January 31, 2009

Discount Tire is Awesome:
<rave>Today I'm going to endorse (unpaid) a service/company that's earned my raves. First a little story. So, Kim and I were on our way to have the brakes replaced on my Volvo - That's a different story (see below) - When we get to the garage, I notice that the rear tire on the passenger side of the Volkswagen is low. Very low - as in you might have a flat - low. Crap! We drop off the Volvo - We'll get back to that later - and proceed directly to Discount Tire in the Southlands Mall. We bought our tires from Discount Tire. When we bought the tires, we purchased a road hazard warranty/certificate. At a low cost (I think it was $15.00 per tire), Discount Tire will replace a tire covered under the warranty when/if a blow-out or non-repairable damage occurs (So far they've honored the tire replacement once). In addition, if we get a flat (in the 'repairable area') they fix it for free. Wait - There's more! They even provide two free rotation and balance services per year (I think that cost $12.00 at time of tire purchase). Finally, as if that wasn't enough - They will also check your air pressure, and inflate (or deflate) the tire to the appropriate pressure - Any time you want!

We pulled into Discount Tire, explained the situation - "Looks like we might have a screw or nail in the tread" - and they did all the rest, while we enjoyed some complimentary coffee in their lobby. While we waited, they found a screw in the tread (in the 'repairable area'), pulled it out, and patched it up. The technician noticed that we were due for a rotation (we get two per year as part of a purchased service) - "Wanta rotate 'em?", "Sure, I think we've got enough time". Flat repaired, tires rotated, balanced and inflation checked. All that work was completed in the time it takes to finish two small cups of coffee. The cost? Are you ready for the shocker? $0.00 (normally $142.00 for rotation and balance (without the warranty/service that we purchased when we bought our tires (from Discount Tire)). That's right - $0.00. Now that's a good deal</rave>

Back to the Volvo... Not so free.. The Volvo need new pads and rotors on the front brakes. That plus labor and new brake fluid. Care to know how much that came to? The mechanic wasn't very kind. Must have used 'Dealer' parts. appx $715.00! Yow! I think I'll do that myself next time, and save myself hundreds of dollars - Yeah, I have no idea how to do that! But for that price, I can figure it out. I did a little searching online and found the price to be a bit high. According to my mechanic: Brake pads $119.95 (for the front only); Rotors $397.24 (front only); Brake fluid, flush and test drive $8.06 (that's reasonable); Labor $118.80 (Two hour job - seems very reasonable for the Denver metro area - Dealer would have charged double that, easily); Supply charge? $25.76 (What?); Taxes $44.63 (Can't live without those). Total: $714.44! Checking online... For rotors, I couldn't find anything above $250.00 for the pair. For the pads, I couldn't find prices above $50.00 a pair, so the price of $119.95 is about right. I guess I'll have to order and supply all the parts myself, if I don't want to get ripped off.
<http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/home.do>
<http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/infoCertificate.dos>

Tollgate Crossing Website:
My odd-ball schedule actually works in my favor for some things. One of those are the community support activities which I enjoy - I'm a volunteer with our local neighborhood watch, and I've recently started supporting our community in a more direct role. What started out as a website focused on our Neighborhood Watch has grown to encompass the whole of our community, in the form of an expanded website and a variety of email mailing lists. Here are a few changes I made at our community website in the last few days.

If you are a resident of 'Tollgate Crossing' in Aurora, Colorado, you might want to check out the new website. If you're interested in our Neighborhood Watch group (Serving Tollgate Crossing, Sorrel Ranch, The Wheatlands, Beacon Point, Southshore and Tallyn’s Reach), you should check out the Neighborhood Watch section. 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 our mailing lists to receive periodic alerts, updates and information.
<http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=iWeb/2.0/en/11886.html>
<http://www.tollgatecrossing.org/Welcome.html>
<http://www.tollgatecrossing.org/Events.html>
<http://www.tollgatecrossing.org/Volunteer.html>
<http://www.tollgatecrossing.org/Info.html>

January 29, 2009

The latest spammer tactic:
Recently, I've been deluged by a new round of spam in the never ending war. This most recent round of spam (arriving during the first half of January '09) is doing a better job of disguising itself as real email. It's designed to make you think it's legit. It comes in two different forms. The first form is highly spoofed ads that copy the actual look & feel of two legit businesses - Pizza Hut and Men's Health. These email look nearly identical to the email sent by Pizza Hut and Men's Health (the magazine). I receive the actual Pizza Hut advertisements, but I'm subscribed under a very specific email address, so I thought something funny was up when I received an email from Pizza Hut at an address I don't subscribe under. I received several of the Men's Health spoofed spams, but they weren't as cleverly crafted. As usual, these spam messages are crude attempts to lure you. They're trying to get you to click on the 'load images' button, or click on a link in the email. No it won't take you to the actual Pizza Hut website. It will most likely take you to an Erectiyle Dysfuncxion Phrmasy where you can buy PreeScrytshun Mehds for less. Not only will the take your money, credit card, and personal info, they'll probably give you a good rash and a computer virus to boot.

The second of disguised emails aren't so cleverly crafted. They have a look similar to legit email, but they're companies you've never heard of before - because they're not legitimate companies theses messages (the ones I received) might seem to come from one of the following firms:

Each message contains a professionally worded paragraph/disclaimer at the bottom of the email. Something to the effect of "You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to 'See Ad Agency Name Above' newsletter as 'insert your email address here'. If you wish to change or remove your email address, please follow this link." Of course, following the link will not result in any unsubscribe action, but it will confirm that your email address is legit, and the spammer might also be able to infect your computer with a virus/trojan of some sort.

