March 31, 2008

Netflix does the right thing:
<rave>Recently (on March 24th, 2008) NetFlix experienced an outage in their shipping department. I'm not sure what kind of issue caused their system outage, but as a result they weren't processing any movie shipments. For a period of approximately 11 hours, NetFlix was unable to ship movies to any of it's customers. That's a bit disappointing, but it wasn't the end of the world.

The good news? Netflix not only apologized for the delay, they even issued a discount! A 5% reduction in my monthly bill. Considering the fact that 11 hours is a small amount of time, given the number of hours in a month of work, I think that 5% is a fairly high rate of compensation.

This is customer service. When there's an outage, customers want to know about the delay. NetFlix did that. Not only did they keep their customers informed, they also compensated the customer. They acknowledged the outage, and issued a credit to every NetFlix subscriber!

When was the last time your cable company admitted they had an outage? Much less, issued a discount to your bill? Come on, get real. The cable company never has an outage. It's always your problem. You must have a faulty television...

Thank you NetFlix, and keep up the good work!<rave>
<http://www.hackingnetflix.com/2008/03/netflix-issuing.html>

Software favorites:
There's been a couple of updates to my favorite applications in the last few days. I updated my version of X11, used to run native Unix applications, and I also downloaded the latest update to GraphicConverter. One of the best graphic manipulation programs available for the Mac.

Safari is Apple's default web browser for OS X (also available for Windows!), is way ahead of the pack. Apple's browser contains a plethora of incredibly powerful features. I wonder why Microsoft stopped developing IE for Mac? I'm currently using Version 3.1 (5525.13)

Battle of the browsers. Internet Explorer vs FireFox. Those are your choices right? Wrong! Think different! Think Mac! Choose Safari, the new kid on the block. A fast (The fastest available for Mac) but full featured browser, which performs like a pro. Tabbed browsing, URL snap-back, a powerful but elegant bookmark implementation (with built-in import capability), Google search integration, built-in pop-up blocker, multiple standards (HTML 4.01 and some HTML 5, XML, XPath, XSLT, XHTML, DOM, CSS, RSS, ECMA Script, Proxy Support, SSL, TLS, JavaScript, Java, plus QuickTime, Flash and Shockwave plug-ins), and a host of other features. Just one more reason to Switch! It's won a place as my default browser, give it a chance and it'll soon be yours.

March 23, 2008

D&D updates:
We played a D&D session on the 8th of March, and I just completed some updates from that meeting. Our meeting on the 8th was the first session featuring two new characters. After the demise of Tanar, Dino is now playing a new character - Ysoac (Pronounced 'So-Ack' - The 'Y' is silent), and Richard (our newest player) was able to introduce his new character - Khurshel, to the group. These changes in characters, and some changes in players, have created a backlog in my record keeping. That's part of the reason why it's taken so long to make the entries associated with this meeting.

Once again, the party finds itself outside Firestorm Peak. In search of healing, a respite, information, some help?! When we last left the party, they were on their way to 640; the Duergar community on the surface. Refugees from the taint within Firestorm Peak, these Dwarves, like the party, battles the forces of evil and corruption in the shadow of the mountain. Will the party find succor, favor, allies and information? Or will they find betrayal, deception, and danger? Stay tuned for danger, stay tuned for mystery, stay tuned for adventure! 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. Another round of entries from Lee and Mark. Both entries are extensive. Don't 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#mar08_2008>

Watch out - it's an ambush!
With the conclusion of our 8 March session, the party finds themselves committed to the Gates of Firestorm Peak. Along the way, they struggle with inner doubts, questions, concerns, and a certain lack of confidence. While their thoughts are turned inward, the outward threat continues — Battle erupts along the trail! The party is engaged in a furtive struggle against the forces of taint... Here is a brief illustration and commentary on that encounter.
<https://www.robsworld.org/taintedravers.html>

3rd Edition Campaign:
I updated the next game date (05 Apr 2008) on the campaign page and changed some of the illustration annotation information (under the photo in the upper left hand corner). 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.
<https://www.robsworld.org/3ecampaign.html>

Players in our campaign:
Players update. With the addition of a new player (Richard), I had to make some changes to the "players" page. I updated info regarding Dino (Ysoac) and Richard's (Khurshel) new characters. With these changes to the player line-up, I took a new photo, and posted it this weekend. Two new characters adorn these pages, but we still need some details from the players. Hopefully, Dino and Richard can help us fill in some of the details.
<https://www.robsworld.org/players.html>

Character update:
During our meeting on the 8th, we introduced two new characters (Ysoac & Khurshel), and their animal companions (Scorch & Esma). As a result of these changes, I've had to update the characters listing on our "Who's Who?" page. Along with changes to player/character related info, I also added a new entry for Nallond - the Duergar elder of 640. The "Who's Who?" page is a listing of characters, both player characters and non-player characters.
<https://www.robsworld.org/3ewhoswho.html>

Here there be Heroes:
With all the character updates recently, I took the time to update the "Hero's Gallery". I updated Tanar's entry, added entries for Ysoac and Khurshel, and made some format updates. The Hero's Gallery is a list of characters from my campaign. Past and present, the characters listed represent a fraction of those who have called Rob's World! home. Some of the players are long forgotten, but many of the characters live long in our memory. Who can forget their heroic feats, the daring deeds, and tragic endings? Let's heft our mugs, sing their praises, and salute those hero's of lore!
<https://www.robsworld.org/gallery.html>

Monsters encountered:
As a result of the meeting on the 8th of March, I updated two entries (Blink Dog & the Duergar of Firestorm Peak), and added three new monsters to this page. New monsters include Myconid - A race of intelligent mushrooms? Troll Mutates - A race of Trolls mutated by the taint of Firestorm Peak, and Tainted Ravers - Berserk victims of tainted depravity. The monsters page is a listing of monsters that the party has encountered, read about or heard of.
<https://www.robsworld.org/monsters.html>

Where Now:
Any time the characters venture forth, there's bound to be new places discovered and explored. During our last session, two new characters joined the party. One of the new characters (Ysoac) has displayed an extreme aversion to cold. Why would he? Well, perhaps his homeland - The Dust desert of Raurin - might help explain this discomfort. Where Now?" is a listing of various places the party has visited or researched.
<https://www.robsworld.org/wherenow.html>

As the clock ticks forward:
Recently, Lee decided to create a timeline of our party's adventure. As this adventure is timed, the party needs to pay particular attention to the amount of time they've expended, the time remaining, and how far they progressed in achieving their goal. The crystal gates of Firestorm Peak will only stay open for 28 days, and they've already used 7 days. The gates wait for no one, and the party still has to find two more crystal rods. Who or what, holds the remaining shards? Will the party have enough time to find and vanquish the source of evil within this mountain? What of Nigel, Tanar's father? Recently however, the party has learned of a second, and even a third entrance into Firestorm Peak. Does this mean that the concerns regarding timeliness are moot? As the taint continues to spread, corruption and depravity threaten all in our realm. The party has located the second entrance, but an entrance through the Underdark isn't an easy way to get into the mountain, this third entrance hasn't been located, and one unasked question remains...
<https://www.robsworld.org/timeline.png>

Our next gaming date is 05 April, 2008 (we played on the 22nd of March, but you'll have to wait a bit for the journal update from that meeting). Stay tuned for more adventure; there will be lots of thrills and excitement in the months to come.

