...dedicated to...hmmm, we're still figuring that one out...
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Software Releases and Updates On Saturday I ran a brief description of Corey Ormsby's TopSites Mac freeware. Corey dropped me a note of thanks and also offered a sneak peak at TopSites 1.1 which I was happy to accept. TopSites is a link repository with separate panes for the top 25 sites from a recent Best of the Mac Web Survey, a "My Favorites" pane for your own entries, and a new email address book. I obligingly took version 1.1 for a spin under both Classic (576K) and OS X (916K) without even dinging the fenders. Be sure to take a look at TopSites if you work on a Mac. And...be sure to drop Corey an email of appreciation for a very smooth ride with a new Mac freeware. Better yet, drop by the MacRaffle.com home page and pick up a few tickets on a new G4 iMac! RPN Calculator has matured to version 1.5.8. The $8 shareware for "complex number math," along with its freeware companion, PolyRoot 1.0.4 for finding polynomial roots, continue to receive rave reviews on the Version Tracker. Reviewers say, "Quite remarkably good," "...gets my Best Calculator Award," and "...almost unfathomably cool. At $8, it's less than two Guinesses." Pascal Chiotasso has updated his Mac OS X freeware Mini Calculator to version 2.1. Mini Calculator allows inline expressions in a global floating window.
Jim Graham has released Cross Word Search Creator 1.0 (930K) for Macintosh. The $25 shareware Cross Word Search Creator can create both crossword puzzles and word searches in a variety of shapes. Black Cat Systems has updated their periodic table application, The Atomic Mac, to version 5.3. The Windows version from EngResource, The Atomic PC, remains at version 1.1. TaxCut Federal Update -- No State Versions Yet for Macintosh For those of you who followed up on the offer for a free copy of H&R Block's Kiplinger TaxCut 2001 or purchased TaxCut Deluxe 2001, there is now a Macintosh update available for the federal version. At this writing, the server is swamped, so be patient and persistent. I did finally get through and made the download, but only after about an hour of trying. While I've used TaxCut since 1997 with varying degrees of frustration, I think I'm going to have to switch to something else. H&R Block's tardiness with Macintosh updates and state versions is inexcusable. The Block site still says state versions for Macintosh are unavailable: "Macintosh versions will be available by February 28, 2002." I have to have both federal and state taxes filed by the promised state version release date, as some FASFA college loan forms must include that information and are due March 1. Even with a free download of the federal version, Block makes money on the electronic filing and state version purchases, which are included with the paid Deluxe version. The free version or the paid one isn't much of a deal, however, when Block doesn't get out the state versions and federal updates for Macintosh in a timely manner. I'm sorry if I led you astray in previous postings, but I think for now I must withdraw any endorsement of H&R Block tax programs I may have implied due to their irresponsible treatment of their Macintosh customers. In the past, I've been able to live with TaxCut's second-class treatment of Mac users by buying the program on hybrid CD and reverting to the Windows version when necessary. That isn't an option for Mac-only users or those who downloaded the Mac version. A tax program is supposed to ease the difficulty of filing required tax forms, not intensify it. TaxCut's customer service email address is CustomerService@TaxCut.com. Options for Mac users are pretty limited with TurboTax for Macintosh at $49.95 being about it. If you wish to buy TurboTax and Quicken 2002 together, you can get a bundle from Amazon that includes free shipping for $103.98 after rebates. DealMac has a suggestion for buying TurboTax for Macintosh from OfficeDepot.com that could turn out to run just $35.78. Pertinent Columns An Associated Press posting, Bush Proposes $2.1 Trillion Budget, mentions that the proposed budget will include increases in spending for education. AP Economics Writer Martin Crutsinger says the budget will include "a new...tax credit worth up to $2,500 per child to help families cover the cost of private school tuition and other expenses to move their children out of schools with persistently low test scores." Update: The Washington Post today carries the column, Bush Budget Proposes Education Tax Credit, that gives a bit more detail on the proposal. Tucked away towards the end of the Los Angeles Times editorial, The Special Ed Conundrum, is an admission of the federal government's lack of support of special education:
Most of the editorial is a stinging rebuke of the school system's handling of special education students' needs over the years. The editorial begins:
