March 31, 2009

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://www.apple.com/ilife/iweb/>
<http://www.tollgatecrossing.org/Welcome.html>

Break out the Shovel!
It's a big storm. Winter may be over, but this part of Colorado will see more snow this month than any other. It's the month where we get most of our snow (and a large portion of the precipitation), so the news I'm about to impart should come as no surprise. Overnight from the 26th of March, and into the morning hours of the 27th, we witnessed a powerful cold front sweeping across the state. The front came at us from the South; sweeping around to the West, then moving East and North as it left the state. As it made its way across the state, it dropped a considerable amount of snow while generating some fierce winds. With gusts of up to 40 mph, and huge amounts of snow. This storm left a lot of damage in its wake. The state patrol had to close many of the interstates, and I heard reports of a 30 car pile-up on I-70. In our area of Aurora, we ended up with 11 inches of snow. It's the first time the base (Buckley AFB) has been closed in over a year. Kim missed work (but still got paid), and I was off. Thanks to Kim, I didn't have to shovel - Now that's love! Thankfully our snow blower survived another snow storm.

After that big storm on the 26th and 27th, the smaller one on the 30th seemed like a spring shower. Too bad it came in the form of big white fluffy flakes. This time we accumulated 3 inches of snow. Thankfully, the snow from this storm didn't stick around very long. Warm temperatures (in the 50s) melted most of the snow, and I'm not planning to clean up until later this week.

Software favorites:
There's been a few updates to my favorite applications in the last few days. Apple recently released a batch of updates for the iLife '09 creativity suite. One of those applications was iWeb, which I have installed on our laptop. While I don't use the laptop that much, I'm hoping that Kim will make good use of the iLife '09 applications, and they're always available for my use if I should find myself away from home with laptop in hand.
<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 3.0.1 on my MacBook Pro, and version 2.0.4 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.
<http://www.apple.com/ilife/iweb/>

With this software update, 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>

March 26, 2009

Recent Spam Developments:
I've noticed three recent spam trends that may have hit your inbox in the last few weeks. The first trend is 'Facebook' spam. Apparently, this trend started back in December of 2008. I first noticed it in January of 2009. I've been getting an ever increasing number of spam messages forged to look like they come from 'Facebook'. The subjects are designed to entice you into a 'click of the mouse': "Nikki sent you a message on Facebook.."; "Facebook news: Young girls Dance Party!"; "Facebook webmail: Cute Girls Dance Like Models"; "Facebook personal: Girls having fun in pub - Video Sharing!" and others. Once you click on the link, you're presented with a fake Facebook page and an embedded video. When the video doesn't play, you're prompted to 'download' the latest flash player. - Don't Do It! You'll be the latest victim. Your computer will soon be sending spam in its spare time. This type of spam has been increasing (in my inbox) exponentially in the last few days. I've decided to block anything that it looks like it's coming from Facebook.

The second spam development concerns Google Groups. It's a sad bit of news. Google's combination of Usenet news groups and their own mailing lists - Google Groups, has been hacked. Spammers have figured out a way to defeat the 'Captcha' protection used to keep spammers and bots away. Google Groups uses a 'Captcha' system (A touring test which requires visual interpretation of an image with characters/letters) to keep spammers at bay. Spammers have figured out how to automate the Google Groups creation process. They are now able to automatically create new 'groups' on Google's servers. These 'groups' are now the home of spammer warez. Fake Viagra, Fake Rolex watches, Diet pills, Russian dating sites, porno, etc. They're using google to host their spam crap, and there's nothing google can do to stop it! As a result, I've been receiving a deluge of spam containing links to google groups websites.

Finally, the third development is a resurgence of a joe-job that first started back in January of this year. It's a concerted effort to discredit Men's Health and its editor - David Zinczenko. Spam after spam after spam, claiming to come from Men's Health. They look like Men's Health newsletters, they seem to promote health related products - Fake vitamins, medications, and viagra. Yeah - Men's Health... Anyway, these spam messages serve a dual purpose. First, they enrage some people, who will them complain (ineffectively) to the publishers of Men's Health. Secondly, there's always a few suckers out there. Dimwits who actually pay for these fake drugs, forged products and credit scams. What's Men's Health to do? Nothing, there's no effective way to stop spam.

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

D&D updates:
We played a D&D session on the 21st of March, and it was a relatively uneventful meeting. The session was a continuation of the party's journey back to Whillip. While in Silverymoon, they solved the mystery of a cursed holy shrine, but it cost them dearly. Soon after the cleansing ceremonies were concluded, a group of priests and their entourage arrived. Grateful for the service performed by our group, the priests raised Zeddishous from the dead and reincarnated Grenco. With this curse behind them (or is it? Perhaps the party is now affected by some remnant of the curse?), While Khurshel has decided to part ways with the party (remaining in Silverymoon), the rest of our group has boarded the Skycruiser Palisade and departed Silverymoon in their quest to 'Get Back to Whillip!'. Now aboard the Palisade, the party is currently relaxing in relative safety. Will the remainder of their journey be boring? Stay tuned for danger, stay tuned for mystery, stay tuned for the next adventure!

