July 31, 2012

Make mine Mountain Lion:
On the 25th of July, 2012, Apple announced the release of their latest desktop operating system. Unleashing the beast, the Lion is back as Mountain Lion. This iteration is another evolution in Apple's desktop OS. Moving the desktop and mobile (iOS) operating systems even closer to a common baseline. Here there are more than 200 new features, many of which come to the desktop directly from the iOS operating system. Creating a more uniform user experience, a more integrated environment for apps, media, and communications.

This update came a bit earlier than most had anticipated, but it was announced prior to the release (news broke during a quarterly earnings conference). So plenty of people got very excited as the countdown began. The release occurred on the 25th of July, the day that Kim and I left town on a vacation. July 25 is Kim's birthday, so we left town to go on a vacation (more on that later). I wasn't able to install the update until later in the month. In the days following our return (we returned from our vacation on the 28th of July), I downloaded and updated the operating system on all our computers. I installed Mountain Lion on our two laptops (15" MacBook Pros) without any problems at all. When I finally got around to updating my desktop Mac (a dual quad-core Mac Pro), I encountered one serious problem that persists.

<rant> This issue is a big problem on my Mac, and I can only imagine that it's affecting many more people than the few who've posted in Apple's support forum. According to posters in Apple's support forums, Apple has contacted one of the people experiencing this problem, and they're running diagnostics/addressing the issue. I certainly hope so. If I don't see any positive action/forward momentum in the next month or so, I'll report the issue separately (as a bug). Sometimes Apple doesn't do anything until an actual bug report has been filed, and this issue definitely qualifies as a bug - a rather large one at that.

The problem revolves around a process related to the Notes application in Mountain Lion. When the Notes application is first launched, this process is supposed to convert the old Lion formatted notes into a new Mountain Lion format. Unfortunately, in some instances, that process is out of control... This problem is affecting my early 2009/dual quad-core Mac Pro (and various other Mac's as noted in the Apple support forums). I had two 'notes' saved on my iPhone before I installed Mountain Lion. The notes were synced to my Mac, two MacBook Pros, and my iPad. I installed Mountain Lion on my two MacBook Pros, and didn't notice any problems.

When I finally installed Mountain Lion on my Mac Pro, I noticed a lot of hard drive activity. Applications were locking up left and right (I was running out of RAM). Eventually I had to kill a bunch of applications, and the hard drive activity was still high. I restarted the computer and had the same problems. Eventually, a window popped up stating that I had run out of 'disk space'. I checked the Activity monitor and saw that a 'com.apple.NotesMigratorService' process had eaten up all my available Real (RAM) and Virtual Memory (Hard disk space available to use as Virtual RAM/swap space).

I then used the 'Activity Monitor' application to locate and Force Kill (quitting doesn't seem to work/help) the 'com.apple.NotesMigratorService' process. This immediately freed up the Real and Virtual memory being eaten up by the rogue process. A Force Kill also stops the process from restarting, until you launch/restart one of the applications which triggers the activation of this 'com.apple.NotesMigratorService' process.

So far (in my experience), it seems that the following actions trigger the activation of the 'com.apple.NotesMigratorService'

• Launching the Notes application.
• Launching the System Preferences application and accessing the iCloud preference pane (Note: My Notes preference in the iCloud pane is checked/synced, but I've been experiencing problems getting the Mail icon checked/synced via iCloud. This may be unrelated/a different problem.)
• Launching the System Preferences application and accessing the Mail, Contacts & Calendars preference.
  

Hopefully Apple will patch this problem soon. I find it extremely annoying that I have to continuously monitor my 'Activity Monitor' to watch for this process. I'm currently monitoring the Apple support forums to see if they post any updates regarding this problem. If I don't something within a month I'll probably post my own 'bug report' with Apple. </rant>

Aside from this one problem, I have to say that I'm quite happy with the performance of Mountain Lion on my Macs. I'm still running Snow Leopard on one of my hard drive partitions. I need to maintain this OS/partition in order to run applications that require the 'Rosetta' Mac OS component. Rosetta allows Mac OS users/computers to run application/code that requires PowerPC code translation. Programs written to run on computers with a PowerPC (Performance Optimization With Enhanced RISC -Performance Computing (aka PPC)) architecture. Apple, IBM and Motorola collaborated to create this computing architecture in 1991. Apple transitioned their personal computers from PPC architecture to IBM's x86 architecture in 2006. The Snow Leopard operating systems is Apple's last OS to include a PPC translation/emulation capability. I maintain this OS (on a separate partition) in the event that I would like to run AppleWorks - A long venerated productivity suite, produced, and later abandoned by, Apple. While I search for a suitable emulator (one that will run OS 10.6.8 (Snow Lion) in emulation mode) that runs under Apple's newer operating systems, I will still need to maintain a separate partition where I can install 'Case-Insensitive' applications (That's a longer story, just ask Adobe!). Another item of note: Since updating to Mountain Lion. I've decided that I no longer need to maintain an X11/XQuartz installation/capability. I will no longer be running the Gimp or Inkscape under X11/XQuartz. I'm using Mac OS native applications that replicate most of the features available under these (and other) unix applications. You can still run X11/XQuartz, the Gimp, Inkscape and other unix applications on Macs running Mountain Lion; it's just that I no longer see a need to download (it's not installed by default) and install XQuartz and other compatible software packages.

In updating my computers to Mountain Lion, I actually recovered some hard drive space. Things seem to run a bit quicker, but that's what I always think just after the install of a new OS. I'm happy with most of the new applications and features, but I'm still a bit disgruntled with the demise of MobileMe and iWork.com. The loss of online file sharing (with others) and that awesome photo gallery feels like a step backward and a big mistake. Hopefully the substitutes that I've identified will measure up to the loss of iDisk, iWork.com and the photo gallery, because iCloud isn't getting all my love. Where's the online sharing and collaboration?!
<https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4141334?start=0&tstart=0>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple's_transition_to_Intel_processors>
<http://www.apple.com/osx/>

Micromat Website Compromised:
I recently stumbled upon a compromised website (Noted on the 30th of July, 2012). Oddly, I didn't see anyone else report it... Well, the internet is a big place, and maybe I'm the only blogger who noticed. After receiving a series of unusual emails (from 'Micromat') I did a little investigating. Micromat is the company responsible for the 'Techtool' line of diagnostic, repair and maintenance software for the Mac. I own a copy of Techtool Pro and Techtool Deluxe and Micromat was on my list of trusted vendors/businesses. The email I received looked a bit suspicious. It looked like spam. I thought that was a bit odd, because Micromat is a generally respected brand. The address that the email was sent to has been getting a lot of spam lately, and it seemed a bit suspicious. The content smelled slightly of spam, but it passed the sniff test and didn't set off any alarm bells.

That first email arrived on the 18th of July, and it looked fairly legitimate. When I received that email, I downloaded a copy of the Micromat's Techtool Deluxe. The one it recommended that I download was a newer version of the product. I installed the software without any problems, but I didn't run/execute it right away (I was using Techtool Pro at the time). The update seemed legit, but I just didn't need to run the software, and I hadn't received any update emails in quite some time. On the 30th of July, I received another email from 'Micromat'. This time the spam detector in my head began ringing like a red hot five alarm bell ringer. This email simply screamed spam. That email sent me on a quest to find out what was going on. I did a few google searches and discovered... Holy crap! The Micromat website was compromised!

Their product showcase and purchase website had been transformed into a fake pharma site. The site was now selling cialis, viagra, and other fake pharma products. My investigation indicated that the compromise may have happened as far back as 16 July, 2012. No doubt the email(s) I received were part of an attempt to compromise additional computers. Anything downloaded was likely infected, a vector to zombify the unwitting recipients of this latest 'Micromat' email. I immediately deleted that software I had downloaded, along with any associated files. I ran some anti-malware software and set up some firewall rules to block any internet connections to or from the Micromat domain/IPs.

Now that's scary. Even the big names get hacked. Of course they don't want to admit it. Imagine how bad that would be for business? Especially when your business has to do with data and hardware diagnostics and maintenance... Below are links to the email messages I received (with my email address/identity obfuscated), and a screen shot of the google search results. You might find it interesting to note that the entire page of results was filled with indications of fake pharma sites and an explicit warning (from the google trust agent) that the 'site may be compromised'.

Spammers just never give up, so we (me, you, the Micromat website administrators) have to stay ever vigilant for their continuing attempts to thwart the filters and security measures put in place to keep the barbarians at bay. 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 my web page. Damn those spammers!
First email: <https://www.robsworld.org/micromatspamemail3.png>
Second email: <https://www.robsworld.org/micromatspamemail2.png>
Source of 2nd email: <https://www.robsworld.org/micromatspamemail1.png>
Google search results: <https://www.robsworld.org/compromisedmicromat.png>
<https://www.robsworld.org/index2.html#fightingspam>
<https://www.robsworld.org/whybother.html>
<http://www.damnspammers.com/>

Kim's Birthday vacation - 2012:
Happy Birthday to Kim! Kim celebrated another birthday on the 25th of July. Don't worry Kim, I won't tell anyone how 'old' you are. :-) Besides, you'll always be younger than me. This year we celebrated Kim's birthday by getting away. I really needed this break from work. ...that's a long story, and best told in person... Kim and I haven't been on vacation in quite some time, so we took a week off work and did ourselves a huge favor. Road Trip! Before we went on this road trip, we spent a day getting some new pictures taken (formal portraits). You'll see those later this year. Kim and I planned the birthday vacation for many months, and we embarked on the journey starting on the 25th of July. Our first big vacation of 2012. From 25 July to 28 July, 2012. It took me some time to sort through and edit the 500+ photos I took, but I finally finished that chore and posted all the photos.

As I mentioned above, we took a week's worth of vacation and headed up to lake country (for four days and three nights). In the Rocky mountains of Colorado there are many pristine and large mountain lakes. The ones we visited (during July of 2012) form the headwaters of the Colorado river. One natural lake (Grand Lake) and two reservoirs (Shadow Mountain Lake and Lake Granby) created by damming up the Colorado river. We spent four days and three nights in Grand Lake (the town). Exploring, taking photos, relaxing, eating at some excellent restaurants... Playing tourist. It's been a while since we had such a vacation and we had an excellent time. Here's a time line and a brief recap of what we did, saw, ate and conquered during our Amazing Adventure!