Our group of adventurers started this quest as a search for Tanar's father; but things have changed. Oh, how they have changed! Tanar was incinerated in battle with an unholy minion of the dark, and his father is likely some agent of evil. Why do these SCREWOFFS continue? It is the threat that propels them forward, the ever growing, spreading threat of taint. Of an evil which grows daily, an unstoppable evil that subjugates, corrupts and defiles all that it touches. Madreus, the alienst is attempting to bring forth an otherworldly presence into our world. Something that mortals dare not confront, something that will surely destroy all that is good.... If, if the party relents, if they fail, if they falter — This is the reason, this is why they continue. To surrender now would spell certain destruction and corruption for all that they hold dear. Their quest has taken them into the accursed Firestorm Peak during a period of celestial confluence, and now it takes them deeper still, into the twisted caverns beneath the mountain. Into the very heart of darkness. Many battles have been fought, many brave allies dispatched. The ground is wet with the blood of the innocent, but all that will seem as nothing should Madreus achieve his nefarious goals. With allies in a community of exiled Duergar, and refuge in the 'Monastery of the Hallowed Doctrine', our group of brave adventurers continues the fight. With this latest retreat to Grayven's Shrine, the party is once again forced to recuperate, recover, and rethink their approach to this steadily advancing threat. With the conclusion of this session, the party finds themselves committed to the Gates of Firestorm Peak. Along the way, they struggle with inner doubts, questions, concerns, and a certain lack of confidence. While their thoughts are turned inward, the outward threat continues — Battle erupts along the trail! The party is engaged in a furtive struggle against the forces of taint... Stay tuned for danger, stay tuned for mystery, stay tuned for adventure!
<https://www.robsworld.org/3ecampaign.html>

Calling on behalf of your bank:
<rant>Recently (the first week of March, 2008), I've been getting a lot of phone calls from individuals who claim that they are "calling on behalf of your bank", and it's beginning to piss me off. One of two things are happening. Regardless of which, it's pissing me off. First of all let me list me the two possibilities:

* They really are calling on behalf of my bank. They made a marketing deal with my bank.
* They aren't really calling on behalf of my bank. They're trying to scam me, by pretending to have an affiliation with my bank.

So these people call, and they begin their sales pitch with an introduction where they claim to be calling on behalf of my bank. They don't claim to be my bank. It's a telemarketer or a scammer. Both illegal. O.k. let's explore the possibilities. In the first case, I suggest that they might actually be affiliated with my bank. Perhaps they've done a marketing deal with my bank. My bank has agreed to sell my contact information to this 'Credit Monitoring' company for a bucket full of cash. Now when they call they can claim that they're 'calling on behalf of my bank'. That may be the case. If it is, I'm pissed off at both of them. My bank for selling my contact info, and permitting this type of shady affiliation. I'm also pissed off at the company that's calling, for trying to skirt or circumvent the law. That's right the law. According to the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991, and the addition of the 'Do Not Call List' added in 2003, telemarketers may not call you if your name/phone number are on the 'Do Not Call' list. According to the telemarketing sales rules (implemented by the FCC under authority of the TCPA), telemarketers may call if they have an established business relationship with you. That means a relationship between a seller and a consumer based on: the consumer's purchase, rental, or lease of the seller's goods or services or a financial transaction between the consumer and seller, within the eighteen (18) months immediately preceding the date of a telemarketing call; or the consumer's inquiry or application regarding a product or service offered by the seller, within the three (3) months immediately preceding the date of a telemarketing call. (Note: Established business relationships do not last forever!)

So, I may have a business relationship with my bank, but I do not have a business relationship with "Sam's Shady Credit Monitoring Service". This company, despite it's business relationship with my bank, does not have a business relationship with me. They are violating the law. My name is on the 'Do Not Call' list, and they are calling me without an established business relationship. To me, it's a clear violation of the law. The next time they call, I'm reporting them to the FCC.

When I ask them to stop calling, to put me on their 'Do Not Call' list, they respond by indicating that they will place me on my banks 'Do Not Call' list. That's crap. They are not my bank, they won't put me on their 'Do Not Call' list. Instead, they try to deflect the violation by indicating that my bank will no longer be able to call me. You know what? I'm o.k. with that. Perhaps the bank will realize that they've made a mistake by affiliating themselves with this shady business venture. I fully expect that some scammers are simply using the 'Calling on behalf of your bank' ruse in order to pitch their illegal solicitation, which brings me to the second case. If these solicitors are not actually affiliated with my bank (and I suspect that some are not), then I don't want anything to do with them at all.

Grrr. Sometimes I don't have time to report these telemarketers, but they sure do make me angry. Next time they call, I'm going to get 'Consumer-spastic' on their asses. </rant>
<http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/tcpa.html>
<http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/donotcall/>
<https://www.donotcall.gov/>
<http://www.ftc.gov/os/2002/12/tsrfinalrule.pdf>
<http://www.the-dma.org/telemarketing/tsr_compliance_guide.pdf>

Spam King 'Robert Soloway' pleads guilty:
<rave>It's a good day for this spam fighter. On the 14th of March, 2008, Robert Soloway - The so called 'Spam King' plead guilty to charges of fraud, fraud in connection with electronic mail, and willful failure to file a tax return. This loser was responsible for sending me and millions of others, spam over a period of four years (2003-2007). I personally can account for more than 30 emails sent by this spammer. While Soloway was initially charged with aggravated identity theft, those charges were dropped in exchange for the guilty plea. The identity theft charges would have meant a minimum sentence of two years. So far there hasn't been any sentencing, but I hope he gets his fair share. Mail Fraud is punishable by up to twenty years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Fraud in connection with electronic mail is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Willful failure to file tax returns in punishable by up to a year in prison and a $25,000 fine. I would like to thank the FBI, US Postal Inspection Service and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations for catching and helping to prosecute this spammer. Long live the king 'In Prison'!

The only problem with this good news? The Darwinian nature of this criminal, and all criminals. We always catch the dumb criminals. The smart ones get away and continue operating. Hopefully, as people become smarter (about spam), we'll catch more of these criminals. Spamming isn't just a nuisance, it's a crime that costs everyone billions of dollars every year. Help stop spammers, do anything you can. Don't buy from spammers, and report them whenever you can.</rave>
<http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/waw/press/2008/mar/soloway.html>

Software favorites:
There's been one significant update to my favorite applications in the last few days. Safari, Apple's web browser has finally left the the beta listing behind. On the 18th of March, Apple released the first non beta release of Safari. Safari 3.1 is a blazing fast leader in web standards. Safari was the first browser to pass the the Acid2 benchmark from the Web Standards Project, and now it's the first to to support a new generation of Internet video, audio, and animation standards. Safari 3.1 delivers the best possible Web 2.0 browsing experience. Supporting a full range of popular Internet plug-ins—including Flash, Shockwave, Quicktime, and now a slew of leading-edge web standard; CSS3 web fonts, CSS animation, HTML 5 media support, improved Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) support, even HTML 5 offline storage support.

X11: One of the best things about OSX? - it's really Unix! I'm running the XQuartz 2.1.4 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 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.

I was running an older version, but I decided to give this latest version another try. As it turns out, my problems with this latest problem were purely imaginary. It was all my fault, I just wasn't waiting long enough for the applications (which I was launching under X11) to start. I assumed their was an incompatibility, and fell back to the previous version of X11.

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/>

Apple Security Update 2008-002:
Another security update released by Apple. This update addresses a slew of security concerns. 45 different patches, as a matter of fact. A new version of the operating system often brings a large batch of bugs, and Apple's OS X is no exception to that rule. No matter how many people you've got QC'ing your work, a general release will always find more flaws. Thankfully, Apple's software update makes it easy to find out about, and implement these security updates. If you own a Mac, you can rest assured that any potential security concerns will be addressed in a timely and thorough manner. You can read more about the update at Apple's website. Keeping my Mac safe from malicious hackers and such.
<http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/security/>

Spring is Sprung:
Hooray! Spring is officially here - Arriving with the vernal equinox on the 19th of March. It's been a long winter. Not as bad as last years, but it certainly brought a lot of precipitation. We got more snow this year. More than usual. As a matter of fact, we received approximately 20% more precipitation this winter. That precipitation arrived primarily in the form of snow on the rocky mountains, although we got our fair share as well. Now that Spring is here, I took the opportunity to get out and do a little yard work. I sprayed some of those early weeds, did a little pruning work, and picked up some trash around the yard. More to come.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_%28season%29>

Oh No - More Snow!
What the heck. Just as snow arrives, we get some more snow. Normally, we get a good end of winter blast, this year it looks like the 'old man' is going out with a whimper. A light dusting touched down on the 23rd of March. Depositing far less than an inch, I didn't even consider the shovel as a reaction to this last blast of arctic frosting. The snow arrived over night, and by mid-day it was all gone. So much for the last great storm of winter. Good riddance!

March 18, 2008

Spring Forward:
On March 9th, we (here in North America) turned our clocks forward one hour. It's that silly thing called daylight savings time. Quaint, antiquated, outdated. While it's benefits and detriment are the subject of much debate, I wish we didn't have to bother. All it's ever done for me (I'm a shift worker), is confuse the shit out of things. Will my relief agree to a 50:50 split come Sunday morning?
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daylight_savings_time>

Falling Back:
While the clock is springing forward, I'm falling back - back to a previous version of X11 that is. It doesn't happen very often, but every now and then a software update, involves a fall back to a previous version. That's exactly what I have to do at this point. A recent to the X11 release by Xorg has resulted in my inability to use one essential piece of software. Upgrading to X11 version 2.1.4 resulted in an inability to run Gimp (the GNU Image Manipulation Program). As a result, I've been forced to fall back to version 2.1.3:

With this software change, 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>

Moving Music around:
Recently, I took the opportunity to move some of my music around. I've been running separate iTunes libraries for some time now. I have my collection, and Kim has her collection. The only problem was who's music was in who's library? Kim had three songs - That's right a total of three songs - in her collection. A discrepancy that I must admit, is partly my fault. This weekend, I moved a whole bunch of albums over to her account. iTunes doesn't make that very easy, but thankfully, I know my way around the command line, and iTunes is at least forgiving when you do manage to move things around. So, what did I move? I jettisoned, err. Moved the following artists over to her account: LeAnne Rhymes, Celine Dion, Steve Winwood, Mariah Carey, Bryan Adams, Phil Collins, SiSe, Backstreet Boys, and a bunch of soundtracks. It's not my cup of tea, and it is 'her' music, so I'm glad that I was able to add it to her library. With all this movement, I was able to update my music collection. I'm happy, Kim's happy, and my collection is no longer tainted by those Backstreet Boys.
<https://www.robsworld.org/mymusic/index.html>

Free eMusic in March:
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.