3rd Edition Campaign:
In addition to updating the next game date, 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. Hopefully, I can add a Solmar posting from Mark in the near future. Be sure to read about the party's journey back to Whillip. Be sure to read the journal entry for the latest details!
<https://www.robsworld.org/ajournal07.html#mar21_2009>

Where Now?:
I added a couple of new locations to this page - Suzail. A very large city with a population of more than 45,000. The capital and richest city in Cormyr, Suzail is home to important nobles and merchant houses of the nation. The center of the city is the royal palace, surrounded by gardens and buildings of the Royal Court. The city maintains a large barracks for the Purple Dragons (a group of elite soldiers), plus stockyards, shipyards, dozens of inns, taverns, and festhalls. "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>

Character update:
During our meeting on the 21st of March, we saw another series of changes in the party line-up. The character Greywing left the Palisade under somewhat mysterious circumstances. While many party members left the ship to explore the port city of Suzail, Greywing simply departed without so much as a 'See you later'. In addition to Greywing's departure, we also saw the addition of another new character. When the party departed Suzail, Dynnera and a few other party members noted the presence of an enigmatic Dwarf aboard the Palisade. Almel is Richard's new character. A Dream Dwarf with the ability to craft magic items and cast a slew of previously unheard of spells. With all these character changes, I've updated the characters listing on our "Who's Who?" page. As the party heads on to Whillip, we find the players saddled with 11 characters to 7 players. When we get to Whillip, we should be able to reduce that number. Paring the roster down to 7 player characters. It sure will be nice to have a 1:1 ration again. In addition to these player character changes, I also updated the entry for one NPC. Lee noticed that Vitus Gothings (the inspector general aboard the Palisade) was last seen aboard the Corona - a much smaller flying vessel. While the current party members may not have noticed the stalwart Gnome's presence, Lee sent me an email inquiring about this seeming discrepancy. The "Who's Who?" page is a listing of characters, both player characters and non-player characters.
<https://www.robsworld.org/3ewhoswho.html>

Players in our campaign:
Recently, we've had a lot of changes in the characters and players in our campaign. Our last session saw the addition of one new character and the departure of another new character. Adding Almel to the group brings Richard's new character into the game. In addition to Richard's new character, we had two changes for Sean. Sean drops Greywing (who lasted a couple of sessions) to bring in another new character. Hopefully, the addition of Almel and Skifander will bring some stability to changes in our Player Character roster. These continuous changes are getting a bit old. With all these character changes, I had to make some more changes to the character annotations beneath our players photo. That photo is now out of date, but I plan to take/post a new one as soon as we can get everyone together. A group of crazy characters constitute the players in our campaign. Many players have graced my gaming table over the years, some are old friends, some are new, but in the end - friends are what I call them. The players page contains a photo of our group and a short listing of who we are.
<https://www.robsworld.org/players.html>

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

Monsters encountered:
As a result of the meeting on the 21st of March, I added a new monster to the page. This trip aboard the Sky Cruiser Palisade has been relatively safe; flying at 18,000 feet has a tendency to do that, but the party hasn't completely escaped the random encounter with a hostile denizen of this world. In this encounter, the party bumped up against something called an Ocularon. A tentacled, floating creature, shaped something like a giant man-o-war. In this particular encounter, the party escaped unscathed, but another crew member was lost in valiant action - or sheer dumb luck.. The monsters page is a listing of monsters that the party has encountered, read about or heard of.
<https://www.robsworld.org/monsters.html>

These updates follow our meeting on the 21st of March, and there will certainly be more to come. Our meeting on the 21st of March saw the introduction of another new character, 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>

Freeway 5 Pro:
Skip this unless you're interested in web development, design and publishing. Recently (March of 2009), I purchased a new piece of software for my web development efforts. Something called Freeway 5 Pro. Unfortunately, I should have done a bit more research before I bought it. What's the problem? Well, as it turns out. This application is something called an 'HTML generator', not an 'HTML editor'. For the last several years, I've been using Dreamweaver MX to create and edit (most of) the web pages on my site (I use iWeb on a different web site). While my current version of Dreamweaver is getting old (it's way out of date), it still works well and serves it purpose admirably. With my plans to purchase a new computer, I thought I'd update my copy of Dreamweaver... Unfortunately, the newest release of Dreamweaver is far more expensive for my budget, and far too bloated for my needs. Despite the fact that it's still Dreamweaver, the extensive changes and additional features would have made it unwieldy and unnecessary for my needs. Instead, I turned to an attractive alternative. Freeway 5 Pro. On the outside it looked like an attractive alternative - Light yet powerful. Less expensive, extensive and expandable. Unfortunately, I missed one important detail. As an HTML generator, it has no option to edit existing HTML. That means I'd have to re-write every single one of my web pages if I wanted to switch over to this new application. Yeah - With more than 5,000 pages, that's not going to happen. So, I tried to use it's built in 'import' capability. That didn't work out very well - As a matter of fact it failed miserably. If I'm ever going to use this new application, it's going to occur in a very limited way. At this point, I know very little about it; and what I do know is this - It's not serving my needs. Grrr.. So much for my $250.00 investment!
<http://www.softpress.com/>

