October 31 - November 2, 2003

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In The Grave - Gad zooks! Another day of the dead has dug up all you over grown boyz and ghouls for a fright night in Spooksville! For all you big ghosts, remember...No Drinkin' and Thinkin'! Hand over the keys to avoid driving yourself and others straight to the graveyard. And for all you little spookies, keep those big thugs in line and give them the safety reminder on their way out the door. Oh yeah! Be sure to share those sweet treats!

In Between - Boy! I tell ya. I don't know which is worse...The spirits grabbin' my spotlight top spot, or the snow that we get every year on Halloween! And this year we've got like 2 feet of the white stuff on the ground...No joke. But at least we can stay inside the Monkie Zoo and enjoy some good GUI treats of our own spirited brew. Yuppers! A double treat with Icons and a Desktop. Plus there's Community News and Humor too. Let's get to it!

P.S. Because of the weather and intermittent ISP outages, we will most likely take the weekend off.

New GOO!

New Icons and Desktop - Nopers! You won't find any tricks around here. Just some good ol' GUI treats as we pull 3 New Icon Sets and 1 New Halloween Desktop outta the Monkie hat for our Freaked Out Friday Icon (and Desktop) Edition! Let's dig 'em up!

Pictures and Adicons - I would hate to see the condition of the Tin Man as it appears he's been parted out by the icon mechanic Adam Dickson. But Adam has done quite the styling job of puttin' the pieces back together with Tin System from the ever popular Pictures and Adicons. A great set of goo without the rust!

Steve Ansell - Too bad that Steve Ansell didn't have a garlic and stake icon combo included in this week's pixel pair! But we imagine that the rather sharp Pencil Icons will be plenty to scare away all the spookies as we all know the dead don't like doing their homework!

wbc icons - Any vampire would be proud to own the blood red edition of Yazoo's iYazoo series with iYazoo Crimson Folders. This great set from wbc icons is an awesome collection to sink your teeth into without having to break out the floss.

James Naylor - One nice thing about James Naylor is that whether Christmas or Halloween, he always manages to get into the spirit of things. For this season's ghostly theme, James brings us a rather cheerful look at this haunted time with a desktop titled Happy Halloween. And of course, this is what we wish for everyone. Enjoy!

 

Thanks Department --

Yazoo, Adam, James, and Steve...

Thank you for sharing with us and the web!

CHEERS!!

Send Us Your Icons!

Community News

Mandolux - Mr. Mando Gomez has once again filled the galleries of Mandolux with his superb style of desktop wonders. Here's the week's recap:

Mandolux has issued three new desktops this week: one zenas | closer (Abstract/Pumpkin), one Morning: Spider (Nature/Close-up), and one more CAP: (Florida Marlins)

The latest zenas | closer desktop is an abstract picture of a Pumpkin with a wonderful texture and nonfigurative shapes set in oranges and streaks of dark and white tones. This is a wonderful desktop for Halloween or everyday wallpaper. Now that you've got the scoop, you've gotta get to Mandolux and get the goods!

Bananas

Just Plain Nutz

GRAVE SITUATION

One dark night two men were walking home after a party and decided to take a shortcut through the cemetery just for laughs. Right in the middle of the cemetery they were startled by a tap-tap-tapping noise coming from the misty shadows. Trembling with fear, they found an old man with a hammer and chisel, chipping away at one of the headstones.

"Holy cow, Mister," one of them said after catching his breath, "You scared us half to death we thought you were a ghost!  What are you doing working here so late at night?"

"Those fools!" the old man grumbled. "They misspelled my name!"

LAUN-DRA-SPOOK

What do you get when you cross a were-wolf with a drip-dry suit?

A wash-and-werewolf.

VAMPIRE DRINKS

Three vampires walk into a bar. The waitress comes up to them and asks them what they'll have.

