May 31, 2009

Software favorites:
Finally a full version release for one of my software favorites. GraphicConverter moves ever forward. More beta releases for the product that's always getting better. More free upgrades 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 three more beta versions (6.4.2b20, 6.4.2b21, 6.4.2b23). 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>

Updates to the 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.

FedEx & UPS need efficiency experts:
<rant>Over the last couple of weeks (last two weeks of May), I've watched these inefficient companies conduct business in a way that amazes me. It amazes me that they can't figure it out... They both require signatures for certain deliveries, but I ask you when was the last time you accepted a neighbors package for delivery? Supposedly, they'll accept a neighbors signature in lieu of your signature. If that's the case, then why is it that I'm never signing for my neighbors? I see the trucks come and go in my neighborhood. I see the deliverymen (why don't I ever see women delivering packages for these companies?). They go to the door, ring the doorbell, wait 5 seconds (sometimes less), and then - If no one comes to the door - they fill out the slip, stick it to the door and they're off. Elapsed time approximately one minute. So how long would it take to deliver to the neighbor? Maybe five minutes. How much time is it going to take to take that package back to the warehouse, and attempt delivery a second and maybe third time? It seems to me that they would save themselves some time and gas, if they would simply attempt to deliver the package to a neighbor.

Oh wait, I'm not done yet. So let's say they take the package back to the warehouse, and attempt to deliver the package again. When should they attempt delivery? Well, if a person wasn't home at 1000AM on Tuesday, I'd say the odds are pretty high that they won't be home at 1000AM on Wednesday. Perhaps they should attempt delivery in reverse order on the second attempt. How could they achieve this? It seems to me that they could simply drive the route in reverse, or if they've got two drivers for the route (one morning, one evening) the drivers could swap vehicles. Joe drives Tom's route, an evening route, in the morning (possibly in reverse). Joe would then drive Tom's route (the day route) during the evening (possibly in reverse).

Getting my packages delivered to me - during the day, on days when I'm off - seemed to be a difficult chore. They don't attempt delivery to my neighbors, they don't stagger their delivery time, and they (FedEx) even ignore hand written signature/releases. Finally, how loudly dare I complain? They, like the post office have power. Power over us mere mortals. Power to screw us royally, so we'd better be nice. O.k. I 'love' UPS and FedEx...</rant>

New Computer is on it's way!
I ordered the new computer, all the peripherals and components, on the 19th of May. Some of the goodies arrived by way of USPS, some of the stuff arrived by way of FedEx, and a couple of pieces came to be at my door care of UPS. Ordered all those components on the 19th; by the 28th of May, all the components have arrived. Everything is here. Let the unboxing begin! I opened the MacPro box, and beheld the power and the glory. Oh what glee. As my mother in-law so accurately observed; I'm like a pig in a puddle! Rolling about, snorting and splashing around. I installed two hard drives in the chassis, but the rest is yet to come.

Apple Drops the ball on DRM elimination:
<rant>Recently, I downloaded a free track (Sometime Around Midnight (Acoustic Version) by The Airborne Toxic Event) from iTunes. It was one of those Starbucks 'Pick of the Week' downloads. The song/track downloaded without any problems, but the track was an iTunes DRM protected track. I thought Apple/iTunes no longer had any DRM protected tracks? According to Apple; with the release of iTunes version 8, Apple has removed DRM (Digital Right Management) from all the music tracks they sell. Or so I/we thought... I'm really tired of the restrictive policies imposed by DRM (as is Steve Jobs), and I don't appreciate the fact that despite it's public statements to the contrary, iTunes is still serving up DRM protected tracks!

I deleted the 'Offending' track, searched the internet, and found an MP3 version of the song (sadly it wasn't the acoustic version - which sounds fantastic). I downloaded the MP3 version and added it to my iTunes library. I guess I'll have to keep checking every track I download from iTunes. The continual use of DRM protection is one of the reasons that I continue to look outside the iTunes store for the majority of my music purchases. Apple! - Why are you continuing to practice the 'Opposite' of what you preach?</rant>