The Mac is vulnerable to hackers!
Bull - It's sensationalism and commercial hype. During the recent (Mar 16 - 20, 2009) CanSecWest security conference (held in Vancouver, British Colombia, Canada), one Charlie Miller accomplished a feat worthy of headlines. He hacked a Mac Book Air in ten seconds. This task was completed on the first official day of the conference. Mr. Miller managed the feat by directing the Mac to a specially crafted web site. On the site was code designed around an undisclosed flaw in the Mac's browser (Safari). Mr. Miller spent months crafting the web site used in this exploit. His efforts were rewarded with the Mac Book Air he hacked and $5,000. What does this hack mean? That Safari (not the Mac OS) has a flaw. With the information Apple gathers from this event, they will be able to patch the flaw. While some point to this as 'proof' that Mac's are less secure than Vista or Linux, the OS itself wasn't the problem, and Mr. Miller only attacked the Mac. It proves that he's better than the other hackers - Or does it? On the same day, a hacker known as 'Nils' managed to hack Sony Vaio P using IE 8. Nils also demonstrated hacks using Firefox and Safari (Raking in a grand total of $15,000 and a Sony Vaio P laptop). The results of this contest prove that even the engineers at Apple can't find every flaw. Personally, I'm glad that this conference brings a focus to computer security issues, but I find it disturbing that others will use this conference as a way to 'bash' the Mac. In researching this information, I found plenty of web sites that claimed no hack for the windows machine. That's just not true. Nils successfully 'owned' a Sony Vaio running Vista, by using an exploit/vulnerability in the IE 8 browser. All contestants signed non disclosure agreements, but hopefully the results will be turned over to the developers of these browsers.
<http://macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/20497/>

Yucky weather Marches in:
It's March; the month when we get the most snow/precipitation. So it should come as no surprise that we got more snow this month. On the 23rd of March the temps dipped down into the 20s (fahrenheit) and some wet stuff made its way to the ground. Rain, sleet, snow - All in that order. As the temps dropped the precipitation threatened of things to come. By mid day it had all melted and the temps were back up in the 40s. On the 24th of March the temps dipped down even lower than the day before. Temps fell to 18 degrees that night; followed by sleet, rain and snow. Like the day before, the temps rose during the day. With temps climbing to the 50s, what little snow we got was melted before noon. A few more reminders that winter isn't over yet. Thankfully, due to the fact that the sun came out later in the day, I wasn't forced to break out the shovel. Keep your eyes on that car in front of you. This time of year brings nasty road conditions, and drivers here (Denver/Aurora, Colorado) don't get enough of that to teach them a lesson.

NetFlix on Facebook:
Recently (March 24th), NetFlix announced a partnership with Facebook. This partnership brings a software connection between NetFlix member pages and Facebook member pages. If you've got a NetFlix account, and a Facebook account, now you can display your NetFlix ratings on Facebook. Once it's enabled, each movie you rate shows up as a posting on your Facebook page. Your rating appears with a small image of the movie cover and a synopsis of the movie. I'm a big movie watcher, but I don't visit my Facebook page that often. All the same, I've enabled the connection. It's just another example of how NetFlix is doing its best to become a part of your digital life.
<http://netflix.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=309>
<http://www.netflix.com/facebookconnect>

My New 30" Monitor:
While the purchase date for my new computer is rapidly approaching (19 May 09), I've been purchasing a few peripherals and some software in advance of that date. The monitor that I bought with my current computer was an Apple 17" Studio Display. Unfortunately, I don't think it's going to last much longer. As a matter of fact, due to a failing 'power inverter', the display has been on the blink (with the lower half dimming out at random intervals) for some time now. I've been lucky; the problem that I'm experiencing now, affected many other Mac users. As a matter of fact, it got so bad, that someone filed a class-action lawsuit against Apple - and won!* Considering the fact that I bought my monitor in May of 2004, I'd say I got my moneys worth. While I was planning to purchase an Apple 30" monitor with my new Mac, I decided to buy this Dell 30" monitor instead. That's right - I'm not such an Apple fan boy that I can't see that this was a better deal. Apple hasn't lowered the price on their 30" in many years, and the Dell monitor features many other advantages. By purchasing a refurbished monitor for ~ $800.00, I was able to get a better monitor for less than half the price of a new Apple 30" monitor. While the new 30" monitor is a great improvement in many respects, I'm still suffering through one big problem. Due to the fact that my current computer has a really old video card (nVidia GeForce FX 5200), I can't display images in the monitors full resolution (2560 x 1600). Until I get the new computer, I'll have to put up with the 1024 x 800 resolution (actually less than the 1280 x 1024 resolution of my 17" Studio Display). With this recent acquisition, I updated the web page devoted to my computer.
(*Apple denies all allegations and has asserted many defenses. The settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing or an indication that any law was violated.)
<https://www.robsworld.org/dell30inchmonitor.jpg/>
<https://www.robsworld.org/mycomputer.html>
<http://www.apple17inchlcddisplay.com/>