The first vampire says, "I'll have a glass of O Positive."The second vampire says, "I'll have a glass of AB Negative."  The third vampire says, "I'm the designated driver. I'll just have a glass of plasma."

The waitress turns toward the bartender and yells, "Gimme two bloods and one blood lite!"

October 30, 2003

Monkie News | On The Net | Network News

Monkie News

Tomorrow: New Icons - Another Friday is creeping its way in your direction with our Freaked Out Friday Icon Edition. We will try to keep the spookies at bay with scrumptious GUI goodies, but we won't make promises as the ghoulies will be out for Allhallows Eve. So sneak in tomorrow and we might even have an extra treat...if not a TRICK! Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha !!!!!!!

On The Net

iPulse: Jacket Required - If you've been keepin' up with the recent outpour of goodies from The Iconfactory's pixel potpourri, you may have noticed a new wardrobe of Jackets on the racks for their popular system monitoring utility iPulse! The artists from the Factory have been plenty busy as they have added 12 new Jackets to dress up your copy of iPulse. So you best get over to The Iconfactory and try on some new iPulse suits. You know what they say...Every girl's crazy 'bout a sharp dressed Mac!

A Better Finder Attributes 3.2 - The folks from PUBLICSPACE.NET have announced the availability of A Better Finder Attributes 3.2, the Mac OS X Finder enhancement. The new version features an improved Mac OS X 10.3 Panther look and feel and allows file dates and times to be manipulated separately. Upon popular demand, they now offer forever upgrades and licenses. Make your Finder better with A Better Finder Attributes from PUBLICSPACE.NET!

OmniOutliner 2.2.6 - Just in from The OmniGroup is word of OmniOutliner 2.2.6, – an update to the outlining and organizational tool for Mac OS X that addresses recently discovered issues with the application when running under Mac OS X 10.3 Panther. The update for this fine Mac tool is recommended for all users and is available with a simple click! All the details on OmniOutliner can be found by making a bee line to The OmniGroup.

PrefsMenu 1.2.2 - Just let out of Jail is the latest release of PrefsMenu. This is a little app that adds a menu to right side of the menubar allowing easy access to System Preferences. Version 1.2.2 fixes a bug where the menu icon didn't have a shadow in Panther and the about box now shows Jail's new email and web addresses. Get yourself a steal of a deal and get the latest update of PrefsMenu!

Network News

the WebWorld - BeanHead

Who Was That Masked Mac Man? - Apple fanatics might consider parading around as Apple CEO Steve Jobs on fright night this Friday. The popular spokesperson has been portrayed online in a pirate mask, which can be downloaded, printed, and worn by all. Forbes, who posted the famous masked man, justifies Jobs' pirate mask by jesting that he has become a friend to former song pirates through iTunes and the iPod. There are quite a few famous face masks found at the Forbes site, including one of Bill Gates as FrankenBill. - from MacCentral

Visitors Surge To Apple's Site - Statistics show that web surfers are swarming to Apple’s website like bats out of you-know-where to download the Windows version of iTunes. Just last week Apple had more than twice the usual number of unique visitors knocking at their website door. NetRatings confirmed that the number was actually above a ghastly million! With the continued success of iTunes, Windows users are sure to be bobbing for Apples -- or Apple’s software, that is -- long after Halloween has passed. - from MacMinute

October 29, 2003

Desktops | Community News | On The Net | Bananas

At The Top - Hot diggity GUI dogs! It's time once again to smack the hump day blues in the rear and get 'em on outta here with our mid-week Wednesday Desktop Edition! Some cool new Desktop GOO has been placed on the Gallery platters and is ready for your dining delight. Plus we've got a nice portion of Community News, Software News On The Net, and Bananas that haven't turned yellow yet! Let's get to it!

New GOO!

New Desktops - Look out GUI grinners! Another fine selection of pixels is headed straight for your goo goo googlin' eyes. So take off your goggles and put on a grin as we begin!

