May 30, 2015

Upgraded the memory in my MacBook Pro:
I Just installed 6GB of SDRAM in my old MacBook Pro (15 inch, early 2008). Going from 2GB to 6GB (2GB more than spec'd max/according to Apple). Adding the additional memory made that machine usable again. After updating the OS to 10.10 (Yosemite), the laptop slowed down to an almost unusable state. I've been struggling to use it (and pretty much failing) until now. It's not my primary machine, and my wife uses a much faster/newer MBP, but I was using it every two weeks or so. I originally purchased the computer for ~$1,349.00, back in 2008, and I replaced it (as Kim's primary computer) in 2011. We've been using this laptop in conjunction with our D&D sessions, and I've used it on and off while traveling, but recently I've found it to be too slow for most purposes.

Now (with the upgraded memory) I'll be able to use it again. I know the D&D sessions will go much smoother now that I can look things up online, view and print maps and other documents. I had pretty much given up using that laptop in this role, now it's back in the game. I purchased 6GB of SDRAM from Amazon for $95.00. Brand: Komputerbay MACMEMORY 6GB Kit (4GB + 2GB Modules) PC2-5300 667MHz DDR2 SODIMM for Apple MacBook Pro. I installed one 4GB module in one of the memory slots, and one 2GB module in the other memory slot. According to sources/the internet, this is the most memory you can effectively install in this model of MBP. I'm actually surprised that you can update the memory in this manner (2GB in one slot, and 4GB in another), but it's working perfectly! Installing the memory in this MacBook Pro was incredibly easy - I hope that Apple continues to allow consumer upgrades in this manner.

I'm expecting an upgrade (new machine) this December, but I really couldn't live with that slow machine any longer. The small investment will make the machine usable for several more years. I'm not sure what I'll do with it after the upgrade. I know Apple will 'recycle' it for free, but I'm kind of hoping I'll be able to sell it or give it away to someone who can/will use it. There's one selling on eBay right now for $350.00... Who know what it will be worth after I finally get that upgrade?
<https://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook_pro/specs/macbook-pro-core-2-duo-2.4-15-early-2008-penryn-specs.html>

Disappointed with the Rocky Mountain Air Show - 2015:
I served 20+ years in the United States Air Force, and I'm a big fan of 'Air Power'. I respect and appreciate the aviation industry; what it means for my career, my family, my community, the state of Colorado and our nation's security. It should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with me/my blog, that I would want to attend the Rocky Mountain Air Show. That's what I thought I would do on the 30th of May, 2015. I had planned for the Saturday event. I cleared my calendar, purchased tickets ahead of time, and figured I'd get a better seat with the tickets, even if the Air Show viewing grounds were located less than a mile from my home, at the Aurora Reservoir. I thought that the cost was reasonable, and some of the money would go towards funding future air shows. A worthwhile event in my opinion.

Unfortunately, all my efforts resulted in a 'waste of my time' (and money?). I bought tickets for the Airshow online - $22.00 for two tickets (for Saturday), but I wasn't able to get into the park (The Aurora Reservoir). My wife and I live in Tollgate Crossing, and we thought: "we'll just drive in from S. Harvest Rd... We drove (appx a 1/2 mile) down S. Harvest (to turn right onto Quincy). We ended up stopped about 250' from the intersection with Quincy, less than a mile from the reservoir. After the initial stop, we moved approximately 25' in 10 minutes. At that rate, it would take appx 6,000 minutes to travel the 15,000' to the parking area (which I now know required a separate payment beyond admission! (That wasn't mentioned on the event organizer's website or FaceBook page)). At that rate we wouldn't get into the park (out of our vehicles) for 100 hours. I'm guessing the event would be over by then.

While waiting in the traffic jam, we could see people outside their vehicles sitting in lawn chairs on the side of the road (Quincy) waiting for the line to move. There were was no way we were going to get into the park. Our tickets were a complete waste of money. We stayed there for about 20 minutes, before we gave up. There's only one (single-lane) entrance into the reservoir, and I can't imagine what the immense delay was being caused by, but this event was a complete bust when it comes to parking and traffic management.

We turned around and drove into Beacon Point, a nearby community. Our community is on the western edge of a small hilly area beside the reservoir. It's adjacent to the reservoir, but our location doesn't provide an overview of the reservoir. So we drove to Beacon point and parked close to one of the pedestrian entrances. We thought we might be able to walk into the park. No luck there either. They had blocked off the pedestrian entrances. Perhaps they could have manned them, and only let people with tickets in? Why not? Oh, I guess that would have been too much of a problem for the event organizers. We found a spot on the lawn (community common area) and tried to watch the aerial acrobatics, but we didn't plan properly for the event organizer's failure. We had no blanket, no chairs, and a less than optimal viewing spot.

