Cult of Mac 2.0

Artist creates with Macs and lets nature take its course

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The artist known as Monsieur Plant prompts nature to override the power of the computer.
The artist known as Monsieur Plant prompts nature to override the power of the computer.
Photo: Christophe Guinet

Cult of Mac 2.0 bug Apple designs its products with an affinity for creatives of all kinds. But a French artist known as Monsieur Plant uses Macs to take “Think Different” to another level.

The Apple computers used by Christophe Guinet, 39, are not the tools but the subject in a body of work that integrates life-giving plant matter with life-altering technology.

Teen sells beloved Apple collection to keep museum dream alive

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Vintage tech collectors Lonnie Mimms, left, and Alex Jason pose with an Apple e-Mate prototype, part of a collection Alex sold to Mimms.
Vintage tech collectors Lonnie Mimms, left, and Alex Jason pose with an Apple e-Mate prototype, part of a collection Alex sold to Mimms.
Photo courtesy of Bill Jason

Alex Jason, the Maine teenager who used lawn-mowing money to build one of the most impressive collections of rare and historical Apple devices, recently packed it all in a 26-foot truck and made a heartbreaking trip to deliver it to a new owner.

The dream of creating a museum with the collection had hit a snag. Alex had the building and even an impressive board of directors that included Mac designer Jerry Manock. But raising capital to renovate the site proved near impossible in sparsely populated Maine.

Vintage Mac Museum steers clear of Macs that sucked

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Adam Rosen's Vintage Mac Museum
The Vintage Mac Museum heads west to Montana
Photo: Adam Rosen

Cult of Mac 2.0 bug Adam Rosen’s collection of vintage Macs doesn’t make him a hoarder, but he acknowledges it doesn’t make him an obvious choice for a husband, either.

In several rooms of Rosen’s Boston home you’ll find a love story nonetheless. The rooms are shrines to a high school sweetheart that matured and grew more sophisticated with time, a friendly face still aglow with “hello.”

Indie rockers Airplane Mode get their spark from Apple

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These guys rock — and design great apps. Bassist Joe Cieplinski, left, and lead guitar and vocalist, Dave Wiskus, of the band Airplane Mode.
These guys rock — and design great apps. Bassist Joe Cieplinski, left, and lead guitar and vocalist, Dave Wiskus, of the band Airplane Mode.
Photo: Airplane Mode

Cult of Mac 2.0 bugThe indie rock band Airplane Mode does indeed get its name from the feature on an iPhone that shuts off wireless transmission.

The name and the resumes of three of the band’s musicians — well-established iOS designers — have led more than a few people to assume they have found a source of cute parody music about Apple culture.

In fact, you won’t find any iPhones, iMacs or odes to Steve Jobs in the lyrics of the tight, hard-charging synth-driven music. However, the band’s roots in Apple culture permeate everything else, from its use of technology and understanding of social engagement to its start-up energy.

And there is one other way: Airplane Mode is making money.

Meet Instagram’s biggest Apple Watch band fan

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A sampling of Ryan Verbeek's ever-growing Apple Watch band collection.
A sampling of Ryan Verbeek's ever-growing Apple Watch band collection.
Photo: Ryan Verbeek

Cult of Mac 2.0 bugRyan Verbeek is fashionable enough as he moves about Holland’s oldest city, but he says his style is not likely to draw much attention. His friends and more than 51,000 followers on Instagram beg to differ and are always curious about one detail — the band Verbeek is wearing with his Apple Watch.

The 17-year-old student has a collection of nearly 40 bands that he routinely switches out depending on his mood or wardrobe. His enthusiasm has gained him Instagram fame, free bands from companies hoping he will model them for his social media account, and a deal to collaborate with a French company to design a couple of bands.

Old iMacs don’t die. They become lamps and fish tanks in Nebraska.

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cult 2.0
Jake Harms in his Nebraska workshop, where he turns old iMacs into home furnishings.
Photo: Steph Harms

Cult of Mac 2.0 bugJake Harms was on his way to the warehouse when a supervisor asked him to take a cart full of garbage to the dumpster. On top of the cart was an old indigo blue iMac G3.

Crossing the warehouse floor, Harms needed to turn left toward the dumpster. Instead, he steered the cart right toward the parking lot so that he could offload the broken iMac into his car.