Desktops - We start this edition with a fine selection from our latest artist, Jodie Cortez. From the collections of the dRa Studio comes an awesome pic titled Zen Art. Inspired by a cute garden given as a gift of the same spiritual persuasion, this desktop is sure to bring about some Serenity...just try to resist the urge to rake your screen!

No new face to the Monkie Galleries, James Naylor returns with a warm welcome and an outstanding pic titled More Rust. This outdoors pic of an antiquated tractor bearing an old fashioned wave of patriotism will look great on your desktop without adding an once of dead weight to the picture!

 

Etc - Giving the place a good dose of the creepies is a hot number from our old friend Michele Bugliaro. The selection titled Hellintosh is an eerie depiction of where bad computers go when they die. Or could it just be how non-Mac users feel knowing they are running an inferior machine? Hmmm...We'll let you be the judge!

 

Fun - Okay! No fair hoggin' all the fish in the sea! Throw it back in the pond. But for those of you who can't seem to get by the blimpy sea hogs, we've got the third in the "Bloated" series from Marty Leone with a fat fun piece of GOO titled Bloated Trout: Ocean. Let your Aqua X-perience enjoy this bubble blowing number!

 

3-D Rendered - If you have a thing for rings, we know just the guy to show you a thing or two about quite a few! Dave Hornsby sports his 3-D artistic abilities with Ring Thing. Not the type of ring around your finger or that of a ringing in your ears, but of a fine design that will orbit in regular rotation among your desktop favorites!

For our final selection, you can thank The Toidy Bowl Man for the title inspiration. Perhaps Monkie Master Bradford Wiles saw a few too many toilet seats and that funky bluish-purple fluid in his latest piece called Flushed. Or maybe he just drank too much purple juice. Or perhaps it's just time to flush up...Enjoy!

 

Thanks Department --

Jodie, James, Dave, Marty, and Michele...

Look at your work make the world wide web glow...

AWESOME!!!!!

THANK YOU!!

Have a piece you want to display?

Check out our Submissions guidelines and then send it in!

Community News

Iconfactory - The pixel pardners over yonder at The Iconfactory have released yet another fine icon set for their Icon Tuesday titled Wild West Vol. 2. This fanciful set from Factory artist Kate England picks up the trail left by her earlier set of Wild West icons and continues the journey to the land of tumbleweeds and desert towns. The set includes icons of a Panther and a Longhorn so platform junkies can decide who should rule their desktop range. Since the cat is outta the bag, mosey over to The Iconfactory to rustle up these new icons as well as sneak a peek at next week's release. Ride 'em cowboy!

Mandolux - Mando Gomez has added a nice little "web crawler" with his latest piece at Mandolux titled Spider. This new Morning desktop selection is a photograph of a spider on a web covered with a little bit of pollen. Another aspect of this photo to note is that it comes from the perspective of the spider's behind! He tried to photograph the front but the spider ran away before he could do anything. So slip on over to Mandolux and sneak a peak of this creepy new desktop!

widget : widget - If you've got a fidget for new GOO from widget : widget, have we got news for you! Alexander MacLean has just informed us of the release of a fiendish new icon set called The Morgue. This grave new set is available for download and ready for consumption by the undead! Creep or crawl, get yourself to widget : widget and check 'em out!

On The Net

WindowShade X 3.1 - Shut the doors and open up them Panther windows! The haxie folks from Unsanity LLC have just released WindowShade X 3.1. This awesome app brings the familiar window-collapsing effect from Classic Mac OS into Mac OS X, and allows you to control window shadow settings. The latest update adds Panther compatibility and a couple other minor additions. Move your mouse in the direction of Unsanity and grab your updated copy of WindowShade X!

Bananas

Just Plain Nutz

COLD SHOT

What do eskimos get from sitting on the ice too long?

Polaroids.

MS SUPPORT: TOO TRUE

I once got an especially helpful reply to a question I asked on Microsoft's on-line tech support service. I wrote back to thank them for a complete and concise reply, and said how much I appreciated it. The next day I had a response:

"We are looking into the problem and will contact you with a solution as soon as possible." - Frederick Wamsley

SOFTWARE VS. SILVERWARE

If only software dealers were as careful as restaurants. A restaurant will give me the food for free if I find one bug in it. - Bob Kanefsky

HALLOWEEN BLUNDER

What do you call a ghost's mistake?

A boo-boo!

October 28, 2003

Monkie News | Editor's Note | Network News

Monkie News

Tomorrow: New Desktops - Just like clock work, tomorrow brings another round of great GUI goodies in the form of our mid-week Wednesday Desktop Edition! Can everyone say "cool beans"? We thought you could! Some cool GOO is comin' your way in just a day and your desktop eyes will surely wanna play. So grab your vine and swing on by for a good ol' fashioned GUI good time...See you then!

From The Editor

Serious Business - As much as I love to promote a positive, happy environment around MacMonkies, I must address a very serious issue.

It has come to my attention more and more the last few months that there are those on the web that have a serious lack of respect for others' art work. I have found that there are some who have taken others' icons and desktops and called them their own. Some of these people have modified the original work slightly, but have never received permission from the original artist or even given them credit.

I also have discovered that there are those who have been using images for their own site by direct linking to ours. Though this may not be against the law, it is an unethical practice among webmasters. It costs money to run this site as it does any other site on the web. By direct linking, the receiving end is taking resources that they have not paid for. This, to me, is the same as theft.

What's even worse is that I recently contacted a person regarding the direct linking issue and politely requested that they cease such activity. Perhaps needless to say, they have not honored that request. Though there are ways to permanently prevent the direct linking issue, I cannot prevent someone from taking someone else's artistic work and calling it their own.

As much as I would like to put a stop to such practices, I cannot police the web. But I can encourage anyone who listens to treat others as you would want to be treated; to love your neighbor as yourself. This is the "Golden Rule." This is a crux of Christianity. Please, don't take what does not belong to you.

I sincerely hope that those of you to whom this message applies will be all ears. Most importantly, I hope your actions will follow suit by doing the right thing.

- Bradford J. Wiles

Network News

the WebWorld - BeanHead

Apple's Leading Role - The Seattle Times has shone the spotlight Apple's strategy in the computer world by suggesting that Apple has spread its wings far beyond it. Though Apple and Microsoft have played nice, it seems that Microsoft’s role has become botched lately, perhaps being bogged down by lawsuits and viruses. Apple’s role has expanded, however, beyond computers and into all things digital. iTunes' compatibility with Windows will only help Apple hold its position as head digital honcho. - from MacObserver and The Seattle Times

Enron Employee Raps It Up - An ex-Enron employee has invented a way to vent his frustrations with the never-ending investigations surrounding the business's bankruptcy. He has produced a rap album under the name "NRun" which slams certain Enron higher-ups, making mention of their names specifically in the lyrics. The hip hopper hopes to release his project, "Corporate America," on December 3 to commemorate the two year anniversary of the date that Enron laid off loads of its employees in 2001. - from Yahoo

October 27, 2003

Community News | On The Net | Very Ape | Monkie Business | Bananas

At The Top - Howdy there folks! Did ya remember to turn your clocks back over the weekend? If not, your boss is probably pretty impressed...Now that you have shown up an hour early. As for this Monkie, I did as a Monkie would make of the extra time: SLEPT! But right now there's no time for that. We've gotta bare a big grin and face the Monday yuckies. So are ya ready? Let's all dive in together and have a great Monkie Monday. Shall we?!!

Community News

Mandolux - Hey batter batter....sssswing! Mando Gomez spiffs up the spirit of baseball by adding a great new desktop to the galleries of Mandolux! Just added is a new CAP desktop about this season's new champions: the Florida Marlins. It's sure to be a home run once you round the bases and make your way to Mandolux. Go to it!

