May 22, 2008
More Music in May:
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.
Web site downloads:
I download music from plenty of websites (not counting commercial websites). The websites of the artists, the artists label, music festival websites, music review sites, etc, etc. Their are gobs of places where you can find free music. We're in a whole new era now. Gone are the monopolistic controls of the music industry. Music is becoming free - Free to anyone who takes the time to look for it. If you can't find free, legal, music - you're not looking very hard.
* Joe Pug - Nation of Heat EP: (3+4 songs) Unsigned, but talented artist. A great example of singer songwriter ethic. Here's a taste of Americana, roots rock, and all those old-style musicians more interested in the story than the glory. Of dusty road stories and broken down above ground swimming pools. There's something genuine and believable in this nearly spoken word talent. The acoustic strummin' and singin' is winning. I downloaded four songs by this artist earlier this month, but that wasn't enough. I sent him an email and he was kind enough to provide me with a link to the entire EP. I'm currently sharing that link with some of my friends. Thanks Joe! Discovered by listening to 3hive.com.
* Shy Child - Noise Won't Stop: (5 songs) Another 3hive.com discovery. I enjoy some techno/electronic music, and this band satisfies that sweet tooth. Here's some pulse pounding beats, backed by lollipop lyrics. Crackling Keytar and Deft drumming, dubbed over with the electronic sounds of our modern world. Shy Child creates a swirling dance of beat crazy melodies, an electronic feeding frenzy which can't be denied. Added to my eMusic queue.
These are just some of the items I added to my music collection during the month of May. 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 3rd of May, and I just completed some updates from that meeting. Our meeting on the 3rd was primarily a combat session. Thinking that their quarry (the Deepspawn) had escaped through an underwater passage, the party placed an alarm on the entrance to this underwater cavern. When the alarm went off, the party rushed back to the cave where they last encountered the Deepspawn... The beast was there, in the cave! The party attacked. Be sure to read the journal entry (which I'll post soon) 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. This time the entries come from Mark (playing Solmar the warforged paladin) and Sean (playing Thalidimar the human cleric of Tymora). Be sure to read about the party's journey into Firestorm Peak.
<https://www.robsworld.org/ajournal07.html#may03_2008>Monsters encountered:
As a result of the meeting on the 3rd of May, I added a couple new monsters to the listing. A living wall was described to the party by some new found allies, and the party encountered some zombie-like guardians. I also updated the description of Myconid and the blackspawn stalker on the monsters page. The party has encountered a new ally deep within the confines of Firestorm peak. So far these mushroom men have provided safe-haven, information, and protection from the ever present taint in this malignant mountain. 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:
As the adventure continues, the party learns more information about the world they inhabit. After our meeting on the 3rd of May, provided additional information on two important locations. I updated information regarding the Vast Gate of Firestorm peak and the Far Realm. The "Where Now?" page is a listing of various places the party has visited or researched.
<https://www.robsworld.org/wherenow.html>
Due to some upcoming vacations, our next meeting isn't until 14 June, 2008. As a result of this delay in our next game date, I've updated our campaign page. It's 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. Our party of adventurers are currently engaged in combat with the deepspawn (A vile and despicable horror. A powerful creature from the far realm - Read more about the deepspawn and other horrors at our Monsters page). The deepspawn holds one of the shards (a magical key) that the party needs in order to refocus the vast gate; a portal to the far realm. Without this shard, the party will have little hope of ending the threat of taint in these realms. Stay tuned for more adventure; there will be lots of thrills and excitement in the months to come.
<https://www.robsworld.org/3ecampaign.html>
May 17, 2008
Just when I thought it was over - Another spammer attack:
You may have read about the spam attack I suffered at the beginning of this month. If so, you're aware of the recent Joe Job that I was subjected to. By the 13th of May, I'd stopped receiving blow-back messages, so I figured that the run was just about over. That's when I was awakened to a new spam run. On the morning of the 14th of May, 2008, I awoke to an inbox filled with over a thousand bounce/auto-reply messages.
A spammer is once again pretending to be me. Intentionally targeting me/my domain. The blow-back from his spam run is damaging to my domain and name. I can only hope that no-one will assume that I actually am the spammer. That's what the spammer is hoping for. He/She is hoping that my ISP(s) or email provider(s) will make the same mistake. Well, screw him. As soon as I have the time (I've got other things to do as well), I'll start reporting spam again. I don't have time to report every spam I receive (I get thousands of spam messages every month), so I wait until I have time before I do any reporting. I'm not very discriminating in my reporting, and I have no way of knowing which spammer in particular I'm pissing off. All I can say is 'Screw You Spammer', I'm not going to stop. You're going to have to bring down half the internet to stop me. Hmm, do you think anyone would notice if you did that?
Yeah, I piss off the spammers by reporting them, by getting some of their open-relay's closed, by exposing some of the compromised computers and servers, but someone's gotta do it. Spammers don't own the internet - We the victims own it. The ones paying for the dial-up, cable connection, and hosting services. These spammers are parasites who hi-jack, steal, and cheat their way on our dime. Governments aren't doing anything (at least mine isn't), and ISPs could care less. If it takes a dedicated cadre of anti-spammers to raise awareness, to stick it to the spammer, to help take back our paid-for resources, then I want to be one of the anti-spammers.
If you ever need any help figuring out a problem involving unsolicited email, or 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>
<https://www.robsworld.org/forgery.html>
Air freshener triggers smoke detector:
What does it take to trigger a smoke detector? Stay tuned to find out...
On the morning of 16 May, 2008 (at 0130 in the morning), I was awakened to the sound of an alarm. A loud klaxon which shook me, brought me crashing out of a deep sleep, shouting - Who!? What?! Who There!? With the adrenalin surging, I leap out of bed (literally), grab a robe and began a search for intruders. By the time I stomped and stumbled my way to the alarm panel, the alarm had stopped, and there was no indication that the alarm had gone off?
That's when the alarm went off - again! Checking the alarm panel confirmed the fact - It's not the burglar alarm. Well, that's good. It's the smoke alarm? I don't smell smoke.. The alarm stopped. O.k. which one is it? There's enough of them that you never know which one it is, so the hunt begins. The alarm goes off again. Now I'm getting closer. As I approach the bedroom I see Kim sitting upright in bed. The alarm goes off again, Kim points at the offending unit. The alarm stops. Great - I still don't smell any smoke. Why is the smoke detector malfunctioning? I pause for a minute to consider the problem. The alarm starts blaring - Fire, Fire, Fire! Then it stops. Well that's enough of that. It's time to yank that offending unit.
I head out to the garage to get the ladder. The ceiling's ten feet up, so I need the big ladder. I track leaves and cobwebs into the house. - we can worry about that later. I manage not to smash the ladder against any walls, furniture, or door jambs, set it up and realize I haven't got any shoes on. I head out to the entry to get a pair of slip-ons. Heading back to the bedroom - Damn smoke detector, it's nearly 2AM!
On my way back to the bedroom, I'm fuming, imagining a suitable fate for this malfunctioning smoke detector. Wait a minute - What's that smell? Perfume? An air freshener? What's that on the wall? Oh, hell! It's that damnable Air Freshener. One of those plug in types - Febreze NoticeAbles was the brand. Kim had just plugged it beneath the smoke detector, and the scent diffuser was setting off the smoke detector. I took down the smoke detector, disconnected the battery, and banished the chirping unit to the far side of the house.
When I got back to the bedroom, I unplugged the scent dispenser and put it in the master bath. I tried to get back to sleep, but I was so pumped up by adrenalin, that sleep was something I couldn't do at the moment. So... The moral of this story. Don't plug room fresheners into an outlet near / beneath a smoke detector.
Our House:
Kim and I bought a new house in April of 2005. Our first home. It's been over a year since then, and we've been engrossed in the new house. Settling into a new home is quite a chore. There are a lot of expenses, expected and otherwise. We've still got a lot of work to do, and I imagine it'll never stop. Owning your own home brings a lot more work than a rental, and I didn't expect this much fun! Over the past year there's been a lot of construction in the neighborhood, and the house was looking pretty dingy on the outside.
<rave>Well, in order to spruce it up some, we hired a company that does window cleaning and power washing. Reflection Windows is listed on the 'Tom Martino' referral list. Tom Martino is a consumer advocate in the Denver area. His referral list has been (for us and many others) a go-to list of trusted merchants & businesses in the Denver metro area. We selected Reflection Windows primarily based on the fact that they're listed on Tom's referral list, and we're glad we did.
Reflection Windows did a spectacular job for a very reasonable price. They (one person) cleaned all our windows (even the basement windows), inside and out using the proper tools. They didn't just spray them with a hose. They took their time and did it right. They power washed our garage, driveway and the exterior of the house. They even knocked down a hornets nest (which seems to return every year). Reflection Windows earned their spot on my referral list a couple years ago, and I'm glad to say that I'd recommend them to anyone who wants to spruce up their exterior, and get the gleam back in their home. Thanks for a job well done.</rave>
Going Away Luncheon:
Another going away party - For the military folks that I work with, this is a common occurrence. A recurring theme, a way of life, just another one of those things you have to sacrifice when you're in the military. John and Nora are going away - back to Misawa. They've been there before, and like many military members, this will be there second time in Japan. I enjoyed working with and for, John. He's a lifer, like me. He'll put in his 20, and maybe more.
