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As an amateur musician, I�m always looking for ways to get a song from my head into my computer. With Sonoma Wire Works FourTrack, it�s easy to compose an entire song, record the basic parts, and then export the audio to your Mac for further editing. Track recording is a way to lay down the basic instrumental parts and to add vocals and other sounds that make up a complete song.

First, grab the app at the App Store�it costs $12.99 (also check out our review of the app). The iPhone headset works okay for recording, but the cord is a bit short for my taste. I use the Shure SE210 earbuds ($US180/$A225) and the Shure Music Phone Adapter ($US40/$A50) because they are good quality and have really long cords.

Here�s how to record your song:

1. Set your iPhone in Airplane mode to prevent any interference.
2. Start FourTrack, and press the Song Tools button. On the Song Tools screen, you can configure a metronome to keep you on the beat. The metronome also allows you to later sync up drum loops at the same beats per minute.
3. Name the song, and press the down arrow (upper right) to close Song Tools.
4. Press the REC ARM button for track one and slide the Slide to Record button to record your audio. Then, you can do the same for three additional tracks: for example, you can add piano, background vocals, or any other sounds you want. The jog dial near the bottom of the screen lets you scan through the song, or just click on the blue timer.
5. You have created your first song! It is saved automatically. Now, you can create additional tracks.
6. To record more tracks, you have to combine (or �bounce�) tracks together. Press the Song Tools button. You can �bounce� all four tracks into a new song with two tracks (just press Bounce, and then To New Song) or from tracks one and two down to just one combined track one (press Bounce, then To This Song). It means you can record multiple tracks beyond just four, with no limits�although the sound quality degrades with each bounce. Press the down arrow to close Song Tools.
7. Once your song is done, you can tweak the audio so it pans to the left or right. Adjust pan settings for each track by moving the jog dial left or right for each track. This helps make your song sound better by isolating the sounds.
8. When your song is finished, go to Song Tools -> Song List -> Wi-Fi Sync at the bottom of the screen. On your Mac, start Safari and go to the IP address shown. On your iPhone, press OK. Now your Mac is synced and you can download audio tracks from Safari and load them into, say, GarageBand. Sonoma Wire Works offers a free RiffWorks program that can import iPhone tracks directly. Once connected over Wi-Fi Sync, just click Import, select the song, and rock on.

This original song, recorded entirely on FourTrack, has main vocals, guitar, background vocals and a drum. Thanks to Jamie Larson who recorded guitar, vocals, and wrote the song for this tutorial.

[John Brandon is a 20-year veteran Mac user who used to run an all-Mac graphics department.]

how cool is this?

By Danny Allen, 7:30 AM on Fri Aug 28 2009, 769 views (Edit, to draft, Slurp)

The Vera Electric Kettle looks way over engineered, but cool as hell. The design includes electronic controls to hit preset temperatures (113 and 212 degrees fahrenheit), and a handle with touchable controls and clock.

And if you like the style, Bugatti also does a toaster (don’t ask me why). I prefer their shiny fast cars and boats, even though I’ll never be able to afford them.

If you take your water boiling super seriously, you’ll be able to pick one up in late September for $300. Yikes. [Wheredidyoubuythat via Unplgged]

By Jesus Diaz, 8:00 AM on Fri Aug 28 2009, 4,280 views (Edit, to draft, Slurp)

This one caught us by surprise, but it comes from a source that has always been 100% reliable: Not only Apple may be working on a 10-inch tablet, but also in 13″ and 15″ models, one running Mac OS X.

This source claims that the two touchscreen prototypes—made of aluminum, but on the shape of big iPhones—were in a factory in Shenzuen, China. One of them “was running Mac OS X 10.5.” When I asked, the source didn’t know if these were built for demonstration purposes, or if they were preproduction units. The company has a tight relation with Apple but “it’s not FoxConn.”

As I said before, with everyone focused on the 10-inch tablet with iPhone OS, this sighting is quite surprising. However, it is very possible that Apple may be just exploring other form factors, and these two models may or may not end being future products.

THE Deen brothers, Brisbane’s most notorious demolition firm, boast: “All we leave behind are the memories.”

But they may become memories themselves after creditors applied to have one of their debt-ridden companies wound up and liquidators appointed.

The Deens have a long history in Brisbane of being the demolishers of choice under the Bjelke-Petersen government.

Using the joint weapons of surprise and darkness, they were responsible for destroying some of the city’s best-known and loved buildings, including the grand Cloudland ballroom in 1982 and the Belle Vue hotel in 1979.

