What's New

February 28, 2010

More snow in February:
With the end of February upon us, it's clear that this is one of our wettest months. January is traditionally a pretty dry month in Colorado, and this year hasn't been too different in that regard. We had very little precipitation last month, but this month has proven to be much wetter (typical for February). It's still cold, and the snowfall hasn't let up yet. On the 26th, we saw even more snow. Just a meager 1/2 inch this time, and I didn't even shovel. The Colorado sunshine turned it all to water by 2pm.

New living Room Furniture:
<rave>Earlier this month (see the Feb 21st entry), I told you that we sold our living room furniture. Here's the rest of the story...

On the 2nd of January, Kim and I bought some new furniture. We've been thinking about it for some time, and we did quite a bit of research before we actually made our decision. We shopped around online, and visited five different show rooms in the local area. Only one store had what we were looking for.

We wanted all leather, heavy duty construction, a great warranty and customized color and texture. We also wanted a recliner with heat and massage. Our list of requirements was quite stringent, and in the end, only one company fit the bill. La-Z-Boy. We handed over our down payment and La-Z-Boy started working on our order. Our order consisted of three pieces (click photo to left for a better view):

* Pembroke Sofa ((Style 610-499) 37"H x 90.5"W x 40"D)
* Pembroke Loveseat ((Style 630-499) 37"H x 68"W x 40"D)
* Dreamtime La-Z-Touch Recliner with 10-Motor Massage/Heat ((Style 010-554) 42"H x 39"W x 40D)

It was supposed to take three months, but they completed our order ahead of time. Completing the order ahead of time surprised us a bit, but we didn't have any problems selling our old furniture. It was still in good shape, and I quickly found some buyers for the living room set. Since retiring from the military, Kim and I have been working to replace some of our 'enlisted grade' furniture. Upgrading to the good stuff. This time around, it's the living room furniture that gets the upgrade.

Over the years, we've learned a few lessons regarding living room furniture, and this time we put that knowledge to use. No modular pieces, no pull-outs, sleeper sofas or futons. Heavy duty wood frames, firm cushions, no plastic feet, and a good warranty (four years - in home repair or replacement).

When the furniture arrived, the workers were careful not to ding any walls, doors, or furniture. They didn't drop anything and they didn't wreck the carpet. We checked the furniture thoroughly, and only after we were satisfied did they leave. Customer service - Before, during and after the delivery was great. No problems. Financing the balance on a store credit card wasn't my idea, but we couldn't afford to pay for the entire set up front. One year with no interest shouldn't cause any problems.

After testing the recliner and couches, I can honestly say that Kim and I love our new furniture. I'm sure we'll get several years of good use out of our American made furniture.</rave>
<http://www.la-z-boy.com/>

More Free Music in February:
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) and several other music blogs (Analog Giant, Brooklyn Vegan, Fluxblog, Gorilla vs. Bear, etc) out there, and listening to a few different music podcasts (iTunes new music tuesdays, discovery download, 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.

iTunes New Music Tuesday download:
Sometimes I purchase music from iTunes, and sometimes I take advantage of their free downloads (check it out on Tuesdays). iTunes is the King of the Hill when it comes to the bigger names, so sometimes I find that I have to pay the higher prices. Here's a free download from the iTunes store. iTunes is constantly giving away free music. Thanks Apple! (The New Tuesday/Discovery downloads are only available/free for a limited time, so don't dally):
* My Heart, Your Hands - Dommin: (single) Dark. moody, goth. With some soaring vocals and an excellent instrumental track, there's plenty to like here. Quality music, for Free!

Free Music from iTunes:
Sometimes I purchase music from iTunes, and sometimes I take advantage of their free downloads (check it out on Tuesdays). iTunes is the King of the Hill when it comes to the bigger names, so sometimes I find that I have to pay the higher prices. Here's a bunch of downloads provided free from the iTunes store. A couple New Music Tuesday downloads and two full sampler albums. Thanks Apple!:
* iTunes Music Sampler - Songs From the House of Soul: (16 songs) Another great giveaway by iTunes. This one is loaded with Rhythm and Blues. You need to Friend iTunes through Facebook in order to snag these free tunes. If you don't know what that means... There's some pretty good stuff on this compilation. Whatever you do, don't dally. Free isn't free forever.

These are some of the items I added to my music collection during the last month. Since revamping my music collection back in September of 2005, I've been slowly adding, revising and updating the collection. If you have a comment, question or correction regarding my music collection, please don't hesitate to send me an email. Please keep in mind that my collection isn't for sale, and I'm not interested in giving you any copyrighted materials. I'd rather not go to jail for music piracy. :-)
<https://www.robsworld.org/music.html>
<http://www.apple.com/itunesnews/us/>

Software favorites:
More beta releases for one of my favorite software applications. GraphicConverter moves ever forward. As usual, developer has been busy updating this application. Here's another couple of releases for the product that's always getting better. Two 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 releases in the last few days. I saw/downloaded the following updates: 6.6.2b31 and 6.6.2b35. 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>

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>

D&D updates:
We played our last D&D session on the 20th of February. Here are couple of the updates from that meeting. With the conclusion of our 8 August meeting, the players have moved into an entirely new phase of the game. Gone are the S.C.R.E.W.O.F.F.S. - Existing now as a group of non-player characters. The player characters are now members of an entirely new group. The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights. This new group of adventurers is poised to strike out from Whillip. In search of glory, fame, and justice, they seek to right the wrongs of this land. To defend the weak, enslaved and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name both feared (by evil) and revered by the (good) citizens of these realms.

3rd Edition Campaign:
I updated the date of our next meeting - Our next meeting is 06 March 2010. This page (The "3eCampagin" page) 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. You can also check out the latest group photo.
<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. Victory, defeat, desire and glory. Here is the tale of The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights, a group of adventurers who set forth from Whillip, seeking fame, fortune and the defeat of evil in these lands. Our meeting on the 20th of February sees the party out on the road. On their way to the next adventure. It's going to be a long overland journey, and there will be many more days just like this one. This meeting also marks a change in roles. Currently, Mark is running the adventure! That's right I've relinquished my role as Dungeonmaster for this adventure. It's something I like to do every now and then. It gives me a new perspective, allows player participation in the campaign, and shakes things up for all the players. I'll be running Solmar while Mark DMs the adventure. I sure hope I don't end up killing the Warforged Paladin. With the conclusion of this most recent meeting, I went into the journals and corrected the spelling of some names. I hope to add some journal entries before our next meeting.

Monsters encountered:
On the road - As the party takes to the open road, they find themselves to be the target for numerous hungry, belligerent, and simply curious creatures. During a recent gaming session, the party encountered a pair of Storm Giants. Unfortunately, their names got mixed up in the journals and the monster page. After a recent meeting, I went in and corrected their names. 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 meetings on the 20th of February, but they come before the journal entries. Undoubtedly, there will be more to come. Our recent gaming sessions represent the early days of a new adventure. The eighth adventure for our group. In search of glory, fame, and justice, the H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights seek to right the wrongs of this land. To defend the weak, enslaved and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name both feared (by evil) and revered by the (good) citizens of these realms. Training has been completed, and the party has decided on a course of action - They've selected an adventure to embark upon. The party has decided to help the citizens of Deepwood in their quest to vanquish a Blue Dragon from their backyard. After picking up supplies, horses, and some information in Westgate, the party has taken to the open road. With horses and a wagon, the journey is likely to be long and arduous. And what was that rumor about some ultra-powerful gang of Orcs? Sharpen your blades and hitch up your horses - Adventure calls and danger beckons!
<https://www.robsworld.org/3ecampaign.html>

February 21, 2010

Even more snow!
Now that January is over, we're starting to get some snow. January is traditionally a pretty dry month in Colorado, and this year hasn't been too different in that regard. We had very little precipitation last month. This month is proving to be much wetter (typical for February), and the snowfall hasn't let up yet. On the 20th and 21st, we saw more snow. Two inches usually isn't enough to slow us down, and this storm didn't cause much fuss. I cleared the drive and sidewalks with little effort, but the snow kept coming. As I right this, the snow is still falling, and there's no telling when it'll end. I just hope I don't have to shovel twice for one storm!

Sold my living room!
Well, sort of. Recently, we sold some of our living room furniture. Why?Well, we bought some new stuff (I'll post some pictures, after the new stuff gets delivered), and we don't have anywhere to put our current (living room) furniture. I thought we could put it in the basement. The basement is unfinished, and setting the furniture down there wouldn't be such a bad idea - in my opinion. But, the wife vetoed that idea. She thinks that we'll never get rid of it if we put it in the basement... Well, it would be more difficult to move it down to the basement, and then back up out of the basement - If we wanted to get it out of the basement. Anyway, I agreed that we should try to sell it.

There wasn't anything wrong with it. It wasn't broken, stained, or torn. We haven't got any kids or pets, and we don't smoke, so the furniture (despite its age) is still in pretty good condition. It would definitely make a good addition to anyone's living room. I liked it, we liked it. All four pieces (except ottoman) were special ordered from Berkline/BenchCraft. The furniture was purchased from American Furniture (here in the Aurora/Denver area). Fabric/covering was Micro-Suede. The color was something called 'Camel' (goes well with beige carpet). The sofa and love seat were purchased in 2003. The chair and ottoman were purchased in 2005. They're all part of the same series/style.

So, I posted a few 'for sale' announcements online, and I generated a pdf 'advertisement' for work. I brought the flyers to work, and showed them to some co-workers. Well, I work with junior enlisted military members, and they're the perfect audience for this sort of stuff. Many of them are out of the house for the first time. Sharing rent with other military members, new families, that sort of thing. It didn't take long (two days) to find some takers. Kim and I got a good price for our (gently) used furniture, and a couple of military members got a good set of furniture for their apartment.

Kim and I are looking forward to our new furniture. Unfortunately, we'll have to suffer the floor for a while.

Software favorites:
More beta releases for one of my favorite software applications. GraphicConverter moves ever forward. As usual, developer has been busy updating this application. Here's another release for the product that's always getting better. 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 a yet another beta release on the 19th of Feb. I saw/downloaded the following update: 6.6.2b28. 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>

D&D updates:
We played our last D&D session on the 6th of February. Here are some of the updates from that meeting. With the conclusion of the 8 August meeting, our players have moved into an entirely new phase of the game. Gone are the S.C.R.E.W.O.F.F.S. - Existing now as a group of non-player characters. The player characters are now members of an entirely new group. The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights. This new group of adventurers is poised to strike out from Whillip. In search of glory, fame, and justice, they seek to right the wrongs of this land. To defend the weak, enslaved and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name both feared (by evil) and revered by the (good) citizens of these realms.

3rd Edition Campaign:
I updated the date of our next meeting - Our next meeting (Not counting tonight's meeting!) is 06 March 2010. This page (The "3eCampagin" page) 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. You can also check out the latest group photo.
<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. Victory, defeat, desire and glory. Here is the tale of The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights, a group of adventurers who set forth from Whillip, seeking fame, fortune and the defeat of evil in these lands. The meeting on the 6th of February sees the party out on the road. On their way to the next adventure. It's going to be a long overland journey, and there will be many more days just like this one. This entry features inputs from Mutteran, Belt and Solmar. Thanks to Lee, Lars and Mark for their continued input and support. In addition to the entries for the 6th of February, we also have a handful of entries (from Lee and Solmar) added from the January 23rd meeting. Hopefully we can see some journal entries from Joe/Jusarian in the future.
<https://www.robsworld.org/ajournal08.html#feb06_2010>
<https://www.robsworld.org/ajournal08.html#jan23_2010>

Who's Who?:
In their travels, and during their research, the party has learned of or encountered several people. Not all are important enough to warrant entry on this listing, but during a recent meeting, the party discovered more information regarding one Gamorette; the leader of an outlaw band of powerful Orcs plaguing the residents of the Southern Dragoncoast and parts south. "Who's Who?" page is a listing of characters, both player characters and non-player characters.
<https://www.robsworld.org/3ewhoswho.html>

Monsters encountered:
On the road - As the party takes to the open road, they find themselves to be the target for numerous hungry, belligerent, and simply curious creatures. During our most recent gaming session, the party encountered (or heard about) three new creatures during their travels. Giant bombardier beetles, a gigantic black beast called the Guulvorg, and a pair of Storm Giants. The monsters page is a listing of monsters that the party has encountered, read about, or heard of.
<https://www.robsworld.org/monsters.html>

Where Now?:
The party recently left Whillip and now they're out on the road, on their way to their next adventure. As the party well knows, being out on the road can be an adventure all it's own. Over the last couple of sessions, the party has visited two new towns. Westgate and Teziir. As a result of these visits, I've added and to update the entries on the "Where Now?" page. "Where Now?" is a listing of various places the party has visited or researched.
<https://www.robsworld.org/wherenow.html>

These updates follow our meetings on the 23rd of January and the 6th of February. These sessions represent the early days of a new adventure. The eighth adventure for our group. In search of glory, fame, and justice, the H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights seek to right the wrongs of this land. To defend the weak, enslaved and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name both feared (by evil) and revered by the (good) citizens of these realms. Training has been completed, and the party has decided on a course of action - They've selected an adventure to embark upon. The party has decided to help the citizens of Deepwood in their quest to vanquish a Blue Dragon from their backyard. After picking up supplies, horses, and some information in Westgate, the party has taken to the open road. With horses and a wagon, the journey is likely to be long and arduous. And what was that rumor about some ultra-powerful gang of Orcs? Sharpen your blades and hitch up your horses - Adventure calls and danger beckons!
<https://www.robsworld.org/3ecampaign.html>

Still snowing in February:
Now that January is over, we're starting to get some snow. January is traditionally a pretty dry month in Colorado, and this year hasn't been too different in that regard. We had very little precipitation last month. This month is proving to be much wetter (typical for February), and the snowfall hasn't let up yet. On the 18th of Feb, we saw some more snow. Big, fat, heavy flakes. Two inches usually isn't enough to slow us down, and this storm didn't cause much fuss. I cleared the drive and sidewalks with little effort. Ready for the next storm.

February 17, 2010

Even more updates to the Tollgate Crossing Website:
My odd-ball schedule actually works in my favor for some things. A couple of those activities are the community support activities which I enjoy - Volunteering with our local neighborhood watch, and supporting our community by maintaining the Tollgate Crossing website and mailing lists. What started out as a website focused primarily 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:

* Updated the banners/badges on the Welcome page. I updated some of the banners regarding our upcoming Metro District election. I posted some new entries for the Bunco Ladies of Tollgate Crossing. They meet on the last Friday of every month. I made the updates earlier, but forgot to post them. Thankfully, someone noticed. At least someone's paying attention.
* Updated some information on our Events page. Corrected some of the info regarding our upcoming Special Metro District Election. Apparently, this won't be a 'meeting'. It's a 'Mail-In' election. Residents will receive ballots in the mail, and they need to send them in prior to the elections on the 4th of May. The elections will be finalized on the 4th of may, so please be sure to get your ballots in the mail early. Finally, I posted a new entry for the Bunco Ladies of Tollgate Crossing. They meet on the last Friday of every month.
* On the Volunteers page, I add a new paragraph/entry regarding our upcoming 2nd annual 'Easter Egg Hunt' This fun activity is a great get together for kids and families. Currently in the planning stages, our community really needs your help with the event. If you've got the time, please help out our Social Committee by volunteering.

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>

Software favorites:
More beta releases for one of my favorite software applications. GraphicConverter moves ever forward. As usual, developer has been busy updating this application. Here are two more 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 a couple more beta releases over the last few days. I saw/downloaded the following updates: 6.6.2b23 and 6.6.2b25. 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>

More snow in February:
Now that January is over, we'll start to get some snow. January is traditionally a pretty dry month in Colorado, and this year hasn't been too different in that regard. We had very little precipitation last month. This month should be much wetter, and the snowfall hasn't let up yet. On the 13th and 14th we saw some overnight snow. Three inches usually isn't enough to slow us down, but this time the snow was accompanied by some very slippery road conditions. While the snow feel overnight I finished work, drove home and dove under the covers. When I woke up, the snow was still there - Damn! Thankfully, this time I cleared the drive and sidewalks with little effort.

Even more Free Music in February:
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) and several other music blogs (Analog Giant, Brooklyn Vegan, Fluxblog, Gorilla vs. Bear, etc) out there, and listening to a few different music podcasts (iTunes new music tuesdays, discovery download, 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.

eMusic offers up a little love for the members:
Here's some more free music I downloaded recently. eMusic provides plenty of free tracks (to it's members) throughout the year, and I certainly take advantage of the free stuff. It's Valentines Day and eMusic proves their love by offering up a five free tracks to the members:
* Evil (EP) - Interpol: (5 tracks) Another release from one of my favorite bands. Here's a short 5 song EP while you wait for the next album. Three of the songs are culled from the full length 'Antics' and another from 'Turn On the Bright Lights'. There's nothing new here, but I do like Interpol. Next time I'll spend a little more time to find something new.

iTunes New Music Tuesday download:
Sometimes I purchase music from iTunes, and sometimes I take advantage of their free downloads (check it out on Tuesdays). iTunes is the King of the Hill when it comes to the bigger names, so sometimes I find that I have to pay the higher prices. Here's a few of those free downloads from the iTunes store. iTunes is constantly giving away free music. Thanks Apple! (The New Tuesday/Discovery downloads are only available/free for a limited time, so don't dally):
* Heading for Nowhere - Jets Overhead: (single) Hazy, grungy, trippy, rock track with shoegazer flavor. I like this quite a bit. I might just download the entire album... More good stuff, more free music from iTunes.

February 11, 2010

The Worst Book Ever?
I finally finished reading Tom Clancy's novel - The Teeth of the Tiger. Talk about a disappointing book. I'm going to include it on my books page as an example of really poor writing. I've noticed a general decline in the quality of Clancy's novels, and this one finalizes my opinion. I'm not going to buy any more Clancy novels. His last few novels have contained horrendous examples of misogynistic stereotyping. The female characters (if there are any - none at all in The Teeth of the Tiger (as far as I can remember)) are often marginalized and subservient. In this novel they're only spoken of in disparaging and sexist terms. The treatment of female characters isn't the only reason I'm disappointed. This novel contained a set of less than interesting characters, their activities were poorly fit to the characters they portrayed, and there were several instances of horrid writing. The writing. (in my opinion) was bland, poorly constructed, and barely tolerable. Here are a few excerpts I found especially grievous:

From page 306: "Jack Jr. correctly assumed it would be a casual-dress day, and drove his Hummer 2 into work wearing jeans, a pullover shirt, and sneaks. The security people were fully uniformed of course, and as stone-faced as ever. Tony Wills was just lighting up his computer when Jack came in at 8:14"

From page 316: "And Brian had probably done something in the Marines to get noticed. Brian had been the football type in his high school, while his brother had been the family debater. But Dominic wasn't a pussy. At least one bad guy had found that out the hard way. Maybe some people needed to learn that you didn't mess with a big country that had real men in its employ. Every tiger had teeth and claws... ...and America grew large tigers.

From page 431: " "He'd rather sleep with a Ferrari than with Grace Kelly," Brian snorted. His own priorities were rather more conventional, of course. "You can ride a car longer than a girl, people." Which was one version of efficiency. "Damn, I bet that honey moves pretty fast.""

In Tom Clancy's Teeth of the Tiger, Jack Ryan, Jr. is one of the primary characters. Jack Jr. works for some sort of 'Off Campus' contractor that does intel work outside the standard 'accountability' channels. The other primary characters are a pair of super macho patriots. One is a marine, the other an FBI agent. The two are pulled out of standard circulation in order to work for a 'plausibly deniable' assassination team. Jack and his cousins eventually meet up in Europe in order to liquidate a group of Islamic terrorists responsible for a shopping mall massacre in mid-town U.S.A. The primary characters are unsophisticated stereotypes of brain and brawn. Their adversaries are impotent examples of the stereotypical terrorist. The pacing was slow, the action mediocre, the dialogue ridiculous, the editing non-existent, and the plot so simple that it may have started out as a scribble on someone's cocktail napkin. The characters - Supposedly trained intelligence operatives - participate in numerous examples of poor tradecraft (I'm no 'Spook', but I was constantly picking out a large number of 'Dhuh - That's Stupid' moments. These blatantly obvious gaffs were completely ignored by the characters). I'm simply amazed that the bad guys (even if they are fictional characters under the author's complete control) didn't spot these clumsy oafs a mile away. The ending was a truly non-climactic plug for yet another novel. The only bright spot in the novel was the action sequence set in an American shopping mall. In that sequence the writing. was fairly tight and well paced. All in all, I was sorely disappointed by the piss-poor writing. The good news? Now I can move onto something better, and I doubt that I'll have any problem finding something that fits that description.

Speaking of 'something better', I'm looking forward to many of the books on my bookshelf. I'm really interested in the 'Personal Effects' novel. It represents something novel in books. It's a 'fiction' meets 'reality' concept. The book comes with numerous 'artifacts' and links to web sites, which involve the reader in a more substantial method of storytelling. I'm also looking forward to all those 'Dune' novels that I've been accumulating over the years. The Dune series is something I can't get enough of. Unfortunately, I've been wasting my time on this crappy book. As I said earlier, I'm done with Clancy. His last three books have all been disappointing, and I for one and ready to write him off. He's had his day; maybe he should take a vacation. Maybe this was actually calculated so that he could take a vacation?
<https://www.robsworld.org/books.html>

More updates to the Tollgate Crossing Website:
My odd-ball schedule actually works in my favor for some things. A couple of those activities are the community support activities which I enjoy - Volunteering with our local neighborhood watch, and supporting our community by maintaining the Tollgate Crossing website and mailing lists. What started out as a website focused primarily 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:

* Updated the banners/badges on the Welcome page. I updated a badge requesting volunteers to serve on our HOA and Metro District boards. The HOA held their elections this week, and now we're focusing on Metro District board members. I also updated some info regarding an upcoming Picnic Planning meeting. Our Neighborhood Watch is planning a picnic for May 15th, and they need to hold some planning meetings in order to get this picnic properly planned. The next meeting will be held on the 18th (not the 17th) of February. Hopefully we can get some more volunteers to help us with this upcoming event. I also updated the banners for our Metro District (23 Feb) and HOA (9 Mar) meetings. I posted a new banner for our next Neighborhood Watch meeting (not the picnic). That meeting will be held on the 9th of Mar. I updated some information regarding our upcoming Metro District special elections meeting. That meeting will be held on the 4th of May. Finally, I added some badging and a banner for a Bunco club run by one of our residents.
* Updated some information on our Events page. Corrected the entry for our next Neighborhood Watch Picnic Planning meeting (18 Feb). I updated the entry for our next Neighborhood Watch meeting (4 Mar). I posted a fairly detailed entry (and linked board member nomination form) for our Special Metro District Elections meeting (4 May). Finally, I added a new entry for the Bunco Ladies of Tollgate Crossing. They meet on the last Friday of every month.
* On the Neighborhood Watch page, I corrected some information regarding our upcoming Annual Picnic. We've already had one planning meeting, and I updated the date for our next picnic planning meeting (18 Feb). We still need more help with our upcoming annual picnic. We need volunteers to help us with activities on the day of the event, and sponsors to help with the expenses and supplies.
* On the Volunteers page, I updated some information soliciting volunteers to serve on our HOA and Metro District boards. Our community really needs your help in this regard. If you've got the time, please consider a more active role. and volunteer to serve on one of these boards.
* Finally, I made a few minor updates to the information contained on our 'Alert Me' web page. Sign up for the city's email alerts today.

Malware increase in my Inbox:
An interesting item arrived in my Inbox (actually I found it in my Spam folder) the other day (on the 8th of February). An email similar to one I'd received back in September of 2008. The content of the email certainly caught my attention...

Your internet access is going to get suspended

The Internet Service Provider Consorcium was made to protect the rights of software authors, artists.
We conduct regular wiretapping on our networks, to monitor criminal acts.

We are aware of your illegal activities on the internet wich were originating from

You can check the report of your activities in the past 6 month that we have attached. We strongly advise you to stop your activities regarding the illegal downloading of copyrighted material of your internet access will be suspended.

Sincerely
ICS Monitoring Team

[The attachment report.zip has been manually removed]

As I indicated, I received similar email, back in 2008. As a matter of fact, the text was identical (note that I removed an attachment). This email is of course, spam. It's an attempt by some spammer to infect my computer with malware. The From: address was my own (Do spammers really think that users would send themselves this sort of email?), and the content included misspelled words and poor grammar. Finally, it contained a .zip attachment - Under no circumstances should you open a .zip attachment that you didn't specifically ask for. This kind of crap is easy enough to spot, but some might be fooled by the official sounding tone of this message. Examining the attachment (named report.zip/report.exe) confirms the presence of malware. I scanned the file using one of those free online virus scanners. The scanner reported the attachment to be 'Packed.Win32.krap.x' malware designed to turn a computer into a botnet zombie.

I received five copies of this email in a 24 hour period, and it's not the only email with attached malware. I've seen a considerable increase in the last few days. The month of February seems to mark a considerable increase in the war to conquer your computer. I've already received 23 messages with attached malware. That's way more than normal. A bit of research (Google searches) reveals spam wars underway. A large botnet is under attack by one of the up and comers. Spammers control networks of controlled computers, and sometimes they try to put each other out of business. They do this by infecting already infected machines. The new infection removes the malware installed by its competitor, only to be replaced by a new set of malware, controlled by the upstart organization. Thankfully, I've got a Mac, and this particular malware can't infect my machine. I feel sorry for those sad saps with infected Windows machines. I hate spammers!
<https://www.robsworld.org/index2.html#fightingspam>
<http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/index.cfm?newsid=3212331>

Free Music in February:
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) and several other music blogs (Analog Giant, Brooklyn Vegan, Fluxblog, Gorilla vs. Bear, etc) out there, and listening to a few different music podcasts (iTunes new music tuesdays, discovery download, 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.
* The Sharpest Crown - Joe Pug: (single) A single from Joe Pug's forthcoming album. Joe is set to release a new album on the 16th of this month (He's currently in the middle of a promotional tour), and here's a small preview of the new album - Messenger. Excellent acoustic folk/country. Great pickin', a great voice and some serious lyrics. Thanks for the free music Joe.

iTunes New Music Tuesday download:
Sometimes I purchase music from iTunes, and sometimes I take advantage of their free downloads (check it out on Tuesdays). iTunes is the King of the Hill when it comes to the bigger names, so sometimes I find that I have to pay the higher prices. Here's a few of those free downloads from the iTunes store. iTunes is constantly giving away free music. Thanks Apple! (The New Tuesday/Discovery downloads are only available/free for a limited time, so don't dally):
* The High Road - Broken Bells: (single) If you're familiar with Danger Mouse or James Mercer (of the Shins), you'll happily snap up this free track. It's a collaboration by the two. There's some excellent work here. The instrumental arrangement and lyrics work very well together. Quality music, for Free! The Broken Bells album is set for release in March. I'll be checking eMusic, and you should too.
* C'Mon - The Soft Pack: (single) If you like Grunge, you may appreciate this track. It's a return to the rockin' raw sound spawned by bands like Nirvana and Perl Jam. This track isn't half bad. As a matter of fact, I'd say it's more than half good. More good stuff, more free music from iTunes.

Software favorites:
More beta releases for one of my favorite software applications. GraphicConverter moves ever forward. As usual, developer has been busy updating this application. Here are three more 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 a few more beta releases over the last few days. I saw/downloaded the following updates: 6.6.2b19, 6.6.2b20 and 6.6.2b21. 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. A couple of those activities are the community support activities which I enjoy - Volunteering with our local neighborhood watch, and supporting our community by maintaining the Tollgate Crossing website and mailing lists. What started out as a website focused primarily 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:

* Updated the banners/badges on the Welcome page. I updated a banner for the upcoming Metro District meeting (Feb 23rd), updated the banner for our HOA meeting (9 Feb). The HOA meeting is our annual elections meeting. I also updated a badge requesting volunteers to serve on our HOA board.
* Updated some information on our Events page. Updated the entry for our next Metro District meeting (Feb 23rd), next HOA meeting (9 Feb), and the next Neighborhood Watch Picnic Planning meeting (17 Feb).
* On the Neighborhood Watch page, I updated some information regarding our upcoming Annual Picnic. We've already had one planning meeting, and I updated the date for our next picnic planning meeting (17 Feb). We still need more help with our upcoming annual picnic. We need volunteers to help us with activities on the day of the event, and sponsors to help with the expenses and supplies.

Yet another spammer pretending to be me:
Occasionally I receive bounce messages triggered by email I didn't actually send. It's evidence that the spammers still hate me. As I continue to report them, they find out that someone cares. I used to spend a lot of time reporting spammers. Over the last year, I haven't had much time to report these spammers. In the last month, my reporting has gone way up. I've reported close to a hundred messages in the last thirty days. The result? Well, I can tell that I've pissed off some spammers, because they've decided to implicate me as a spammer. Some of the spam that I report reaches ISPs that care, and they shut down the spammer(s). Sometimes it heads right back to the spammer. Many of these spammers control the mail server directly (the machine is compromised/they own it), or they're friendly with the service provider. The bounce messages I receive are proof that spammers use my email address(es) in the From: line of the spam they send. Most of these bounce messages are a cost of 'doing business'. Some spammers take offense when I try to get them shut down, and I do that a lot. They break the law, don't respect privacy, and use deceptive measures to conceal their true identity. Just another volley in this never ending battle - Death to Spammers! - If you think that this motto is extreme, you're either a spammer, or you're not receiving your fair share.

My first run-in with this sort of header forgery dates back to 2002. Like then, this instance is an attack on my domain. Based on the number of bounce/auto-reply messages that I've received, it's fairly evident that this spammer hasn't sent many messages. While I only received two 'bounce' messages, the odds are very good that the spammer sent many more messages where my email address was forged to appear as the From: address. The spammer is pretending to be me; intentionally targeting me/my domain. The blow-back from his spam run is damaging to my domain and name. I can only hope that no-one will assume that I actually am the spammer. That's what the spammer is hoping for. He/She is hoping that my ISP(s) or email provider(s) will mistake me for the spammer.

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

Let it Snow - I'll get to it eventually:
Now that January is over, we'll start to get some snow. January is traditionally a pretty dry month in Colorado, and this year hasn't been too different in that regard. We had very little precipitation last month. This month should be much wetter, and the snow has already started. On Sunday (Super Bowl Sunday) we saw a light coating come down in our neighborhood. Two inches isn't enough to slow us down, and the Volvo simply laughed at this pitiful display. On Monday (the 8th of Feb) the snow continued. I had to work, but the snow kept falling. The total (two day total) for our area was six inches. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to clear the driveway until Wednesday. Two full days of driving on the snow didn't help any. I had to use the shovel for most of the work. Ohh, my aching back...

Super Bowl Sunday:
A co-worker invited Kim and I to a Super Bowl party. I'm not a huge fan of commercialized sports; sports arranged to entertain and distract the masses. We didn't have anything planned for Sunday, so - A party sounds like a good idea. Our hosts were great. They fed us, offered us drinks (I brought a bottle of wine), and we found a comfortable seat to watch the game. The house was filled with co-workers and friends, and the big screen was HD plasma. Very nice. Unlike that half time show back in 2004 (remember the 'wardrobe malfunction'), there wasn't anything racy or incendiary to get the fans all riled up. The only 'possible' controversy was the rumors surrounding the 'Anti-Abortion' commercial. The supposed 'anti-abortion' commercial? Well, we saw it (the ad by Focus On the Family). Seriously? That's supposed to be controversial? No one in the room (other than me) had any idea what the ad was about. I asked 'What was that?' No one knew, so I said 'That was that controversial anti-abortion ad by Focus On the Family'. Someone said 'What?'. Yup. No nipples wearing jewelry this year. Kim and I had a good time, and the Saints won (31 - 17). Good for them, the Saints deserve their time in the spotlight.

February 6, 2010

D&D updates:
We played our last D&D session on the 23rd of January. Here are some of the updates from that meeting. With the conclusion of the 8 August meeting, our players have moved into an entirely new phase of the game. Gone are the S.C.R.E.W.O.F.F.S. - Existing now as a group of non-player characters. The player characters are now members of an entirely new group. The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights. This new group of adventurers is poised to strike out from Whillip. In search of glory, fame, and justice, they seek to right the wrongs of this land. To defend the weak, enslaved and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name both feared (by evil) and revered by the (good) citizens of these realms.

3rd Edition Campaign:
I updated the date of our next meeting - Our next meeting is 20 February 2010. I also updated some info regarding attendance at our next meeting. This page (The "3eCampagin" page) 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. You can also check out the latest group photo.
<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. Victory, defeat, desire and glory. Here is the tale of The H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights, a group of adventurers who set forth from Whillip, seeking fame, fortune and the defeat of evil in these lands. The meeting on the 23rd of January sees the party out on the road. On their way to the next adventure. It's going to be a long overland journey, and there will be many more days just like this one. This entry features inputs from Mutteran, Belt and Skifander. Thanks to Lee, Lars and Sean for their continued input and support. In addition to the entries for the 23rd of January, we also have a handful of entries (from Lee) added from the January 9th meeting. Hopefully we can see some journal entries from Joe/Jusarian in the future.
<https://www.robsworld.org/ajournal08.html#jan23_2010>
<https://www.robsworld.org/ajournal08.html#jan09_2010>

Who's Who?:
In their travels, and during their research, the party has learned of or encountered several people. Not all are important enough to warrant entry on this listing, but during a recent meeting, the party discovered more information regarding one 'Armon Bistle'. The financier of their current mission, Armon is reportedly a retired merchant from the town of Riatavin. "Who's Who?" page is a listing of characters, both player characters and non-player characters.
<https://www.robsworld.org/3ewhoswho.html>

Monsters encountered:
On the road - As the party takes to the open road, they find themselves to be the target for numerous hungry, belligerent, and simply curious creatures. During our most recent gaming session, the party encountered two new creatures during their travels. The Harpoon Spider, and a small band of Skullcrusher Ogres. 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 meetings on the 9th and 23rd of January. These sessions represent the early days of a new adventure. The eighth adventure for our group. In search of glory, fame, and justice, the H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights seek to right the wrongs of this land. To defend the weak, enslaved and oppressed. Striking out at evil and taint, this group of characters vow to make their mark upon the land. Let H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights be a name both feared (by evil) and revered by the (good) citizens of these realms. Training has been completed, and the party has decided on a course of action - They've selected an adventure to embark upon. The party has decided to help the citizens of Deepwood in their quest to vanquish a Blue Dragon from their backyard. After picking up supplies, horses, and some information in Westgate, the party has taken to the open road. With horses and a wagon, the journey is likely to be long and arduous. And what was that rumor about some ultra-powerful gang of Orcs? Sharpen your blades and hitch up your horses - Adventure calls and danger beckons!
<https://www.robsworld.org/3ecampaign.html>

February'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 (Pandora, 3hive.com, musicalfamilytree.org) and several other music blogs (Analog Giant, Brooklyn Vegan, Fluxblog, Gorilla vs. Bear, etc) out there, and listening to a few different music podcasts (iTunes new music tuesdays, discovery download, 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.

eMusic monthly downloads:
Every month I download 50+ tracks (50 download credits) from eMusic.com. This month (February of 2010) I managed to download 73 tracks (due to their 'download deals' where (for example) you can download an entire 17 track album for 12 credits). Unlike some music outlets, eMusic doesn't have any DRM and they don't insert unique track id's into the ID3 tags. Their terms of service are consumer friendly; eMusic allows you to burn as many CDs as you like and copy downloads to an unlimited number of your computers and portable MP3 players, including the iPod and Zune. At less than $.40 a track, it's a really good value. iTunes and Amazon still charge more. eMusic offers more music for your money, and the variable bit rate recordings make for exceptionally high quality recordings.
* Hollow Me / Beautiful - Yura Yura Teikoku: (14 songs) Discovered by listening to an Indie Spotlight podcast (the Best of 2009). Despite the fact that I don't speak Japanese, I can clearly hear why this album was one of the best for 2009. The melodies are haunting, the lyrics outstanding and the instrumentals moving.
* Parallelogram - Deastro: (2 songs) This single (two songs) is another release by one of my new favorites. Deastro remains light, pop, rock. Great electronic tracks with smooth vocals and a bit of reverb. I've got all the emusic offerings for this artist, and I'm eagerly awaiting the next release.
* Consolers Of The Lonely - The Raconteurs: (14 songs) The second album from the band that we thought was a one man, one time, show. I first heard the Raconteurs back in May of '06. ...Holy Crap - I can't believe I just did that. Well, it was bound to happen eventually (especially considering the fact that I've got more than 13,000 songs in my iTunes collection). I just downloaded an album that I already own. I originally downloaded this album from iTunes, back in 2008. After discovering my colossal blunder, I deleted the original iTunes tracks - They had DRM on them, and I can't stand that DRM. Well, that makes me feel a little better... Damn - Must remember to check! No wonder the songs sound so familiar to me.
* One All - Neil Finn: (12 songs) Neil Finn was the creative force behind the bands 'Split Enz' and 'Crowded House'. Crowded House is kaput, but Neil Finn carries on. Here he is another one of his solo releases. The songwriting is excellent.
* Sorry Ma, I Forgot To Take Out The Trash [expanded edition] - The Replacements: (31 songs) Yes, 31 songs! An amazing deal - Thank you eMusic, for making one of my favorite bands (from the 80s) available for download. Even better, thanks for permitting a full 31 songs for the price of 12! Now that's value. Here is an album that I've been looking for. I've heard many of the songs on this album, but I was never able to locate a copy. Thanks eMusic.

Free eMusic sampler downloads:
Here's some more free music I downloaded recently. eMusic provides plenty of free tracks (to it's members) throughout the year, and I certainly take advantage of the free stuff:
* CMJ 2009 The Bands, The Music, The City, Vol. 3 - Various Artists: (16 songs) CMJ (College Music Journal) was one of those music magazines that emerged soon after the advent of the CD. The monthly magazine is still for sale on your news stand, and each issue includes a sampler CD. While the magazine has grown into a website (more free downloads!), it's also started an annual music festival, and this compilation is the fruit of one such gathering. eMusic gives away the sampler, and I use it to discover new bands (all genres) for my enjoyment.
* Simple Mental Math - Various Artists: (19 songs) A sampler from the Polyvinyl Record Co. Here's another label sampler. Offered generously by the folks at eMusic and a label interested in selling more music. I haven't had a chance to listen to this album yet, but if I find something I like, the label will benefit when I decide to pay for a new album download. Imagine that, giving something away for free could actually result in a profit. It's simple mental math.
* Tompkins Square Label - Various Artists: (14 songs) A year in review of the labels Fall/Winter 2009/2010 catalog. I like folk music, and here's a great way to introduce me to artists I've never heard of before. More free music, courtesy of eMusic and a forward thinking label.
* Scandinavian Gold - Various Artists: (5 songs) It's only five songs, but it's not the size that counts. Another free offering for eMusic members.

iTunes New Music Tuesday download:
Sometimes I purchase music from iTunes, and sometimes I take advantage of their free downloads (check it out on Tuesdays). iTunes is the King of the Hill when it comes to the bigger names, so sometimes I find that I have to pay the higher prices. Here's one of those free downloads from the iTunes store. Thanks Apple!:
* Shark in the Water - V. V. Brown: Not my usual cup of tea, but the vocals are outstanding. The sound is bouncy, contemporary pop/R&B with excellent musical arrangement. High production value. Good repeat value. It's growing on me. Thanks iTunes.

Free Music from iTunes:
Sometimes I purchase music from iTunes, and sometimes I take advantage of their free downloads (check it out on Tuesdays). iTunes is the King of the Hill when it comes to the bigger names, so sometimes I find that I have to pay the higher prices. Here's a bunch of downloads provided free from the iTunes store. A couple New Music Tuesday downloads and two full sampler albums. Thanks Apple!:
* iTunes Music Sampler - Artists to watch: (20 songs) Another great giveaway by iTunes. This one is loaded with a mix of music from different genres. You need to Friend iTunes through Facebook in order to snag these free tunes. If you don't know what that means... There's some pretty good stuff on this compilation. As a matter of fact, I've already identified some artists to add to my eMusic queue. Sampler will be available until March 15th, so don't dally. Free isn't free forever.

More news about the iPad:
On the 27th of January, 2010. Apple announced it's newest mobile sensation; the iPad. It's a portable device designed to fit between the iPod and the laptop; both in form and function. If you missed the news releases, you can read all about this new product on Apple's website. With a 9.7 inch LCD screen, and 10 hour battery life. This mobile media platform is a capable entrant in a field that hasn't really had any serious attention - until now. Tablet computing has been around for some time (Microsoft introduced a 'Tablet PC' back in 2001), but Apple's announcement moves this type of device into the realm of practical. Previous attempts depended on stylus input, had very short battery life, were very heavy, had poor computing power, and sat in a niche so small that no one noticed. Confined to production and service related environments, consumers didn't see them as something usable by the masses.

While I wrote about the iPad last month, there were a few details I missed/didn't know about until recently. After watching the keynote address and a product promotion on Apple's website, I can't believe I missed the revelation that this iPad will have some full feature applications in addition to the 140,000+ apps available through the iTunes App store. Owners of the iPad will also have the opportunity to purchase three great productivity applications (presumably through the App store) for $9.99 each. The redesigned Keynote, Pages and Numbers will make the iPad into more than a media presentation and consumption platform. With these applications, you'll be able to use that iPad to produce some excellent documents, presentations and spreadsheets. Unfortunately, I didn't see any mention of the iWorks.com beta service. It's something I love, and I'd really hate to see it excluded from the new iWork applications for iPad.

This device does have a spot on my 'Want' list. I've even got a use case for it. My D&D game would likely benefit from the portability of this platform, and I'm glad to see that the iPad has finally been born. I'll probably wait a bit before I buy one. I can't imagine owning one without an iChat/video conference capability, and I really want to see some other improvements before I jump on board.
<http://www.apple.com/ipad/>
<http://www.apple.com/iwork/>
<http://www.apple.com/iwork/iwork-dot-com/>

Software favorites:
More beta releases for one of my favorite software applications. GraphicConverter moves ever forward. As usual, developer has been busy updating this application. Here are three more 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 a few more beta releases over the last few days. I saw/downloaded the following updates: 6.6.2b15, 6.6.2b17 and 6.6.2b18. 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.
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