What's New

June 30, 2011

Even More Music for June of 2011:
Here's a list of some of the music I recently acquired. Where do I get all this stuff? Well, I used to find/discover a lot of free (actually free) music by visiting several of the new music web sites (MOG.com, 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. Used to... Now? Now (As of Oct of 2010) I subscribe to a service called MOG. MOG is an online music service, a blog network, and a social networking website where users can listen to, read about, and discover music. Music + Blog = MOG. It's been around since 2005, in September of 2009 it started offering streaming music subscriptions. With full-play access to more than 9 million tracks, at only $4.99 a month, it's a fantastic way to discover music. I still use a few of the other methods, but MOG has become my primary music discovery source.

Artists want you to hear their music - If you like it, you'll buy it, or maybe you'll buy some concert tickets. 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 web 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 (eMusic and iTunes). Here's a listing of some of the music I legally downloaded - and in most cases - paid for!

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.
* Suite Españoa, Op. 47 V. Asturias - Milos Karadaglic: (single) An excellent, acoustic, instrumental song. This classical guitar work is featured on the album Mediterraneo. Excellent guitar work, perfect pacing, production and composition. Classical music with a guitar. Triumphant expression.
* Cold Feet - Liam Finn: (single) From the album FOMO, Liam Finn is the son of Neil Finn (of Split Enz and Crowded House). The sound is straight out of the 80s. His sound resurrects the best of Squeeze, Split Enz and the original Finn brothers work. Throw in some electronic/synthesizer work and you've got some excellent pop rock from a well established talent. I've added his latest album to my eMusic queue.

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:
* Tompkins Square 5th Anniv eMusic Sampler - Various Artists: (15 songs) A year in review of the labels Fall/Winter 2010/2011 catalog. I like folk and country 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.
* Winston's Essentials. A Polyvinyl Sampler - Various Artists: (15 songs) Another sampler from the Polyvinyl Record Company. Willing to let the public listen for free. This is how I discover new bands. I may not like them all, but I'm not going to spend my money without first sampling the music. Here's an excellent way to get your music heard.
* NAIL Summer 2011 Sampler - Various Artists: (13 songs) Distributing music from various North American Alternative, Independent labels, NAIL is an arm of the Allegro distribution outlet. Here's a sampler of the music distributed through their independent labels and artists. While this sampler lacks the polish of many other production houses, there is a feeling of independence and diversity that can't be matched.

These are some of the items I added to my music collection during this 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>

Software favorites:
More updates for my favorite software applications. A few more beta updates for my favorite Graphics editor. GraphicConverter moves ever forward. As usual, the developer has been busy updating this application. Here's three more updates for the product that's always getting better. All the updates are free for those who own a license (for the most recent version). 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) completed work on three more updates over the past week (from b221 to b224). I recently saw/downloaded the following update: 7.3 b224. The jump from 7.2 to 7.3 was precipitated by OS 10.7 (Lion) compatibility. With the move to Lion compatibility, Thorsten will discontinue the separate Native PowerPC version of GC. The old/PowerPC versions will still continue to work on Mac OS systems from 10.3 - 10.6, but moving forward, you'll have to use the Intel only applications. GraphicConverter is an image converter and editor. A fantastic piece of shareware that is well worth the price (~$40.00). 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/content/162/new-functions-and-versions.html>
<http://www.lemkesoft.com/content/193/key-features.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>

Netflix 'Watch Instantly' Outage:
The good news? A recent outage wasn't caused by Hackers. The bad news? Netflix recently suffered a 'Watch Instantly' outage. The sporadic (not nationwide) outage appeared to affect the watch instantly service, some API interfaces and webpages/web-based services. According to various blogs, twitter feeds, and websites, the outage occurred sometime on the 19th of June, 2011 (appx 10pm). Netflix restored the streaming service soon after the outage began (appx 3am EST on the 20th). According to the 'Netflixhelps' twitter feed; "The website and watch instantly are online, but some are still having issues with activating devices. We'll have that fixed ASAP too."

