What's New

March 31, 2010

Way to go - USAA:
<rave>When it comes to American companies, I don't have much praise to sing. Thankfully, there's one company restores my confidence in capitalism. USAA is an insurance company and a bank (United Services Automobile Association). It is 'NOT' a publicly traded company. It's an 'Association', the members are the 'owners'. It doesn't answer to 'stockholders', it answers to it's members. Military members and their families (past and present) constitute the membership. The company suggests products and services, but the members get to vote on all the big changes and decisions. They're focused on products and services which help members meet their financial needs, not services that generate the most income for the company.

Recently, I received an email from USAA, that email contained a link to the annual report, and some other interesting facts. Here is some of the information it contained:

* During the past year, our members moved nearly $7 billion more of their assets and business to USAA. As our 2009 Report to Members: Doing the Right Thing shows, that’s with good reason.
* USAA is now the only property and casualty insurance group to maintain the highest possible financial strength ratings from A.M. Best, Moody’s, and Standard & Poor’s.
* We keep overhead low and, this past year, we returned $1.2 billion to our members in the form of distributions, dividends and bank rebates and rewards — 39 percent more than in 2008.
* USAA works to make members’ lives easier with innovations such as USAA Deposit@Mobile®, the first-ever deposit-by-mobile-phone capability, which makes banking deposits as easy as taking a picture of your check with your smartphone.

While researching this posting, I found a few videos and web pages which purportedly criticized USAA for some reason or another. After viewing the videos and postings, I'm still convinced. This is one of the best companies I've ever done business with. I've never been steered wrong, wronged or misled by USAA. Their service has always been the best. I can't imagine another company which treats it's members like owners, always looks out for the interests of it's members, and doesn't seek to screw those it serves. If you know a company as forthright, honest, and responsive, please share it with me.</rave><https://www.usaa.com/inet/ent_utils/McStaticPages?key=about_usaa>
<https://www.robsworld.org/usaadoingtherightthing.pdf>
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXi-ER0Fnkw>
<http://www.usaareporttomembers.com/>

Movie Purchases in March:
It's been quite a while (Dec '09) since I add any new movies to my collection (Christmas gifts / Star Trek and Iron Man), and it's been even longer (since Mar '09) since I purchased some new titles. This month (Mar '10) I purchased a few titles to add to my collection. I purchased three movies during the month of March (purchased from Wal-Mart). Only one of the movies was purchased from my 'Must Buy' list. Wal-Mart's selection isn't the best. One of the movies was purchased at Kim's insistence, and the final movie was one of those $1.00 gambles. So what are the new movies? One foreign film and Two American movies. Below are the full reviews I've written for these movies (last time I watched them).

Foreign movie:
* Death Rides A Horse: (1967 - Action, western) Starring Lee Van Cleef, this spaghetti western (Italian western) was directed by Giulio Petroni; a director with a single credit to his name. I paid a buck for the movie, so I hope Lee Van Cleef's performance speaks better than the directors record. I'll update this paragraph after I've seen the movie.

American movies:
* Juno: (2007 - Comedy, drama, romance) Directed by Jason Reitman (Thank you for smoking) and written by Diablo Cody (She won an oscar for the screenplay). This movie stars Ellen Page, Jason Bateman, Jennifer Garner, Michael Cera, Olivia Thirlby, J.K. Simmons, Allison Janney, Rainn Wilson, Lucas MacFadden and others. High school teenager, Juno (played by Ellen Page) is pregnant. It's definitely not something she planned, and now she's in over her head. With the help of her supportive friends and family, she decides to have the child, then give it up to someone who's more capable of raising a child. It's a positive, pro-choice, pro-life movie. While Juno 'chooses' what to do with her baby/body, she ultimately decides to have the child. It's a feel good compromise, that neatly avoids the controversy of the 'other' choice. Thankfully, it makes for a good plot, good drama, and that's what it is. A feel good drama about consequences, responsibility, and making the right decisions. The movie is full of complicated real-life decisions, slightly quirky yet intelligent characters in complicated relationships (teen and adult), and fantastic music. The acting was definitely top-notch, and the story deserved the oscar it captured. A bit like a combination between Knocked up and Napoleon Dynamite. I liked it so much I bought a copy. 5 out of 5.
* Sherlock Holmes: (2009 - Action, adventure, crime, mystery, thriller) This movie was purchased at Kim's insistence. She loved it. It was on my list (to watch), but I wasn't quite as impressed. Here's a re-imagination of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's detective series by Guy Ritchie (director of Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch). Starring Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock Holmes and Jude Law as Dr. Watson. This movie seeks to remake the genre as an action flick. This remake/reimagining is based on a Comic book by producer Lionel Wigram. The Comic book influence makes for great storyboarding, translated into great camera work, but the story is watered down when compared to the narrative of the original genre. I enjoyed the revised Watson character, but the new Holmes as a disheveled, pugilist, savant didn't quite meet with my approval. The pacing was quite brisk, and the HD (we bought the Blu-ray version) treatment was great. Unfortunately, the plot was rather transparent. Mystical bad man threatens to overthrow the British government using black magic. Holmes and Watson team up to thwart his dastardly plans. The level of intricacy was shifted from plot to background. The settings, props, and digital locations were all highly detailed, the plot wasn't. I liked the movie, but didn't appreciate the rather linear and uninspired plot. The ending was a clear set-up for sequels or a series. 3 of 5.

With these new purchases, I updated the main movies page, my 'must buy' list, the listing of my movie collection, the reviews page, and an alphabetical index that I'm working on.
<https://www.robsworld.org/movies.html>
<https://www.robsworld.org/movies.html #bought>
<https://www.robsworld.org/mymovies/index.html>
<https://www.robsworld.org/reviews.html>

Winter is over with - Finally:
Recently we've had a flurry of flurries, but no big snow storms. We got a good amount of snow during March, but April is right around the corner, and I don't foresee any further winter surprises. March 20th marked the official end of Winter, but today's temps really spell the end of that season. Temperatures rose up into the 70s today (30 Mar, 2010). As a matter of fact, we saw a high of 72 in our neighborhood. Everyone was out and about in shorts and short sleeve shirts. Farewell Winter, Hello warm weather!

Mac OS 10.6.3 update / Security update 2010-02:
Apple is hard at work, getting ready for the iPad release (on 3 Apr, 2010), finding security flaws, patching annoying bugs, improving the user experience. These particular updates brings a slew of improvements, corrections and updates. It includes recent security updates, as well as updates and bug fixes to the following applications and services: Printing reliability, sleep and wake reliability, color issues with iMovie HD, pixel problems with iMac (late '09) iSight cameras, Finder errors when copying from FAT32 formatted drives, screen saver issues, microphone levels in iChat, reliability of third-party USB devices, Accounts preference pane can now limit login by 'group', DNS server ordering and handling, a new 'data collection' capability for improved diagnostic analysis, fixes to AirPort wireless networking, fixes for directory services, issues affecting SMB servers/server volumes, multiple fixes for iCal (meeting invitations/events), Mail fixes and improvements (background colors, signing and encrypting messages, Microsoft Exchange synchronization), fixes and improvements for mobile accounts, MobileMe fixes (movies outside MobileMe gallery, iDisk sync, calendar syncing, parental control), Safari fixes (bookmarks, parental control), Rosetta fixes, imaging fixes, Time Machine fixes (time machine/time capsule backups with multiple computers, restore to unsupported macs, backup over AirPort connection), Xsan/Fibre channel updates.