Free eMusic sampler downloads:
Aside from the extremely economical deals for eMusic monthly downloads, eMusic also features a boatload of free music downloads for it's members. This month I took advantage of that feature, downloading more than a hundred free tracks, it'll take me a while to listen to all these freebies, but I'm sure to find one or two artists that I like. These free downloads will result in purchased downloads, thereby benefiting the artists of the tracks. Free doesn't always mean free-loader. It's a net gain for the artist in many respects. I'll find something I like, I'll pay for an album purchase, and I'll likely blog about it, thus inducing additional purchases. These free downloads can result in a positive result for artists, provided they're managed properly, authorized by the artist, and made accessible to a discerning consumer. Here's a bunch of music samplers (and free albums) I downloaded recently:
* Noise Pop - 2008: (12 songs) A music festival held each year, in SF, Ca. Features a slew of Independent artists showcasing their talent from Feb 28 - Mar 2 (this year). Here's a compilation featuring twelve of those aspiring artists/acts. I like it. So far I've marked two of the groups as five stars.
* The War on Drugs - Barrel of Batteries: (6 songs) Very acoustic, very folk, very fine. Somewhat fuzzy, fusion of folk, psychedelic and roots rock. Splendid vocals, lyrics and melodies. A great little EP. Can't beat the price.
* Smithsonian Folkways Sampler - A sound legacy of 60 years of Folkways records: (15 songs) A compilation of country and folk music, spanning 60 years of recordings. I couldn't dig it. I listened to the whole thing twice. While I liked a few of the tracks, the immense diversity of the compilation left me wishing they'd use a narrower filter.
* eMusic SXSW birthday sampler: (6 songs) A collection of various alternative / punk artists collected as a birthday tribute to the SXSW festival (10 years in 2008). Six tracks were given away free by eMusic. They're no longer free on eMusic, but you might be able to snag them at the SXSW website. Keep in mind that many free tracks (at eMusic and elsewhere) are only free for a limited time.
* Don't Mess with Texas - SXSW 2008 New Music Sampler: (15 songs) Here's a collection of Texas bands, they're not necessarily country, but Texas is a big place with plenty of room for diversity. I haven't finished sampling this comp yet, but I've already located one five star talent. I'll be back for more.
* Spokane - A Small Commotion: (11 songs) Sure it's free, and that's the good thing. I didn't care for this band at all. Every song reminded my of a funeral, and not in a good way... Slow, plodding, boring and downright depressing. If you're contemplating suicide - Don't get near this album.
* IODA SXSW Opening day bash sampler 2008: (11 songs) IODA - Independent Online Distribution Alliance. A way for Independent artists to market, manage and distribute their music by leveraging the power of the internet. This sampler contains some excellent tracks, but it'll take me a while to fully digest the whole thing.
* ICON Music Group Sampler: (11 songs) I haven't had a chance to check out all the tracks on this sampler yet. So much music, so little time. After a first run through, there doesn't appear to be many stand-outs on this sampler.
* Three Ring Sampler: (13 songs) A compilation of alternative / independent artists. Produced by a label produced using IODA. Yet another compilation that I'll need to listen to again.
* Gore Gore Girls - HearYa Session at Shirk Music: (3 songs) I might listen to this album one more time. I really don't like the inclusion of the promotional audio in the free track. I could always go in and snip it out, but that's a bit annoying. This girl garage group just didn't get my goat? Free eMusic exclusives.

Website download:
* eMinor music - Still no album: (4+1 songs) I first heard this talent while listening to 3hive.com. The artists won a contest with his single 'Nevermind Blue'. I liked the song so much that I decided to hijack his myspace. Compiling all the available tracks, I found two worth listening to; Nevermind Blue and Cool Night air. I hope he decides to release something more substantial. Something based on his success of his award winning single. Crap! It's a good thing I grabbed his music while it was available. As of today (23 Mar 08) it's all gone.

These are just some of the items I added to my music collection during the month of March. 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>

Cold War Warrior gets the Cold Shoulder:
<rant>The US Army is in charge of processing requests for Cold War Recognition Certificates. In accordance with section 1084 of the 1998 National Defense Authorization Act, the Secretary of
Defense approved the award of Cold War Recognition Certificates to all members of the armed forces who faithfully and honorably served the United States during the Cold War era (Sept. 2, 1945 to Dec. 26, 1991).

In January of 2005, I retired from the Air Force, and that's when I should have received my Cold War Recognition Certificate. If my command (and the entire Air Force) had their act together they would have realized that I served during the Cold War era, and they would have got the certificate for me. It would have been ready for me when I retired. Was it? Of course not. Well, I can't lay the entire blame on the Air Force, for that matter, they would probably encounter the same problem I've encountered — a seemingly insurmountable mountain of bureacracy and incompetence.

Unfortunately, there must be something wrong with that number/fax machine. According to my computer, the phone doesn't pick up for fax transmission. Additionally, I attempted to call the phone number (703-325-5864) listed at: <https://www.hrc.army.mil/site/active/tagd/coldwar/Apply_for_Certificate.htm>, but no one answered the phone (0700AM MDT, so that's 0900AM in VA). I would have left a message, but the mail box was full.

At this point I'm wondering.. 'Does this department: Cold War Recognition Program, still exist? If so, why is the department unreachable by phone or fax?' I then forwarded my
certificate request, and supporting documentation via email. I crossed my fingers, hoping they wouldn't have a problem with the 2.3Mb attachment.

On May 3, 2007, at 09:42, CWRS1, TAGD, HRC-Alexandria wrote: "Thank you, for sending in your email request. You paper work is being processed."

With that small glimmer of hope, I patiently waited for my Cold War Certificate to arrive. Did it? Of course not. Perhaps I hadn't waited long enough? In November of 2007, I sent another email. "Hello - I've been trying to get a copy of my Coldwar certificate since May of 2007. It's now November - nearly six months later. How long should this take? Do I need to start the process all over again?"

With no reply to that email, I waited a bit more. In February I sent another email. "Hello - O.k. I'm trying again. It's now 10 months since I sent in my application for a Cold War certificate. On the 3rd of May, 2007, Someone at your office indicated that my paper work was being processed. It's been appx nine months since I received that email. I'm wondering whether my paper work has been lost? When will I receive my certificate? I wrote/emailed your office in November of 2007, but no one responded to my email. Could someone please respond to my email?"

So now it's approaching a year, and I still don't have my Cold War Certificate. They no longer reply to my email, but I'm not about to give up. If you know me, you know I don't give up easily. This morning (26 Mar 2008) I called their phone number, and left a message! No one answered the phone, but at least their mailbox isn't full. According to the Army's website. "Any other site offering these certificates or replicas for sale or purchase are not official sites and are not approved or endorsed by the US Army." I certainly wish I could get my officially awarded certificate from some other agency. Preferably one that cares about veterans. It seems like every time I have to deal with the military (now that I'm retired), that treat me like crap. They don't give a damn about veterans or veteran's affairs. After experiencing this 'unusual' lack of concern, I'm no longer surprised. I know it's true. I heard it from veterans in the past, but never thought it a real phenomenon. Well, it is. I've experienced it first hand. When I was in the military, the bureacracy seemed to function rather efficiently. Everyone doing their duty to the best of their ability. Now I realize why. It wasn't pride in service, or dedication which drove the minions to mediocre excellence. It was the threat of retribution, official censure, or military discipline. When the customer is no longer in the military, there is no reason to 'do your best'. After all, they're not in your chain of command. The result is an active disdain for veterans, their needs, concerns and care. Of course, I admit that this isn't the case for all military members. I work with the military, and I admit that they don't treat me personally with disdain or disrespect. On the other hand, any time I represent myself as a veteran over the phone (or via email), I get the 'Whatever, we'll deal with you when we get around to it' attitude.

Recently, I have noticed that the US Army is attempting to apologize (make excuses for) for the delay in processing Cold War certificates. Posted at their website is this disclaimer. "Due to the remarkable success of this program, turn-around time for mailing certificates will be a minimum of 2 months. The CWRS Operations Team is working as fast as possible to clear the backlog. Please do not request feedback prior to 2 months from the request date. Thank you for your patience and interest in the Cold War Recognition program." To me, this is just another clear sign of their lack of concern. 'Don't bother contacting us for at least two months. We're busy ignoring your request.' Don't issue an apology, just explain the process up front. Grrrr!...</rant>
<http://coldwar.army.mil/>

Snow, Rain and Ice - What a crappy day!
On the 16th of March, our weather turned crappy. It started out with snow on the evening of the 16th. Later it warmed up a bit, adding some rain into the mix. With the temperature dropping over night, that didn't help matters. When I went outside to put the trash out, I nearly busted my ass on the ice. I went to bed thinking, 'I hope I don't have to deal with this crap in the morning.' On the 17th of March, it got marginally warmer. In the 40s or so. The warmer temps, combined with some typical blazing hot sunshine (This is Colorado), melted all that snow and ice. Hooray, no shoveling today!

Price for life guarantee!
<rave>I'm a Comcast High-Speed customer, and I have to say that I've been very happy with their service. "Over the years, Comcast has continuously added value to their high-speed Internet offerings - increasing speeds and providing more content options to our customers at no additional charge" (said Bill Mosher, vice president of marketing and sales for Comcast Colorado.) This isn't just some marketing hype. I've seen the results first hand. My internet connection speeds have continually risen over the past few years (I've been a customer since 2004), and the price (aside from regulatory fees and tax increases) hasn't gone up. Well, today (17 Mar, 2008) I received a letter from Comcast. According to the letter. Comcast is now guaranteeing not to raise my bill

How many services do you subscribe to? Satellite TV, Radio? Cable TV, Internet, NetFlix, TiVo, Alarm Monitoring, Cell phone service — the list goes on and on. When they raise their price, you usually curse, rant, then sulk, and accept the consequences. More of you hard earned cash in the hands of the every greedy, needy, never dying corporate monster (which is slowly strangling our nation). Now - Someone is giving you a break! One company has decided to give you a promise; a guarantee - From now on, my cable internet bill will not go up (not as long as I stick with Comcast). With inflation looming and an uncertain economic outlook, who would be brave enough to offer a "Price for Life" guarantee!

Not only is Comcast offering this 'Price for Life' guarantee to new customers; in an unprecedented move - They're actually providing this guarantee to 'Existing' customers. Holy crap! Companies never do that. When was the last time your cell phone company upgraded your minutes - for free? In addition to Comcast's price for life guarantee, they also provide their service on a no minimum-term contract, and there's no cancellation fees! Remember that cell phone carrier? How many years do you have left on your contract? Oh, wait a second, didn't you add 20 more minutes of text chatting last month? Yeah, I thought so. Guess what? That constitutes a new Two Year contract. You just locked yourself in for two more years of crappy service at an exorbitant price!

People usually leave crappy services because they're crappy. Fee increases, restrictive contracts, poor service, horrible phone support, preposterous terms. Thankfully, there's one company that's doing their best to attract — not trap — customers. That's Comcast. If you're looking for a high speed internet provider, forget that slow DSL, ignore that expensive dish option, and kiss goodbye to the sloth like dial-up. Sign up for Comcast today. </rave>
<http://www.comcast.com/pfl/>

March 14, 2008

Long live the Gygax!
On the 4th of March, I was shocked and saddened to learn of Gary Gygax's death. Who's Gary Gygax? Some will know immediately, while others know nothing of this man. Ernest Gary Gygax (July 27, 1938 – March 4, 2008) was an American writer and game designer, best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) with Dave Arneson, and co-founding the company Tactical Studies Rules (TSR, Inc.) with Don Kaye in 1973. Gygax is generally acknowledged as one of the fathers of the tabletop role-playing game.

An important man in my list of important figures. I was first introduced to D&D in 1976, and I must admit - Despite my mother's assurances that it was a passing fad; D&D has always been far more than a fad to me. It was a way for me to grow into an adult. A way to make friends, a way to become a leader, speaker and self confident individual. It helped me learn things about math, engineering, language, and many other subjects. Who would have thought a game could do so much? Gary Gygax was responsible for bringing that game to millions of people, to millions of geeks, nerds, and socially rejected kids. We - The nerds, geeks and dorks of the world will miss Gary greatly. An icon has fallen, the DM has failed his last saving throw. Long live the Gygax!
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Gygax>

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 (5 Mar 08) we had another neighborhood watch meeting, and I updated the Neighborhood Watch web page following the meeting. I updated the 'Welcome' or main page and the 'Events' page. I added information regarding the next meeting (7 May 2008), the name and contact info for our new community manager, some notes from the last meeting, and a solicitation for additional block captains. Maybe you'll be a volunteer too!

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/welcome.html>
<http://www.tollgatecrossing.org/events.html>

