What's New

Jan 31, 2014

Computer problems:
I really need to do a full install of my computer's operating system. A clean wipe of all the crud and a fresh start. Why would I? Computer problems have been plaguing me of late. Even with a new computer, crud can accumulate on a perfectly fine machine. Over the last week or so, I've encountered numerous disk errors. I couldn't repair permissions on my directories & files, I couldn't download or install any updates. All these problems were caused (once again) by the buggiest piece of software under the Mac OS hood - iTunes! iTunes has always been (in my opinion) the one piece of software that causes me the most problems. Why? Well, the origins probably date back to it's beginnings. iTunes started out as SoundJam MP. Designed as a music player for the Mac OS (OS 8 and OS 9) it was a simple little tool that allowed you to manage and play digital audio files. It also allowed you to burn CDs. It even had a recording feature and skin support, but those features were removed - Which caused me to give up on it and switch to Audion (by Panic). The SoundJam MP interface was clunky and very Spartan. The feature set changed frequently, and I wasn't sure what they were trying to do with the application...

Fast forward to iTunes in 2014. It seems to me that iTunes has become way to big for it's britches. While SoundJam MP ejected certain features in search of a better functioning application, iTunes seems to do the opposite. It acts as a giant asteroid orbiting the galaxy of Apple apps. Slowly orbiting and accumulating crud as it becomes bigger and bigger. It's venting gases and wreaking havoc on the inhabitants of planet Mac as it orbits. A giant unstable behemoth that looms over our heads - reminding us of it's primordial origins and its indispensable nature.

iTunes is a media player, media library, online radio streamer, mobile device management, podcast subscription/player, CD player/burner/ripper,etc. The list keeps growing and Apple keeps strapping stuff onto this behemoth without regard to its overall stability. If I have a problem on my Mac it invariably occurs when iTunes misbehaves. In order to fix this latest problem - Which was affecting an external disk as well as my local system, I had to Reboot, login as a system administrator, remove iTunes, re-install iTunes, update iTunes, repair permissions on my disks (local and external), check/verify that the disks (four disks in total) weren't damaged. Then I had to reboot again - with all my peripherals detached - Some kind of USB conflict is causing problems in combination with iTunes. After rebooting the machine one more time I was able to get everything working again (as a user - not a system administrator).

Four hours of troubleshooting and problem solving brought about when iTunes started reporting disk issues and loss of my music. Thankfully I've learned that lesson. I've got multiple copies of my music spread across three different disks, plus the iCloud storage locker (which I doubt will work if I actually need to use it). Once again my computer woes are caused by that monster of a media management application - iTunes.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SoundJam_MP>
<https://www.apple.com/support/itunes/>
<http://www.apple.com/itunes/>

Software favorites:
There's been a number of software updates over the last couple of weeks. Apple's productivity applications, my favorite text editor, and another batch of updates for my favorite Graphic editor. GraphicConverter moves ever forward. As usual, the 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 another update over the past week. I recently saw/downloaded the following update: 9.1 (b1549). 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 what 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 (and no monthly subscription fees!), this photo editor puts a huge wrench in your toolbox. The full release version: 8.6 (b1200) finally introduced layers proper to the toolkit; putting GraphicConverter on an ever closer footing with the likes of PhotoShop, at a fraction of the price. A highly versatile application with all the bells and whistles of the top end editors.
<http://www.lemkesoft.de/en/products/graphicconverter/overview-of-new-features-and-versions/>
<http://www.lemkesoft.de/en/products/graphicconverter/key-features/>