That rescued iMac would become the first of more than 700 to get a second life as an aquarium.

Ukrainian craftsman takes iPhone into new badass gilded era

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Aurum Edition
Those are not cases. These iPhones get gold, leather and jewels applied directly to the aluminum.
Photo: Aurum Edition

Cult of Mac 2.0 bugIf your iPhone feels precious out of the box, hand it over to Dmitry Lischina for a couple of weeks. Afterward, you will then understand precious as you hold an iPhone unlike any other.

Lischina’s company Aurum Editions could have made phone cases, but instead developed a business around pulling apart iPhones and plating them with 24K gold, exotic animal leather and diamonds.

Steve Jobs is her main squeeze when she visits Apple Store

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body pillow
Ayano Tominaga shares a little pillow talk with Steve Jobs while waiting to purchase the iPhone 7.
Photo: Ayano Tominaga/Instagram

Cult of Mac 2.0 bugApple co-founder Steve Jobs was known to have a prickly personality. But Japanese internet star Ayano Tominaga can honestly say Jobs is a good cuddler.

Tominaga is a popular tech journalist, Apple fan and IT consultant who can be seen at the launch of every new iPhone, camping out in line at the Apple Store in Tokyo clutching a body pillow featuring the likeness of Jobs.

These fans wear Apple love on their fingertips

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most loved brands
Apple gets plenty of love from its customers according to the Netbase report of Most Loved Brands.
Photo: Viktoria Fomchenkova

Cult of Mac 2.0 bugLauren Wilkin’s life was about to get better. So she decorated her fingernails to reflect her shift in social status much like women of royalty did 7,000 years before.

Upper-class Egyptian women may have had a front-row seat to a growing civilization, but none experienced the excitement of trading in an iPhone 4 for an iPhone 6.

Animators try their hand at telling the Steve Jobs story

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YouTube is a repository for animated features on the life of Steve Jobs.
YouTube is a repository for animated features on the life of Steve Jobs.
Photo: Adam Holownia,

Cult of Mac 2.0 bugWith all there is to marvel about Steve Jobs and the story of Apple, it’s easy to forget what Jobs meant to animation.

So it’s not surprising that several animators have sought to capture the near-mythological character of Jobs in animated shorts that can be found all over YouTube.

Soap star’s secret revealed! She jailbreaks.

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When she's not on set, actress Melissa Archer dabbles in jailbreaking.
When she's not on set, actress Melissa Archer dabbles in jailbreaking.
Photo courtesy of Melissa Archer

Cult of Mac 2.0 bugThis is the third story in a three-part series on jailbreaking iOS.

When Melissa Archer learned she would die at the hands of a serial killer, she made one last request: “I asked if I could have a death scene because I am a nerd.”

Her death had significance. It meant a long run as a mainstay and fan favorite of daytime soap operas was about to go on hiatus. It also meant she would have more time to devote to another passion — jailbreaking iPhones and inventing new features.

These creative hackers bring style to iPhone jailbreaks

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LockPlus, created by Jr, allows users to download thousands of different lock screen setups.
LockPlus, created by Jr, allows users to download thousands of different lock screen setups.
Photo: Jr/junesiphone.com

Cult of Mac 2.0 bugThis is the second story in a three-part series on jailbreaking iOS.

Apple may have used “Think Different” as a marketing slogan once upon a time, but there is a kind of underground network of iOS developers who claim the two words as a reason to exist.

But with their idea of “Think Different,” they add this: “Look Different.”

World’s fiercest iPhone jailbreaker can be shy in the spotlight

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Jay
Jay "saurik" Freeman, maker of Cydia, says there are legit reasons to jailbreak your iPhone.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Cult of Mac 2.0 bugThis is the first in a three-part series on jailbreaking iOS.

The leading figure in the jailbreak community has the ideal name in defending your right to circumvent your iPhone’s operating system.

Jay Freeman is known to serve his community with a Braveheart-like passion, defending the practice with the sharp edge of his intellect and a seemingly inexhaustible energy for argument.

Budding startup uses iPhone to keep cannabis biz legit

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iPhone scanners are helping legal cannabis growers track product and stay compliant with state regulations.
iPhone scanners are helping legal cannabis growers track product and stay compliant with state regulations.
Photo: Flowhub

Cult of Mac 2.0 bugBefore corporate shine and the smell of success, there was a counterculture aura and a whiff of weed. Pot and the dreams of some industrious guys shared a garage where the personal computing revolution incubated under the Apple brand.