Perhaps you've noticed... All those fake firms, they all start with the letter 'A'. Perhaps the spammer will switch to the letter 'B' after all these company names have been entered into a spam blocking hash list.

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/feedback.html>

Apple's iLife '09:
Recently (19 Jan 2009) I pre-ordered a copy of iLife '09. It arrived on the 27th of January, and I installed the application on the MacBook Pro. This new version of iLife is a considerable improvement over iLife '08. Initially, I was planning to wait until I purchased a new computer, before I picked up iLife '09, but I'm spreading out some of those purchases, and the new Mac will come with it's own version, so I decided to update the copy on Kim's laptop now. The newest version of iPhoto has some awesome face recognition features and geotagging support (Great - Now I'll have to get a new digital camera!). This version continues to enhance the capabilities of this excellent app, adding new and improved photo editing tools. Adding to the MobileMe integration, iPhoto '09 also adds FaceBook and Flickr sharing as well.

As for iLife '09. Well, I'm very impressed with the offering. It's amazing how much stuff you get for only $79.00! (Same price as iLife '08, and I paid even less with my corporate discount) This software application suite includes five premium products, and one free one. iPhoto, iMovie (with new image stabilization, more titles, effects and transitions), GarageBand (with new music lessons), iWeb, iDVD. In addition to these great applications, you also get the latest copy of QuickTime. You can download the latest version of iTunes from Apple's web site. If you'd like to learn more about the applications included in this new release, head on over to the Apple web site.
<http://www.apple.com/ilife/>
<http://gallery.me.com/rvaessen>

Software favorites:
There's been a few updates to my favorite applications in the last few days. With the purchase of Apple's iLife '09 creativity suite, I now have a new version of iWeb. I installed the new version (all of the new iLife '09 applications) on the laptop, so I probably won't be using them that much. I'm hoping that Kim will make good use of them, and they're always available for my use if I should find myself away from home with laptop in hand. In addition to the iLife creativity suite (which includes iWeb), I also purchased a copy of Bookpedia by Bruji.com. I've got plans for it in the coming months.
<https://www.robsworld.org/myfavs.html>

iWeb:
iWeb is Apple's entry into the HTML authoring/editing arena. It's powerful, easy to use and well polished. I'm using version 3.0 (9A129) on my MacBook Pro, and version 2.0.4 (830A43) on the Power Mac G5. I've been using it more and more in order to create web pages for specific purposes. I don't use it exclusively, but I am starting to use it more and more. As a matter of fact, I'm using it exclusively on one particular web site that I manage. The best parts of iWeb are the integration with other Apple applications, the WYSIWYG interface, and the highly professional appearance of the web page outputs. The drawbacks are lack of control in web page export/output, and there's no way to view or edit the HTML code from within the application. The more recent release (with iLife '08) is a great improvement, but the application still has room for improvement. 3.0 (9A129)
<http://www.apple.com/ilife/iweb/>

Bookpedia:
Bookpedia is a great little application for cataloging and displaying your book collection(s), and I'm running version 4.4.1. 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 author, book, or isbn number. You can scan the barcode (using your iSight camera or a barcode reader) right off the book cover (the application searches the internet, and displays choices). 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 haven't started using it yet, but I'm planning to use it to update a bunch of pages featuring book collections. If it performs as well as the other applications from Bruji.com, I'm sure I'll be very satisfied with the product.
<http://www.bruji.com/bookpedia/>

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. If you know of a web publishing application that might be useful to me, I'd appreciate your email.
<https://www.robsworld.org/myfavs.html>

Hot and Cold:
What a wacky winter we're having. On the 22nd of January, the temperatures in Aurora, CO rose to 65 degrees fahrenheit. A downright heat wave for January. This heat wave brought about a huge thawing trend. Nearly all that snow lingering in the shadows was quickly turned to run-off, and the day was sunny and warm. I saw many people in shorts and T-shirts. Contrast that heat wave with the cooling trend that followed. By the 23rd, and through the 27th of January, Colorado experienced a chilling series of cold fronts which really brought us back to reality. By the 23rd we had freezing temperatures. On the evening of the 24th we had a very odd combination of fog and freezing temperatures. With temperatures below zero (fahrenheit), everything was coated in a white frost of frozen fog. On the 25th we had similar conditions. Mist, fog, snow and frost! By the 26th the cold temperatures continued. With single digit temperatures during the day, and below zero temps overnight, we woke up on the 27th to shovel away the 2.5" inches of snow that fell during the night. As this cold wave moves east across the nation, I'm sure that many of you will see similar conditions in the days to come.

January 21, 2009

D&D updates:
We played a D&D session on the 10th of January, and it was definitely quite exciting. As previous sessions saw the party battling an Elder Taint Elemental, this session was a continuation of that effort. Not willing to allow a powerful opponent recovering or plotting nearby, the party sent out a scout to see if they could find the foul source of evil. Grenco set out in an effort to spot the Elemental, but he found a fight. With Grenco and Solmar pitted against the Elder Taint Elemental, things turned ugly. Grenco was the first to fall, with Solmar soon to follow. Once again our brave scout took the brunt of a hidden enemies attack. Solmar's condition? Head on over to read the journal entry, to find out the fate of our two party members. The party's trip home hasn't been as easy as some might have thought. This journey takes them away from Firestorm Peak, out of the valley, and back to Whillip. Will this journey be any less dangerous than their previous forays into the accursed mountain? Stay tuned for danger, stay tuned for mystery, stay tuned for adventure!