BBEdit:
BBEdit is a high-performance HTML and text editor for the Macintosh, and I'm running version 10.5.8. It's designed and crafted for the editing, searching, transformation, and manipulation of text and code (several different flavors of code/languages). BBEdit provides a vast array of general-purpose features which are useful for a wide variety of tasks, and includes many special purpose features which have been specifically developed in response to the needs of Web authors and software developers. It's an absolute must for any HTML author, code developers and hardcore Mac enthusiasts. My needs for BBEdit no longer revolve around HTML editing. While I still use BBEdit for some of my HTML coding, I primarily use it for plaintext editing. It's ability to search, find, compare, replace text and handle documents is simply unparalleled. The 10.5.7 was a minor update, released to fix a small number of customer reported issues.
<http://www.barebones.com/support/bbedit/arch_bbedit1057.html>
<http://www.barebones.com/support/bbedit/updates.html>
<http://www.barebones.com/products/bbedit/>

iWork 2013 Update:
Apple's productivity suite is three applications with iCloud integration. I'm running various versions of the component software: Note that the iWork suite is no longer branded with a year or decimal designator: This is the 'iWork 2013 Update'. I'm running one version of Apple's Productivity Apps on my Macs and another version on my iOS devices. For some reason, I had to re-install the latest versions of the desktop applications. I checked for updates on the Mac App Store, and it claimed that I had updates/needed to install the latest versions.

iWork (Apple's Productivity Applications for the Desktop) now comes in two different flavors. The iWork '09 version, which capped out at Pages 4.3, Numbers 2.3 and Keynote 5.3. Then there's the new 'Apple Productivity Apps' versions. Starting out with Pages 5.0, Numbers 3.0, and Keynote 6.0. The old versions are still available, but they will no longer be updated (they might be patched for security vulnerabilities/bug fixes). The old versions and new versions can coexist on a Mac desktop. The iOS versions continue to work separately, but the new iOS versions will be compatible with the new desktop versions only. In it's current form (which is a confusing mix of desktop and iOS applications) iWork is a home productivity contender; competing against Microsoft Office and the OpenOffice/LibreOffice productivity suites. Most home users don't need the power provided by Microsoft's productivity suite, and Apple's iWork suite provides a suitable alternative to the expensive Office suite. iWork applications are Office compatible (No it's not 100% compatible, but it can open, edit and save documents as Office documents), and the pricing is far more affordable than the behemoth on the block (The Microsoft applications).

iWork consists of three productivity applications and online integration with Apple's iCloud syncing capability:

Pages - Pages is a word processing application with page layout features. Besides basic word processing functionality, Pages includes over a hundred templates designed by Apple that allow users to create various types of documents, including newsletters, invitations, stationery, and résumés, along with a number of education-themed templates (such as reports and outlines) for students and teachers.

Along with Keynote and Numbers, Pages integrates with Apple's iLife suite. Using the Media Browser, users can drag and drop movies, photos and music directly into documents within the Pages application. A Full Screen view hides the menubar and toolbars, and an outline mode allows users to quickly create outlines which can easily be rearranged by dragging and dropping, as well as collapsed and expanded. Pages includes support for entering complex equations with MathType 6 and for reference citing using EndNote X2.

The Pages application can open and edit Microsoft Word documents (including DOC and Office Open XML files), rich text format documents, and plain text documents. Pages can also export documents in the DOC, PDF, and ePub formats (from WikiPedia). Compatibility with other applications and formats is outstanding. Pages 5 (introduced in Oct of 2013) can no longer read or export rich text format documents. Pages 5 adds online collaboration across Macs and iOS devices as well as over the web via iCloud.com. Unfortunately, Pages 5.0 lacks (they were removed) many advanced features, including mail merge, bookmarks, text box linking, advanced find/replace, alternating left-right margins (along with alternating left-right headers and footers), 2-up "page spread" viewing, non-contiguous text selection, and robust Applescript support. Thankfully, you can still use Pages 4.3.

