February 23, 2008

Software favorites:
There's been a couple of updates to my favorite applications in the last few days. With Apple's recent OS update, the folks who keep X11 running smoothly have produced another build, and another one of my favorites - GraphicConverter, was updated in the last couple of days. GraphicConverter is one product that's always getting better. Here's the list of recently updated applications:

Getting Unix apps up and running on your Mac isn't always as easy as downloading and double clicking, but the following links should help you get started.
<http://developer.apple.com/opensource/tools/X11.html>
<http://developer.apple.com/opensource/tools/runningx11.html>
<http://www.macports.org/>
<http://www.finkproject.org/>

With these software updates, I've updated my Software Favorites page. It's primarily dedicated to web publishing for the Mac user. Not meant for the professional, It's my hope that home users and hobbyists will find it useful.
<https://www.robsworld.org/myfavs.html>

Purchased some movies:
Usually, I try to purchase three movies a month, but it's been some time since I purchased any (Oct '07). Catching up on Christmas bills and what not. Anyway, getting back on track; the other day (9th of February), I purchased some movies from Amazon. Normally I purchase my movies online. For a couple of reasons. They're cheaper online, I avoid the urge to buy something I haven't seen, or don't really want. I try to purchase three movies a month, and I try to keep to the movies on my 'must buy' list. So, what movies did I purchase? I'm glad you asked: In no particular order:

* Blade Runner - the Final Cut: (1982 - Sci-fi, action, drama, thriller, crime) My favorite sci-fi movie. I've finally acquired a DVD copy. This is the 'Final Cut' version; it features director Ridley Scott's restored and remastered version with added scenes, as well as an authoritative documentary on the making of the sci-fi classic.
* The Warriors: (1979 - Action, drama, crime) This movie rocks! A cult classic early comic based movie. This movie features some great editing effects.
* Dersu Uzala: (1975 - Adventure, drama / Russia - Pronounced 'Dare-Sue' 'Ooze-ala') Another movie by Akira Kurosawa. Another cinematic masterpiece! Here is an adventurous epic in the frozen wastes of Siberia.

With these new purchases, I updated the main movies page, my 'must buy' list, the listing of my movie collection, the reviews page, and an alphabetical index (see the 'angry critic' entry above) that I'm working on. Were they good movies? Well, you can read the reviews at my reviews page, or see the posting near the bottom of my movies page.
<https://www.robsworld.org/movies.html>
<https://www.robsworld.org/mymovies/index.html>
<https://www.robsworld.org/reviews.html>
<https://www.robsworld.org/reviewsindex.html>

D&D updates:
We had our last D&D session on the 9th of February, and I just completed some additional updates from that meeting. Our meeting on the 9th was the first meeting without Eric. He's decided to pull out of our campaign, and dedicate more time to his own campaign. With the loss of Eric, we're now running two characters without players. As a result, the search for a new replacement has begun. Gaming is more fun when you don't have to play extra characters. Hopefully we'll find a suitable replacement soon.

Having spent themselves on futile battles with mindless creatures and evil denizens, the party has finally obtained one of three crystal rods required to seal the 'vast gate' and complete their quest. As the clock ticks forward, the gates wait for no one, and the party has still has to find two more of the crystal rods. The last session saw the party in full retreat mode. After a bloody battle with the Deepspawn, the party didn't waste any time getting into even more trouble!

Our next gaming date is 23 February, 2008 (That's tonight!). Stay tuned for more adventure; there will be lots of thrills and excitement in the months to come. In this quest there is a time limit that the party must be cognizant of. If they spend too much time fighting beasties, they just might find that they've run out of time to unravel the mysteries of Firestorm Peak. Be sure to follow our adventurers as they search for Tanar's father, and seek out the source of taint inside Firestorm Peak. I hope to complete additional updates (including an updated journal entry) prior to our next meeting.
<https://www.robsworld.org/3ecampaign.html>

I'm sick!
It's been a long time since I've been sick, so this minor illness came as something of a surprise. While Colorado is suffering through a rather powerful flu-season, I've been lucky enough to escape (so far) with nothing more bothersome than the common cold. On the 18th of February, I had an annual physical. While I was there, my doctor told me to "stay away from everyone". Unfortunately, I didn't follow her advice (see below), and as a result, I've got a cold. It's a persistent little bugger. I've had it since the evening of the 19th, and I'm doing my best to shake it. Taking Zicam (in my case) usually stops a cold dead in it's tracks. In this case however, the cold has proven a bit more resilient. I find that it's a bit of a bother - having to take cold medicine, getting extra sleep, drinking plenty of fluids, etc. I hope you're not a victim of this years cold and flu season. If you haven't already, please be sure to get your flu shot.