March 22, 2009

Music Marches In:
While I've been very busy with a recent vacation, community activities and other aspects of 'life' - I still managed to listen to some new music over the last few days. Here's a bunch of tracks 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 February. 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>

Dish Network Sucks!
<rant>And I'm not the only one who thinks so. Check it out. Do a search on 'Dish Network Sucks', you'll find many links to like minded people. It's so bad in fact that someone has even gone so far as to register the domain name: dishnetworksucks.com My experience with dish network started when I decided to provide some satellite TV for my mother. She lives out in the woods, and there's no cable provider in range of her home. So, I thought I'd be a good son and sign her up for some satellite TV. Well, after answering an add in the newspaper, I ended up getting a completely different package than the one that I thought I was getting. The reseller (Enjoy Better TV) made it sound good in the newspaper, but the reality was really something else. I didn't get the number of channels I thought I was getting. I didn't realize I was dealing with a reseller until later (when I noticed that things weren't what I expected). I didn't realize all the 'Hidden' conditions, fees, and restrictions until after they installed the DVRs at my mom's place.

This rant is a repeat/revisit of one I published back in Dec of 2008. At that time, I ranted about something called the 'Programming Access Fee'. Dish Network charges millions (I really have no idea how many people are paying this access fee) of people a 'Programming Access Fee'. Supposedly, they charge people extra because their equipment isn't hooked up by phone. My mother and I have spent countless hours trying to get this fee removed from my bill once and for all. After five visits (from technicians), they still haven't got it straightened out. I've paid their 'Programming Access Fee' for more than several months. Last month, I thought I had finally gotten the problem straightened out. This weekend, my mother had to upgrade some codes on her dish receiver (which really didn't need to be updated - but that's a completely different story). After she completed the encryption 'update', she checked the status of the phone connection. According to the dish receiver, it wasn't connected to the phone line. Mom checked the phone line; yup, still connected. Checked the other phone lines. All good. No problems with phone service, but once again the dish receiver insists that it isn't connected to the phone line. My mom calls dish, spends appx thirty minutes on the phone, and they're able to fix the problem over the phone!

Just another example of how dish network screws it's customers. How? What if Mom hadn't noticed that the receiver claimed it wasn't connected? I'd end up paying that dan $5.00 fee again. It seems to me that they can turn the connection on and off remotely, and they do so at their convenience. I guess mom will have to check the 'connection' every week. Just to make sure its still connected, despite the fact that she doesn't have any problems with the phone. Oh, and by the way, Mom lives alone, doesn't have any cats (or dogs), and isn't prone to unplugging the phone while she's sleep walking (Mom doesn't sleep walk). What garbage. I am 'This Close' to canceling the service completely. Unfortunately, that would leave my mom with TV.

Oh how I hate Dish Network!</rant>
<http://complaintwire.org/Complaint.aspx/eVCOMF_r5wB1PwjJlqGW5A>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dish_Network>

Clueless Customer Service at Dell:
<rant>My first experience with Dell customer service wasn't a happy one. I've been planning to upgrade my computer set-up for some time now (started planning in May of '08). Over the weekend, I did some additional research on my next monitor purchase. I was planning on the purchase of a 30" monitor for my next computer (Of course it'll be a Mac!). At first I was planning to get an Apple monitor, but they haven't updated their 30" monitor since it's initial release in 2004. Anyway, I decided to go with a cheaper, more powerful option - Apple, get a clue and update your 30" monitor!

So, I'm doing research on the Dell 3007WFP-HC 30" monitor. Unfortunately, the Dell website is a bit vague on some details. To keep the costs low, I'm planning to purchase a refurbished monitor. It comes with the same warranty as the brand new (not refurbished) monitor, and the price is less than half that of a brand new Apple 30" monitor. Before I make the purchase, I need to know what kind of cable, if any, ships with the monitor. What ships with the refurbished monitor? Viewing the available information online, I can't quite figure it out. So, I try the online chat. After the initial 'auto responder' messages, I finally get connected to a live human being. I start asking questions about the 'refurbished' monitor. The CSR (Customer Service Representative) informs me that he can't help me, he can't answer any questions about 'refurbished' hardware. O.k., so now what? He tries to redirect me to a web page. I inform him (as I had already done earlier), that the web page didn't contain the information I was looking for. I have to ask him for a phone number where I can get my questions answered.