As of 24 Jan, 2014 - I have Pages 5.1 and the legacy 4.3 version installed on my Mac, and Pages 2.1 installed on my iOS devices

Keynote - Keynote is an application used to create and play presentations. Its features are comparable to those of Microsoft PowerPoint, though Keynote contains several unique features which differ from similar applications. Keynote, like Pages and Numbers, integrates with the iLife application suite. Users can drag and drop media from iMovie, iTunes, iPhoto and Aperture directly into Keynote presentations using the Media Browser. Keynote contains a number of templates, transitions, and effects. Magic Move allows users to apply simple transitions to automatically animate images and text that are repeated on consecutive slides. With dozens of Themes and Transitions to choose from, you can easily find a series of layouts and effects to help get your project started.

The Keynote Remote application (available in Apple's iOS App Store) lets users view slides and presenter notes and control Keynote presentations with an iPhone or iPod touch over a Wi-Fi network. This Keynote Remote application works with the older version (5.3) of Keynote, but there's no compatibility with the new version of Keynote (version 6.0). There's no need for any compatibility with the newer version of the desktop app, because now there's an iOS version of Keynote (the iOS 7.0.3 release introduced Keynote for iOS, version 2.0).

Keynote supports a number of file formats. By default, presentations are saved in a Keynote format. Keynote can open and edit Microsoft PowerPoint (.ppt) files. In addition, presentations can be exported as Microsoft PowerPoint files, QuickTime movies (which are also playable on iPod and iPhone), HTML files, and PDF files. Using the previous version of Keynote (version 5.3), presentations could be sent directly to iDVD, iTunes, GarageBand, iWeb, and to YouTube.

As of 24 Jan, 2014 - I have Keynote 6.1 and the legacy 5.3 version installed on my Mac. I don't have Keynote installed on my iOS devices.

Numbers - Numbers is a spreadsheet application that was added to the iWork suite in 2007 with the release of iWork '08. Numbers, like Microsoft Excel and other spreadsheet applications, lets users organize data into tables, perform calculations with formulas, and create charts and graphs using data entered into the spreadsheet. Numbers, however, differs from other spreadsheet applications in that it allows users to create multiple tables in a single document on a flexible canvas. Many prebuilt templates, including ones designed for personal finance, education, and business use, are included.

Numbers 2, which was included with iWork '09, integrated with other iWork applications. Charts that are pasted into Keynote and Pages are automatically updated across documents when they are changed in Numbers. Additionally, Numbers 2 lets users categorize data in tables by column, which can then be collapsed and summarized (from WikiPedia). This cross-application support was not included in the Numbers 3.0 release (which came with Mac OS 10.9 upgrade). Number 3.0 also added the ability to create interactive charts, and a new user interface resembling the new Keynote and Pages design. Numbers comes with dozens of templates which include embedded formulas, charts and graphs to help you with your planning, tracking and analysis.

As of 24 Jan, 2014 - I have Numbers 3.1 and the legacy 2.3 version installed on my Mac. I have version 2.1 installed on my iOS devices.

The new versions of Pages, Keynote and Numbers all use a completely new file format (as of the iWork update in Oct, 2013 - Released in conjunction with the new Mac OS 10.9 upgrade) that can work across OS X, Windows, and in most web browsers by using the online iCloud web apps. As a result of this change to the basic file format, the current version of iWork (iWork 2013 update) does not open or allow editing of documents created using previous versions. Users who attempt to open older iWork files will see a pop-up telling them to use the previous iWork 09 (which users may or may not have on their machine) version of the application. The current version of iWorks for OS X (the iWorks 2013 versions released with OS X Mavericks 10.9) moves any previously installed iWork 09 apps to an iWork 09 folder on the users machine (in /Applications/iWork '09/), as a work-around to allow users continued use of the earlier suite in order to open and edit older iWork documents locally on their machine.

