OS X . And the Newton lives on... In an effort to continue the after-life of my favorite PDA, the Newton Community has made some breakthroughs. There are two projects; NewTen and nSync, that will continue to make sure that our investments in Apple's PDA technology will live on. NewTen is a serial connection solution for Macs running OS X and is somewhat useful if you've made the leap and bought a USB-to-Serial adapter. I for one haven't done that, but then of course I just dual-boot over to Classic whenever I need to. On the other hand nSync is my favorite of the two. It will soon allow Newton owners to sync with iCal and Address Book over TCP/IP. This is worth the wait for sure.

OSX . Some things just take a little for me to find out about. RSS feeds appear to be one of them. Some of my favorite blogs and news sites have had this feature for a while and I'm just now discovering what the hype is all about. RSS feeds allow me to get the news and updates I want from these various sites without having to go there and read them one at a time. Think of it as a news ticker on steroids. In any case as I spend more time with OS X I'm finding more and more useful programs. For RSS feeds I've found that NetNewsWire Lite is the best solution for me. Download the app and give it a try. There are a bunch of built in feeds available and a big database to choose others from.

Happily ever after... I have been informed that my ex-wife is now engaged. Congratulations Sherry, I wish you all the best.

Speaking of vinyl... I know this topic has probably been beaten to death but I did have some opinions about it myself, especially considering that I used Napster to gather a rather nice collection of '80s music.

What is the ruckus all about when it comes to sharing music files? Even if we were to leave the so-called "legal" issues out of the argument you do have to agree on some points. For one, we (the public) have been able to make copies of music via the cassette for a long time now. The music industry has to have known that we've also been making copies for friends and family for years now. Doesn't anybody remember "mix" tapes and dual cassette boom boxes? Why is a computer and services like Napster and Kazaa any different? Is it just because the sound quality is better (and I will stress "CD-like" here) or is it that the process is simpler (who wants to tie up 90 min of their day making a mix tape)? The only thing that the computer has done has streamlined the process but the original sin is still there lurking under the high tech flash of an mp3 file.

Finally, do we really believe that "everyone" is doing this? I mean, come on - how many people do you know that are saavy enough to rip & burn music? Much less, rip and share? (if you are in the IT industry you can exclude yourself) I think RIAA needs to get off of its soapbox and get over it. Of course if their argument holds true I'd be more than happy to give the remaining members of the Thompson Twins the $40 I owe them...

Vinyl Fetish. Below are three records that I had a hard time finding on vinyl. It proved to be easier to find them as mp3 files. Who would have guessed?

Synthecide (12" Dance Mix) - SSQ (The lead singer turned out to be Stacey Q)
Should I love you (Extended Version) - C. Farrow
Modesty Blaise (Limited Edition 7") - Sparks

Phone home... I can't remember how long its been since I saw E.T. in the theatres. Apparently, it has been 20 years. What I do remember is seeing it at the AMC theatre just outside of The City shopping center (now called The Block) with a girl named Debbie Prymek. I must also confess that I cried when E.T. died...

I'm looking forward to seeing the new version (I just bought the DVD) and of course having it around so I can share it with my kids. If you're planning on buying the DVD just make sure you buy it soon, it will be unavailable for purchase after 12/31.

Tit for Tat... Well, the battle rages on over the Macworld Conference. This is the latest blow vollied by the Macworld Conference Organization.

Blah Blah Blah... I can't tell you how much I hate telemarketing phone calls. Suffice it to say that we get our fair share and then some. Do companies really think that recording a computer voice on our answering machine will help them sell more stuff? In any case, if you feel like fighting back this tool (via Blather) may help in the battle against the invasion of your privacy.

Appreciate . Pink Room

Random Link . The Visual Thesaurus

Seven Days... And that was the message of the film. I was intrigued by "The Ring" when I saw the previews but wondered "how scary can it really be?" After all its only rated PG-13. We decided to take a chance on it this past weekend and suffice to say, I wasn't dissapointed. Of course I found out that this kind of originality was due to it being a foreign film, Japanese to be exact. This type of clever idea is rearely seen stateside (with the exception of M. Night Shamalayn's work). In any case the movie was great with no punk-out Hollywood ending and I feel that we all got our money's worth. I'm looking forward to finding the original film and taking a gander at it.

