Today I found myself staring at a FireWire drive formatted under Mac OS X with not a Mac in sight but an urgent need to extract data from said drive.

A bit of Googling revealed HFSExplorer, an excellent piece of software by Erik Larsson which reads Mac formatted volumes under Windows. This is a lightweight Java application with full source code and executables. A quick install and at launch HFSExplorer will autodetect an HFS volume or ask me to choose a volume from a list. In moments I’m greeted with a fully-browsable directory listing of the Mac HFS volume.

Extracting a 2 GB file took a few minutes to complete but a progress bar guides you to fulfillment. A confirmation dialogue informs of completion and the file is at your disposal in Windows.

There are some limitations in volume types, such as Mac OS X Extended with Case Sensitivity, but your typical OS X Non/Journaled volume works fine.

HFSExplorer is a must-have for those times when you forget to copy your Mac-centric data files to Windows-friendly media.

Since January of this year I’ve been using Facebook to stay in touch with friends, colleagues, and other folks I don’t see often. There’s something to be said about seeing people’s faces every day which reminds you to stay in touch. Poke (and SuperPoke) is the greatest way to tell someone “hi” without getting into a dialog.

Since Facebook wants to make a few dollars in their effort to provide free services, they’ve initiated clandestine tactics to gather and distribute your surfing habits to others. Facebook’s Beacon software isn’t terribly popular for this reason but there are ways to keep it quiet.

wikiHow describes the proper way to disable Beacon in Facebook’s security settings as well as the BlockSite add-on for Firefox. Although the article doesn’t mention this you can use the BlockSite add-on in Flock (which, like Firefox, is based on Mozilla.

Manas Tungare describes how to filter out Beacon in the Mac version of Safari. I haven’t installed PithHelmet to test because it appears only in beta status for Safari 3 (which ships with Leopard).

From what I’ve been reading at CreativeCOW and elsewhere, the current generation of MacBook Pros and Mac Pros use a single FireWire bus for the 1394a and 1394b ports. Thus, attaching a FW400 and FW800 device simultaneously will cause both to operate at FW400 speeds.

Putting this in the context of Final Cut Pro, it’s not an issue with SD footage because FW400 has plenty of bandwidth. A forum topic at CreativeCOW suggested that HD content be edited on eSATA drives but I’ve used ProRes422 files on FW400 without any problems. Mind you, cutting not capturing.

If separate buses are required, outfit your Mac Pro with a FireWire PCI card or in the case of the MacBook Pro use an ExpressCard.

I have seen the future of live performance and U23D is it. Why spend $20 on parking, hundreds of $ on a ticket, and still need a set of binoculars?

Concerts in IMAX are incredible. The sound rumbles your seat as if you were there. Flying cameras give you the most intimate experience you can get without being on stage with the performers.

Let’s hope this is the start of a trend.

It seems as if every 80s band decided to reunite or tour in 2007. Upside is seeing shows I hadn’t seen “back in the day” and downside was the most expensive year ever for tickets.

Roger Waters

By far the best show from a theatrical and performance perspective. Who can beat a flying pig and Dark Side of the Moon?

Genesis

Best show for nostalgia. Phil Collins went up a notch in my book - he’s quite a showman and works the crowd. The set list was excellent spanning all the history of Genesis. It’s been said that Genesis was better without Gabriel and Gabriel was better without Genesis. With the exception of The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway I have to agree. Worst part… Rained out at the Hollywood Bowl just before Carpet Crawlers and what’s up with Tony Banks? The guy never looks up from his keyboard. Ever.

Van Halen

Diamond Dave is one of the best frontmen to ever walk on stage. Eddie was top notch, Dave wasn’t overpowered by the amps, and Wolfgang played well. This was the most fun of the shows and even the most diehard VH fan would agree the playlist was excellent.

The Police

The Police can do no wrong in my book but Sting likes to meddle. I think the intention was good - give ‘em some variety - but, come on, we want it the way it was played in the day…period. By far, Stewart Copeland stole the show with Wrapped Around Your Finger and aside from the gray hair and glasses, the same old Stewart. Andy Summers shred in Phoenix and blase in LA. Sting was…well…Sting.