<rave>I sent my complaint to Apple. I've got a rant about that process as well, but we'll save that for some other date. So I submitted my 'feedback' using an online form. How did Apple respond? "After investigating the issue you've reported with engineers i've found this item has been removed. I've issued 5 free song credits to your account for your troubles". Umm, that's not exactly the response I was looking for, so I wrote back. "I still wonder whether there is a problem with DRM in the iTunes music store. While you indicated "i've found this item has been removed", you didn't indicate that the cause of the problem had been identified or corrected. If such is the case, this problem will likely recur. Recurrence will likely affect other customers. I was kind of hoping that my reporting would result in some form of corrective action". The second round response? "Yes the item has been removed and the item is currently being modifies". Umm, I don't exactly know what 'is currently being modifies' means, but I'll count this as a bonus. I got free music, and hopefully Apple will correct a problem with the iTunes Store.</rave>

<rant>Regarding that 5 song credit from iTunes. Why can't I use these iTunes Store credits to purchase an album? It's totally bizarre. So I wanted to download a two song EP with a cost of $1.98. That's two 99 cent tracks... Sorry, nope. Can't use your store credit to buy an album. So, I bought each track separately. What the? I also tried to combine the store credit with my PayPal, in order to download a bigger album. An album with 16 tracks. Sorry, Apple won't allow apply any song credits to the cost of the album. I would have to pay the full price using PayPal.</rant>

<http://www.starbucks.com/aboutus/pressdesc.asp?id=857>
<http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2009/01/06itunes.html>
<http://www.apple.com/hotnews/thoughtsonmusic/>
<http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1917>

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

Web site downloads:
I download music from plenty of websites (not counting commercial websites). The websites of the artists, the artists label, music festival websites, music review sites, etc, etc. Their are gobs of places where you can find free music. We're in a whole new era now. Gone are the monopolistic controls of the music industry. Music is becoming free - Free to anyone who takes the time to look for it. If you can't find free, legal, music - you're not looking very hard.
* Oh My - Sean Fournier: (6 songs) Downloaded from Jamendo.com. Excellent instrumental composition. Great lyrics and vocals. If you like Jack Johnson, check out Sean Fournier. This album is available (for now) for free via Jamendo.com or the artists web site.
* Only Whispering - Josh Woodward: (12 songs) It's acoustic, upbeat, with some great instrumentals. Plus, it's all free. You can download any of his tracks for free on his website. I picked up this album at Jamendo.com. The vocals are a bit uneven, but the composition is excellent.
* Your Reality - Steep: (7 songs) Excellent Indie Rock band from Germany. Great guitar work, excellent vocals and a fine mix of sounds on the album. Free from Jamendo.com.

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

Houston - We have backup!
<rave>As consumers accumulate more and more electronic ones and zeros, they sometimes encounter the dreaded hard drive crash. Losing your entire collection of digital photos, MP3s, or computer games can be a costly and traumatic event. Despite the fact that hard drives can - and do - fail, many consumers choose to go 'commando' without any sort of back-up. It's a dangerous game. One I'm not willing to take. My back-up strategy has three components.

May 26, 2009

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

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

Software favorites:
Here's another slew of beta releases for one of my software favorites. GraphicConverter moves ever forward. More beta releases for the product that's always getting better. More free upgrades 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 three more beta versions (6.4.2b20, 6.4.2b21, 6.4.2b23). 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>

May 21, 2009

Software favorites:
Here's another pair of beta release for one of my software favorites. GraphicConverter moves ever forward. More beta releases for the product that's always getting better. More free upgrades 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 two more beta versions (6.4.2b17, 6.4.2b18). 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>

Getting rid of DRM on my iTunes music tracks:
With the release of iTunes version 8, Apple has removed DRM (Digital Right Management) from all the music tracks they sell. This means (provided you're not trading, giving away or transferring the music to others) you can copy and move the music as many times as you want. No more CD burn limits. No more restrictions on what you can do with the music you bought. You can even put it on a non-Apple device. This move delivers on a commitment/vision promoted by Apple back in 2007, when Steve Jobs issued an open letter to the big four music labels (Universal, Sony BMG, Warner and EMI). He called on these companies to do away with DRM on music files.

