What's New

March 31, 2011

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. 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 a few 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 also updated the banners for our next Metro District (Apr 26th) meeting, added a new banner for the upcoming 3rd annual Tollgate Crossing Egg Hunt (16 or 17 April), and two badges. One for the upcoming Egg Hunt, and one regarding an opening on our Metro District Board of Directors.
* 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 event entry for our next MD (Apr 26) meeting. I updated the date of the next meeting and added a line regarding a special election (for a new Board Member). I also added a new paragraph for the upcoming 3rd annual Egg Hunt (16 or 17 Apr).
* Volunteer: The volunteer page is a place where our community solicits help with various non-profit community projects. I updated the Tollgate Crossing Social Committee paragraph. We're currently soliciting volunteers to help us with the upcoming 3rd annual Egg Hunt. I also added a new paragraph soliciting candidates to serve on our Metro District Board of Directors. We need a resident to volunteer to serve on the board. The new board member will be elected during the Metro District meeting on the 26th of April.
* Info: A page of links, phone numbers, email addresses and other information pertinent to the residents/community of Tollgate Crossing. I posted the meeting minutes from a recent Metro District meetings.

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>

March 25, 2011

Lion won't do the Samba:
It's a bit technical, so I'll try to summarize. Samba is an Open Source/Free Software set of tools/code that allows non-windows computers to connect to/with Microsoft Windows clients and servers. So, Samba running on a Mac (or other Unix/Linux based machines) facilitates file and print server interoperability with machines using Windows SMB/CIFS file sharing and directory services. Apple has been integrating the Open Source version of Samba into their OSX distribution/software. Recently the organization which controls Samba implemented some new licensing restrictions (General Public License Version 3 (GPLv3)). This new licensing scheme includes restrictions that essentially prevent Apple (and other companies from incorporating the open software into commercially packaged software like Mac OS X.

Apple's been using Samba since OS 10.2 (Jaguar/release in May of 2002), and despite the time that's passed, Samba still has problems running hassle free on the Apple OS. My own experiences with Samba (SMB shares) have been less than favorable. As a matter of fact, I had to stop using Samba altogether, when I could no longer use it to (problems started in Dec of 2010) connect to a file server on my home network. Other users have had plenty of problems using Samba on their Mac, and some Samba developers I worked with (to solve my problems) indicated their problems getting Samba to work properly on a Mac.

Back in October of 2010 (at a Special Event), Apple announced the latest version of it's OS X operating system. The 8th OS X version (OS 10.7) will be called 'Lion'. The philosophy of 'Back to the Mac' points to the future of OS X. As the iOS adds functionality and innovations to Apple's portable devices (iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad), those new features are now coming full circle from an operating system that spun off OS X. Some of those features will be integrated into the Mac OS. - Some of the new features will include: More multi-touch gestures; Continued 'App Store' integration and promotion; A revised 'Home Screen' for the Mac; More full screen applications; Auto-saving; Auto-resume; Greatly enhanced desktop views/navigation capabilities.

As Lion's release looms closer, we learn more and more about the shape of that sleek beast. Recent news has made two things painfully clear. With the release of OS 10.7, Apple will no longer provide Samba as part of its operating system. While savvy users will still be able to download, compile and use Samba on a Mac, Apple will not be including it as part of their operating system (which is a type of Unix). Instead - According to the 'rumors', Apple will continue to facilitate interoperability/connectivity with Windows based files/servers by creating their own proprietary code (which would naturally be less mature and more limited in capability). There's a lot of debate around the new licensing restrictions, but in the end, Apple must be able to control the code base of their operating system (to keep out changes that would adversely affect the experience on OS X), and the new licensing scheme is a bit too restrictive for them to control the user experience of an entirely open software component.

FYI: Much of this speculation, here and elsewhere on the blogosphere is based on Developer previews of Lion. We (consumers, non-Apple employees) really don't know what Lion will look like when it releases. It's possible that Apple may decide to keep Samba around, under the old license. They could simply continue development of the version that is licensed under the old license. They could generate a fork of Samba (for OS X) that doesn't include the new restrictions imposed under the new license.
<http://www.tuaw.com/2011/03/24/apple-to-drop-samba-networking-tools-from-lion/>
<http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1568>
<http://www.samba.org/>

Encryption and digital signatures - Moving forward:
After a lengthy (June 2010 - Mar 2011) period of inability to use the GPGMail.mailbundle plugin, my capability to sign, verify, encrypt and decrypt email messages has been restored. Spammers often assault my digital identity by forging messages to look like they came from me. As a result, I try to use pgp signed messages (whenever possible) for much of my email correspondence. I use MacGPG2 (version 2.0.17-9) and the GPGMail plugin (version 1.3.3) with Apple's Mail.app Version 4.5 (1084) for encryption, decryption, and message authentication. If you would like to correspond in secret, please take note of my Public Keys. Why do I use signatures or encryption? Well, I don't use the encryption very often, but I have been known to send myself encrypted email containing passwords or private information (banking and medical information). I used to use pgp signatures quite often, as a way of ensuring message authenticity. I'm tired of spammers pretending to be me. By using these signatures (which uses the message content (upon signing) and a private key to create a signature which can be verified by using my public key) I can assure recipients that the message they received was actually sent be me, and it hasn't been tampered with in transit. In addition to my self published keys, my public keys are also available on various keyservers.
<http://www.gpgtools.org/macgpg2.html>
<http://www.gpgtools.org/gpgmail.html>
<https://www.robsworld.org/encryption.html>
<https://www.robsworld.org/feedback.html>

Software favorites:
Another update for one of my favorite software applications. GraphicConverter moves ever forward. As usual, developer has been busy updating this application. Here's one more update 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 one additional update over the past few days. This week I saw/downloaded the following update: 7.2 (b177). 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/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>

Mac OS 10.6.7 / Apple Security update 2011-001:
Apple is hard at work, making sure that Snow Leopard is running on all cylinders (in my case 8 - or 16 if you count the virtual threads). This time around it's an update to the operating system (from 10.6.6 to 10.6.7) and a Security Update (update 2011-001). With the next version of OS X on the horizon, Apple's introducing code that will make the transition easier, while simultaneously continuing to tighten down the security screws on the Mac OS. They're hard at work, finding security flaws, patching annoying bugs, improving the user experience.

The OS update didn't bring any startling changes to the user experience. Improves reliability of the Back to My Mac remote connectivity capability, resolves an issue when transferring files to certain SMB servers. Addresses various Mac App Store bugs. Just some general fixes and improvements. Improving reliability, connectivity, performance. Addressing some of the nagging issues which have been plaguing users. This moderate security update delivers 39 fixes for various vulnerabilities.

You can read all about Apple's 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. You can read more about the update at Apple's website. Keeping my Mac safe from malicious hackers and such.

As a result of these recent updates, the following pages have been updated. myfavs.html, feedback.html, and mycomputer.html.
<http://www.apple.com/macosx/security/>
<http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4472>

March 21, 2011

More music for March:
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.

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!

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.
* This Transparency - Lunar Event: (17 songs) I originally discovered this band back in 2008. I recently re-discovered this band while listening to my collection. I had downloaded an EP from Musical Family Tree and found it so compelling that I had to look for more. That's when I discovered another album available on MFT. You can't beat those free downloads. Especially when the music is oh so good. Lunar Event was active in Indiana as late as 2010, but I haven't seen any new releases since that EP release back in 2006.

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>

D&D updates:
Our meeting on the 5th of March was quite productive. Micheal (Currently working at a job site in New Mexico) joined us via teleconference. It didn't work perfectly, but he was able to join us. We also had a former player (Lars) sit in during this final climactic encounter. During our last meeting the party encountered the Blue Dragon - Again! This time the big battle took place. Twice! Here are updates from our meeting on the 5th of March.