So what would the late Steve Jobs think if he could see Apple’s iPhone used to keep the growing and selling of cannabis legal? Jobs, who said he smoked it early on because it made him feel more creative, might smile and say, cool!

These retro Mac fans were podcasting before it was cool

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James Savage and John Leake know a thing or two about computer history, especially when it comes to Macs.
James Savage and John Leake know a thing or two about computer history, especially when it comes to Macs.
Photo: James Savage

Cult of Mac 2.0 bug When James Savage and John Leake uploaded the first episode of their RetroMacCast, they were thrilled with the number of downloads: 18.

Not exactly a meteoric start, but considering neither host ever had that many people at one time interested in hearing them talk about old Apple computers, this was a pretty big deal.

Mac design legend helps teen build ultimate Apple museum

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cult 2.0
Former Apple design chief Jerry Manock is helping Alex Jason turn his extensive Apple computer collection into the Maine Technology Musuem.
Photo: Bill Jason

Cult of Mac 2.0 bug Apple famously wants no part in a museum dedicated to its revolutionary products. However, one key contributor to Apple’s early years feels differently — and is helping a Maine teenager elevate his basement computer collection into a thriving technology museum.

Jerry Manock, Apple’s first design guru, will serve on the board of directors for the future Maine Technology Museum, which will house the collection of 15-year-old Alex Jason, who has established what many serious collectors say is one of the best Apple collections anywhere.

YouTube feeds addiction for tech unboxing obsession

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Lamarr Wilson does not have a good poker face, but has the kind of face for unboxing gadgets that makes him popular with his YouTube audience.
Lamarr Wilson does not have a good poker face, but has the kind of face for unboxing gadgets that makes him popular with his YouTube audience.
Photo: Lamarr Wilson/YouTube

Cult of Mac 2.0 bugMaybe Christmas morning doesn’t come often enough. How else do you explain the full-blown obsession of millions of people who turn to YouTube to watch videos of someone opening boxes containing new products?

Tech companies, especially Apple, know that packaging and how it opens to present you that shiny new gadget is a critical first step towards a love connection. Companies are even conscious of how a sparkling YouTube personality with a child-like excitement for what’s inside the box can help drive sales.

Why do some folks hate Apple? It’s complicated.

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Mac Man tries to gobble up all the Apples.
Mac Man tries to gobble up all the Apples.
Illustration: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Cult of Mac 2.0 bugYou don’t see long lines for the latest Lenovo PC or LG Android phone. But take a quick peek on the internet and you’ll find plenty of people lining up to say how much they hate Apple.

Every successful person or company has its critics, but the expressions of vitriol for Apple are more complex than the popular refrain ‘haters gonna hate’.

KansasFest: Final notes from ‘Nerdvana’

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KansasFest
The future and its foundation have a tense history.
Photo: David Pierini/Cult of Mac

Cult of Mac 2.0 bugCult of Mac’s David Pierini traveled to KansasFest to meet Apple fans intensely devoted to the Apple II computer line. The machine turns 40 next year.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It’s rare we hear the term personal computer anymore. Yet personal is the only word to begin to understand KansasFest and a small but feisty community of preservationists who love the Apple II line of computers.

The 28th fest concluded Saturday and within the event’s first hour, attendees were already making plans to attend next year, the 40th birthday of the Apple II.

KansasFest is a second-chance childhood for one programmer

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Martin Haye, left, and Ivan Drucker talking Apple II hacking at KansasFest.
Martin Haye, left, and Ivan Drucker talking Apple II hacking at KansasFest.
Photo: David Pierini/Cult of Mac

Cult of Mac 2.0 bugCult of Mac’s David Pierini traveled to KansasFest to meet Apple fans intensely devoted to the Apple II computer line. The machine turns 40 next year.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – They say they travel to KansasFest to feel like kids again. Fest attendees stay up all night laughing, arguing and eating pizza. They program and play games on their Apple II machines and call each other nerd or geek.

Bullied and closeted as a boy, Martin Haye describes KansasFest as the childhood he wished he’d had.