Now their battle is a legal one, with creditors Timms Contracting Pty Ltd applying to the Queensland Supreme Court to have Deen Bros Contracting Pty Ltd wound up.

The original Deen brothers – Ray, Happy and Funny – parted amiably in 1995, and ownership of the company has passed to the next generation.

According to Australian Securities & Investments Commission records filed to the court, Ibrahim Deen, 44, is the sole director and secretary of Deen Bros Contracting, which was incorporated in Queensland in March 2008.

Mohammed Abdul Deen, 38, is a former director and secretary of the company and is the sole shareholder.

According to documents filed last week, Timms Contracting wants the Deen brothers’ company wound up on the grounds of insolvency.

Timms Contracting claims Deen Bros Contracting owes it more than $100,000.

On June 6, District Court judge Douglas McGill SC ordered Deen Bros Contracting to pay up, but they did not.

One month later, lawyers for Timms sent Deen brothers a letter demanding they pay the debt of $122,599.71 within 21 days.

When Deen brothers did not respond, Timms Contracting launched the winding-up lawsuit against them.

Joanne Dunn and John Shanahan, from KordaMentha, have consented to be appointed as liquidators should the Supreme Court grant the Timms Contracting request.

The winding-up application lodged by Timms Contracting will be heard in the Supreme Court on September 21.

There are a number of other winding-up applications for companies controlled by the Deens before the Queensland courts.

The Deens did not return telephone calls from The Australian yesterday.

Reading RSS feeds in your Google ReaderGoogle Reader

is fine, but sometimes we feel like RSS could be a lot more dynamic, not to mention less time-consuming. We have habits and tendencies. We like to read stories about certain things and skip others. Some of us love Twitter, others prefer news about iPhone development. Why can’t these RSS readers read our minds and give us what we want?

The my6sense iPhone app does essentially that. The app, which has been stuck in the limbo of
Apple’s archaic review process for weeks, has finally made its debut in the iPhone App Store. Along with being a solid mobile RSS reader, my6sense monitors what you read and uses that info to generate a customized feed of articles you’ll want to read.

It’s an RSS Reader … and a Mind Reader?!

my6sense is first and foremost an RSS reader, and a pretty damn good one at that. You can import all of your settings from Google Reader and other sources and build your RSS feed reader. My6sense is fast loading and easy-to-use. If you want to refresh your RSS feeds, just shake the iPhone.

It’s also chock-full of social sharing features. “StreamIt” is a lot like Google Reader’s Share feature – use this to post an article automatically to TwitterTwitter

, FriendFeedFriendFeed

, and FacebookFacebook

. There’s also a giant action button on the top right of any article for sharing via social media or email.

What separates this app from others though is its “Digital Intuition” feature. The app uses your reading and sharing habits and builds a recommended list of articles to read. The more you use the app, the more targeted your recommendations are. In fact, it will begin to stream articles from sources you’re not even subscribed to after it really gets the hang of you.

We played around with this app, and we have to tell you: it’s pretty talented at choosing articles you’ll like. If you’re a busy person and just want to check top stories on the train, my6sense may be the best way to do it.

We’re definitely fans of this app, and hope to see more mobile version, integration with Google Reader, or even a desktop version. Here’s a (slightly corny) introduction video from my6sense that explains how this app works:

THE US economic recovery gathered steam in July, according to better-than-expected reports on manufacturing and the housing market.

Sold: Workers smooth cement for a driveway outside a new home under construction in North Carolina. Picture: Bloomberg

The two segments of the economy that were among the weakest during the depth of the recession — new home sales and durable goods orders — both registered big gains last month to bolster the view held by many economists that the US economic contraction is coming to an end.

“The continued recovery in durable goods orders and new homes sales in July adds to the evidence that activity in the manufacturing and housing sectors is expanding again,” said Paul Ashworth, senior US economist at Capital Economics.”However, with the consumer still supine, we don’t yet have the foundations for a sustainable recovery.”

New-home sales climbed more than anticipated in July, staging their fourth straight month of strong gains to add to evidence that the housing market is emerging from its long slump.
Demand for long-lasting goods also rebounded sharply, staging their biggest gain in two years on the back of big orders for aircraft and capital goods.

Sales of single-family homes increased by 9.6 per cent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 433,000 compared to the prior month, the US Commerce Department said.

That was the highest number sold since September 2008 and well above expectations for a 1.6 per cent gain to 390,000.

“These new numbers are another sign that we have put the brakes on the worst economic downturn in generations,” Rebecca Blank, undersecretary of Commerce for economic affairs, said.
She said increased distribution of stimulus money going into year end should continue to support growth.

