Until today Hardcover 2 has been composed of 'Hardcover [Crystal]' placing your album art on a highly polished reflective glass surface, and 'Hardcover [Aurora]' placing your album art in front of a vivid pulsating polychromatic spectrum.

Well, that was until today...

I'm proud to give you Hardcover 2.3 introducing the brand new 'Hardcover [Blizzard]' iTunes visualizer, the latest addition to the Hardcover family. Hardcover [Blizzard] places your album art in the middle of a frozen lake with a snow flurry slowly descending both behind and in front of the rotating jewel case. It's the perfect way to enjoy your music during both Christmas and Easter - and everywhere in between.

Let it snow!

New in Hardcover 2.3:
- Added brand new Hardcover [Blizzard] visualizer.

Returning to Mac OS 9 again after all this time, wielding the system came just as natural to me this time around as it did back then. It was almost as if I'd never left in the first place. However, I never really seemed to be able to shake off the Mac OS X-specific habit of jabbing at the F-keys on the keyboard whenever the sound was playing too loud.

As such, I decided to venture into partially unexplored territory in order to provide Classic Mac OS with tried and true Mac OS X-esque keyboard media controls. Not only did I succeed in this, but ended up going far beyond my initial call.

I'm therefore thrilled to give you Functional Keys for Classic Mac OS, providing you with organic unified control over everything from music track and sound volume to screen depth and screen resolution. Functional Keys even gives you Exposé-esque window management for the first time on any Classic Mac OS system. All the functions can easily be accessed either from the F-keys on your keyboard or from a brand new Functional Keys menu to the left in your menu bar.

Functional Keys is extremely versatile, and makes it easy for anyone with the most basic of coding skills to add additional functions. And as a most wonderful side-effect, you can now finally get rid of that pesky inconsequent floating mess of a Control Strip, as all basic functions now are accessible where the Control Strip should have been in the first place: The menu bar.

Who said you can't teach old dogs new tricks?

Version History:
Version 1.9:
- Added custom skin to KeyboardLauncher.
- Added custom skin to OtherMenu.

Version 1.8:
- Added Eject-function (Thanks to Apple Inc. and their awesome Eject Extras).
- Added Volume Increment-function exclusive to the menu bar (Thanks to James Walker and his awesome OtherMenu Externals).
- Added Exposé Windows-function exclusive to the menu bar (Once again thanks to James Walker and his awesome OtherMenu Externals).
- Changed installation procedure for easier installation.

Version 1.7:
- Added support for OtherMenu and other menu bar application launchers.
- Changed color scheme of custom icons for better visual contrast when used with menu bar application launchers.
- Changed names of the Functional Keys utilities for a cleaner appearance when used with menu bar application launchers.
- Changed order of the Functional Keys utilities for a more natural progression.

Version 1.6:
- Added compatibility with almost all known classic Mac OS emulators for modern systems.
- Fixed bug that caused Exposé-function for bringing running applications to the foreground to freeze.
- Fixed bug that caused Exposé-function for bringing running applications to the foreground to bring the first application opened frontmost instead of the last application used frontmost.
- Fixed bug that prevented Exposé-function for bringing Finder to the foreground from hiding the frontmost application.

Version 1.5:
- Added compatibility with Mac OS 7.1 or newer.
- Added compatibility with full screen applications.
- Functional Keys now no longer brings Finder to the foreground when activated.
- Optimized Exposé-function for bringing running applications to the foreground.

Version 1.4:
- Added controls for Exposé.
- Fixed sound feedback for upper sound volume extreme.

Version 1.3:
- Added controls for iTunes.
- Added custom icons.

Version 1.2:
- Added limits for upper and lower sound volume extremes.
- Removed interface feedback sounds for color depth and screen resolution due to sound looping on some systems.

Version 1.1:
- Functional Keys now run as background processes.
- Added optional interface feedback sounds.

Version 1.0:
- Initial release.

The trip down memory lane begins with the release of Startup for Classic Mac OS.

Thinking back on Mac OS 9, I vividly remember the startup screen sporting a bright orange number nine. Imagine my surprise installing Mac OS 9 for the first time in 15 years, only to realize this never really was the case.

So I re-designed the Mac OS 9 startup screen according to my brain. And while at it, I threw in redesigns for Mac OS 8, Mac OS 7 and System 6 for good measure. As with Yosemite Classic, all the startup screens have been designed using the official colors of each separate iteration of Mac OS.

...Ignition!

Version History:
Version 1.2:
- Added startup screen for System 6.
- Aligned the grayscale and monochrome startup screens with the full-color startup screens for each version of Mac OS.

Version 1.1:
- Added startup screens for Mac OS 8 and Mac OS 7.

Version 1.0:
- Initial release.