Editorials such as this one will certainly raise the anxiety level of both special education and regular education parents. Sadly, the Times comments may prove to be pretty accurate. Richard Rothstein points out in a recent New York Times column, If Tried, Real Integration Easily Proves Its Worth (free registration required). Rothstein writes, "The Supreme Court was right in 1954, but we are not now headed toward the integrated education that its reasoning demanded." Jay Mathews of the Washington Post tells of a revival of sentence diagramming in some classrooms in Putting Grammar Lessons on the Line. While diagramming sentences is currently out of vogue in most classrooms, Mathews notes that many educators are returning to the old practice with positive results. In an older Class Struggle column that I'd missed, Jay reports on colleges' use of federal work-study funds in A Disappearing Ideal of Community Service. Jay notes that many prestigious universities come out poorly in using such funds for intended community service. I found the column interesting, as good old Indiana State University has funded a delightful college freshman work-study student to work two days a week this year in my classroom. (Who says "ISU" stands for "I screwed up?" Sorry, an old joke from many of us who took some classes there!) Blood, Gore, and Guts I don't remember ever cutting myself while working inside a Macintosh computer...that is, until today. I'm used to sharp edges inside PCs and have learned to watch for them. Today's task was to complete the rebuild of a Power Mac 5400/200 that had a bad IDE tape. Unfortunately, the process requires a total teardown of the machine to replace the whole assembly. I used a part I'd salvaged from a 5400/180 that had been parted out and set aside for disposal. While most Macs are pretty easy to disassemble and put back together, the 5400 is probably the most difficult machine, Mac or PC, with which I've worked. There are lots of sharp edges and tight spots one must access. Draining off the power from the high voltage sources is always a treat, even with the approved Apple tool and electricians gloves. Without a repair manual, the job would have been a disaster. Fortunately, the 5400 fired up and ran well after the ordeal. A word to the wise would be not to twist or abuse the hard drive tape in the 5400 series Macintosh. If you have to replace it, you're in for a world of hurt. Pass the Band-Aids, please. If you have suggestions, news ideas, etc., please . Original iMac DV Mysteriously Shutting Down or Starting Up? If you're experiencing some unusual behavior with an original iMac DV, Scienceman Joe Martha may have your answer. The Scienceman has posted a page of excellent, illustrated instructions showing how to fix a jammed iMac power button. SchwabLearning.org New items this week from the SchwabLearning.org include:
Software Releases and Updates James Thomson has issued a bug fix update to his excellent Macintosh navigation utility, DragThing. Version 4.2.1 addresses the problem of "long pauses when switching between applications." Microsoft has issued a Network Security Updater for Office v. X that improves security of Office applications on a network. Pertinent Columns An Associated Press posting notes Edison Schools, Inc., the major privatization player in the Philadelphia schools takeover, may have "consistently overstated the academic progress of its schools." School privatization critic Gerald Bracey is quoted as saying Edison makes "hyperbolic conclusions, using data that can only be described as questionable." A CNN/Reuters report notes Bush budget revives private-school funding fight. President Bush's proposal to give families with students in "underachieving public schools" a tax credit up to $2,500 to cover tuition, fees or transport to a private school has reopened the school voucher debate. 
Before I made the posting last Monday on the TaxCut federal update and continuing absence of Mac state versions (while Windows state versions have been available for some time), I also sent the posting and a strong email of protest to CustomerService@TaxCut.com. Other than an automated email response that promised "Your comments, concerns, and questions are very important to us and will be addressed within two (2) business days," I have received no response from TaxCut. Obviously, they don't intend to get the Mac state versions out very quickly and certainly have neglected to appropriately respond to my inquiry and complaint. That was enough to convince me to vote with my pocketbook today and choose TurboTax for Macintosh at $49.95. It's state versions are available now and it includes one free e-filing. While I was at it, I updated to Quicken 2002 and picked up free shipping also. Update: Marc Long wrote to point out that Intuit offers free online tax filing for those whose income after deductions (AGI) is less than $25,000. The press release for the Tax Freedom page on Intuit's Quicken site notes that since it is an online offering, "consumers can use them from any computer with Internet access." Richard L. Errington wrote to say that he's currently testing both TaxCut and TurboTax and leaning towards using TaxCut. He noted the same things that made me switch from MacInTax to TaxCut several years ago: "Intuit's continued poor treatment of it's longtime customers;" and the price difference between the two products. The price difference is considerable, as Amazon sells TaxCut for $24.95 and TurboTax for Macintosh for $49.95. While he bemoaned that the TurboTax "multistate CD will not be available until mid-February at the earliest," I had to switch back to TurboTax as they at least have single state programs available now, as opposed to TaxCut's promised "by February 28." Bill Fox of MacsOnly fame wrote:
Yeah, I've done a few of those April 15 filings for the very same reason. Obviously, your comments are welcome, as it certainly is a tough choice. One of my web buddies is going to have his wife use the free TaxCut for OS X federal (no longer available--sorry! :-( and print the return to file it. That one sounds like a sure winner. The Tax program cost him nothing, and he got his wife to do the taxes. Slick move, Joe!  Have a great weekend!
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