February 15, 2008

Fighting Spam:
How much spam do you receive in any given day? I certainly hope it's not as much as me. I typically receive more than 120 spam messages per day. I've been fighting spam/spammers since 1994, and the battle still wages. I keep doing what I can to shut them down, and they keep breaking the law. Every month I rack up another batch of spam, and this month is no different. I thought I'd mention a recent trend which seems to be vexing my inbox - Russian spam. For some unknown reason, spam has suddenly turned cyrillic. Nearly 20% of the spam that I've received in the past week has been Russian. Someone has definitely turned up their efforts. The cyrillic character set must be bypassing the typical bayesian filters.

Each year the spam count increases by approximately 2/3rds, and this year isn't looking any different. So much for the 'CAN Spam' act. As predicted by many 'in the know' experts, the act is ineffective at curbing, reducing or eliminating the spam problem. January's count of spam received is 97% more than it was a year ago today, and 171% more than the count in 2006.

If you ever need any help hunting down a spammer, don't hesitate to ask for my help. I'm willing and eager to help. Just drop me an email. I'd put the email address here, but this email message is also posted online, where spammers could scrape the email off the web page. Damn those spammers!
<https://www.robsworld.org/index2.html#fightingspam>

More snow in Colorado:
It seems like we've been getting more snow than usual this year, or perhaps it just seems that way... checking... Hmm, can't seem to find any conclusive evidence. Once again, finding this sort of information is very problematic. It's available, but far too difficult to sift through. I could spend hours looking at tables and never find the answer to my climate related question. How does this year compare to records for snowfall? In either case, more snow fell on the 14th of Feb, 2008. We got approximately 1.5 inches. I shoveled the sidewalk and driveway, but didn't use the snow blower. It was a light fluffy precip, so my back doesn't feel all that bad. According to the weather man, I finished just in time. There's predictions for more snow tonight!

D&D updates:
We had another D&D session on the 9th of February, and I just completed a couple of updates from that meeting. Our meeting on the 9th was the first meeting without Eric. He's decided to pull out of our campaign, and dedicate more time to his own campaign. With the loss of Eric, we're now running two characters without players. As a result, the search for a new replacement has begun. Gaming is more fun when you don't have to play extra characters. Hopefully we'll have a full table at our next meeting.

Having spent themselves on futile battles with mindless creatures and evil denizens, the party has finally obtained one of three crystal rods required to seal the 'vast gate' and complete their quest. As the clock ticks forward, the gates wait for no one, and the party has still has to find two more of the crystal rods. The last session saw the party in full retreat mode. After a bloody battle with the Deepspawn, the party didn't waste any time getting into even more trouble! I'm sure you're eager to read the most recent journal entry. Unfortunately, you'll have to wait a bit. In the meantime, here's the most recent updates.

Our next gaming date is 23 February, 2008. Stay tuned for more adventure; there will be lots of thrills and excitement in the months to come. In this quest there is a time limit that the party must be cognizant of. If they spend too much time fighting beasties, they just might find that they've run out of time to unravel the mysteries of Firestorm Peak. Be sure to follow our adventurers as they search for Tanar's father, and seek out the source of taint inside Firestorm Peak. I hope to complete additional updates (including an updated journal entry) prior to our next meeting.
<https://www.robsworld.org/3ecampaign.html>

February 14, 2008

Mac OS 10.5.2 update:
Apple is hard at work, making sure that Leopard is running on all cylinders. Finding security flaws, patching annoying bugs, improving the user experience. Here's the most extensive OS update since the release of Leopard, and it's a doozy! So, what's new in this update? More stuff than I care to post in this small entry, but I'll list a few. (Dock - Updates Stacks with a List view option (Hierarchical menus!), a Folder view option, and an updated background for Grid view; Desktop - Addresses legibility issues with the menu bar with an option to turn off transparency in Desktop & Screen Saver preferences. Adjusts menus to be slightly-less translucent overall; Finder - Resolves an issue that prevented setting permissions on a folder alias; Mail - Fixes an issue with deleting messages located in the Drafts folder. Fixes an issue that may prevent RSS feeds from being delivered in Mail. Fixes an issue in which the body of email messages with certain MIME structures may not be displayed. Improves performance with America Online (AOL) account-based messages in Mail; Preview - Improves the Mail Document feature so that email attachments are more reliably created from Print Preview; Safari - Addresses issues with Safari reliably resolving certain domains). You can read all about these upgrades, bug fixes, security updates, and more by following the links I've provided below. I upgraded to Leopard during Oct of 2007, and I have to say, it's been the best version of Mac OS yet.