More eMusic in March:
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 National - Boxer: (12 songs) Wow, a fantastic discovery. Found these guys by reading my emusic monthly newsletters. This group was an editors pick, and I can see why. They're right up my alley. Beautiful melodies where the instrumentals match the lead vocalists powerful voice. Dark anthems for broken hearts, soaring sonatas for serious contemplation.
* Skalpel - Skalpel: (10+1 songs) If you like experimental electronic jazz, the euro-club chic, the rythmic, film-noir inspired instrumentals and obscure obtuse lyrics; you'll love Skalpel. I discovered this band by listening to tracks on Pandora.com.
* Bauhaus - Crackle: (16 songs) A favorite from the 80's. Here's a band that helped forge the fires of goth. Electro-eclectic, dark, moody and powerful. Simultaneously soaring and subducting the soul of the listener. This compilation came about as the result of a 1998 reunion tour. I've got to get more!
* Lard - The Last Temptation of Reid: (8+1 songs) Here's an awesome rocking machine. Combine the vocal/lyrical talent of Jello Biafra (from Dead Kennedy's), and the heavy hitting dark metal of Ministry instrumentals. What do you get? Lard!? This combination of punk and industrial will pop your rivets. Grab it and hold on. Thanks go out to Troy for connecting these dots.
* Matthew Dear - Backstroke: (8 songs) Clubbing. This man's music makes me want to dance! This elctro, techno, pop, house beat will make you want to get up on the dance floor. Fantastic multi-tracked lyrics, and a sound that is - what? A combination of Afro-centric beats, with the pulse of a German sound machine. Bring it!
* The Dream Syndicate - 3 1/2 The Lost Tapes (1985-1988): (10 songs) Dream Syndicate is another one of my favorites from the 80's. Thanks to eMusic, I can rediscover all my favorites for a low price. Here's another pioneer in the goth, dark indy scene. Awesome talent in the guitars and vocals.
* Field Music - Tones of Town: (12 songs) Quirky pop-tunes that cry out for comparison. Only to the best bands. This group has been ringing my bell for some time now. Here's another album full of happy sounds. Loopy lyrics and wistful instrumentals.
* Adult. - Why Bother: (14 songs) Reminiscent of many punk bands I loved from the 80's. Here's a great eclectic organ grinding ecstasy of pure joy. Poping electronic instruments, combined with a shrieking - siouxsie like vocalist. Carving a soundscape with sub-sonic noises; this one's got enough spunk to satisfy the induction circuits in my cranial unit. Thanks Troy.

These are just some of the items I added to my music collection during the month of March. 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>

March 10, 2008

March 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.

iTunes purchases:
Sometimes I purchase music from iTunes. Things I can't find on eMusic. Some of the more 'popular' titles are unavailable on eMusic. iTunes has a larger selection. It's the King of the Hill when it comes to the bigger names, so sometimes I find that I have to pay the higher prices. With a recent injection of cash into my PayPal account, I went shopping:
* Joy Division - Permanent: (16 songs) A compilation, which has since disappeared from iTunes. Here's a collection for someone who has no Joy Division - That's me. They're a favorite from the 80's, and for some reason, I had no Joy in my collection. This aquisition remedies that problem. Dark, moody goth. Forerunners of a movement. Too bad it ended so soon.
* Jack Johnson - Sleep Through the Static: (14 songs) Here's another album from an artist that I can't find on eMusic. I definitely enjoy his vocal and mostly acoustic sound. Here's a new album. It's a bit darker than the usual happy, peppy Jack, but it's a good album.
* Louis XIV - Slick Dogs and Ponies: (14 songs) Louis XIV is one of those bands - An American band with a British sound. It's the sound I love. With lush guitar work and a much improved instrumental arrangement. They're starting to sound a bit more polished, less raucus, more instrumentally minded. I'm not sure whether that's a good thing or not.
* Aztec Camera - Frestonia: (10 songs) Another one of my favorites from the 80's. This is their last album. I loved their acoustic folk sound. Blended with indie sensibilities and great lyrics, I'm still working on the complete collection (I've got four out of eight). This one brings a softer, more sentimental sound to the table.
* The Bravery - The Sun and the Moon: (12 songs) In a departure from the sound which I really liked, the Bravery's second album is more traditional pop and rock in its sound. I miss the old sound, and they're only on their second album.

These are just some of the items I added to my music collection during the month of March. 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>

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 (28 Feb, 08) I uploaded some changes to the Tollgate Crossing Neighborhood Watch website. I updated the 'Info' page. We had an HOA meeting on the 19th of February. During that meeting, the management company announced a new community manager for Tollgate Crossing. As a result of that meeting, I updated some of the info on our Neighborhood Watch website.

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>

+ Eating out in Denver:
Occasionally, Kim and I take the opportunity to eat out at one of the fine restaurants in the Denver area. They're not always five star places, but we're not that kind of people. Here's a few of the places we ate at during February:

* Fish City Grill:
It's not the first time we've eaten here, but it's worth the repeat visit. A first of it's kind in Colorado - Fish City Grill. The grill is a Texas franchise, and the location in Southlands mall is the first in Colorado. This restaurant is a small unassuming place, nestled in between a couple of other restaurants, but they've got one of the better locations in the mall - Adjacent to the pop-jet fountains, and a very short walk from the theater. Inside, the place is cozy and rustic, with lots of brick and dark wood. There's a good view of the kitchen, and they've got a large bar area. On our return visit, we were seated immediately, and our server (The same one (Mike) we had last time) remembered us. Just like last time, he took excellent care of us this time around. Just like last time, the food was fantastic. Before our main course, we tried a new appetizer. This time we had the Blue Crab Stuffed Mushrooms. They're topped with Parmesan cheese & drizzled with a jalapeno cream sauce. Oh my... They were so good. I remarked to our server regarding the Jalapeno cream sauce. As a matter of fact, said the server "That's the soup that you ordered." I had ordered a bowl of soup with my meal. For our main dishes, Kim had chicken in a red chili (and Tabasco) cream sauce. You should have seen her face as the heat built up! I ordered one of the daily fish specials. The food was awesome, and the price was particularly pleasing. The grill was offering a 20% discount to anyone who worked at the place where I work... <rant>Which, according to my security manager, I'm not permitted to publish on my web site! What a stupid requirement. Well, I love my job - So I guess I won't mention the name of the government facility that I work at in the Aurora/Denver area.</rant> With a tip, minus the discount, which I gave back in the form of a tip! - The price for the two of us came to $36.20 - That's pretty good. Appetizers, drinks (sodas) and two main courses.

Hey, that's not all. That soup was so good, it's so awesome that they sell it by the quart and I had to have some. Kim complained that the fridge was full, so we couldn't get any. Oh yeah? I'm not letting that stop me... About a week later, after I'd polished off some of our 'leftovers', I headed back to the 'grill' for a second round. I ordered some to go vitals - A Crawfish Po-Boy sandwich - Yummy, with criss-cut fries, a cup of soup - and; you guessed it - A quart of the 'Cream of Roasted Jalapeno' soup. That soup deserves more mention. It's delicious, and despite the main ingredient, it really isn't a tongue torturer. It's creamy, rich, warm and filling. With good body, and plenty of character, this soup is definitely the best soup I have ever eaten. If you try nothing else, you must have the soup. The soup is $8.99 for the quart.