While Apple may have done away with DRM on the tracks they sell, they didn't do away with the DRM on the tracks I bought. Many of the tracks that I bought (prior to Apr, 2009) through the iTunes store were encoded with DRM. Now I, like Apple, wanted this DRM to go away. How does one do away with iTunes DRM? Well, there are plenty of methods, and there's even a slew of programs available, but I wanted to remove the DRM without needing to purchase software. Software which would likely become obsolete after I'd used it. The easiest way to remove DRM? Burn the tracks containing DRM to an audio CD, then import the tracks back into iTunes.

Here are the steps I followed. Based on your version of iTunes, and your operating system, theses procedures may/may not work on your Music library.

• Step One: Identify the tracks containing DRM - While displaying your iTunes Music library (in iTunes), right-click on a column header. A list of options with check marks appears. Select the header label 'Kind'. Sort on the 'Kind' header, and locate the tracks labeled 'Protected AAC audio files'. These are the tracks containing DRM.
• Step Two: Create a playlist - While displaying your iTunes Music library (in iTunes), select all the tracks containing DRM. Under the 'File' menu, select 'New Playlist from Selection'.
• Step Three: Burn the playlist to an audio CD - Prior to the burn, you'll need a supply of CD-Rs or Music CD-Rs. Keep in mind that CD-Rs hold appx 750MB of data, while Music CD-Rs hold appx 700MB of data (due to additional code designed for stand-alone stereo component CD burners). Select the playlist created in Step Two, right click, select 'Burn Playlist to Disc'. iTunes will then ask you to insert one or more CDs in order to burn the playlist. I recommend that you keep track of the contents on each disc burned, because the data may not be available when you attempt to re-import the music from disc! (use a fine point sharpie to record the info on the label side of the disc).
• Step Four: Import the tracks - Take each disc in turn (if you've kept them order) and feed them into your computer. When you insert a disc, your computer may ask you what you want to do with it. If so, select 'Open iTunes'. Then when you insert CD-Rs, iTunes will open. When you insert your CD-Rs, iTunes may display a pop-up which asks.. "Would you like to Import the CD 'iTunes Protected' into your iTunes library?" Before clicking 'yes' select the "Do not ask me again" check-box. Otherwise you're going to need to deal with this prompt every time you insert another disc. If you find that the imported discs do not contain track data - A huge problem! - you may have a lot of typing to do (hopefully you recorded the track data, or didn't delete the original tracks).
• Step Five: Verify the imports - Take the time to label each track (if necessary) and check to make sure the tracks play. You wouldn't want to skip this step, as you may discover later that the import didn't work as expected.
• Step Six: Delete the DRM encoded tracks - Now that you have successfully imported the DRM free copies, you can delete the DRM encoded tracks from your iTunes library. You can still identify the DRM encoded tracks by their 'Kind'.
• Step Seven: Convert the new tracks - You may wish to convert these new tracks into a different format. I prefer AAC format, while others may prefer MP3 or WMA format.
• Step Eight: Enjoy your DRM free tracks - Hooray! free from DRM.

I haven't completed this process yet, but I plan to remove the DRM tracks in the near future. I encountered a few problems while burning the discs, and noted a few problems while researching the re-import process. I found careful record keeping and patience to be key in this process. Hopefully, I won't encounter additional problems with the iTunes DRM. I'm really ready to ditch that DRM, and hope to never see it again! As I noted earlier, there are other ways to remove the DRM from your tracks. Some involve the purchase of an 'Upgrade' to iTunes Plus format (through iTunes store), or the use of second party software designed to remove the DRM for you. I was looking for a free solution (for my Mac), and this is the best solution I could find. Although it's a bit labor intensive, it does provide you with a legal back-up of your music as well as removing the iTunes DRM. I burned 602 iTunes DRM tracks to Music CD-R discs over a period of eight hours, and I needed 30 discs. Thankfully, I haven't been using iTunes as my primary source of music. If you have questions or comments regarding the process I've described, please feel free to write:
<http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2009/01/06itunes.html>
<http://www.apple.com/hotnews/thoughtsonmusic/>

Purchased a New Computer!
Kim and I have been planning for this event. We've been saving money for approximately two years, and the day has finally arrived. On the 19th of May, I ordered a new MacPro to replace my aging Power Mac G5 (purchased on the the 26th of May 2004). The old G5 contained a 64 bit PowerPC with two 1.8GHz CPUs. This machine has served me well over the years, but it's time to upgrade, and this new purchase will be my first since retiring from the military on the 1st of January, 2005. As such, I have a bigger budget to work with, and I bought a much more powerful machine. Here are the items purchased:

The items listed in this table represent purchases on the 19th of May. I've already purchased a new monitor (A refurbished Dell 3007WFP-HC 30-inch WideScreen Flat Panel Monitor), a keyboard (Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000), a mouse/trackball (Logitech TrackMan wheel), Speakers (Bose® Companion® 3 Series II Multimedia Speaker System), and some software (The Logo Creator - Web 2.0 Logo Edition, FreeWay Pro, Bookpedia, iLife ’09 (for the MacBook Pro)). Once everything has been delivered, I'll take a picture, set it up, and transfer the data from my current computer to the new one. I expect that the transition will have a few bumps, as I'll be transitioning from a PowerPC architecture to an Intel machine. Hopefully everything will work out o.k. Stay tuned for additional updates.
<https://www.robsworld.org/mycomputer.html>

Hot, Hot, Hot!
It's only May, but the temperatures have already been in the high 80's! On the 18th the temps reached 86.2 degrees (fahrenheit), on the 19th 88.7 degrees, and 83.7 degrees on the 20th. It's still spring, but suddenly it feels like summer. These high temperatures aren't a good sign. If it gets much warmer, our lawn will start to shut down (going dormant in high stress/temperature conditions). Thankfully, we've been getting a fair amount of rain this spring, but these temps are too hot! How hot is your spring?

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

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

May 18, 2009

Damn those Spammers:
Recently (2nd week of May '09), I've received a couple of emails disguised as a business proposition. The timing and similarities in prose, suggests a common origin. The email indicated a desire to 'advertise' on my website. Examination of the headers showed both email messages arrived by way of Chinese open proxies. The email server of choice for many spammers. Both email messages contained X-Mailer headers indicating an email client called 'The Bat!'. The presence of this header tag is a good indicator that spam follows. Both email messages contained forged message origination data, and I have no doubt that the senders intentions were less than honorable.

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/whybother.html>
<http://www.spamcop.net>

Mac OS 10.5.7 update:
Apple is hard at work, making sure that Leopard is running on all cylinders. Finding security flaws, patching annoying bugs, improving the user experience. This particular update is the largest fractional update (not a full OS update) to date. It includes recent security updates, as well as updates and bug fixes to the following applications and services: Video performance w/nVidia graphics cards, widget reliability, various website compatibility issues, improves network performance, finder searching improved for network volumes, directory service and client management improvements, problems with iCal, mail.app, parental controls, printing and others. You can read all about these upgrades, bug fixes, security updates, and more by following the links I've provided below. I upgraded to Leopard during Oct of 2007, and I have to say, it's been the best version of Mac OS yet.

As a result of this recent OS update, the following pages have been updated. myfavs.html, feedback.html and mycomputer.html.
<https://support.apple.com/kb/HT3397>

Encryption:
Due to a recent upgrade in my operating system (see above), I've updated my encryption/privacy software. I use GnuPG v1.4.9 for encryption/decryption. If you would like to correspond in secret, please take note of my Public Keys. I use GnuPG with the GPGMail 1.2.0 v56 (Leopard build) bundle, in order to encrypt/decrypt my email in Apple's Mail.app 3.5 (930.3) built on Mac OS 10.5.7 (build 9J61). My public keys are available on various keyservers, or you can get them from my website, whichever you prefer. With this recent change in my encryption software, I've updated my feedback page, computer page, and my public encryption key listing.
<https://www.robsworld.org/feedback.html>
<https://www.robsworld.org/mycomputer.html>
<https://www.robsworld.org/encryption.html>

Software favorites:
More updates for my software favorites - A moderate batch of updates this time around. Apple recently updated their operating system, so some updates came as a result of that. They also released a new version of their web browser (for Mac and Windows). I updated my version of X11, used to run native Unix applications. The Gimp moves forward. A free image manipulation program which rivals Photoshop in features. The world's hardest working Graphic Converter moves forward with several beta updates.; and finally, an application that is rather rapidly outliving its usefulness tries to stay relevant in the shadow of the latest iPhoto updates.