As a result of this recent OS update, the following pages have been updated. myfavs.html, feedback.html, mycomputer.html.
<http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=307109>
<http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=307430>

Software favorites:
There's been a lot of updates to my favorite applications in the last few days. As I predicted on the 7th of Feb, 08, Apple has released an update to the Leopard operating system. Version 10.5.2 was released on the 11th of Feb, 08, and this OS update brought several application updates with it (see entry above). Aside from the OS related updates, another one of my favorites - GraphicConverter, was updated in the last couple of days. GraphicConverter is one product that's always getting better. So, without further chatter, here's the list of recently updated applications:

GraphicConverter released another new beta version (6.0.4b2), in the past few days. GraphicConverter is an image converter and editor. A fantastic piece of shareware that is well worth the price ($30.00). I use it to convert image formats into web standard formats, to create and edit image maps and other graphics. I've been singing GC's praises for many years now, and I'm not sure I would do without it. The best part about GC is it's author. Thorsten Lemke is completely committed to his customer base. Constantly and Continuously responding to customer recommendations and bug reports. GC is a dynamic, evolving, application. Always on the cutting edge, an absolute must in any web developers tool box. At a fraction of PhotoShop's cost, this photo editor puts a huge wrench in your toolbox.
<http://www.lemkesoft.com/xd/public/content/index._cGlkPTE5Mw_.html>
<https://www.robsworld.org/myfavs.html>

The GIMP is a GNU Image Manipulation Program, and now that Mac OS 10.5.2. is out, I've been able to get this program back up and running on my Mac. I'm currently running version 2.4.4. The GIMP is a freely distributed program for such tasks as photo retouching, image composition and image authoring. Written and developed under X11 for the Unix platform, I'm running a version ported to Mac OS X (runs under X11). This software application is the equivalent of PhotoShop for free! There's very little you can't do with this full feature graphic authoring software suite. It's got all the bells and whistles: Full suite of painting tools, Sub-pixel sampling, Gradient editor and blend tool, Custom brushes and patterns, Full alpha channel support, Layers and channels, Multiple Undo/Redo, Editable text layers, Transformation tools, Selection tools, Advanced path tool, Transformable paths and selections, Advanced scripting capabilities, Support for Photo-Shop plugins, and several more features. I've been using the GIMP for some years now, and I'm continually impressed by it's rich features and powerful rendering capabilities. Here are just a few of the graphics and titles I've created using the GIMP: Slice of a pseudo oil painting, adventuringgroup.png, dndbooks.png, vifsi.png. If you'd like to try out some of the GIMP's text effects, you can check out this web page that will let you create enhanced graphics using some of the GIMP's capabilities.
<http://www.wilber-loves-apple.org/>

X11 is a Unix Windowing System. I use it in order to run Unix applications that haven't been ported over the Apple's Cocoa/Aqua environment. It opens up a huge arena of possibilities when it comes to applications for your Mac. For the last few months, I've been unable to use these Unix native applications. Now that Mac OS 10.5.2. is out, I've been able to get X11 environment back up and running on my Mac. I'm running the XQuartz 2.1.3 version, available from MacOS Forge. I've been using Unix longer than I've been using Mac's, so I knew about the power potential when I found out that OSX was going to be based on Unix. Some of the most powerful Unix applications (see The GIMP above) run on any OSX equipped Mac. In order to run all these fantastic applications you need nothing more than Apple's version of X11 (which comes free with OSX, or you can download and install other versions). If you want to get a bit more advanced, you can use Fink or Macports with your OSX equipped Mac. Once you get your X Windows environment running, you'll find thousands of Unix applications that have been a well kept secret for all this time.