On Friday (16 May, 2009), a small group of coworkers gathered (appx 12 people) at Jim N' Nick's in the Southlands mall. We had a bit to drink, some food, and a good deal of conversation. We gathered there to see off a couple of our friends; a going away for two of our coworkers. It's not the first of these things, it's not the last, I'm sure I'll see many more in the years to come. Good luck John and Nora, you two deserve all the best. We'll miss you.
I wasn't planning on it, but I took a few pictures, just in case you're interested. Sorry about the quality, but the iPhone doesn't have the best resolution.
<https://www.robsworld.org/iwebpages/goingaway.html>
Vehicle maintenance - Round two:
Recently (on the 2nd of May) a warning light started blinking on the dash of our Passat. The 'Service Engine' light! We took the vehicle to the dealer (on the 7th of May), but that resulted in less than satisfactory service, and unusually large bill, and no resolution to our problem. On the 15th of May, the problem recurred. The warning light went back on again, and we still had no idea what might be causing the problem. So, we took it in to the shop. This time we chose a different mechanic. That's what you do when the dealership starts to treat you like crap. You take it somewhere else. One of the good things about living in a large metropolitan area. With that vast number of garages, the competition for after warranty care is great.
We took the Passat to the Jim Paris car care center off S. Tower Rd. in Aurora. We gave them the low down on the problem. Basically, the vehicle is acting sluggish - nearly stalling when accelerating from a standing start, and the check engine light is on. I told them that cylinder five is likely miss-firing, and we left the vehicle in their care. We went home and waited for the consequences. They called us back in less than an hour. That sure was prompt. They'd hooked it to a diagnostic computer, read the codes, and done some additional tests while driving the vehicle. They found (diagnostic code P0305) that cylinder number five was miss-firing (no surprises there) when the RPMs dropped below a certain threshold in 1st - 3rd gear.
The mechanic from Jim Paris then offered an educated diagnosis - based on test results. Something the dealership didn't do. They only said that they could investigate further, but that would cost more money. Great - I paid them $105 dollars to tell me what the diagnostic code was! Cylinder 5 miss-fire. The mechanic from Jim Paris believes it's a spark plug problem. He believes that a change of spark plugs and wires will correct this seemingly random miss-fire problem. Here comes the crux of every mechanic - customer dilemma. If you don't know much about cars (that's me/us), you're pretty much at their mercy. The question then looms - "Do you trust your mechanic?"
So, the mechanic doesn't buy the dealership's assertion; that it's probably bad gas. We've pumped two cans of 'heat' into the car, and gone through a tank and a half since the first instance of problems. So I doubt that it's bad gas, but I'm still not sure what to think... So I beg off on any decision, and tell them that I'll call back in a few minutes. I start the 'googling' - doing some internet research; trying to see if I can get any additional information on what might be causing the problem, and the recommended fix. After thirty minutes of research, I call them back. "Go ahead with the repairs" - I've made the fateful decision. Committed to nearly $600.00 of repairs, I find myself once again dreading the decision to purchase that Passat.
The mechanic at Jim Paris doesn't think it's an actual engine problem. He's convinced - through years of first hand experience - that the German engineered engine is a sound piece of hardware. His experience testing and driving our vehicle tells him that there is definitely a spark plug problem. The repairs are finished by 1400, and we pick up the vehicle by 1630.
So what's the damage? Well, they ran diagnostics, but didn't charge me for that, because I called the problem before hand, and chose to have them do the work (after the diagnosis). They replaced the spark plugs (they're the double tipped type) and wires. While they were at it, I had them change out the air filter, and add a can of 44K (an additive designed to 'get the gunk' out). With our AAA discount, the cost for the Passat was just under $600.00. Grrr! I'm starting to approach the blue book value. We've joust spent more than $1,200 in one month alone.
Thankfully, the labor costs were significantly lower, but it seems to me that the parts weren't much cheaper than what I would expect from a dealership - despite their assurances that they were doing their best to keep the costs down. The ignition wires were significantly marked up. I found their $258.00 ignition wires available for appx $160.00, and it looks like they nearly doubled the price on the spark plugs as well. Crap! I'm starting to think that it would be cheaper to have one garage do the diagnostic, buy the parts myself, then take it to a different garage, and have them do the work, using my parts.
Jim Paris warranted his work for a year, and indicated that they wouldn't charge for diagnostic if the same problem recurred within the next few weeks. That's somewhat comforting. Considering the fact that any additional problems will likely results in an even bigger bill. We will not buy another Passat! So far, it's been nothing but one problem after another. This thing needs to run for two more years before we'll be in a position to buy a new car. So, for now, I guess I have no choice - I'll have to bend over and take it.
It sucks when your car breaks down, and Kim and I have lived through quite a few vehicle breakdowns. When we start looking to replace the Passat (in 2010 or so), reliability will be a top priority on our list. That and gas mileage! I've had excellent performance and low maintenance requirements on my 2004 XC90. We're currently considering the purchase of an S60 to replace our Passat, but gas prices may cause us to reconsider.
May 13, 2008
Rainy Season:
Here we are in the middle of May, and the rainy season is upon us. It rained on the 8th of May, again on the 10th, the 12th and the 13th. With May upon us, this is the rainy season for our state (in my opinion). This is when we start to see daily afternoon thunderstorms. Storms like the one we had on the 12th and 13th of May. As the heat of the day builds up, the cool evenings create perfect conditions for the release of upper atmospheric moisture. In the cooling evenings of May and June, we often see short, localized bursts of atmospheric disturbance. I've already seen hail, and lightning, followed by thunderous downpours of rain. Flooding the gutters and roads, swelling the usually anemic creek beds, these outbursts fill the run-off holding ponds, and soak our lawns with life giving liquid in the form of rain. It's a typical spring time rainy season, and I for one enjoy it. The afternoon thunderstorms sometimes bring damaging hail and tornados, but that's less common the further west you travel. In proximity to the mountains, the weather fronts don't have enough time (just east of the mountains) to build up that sort of intensity. It's only when you start to move east of E-470 that you start to see that kind of storm. I'm just over that line, so I worry about the possibility that one of these storms might decide to visit my neighborhood. So far (knock on wood), we've been lucky. No tornados in the South Eastern part of Aurora.
Software favorites:
One of my favorite pieces of software recently released an update. GraphicConverter moves ever forward. One more steps towards perfection. Another product that's always getting better. In addition to the GraphicConverter update, I also added two new applications to my 'Software Favorites' web page. The primary focus of this web page is software which helps Mac users create and manage web pages. The new additions aren't primarily web oriented applications, but they have excellent HTML export capabilities. I've been using them to generate web pages for many years, and it's about time I added them to my favorites page. Thanks go to Dennis for pointing out the omission of these powerful tools from my favorites page.
GraphicConverter:
Thorsten Lemke (of Lemkesoft) released a new full release version (6.1). 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>DVDPedia:
DVDPedia is a great little application for cataloging and displaying your movie collection, and I'm running version 4.2.2. It's list of features is impressive, and it keeps getting better with every update. The database is capable of generating statistics, you can keep track of multiple collections, you can easily add titles by typing the name of the movie or you can scan the barcode (using your iSight camera or a barcode reader) right off the movie box (it then searches the internet, and displays choices). It has customizable HTML export capabilities, a borrowed feature with address book integration, the ability to play movie in full screen mode, and many more features which make an awesome addition to your software library. I use it to generate HTML listings of my movies. Below are links to some of the pages I created using this software.
<https://www.robsworld.org/mymovies/index.html>
<https://www.robsworld.org/iphonemoviecollection/index.html>
<http://www.bruji.com/dvdpedia/>CDPedia:
CDPedia is a great little application for cataloging and displaying your music collection, and I'm running version 4.2.2. It's list of features is impressive, and it keeps getting better with every update. The database is capable of generating statistics, you can keep track of multiple collections, you can easily add titles by typing the name of the artist, album, or track. You can scan the barcode (using your iSight camera or a barcode reader) right off a jewel case (it then searches the internet, and displays choices), or you can import lists of music from iTunes. It has customizable HTML export capabilities, a borrowed feature with address book integration, and many more features which make an awesome addition to your software library. I use it to generate HTML listings of my music. Below are links to some of the pages I created using this software.
<https://www.robsworld.org/mymusic/index.html>
<https://www.robsworld.org/iphonemusiccollection/index.html>
<http://www.bruji.com/cdpedia/>
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>
D&D update:
We played a D&D session on the 3rd of May and I just completed a minor update from that meeting. Our meeting on the 3rd was primarily a combat session. Thinking that their quarry (the Deepspawn) had escaped through an underwater passage, the party placed an alarm on the entrance to this underwater cavern. When the alarm went off, the party rushed back to the cave where they last encountered the Deepspawn... The beast was there, in the cave! The party attacked. When I post the journal entry you'll get more details. I just thought I'd give you this very brief update.
Due to some upcoming vacations, our next meeting isn't until 14 June, 2008. As a result of this delay in our next game date, I've updated our campaign page. It's 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. Our party of adventurers are currently attempting to locate the deepspawn (A vile and despicable horror. A powerful creature from the far realm - Read more about the deepspawn and other horrors at our Monsters page). The deepspawn holds one of the shards (a magical key) that the party needs in order to refocus the vast gate; a portal to the far realm. Without this shard, the party will have little hope of ending the threat of taint in these realms. Stay tuned for more adventure; there will be lots of thrills and excitement in the months to come.
<https://www.robsworld.org/3ecampaign.html>
Out to eat in Aurora:
On Wednesday (7 May '08), Kim and I went out to eat at a new restaurant - The Great Northern. Established in 1998, the tavern is located in the Denver Tech Center. We were in the vicinity, so we decided to stop by for lunch. The place was chock full of business professionals on their lunch breaks, so we had to wait a bit. While we waited, our anticipation was enhanced by the aroma of burning wood. After a fifteen minute wait, we were seated in a booth, and the drinks arrived shortly afterwards. We didn't wait long to order, and the wait staff was very courteous and efficient - Perfectly timing our drink refills. With overstuffed leather, mahogany, and plenty of nickel and brass, the decor resembled the interior of a late 1800's dining car.
Since it was lunch, we skipped on the appetizer, but decided to give some of the specials a try. We each had a bowl of cheesy, roasted tomato soup with seasoned croutons - Yummy! Kim chose an interesting special - A chicken sandwich with green apple slices. I didn't try it, but she seemed to enjoy it. I had a buffalo reuben. Shaved corned buffalo with swiss, thousand island, and sauerkraut on marble rye. Now that was good! Excellent sandwich. I wish I had one right now... Both meals were served with a side of (our choice) their handmade potato chips. I had no idea what to expect, but they sounded good. They were great, crunchy, thinly sliced, not too heavy or greasy, and fresh. An outstanding compliment to our selections (the soup and the Reuben). With drinks and a tip, the total came to $38.00
If we're back in the area, we'll definitely pay a repeat visit to this outstanding eatery.
<http://www.gntavern.com/index.html>
May 7, 2008
Vehicle maintenance:
Recently (on the 2nd of May) a warning light started blinking on the dash of our Passat. The 'Service Engine' light! That can't be good. Kim was able to operate the vehicle, and there didn't seem to be any problems (aside from the light on the dash). She drove home and we made an appointment to have the vehicle serviced. The light went off the next day, and we took it to the dealership (Tynan's Automotive) on Saturday morning. After we dropped off the Passat, we went out to breakfast with a couple of our friends. After we finished breakfast, I went home and Kim waited for the garage to finish the service (they also changed the oil, checked the fluids, and replaced a bad hydraulic lift which holds up the hood (when it's open)). Soon after I got home (two hours after we dropped off the car), Kim called. They had just finished working on the car. As it turns out, the service light was caused by a miss-fire in one of the engine chambers. The mechanic speculated that it could be due to 'Bad Gas' or water in the gas line. We had recently started filling up at Sam's Club. The gas is cheaper there, but the quality is now suspect.
<rant>So what's the damage? I asked - Well, not only did they hook it up to the computer, to read the diagnostics ($105.00). They also replaced that failed hydraulic strut ($102.57). They changed the oil and checked the fluids ($78.25) - That's awfully high for an oil change (and fluids check/top off). Then came the surprise - The Passat had another torn boot on the driver side CV joint (second time in a row on the drivers side). This is the third boot that's gone bad on our Passat. It seems (after some internet research), that the boots on these Passat's (And the Audi A4) are prone to this problem ($273.52). With all that work, the cost for the Passat was well over $600.00. We will not buy another Passat! So far, it's been nothing but one problem after another.
Oh yeah, one other thing. From now on, we won't be taking our vehicle to the dealership (unless we absolutely have to). The labor charges for this visit added up to $375.40, the cost for the CV boot? $56.94 - Online I found the OEM parts available for ~$25 - $35. So, not only is this dealership charging over $100.00 per hour (in my estimation) for labor, it also appears that they're charging double for OEM parts. Hidden amongst the charges was another slap in the face. They charged me $4.08 for a 'SCREW' - Specifically, it was a "N-034-790-8 SCREW". I wish I had known up front that I was going to get 'Screwed' - I would have gone somewhere else. They suck! Stay away from Tynan's Volkswagen/Isuzu of Aurora, Colorado - Unless you're having warranty work done. Admittedly, they're work is very good, but their costs are way too high!</rant>
It sucks when your car breaks down, and Kim and I have lived through quite a few vehicle breakdowns. When we start looking to replace the Passat (in 2010 or so), reliability will be a top priority on our list. That and gas mileage! I've had excellent performance and low maintenance requirements on my 2004 XC90. We're currently considering the purchase of an S60 to replace our Passat.
May's Music Madness:
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.
* Great Lakes Myth Society - Compass Rose Bouquet: (10+2 songs) Discovered at 3hive.com. A folk rock band based in Michigan. The surprising thing is the vocals. Is the lead singer from Ireland? I don't think so, but the accent does remind me of the folks back home (Northern Wisconsin, near the U.P. border). Fantastic instrumentals, and powerful, mythic lyrics that brought me back to the U.P. Back to the back woods of North East Wisconsin. Here's my second full length delve.
* Sparks - Gratuitous Sax and Senseless Violins: (11 songs) Electronic, pulse pounding pop - L.A. roots with a Euro flavor. New wave beat and pacing. Reminds me of O.M.D. and Ultravox. Upbeat, danceable, able to adapt yet keeping it's pop roots. Sparks have been rocking out since the early 70's, and they haven't given up yet. A favorite from the 80's.
* Hoodoo Gurus - Magnum Cum Louder: (14 songs) Back in July of 2007, I completed a cassette digitization project that started in January of that year. I took my entire cassette collection (well most of it) and converted it into digital form. Food for my iPod. Well, one of the cassettes (recorded from an LP) didn't make it. I didn't q.c. everything as thoroughly as I should have. This album 'Magnum Cum Louder' ended up as a mistake. The tracks got digitized, but I must have set it up wrong. I ended up with 14 tracks of nothing - Complete silence. Bummer! <rant>So, I tried to download the tracks using peer-to-peer (Frostwire) and BitTorrent (Transmission). Unfortunately, COMCAST has decided to throttle my use of those applications. Apparently they assume that everyone using peer-to-peer or BitTorrent is a pirate, criminal, copyright violator. So much for my legal 'fair use' rights. I own the original work in LP form. I only want (iaw the license/copyright law) another copy for use on my computer and ipod. So why can't I use peer-to-peer or bitTorrent to download copies of the music (at no cost). Well, someone completely stopped all the individual peer streams. All six of them? Oh, I get it - all six of the users I was downloading from suddenly decided to disconnect from me at the same time. Yeah, right... Thankfully I have emusic.com. For an insanely low price, I was able to download new copies of the music. So thanks to the RIAA, I've been forced to pay twice for the same tracks. Nice, that's definitely protecting the music industry from my legal rights. If they had their way, I'd pay every single time I listen to a track!</rant> Here then is a favorite band from the 80s. I've got three of their albums in my collection. This album features less of that quirky Australian humor for a more polished production. The garage rock, paisley pop leanings of this band were great fuel for many evenings of my youth. I missed them so, now they're back in the mix.
* The National - Alligator: (13 songs) Another fine demonstration of this bands talent. Dark stories, told in a melancholy, melodic, baritone, booming bass voice. Sweet sad stories with rich co-dependent lyrics swimming about in the incessant instrumentals. This is my second download for this band, and I'm glad I did. First discovered through emusic.com.
* Bauhaus - 1979-1983 Volume Two: (17 songs) Another favorite from the 80's. Here's a band that helped forge the fires of goth rock. Electro-eclectic, dark, moody and powerful. Simultaneously soaring and subducting the soul of the listener. This compilation is the second half of a two part offering. It was available before volume one, but now I've got to get volume one. Despite the fact that Bauhaus lasted less than ten years in it's original incarnation, a recent reunion tour (in '98) and album (in '08) brings hope to the hearts of thousands of goth guy and girls.
* Hoots & Hellmouth - Hoots & Hellmouth: (11 songs). Here's a band I discovered by listening to some of the free offerings from emusic.com. More American, roots rock, country and even a little uplifting touch of gospel for your soul. Soaring at times, filled with alt-country twinges and layered with folk feeling. I like the many flavored mix of what makes American music a mystery, a minister, a jammin' raucous of roots rockers.
* Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago: (9 songs) If you look inside, what can you see? What does one discover when pining over long lost feeling? Here you can hear the ice melting. The heart warming. Slowly but surely, this musician has crafted something noteworthy. A labor of love, a wistful wish of winter's last labor. Excellent lyrics, vocals and acoustic guitar work. I discovered this artist by listening to another one of those free offerings from emusic.com. While a compilation might contain a very few memorable tracks, it's that one track that leads to an album as brilliant as this blissful celebration of human emotion.
* Shout Out Louds - Impossible: (5 songs) A single? With five tracks? Three remixes of one song, and a couple others. Impossible is a fantastic song, by a band (and some supporting talent) that constantly brings me back to the 80s - while simultaneously reminding me that the here and now contains plenty of talent that's just as stellar as those legends of my youth. Shout Out Louds have the sound, lyrics, vocals and instrumentals that nearly duplicate the sound and ethic of Robert Smith's band. That's not a bad comparison. This single seems to work on illustrating how the two bands differ. Once again the mood is lighter, more danceable. One track even features the whistle! I discovered the Shout Out Louds through one of those emusic newsletters.Web site downloads:
I download music from plenty of websites (not counting commercial websites). The websites of the artists, the artists label, music festival websites, music review sites, etc, etc. Their are gobs of places where you can find free music. We're in a whole new era now. Gone are the monopolistic controls of the music industry. Music is becoming free - Free to anyone who takes the time to look for it. If you can't find free, legal, music - you're not looking very hard.
* Great Lakes Myth Society - Rainbows Single: (2 songs) Discovered at 3hive.com. A folk rock band based in Michigan. Progressive folk rock. Evocative, powerful, and filled with blissful lyrics. The vocals remind me very much of 'The Waterboys'. This single (2 songs) is powerful enough to carry you on a full length tour of the now abandoned dairies and paper mills of the great lakes area. You can get both songs from the bands website.
* The Whigs - Mission Control: (1 song) Indie rockers from Athens, Georgia - This song illustrates the bands excellent work with bass, drums and an astute ability to compose a memorable anthem. Without continuous shouting, the lyrics are fresh, complimentary (to the instruments) and catchy. I like the country soaked sentiment backed by a complement of excellent instrumentals. I've already added the entire album to my eMusic list. Discovered by listening to 3hive.com.
* Joe Pug - Nation of Heat EP: (4 songs) Unsigned, but talented artist. A great example of singer songwriter ethic. Here's a taste of Americana, roots rock, and all those old-style musicians more interested in the story than the glory. Of dusty road stories and broken down above ground swimming pools. There's something genuine and believable in this nearly spoken word talent. The acoustic strummin' and singin' is winning. While I'm still soaking up the strummin' sounds of somber solitude and regrettable remorse, Joe Pug is set to release his seven song EP on the 13th of May. I hope to hear more from this talent. Discovered by listening to 3hive.com.
These are just some of the items I added to my music collection during the month of April. 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:
My odd-ball schedule actually works in my favor for some things. One of those is a community support activity which I enjoy - I'm a 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.
Last night (07 May, 2008) we had another Neighborhood Watch meeting. This morning I posted some updates to our website. I posted a short synopsis of that meeting. Just some of the notes I took. I also added Aurora's 'non-emergency' phone number (303-627-3100) to the front page of our website. If you see something suspicious, please feel free to use this number. If you see something that you think might be a 'burglary in progress' dial 911. No word yet on when our next meeting will be, but you can be sure that I'll update the web page as soon as I get the info.
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. 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>
Our HOA is missing out:
<rant>Recently (on the 15th of April, 2008), I sent a proposal to our HOA's new management company. The proposal was basically my offer to volunteer some services to the HOA. Ever since I moved into this community, I've noticed that the people living in our community have a hard time communicating with each other. The only forum that our community has is our HOA meetings. Unfortunately the company managing our HOA, and our HOA board, have been very lax in publicizing when or where these meetings will be held. As I write this, no one in our community (other than the HOA board members themselves) has any way of communicating with our own HOA. The board members were elected, but we (residents) don't have any way to contact them. Our new HOA management company hasn't set up a web page for our community, and if it weren't for my efforts (through the Neighborhood Watch website), very few people in my community would have any idea what's going on in Tollgate Crossing.
So in an effort to create a community wide communications channel, I offered to volunteer my services to the HOA, to the HOA board members, to the residents of our community. I offered to create some email lists that anyone in our community could use in order to communicate with each other. I offered to set up email addresses for the board members. I offered to manage and administer these mailing lists and email addresses. It wouldn't cost the HOA anything, and it would allow residents to communicate with each other with very little effort.
I sent the proposal to the new HOA management company, and they relayed it to the HOA board. The president of the HOA called me, and we talked for several minutes. I described my proposal in great detail, addressed every question he had and explained how we could manage the email lists in a way that would mitigate any legal concerns. He thanked me for my proposal, and promised to talk with the other board members (I think there's one other board member).
The other day (3 May, 08), I received my official 'Rejection' letter from the HOA board. The letter was sent by our new HOA management company. According to the letter, the board reviewed my email (proposal) at the board meeting of 23 April, 2008. They thanked me for the work I've done with the Neighborhood Watch website and mailing lists. Then they went on to state "At this time the Board has decided to utilize the Westwind Management Group, Inc. website for the Association information". Great, that doesn't really address my proposal. My proposal was an additional information channel. I never said I wanted to do a website for the HOA. It seems to me that they've totally misconstrued my intention. What the? I spoke for many minutes with the board president. I made it very clear that I didn't want to take anything away from any website that the management company. I wanted to increase the communications options for residents of our community.
As of this date, our new HOA management company hasn't put up any community webpage, and when they do, I doubt that it will offer a forum for residents. A place/means for one on one communications between all the residents of our community. Now it appears that our HOA has decided to deny residents that proposed communications channel. Instead delegating another management company to control what, when and how often the community will receive any information.
The letter was sent to me by the HOA management company. They signed it 'Sincerely, For the Board of Directors'. I wanted to put the communications channels in the hands of the residents, they (the board and management company) don't want that. Residents talking to each other about community issues frightens them. They're concerned about 'legal issues' and they want to control the communications. It's another missed opportunity for my community. Shut up and color - don't rock the boat - we're in charge here - don't challenge our authority by talking about the community without our permission.</rant>
Thunderous Rainstorm:
Finally! We got some rain. No snow on May 7th, 2008 - Rain instead. A thunderous downpour. The sky had been cloudy most of the day on Tuesday, and soon after I got up, the rain started coming down. A great old-fashioned gutter washer. No sign of snow this time around. It's good to leave those days behind. The grass needed a good soaking, more than a fifteen minute watering with the sprinklers. Not only did it rain constant and steady for a good two hours, we even had some thunder and lightning. Nothing like a middle of August window rattler, but something I've been waiting a long time for. Let it rain!
May 04, 2008
What a way to start May:
It's the first of May, and the temp's have been falling all day. We started in the 80's yesterday (30 Apr, 2008), but today it's downright frigid. Cold temps are just the tip of this iceberg in this chilly tale of May. Starting around 8AM, I began to notice something falling from the sky, something white and dreadful, something quite and mournful in it's deadfall. Snow my friends. What a way to start the day. What a way to start May. It fell for most of the morning and didn't relent until noon or so. By the time my day had ended, so had the snow. On the way home from work, it seemed to me that we must have collected three inches or more. That's how much was accumulated on the fence posts, back porches, and mailboxes, as I drove home on the 1st of May.
Neighborhood Watch:
My odd-ball schedule actually works in my favor for some things. One of those is a community support activity which I enjoy - I'm a 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 (04 May, 2008) I updated the Welcome page of our Neighborhood Watch web page. I added an announcement about swim lessons for our community (Tollgate Crossing), I also made some cosmetic changes to that page. Our next Neighborhood Watch meeting will be - 7 April, 7PM, Wednesday - at the clubhouse. Perhaps I'll see you there.
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. 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>
<http://www.tollgatecrossing.org/info.html>
Spammer Attacks "Rob's World!":
A repeat of the dreaded 'Joe Job' by another spammer. Another development in the never ending battle - Death to Spammers! - If you think that this motto is extreme, you're either a spammer, or you're not receiving your fair share. Here's a synopsis on one of the more egregious spam related problems that have been vexing me of late.
Header forgery:
During the first week of May 2008 (1 May '08), I received another bounce message. Another misdirected spam bounce. A spammer has once again forged my email address as part of a From:, Reply-To: or Return-Path: header line. Most header data can be (and is) forged by spammers. It's very easy to do, and spammers do it routinely. They forge portions of the header in order to confuse, deceive and deflect. Unfortunately, there are still some ISPs out there that blindly trust that much of the header data is authentic. This leads to plenty of cases where an ISP will send a bounce message to an innocent victim, route spam to unwilling recipients, mis-deliver legitimate email, and all sorts of other shenanigans.My first run-in with this sort of header forgery dates back to 2002. Like then, this instance is an attack on my domain. Based on the number of bounce/auto-reply messages that I've received, it's fairly evident that the spammer has sent millions of messages. On the first day of the attack (1 May 2008), I received 263 bounce/auto-reply messages. The spammer is pretending to be me. Intentionally targeting me/my domain. The blow-back from his spam run is damaging to my domain and name. I can only hope that no-one will assume that I actually am the spammer. That's what the spammer is hoping for. He/She is hoping that my ISP(s) or email provider(s) will make the same mistake.
This isn't the first - or last time I've been attacked in this way. Spammers don't like it when people get them in trouble, and lacking sufficient legal funding, the only thing I can really do is become a nuisance to them. A thorn in their side. Getting one gateway shut down here, an IP blacklisted there, a domain blocked there. By reporting theses spammers, my efforts, and those of many other spam fighters help keep spammers at bay, keep blacklists up to date, keep filters current. As a result (of fighting the spammers), I suffer their ire, these consequences and the never ending battle continues.
Back in 2002, I wrote a web page about the incident, and I've been keeping that web page up to date ever since. Just recently, I posted some more updates to that page. It contains information on email forgery, spammer tactics, and their attacks against spam fighters.
If you ever need any help figuring out a problem involving unsolicited email, or 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>
<https://www.robsworld.org/forgery.html>