In addition to the OS update, Apple also released a security update (2010-02) to bring numerous patches to the 10.6.3 Snow Leopard update. Many of these updates patch vulnerabilities revealed during a recent CanSecWest PWN2OWN conference. During this conference/contest, numerous 'security experts' demonstrate security vulnerabilities on a variety of platforms; including Mac OS and iPhone OS. Lessons learned from these demonstrations are then used to enhance and improve the security of the affected operating systems. This update addresses more than 60 security vulnerabilities, some of them were quite severe.

You can read all about these upgrades, bug fixes, security updates, and more by following the links I've provided below. I upgraded to Snow Leopard during August of 2009, and I have to say, the tweaking, enhancements and multi-core refinements have resulted in considerable speed improvements on my machine.

As a result of these recent updates, the following pages have been updated. myfavs.html, feedback.html, encryption.html and mycomputer.html.
<http://www.apple.com/macosx/>
<http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4014>
<http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4077>
<http://cansecwest.com/>
<http://cansecwest.com/post/2010-02-16-16:32:48-PWN2OWN_Announcement>

Dish Network Sucks!
It's time for my annual rant on Dish Network. I didn't plan it this way, but it sure seems like this company gives me reason to rant out loud at least once a year. The last time I ranted on Dish Network was March of 2009. Here it is a year later, and their service hasn't gotten any better. As a matter of fact, I'd say it sucks more than ever before.

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

The tech didn't show on the day they were originally scheduled. They installed more equipment than I originally contracted for, and they didn't complete the hook up appropriately. They left some cables hanging on the outside of mom's house, and they didn't connect phone lines to the receivers/equipment. After dealing with initial billing problems. i.e. Sorry about that, but you were dealing with the reseller, and we don't know what they told you. This is the package you get, and these are the features... Not what I bargained for. Months later I realize that Dish is still charging me for a 'Programming Access Fee'. Supposedly, they charge me extra because their equipment isn't hooked up by phone. So we schedule a technician to go out to mom's and correct the problem. He showed up, fixed the dangling cable, and the phone line problem. Or so I thought. A month later I was still getting charged for this 'Programming Access Fee'.

...That was the past. This year my complaints revolve entirely around their prices and customer service. In less than a year, they've managed to raise prices approximately $10.00 (Jul '09 - $37.86, Aug '09 - $-3.04, Sep '09 - $41.14, Oct '09 - $44.18, Nov '09 - $44.18, Dec '09 - $44.18, Jan '10 - $44.18, Feb '10 - $53.96 (someone ordered a movie), Mar '10 - $48.44). The prices have gone up nearly 28%, and I'm still getting the same service. No new or updated hardware, no expanded channel line-up, no HD. In less than a year, they managed to add their ''protection' fee back onto my plan. How did they do that? Oh, it's simple. When you're not looking, they add new service fees, change the names of fees, break fees down into multiple fees... Lot's of obfuscation, uncertainty, doubt. Their bill is utterly confusing. Oh, sure they have a little 'Explanation' section, but it's not very useful..

So, I call Dish (we won't even discuss their abysmal telephone support menu/service at this point), and I complain about the price increases. I'd like to know why the price has gone up so much without the addition of any new services or hardware? After hours of discussions (over the course of three phone calls) they manage to 'explain' the new fees. They explain how they've consolidated some previous fees into one fee. How they've increased their network's capability to... How they're now offering HD, and would I be interested in... It's all 'BS'. They didn't have any 'reason' for raising the prices. The truth is; they raised the prices because they could and they wanted to. They want more of my money, and they're betting that I won't leave. Oh how I wish there was some alternative (more on that later).

I want to get rid of the DVR receiver, which is costing me $6.00 a month. My mom doesn't use the DVR, doesn't know how, doesn't care to know how, wouldn't use it if she knew how. It's one of those things that I was promised (by the reseller). 'Free upgrade, at no additional cost', which later ended up costing me more money than I initially bargained for. So, in order to get rid of it, I could buy my own receiver, or get one from Dish. The one from Dish will cost appx $149.00 - What? Will it be mine, or will I still have to pay a monthly fee? They didn't cover that, so I'm sure it'll continue to be their receiver. Even if I purchase my own receiver, they'll still have to install it. My mother can't do it on her own, and I can't afford to fly to Wisconsin to hook it up for her. So, that's another visit from a marginally competent technician. In other words, another fee on top of the ~$149.00. In the end I would end up saving $6.00 a month. ~$149.00 + appx $50.00 (installation, fees, taxes) = ~$200.00 divided by $6.00 = ~$33.33. It'll take appx two and a half years of savings to pay off the new DVR. The other option? Dish will install the new receiver at no cost, but I would have to start a new two year contract. No thanks, I'll continue paying $6.00 a month for the privilege of dropping Dish at any point. Bastards!

Another thing - Really? Oh yeah, there's always one more thing with Dish Network. So, whenever I call Dish, and I finally get through to a live person, the rep asks me the typical 'security' questions. What's your name, address, phone number, last four of your social security number... What? I don't want to give that out over the phone. Why should I give the last four of my social security number to some flunky on the phone? Why should he have access to my social security number? I explain to the rep that I'd rather not provide that information. I'm concerned about data breaches, dishonest employees, companies that go out of business, etc. There's plenty of ways that my identity can (and has) be stolen. I'd rather not give out this particular piece of information when it's not necessary.

The rep argues that it's necessary, and it's only the last four. The rep may not know this, but the only 'random' part of a social security number is the last four digits. The other five numbers are assigned based on various rules. Rules that make the number less secure. Now a low level Dish Network rep is asking for part of my SSN. No thanks. He shouldn't need that information in order to provide me with service. I ask if there's some other information that will suffice. He explains that I could provide the serial number from one of the receivers on premises. Great, I'm in Colorado, and the equipment is at mom's - in Wisconsin. I end up calling mom. She's not home, I have to wait for her to call back. Then I have to explain where the serial number is, and why I need it. After I get the serial number, I call dish back. Now, I can avoid giving out my social security number over the phone. Oh, by the way, the next rep I talk to? Doesn't bother to ask for the social security number. Just my name and address.

Dish Network is the only company that routinely asks for this information (so does COMCAST and other service providers), but I've had enough. I'm not going to give this info to these companies any longer. Don't they realize that Identity theft is a real problem, I've had my identity stolen once before, and I'm very cautious about what information I give out. For that matter the SSA even cautions people not to share your SSN. "You should treat your Social Security number as confidential information and avoid giving it out unnecessarily." "You should be very careful about sharing your number and card to protect against misuse of your number. Giving your number is voluntary even when you are asked for the number directly."

In the end, I am dissatisfied. I spent my entire morning on the phone, trying to get answers, trying to get some satisfaction - and failing! My bill is now much higher than the original cost (only two years ago) I was paying appx $33.00 a month, now it's up to appx $48.00 a month. No new service, no new hardware, and cost of living has gone down over the last two years! It's just another example of corporate greed. The ever increasing 'Need' to draw bigger profits, larger gains, bigger bonuses for the CEOs and shareholders. I'll be happy when Dish goes out of business, and they will - They can't continue to charge these prices, while continuing to treat their customers like crap.

Oh how I hate Dish Network!</rant>
<http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/330/RipOff0330885.htm>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dish_Network>

Software favorites:
Here's a few software updates for April. A Mac OS update and security patches have prompted developers to release new versions of software. Just a few new applications. An update for the GIMP, one of my graphic apps, and another 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

X11:
One of the best things about OSX? - it's really Unix!
I'm running X11/XQuartz 2.5.0, available from MacOS Forge

I've been using Unix longer than I've been using Mac's, so I knew about the power potential when I found out that OSX was going to be based on Unix. Some of the most powerful Unix applications (see The GIMP below) run on any OSX equipped Mac. In order to run all these fantastic applications you need nothing more than Apple's version of X11 (which comes free with OSX, or you can download and install other versions). If you want to get a bit more advanced, you can use Fink or Macports with your OSX equipped Mac. Once you get your X Windows environment running, you'll find thousands of Unix applications that have been a well kept secret for all this time.

Getting Unix apps up and running on your Mac isn't always as easy as downloading and double clicking, but the following links should help you get started.
<http://developer.apple.com/opensource/tools/X11.html>
<http://developer.apple.com/opensource/tools/runningx11.html>
<http://www.macports.org/>
<http://www.finkproject.org/>

The GIMP:
I run version 2.6.8p2 on my Mac

GIMP is an acronym for GNU Image Manipulation Program. It is a freely distributed program for such tasks as photo retouching, image composition and image authoring. Written and developed under X11 for the Unix platform, I'm running a version ported to Mac OS X (runs under X11). This software application is the equivalent of PhotoShop for free! There's very little you can't do with this full feature graphic authoring software suite. It's got all the bells and whistles: Full suite of painting tools, Sub-pixel sampling, Gradient editor and blend tool, Custom brushes and patterns, Full alpha channel support, Layers and channels, Multiple Undo/Redo, Editable text layers, Transformation tools, Selection tools, Advanced path tool, Transformable paths and selections, Advanced scripting capabilities, Support for Photo-Shop plugins, and several more features. I've been using the GIMP for some years now, and I'm continually impressed by it's rich features and powerful rendering capabilities. Here are just a few of the graphics and titles I've created using the GIMP: Slice of a pseudo oil painting, adventuringgroup.png, dndbooks.png, vifsi.png

If you'd like to try out some of the GIMP's text effects, you can check out this web page that will let you create enhanced graphics using some of the GIMP's capabilities.
<http://sourceforge.net/projects/gimponosx>

GraphicConverter:
Thorsten Lemke (of Lemkesoft) released another beta release this week. I saw/downloaded the following update: 6.7.1b11. 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 this software update, I've updated my Software Favorites page. It's primarily dedicated to web publishing for the Mac user. Not meant for the professional, It's my hope that home users and hobbyists will find it useful. It's a listing of applications that I find useful in publishing my web pages.
<https://www.robsworld.org/myfavs.html>

Two Snow Non-Events:
Sometimes the meteorologists get it wrong. Twice in the last couple of days, meteorologists predicted two different snow storms. On the 26th of March, forecasters predicted a large snowstorm - Large? 4-8 inches for our area of Colorado. It started snowing around 1730, but nothing ever accumulated. As I left work, I thought this might turn ugly. By the time I got home (20 minutes later), the snow was barely falling. After two hours, the snow had stopped, and none of it had accumulated. The pavement was still warm from the heat of the day, and the 'Snow Storm' had moved to the east. On the 27th another snow storm was predicted. This time we were supposed to get another 4-8 inches. Once again, Nothing!

The Census - An illustration of government waste/re-visited:
For those of you unfamiliar with 'the Census' - As required by the United States Constitution, the US census has been conducted every 10 years since 1790.
<rant>I have nothing against 'the Census', but this years census (the first year that I've been counted - They've never counted me in the past. Because I was living outside the U.S., but I was still paying federal and state taxes!) was an excellent occasion to illustrate some of the inherent problems with the way our government goes about doing things. So there's been a big push in the media. Adds on T.V., radio, newspapers, magazines - regarding the 2010 census. My local government has reminded me (through various different outlets/forums) that the census is coming. To the point. The government, in it's infinite wisdom, decided that it would be a good idea to send me a reminder - in the mail - that they were going to send me a census form. Are you serious? They sent me a letter - through the post office - that basically said "About one week from now, you will receive a 2010 Census form in the mail." - Really? About a week later, I received the census form. How do you like that? How much did it cost the government to send out all those 'notices'? Why didn't they simply skip the 'notice' and simply send me the census without the 'notice'?

After completing the survey and sending it back, I received two postcards. The postcards reminded me; "A few days ago, you should have received a request to participate in the 2010 Census". Great, it's another shining example of waste in government. So, how does one report this sort of problem to the Inspector General's office? It's virtually impossible to eliminate this kind of waste in government. You can report 'Fraud' (at the website of the Government Accountability Office), but there seems to be no way to report 'Waste'. Great... Oh, yeah, one other thing. They wasted double the postage (on three occasions) by sending the 'notice' letter, a census to a non-existent address, and the 'reminder' postcards.</rant>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_United_States_Census>
<http://2010.census.gov/2010census/>

March 25, 2010

Roku News:
I use a device known as a "Roku Player" in order to watch NetFlix 'Watch Instantly' titles (and a slew of other digital content) on the television in my bedroom. It's not the only device available for this feat, but it's an excellent choice - imho. No need for a disc, no waiting for the postal delivery. It's instant viewing gratification, and I love it. The little box (As low as $79.00 through the mail) is a fantastic set-top device with plenty of room for growth and improvement, and the makers of this device haven't been sitting on their success. Following up on announcements made at the end of 2008, they've recently added two new streaming channels (on top of the ten new channels introduced back in November of 2009).

These new channels - Drive-In Classics and Moonlight Movies - are pay channels (offered by Vidpoints.com), but they're not your usual pay-per-title mode. It's an exciting new model. Pay once for all the movies you can watch. That's right, a single payment of $3.00 (per channel), gets you access to an ever changing line-up. New selections get added every week, and you get access to hundreds of outstanding titles.

Drive-In Classics promises all the classic horror and sci-fi you can eat. Zombies, space aliens, and a cast of classic spooky characters. Examples include Night of the Living Dead, Plan 9 from Outer Space, The Last Man on Earth, Carnival of Souls, Dead People, Nosferatu, and others.

Moonlight Movies features classics from the golden age of television (30's to 70's). Film noir, dramas and romance. Movies staring Buster Keaton, Frank Sinatra, Ava Gardner, Glen Ford, Moira Lister, Anabel Shaw, Orson Wells and other top movie stars from the era.

I paid $99.00 for my Roku Player, and it has delivered more than I expected. Here's a serious competitor in the set-top arena. With the statement; "you’ll see new movie channels, TV channels, web video channels and more!" comes some serious speculation, and amazing possibilities. Could we see YouTube, Hulu, Comedy Central, MSNBC, and other internet video content as a 'channel' on our Roku Players? I hope so, that would be awesome!
<http://www.roku.com/roku-products>
<http://www.vidpoints.com/channels/>

Comcast cuts the Analog cable:
I predicted this development back in February of 2009. With the DTV transition (Yeah, remember that? All the analog broadcasts went away. Everyone was forced to buy digital converters or new tvs.) Cable providers (including Comcast) were the only ones carrying analog television signals. These analog signals were taking up valuable bandwidth (on the copper/cable), required maintenance, and cost a lot of money to maintain and operate.

I predicted that all these cable providers would eventually do away with their analog service. Well - It's happening, but it's happening earlier than I estimated. Just a year has passed, and Comcast has started their digital transition. All those customers who're still watching cable via analog signals are being converted over to digital. In a surprise move, current customers are being converted at no cost. If you're a current Comcast customer, you can get a digital transport adapter at no cost (up to two adapters at no cost). If you've got 'Basic Cable' they're allowing you to remain on the analog teat. They're scaling back the number of channels that you'll have access to, and eventually that service will go away entirely. For now, they're retaining 15-30 analog channels for customers on their 'Basic Cable' plan. This retention of minimal analog service is due to a federal mandate, and I can't imagine the cable providers are very happy with this analog requirement (which expires in February of 2012).

<rave>These changes (Comcast scaling back analog service/offering DTAs) are rolling out across the country, and my neighborhood was scheduled to switch in April of this year. I caught wind of these changes from a friend, and managed to get my hands on a DTA earlier this week. Thankfully, it was easy to install and activate. I had the DTA up and running in under an hour. My new DTA gives me an expanded line-up of channels for the bedroom. I wasn't paying anything extra for the analog signal (in the bedroom), and Comcast gets kudos for keeping the price free. Now I've got digital quality service in my bedroom, and more than a hundred channels. I even got back some channels that disappeared with the DTV transition. The analog service wasn't very good, and the number of channels was pretty low (appx 40). Many signals were weak, and the picture quality was marginal at best. The digital channels are far better in picture quality, and I have to say... I'm completely satisfied with the way this change was handled. Thanks Comcast, you did it right!</rave>
<http://digitalnow.comcast.com/FAQs.aspx?map=default_faq_map&#faq_def1>
<http://digitalnow.comcast.com/Contents/DTA_online_ver_2.pdf>
<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-276576A1.pdf>

iTunes New Music for March:
Here's another free track 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, CDBaby podcasts, 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 the latest music I legally downloaded.

iTunes Discovery 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:
* Shark's Tooth - Archie Bronson Outfit: (single) From the album 'Coconut'. The sound captures a noise, fuze, psychedelic groove, and I enjoyed the throbbing electropop resonance of this tune. Like all the iTunes songs released for free, you have to act fast in order to snap up the weekly release. So if you like this one, act now.

This is an example of some of the tunes I've 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/itunes/download/>

Second Snow Storm for Spring 2010:
Spring officially began on the 20th of March, and this storm (on the 24th of March, 2010) marks our second storm for the season. Just like the last storm (on the 19th of March), this storm was preceded by unusually warm weather. On the 22nd, the temperature (where our house is located) climbed all the way up into the high 60s (fahrenheit). The high was 67 on the 22nd of March, and the low on the 23rd sank down to 25 degrees. The day after the warm streak, the storm began. It started with overcast conditions, then rain, thunder, lightning, and finally hail. The precipitation switch back and forth from rain, to hail, and sleet, several times. Around 4PM, the rain switched over to snow. The drive home (around 5PM) was difficult. The snow, fog, and wind made for very poor visibility. By 8PM the snow was really coming down. By the time I went to bed (at 10PM), we already had 8 inches of snow. It snowed throughout the evening, and well into the next day.

When it finally stopped snowing (around 1PM on the 24th), we'd accumulated appx 12 inches in our neighborhood (South-east Aurora). Clearing that driveway was quite a chore. The snow was extremely wet and heavy. My little Yard King/Murray/Tecumseh Snow Thrower just couldn't handle it. I struggled for over an hour to clear a quarter of the driveway. When the gas ran out, I finally fired up my new Ariens/Briggs & Stratton Sno-Thro. That bad-boy has a much larger engine, a bigger intake, and a six speed drive system. Once I got the new snow blower running, I was able to clear the driveway and sidewalks with minimal effort.

Yup, spring is here! I even took a few pictures on the 24th. I used the new camera (A Panasonic DMC-FZ35), and created a little web page using iPhoto's export capability.
<https://www.robsworld.org/iphoto/snow032410/index.html>

March 21, 2010

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:

* Welcome: Updated the banners/badges on the Welcome page. I updated the Volunteers badge on the front page. Our community needs volunteers to help out with various projects and organizations. Please consider donating a bit of your time.
* Neighborhood_Watch: On the Neighborhood Watch page, I updated the badge for our 2nd annual Neighborhood Watch picnic - May 15th.
* Events: On the Events page, I updated the information regarding the 2nd annual Neighborhood Watch picnic - May 15th.
* Volunteer: The volunteer page is a place where our community solicits help with various non-profit community projects. I updated the entry for our 2nd annual Neighborhood Watch picnic - May 15th. I also updated the date of our next Neighborhood Watch Picnic Planning meeting - Apr 8th.

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, Tallyn’s Reach and Saddle Rock - North), you should check out the Neighborhood Watch section. If you're a fan of "Rob's World!" you'll want to check out the web page, just to see what can be done with Apple's iWeb software. The web page turned out very nicely, and I hope it serves our community well. If you're a resident of Tollgate Crossing, and you're concerned about the safety and security of our community, you might want to join our mailing lists to receive periodic alerts, updates and information.
<http://www.tollgatecrossing.org/Welcome.html>
<http://www.apple.com/ilife/iweb/>

Farewell to our Passat!
Over the last several months, we've been planning, plotting and saving. Saving up for our new car. A car to replace our Passat - We bought a 2001.5* Volkswagen Passat in 2001, and despite it's electrical problems, it served us well these last nine years. No major expenses, and only the occasional annoying problem. The electrical system on the Passat brought us much grief, but worse than that was the response from a local dealership. While we continually complained about a persistent problem, they reportedly were never able to diagnose, discover, and originally denied knowing about the problem at all. Eventually, they informed us that a complete removal of our dash would be required to properly diagnose and repair the problem. All at our expense of course! After all, they waited until our warranty coverage had expired before they finally acknowledged the issue. So we suffered through the annoying electrical issue, the check engine light the came and went like the wind. We pumped money, time and our anxieties into these phantom maladies. These nagging issues that simply wouldn't go away. The result? We won't buy another Volkswagen for quite some time, if ever.

With that said, we began our quest for a new car over a year ago. I did a load of research. Compared reliability figures, gas mileage stats, prices, and a slew of statistics that only a numbers geek like me could truly appreciate. We even sat in the seat of quite a few candidates. The Denver auto show helped refine the results of our search. After sifting through all the numbers, stats and candidates, I came up with a list. From that list, Kim made her selection. Since this was meant as a replacement for the Passat, she got to choose. She selected the 'Toyota Prius'. Then, the unthinkable happened. The Prius became the center of a huge firestorm of negative media. Brake problems, accelerator problems, computer problems, an immense media/relations problem, and ultimately the recalls. We waited and waited, thinking - Surely they'll address these problems, assuage our concerns, reassure the public and do the right thing. We even hoped for a rebate, price reductions, or some sort of incentive to win back their customer base. None of that materialized, and the media reports continued to speak of continuing problems. As our self-imposed deadline drew closer, we had no choice. Toyota had just lost their chance at a sale. We weighed our options carefully, and decided to go with a different contender. An American car - Dad would definitely be proud. In the end, we changed our minds on what to buy when Toyota failed to adequately address all the issues affecting the 2010 Prius.

Our next car came, not from my meticulously prepared list, but more from Kim's inspiration. She began her own research program. I gave her some guidelines, some recommendations, and a hefty amount of lee-way when it came to her decision. In the end I'm convinced that she/we made the right decision.

(* There were two models released in the 2001 calendar year. The early model, and the re-designed late model 2001 Passat. Our Passat was one of the new design).

Hello to Kim's new car!
<rave>Kim and I have been planning this for some time. For over a year now, we've been thinking about a new vehicle. We've paid off both our previous vehicles, and we really wanted something new. It's a great feeling when you can afford to buy a new car because you want one. Previously, our car buying decisions had always been driven by necessity. Now we're at a place (financially and location wise (no more moving around, moving overseas - due to the military)) where we can actually afford to buy a car because we want one, not because we need one.

We decided on the vehicle (Kim's choice - After the Prius voted itself 'off the island'), and we started planning our dealer negotiation strategy... Not! One of our life lessons learned. Don't try to negotiate with a car dealer. Their motives run counter to your desires. It's a pain in the 'you know what', and it's never a pleasurable experience. Our last car buying experience exposed us to the AAA auto sales program. It's actually a broker service. AAA membership gives us access to this broker service. The AAA brokers are salaried by AAA, so they have no incentive to jack up the price when they're looking for your vehicle.

In addition to being salaried by AAA, the brokers deal with fleet sales managers instead of the standard showroom sales person. You know those sharks that walk-in customers have to deal with. The fleet managers are also salaried. That's another layer of no pressure sales. The broker will even look for the best loan deal. I told him that our bank offers a 3.99% new car loan for 48 months. He said he could definitely find something better. This year the broker went one step further. With the purchase of Kim's new car, we still had the Passat to deal with. We wanted to use it as a trade-in, but once again the hassle of selling a used car can be quite a chore. Not so with AAA. The broker wrote down some info, inspected the Passat, and sent off the stats to a list of dealers willing to buy...

So, the AAA broker canvassed all the dealerships in our area. Trying to find the best deal that meets our needs, shopping around for a low interest rate, and trying to peddle our Passat for trade-in. That's a lot of work. I can only imagine that it would have taken us several weeks to visit all the dealerships, deal with the trade-in, and negotiate a low loan rate. If we didn't take time off from work, the process would have taken an inordinately long amount of time. In the end there was no foot work for Kim and I. No high pressure sales tactics. No deceptive dealers. No stress, no hassle, no heartache. In less than a weeks time, the AAA broker found the vehicle we wanted (the correct color, options, etc), at the lowest price available. He got a fair price for our trade-in, and the loan rate was an amazingly low one (3.65% over 60 months!).

In addition to all this, the broker did all the paperwork, drove the vehicle down to a location near us (his office was much closer than the dealership), and arranged for us to drop off the Passat and pick up our brand new car all at the same time (on a day that was convenient for us). All in one place, all in under an hour. Miraculous! Our sincerest Thank you to Mark Ford-Nash (Yes that's his real name), of the Aurora branch.

Oh yeah, did I happen to mention the best part? It bears repeating...

The service is free!</rave>
If you've got a AAA membership. This amazing service is definitely worth the price of membership. I can't imagine shopping for a car in any other way.
<http://www.aaa.com/aaa/sem/sem.htm?redirectto=http://www.aaa.com/?area=JoinSEM&skin=JoinSEM&>

Spring has Sprung - Let is Snow!
Spring officially began on the 20th of March, and we got socked with a doozy of a storm on the 19th. The storm was preceded by unusually warm weather. The temperature (where our house is located) climbed all the way up into the 70s (fahrenheit). As a matter of fact, it actually rose as high as 74 degrees. The low was 38 degrees, but the day itself was warm, spring-like and quite enjoyable. The day after this warm streak, the snow began to fall. It started around 5AM (Friday morning), and it shifted back and forth; from rain to sleet to snow and back again. We ended up with plenty of ice, a nice coating of snow, and some rather nasty driving conditions by the afternoon hours. I shoveled once on Friday; early in the morning, around 10am. I cleared the area in front of our front porch, and set aside my shovel for the remainder of the day. That side of the house faces north, and it often accumulates snow before the rest of the yard. After clearing the driveway, we went about our day. It continued snowing all day Friday, and the temperatures hovered just around freezing. The snow was very light, but it kept up all day long. Despite the moderate snow and slight melting, we still ended up with appx 1.5 inches of snow on the driveway. When the storm was done, we'd accumulated a total of maybe 4 inches. Far less than the predictions; it usually is. Welcome to Colorado spring-time.

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: 6.7.1b5 and 6.7.1b6. 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>

The Census - An illustration of government waste:
For those of you unfamiliar with 'the Census' - As required by the United States Constitution, the US census has been conducted every 10 years since 1790.
<rant>I have nothing against 'the Census', but this years census (the first year that I've been counted - They've never counted me in the past. Because I was living outside the U.S., but I was still paying federal and state taxes!) was an excellent occasion to illustrate some of the inherent problems with the way our government goes about doing things. So there's been a big push in the media. Adds on T.V., radio, newspapers, magazines - regarding the 2010 census. My local government has reminded me (through various different outlets/forums) that the census is coming. To the point. The government, in it's infinite wisdom, decided that it would be a good idea to send me a reminder - in the mail - that they were going to send me a census form. Are you serious? They sent me a letter - through the post office - that basically said "About one week from now, you will receive a 2010 Census form in the mail." - Really? About a week later, I received the census form. How do you like that? How much did it cost the government to send out all those 'notices'? Why didn't they simply skip the 'notice' and simply send me the census without the 'notice'? Another shining example of waste in government. So, how does one report this problem to the Inspector General's office? It's virtually impossible to eliminate this kind of waste in government. You can report 'Fraud' (at the website of the Government Accountability Office), but there seems to be no way to report 'Waste'. Great... Oh, yeah, one other thing. They wasted double the postage by sending the 'notice' letter, and a census to a non-existent address. My address with the number '1' on a separate line all by itself. What was that all about? More government waste, and no way to report it. </rant>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_United_States_Census>
<http://2010.census.gov/2010census/>

March 17, 2010

Software favorites:
Another beta release for one of my favorite software applications. GraphicConverter moves ever forward. As usual, developer has been busy updating this application. Here is one more release 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 another beta release this week. I saw/downloaded the following update: 6.7.1b3. 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>

AAFES, Zoomerang and Privacy:
<rant>Back in April of 2006, I had something of a dispute with AAFES. They willfully violated their publicly posted privacy policy by giving my personal information (the email addresses (and names?) of appx 50,000 customers) to a third party. When I confronted them about it (I started at the bottom, and eventually worked my way up to the AAFES office of Inspector General), they denied everything, refused to admit any wrong doing, and ignored (in essence) my concerns, questions and recommendations. You can read all about it online at "Rob's World!". Hey, they're a big company with lawyers and military officers on their side, so obviously I must be the one who was wrong! Well, you can be the judge of that. Thankfully they don't control my web page (I'm not in the military anymore), and they can't silence the truth. I've done my best to present the information in an even manner, presenting as many facts as possible, and avoiding any inflammatory language. In any case, I thought the matter resolved. After all 'They Won'...

A few years have passed since my original problems with AAFES (April of 2006). The dispute revolved around a survey email sent by Zoomerang (forged to look like it came from AAFES). The one that AAFES opted me in to without my authorization. See all my arguments regarding that policy/violation of my privacy at my "Privacy Policy" page. Back in 2006, I attempted to 'opt-out' of these Zoomerang surveys, the link didn't work. When I complained to AAFES... Well, let's just say that they eventually assured me that my contact had been 'deleted'. If that's true, then why do I continue to receive survey requests? I received one in July of 2009, and another in March of 2010. Despite the assurances of AAFES; despite the assurance may have given AAFES, they never deleted my contact info. I continue to receive survey requests from Zoomerang (on behalf of AAFES). AAFES gave away my personal info (email address and my name). Despite the AAFES privacy policy. My trust was violated by AAFES, and I still harbor a grudge against AAFES, Zoomerang, and the managers at AAFES who refused to seriously consider or address my concerns. Zoomerang is just like any other spammer. Once you're on their list, you can never get off.

This statement from the AAFES Inspector General (a Lt. Col) pretty much sums up their level of concern when it comes to my personal privacy or their policy "If you are contacted by Zoomerang again for business other than AAFES business, feel free to let us know and we will review that contact." That's right. Notice the 'other than AAFES' part. They don't care that Zoomerang is still contacting me; despite their and Zoomerang's claims to the contrary. They don't care that I didn't 'opt-in' to this spam. They don't care that I want off the spammers list. They just don't care about me and the thousands of AAFES customers who trusted AAFES with their personal information. FYI: To this date (Mar 16, 2010), AAFES has not changed their privacy policy, and I doubt that they've changed their attitudes when it comes to customer privacy. If you give them any personal info, you shouldn't expect them to protect your information - because they won't!

What am I planning to do about it? Not much. Ranting here is my only effective way of getting any relief. Maybe someone will read this and avoid the mistake I made (of giving AAFES my email address/contact information). I've tried contacting AAFES (read extensive content above) on numerous occassions, but they've proven to me (through repeated correspondence) that they aren't interested in doing anything about this/the continued violation (by them) of their publicly posted privacy policy. They just don't care about the privacy of their customers, and that's a fact!

As a result of this recent incident (receipt of yet another survey request from Zoomerang (on behalf of AAFES)), I've taken the time to update my 'Privacy Policy' web page. That's the web page about my disagreement with AAFES.</rant>
<https://www.robsworld.org/privacypolicy.html>
<https://www.robsworld.org/aafeszoomerang07_27_2009.png>
<https://www.robsworld.org/aafeszoomerang03_16_2010.png>

* Welcome: Updated the banners/badges on the Welcome page. I updated the banner for our next Neighborhood Watch picnic planning meeting. The Neighborhood Watch is planning a picnic for May 15th, and our next planning meeting will be held on the 8th of April. We still need help planning and running the picnic. If you'd like to help us out, please email our Head Area Coordinator: I updated the Egg Hunt banner. Tollgate Crossing will be having it's 2nd annual Tollgate Crossing Egg Hunt on the 27th of Mar (at 10AM). I updated the banner for our next HOA meeting (13 Apr).
* Neighborhood_Watch: On the Neighborhood Watch page, I removed the banner (and updated the meetings paragraph) for our next Neighborhood Watch meeting. The dates for the rest of 2010 haven't been determined yet. I'll update this info as soon as the Head Area Coordinator finalizes plans for the upcoming meetings. I also posted a paragraph regarding a Home Security presentation. At our last Neighborhood Watch meeting, Officer John Cassell presented a slide show on Home Security. The Aurora Police Department has granted us permission to post that slide show, and you can find links to that slide show on our Neighborhood Watch web page.
* Events: On the Events page, I updated the information regarding our next HOA meeting (13 Apr). I also updated the info regarding the Egg Hunt. Tollgate Crossing will be having it's 2nd annual Tollgate Crossing Egg Hunt on the 27th of Mar (at 10AM). I updated the info regarding our next Neighborhood Watch picnic planning meeting (8 Apr). Finally, I updated the dates for our upcomming Neighborhood Watch meetings. The upcoming dates have not been decided, but I'll update the relevant pages as soon as I get more info.
* Volunteer: The volunteer page is a place where our community solicits help with various non-profit community projects. I updated the entry for the 2nd annual Tollgate Crossing Egg Hunt (Mar 27). We still need help with this event. If you can help us out, that would be great.

The Music Marches in:
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.
* Autograph - Friday Mile: (single) A new band to me. I heard this band at the end of the MacCast podcast. Great stuff; excellent lo-fi rock. Strummin', a little bit of piano, but mainly some great lyrics, vocals and a heartfelt vibe that makes you nod your head and tap your toes. The pacing was absolutely perfect. I added an older album to my eMusic queue, but I'm hoping to see the new 'Good Luck Studio' added sometime soon.

Free eMusic sampler download:
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:
* IODA SXSW Opening Day Bash Sampler 2010 - Various Artists: (9 songs) It's March, and that means South by South West, an annual social event (music and media mix it up) in Austin, Texas. As music constitutes a huge part of this mixer, many labels release samplers, this year I managed to download a nine track sampler from IODA. IODA - Independent Online Distribution Alliance. A way for Independent artists to market, manage and distribute their music by leveraging the power of the internet. This sampler contains some excellent tracks, but it'll take me a while to fully digest the whole thing. More free music for eMusic subscribers.

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>

Books:
After I scored a huge bevy of books for Christmas of 2009, I also revised my 'Books' web page. It no longer displays a simple flat file listing. Now it's a starting point for numerous lists. Lists of my favorite books. These lists were created using some new software; well, it's not really 'new' software, but it is the first time I've used it to create web pages. Bookpedia is one of the great applications created by Bruji.com. I've been meaning to start using it for some time now. It's the sort of software that has helped me create my web pages, while simultaneously keeping my life organized. I hope you enjoy the revised 'Book' pages.

After finishing one of the newer Dune novels (The Battle of Corrin by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson), I've turned to something a bit lighter. I'm now reading 'Gone Fishing' a supernatural tour of the Great Lakes. I grew up in the Green Bay area, and I've always been fascinated by the freshwater seas which form the oceans North and East of Wisconsin. These immense lakes hold many secrets, and this book does it's best to re-tell some of the tall tales from the inhabitants, sailors, and residents along the shores of the three sisters (Huron, Michigan and Superior).

Adding yet another Dune novel (Paul of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson) to my ever growing list of books, virtually guarantees that I'll never want for something good to read. Check out my 'on the shelf' page for a list of all the pending titles. 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 (no pun intended). 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.
<https://www.robsworld.org/books.html>
<http://www.bruji.com/bookpedia/>

March 11, 2010

Software favorites:
A beta release and another full release for one of my software favorites. GraphicConverter moves ever forward. As usual, developer has been busy updating this application. Here are a couple 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. In addition to the GC updates, I also had a Safari update as a result of a Mac OS X security update.

GraphicConverter:
Thorsten Lemke (of Lemkesoft) released another beta and a full release this week. I saw/downloaded the following update: 6.7.0b4 and 6.7.0. 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>

Safari:
Apple's default web browser for OS X (also available for Windows!), is way ahead of the pack. Apple's browser contains a plethora of incredibly powerful features (over 150 features), and this release moves the browser forward for everyone. I wonder why Microsoft stopped developing IE for Mac? I'm currently running version 4.0.5 (6531.22.7). This update brings performance updates for top sites, stability improvements for 3rd party plug-ins, stability improvements for websites with online forms and scalable vector graphics. It also fixes issues with linksys routers iWork editing and several security fixes.

Battle of the browsers. Internet Explorer vs FireFox. Those are your choices right? Wrong! Think different! Think Mac! Choose Safari, the new kid on the block. A fast (The fastest available for Mac) but full featured browser, which performs like a pro. The full release version is a powerful workhorse - Featuring tabbed browsing, URL snap-back, a powerful but elegant bookmark implementation (with built-in import capability), Google search integration, built-in pop-up blocker, multiple standards (HTML 4.01 and some HTML 5, XML, XPath, XSLT, XHTML, DOM, CSS, RSS, ECMA Script, Proxy Support, SSL, TLS, JavaScript, Java, plus QuickTime, Flash and Shockwave plug-ins), and a host of other features. The beta boast a bevy of new features that will certainly enhance future versions of the browser. New features: Top sites - A visual representation of your top visited sites. Cover Flow - A fantastic new way to visualize your bookmarks. Tabs on Top - Not so hot. Nitro Engine - Makes Safari the fastest in the pack. That's just a small taste of all the new features. Check out the website for more info. Safari is just one more reason to Switch! It's won a place as my default browser, give it a chance and it'll soon be yours.

By the way, Safari is fully compliant (it was the first Browser to meet that bench mark) with the advanced Acid 3.0 test. So, if you're concerned about standards and compliance, you've nothing to worry about. Develop your web site using the Safari webkit and you won't have to worry about rendering problems or sticky browser compatibility issues.
<http://www.apple.com/safari/>
<http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4070>
<http://www.webstandards.org/action/acid3>

eMusic downloads for March:
Here's a list of some of the music I recently acquired. Where do I get all this stuff? I find a lot of free (actually free) music by visiting several of the new music web sites (Pandora, 3hive.com, musicalfamilytree.org) 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 - and in most cases - paid for!

eMusic monthly downloads:
Every month I download 50+ tracks (50 download credits) from eMusic.com. This month (March of 2010) I managed to download 75 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 (really?). 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.
* Salute Your Solution - The Raconteurs: (2 songs) Here's a single (two songs) from the band that I thought was a one man, one time, show. I first heard the Raconteurs back in May of '06. The former frontman from the White Stripes has found a sound that I appreciate. This one features some great guitar work, trumpets, and backing talent from other artists.
* Hollywood Holiday Revisited - True West: (21 songs) Early alt-country pioneers. True West emerged from LA's Paisley Underground during the 80's. Here's another early influence to my Americana/alt-country tendencies. This release is a two for one set (1983's Hollywood Holiday and 1984's Drifters). I already had Drifters, but this set includes all the songs from Hollywood Holiday, and some alternate versions, so it's all good.
* Abattoir Blues/Lyre of Orpheus - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: (17 songs) I was turned on to Nick Cave by a friend (thanks Troy), and I finally got around to adding some of his work to my collection (eMusic is finally carrying his stuff). Like a combination of Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan, Nick Cave delivers rock and roll gospel inspired ballads with a full choir to back his soul blasting crescendo.
* How To Save A Life - The Fray: (12 songs) First discovered through an iTunes free download. This Denver based band has really captured my attention. Slow, melancholy songs with some fantastic piano play and sincere soul searching lyrics. I'm hoping for a bit more variation on my next download.
* The Slash Years - Rank And File: (23 songs) A favorite band (from the 80s) that never made it. Here is a two album release (Rank and File plus Long Gone Dead). It's hard to believe that this band didn't make it. I guess the rest of America wasn't quite ready for Roots and Americana. Fantastic Cow-Punk, featuring Alejandro Escavedo and the Kinman brothers. Thank you eMusic, for making one of my favorite bands (from the 80s) available for download.

Can't Skip the Previews:
<rant>Maybe you know what I'm talking about... Recently I've noticed a trend which really pisses me off. Of late I've encountered a few DVDs that won't let me skip the previews (on my Samsung BD-P3600 blue-ray player). I can't skip past the previews on the DVD. I tried the 'Chapter advance' button - No sir. I tried the 'Disc Menu' button - Nope. I tried the Title Menu' button - Nothing. Even the 'Stop' button has been disabled. What the! The makers of DVDs have started forcing consumers to watch the all the previews, even if they've paid for the disc! A little research shows that this problem isn't limited to DVD, Blu-Ray, or some specific player. It's the authoring of the disc. The studio that authors the disc can make the previews auto-play, and disable the controls as well. Some make the 'anti-piracy' add un-skippable. This mandatory viewing is one of the reasons why people steal movies, and rip DVDs. When studios take the controls out of your hands, you have a tendency to take the control back - screw the studios! Let's compare some pros and cons:

Purchased disc	Pirated movie
DRM/Copy Protection - Can't copy the content to anything, can't even make back ups.	No DRM/Copy Protection - Copy the movie to your iPod, iPhone, AppleTV, hard drive, burn to a new DVD, etc.
Region Coding - Can't play disc in my DVD player. Have to buy a second compatible player.	No Region Coding - No need to move to England, just to watch my Doctor Who disc.
Advertisement on the disc - Forced to watch the previews and anti-piracy messages.	Leave out the previews - Umm, you can remove the disabling flags, or simply skip that extra content altogether.
Expensive product - Cost of disc ~ $0.20, cost to consumer ~$20.00	Super cheap - Cost of disc ~$0.20, cost to consumer ~$0.20 or Free if you leave it on the computer.
Ethical Consequences - You'll feel good, knowing that you're obeying the law, and contributing to the never ending greed of the incredibly wealthy CEOs and stockholders of the SuperMegaShitty movie studios. Maybe some money will go to the actors/artists actually responsible for the content of the movie.	Ethical Consequences - You'll feel good knowing that you're sticking it to the man. Even if you get caught. Too bad the poor actors are going to starve for your lack of support.
Legal Consequences - Don't go to jail	Legal Consequences - You could lose all your money, possessions, and go to prison!? For violating copyright or 'pirating' a movie.

The comparison above is meant to illustrate my sarcastic opinions, and it specifically should not be taken as an endorsement or recommendation that someone should pirate movies or commit any type of copyright violation. I would never advocate that someone break the law as a way of exacting some small measure of justice in a system where the rights belong to those with the money, and the prisons are built to house the underprivileged and oppressed masses. Why do the studios feel that it's a good idea to make movie piracy more attractive than the legal purchase of a disc? Well, eventually they'll own the police and the 'justice' system, so it really doesn't matter what we think. After all, we're just their customers. </rant>

D&D updates:
We played our last D&D session on the 6th of March. Here are couple of the updates from that meeting and the previous one. 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.

Note from the DM
As of 20 February, 2010, one of the players (Mark) has taken over the duties of DM. Mark and I have been planning this change for some time. It's something I like to do, when possible. Unfortunately, the opportunity doesn't present itself too often. Once the campaign has been established, and the players familiar with "Rob's World", I like to encourage full participation by sharing the duties of DM. Mark has written the adventure that the characters are currently engaged in, and I will relinquish DM duties while Mark makes all the big decisions. With Mark behind the podium, I'll do my best to enjoy the mystery, and keep Solmar alive. So, Mark and I have switched places. He'll be running the show, and I'll be playing Solmar. What fun! I'm certainly looking forward to the change of pace, the opportunity for adventure and the mystery of Deepwood. - Robert

3rd Edition Campaign:
I updated the date of our next meeting - Our next meeting is 20 March 2010. I also updated some of the captions beneath the small picture of our group. 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 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 entry features inputs from Mutteran, Belt and Skifander. The journal entry from our meeting on the 6th of Mar featured input from Mutteran. Hey - Just in case you haven't been paying attention: You may find these last two entries quite interesting. The party fought a heated battle - with the Guulvorg; Gregor died! and the party picked up a new adventurer back in Teziir. Thanks to Lee (entries from Mutteran and Belt) and Sean (entry from Skifander) for their continued input and support. Hopefully we can see some journal entries from Joe, Kim and Kevin in the future.
<https://www.robsworld.org/ajournal08.html#feb20_2010>
<https://www.robsworld.org/ajournal08.html#mar06_2010>

Character Updates:
With the recent demise of Gregor, I had to make some necessary changes to the "Who's Who?" page. I moved Gregor's short reference to the 'Former' category, and removed the full character entry. Following that, I added an entries for Kevin's new character - Perceval the Half Elven Bard. I added a short reference entry, and a full character entry. The full character entry is quite sparse, but I'm sure it'll get updated as we learn more about Perceval. I created a memorial page for Gregor, and that's where links to Gregor, Lupe Garou, and the House Guard will point from now on. In addition to the changes necessitated by Gregor's death, I also updated some entries based on the DM transition mentioned above (See Note from the DM above). Mark and I have switched positions. During this adventure, Mark will act as DM, and I will run Solmar. The "Who's Who?" page is a listing of characters, both player characters and non-player characters.
<https://www.robsworld.org/3ewhoswho.html>
<https://www.robsworld.org/gregor.html>

Players in our campaign:
With changes to Kevin's Character, I had to make some changes to the character annotations beneath our players photo. I also made some updates to the entries beneath Mark and my photos (See Note from the DM above). 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>

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 sessions, the party battled a Guulvorg and it's Goblin master. As a result of that combat, I updated the entry for the monster; adding some info related by Mutteran, and tweaking the description just a bit. Later, the party had a couple of run ins with some Air Elementals, so I added an entry to the page for that monster as well. 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 and the 6th of March. 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 feared by evil and revered by the good citizens of these realms. Departing on the 1st of Mavis, 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. During combat with a monstrous Guulvorg and its master, the party suffered their first fatality. Standing toe-to-toe against this regenerating beast was a bit more than Gregor could withstand. His valiant efforts were not in vain, as beast and master retreat into the night. Unfortunately, no amount of healing can revive our fallen comrade. Long live Gregor! After this fateful battle, the party traveled back to Teziir, relieved Gregor's hirelings, and added a new adventurer to their roles. Perceval the Bard joins the group, and they're back on the road again - Fighting Air Elementals, enjoying the last of Mutteran's stew, and keeping an eye out for that nasty Guulvorg and his master.
<https://www.robsworld.org/3ecampaign.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:

* Welcome: Updated the banners/badges on the Welcome page. I added a new banner for the 2nd annual Tollgate Crossing Easter Egg Hunt (Mar 27). I removed the banner for our Neighborhood Watch meeting.
* eMail_lists: A listing of all the email lists I run for our community. I updated the descriptions of all our Neighborhood Watch mailing lists. I added the Saddle Rock - North community to the descriptions. Our Neighborhood Watch (South East Aurora Neighborhood Watch) now consists of the following communities: Tollgate Crossing, Sorrel Ranch, The Wheatlands, Beacon Point, Southshore, Tallyn’s Reach and Saddle Rock - North.
* Neighborhood_Watch: On the Neighborhood Watch page, I updated all the descriptions of our Neighborhood Watch community. I added the Saddle Rock - North community to the descriptions. Our Neighborhood Watch (South East Aurora Neighborhood Watch) now consists of the following communities: Tollgate Crossing, Sorrel Ranch, The Wheatlands, Beacon Point, Southshore, Tallyn’s Reach and Saddle Rock - North.
* Events: On the Events page, I updated entries for our next Neighborhood Watch meeting (3 Jun). I also updated the entry for the 2nd annual Tollgate Crossing Easter Egg Hunt (Mar 27).
* Volunteer: The volunteer page is a place where our community solicits help with various non-profit community projects. I updated the entry for the 2nd annual Tollgate Crossing Easter Egg Hunt (Mar 27). I updated all the paragraphs tied to our Neighborhood Watch. I added the Saddle Rock - North community to the descriptions. Our Neighborhood Watch (South East Aurora Neighborhood Watch) now consists of the following communities: Tollgate Crossing, Sorrel Ranch, The Wheatlands, Beacon Point, Southshore, Tallyn’s Reach and Saddle Rock - North.
* Policy: A page which includes all the administrative 'gotchas'. Some details regarding what the 'Tollgate Crossing' website is all about. What's permitted, what isn't. I updated a paragraph which mentions our Neighborhood Watch. I added the Saddle Rock - North community to the description. Our Neighborhood Watch (South East Aurora Neighborhood Watch) now consists of the following communities: Tollgate Crossing, Sorrel Ranch, The Wheatlands, Beacon Point, Southshore, Tallyn’s Reach and Saddle Rock - North.

March 04, 2010

GraphicConverter:
Thorsten Lemke (of Lemkesoft) released another beta release this week. I saw/downloaded the following update: 6.7.0b1. 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>

Master Bedroom Closet gets a Make Over:
Wouldn't it be nice if your closet was neat and tidy? Organized and orderly? Well, thanks to a surprise (That's a long story) from Kim, our master-bedroom closet got a makeover. The room is 9'x8' and 10' tall. It's a big closet; or at least we think it's a big closet. It came with those white wire shelves. The kind covered with a rubberized coating. The shelves doubled as rods to hang clothes hangers on. When we moved in, we didn't have a lot of stuff... Over the years (five years), we've accumulated quite a bit of junk, and this closet was one of the places where we stashed all that stuff.

The master-bedroom closet was a place to stack and store clothes, shoes, bedding and more. Unfortunately, despite it's size, we really couldn't find enough room to store everything in an orderly fashion. So, the closet was a mess... Until recently. As a surprise, kim commissioned a local company to install some shelves, cabinets and clothes rods. A design consultant from 'The Closet Factory' came by (a little more than a month ago), took copious measurements and discussed a plan with Kim. Together they sketched out a layout, discussed the details and arranged for a transformation.

Armed with all the numbers, the Closet Factory went to work building a series of cabinets, enclosures, shelves and modules destined for our closet. On Wednesday (the 3rd of March), they came back to finish the job. In a few hours, they removed the old shelves, patched up some holes and installed all the components of our new closet. It's a custom fit and a fine finish to our massive closet. With a lifetime guarantee, the shelves, cabinets, drawers, clothes rods and laundry baskets should last a while.
<http://denver.closetfactory.com/>

* Welcome: Updated the banners/badges on the Welcome page. I updated the banner for our next Neighborhood Watch meeting (4 Mar). I updated a banner for our next Neighborhood Watch Picnic Planning Meeting (11 Mar). I updated the banner for an upcoming Metro District meeting (Mar 23rd).
* Events: On the Events page, I updated entries for our next Neighborhood Watch meeting (4 Mar), the next HOA meeting (9 Mar), the next Neighborhood Watch Picnic Planning Meeting (11 Mar), and the next Metro District meeting (Mar 23rd).
* Neighborhood Watch: On the Neighborhood Watch page, I updated entries for our next Neighborhood Watch meeting (4 Mar), and Neighborhood Watch Picnic Planning Meeting (11 Mar). 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.

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

Some snow in March:
Now we enter another one of Colorado's wet months. March typically sees us inundated with several snow and rain storms. Frequent and rapid weather changes mark the the month, as the days grow longer and we start to see some summer-like weather. The instability in the air (much heating and cooling) is generated by these winter spring temperature swings. On occasion arctic air can still find its way far enough south to stick us with a huge temperature differential. In addition to these arctic fronts, we're also likely to see numerous Pacific storms moving across Colorado from the west, or large masses of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico. When any of these fronts collide, we end up with crazy Colorado weather. So buckle in and get set for some Crazy Colorado.

On the 1st of March we got our first precip for the area. Just a little dusting. About an inch of snow. With the temperature swinging from below freezing to up in the 50s (Fahrenheit), I didn't even need to shovel. The sunshine took care of the driveway. Everything was melted (even on the North side of the house) by two in the afternoon. Don't let the mild beginning fool you. March can be a monster of a month in these parts. I can still remember the snow storm back in 2003. The second strongest in recorded Denver history. From March 17th through the 20th we picked up a huge amount of snow. See the pictures if you don't remember.
<https://www.robsworld.org/iphoto/blizzard2003/blizzard2003.html>