I call the number provided. Guess what? They're not available after 7pm EST. O.k. I'll try back again tomorrow. Day two of Dell Customer Service. I pick up the phone and a wave of dread washes over me. I've been dreading this course of action. I was pretty much sure that the experience wouldn't be favorable. I was right... What happened next? After navigating through the complex call tree, I was finally able to connect with a sales rep. Brian (from Bombay) was happy to help me with my order... Um, not really. Before I order anything, I need some information. "What sort of cable ships with a refurbished 3007WFP-HC monitor?"... That was my first mistake. A sales rep can't answer my questions. Why would a sales rep know what ships with the product I want to buy? That's a technical question. O.k. could you connect my with the appropriate department? Sure... beep-boop-boop, disconnected! Great.

I scour the Dell web site. Find a phone number for technical assistance. After navigating through the call matrix - a chore in it's own right. I'm connected with another 'Brian' (from Bombay). From his vocal inflections, it's clear that he's reading from a script. Oh well, that's to be expected these days. The first thing he tries to do is get my 'support number'. Umm, I don't have one. Then he asks if I'm sitting in front of my computer. Yup. That seems to please him. 'O.k. I'll need the serial number off your monitor' Umm, Brian, you're not paying attention. I had to tell him again that I don't already have a Dell monitor. That I'm considering the purchase of one... 'Oh, I can't help you. I'll have to transfer you to sales. They can help you order a monitor'. Once again Brian, you haven't been listening. I have technical questions about the monitor before I purchase one. Can you hold please? When Brian comes back on the line, I get the ...Hel. O. ..are Y... Can... I cant'... Phone... line... not.. ehu. hu. ... uhh. Click! Unbelievable - He faked a problem with the phone line. While he was faking it, I kept saying "I'd like to speak to your supervisor" I repeated that about five times before he finally hung up on me. Wow. I haven't encountered that in quite some time.

Once again, I dial the 1-866 phone number, navigate through the options tree, and then I'm on hold for approximately five minutes before I get another 'Brian'. Amazing! Everyone in Bombay must be named 'Brian'. I had no idea it was that popular a name. I end up repeating ten minutes worth of conversation with this Brian. 'I don't actually own anything from Dell, and no, I don't want you to transfer me to sales'. That sort of thing. Eventually I get to the point where this technical support rep. can't help me. He doesn't know the answer to my question. He doesn't know what sort of cable ships with the refurbished monitor. After a few pauses, more interrogations, a somewhat satisfied Brian assures me that the monitor 'should' come with a DVI cable. Umm, that's not good enough Brian. The DVI standard contains three different types of cables. DVI-A, DVI-A and DVI-D. You can't get a cable that's just DVI. It's got to be one of the three I described.. Hold please. He has to escalate my call to a senior technical support representative. Great... Yes I'll hold. I end up on hold for five more minutes...

There's a pause before John takes my call. Once again, it's someone at a call center in India (or so I assume, based on the accent - I'm actually pretty good at that sort of thing - Accent wasn't Urdu, Pashtu or Farsi. Certainly sounded Indian...). John seems a bit more seasoned than the last set of Brians. He doesn't insist on the 'What's your support number' game, and he doesn't try to transfer me to sales. Unfortunately, he still doesn't know the answer to my question. "What sort of cable ships with the monitor?" He seems to think that this would be a sales question. On hold... When John comes back, he seems happy to announce that the monitor 'should' ship with a DVI cable. Great, now I have to explain the difference between DVI-A, I and D to the senior technical rep. After another session of 'Hold please', John indicates that he needs to call a sales rep. Would I hold please? Yeah, sure I'll hold. After five minutes, John returns to the line. "The refurbished monitor does not ship with a video cable." None? I ask, "no cable" is the reply. O.k. thanks.

That's odd. They ship a cable with the new monitors, or so I gathered from the web site and one of the Brians I spoke to. The refurbished monitor doesn't ship with any cable at all? In the end, I end up ordering the monitor. I guess I'll just have to wait until the monitor arrives before I find out what it ships with it. Approximately three hours of my life wasted on the phone/chat session. Sure would have been nice to see that information online. i.e. Monitor ships with... Come on Dell, my first experience isn't a very positive one. Get your act together.</rant>
<http://jeremy.zawodny.com/blog/archives/006009.html>
<http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-9939821-7.html>

Keith's Klan visits the Vaessen's - photo update:
During March of 2009, Kim and I hosted another group of world travelers. We planned the vacation well in advance, and everyone had a fantastic time. The vacation began on the 11th of March, when our guests arrived. Over the course of the next four days (11 - 14 Mar), Kim and I hosted her Brother Keith, Yvette, and two of their girls; Leah and Kaitlyn. It was the first time the girls had ever flown on an airplane, the first time they left the state, and the first time they came to visit us in Colorado. Everyone involved had a great time, and I'm glad we had the opportunity to entertain our family from Wisconsin.

While I posted photos to my MobileMe gallery earlier in the month, there are some people who can't seem to access the MobileMe galleries (those using really old computers/browsers). As a result, I've posted a second version of the photos. This time I published the photos to my web site (not MobileMe). Hopefully, this alternate gallery is visible to those who have problems viewing the MobileMe galleries. I wish I could figure out what the problem is, that way I might not need to publish two different galleries. Hopefully everyone will enjoy the photos, and maybe Keith, Yvette or one of the girls will add some photos to the gallery.
<http://gallery.me.com/rvaessen#100163>
<https://www.robsworld.org/iphoto/keithsklan09/index.html>

March 18, 2009

Still getting Snow:
It's March; the month when we get the most snow. So it should come as no surprise that we got more snow this month. On the 10th of March, I woke up to less than an inch of snow on the ground. Not much to write about, just another reminder that winter isn't over yet. The worst part of this little dusting? I'll have to shovel. Due to the fact that our front door and driveway are North facing, the shade prevents the snow from completely melting away when the sunlight hits it. As a result, everyone across the street has a free pass on the shoveling, while I have to exercise the manual snow removal mechanism.

Software favorites:
Yet another full release for one of my software favorites. GraphicConverter moves ever forward. It's another beta release for the product that's always getting better. It's another free upgrade for those who own a license. If you need a powerhouse converter, editor and browser for your graphics, grab a copy of GraphicConverter - You won't be disappointed.

GraphicConverter:
Thorsten Lemke (of Lemkesoft) released another beta version (6.4.1b1). GraphicConverter is an image converter and editor. A fantastic piece of shareware that is well worth the price ($35.00). 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>

March 9, 2009

Books:
Back in September of 2007, I downloaded a few 'audiobooks' from eMusic.com. I didn't do it on purpose... but that's another story altogether. So anyway, I downloaded two audiobooks. I figured I'd give it a try. Try out this format. A format that I had previously shunned because of the cost. The audiobooks that you purchase retail are usually twice as expensive as a normal book... For no apparent reason. CDs are way cheaper than a paper back or hard cover book. Well, eMusic.com is offering these audiobooks at a substantially reduced price. With a subscription, I would get one book a month for $9.99. That's a significant reduction from the usual prices. It's even lower than the prices at Audible.com. It's a LOT lower than the prices at the iTunes store. During my 'trial' membership, I received an extra audiobook for free. So, I downloaded two audiobooks. The first book turned out to be pretty good: Hornet Flight by Ken Follett. It's historical fiction - a genre I enjoy, by an author I like. A good book. Not one of the best that I've ever read, but still a pretty good book. The other book. The one I just finished reading: Spook Country by William Gibson just about killed me. The book was so thick with detail and pedantically heavy with prose, that I couldn't focus on the overall plot. After listening to the book - which took forever - I still have very little idea what the book was about. Granted, it took me a long time to finish it, but that was primarily caused by the pace of the book. It took forever to follow any plot threads to an end, and I couldn't listen to the entire book in one sitting. Every time I picked it up, it seemed as if I was just starting the book. The books threads don't pull together until the very end of the novel, and they do so in a rather blunt way, with thick narrative and exposition. Despite his reputation as a sci-fi author of note, I didn't like this book.

What did I think about the format? Well, for one I didn't enjoy the fact that the mp3 format was broken up into separate files for each chapter. In order to make the audiobook iTunes friendly (so I could resume play from where I left off. So it would show up in the audiobook category), I had to merge all the files into a single mp3, than convert it into AAC format so that I could make it into an audiobook file that iTunes would recognize as an audiobook. All that effort took approximately an hour. That's a lot of work just to get the file into a manageable format. Another problem I encountered while listening to the book was some strange sort of skipping or playback glitch. That could be the iPhone's fault, but it certainly detracted from my enjoyment of the novel. I certainly won't be subscribing to any mp3 audiobook subscription services, and I doubt that I'll be purchasing any mp3 format audiobooks. If I purchase an audiobook in the future, I'll probably pay the iTunes price in order to avoid that conversion work I had to do. That was quite a chore.

With the conclusion of that book, I'll be able to focus my attention on a paper-back I've been reading. The teeth of the tiger by Tom Clancy. Another novel by Tom Clancy. Is this any better than the last? I sure hope so. The last Clancy novel I read was 'Red Rabbit' back in 2004. This one connects Middle Eastern terrorists to Colombian drug lords.
<https://www.robsworld.org/books.html>

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://www.apple.com/ilife/iweb/>
<http://www.tollgatecrossing.org/Events.html>
<http://www.tollgatecrossing.org/Welcome.html>
<http://www.tollgatecrossing.org/Volunteer.html>
<http://www.tollgatecrossing.org/Neighborhood_Watch.html>

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. This update is an expansion on initiative rules (Thanks go to Richard for pointing out the lack of documentation and standardization in the way we handle initiative for animal companions, familiars, mounts, etc.):

March 7, 2009

D&D updates:
We played a D&D session on the 21st of February, 2009, and it was another interesting session. This session was a continuation of the party's journey back to Whillip. While in Silverymoon, they solved the mystery of a cursed holy shrine, but it cost them dearly. Soon after the cleansing ceremonies were concluded, a group of priests and their entourage arrived. Grateful for the service performed by our group, the priests raised Zeddishous from the dead and reincarnated Grenco. With this curse behind them (or is it? Perhaps the party is now affected by some remnant of the curse?), While Khurshel has decided to part ways with the party (remaining in Silverymoon), the rest of our group has boarded the Skycruiser Palisade and departed Silverymoon in their quest to 'Get Back to Whillip!'. Now aboard the Palisade, the party is currently relaxing in relative safety. Will the remainder of their journey be boring? Stay tuned for danger, stay tuned for mystery, stay tuned for the next adventure!

3rd Edition Campaign:
After our most recent meeting (on the 21st of February, 2009), I updated the next game date (21 March, 2009 (we're playing tonight - the 7th of March)). 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, and now that Mark is back from his vacation, we've even got a posting from Solmar. Be sure to read about the party's journey back to Whillip , the battle against Glass Mephits and Dynnera's latest schemes. Be sure to read the journal entry for the latest details!
<https://www.robsworld.org/ajournal07.html#feb21_2009>

Monsters encountered:
As a result of the meeting on the 21st of February, I added a new monsters to the page. The party encountered a group of flying elementals - Glass Mephits. While these outsiders posed no threat to the party, they managed carry off two of the Palisade's crew. The monsters page is a listing of monsters that the party has encountered, read about or heard of.
<https://www.robsworld.org/monsters.html>

These updates follow our meeting on the 21st of February, and there will certainly be more to come. Our meetings on the 10th of January and 24th 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, and the party is ready to lick it's wounds, rest, recuperate and train for their 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>

More Music for March:
Here's a list of some of the music I recently acquired. Where do I get all this stuff? I find a lot of free (actually free) music by visiting several of the new music web sites (Pandora, 3hive.com, musicalfamilytree.org) out there, and listening to a few different music podcasts (iTunes new music tuesdays, a friends podcast, and indiefeed). 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 (iTunes and eMusic). 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.
* These Snakes Get High - The Awesome Snakes: (1 song) A 3hive.com discovery. Here's a single from the debut album - Venom! Uggh, they're not available on eMusic. That sucks, because I really like this band. Definitely categorized as Punk Rock. It's raw, exuberant and defiant. Watch out for the Snakes!
* Funky Dubé (live) - The Egg: (1 song) Another 3hive.com discovery. THankfully this one is available on eMusic, so I added the album 'Forwards' to my queue. It's Electronic, it's danceable, it's slow, melodic and funky. Check out this new British quartet from Glastonbury.

March 6, 2009

Winter Heat Wave!:
It's winter - Really? It's hard to believe. Winter with these temperatures. Last month was the driest February on record (for the Denver/Aurora area), and this month has started off with a heat wave. So what's a Heat Wave in March feel like? Temp's in the 70's. Yes the 70's. The lows between 2 - 4 March were in the high 30's. The highs though, that's the surprise. The temp's made it up into the 70's over a three day stretch. On the 2nd of March we set a new record when the temperature soared to 74 degrees. That's crazy warm. On the 3rd the temps reached 73, and 71 degrees on the 4th. It's far too warm for winter.

These Taxes are killing me!:
Thanks to some ill advice from a tax preparer, Kim and I were shocked when we went to pay our taxes this year (for 2008). Like last year, we ended up owing money. Arrggghh! I'm not happy. We're not talking a small amount of taxes. We're talking about a large amount. Approximately $3,600.00. Somehow - a combination of poor advice, a lack of vigilance on our part, and some inaction on behalf of my employer, we had very little taxes withheld during the year. Our first year in the house (2006) we got a big pile of money back. So, not wanting a repeat of that, we changed our withholding - At our tax preparer's advice - Seriously considering a different tax preparer next year. So we changed the withholding. Then came taxes for 2007. We ended up owing a big chunk of money; nearly $3000.00! What the! In an attempt to prevent that from happening again, I changed my W4 again. At the advice of our tax preparer. Unfortunately, I think my employer didn't implement the changes I requested! So they ended up withholding even less. My employer withheld so little in federal taxes, that I actually had to pay a fine. So, this year we're paying through the nose. $3,600.00 Holy Crap! That's way too much. So, once again I fax the adjusted W4 to my employers payroll office. This time I'm going to double-tripple check the withholdings. I really can't afford to pay such a huge pile of cash at the end of the tax year. Time to find a new tax preparer. Do you know a good tax preparer? Someone who knows what they're doing? We really need to end this ridiculous situation.