3rd Edition Campaign:
After our most recent meeting (on the 10th of January), I updated the next game date (24 Jan 2009). It's been a long, tough adventure, and after more than two years of gaming, I'm certain that the current adventure will end in 2009! (The players may take me up on this one). Hopefully, the party can make it back to Whillip without any further losses! I also updated some character/player annotations beneath the small group photo on this page. This is the first stop for information on the campaign that I'm currently running. Here you'll find information regarding our next meeting, some notes, and an index of web pages and documents that are important to our campaign.
<https://www.robsworld.org/3ecampaign.html>

The Adventurers journal:
The tale of our adventurers. A series of journal entries from various party members. This document contains details of their encounters and adventures. Victory, defeat, desire and glory. Here is the tale of the 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 update adds Dynnera's most recent addition to our online journal, and an introduction to Greywing, one of the new characters joining our group of adventurers. Be sure to read about the party's journey back to Whillip, as well as the demise of Thalidimar's and Grenco - Yes that's right, you read it right. Thalidimar and Grenco both died in battle. That battle didn't go as easily as the party had hoped. Slain by an Elder Taint Element, Thalidimar died on the field of battle, and Grenco died scouting the creatures whereabouts. What of Solmar? He fell in battle as well, is he still alive? What about the Taint Elemental, did they defeat it? Be sure to read the journal entry for the gory details!
<https://www.robsworld.org/ajournal07.html#dec27_2008>

Where Now?:
I updated several locations on this page - Fharlanghn's Shrine - At Silverymoon: An important location in the party's history. Here is a cursed shrine, inhabited by an Elder Taint Elemental. Here is the place where Thalidimar the priest and Grenco the scout were slain. Other places updated include: Willip - No longer a city in the 'Realms'? Oerik - A continent far to the west (Not my cousin). Ohnest - Another name for that far away continent. Whillip - The town we all love best. "Where Now?" is a listing of various places the party has visited or researched. This entry contains some essential reading for players in our campaign.
<https://www.robsworld.org/wherenow.html>

Monsters encountered:
As a result of the meeting on the 10th of January, I once again updated the entry for one of the most powerful monsters ever encountered by our party. An Elder Taint Elemental is a huge monster composed entirely of coagulated corruption. Foul, powerful and mean, it's one bad monster. In this particular encounter, Grenco was slain in combat with the foul abomination, but the party did him justice by ultimately disposing of this font of evil and corruption. The party encountered another monster during that session - The Cadaver Golem didn't stand much of a chance against a healed and rested party. The monsters page is a listing of monsters that the party has encountered, read about or heard of.
<https://www.robsworld.org/monsters.html>

Character update:
During our meeting on the 10th of January, we introduced two new characters (Greywing and Quinton), with another less than a days ride away. With the introduction of these new characters (and their companions), I've had to update the characters listing on our "Who's Who?" page. I also updated the entry for Khurshel by adding a new illustration. I finally got ahold of that fantastic illustration that Richard showed us. Greywing's background contains a lot of excellent information, but most of the new characters are lacking in Background / History and Homeland (Country/City) sections. Speaking of characters lacking info, I'm still hoping to get illustrations for all the characters. 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 the entrys for Grenco, Khurshel and Thalidimar, and added entries for Greywing, Quinton and Gregor, 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>

D&D books:
I recently purchased two new rule books for my favorite game. This game is rule heavy, book heavy, but thankfully, the players don't have to buy all the books. That joy usually rests on the DM's shoulders. I purchased two book which I think will enhance the game play within the context of our campaign. The latest acquisitions were:

* Unapproachable East - (Campaign supplement) Players may bring a copy to the game, but should request permission before consulting this book during game play. Here are chapters/materials that may be of interest to players in our campaign: Chapter 1 (Races - Star Elf, Spirit Folk - Mountain Spirit Folk and River Spirit Folk, Volodni), Chapter 2 (Prestige classes), Chapter 3 (Regions and Feats), Chapter 4 (Magic & Spells (New spells all types except those relying on Shadow Weave or Rune Magic), Chapter 5 (Magic items (Only the Dungeonmaster may distribute magic items in our campaign. You can’t ‘buy’ these items.)) Other portions of this book are confined to use by the DM.
* Silver Marches - (Campaign accessory) Players may bring a copy to the game, but should request permission before consulting this book during game play. Here are chapters/materials that may be of interest to players in our campaign: Chapter 2 (Exploring the Wilds) Other portions of this book are confined to use by the DM.