A couple of years ago I suddenly got a call from my dear colleague and childhood acquaintance, Dr. Omenaas, wondering if I would be interested in some of the vintage Macs he'd been collecting through the years.

Not only did these consist of what I consider to be the epitome of industrial design, including the iMac G3 DV SE, the iMac G4 and the Power Mac G4 Quicksilver. Not only were all of these able to run both of my all time favorite operating systems, Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger. But he didn't want a dime for them - as long as I promised to give them a good home.

Naturally I agreed

Upon receiving this unexpected gift, they initially represented nothing more to me than beautiful sculptures of fine art to be displayed. But once good ol' Mac OS 9 had been installed on them, they suddenly transitioned into that wonderful warm blanket of nostalgia from years long past. And as I started adding the applications I once used for creating most of my creative works for almost 2 decades, it suddenly dawned on me that I had regained access to all the well-known tools I would never ever have the time to re-learn on modern day hardware - everything from 3D modelling to vector illustration, from music composition to video production, from user interface modification to video game creation.

However, I didn't truly realize how deep the rabbit hole really went until I started trying to find what these marvels could NOT do.

Could they play all my DVDs and DiVX movies? Check. Could they play all my CDs and MP3 music? Check. Could they play all my all-time favorite computer games? Check. Could they browse modern day internet and e-mails? Check. Could they broadcast all of these to my TV? Check. And before I knew it these 20 year old relics had transformed from a simple curiosity to full-fledged media centers as well as my PRIMARY work machines for most things creative.

But for anyone who knows me, I can't ever touch something without leaving my footprint in the snow...

So hold on to your seats while I release some brand new software for some truly classic Macs!

Back around the turn of the millennium the Mac jumped lightyears ahead of it's competition with the introduction of Mac OS X. However, this jump also meant leaving a wealth of software from the Classic Mac OS era behind. To offset the inevitable, Apple left the door open for running Classic Mac OS software during the first few iterations of Mac OS X through the aptly named 'Classic Environment'. Though the days of the Classic Environment are long gone, recent versions of Mac OS X still have the ability to run Classic Mac OS software through the use of emulators.

Introducing Yosemite Classic, the proper way to dress up your Classic Mac OS emulators.

Yosemite Classic consists of a collection of icons designed using the official colors of each separate iteration of Mac OS, the concept of the original Classic Environment icon, and the polish introduced with Mac OS X 10.10 Yosemite. The icons pay respect to both the past, present and future of Mac OS, and they look right at home next to Finder in the dock where the Classic Environment once resided.

Take a trip down memory lane!

Version History:
Version 1.2:
- Added icon for Mac OS X.
- Gradient of the Mac OS 8 icon intensified due to visual discrepancy.

Version 1.1:
- Added icons for Mac OS 8, Mac OS 7, and Mac OS 6.

Version 1.0:
- Initial release.

Following through with keeping my software current and up to date both here at Mednotes.net as well as at MacUpdate.com, I'm making my Vox 0.2.7 Yosemite Compatibility Update available over at MacUpdate.com as well today.

For those of you who prefer a more recent version of Vox and don't mind the background daemons and the monthly subscription fee, Coppertino has polished Vox wonderfully for recent versions of Mac OS X. For the rest of us, Vox 0.2.7 Yosemite Compatibility Update is here to save the day!

Crank it up!

Three days after our first Siberian kitten NO*Trans-Siberia Lily moved to her new home, I got a frantic call from her new owner. The youngest child in their household sadly had developed a cat allergy. They were not willing to try medication, nor were they willing to wait out the next couple of months until Lily becomes truly hypoallergenic.

So what do you do when one of your babies suddenly face uncertainty, whether it be relocation or euthanasia? For me, the only right thing to do was to welcome Lily back into our family. And, for the shortest while, our little cat family was whole again.

Since then, both of Lily's brothers, NO*Trans-Siberia Milo and NO*Trans-Siberia Nemo, have moved to wonderful new homes. Lily will forever stay here with us.

Who knows? Perhaps Lily one day will have a litter of her very own...

Despite Apple's best efforts, Hardcover 2 pushes forwards with a brand new release. Hardcover 2.2 adds the much requested contrast between the foreground track information and the background frequency spectrum in Hardcover [Aurora]. Version 2.2 also brings major codebase reorganization and performance optimization ensuring the best possible experience on any Mac you decide to run it on.

Smooth sailing!

New in Hardcover 2.2:
- Added highly requested contrast between the track information and the frequency spectrum in Hardcover [Aurora].
- Performed major performance optimization ensuring that Hardcover runs perfectly smooth on any Mac sporting an Intel processor (and hopefully also on any supported Mac sporting a PPC processor).
- Performed major codebase reorganization.

Keeping my software up to date across the web has proven to be quite a daunting task. Not only has it become virtually impossible to keep track of every single last web site providing links to my software, but whether or not those web sites are maintaining separate copies of my software on their own servers and whether or not those web sites keep those copies updated, has complicated an already almost impossible task tenfolds.

As such, I have gradually accepted my faith that the web as a whole is outside my reach, and shifted my focus to ensuring that my software is updated here at Mednotes.net as well as on the largest third-party platform for Macintosh software, MacUpdate.com.

However, it recently has come to my attention that my EMUlaunch Front Row Skin disappeared from the MacUpdate database during their server migration earlier this spring. Today I am righting this wrong, and my EMUlaunch Front Row Skin should now yet again be available over at MacUpdate.com.

Enjoy!

And just like that, all of our Siberian kittens have been adopted to new safe and loving homes.

I would like to thank all the wonderful people we have met on this amazing journey, and wish each of the kittens' new families the best of luck with their furry new family members!

We are not planning any additional litters as of the current moment. But in case our plans change, feel free to drop by Trans-Siberia.net from time to time.

Our wonderful Siberian cat 'Lolli' gave birth to three divine purebred Siberian kittens this easter, and they are quickly growing up to become true heartbreakers! Our journey with them is now nearly halfway done, and they will be ready for a new place to call home already by the last weekend of June 2019.

If you want to take a peek at these adorable little tabbies, pictures and details are now available over at Trans-Siberia.net. And if you by any chance live in Norway and would like to come visit (or adopt ) one of these hypoallergenic wonders, feel free to drop me a line

Sometime during the spring of 2017 Mednotes.net thundered past it's 1,000,000th distributed medical compendium. It's a shamefully late celebration, I know. But you know what they say...

...better late than never

I'm lost for words when trying to comprehend the sheer quantity of my works that have been downloaded over the years, even more so when factoring in the rate of secondary physical replication in markets I still keep tabs on. And it truly blows my mind when even trying to wrap my head around the very real possibility of a similar rate of secondary replication occurring in all the markets I have no insight into.

I have to admit I'm a little shocked from the frequency I still meet my notes in real life, whether in corner coffeehouses, in student libraries, or brought to my doctor's office by my actively studying patients. And this has been quite the reality check for me, especially considering my initial long-term strategy of retiring the web site once it turned 10 years old. But the web site is still hanging in there, going on it's 13th year...

...and we're now both in it for the long run

So thank you so much, every single one of you, for all the kind words though the years, for all the donations keeping this web site up running, and, most of all, for all your relentless motivation to become the best possible health professionals you can be!

Sometime during the course of the past couple of years the contact form here at Mednotes.net, once again, has gone down for the count. The problem is the same this time around as back in both 2013 and 2016, and there seemingly is no reliable way for me to prevent this from happening again and again in the future.

It saddens me to think about all the questions, requests and well-wishes I neither have been able to read nor respond to during this time. And I can do nothing more than to extend my most sincere apologies to all of you who have spent your precious time writing to me.

To prevent this from ever happening again, I therefore feel I have no other choice but to remove the contact form from the web site for the time being.

And for those of you still needing to reach out to me, all my contact details are, as always, available at the very top of the on-site CV.

Stay in touch!

I'm proud to announce that our gorgeous long-haired silver/black-tabby Siberian cat 'Lolli' is expecting kittens this spring. This will be Lolli's only litter, and the very first litter in the 'Trans-Siberia'-lineage of purebred hypoallergenic Siberian cats. The kittens will be born sometime during the first week of April, and will be ready for new adventures with new families already this summer.

So if you live in Norway and have always dreamt of a cute, warm and fuzzy little furball in your home, head over to Trans-Siberia.net for more information, pictures and updates once these bundles of joy arrive.

Get catified!

Vox was a seriously brilliant lightweight free music player for Mac OS X back in the day. It was the perfect companion to iTunes when wanting to listen to new music without adding it to your iTunes library just yet. It sported media key support and menu bar controls. And it played every single last obscure music format you threw at it, including all the tracker music and video game music you forgot you had.

However, Alessio Nonni, the original creator, naturally sold off the rights to Vox when he got the offer. And, as such, the last completely hassle-free version of Vox remained version 0.2.7 up until Mac OS 10.10 Yosemite broke it's compatibility some years back.

Well, not any more!

Introducing Vox 0.2.7 Yosemite Compatibility Update, restoring compatibility with Mac OS 10.10 Yosemite or newer.

Play it loud!

New in Vox 0.2.7 Yosemite Compatibility Update 1.0:
- Updated the core audio library to un4seen's awesome BASS 2.4.12.
- Vox now also supports Mac OS X 10.10 Yosemite and newer.