• Day 1 (25 Jul 2012):
  • Kim's birthday. Packed up clothes and such. Left the house around 1000.
  • Traveling north towards Estes Park.
  • Listened to NA podcast.
  • Stopped in Estes Park for lunch. Ate at Coopers Highland Pub Sports Grille.
  • Drove into the Rocky Mountain National park for the second leg of our trip.
    • As we entered the park, we weighed the pros and cons and eventually purchased the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Annual Pass. That cost us $80.00 but we calculated that we would spend more if we paid separate entrance fees throughout the year.
    • After entering the park we started driving along the historic Trail Ridge Road. Along the way, we listened to a self paced audio tour (purchased through the iTunes store) and took a lot of photos.
  • After driving 48 miles over four hours (avg speed appx 12 mph), we emerged from the park in the town of Grand Lake, Colorado. I had a huge headache/elevation sickness and needed to relax.
  • We checked in at Gateway Inn (appx 1630).
    • The room was small but cozy. With a gas fireplace and a tiny balcony. If we come back this way, we will not stay at the Gateway Inn. Their accommodations were less than we expected. No restaurant, Wi-Fi was inaccessible or so clogged that I couldn't use it 50% of the time. No 'Business Center'. I would probably look for a B&B instead. Price was too high for what we got.
    • We relaxed for a short time. An hour or so. I actually slept for an hour. My headache was gone, and I felt much better after that short nap.
    • Had a drink at the bar. $1.25 for domestic tap during happy hour, but soda was $3.75 and no free refills! Due to lack of staff (a very common problem in this resort town/all resort towns during the summer) we had to go to the bar to get anything. There was one person working the front desk, and that person also doubled as the bartender.
  • Went out to eat at Sagebrush BBQ grill.
    • Appetizer was Elk & Antelope sausage. I had 1/2 rack of ribs. Kim had pulled pork, Elk medallions and green chili chicken soup. Free peanuts at every table. Food was ok, but the restaurant was very noisy.
    • This place had a very hometown feel. It was family friendly, but way too noisy. Once again the staff was working at a breakneck rate in order to try and satisfy every customer in the place. Not enough help to be had during the tourist season.
  • Watched movie (2012 - Kim's pick. Yuck! I rate it a 1 out of 5).
  • Slept quite soundly. Good thing we brought our earplugs.
• Day 2 (26 Jul 2012):
  • The Inn's internet connection is not working when I get up (around 7AM). I can't connect to my home computer via Back to my Mac. We're in last room at end of hall and the wifi sucks.
  • Since the Inn doesn't have a dining room/restaurant, we ate breakfast at The Hub - Coffee & Cones. Awesome burritos and good coffee.
  • Back to room to plan our day.
  • Boat tour of Grand Lake (the actual lake) and Shadow Mountain lake.
    • Excellent tour - We definitely recommend it. Guide was a native of the area. Grew up in Grand Lake, Very informative. Pointed out several historical and architectural features around the lake.
    • The guide even took us to Shadow Mountain Lake; something that wasn't advertised in the brochure. Took 20 minutes longer than anticipated, but well worth it.
  • Had lunch at O' A Bistro. A crepe place.
    • I had salmon puree crepe. Kim had wild mushroom crepe (Kim said her crepe was awesome/yummy). We had a meat and cheese platter as an appetizer.
    • Food was o.k. The salmon puree made my stomach a little queasy, but I don't think the salmon was bad. It just didn't agree with me.
  • Went shopping along the boardwalk (Grand Ave.) Shopped both sides of the street. We bought some Christmas gifts for ourselves and family. Afterwards we came back to the room and relaxed a bit.
  • Went down to the lounge for a drink, Sat outside on the patio and relaxed. Came back to the room, freshened up, then went out for supper.
  • For supper we ate at the Back Street Steakhouse.
    • The Steakhouse is connected to/operated by owners of Daven Haven lodge/cabins.
    • Focaccia bread as an appetizer. Bread wasn't traditional Italian. More like a loaf of bread. I had a Lodge (aka Large, 1/2 pound) Burger w/fries. Kim had a Lobster BLT. My burger was too much to eat, and just a typical burger. Kim's Lobster BLT was o.k. Lobster was a little tough/dried out. Cooked too long.
    • Once again the staff (two people where there should have been four) was working at a breakneck rate in order to try and satisfy every customer in the place. Not enough help to be had during the tourist season.
  • After supper we went back to the room and watched first season of 'The Big Bang Theory' on DVD. Apparently my coworkers think I'm 'Sheldon', the socially inept brain trust of the odd couple. The cast featured many former stars from the 'Rosanne' television sit-com - Approximately 10 years later.
• Day 3 (27 Jul 2012):
  • Internet actually working o.k. this morning. I was able to connect to my home computer via Back To My Mac. Checked some email, but couldn't do much else because home computer has 30" monitor and I couldn't get the screen to zoom.
  • I slept great. More than eight hours. We got up, took showers, dressed and headed out to breakfast.
  • We went to Blue Water Bakery Cafe in downtown Grand Lake.
    • I had a Breakfast bagel with sausage, egg and cheese. It was good. Kim had stuffed french toast with fruit. Stuffed means cream cheese between pieces of french toast. The fruit (strawberries, raspberries and blueberries were frozen. She said the 'compote' and french toast were good.
  • Went back to the room to relax and plan the day...
  • The day - We went down by the lake, took some photos and waited for the Kauffman House museum to open. Self guided tour of the Kauffman House; a historic building built by one of the earliest settlers in Grand Lake. It's on the register of historic places.
  • After our tour we went to Cy's Deli for lunch.
    • I had a Reuben and Kim had a turkey melt. Our sandwiches were served with their home made coleslaw with a vinegar based dressing. The food was awesome.
    • Once again the staff was working at a breakneck rate in order to try and satisfy every customer in the place. Not enough help to be had during the tourist season.
  • After lunch we went back to the room and relaxed for a few minutes.
  • For the afternoon we went for a drive to the town of Granby. Along the way we stopped at several scenic spots inside the Rocky Mountain National park and the Arapahoe National Recreation Area. I took many photos of Shadow Mountain Lake, Lake Granby, some damns and the headwaters of the Colorado River.
  • When we finally got to Granby we were a little disappointed to find that it wasn't set up as a tourist town. We turned around and headed back to Grand Lake.
  • We returned to our room, relaxed for a few minutes, then went down to the bar for a few drinks before dinner.
  • For dinner we had reservations at The Rapids Lodge & Restaurant.
    • Compared to all the other places we ate at over our vacation, the Rapids was very fancy.
    • For supper we had a roasted artichoke with a chipotle dipping sauce. It was magnificent. I don't think we've had roasted artichoke since we left Italy (1992). For entrees, Kim had prime rib with Gorgonzola mashed potatoes and green beans. I had corn meal and tequila crusted salmon with a cranberry rice pilaf and green beans.
    • For drinks, Kim had a glass of Berringer Pinot noir. I had a local beer (Grand Lake Brewing co.; White Cap Wheat).
    • For desert we had shared some creme brûlée. The meal was the best we'd had since the beginning of our vacation. The price with tip was $113
  • After our meal, we returned to the Inn for the evening. Before turning in we watched 'The Matador' starring Pierce Brosnan.
• Day 4 (28 Jul 2012):
  • We got up early (0630) and packed up all our stuff. We checked out around 0800 and headed down the road toward Denver.
  • We stopped at Betty's Cafe for breakfast.
    • This quaint and rustic cafe had a terrific atmosphere and the staff was very friendly.
    • I had a smothered breakfast burrito and Kim had a Cinnamon roll.
  • Back on the road for the final leg of our trip. We should be back in Aurora by 1130.
  • We arrived back home around 1200, ate a small lunch and went to bed... Afternoon nap. It's good for the soul.
  • Thus concludes Kim's birthday vacation, 2012.

It took me quite some time to get all my photos online. I had to sort through 566 photos taken with two cameras, edit, crop, rotate adjust contrast, brightness, etc. It took a while but they're online now. I posted all the photos to my website (feel free to login and leave some comments), and about half of them to my FaceBook page. I hope you enjoy the photos. Wow! What a Vacation - Kim and I had another awesome Colorado vacation. Over four days and three nights we visited the headwaters of the Colorado river, saw some awesome sights, relaxed, shopped and ate some excellent food. One thing I didn't do - Think about work!
<https://www.robsworld.org/photos/kimsbday2012/index.html>
<http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151011408963806.414931.735788805&type=1&l=8908068c21>
<http://www.noagendashow.com>
<http://www.colorado.com/cities-and-towns/Estes-Park>
<http://www.facebook.com/pages/Coopers-Highland-Pub-Sports-Grille/293076944079175?sk=wall&filter=12>
<http://www.nps.gov/romo/index.htm>
<http://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/feesandreservations.htm>
<http://www.rmnp.com/RMNP-Areas-TrailRidge.HTML>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trail_Ridge_Road>
<http://www.grandlakechamber.com/index.html>
<http://gatewayinn.com>
<http://sagebrushbbq.com>
<http://thehubgrandlake.com>
<http://www.trailridgemarina.com>
<http://www.o-abistro.com>
<http://www.backstreetsteakhouse.com>
<http://www.facebook.com/pages/Blue-Water-Bakery-Cafe/108441112508678>
<http://www.kauffmanhouse.org>
<http://www.cysdeli.com>
<http://www.townofgranby.com>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arapaho_National_Recreation_Area>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadow_Mountain_Lake>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado_River>
<http://www.grandlakebrewing.com>

Software favorites:
Another batch of beta updates for my favorite Graphics editor. GraphicConverter moves ever forward. As usual, developer has been busy updating this application. All the updates are free for those who own a license (for the most recent version). If you need a powerhouse converter, editor and browser for your graphics, grab a copy of GraphicConverter - You won't be disappointed.

GraphicConverter:
Thorsten Lemke (of Lemkesoft) completed work on at least seven updates over the last week. I recently saw/downloaded the following update: 8.2.1 (b973). 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.

