You want another yet another indication of Apple's return to health? Then chew on this: Apple's just increased its number of wholesale distributors by a full 50%. How do ya like them Apples? Okay, so technically the increase consists of a move from two distributors to three, but hey, percentages are a spin-doctor's best friend. According to Apple's press release, Tech Data is back in the Apple family, joining Ingram Micro and Pinacor to form a new Mighty Mac Triumvirate. All shall bow and scrape before it; submit to the Triumvirate, before it destroys you all!

On the other hand, maybe it's not such a dramatic move after all, but Tech Data's return to the Apple fold does indicate that demand for Macs is strong and growing. According to a CNET article, adding a third distributor is a good sign not only of healthy demand for Apple's products, but also of Apple's increased production-- the ability to crank out enough Macs to keep all those distributors a-hoppin'. And there's a nice snowball effect, because one more distributor means one more place the retailers can tap to get stock; it used to be that if Pinacor and Ingram were both out of high-end PowerBooks, a retailer's shelves would just stay empty, but now Tech Data is a third place to try. More stock on retailer's shelves leads to more Mac sales. More Mac sales leads to a more prosperous Apple. A more prosperous Apple may lead to more Mac distributors. Neat, huh?

Lest you think that the Mighty Mac Triumvirate indicates an Apple at the peak of its strength, it's probably worth noting that Apple had five distributors way back before things got really scary and the company had to cut three of them loose. But the addition of Tech Data is still a great step forward, and if Apple's growth continues like this, we wouldn't be at all surprised if, in just a few short years, the number of wholesale Apple distributors rises to five or even higher. And if history's any indication, that's the point at which Steve Jobs will be ousted in a boardroom coup, Gil Amelio will be reinstated, and things will get really interesting again. It's a universal rule, folks; change begets drama, and Apple is never without drama.

This Army thing ain't over yet, people. Last year, following a hack of the www.army.mil site, the Army announced that it was dumping Windows NT and switching to Mac web servers running WebSTAR software for security reasons. Since then, all was well-- but a few days ago, a couple of Army NT servers that hadn't yet been replaced were hacked by some Brazilian hackers calling themselves the "Crime Boy's." Was it just yet another anecdote to throw in the pile of "why Mac servers are more secure then Windows ones" stories? Well, it would have been, if it weren't for the fact that the Army has reportedly received threats that www.army.mil is slated for a hack attack on St. Patrick's Day.

To arms, troops! According to an article in Federal Computer Week, the Army's "cyberdefense teams" are "on full alert" because of the promise of St. Patty's Day hijinx. This time around the threat was issued by Hacking for Girliez, the group responsible for altering the New York Times home page a year and a half ago. But will they be able to hack a Mac? The gauntlet's been thrown down, and now it's time to see if WebSTAR is up to the test. While the Army has declined to elaborate on the "countermeasures" taken to keep the hackers at bay, we found it interesting that StarNine employee and WebSTAR guru Eric Zelenka mentioned to the WebSTAR-Talk mailing list that he'd be "at the U.S. Army the next several days." Sounds like they're bringing in hired guns to make sure everything's watertight.

So it's go time. If Hacking for Girliez succeeds, then it'll be a dark day for the Mac platform; the Mac's reputation for Internet security will be severely compromised. If, on the other hand, WebSTAR keeps the marauders at bay, then Mac webmasters everywhere will be swilling more than their fair share of green beer on St. Patrick's night. Here's hoping the Army has the luck of the Irish... (Note: as of broadcast time, the Army home page is still serving strong.)

The key to showmanship: always leave 'em wanting more. But do you think Steve Jobs may be taking that motto a little too far? According to MacNN, Uncle Steve has decided to bail on Spring Internet World, where he was scheduled to kick off the festivities with one of his world-class Stevenotes. No one seems to know why, but this isn't the first time Steve's backed out on keynoting. Apple Expo, anyone?

In fact, we wouldn't be particularly surprised if the U.K. Mac community started taking up a lynching fund right about now. As some of you may recall, Steve was supposed to keynote at London's Apple Expo 2000; the show collapsed when Steve pulled out, Apple followed suit, and the exhibitors decided that an Apple Expo without Apple would be an exercise in futility. Now, do you happen to remember why Steve cancelled his Apple Expo keynote? That's right, it was because of a scheduling conflict-- he wanted to keynote at Spring Internet World instead. So now it looks like Steve decimated Apple Expo for the sake of speaking at a conference he may not be attending after all. Note to Steve: beware of Englishmen brandishing nooses.

With another high-profile cancellation on the books, Steve's morphing from Mr. Showmanship into Mr. No-Show-- assuming the withdrawal from Internet World is true. So far the Spring Internet World Events Page still refers to "Steve Job's opening keynote." Wait a sec, that must be the answer! Steve Jobs was never booked to speak at the show-- the conference people screwed up and booked some guy named "Steve Job" instead. Hmm, there are seven people named "Steve Job" listed on Switchboard. We wonder which one's the lucky honorarium recipient?