The outage didn't affect me until the 21st of June; well after the services had been 'restored'. I first noticed the problem on the 21st of June. I couldn't watch any 'Watch Instantly' titles using my AppleTV. At that time, I didn't have time to do anything about it (it was late and I had to work on the 22nd). I simply watched a 'disc', and called it a night. On the 22nd I re-experienced the streaming issue.

According to follow-up reporting, some websites/stories indicated that the recent outage wasn't caused by Hackers. Or was it? I couldn't find any direct quotes/messages which would confirm that sentiment. According to a CNET article, Steve Swase, a Netflix spokesman wrote (in an email, a twitter posting, a web/blog posting?); "Good morning," "It was a technical issue that we fixed." Following that quote was a comment by the CNET author (Greg Sandoval) which said; "The good news is that Netflix wasn't taken out by marauding hackers." I'm not sure how he/they came to that conclusion... It may be an informed statement, but the author failed to provide a connected/pertinent quote to support that statement. A 'Technical Issue' could easily be attributed to 'Hackers'. Netflix is being elusive in their response (as usual), and that doesn't bode well for the leader in online streaming media. The reporting by CNET seems a bit speculative to me. Of course, all the other websites/posting reflect CNET's speculation. Without any corroborating information or a direct quote, they all insist that it wasn't 'Hackers'.

In either case, the statement; "but some are still having issues with activating devices." relates to the manner in which this outage affected me. I couldn't get any 'Watch Instantly' streams to work on my Roku or AppleTV devices. I didn't have any problems watching streams on my computer or iPad2. On the afternoon of 22nd, I wasn't aware of the outage, but I called Netflix after an hour of troubleshooting. The technician had me power cycle my AppleTV in order to get things working. A power-cycle on my Roku player fixed the streaming issue on that device. I can't believe I didn't try something as simple as cycling the power. I immediately jumped to the more esoteric, technical, complicated causes. Thankfully the fix (for me) was relatively painless. Thankfully the Netflix technician didn't try to blame my ISP or devices. I hate it when they (service technicians) begin their troubleshooting by speculating on connection, provider or device issues.

Now that Netflix is such a huge player in online entertainment and media streaming, outages will send out alarm bells as soon as there's any problems. The responses by Netflix representatives need to be clear, concise and accurate. "It was a technical issue" isn't going to keep the stock prices from falling. As a matter of fact, this type of elusive response could cause more harm than the actual outage. Netflix never posted anything official (on their blog/web pages) regarding the outage, and that's another problem. The only confirmation/information came by way of Twitter messages. Did you notice the outage?
<http://www.hackingnetflix.com/2011/06/netfix-website-down-streaming-not-working.html>
<http://twitter.com/#!/Netflixhelps/status/82655509953515520>
<http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-20072532-261/netflix-outage-not-caused-by-hackers/>
<http://www.netflix.com>

Rainy Days and Hot Days - Welcome to Summer:
While the 21st of June marked the first day of summer, the weather certainly sent the signal in a big way. On the the 20th of June, we started off the season with a day long rain storm. This sort of day long rain is something we don't see much in these parts. We usually get short thunderstorms or rain in the evening. This storm came as something of a surprise (to those who aren't Human Barometers). It rained all day. As if signalling the end to spring, this good long soaking kept the temperatures down all day. We accumulated something like 1.6 inches of rain. That's a lot for our area. All the lawns, flowers and trees really needed it. Following this late spring thunderstorm was the beginning of Summer. Signalling the weather to come, it started off with a heat wave. From the 22nd - 30th we saw temperatures above 80 degrees, and they were consistently higher than normal. 81 degrees on the 22nd, rising as high as 97 on the 29th. The temperatures didn't get back to 'normal' until the first day of July. This particular stretch (9 days) saw an average temperature of 5.8 degrees higher than normal. It looks like its going to be a long hot summer. How hot is your summer so far?
<https://www.robsworld.org/barometer.html>

