Architecture, Philadelphia, Urbanism

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June 07, 2004

Future Philadelphia Skyscrapers?

Skyscraper proposals have been swirling around this city lately. Some of them are residential in nature while others are designed to convince high-profile companies (e.g., Comcast) to stay put. The viability of these proposals depends, in part, on whether developers and tenants receive significant incentives and tax-breaks to make their commitment worth their while.

One particular area of debate with commercial developments is the creation of "Keystone Opportunity Zones" (KOZ) that would give tenants significant tax-breaks for occupying these new developments. The typical KOZ break includes a 10 or 15 year tax-free period. This has caused significant debate that can be sketched out quickly in this way:

KOZ tax-breaks will bring high-occupancy tenants and construction projects to the city leading to an increased number of Center City workers and development that will have a long-term economic impact on the area. Additional employees would pay the city wage tax and spend some of their funds in the city. vs.

The loss of tax-revenue allowed by the KOZ breaks will outweigh the economic impact of tenants and workers that would rather escape the city and spend their time and dollars in their suburban neighborhoods. In particular, the loss of revenue would be most damaging to the school district.

Many Philadelphians are worried that long tax breaks will cut off an important source of revenue for the city and replace it with the less predictable economic impact associated with office workers dwelling in the city. With this in mind, Councilman W. Wilson Goode Jr. has introduced an alternative incentive package for some of these proposed developments.

The city is about to undertake significant budget and city service cuts as a result of a shortfall in revenue. It is no longer clear that wage tax breaks that were going to be implemented in the coming years will, in fact, be implemented. Will the creation of KOZ tax breaks help or hinder the city's revenue?

Here are renditions of some of the new proposed developments in the works. Some hinge on the tax break situation, some do not while others are still in the earliest stages of their development.

• One Pennsylvania Plaza
  (commercial, 17th and JFK Blvd, Comcast Tower)
• Cira Centre
  (commercial, next to 30th St. Station)
  web site
• Philadelphia World Trade Square
  
  (commercial)
  web site
• CityCenter Tower
  (residential, off City Hall)
• 1441 Chestnut
  (residential)
  web site
• Symphony House
  (residential, Broad and Pine, near Kimmel Center)
  article
• 17th and Vine
  (unknown)

For those of you interested in the nitty-gritty details, here are some dueling reports to consider:

• The developers of the 17th and JFK Comcast Tower have posted a commissioned analysis of the economic benefits of their project (PDF),
• while the Center City Owners Association has posted a commissioned analysis outlining the potential demerits of the 17 & JFK and Cira Centre projects (PDF).

By Eric, 02:04 PM in Architecture, Philadelphia, Urbanism

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June 02, 2004

Visual Collections

I bumped into a wonderful site that collects hundreds of thousands of "maps, fine artwork, photographs and other items from over thirty renowned collections." These are not simple jpg images, however. You will need to use their Insight Browser or Java client in order to search and zoom in to view the fine details.

The Visual Collections site from Cartography Associates contains dozens of digital image collections from Museums, Universities and private collections throughout the world. Our mission is to encourage the development of future collections and facilitate their worldwide distribution to both scholars and the general public.

Cartography Associates strives to provide an on-line environment wherein all types of digital collections from a wide range of resources can be seamlessly fused together into one large, comprehensive collection.

| Visual Collections |

By Eric, 06:55 AM in Architecture, Design, Photography

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June 01, 2004

Philadelphia Bloggers

Though I'd like to think that Elliptic Blog is at the center of the universe, it is good to take note of other blogs and forums that are also concerned with living in Philadelphia. Here are a few to take note of:

Good Grief!: A blog from "a 'senior business intelligence analyst' who works at a Philadelphia-area academic hospital."

Phillyblog.com: Though it hosts multiple blogs, the current and interesting activity happens in the Forum.

Philly Future: A blog that compiles and presents headlines and links from blogs and sites that deal with Philadelphia.

If you are familiar with other ones I should know about, please drop a comment about it.

By Eric, 07:35 AM in Philadelphia, Weblogs

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