The Audacity Team has released a new beta version of his Free audio Editor, with many bug fixes and new improvements...

Changes in 1.2.0-pre2:

* Online help completed. The full manual is nearly complete
and will be posted to the website for online browsing shortly.

* Audacity will no longer let you do unsafe editing operations
while playing or recording. This eliminates many potential
crashes.

* Fixed ability to cancel Quit button.

* New resampling library, with no restrictions on the maximum or
minimum rate of resampling.

* Audacity now supports LADSPA plug-ins on all platforms, and
supports VST plug-ins through an optional LADSPA plug-in
called the "VST Enabler", which you can download separately.
Because of licensing issues, Audacity cannot be distri ...

CherryPicker 2.0 has been released:

Version 2 of CherryPicker adds many new features to the first release along with a redesigned interface.

OMS patch file format supported (Read only) as well as FreeMIDI and midnam (Read/Write).
Custom Banks containing patches with different bank selects will now work with Digital Performer 4.x
Entire banks can be dragged between patch files, making expansion board upgrading a snap.
Text files containing patch names in many formats can be dropped onto patch banks to create instant patches.
Global patch finder will locate matches in all banks, and automatically create new banks for the matches.
Note list and note group drag and drop editing implemented.
IAC bus provided to audition midi tracks on your sequencer while selecting patches.
Warns you if there is no entry in the manufacturer's middev file for the model you are editing.
Transmits global and bank level sysex initialization.

CherryPicker is 'donation ware".

Apple may be redoing the Cinema displays as early as November. The new display will most likely be the same technology but with a casing to match the aluminum G5.

Rumor of next generation Ipod surfaced. Apparenly apple started work on it early this spring when it assembled a group of "young talent" from higher education venues.

Worth saying, as these events are few and far between: IRCAM, the famous French Comtemporary Music Research Institute, is organizing a Musical Freeware meeting, as part of the "Résonances 2003" event.
The event will present freeware and its concrete uses on multiple operating systems, including Agnula, JMax, OpenMusic, and so on.
This meeting is Thursday October 23rd, 10 AM to 6 PM, at IRCAM's Studio 5 (1, place Igor-Stravinsky, 75004 Paris). Registration is required but free (take the opportunity -- it's one free IRCAM event out of two in the year), and you can register email at: Sylvie.Benoit@ircam.fr. Ed: Not in Paris? Check out freeware on IRCAM's site. -PK