Who knew we at AtAT wield such awesome power? It's only been a week since we criticized Apple's revamped iReview site for having reviewed only six web sites in its new "Mac News and Information" category. We also postulated that Apple's decision to review primarily sites all owned by the same people, like MacCentral, MacWEEK, and Macworld Online, was a transparent attempt to "steer Mac surfers towards sites with 'approved' content." To that end, we specifically asked, "Where's MacAddict?"

Well, never let it be said that Apple's not listening. Faithful viewer Nate Friedman breathlessly reported that MacAddict's web site has finally been iReviewed, and scarcely a week after our rant. In fact, the reviewer even gave the site a marginally favorable rating-- three stars out of five. Is it a coincidence that Apple finally acknowledged MacAddict seven short days after we galvanized the masses with our invigorating complaint? Yeah, right.

Of course, it's worth mentioning that the addition of the MacAddict iReview still only brings the number of "Mac News and Information" sites to seven. We figure there's room for at least one more, Apple. (Hint, hint.) Nate himself says, "now that MacAddict has an iReview, it means that AtAT can't be far off." Way-ell, folks, don't hold your breath; MacAddict's iReview lists "adolescent humor won't appeal to everyone" as a "con." A con! Whereas we've been holding up "adolescent humor that won't appeal to everyone" as our highest ideal for years, now. There must be a generation gap or something, here.

Hey, have you noticed the new spate of iMac commercials flooding the airwaves lately? When last we checked, the new ads hadn't been posted to Apple's web site yet, nor have we seen much about them in the press. And in a way, that's not all that surprising, since one of the commercials is just the same old "Three Steps" ad with footage showing off a new iMac DV instead of the older model. The other one we've noticed, though, is new-- and while it's nothing groundbreaking as far as commercials go, we found its underlying message to be both revolutionary and vaguely disturbing.

If you watch a decent amount of network TV, you've seen this ad. It features the now-classic image of a translucent iMac against a stark white background, but this iMac is changing colors, cycling through all available flavors as it spins to show off its stylish curves. The voiceover asks whether you should change your decor to match your iMac, or change your iMac to match your decor. Now, given that the iMac is what's changing onscreen, it's not too hard to guess which answer Apple is pushing to the viewing audience. You can interpret this ad in two different ways. Most people are going to see it as a half-joking way to tout the iMac's choice of colors to new buyers. Others-- like us-- are going to wonder whether it's a half-serious attempt to induce existing iMac owners to buy a new iMac that better matches the new carpet in the den.

So have we truly reached the age of the disposable Mac? Is this ad a subliminal wake-up call to Bondi Blue iMac owners who can now add a better-blending choice of color to their internal list of justifications for replacing their computer after only a year and a half? Think about it: for only $999, Blueberry could match your curtains much more nicely than the greener Bondi ever could, plus you'd get a faster processor, more RAM, better speakers, a quieter environment, a bigger hard disk, and faster graphics. Who could refuse? It won't be long before Apple institutes a leasing program so customers can trade up for new iMac colors whenever they redo their wallpaper. Further in the future, iMacs will become so cheap and color choices will become so plentiful that people will replace their systems every six months just to go with the season's new bedspreads. Imagine iMacs sold in multi-flavor six-packs, with those plastic ring-thingies binding them together; change your wardrobe, and pull a new, matching iMac off the shelf. Where will it all end?

We could say we're utterly shocked to hear that there's a major security flaw in Microsoft "Internet Information Server" web server software, but that'd be about as believable as Dick Van Dyke's cockney accent in Mary Poppins, so we won't insult your intelligence. After all, security holes and Microsoft are two great tastes that taste great together, and finding a new flaw (especially one that has to do with IIS and FrontPage) is hardly even news anymore-- but this one's a little different. Yeah, there's nothing new about a big honkin' hole in IIS, but this time Microsoft's engineers put it there on purpose. It's a back door that, according to Bloomberg News, could allow people to "gain illicit access to hundreds of thousands of Internet sites worldwide."

Still not intrigued? Then consider this: to unlock this hidden back door, apparently all you need to do is type a secret passphrase into Microsoft FrontPage-- and that phrase is "Netscape engineers are weenies!" Okay, so we're appalled that this time a Microsoft product's security was compromised intentionally by the company's developers instead of by the usual incompetence. And we're disgusted that so many people have now put their data at risk by trusting those guys in Redmond. And yet, against all better judgment, we look at that passphrase, and we can't help thinking that this may well be the coolest thing Microsoft has ever done. By comparison, Apple's iguana flag Easter egg was nifty and non-injurious to customer data, but come on.

Top Microsoft officials are denying that they knew about this back door, of course, and they're calling it "a firing offense" and all that, but we're not too sure. Faithful viewer Shane Burgess sent us to an MSNBC story about this brouhaha, in which Microsoft spokesperson Steve Lipner mentions that "the problem doesn't affect Internet servers running Windows 2000, or the latest version of its server extensions included in FrontPage 2000." So whaddaya think-- was this all an emergency contingency plan to boost upgrade sales of Microsoft's latest operating system? If the thought never occurred to you, you're a trusting soul indeed...