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. It's a listing of applications that I find useful in publishing my web pages.
<https://www.robsworld.org/myfavs.html>

Rob's World! was down:
The company I use to host my web pages, uses a company called CIHost for all of it's internet hosting. Well, Rob's World! experienced an outage on the 16th of May. I haven't had such an outage since the first quarter of 2008, and I had another outage in December of 2008. This time, only one of my websites was affected (Rob's World!). The site was down for appx 6 hours. As usual, C I Host never acknowledged the outage, and I never learned the reason for the outage. It's a good thing I'm not an ecommerce site, if I were, this sort of outage would mean loss of revenue. My web host/administrator has decided to move off these C I Hosted machines, but some problems with email configuration are delaying that transition. I certainly hope it's sometime this year.

Updates to the 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.

D&D updates:
We played a D&D session on the 2nd of May and here are some of the updates from that meeting. The party finally made it to Whillip! With their adventures in the shadow of Firestorm Peak concluded, the party is back in Whillip. The adventure was arduous, dangerous and rewarding. Most of all it was memorable. An adventure unlike any other. A journey into the very bowels of evil; to defeat a corrupt source of taint in this land. With the conclusion of this quest, none may say that they died in vain. Long live those who gave their lives. Long live those who strive to defeat evil in this land. Long live the adventures we have come to know as the S.C.R.E.W.O.F.F.S. - Let us take a moment to remember those brave adventurers: Brock - The stalwart and honorable warrior; Tanar - The brave and resourceful magic user; Thalidimar - The faithful and righteous priest. If it hadn't been for the sacrifice of the S.C.R.E.W.O.F.F.S. and countless others allied in this fight, our land may have become a dark shadow of light and justice, a breeding ground for taint and corruption. Many grateful people now know the names of true heroes. Surely they will compose ballads and poems attesting to their honor and bravery. With this long quest behind them, it's time to recover their bearings, rest for a bit, hone their skills, and steel themselves to take on the next threat in these lands. Welcome back to Whillip brave heroes, welcome home!

The Adventurers journal:
The tale of our adventurers. A series of journal entries from various party members. This document contains details of their encounters. Victory, defeat, desire and glory. Here is the tale of S.C.R.E.W.O.F.F.S., a group of adventurers who set forth from Whillip, seeking fame, fortune and the defeat of evil in these lands. This time the entries come from Lee; another journal entry from Dynnera. Be sure to read about the party's journey into Firestorm Peak.
<https://www.robsworld.org/ajournal08.html#may02_2009>

The Journal index:
Here is the index for all journal entries. Each time the party starts a new adventure, I start a new journal page - Notice the journal08 page name in the link above - This is the 8th adventure of our group. As the new adventure begins, a new journal page is created, and a link is posted on this index page. If you'd like to read about some of party's previous adventures, this is the page you'll want to visit.
<https://www.robsworld.org/ajournal.html>

3rd Edition Campaign:
I updated the date of our next meeting - Our next meeting is 30 May, 2009. I also updated some annotation beneath our group photo. Eventually, I hope to update the 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>

These updates follow our meeting on the 2nd of May and there will certainly be more to come. Our meeting on the 2nd of May saw the party docked in Whillip's harbor. Now that they're in town the party will probably spend a considerable amount of (in game) time licking it's wounds, resting, recuperating and training 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>

May 8, 2009

Bring on the Handyman:
It'll take a while, but eventually I'll become a handy man. Owning a new home brings all kinds of new responsibilities to the first time home owner, and I'm no exception. This week (2nd week of May '09) our sprinkler system proved to be a bit of a challenge.

It's spring, and it's time to start watering the lawn. I was hoping to start watering a week earlier, but given the late snow (See last month's "What's New?" entries for April 26-28), we decided to delay another week. Once again the sprinkler system proved that it was the master (The mechanical aptitude portion of my ASVAB test was the only portion where I scored below 99). I thought I had it figured out. I even had a series of photos and notes on how to turn the sprinklers on. Damn! Apparently, my notes were wrong. I turned the water on (in the basement), and headed upstairs. Outside, I found water blasting out of the vacuum breaker. Water was shooting out of the test cocks, spraying the side of the house. Luckily, this minor setback didn't cause any damage. Unfortunately, the bad news was still to come. A few minutes later I started testing each of the 'zones'. That's when I discovered the problem. On zone 2, the heads didn't pop up. I could hear the water running, but the sprinkler heads never popped. A few seconds later, water was visible coming up out of a rock bed near the sidewalk. More water was visible on the other side of the sidewalk - Damn! I've got a busted line.

Kim programmed the other zones, and I started looking for someone to fix the broken irrigation line. As I started thinking about the expense, I started to get depressed. Given the price of commercial landscaping services, I could only imagine that this repair was going to run my several hundred dollars. Crap! that's too much money for something that shouldn't be all that difficult to fix. What to do? Should I attempt the repair myself? Arrggghh - I didn't want to screw it up, and I didn't want to spend an arm and a leg. That's when I turned to my community for a solution.

<rave>I posted a quick note on the 'CrossTalk' email mailing list, and waited for a response. This Tollgate Crossing mailing list is an open forum for the residents of Tollgate Crossing. Any resident of Tollgate Crossing (or interested individual) is invited to participate. The mailing list is intended as a way for residents to communicate amongst each other on a variety of issues. Everything from the weather, a request for a babysitter, a discussion about putting up a fence, maybe you’d like to arrange a bunko night or suggest a good movie. Perhaps you’re wondering when the pool is open? Anyone and everyone (subscribed members) may use the list as an open forum for communication amongst the residents of our community. In this case, I needed someone who could fix my broken sprinkler line without charging me an arm and a leg. A few minutes later, one of my neighbors (Thanks Joe) recommended the services of another resident - John Sage. John's a resident handy man. Tackling landscape/irrigation, bathroom renovation, deck installation, and all manner of household maintenance and repair. I called John on Sunday, and arranged for work on Thursday. I had off work on Wednesday, and John was able to come over earlier than we had originally planned. For $35.00 he took a look at my irrigation problem and assured me that it wouldn't be much trouble to fix. I ate lunch and then took a nap (I'm working nights, so the nap is essential). When I woke up, I found the work completed.

John was courteous, punctual and respectful. He repaired my busted sprinkler line quickly, with minimal disruption to my grass and other plants. I would definitely recommend this resident's services to others in our community. Thank you John, I'll definitely keep you in mind next time I need a 'professional' handyman.</rave>

Software favorites:
Here's another beta 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 (6.4.2b10 - Hmm, I think the version number is a bit off...). 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>

May 3, 2009

Fighting Spammers!
Recently (as of 1 May, 2009), I took some measures to help fight spam. Sometimes I get the feeling that it's my own personal battle, but I know that's not true. It's the scourge of the internet. Something that most of us have to deal with in one way or another. My primary email provider is SpamCop! - a service that helps fight spam. It provides spam reporting services (free or paid), as well as filtered email. In addition to some excellent email service, they also provide plenty of ways to filter and report spam. This month I turned up the notch on one of those mechanisms. SpamCop uses various algorithms to rate the email that I receive. How spammy is your email? After it rates the email, it inserts some special code into the email header (x-spam-status) that I can use to block some of the spam rated by the SpamCop service. I was throwing out everything rated as five stars or higher. Now I'm filtering out the email rated four stars or more. In addition to this particular filtering technique, I also implemented some additional filtering based on the addressing and subject lines. If you're planning to send me an email with the word 'Viagra' in the subject, you might want to reconsider. While these filtering techniques may result in the elimination of some legitimate email, I can't afford to allow every email into my inbox, and you can thank the spammers for making email such a mess.

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/whybother.html>
<http://www.spamcop.net>

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

Why Don't I post my movie reviews on...
<rant>Why don't I post my movie reviews on Netflix, IMDB or FaceBook? It's a good question, and one I occasionally get from visitors and other movie critics. I'll do my best to keep the answer short - Copyright. That's right. The sites I mentioned previously all insist that any reviews posted on their websites 'belong' to them. They exert copyright over any reviews posted to their web site. Posting the review anywhere else (like your own personal site) then falls under their purview. I would have to get their permission to post 'their' reviews (formerly 'my' reviews) on my own site. No thank you big mega-site. I wrote the review. It belongs to me. If you want your own reviews (i.e. you want to own the review), then pay me or write your own review. Damn, talk about greedy and controlling. Could they word their 'terms of service' such that they are granted a license to display your review? Yes, of course they could. But then they wouldn't 'own' the full copyrights. They want you to do all the work, and they want full ownership and control over the review(s) that you post. Screw that! I'll post my reviews at "Rob's World!"</rant>
<http://www.netflix.com/Help?id=1130>

Oh my aching bones!
Colorado's weather during April and early May is always a topsy-turvy affair. Full of surprises - Sunshine, snowstorm, hail and rain. This year springtime brings no major surprises in that regard. On the night of 30 April my joints were telling me that a low pressure front was moving through the area. My joints and muscles; especially those in my feet, calves and hands, were aching terribly. By Friday (the 1st of April) the low pressure/cold front moved into our area. Accompanying this drop in pressure was moisture. It rained all day on Friday. It was crappy through Saturday and Sunday as well. The weather didn't clear up until the 4th of May. Weather comes in several different flavors, when you live next to the Rockies.
<https://www.robsworld.org/barometer.html>

Updates to the 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>

D&D updates:
We played a D&D session on the 2nd of May and here are some of the updates from that meeting. The party finally made it to Whillip! With their adventures in the shadow of Firestorm Peak concluded, the party is back in Whillip. The adventure was arduous, dangerous and rewarding. Most of all it was memorable. An adventure unlike any other. A journey into the very bowels of evil; to defeat a corrupt source of taint in this land. With the conclusion of this quest, none may say that they died in vain. Long live those who gave their lives. Long live those who strive to defeat evil in this land. Long live the adventures we have come to know as the S.C.R.E.W.O.F.F.S. - Let us take a moment to remember those brave adventurers: Brock - The stalwart and honorable warrior; Tanar - The brave and resourceful magic user; Thalidimar - The faithful and righteous priest. If it hadn't been for the sacrifice of the S.C.R.E.W.O.F.F.S. and countless others allied in this fight, our land may have become a dark shadow of light and justice, a breeding ground for taint and corruption. Many grateful people now know the names of true heroes. Surely they will compose ballads and poems attesting to their honor and bravery. With this long quest behind them, it's time to recover their bearings, rest for a bit, hone their skills, and steel themselves to take on the next threat in these lands. Welcome back to Whillip brave heroes, welcome home!

3rd Edition Campaign:
I updated the date of our next meeting - Our next meeting is 16 May, 2009. I also updated the annotation beneath our group photo. Eventually, I hope to update the 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>

Players in our campaign:
As usual, we've had more changes to the characters and players in our campaign. Recently (After the 16 April meeting), Richard decided to withdraw from our campaign. He's planning to join/start a new group closer to his home. Something more suited to his gaming style. We'll miss Richard's characters and style of play. Hopefully we'll see more of his illustrations in the future, and who knows; maybe he'll be back at some point. Which brings up another subject; Lars is back. Lars left our group in Feb of '09, but now he's back. Lar's returned to our table on the 2nd of May. Hopefully he'll be able to stay with our group a bit longer this time around. With these recent changes to our player roster, 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 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>

Character update:
During the meeting on the 2nd of May, Almel left the group - Choosing his own path, who knows whether we'll ever see him again? Right now we've got a lot of excess characters (Ysoac, Grenco, Zeddishous) in our party. Hopefully, we can stabilize our character roster in the months to come. With all these character changes, I've updated the characters listing on our "Who's Who?" page. With the party arrived in Whillip, we still find the players saddled with 10 characters to 7 players. Now that the party has reached 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. The "Who's Who?" page is a listing of characters, both player characters and non-player characters.
<https://www.robsworld.org/3ewhoswho.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 a rather update to standardize the way I (the DM) adjudicate knowledge of Whillip (the starting point for many characters and adventurers) when a new character is introduced into the campaign. Players in our campaign are not obligated to download or print the house rules. You can make notes during the game, you can print out your own copy, you can memorize the info, request to review it, or have it repeated to you each time you come across specific situations. Note that these house rules do constitute changes to the base D&D rules, but they do supercede any contrary 'official' rule(s).
<https://www.robsworld.org/3enewfeats.pdf>
<https://www.robsworld.org/3ecampaign.html>

These updates follow our meeting on the 2nd of May and there will certainly be more to come. Our meeting on the 2nd of May saw the party docked in Whillip's harbor. Now that they're in town the party will probably spend a considerable amount of (in game) time licking it's wounds, resting, recuperating and training 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>