This complete overhaul and re-design of the iWorks suite changes the application's look and feel, eliminates some advanced features, and makes the old versions incompatible moving forward. These are all draw-backs to the new applications. The iCloud integration should turn into a benefit, but so far Apple hasn't delivered on this iCloud integration. The best part about these new applications? As of September, 2013, Apple has announced that iWork, iMovie and iPhoto would all be available as free downloads on any new iOS devices activated since the 1st of Sep, 2013. So the desktop suite comes free with the Mac OS, and now the iOS apps are free on any new iOS devices. That's good news. That's way cheaper than the $100+ price tag for the Microsoft applications.
<http://www.apple.com/ios/pages/compatibility/>
<http://www.apple.com/iwork-for-icloud/>
<http://www.apple.com/mac/numbers/>
<http://www.apple.com/mac/keynote/>
<http://www.apple.com/ios/numbers/>
<http://www.apple.com/ios/keynote/>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IWork>
<http://www.apple.com/mac/pages/>
<http://www.apple.com/ios/pages/>
<http://www.apple.com/icloud/>

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>

Jan 18, 2014

We have to cut the budget - I know, let's screw the Veterans:
The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 (H.J.Res. 59; Pub.L. 113–67) aka BBA was/is federal law concerning spending and the budget in the United States. It was signed into law by Barack Obama on December 26, 2013. Working towards a compromise, Representative Paul Ryan and Senator Patty Murray announced a compromise after extended discussions between the two. The compromise law raised sequestration caps for fiscal years 2014 and 2015, in return for extending the imposition of the caps into 2022 and 2023, and miscellaneous savings elsewhere in the budget. The deal behind this bill was struck by politicians whose main concern (my opinion) is their own political agenda, not the best thing for Americans, and certainly not the best thing for veterans. As a result of this bipartisan agreement, the Veterans once again - Get Screwed!

Here's a couple of ways that this law screws veterans and federal employees.

The deal would require newly hired federal employees to pay a larger share into their pension fund than they would have had to pay prior to this deal. This change equals a 1.3% decrease in their pay. That's on top of reduced COLA increases and less than 'cost of living' pay increases - This all adds up to pay decreases when compared to private sector jobs. This is the way congress 'rewards' federal employees.
American troops who have retired and are under the age of 62 would have cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) cut by 1% each year under the new deal. By the 2014 calculation of 1.5% the retired will receive .5% increase. Their COLA will still go up, however - Or will it? If you calculate in the fact that they're giving you less than the actual cost of living, the statement that it's a cost of living increase is really just a lie. It's not equal to the cost of living. It's much less than the cost of living. This is just another way that congress rewards veterans - People who have sacrificed twenty years of their lives under the threat of death, injury and dismemberment during time of war. No big deal - They don't need the money. Why should congress give the veterans a cost of living adjustment?

You may have noticed (If you've read my blog for any significant amount of time) that I'm a 20 Year Retiree of the U.S. Military. I served in the U.S. Air Force from 1984 - January of 2005. That puts me in a special category of 'Veterans'. In the U.S. A person who has served on active duty in the U.S. Military (any branch), and was discharged or released under conditions other than 'dishonorable', is considered a 'Veteran' (this is a generalized definition - There is no single federal definition). That's a large number of people - Veterans constitute (as of 2011) approximately (Veterans = 21,596,951 / Non-Veterans = 222,306,675) 11.3% of the U.S. population. Of that number, there's a smaller sub-category - Something called 'Military Retirees'. Veterans that have served 20+ years in the armed services (Military Retirees compose less than 1% of the U.S. population (Military Retirees 1,932,928 / U.S. Population in 2011 243,906,626 = 0.0079 less than 1%)). These particular veterans not only answered the call, they went so far as to make the military their career. They dedicated a substantial portion of their life to the military. Just like all the other veterans, they were willing to die for our freedoms, defend our nation and support our leaders in all matters. With a 20+ year career, military retirees are entitled to some additional benefits that other veterans are not. Military Retiree benefits: Military retirees were promised (I know I was) free medical care for themselves and their eligible dependents for life at Military Treatment Facilities (which are disappearing at an increasing rate). Military retirees receive a pension (a percentage of their basic pay) for life. Military retirees also receive (for themselves and their eligible dependents) free 'space-available' travel onboard military transport aircraft. There are other / additional benefits, but these are some of the major benefits. None of this should be meant to mean that 'Veterans' are somehow less deserving of their benefits. All veterans deserve the benefits that they've earned. FYI: I pay (as do all other Military Retirees) an annual fee for my 'Free' medical care.

Our elected representatives are at it again (congress, representatives, and the white house) - With another round of budget fights looming, they're creating another crisis du-jour, our elected 'representatives' are looking for ways to save Defense spending and programs which pay out to the Defense Industrial Complex companies. Specifically, companies that pay into the re-election campaigns of these elected (or should we say 'paid') representatives. Guess who doesn't have the financial resources to influence these representatives? Veterans and active duty military. As usual these elected representatives have plenty of 'Think Tanks' (funded by corporations and partisan groups) telling them that the 'only way' to fix the current budget crisis is to cut 'social programs' and 'veterans benefits'. They want to cut medicare, medicaid, social security, food stamps, housing assistance, and the one benefit with the least support (less than 1% have served 20+ years in the military); veterans benefits. What about the tax breaks that corporations enjoy? That's not even mentioned. What about the subsidies paid out to the oil corporations and agriculture corporations? Oh no, we can't cut those! Do these corporations really need government handouts? Aren't they the same industries that rake in record profits year after year? What about the overseas aid paid to other countries? No mention of cutting that!

Wake up America, vote with your conscience and some knowledge of who really matters to the politicians. Stop electing the same people, the same people who keep making decisions based upon the desires of their biggest contributors. Let your elected officials know how you feel about the President's proposed 2014 defense budget.

My Opinion: The article/blog posting above (on my website: https://www.robsworld.org) contains reported facts, observations, and some of my personal opinion(s). It does not represent any official government position, and is not meant to imply a suggested course of action, or advocacy of any specific action(s). These are my personal opinions, and the last time I checked I was still entitled to have those. If you have your own opinions on the matter of 'Sequestration' or the 'Defense Budget' that's great. You may disagree with my personal opinion(s), and you may email me regarding my opinions, but please don't bother telling me that my personal opinions are 'wrong', because opinions can't be 'wrong'. Copyright: Robert L. Vaessen (2015)
<http://actuary.defense.gov/Portals/15/Documents/MRS_StatRpt_2013_July.pdf>
<http://actuary.defense.gov/Portals/15/Documents/statbook11.pdf>
<http://www.va.gov/vetdata/veteran_population.asp>
<http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget>
<http://www.gop.gov/bill/113/1/hr1960>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veteran>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tricare>
<http://mrgrg-ms.org/not-same.html>

Software favorites:
Another batch of updates for my favorite Graphic editor. GraphicConverter moves ever forward. As usual, the 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 couple more updates over the past couple of weeks. I recently saw/downloaded the following updates: 9.0.2 (b1541), 9.0.2 (b1543). 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 what 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 (and no monthly subscription fees!), this photo editor puts a huge wrench in your toolbox. The full release version: 8.6 (b1200) finally introduced layers proper to the toolkit; putting GraphicConverter on an ever closer footing with the likes of PhotoShop, at a fraction of the price. A highly versatile application with all the bells and whistles of the top end editors.
<http://www.lemkesoft.de/en/products/graphicconverter/overview-of-new-features-and-versions/>
<http://www.lemkesoft.de/en/products/graphicconverter/key-features/>

Jan 11, 2014

Snowing in Colorado:
It's officially winter and when it's winter it has a tendency to snow - Especially in Colorado. We managed to get a good helping of the white fluffy stuff. This week we managed to accumulate a whopping 2/10ths of an inch! Some people (on the news) claimed it was a lot, like it was some type of record or something. NOT. It's normal January weather. From the freezer to the frying pan and back again. Another one of those crazy weather fronts moved through our area - It's headed east, so you may see it soon. The temperatures this week swung wildly from highs in the 50s - Reaching 61 on the 3rd, down into the negatives -4 on the 5th and 6th. No one should be surprised. Last year around this time we saw the same extremes. This freeze thaw cycle really doesn't seem all that odd if you've lived in Colorado for any length of time. If only the weather reporters and the news would simmer down and stop sensationalizing the weather as if it were something new - Some new kind of threat to humanity!

Knujon reveals ICANN issues:
I fight spam! - One of the tools I use in order to fight spam is 'KnujOn', a spam reporting service. KnujOn - is 'No Junk' spelled backwards; pronounce it 'New John' if you please. It's an internet security and spam fighting service. Designed to fight spam by tackling it at the the root - by revealing the hosting companies which encourage, permit, and engage in the hosting of spammers and their services. Taking the fight directly to ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) and other internet authorities. In order to facilitate that purpose, they run an automated spam parsing and reporting tool and they conduct extensive research and advocacy services for and on the behalf of the spam reporting/fighting community.

Recently, I submitted comments to the ICANN Ombudsman (I tried to). My comments were submitted in support of advocacy and research being conducted by the individuals affiliated with Knujon. My comments were not 'officially received'; I had to try three times to get my comments accepted into the record of an investigation regarding ATRT2 (The 2nd Accountability and Transparency Review Team). Eventually I managed to get my comments into the hands of an ICANN member, and they submitted them on my behalf. The submission process didn't work properly - I documented the places where the process was broken.

On the 8th of September, 2013, I sent an email complaint to the ICANN Ombudsman (Chris LaHatte). My complaint outlined issues that I and others have noted over the last several years. These issues are/were well documented by Garth Bruen' of KnujOn. I sent my complaint to the Ombudsman but it was not investigated and the Ombudsman did not respond to my complaint or any of the specific issues cited in my complaint. I received three replies from the Ombudsman regarding my complaint. The first (Sep 9, 2013) indicated that the Ombudsman had commenced an investigation. The second (Sep 15, 2013) indicated that a draft report would be available by the end of this week'. The next/final email (Sep 29, 2013) indicated that the draft report wasn't finished, and the Ombudsman would need to talk to more people before he could complete his investigation. I have not received further communication from the Ombudsman. I learned of the results of the Ombudsman's investigation from Mr. Bruen. As I indicated, not only were my complaints not investigated properly, I was never provided with any findings regarding my complaints (Yes I read the Ombudsman's report, and I found his dismissal of all complaints to be unacceptable).

As stated by Garth Bruen of Knujon: "ICANN is supposed to process complaints about fraudulent domains and domain registrars who violate their contracts. KnujOn fully documented how the process functionally failed and ICANN would not answer questions about the lack of contract enforcement. Complaints filed with the ICANN Ombudsman about this were hurriedly dismissed without an investigation. Our findings have been confirmed by investigators at the Washington Post. The whole problem is alarming, but specifically here we are concerned that the Ombudsman is one individual who holds the accountability of global network in his hand and he is in fact unaccountable." The role of the Ombudsman needs to be reviewed because it does not represent the "concerns of the Internet user." I support Mr. Bruen in his efforts to demand an ICANN that functions properly. An ICANN that documents, implements, and follows enforcement actions designed to reduce fraud, corruption and abuse. Lax enforcement in ICANN requirements and regulations is directly responsible for the free operation of entities and individuals who defraud, victimize, and abuse internet users on a daily basis.

Despite the Ombudsman's lack of accountability to internet users and his/the offices lack of investigation into complaints of lax enforcement and other issues, I continue to support Knujon in it's advocacy for our rights and the elimination of spam through investigation, disclosure and continuing engagement with relevant enforcement agencies. I will continue to investigate and report instances of spam, registrant and registrar violations. Fighting spam is a dirty job, but someone's got to do it!
<http://forum.icann.org/lists/comments-atrt2-recommendations-09jan14/msg00032.html>
<http://www.circleid.com/posts/20130924_icann_and_your_internet_abuse/>
<http://forum.icann.org/lists/comments-atrt2-recommendations-21oct13/>
<https://omblog.icann.org/?p=1023&cpage=1#comment-1833>
<https://www.robsworld.org/index2.html#fightingspam>
<https://www.robsworld.org/whybother.html>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KnujOn>
<http://www.damnspammers.com>
<http://www.knujon.com>

GraphicConverter:
Thorsten Lemke (of Lemkesoft) completed work on another update over the past week. I recently saw/downloaded the following update: 9.0.2 (b1528). 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 what 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 (and no monthly subscription fees!), this photo editor puts a huge wrench in your toolbox. The full release version: 8.6 (b1200) finally introduced layers proper to the toolkit; putting GraphicConverter on an ever closer footing with the likes of PhotoShop, at a fraction of the price. A highly versatile application with all the bells and whistles of the top end editors.
<http://www.lemkesoft.de/en/products/graphicconverter/overview-of-new-features-and-versions/>
<http://www.lemkesoft.de/en/products/graphicconverter/key-features/>

Happy New Year!
Kim and I had a good year (in 2013). We managed to survive the Government Shutdown and Sequestration bull5h1t! - I didn't lose any pay as a result, congress decided to remove a 0.5% pay raise from the budget (so no raise), but I did receive a bonus at the beginning of the year (still working towards a promotion), I went on a business trip to England, a friend from Texas came to Colorado and stayed for a visit, we managed to drive to Wisconsin to visit family and friends, we enjoyed a couple of 'In Colorado' vacations during the year, we got a new $0.00 home phone, I got a new computer, we both got new iPhones, Kim's medical procedure came off without a hitch, neither of us had any serious illness or insurance claims. For new years eve, Kim and I stayed home and enjoyed a home cooked meal. While we ate dinner, watched a movie and, celebrated the new year with a serious sigh of relief. We can only hope that 2014 ends up better. No more sequestration or furloughs please!

January's Jamboree of Jams:
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 music web sites (Pandora, 3hive.com, musicalfamilytree.org) and music blogs (Analog Giant, Brooklyn Vegan, Fluxblog, Gorilla vs. Bear, etc), and listening to a few different music podcasts. Used to... Now? Now (Starting in 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 35 million tracks! (16m on MOG (as of Sep, 2012), >19m on eMusic (as of Aug 2013)) 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 now serves as my Primary Music Discovery source.

Artists want you to Hear their music - If you like it, you'll buy it, or maybe you'll buy some concert tickets. The major labels of the music industry 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 the music if I can't listen to it first, and no one listens to the radio anymore (I don't because of all the advertising, interruptions, lack of new music and lack of information - you can never figure out who/what is being played) 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 propaganda of the major labels - Not all free music is illegal. You can legally download and listen to all sorts of music for free (Have you heard of Pandora, Audiolizer, Presto, Jango or GrooveShark?). I download (purchase) 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 (Jan of 2014) I downloaded 109 tracks (from eMusic) at the low cost of $47.46 Normally I pay a $19.99 monthly fee, which makes the tracks extremely cheaper. This month I spent a little extra - $19.99+ $27.47 ($2.47 + a $25.00 gift card). The price for these tracks came out at ~$0.45 per track - Still less than the cost on iTunes or Amazon.

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. You don't have to be a member/monthly subscriber to access the site or buy music, and the membership prices (per album) are compared to the non-member prices right up front), so you can see how much you save as a monthly member. 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. If you still want your own copies of the music, check out eMusic.

* Class Clown Spots a UFO - Guided by Voices: (21 songs) A favorite band from the 80. Rediscovered by listening to MOG music recommendations. Lo-Fi Rock-N-Roll from Ohio. This band broke up in 2004, then reformed and re-emerged on the scene in 2012 with new material. This album comes from the post-reunion era. It's the second since the reunion, and the style is casual, unrehearsed and unfocused but I'm still enjoying GBV.
* We are the 21st century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic - Foxygen: (9) Discovered by listening to tracks at 3hive.com. Psychedelic, funky, R&B - Shake it loose album from this retro rockin' band. Reminds me of 70's greats like the Rolling Stones, the Kinks, Velvet Underground and the Doors - Groovy!
* Warehouse / Songs and Stories - Hüsker Dü: (20) A favorite band of mine from the 80s. I owned a few of their albums. All that remained when I converted my collection to all digital was 'New Day Rising'. Now eMusic is carrying some of their albums. Classic punk-rock. Influential, dense, and artistic. They had no idea what they were doing. No idea how these tunes would infect, influence and inspire countless American artists. This particular album is quite highly produced - compared to their other offerings. As such it spelled the end of the band. This was their swan song, the last album they produced (band broke up in 1987). Thankfully Bob Mould went on to produce some quality solo works. This particular album is no longer available on eMusic.
* Autokratz Present Bad Life #1 - Autokratz: (3) Too bad they don't have any albums - or do they? When I originally downloaded this 'single' it had 3 tracks. Now (in Oct of 2015) it's only got 2 tracks. Rights ownership and the constant copyright struggles of the music industry aren't making it easy to enjoy the music that bands produce. I discovered this band by listening to eMusic free compilations. The band produces electronic techno tracks. With a club feel and well mixed electronic beats, I'm really enjoying this bands releases.
* Giants (deluxe) - The Stranglers: (31) A favorite band from the 80s - I've been listening to The Stranglers since the 80s. I had no idea that they were still around, making music from 1974 - 2014 (40 Years!). This release is their latest (number 17). Released in 2012, I really had no idea that they were still making music. Unfortunately, you can only get a few albums on eMusic. Thankfully, I've already got 8 other Stranglers albums. Unfortunately, there are several more that I've never heard. Thankfully, you can find most of their stuff on streaming services (I'm a rdio subscriber at the moment (Nov 2015)). Yes they still feature organ music in their songs! Outstanding music from a band that's lived through 40 years of industry ups and downs. This album contains numerous live versions played while they toured to promote the album.
* History of Forgotten Things - Jed Whedon and the Willing: (12) Jed Whedon is a multi-talented artist in good company. Alongside his brothers Joss and Zack, he's worked on numerous musical and television productions. I first learned about his talent when I was introduced to the only album (Influence of Geography) released under the band name 'The Southland'. Jed led that effort and he was instrumental in the music produced for Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. If you're familiar with any of these works, you'll know that this album is just as awesome. Slow, melodic, with excellent harmony. Unfortunately, it's no longer available on eMusic.
* Midihed - Intek: (13) I learned about this band by watching the television show 'Covert Affairs'. The music was so awesome I had to find more. Unfortunately, the only offering available on eMusic is this album. Fortunately, this album was available on eMusic. Unfortunately, this is the only album produced by the band. Fortunately, the band produced this album. Electronic Dance, Groove, House music from Oslo, Norway. Is this really one person!? Excellent. Too bad there isn't more.

iTunes Music Downloads:
Sometimes I purchase music from iTunes. iTunes is the King of the Hill when it comes to the bigger names, so sometimes I find that I have to pay the higher prices. Here's one of the few downloads I recently scored from the iTunes store. Thanks to a Christmas gift card!
* Night Attack 2 / Enjoy the Garden - Brian Brushwood & Justin Robert Lake: (24) A diversion from the music I typically download. Here is an audio performance by two comedians. Recommended by listening to the 'TWiT' podcast. Brian and Justin are foul mouthed masters of the funny. These tracks are gems from various comedy stage performances. Brian Brushwood is the star of this show, and the Night Attack performances are a perfect continuation of the material presented in the original NSFW (Not Safe for Work) material. I had to download this album from iTunes. eMusic doesn't carry this sort of material.

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://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_on-demand_streaming_music_services>
<http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2008/07/emusic-lets-the.html>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MOG_(online_music)>
<https://www.robsworld.org/music.html>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emusic>