Getting Unix apps up and running on your Mac isn't always as easy as downloading and double clicking, but the following links should help you get started.
<http://developer.apple.com/opensource/tools/X11.html>
<http://developer.apple.com/opensource/tools/runningx11.html>
<http://www.macports.org/>
<http://www.finkproject.org/>

Feedback:
Today (14 Feb, 2008), I made some changes to my feedback page. Also known as a contact page, the feedback page contains various email addresses and other ways to get in touch with Kim and I. I updated some software application information; updates precipitated by a recent update to my operating system.
<https://www.robsworld.org/feedback.html>

My computer:
I own a nice piece of hardware in my PowerMac G5, and I've even posted a web page dedicated solely to that mighty Mac of mine. Today (14 Feb, 2008), I updated that computer profile. I updated some software application information; updates precipitated by a recent update to my operating system.
<https://www.robsworld.org/mycomputer.html>

February 11, 2008

Sugar Grove:
A favorite among visitors is my NSGA (Now NIOC) Sugar Grove page. It contains some information about an assignment to one of the remotest tours in the continental U.S. I occasionally get questions regarding the base, the community, and what it's like to live and work at the little station known as 'the Grove'. I recently updated the web page to update a broken link to the Navy's official Sugar Grove web site. The Navy has a tendency to keep moving this web page around, and I can only imagine that it must irritate those who receive orders to 'the Grove'.
<https://www.robsworld.org/sugargrove.html>

Neighborhood Watch:
Civic duty? Recently (Oct of 2007), I decided that I wanted to do more to help my community. With shift work, finding something that I can do to help has been a bit difficult. When I started wondering what I could do that wouldn't necessarily require a specific 9-5 schedule, I realized that my odd-ball schedule would actually work in my favor if I were up at odd hours of the day. I decided to volunteer with our local neighborhood watch. Like many of the people in my community. I own some nice things, and I want to keep it that way. Volunteering for the neighborhood watch doesn't require a lot of dedication, but it does require some attention to detail and a keen sense of your surroundings.

Recently (9 Feb, 08) I uploaded some changes to the Tollgate Crossing Neighborhood Watch website. I updated the 'Info' page and added another new page. This new page defines an acceptable use/terms of service policy for the website and mailing lists. The new web page also contains a brief privacy policy. Use of the website and/or the associated mailing lists constitutes acceptance of these policies. I had to put these policies in place because someone on our mailing list has decided to send unsolicited commercial email to addresses associated with the neighborhood watch/mailing lists. The policy provides the Watch Group with an effective means to block, ban, or remove misbehaving individuals from the list.

If you are a resident of 'Tollgate Crossing' in Aurora, Colorado, you might want to check out the new website. If you're a fan of "Rob's World!" you'll want to check out the web page, just to see what can be done with Apple's iWeb software. The web page turned out very nicely, and I hope it serves our community well. After the meeting, I updated the Neighborhood Watch page. I made some format changes, updated the events and welcome pages, and created two new pages: Community Information and the Alert Me List.

If you're a resident of Tollgate Crossing, and you're concerned about the safety and security of our community, you might want to join or mailing list to receive periodic alerts, updates and information. For additional information see the Neighborhood Watch web page.
<http://www.tollgatecrossing.org/index.html>
<http://www.tollgatecrossing.org/info.html>
<http://www.tollgatecrossing.org/policy.html>

D&D updates:
We played our last D&D session of 2007 on the 9th of February, and I just completed a couple of updates from that meeting. Our meeting on the 9th was the first meeting without Eric. He's decided to pull out of our campaign, and dedicate more time to his own campaign. With the loss of Eric, we're now running two characters without players. As a result, the search for a new replacement has begun. Gaming is more fun when you don't have to play extra characters. Hopefully we'll have a full table at our next meeting.

Having spent themselves on futile battles with mindless creatures and evil denizens, the party has finally obtained one of three crystal rods required to seal the 'vast gate' and complete their quest. As the clock ticks forward, the gates wait for no one, and the party has still has to find two more of the crystal rods. The last session saw the party in full retreat mode. After a bloody battle with the Deepspawn, the party didn't waste any time getting into even more trouble! I'm sure you're eager to read the most recent journal entry. Unfortunately, you'll have to wait a bit. In the meantime, here's the most recent updates.