As a result of these purchases, I updated my D&D books page. I also updated the listing of permitted rules in our House Rules document, in order to incorporate the rules and new materials introduced in these books.
<https://www.robsworld.org/dndbooks.html>
<https://www.robsworld.org/3ehsrls.pdf>

House Rules:
Like any other D&D campaign (outside of tournament play), the campaign that I manage makes use of various house rules. You can pick up a new copy of these House Rules online. The House Rules are published in pdf format, and they define the 'flavor' of our campaign. Every good DM has his own list of House Rules. Recently, I've updated one of the house rules documents used in our campaign. Here are the new/updated house rules:

• Unapproachable East: Added another new rule book to our inventory of available campaign resources. A Forgotten Realms campaign supplement. This particular supplement contains some new races, feats and spells that may be of interest to players in our campaign.
• Silver Marches: Another new rule book for that bookshelf in the basement. Here is another Forgotten Realms campaign supplement. This one doesn't contain much that would interest players, it's primarily background material for the DM.
• The Renown Score: This characteristic/score is given to all player characters, and some non-player characters. It is used to determine whether your character is known by, knows, or knows of, some other character, or non-player character. I updated the rules for the renown score, adding more detail for those characters who didn't start their adventuring career in Whillip.
• Character Sheets: Every D&D player has one of these (sometimes more than one). This house rule specifies some details regarding what the 'sheet' should contain. In particular, this house rules update specifies that players must keep a record which shows Hit Point progression, Skill Point expenditures, and Feat Selections (including flaws and/or traits) by level. This is needed in the event that your character loses a level either permanently, or temporarily. Without a sheet which shows progression from level to level, we cannot know the correct effect on a character so affected.
• Disarming and Shields: The rules for disarming an opponent are documented in PHB, page 155. While this tactic is generally used to target an opponents melee weapon, other items may be targeted with a disarm attack. This house rule covers specifics regarding attempts to disarm shields.

That's it for house rule updates. As a player, you are under no obligation to download or print this information. You can make notes during the game, you can print out these documents, you can memorize the info, request to review it, or have it repeated to you each time you come across specific situations. These house rule changes and additions primarily represent flavor updates, and do not have a significant impact on our campaign or the framework of 'official' rules.
<https://www.robsworld.org/3ehsrls.pdf>

These updates follow our meeting on the 10th of January, and there will certainly be more to come. Our meeting on the 10th of January saw the introduction of some new characters, so stay tuned for additional updates. The campaign is rapidly approaching the end of a paragraph in the saga of our heroes. The current adventure is rapidly approaching an end, and the party is ready to lick it's wounds, rest, recuperate and train for the next adventure. In the meantime, you can keep up to date by continuing to visit "Rob's World!" for all the latest campaign info. If you're enjoying the story of our adventurers, I encourage you to write me and let us know. Perhaps you've got an idea you'd like to share, some criticism or praise. Either way, it'll be earnestly appreciated.
<https://www.robsworld.org/3ecampaign.html>

January 16, 2009

More Snow in January:
Yes, it's still winter in Aurora, Colorado - or so we were reminded on the 12th of January. Some of the heaviest snow we've had this year - Four and a half inches of the white stuff. Not so fluffy this time, I soon discovered that it was a bit heavy. After shovelling for a while, I decided it was time to break out the snow blower. That little two-cycle Tecumseh made short work of the snow, and I was surprised to find that it started (in below freezing temps) without the need to use an electric start. The body of the snow blower isn't very well made, but the engine is holding up fine. Hopefully it'll make it through the season.

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 this spammer hasn't sent many messages. While I only received one 'bounce' message, the odds are very good that the spammer sent many more messages where my email address was included as the From: address. 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 mistake me for the spammer.

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>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpamCop>

Tollgate Crossing:
My odd-ball schedule actually works in my favor for some things. One of those are the community support activities which I enjoy - I'm a volunteer with our local neighborhood watch, and I've recently started supporting our community in a more direct role. What started out as a website focused on our Neighborhood Watch has grown to encompass the whole of our community, in the form of an expanded website and a variety of email mailing lists. Here are a few changes I made at our community website in the last few days.

If you are a resident of 'Tollgate Crossing' in Aurora, Colorado, you might want to check out the new website. If you're interested in our Neighborhood Watch group (Serving Tollgate Crossing, Sorrel Ranch, The Wheatlands, Beacon Point, Southshore and Tallyn’s Reach), you should check out the Neighborhood Watch section. 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 our mailing lists to receive periodic alerts, updates and information.
<http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=iWeb/2.0/en/11886.html>
<http://www.tollgatecrossing.org/Welcome.html>
<http://www.tollgatecrossing.org/Events.html>

January 12, 2009

Sharing your photos and music/Moving your music and photos to an external drive:
Like me, eventually, you're internal hard drive might become a bit to confining for your ever growing music and photo collections. Not only did I find the confines of my internal drive a bit small, but the iTunes and iPhoto working models made it a bit difficult to share my music with my wife. Our music and photos are a part of us as a couple. I have photos that she would like to see. She has music I'd like to listen to. It's 'Our' music. They're 'Our' photos. Just ask any divorce attorney - What's yours is hers or his. Why wait until you're divorced to share those electronic goodies? Kim and I wanted to integrate our libraries. So, I did a bit of research. It took some effort, but I eventually figured out how to do it. Below is a brief overview of how I managed this task. I didn't provide a fine grain level of detail, so you may want to check out the links I've included. Hopefully someone will find this information useful.

Music: So, you've got two computers/two users and you want to share a single iTunes library. Here's a brief synopsis of how to do it (with a Mac). First, make a backup of your music folder. Thankfully, I had all the music. This entire process would be much more complicated if you've already got more than one library. After I made my backup, I moved the 'iTunes Music' folder to an external drive. I put it in the following directory: /External Drive/Shared/Music/iTunes/ The 'Shared' directory on this external drive has read and write permissions for both of us. That way, either one of us can add to (or remove from) the library. After moving the 'iTunes Music' folder (which contains all the folders for individual artists) to this external drive, you'll need to tell iTunes where your library is. Open iTunes. From the iTunes menu, choose Preferences. Click Advanced. Click the Change button. Navigate in the Change Music Folder Location dialog to the location of your iTunes Music folder. Click Choose. For the full details, use the link(s) shown below (Keep in mind that there are some Copyright considerations involved in this practice/Consult your attorney/lawyer*). Note: The 'Ownership' on your external drive (used for shared media) must be set to 'Ignored' - See the very bottom of a 'Get Info' window on the volume in question.