The 8.0 release was a new full release. A completely new version re-written as a 64 bit application (can be launched as 32 bit/defaults to 64 bit). Sandboxing and codesigning support has been added, several bugs have been fixed, and support for large images (16,000x16,000 pixels) was added. The new version is a free update for all registered customers of version 7.
<http://www.lemkesoft.com/content/162/new-functions-and-versions.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>

Apple releases Mac OS 10.8 / Mountain Lion:
On the 25th of July, 2012, Apple announced the release of their latest desktop operating system. Unleashing the beast, the Lion is back as Mountain Lion. This iteration is another evolution in Apple's desktop OS. Moving the desktop and mobile (iOS) operating systems even closer to a common baseline. Here there are more than 200 new features, many of which come to the desktop directly from the iOS operating system. Creating a more uniform user experience, a more integrated environment for apps, media, and communications.

This update came a bit earlier than most had anticipated, but it was announced prior to the release (news broke during a quarterly earnings conference). So plenty of people got very excited as the countdown began. The release occurred on the 25th of July, the day that Kim and I left town on a vacation. July 25 is Kim's birthday, so we left town to go on a vacation (more on that later). I won't be able to update until later, hopefully I can update before the end of the month.

As I stated previously, the new OS incorporates more iOS features. Building upon the success of that platform, it certainly seems to me that Apple is moving towards a unified operating system, or at least a common architecture and baseline. The mobile devices running the iOS operating system are becoming more and more sophisticated. With more powerful and faster processors, the portable iOS devices are quickly approaching par with some of the desktop machines. I can see a future where the two operating systems will merge to form a singular OS which runs on portable devices as well as Laptops and Desktop computers. The features released under Mountain Lion clearly show a harmonization of applications, looks and feel. It won't be long before Laptops will be running iOS, and soon afterwards the two will merge to become the 'Apple OS'. This would be very good for developers, but will it be good for consumers?

Here are some of the new features and applications:

iCloud - Apple's iCloud allows you to seamlessly and effortlessly sync your email, calendars, contacts, documents and more across all your Apple devices. See previous updates for iWork applications. Pages, Numbers and Keynote have all been updated to include iCloud save and sync capabilities. Unfortunately, this OS release also signals the final death knell of the iDisk. Mac users are losing great sharing capabilities with the demise of iDisk.

Reminders - A direct port from the iOS, this version has all the same functionality. This app will allow you to sync all your messages across all Apple devices. And that's a good thing. I use it to create grocery lists, to do lists, and GPS enabled alerts... For example. I've set up a reminder (based on location and time) that give

Notes - The Notes application comes to the Mac desktop. With all the same capabilities as the current iOS version. iCloud syncing gives you access on all your Apple devices. iCloud is going to be busy with all this syncing going on. The notes application seems to duplicate much of the functionality in TextEdit, but the TextEdit application is still a far more powerful document creation application.

Messages - Integrating the chat features of the desktop application (iChat) with FaceTime and the free instant message capabilities of iMessage from iOS. iChat is gone now. The 'Chat' or 'Messages' experience on the Mac OS now looks the same as the 'Messages' capability on iOS. A very full featured communications application. Messages allows you to do everything except place a phone call from your desktop. It's got chat capabilities (text, audio, video) for multiple platforms, video conferencing capabilities and plenty of integration with other apps. Unfortunately, the iWorks/iLife integration is gone. I'm not sure when that happened, but it looks like you can no longer show a Keynote presentation via Messages.

Notification Center - The Notifications center has finally coming to the Mac OS. Banners and alerts will appear and disappear just like 'Growl' notifications. You'll be able to access the Notifications Center at any time. Just swipe to the left... If you click on a notification, you're immediately taken to the relevant application and the message is displayed in the native format/context. The Notification Center even has a built in Twitter capability. You can send Tweets directly from the Notification Center. You don't need to use an app that has built in Twitter sharing. Note: FaceBook integration and sharing (across Mountain Lion) isn't coming until this fall (Autumn of 2012).

Power Nap - When your Mac goes to sleep, it still gets things done with Power Nap. It will periodically update Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Reminders, Notes, Photo Stream, Find My Mac, and Documents in the Cloud. When your Mac is connected to a power source, it downloads software updates and makes backups with Time Machine. While all that updating is going on, the system sounds are silent and no lights or fans come on, so nothing disturbs you. And when your Mac wakes up, it's good to go.

Dictation - Now you can talk anywhere you can type. Dictation converts your words into text. It uses the built-in microphone on your Mac, so there's no need to set anything up — just start speaking instead of typing. When you say "comma" or "exclamation point," Dictation punctuates for you. The more you use Dictation, the smarter it gets. It learns voice characteristics. And it recognizes people from your contacts so it enters names accurately. Dictation supports English (U.S., UK, and Australia), French, German, and Japanese. I wonder if it's quicker than typing? I would think it is, but haven't had the opportunity to test it out yet... Okay I'm testing it now: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog (typing ~10 secs). The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog (dictation ~5 secs). The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog (typing ~10 secs). The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog (dictation ~5 secs). The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog (typing ~10 secs). The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog (dictation ~5 secs). That's pretty awesome. Dictation took a little less than half as long as my typing (yes the timing comments were added afterwards). That's not too shabby, and I had fewer errors with dictation. I think I'll use dictation more frequently. The only problem with dictation? I would have to know what I'm going to say before I say it. With typing, I'm usually thinking about what I'm going to say while I type... If only the dictation could do the thinking for me! :-)

Built-In Sharing - The media/document sharing experience in Mac OS X has been standardized and expanded. Share links, photos, notes, and videos. Send Tweets, email, and posts to various websites, online destinations and other Mountain Lion users. This sharing capability is built in to just about every app in Mountain Lion. Note: FaceBook integration and sharing (across Mountain Lion) isn't coming until this fall (Autumn of 2012).

Twitter - Mountain Lion is designed for Tweeting. Sign in once and you're all set up — and you don't have to leave the app you're in. Tweet links and photos directly from Safari, iPhoto, or Photo Booth with the new Tweet sheet. Add comments and locations. And when someone mentions you in a tweet or sends you a direct message, you'll get a notification right then and there. You can even tweet directly from Notification Center.

Airplay Mirroring - Awesome; your Mac on your Apple TV. Browse the internet, watch videos, give a presentation. Transform you big screen HDTV into a mirror of your Mac. No cables necessary. Over the air streaming directly to your Apple TV (which needs an HDMI connection to your HD TV). Integrate directly into iTunes. I've already used this capability (in iOS apps) several times, and it's killer. Anything you can view on you Mac can now be displayed on your resolution matched big screen TV.

Game Center - One of the awesome parts of gaming on an iOS device is the ability to find players, competitors and team members through the Game Center. Now it's coming to the Mac. There's a new Game Center application that consolidates all the

Gatekeeper - A new idea from Apple. While the iOS only has one way to get apps onto it, the Mac has always had a messy way of downloading and installing apps. The traditional way - where you download applications from anyone, anywhere. This means Malware can get in. The Gatekeeper will allow you to lock down some of those holes. As a preference pane (in Security & Privacy pane of System Preferences), you' can chose how applications get installed. Choose the Mac App Store only, Mac App Store and Apple Developers (signed applications), or the Wild west of the World Wide Web. The Gatekeeper also improves upon the current Malware detection and protection included in OS 10.7.

Preview - One of my favorite applications gets some pretty significant updates. Now you can save your PDF documents in the cloud. Why is this so significant? Well, the Apple OS has built in PDF support. Any document in any application can be saved as a PDF. This means you can export any document in pdf format and save it to iCloud. So you were worried that you wouldn't be able to save your BBEdit documents to iCloud? No problem. Save the output as a PDF, and then you can save it to iCloud. Preview also gets a host of sharing options with Mountain Lion's Built-In Sharing capabilities (Messages, AirDrop, Mail, Facebook (later this year), Twitter and Flickr). Would you like to fill out a pdf as if it were a form, but it's not built as a native Adobe form? No problem. Preview now scans your document for areas that look like they're intended for text entry. After detecting the text input areas, you can click on the check boxes and text areas in order to fill out the form that wasn't a form but now is! Add comments to a pdf by clicking on the content (after selecting the notes tool). Type what you want and when you're done the text is hidden, leaving behind a little sticky note icon. You can view all the hidden notes and highlighted text at once. Just select the appropriate option from the 'View' menu. You can even search the notes and highlights. Finally, you can insert a scanned document into a pdf. These updates make Preview an extremely powerful tool.

That's a lot of new applications for Mac OS 10.8. but it's only a small set of new features and applications. Focusing on the iOS integration, the predictions about a fused OS are getting really hard to ignore. While I had guessed that the update would cost $29.95, Apple blew us all away by dropping the price to $19.95! and offering full upgrades from Snow Leopard directly to Mountain Lion. So even if you procrastinated and never dropped the $29.95 required for Lion, you can now get Mountain Lion for only $19.95. As predicted, this release is only available through the Mac App Store.
<http://www.apple.com/osx/>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac_OS_X>
<http://www.apple.com/icloud/>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IDisk>
<http://www.apple.com/osx/whats-new/features.html#reminders>
<http://www.apple.com/osx/whats-new/features.html#notes>
<http://www.apple.com/osx/whats-new/features.html#messages>
<http://www.apple.com/osx/whats-new/features.html#notificationcenter>
<http://www.apple.com/osx/whats-new/features.html#powernap>
<http://www.apple.com/osx/whats-new/features.html#dictation>
<http://www.apple.com/osx/whats-new/features.html#builtin-sharing>
<http://www.apple.com/osx/whats-new/features.html#twitter>
<http://www.apple.com/osx/whats-new/features.html#airplay>
<http://www.apple.com/osx/whats-new/features.html#gamecenter>
<http://www.apple.com/osx/whats-new/features.html#gatekeeper>

Mac/Apple Software updates:
With the imminent release of Mountain Lion (Mac OS X 10.8), Apple has been releasing a slew of software/application and security updates. This week (last week of July, 2012) saw several updates. These updates are released outside of the OS 10.8 update, they're available for users running OS 10.7 / Lion. Here are some of the updates Apple released on the 25th of July (along with the release of Mountain Lion / OS X 10.8):

Remote Desktop - Apple's remote desktop client was updated to version 3.6.0. This update brings support for IPv6, allows reporting of new attributes and settings in the 'Remote Desktop' admin client. Given all the problems I've had with Apple's built in remote desktop connectivity, I've often thought about purchasing the Remote Desktop admin client (a standalone application intended for remote administration of a sever environment with multiple clients). Unfortunately, given the poor performance of the built in remote connection capabilities, I'm not willing to risk $80.00 on another remote connectivity client from Apple. When the built in 'Back to the Mac' remote connectivity capabilities fail, I turn to free second party applications like 'Team Viewer'