House rules:
Like any other D&D campaign (outside of tournament play), the campaign that I manage makes use of various house rules. You can pick up a new copy of these House Rules online. The House Rules are published in pdf format, and they define the 'flavor' of our campaign. Every good DM has his own list of House Rules. Recently, I added a new house rule to our campaign. It's actually a very old house rule. One that I've been enforcing for a very long time, I simply never put it in writing. This update adds 'official' house rules for the re-roll of divine healing spells. The relevant change takes place on page 27 of the 'House Rules' document.
<https://www.robsworld.org/3ehsrls.pdf>

Say What?!
Back in 2003, I added the 'Say What?' page to my D&D pages. It's a collection of some memorable quips, quotes and sayings from players in my D&D game. Recently (9 Feb, 2008) I discovered a hidden treasure trove, three pages of recorded quotes. The quotes were pulled off an old DM's screen of mine. With this discovery, I was able to add eighteen new quotes to the 'Say What?' page. I hope you enjoy the new additions.
<https://www.robsworld.org/saywhat.html>

Our next gaming date is 23 February, 2008. Stay tuned for more adventure; there will be lots of thrills and excitement in the months to come. In this quest there is a time limit that the party must be cognizant of. If they spend too much time fighting beasties, they just might find that they've run out of time to unravel the mysteries of Firestorm Peak. Be sure to follow our adventurers as they search for Tanar's father, and seek out the source of taint inside Firestorm Peak. I hope to complete additional updates (including an updated journal entry) prior to our next meeting.
<https://www.robsworld.org/3ecampaign.html>

A little bit of snow:
Winter continues. While we've been experiencing a considerable cold snap, today marks the occurrence of more frozen precipitation. While to accumulation was slight, less than an inch. I had to shovel because it all drifted up against our garage door. Due to the fact that the sun never touches that spot, I had to move the mess or deal with the snow until spring. Damn Northern exposure!

February 8, 2008

D&D updates:
We played our last D&D session of 2007 on the 26th of January, and I just completed some updates from that meeting. Our meeting on the 26th was the last meeting for Eric. He's decided to pull out of our campaign, and dedicate more time to his own campaign. The loss of a player has necessitated some document changes, and the search for a new replacement. In addition to Eric's last meeting, this meeting saw us shy three players, which made it a bit difficult to get things done. Hopefully we'll have a full table at our next meeting (that's tomorrow night).

Having spent themselves on futile battles with mindless creatures and evil denizens, the party has finally obtained one of three crystal rods required to seal the 'vast gate' and complete their quest. As the clock ticks forward, the gates wait for no one, and the party has still has to find two more of the crystal rods. The last couple sessions saw the party move on to a new phase of the adventure. They entered the 'Twisted Caverns', fought an amazingly tough monster, and promptly retreated. Be sure to read the journal entry for the gory details!

The Adventurers journal:
The tale of our adventurers. A series of journal entries from various party members. This document contains details of their encounters. Victory, defeat, desire and glory. Here is the tale of S.C.R.E.W.O.F.F.S., a group of adventurers who set forth from Whillip, seeking fame, fortune and the defeat of evil in these lands. With Mark missing a session, Lee carried the torch forward. Here's a journal entry from Dynnera (still disguised as Wellfast). You won't want to miss the insightful entries penned in our journal. Be sure to read about the party's journey into Firestorm Peak.
<https://www.robsworld.org/ajournal07.html#jan26_2008>

3rd Edition Campaign:
I updated the next game date (26 Jan 2008) on the campaign page. This is the first stop for information on the campaign that I'm currently running. Here you'll find information regarding our next meeting, some notes, and an index of web pages and documents that are important to our campaign. In addition to the date change (which I forgot to do after our last session), I also made some updates to the player info.
<https://www.robsworld.org/3ecampaign.html>

Monsters encountered:
As a result of the meeting on the 26th of January, I updated the newest entry. The following information was confirmed in battle with the Deepspawn: The creature has significant damage reduction, spell resistance, spell abilities (It healed itself!), tactically grapples its opponents, causes taint with every strike, has combat reflexes, and can set traps.  It has two types of tentacles; one that bites, the other that slaps.  The biters cause more damage but both might grapple you.  The spell resistance applies only on direct magical attacks; indirect magical effects damaged it (although reduced by its damage reduction).  Dynnera’s Suggested tactic for dealing with this beast – “See Deep Spawn, Run Away”. The monsters page is a listing of monsters that the party has encountered, read about or heard of.
<https://www.robsworld.org/monsters.html>

