Apple Computer's the last company we'd even expect to live by the saying "there's no such thing as bad publicity," given that bad publicity practically killed them a couple of years back. And yet, we can't think of any other reason why they'd choose to use legal scare tactics on a couple of sixteen-year-old Canadian kids, just to get ownership of a domain name that they really don't need and isn't particularly hurting anyone. We're talking, of course, about the current wrestling match over the "appleimac.com" domain name, which is currently registered to two teens in Calgary, but which Apple wants signed over to the Cupertino Mothership, posthaste. CNET has more on this brewing PR disaster.

This is obviously not a case where a corporation is suing over the use of a domain name that is generic enough not to refer to a specific product, like when Archie Comics overreacted and sued some guy for registering "veronica.org" for his daughter Veronica's web site. After all, to what else could "appleimac.com" refer? At the same time, the site to which "appleimac.com" was pointing apparently contains absolutely zero information about Apple or the iMac, and the kids who registered it freely admit that they did so in order to "generate traffic" to their servers and to try to sell the domain name to Apple. In other words, yes, they're cybersquatters-- and what's worse, they're cybersquatters exploiting the success of the iMac by using the name to divert traffic to an unrelated site. Fundamentally, what these guys are doing is the same kind of sleazy practice that might lead to, say, "vwbeetle.com" loading up the International Elbow Fetishists' Page. On top of that, these kids are claiming that they deserve financial compensation from Apple since they've spent "$500 a month" on hosting the domain name-- which, even after accounting for the currency conversion rate, is patently absurd.

On the other hand, we're not at all sure that Apple took the right tack when they sicced their lawyers on two sixteen-year-olds trying to promote their web hosting company. In particular, sending a nasty letter that demands the immediate transfer of the domain name (without even an offer of payment for the original registration costs) is just begging for bad press. While we consider Apple well within their rights on this one, we're willing to bet they're going to pay a lot more in legal and public relations fees to get it all hammered out than if they had simply called the kids up, offered them a pair of iMacs in the colors of their choice, and settled it all quickly and amicably. By kicking off a firestorm of debate (and yes, there seem to be plenty of people fiercely backing both sides of the issue), all Apple's done is give the kids the benefit of public opinion, enough bargaining leverage to ask for a whole lot more than just a couple of iMacs, and exactly what they wanted in the first place-- a whole lot of web traffic. The "appleimac.com" domain name may not have seen much action since they registered it last year, but once this story broke, the kids have seen a pipe-bursting amount of activity from curious onlookers. Chalk it all up to a tactical error on Apple's part, yes?

When you think of Intel, you think of one thing, right? No, not the Pentium II strapped to a snail's back. No, not a flaming Bunnyman, either. Let's rephrase the question: when most people think of Intel, what do they think of? Chips! Processors! That's what they make, and that's what they do. Okay. Now when you think of Motorola, what's the first thing that pops into your head? Sure, if you're a rabid Mac fanatic, it might be the PowerPC, but to most people (even us!), Motorola means cellular phones. Let's face it: the PowerPC is not Motorola's bread and butter. Heck, it's probably not even their after-dinner mint, or the lemony-fresh water in their finger bowl. Otherwise we'd have seen at least one PowerPC commercial over the years, mixed in among the Pentium ad frenzy.

So, what if Motorola were to spin off their semiconductor division? According to Mac OS Rumors, that's exactly what might happen soon-- the group that designs and manufactures the PowerPC might be split off into its own independent unit. The operative word here is "might," but it's too intriguing a possibility not to consider. Imagine a company whose sole focus was the PowerPC architecture and how it could be improved. They'd have room to move without having to worry about seeing half their budget get diverted to make a revolutionary new pager. The PowerPC could theoretically get even faster even sooner. And who knows? Maybe Apple could even buy the whole company in a few years, directing PowerPC development with an eye towards Mac-specific performance improvements. It's a fun idea.

The other side of the coin, however, is that a spun-off company might not necessarily have the sheer muscle of a giant like Motorola. In particular, we're thinking of Exponential, the company who did nothing but work on a new kind of PowerPC processor-- one that was supposed to blow the doors off of anything that could come out of Motorola for years to come. But the reality was that Exponential's chips were late, and when they did show up, they weren't actually all that much faster than traditional PowerPC's made by Motorola and IBM. Plus, they gave off enough heat to let you use your computer as an Easy-Bake Oven. So "smaller and more focused" doesn't necessarily equal success. That caveat aside, we admit that we're actually pretty optimistic about the possibilities of a "PowerPC, Inc." Who knows? Maybe one of these days we'll actually see an ad touting the power of the PowerPC chip-- and not from Apple.

Well, we thought we'd heard the end of it once his final episode aired last week, but it appears that people are still moaning about how George Clooney has left ER. All we can say is, we wish people would get over it already. Sure, we're fans of the show, and we liked the character of Dr. Ross as much as the next group of Apple-crazed soap opera writers, but he's gone and we're dealing with it. Given that the news of his departure has been public for months, we doubt it hit anyone as a surprise.

Besides, it's not like George Clooney was the only maverick heartthrob on the air these days. Take, for instance, David Boies, star of the ongoing courtroom drama "Redmond Justice." Now there's an intriguing character. Okay, so his picture may not be gracing the cover of Teen Idol magazine and he might not crack Cosmo's top ten list of "Most Yummiestest," but his fan base is growing and the media are starting to take notice. Take, for example, Newsweek's recent profile of the man. It does a creditable job of giving readers a glimpse into the life of the most effective TV trial lawyer since Perry Mason. (And nobody give us any lip about Matlock-- we're aware of his work.)

For a guy who's primarily responsible for the government's almost certain victory against Microsoft, Boies is described as both "affable" and "cheerful." (We bet that Microsoft's legal team might take issue with that characterization.) Kudos to the show's writers for coming up with a slightly quirky, effective-as-all-get-out lawyer who's still so likeable-- and kudos to Boies, of course, for pulling off the role with such aplomb. From his devil-may-care insistence on wearing black sneakers in court to the facile way he eats witnesses for breakfast, we think Boies is poised and ready to take over Clooney's throne as king of the TV drama heartthrobs. Sorry, ladies-- he's married.