Safari 6.0 - The latest version of Safari (Apple's web browser) brings numerous security updates (see below) and new features:

• Unified URL and search field - Apple has finally decided to integrate the web address and search fields into a single field. Enter a web address and Safari takes you to the web page. Enter words and Safari assumes you're searching for something. You can select different search engines on the fly. As you type in the search terms Safari starts to display suggestions and a top hit. It keeps pages from your history and bookmarks in mind as you type. It even displays a formatted list of results from various indexed databases (your computer, the dictionary, thesaurus, Wikipedia, the web, etc).
• Coverflow Tab View - Only available if you're running Mountain Lion. A new way to display and scroll through the different tabs that you have open. The new Tab View is leveraged with a multi-touch gesture, and responds quite Apple added this tab view, but they also took away the 'Activity Window' a simple consolidated list of all open tabs/urls, which displayed status of the webpage on that URL. Clicking on the textual list would take you directly to that tab/url. I emailed Apple, asked them to restore the 'Activity Window'.
• iCloud Tabs - Only available if you're running Mountain Lion. If you had tabs open in your iPad, you can access those tabs on your laptop using the iCloud Tabs capability. All your open tabs are synced via iCloud (stored in an encrypted format), and now you can access the tabs from any iCloud connected device. If you prefer, you can keep those tabs private by turning on Private Browsing. Stay away from the porn sites if your kids are using the iPad! (The iPad has no user accounts). Apple users who don't know about this new 'feature' may find themselves surprised when someone asks them to explain...
• Built-in Sharing - Only available if you're running Mountain Lion. Although the Safari that ran/runs under Lion has some sharing options, the new Safari gains several new sharing options and they're all integrated into a unified sharing button: Reading List, Bookmarks, Email the page (not a link), Message (as in Messages application), Twitter. While these sharing options are great, I've noticed / and many others have complained about the fact that the option to share a link is gone. You can still do that with Safari, but it doesn't become evident until you 'Email the page'. In Mail.app you can choose to send the web page content as a web page, a pdf, or a link.
• Improved Performance - The browser now loads pages faster. The 'Nitro JavaScript' engine takes advantage of the multiple processor cores on your Mac. If that's true the browser should fly on my Mac, as I've got 8 cores. This sounds great, we'll see whether the hype is deserved.
• Even more features - Not quite as cool as the previous features, but still worth mentioning.
  • Better Privacy - Safari finally implements a 'Do Not Track' privacy standard. Sends 'do not track' requests to the website you're visiting. Aside from this setting (buried in the preferences), there's also a menu selectable Private Browsing mode. That should help cut down on the porn sites in your history.
  • Developer Features - This version of Safari supports, interactive web apps. Safari supports the latest edition of the JavaScript standard, ECMA 262 version 5.1. With CSS filters, developers can create advanced filter and pixel effects such as blurs and gradients and vary brightness, adjust hues, invert colors, or convert elements to sepia or grayscale. You can learn more about these new developer features at Apple's website.
  • The Offline Reading List - Safari's reading list now works when you're offline (without an internet connection). Safari stores the content from the web pages that you place in your reading list. That way, you can read articles and web content when you're online or off.
  • Improvements for Chinese users - Well, Apple's not stupid. There's a lot of people in China, and this helps them make a decision regarding which web browser to use. With built in access to Baidu and Sina Weibo, Apple's making Safari a better choice for Chinese users.

iWork 9.2 - Finally an update to the iWork suite of applications. I've been waiting for this for some time. The iWork apps get updated for OS X Mountain Lion. Taking advantage of new features like iCloud and Dictation (and the new Retina Display on new MacBook Pros). Depending on how you acquired your copy of the iWork apps, you'll need to download/update the applications using different methods. You may to need one of the following methods/sources. The Mac App Store, Software Update, or a standalone installer. Finally we have iCloud support for the desktop versions of the iWork apps!

• Keynote 5.2 - Apple's presentation software. This update allows iCloud saving/syncing, dictation, and retina display support.
• Pages 4.2 - Apple's page layout/word processor software. This update implements iCloud saving/syncing, dictation input and support for the new retina displays.
• Numbers 2.2 - Apples's spreadsheet/calculations software. This update brings iCloud integration, dictation, and retina display support.
  • iWork.com - Unfortunately, this version of iWork removes all support for Apple's iWork.com document sharing web service. It worked pretty much flawlessly, but Apple decided to pull the plug on this immensely useful capability. Woe is me. As a result, I've resorted to several different cloud based storage services. Some of these services have sharing capabilities, some don't.

iPhoto 9.3.2 - Another update that brings us Mountain Lion compatibility. This update implements new sharing capabilities (Messages and Twitter (if you're running Mountain Lion). It also removes all support for iWeb and MobileMe. It includes some performance and stability improvements. The most disappointing aspect of this update? There is no ability to export photos to a 'Journal' something I was really looking forward to. The mobile version of iPhoto (on my iPad and iPhone) has built in sharing to a Journal format, which looks very professional and promising. Unfortunately, there is no such ability in the desktop version. I was afraid this was going to happen. Why? Why cripple the desktop version? I don't want to use the iPad version to produce photo Journals. I can't load all my photos on the iPad, the screen is too small for proper editing, and the input method is less than optimal for production work. This is ridiculous. I'm not going to move my photo editing, production and sharing efforts to the iPad. I guess I really have to look for some solution other than Apple for my photo editing, production and sharing needs.

iMovie 9.0.7 - Another one of those updates that comes on the heels of the Mountain Lion OS update. iMovie received some minor updates. A bug fix to patch a third party QuickTime component that could cause iMovie to quit unexpectedly. Another patch to resolve an MPEG-2 related stability issue. Finally, one more bug fix to correct an MPEG-2 related audio import problem.

These updates bring non Mountain Lion versions of software (under 10.7) up to date with the versions distributed under Mountain Lion OS 10.8. As a result of these recent updates, the following pages have been updated. myfavs.html, feedback.html, and mycomputer.html.
<http://www.apple.com/remotedesktop/>
<http://www.apple.com/safari/>
<https://developer.apple.com/technologies/safari/>
<https://developer.apple.com/technologies/safari/whats-new.html>
<https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4138462?tstart=0>
<http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5306>
<http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5275>
<http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222>
<http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5248>

Safari Security Update SA-2012-07-25-1:
With the imminent release of Mountain Lion (Mac OS X 10.8), Apple has been releasing a slew of software/application and security updates. Here's one of those updates. This particular update patches the Pre-Mountain Lion instances of Safari so they're compatible with the security updates (and some feature updates) that arrive in the 10.8/Mountain Lion OS update.

This 'Security Update' includes the following updates: Updates version to 6.0 under OS X Lion 10.7.4. Patches 17 security/code issues. The full/huge list of the specifics is available on Apple's website. This update brings non Mountain Lion versions of Safari (under 10.7) up to date with the 10.8 version distributed under Mountain Lion.

As a result of these recent updates, the following pages have been updated. myfavs.html, feedback.html, and mycomputer.html.
<http://www.apple.com/safari/>
<http://www.apple.com/html5/>
<http://www.apple.com/macosx/whats-new/features.html>
<http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5400>
<http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222>

Out to Eat:
Occasionally, Kim and I take the opportunity to eat out at one of the fine restaurants in the Denver/Aurora area. They're not always five star places, but we're not that kind of people. During July, Kim and I enjoyed one of our 'Date Nights' at a new restaurant. It was my time to eat, and I had a hankerin' for Greek food, but I like to try new places, so we tried a new Greek restaurant.

The 'Opa Grill' in Parker, CO, serves Greek and American cuisine. It's a moderately priced (inexpensive for the area) lunch and dinner restaurant with a medium sized menu. With plenty of Greek favorites and an adequate vegetarian selection Kim and Immediately realized that this place has potential. The decor is a bit 'Strip Mall' but the friendly staff made up for the lack of decent decor. You could tell by the way they cared about your experience, that this place must be family owned (it is). What they lacked in polish they made up for in charm. We arrived around lunch time and decided to get something light.

We started our dining experience with an appetizer. A favorite, classic, tell all appetizer. You can tell a lot about a Greek restaurant by their 'Dolmades', and the Dolmades at 'Opa Grill' were awesome. The spices were the secret ingredient, the perfectly prepared rice a telling detail, and the expertly wrapped treats certainly started things out on the right foot. After the appetizer, I opted for a traditional Greek salad - with No lettuce. The salad also came with two Dolma, so I was very happy to have a second helping of those delightful wraps. Kim had a Gyro with some fresh cut french fries. The meal was excellent and the service superb. We will definitely make the trip down to Parker for a second helping.
<http://opagrillparker.com/index.html>

July 24, 2012

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

• Current: A web page dedicated to the most recent news, announcements and information.
  • I updated an announcement about the upcoming National Night Out event. This event will be held August 7th, from 5-7pm.
• Welcome: The website's opener. A page containing an introduction to the Neighborhood Watch program and it's volunteers.
  • I updated various references to our mailing lists at the bottom of the page. The information was out of date and there were a couple typos.

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

SpamCop got Slammed:
Recently, one of my favorite services (SpamCop.net) was getting slammed! Seriously slammed. Was it just a general internet problem? (as they indicated), or was there an attack underway? (as some speculated in online forums). The SpamCop service is used by thousands of members to report instances of spam. These instances (spam/email messages) are parsed, analyzed and reported to the responsible ISPs, webhosts, registrars, interested parties, law enforcement, etc. The submitted spam also contributes analytical data to SpamCop's parent company (Cisco), where that data is used (as confirmed by Cisco) to improve, maintain, and drive their industry level spam filtering products (routers, firewalls, etc). Lately (Supposedly as far back as June 14, 2012), the SpamCop reporting service experienced some rather serious problems. Getting data/spam submitted was a hit or miss proposition; with constant error messages plaguing users. Some spam was getting reported, but I personally experienced periods of several days (3 - 11 July, 2012), where I simply couldn't report any spam whatsoever. I would report spam, only to have the servers respond with various time out messages and other errors (Gateway Timeout, sigalarm, 404 errors, etc). On occasion, the spam would make it to the server (where it would be 'waiting to be reported'). Unfortunately, by the time I got the spam through for parsing, it was too old (more than 48 hours) to be reported. Other users had their accounts suspended as a result of these problems. They've were blind reporting (via email), only to have all their spam make it through the parsing process in a short period of time - These delays (in parsing/reporting) caused numerous users to exceed the 'maximum amount' of spam (in a given period) threshold. As a result, their accounts were suspended.