“If I had this when I was 13, I would’ve been fine,” says Haye, 48, a programmer for the California Digital Library who lives in Santa Cruz. “I didn’t try to fit in but I was little, I carried a briefcase to school, I was a target. I have a good life now, but this week is the most intense, sustained, predictable happiness I’ve ever had.”

KansasFest solder session proves there’s fun in melting metal

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Rachele Lane watches her husband, John, try his hand at soldering at KansasFest.
Rachele Lane watches her husband, John, try his hand at soldering at KansasFest.
Photo: David Pierini/Cult of Mac

Cult of Mac 2.0 bugCult of Mac’s David Pierini is at KansasFest this week to write about the community of people who celebrate the foundational Apple II computer.

KANSAS CITY, Mo – If you’re going to carry a torch for the Apple II computer, you better know how to control its heat and melt a little solder.

The Apple II will turn 40 next year. Many of these seminal machines will light up like new thanks to a community of people who have to be their own Genius Bar. So KansasFest is not just about love, but the labor of keeping that love alive.

This guy makes badly aged Apple computers sparkle again

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retrobrite
Javier Rivera takes the yellow out of vintage computers at KansasFest.
Photo: David Pierini/Cult of Mac

Cult of Mac 2.0 bugCult of Mac’s David Pierini is at KansasFest this week to write about the community of people who celebrate the foundational Apple II computer.

KANSAS CITY, Mo – Love is a chemical reaction and Javier Rivera has the formula to make love feel brand-new. He just mixes salon-strength peroxide, some arrowroot and OxiClean laundry booster.

At KansasFest, an annual gathering of loyal Apple II lovers, festgoers bring their yellowed computers to Rivera, whose special mix can remove the yellow staining on the computer’s plastic pieces and make them look like they just came off the assembly line.

Apple II fans find themselves in hog heaven at KansasFest

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Cult 2.0
Kathryn Szkotnick worked quickly to grab all the pieces for an Apple IIGS during KansasFest's "Garage Giveaway."
Photo: David Pierini/Cult of Mac

Cult of Mac 2.0 bugCult of Mac’s David Pierini traveled seven hours and (39 years) this week to Missouri to witness the annual celebration of the Apple II computer known as KansasFest, which runs through Saturday.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Yellowed keyboards, monitors and disk drives sat in orderly piles. It certainly wasn’t pretty to look at, not when you compare these ancient artifacts of personal computing to a shiny new MacBook Pro.

But 80 infatuated campers could only see their first crush and they were ready to pounce. In a matter of minutes the gear would be claimed, and this dash and grab Wednesday was the kickoff the 28th annual KansasFest. If you don’t know KansasFest, the short answer is found in a cheer shouted to officially open the event: Apple II forever!

A growing number of filmmakers say, ‘Lights, iPhone, action!’

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The set of Time to Pay Off Debts, a film short made with the iPhone 6s.
The set of Time to Pay Off Debts, a film short made with the iPhone 6s.
Photo: Conrad Mess

Cult of Mac 2.0 bugApple guaranteed the iPhone would reinvent the phone. But filmmaking?

Writer and director Conrad Mess said the iPhone’s red record button turned him into a filmmaker. It helped another cash-strapped director win praise and wide distribution for a feature film he shot on the iPhone 5s that was the buzz of last year’s Sundance Film Festival.

The iPhone also is reshaping video journalism, especially across Europe, where news organizations are using the iPhone video camera for an increasing number of stories — and live stand-ups, selfie stick in hand — because the mobile journalist can shoot, edit and share on one device.

Meet the sports shooter who leaves heavy gear behind for an iPhone

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Rocco Mediate hangs out in the locker room during the second round of the Constellation Senior Players Championship at the Philadelphia Cricket Club earlier this month.
Rocco Mediate hangs out in the locker room during the second round of the Constellation Senior Players Championship at the Philadelphia Cricket Club earlier this month.
Photo: Brad Mangin/PGA TOUR

Cult of Mac 2.0 bugThe photographers were assembled with all their heavy camera equipment, about to walk 18 holes under the hot Florida sun to cover The Players Championship in Ponte Verde Beach when in strolled their colleague, Brad Mangin.

“Where’s your gear?” Mangin was asked. He pulled out his iPhone 6s to a chorus of groans and curses.