After approximately 20 minutes, we gave up on that. We could see just as much from our back yard. Our house backs up to the open space, with an angle that allows us to look towards the park without any houses in the way. We still can't see over some of the hills between our house and the reservoir, but it's just as good as the spot in Beacon Point. I thought the Beacon Point vantage might have been better. It wasn't. The only difference being the ability to actually see the reservoir (the park didn't appear to be crowded at all, from what we could see). 

We left Beacon Point, and headed for our back yard. I set up some lawn chairs, pull out some beer, and enjoy the aerial events that were visible from my back yard. I'm very disappointed that I wasn't able to visit any of the booths, displays and vendors available inside the park, but that's not my fault, it's the event organizer's. I wonder if I can get a refund? Apparently (according to second hand reports (from people speaking with State Patrol) on FaceBook) the parking lot was full! The event organizers claim they had a very detailed traffic management plan. So what!? If the plan is flawed, it doesn't matter how detailed it is. They claimed that they would honor Saturday tickets on Sunday the 31st, but I couldn't attend on Sunday (That's why I bought tickets for Saturday).

Update (31 May, 2015): According to information relayed via the event organizers Facebook page, refunds will be issued. I wrote an email to the 'info' address and the lead organizer for the event. Here is the reply (in part) that I received:

"Please accept our sincerest apologies for not being able to answer each e mail individually.

Apologies again for anyone who was not able to redeem their Saturday ticket, these tickets CAN be redeemed for the Sunday show. If you are not able to attend tomorrow, full refunds are available. 

Contact us at refund@cosportaviation.org with the name and email address used to purchase the tickets."

Looks like I'll get a refund (I've already sent my email to the 'refund' address). I expect that Sunday's event will be just as bad (especially if those who couldn't make it in to yesterday's event are trying again today). Hopefully they've (the event organizers) learned their lesson, and they'll work on better traffic management (i.e. more lanes incoming and more parking areas, etc). They might actually consider making Quincy one way (both lanes) for this event.

Update (21 June, 2015): On the 10th of June, 2015, I received an email from: Colorado Sport Aviation <rmairshow@email.tixclix.com>. They stated "A credit for your refund of $47.76 should appear on your credit card statement within 10 business days." I just checked (checked on the 21st of Jun, 2015) my credit card statement. On the 12th of Jun, 2015, a credit of $47.76 was returned to my credit card.

Colorado Sport Aviation made good on their agreement to refund the cost of my tickets for the Rocky Mountain Airshow - 2015. I wish I could have attended the air show, but poor planning (they underestimated the draw of the Air Force Thunderbirds, didn't calculate the size of the available parking, the number of tickets sold or the rate at which they could process entrance and parking fees) on the part of the event sponsor resulted in my inability to attend the event.

Hopefully they'll come up with a better plan for next year's event - featuring the Navy's Blue Angels. I won't be buying any tickets for next year's event. I'll wait and see what happens before I spend money trying to attend the 'Rocky Mountain Airshow'.

Update (23 February, 2015): The event organizer has announced that they are cancelling the Rocky Mountain Airshow for 2016.

I'm just glad I got my money back!
<https://www.sentinelcolorado.com/news/fly-candy-hot-shots-from-the-rocky-mountain-air-show-in-aurora/>
<https://www.denverpost.com/2016/02/23/auroras-rocky-mountain-airshow-canceled-for-2016/>
<https://denver.cbslocal.com/2015/05/30/big-traffic-delays-surround-rocky-mountain-airshow/>

May 25, 2015

The Big European Vacation:
There won't be many entries for my blog during the month of May, 2015 - Why? Well - Kim and I went on a big European Vacation! In May of 2015, Kim and I (and Kim's parents: Ted & Sharon) embarked on a 16 day European Vacation. The biggest vacation of our lives. A whirlwind tour of Western Europe. It was a guided tour (via bus) of eight countries (England., France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland) and eighteen cities. We got back on the 25th of May, 2015 at appx 2200MST. Following our return, we had to take a little vacation from our vacation. Sleeping in an American sized bed (i.e. King Sized) was the first order of business. We had a great time, but we sure were glad to be back in the good 'ol US of A! I took nearly 3,000 photos, so it took quite some time (142 days?) to go through all of the photos, but now there are pictures. I even kept notes during the trip, so you can read all about our Big European Vacation if you're interested in the details. Unfortunately for me, I became sick during this whirlwind tour. I was so sick that I had to miss out on two days of the tour. You can read about it - and the other amazing exciting parts of the tour in the journal that I wrote (it's a bit too much to simply post here).
<https://robsworld.org/photos/europeanvacation2015/index.html>
<https://www.robsworld.org/europeanvacation2015_journal.pdf>
<https://www.robsworld.org/europeanvacation.jpg>