It's a rather frustrating experience. To have a reporting service so disrupted that you can't effectively report spam using a paid service (SpamCop also has free reporting services). I'm paying an annual fee for reporting/parsing services plus an email account. So far the email services (handled by a different company (CES)) have been unaffected. The spam reporting services however - Well, they were pretty much out of service for more than a month. Occasionally the services were restored, only to be back out of commission within the hour. Users were forced to monitor real time statistics on reporting volume, in order to know whether they might be able to report some spam. The spamcop forums have a fourteen page (as of 24 July, 2012) discussion about the situation, and there's even been some media interest in the story (just a few blogs and such at this point). Originally, Spamcop administrators had indicated that spammers had been signing up for free accounts and using the Spamcop reporting service against itself, by overloading the system with spam reports. Shortly after that initial report, the administrators took to keeping their lips sealed on the matter, and users began speculating on the 'true' nature of this problem.

On the 12th of July, 2012, Spamcop officials/administrators posted an 'administrative' missive about the problems on their main reporting page:

On the 17th of July, Spamcop officials/administrators posted another/new 'administrative' missive about the 'Fuel' the mentioned earlier:

As of 23 July, 2012, I hadn't been contacted by SpamCop regarding this 'Fuel' that they mention in their 'Access and Performance' post. After a little investigating I discovered that this 'Fuel' wouldn't help me anyway. Apparently, there is a class of user who pays for spam reporting, but not email. Since I'm paying for the spamcop email services, I also get the spamcop paid reporting services as part of my email service at no extra cost. So, the $15.00 doesn't apply to me?

Whatever, I just hope they manage to clear up the problem. Based on the forum discussions and administrator remarks/responses, I was beginning to believe the conspiracy theorists. It sure seemed to me that this was some sort of intentional effort to put the SpamCop reporting portal out of business. A sufficient volume of 'valid' reporting by automated processes could easily look like legitimate reports. The result could be a server overload. Not a 'Denial Of Service' attack in the normal sense, but an 'Overload' attack aimed at the servers which parse the spam traffic for reporting criteria/datum.

As of 20 July, 2012, it appears that all the problems have been corrected. I've been reporting spam without any issues, and the spamcop forums are reflecting the same situation for other users. It seems as if everything is working properly now. I wonder if we'll ever find out what actually happened?

Spammers just never give up, so we (me, you, the SpamCop administrators) have to stay ever vigilant for their continuing attempts to thwart the filters and measures put in place to keep the barbarians at bay. 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 my web page. Damn those spammers!
<http://forum.spamcop.net/forums/lofiversion/index.php/t12488.html>
<http://www.spamcop.net/spamgraph.shtml?spamstats>
<https://www.robsworld.org/index2.html#fightingspam>
<https://www.robsworld.org/whybother.html>
<http://mailsc.spamcop.net/>

Death to spammers!
<rant>You just can't escape from this scourge of the internet era. My new hosting provider (since Nov, 2011) provides services for many more customers/websites than my previous webhost (several thousand vs a dozen). As a result, they occasionally find one of their customers sending spam. The results affect everyone sharing the affected server. Once the spammer (using a zombified/compromised computer) starts sending spam, it doesn't take long for the internet's defenses to kick in. The IP address get's listed, and everyone sharing that IP (for email services) suffers the same fate. We find ourselves black listed and unable to send any email.

How do I find out that I've been black listed (The domain my webhost uses to send email for my mailing lists). It usually happens like this. I send a message to one of my mailing lists (I've got 13), that email goes to my server (a computer that is shared by more than one person / I can't afford hosting on my own dedicated server) and it's processed by the mailing list software. Multiple messages are generated from the mailing list and sent to the email server (a shared resource/computer), and the messages are sent on their way to various addressees. As they hit the individual receiving mailservers, they are run against a list of suspected/known spammers. If the IP address of my email server shows up on one of the black/block lists, then the email is 'bounced' - It doesn't get delivered to the recipient, and I get a 'bounce' message indicating why the email wasn't delivered.

In the last week, I've had several email messages bounced back by COMCAST, Yahoo, MSN/Hotmail, Mac.com, and q.com. All the bounce messages indicated that my email servers (two IPs were affected) were listed on black/block lists for sending spam. Someone is probably using a compromised users account to upload/send spam to HostRocket's email servers. I've reported the problem on numerous occasions, and the technicians indicate that they have submitted the email servers for 'delisting'. They will not acknowledge any incidents of spam or tell me what happened. Nor do they indicate any action taken to resolve the issues causing the black/block listing. I can only hope that they have identified the compromised accounts, located and removed the offending scripts/trojan, and secured the servers from further compromise...

In this particular incident, I made the mistake of reporting the blacklisting on one of the IPs as having a 'medium' priority. I should have marked as 'High' priority. As a result, the admins at HostRocket did nothing for four days (it was the weekend). As the problem was having a severe impact on our Neighborhood Watch mailing list, I went ahead and submitted the IP for removal/remediation myself. I got tired of waiting. Thankfully my personal email wasn't affected. However, all the email sent by my mailing lists was marked as spam. Once again Spammers are making my life hell!</rant>

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

Rob's World! - Newsletter victimized by spammers:
Each month I send out a monthly newsletter to the avid fans of Rob's World! (Imagine that?) If you're interested in reading about the happenings at Rob's World! you can forego the daily/weekly chore of firing up your browser in order to check out the latest nuggets. The newsletter is a more convenient way to keep up to date on the comings and going in the life and times of Robert & Kim Vaessen and my crazy little web site. I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't want a copy emailed directly to them every month! The mailing list management method (with my new/current webhosting service) includes a double 'opt-in' confirmation mechanism, a web based list management interface, and a fairly efficient way to control the addresses and characteristics associated with the mailing list.

<rant>Unfortunately, due to some nefarious spammer, this month I was forced to make some changes to my mailing list configuration. I had to rename the mailing list (again!). Spammers once again discovered the email address for the newsletter mailing list (it's advertised on my website, but my other mailing lists are as well and they don't seem prone to spam in this manner). The last time the newsletter address got compromised was December of 2010. Back then I had to change the name from 'newsletter' to 'rwnewsletter'. The "Rob's World!" newsletter is once again under assault by some spammer. Possibly the same spammer. After a thorough investigation, it became apparent that one of the subscribers was most likely using a compromised computer. i.e. One of the newsletter subscribers has a computer that is infected by a trojan, controlled by a botnet and under the control of a nefarious individual who gains pleasure from the pain and misfortune of others - Schadenfreude!</rant>

In an effort to weed out the responsible individual (if indeed the responsible party is a subscriber), I sent an email to everyone on the list. If the subscribers received my email, if they read that email, if they respond to that email; then I can assumed that their computer was not infected, zombified and controlled by the evil ones (because spammers never read replies or incoming email - they're only interested in sending their spam, and would prefer to leave the inbox alone so as not to alert the victim to the fact that their computer is infected). On the other hand; those subscribers who didn't reply may fall into one of the following categories:

A: They can't read their email because someone else controls their computer.
B: They don't really care to continue receiving the "Rob's World!" newsletter - Sorry to see you go.
C: They're so busy that they never read the "Rob's World!" newsletter.

If they fall into categories A-C, I've unsubscribed them from the newsletter, and hope that solves my problem (after receiving 64 'squishy pink meat-like' messages in the last few days (a two week period) I really don't have much of a choice. Hopefully this measure has helped filter out the individual who's responsible for the spam I've been receiving (targeted at the "Rob's World!" newsletter mailing list. After completing my tally of the 'challenge-response' request, I changed the name of the mailing list to 'rw_newsletter'. While changing the name of the list, I unsubscribed everyone, then resubscribed the people who answered my email. Since then I've also updated the 'newsletter' web page. If you've been unsubscribed, and you'd like to get back on the mailing list, you can do so. Just follow the instructions on the 'newsletter' page. Hopefully I won't need to do this again for some time. Damn Spammers!

While conducting my investigation into this matter, I also found spammers assaulting my 'mailtest' mailing list. There were 102 spam messages waiting for adjudication/remediation, and it took me about an hour to deal with all the spam. The spam on both lists started back in May of 2012. The only person subscribed to the 'mailtest' list is me, so it is quite possible that this entire episode is based on the public listing of my mailing lists. It may have nothing to do with a compromised computer or someone subscribed to my 'newsletter' mailing list. Bummer, that's not very reassuring. As a result of this development. I implemented some additional security measures when I set up the new 'newsletter' mailing list. Since it's a one way list (I'm the only one who can post), I decided to automatically discard any attempt to post by a non-member. Now the spammers attempts to post to my list will be met with the soothing sounds of a toilet flushing, and I won't be bothered by remediation requests for spam messages. Thank you for your patience/understanding in this matter. If you have additional questions about this request, please feel free to email me directly.
<http://robsworld.org/mailman/listinfo/rw_newsletter_robsworld.org>
<https://www.robsworld.org/newsletter.html>
<http://www.damnspammers.com/>

A Dark Night for Aurora:
On the 20th of July, 2012, a sick individual decided to express his disgust with this world by ruining the lives of hundreds of innocent people. Picking up a shotgun, an assault rifle, smoke cannisters and a callous disregard for the lives of others, this man decided to make others pay for his problems. I obviously don't know what was going through his mind when he made that fateful decision, and I have no idea whether he suffers from mental illness, but I do know this; there is no earthly sin that deserves a death so senseless, so sad, so cold. The lives he destroyed on that day can never come to fruition; can never be fulfilled, can never bring more joy to the mothers, daughters, fathers and sons that they leave behind. The Gunman still stands, still lives, and now expects that we will wonder how wretched his life must be, that he does a thing such as this. How horrible his grief must be.. How dreadful his daily existense... Surely he expects our sympathy. I say this - Leave him out of your thoughts, think of the others, the victims. Ponder only on the lives he destroyed, the families he tore apart, the grief we all feel. Try not to think of him. Don't say his name. Don't show his face on television. Don't watch his trial. Don't dwell upon him as a person - he no longer deserves that right. Know this - In the end, he will pay for his crimes. He may spend his remaining days in prison or the state may execute him, but he can never know the depth of love that others lost on that day. Don't say his name, let's do our best to forget him and dwell only on the healing of those who were injured in his senseless act of violence.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Aurora_shooting>

Software favorites:
Another batch of beta updates for my favorite Graphics editor. GraphicConverter moves ever forward. As usual, developer has been busy updating this application. All the updates are free for those who own a license (for the most recent version). If you need a powerhouse converter, editor and browser for your graphics, grab a copy of GraphicConverter - You won't be disappointed.