The sales increase was the fifth in seven months, as buyers are returning to the market in search of bargains. The market for new homes appears to have bottomed in January, when sales hit 329,000.

“There are still negatives weighing on activity, such as high foreclosure rates that are likely to continue to rise and tight credit which will hinder a speedy recovery in the sector,” said Sireen Hajj, an analyst at Calyon Credit Agricole CIB. “Nonetheless the housing recovery appears on track.”

The new home sales report is the latest in a string of positive news for the housing market.
Yesterday, the closely-watched Case-Shiller index showed home prices rose in the second quarter for the first time in three years and were up for the second straight month in June.

Still, the median price for a new home was $US210,100 ($253,832) in July, down 11.5 per cent from $US237,300 the same month a year ago, according to the latest data. On a monthly basis, the price edged down 0.1 per cent from $US210,400 in June.

Oversupply has been one factor keeping prices down, though there was significant improvement in that area, as well. The ratio of houses for sale to houses sold in July was 7.5, the lowest level since April 2007 and down from 8.5 the month before. At the end of July, there were an estimated 271,000 homes for sale, the smallest number since March 1993.

June new-home sales were revised up to an annual rate of 395,000, a 9.1 per cent increase. Originally, the government had reported an 11 per cent jump in June sales to 384,000, though May sales were also revised up to 362,000 from 346,000.

Year over year, July new-home sales were still down 13.4 per cent, however.

Meanwhile, manufacturers’ orders for durable goods jumped 4.9 per cent last month to a seasonally adjusted $US168.43 billion. Economists had expected a 3 per cent gain.

Overall durable goods orders for June were revised up, estimated to have declined 1.3 per cent instead of the 2.2 per cent drop previously reported.

While the report suggests that the manufacturing sector has turned the corner, as well, economists saw some signs of weakness behind the positive headline figures.

Orders for non-defenee capital goods excluding aircraft – a key barometer for capital spending by US businesses – fell 0.3 per cent. That follows a 3.6 per cent gain in June.

“This suggests that the `green shoots’ are likely to be a temporary development,” said Steven Ricchiuto, chief economist at Mizuho Securities.

BILLIONAIRE property developer Lang Walker appears to have had the last laugh over his controversial Kew Cottages project in Melbourne, having sold 20 million-dollar-plus homes since the weekend.

The luxury homes sold for between $1.6 million and more than $2m in off-the-plan sales that were another show of strength for a Melbourne residential market. The city’s auction clearance rates have been above 80 per cent since early May.

The 20 houses were part of a release of 49 in the second stage of the $400m project, a sensitive housing redevelopment that blends 100 disabled residents of the former Kew Cottages into the new estate known as Main Drive Kew.

Despite the botanical backdrop the inner-east project has not been a bed of roses for joint developers Walker Corporation and the Victorian government.

A development agreement, under which the government receives the land price and then shares in profits after a certain hurdle rate, has resulted in an ombudsman’s investigation, while the development has also been under fire from residents and the local council.

Walker Corp has also been subject to a court case in which high-profile Melbourne developer Kevin Hunt, once the Victorian head of Mirvac, claimed to be owed millions of dollars from the Kew project.

However, Mr Walker put all of that behind him this week to declare the project the jewel in the crown of Australia’s largest private residential land holder.

“Kew is our baby,” said Mr Walker, whose Walker Corp controls up to 40,0000 building lots across Australia.

The 27ha Main Drive Kew project involves about 400 homes to be delivered across seven stages. Many of the white, look-alike contemporary houses are being designed around 1000 or so mature trees, most of them heritage listed.

Walker Corp has targeted six Green Star ratings for homes, which in the second stage will be sized from 300sqm to 440sqm.

Mr Walker said the sale of 20 in a few days did not come as a complete surprise after 36 of 55 homes released in the earlier first stage sold on the first day.

The remaining homes sold within the next two weeks.

He said proximity to six of Melbourne’s top schools was a big attraction for Asian buyers.

The project had convinced him Melbourne continued to lead Australian housing markets, followed by Western Australia and South Australia, Mr Walker said.

In WA, Walker Corp has 4000 blocks in a joint venture with the state government.

He said blocks priced about $200,000 were selling well. In SA Walker Corp has a 1000-lot residential development at Mt Barker in the Adelaide Hills and a massive 12,000-lot subdivision north of Adelaide.

“The Mt Barker land is selling extremely well at a price point below $200,000, while I’m hopeful the other land, which is virtually a new suburb, will be approved later this year.”