Players in our campaign:
Players update. With the departure of one player (Eric), I had to make some minor changes to the "players" page. I'll take a new photo after we fill the currently vacant player slot. Eric left our group in order to focus more time/effort on his own campaign.
<https://www.robsworld.org/players.html>

Character update:
With the departure of one player (Eric), I had to make some minor changes to the"Who's Who?" page. Eric was playing Belt, who was played by Lars prior to Eric. Lars is currently attending school in California. We hope that he will be able to resume play of Belt when he returns (sometime in July?). Until then, we'll have to find someone else to play Belt.
<https://www.robsworld.org/3ewhoswho.html>

Our next gaming date is 26 January, 2008 (tomorrow night). Stay tuned for more adventure; there will be lots of thrills and excitement in the months to come. In this quest there is a time limit that the party must be cognizant of. If they spend too much time fighting beasties, they just might find that they've run out of time to unravel the mysteries of Firestorm Peak. Be sure to follow our adventurers as they search for Tanar's father, and seek out the source of taint inside Firestorm Peak. I hope to complete additional updates (including an updated journal entry) prior to our next meeting.
<https://www.robsworld.org/3ecampaign.html>

February 07, 2008

Rob's World! was down:
The company I use to host my web pages, uses a company called CIHost for all of it's internet hosting. Well, CIHost had an unscheduled (and unreported) outage on the 31st of January/1st of Feb, 2008. The unscheduled outage affected their hosting facility in Dallas/Ft. Worth/Bedford, Texas (wherever it is). According to an email from one of their customer service reps:

"Our layer 1 network provider suffered a major disruption in their fiber last night, January 31st, at approximately 11:50PM Central Standard Time. This disruption caused a problem from the time it occurred until 8:00AM, February 1st. Since this was a major layer 1 outage we lost most of our redundancy except for some smaller non-fiber circuits. The failover methodology our provider has in place for such an occurrence failed to automatically fail our circuits over to the Protect side of the DPT ring. We sincerely apologize for any issues this disruption may have caused, and are investigating additional options to prevent future problems like this from occurring."

That's right Rob's World!, my Neighborhood Watch website, and most of my email services were unavailable for approximately 8 hours. It's a good thing I'm not selling anything. That's enough downtime to drive some companies into bankruptcy. As far as I can tell, this outage affected all the customers hosted at their Dallas facility (in excess of 50,000 customers), and CIHost still hasn't bothered to explain why their failover/failsafe measures didn't work.

New record at Rob's World!
Thanks to viewers like you, Rob's World! has passed a historic milestone, and set a new record. Like many who run a web site, I track the number of visitors. I've been looking forward to this particular statistic. Last month (January of '08) we set a new record for number of hits. There were 214,911 hits during January! The previous record was set in March of 2006 at 197,592 hits. During January, 14,684 unique IPs/sites were logged, at an average of 288 hits per hour - I finally broke the 200,000 mark! It looks like Rob's World! is quickly becoming the digital Meca of the Internet. Either that, or my 'Free Money' promo is paying off! Just kidding. :-) Thanks for making Rob's World! a favorite spot on the net.

Rob's World! - Advertisement, cookie and tracking beacon free. I'm not selling anything, and you still don't have to register to enjoy my web site. Yes it's true, I endorse certain products or services. No I'm not being paid to do so. If you're looking for a completely advertisement free web site, I'd direct you to this web page: <https://www.robsworld.org/untitled.html>. I hope you enjoy it. You'll find no advertisements (paid or otherwise), no biased opinions, no product endorsements, and no content.
<https://www.robsworld.org/usage/>

Snow and more damn snow!
So winter continues for Colorado. We got hit by another band of snow on the 1st of Feb, and again on the 5th. On Friday (the 1st of Feb, 2008), we accumulated approximately 2 inches. As I was working mids, I wasn't able to clean up the mess. By Tuesday (the 5th of Feb, 2008) we had more snow. It started snowing on Monday evening and didn't stop until late Tuesday morning. On Tuesday we picked up an additional 3 inches. Since I was off on Tuesday, it was Man vs Snow - A battle of Snow-Blower vs snow covered driveway. To commemorate the event, I took a few photos. Yeah, I know.. It was a slow news day. I hope you enjoy the photos.
<https://www.robsworld.org/iphoto/snow020508/index.html>