GraphicConverter:
Thorsten Lemke (of Lemkesoft) completed work on at least 28 updates over the past couple weeks! I recently saw/downloaded the following update: 8.2 (b954), 8.2(b957), 8.2(b963), 8.2(b964), 8.2(b967). 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.

The 8.0 release was a new full release. A completely new version re-written as a 64 bit application (can be launched as 32 bit/defaults to 64 bit). Sandboxing and codesigning support has been added, several bugs have been fixed, and support for large images (16,000x16,000 pixels) was added. The new version is a free update for all registered customers of version 7.
<http://www.lemkesoft.com/content/162/new-functions-and-versions.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>

July 15, 2012

Finally got my SmartCard working!
<rave>My employer issued me a 'SmartCard' sometime ago. It's used to authenticate my identity/access on certain unclassified computer systems. It works quite well at work, but I wondered whether I could use it at home. Websites, and some forums indicated that I could. I checked with the system administrators at work. According to the system administrators, it's perfectly acceptable to use the SmartCard outside work. So I decided to try and use it with my home computer. Why would I want to use it at home? Well, I'd like to be able to send and receive unclass (official business) email and access unclass work related websites outside of work. You know, saving my employer time/money by taking care of some of this stuff outside work... I found that the SmartCard isn't all that easy to use at home

Configuring my computer to use the SmartCard required a considerable amount of effort. First off I needed a SmartCard reader. A quick trip to Amazon found numerous choices, standards and prices. I ended up purchasing a SCR3310V2 USB Smart Card reader by SCM Microsystems (appx $11.00). I also downloaded drivers for my Mac OS X operating system. Apparently the Lion OS doesn't have built in drivers for Smart Card readers. After that I had to install a type of software called middleware. After that I had to download digital keys from my employers website. Once I had the keys, I installed them in my Keychain (on the Mac). Yeah, it's a bit complex. Very complex, but I never gave up. Finally, I had to download a 'plug-in' for Firefox. When I tried accessing my employers unclassified portal, I ended up locking up my SmartCard.

After I got my password reset, I tried access the website again. This time it worked! Success achieved. I was finally able to access numerous websites for official work related business, without having to be at work. There is no way I could have gotten this to work if it wasn't for the help of Michael J. Danberry. His website contained all the information I needed. Originally, I tried to follow my employers instructions. That didn't work out so well. I ended up wasting two days worth of troubleshooting and email correspondence before I found Michael's website. It certainly made this clear; providing point by point instructions, tutorials and videos. Thanks for an awesome service.</rave>
<http://www.identive-infrastructure.com/en/products-solutions/smart-card-readers-a-terminals/smart-card-readers/scr3310>
<http://chiefgeek.us/apple.htm>

Microsoft AutoUpdate Sucks!
<rant>I know it's a small thing, but this is one example of why I despise the Microsoft Operating system/software. Here's a relatively simple piece of software. All it does is notify you of updates (for Microsoft Office applications (the Mac version)). It notifies you when there are updates available, and then it installs the updates for you. Pretty straight forward. Unfortunately, the user interface contains one big problem (as far as I'm concerned). Once you've installed the latest update, the update message stays there... Yup, the update client still says you need to install the latest update. It doesn't say - Your software is up to date. It doesn't check to see if your software is up to date, it simply assumes that your software isn't up to date. It displays a message indicating that you should update your software with the latest update. Wait a second... I just updated the software. O.k. I'll try again, maybe it didn't work... After completing the update, the updater says I've successfully installed the new update. Wait a second, that 'AutoUpdate' software still says there's an update available for my version of Office (Office for Mac 2011). If you run AutoUpdate manually, be prepared for frustration. It won't check to see what version you're running. It won't compare it against the latest available version/update. The only message it displays is the one that says you need to update to [whatever the latest release is]. It's a very frustrating piece of software. It's confused me on numerous occasions, and I hate the fact that I have to trust that it will notify me when the next update is available. I have no confidence in the information that it presents, and this makes me question whether I have the latest version. The Microsoft AutoUpdate tool Auto-Sucks!</rant>

eMusic downloads for July:
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 an online music streaming service called MOG, and I've recently (as of Sep 2011) started using eMusic 'Radio' stations for music discovery. Combined together, these two services provide full-play access to more than 23 million tracks! (15m on MOG (as of Aug, 2012), 13m on eMusic (as of Jul 2012)) Two fantastic ways to discover music, and no need for illegal downloads or pirated tracks. I occasionally use a few of the other methods (music blogs and podcasts), but MOG and eMusic now serve as my primary Music Discovery sources.

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 or listen to all sorts of music for free. I download most of my music from a couple of commercial sources (eMusic and iTunes), but I occasionally download tracks (legally) from various websites, newsgroups and blogs in order to satisfy my craving for music.

Here's a listing of some of the music I legally downloaded - and paid for!

Holy Crap - I bought a CD!:
How often do you purchase an actual CD? Times sure have changed. I very seldom purchase actual physical CDs. Ten years ago (2002), that's pretty much the only format I bought music in. Now (2012), it's my least likely method of music acquisition. At this point, the only reason to purchase a CD is rarity. I want to get my hands on some really hard to find music. Something I can't get with a digital download.
* Sleaze Factor - Maggot Sandwich: (12 songs) Here's a Florida punk act that I saw live during the mid 80's. They really caused a riot in the Pensacola music scene. I recently had some interest in their 'Limited Edition' recordings (which I've digitized), and I tried contacting the leader of the band about some copyright information. While I wait hopefully for a response, I managed to find more of their music available for sale on the web. I purchased this CD from KML records (their label). Still in shrink wrap, Maggot Sandwich recordings are getting more difficult to find, but I managed to land this one. Produced in 1997, the sound isn't quite as raw or powerful as their 80s stuff, but I've already listened three times, and I suspect that it will grow on me. My 'Limited Edition' cassette (converted to digital) is a far better recording (despite the poor audio/conversion quality).

Free eMusic sampler downloads:
Here's some more free music I downloaded recently. eMusic provides plenty of free tracks (to it's members) throughout the year, and I certainly take advantage of the free stuff:
* eMusic Pitchfork Music Festival 2012 Free Sampler - Various Artists: (29 songs) A free download (for subscribers) from eMusic.com. This one features 29 tracks from brave new artists spotlighted during the most recent Pitchfork Music Festival in Texas. I'll spend some time listening to the tracks on this download, and who knows? Maybe I'll find something I like.
* Don't Mess With Texas: SXSW 2012 New Music Sampler - Various Artists: (23 songs) Here's a collection of Texas bands, they're not necessarily country, but Texas is a big place with plenty of room for diversity. I haven't finished sampling this comp yet, but I've already located two four star bands. I'll be back for more. Keep in mind that many free tracks (at eMusic and elsewhere) are only free for a limited time.
* ATO Records Spring 2012 Sampler - Various Artists: (15 songs) One of several label samplers available to eMusic subscribers throughout the year. I've already identified two potential bands for further downloads. Who knows how many more I'll find in this free sampler.
* Arts & Crafts Label Sampler - MMXII - Various Artists: (9 songs) The best kind of Music? Some might say free music. You can get a lot of free music now days. Here's another free sampler, courtesy of a progressive label. They know that I'm going to listen to these tracks. If I find something I really like, I'll download more of that artist; and I'll pay for it. I'm not interested in stealing music, and this label knows that the best way to get heard is to give away free samples.

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>

SpamCop gets Slammed:
Recently, one of my favorite services (SpamCop.net) has been getting slammed! Seriously slammed. Is it just a general internet problem? Or is there an attack underway? The SpamCop service is used by thousands of members to reports instances of spam. These instances (spam/email messages) are parsed, analyzed and reported to the responsible ISPs, webhosts, registrars, interested parties, law enforcement, etc. The submitted spam also contributes analytical data to SpamCop's parent company (Cisco), where that data is presumably used to improve, maintain, and drive their industry level spam filtering products (routers, firewalls, etc). Lately (Supposedly as far back as June 14, 2012), the SpamCop reporting service has been experiencing some rather serious problems. Getting data submitted has been hit or miss, with constant error messages plaguing users. Some spam is getting reported, but I have personally experienced periods of several days (3 - 11 July, 2012), where I simply couldn't report any spam whatsoever. I would report spam, only to have the servers respond with various time out messages and other errors (Gateway Timeout, sigalarm, 404 errors, etc). On occasion, the spam would make it to the server (where it would be 'waiting to be reported'). Unfortunately, by the time I got the spam through for parsing, it was too old (more than 48 hours) to be reported. Other users have had their accounts suspended as a result of these problems. They've been blind reporting (via email), only to have all their spam make it through the parsing process in a short period of time - These delays (in parsing/reporting) have caused numerous users to exceed the 'maximum amount' of spam (in a given period) threshold. As a result, their accounts have been suspended.

It's a rather frustrating experience. To have a reporting service so disrupted that you can't effectively report spam using a paid service (SpamCop also has free reporting services). I'm paying an annual fee for reporting/parsing services plus an email account. So far the email services (handled by a different company (CES)) have been unaffected. The spam reporting services however - Well, they've been pretty much out of service for more than a month now. Occasionally the services are restored, only to be back out of commission within the hour. Users have been forced to monitor real time statistics on reporting volume, in order to know whether they might be able to report some spam. The spamcop forums have a thirteen page (as of 14 July, 2012) discussion about the situation, and there's even been some media interest in the story (just a few blogs and such at this point). Originally, Spamcop administrators had indicated that spammers had been signing up for free accounts and using the Spamcop reporting service against itself, by overloading the system with spam reports. Lately, the administrators have taken to keeping their lips sealed on the matter, and users have begun speculating on the 'true' nature of this problem.

