I think Mac HelpMate is one of the greatest Mac maintenance, diagnostic, and troubleshooting tools ever invented, and you can't beat the price -- it's free. But wait...there's more...

It's been a while since I offered a genuine rant in this space, but I couldn't resist sharing this incredible tale of what is perhaps the most inept promotion -- a free offer from H&R Block to Mac users -- I've ever seen in my life (and I've seen a lot).

Music, movie, and multimedia fans and pros flock to Austin, Texas each March to learn and share knowledge at the South By Southwest Festival and Conference. The last session I attended on your behalf, gentle reader, was a panel discussion entitled, " Come Together: Mobile Phones and Portable Music Players Converge." I thought, with the imminent release of the Apple iPhone there might be some interesting insights offered in this session.

Music, movie, and multipedia fans and pros flock to the South By Southwest Festival and Conference every year to learn and share. One music session, "Crash Course: Recording," caught my attention - especially since I fancy myself as a capable home audio producer.

As you may know, I am allowed to play guitar with the Macworld All-Star Band once each year. We celebrated our 10th gig together at Cirque du Mac, and I'd like to share is how I used my MacBook Pro running IK Multimedia's fabulous AmpliTube 2 GarageBand plug-in in lieu of an on-stage amplifier and outboard effects.

I'm a sucker for an interesting hardware design. Unfortunately, there aren't that many Mac products that exhibit interesting or unique designs. That said, I've been collecting pictures of hardware products with interesting design characteristics ever since Macworld in January, so here are some of my faves:

While the two iPhones in Apple's booth were encased in glass and untouchable, like artifacts from King Tut's tomb, I was among the chosen and got a hands-on product briefing early Wednesday morning.

Things have been so hectic here at Macworld Expo in San Francisco that this is literally the first time all week I've had time to sit down and write. Here's how it's gone so far...

As the year draws to close, I realize that I've used more keyboards and mice this year than many people will use in a lifetime. I've sampled nearly a dozen different keyboards and even more pointing devices. So in this episode I'll show you the keyboard and mouse I liked best after extensive testing and research.

So here's the deal -- if you buy a MacBook it comes with a glossy screen whether you like it or not. If you buy a MacBook Pro, however, you have a choice -- glossy or not. If you're any kind of a Mac enthusiast and are considering a new laptop sometime in the near future, you've no doubt given more than a little thought to the glossy or not question.