This place just keeps getting better. If I'm not careful, it could easily become my favorite place to eat. Friendly folks and serious seafood, I heartily recommend it.
<http://www.fishcitygrill.com/>

* Il Fornaio Cucina Italiana
The week of 23 - 29 February, was Denver restaurant week (in 2008). Kim and I took the opportunity to visit one of the more 'upscale' in the Denver area. For $52.80 two can eat a predetermined meal at one of the finer restaurants in the area. Kim and I made a date out of it. We selected an Italian restaurant for our fare. Having spent seven years living in Southern Italy, we've built up quite an appreciation for the tastes of Italy. When the 'date' night arrived we dressed up - I wore my black jeans! and kim wore a nice sweater! Yeah, business casual. I wasn't willing to break out the three piece... So, with a little effort, we fired up the GPS and headed down to the Denver Tech Center. Lo-Do as they call that southern end of Denver. The building was an impressive structure situated among the night life of Lo-Do (Actually located in Greenwood Village). Kim and I didn't feel 'upper class' enough to use the 'complimentary' valet service, so I parked the Volvo by myself, and we headed in.

At the greeters stand - they immediately asked if we had reservations. "Of course" was our response. We made reservations for the Denver restaurant week... After waiting for a few seconds - It was still early, and the place wasn't anywhere near full - we were seated. O.k. this is where things started to go south - as in, not making me happy. They seated us in the cheap seats. No regular table for us. Apparently, we got the bleacher seats. Some hastily arranged seating in a high traffic area. The table was small, and the chairs too low to the ground. After an hour or so, my legs were killing me. I'm a tall guy, and this chair was so low - the seating arrangement so cramped - that I was actually in pain from being crammed into this little niche. Our table was right up against a set of double doors, and people (mostly the servers) were constantly moving in and out of a seating area behind me. On several occasions, someone bumped into me (from behind). It wasn't a full on 'crash into me' sort of situation, but still - they never said excuse me, and that was very annoying.

O.k. So here we are in the cheap seats. The server wanted to know what we wanted to drink. After showing us the incredibly expensive wine list. We decided to go with the sparkling water that was already at our table. Kim was taking some cold medicine, and I didn't feel like alcohol. So we opted for water. Two one liter bottles of some 'Lissa' water. It's a brand from Italy, and the first bottle was pretty good. Not as good as our favorite - 'San Pelegrino', but good enough to make me happy. The server immediately disappeared and I used the opportunity to stretch a bit and visit the bathroom. During the down time, I took a good look around. This place is definitely up-scale. The patrons were all 'loaded' - as in metro-money-moguls. There were a lot of diamond necklaces, three piece suits, gold watches, cosmetically enhanced cleavage and bubbly perfect people all around. The decor was a combination of Early Denver and Northern Italy. Some dark woods, tall ceilings and brass. A very nice building - no doubt.

The server reappeared several minutes later. Kim and I placed our order. She selected the roast Lamb, and I decided to have the salmon. We started our meal with the house salad. A simple salad with shaved parmesan and a nice house dressing. Kim's roast lamb was o.k. Or at least I didn't hear any complaints. My salmon was good. The server didn't ask how I wanted it prepared, so it was a little over cooked. The creamy dill sauce wasn't anything out of the ordinary, but the vegetables were actually very good. A selection of those little roasters, some young asparagus and tender little carrots. For desert Kim had Tiramisú and I had Tortino di Mele con Gellato di Vaniglia - A baked apple cake/pie with pine nuts, rasins and walnuts. This was topped with a rum rasin ice cream. My desert was awesome.

Aside from my desert, the food wasn't anything too special. I've had better salmon and the portions were a bit on the small side. The service was pretty poor. We were treated like 'commoners' - After all we didn't order from the wine list, and we were there for the 'Restaurant Week'. The seating was the worst part of the experience. O.k. are you ready for the shocker? The price? Well, according to the 'rules', the price is supposed to be $52.80 for two. As in, the sponsor is 5280 magazine. So, $52.80 is supposed to get you a seat at one of Denver's fine restaurants. No surprises in the cost of our meal. What about drinks? Well, as I mentioned previously, we had two bottles of water. So, the price shouldn't come as too much of a shocker. With tax and tip - $72.78! What? Yup, $72.78. They charged us $7.50 a bottle for the sparkling water. Afterwards, I went on line and checked out prices for Lissa water. I found a wholesale outlet that sold it for $2.00 - Per liter. Now, Il Fornaio doesn't list beverage prices on their online menu. So, either they decided to stick it to us on the water, or this is the sort of place that I'll never eat at again. In either case, they don't warrant a repeat visit. Kim and I will take it to Armando's Ristorante & Pizzeria (On Smoky Hill Rd. Aurora). There we'll be treated to authentic Italian cuisine at a reasonable price, and I won't have to worry about the seating or treatment.

The end of Winter?
Officially, Winter doesn't end until March 20th (the date of the Vernal equinox), but the temperatures of late (28 Feb - 1 Mar) might give you a different impression. Things are certainly heating up in my back yard. The temperatures over these few days rose into the 70's (Fahrenheit), and most of the snow melted. Our yard still has some snow, but Winter is definitely in retreat.

I'm sick!
It's been a long time since I've been sick, so this minor illness comes as something of a surprise. While Colorado is suffering through a rather powerful flu-season, I was fortunate enough (until now) to escape (so far) with nothing more bothersome than the common cold. On the 1st of March, I came down with a touch of something. Some sort of virus. I picked it up at work. A few people have missed some work, but I lucked out. While I had a slight fever, this virus didn't do much to slow me down. Chills, a fever, and some tenderness (in my muscles) is all I had to suffer. Thankfully, my immune system did it's job, and I shook this bug in about 12 hours. I came home from work, felt pretty crappy, hit the hay early, and woke up without any symptoms. Hopefully, you can avoid any serious illness during this flu season.

Not so fast - Old man Winter's back at work:
Officially, Winter doesn't end until March 20th (the date of the Vernal equinox), and despite some signs to the contrary, the typical pattern of Colorado weather continues. Just recently we received a couple of reminders that winter is far from over. On the 2nd of March, we saw snow in our neighborhood. With 2 inches on the ground, I had to break out the snow blower to deal with the heavy drifts in my drive way. That north facing collected quite a pile of snow when the winds were blowing in from the north east. On the 5th we got a little more snow; just one inch this time.

March 06, 2008

Music Marches in:
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.

Website download:
* The Federalists - The Federalists: (6 songs) Soulful, Mournful, Soaring Indie rock. Balancing the line between tradition and exploration. Discovered by checking out the downloads/reviews available at 3hive.com. I acquired these songs from the artists website. I hope to see them at eMusic in the near future. Two albums - both named after the band.