Walker Corp also holds 15,000 to 17,000 hectares in Sydney’s southwestern corridor, but Mr Walker said that market was going nowhere because of a state government approval process so bogged down it would take years to catch up with the rest of Australia. Queensland was similarly stymied by increasing infrastructure charges.

YES, the castle’s walls are under assault. Despite the carefully worded denials, it is likely that Dr Ken Henry’s review of the taxation system will consider a capital gains tax on family homes valued at $2 million or more.

Another submission, from a Treasury official and a Danish economist, recommends a new tax based on a notional rent for owner occupied housing.

Then there’s the proposal for land tax to be extended to principal residences.

Economists prone to social engineering are arguing that our current system narrows the tax base and rewards high-income earners at the expense of renters, low-income earners and those with few, if any, assets.

With these submissions, they believe, they have found a way to make “the rich” pay and to save the housing market from itself.

According to University of NSW professor Julian Disney: “We need an indication that there is no longer an unlimited free lunch for owner occupiers at the top end of the market.”

It is strange to think of owner-occupied properties bought with after-tax dollars as a free lunch.

Even if you do hold that view, imposing the CGT on family homes valued at more than $2million will not bring a sense of equality to the property market.

Instead, the new tax will drive price inflation in the upper tier as future vendors facing a CGT liability will try to recoup the additional impost by increasing their asking price.

If they cannot achieve a higher price, they are likely to withdraw their properties from the market — starving the $2million-plus sector of supply just as demand in this sector shows every indication that it is about to grow.

If you doubt this will be detrimental to the wider market, consider what we’ve seen with the bottom half of the market, now showing the strains of pump-priming via the boosted first-home owners grant at state and federal levels.

How, then, does a second program pushing up prices in another sector make any sense?

And, more worryingly, do these academics seriously believe that a more level playing field for all will be achieved by artificial engineering of what is supposed to be a free market based on the natural dynamics of supply and demand?

The other tax proposals may look effective in a 157-page economic paper, but I hardly think injecting more complexity into our tax code is the answer.

The state-run land tax systems based on council valuations already have plenty of problems. Call me a sceptic, but I can’t see how a national extension of these imposts to the family home will make the market any more equitable.

And the idea of charging another tax based on a notional rent is replete with challenges. How would a standard rental percentage apply to all owner-occupied property, given the notoriously varying returns between states, price brackets and suburbs? Go figure.

The real way to secure a better functioning housing market lies in governments working together to increase the supply of new housing and delivering better urban design. Mindless soak-the-rich measures will achieve nothing.

A government that adopts any of these notions will be committing political suicide — homeowners just will not buy it.

Monique Sasson Wakelin is a director of residential investment consultancy Wakelin Property Advisory

Three Classic Scenarios

1. Two equal founders + one new CEO
   This is what happened at both Yahoo and Google. (Yes, the Google story is different in most other ways, and no need to rehash Yahoo’s later mistakes.) This seemed to work for them. The two founders made good money and avoided a lot of work they did not understand or enjoy. It also avoids the issue of which founder should become the boss.
2. Triumphant return
   This has one blazing success story: the return of Steve Jobs to Apple. But other ones did not work out so well: Jerry Yang at Yahoo comes to mind.
3. One partner who emerges as CEO
   Bill Gates emerged as the leader of Microsoft, not Paul Allen.

Which Scenario Do You Want to Play Out?

Some founders have no doubt. They fall clearly into one camp or another. They say either…

“No way in hell is anyone else running my business. Back off. Outta my way!”

Or…

“Who wants to do all that boring stuff anyway. Let me do the creative stuff. and let someone else make money for me.”

If you don’t have such clarity, you will need people whom you trust and who know you well to give you an honest assessment. And you will need to do some soul-searching.

Your decision will depend on many factors, mostly personal ones. You could hire for any skill-set you are missing. You might want to re-read the early chapter “Are You Really an Entrepreneur.”

It’s Different When the Game Changes

Markets can change. Let’s say you are a techie, and your venture was set up as a consumer website but then morphed into a B2B venture, for which sales skills are paramount. Or vice versa.

In such circumstances, you may be smart to say, “I need someone else at the helm.”

Don’t Let Investors Make This Decision

This is your decision. Some investors have a very firm view on this. Some fall into one school of thought or the other. However, some are agnostic, letting circumstances guide their view. Knowing their view before you sign the term sheet would be good, to make sure you both see the world in the same way.

If the VC has a strong view that founders never make good CEOs, and the founder thinks, “No way is anyone else running my business,” then get ready for one big bruising fight!