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 tonight's meeting) will be 02 April. 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 (updated on the 8th of Jan, 2011).
<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 the latest journal entry penned by Mutteran - Lee's character. Once again, thanks go out to Lee for his continued support. In this journal entry, you can read all about the party's final confrontation with 'Kyracolidis' the young Blue Dragon and a more powerful, undead opponent. Sharpen your blades and hitch up your horses - Adventure calls and danger looms nigh!
<https://www.robsworld.org/ajournal08.html#mar05_2011>

Monsters encountered:
From the open road to a subterranean aqueduct, a dark forest and now a dusty old crypt - As the party enters new environs they encounter 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 encountered three new monsters. 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 5th of March . 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. 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 took to the open road. That road was dangerous and long - Very Long! The party fought many foes along the way, lost two of their own (Gregor and Jusarian), said goodbye to one longtime companion, and recruited several new companions (Pyrceval, Azura and the mysterious Crucifer) to strengthen their numbers. All united in their quest to vanquish Deepwood of it's Dragon problem. After a brief stay in the village, the party set off to investigate a possible lair. After entering a box canyon, the party spots a concealed cave entrance, confirms the Dragon is inside - and asleep! It's now or never. The final encounter? As the party stalks silently toward the slumbering Dragon, they disturb a pair of huge snakes, and the battle has begun. Sharpen your blades and hitch up your horses - Adventure calls and danger beckons, here is the confrontation you've been waiting for!

You can keep up to date with our adventures 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>

Lion to Devour PPC!:
Back in October of 2010 (at a Special Event), Apple announced the latest revision of it's OS X operating system. The 8th OS X version (OS 10.7) will be called 'Lion'. The philosophy of 'Back to the Mac' points to the future of OS X. As the iOS adds functionality and innovations to Apple's portable devices (iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad), those new features are now coming full circle from an operating system that spun off OS X. Some of those features will be integrated into the Mac OS. - Some of the new features will include: More multi-touch gestures; Continued 'App Store' integration and promotion; A revised 'Home Screen' for the Mac; More full screen applications; Auto-saving; Auto-resume; Greatly enhanced desktop views/navigation capabilities.

As Lion's release looms closer, we learn more and more about the shape of that sleek beast. Recent news has made two things painfully clear. With the release of OS 10.7, Apple will no longer provide indigenous support for Java. Announced in several forums; developers have confirmed that Lion will not carry an Apple Produced flavor of Java. If you want Java with your Apple, you'll have to get it from Oracle or some other distributor. The good news. Apple makes it easy to get that Java. As soon as you attempt to run a Java application, the new OS will offer to download the latest build of Java. Another revelation that's got all the developers a "Twitter'n" is the demise of PPC. With the release of the latest developer builds, we've discovered the complete lack of PowerPC support. Gone is the 'Rosetta' translator that intercepted PPC code and translated the calls to run on an Intel architecture. So - If you've got PPC only code on your Mac, in your App, you might want to do some serious translating, code clean-up, recompile. You've had more than six years to switch from PPC to Intel, wasn't this enough warning?

When Lion hits the streets this summer, some consumers may be shocked to find that many of their applications will no longer run. Originally announced back in 2005 (at the WWDC), Apple is committed to a full transition away from the PowerPC architecture. Adopting Intel's processors as it's next platform, they made clear their intent to migrate all OS code, applications, and hardware away from the PPC architecture. Apple's initial press release indicated that this transition (from PPC to Intel) would begin by June of 2006, and finish by the end of 2007. While the initial migration proceeded more quickly, the eventual demise of PPC took much longer. In August of 2009, Apple released Snow Leopard. This version of the OS (10.6) contained no PPC code or applications; with one notable exception. The 'Rosetta' emulation/translation component was still there. Allowing users and developers to continue using PPC code, despite Apple's continuous push to get rid of the old PPC code. Developers have known about this transition since 2006, but some have chosen to wait until the last minute. Or so it seems.

Recently, I began examining the software on my Mac. I wanted to know; with the release of Lion (OS 10.7), will I be ready to live without the PPC code? Just how much legacy code resides on my Mac? After firing up the 'System Profiler', I was astonished to find that I had a lot of PPC code hanging around. Not just Universal applications - which contain PPC and Intel code, but many PPC only applications. Some I rely on to this day, while others are unused programs which I can easily do without. Of all the 'Applications' on my Mac, I estimate fully 15% are PPC only. I even found some old 'Classic' applications. Some of the PPC applications are old favorites that I'll be sorry to see go. AppleWorks, Dundjinni, My Epson Scan software (how will I make copies/use my flatbed scanner without this!?), MacLinkPlus Deluxe, The Logo Creator, and others. I've already started pruning, getting rid of some old code, converting some AppleWorks documents, and simply deleting many applications. I don't know whether I'll be ready, but Apple's committed to this course of change, and I've little choice but compliance - If, if I want to follow the upgrade path. Many may find it unnecessary, inconvenient or downright annoying. They might resist for a while. They might hold out, for some time. But you can't stop change, it's coming and it won't stand still for you or me.

FYI: Much of this speculation, here and elsewhere on the blogosphere is based on Developer previews of Lion. We (consumers, non-Apple employees) really don't know what Lion will look like when it releases. It's possible that they might decide to keep Rosetta, Java, or Front Row. On the other hand, if I were a betting man...
<http://www.macworld.co.uk/macsoftware/news/index.cfm?newsid=3263138>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple–Intel_transition>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosetta_(software)>

Netflix News - Exclusive Content:
Netflix does it again - If content is King, then Netflix is on it's way to overthrow the monarchy - Cable TV should be afraid! On Thursday, March 17th, Netflix announced an exclusive content deal. They managed to successfully bid for the first season distribution rights on a new 'television' show. Beginning in late 2012, Netflix will be bringing (by way of it's 'Watch Instantly' streaming service) subscribers (in the U.S. and Canada) a new show. The "House of Cards" - 26 episode serialized drama based on the BBC mini-series that ran in the 90s. This political thriller will be produced and directed by David Fincher (of 'The Social Network' and 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'). The show will star Kevin Spacey, but I couldn't find any info on other cast members just yet.

Here Netflix is taking a chance by licensing the content before it's successful. They're paying up front. With a lower entry cost, they can guarantee exclusive distribution rights, while assuming all the risks. This move follows their recent efforts to license content a season after it's initial release. This unique TV series will originate on Netflix. Netflix will not be producing the show (they've done that for movies), and they won't own the show, they will have exclusive distribution rights. That way the show can air on Netflix before it plays on network or cable TV.

<rave>This is good news for everyone - well everyone who watches Netflix! Original, first run content on Netflix will certainly change things. Right now, Cable's trump card is first run dramas. You can't get first season original content on Netflix, and that's one reason why consumers are forced to stick with the expensive cable companies. They deliver original content. Adding exclusive content to their 'Watch Instantly' service will certainly shake the boat in the sea of entertainment distribution. Hopefully 'House of Cards' will be a hit. Netflix is committed to constant expansion of the selection, and if this is any indication, the future looks quite bright. Adding exclusive content to their streaming line-up is just another example of how Netflix keeps improving it's service to make it better. Netflix is awesome!</rave>
<http://blog.netflix.com/2011/03/house-of-cards.html>
<http://www.netflix.com>

* 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 had posted a death notice on the front page. I left it up for a week, and took it down just recently.
* 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 added some info for an upcoming Neighborhood Watch event. The South East Aurora Neighborhood Watch is having their annual picnic on the 14th of May, and right now their looking for sponsors/donors to contribute some time and/or money to help them with the event.

Fighting Spammers!
Recently (17 Mar, 2011), I took some measures to help fight spam. Sometimes I get the feeling that it's my own personal battle, but I know that's not true. It's the scourge of the internet. Something that most of us have to deal with in one way or another.

As many of you may know - I have a lot of email addresses. I own/manage a handful (seven) of domain names. With those domains I can create and delete email addresses at will. I routinely create email addresses that I use for specific purposes. Creating email addresses that are 'temporary' is something I do in order to reduce the amount of spam that I receive, to limit merchant access to my inbox, to track the use of my email address(es). Unfortunately, some of my email addresses are a bit generic - i.e. <robert@example.org>. These generic addresses often find their ways into spammer mailing lists. Back in August of 2009, I turned off two of those 'generic' email addresses. I turned them off because they weren't getting any legitimate email. They were only being used by spammers. I turned them off in order to roll back the amount of spam I was receiving.

This technique works. If you don't have an email address, its hard for spammers to send you spam. The fewer the number of email addresses, the fewer the number of possible targets for spammers. Unfortunately, some of the email addresses I turned off were used by friends and family. I was using these email addresses to keep in touch with family and friends, but I had to turn them off to eliminate the incessant flood of spam they were generating. In the past, I've found that it took a year or so for the addresses to become 'safe' again. Thinking that nineteen months was long enough, I turned those email addresses back on (in March of 2011).

Unfortunately, the 'safe' period didn't last very long. After less than one day, I started receiving spam at one of the addresses. After nine days, I was receiving spam at both the addresses. So much for my plans to turn these addresses back on. I've gone ahead and disabled the addresses (again), and I can only hope that another two years will have some sort of effect.

You can still contact me using the email address linked at the bottom of this page (in the footer of the "What's New?" web page). I haven't turned that one off yet. Boy that would be a tough one to live without! but it sure would reduce my spam count. Eliminating my primary email address would reduce my spam count by approximately 90% (or > 1,600 messages per month).

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

Disaster Strikes at "Rob's World!":
Recently (16 - 17 Mar, 2011), "Rob's World!" experienced a minor disaster. Actually, it was more than "Rob's World!" it was every domain I manage ("Rob's World!" and all the domains that point to it. As well as "Tollgate Crossing" and "SouthEastAurora-NeighborhoodWatch"). Fortunately, the impact was quite limited. The web pages were still accessible, but all email and mailing list distribution stopped working. The email outage affected all email addresses associated with my personal domains (not my MobileMe address or other addresses not tied to domains I manage), and all the mailing lists associated with those domains. How many mailing lists? Two at "Rob's World!", with a membership total of 38 subscribers. Three lists at "Tollgate Crossing", with membership of 129 subscribers. Seven lists at "SouthEastAurora-NeighborhoodWatch", with 824 subscribers. For a total of 991 subscribers. My mailing lists are an important service to the local community residents and "Rob's World!" visitors. Amazingly, no one emailed me about the outage, and I spotted it myself at approximately 0400MDT on the 17th of Mar. I reported the problem to my system administrator immediately, and things were working again within three hours. I estimate that the outage lasted twelve hours. Thankfully the outage didn't last long enough to have any significant impact. Thanks Dale!
<http://robsworld.org/mailman/listinfo>
<http://www.tollgatecrossing.org/mailman/listinfo>
<http://www.southeastaurora-neighborhoodwatch.org/mailman/listinfo>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sendmail>

Software favorites:
More updates to one of my favorite software applications. GraphicConverter moves ever forward. As usual, developer has been busy updating this application. Here's two 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. In addition to the usual GC updates, I also updated a new version of the X Window System that powers the unix apps on my Mac.

GraphicConverter:
Thorsten Lemke (of Lemkesoft) completed work on at least two additional updates over the past few days. I recently saw/downloaded the following updates: 7.2 (b173, b174, b176). 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/193/key-features.html>

X11 /XQuartz:
One of the best things about OSX? - it's really Unix!
I'm running X11/XQuartz 2.6.1, 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 above) 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.

What's the difference between X11 and XQuartz? - They're both 'X' (as in uniX) Window Systems. Computer software and network protocol that provides a graphical user interface for a networked computer running a flavor of the unix operating system. X11 was originally developed by MIT. It appeared in Sep of 1987, and it's maintained and distributed by the X.Org foundation, the free and open software is distributed (under license) by Apple with it' Mac OS X operating system. XQuartz is also an 'X' windowing system. Developed and maintained by Apple; XQuartz is designed specifically for the Mac OS X operating system. It's a more refined version of an 'X' windowing system than the X11 version shipped/distributed by Apple during major software updates. XQuartz is developed as an open-source project, and it's updated more frequently than the X11 version shipped/distributed with official Apple software updates. So, in brief X11 is the official build distributed with major software updates/upgrades, and XQuartz is an open-source, more refined version, distributed outside standard update channels.

While X11/XQuartz forms the basis of running Unix applications on your Mac (you really need an X Windows System), getting Unix apps up and running on your Mac isn't always as easy as downloading and double clicking. (see note above), but the following links should help you get started.
<http://developer.apple.com/opensource/tools/X11.html>
<http://www.apple.com/opensource/>
<http://xquartz.macosforge.org/trac/wiki/X112.6.1>
<http://www.macports.org/>
<http://www.finkproject.org/>

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>

March 10, 2011

* 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 also updated the banners for our next Metro District (Mar 22nd) and HOA (Apr 12th) meetings.
* 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 event entries for our next MD (Mar 22) and HOA (Apr 12) meetings.
* Info: A page of links, phone numbers, email addresses and other information pertinent to the residents/community of Tollgate Crossing. I updated some contact info/email addresses. I also posted the meeting minutes from two Metro District meetings. The regular meeting on the 25th of Jan, and a special meeting on the 9th of Mar.

Apple TV (2nd gen) update:
On Wednesday (09 Mar, 2011), Apple released the Apple TV Software Update 4.2 (Released in conjunction with the iOS 4.3 update). In October of 2010, I bought one of the new (2nd Generation) Apple TVs. After some initial problems integrating it into my network (One old Apple TV, one new Apple TV, one malfunctioning Network Attached Server, and one overlooked light switch!), I now have it up and running in the living room.

The new Apple TV is working great. I don't like the way the menus are organized (removing my content from the top tier of each menu), but that may change. The Netflix menu will take a bit of adjustment. I don't like the way it jumps to the top of my queue when I exit the description of any show, but that may change. All these little things are a bit annoying, but I do like the new device. The streaming performance was a primary concern, but so far I haven't been disappointed. It seems to be working fine. The beefed up processor and large flash drive for caching are doing their jobs splendidly. If you didn't know better you'd think all that content was stored onboard.

This new software update (Apple TV Software Update 4.2) is delivered as part of the iOS 4.3 update. This update brings a handful of security updates and a few new features: AirPlay for apps and websites (This doesn't seem to work properly. While I can get the audio to play on my AppleTV, video from various websites (Apple's trailers site, CNN's iReport videos, Vimeo videos and even video from the Photo app on my iPhone) wouldn't play on my Apple TV. It was all MP4 video, but none of it would play on the AppleTV. So much for AirPlay for video), MLB.tv (a 'video' channel ala Roku player), NBA Game Time (another 'video' channel), added Dolby digital 5.1 audio to Netflix videos, New slideshow themes, Improved on-screen keyboard, AirPlay photo slideshows (I tried this and it worked), HDMI color mode (I have no idea what this is), finally Apple TV Software Update 4.2 includes performance and connectivity fixes for Apple TV.
<http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4448>
<http://www.apple.com/appletv/>

Apple iOS 4.3 and Security updates:
If you've got an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, you may already know - Apple released iOS 4.3 on the 9th of March, 2011. This latest release (of the 'i' device operating system) brings a slew of all new features and security updates to your iOS device. With Apple's latest software releases (iOS 4.3, Safari 5.0.4, Apple TV 4.2) there have been numerous security updates. In addition to all these security updates, the iOS 4.3 update also brings some new and improved features, to include: Personal Hotspot (share your iPhone 4 cellular connection with up to 5 other devices); iTunes Home Sharing is improved; New AirPlay features give you the ability to play videos from an iOS device's to a 2nd generation Apple TV; Safari performance is sped up with Apple's Nitro JavaScript engine; With an Apple Digital AV Adapter, you can output HD video to an HDMI capable display; Ping gains new features - Push notifications, Post and like songs from 'Now Playing' screens, parental controls; New settings - Control the number of times an alert is repeated, iPad side switch can be customized to two different settings. The iOS update is available now. Just plug in your iOS device and check for new software.
<http://www.apple.com/ios/>
<http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1358>
<http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222>
<http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4564>

Software favorites:
Another update to one of my favorite software applications. GraphicConverter moves ever forward. As usual, developer has been busy updating this application. Here's one 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. In addition to the usual GC update, Apple released a slew of software updates over the last few days. One of those updates resulted in an update to my favorite web browser.

GraphicConverter:
Thorsten Lemke (of Lemkesoft) completed work on at least one additional update over the past few days. This week I saw/downloaded the following update: 7.1.1 (b168). 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/193/key-features.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 (there's even a Windows version! - Microsoft stops developing IE for Mac, and Apple makes a Windows version of Safari?). I'm currently running Safari Version 5.0.4 (6533.20.27).

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/4 times faster than Internet Explorer 7 and 2 times faster than Firefox) 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, Yahoo and Bing search integration, built-in pop-up blocker, multiple standards (HTML 4.01, 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. Safari Reader mode - banish all those annoying sidebars and adds. Expanded support for HTML 5. Nitro Engine - Makes Safari the fastest in the pack. That's just a small taste of Safari's 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.

This recent update (v5.0.4) contains numerous security, accessibility, compatibility and stability updates:

Improved stability for webpages with multiple instances of plug-in content
Improved compatibility with webpages with image reflections and transition effects
A fix for an issue that could cause some webpages to print with incorrect layouts
A fix for an issue that could cause content to display incorrectly on webpages with plug-ins
A fix for an issue that could cause a Screen Saver to appear while video is playing in Safari
Improved compatibility with VoiceOver on webpages with text input areas and lists with selectable items
Improved stability when using VoiceOver

Making Safari more secure, keeping your computer secure. Available for Mac or Windows, 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/DL1070>
<http://www.webstandards.org/action/acid3>

D&D updates:
Our meeting on the 19th of February was quite productive. Micheal (Currently working at a job site in New Mexico) joined us via teleconference. It didn't work perfectly, but he was able to join us. Hopefully we'll have a better connection this time around. During our last meeting our party encountered the Blue Dragon - Again! Unfortunately, we had to knock off just before the big battle. The quest to vanquishing that evil menace resumes during our meeting tonight. Here are updates from our meeting on the 19th of February.

3rd Edition Campaign:
I updated the date of our next meeting - Our next meeting (not counting tonight's meeting) will be 19 March. 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 (updated on the 8th of Jan, 2011).
<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 the latest journal entry penned by Mutteran - Lee's character. Once again, thanks go out to Lee for his continued support. The party stayed the day and overnight, in the small village of Deepwood, before setting off in search of the Dragon that's been menacing these parts. They didn't have to travel far to find the Dragon, as a matter of fact - They're getting ready for the final (round two) encounter right now. Sharpen your blades and hitch up your horses - Adventure calls and danger looms nigh!
<https://www.robsworld.org/ajournal08.html#feb19_2011>

Monsters encountered:
From the open road to a subterranean aqueduct, and now a dark forest - As the party enters new environs they encounter 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 encountered another new monster. Giant Constrictor snakes. Like their mundane cousins, these beasties will wrestle you, constrict you, crush the life right out of you. Unlike their smaller cousins, these snakes are as big as a house! The monsters page is a listing of monsters that the party has encountered, read about, or heard of.
<https://www.robsworld.org/monsters.html>

Who's Who?:
I updated the "Who's Who?" page to reflect some new information about Armon Bistle - the mysterious, wealthy, patron of the small village of Deepwood. What secret is Armon protecting? According to Crucifer: “Armon is the Dragon luring adventurers here to build his treasure hoard!” The "Who's Who?" page is a listing of characters, both player characters and non-player characters.
<https://www.robsworld.org/3ewhoswho.html>

Where Now?:
With the party engaged in an adventure, they're travelling about, gathering information, meeting new characters and hearing tales of distant places. Over the last couple of sessions, the party has spent a short amount of time in the small village of Deepwood. Roughly hewn from the forest which surrounds it, this small village is a mysterious and secluded place. The perfect place to hide a... "Where Now?" is a listing of various places the party has visited or researched.
<https://www.robsworld.org/wherenow.html>

These updates follow our meeting on the 19th of February . 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. 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 took to the open road. That road was dangerous and long - Very Long! The party fought many foes along the way, lost two of their own (Gregor and Jusarian), said goodbye to one longtime companion, and recruited several new companions (Pyrceval, Azura and the mysterious Crucifer) to strengthen their numbers. All united in their quest to vanquish Deepwood of it's Dragon problem. After a brief stay in the village, the party set off to investigate a possible lair. After entering a box canyon, the party spots a concealed cave entrance, confirms the Dragon is inside - and asleep! It's now or never. The final encounter? As the party stalks silently toward the slumbering Dragon, they disturb a pair of huge snakes, and the battle has begun. Sharpen your blades and hitch up your horses - Adventure calls and danger beckons, here is the confrontation you've been waiting for!

Music Marches in 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.

iTunes New Music Tuesday download:
Sometimes I purchase music from iTunes, and sometimes I take advantage of their free downloads (check it out on Tuesdays). iTunes is the King of the Hill when it comes to the bigger names, so sometimes I find that I have to pay the higher prices. Here's one of those free downloads from the iTunes store.
* ÜBerlin - R.E.M.: (single) From the new album 'Collapse Into Now'. I've been listening to R.E.M. since the early 80s. Unfortunately, they haven't changed much since the early 90s. Here there sound is a reminder of the past. Stale, re-worked versions of previous tunes. Michael Stipe's voice is still going strong, but I don't see much incentive to buy this album. Thanks for the free track.

Free Music Samplers from iTunes:
Sometimes I purchase music from iTunes, and sometimes I take advantage of their free downloads (check it out on Tuesdays). This time around, I paid attention to my FaceBook feed. I've got iTunes alerts in there, and this time I noticed an 'album' I might like. In addition to the FaceBook featured download, iTunes also released a free compilation from this years SXSW (South by Southwest) music festival.
* Electronic Transmissions - iTunes Music Sampler: (10 songs) Technically, this is a 'Playlist'. Compiled by 'Marwn Algaith' of North Hills, NY. This playlist is featured as part of the Ping network. O.k. Apple's trying to make Ping a bit more interesting. Here they've taken some of the hottest new 'Electronic' acts (Savage Skulls and Douster feat. Robyn, Vondelpark, Cut Copy, Holy Ghost!, and others) and given away some singles. Maybe this will interest some people in Ping. I might actually take another look at it myself. If only I could find some of my friends on Ping.
* SXSW 2011 - Various Artists: (21 songs) Held annually, the South by Southwest Music and Media conference showcases more than a thousand musical acts from all around the world. The music plays on several stages throughout downtown Austin, TX between March 11-20 (25th annual festival). Here, iTunes is making a sampler (technically this is a 'Mix' - who comes up with these labels? What's the difference between a mix and a playlist?) available (for a limited time) for free. Featuring 21 bands, it's a small selection of the amazing festival that SXSW has become.

Web site downloads:
I download music from plenty of websites (not counting commercial websites). The websites of the artists, the artists label, music festival websites, music review sites, etc, etc. Their are gobs of places where you can find free music. We're in a whole new era now. Gone are the monopolistic controls of the music industry. Music is becoming free - Free to anyone who takes the time to look for it. If you can't find free, legal, music - you're not looking very hard.
* The Hits - Grand Canyon: (29 songs) A compilation album (featuring b-sides and rarities). Grand Canyon is a new band (2010?) from Albuquerque, NM. With an American flavor and an alt-country sound, it's good stuff. I discovered this band through the 3hive.com website. A 29 track download (for free) followed. Unfortunately, that download was hosted on 'Media Fire', a website that totally sucks. Forcing download of each track separately. During download of each track, you're exposed to numerous web page ads and pop-under ads. Each track generates a new pop-under, and the downloads don't proceed from a single click, you have to click twice per track, and wait until the ads load before the download proceeds.
* Atoms And The Void - Grand Canyon: (15 songs) Another download by the new band. Continuing it's alt-country sound, this 'debut release' is far tamer than 'The Hits', but the sound is more polished, better produced. I'm certainly enjoying it.

eMusic monthly downloads:
Every month I download ~50 tracks from eMusic.com. This month (March of 2011) I managed to download 57 tracks for $22.88 (and I'm paying a $19.99 monthly fee, so that makes the tracks even cheaper (~$0.35 / 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.
* In This Light and On This Evening - Editors: (14 songs) I've been listening to Editors since I discovered them (through the iTunes New Music Tuesday podcast (now defunct), back in 2006. The soulful, mournful voice of Tom Smith reminds me of early 80s talents such as 'New Order', 'Echo & the Bunnymen', and 'Ultravox'. Thankfully, their sound has evolved since the first two albums. This time around there's much more emphasis on the synthesizers and electronic aspects of the music. I'm even hearing some big, arena rock stylings - ala 'The Alarm' or 'The Call'. Great album.
* In Ghost Colours - Cut Copy: (15 songs) Cut Copy is an Australian band, with a classic, synth-pop, disco beat. Retro dance disco with a down-under flavor. The band has been on my radar for years. I've managed to download three of their tracks (going back to 2008) and some remixes they worked on (with Ladyhawke and Kaiser Chiefs) without even realizing what I was digging. Now it's undeniable. I needed this album, and so far I'm loving it. The sound is so reminiscent of OMD that it led me to pay for and download the newest OMD album.
* Heyday 1979-83 (Disc 2) - The Embarrassment: (19 songs) A MOG discovery. It's garage Rock. Raw, unbridled, rough around the edges. The production on this compilation (Here is disc 2 of the compilation) is sketchy at best, but here you'll hear several cuts from this forgotten bands earliest efforts. Reminiscent of Buzzcocks or early Replacements, here is jerky guitar riffs and frantic drumming. Listen once, twice, three times and it starts to grow on you. I've even added disc 1 to my download queue.
* More Than Happy - The Layaways: (9+3 songs) Already a favorite. I already had three tracks from this album. Discovered by listening to cuts on 3hive.com back in 2009. This is the third album I've downloaded. I like their indie-pop, melodramatic, smoothed out summer sound.

Apple Announces iPad 2:
On the 27th of January, 2010. Apple announced it's newest mobile sensation; the iPad. A portable device designed to fit between the iPod and the laptop; both in form and function. If you missed the news releases, you can read all about this new product on Apple's website. That was old news. The new News is: Apple just released the iPad 2. A little more than a year later, there's an entirely new version. Yes, it's entirely new. The only thing that isn't new? The screen. a 9.7 inch LCD. The device itself is smaller, but the screen is the same size. 33% thinner, 15% lighter. The new iPad has more processing power. A dual-core A5 processor (designed by Apple) allows you to do twice as much work, have twice as much fun. It's up to twice as fast as the previous (single core A4) processor, and it's multi-tasking capabilities just got a big jump. The CPU isn't the only thing improved in speed. With a new GPU/Video processor, this baby screams in with graphics that are up to 9 times faster! Tied to that new GPU are two new cameras. That's right, not one but two video cameras. A front facing camera has VGA resolution for over the air/over the net video conferencing (using FaceTime or other applications). On the back is another HD (720p) video camera for capturing all the action (zoom is 5x). With all these updates, upgrades and improvements, you might expect the battery life to suffer. Not! The iPad 2 still has 10 hours of battery life, that's long enough to keep most of us entertained or productive.

One of the best things about the iPad 2? It's options. With three different storage/memory configurations (16, 32 and 64GB), and two different communication options (Wi-Fi only or Wi-Fi plus 3G cellular), you've got six different models to chose from. Oh yeah, one other thing. Now it offers AT&T or Verizon as the authorized cellular carrier. The iPad 2 offers a touch screen interface matured through the iPhone and iPod touch and controlled by the iOS. A form factor that enables mobile web browsing, and a book reader platform that will soon dominate the reader market. The iPad 2 comes complete with all the iPhone apps, and that's a great way to start things off. 400,000+ apps means the iPad is the indomitable leader in portable computing. Smaller and more portable than a laptop, larger and more functional than a iPhone. This device does have a spot on my 'Want' list. I've even got a use case for it. My D&D game would likely benefit from the portability of this platform, and I can see it easily becoming a favorite in front of the TV or when we're away from home for a short period of time. So much for my 'waiting period'. I was waiting for an iPad with a video camera, now I haven't got any reason to wait. I just moved the iPad (available in black or white) up on my 'want' list. iPad 2 will be available in stores by March 11, 2011.
<http://www.apple.com/ipad/>

Encryption and digital signatures - Capability restored:
Spammers often assault my digital identity by forging messages to look like they came from me. As a result, I try to use pgp signed messages (whenever possible) for much of my email correspondence. Unfortunately, I've had a problem with GPGMail (a plugin for Apple's Mail.app) since July of 2010. GPGMail wasn't working properly with the pinentry pop-up/authentication application used to authenticate signatures. Despite that problem, I was still able to use the GPGMail bundle/plugin in order to sign, encrypt and decrypt email messages. That situation went on for a few months, before I attempted to fix the problem on the 15th of Dec, 2010. I posted a few messages in some online forums and contacted the developer for assistance. In my attempts to correct the problem, I followed instructions from a developer, updated the application using a beta/patch designed to address the bug I had encountered. After attempting to fix the problem, I ended up with a non-functional application. I couldn't get the plugin to work at all. It consistently crashed my email application. In order to use Apple's Mail.app, I had to uninstall the GPGMail bundle.

That situation went on for several months (since December of 2010), but I never gave up. I continued my troubleshooting efforts. I continued to post messages to online forums, I continued hounding the developers. I kept trying to resolve the issue. I was convinced that the problem had something to do with the multiple GPG components installed on my computer. One too many configuration files. One too many resource files... Unfortunately, the installation and upgrade process created a situation where there were numerous old versions overlapping the new ones, creating a conflict at some level. Unfortunately, due to the number of components, preference files, configuration files, plugins and resources involved, I couldn't figure out what should and shouldn't be installed. What a nightmare!

In the meantime, the developers have rewritten the code base for GPGMail and it's components, this made it more difficult to troubleshoot. As things continued to change, my installed GPG components started moving further and further from the current installation. I continued to download and install all the latest components, but nothing changed. The developers and I weren't able to resolve all the problems with my installation of GPGMail and MacGPG (now rewritten and upgraded to MacGPG2). The most recent update was distributed with the GPGTools 2011-03-02 release. This update included the following new components: GPGMail.mailbundle (full release version 1.3.2), MacGPG2 (version 2.0.17.9, which included a redesigned gpg-pinentry and gpg-agent), GPGKeychain access (version 0.8.4), GPG Services (version 0.6) and Enigmail (version 1.1.2 for the Thunderbird Mozilla mail client (I don't use this)). All these components are designed to allow Mac users to use OpenPGP (previously known as PGP) on their Macs.