The key here is the shared directory. With the permissions set properly, you'll both be able to access the music. Each of you will still have your own playlists, and 'visible' collections of music. You can add or remove any of the music from your 'collection' without deleting the tracks from the iTunes Music folder. Storing your music collection on the external drive will free up room on your internal drive, and make it portable - in the event that you may want to move it to a different computer or location. You can still back up the music with TimeMachine. Just be sure to add the external drive to your backup plan.

Photos: Moving and sharing the iPhoto library. Doing this was a little easier. Once again, I only had one library of any significance to worry about. Kim had a total of three photos in her iPhoto library! I exported those, then imported them into my library. Once I did that it was time to tackle my iPhoto library. Once again, I made a backup before I moved the library. After I had a backup, I moved the 'iPhoto Library' file (it's actually a folder, but that's another subject altogether) from my Pictures directory to the shared folder on the external drive. I put it in the following directory: /External Drive/Shared/ The 'Shared' directory on this external drive has read and write permissions for both of us. That way, either one of us can add to (or remove from) the library. After moving the 'iTunes Music' folder (which contains all the folders for individual artists) to this external drive, you'll need to tell iTunes where your library is. To point iPhoto towards this library, hold down the Option key on the keyboard when opening iPhoto. iPhoto will prompt you if you want to choose a library. Navigate to the external drive and select the library you copied there.

The key here is the shared directory. With the permissions set properly, you'll both be able to access the photos. Storing your photo collection on the external drive will free up room on your internal drive, and make it portable - in the event that you may want to move it to a different computer or location. You can still back up the photos using TimeMachine. Just be sure to add the external drive to your backup plan. For the full details, use the link(s) shown below (Keep in mind that there are some Copyright considerations involved in this practice/Consult your attorney/lawyer*). Note: The 'Ownership' on your external drive (used for shared media) must be set to 'Ignored' - See the very bottom of a 'Get Info' window on the volume in question.

(*Isn't it sad that an ordinary person might need to consult an attorney or lawyer before listening to music/viewing photos in his/her collection?)

Apple's solution for sharing music: <http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1203>
Alternate version of sharing music: <http://www.macworld.com/article/58571/2007/06/sharingituneslibrary.html>
Apple's solution for sharing photos: <http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1198>
Alternate version of sharing photos: <http://www.macworld.com/article/50643/2006/05/junedigitalphoto.html>

Hot & Cold:
It's likely to be an odd winter; as evidenced by the weather of late. On the 3rd of January, our area (Aurora, Colorado) saw uncharacteristically high temperatures for the time of year. The temps rose up into the upper 60's. Much thawing occurred that day, but the warm front passed quickly. On the 4th of January, more typical winter weather returned. The mercury fell below freezing, and we got snow. Only an inch or so, but cold temps did follow.

Netflix News:
There's been a considerable amount of news in the NetFlix category, and I thought I'd give you a little update. One criticism of the new NetFlix 'watch instantly' feature has been a lack of new releases. While traditional studios have some restrictive release schedules for movies, the cable only producers - Showtime, HBO, etc, have less licensing and release issues to work through, as a result, Showtime is once again using NetFlix as a pre-release venue. Their new television show - 'The United States of Tara', is scheduled for general release - Network Premiere on the 1st of February. NetFlix 'Watch Instantly' viewers will get to see the premiere two weeks early! Add the show to your queue, and you'll be watching this brand new show on the 18th of January.

This premiere isn't the only news from NetFlix, the other big news is HD. According to a Roku representative/employee, Roku will be delivering Netflix in HD by the end of the year. I've seen news of beta testers (I wish I was one of them) testing HD streaming on many different platforms, and NetFlix started allowing general public access to HD streaming in December of '08. While an announcement by way of Roku seems an end-around, NetFlix isn't exactly keeping quiet about this new capability. For that matter their selection of HD 'Watch Instantly' titles is clearly available on their website. So, if you've got a compatible computer, or a set-top box that streams NetFlix, you can upgrade to HD and get the highest quality pictures for your new HD TV.

<rant>The only problem with this HD streaming announcement? Download caps! An insidious imposition has been slowly working it's way through all the US based ISPs - Download Caps! While many ISPs and cable providers used to offer 'unlimited' downloads, and no caps on bandwidth, recently they've been imposing new caps on downloads. For instance - My cable provider / internet provider (Comcast), has recently (as of 1 Oct '08) introduced a monthly 250GB download limit. This limit is o.k. for Standard Definition streaming. It would take more than 8 hours continuous viewing of standard def programming to butt up against the 250GB limit at that rate. HD on the other hand has a much higher bandwidth requirement. A single 2 hour HD movie will take about 2GB of your 250GB download limit. That comes out to 30 movies a month, and we're not talking about traditional internet use, add that in, and you'll soon be out of bandwidth.