Live Pencil - Staying in the spooky spirit of things is Ramon Gonzalez Teja, head ghoul at Live Pencil! All kinds of tricks and treats have been added including:

• EMOTICONS: A little flying witch you can insert with the text in your e-mail messages.
• ANIMATIONS: TRICK OR TREAT...Candy of all kinds.
• ANIMATIONS: A funny CRAZY flying witch. A new one.
• WALLPAPERS: 9 new wallpapers Halloween is all around.
• PARAGRAPH HEADERS: for your e-mails: Letters with a Halloween Live-Pumpkin!
• HIDDEN IMAGE: A new one every week...Please look for it, keep searching!

If ya wanna fill your Halloween bag with lots of GUI goodies and goblins, simply flap them bat wings and bite into all the latest at Live Pencil!

Send Us Your Site News!

press@macmonkies.com

On The Net

LiteSwitch X 2.1 - The folks from Proteron LLC have announced the latest update to their popular application switcher, LiteSwitch X. The new version 2.1 addresses several compatibility issues with Apple's Mac OS X 10.3 (Panther). Proteron has also released a public memo to Apple Computer regarding Apple's assimilation of third party software into the Mac OS. So don't be mousin' around. Switch your cursor to Proteron and grab your updated copy of LiteSwitch X!

Maxi Bidder 1.6 - Make the most of your eBay bid with the latest update of Maxi Bidder from the developers at Colourfull Creations. Maxi Bidder allows eBay users the ability to snipe auction items at the last minute on eBay without having to be at their computer. Colourfull Creations fixed some minor issues with the software. Other great features that are included with Maxi Bidder are the ability to sync prices with eBay, audio alerts, and much more. Find all the colorful details on Maxi Bidder at Colourfull Creations!

Trisection 1.1 - Lookin' for some great fun? Ben Haller from Stick Software has announced the release of the popular game Trisection 1.1. Trisection is a puzzle game for Mac OS X that follows in the grand tradition of Tetris, involving fitting falling pieces into an existing matrix. The latest version fixes a rare crashing bug, and adds a new speed control allowing the player to adjust the difficulty of the game. Head on over to Stick Software and grab your updated copy of fun with Trisection 1.1!

Very Ape

Speed Demons - Got the need to measure your internet speed? We've got just the place for you! The Bandwidth Place is a great spot on the net to test your Internet connection, view test statistics, and even add a test to your site. Whether you've got a dial-up crawler connection or a speedy T1, the Bandwidth Place can give you the info you're just dying to know. Crawl or sprint, make your way to the Bandwidth Place and get the stats you've been looking for. Rooma zoom zoom!

Monkie Business

Odds and Ends

Alphabet Soup? - Man does not live by words alone, despite the fact that sometimes he has to eat them.

- Adlai Stevenson

Oreo Train - The more than 362 billion OREO cookies sold to date would fill up the world's largest freight train, consisting of 660 freight cars, over 62 times.

Compromise This - Compromise: An amiable arrangement between husband and wife whereby they agree to let her have her own way.

- Anonymous

Bananas

Just Plain Nuts

YOU'VE BEEN NOTIFIED

A ragged individual stranded for several months on a small desert island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean one day noticed a bottle lying in the sand with a piece of paper in it. Rushing to the bottle, he pulled out the cork and with shaking hands withdrew the message.

"Due to lack of maintenance," he read, "we regretfully have found it necessary to cancel your e-mail account."

ENGINEERED

To the optimist, the glass is half full. To the pessimist, the glass is half-empty.

To the engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

SERENITY PRAYER FOR THE ONLINE ADDICT

God, grant me the Serenity to accept a server I cannot change,

Courage to walk past the computer without turning it on when I'm running late,

And the Wisdom to know the difference between "Come to bed now" (meaning "It's time to sleep") and "Come to bed NOW!" (meaning "That computer has got to GO!") Amen