What's New

November 30, 2012

Stupid Spammers:
Some spammers are just plain stupid. eMail from spammers is almost always easy to spot (due to their unfamiliarity with the English language and proper English/American grammar). Sometimes it's laughable, sometimes it's downright 'Stupid'. That's the case this month. I recently received an email from the 'FBI'. Of course your first reaction to an email from the FBI is going to be 'it gets your attention'. They don't send out trivial jokes, friend requests, recipes or FaceBook postings. You're probably not on their mailing list, and am email from America's Federal Bureau of Investigation is definitely going to get your attention. Especially if you live in the U.S.

Here's a glimpse of the ridiculous message I recently received (27 Nov, 2012). It's filled with typos, bad grammar, and humorous spammers tactics. It's so preposterous in fact, that I'm almost convinced that it's just a spoof. A quick check of the internet reveals that I'm not the only one to receive this ridiculous spam message.

Aside from the preposterous premise that the FBI and UN are both involved in checking to make sure that I get my Nigerian bank funds; this email is filled with additional ridiculous assumptions.

The FBI is working for FedEx in order to make sure that Americans get their Nigerian funds.
The funds will be returned to the customer who ordered them after one week?
24 hour FedEx delivery of an ATM card (from Nigeria) would cost $450.00
$10.7,000,000.00 is the same as $10,700,000.00?
A parcel containing an ATM card and two backup documents? would have a Total weight of 36.2kg, and a Net weight of 1.7kg
In the U.S. we now pay VAT (Value Added Taxes). That's new.
FedEx now operates directly in Nigeria (They don't. They're represented by a company called Red Star Express).

The best part of all was the way this spammer/scammer signed off on his fake FBI email. "Best Regards" from "Robert S. Mueller III" (sure the director of the FBI always sends email to anyone who has Nigerian funds waiting to be claimed), "Email:securityoff_deptfbi@hotmail.com" (Apparently the FBI uses hotmail for their official correspondence). This was followed by an image of an FBI badge and Identification card. Zoom in on the ID and you'll see a picture of 'Special Agent Fox Mulder' (Played by David Duchovny during the long running television series 'The X Files'). According to the ID, Fox has 'Changed his name' to 'John Miller'. The email supposedly came from 'Robert S. Mueller III'. I wonder why he didn't include a photograph of his ID and badge? Sometimes spammers just make me laugh. :-)
<http://funnyspamiget.blogspot.com/2012/11/official-letter-from-federal-bureau-of.html>
<https://www.robsworld.org/index2.html#fightingspam>
<https://www.robsworld.org/stupidspammers3.png>
<https://www.robsworld.org/stupidspammers.pdf>
<https://www.robsworld.org/whybother.html>
<http://www.fbi.gov/scams-safety/e-scams>
<http://www.damnspammers.com/>

iTunes updated to version 11.0:
Recently (Nov 30th, 2012), Apple updated iTunes to version 11.0. This update was touted as a major update. It certainly shook up the interface. As a matter of fact, the interface update was the major update. The biggest change? <rant>The CoverFlow interface is gone! Why? I loved that CoverFlow interface. It was form and function. Not only did it look good (showing off your cover art collection); it was also functional. I was able to locate albums easily by scrolling through the covers. I can recognize visual patterns quicker than I can read. So, without typing (just swiping my finger), I could very quickly locate an album and start the music. Now I'll have to remember the 'Name' of the album or 'Artist' when I'm looking for my favorite artist. I'm much better at visual recognition and recall. I may forget the name of the album or artist, but I've got the album art memorized. Apple just took away my ability to easily locate an album that I can't remember from a textual reference (I had to download a second party CoverFlow application (CoverFlow by 'Steel Skies' on MacUpdate.com)). Why would Apple remove the signature interface from iTunes? Apple owns the CoverFlow interface, and they've integrated it everywhere in the desktop and mobile OS. They started with iTunes and it's migrated to numerous other applications. Now they've yanked it from iTunes. Will they pull it from other places as well? Is the CoverFlow interface in the Finder destined for the trashbin as well? I certainly hope not!<\rant>

The CoverFlow application that I downloaded is called 'CoverFlow'. The interface was conceived by artist Andrew Coulter Enright, and originally implemented by Jonathan del Strother (The first developer to implement the Cover Flow interface in an application). The 'CoverFlow' application (still available on MacUpdate.com) carries a 2005 copyright (which pre-dates Apple's ownership of the interface), this application may not stick around long. Code changes may make it incompatible with future OS versions, or Apple's lawyers may object to its existence. For now, it's the only way to bring an album art CoverFlow back to your Mac. So, download it while you can!

The new version of iTunes is a redesign, but I wouldn't call it a complete redesign. Many of the design elements are still there, Apple simply rearranged some of the elements, removed CoverFlow! (see above), and tweaked the iCloud integration.

* They've incorporated personal recommendations (Genius recommendations based upon your library/ratings) into the iTunes Store.
* The store itself has been redesigned. It does have a cleaner look with icon sizes standardized and arranged in a more logical flow. The iTunes store still features a CoverFlow type interface (for ads/promotional banners) at the top of each store category, but you have to click a forward or back icon to scroll through the banners. So much for the intuitive CoverFlow functionality!
* There's a new 'Up Next' feature that allows you to see the next song coming up in a mix or random play. You can adjust this queue by jumping directly to a song in the queue, adding to the queue or removing upcoming tracks from the queue.
* The mini-player has been 'redesigned'. They added cover art (a very tiny icon) to the mini-player, and some 'Up Next' functionality. The design is very compact and functional, but I prefer the larger interface on my 30" monitor.
* They've improved the iTunes search capabilities. It's more like the Finder's search capability, displaying results as you type, with no need to hit return. It displays all relevant matches and you simply click on the one you want from a list (just like the Finder).
* Improved syncing of iCloud stored items. iTunes now remembers where you last left off on iCloud stored movies and TV shows (I'm glad they didn't implement that with songs. Imagine how annoying that would be!). If you resume playback of an iCloud movie on your iPhone, it'll pick up where you left off on your Apple TV! Nice.
* They didn't eliminate the Podcast functionality, but it certainly is confused. It appears to be a fusion of the iOS podcast capabilities and the old iTunes podcast section. Some of my subscribed podcasts are all confused. They appear under an 'Unknown Album' instead of their labeled sections, and I've got a few duplicates. I have no idea how to clean this up. I don't know how to get the iOS and iTunes podcast functionality on the same page...

The iCloud integration is certainly making iTunes, the Mac OS, iOS and Apple TV work together in a seamless way. The environment is certainly getting better. I like the interface polishing, but it isn't a completely radical change. I wish they would bring back the CoverFlow interface, but that's just me. iTunes 11.0 is available for OS X, Windows and Windows 64. You can still download iTunes 10.6.3 if you're stuck on a Mac with PPC architecture. What do you think about the 'New' iTunes?
<http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/19081/coverflow>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cover_Flow>
<http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1614>
<https://github.com/jdelStrother>
<http://www.apple.com/itunes/>

Apple TV update - 5.1.1:
On Friday (30 Nov, 2012), Apple released an Apple TV Software Update (Version 5.1.1 update). This update was released in conjunction with the release of a new iTunes version (Version 11.0). In April of 2012, I bought one of the new (3nd Generation) Apple TVs. It's my third AppleTV, and the first to have absolutely no problems with installation and network integration. Unfortunately, as with all 'Internet' devices there are always network issues. Most of these problems are completely out of your control. Some sort of network problem will prevent you from watching Netflix - What's causing the problem? Well, it could be the device, it could be your router, it could be the network wiring or configuration (in your house). It could be the wiring or transmission from your cable or internet provider. It could be that your provider doesn't like the fact that you can watch Netflix over the internet. Maybe they feel that you're hogging bandwidth; despite the fact that you're using the service you're paying for, maybe you're... Well, you get the idea.

This new software update (Apple TV Software Update 5.1.1) is delivered in conjunction with the recent iTunes update. This update brings a couple of security updates and some changes to make it more compatible with iTunes 11.0; such as the ability to see what's 'Up Next', add songs, or edit the play queue (using your Apple TV remote or the Remote App). The update is available for 2nd and 3rd generation Apple TVs.
<http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5598>
<http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222>
<http://www.apple.com/appletv/>
<http://www.apple.com/itunes/>

Survey This:
My webhost has some built in capabilities (features) that make my life a lot easier. Things like the Softaculous scripts (includes: WordPress (blogging/publishing), phpBB (bulletin board software), Gallery (online photo albums), MediaWiki (wikipedia like knowledgebase), WebCalendar, BlackNova Traders (online multi-player space exploration game), LimeSurvey (online surveys), Advanced Guestbook (with spam protection features), phpFormGenerator (online web forms), ownCloud (run your own cloud based storage solution), multiple email accounts, email forwarding, webmail, mailing lists, ftp/sftp upload/download, visitor logs, statistics, GnuPG key generation, IP deny lists, phpMyAdmin, MySQL databases, virus scanner, and much more. I've used many of these scripts, plan to use others, and may never use some of them. Back in August of 2012, I used Lime Survey to publish an online survey for the Neighborhood Watch group that I volunteer with.

LimeSurvey is an open source online survey application written in PHP based on a MySQL database. It enables users without coding knowledge to develop, publish and collect responses to surveys. Surveys can include branching, custom preferred layout and design (using a web template system), and can provide basic statistical analysis of survey results. Surveys can be either publicly accessible or be strictly controlled through the use of "once-only" tokens for each survey participant.

In June of 2012, I started working on a survey for the local Neighborhood Watch (I'm a volunteer with the South East Aurora Neighborhood Watch). They asked me to set up a survey for the NW. At first I experimented with an email distributed survey, but that was quickly rejected as too limiting with regard to distribution and functionality. Then I tried using something called 'Web Form Builder - Lite'. The software was free, but they built it as part of an integrated webhosting solution. The default configuration made use of their web hosting service. If you wanted a less limited solution, you'd have to pay significant fees (for the software, for monthly S-Drive access, for unlimited survey responses, per support instance) or try to configure the software to host the software somewhere else. When I tried to configure the application to host the survey on my website, I quickly ran into many problems. The software developer was helping me work through the undocumented software restrictions and limitations, but his pace of assistance was 'unpaid' and his attitude seem more akin to 'unpaid-overworked-entrepenuer', than 'eager-breakout-developer'. Eventually I turned to my webhost and it's huge variety of php and MySQL options.

While the LimeSurvey installation was quick and painless, the assistance was non-existent. I can't get any assistance from my webhost with these 'additional' features and capabilities, and I'm pretty much left to my own devices when it comes to software installation, integration, configuration and troubleshooting. I spent nearly a month perfecting my online survey (for the Neighborhood Watch), and then my webhost decided to 'upgrade' some of their software. The results wiped out my survey and I had to start all over again. Well, at least I had a month's worth of trials and tribulations to guide my efforts. After approximately three months, I finally had a workable survey. I posted it online, tested it for a while, and finally revealed it to the public. It's up and running now; collecting data, reporting statistics and helping our NW improve their services.

Update: After approximately three months online, our survey collected 28 responses. I could have generated more response, if I'd reminded people about the survey more frequently, but this worked out o.k. For me it was mostly a test of how the system performs. Afterwards I simply collected the results into a spreadsheet and performed some manual analysis. I didn't use the statistical analysis capabilities at all, but 28 responses hardly made that necessary. I'm happy with the way it worked, and I'm convinced that it will work well for my next survey.

In the future, I hope to use more of these php and MySQL powered scripts. They definitely help me provide more services to the visitors of "Rob's World!" and other websites I run. You can check out the latest survey if you'd like. If you don't live in the South East Aurora area, please put that in the survey. One thing I don't have to worry about? busting the ridiculously low limit on the number of responses.
<http://www.southeastaurora-neighborhoodwatch.org/Welcome.html>
<http://southeastaurora-neighborhoodwatch.org/seanwsurveys>
<http://www.softaculous.com>
<http://www.limesurvey.org>

Software favorites:
Another batch of 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 a bunch of beta releases over the last week. I recently saw/downloaded the following update: 8.5 (b1072), 8.5 (b1073). GraphicConverter is an image converter and editor. A fantastic piece of shareware that is well worth the price (~$40.00). I use it to convert image formats into web standard formats, to create and edit image maps and other graphics. I've been singing GC's praises for many years now, and I'm not sure I would do without it. The best part about GC is it's author. Thorsten Lemke is completely committed to his customer base. Constantly and Continuously responding to customer recommendations and bug reports. GC is a dynamic, evolving, application. Always on the cutting edge, an absolute must in any web developers tool box. At a fraction of PhotoShop's cost, this photo editor puts a huge wrench in your toolbox.
<http://www.lemkesoft.com/content/162/new-functions-and-versions.html>

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>

November 25, 2012

D&D updates:
The updates below cover the last few meetings. It's been summer and we've been on vacation; so have our friends. As a result, we haven't had a lot of meetings, and I've fallen a bit behind in posting any D&D updates. Hopefully I can get that all caught up over the next couple of months. Here then are some updates from a meeting back in September.

Our party of adventurers departed Whillip long ago, and several chapters of this latest adventure have already 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 struck out into the desert. Here they encountered odd magical effects, ancient ruins, dangerous monsters, a crazy Gnome and the challenges of a deadly tainted realm. After nearly two weeks in this ruined land, the party discovered the ruins of Lingice-Enz. After defeating a guardian spider, the party has descended into the sewers of Lingice-Enz. Countless battles ensue as the party probes the depths of this strange sewer complex. Filled with crawling, slithering, flitting and skulking creatures, the sewers are alive with many creatures. While most are benign, and strive only to survive in this harsh environment, some are intent on making meals of the party. The predators in this environment have evolved to resist magic and standard attack forms; making for very deadly opponents. As the party limps from encounter to encounter, they search for the book, for clues, for some way to bring this quest to a speedy end. Will the party 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 will take place on the 29th of September, 2012. We're skipping the meeting on the 15th due to more summer vacations. 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 input from Lee, I was able to post an update from one of our recent meetings. 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 the party's journal entries.
<https://www.robsworld.org/ajournal09.html#sep29_2012>

Monsters encountered:
Down in the dungeon. Welcome to the Sewers of Oblivion. During our most recent gaming sessions, the party entered a phase of the campaign where they've delved deep into an entirely new environment. Here they are discovering new varieties of creatures. Some intent on just getting by; some intent on making a meal out of heroes. As a result, we've seen plenty of updates to the 'Monsters Known' page. During our meeting on the 29th of Sep, the party encountered a creature they heard about (through some rumors) previously. While the Invisible Terror may have had 'plans' for the party, the party thwarted those plans by casting a 'Faerie Fire' spell on it. As the creature was outlined in a glowing silhouette, it fled down the corridor. The monsters page is a listing of monsters that the party has encountered, read about, or heard of.
<https://www.robsworld.org/monsters.html>

These updates follow our meeting on the 29th of September, 2012. Hopefully I can get some other journal entries posted in the weeks to come. 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>

Happy Thanksgiving:
Last year (2011), Kim and I traveled to Wisconsin to spend the holiday with our family. This year we stayed home (in Colorado). Kim and I had a good Thanksgiving. Kim didn't do much cooking this year - She deserves a break. We purchased a pre-cooked (except for the turkey) meal from our favorite grocer - Tony's Market (a family owned business). A complete heat-and-serve Thanksgiving dinner that serves 4 adults. We paid ~$100.00 for the meal, but it was well worth it. The food was excellent. While food in Colorado is somewhat pricey, we feel that we got our money's worth with this meal. Here's what we got for our $100.00

Tony's Market - Turkey Breast Dinner (Thanksgiving 2012):
- A boneless fresh turkey breast, brined and roasted (3+ lbs)
- Side Dishes Included:
  - Fresh Spinach Salad with Bacon, Egg, Hot or Cold Cabernet Sauvignon Dressing and Red Onion on the Side (48 oz bowl)
  - Homemade Turkey Gravy (1 quart)
  - Homemade Brandied Cranberries (1 pint)
  - Homemade Sage Stuffing (2 lbs)
  - Chantilly Whipped Potatoes (2 lbs)
  - Praline Sweet Potatoes (2 lbs)
  - Roasted Vegetables with Garlic Butter (2 lbs)
  - Fresh Dinner Rolls (7 ea)
- Dessert was a large pumpkin pie with whipped cream.

Americans certainly enjoy a high standard of living, and Kim and I are definitely thankful for that. There are many other things that we are thankful for, but we're mostly thankful for our health, the love of our family and the prosperity we enjoy in the good ol' U.S. of A. It'll take some time to finish all that food, but we sure had a good day. If you're an American or Canadian, we hope you had a good Thanksgiving too.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving>

So much for the Snow and Cold in Colorado:
Winter doesn't officially start until Dec, 21st, but we've already had a fair share of snow in our corner of Colorado. According to weatherman, we're still below average for precipitation, so we're hoping for more rain than snow. Over the last couple of days (21 & 22 Nov, 2012), we saw the temperatures rise into the seventies as a warm front moved through the Front Range. Remember all that frozen, cold, crunchy, snow we got two weeks ago? Well, it's all gone. Warm temperatures over the last week have all but erased every last vestige of the snow. It's bright, sunny and warm outside. It was so nice outside that I actually went outside and got some yard work done. By the time I finished the shrubs looked a lot better. I trimmed up the shrubs in our back yard and raked up all the twigs. By the time I finished it was time to drive across town on another errand (Kim's 'Honey-Do' list). It looks like we're in for another season of Crazy Colorado weather. I love it!

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.

Welcome: The website's opener. A page containing an introduction to the Neighborhood Watch program and it's volunteers.
- I removed an announcement about the South East Aurora Neighborhood Watch survey. I created an online survey in order to help our NW increase membership, participation and the flow of ideas. The survey was put online around the 14th of August (That's when we sent out email to current NW members), and I posted a general announcement on the 18th of August. It's been up for approximately 90 days now, and I haven't seen any new submissions since Sep 3rd. Due to the lack of activity, I decided to take the survey offline in order to review the results and discuss them with our Head Area Coordinator and the SEANW leadership.
Current: A web page dedicated to the most recent news, announcements and information.
- I removed the solicitation to have people complete our NW survey. The survey will remain off line until the SEANW leadership decides to start a new survey or bring the old one back.
- I updated announcements for the next Neighborhood Watch meeting. Our next meeting will be held on the 7th of February, 2013. I don't know who the speaker will be yet. As soon as I do I will update the website and send out some announcements.
- Posted some Holiday Safety Tips as passed along by the Aurora Police Department.
Events: A listing of upcoming and recurring events in you Southeast Aurora Neighborhood. Events sponsored by or relevant to our Neighborhood Watch.
- I updated announcements for the next Neighborhood Watch meeting. The next meeting will be held on the 7th of Feb, 2013 (at our usual location of Fox Ridge Middle School).

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>

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 (updates) in the content.
- Updated the banner/announcement for our next MD meeting (27 Nov).
- Updated the announcements regarding the next HOA meeting. Our next HOA meeting is scheduled for 19 Dec. If it's cancelled I'll update the website to indicate the change of status.
- Removed a reference/banner regarding the refinancing of our community's bonds.
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.
- Updated the announcements regarding the next HOA meeting; tentatively scheduled for 19 Dec. Our next Metro District meeting will be held 27 Nov.
Info: A page of links, phone numbers, email addresses and other information pertinent to the residents/community of Tollgate Crossing.
- I updated links to, and posted updated Meeting Minutes from Metro District meetings. Added meeting minutes from the following date: 2012-09-25 (regular meeting). If you'd like to read meeting minutes from further back (further back than those available on the website), please let me know.

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>

November 18, 2012

GraphicConverter:
Thorsten Lemke (of Lemkesoft) completed work on a new version and nearly a dozen beta releases over the last couple weeks. I recently saw/downloaded the following update: 8.5 (b1062). GraphicConverter is an image converter and editor. A fantastic piece of shareware that is well worth the price (~$40.00). I use it to convert image formats into web standard formats, to create and edit image maps and other graphics. I've been singing GC's praises for many years now, and I'm not sure I would do without it. The best part about GC is it's author. Thorsten Lemke is completely committed to his customer base. Constantly and Continuously responding to customer recommendations and bug reports. GC is a dynamic, evolving, application. Always on the cutting edge, an absolute must in any web developers tool box. At a fraction of PhotoShop's cost, this photo editor puts a huge wrench in your toolbox.
<http://www.lemkesoft.com/content/162/new-functions-and-versions.html>

Death to spammers!
<rant>And the battle continues... Recently (November of 2012), I had a first hand encounter with a new (new to me) type of spam. Something I was aware of, but never had to personally deal with until now. Email isn't the only place where spam shows up. It may be the most familiar venue for spam, but it's not the only place you might encounter spam. Another very popular type of spam is 'Forum Spam'. Have you ever logged into a forum/bulletin board, only to find the board over run with comments about how you can improve your love life, reduce your mortgage rates, lose weight, or get a no-prescription supply of Zanaxe? Another scourge of the internet, Forum spam infects, wikis, blogs, bulletin boards, forums and all sorts of web pages where user contributed content is posted.

How does this spam get there? Well, in general (there are a few rare exceptions (manually posted spam)) spambots (automated computer processes) scan the internet looking for forums which allow visitors/members to post content. Then they automatically subscribe or attempt to subscribe to the forum. If they succeed they post as many spam posts as possible before they get shut down. How do they manage to sign up for the forums? Well, once upon a time, there was a thing known as a 'CAPTCHA', this captcha service (you've seen them, they're those odd images of words or letters that you have to type in order to post information, sign up for services or leave/send messages). used to be difficult for spammers to bypass - Used to. The current generation of spambots have built in OCR (Optical Character Recognition) code which can decipher most CAPTCHA images (including the '3d' type).

Most forum spam consists of links to external web sites, with the dual goals of increasing search engine visibility in highly competitive areas such as weight loss, pharmaceuticals, gambling, pornography, real estate or loans, and generating more traffic for these commercial websites. Some of these links contain code to track the spambot's identity if a sale goes through, when the spammer behind the spambot works on commission. Some of the links lead to infected websites (sometimes disguised as legitimate websites); websites that contain trojans and viruses. Users are sometimes duped into downloading the malware. In some instances the code is self installing or executing.

My encounter: Over the last few weeks (November of 2012) I've been getting requests to join my community bulletin board. A forum that I maintain for residents of Tollgate Crossing. The first request seemed a little unusual, and I sent an email to the 'person' who requested the membership. They never replied, and I deleted the request. Then I got another request that looked a little odd. I investigate the email address, and discovered that it had been noted on a 'Stop Forum Spam' website (there are a few such websites; all with different names). That's when I started to keep a look out. The frequency and number of requests started ticking up. This isn't good. How could someone get past my countermeasures? I had set up a Q&A authentication process in order to deter the spambots. If someone wanted to join/sign up for membership, they would have to answer some simple questions that residents would immediately know the answer to. Questions such as 'What is the name of our community?', 'What color is the bridge at the entrance to our community?' Unfortunately, it appears that the spammers have figured out how to answer my rather simple questions. I'm not sure how they defeated the Q&A authentication, but it was quite clear that they had. I suddenly saw a massive increase in the number of requests to join the bulletin board. All the requests were coming from email address that have been previously reported (on 'Stop Forum Spam' websites) or IP addresses registered in Russia, Poland, Belorus, China and other spam infested countries (places where domain registration is lax/spam friendly). It took me several days to stop all the spammers, and ban the responsible IP addresses. Thankfully I recognized all the spammers before they were granted membership. Members of my forum were not exposed to infected links or spam in the bulletin board.

How did I defeat the spammers? Well, I actually used one of their own tricks against them (a technique they use to bypass 'dirty word' filters). I recreated my Q&A verification questions using intentionally misspelled words. I think that the spammers might have run my questions through a web search to discover the answers, so I mangled the spelling as a way to thwart standard search engine queries. Humans who speak English can easily read the following sentence: "Whut kolor ys the brigge ov3r To11gayt Kr33k?" (FYI: This is an extreme example; most were far less mangled). If you feed that into Google (or some other search engine), you'll likely get a bunch of invalid responses. Likewise, if you farmed this question out to some wage slaves in India, they would probably have a hard time decoding the disguised meaning. It worked. Immediately after I implemented the new Q&A verification the fake spammer requests stopped. So, I'm good to go for now. My only concern? The mangled Q&A verification might be too tough for actual humans. I certainly hope that's not the case (If you've got some time to spare, give it a try and tell me what you think. You don't have to sign up, just take a look at the authentication questions and give me some feedback).</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!
<http://tollgatecrossing.org/bulletinboard/ucp.php?mode=register>
<http://tollgatecrossing.org/bulletinboard/viewforum.php?f=1>
<https://www.robsworld.org/index2.html#fightingspam>
<https://www.robsworld.org/whybother.html>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forum_spam>
<http://www.tollgatecrossing.org>
<http://stopforumspam.com>

USAA is Awesome:
<rave>It's not often that you get a good feeling about your insurance company (unless your insurance company is USAA!). It's not often that your bank or insurance company gives you some money back. That's right. They paid me - again!. Recently (November of 2012), in a routine review of my auto policy, an accountant at USAA found a discrepancy. Apparently USAA has been failing to apply a valid safety device credit to my auto policy. As a result, I've been getting overcharged on my premiums. ...Nobody's perfect. Thankfully, my insurance company is USAA. Not only do they perform routine reviews on an individual basis; they discovered the discrepancy and didn't try to hide it, cover it up or simply fail to notify me/anyone about the discrepancy. Then they corrected the problem by sending me a refund. Over four years (going back to May of 2009) they overcharged me on the premium. It didn't add up to much (~ $20.00), but they even paid me interest for the overcharges! Wow, normally a bank charges me interest. In this case, they paid me interest. I gladly took the check (for $20.24) down to my local bank, cashed it, and left feeling even better about my insurance company.

USAA is an insurance company and a bank (United Services Automobile Association). It is 'NOT' a publicly traded company. It's an 'Association', the members are the 'owners'. It doesn't answer to 'stockholders', it answers to it's members. Military members and their families (past and present) constitute the membership. The company suggests products and services, but the members get to vote on all the big changes and decisions. They're focused on products and services which help members meet their financial needs, not services that generate the most income for the company.

This is one of the best companies I've ever done business with. I've never been steered wrong, wronged or misled by USAA. Their service has always been the best. I can't imagine another company which treats it's members like owners, always looks out for the interests of it's members, and doesn't seek to screw those it serves. If you know a company as forthright, honest, and responsive, please share it with me.</rave>
<https://www.usaa.com/inet/pages/about_usaa>

Dish Network Sucks!
<rant>Time for another rant on Dish Network - So, is it true? Does Dish Network actually suck? Well, I'm not the only one who thinks that Dish Network sucks. Check it out. Do a search on 'Dish Network Sucks', you'll find many links to like minded people. It's so bad in fact that someone has even gone so far as to register the domain name: dishnetworksucks.com. Do a Google search on "Dish Network Sucks" - Last time I did (23 Nov 2012), Google returned > 600,000 hits! My experience with Dish Network started back in 2008, when I decided to provide some satellite TV for my mother. She lives out in the woods (the north woods of North-Eastern Wisconsin), and there's no cable provider in range of her home. So, I thought I'd be a good son and sign up for some satellite TV. Well, answering an add in the newspaper, I ended up getting a completely different package than the one that I thought I was getting. The reseller (Enjoy Better TV) made it sound good in the newspaper, but the reality was really something else. I didn't get the number of channels I thought I was getting. I didn't realize I was dealing with a reseller until later (when I noticed that things weren't what I expected). I didn't realize all the 'Hidden' conditions, fees, and restrictions until after they installed the equipment at my mom's place.

I've written about Dish Network in the past (at least once a year since 2008), but a recent incident has once again invoked my ire. Why does Dish Network suck so badly (in my opinion)? I've had nothing but problems since I signed up. The service is for my mother. I had Dish installed at her house. She lives way out in the woods, and without some sort of pay service, she wouldn't have any TV. So much for the 'Digital TV' transition. It transitioned me right into a monthly recurring charge. If I had to rate the things I hate in life on a scale of 1 - 10, Dish Network would rate up there as number 1 - Right after 'Paying my taxes'. Since signing up in 2008, the price of my 'basic' service has risen from appx $25.00 to more than $50.00 for the same 'basic' service. Their customer service Blows! Every time I have to call them my blood pressure goes through the roof. I wonder if anyone has sued them for 'Emotional Distress'? I'd like to dump them, but I doubt that Direct TV would be any better. I usually have to deal with the Dish 'Customer Service' two or three times a year, so I do my best to avoid that call. I dread the occasions when I have to call them, but it's inevitable. They're going to screw something up - It's a guaranteed fact of life. My billing, my service, the hardware - It's always something. I really wish there was some kind of competition in this industry. What other choice do I have? My mother lives in a very remote region, and cable is out of the question. She's too far from the HD broadcast facilities, so she can't get the broadcast signal (without a substantial investment in hardware (mast (necessary due to geographic location/strength of signals in vicinity of her home), guys and stays, cables, weatherized motor, antenna, programmable controller, installation costs), and you can't watch TV over telephone dial-up. My only other choice is another satellite provider, but I truly can't imagine another service being any better.

The latest incident involved their inability to get anything right! I've been paying for a DVR for many years, but my mother doesn't use it, doesn't know how to use it, and doesn't care to use it. In an effort to reduce subscription costs, I decided to have Dish replace her DVR with a simple receiver. I first imagined that I might due this two years ago, but they told me I'd have to pay $149.00 for a standard receiver, pay for installation, and commit to another two years of service! So I held off back then. This time when I called they didn't tell me I'd have to pay for the standard receiver, they didn't tell me I'd have to pay for installation, and they didn't say anything about a new two year commitment. So now I'm wondering, WTF?! Were they lying to me back in 2010, did they change their practices so drastically, or did they just forget (conveniently) to mention any of the details this time? Anyway - Downgrading to a standard receiver would reduce my costs by appx $6.00 per month. It may not seem like much, but it's been going on for four years now, and that adds up to ~$288.00. I knew it wouldn't be easy; nothing ever is with Dish. So what did they screw up this time? The 'return authorization label' (RAL) that's what they screwed up. They sent a box and an RAL to my mom. She put the DVR in the box (after confirming that the receiver was working properly), and affixed the RAL. She drove appx 35 miles (an hour long drive) one way to drop off the package in Marinette, WI, only to find out that the RAL was not valid, and UPS would not accept the package for shipment unless my mother paid for the shipping out of her pocket. My mother didn't have the money to pay for the shipment, so she drove back home.

My mother called me and told me what happened. What followed was a series of phone calls to Dish Network's customer service in order to get a new/valid RAL. I called them four times in an effort to get a replacement/valid RAL shipped to my mother. She called three times. In all our efforts, they claimed to have shipped a label on four occasions, once they even claimed to send an RAL by FedEx. On three of the occasions that I called I was given different dates for the estimated delivery of the RAL. At one point I was told that it could take up to 10 days for the RAL to arrive. By USPS? Really? What flat rate shipping option takes two weeks for delivery inside the continental U.S.? None that I'm aware of. It certainly shouldn't take that long for the USPS to deliver a letter to my mother. None of the labels they claimed to have shipped to my mother ever arrived (at my mother's address). As a matter of fact, one that was supposed to be shipped to my mother's address actually showed up in my mailbox (in Colorado). I put that RAL in an envelope and sent it to my mother.

Update: The RAL that I mailed to my mother arrived after three business days. That's kind of long for the USPS, but it's no ten days! The lesson here? After four (or was it five?) attempts to ship a RAL to my mother, they failed in EVERY attempt. My attempt to ship the RAL to my mother succeeded on the FIRST attempt. Mom, received the RAL, affixed it to the shipping box (with receiver inside), and gave it to a family friend who works for UPS (shipping back to Dish was via UPS). Three days later Dish sent me an email stating that they had received the DVR. The message is clear. Dish Network's customer service is totally incompetent. They can't manage to mail an RAL to my mother. I've repeated the mailing address (over the phone) on more than one occasion, and the address is clearly available in my account information - They shipped the replacement equipment to her, and that arrived without issue, so they certainly have the correct address for my mother. I don't see how they could mess this up so badly. At one point a customer service representative admitted that they had not shipped a replacement RAL, even though I was told that one had been shipped (during a previous conversation).

Based on similar reports (online), I now wonder whether this inability to ship RALs is intentional. Are they intentionally delaying the return of this equipment (by failing to ship valid RALs) so that they can continue charging me $6.00 per month? Or perhaps (as noted by others) they do it so people ship the equipment back without the RAL? That way they can claim that they didn't receive the equipment... In various conversations (with Dish representatives) I was told that they would note the problems in my account, and I would get credited for any charges that might occur as a result of this problem. They claimed that they couldn't stop the charges from occurring because they're automatic. Now I'm being charged for equipment that I can't return, because they won't or can't manage to ship an RAL to my mother. While the charges did appear on my bill, they were countered with a credit of equal amount. I didn't actually have to pay the extra charges incurred as a result of their incompetence, totally incompetent, or intentionally ineffective?

Oh how I hate Dish Network!</rant>
<http://www.ripoffreport.com/satellite-companies/dish-network/dish-network-echostar-satellit-cfdyf.htm>
<http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/dish-network-arizona-c431145.html>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dish_Network>

November 11, 2012

Veterans Day Salute:
I served in the U.S. Air Force for twenty years. My twenty years of service meant: Not spending holidays with my family, moving frequently, low pay for many years, poor living conditions, lack of access to facilities, substandard (at times/in my opinion) medical treatment, long working hours, extra duties during off duty hours, remote tours, family separation... The list goes on; and let us not forget those who serve in harms way. The veterans who serve in combat, hazardous duty and hostile lands far from home. Who serves in our military? Currently, the military population constitutes less than 1% of our entire population. Fewer and fewer families have members in the military; yet we rely on those few men and women to defend our nation from terrorists, cyber attack, perform rescue operations, provide medical assistance, deliver food & humanitarian relief, secure embassies and consulates, police disarmament and cease fire agreements, supplement law enforcement actions, interdict piracy and drug smuggling operations, provide natural disaster relief. To a large degree, our military members and veterans suffer greatly from service related injuries, depression, mental illness, loss of limbs, and other combat related injuries. These men and women willingly serve in our armed services so that you don't have to.

Take a little time out of your day on this day (Veterans Day/fka Armistice Day) and remember their sacrifices, the hardships they endured, the price they've paid for us, you, me, our nation. We all owe them a debt of gratitude. No matter your political inclinations or feelings about armed conflict, these are the Americans who come when their country calls. They served, serve, will serve - For us. On this 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, I salute you - Veteran!
<http://www.military.com/benefits/military-pay/charts/historical-military-pay-rates.html>
<http://www.dfas.mil/militarymembers/payentitlements/militarypaytables.html>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veterans_Day>
<https://www.robsworld.org/ribbons.html>

Snow and Cold in Colorado:
Winter doesn't officially start until Dec, 21st, but we've already had a fair share of snow in our corner of Colorado. According to weatherman, we're still below average for precipitation, so we're hoping for more rain than snow. Over the last couple of days (10 & 11 Nov, 2012), we saw the temperatures dive into the teens as a cold front moved through the Front Range. This time the snow came down as a frozen, icy, crunchy mess. By the time the storm ended, we'd accumulated more than an inch of snow. It stuck to the shrubs and branches everywhere. It even caused some damage as it accumulated on every surface. The snow didn't go away very quickly. It hung around for weeks. If we're going to get snow, why can't it be dry and powdery? This icy stuff made a mess of traffic, damaged my shrubs and made for a difficult job when I went to shovel. It wasn't enough to use the snow blower, but the frozen crunchy consistency made it a pain to remove. It looks like we're in for another season of Crazy Colorado weather. I love it!

D&D books in PDF format:
I recently purchased four new rule books for my favorite game. These books were purchased from an author that I've been following/supporting for some time (since 2004). Johnn Four is an author and D&D player. He writes some very useful material for anyone running a D&D campaign (usable in any d20 campaign), and he's been promoting/selling his own material for quite some time (since 2004). I started out by reading his column in Dragon magazine (back when the magazine was still published in print format) back in 2002-2003, I recognized his name later, and began subscribing to his free newsletter (in 2004). I found the information in his newsletter so useful that I donated money on a few occasions. Since then, he's managed to sell some of his material as stand alone products. Unfortunately, at one point, he sold the rights to his own material. Recently (Nov of 2012), he bought back the rights to his material, and ditched all the banner ads on his website (and newsletters). As a result he's celebrating by offering his original material at a discount. Joining Johnn in celebration, I decided to take advantage of his 4-For-7 deal (Four PDF books for $7.00). I purchased:

GM Mastery: NPC Essentials - A huge collection of tips, techniques, and aids that will inject life and detail into your NPCs. This comprehensive book is filled with step-by-step advice on designing, role-playing, and managing NPCs during the entire lifetime of your campaigns. Also included are NPC archetypes, encounters, charts, and an example NPC-centric adventure (d20, fantasy).
GM Mastery: Holiday Essentials - This eBook is about helping you plan, prepare, and GM better adventures. While you can use the information that follows to craft interesting holidays, my main goal is to help you use holidays as the backbone for campaigns, adventures, and encounters. Holidays can be much more than the minor quirk of your game world. With strategic design, as outlined in the coming pages, you can transform holidays into a vital GMing tool to create immersion, realism, and most importantly, more fun in your game sessions.
GM Mastery: Inn Essentials - This book is about helping you craft cool, useful, and entertaining establishments. It will help you create locations that feel real and interactive. This book will also guide you in creating important puzzle pieces that snap into your games. There's little point designing campaign elements that have small story payoff. You have little enough time for preparation as it is, so this book is about earning double or triple wins from your designs: world development, campaign development, and encounter development. If you make a single inn, tavern, or restaurant serve all three needs, you've saved time and improved your game sessions in one swoop. Let this book help you craft locations of superior quality. Your players will notice.
Filling The Empty Chair - Finding fellow gamers is tricky. It's not like we wear a badge, special hat or red shirt. Your neighbor could be an awesome roleplayer and you might never know about it. That's why the online registries are awesome. There are dozens of them now, and your neighbor, or others in your local area, could have visited any one of them and put up a listing. This ebook contains every tip, trick and technique that Johnn's discovered and used successfully over the last 32+ years of gaming.

Since these 'books' didn't come in hardcopy, I decided not to update my D&D books list. The D&D books list will continue to list any hardcopy books that I purchase and use in my D&D campaign. The pdf formatted books are nice, but they don't take the place (in my opinion) of a hardcover rules book. They've got their advantages, but they're different. So far, I've found Johnn's books (and his newsletter) to be extremely useful in my campaign. If you're a gamer/GM, I encourage you to check out his website. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_(magazine)>
<https://www.robsworld.org/dndbooks.html>
<http://www.roleplayingtips.com>

GraphicConverter:
Thorsten Lemke (of Lemkesoft) completed work on a dozen beta releases over the last couple weeks. I recently saw/downloaded the following updates: 8.3.1 (b1049), 8.3.1 (b1058). GraphicConverter is an image converter and editor. A fantastic piece of shareware that is well worth the price (~$40.00). I use it to convert image formats into web standard formats, to create and edit image maps and other graphics. I've been singing GC's praises for many years now, and I'm not sure I would do without it. The best part about GC is it's author. Thorsten Lemke is completely committed to his customer base. Constantly and Continuously responding to customer recommendations and bug reports. GC is a dynamic, evolving, application. Always on the cutting edge, an absolute must in any web developers tool box. At a fraction of PhotoShop's cost, this photo editor puts a huge wrench in your toolbox.
<http://www.lemkesoft.com/content/162/new-functions-and-versions.html>

Safari:
Apple's default web browser for OS X (also available for Windows!), is way ahead of the pack. Apple's browser contains a plethora of incredibly powerful features, and this release moves the browser forward for everyone (there's even a Windows version! - Microsoft stops developing IE for Mac, and Apple makes a Windows version of Safari?). I'm currently running Version 6.0.2 (8536.26.17)

Apple's default web browser for OS X (also available for Windows!), is way ahead of the pack. Apple's browser contains a plethora of incredibly powerful features, and this release moves the browser forward for everyone (there's even a Windows version! - Microsoft stops developing IE for Mac, and Apple makes a Windows version of Safari?).

Battle of the browsers. Internet Explorer vs FireFox. Those are your choices right? Wrong! Think different! Think Mac! Choose Safari, the new kid on the block. A fast (The fastest available for Mac) but full featured browser, which performs like a pro. The full release version is a powerful workhorse - Featuring tabbed browsing, URL snap-back, a powerful but elegant bookmark implementation (with built-in import capability), Google, Yahoo and Bing search integration, built-in pop-up blocker, multiple standards (HTML 4.01, HTML 5, XML, XPath, XSLT, XHTML, DOM, CSS, RSS, ECMA Script, Proxy Support, SSL, TLS, JavaScript, Java, plus QuickTime, Flash and Shockwave plug-ins), Top sites - A visual representation of your top visited sites. Cover Flow - A fantastic new way to visualize your bookmarks. Safari Reader mode - banish all those annoying sidebars and adds. Expanded support for HTML 5. Nitro Engine - Makes Safari the fastest in the pack.

Some of the newest features include: The Reading List - A way to store URLs for later (now it even includes offline reading; downloading entire web pages and all resources); A unified URL and search field (finally); Coverflow tab views that let you quickly (with the flick of a finger) scroll through your tabs and visually locate the tab/content you're looking for; iCloud synchronized tabs make your tabs available across all your Apple devices; Built-in sharing - If you're running Mountain Lion, you've now got access to numerous built in sharing options across many apps including Safari; Improved performance - If your Mac has multiple cores (My desktop Mac has 8 (16 virtual)), then Safari's 'Nitro JavaScript' leverages those cores and performs at blazing fast speeds; implementation of a 'Do Not Track' privacy standard; Support for interactive web apps and several enhanced developer features at Apple's website; Finally - If you're a Chinese user, you'll find a lot of improvements catering to the most populous nation on earth.

By the way, Safari is fully compliant (it was the first Browser to meet that bench mark) with the advanced Acid 3.0 test. So, if you're concerned about standards and compliance, you've nothing to worry about. Develop your web site using the Safari webkit and you won't have to worry about rendering problems or sticky browser compatibility issues. Check out the website for more info. Safari is just one more reason to Switch! It's won a place as my default browser, give it a chance and it'll soon be yours.
<https://developer.apple.com/technologies/safari/>
<https://developer.apple.com/technologies/safari/whats-new.html>
<http://www.apple.com/safari/>
<http://www.apple.com/html5/>
<http://www.apple.com/safari/features.html>
<http://www.webstandards.org/action/acid3>
<http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5568>

With these software updates, I've updated my Software Favorites page. It's primarily dedicated to web publishing for the Mac user. Not meant for the professional, It's my hope that home users and hobbyists will find it useful. It's a listing of applications that I find useful in publishing my web pages.
<https://www.robsworld.org/myfavs.html>

MetalGearBox Data Recovery Project:
<rave>A project that I've been working on for more than two years has finally been completed. Working on and off, I helped a friend recover some lost data. Going back nearly two years, Bart and I have been working to recover some data off of one of his hard drives. Somehow, he had deleted the data from a hard drive; and then I made it worse... Anyway, he had a hard drive. On that hard drive were precious photos of his family. Him, his wife, and their two girls. As I said, precious data. When I first agreed to help him, we both worked shift work, and our schedules made it very difficult to get together over the internet (via audio or video chat) in order to work on the problem. We worked on the problem on and off, with no success for approximately a year. Eventually, I got a new job (working straight days), and my new schedule made it even harder to coordinate time to work on the issue. Eventually, his wife urged him to resolve the issue - All men need a good woman to keep them motivated! - and I really wanted to get this project off my plate.

Because I felt somewhat responsible for part of the problem, I sent Bart a new hard drive so he could continue to make backups (the drive in question was used as a backup). With the new drive in place, I then recommended that he send me his old drive, and I would work on it at my leisure. It would be much easier than trying to explain all the necessary steps in the troubleshooting and recovery process. Bart sent me his hard drive via USPS first class. It took two weeks for me to get the box; apparently there was some problem with the zip code. Anyway, it arrived in a banged up box. It sure looks like it went on a couple of trips before it made its way to my mailbox (see photos posted online). The drive enclosure (a Metal Gear Box all aluminum enclosure) was partially disassembled when I received it. I had to reassemble the drive enclosure and cross my fingers. I ran a bunch of diagnostic tests using Tech Tool Pro (Apple gave me a free copy of Tech Tool Deluxe long ago. I liked it so much that I purchased a copy of Tech Tool Pro in 2009, and I've been reupping my copy ever since). Thankfully, the hard drive inside the enclosure (A Western Digital 1TB drive) was undamaged.

There were two partitions on the drive. One contained an old 'Time Machine' backup. Given how out of date it was, I recommended creation of a completely new backup when the drive is returned. The other partition (a 500gb partition used for raw backup) was the partition that had been 'erased'. The partition was there, but all the data was 'missing'. This was the problem partition. Since nothing new had been written on this partition, I felt relatively confident that I could recover Bart's data. I started out by looking around for data recovery software. I had some primitive recovery capabilities in my copy of Tech Tool Pro, but that wouldn't work, and I also had an old copy of 'TestDisk' on my hard drive. TestDisk is an open source/free piece of data recovery software that runs from the command line. I'd tried it previously, but I didn't care for the interface and work flow. It was a bit confusing to use, and that contributed to some previous issues with data recovery. In the two years since I last used it there have been several new releases for Mac users, and I thought I would try something new.

I downloaded the 'free' version of SoftTote Data Recovery for Mac. The software can recover photos, videos and mp3s without a license/purchase, so I figured I'd give that a try. Bart was only interested in recovering any videos or photos, so this should work out o.k. After downloading and installing the software, I read some of the data recovery instructions. It actually seems to be a pretty straight forward process, and the work flow matched the software interface quite nicely. I set the project aside for a few days and returned when I had more time. I used the software to scan the disc for possible data. It found all of Bart's missing data, and I was quickly able to identify all the missing photos. After a couple of days (it took a long time to scan through all the disc sectors, find the data and recover it), the software allowed me to successfully recover all of Bart's data (thousands of photos) from the 'erased' partition.

I copied all the data over to a large RAID array that I maintain, I checked to make sure that the data copied over without any problems, and then I reformatted Bart's hard drive. I recreated the same partitioning as before. One partition (500gb) for 'Time Machine' backups and one (500gb) for raw backups. After I erased, reformatted and re-partitioned the hard drive, I copied his data back onto the original hard drive (I left a copy on my RAID array until I was sure that he received the hard drive with recovered data). Once everything was back on the original hard drive, I packed up the drive, and mailed it back to Bart. I shipped it USPS first class, and it only took three days to make it's way to Bart. Thankfully the drive arrived in good shape. Nothing was damaged or disassembled in transit.

Bart plugged in his old/now new hard drive and checked the data. Hurray! Everything is working fine, and all those precious photos have been retrieved. Bart's happy, I'm happy and Bart's wife is happy! I learned a lot in completing this data recovery project, and I'm glad that everything worked out o.k.</rave>
<http://ppa-usa.com/computer-products/metal-gear-hde2162.html>
<https://www.icloud.com/photostream/#A3GqkRUiGqgW3q>
<http://www.softtote.com/data-recovery-for-mac.html>

Safari Security update for Safari:
Apple's default web browser for OS X (also available for Windows!), is way ahead of the pack. Apple's browser contains a plethora of incredibly powerful features, and this release moves the browser forward for everyone (there's even a Windows version! - Microsoft stops developing IE for Mac, and Apple makes a Windows version of Safari?). A recent update patched a few vulnerabilities to keep your browsing sessions safe from the punks trying to steal your email address, social security number, login credentials, bank account info, money! Make sure you keep your software up to date. This latest update is available for Safari running on OS X Lion v10.7.5, OS X Lion Server v10.7.5, OS X Mountain Lion v10.8.2.

As a result of these recent updates, the following pages have been updated. myfavs.html.
<http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5568>
<http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222>

Security update for iOS 6.0.1:
Apple's iOS 6.0 was released on the 19th of September, but the software development and security teams at Apple haven't been resting on their laurels. They're still at work, doing their best to bring us the best, most secure mobile operating system. iOS 6.0.1 was released on the 1st of November. This particular update didn't bring us any new features, but it did patch a few critical security holes and improve the reliability of iDevices (iPhone 3GS and later, iPod Touch (4th gen) and later, iPad 2 and later) when connecting to Wi-Fi networks. Here's a brief recap of some of the updates/patches:

• Fixes a bug that prevents iPhone 5 from installing software updates wirelessly over the air. I actually encountered this problem myself.
• Fixes a bug where horizontal lines may be displayed across the keyboard. Imagine how annoying this might be.
• Fixes an issue that could cause camera flash to not go off. I have had a few issues with the flash not going off.
• Improves reliability of iPhone 5 and iPod touch (5th generation) when connected to encrypted WPA2 Wi-Fi networks.
• Resolves an issue that prevents iPhone from using the cellular network in some instances.
• Consolidated the Use Cellular Data switch for iTunes Match. I'm not sure what this means.
• Fixes a Passcode Lock bug which sometimes allowed access to Passbook pass details from lock screen. I haven't used the passbook yet.
• Fixes a bug affecting Exchange meetings.

As a result of these recent updates, the following pages have been updated. myfavs.html.
<http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5567>
<http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1606>
<http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222>

New Music in November:
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 28 million tracks! (15m on MOG (as of Aug, 2012), 13m on eMusic (as of Aug 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 (Nov of 2012) I downloaded 45 tracks at the low cost of $22.76. I'm paying a $19.99 monthly fee, so that makes the tracks even cheaper (~$0.45 / track). Unlike some music outlets, eMusic doesn't have any DRM and they don't insert unique track id's into the ID3 tags. Their terms of service are consumer friendly; eMusic allows you to burn as many CDs as you like and copy downloads to an unlimited number of your computers and portable MP3 players. At less than $.50 a track (I'm currently paying $19.99 for $22.99 worth of downloads per month). eMusic offers a really good value for your download dollar. iTunes and Amazon still charge more. eMusic offers more music for your money, and the variable bit rate recordings make for exceptionally high quality recordings. Since being purchased from VU (Vivendi Universal) Net in 2004, the prices on eMusic have been slowly creeping ever upward, and they're approaching the cost of Amazon tracks. If that happens, I'll probably switch to Amazon for my music acquisition needs.

* Waiata - Split Enz: (11 songs) A favorite band from back in the 80s. A New Zealand band that struck it big. Formed in the early 70s, they remained intact until 1984. I loved every album they put out, and I've tried to collect them all, but it's never easy getting ahold of these early 80s recordings. This is one of the easier ones to find.
* Voices of Animals & Men - The Young Knives: (14 songs) I first discovered The Young Knives in 2009, and this is their second album (Their debut full length album). This post-punk revivalist group from Oxford, England has that sound that I enjoy so much. They remind me a lot of Gang of Four, and that is a good thing. They touch on many styles and that's better. Now I count them as a favorite. Looking forward to another album.
* Urban Verbs - Urban Verbs: (9 songs) A band I enjoyed (but never pursued) back in the 80s. Relistening to the album 'Early Damage' led me to MOG, where I sampled the debut album (Urban Verbs), that's how I rediscovered an excellent band that passed me in the night. Back in the late 70s, this band played at CBGBs, alongside the Cramps. That's when Brian Eno offered to produce their music. The band received many positive reviews, but they missed their biggest chance when they were supposed to tour with Joy Division. Unfortunately, the tour was cancelled when Ian Curtis committed suicide. Two albums are all that remain of this contender.
* Yankee Hotel Foxtrot - Wilco: (11 songs) Another one of my favorite bands. They've got eight albums, and this is only my fourth purchase. I love their alt-rock, americana mixed with folk flavor. I'm glad they haven't settled for a single genre. This album was an eMusic pick.

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>