Until the US converts to IPv6, and tremendously increases bandwidth capacity (which will lift the limits imposed by ISP's), the very idea of streaming (or downloading) HD movies will cost you an 'arm and a leg'. If you ask me, this move by Comcast (and other providers) is simply a method of preserving relationships with traditional content providers (i.e. Pay Per View), socking it to the consumer - You'll pay through the nose for additional bandwidth, and stifling innovation in the content delivery arena (see next post). </rant>

Even more new on the NetFlix front: While I'm a satisfied customers, and NetFlix loyalist - They're awesome - There is something that's annoyed me from day one. Occasionally, I'll receive a message from NetFlix that indicates a delay in shipping me a title. When a title isn't available at my local shipping center, they ship the movie from some other geographic location. Obviously, it takes longer to get a movie from the East coast, than it does to get a movie from Denver. The annoying part of this is the delay. In the three days it take for me to get that movie from Maine, I could have received, watched and returned two movies from Denver. If you're on a 1-disc plan, this would really suck. Well, NetFlix knew I didn't like that. Their customers have been complaining about that annoying fact of life (The USPS can't ship everyone's mail overnight with bulk rates). Now, NetFlix has decided that they're going to make-up for the shortcomings of the USPS.

<rave>NetFlix now offers complimentary rentals for distant shipments. Under this new policy, if a first-choice movie is shipped from a remote center, a complimentary DVD will also be shipped from a local shipping center. Now, if your first choice isn't available at the local shipping center, NetFlix will immediately send the next locally available movie in your Queue, and whenever possible, they will also send your first choice from a distant shipping center. According to a NetFlix (email) announcement; "We want you to receive DVDs as quickly as possible, so we’re taking this extra step to ensure you have another movie to enjoy as a complimentary extra DVD rental if your first choice will be delayed." This change took effect Dec 11, 2008 and applies to all Netflix members.</rave>

Finally, in some more recent news, both LG and Vizio will be releasing/producing televisions with 'built-in' Watch Instantly capability. That's right, it's gotten to the point where you don't even need a set-top box to watch NetFlix (or other internet based streaming) titles on your television. These new HD televisions will have internet streaming capability, and NetFlix is one of the 'channels' you'll be able to watch on the new sets.
<http://www.netflix.com/MediaCenter>
<http://www.netflix.com/WiHD>
<http://www.netflix.com/WiMessage?msg=59>
<http://netflix.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=297>
<http://forums.rokulabs.com/viewtopic.php?p=102323#102323>
<http://blog.netflix.com/2008/12/lg-and-samsung-blu-ray-players-stream.html>
<http://gizmodo.com/339845/netflix-and-lg-bring-netflix-movie-streaming-to-tvs>

Roku News:
NetFlix isn't the only one with news these days. I use a device known as a "Roku Player" in order to watch NetFlix 'Watch Instantly' titles on my television (it's not the only device available for this feat, but it's an excellent choice - imho). No need for a disc, no waiting for the postal delivery. It's instant viewing gratification, and I love it. The little box (Still only $99.00 through the mail) is a fantastic set-top device with plenty of room for growth and improvement, and the makers of this device haven't been sitting on their success. They've really gone all out with some recent announcements.

That's a lot of stuff for a little box. I paid $99.00 for my Roku Player, and it has delivered more than I expected. Add to that the announcements above, and you can clearly see that here's a serious competitor in the set-top arena. With the statement; "you’ll see new movie channels, TV channels, web video channels and more!" comes some serious speculation, and amazing possibilities. Could we see YouTube, Hulu, Comedy Central, MSNBC, and other internet video content as a 'channel' on our Roku Players? I hope so, that would be awesome!
<http://www.roku.com/netflix-partner.aspx>
<http://forums.rokulabs.com/viewtopic.php?p=102323#102323>
<http://www.roku.com/press_news/AmazonPressRelease20090105.pdf>
<http://www.roku.com/press_news/RokuHD20081222.pdf>

Tollgate Crossing:
Problems communicating. Why are so many community managers trying to prevent members of our community from communicating with each other? Back in April of 2008, I made my first attempt to bring our community (Tollgate Crossing) together. I sent a proposal to the HOA management representative (now a different company/representative). The proposal was basically my offer to volunteer some services to the HOA/Our community. 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 had was the HOA and Metro District meetings. Unfortunately the companies managing our HOA, Metro District, and their respective boards, were very lax in publicizing when or where these meetings would be held.

At the time of my proposal, no one in our community (other than the HOA/Metro District board members themselves) had any way of communicating with our own community leaders. The board members were elected, but we (residents) didn't have any easy way to contact them or communicate amongst ourselves. To this date, our Metro District managers haven't set up a web page for our community, and it took years before an HOA management company set one up. If it wasn't for my efforts (through what was then the 'Neighborhood Watch' website), very few people in my community would have had idea what was 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. Well, to make a long story short, that proposal was 'Rejected' by the HOA board. I even received an official 'Rejection' letter. You can read more about that disappointing incident in my blog posting of 07 May, 2008 (Titled: Our HOA is missing out).

Undeterred, I tried again to start an independently controlled communications channel. I wanted to start something that was unbiased (Not run by either the HOA or Metro District management companies); something capable of reaching all our residents (via email); something flexible; capable of growth. An open-ended conversation between residents, board members and the management companies who represent our community.

During a Metro District meeting in December of 2008, I publicly proposed the creation of a mailing list. I decided to go straight to the community this time. At a large meeting; it was the annual budget meeting, and a lot of people turned out. I had decided to go ahead with the creation of this communications channel, but I really wanted 'buy-in' by some of the community leaders and management representatives. I proposed the creation of a generic chat channel (via email) for our entire community (Tollgate Crossing). The new list wouldn't focus on the Neighborhood Watch issues. Instead, it would be used for more mundane matters of the community. The mailing list would provide a way for every resident to communicate on any matter affecting the community. This new channel would be administered by me, for free, as an unbiased communications channel for residents of our community.

While the support from our residents was overwhelming, I had some difficulty getting the Metro District managers and board members to 'sign up' for the new list. The board members had legal concerns regarding 'public meetings' and the management rep was decidedly closed lipped about the whole thing. By the end of my proposal, and board discussion on the matter, the board agreed to participate in a 'We'll be listening' role. They also instructed the management rep to join the list in order to act as a conduit to them. This management rep was supposed to (in my understanding) act in his official capacity as a point of contact for all issues related to the Metro District management.

I went ahead and created the 'CrossTalk' mailing list. If you're a resident of Tollgate Crossing, I encourage you to check out the new mailing list (which you can read about on a new page at the web site). You may want to sign up for that mailing list as well. In late 2008, I added a 'New' banner to the welcome page - Officially announcing the creation of 'CrossTalk', the new Tollgate Crossing mailing list. Since the creation of the list, the HOA has posted (on their website) an announcement about the new mailing list, and I've done all I can to encourage participation. As of today (11 Jan, '09) there are 22 people signed up on the mailing list.

Now for the part that's been bothering me. It's something I need to talk about, and this is my 'personal' blog. It's mine, I'm not beholding to any management company, I don't answer to a board, I'm simply a resident of Tollgate Crossing, a concerned citizen. I'm trying to do what I can to improve the communications of all our residents, to bring our community together. To provide an unbiased communications forum. The Metro District manager has been subscribed to the 'CrossTalk' mailing list since I started it. In that time, he has attempted to 'control' the flow of information on the list. He's suggested that I restrict my meeting minutes (my personal notes) to be a very brief synopsis. He's even suggested that I send him my draft (before publishing) so that he can 'edit' the notes. He would then send me a PDF file that I can post. We're talking about my 'personal notes' here. Not an official transcript. When I published information about a printing error (coupon books distributed to residents had a printing error on them), he felt that I was 'undermining' his ability to manage the district.

Give me a break, first he's trying to control what I publish, then he feels I'm undermining his ability to manage the district. He didn't like the format, content or manner in which I published my 'personal notes', so he recommended that I let him edit his notes. He didn't like the fact that I disseminated information to the community, so he characterized it as 'undermining his ability to manage the district'. I had a talk with the president of our Metro District, and the next thing you know, the Metro District manager is requesting that I remove him from the mailing list. Whatever - He's removed. Apparently, communicating with the community was too difficult for him. He couldn't 'manage' the fact that my mailing list wasn't under his control.

Our community needs a forum where we can communicate with each other, not a one-way channel where the managers spoon feed us the information they want us to hear. We need a two-way channel. Apparently, the management company doesn't like that. They don't want an alternative voice, they don't like it when we can communicate amongst ourselves, and they can't abide by a mailing list where they aren't in charge. The mailing list is still in it's infancy, and I hope it becomes a thriving part of our community. If that's going to happen it needs to be free of the autocratic control exerted by this type of management. I resisted this manager's attempts to control the channel, and he's decided to exercise the only control left at his disposal. He's withdrawn from the list.

I am disappointed by this action. Participation from the Metro District was something I was trying to encourage. I never indicated that I wanted them to 'control' the mailing list, and now that they realize that they can't control the content or format of this mailing list, they've responded by withdrawing their participation. It's a petty move, clearly illustrating how little they actually care for our community. They were under no obligation to 'control' the channel. It's not an 'official' channel. It doesn't represent the Metro District, the HOA or either of the boards. It's intended as a residents resource. Not a 'management tool'.

Well, Thanks for listening. I feel better now. Sorry for venting, but I needed to get that off my chest. I guess you just can't please all the people all of the time.

My odd-ball schedule actually works in my favor for some things. One of those are the community support activities which I enjoy - I'm a volunteer with our local neighborhood watch, and I've recently started supporting our community in a more direct role. What started out as a website focused on our Neighborhood Watch has grown to encompass the whole of our community.

If you are a resident of 'Tollgate Crossing' in Aurora, Colorado, you might want to check out our website. If you're interested in our Neighborhood Watch group (Serving Tollgate Crossing, Sorrel Ranch, The Wheatlands, Beacon Point, Southshore and Tallyn’s Reach), you should check out the Neighborhood Watch section. 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 our mailing lists to receive periodic alerts, updates and information.
<http://www.tollgatecrossing.org/Welcome.html>
<http://www.tollgatecrossing.org/Neighborhood_Watch.html>
<https://www.robsworld.org/whatsnew/wn2008/wn2008_may.html#07may_2008>

D&D updates:
We played a D&D session on the 27th of Dec, 2008, it was the last meeting of the year and it wasn't without some excitement. As our previous session saw the party battling an Elder Taint Elemental, this session was a continuation of that effort. Not willing to allow a powerful opponent recovering or plotting nearby, the party sent out a scout to see if they could find the foul source of evil. Grenco set out in an effort to spot the Elemental, but he found a fight. With Grenco and Solmar pitted against the Elder Taint Elemental, things turned ugly. Grenco was the first to fall, with Solmar soon to follow. Once again our brave scout took the brunt of a hidden enemies attack. Solmar's condition? Head on over to read the journal entry, to find out the fate of our two party members. The party's trip home hasn't been as easy as some might have thought. This journey takes them away from Firestorm Peak, out of the valley, and back to Whillip. Will this journey be any less dangerous than their previous forays into the accursed mountain? Stay tuned for danger, stay tuned for mystery, stay tuned for adventure!

3rd Edition Campaign:
After our most recent meeting (on the 10th of January), I updated the next game date (24 Jan 2009). It's been a long, tough adventure, and after more than two years of gaming, I'm certain that the current adventure will end in 2009! (The players may take me up on this one). Hopefully, the party can make it back to Whillip without any further losses! 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>

The Adventurers journal:
The tale of our adventurers. A series of journal entries from various party members. This document contains details of their encounters and adventures. Victory, defeat, desire and glory. Here is the tale of the 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 update adds Dynnera's most recent addition to our online journal. Be sure to read about the party's journey back to Whillip, as well as the demise of Thalidimar's and Grenco - Yes that's right, you read it right. Thalidimar and Grenco both died in battle. That battle didn't go as easily as the party had hoped. Slain by an Elder Taint Element, Thalidimar died on the field of battle, and Grenco died scouting the creatures whereabouts. What of Solmar? He fell in battle as well, is he still alive? What about the Taint Elemental, did they defeat it? Be sure to read the journal entry for the gory details!
<https://www.robsworld.org/ajournal07.html#dec27_2008>

Where Now?:
I updated another new location on this page - Fharlanghn's Shrine - At Silverymoon: An important location in the party's history. Here is a cursed shrine, inhabited by an Elder Taint Elemental. Here is the place where Thalidimar the priest and Grenco the scout were slain. "Where Now?" is a listing of various places the party has visited or researched. This entry contains some essential reading for players in our campaign.
<https://www.robsworld.org/wherenow.html>

Monsters encountered:
As a result of the meeting on the 27th of December, I once again updated the entry for one of the most powerful monsters ever encountered by our party. An Elder Taint Elemental is a huge monster composed entirely of coagulated corruption. Foul, powerful and mean, it's one bad monster. The monsters page is a listing of monsters that the party has encountered, read about or heard of. In this particular encounter, Grenco was slain in combat with the foul abomination, but the party did him justice by ultimately disposing of this font of evil and corruption.
<https://www.robsworld.org/monsters.html>

These updates follow our meeting on the 27th of December, but there will certainly be more to come. Our meeting on the 10th of January saw the introduction of some new characters, so stay tuned for additional updates. The campaign is rapidly approaching the end of a paragraph in the saga of our heroes. The current adventure is rapidly approaching an end, and the party is ready to lick it's wounds, rest, recuperate and train for the next adventure. In the meantime, you can keep up to date by continuing to visit "Rob's World!" for all the latest campaign info. If you're enjoying the story of our adventurers, I encourage you to write me and let us know. Perhaps you've got an idea you'd like to share, some criticism or praise. Either way, it'll be earnestly appreciated.
<https://www.robsworld.org/3ecampaign.html>

January 1, 2009

Happy New Year!
Kim and I have had a very good year. Life is only as good as it gets, and this year has been one of the very best. Kim and I stayed home and enjoyed a shrimp and pasta dinner on new years eve (I actually had off for new years eve and day, but due to my shift worker status, I still got holiday pay- Yay, Holiday Pay!). While we ate dinner, we watched an episode of Star Trek - The Original Series (of course). As midnight struck we toasted the new year. We can only hope that it's as good as the last. Don't miss the "What's New?" entry for the end of 2008.

January Jams - eMusic 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.

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

The never ending battle against Spammers!
Recently I've been forced to take some action that I don't like - Death to Spammers! - If you think that this motto is extreme, you're either a spammer, or you're not receiving your fair share. On the 31st of Dec, 2008. I turned off one of my primary email addresses - My email address. I own the domain Vaessen.ws and my name is Robert (Just in case you didn't know). Unfortunately, spammers have recently discovered this email address. 100% of the email I was receiving at that address was spam. Due to the ever increasing volume of spam, I had to do something. So, although I didn't want to, I've been forced to 'turn off' one of my primary email addresses. As a result of this development, I've updated my feedback and junkdec web pages.

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/feedback.html>

Spammers Lie - More spammer tricks:
Back in November of 2008, I told you about a spammer trick involving DNS messages. It's another attempt by the spammers to try and get you to read their crap. So we all know what a bounce message is. These DNS (Delivery Notification Status) messages show up when we make a mistake addressing our friends, or they appear when someone's ISP is having problems. We check these messages, because we're concerned about the email we sent. We want to make sure that our aunt Jane gets that recipe. That mom receives our latest batch of photos. That Amazon gets that inquiry regarding our order. Yup, spammers are now pretending to be bounce messages. Since that initial report, the number and variety of faked DNS messages has increased exponentially. I'm guessing that the spammers have managed to trick quite a few people using these 'trick' subject lines. Here are a few of the subject lines the spammers have been using of late.

The subject cries out 'Open this email', but the content is a thinly veiled attempt to get you clicking. Don't do it. Loading the images, or clicking on a link in spam is a bad idea. If you load the images, then spammers know for sure that the email address they bought is valid. Now they've got your number. If you click on a link (and you've got a Windows machine), you could be in for some really serious trouble. Some web pages are so cleverly crafted that simply visiting the page can expose your computer to a host of infectious trojans. Yup, there are holes in the MicroSoft OS that allow spammers to take over your computer just by viewing a web page. If you're running Windows, you should be very careful. Keep your OS up to date, keep your virus software up to date, and don't take those unnecessary chances.

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>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpamCop>