New & Noteworthy: iPod news roundup; Apple in Salem NH; Why Apple is Still in the Black; more

iPod news roundup Can't get enough opinions on the new iPod? Check these: Apple's iPod spurs mixed reactions (CNET); MacCommunist: Smash the iPod (Wired/Mired); Get Ready for Apple's Incredible New...MP3 Player? (Smartmoney); iPod under the microscope (Right on Mac); A Look at iPod (Go2Mac); Apple's pros of iPod (Shawn King's daily report); Apple Introduces New Portable Music Player (New York Times) and Apple jumps into the MP3 game--and does it right(ZDNet).

Apple Retail Store in Salem, NH A reader reports that he has received an email from The Mall at Rockingham Park announcing a forthcoming Apple Retail store.

Why Apple Is Still in the Black From BusinessWeek: "The wildly popular ghostly white iBook laptop is one big reason it's that rare bird today: A profitable computer company." More.

Apple's MacExpo plans emerge From Macworld UK: "More details are emerging of what's in store for MacExpo 2001 attendees." More.

WebMerge 1.8 generates static Web pages from database files. The new version supports new tags for even greater flexibility for page layout, portable file format for its automatable settings files across platforms, completely revised documentation now in HTML format, and even faster performance.

Palm reaches out to developers From CNET: "In an effort to keep a grip on its developers and attract new ones, Palm announced on Tuesday new programs designed to encourage the creation of third-party software for its operating system." More.

Paper Still Rules Paperless World From Wired: "It wasn't too long ago that technology idealists were predicting the advent of a paper-free world. Paper-thin electronic displays, they said, would take the place of wood pulp and ink, and civilized society would never again bear the indignities of dog ears and paper cuts. Perhaps that age is still to come, but for now, at least, paper is king." More.

Microsoft, AOL, Yahoo endorse self-rating system From Declan McCullagh: "This self-rating idea was silly enough when it surfaced circa 1997, and most of us thought it died a natural death. But no, silly ideas in politics never do -- they devolve into trade associations instead." More.

Instant Messages Go Multimedia From Wired: "Yahoo has released the latest version of its popular instant messenger application, offering users the ability to stream popular music, play games and create cartoon backgrounds on the system." More.

Mars spacecraft orbit thrills NASA According to SpaceFlight Now: "All of Odyssey's computing functions are performed by the command and data handling subsystem. The heart of this subsystem is a RAD6000 computer, a radiation-hardened version of the PowerPC chip used on most models of Macintosh computers." From AP: "NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft circled the Red Planet on Wednesday on its first full day in orbit, two years after the space agency suffered back-to-back failures by Mars missions." More. (Thanks, Jennifer Scott)