As my coding proficiency has grown through the years, I've continued to push my already published software here at Mednotes.net to the very edge of my expanding competence. Most of my applications have gained so many new features and layers of polish as to be virtually unrecognizable from their meager origins, while some have even managed to transcend the ever elusive version 2.0 barrier.

To reflect almost a decade of refinements, I've now finally gotten around to create brand new screenshots for all my current software.

Say cheese!

While ScummVM is the best way to preserve and play all your old bitmap adventure games on modern hardware, ScummVM lacks the 3D rendering capabilities needed for the adventure games released around the turn of the millennium. But don't fret! ResidualVM has got you covered, with full support for several of the classic polygonal graphic adventure games from your youth. And ROMlaunch welcomes ScummVM's sister project with open arms.

ROMlaunch 1.9 adds both a brand new 'ROMlaunch GRIME' game launcher as well as a 'Create ResidualVM Game Shortcut' AppleScript for seamless integration of ResidualVM with Finder.

Get your game on!

New in ROMlaunch 1.9:
- Added brand new 'ROMlaunch GRIME' game launcher for launching polygonal graphic adventure games with ResidualVM.
- Added 'Create ResidualVM Game Shortcut' AppleScript for easy game shortcut creation.
- Fixed spelling in 'ROMlaunch SCUMM' and 'ROMlaunch JAG'.

The all grown up Hardcover 2 moves ahead with version 2.1, adding the final layer of polish to an already solid release.

However, Hardcover 2.1 doesn't come without its share of woes. Apple has in recent years made it increasingly difficult for me to continue developing Hardcover. Initially it consisted of a calculated neglect of the primary development tool of Hardcover in recent iterations of Mac OS X, forcing much of the development of Hardcover 2 over to a virtual machine running Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. As mentioned in an earlier release of Hardcover, Apple also silently dropped support for user input for third party visualizers in iTunes several iterations ago, forcing the separation of Hardcover into Hardcover [Crystal] and Hardcover [Aurora]. And, as of iTunes 12.6, third party visualizers are no longer supported in iTunes at all.

Sadly, this means that the requirements for Hardcover will remain iTunes 7.4 to iTunes 12.5 for the time being.

But fear not! I'm far from done with Hardcover, and there are some insanely great new features coming soon to a screen near you!

New in Hardcover 2.1:
- Adjusted size and position of the custom placeholder inlay in Hardcover [Crystal].
- Re-refined position of the track information.
- Updated meta-information of Hardcover.

After many late nights in the eery blue glow of my computer screen, I'm ecstatic to finally be able to lift the veil off of Hardcover 2.

Hardcover 2 is down to a tee how I envisioned it when I first started toying around with the idea of a bold new iTunes visualizer four years ago. In my mind's eye it seemed like such a simple task, but it ended up taking me a hundred work hours and 8 iterations to get it all right.

And now we're finally here!

Version 2.0 brings major palpable changes to an iTunes library near you. Finally you can say goodbye to the harsh shifty album cover transitions when changing tracks with all new animated transitions. There's a low-key fading transition for Hardcover [Aurora], and an eye-popping soaring transition for Hardcover [Crystal]. There's also a new separate custom placeholder inlay for tracks missing album cover art in Hardcover [Crystal], further diversifying the two siblings. Finally, Hardcover 2 brings back manual installation (as a supplement to the automatic installation) by request from the more tech-savvy of you.

Get it while it's hot!

New in Hardcover 2.0:
- Added sweet (if I may say so myself) animated transitions when changing tracks.
- Added new custom placeholder inlay for tracks missing album cover art in Hardcover [Crystal] (Once again, thanks to Jacob Knegtel and his awesome 'Euphoria' Photoshop brushes).
- Brought back manual installation of Hardcover on popular demand.
- Switched file icons between Hardcover [Crystal] and Hardcover [Aurora].
- Changed names of visualizers to 'Hardcover [Crystal]' (was 'Hardcover [Classic]') and 'Hardcover [Aurora]' (was 'Hardcover [Advanced]').
- Hardcover is now all grown up and version therefore bumped to 2.0.

Even though it has been quiet here at Mednotes.net as of late, it has been quite the opposite in both my personal life and professional life the past couple of years.

I've become the father of a wonderful baby boy. I've accepted a position at SiO, working as a medical doctor exclusively for the students, teachers, and professors of the universities in Oslo. I've become a registered breeder of hypoallergenic Siberian kittens. I've sub-specialized as both a Seafarer's Doctor and a Petroleum Worker's Doctor. And I've taken major strides as a computer programmer for the Macintosh computer platforms (yes, that IS a plural!).

Brand new Mac applications as well as fresh updates to my old Mac applications will be made available in the coming weeks. In the mean time, I've updated my CV to reflect recent accolades.

So for those of you keeping tabs on me, head over to the on-site CV for a quick read.