Will she ever learn?

(Yahoo News) ...Ritchie's luck ran out with his follow-up, "Swept Away," starring his wife Madonna. The film opened out of the top 10 with just $375,000 from a limited release in 196 theaters.

A loose remake of Lina Wertmuller's 1974 satire "Swept Away ... by an Unusual Destiny in the Blue Sea of August," the role-reversal romance stars Madonna as a wealthy woman stranded on a beach. As with most of the Material Girl's other cinematic efforts, such as "Shanghai Surprise," "Who's That Girl" and "The Next Best Thing," the reviews were bad. USA Today said it could be a contender for a Razzie, the "anti-Oscar" awards given to the year's worst films...

Go forth and procreate... This idea is the craziest thing I've ever heard. And the fact that a woman suggested it makes it golden. What will those crazy Swedes think of next?

Appreciate . Marnie Wark

Appreciate . Quinta Feira

Pop Culture. This article points out a sad truth. The irony is that the website's name is "popcultmag.com". When dealing with "Pop Culture" I never assume its going to be cerebral or informative in the least. All it does it is highlight the sad fact that we are indeed becoming "dumber" as a whole. There hasn't been a period in history that has had so much emphasis on the LCD - Lowest Common Denominator. If we don't change things now, where are we going to be in 20 years? 50 years?

Geek Alert. Here's a device that shows some promise... Too bad I'm locked into my current contract.

The Puff Daddy phone. There isn't much I can say about this gadget. I thought my SPH-N400 was cool... this phone borders on ludicrous. When they say that there is a definitive line between the haves and the have-nots they seem to overlook the fact that this line is more like the grand canyon. Case in point - the Platinum Ventu is $20,000.00. Try explaining that one to your wife...

Block SPAM now. How is it that this phenomenon has become a daily routine? I can't imagine that I'm the only one suffering with this problem - I just don't get the mentality behind it - what a waste. There's nothing more annoying than getting an alert letting me know that I have 55 pieces of worthless e-mail. Sigh. The only thing I'm wondering is how I've been chosen to receive these tidbits of joy. Upon review of my inbox I find some interesting things... Today I can:

Feel Younger
Become debt free
Copy and play DVDs
Get a low mortgage rate
Make $18.90 ($18.90? Who came up with this) right now - guaranteed
Check out "hot babes"
Own my home business
Get free euro investing advice
Get free photo software
Get free digital prints
Enlarge my penis

And last but not least...

Enlarge my breasts

Appreciate . Prototype 26

Random Link . CD Covers

Brain Dump. Not much to report this week. I've been busy and next week I'm going to be busier. My company has seen fit to send one of us to MEC and its not me. So that means that I'm stuck "back at the ranch" taking care of the everyday garbage... Oh well, it could be worse, right? I'll let you know next week.

Karen and I spent a relaxing weekend in Mammoth with my parents. For Karen and I it was a relaxing and peaceful way to spend 4 days. For my parents it was a wonderful discovery of what Mammoth truly is. I'm now glad that they have a realistic picture of what it means when we tell them we're headed up for some fishing or boarding. I think that visions of narrow, winding mountain roads have always precluded them from being excited about our trips. In any case, they had a great time and I'm glad that they were able to experience it with us. It turned out to be a little more of a "touristy" trip for me, but seeing it through their eyes was pretty cool.

I guess the only highlights we have to share are that Terill and Noelle are expecting their second child. Even though we've never really been serious about getting pregnant it seems that now we have a greater urge, as if something magical is happening without us. I'm a little more patient than Karen these days, but I'm sure that special day will happen when it happens...

I usually don't plug products here but I'm so happy with our recent cel phone switch to Sprint that I feel its only fair. I love the phones, the plan and the management tools they have via the web and the phone. I'm so glad to have left Stinkgular that I have no regrets. At this point I am challenging my beloved wife to try and use the 4000 minutes... Of course I do think she'll give me a run for the money.

And so another week comes to a close, I can smell Halloween around the corner and there's a glimpse of Thanksgiving on the horizon. Remember party people, there is one week less of shopping time between Turkey day and Christmas - you've been warned...

I hope you're all doing well. I'm looking forward to the weekend and spending time with Karen and our friends. I'm incomunicado until next week.

Peace.