These are just some of the items I added to my music collection during the month of March. 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>

D&D updates:
We played a D&D session on the 23rd of February, and I just completed some updates from that very eventful meeting. Our meeting on the 23rd saw the death of one character and the demise of one traveling companion. Tanar and Flash both fell on the field of battle. These changes in characters, and some changes in players, have created a backlog in my record keeping. That's part of the reason why it's taken so long to make the entries associated with this 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 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. Another round of entries from Lee and Mark. Both entries are extensive. There's a lot of political intrigue in these journal entries. Intrigue, deceit, action and consequences. 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#feb23_2008>

3rd Edition Campaign:
I updated the next game date (08 Mar 2008) on the campaign page and changed some of the illustration annotation information (under the photo in the upper left hand corner). 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.
<https://www.robsworld.org/3ecampaign.html>

Players in our campaign:
Players update. With the departure of one player (Eric), and the addition of a new one (who hasn't made his first appearance (yet)), I had to make some changes to the "players" page. I updated some info regarding Dino's character and added some info regarding Richard (the new player). I'll take a new photo after Richard's first session. Eric left our group in order to focus more time/effort on his own campaign.
<https://www.robsworld.org/players.html>

Long Live Tanar:
When characters leave the party, I usually create a separate page for them. Sometimes they leave the party under their own will, sometimes it's the result of dire consequences - deadly fate, or sinister plans. This case is no different. Tanar was struck down in combat. A glorious end for a war mage seeking to overthrow the dark forces of evil spreading taint across the land. Here then is Tanar's memorial page.
<https://www.robsworld.org/tanar.html>

Character update:
During our meeting on the 23rd, Tanar died! As a result of that big change, I've had to update the characters listing on our "Who's Who?" page. Along with changes to player/character related info, I also added and updated a bunch of other entries. Made new entries for the Dread Witch, Palindar and Kabeckum, and Naentoth. In addition to the new entries, I also updated some entries - Wellfast, Zeddishous, Flash, Tanar, and Madreus all had their entries updated. The "Who's Who?" page is a listing of characters, both player characters and non-player characters.
<https://www.robsworld.org/3ewhoswho.html>

Monsters encountered:
As a result of the meeting on the 23rd of February, I updated several entries, and a bunch of new monsters to this page. New monsters include Kenku - A race of intelligent bird-like creatures. The Darkwalker - A highly dangerous undead behemoth (Dynnera's advice - "Run Away!). Brood Gibberling - Gibberling infected with alien life form. The Gibberslug - An alien creature that takes over other monsters. Allip - Undead creatures intent on revenge. One monster updated. With the acquisition of information regarding Brood Gibberling and Gibberslugs, I updated the Gibberling entry. The monsters page is a listing of monsters that the party has encountered, read about or heard of.
<https://www.robsworld.org/monsters.html>

Where Now:
Any time the characters venture forth, there's bound to be new places discovered and explored. During our last session, the party learned more information about the Underdark. An entire realm beneath the surface of our world. With this additional information, I added two new entries to the page. Where Now?" is a listing of various places the party has visited or researched.
<https://www.robsworld.org/wherenow.html>

As the clock ticks forward:
Recently, Lee decided to create a timeline of our party's adventure. As this adventure is timed, the party needs to pay particular attention to the amount of time they've expended, the time remaining, and how far they progressed in achieving their goal. The crystal gates of Firestorm Peak will only stay open for 28 days, and they've already used 7 days. The gates wait for no one, and the party still has to find two more crystal rods. Who or what, holds the remaining shards? Will the party have enough time to find and vanquish the source of evil within this mountain? What of Nigel, Tanar's father? Recently however, the party has learned of a second, and even a third entrance into Firestorm Peak. Does this mean that the concerns regarding timeliness are moot? As the taint continues to spread, corruption and depravity threaten all in our realm. The party has located the second entrance, but an entrance through the Underdark isn't an easy way to get into the mountain, this third entrance hasn't been located, and one unasked question remains...
<https://www.robsworld.org/timeline.png>

Our next gaming date is 08 February, 2008. Stay tuned for more adventure; there will be lots of thrills and excitement in the months to come. Our group of adventurers started this quest as a search for Tanar's father; but things have changed. Oh, how they have changed! Tanar was incinerated in battle with an unholy minion of the dark, and his father is likely some agent of evil. Why do these SCREWOFFS continue? It is the threat that propels them forward, the ever growing, spreading threat of taint. Of an evil which grows daily, an unstoppable evil that subjugates, corrupts and defiles all that it touches. Madreus, the alienst is attempting to bring forth an otherworldly presence into our world. Something that mortals dare not confront, something that will surely destroy all that is good.... If, if the party relents, if they fail, if they falter — This is the reason, this is why they continue. To surrender now would spell certain destruction and corruption for all that they hold dear. Their quest has taken them into the accursed Firestorm Peak during a period of celestial confluence, and now it takes them deeper still, into the twisted caverns beneath the mountain. Into the very heart of darkness. Many battles have been fought, many brave allies dispatched. The ground is wet with the blood of the innocent, but all that will seem as nothing should Madreus achieve his nefarious goals. With allies in a community of exiled Duergar, and refuge in the 'Monastery of the Hallowed Doctrine', our group of brave adventurers continues the fight. With this latest retreat to Grayven's Shrine, the party is once again forced to recuperate, recover, and rethink their approach to this steadily advancing threat. Stay tuned for danger, stay tuned for mystery, stay tuned for adventure!
<https://www.robsworld.org/3ecampaign.html>

Software favorites:
There's been one significant update 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:

With this 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>

My Must Watch List:
Outside my NetFlix queue, I maintain a list of movies I'd like to see. Some are in the theater now, some will have to wait until they percolate through my NetFlix queue (which is WAY larger than this list (NetFlix won't let me have more than 500 movies in my queue at any one time. Take a guess, how many do you think I've got in my queue?)), and some I may never see. But here they are anyway. Hopefully I'll get to see some of them. I'm constantly updating this list (today was just another day in that constant process), but thought I'd tell you about it anyway - I'm like that, just in case you didn't know. Why would I bother watching some of these movies? Who knows, many reasons - pick one. For some it's because of the actor/actress, for others it's the director. Maybe I read a favorable review, or saw a preview that looked good. What movies are you looking forward to?
<https://www.robsworld.org/movies.html#watch>