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The Final Frontier (6/12/00)
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It's only fitting; since the Power Mac G4 looks like it came from space, why not send it into space? That's just what SkyCorp plans to do next year-- according to SpaceViews, the fledgling satellite company wants to stick a G4 web server into a satellite and pop it into orbit during an upcoming shuttle mission, thus establishing what it believes to be the first web server in space. Yes, at some point in the not-too-distant future, you'll be able to sleep soundly knowing that there's a curvaceous Graphite-and-Ice Mac whirling through the heavens and extending the boundaries of impeccable industrial design beyond the earth's physical diameter.
SkyCorp's orbiting G4 will serve its pages to the earth-bound 'net via a "SkyCorp-developed variant of Apple's existing AirPort wireless networking technology." (Figures; these guys are going to establish a wireless link to a G4 flying miles above the surface of the planet, while we have trouble maintaining an AirPort signal between our front porch and the bedroom.) As for content, well, apparently it's going to be limited to "technology and hardware test data," so our hopes of a "very special AtAT" broadcast geosynchronously from space have been dashed. But heck, in a few years, everyone will have his or her own orbiting web server-- we predict it'll be the pet rock of the mid-'00s. So we can wait.
In case you were wondering, yes, Apple is in on this deal. The company has reportedly "agreed to provide hardware and technical support to SkyCorp for this venture." Uh-oh, did we just hear the conspiracy theory alarm bells going off? Since Apple's involved, and the G4 that's being launched into orbit will be "modified for space," we bet at least a few of you are wondering what other "modifications" Apple plans to make before the G4 gets dropped into orbit. Spy satellite? Nope-- too obvious. It's been done before, and Apple's an innovator. Reality Distortion Field Signal Booster? More likely-- or at least it would be, if Apple didn't already have one in orbit. (We can't think of any other way to explain Business Week's "Info Tech 100" results, which, faithful viewer Matthew Guerrieri notes, "ranks Apple (#58) above Microsoft (#75), Gateway (#83) and IBM (not
even on the list)." (Dell's ahead, though, at #24.) So no, whatever Apple has in store for next year's orbiting G4 is even more diabolical. Electromagnetic Pulse Beam aimed squarely at Michael Dell's house? Now you're talkin'.
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SceneLink (2351)
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And Now For A Word From Our Sponsors |
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 | | The above scene was taken from the 6/12/00 episode: June 12, 2000: It's another wacky Marvel Team-Up, as Apple and RealNetworks join forces on the streaming media front. Meanwhile, a small satellite company wants to put a G4 in space, and a prominent rumors site finds itself on the pointy end of an honest-to-goodness Adobe lawsuit...
Other scenes from that episode: 2350: Getting Real Friendly (6/12/00) Having been present at the infamous "Microsoft is now our ally" Stevenote a few years back, the AtAT staff is quite familiar with the Strange Bedfellows principle. In fact, after hearing the audience's boos, hisses, and strangled cries of "please kill me now" that preceded the appearance of Bill Gates's Big Giant Head on the conference hall's video screen, we figure we're pretty jaded when it comes to corporate collaborations that might leave a bad taste in one's mouth... 2352: Mess With The Bull... (6/12/00) Okay, somebody tell Adobe and AppleInsider to quit ad-libbing and stick to the script. Everyone knows that the accepted industry-standard way to deal with a rumors web site leaking sensitive information is to have the lawyers issue a stern cease-and-desist order, after which the offending data is hastily removed and replaced with a "REMOVED BY ORDER OF (insert company name here) LEGAL" notice...
Or view the entire episode as originally broadcast... | |  |
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