Recently (12 July, 2012), Spamcop officials/administrators have posted an 'administrative' missive about the problems on their main reporting page:

As of 15 July, 2012, I haven't been contacted by SpamCop regarding this 'Fuel' that they mention in their 'Access and Performance' post (it hasn't been 3-5 days yet). I just hope they manage to clear up the problem. Based on the forum discussions and administrator remarks/responses, I'm beginning to believe the conspiracy theorists. It seems to me that this is some sort of intentional effort to put the SpamCop reporting portal out of business. A sufficient volume of 'valid' reporting by automated processes could easily look like legitimate reports. The result could be a server overload. Not a 'Denial Of Service' attack in the normal sense, but an 'Overload' attack aimed at the servers which parse the spam traffic for reporting criteria/datum.

Spammers just never give up, so we (me, you, the SpamCop administrators) have to stay ever vigilant for their continuing attempts to thwart the filters and measures put in place to keep the barbarians at bay. 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 my web page. Damn those spammers!
<http://forum.spamcop.net/forums/lofiversion/index.php/t12488.html>
<http://www.spamcop.net/spamgraph.shtml?spamstats>
<https://www.robsworld.org/index2.html#fightingspam>
<https://www.robsworld.org/whybother.html>
<http://mailsc.spamcop.net/>

July 08, 2012

Updates to the Tollgate Crossing website:
I participate in some community focused events, but haven't found the time to serve on any boards, so I do what I can to help the people who live in my neighborhood. Volunteering with our local neighborhood watch, and supporting our community by maintaining the Tollgate Crossing website, mailing lists and online bulletin boards. The Tollgate Crossing website is focused on the Tollgate Crossing community, with a few links to the Neighborhood Watch website. I recently 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 updated the banner for our next HOA (18 Jul, 2012) and Metro District (24 Jul, 2012) meetings.
  • Updated a banner announcing our community Garage Sale. Dates are set for the first weekend of August (3-5 Aug, 2012).
• Events: A detailed listing of upcoming and recurring events in and around Tollgate Crossing. Here is more detailed information regarding some of the events you may have read about on the 'Welcome' page. It's also a place to look for long term/recurring events.
  • I updated the information regarding our next HOA (18 Jul, 2012) and Metro District (24 Jul, 2012) meetings.
  • I updated an article regarding the Metro District's plan to refinance our community's bonds. You can download the plan from a link included at the end of the article.
  • Updated the information regarding our community Garage Sale. Dates are set for the first weekend of August (3-5 Aug, 2012). Note that the Sunday date is optional.

If you are a resident of 'Tollgate Crossing' (in Aurora, Colorado), you might want to check out the website, mailing lists or bulletin boards. They're loaded with information about our community, provide multiple venues for communications, community interaction and interactive ways to stay connected in Tollgate Crossing. If you'd like to help out by being a moderator, provide feedback, or help me with my coding efforts, please let me know. I'm open to your suggestions.
<http://www.tollgatecrossing.org/Welcome.html>

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

• Current: A web page dedicated to the most recent news, announcements and information.
  • I posted an announcement about our next Neighborhood Watch meeting (6 Sep, 2012).
  • I updated an announcement about the Serenity Ridge mailing list. It's been posted for quite some time. I think I'll take that announcement down next time I update the page.
• Events: A listing of upcoming and recurring events in you Southeast Aurora Neighborhood. Events sponsored by or relevant to our Neighborhood Watch.
  • Updated the information regarding our next Neighborhood Watch meetings. The Head Area Coordinator has set the dates, times and locations for our next four meetings. (Sep 6, 2012; Nov 1, 2012; Feb 7, 2013; May 2, 2013).
  • Removed information about our Annual South East Aurora Neighborhood Watch picnic. We will no longer be having the annual picnic. If you have questions about this decision, you'll have to contact our Head Area Coordinator.
  • I posted an announcement about the upcoming National Night Out event. This event will be held August 7th.

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

Telephone Solicitors flaunt the law:
<rant>The 'Do Not Call Registry' is a joke - A superb example of the government enacting a law that benefits everyone except the consumers that it was supposed to help. I remember when it first came out. Everyone thought "Wow! What a fantastic idea. Our government is actually going to do something good for us!" Not! The truth is usually not what you expect. Originally, (back in 2004) the law/the National Do Not Call Registry was supposed to provide two things - One: A way to put your phone number on a list of people who did not want to receive telephone solicitations. Two: A way for telemarketers to know who didn't want to receive solicitations over the phone. The government would make the list available to telemarketers (for a fee!) and the telemarketers would use the list to cross off names. So if your name/number was on the list, the telemarketer would have to cross your number off the list or be subject to fines.

A rather straight forward premise if you ask me. The problem with the list? Well, there's a lot of problems so let's see if we can't discuss just a few. First the list consolidates everyone's phone number and makes it really easy for telemarketers to get there hands on your phone number(s). Even your unlisted numbers and mobile numbers. The Second problem: The loopholes. There are plenty of loopholes and exceptions to the 'Do Not Call' registry.

• Loopholes:
  • Registry only applies to residential lines - Not to business lines (whatever you do, don't get a business line in your home).
  • Political organizations may still call you. Of course they can, otherwise those 'undisclosed corporate campaign contributors' wouldn't be able to get their money's worth.
  • Not for profit organizations can still call you. I'm really tired of the daily phone calls from these 'Not for profit' corporations.
  • You can still receive phone calls from groups that are conducting surveys. "Hello, this is J.P. with 'Somevaguename Corporation' and we're conducting a survey"
  • If you have a business relationship with a company, they can call you for up to 18 months after you've purchased something, paid them, or received a delivery from them. You know that way they can continue to harass you I mean follow up with service calls.
  • If you make an inquiry with a company (i.e. send them email, a letter, or a phone call) they can call you for a period of 31 days.
  • Bill collectors and collection agencies can call you regardless of whether you're on the list or not (they have separate rules altogether).

It's enough loopholes to drive a big rig through. I don't know about you, but I get more than enough political campaign calls, survey calls and charity calls to make my home phone virtually useless. What's a person supposed to do? Well, don't hang up. Write down the date/time and phone number they called. Listen to their opening pitch. Write down their company information (they're required to identify their company by law) then tell the caller to put your name/number on their 'do not call' list, and not to call you again. Whatever you do, don't argue with them, and don't start off with "I'm not interested" - They'll probably hang up immediately. Arguing with telemarketers is a waste of your time and doesn't get them to stop calling you.

Telemarketers lie - What? Don't tell me your surprised. They may claim that they're conducting a survey, but as soon as they ask if they can call you back they're planning to pitch some product. Once you give them permission they're no longer bound by the 'Do Not Call' registry. Basically they conduct 'Surveys' in order to figure out if you are 'interested in their product' i.e. willing to give them permission for a call-back. Again, as soon as they finish their opening pitch - Tell the caller to put your name/number on their 'do not call' list, and not to call you again. It doesn't matter who they are. Even if they're a non-profit, you can request that they stop calling you, and by law they have to comply. Personally I would never buy anything from someone who contacts me with an unsolicited offer. Especially someone who calls me on the phone. You have no way of knowing who you're dealing with, where they're located, how long they've been in business, etc... That brings up the 'caller ID'. By law telemarketers cannot block caller ID, and must identify themselves using caller ID. In other words, if a telemarketer calls and it says 'Unknown caller'. They're already breaking the law.

So, when can you report these telemarketers? Basically, every time they call I find that they've violated one law/requirement or more. First of all - They can't call if your name is on the list. Telemarketers are required to use the list in order to remove those names on the do not call list. So, if your name is on the list, and a telemarketer calls, they're already violating the law. Don't let the 'charities' and 'political campaigns' get away with it either. Tell them to put your name/number on their 'do not call' list, and not to call you again.

I've noticed - Primarily since 2008, that these telemarketing calls (principally disguised as 'surveys') and charity calls have increased markedly since the economic downturn. I'm really fed up with this crap, and I make it a point to answer the phone now. Oh, yeah, that's another problem. If you pick up the phone, and say "Hello", they have two seconds - That's right two seconds to reply. If they don't they breaking the law. See US Code, title 16 Commercial Practices, part 310 - Telemarketing Sales Rule (310.3 Deceptive telemarketing acts or practices). The same goes for recorded messages - Whether they're delivered when you say hello, or left on your answering machine - They're illegal; violations of USC 16/Part 310.

Where do you complain? Before you can complain, you've got to be on the 'Do Not Call' Registry. You're on the list right? The FTC maintains a web based form that you can use, or you can call 1-888-382-1222 (TTY: 1-866-290-4236). What happens to my complaint? Here's the bitter pill - Do not call complaints will be entered into the FTC's Consumer Sentinel system, a secure online database available to more than 1,000 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies. While the FTC does not resolve individual consumer problems, your complaint will help us investigate the company and could lead to law enforcement action. In my experience it seems that telemarketers just don't give a damn. It's a cost of doing business. They've calculated the cost of fines into their business models. So if they call you, you can rest assured that they already know about the 'Do Not Call' list, and the telemarketing rules they're required to follow. They've also calculated how much of a fine they're likely to receive for violating those rules. Basically, they know they're likely to get caught eventually, but they've calculated how long it will take before they're caught, how much money they can make before they're caught, and how much the fine will be once a law enforcement agency catches up with them - After all (based on what I've read), the FTC isn't enforcing the rules - They're just making the complaints available for other agencies! The only time that a telemarketer is going to get fined for breaking the telemarketing rules is when they've also stolen someone's money - That's when another law enforcement agency might get involved. Based on what I've read, they're not fining telemarketers just for violating the rules; but they'll gladly collect the fees that telemarketers pay in order to access the 'Do Not Call' information - i.e. Your personal information/phone number(s). As I said earlier. It was a good premise, but the government is basically using it as a way to generate funding. According to some reporting; Federal officials indicate that telemarketing complaints rose by more than 600,000 last year (2011). They're not using it for our benefit! The list isn't there to protect you from the supper time telemarketing call. According to information available online, the federal government has sued 85 companies and collected $68 million in penalties since 2004. That's it? 85 companies? I've probably had more than 85 different companies call me over the last year! $68 million is chump change. That's nothing. Like I said; these corporations know that the penalties are light, and their chances of getting sued/fined minimal. It's a cost of doing business, and business is booming! Are you on the 'Do Not Call' list? Do you still get calls from telemarketers?</rant>
<http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=65fcb83d879a4bed7494085205af5709&tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title16/16cfr310_main_02.tpl>
<http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/47177020/ns/today-today_rossen_reports/t/rossen-reports-telemarketers-ignore-do-not-call-list/>
<https://complaints.donotcall.gov/complaint/complaintcheck.aspx?panel=2>
<http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/phonefraud/index.shtml>
<http://www.ftc.gov/opa/reporter/donotcall/enforcement.shtml>
<https://telemarketing.donotcall.gov/>

D&D updates:
The updates below cover our meetings on the 9th, and 23rd of June, 2012. The party departed Whillip long ago, and the first chapters of their next adventure have been written. Our heroes completed all their administrative tasks and chores, and decided upon their next adventure. After accepting a charge to quest for a lost tome of legendary power, the party was teleported across the world to Kester; a small mountain town on the edge of a vast wasteland. After talking with their sponsor, they set off to start this new adventure. After trekking south along an old trade route, the party entered the town of Parlonis. Here they sought more clues about the nature of the Dry Steppes, it's inhabitants, and the fabled city of 'Lingice-Enz'. Departing the frontier town, the party headed out into the desert. Here they encountered odd magical effects, dangerous monsters and the never ending, indestructible will of this immense tainted wasteland. A series of clues led them to the ruins of Lingice-Enz. After a well fought battle with a guardian monster, the party has descended into the sewers of Lingice-Enz. As soon as they entered the sewers, they were attacked by an extremely powerful spider. The creature seems determined to make the party into it's next meal. The battle lasted minutes! and in the end, the creature simply slipped away to the shadow plane - evading the party's best attempts to destroy it. The party is near exhaustion, low on spells and uncertain where to go next... Will they ever find the tome known as "Eivobrin's Incanabula"; or will they become another footnote labeled 'A group of adventurers sought the book, but never completed their quest'? Stay tuned for the exciting and continuing adventures of the H.A.L.L.O.W.ed Knights.

3rd Edition Campaign:
I updated the date of our next meeting - Our next meeting (not counting tonight's meeting) will take place on the 21st of July, 2012. The "3eCampaign" page is the first stop for information on the campaign that I'm currently running. Here you'll find information regarding our next meeting, some notes, and an index of web pages and documents that are important to our campaign. You can also check out the latest group photo. - FYI: We're looking for one additional player to join our campaign. If you think what you've got to be a 'Hallowed Knight' send me an email.
<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. Thanks to some input from Lee and Todd, I was able to post some updates from our meetings on the 9th, and 23rd of June, 2012. The party has finally entered the sewers beneath the ruins of Lingice-Enz. Now the hard part starts, locating the fabled tome. Check out the details in their journal entries.
<https://www.robsworld.org/ajournal09.html#jun09_2012>
<https://www.robsworld.org/ajournal09.html#jun23_2012>

Monsters encountered:
Back on the road again. During our most recent gaming sessions, the party entered a phase of the campaign where they're meeting new people, forging new alliances, and discovering new varieties of creatures. This meeting saw our party trekking through the deserts and wastelands of the Dry Steppes; where they encountered yet another creature which didn't like them! This time they had to defeat a 'Crawling Apocalypse' in order to enter the sewers beneath the ancient city of Lingice-Enz. As soon as they entered the sewers, they encountered an extremely powerful 'Dark Shadow Spider'. The fight with that creature lasted more than a minute, and in the end it easily escaped the party. Now that the party has entered an entirely new environment, they're sure to encounter a new variety of creatures. The monsters page is a listing of monsters that the party has encountered, read about, or heard of.
<https://www.robsworld.org/monsters.html>

Where Now?:
With the party in the midst of a new adventure, I find myself updating some geographic/location links. This week I updated some links for various places around the realms. As the party leaves the 'Dry Steppes' behind and descends into the sewers beneath an ancient ruined city, I find that I needed to update the entry for 'Lingice-Enz'. "Where Now?" is a listing of various places the party has visited or researched.
<https://www.robsworld.org/wherenow.html>

These updates follow our meetings on the 9th, and 23rd of June, 2012. 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>

Software favorites:
Another batch of beta updates for my favorite Graphics editor. GraphicConverter moves ever forward. As usual, developer has been busy updating this application. All the updates are free for those who own a license (for the most recent version). If you need a powerhouse converter, editor and browser for your graphics, grab a copy of GraphicConverter - You won't be disappointed.

GraphicConverter:
Thorsten Lemke (of Lemkesoft) completed work on at least four updates over the past week. I recently saw/downloaded the following update: 8.2 (b939). 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.

The 8.0 release was a new full release. A completely new version re-written as a 64 bit application (can be launched as 32 bit/defaults to 64 bit). Sandboxing and codesigning support has been added, several bugs have been fixed, and support for large images (16,000x16,000 pixels) was added. The new version is a free update for all registered customers of version 7.
<http://www.lemkesoft.com/content/162/new-functions-and-versions.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>

eMusic downloads for July:
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 an online music streaming service called MOG, and I've recently (as of Sep 2011) started using eMusic 'Radio' stations for music discovery. Combined together, these two services provide full-play access to more than 23 million tracks! (15m on MOG (as of Aug, 2012), 13m on eMusic (as of Jul 2012)) Two fantastic ways to discover music, and no need for illegal downloads or pirated tracks. I occasionally use a few of the other methods (music blogs and podcasts), but MOG and eMusic now serve as my primary Music Discovery sources.

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 or listen to all sorts of music for free. I download most of my music from a couple of commercial sources (eMusic and iTunes), but I occasionally download tracks (legally) from various websites, newsgroups and blogs in order to satisfy my craving for music.

Here's a listing of some of the music I legally downloaded - and paid for!

eMusic monthly downloads:
Every month I download ~50 tracks from eMusic.com. This month (Jul of 2012) I downloaded 60 tracks at the low cost of $27.95. This month I stacked on an extra $5.00 worth of music. Combined with my monthly discount of $3.00, I ended up paying $0.41 per 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 (As high as 320Kbps) make for exceptionally high quality recordings.
* The Raincoats - The Raincoats: (11 songs) The debut album was released in 1979. Here's a post-punk all girl band with a unique sound. Reminding me of 'The Slits', Patti Smith and Siouxsie and the Banshees, this group of female post punk rockers proved that you don't have to follow anyone's formula but your own - The original Riot Grrrls. Discovered by listening to MOG recommendations.
* The Biggest Prize in Sport - 999: (15 songs) Crap, I downloaded the wrong album. I wanted to download 'Separates' and wound up with this instead. Oh, well. I guess I'll have to try again next month... It's a British riot - Formed in London, led by Nick Cash, here's a band that's outlasted many other icons in genre. Still playing tours and clubs, the bands last album was released in 1991, but there may be another album in the works... Re-discovered by listening to MOG recommendations!
* I Need You To Hold On While The Sky Is Falling - Kelley Polar: (11 songs) Definitely something I'd call disco-pop with a great groove. It's light danceable, and the vocals are evocative and sentimental. Plenty of synthesizers, vocoders and swooning, swooping melodies. Love the use of stringed instruments. Originally discovered back in 2009 via 3hive.com.
* Primitivi del Futuro - Tre Allegri Ragazzi Morti: (11 songs) My second album by 'Three Happy Dead Boys' - A punk band I had never heard of before (originally discovered back in Dec, of 2010), but language has proven no barrier when it comes to good music. Here's a band that truly embodies the spirit of Punk - The sound, the ethic, the spirit and the spit! Another music discovery by way of MOG recommendations. This band really knows how to rock it. Despite my limited understanding of Italian, I find the music marvelous.
* Obsession: The Best of Animotion - Animotion: (12 songs) Wow! Talk about a blast from the past - Here is a song/band that really captures the 'New Wave' feel-good groove of the 80s. A one hit wonder band that rode the success of an MTV hit to it's ultimate demise. The song 'Obsession' went screaming to the top ten in early '85, followed by a couple more years while the band members all left for 'greener pastures', the lineup continued to shift for a few more years, but the band never managed to return to their glorious beginnings (officially ended in 1989, but reunited a few times after that 2008/2009 for some additional 'Remembering the 80s' type tours). Here's a 'Best Of' compilation that pretty much sums it up. Rediscovered via MOG recommendations.

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>

Eating out in Denver:
Occasionally, Kim and I take the opportunity to eat out at one of the fine restaurants in the Denver/Aurora area. They're not always five star places, but we're not that kind of people. During July, Kim and I enjoyed a 'Date Night' at one of our favorite restaurants. Just the two of us this time. It was Kim's turn to pick, and she wanted some wine with her meal, so we picked one of her favorites.

The Wine Experience Café & World Cellar is a combination wine store and restaurant. They haven't been doing too well. It's a bit of a niche restaurant, and I'm afraid they might not make it through this economic downturn. While they used to have enough employees to run the restaurant and the wine store, they're now down to two employees. One to handle customers at the wine store and the restaurant, and another to handle the kitchen. It looks like they've laid off half (or more) of their staff, and we were the only customers in for lunch on a Saturday. That's not good. The weekend should be their busiest time of the week, but we were the only customers the whole time we were there (appx 1 hour from 1130 - 1200).

We started our dining experience with an appetizer. The Charcuterie plate contained numerous cheeses, pickled vegetables and dry cured artisan meats (I think they were all port products...). The charcuterie plate was excellent but we only ordered the 'half' plate, and it only left us wishing we had more. Thankfully there was bread and some oil for dipping. Our main entrees arrived shortly. Kim ordered a burger (came with fries) - Hand formed ground beef, white cheddar, artisan lettuce, sun dried tomato mayonnaise and sauteed onion for $17.00!. I ordered the Kansas City strip (no bone) - Grilled, rare (served with thick cut steak fries, grilled asparagus and a house steak sauce). I don't usually order steak, but had a hankerin' for some beef. The steak was prepared properly and very tasty, but I found it to be a bit tough (for a short loin cut). Kim thought her burger was awesome. We each had a glass of wine with our meal. I had a glass of rosé (Petite Fleur). Kim had a Sirah (Petite Sirah/aka Durif). No desert for lunch. While the food was excellent, the tables were excruciatingly small. Unlike the wine we enjoyed, Americans are anything but 'Petite'. I had to stack my iPhone, sunglass case, wallet and gps on my lap while I ate. At one point I dropped my iPhone on the ground... While the food was excellent (the KC Strip was a bit tough, but it was prepared properly and tasted good), the lack of other patrons negatively impacted the experience, and the price was a bit too high. With tax/and a a tip we paid $88.00 for lunch.
<http://wineexperiencecafe.com/>