February's music downloads:
Here's a list of some of the music I recently acquired. Where do I get all this stuff? I find a lot of free (actually free) music by visiting several of the new music web sites out there. Artists want you to hear their music - If you like it, you'll buy it. The major labels want you to pay for their product - letting you hear it for free is contrary to their business model. Well, guess what? I won't buy it unless I can listen to it first. The major labels are killing themselves with their restrictive distribution and dissemination policies. If you like new music, you can do a google search to find your favorite artists web site, a new music web site, or an archive of free music. Free music is available - Legally! Don't believe the major labels propaganda - Not all free music is illegal. You can legally download music for free. I download music from websites, newsgroups (when I already own rights to the music), and a couple of commercial sources. Here's a listing of some of the music I legally downloaded.

eMusic monthly downloads:
Every month I download 90 tracks from eMusic.com. I bought in when the price was right - $19.99 for 90 DRM free songs a month. At less than $.25 a track, that's a awesome value. iTunes eat your heart out. You can't get that deal anymore, but eMusic still offers more music for your money, and the variable bit rate recordings make for exceptionally high quality.
* The Angry Samoans - Inside My Brain: (10+1 songs) The debut album from this Southern California punk act. I first listened to this band back in the 80's when they broke loose on the scene. This album contains many favorites from this hardcore band. Unfortunately, it's the only album available on eMusic.
* New York Dolls - A Hard Night's Day: (21 songs) This compilation features live demos from the bands early history. I was aware of this band back in the 80's, but it took a friend (thanks Troy), to steer me towards this download. Here's a group of hard rockin' proto-punkers.
* Stimulator - Stimulator: (10+1 songs) I first heard this band back in 2004. I caught a free download (78 Stimulator) off a MacAddict disc, but it took me until now to download the entire album. I wish I'd downloaded it earlier. Excellent rock tracks, groovy vocals, and good use of synthesizers.
* Dali's Car - The Waking Hour: (7 songs) An ill fated pairing of Mick Karn from Japan and Peter Murphy from Bauhaus. I really like Peter Murphy, so I downloaded this album. I wasn't disappointed. It's too bad the two artists couldn't work together. The sounds on this album remind me of Howard Devoto's work in Magazine.
* Wine Chuggers - Grand Rapids: (8+4 songs) First discovered back in 2004. I downloaded some free tracks at 3hive.com. Now I'm back for the full album. Here's a snappy, smart, pop-folk band. The vocals are raw, the lyrics revealing, the instrumentals evocative.
* Stephen Malkmus - Face the Truth: (11 songs) Another incredibly varied offering from this former Pavement lead. My third Malkmus outing. This one doesn't repeat past offerings. Lot's of great guitar work, mixed with synthesizers and great lyrics.
* Shout Out Louds - Our Ill Wills: (12 songs) Is this the Cure? It might as well be. The sound, lyrics, vocals and instrumentals nearly duplicate the sound and ethic of Robert Smith's band. That's not a bad comparison, and this album feels slightly lighter than most Cure material. Upbeat but moody, evocative and romantic. Discovered through an eMusic newsletter.
* Kickstart - Kickstart: (9+2 songs) Discovered by listening to previews at 3hive.com. Here's a new upstart on the block. A Rock & Roll rip-tide, that sucks you under and spits out the raw energy equivalent of a chain-saw wielding tax collector on crank cocaine! As promised, I've downloaded the whole thing.
* Oh No! Oh My! - Between The Devil and The Sea: (2+3 songs) Formerly known as the Jolly Rogers, here's a folk rock band where every sound seems to be part of the plan. I was originally drawn to this band by their clever take on 'Oh Be One'. I followed up by checking out the entire EP, and I'm very glad I did. Another 3hive discovery.

Website downloads:
* 8Head - Punk Ass Chump: (single) My second download from this artist. I grabbed this one from the artists website. I'm working up to a download of the whole album. I'm enjoying their use of non-traditional samplings, combined with the traditional rock and roll sound.