It's Alive! The Dension GW500 lives!:
Christmas 2008 - My big gift for the year was a device for my vehicle. Not really a stereo, not quite an iPod, it's kind of hard to describe. Getting tired of the poor reception, quality and functionality of FM transmitters, I've been looking for an iPod integration solution for my vehicle. I drive a 2004 XC90, and unfortunately it entered production a bit late for the iPod integration craze. With a fiber-optic stereo system, it doesn't allow for easy input from auxiliary devices. The fiber-optic system is a bit of a closed loop, but there are a few devices that let you hack into the loop. One of those devices is the Dension GW500 (not made by 'Denison' - spelling is 'Dension'). I purchased this 'gateway' from Enfig car stereo. This device will allow me to control my iPod Classic through my car stereo front panel or steering column controls. O.k. That was Christmas.

Soon afterwards, I started shopping around for someone who could do the installation. Car Toys wanted appx $200.00 for the job (which should take appx an hour?).. Yeah, that's kind of high, so I checked with BestBuy's GeekSquad. They quoted appx $85.00 - That's more like it! Unfortunately, they botched the installation. After working on my car for appx 6 hours, they called to admit defeat. They couldn't get it to work. Of course they blamed it on the device. Claiming (according to their 'tech-support') that it's not compatible with my vehicle. I don't accept that excuse. I did extensive research before purchasing the GW500, and this baby works on my stereo system. All the online documentation shows this unit compatible with the stereo setup in my vehicle, and there are plenty of forum posts that show it working in the XC90. I'm pretty sure they had the fiber-optic connections hooked up incorrectly, but I didn't want to push the issue.

After BestBuy failed me - not really surprised, but I figured I'd give it a try - I pursued a couple of other options. I could probably do the install myself, but I don't have the tools, or any experience with car stereos. I asked around at work for someone who might have experience with a fiber optic car stereo system. No luck there. A couple of leads from friends went no where, and I got no response when I asked for help on my community 'CrossTalk' mailing list. Well, I finally caved. Earlier this week (3 March, 2009), Kim and I paid another visit to Car Toys. This time they quoted a lower price - Honestly, I don't think they actually have a price list. We dropped off the vehicle and crossed our fingers.

We left the shop and went off to take care of some errands. We went to my work/H.R. office to fix my W4 (see above), went out to eat at a burger joint, and stopped to check out the nearby Apple Store. Wow - they released a bunch of updated computers (3 Mar 09). While we were at the Apple Store, Car Toys called - Fingers Crossed - They're done. The 'Gateway' is installed. Yes, it's working properly. Ya-Hoo! It's Alive! The 'Gateway' lives.
<http://www.dension.com/index.php?pageID=11>
<https://www.robsworld.org/densiongw500.jpg>

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

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

Roku News:
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. Following up on announcements made at the end of 2008, this week they've unveiled their Amazon partnership. Now you can rent movies, television episodes and other content directly through the Roku player. Not only can you rent content, you can also purchase content to add to your video collection. These video on demand titles are available for prices ranging from $0.99 - $3.99 per movie. Hey! That's considerably less than the Comcast 'On Demand' prices. Purchased shows are accessed through a 'Your Video Library' section of the Roku interface.

The new feature was available on my Roku player as of Thursday (5 Mar 09), and I enabled it on Friday. Set-up/authorizing the player to purchase/rent content was very easy, and I was watching Amazon videos in no time at all (five minutes to set up). I didn't buy anything yet, but I did watch a couple of 'Free' videos. Yes, actual free videos. I found a slew of free offerings in their line-up, and I took the time to check out a couple of videos. The playback was smooth, good quality, and properly synched with the audio. The free offerings streamed immediately, but other content can be saved for playback at a latter date (up to 30 days from purchase). It's not actually stored on your device, it's held on their servers and streamed on demand. I don't think you can actually 'download' it to any sort of hard drive. Once you start the playback, you're required to finish the viewing within 48 hours. I must admit that this implementation isn't as well polished as the NetFlix experience. I noticed was a chaotic arrangement of video titles in each category. With over 40,000 titles to choose from, I expected some sort of search function, but alas, there is none. Compiling this error is the lack of coherent sorting/arrangement within specific categories. With no rhyme or reason, many titles are repeated within a category. The icon/preview images are distorted (varying aspect ratios), and very small. Finally, I don't care for the pricing scheme, which seems completely arbitrary. There's plenty of room for improvement, but I for one am glad to see this move towards competition with the cable and satellite companies. Now I need to watch the 2009 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit show - For Free! - The war for the couch potato has begun.

I paid $99.00 for my Roku Player, and it has delivered more than I expected. 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/amazon-partner.aspx>
<http://www.roku.com/press_news/AmazonPressRelease20090105.pdf>
<http://www.roku.com/press_news/AVODRokuPR20090303.pdf>