June 19, 2011

Netflix News in June 2011:
<rant>Two recent announcements in Netflix News caught my attention over the last few weeks. On the 8th of June, I received notification that Netflix had redesigned/changed the look of their website. They've redesigned there web portal. The place where one selects movies to add to their queue or select movies to watch instantly. This new interface features larger images for the movie titles/covers, and play buttons become visible on mouse over (with needing an additional click to take you to the detailed information page). Unfortunately, in order to make the cover images bigger, they moved the star ratings and other information off the page. That information is still available, but you have to hover your mouse over an image (for approximately two seconds) in order to see the predicted rating. That's too long, especially when you have to use your mouse to move the image into focus before you can start hovering over the image. It's making it difficult for me to make choices. Now I have to hover over every image (and there's fewer of them visible at one time) in order to know whether I might like a movie or not. That's ridiculous. Hopefully they'll put the predicted star ratings back beneath the covers (or on top of them). The new 'categories' are fine, but the inability to instantly see the predicted ratings makes it impossible for me to make rapid decisions regarding particular movies. I now have to actively check each and every title to see what rating Netflix thinks I might give the movie before I can move on to the 'read a synopsis' portion of my decision making process.

The new layout will undoubtedly look great on a tablet device, but that's not where I make my queue building decisions I do that in front of the computer. This new layout goes too far to satisfy those who only want a visual interface uncluttered by 'facts' or 'information'. Oooh look at the pretty pictures... If that's all I wanted, I could stream some flickr content. I tried to complain about the new interface at the official Netflix blog (it's the only place Netflix customers can provide visible/interactive feedback), but the comments for that column are locked down. Any one article can only have 5000 comments, and there's no room for more comments under the heading "New Look and Feel for the Netflix Website"

The other development in Netflix News is an announcement about an uppity content provider. On the 17th of June, I found out that Sony had pulled all their titles from Starz for Netflix subscribers/customers. The Starz line-up/selection has been available on Netflix 'Watch Instantly' (under the name/label 'StarzPlay' since 2008. While the quality of Starz features has always been a sore sport for some Netflix subscribers, it has always provided large volume and variety to the Netflix 'Watch Instantly'. From the beginning, Netflix chose to license digital streaming rights for the StarzPlay content, rather than purchasing full the content/copyright outright. Now those licensing agreements are being used to leverage demands for greater revenue by copyright owners and distributors.

Netflix VP of Content Acquisition (Pauline Fischer) announce in the official Netflix blog; "You may have noticed that Sony movies through StarzPlay are not currently available to watch instantly. This is the result of a temporary contract issue between Sony and Starz and, while these two valued partners work through their differences, we hope you are enjoying the wide variety of new movies and TV shows added daily. In the next few weeks, look for great movie titles like The Fighter, Skyline and Iron Man 2 as well as the first four seasons of Mad Men, all to watch instantly." So, the Sony part of StarzPlay is yanked, and rumors indicate that the Disney content (in StarzPlay) may be next. Right about now, Netflix is probably wishing it simply purchased the full rights, rather than licensing the streaming rights. Sounds like Sony and Disney simply can't stand the fact that Netflix is a great user experience, has managed to make many content deals (without their 'approval'), and become a fantastic success. Hopefully, Netflix can do something to restore the missing content or find a more suitable content partner for their streaming options. In the meantime, I hate Sony policies and management, even though I love their hardware.</rant>
<http://blog.netflix.com/2011/06/new-look-and-feel-for-netflix-website.html>
<http://blog.netflix.com/2011/06/temporary-removal-of-sony-movies.html>
<http://www.netflix.com>

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. Some 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. There's also a good chance that the spammer hacked someone's email account, harvested the email addresses in their address book, and is using these addresses in the From: address - Just in case someone believes that their friend actually sent them an email about 'capsoles'. This possibility is based on the fact that this spammer didn't send individual spam messages. They used multiple To: address recipients; a sign of a hacked account. I checked the sent history on my email account, and found all the accesses in order - It doesn't appear that my account has been hacked.

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>

More Jammin' in June:
Here's a list of some of the music I recently acquired. Where do I get all this stuff? Well, I used to find/discover a lot of free (actually free) music by visiting several of the new music web sites (MOG.com, 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. Used to... Now? Now (As of Oct of 2010) I subscribe to a service called MOG. MOG is an online music service, a blog network, and a social networking website where users can listen to, read about, and discover music. Music + Blog = MOG. It's been around since 2005, in September of 2009 it started offering streaming music subscriptions. With full-play access to more than 9 million tracks, at only $4.99 a month, it's a fantastic way to discover music. I still use a few of the other methods, but MOG has become my primary music discovery source.

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.
* Headlong Into The Abyss - We Are Augustines: (single) From the album 'Rise Ye Sunken Ships'. Reminds me a bit of 'Big Country'. It's got that Arena Rock potential. Ballad blasting, epic lyrics, with a strong thunderous clap-happy chorus. A good rockin' debut for this Canadian band.
* Can't You Tell - Vetiver: (single) From their album 'The Errant Charm'. It's a slow melody with good lyrics. A folk feel permeates the track and the smooth vocals are well matched to the instrumentals. A dreamy day dream of a song. Good stuff.
* Forward To Love - Ziggy Marley: (single) From the album 'Wild and Free'. Ziggy Marley really has a great Reggae sound. His father would be proud, we're all happy. The music is great, keeping the positive vibe going with another great download.
* Itchy Fingers - Junior Boys: (single) From the album 'It's All True'. Splendid electronic beat. Reminds me of Soft Cell and some of the 'New Wave' bands of the 80s. Everything old is new again. Slightly dark vocals with popping instrumentals. The lyrics blend the two quite well. Techno, dance, electronic, great synthesizers.

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.
* Standing Stones - The Devil Whale: (single) From the album 'Teeth'. Their slow paced, alt-folk sound is catchy, full of great hooks and excellent lyrics. Discovered and downloaded at 3hive.com. After a few more listenings, I might just add this to my eMusic queue.
* Arabia Mountain - Black Lips: (2 songs) I discovered and downloaded two tracks at 3hive.com. Here's an alt-rock, psychedelic band that I've been enjoying since 2007. With four other single tracks, the strength of these two songs flipped the switch. Their latest album (Arabia Mountain) is now on my eMusic d/l list.

D&D updates:
Our meeting on the 28th of May saw a session with Micheal on the sidelines. He injured his foot a few days earlier, but he was still able to play via video conference. Lee started out by playing Skif, and later he helped the DM with the monsters - Traitor! Todd missed the session all together. Sean O' showed up late, but he was there in time to have some of Kim's cook-out. Our meeting on the 28th of May was all combat as we continued our fight against an extremely powerful prince of darkness. After releasing a vampire from it's underground crypt, the party made a mad dash towards the dungeon's entrance in order to prevent this undead creature from escaping. They caught up with the vampire and found it ready for their attack. The battle is on, but far from over, so be sure to check back again. You wouldn't want to miss the conclusion!

With the conclusion of our 8 August, 2009 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 have struck 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 the meeting tonight (the 11th of June)) is 9 July, 2011. We're skipping a meeting while some of the players take a summer vacation. This page (The "3eCampaign" 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.

Here is my fourth journal entry as Solmar the Warforged Paladin - I've been playing Solmar for more than two years now and I think I'm starting to get the hang of it. I've tried my best to keep my style of play consistent with that established by Mark (it is his character), but their are bound to be some differences in our style of play, and those differences may come out in this journal entry. Read on to learn what happened in our encounter with the Vampire of Deepwood. Sharpen your blades and hitch up your horses - Adventure calls and danger beckons!
<https://www.robsworld.org/ajournal08.html#may28_2011>

Monsters encountered:
From subterranean aqueduct to a hillside lair and a hidden tomb - As the party enters new environs they will surely encounter some new creatures. Some of those creatures will attempt to eat or injure the party - These creatures we call 'Monsters'! During our most recent gaming session, the party continued it's fight against a powerful vampire and it's allies (a swarm of rats). As a result of these encounters, I updated the party's "Monster's Known" listing. The monsters page is a listing of monsters that the party has encountered, read about, or heard of.
<https://www.robsworld.org/monsters.html>

These updates follow our meeting on the 28th of May, 2011. This is the eighth adventure for our group of heroes. 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. The campaign is approaching the end of another paragraph in the saga of our heroes, and the party is ready to lick it's wounds, rest, recuperate and train for their next adventure. In the meantime, you can keep up to date by continuing to visit "Rob's World!" for all the latest campaign info. If you're enjoying the story of our adventurers, I encourage you to write me and let us know. Perhaps you've got an idea you'd like to share, some criticism or praise. Either way, it'll be earnestly appreciated.
<https://www.robsworld.org/3ecampaign.html>

Software favorites:
More updates for my favorite software applications. A bunch of beta updates for my favorite Graphics editor. GraphicConverter moves ever forward. As usual, developer has been busy updating this application. Here's nine more updates for the product that's always getting better. All the updates are free for those who own a license (for the most recent version). 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) completed work on at least nine additional updates over the past week. I recently saw/downloaded the following update: Jumping from 7.2.1 (b201) to 7.3 (b214, b216, b219 the b221), I must have missed a few beta versions (Thorsten doesn't always announce the beta updates). The jump from 7.2 to 7.3 was precipitated by OS 10.7 (Lion) compatibility. With the move to Lion compatibility, Thorsten will discontinue the separate Native PowerPC version of GC. The old/PowerPC versions will still continue to work on Mac OS systems from 10.3 - 10.6, but moving forward, you'll have to use the Intel only applications. GraphicConverter is an image converter and editor. A fantastic piece of shareware that is well worth the price (~$40.00). 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/content/162/new-functions-and-versions.html>
<http://www.lemkesoft.com/content/193/key-features.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>

Updates to the Tollgate Crossing Website:
I participate in some community focused events, but haven't found the time to serve on any boards, so I do what I can to help the people who live in my neighborhood. Volunteering with our local neighborhood watch, and supporting our community by maintaining the Tollgate Crossing website and mailing lists. The Tollgate Crossing website is focused on the Tollgate Crossing community, with a few links to the Neighborhood Watch website. Over the last couple of weeks, I made several updates to the community website:

* Welcome: The website's opener. A page containing an introduction to our community website. Here you'll find all the latest news and announcements. I rearranged the banners a bit - It's something I do to indicate a change in the content. I added a new banner and badge to announce the fact that our Pool is now Open for swimmers! I also updated the Metro District and HOA meeting banners. Our next MD meeting will be held June 28th, and the next HOA meeting will be 12 Jul. I added badges and a banner for our Neighborhood Garage Sale. Tollgate Crossing has a garage sale each year. This year's garage sale was delayed by a change in HOA management companies. This year's garage sale will be held Jun 24 - 25, from 8am - 4pm. Note: Effective May 1st, Tollgate Crossing's HOA management has changed. The new management company is JSN Property LLC.
* Events: A detailed listing of upcoming and recurring events in and around Tollgate Crossing. Here is more detailed information regarding some of the events you may have read about on the 'Welcome' page. It's also a place to look for long term/recurring events. I updated the information regarding our next Metro District and HOA meetings. The next MD meeting will be 28 Jun, the next HOA meeting is 12 Jul. Don't forget, the garage sale will be held 24 & 25 (Friday and Saturday) June, from 8am - 4pm.
* Info: A page of links, phone numbers, email addresses and other information pertinent to the residents/community of Tollgate Crossing. I added some info about the community pool. I added information about the days and hours that the pool will be open this year, as well as some information about the management company running the pool operations. I also update the meeting minutes for the Metro District (fyi: The Metro District does not make the meeting minutes available on their website, so I make them available here). I added minutes from the regular meeting on the 26th of April, 2011.

If you are a resident of 'Tollgate Crossing' (in Aurora, Colorado), you might want to check out the website. It's loaded with information about our community and you can even sign up for some of the email mailing lists that serve our community.
<http://www.tollgatecrossing.org/Welcome.html>

Southeast Aurora Neighborhood Watch website:
I participate in some community focused events, but haven't found the time to serve on any boards, so I do what I can to help the people who live in my neighborhood. Volunteering with our local neighborhood watch, maintaining the Southeast Aurora Neighborhood Watch website and mailing lists. The South East Aurora Neighborhood Watch serves the residents of South East Aurora by providing information and close ties with the local Police Department in order to help keep the residents safe and neighborhoods crime free. Here are some of the changes I made at our Neighborhood Watch website over the last couple of weeks:

* eMail lists: A web page containing details about our mailing lists. The Neighborhood Watch runs numerous email mailing lists, and this page contains details regarding all of those lists. With a recent change of AC (Area Coordinator) in the Beacon Point, I updated some pertinent information on the eMail_lists page. I also created another new eMail list, but I didn't advertise/post it on the web page. The new mailing list will be used by the South East Aurora Neighborhood Watch Leadership in order to contact, and communicate with SEANW leadership.
* Current: A web page dedicated to the most recent news, announcements and information. I added a new flyer and paragraph for an upcoming event. The D.A.R.E. Motorcycle Event will be held Saturday, June 25th. Proceeds from the event will be used to support the APD's D.A.R.E. program.
* Events: A listing of upcoming and recurring events in you Southeast Aurora Neighborhood. Events sponsored by or relevant to our Neighborhood Watch. I updated the paragraph/event listing for our upcoming NW meetings. Meetings will be held on the following dates: Oct 6 2011, Dec 8 2011, Feb 2 2012, Apr 5 2012, Jun 7 2012. With dates announced this far out, there's no reason why you can't attend, so mark your calendar now. I also posted a paragraph about the 'Truth or D.A.R.E. Motorcycle Event' listed above (25 June, 2011).
>

If you are a resident of Southeast Aurora, you might want to check out our Southeast Aurora Neighborhood Watch website (Serving the following communities: Tollgate Crossing, Sorrel Ranch, Wheatlands, Beacon Point, Southshore, Tallyn’s Reach, Saddle Rock - North, Serenity Ridge, Black Stone and Heritage Eagle Bend). If you're concerned about the safety and security of our community, you might want to join our group, or subscribe to one of our mailing lists to receive periodic alerts, updates and information.
<http://www.southeastaurora-neighborhoodwatch.org/Welcome.html>

June 5, 2011

USAA's Privacy Promise:
<rave>It's not often that you get a good feeling about your insurance company. It's not often that you get 'good news' about your personal privacy. Companies only talk about your 'privacy' or 'personal information' when it's stolen, leaked, compromised. While there's plenty of that kind of publicity in the news, there's very little of the positive publicity. Well, breaking that rule, USAA recently sent me an email announcing their 'Privacy Policy' - While most would assume this is bad new, it's not so when USAA makes an announcement. They done right by me. Their products and customer service have always been top notch (in my experience). Here's another example of how they do things right.

Dear Robert Vaessen,
Thank you for being part of the USAA family. We're firmly committed to protecting your financial and personal information. Your trust is important to us, so we've placed our Privacy Promise on usaa.com under My Documents. Nothing has changed, but we've updated the notice to make it easier to read.

It's also important to us that you know:
We don't sell your information — We share information outside of USAA only as permitted by law for our everyday business purposes.
Your information is confidential — Our employees and the companies we contract with are obligated to hold member information in the strictest confidence.
We protect your information — We have physical security on site, rigorous security procedures and world-class virus/intrusion detection software in place.
No action is needed if you agree with our privacy practices
However, you can opt out to limit the information we share and use within the USAA family of companies. If you've already opted out, no action is needed.

Thank you for your continued trust in USAA.

Just in case you weren't paying attention, there's a couple of things I'd like to point out... USAA doesn't sell my information to non USAA companies for the purposes of marketing, and they don't share my information with other financial companies. Another important point. With physical on site security and world-class virus and intrusion detection software, they're committed to protecting my information against online attacks. If you'd like to read the full privacy policy, I've posted it online for your convenience.</rave>
<https://www.robsworld.org/usaa_privacypolicy.pdf>

Software favorites:
More software updates. These are productivity apps I use on my Mac. They're tools I use to publish my web pages, support my work with Neighborhood Watch, my D&D campaign, and other projects I'm involved in. Updates to Apple's suite of productivity software. iWork '09 consists of three applications: Pages (word processor/page layout), Keynote (presentation) and Numbers (spreadsheet). In addition to Apple's updates, I also downloaded two more beta/minor releases for one of my favorite software applications. GraphicConverter moves ever forward. As usual, developer has been busy updating this application. Here's another update for the product that's always getting better. All the updates are free 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.

iWork '09:
Apple's productivity suite is three applications and one online service. I'm running the following versions of the software: Pages 4.0.5 (852), Keynote 5.0.5 (942) and Numbers 2.0.5 (638) respectively. On my iPad and iPhone, I'm running the following versions: Pages 1.4, Numbers 1.4. That's right Pages, Numbers and Keynote are now available for the iPad and the iPhone (I don't have the portable (iPad/iPhone) version of Keynote).

iWork is Apple's productivity suite. Previous versions of iWork contained two applications, a bit anemic for a productivity suite. It was missing a crucial component. No spreadsheet application? In 2007, things changed. They added a spreadsheet application. Numbers is the newest addition to the productivity suite. With the addition of this new component. iWork became a feasible replacement for the venerable (and still useful) AppleWorks - which hasn't seen an update since 2004. iWork is also a home contender for Microsoft Office. Most home users don't need the power provided by Microsoft's productivity suite. iWork applications are Office compatible (No it's not 100% compatible, but it can open, edit and save documents as Office documents), and the pricing is far more affordable than the behemoth on the block. So, the addition of numbers, the fantastic price ($79.00 for three full feature productivity apps), the great reviews (that I've read), the compatibility (Office and AppleWorks) and the outstanding support that Apple provides, have enticed me to switch from AppleWorks to iWork. All of the iWork components contain web based output options, which is crucial for anyone creating web pages, or managing a web site.

iWork consists of three productivity applications and an online component:

Pages - A word processor and page layout application. The latest version (iWork '09) includes some great new features. A full screen mode to help you stay focused. A new dynamic outline mode allows you to 'drag-and-drop' to rearrange and restructure points and subpoints. Pages now features a mail-merge function capable of pulling address data from Numbers or the Mac OS address book. Getting more advanced, Pages now includes 'EndNote' for bibliography support and the 'MathType' equation editor. The 4.0.5 update improves the readability of exported ePub documents.

Keynote - Apple's outstanding presentation software. Adding some razzle-dazzle to the application, the '09 update offers numerous updates to make Keynote an industry standard presentation suite. Magic Move makes sophisticated animation a snap. An enhanced theme selection wizard makes this experience much more friendly and powerful. Powerful text and object transitions make your presentations move with a purpose. In charts you'll see new 3D textures and chart animations to help make your point. The 5.0.5 update adds playback of Keynote presentations on iWork.com, with over 15 animations and effects, when using the latest version of Safari. The update adds support for Keynote Remote 1.2, including high-resolution slides for the Retina display. Finally, it also addresses issues with the following capabilities/functions: Drop transition, Dissolve build, and shape colors.; rulers.

Numbers - Here is Apple's entry into the spreadsheet ring. Apple has taken a simplified approach to a complicated subject. Making spreadsheets even easier. Apple has improved the formula functions to include a more natural language, included explanations, and expanded the number of available formulas. With formula list view, you can view and edit all your formulas from a single interface. Wow no more hunting and searching for all those formulas! The table categories function allows you to organize, group, view and sort your data in ways you've never though possible. Numbers '09 adds many new charts and ways to represent data - linking data from all three applications. Like Keynote, now Numbers has a template chooser with 30 templates to chose from, your spreadsheets can have a pre-defined appearance. Something more sophisticated than simple columns and rows. The iWork 9.05. update didn't bring any changes to the Numbers application.

iWork.com - A new offering (first offered in Jan '09) in the iWork suite of applications. Here is a free service (it's still in beta, and there are no indications as to pricing/the future of this service) that Apple has integrated into each of the suites applications. It's a web based file sharing, collaboration and display service. You can upload documents to the iWork.com server, and others can view, annotate, or download documents (as defined per document). The iWork 9.0.5. update added public sharing and private upload options. All the iWork applications include iWork.com connectivity, collaboration, and sharing capabilities.

This recent iWork update adds Numbers, Pages and Keynote for iPhone. I downloaded the Numbers and Pages applications for my iPad last month, and I hadn't planned on blogging about it, but then Apple made them available for the iPhone - Now that's impressive. I can't imagine trying to use a word processor as powerful as Pages on a device as small as my iPhone, but it looks like they did a good job. They're entirely reworked versions of the applications. Rewritten for mobile and smaller screen real-estate. Lots of contextual tools, keeping everything out of your way until you need it; that's the only way to make these applications work on such a small platform. I thought you might want to know about these recent releases.
<http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2011/05/31iwork.html>
<http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/keynote/id361285480?mt=8>
<http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pages/id361309726?mt=8>
<http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/numbers/id361304891?mt=8>
<http://www.apple.com/iwork/>

GraphicConverter:
Thorsten Lemke (of Lemkesoft) completed work on numerous updates over the past couple of weeks. I recently saw/downloaded the following updates: 7.3 (b211) and 7.3 (b213). Jumping from 7.2.1 to 7.3, I missed a bunch of beta versions (Thorsten doesn't always announce the beta updates). This time around, GraphicConverter changed versions from 7.2 to 7.3. The primary change is Lion compatibility (Lion is Apple's Mac OS 10.7 release (due to be released very soon)). GraphicConverter is an image converter and editor. A fantastic piece of shareware that is well worth the price (~$40.00). 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/content/162/new-functions-and-versions.html>
<http://www.lemkesoft.com/content/193/key-features.html>

Jammin' Tunes for June of 2011:
Here's a list of some of the music I recently acquired. Where do I get all this stuff? Well, I used to find/discover 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. Used to... Now? Now (As of Oct of 2010) I subscribe to a service called MOG. MOG is an online music service, a blog network, and a social networking website where users can listen to, read about, and discover music. Music + Blog = MOG. It's been around since 2005, in September of 2009 it started offering streaming music subscriptions. With full-play access to more than 9 million tracks, at only $4.99 a month, it's a fantastic way to discover music. I still use a few of the other methods, but MOG has become my primary music discovery source.

eMusic monthly downloads:
Every month I download ~50 tracks from eMusic.com. This month (June of 2011) I managed to download 46 tracks for $23.06 (and I'm paying a $19.99 monthly fee, so that makes the tracks even cheaper (~$0.43 / track). 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. At less than $.50 a track (I'm currently paying $19.99 for $22.99 worth of downloads per month). eMusic offers a really good value for your download dollar. 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.
* Move Like This - The Cars: (10 songs) A new album from 'The Cars' - Who would have thought. Everything 80s is new again. The band reunited, did a tour, and now an album. Everything I loved about the 80s is back again, and just as good. This is an excellent album. An awesome album. Far better than REM's latest release.
* The Mind Spiders - Mind Spiders: (11+1) The debut album, "Mind Spiders". I liked this Punk band so much, I added their album to my eMusic downloads list. Lo-Fi tunes with plenty of Fuzz and a kickin' beat. Beats a kick in the head, and sounds oh so sweet. The drum work is exceptional - Something I don't normally notice.
* This Is Forever - She Wants Revenge: (13 songs) Recently added to eMusic. She Wants Revenge is a favorite of mine since discovering the band back in 2005. Orchestral at times, raucous Rock, with vocals that remind me of Orgy or New Order. Smashing good grooves.
* Songs of Leonard Cohen - Leonard Cohen: (12 songs) Loved him, hated him, love him. My preference for this artist has gone back and forth over the years. Now I have a deep appreciation for the soulful, amazing music he's created. Here's a download designed to satisfy my desire for more of this amazing artist.