These are just some of the items I added to my music collection during the month of January. Since returning from Japan in 2001, I've been rediscovering my appreciation for music. I really picked it up again in September of 2005. Since then, I've been slowly adding, revising and updating my music collection. With these acquisitions, I've updated my online music listing. If you have a comment or a question regarding my music collection, please don't hesitate to send me an email.
<https://www.robsworld.org/mymusic/index.html>
<https://www.robsworld.org/music.html>

Software favorites:
I've recently installed some updates to a few of my favorite pieces of software. Apple recently (1st week of February, 2008) released several application updates. Presumably these updates are being made in advance of an OS update. According to Apple, these releases 'address compatibility issues with Mac OS X'. Sure sounds like a premise to lessen the load of a pending OS update. Combine these updates with recent iTunes and iPhoto updates and it's pretty much a done deal. I expect an OS update any day now.
<https://www.robsworld.org/myfavs.html>

iWork '08:
iWork is Apple's productivity suite. Previous versions of iWork contained two applications, a bit anemic for a productivity suite. It was missing a crucial component. No spreadsheet application? This year (2007), things are different. They've added a spreadsheet application. Numbers is the newest addition to the productivity suite. With the addition of this new component. iWork becomes a feasible replacement for the venerable (and still useful) AppleWorks - which hasn't seen an update since 2004. iWork is also a home contender for Microsoft Office. Most home users don't need the power provided by Microsoft's productivity suite, the applications are Office compatible (No it's not 100% compatible, but it can open, edit and save as Office documents), and the pricing is far more affordable than the behemoth on the block. So, the addition of numbers, the fantastic price ($79.00 for three full feature productivity apps), the great reviews (that I've read), the compatibility (Office and AppleWorks) and the outstanding support that Apple provides, have enticed me to switch from AppleWorks to iWork. All of the iWork components contain web based output options, which is crucial for anyone creating web pages, or managing a web site.

iWork now consists of three productivity applications:

Pages - A word processor and page layout application. The application has been revised to include a simple 'word processing' mode. No need for frames, centering objects or selecting layout templates. This new mode lets you open the app, and start typing immediately. In addition to this new 'simple mode', Pages includes some very sophisticated page layout capabilities. With 140 page layout templates, you've got a huge arsenal of sophisticated, ready to use, professional looking documents waiting for your input.

Keynote - Apple's outstanding presentation software. This application features many capabilities that PowerPoint lacks, and the reviews have been glowing. Instant Alpha (remove backgrounds), 30 effects (works on any object), 25 transitions, voice-over recordings, and A to B animations make Keynote a heavy hitter in the presentation arena.

Numbers - The latest offering in the iWork round-up. It's Apple's entry into the spreadsheet ring. Apple has taken a simplified approach to a complicated subject. Create intelligent tables using drag-n-drop or natural language formulas. Numbers even works with Exel spreadsheets. No, it's not 100% compatible, but it covers most of the bases, and it tells you when it can't recreate some formula or function.

iWeb:
iWeb is Apple's entry into the HTML authoring/editing arena. It's powerful, easy to use and well polished. I've been using it more and more in order to create web pages for specific purposes. I don't use it exclusively, but I am starting to use it more and more. As a matter of fact, I'm using it exclusively on one particular web site that I manage. The best parts of iWeb are the integration with other Apple applications, the WYSIWYG interface, and the highly professional appearance of the web page outputs. The drawbacks are lack of control in web page export/output, and there's no way to view or edit the HTML code from within the application. The more recent release (with iLife '08) is a great improvement, but the application still has room for improvement.
<http://www.apple.com/ilife/iweb/>

Colorado Votes - 2008:
I got out and voted on Super Tuesday. Did you? This Tuesday (5 Feb 08) was my first experience inside the voting process. I've always voted, but never had the chance to participate in this manner. I spent 20 years in the military (out of state and outside the u.s.), and full participation in our electoral process was one of the sacrifices I made. Since joining the Air Force, back in 1984, I've voted absentee, been out of state, and out of the country. Now that I'm retired (from the military), and settled down - as a full time resident of Colorado; I was really looking forward to my party's primary, and I didn't want to miss my opportunity to make a difference. I certainly wasn't the only one voting, but there sure were a lot of people in that school gymnasium. According to a local newspaper, Colorado set some new records this year - The turnout was very heavy. The Democratic party expected a turnout of appx 5,000 voters (for Arapahoe county), but they underestimated the number of voters who wanted to make a difference. The actual numbers were closer to 12,500! That blows away the numbers for 2004, which saw an anemic 802 voters for the Caucus. I took a few pictures for those of you who couldn't make it. Feel free to live vicariously through my thrilling photos of Democracy in action!
<https://www.robsworld.org/iphoto/vote2008/index.html>