<rave>After the release of this new distribution package, I once again contacted the developers and instigated another round of 'Please help me with this broken configuration'. While some of the developers were unable to help me, others offered constructive opinions and insight. Eventually, with the help of these developers, I was able to locate and identify a corrupt preference file (the 'org.gpgtools.common.plist' preference file, located in my ~/Library/Preferences/ directory). After removing this, and several other outdated preferences files, I was finally able to get GPGMail working! It's fixed. With the help of some dedicated software developers (The project/developers aren't working for a profit, it's all done because they believe in the open availability of secure email), I've finally got my GPGMail installation working again!</rave>

I use MacGPG2 (version 2.0.17-9) and the GPGMail plugin (version 1.3.2) with Apple's Mail.app Version 4.4 (1082) for encryption, decryption, and message authentication. If you would like to correspond in secret, please take note of my Public Keys. Why do I use signatures or encryption? Well, I don't use the encryption very often, but I have been known to send myself encrypted email containing passwords or private information (banking and medical information). I used to use pgp signatures quite often, as a way of ensuring message authenticity. I'm tired of spammers pretending to be me. By using these signatures (which uses the message content (upon signing) and a private key to create a signature which can be verified by using my public key) I can assure recipients that the message they received was actually sent be me, and it hasn't been tampered with in transit. In addition to my self published keys, my public keys are also available on various keyservers.
<http://www.gpgtools.org/macgpg2.html>
<http://www.gpgtools.org/gpgmail.html>
<https://www.robsworld.org/encryption.html>
<https://www.robsworld.org/feedback.html>

Dish Network vs Direct TV:
<rant>And the loser is - You! I challenge you to name another satellite TV provider in the U.S. Really, what kind of competition is there when two companies pretty much limit American access outside metropolitan America? Do you live in a rural area? And by rural, I mean more than 20 miles from a major metropolitan area. If you do, you can't get cable TV. That leaves a large portion of the U.S. outside the cable availability area. Which means, in order to get television, you have two choices. Over the air HD television, or satellite delivered programming. It's pretty pathetic. In the U.S. TV used to be free, to anyone with an antenna. Now, if you live more than 50 miles from a major metropolitan area, you can pretty much rule out the over the air option. Getting HD TV into your home is an expensive proposition. The digital signal drops of quite rapidly, and the analog stations are all but gone. If (like my mother) you live out in the woods, you really haven't got much choice. When the HD revolution came to her neck of the woods, it resulted in a total loss of television reception. Without an entirely new antenna (on a 30' mast), motorized control unit, converter, and hundreds of feet of cable, my mom would be without TV.

Being the good son that I am, I sprung for satellite TV. The company I chose provides crappy service, has routinely raised their prices, and I hate it. The alternative? The competition is something like $30.00 more a month! Or, an investment in a technologically challenging over the air setup that my mother may not appreciate. That alternative would be cheaper in the long run, but there's also the question of maintenance. Since I live several states away, who would maintain this motorized antenna and mast configuration? So, we put up with the crappy service, ridiculous programming selections, and high prices (~$700.00 a year).

Recently (I found out about this development on the 1st of Mar, 2011), Dish network became embroiled in a dispute with the Fox network. While it's been going on for some time, it finally had an impact on me. Apparently, Fox wants to re-negotiate their price with Dish Network (note: Direct TV and Fox are essentially owned by the same company*). The agreement for Dish network to carry Fox channels in the market where my mother lives has expired, and the corporation that distributes Fox programming to Dish (in this region) wants more money. From what I've read (in various online forums/articles), the increase is anywhere from 600 to 1200 percent. These increases aren't happening in just one market, they seem to be widespread across the country. At the same time, there are allegations by Fox that Dish simply refuses to re-negotiate any fee agreements, despite increasing costs to Fox. Fox claims that Dish is using this as an opportunity to paint Fox as the bad guy in the public's eye. You know what? I really don't care who the bad guy is in this dispute, it's rather clear who the loser is. Us, the American consumer. With only two choices for satellite TV, we really don't have much choice. You either pay what they ask, or you don't get TV (The over the air alternative has become an expensive proposition, now that the US has switched to low power digital HD transmissions).

It's disgusting. We need more competition in the media access market. There's only one cable provider in any major metropolitan area. There's only two satellite providers in the U.S., and the bandwidth required for Internet TV is controlled by major cable companies. American consumers are getting screwed left and right by big media corporations. At the moment (06 Mar, 2011) my mom has no Fox programming on her Dish network, and I sincerely doubt that will change in the coming months. Oh, yeah - One other thing... Dish Network sent me a letter (Dated Feb 28, 2011). After reading through all the double-speak about various packages and prices, we finally get down to 'the good news' - Dish isn't raising my price! Wait a second. No more Fox channels, and they're NOT raising my price? Gee, how considerate of them.</rant>

*On December 22, 2003, General Motors sold controlling interest in Hughes Electronics to News Corporation, forming the DirecTV Group. Certain conditions exist, however, in that News Corp must solve disputes with companies that carry its broadcast and cable channels. The corporation must treat all stations equally, not favor the Fox Network and FX. The arbitration was to alleviate concerns that Fox would pull its network programming, which includes professional baseball and football, off cable systems to encourage viewers to subscribe to DirecTV.
<http://www.thenorthwestern.com/article/20110306/OSH0101/303060042/Fox-Valley-Dish-Network-subscribers-lose-Fox-station?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE>
<http://www.postcrescent.com/article/20110301/APC03/103010467/Northeastern-Wisconsin-DISH-Network-subscribers-could-lose-Fox-affiliate>
<http://www.fox11online.com/dpp/about_us/retransmission/dish-network-retransmission-dispute>
<http://www.tvpredictions.com/foxdishlose101210.htm>

March 6, 2011

Opting Out of LinkedIn:
<rant>Someone please MAKE IT STOP! It's an annoying practice, and I for one am sick and tired of being abused by corporations who'll stop at nothing to promote themselves. I'm not the first person to get a 'LinkedIn' invitation, but I'm not going to put up with it anymore. LinkedIn is a social networking site - you know. Sort of like 'FaceBook' or 'MySpace'. They thrive on membership. The more members, the more stuff they sell, the more advertisement their members click on, the more revenue they generate. LinkedIn claims to be a 'Professional Network' where you can connect with other professionals - presumably this will help you get a job. That's all fine. The problem? One of the ways they 'recruit' new members.

Perhaps you've gotten one of their 'Invitations'? An email that looks like your friend sent it. Actually, LinkedIn sent it - 'on behalf of' your friend. Yup. LinkedIn went in and grabbed all the email addresses it could find (including yours), and sent everyone an 'Invitation'. What might this invitation look like?:

LinkedIn lies
(Some names and email addresses have been intentionally obfuscated to protect privacy)

This is where the lies and frustration start. Let's take a look at this invitation. First of all, I don't know the person who sent me this email (for purposes of this discussion we'll call the person 'Rajh'). It may be possible that I've had some correspondence with them, but they may have used a different email address or an pseudonym. I don't recognize the name or email address referred in this email invitation, and that's a problem. The person might be legitimate, or they might be a spammer trying to trick me into clicking on some forged URL. To hijack my click, possibly infect my computer, or phishing for personal information.

The second problem with this email? It claims to be from Rajh, but that's not true. If you examine the header data, you will find that the email was actually sent by LinkedIn. Forging an email header to appear as if it came from someone other than the actual sender is a crime. It's a violation of U.S. CAN-SPAM law. O.k. It wasn't difficult for me to figure this out, but someone might think that this email actually came from Rajh. It didn't it's a 'reminder' from LinkedIn. They sent it, despite the fact that the From: address had his name on it.

The problems with this email continue. So, it's a reminder. Supposedly, this is a reminder about an email that Rajh sent me back on the 27th of February. The problem here? Rajh didn't send me an email back on the 27th of February. LinkedIn did. They sent me a reminder (on behalf of Rajh). It's a little lie, but then they make it worse by quoting their original email, and claiming that Rajh wrote it. So a forged message inside a forged message. The lies are piling up.

The final lie, the one that really 'gets my goat' - That final sign-off declaration: "You can remove yourself from 'Rajh's' network at any time." A complete and utter lie. The only way to 'Remove yourself' (as they imply) is by accepting the invitation, joining linkedIn, and then removing Rajh from your 'network'. That's hardly 'at any time'.

So you might be thinking 'Big Deal', 'Quit whining' and just delete the 'Invitation'. Thanks... Yeah, I'm whining a little, but here's the kicker. The invites never STOP! Once a LinkedIn member has agreed to send out these 'Invitations', they don't stop. You get one every week; reminding you that your friend has invited you to join LinkedIn. It's Spam! I didn't ask for it, I don't know Rajh, the headers are forged (to make it look like Rajh sent the email), and there's no way to make it stop.

So, what did I do about it? Well, the first set of invitations came from someone I knew. I ignored the first one, replied to the second one - which of course did nothing, because they were sent by LinkedIn (not the person that LinkedIn claims they come from), and LinkedIn doesn't read the replies (they go to <invitations@linkedin.com> the bit bucket). On the third one, I did a little google search. I was trying to find a way to 'opt-out' but there isn't one. I finally found out how a LinkedIn member can make them stop. They have to go into their 'Sent Messages' (presumably this an area on the LinkedIn webpage), and click 'Withdraw' for the individuals who have not responded to the LinkedIn invitation. If they don't withdraw the invitation, LinkedIn will continue to send these annoying reminders forever. I sent an email to the actual person who LinkedIn claims sent the message. He didn't know what I was talking about, so I had to explain the whole "LinkedIn is sending these email messages 'on your behalf'" part. I had to explain how to make the messages stop. That took three email exchanges.

The next time I got the Invitations, they came from someone I knew, but they didn't reply to my email. Not at first - I eventually got a reply (thanks Jim), but only after I went for the Nuclear option! I had to write to LinkedIn. Yup, I had to contact them because there's no 'unsubscribe' or 'make it stop' link included in these 'Invitations'. Oh yeah, that by the way is another violation of the CAN-SPAM law. What sort of email did I send?

Cease and Desist
(Some names and email addresses have been intentionally obfuscated to protect privacy)

Sending an email to LinkedIn isn't very easy. They don't publish a contact email address - man that annoys me. Come on, they're a business right? They should publish an email address. I know that's a magnet for spam. Believe me, I know. I hate spam too, but I've figured out a couple of ways to keep the web-spiders from scrapping my email address.

So, you have to use a 'Contact Form'. Can you imagine that it was easy to find? I can't imagine why you might think that. They don't want anyone complaining. They don't want you to send them email. There's no link (to the contact form) on their front page. As a matter of fact, they don't have a 'Contact' link at the bottom of that page. 'Help Center'? Nope no contact info there. 'About'? Nope, not there either. 'Blog' Sorry, try again. 'Careers'? Guess again... Well, to cut to the chase, you'll need to go back to the 'Help Center' which wasn't very helpful. Click on any of the numbered questions. Partway down the page (in the text of the 'answer') you'll find a link hidden under a 'contact us' reference. Yeah, that's right, they managed to hide it so well, that it took me more than an hour to actually find it.

The hidden, super-secret, well hidden LinkedIn contact form: https://help.linkedin.com/app/ask

After putting up with all their shenanigans, I was a bit terse (see my message above). This was the third time I've had to deal with the endless LinkedIn invitations. I don't want anymore of their spam. I don't want to join LinkedIn, and I don't want to receive unsolicited email 'on behalf' of people who 'supposedly' know me. I'm tired of contacting people, and trying to convince them to stop sending me this LinkedIn spam.

I insisted that LinkedIn stop sending me their spam. So, what sort of response did I get?

Banned from LinkedIn

Notice the wording in this reply. They've added me to their "do not contact" list. You know what that means right? That means they're keeping my contact info. They're doing this in the opposite way proscribed by the 'CAN-SPAM' act. Instead of having a list of customers who've 'opted in', they consider everyone fair game by default. In order to get 'off' their list, they put my contact info on a list. They're spammers. That's how spammers do it. Then they sell your contact info. It's a confirmed valid email address, and that's worth money. In a recent study (2009), researchers from IMB and MIT found that the average email contact was "worth" $948.00 in revenue. Personally, I think that's a little on the high side, but I don't know, I'm not selling 'V1Ag4A' or other 'D4uGz' without a presc4iptin.

LinkedIn may be a great tool. But it really depends on you, how good are you at selling yourself? You have a product - your skills, your knowledge, your personality, your ability to communicate, to get the job done. If you don't sell the product, LinkedIn can't help you. In my opinion, a good resume and communications skills are infinitely more valuable than any sort of social network. Employers are looking for people who push their way through the crowd. If you can make yourself stand out, you're going to get noticed and that's more important than being part of 'LinkedIn'.

Most of the LinkedIn users who send out these 'Spam' messages don't realize what they're doing. This sort of contact hurts relationships more than it helps. You can't build a good 'potential job' contact by spamming people. This is LinkedIn trying to suck more people into their social network - it's for their benefit, not yours.

Hopefully this is the last LinkedIn invitation I'll have to 'Deal With'. How annoying is it that they never stop!</rant>

Blurry icons under Mac OS:
<rant>It's a problem which has been plaguing me (and others) for more than a year. Back in August of 2010, I started to notice the onset of a particular problem plaguing my Mac's desktop. While I love the Mac OS, no operating system is without it's issues, and this is just one of those perplexing problems that seems to bother people in our age of super-computers and sophisticated communications devices. If you're familiar with my battles in the land of network connections, you know I don't give up easily when confronted with a technological challenge. This desktop dilemma is just the latest of those challenges.

A bit more detail - So the problem started occurring a few months back, and it's been getting progressively worse. This problem involves the icons in my Mac's Dock and the Application Switcher panel (invoked when you press command-tab). The Mac OS (In OS X v10.5 and later) uses 512 x 512 pixel images for the dock, application switcher and Finder in general. Each application and document has appropriately sized images embedded in the code for smaller sizes (for various reasons), but the 512 x 512 resource is supposed to be used when displaying icons in the Finder. Unfortunately, the problem plaguing me was slowly beginning to affect all the icons in my dock and application switcher (I hadn't noticed it affecting the Finder in general (finder windows)).

The effect I'm talking about? Instead of the typical, sharp, high-resolution (512 x 512) icons, I was starting to notice some incredibly low resolution icons (32 x 32?) in my dock and application switcher. It's nothing critical. It wasn't causing crashes (in my case), but it certainly was annoying. Being used to these magnificent 512x512 icons, I really didn't appreciate these blurry low-res icons. When these low-res icons are scaled up to 512 x 512 or 128 x 128 size (with a mouse over or other magnification effect), they appear blurry, out of focus or fuzzy. It's irritating, not at all Mac-like and quite annoying. Not one to let the problem persist, I began my quest to quash these blurry icons.

Trying to fix things:
My first stop was the Apple Forums. While I found plenty of discussion (several different forum threads) regarding this 'issue', I couldn't find an 'Official' answer - While the original posting (describing this problem) may have been 'Answered', it certainly hasn't been 'Solved' (Despite the 'official' claim to the contrary); a fact noted by several posters. I'm not sure why this problem hasn't been tackled by Apple's software engineers/experts. According to the forums, the problem - which may have been around as early as 2007 (Release of Leopard, Mac OS X 10.5) - seems to affect all models of Mac. It doesn't appear to be a hardware issue, and it's affecting those with Mac OS 10.5 and later (when the 512x512 icons were introduced). While some have reported the issue affecting icons in the Finder (Apple's file browser application), I've only noticed it in my Dock and Application Switcher (but I've never seen it in my Finder windows).

I've tried several of the remedies suggested in Apple's forums: Logging out/in, restarting the computer, repairing permissions, deleting various .DS_Store files, resetting preferences for the dock, the finder, and various other system level settings. Escalating the research beyond Apple's official forums, I find that the problem is being reported beyond the Apple website(s). It's even been reported on by 'CNET' and various other websites. Still the problem persists... After reading numerous posts, troubleshooting efforts and observing the effect up close, I began to formulate my own 'solution'. Noting that it only appeared to affect my Dock and Application Switcher (If you're experiencing similar problems in the Finder, my 'fix' may not help you), I reasoned that the computer was looking in the wrong place (resource path) for the appropriate image resources. For some reason, it was displaying the lowest level of image resolution. Once it started displaying the lower resolution image, it wouldn't revert with a standard reboot, permissions repair, etc. It needed some serious resetting in order to make it access the appropriate resource(s).

A recent posting (Jan 5th, 2011) in Apple's support forums, suggests a new way to fix this problem:

According to poster: steepleton
"there is an icon cashe at macintosh hd/private/var/folders/xd/ (something that changes each reboot) /caches/com.apple.quicklook.thumbnailcache. if you find this folder you can safely move it to trash and restart the finder. everything works normally again (a new com.apple.quicklook.thumbnailcache folder is generated as soon as it's needed). To find this folder you'll need something like "pathfinder" which can navigate invisible folders and has a find that doesn't use spotlight (com.apple.quicklook.thumbnailcache is a system file and spotlight won't hunt for it) you can dump the folder as many times as you need over a prolonged uptime. the fix works immediately and repeatedly"

Unfortunately, according to the author (and confirmed by others), this workaround doesn't permanently fix the problem. I've tried "steeplton's" remedy. It was a bit less intrusive than my typical fix (doesn't destroy my Dock settings). It worked, but who knows how long it will last? Others have commented on "steeplton's" remedy; suggesting that the only file that needs to be deleted (before rebooting) is the 'thumbnails.data' file in this /private/var/folders directory.

Another option (discussed in Apple's support forums) involves deleting the 'com.apple.dock.iconcache' located somewhere within the /private/var/folders/ directory. According to the poster/discussion. Once this file has been located and deleted, the dock needs to be restarted. No need to reboot, log out, or restart the Mac. If I continue to experience problems, I may try this option. The only issue which concerns me here is the focus on the dock... This problem affects more than just the dock. It also affects the icons displayed using Apple's Application Switcher (and possibly other locations/system level applications such as Stacks and the Finder).

Here's how I 'fixed' things: My typical fix goes like this: Open a Finder window. Select your Home Folder (folder/icon with the House badge/image), then open your Library folder. Navigate to the Preference folder. Locate and move the following files to the trash: 'com.apple.dock.plist' and 'com.apple.dock.db' (I believe you might not need to delete this later file). Once you've deleted the preference files, you should restart your Mac. Your Mac will create new preferences for the dock. Deleting the db file will delete all your dock settings, so you'll probably want to create a back-up, just in case (as with all troubleshooting, creating a backup/backing-up your system is always a good idea). This action seems to corrected the problem for an extended period of time.

On the 20th of Feb, 2011, I didn't attempt the extended fix (listed here), I simply rebooted and repaired permissions. Unfortunately, this fix only lasted a week. On the 4th of Mar, 2011, I tried "steepleton's" fix (listed above). I deleted the entire content of the /private/var/folders/ containing my 'thumbnails.data' file. After deleting the 'thumbnails.data' file, I noticed that my computer rebuilt the file. It replaced it with an exact (500.4MB) copy in a little under three minutes. I noticed that simply removing the 'thumbnails.data' file didn't solve the problem. The blurry icons persisted after the file was deleted, and the same blurry effect was noticed after the computer had re-created the new 'thumbnails.data' file. Afterwards, I deleted the entire content of the folder, but I didn't give the computer time to re-create the file. I immediately rebooted. The reboot hung, and I had to shut down the computer using the power button. That's not good, but I can't specifically blame it on this procedure, as it's been happening lately. After several reboots and a 'applejack' cleanup routine (using the 'normal' setting), I finally logged in, and noticed that the blurry icons were gone. Hopefully the problem won't recur for some time (longer than a week would be nice).

After reviewing my actions, I realized that I rebooted, and that wasn't an action called for by "steepleton's" fix. Simply restarting the Finder was the procedure called for after deleting the /private/var/folders/ containing the 'thumbnails.data' file. Crap! I wish I would've followed the instructions more closely. Oh well, there's always next time...

The strange thing about this problem? It doesn't affect every icon, but once it affects an icon, that icon continues to exhibit the blurring, even after the application is quit and relaunched. It doesn't affect all the icons at once, seeming to strike at random. There must be a corrupt cache somewhere. Something that tells the Mac which resource to display for desktop views of the icons. As far as I can tell, Apple hasn't corrected this problem - Yet.</rant>
<http://developer.apple.com/mac/library/documentation/UserExperience/Conceptual/AppleHIGuidelines/XHIGIcons/XHIGIcons.html>
<http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2132399>
<http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2600445&tstart=0>
<http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2667566&tstart=135>
<http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-10402811-263.html>

Software favorites:
A couple more updates for one of my favorite software applications. GraphicConverter moves ever forward. As usual, developer has been busy updating this application. Here's two 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 additional update over the past few days. This week I saw/downloaded the following updates: 7.1.1 (b165, b167). 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/193/key-features.html>

Netflix News - Subtitles on Watch Instantly:
Back in June of 2009, Neil Hunt, Chief Product Officer at Netflix, blogged about their efforts to bring closed captions to Netflix 'Watch Instantly' titles. Neil explained how much work was needed in order to bring subtitles to the Watch Instantly library. It was a rather detailed and technical explanation, but it really provided some insight into this complex and enormous task. Thankfully, Netflix hasn't shuffled this daunting task off to the 'back burners'. They've been hard at work on the problem, and just recently (Feb 25th, 2011) they provided an update on their progress. As of 25 Feb, 30% of the streaming content has subtitles. More subtitles are being added weekly, and they by the end of 2011, they expect 80% to have subtitles. According to Neil Hunt, that 30% amounts to more than 3,500 shows (TV episodes and movies) in the U.S. They've even made a web page available that lists all titles with subtitles. Subtitles are supported on PCs, Macs, Nintendo Wii, Sony PS3, GoogleTV, and the Boxee Box. Roku and Xbox 360 will support subtitles later this year.

<rave>This is good news for everyone. Not just the hearing impaired. I like to watch everything with subtitles on. I find it provides another channel of information while I'm watching a movie. One never knows when the background noise is going to wash out the dialog, or the script calls for whispering, or the mic is badly positioned, or the accent (Try watching 'The Wind That Shakes The Barley' without subtitles!) is difficult for this mid-western raised American. Adding subtitles to their streaming line-up is just another example of how Netflix keeps improving it's service to make it better. Netflix is awesome!</rave>
<http://blog.netflix.com/2009/06/closed-captions-and-subtitles.html>
<http://blog.netflix.com/2011/02/30-of-netflix-streaming-content-has.html>
<http://movies.netflix.com/Subtitles>
<http://www.netflix.com>