Mac the Knife: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|Anonymous gossip columnist}} |
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{{other uses|Mack the Knife (disambiguation)}} |
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| ⚫ | '''Mac the Knife''' was the [[pen name]] (inspired by the homophonous well-known song "[[Mack the Knife]]") of an [[anonymous]] [[gossip]] columnist for the (now defunct) [[Apple Macintosh]]-focused trade publication ''[[MacWEEK]]''. Mac the Knife was always written by a single writer, but the identity of that writer changed more than once over the long publishing history of ''MacWEEK''.<ref>"Over the years, the column was penned by a number of anonymous writers, whose identities were closely guarded and frequently speculated on." Leander Kahney, "[ |
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{{Multiple issues| |
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{{Refimprove|date=July 2011}} |
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{{Notability|date=January 2024}} |
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}} |
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| ⚫ | '''Mac the Knife''' was the [[pen name]] (inspired by the homophonous well-known song "[[Mack the Knife]]") of an [[Anonymity|anonymous]] [[gossip]] columnist for the (now defunct) [[Apple Macintosh]]-focused trade publication ''[[MacWEEK]]''.<ref name="WilliamRobin">{{cite book |last1=Williams |first1=Robin |title=Jargon : an informal dictionary of computer terms |date=1993 |publisher=Peachpit Press |location=Berkeley, CA |isbn=0938151843 |page=326}}</ref><ref name="FaraceJoe">{{cite book |last1=Farace |first1=Joe |title=The photographer's internet handbook |date=1997 |publisher=Allworth Press |location=New York |isbn=1880559625 |page=126}}</ref> Mac the Knife was always written by a single writer, but the identity of that writer changed more than once over the long publishing history of ''MacWEEK''.<ref>"Over the years, the column was penned by a number of anonymous writers, whose identities were closely guarded and frequently speculated on." Leander Kahney, "[https://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,41111,00.html Microsoft Gets Some MacLove]," Wired News, 11 January 2001.</ref> The column was known not only for its wide-ranging and often accurate Macintosh-related rumors, but for its [[gonzo journalism|gonzo]], [[Hunter S. Thompson]]-like style. |
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Tipsters who provided juicy gossip were provided with coffee mugs emblazoned with the Knife's logo. During the column's heyday, the trophy mugs were occasionally sent randomly to Apple employees in order to obscure the true leakers.<ref>"Raines Cohen, who worked as a reporter at the MacWeek trade paper, recalled how the staff of the paper would occasionally send "Mac-the-Knife" coffee mugs to random Apple executives. The rationale was that having so many mugs spread throughout the office would make it harder for Apple to figure out which employees were actually talking to the publication." John Markoff, "[http://search.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050321/ZNYT05/503210399&SearchID=73264448441820 To Cut Online Chatter, Apple Goes to Court]," ''New York Times'' March 21, 2005.</ref> |
Tipsters who provided juicy gossip were provided with coffee mugs emblazoned with the Knife's logo. During the column's heyday, the trophy mugs were occasionally sent randomly to Apple employees in order to obscure the true leakers.<ref>"Raines Cohen, who worked as a reporter at the MacWeek trade paper, recalled how the staff of the paper would occasionally send "Mac-the-Knife" coffee mugs to random Apple executives. The rationale was that having so many mugs spread throughout the office would make it harder for Apple to figure out which employees were actually talking to the publication." John Markoff, "[http://search.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050321/ZNYT05/503210399&SearchID=73264448441820 To Cut Online Chatter, Apple Goes to Court]," ''New York Times'' March 21, 2005.</ref> |
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''MacWEEK'''s party at [[Macworld Conference & Expo]] was named for this fictional character. The party was often more secretive than Apple's own parties, to protect the identity of the Knife. |
''MacWEEK'''s party at [[Macworld Conference & Expo]] was named for this fictional character. The party was often more secretive than Apple's own parties, to protect the identity of the Knife. |
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During the latter part of the Knife's career, his or her columns appeared on a website called The Electric Knife, which was published by [[Mac Publishing]] at |
During the latter part of the Knife's career, his or her columns appeared on a website called The Electric Knife, which was published by [[Mac Publishing]] at {{mono|mactheknife.com}}, but after the Knife's retirement, the domain expired. For some time, it was not associated with the Knife. Recently, it has been pointed at the defunct [[MacEdition]] homepage. |
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Today, none of the former Mac the Knife columnists write using this name. The columnist himself moved to [[MacEdition]] in 2000, penning a column called the "Naked Mole Rat Report" (an allusion to a phrase used in one of the Knife's last columns). The column seems to have ceased publication in 2003. |
Today, none of the former Mac the Knife columnists write using this name. The columnist himself moved to [[MacEdition]] in 2000, penning a column called the "Naked Mole Rat Report" (an allusion to a phrase used in one of the Knife's last columns). The column seems to have ceased publication in 2003. |
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Many of the later Mac the Knife columns are still available from the [[Internet Archive]]'s copy of the Electric Knife site.<ref>[ |
Many of the later Mac the Knife columns are still available from the [[Internet Archive]]'s copy of the Electric Knife site.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/19981206060641/http://macweek.zdnet.com/opinion/opinion_knife.html The former Mac the Knife site] on [[archive.org]] </ref> |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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* [[Apple rumors community]] |
* [[Apple rumors community]] |
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* [[Robert X. Cringely]] |
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==References== |
==References== |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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* [http://www.ilenesmachine.com/macworld/ny01/macworldny01.shtml History of Mac the Knife and "Not the Knife" Macworld Expo parties] |
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061018121442/http://www.ilenesmachine.com/macworld/ny01/macworldny01.shtml History of Mac the Knife and "Not the Knife" Macworld Expo parties] |
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* [ |
* [https://www.flickr.com/photos/pberry/10535683/ Photo of a Mac the Knife coffee mug] |
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[[Category:Pseudonyms]] |
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[[Category:Technology writers]] |
[[Category:Technology writers]] |
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Latest revision as of 03:51, 29 March 2024
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Mac the Knife was the pen name (inspired by the homophonous well-known song "Mack the Knife") of an anonymous gossip columnist for the (now defunct) Apple Macintosh-focused trade publication MacWEEK.[1][2] Mac the Knife was always written by a single writer, but the identity of that writer changed more than once over the long publishing history of MacWEEK.[3] The column was known not only for its wide-ranging and often accurate Macintosh-related rumors, but for its gonzo, Hunter S. Thompson-like style.
Tipsters who provided juicy gossip were provided with coffee mugs emblazoned with the Knife's logo. During the column's heyday, the trophy mugs were occasionally sent randomly to Apple employees in order to obscure the true leakers.[4]
MacWEEK's party at Macworld Conference & Expo was named for this fictional character. The party was often more secretive than Apple's own parties, to protect the identity of the Knife.
During the latter part of the Knife's career, his or her columns appeared on a website called The Electric Knife, which was published by Mac Publishing at mactheknife.com, but after the Knife's retirement, the domain expired. For some time, it was not associated with the Knife. Recently, it has been pointed at the defunct MacEdition homepage.
Today, none of the former Mac the Knife columnists write using this name. The columnist himself moved to MacEdition in 2000, penning a column called the "Naked Mole Rat Report" (an allusion to a phrase used in one of the Knife's last columns). The column seems to have ceased publication in 2003.
Many of the later Mac the Knife columns are still available from the Internet Archive's copy of the Electric Knife site.[5]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Williams, Robin (1993). Jargon : an informal dictionary of computer terms. Berkeley, CA: Peachpit Press. p. 326. ISBN 0938151843.
- ^ Farace, Joe (1997). The photographer's internet handbook. New York: Allworth Press. p. 126. ISBN 1880559625.
- ^ "Over the years, the column was penned by a number of anonymous writers, whose identities were closely guarded and frequently speculated on." Leander Kahney, "Microsoft Gets Some MacLove," Wired News, 11 January 2001.
- ^ "Raines Cohen, who worked as a reporter at the MacWeek trade paper, recalled how the staff of the paper would occasionally send "Mac-the-Knife" coffee mugs to random Apple executives. The rationale was that having so many mugs spread throughout the office would make it harder for Apple to figure out which employees were actually talking to the publication." John Markoff, "To Cut Online Chatter, Apple Goes to Court," New York Times March 21, 2005.
- ^ The former Mac the Knife site on archive.org