May 10, 2015

Musical acquisitions in May:
Here's a list of some of the music I recently acquired. Where do I get all this stuff? For the long story on my music discovery efforts, see my music page. After rdio was shut down (in Dec of 2015 (yes this post was written in the 'future')), I searched for an alternative streaming service, but the only thing that made sense (given price, catalog, service, support and my existing preferences) was Apple Music. I signed up for a 3 month free trial in December of 2015, and I've been a subscriber ever since (recently signed up for the $99/year plan (saved myself ~$20.00) - Thank you for not raising your prices (as of Apr, 2019). For now, eMusic is my primary download service (even though it's catalog is severely shrunken - no major labels, and the minor labels seem to be disappearing on a daily basis), and Apple Music streaming is my primary music discovery service, but I certainly can't afford to buy my music from them, and the other major players - Amazon and Google both think that the outrageous prices that Apple charges are o.k. Really? - $1.29 for a single track!

Artists want you to Hear their music - If you like it, you'll buy it; or maybe you'll buy some concert tickets - That's where bands really make their money. 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 artist's 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, Presto, MySpace, SoundCloud or DashRadio?). 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 (May of 2015) I downloaded 50 tracks (from eMusic) at the low cost of $23.25. Despite the published standard member cost of $23.25, I only pay a $19.99 monthly fee. This makes the tracks extremely cheap - That's right I didn't actually pay $23.25, that would have been the price if I purchased tracks at the standard member's price (still cheaper than iTunes). If you're on a monthly plan you get a discount over the non-member prices (which average $0.89 per track). When you purchase an entire album you get an additional discount. Plus I get a discount for being on a special plan (as a member) - I've been 'Grandfathered' with additional credits since I'm a long-time loyal member (since 2006). As a subscriber/member, you save plenty over the likes of iTunes, Amazon and Google. I only paid $19.99 for my $23.25 worth of downloads. The price for these tracks came out at ~$0.40 per track - Way less than the cost on iTunes or Amazon. If you bought these tracks on iTunes you might have paid approximately $64.00! An eMusic non-subscriber/non-member would have paid nearly $45.00! - That's approximately 30% less than iTunes, and I saved approximately 70% over the iTunes cost!

* Go - The Very Best of Moby - Moby: (27 songs) I haven't been listening to Moby for very long. First download was July of 2009, then another in 2013. This is actually my first album. I listened to a sampling on iTunes and decided I liked it. At the time (in 2015), Moby was available in the eMusic store. Now? Well, unfortunately, the only thing available at the moment is some remixes. Thankfully I was able to score this best of before Moby disappeared from eMusic. I am definitely enjoying this album, and wish that eMusic had more Moby. I just added one of those remix selections to my 'Wish List'.
* What makes us glow - Psapp: (12 songs) Psapp is one of my favorite bands. Their quirky instrumentals, odd environmental sounds, and synthesizer tracks, combined with bizarre lyrics make me smile. As a matter of fact, I've got nine of their albums. Thankfully they never became so popular that eMusic stopped carrying them completely. There are still a few selections (already in my wish list) that I haven't picked up. I should get them before they disappear.
* Evermotion - Guster: (11 tracks) A new discovery recommended by eMusic. Occasionally I find some good music by way of eMusic. This is one of those occasions. Guster is definitely easy listening. Unfortunately, now that I want more, they're no longer available on eMusic. Their sound is a alt-rock pop with folk notes. Somewhat acoustic, mixed with some electronic effects, the band seems just on the edge of jazz with its humming semi-sad lyrics and late summer ballads. I sure wish I could buy some more. Thankfully I've got Apple Music, so I can listen any time I want (as long as I'm a subscriber, and I have an internet connection, and the service exists).

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 (If you like to do that) and copy downloads to an unlimited number of your computers and portable MP3 players (because I still do that - I take my music with me on an iPod). At less than $.50 a track (I'm currently paying $19.99 for $22.99 worth of downloads per month - I'm on a grandfathered plan that new members cannot get) you can't really go wrong. 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, demand, need, your own copies of the music - Check out eMusic.

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>
<https://www.robsworld.org/music.html>
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMusic>