Assuming makes...

I assumed everyone used Craigslist when finding an apartment, or selling their T.V., or looking for a gardener. However, I have spoken with several people at work and other such places, and was amazed at the number of people who have yet to discover Craigslist. Therefore, I see it as my duty to point it out to all 3 of my readers so they may pass it along. Craigslist is basically a free online classified ad site that is broken down by major cities and countries around the world. Just last week, the List started breaking up the US states into more regional categories. For example, I live in Colorado, and it used to only be Denver, now they added Ft. Collins, Co. Springs, and the Rocky Mountains (mountain towns..). This is a new convenient feauture. Use Craigslist for everything. Great place to find a job, post your resume, find a date, whatever you can think of and it's all free. It's like Ebay without the enormous hassle of Ebay.

Beware: Lot of hoaxes and spammers posting on craigslist. The site is good at pulling them when discovered, but not an easy task. Just stay away from stupid overnight riches schemes, and my kid was kidnapped and I need bus money to Duluth...

Happy Birthday Kevin!

While I should be reviewing Paris Hilton's new stellar album that will no doubt pass Sgt. Pepper's on the all-time greatest albums list; I will dedicate this one to the piano man himself, my brother Kevin. Billy Joel has just released a new live album, 12 Gardens Live, appropriately recorded at Madison Square Garden in NYC. With 32 tracks, this live album captures Joel's greatest hits and some more obscure songs. I have given it a full listen, and it is well done. It is not the best live mix I have ever heard, but Billy is rockin on many tracks, and his voice is as good as ever. Although he claimed that he was quitting the pretentious rock scene to focus on classical, I still haven't seen the classical masterpiece yet, so 12 Gardens, will have to do. While not a huge fan of Billy's personality, one cannot deny his talent, and this album will keep the older generation happy. I can't give Joel too much flack for his short-lived retirement as some of the greats have done the same, and who cares. No complaints when M.J. came back wearin the '45' and Jay-Z is back; but they're much cooler than Billy Joel. Anyway, 12 Gardens is Billy Joel at his usual self, and happy 30th Kevin.

Worth the Effort...

In our busy life, who has time to backup their computer, and how do we do it? Well, ask yourself, if my computer was stolen, or crashed, or infected beyond repair, what could I not live without? For me, my most valuable assets on my computer are music and photos. I have spent years building my music collection, and now most of it is on my computer. Picasa has an easy backup tool that compresses your photos and can burn them to CD; a couple hundred photos made it to 2 cd's for me.

For itunes, One Digital Life has a good article on the step by step process of burning your entire library to either dvd or cd. In 'edit' then 'preferences' (or Ctrl + comma), go to advanced tab, burning, and check 'Data CD.' Data cd's compact the digital files, and copy them exactly as the music is stored, so when you restore the music is intact. Unfortunately, I do not have a dvd burner, so I must backup all to cd's which is time-consuming, but not nearly as time-consuming as rebuilding an entire music collection. DVD's also can hold an enormous amount of data. To give you an example, my itunes library has approximately 5,000 songs. A dvd might take 5 discs to backup the entire collection. On cd, I'm looking at roughly 25 cd's, as the data burning puts on about 175 songs per cd. That's not bad if you consider burning a regular cd can get you 20 songs if you're lucky. While 25 cd's seems like a bulky number, blank cd's are about $.15 apiece these days, and think of how devastated you'd be if you lost your entire music library. Spend a couple of hours and you'll be thankful later.

One more tip: itunes will allow you to create smart playlists which will keep track of new songs that you add after you do the initial backup; that way you don't have to figure out where you left off, and can make future backups easily. Also, One Digital Life makes another good point to make a cd backup of the "itunes Library Folder", as well as the "itunes Library Folder.xml" located on your hard drive, so all of your original playlists and settings can be restored instantly.

South Beach Style

Because my full attention has been shifted to the struggling Yankees still hanging on despite an array of serious pitching and injury problems; I neglected to congratulate the Miami Heat for their championship the other night. Dwayne Wade is a stud, and even Shaq knows that he was riding on Wade's coat tails all year. Their series win over a tough Mavericks team was impressive, but does not hold a candle to their post-game celebration. When the Heat got off the plane in Miami early in the morning, Coach Riley noted that the team (around 15 or so) went through 22 bottles of Cristal on the flight alone. The picture on the left of Shaq and D Wade is in the lockerroom (pre-flight), and they already look wasted. How much booze do you think it takes Shaq to catch a buzz? He is feeling no pain here. Congrats to the Heat, and I want to congratulate myself as my prediction was right on the money for once. Sorry Mr. Cuban, I'm usually wrong.

O.G.

The review you have all been waiting for. Yes, it's the new Ice Cube album, Laugh Now, Cry Later. The original gangsta from NWA fame; the same band that made Compton a household name in the burbs. Cube is back and the sound is right where he left off before he brought us Craig and Smokey on the front porch. They say retro is back, and Cube had to show the new rappers how the old guys did it when it all began. If you need a refreshing blast to the past, Cube's new album will not disappoint. Peace.

Picassa Web Album

Well, I received my invite to Picasa Web Albums, and have given it a quick test-run. First, you must download Picasa 2 which quickly updates the older Picasa version. The layout is basically the same, with a little more flair, and a Web Album button that allows for uploading to your personal site. I uploaded 30 pictures at one time, and then 24 the next, and it was pretty easy (about 8 minutes). Slowed my computer a bit, but not bad. With Flickr, I can only email about 10 at a time, and they don't always take on the first try. Here are the test-run pix, or click the link on my right sidebar. While I have not thoroughly explored the features, it appears to be pretty basic and simple. Not nearly as sophisticated as Flickr or as many options, but the ease with Picasa, which I love, makes it just fine. I'm not leaving Flickr anytime soon, but I'll give it a whirl. I'm sure it will be available to all soon.

The Forbidden Fruit

The poor Apple. Easily one of the tastiest of fruits, but none more controversial. Garden of Eden? The Beatles? Itunes? Get my point? All powerful symbols in history, all characterized by the apple, and all in the heat of debate.

The Beatles began the civil war among apples back in the 70's when they sued Apple for their logo and trademark issues. The Beatles, also represented by the mighty apple, declared a fruit war that continued until this year, when the courts ruled that Apple Computer has not violated any infringements, and a treaty has been signed. Now, Itunes is wooing The Beatles to put their music on Itunes. Irony or greed?

Then the whining French started another boycott on the apple trying to free the fruit so that it can be enjoyed on cheap MP3 players by all. Itunes is too restrictive, and the French threatened to boycott. Go ahead and good luck. The French triggered the revolution to the States, where boycotters in Boston (very Catholic by the way), protested Apple stores, claiming that Itunes has no right to encrypt purchased music so that it can only be played on an Ipod. Well guess what, you're wrong, and it is only jealousy of a good thing that people are complaining so much.

Apple is dominating the digital music market for one reason; their products are the best. Sure, Ipods are pricey and the accessories are ridiculously priced, but we need them, just like our cellphones. We're addicted to those all-powerful gadgets and need someone to blame for tempting us with the power of the apple. Has any of the people boycotting Apple stores ever used a Creative Mp3 player, or whatever Microsoft promotes? How about Windows Media Player? WMP is the most idiotic and frustrating excuse for a music player, and so are the devices.

Solution: Stop fighting the apple, and create something better. Simple. Until then, suck it up and remain a slave to the Ipod, until something superior comes along.

Safety is no Accident

Yet another near casualty on the Animas River in Durango, CO. A raft is rescuing two kayakers trapped against the Main St. Bridge that is loaded with rebarb (boat and skin shredders in concrete). Every year people test the powers of the river in tubes, Wal-Mart rafts, and homemade concoctions with no respect for the water. What people don't realize is that when there is an accident, it is others that risk their safety to help. There will be no remedy for the ignorant, but just remember, the river will always get the upper hand.

Picassa takes on Flickr

Flickr has been dominating the online photo sharing world, and it is run by Yahoo! While Google has had its hands in a couple thousand projects, the company could not sit back and let Yahoo! get the upper hand in the digital photo market. Flickr is an amazing service, and loved by many. However, I do like Picassa for my photo organizing. Couldn't the two have just collaborated and made a powerful site incorporating the best of Picassa with Flickr? Nope. Google has just launched a beta-version called Picassa Web Albums to directly compete with Flickr. The site is in Google fashion of invite only until it is officially launched. My invititation is in the mail, and I'm curious to see. My bet is that it doesn't touch the features of Flickr, but it will probably be a breeze to upload from Picassa. We shall see.

Basic Cable Blues

For all those who won't spring for premium cable, you understand my pain. We always miss the good shows, like the Sopranos, and then look like an idiot when we rent the DVD's and try and have a discussion about Season 1, five years later. While housesitting, I stumbled across the DVD of Entourage, yet another HBO hit, and I must say it was pretty entertaining. The writing is funny and witty, and has a great soundtrack. Jeremy Piven plays the sleezy agent, Ari, and he is pretty hilarious. While the show has plenty of cameos and jabs at the Hollywood scene, it is done in a clever way that really focuses on the down-to-earth boys from Queens. Because I'm two years behind, I'll make any amends to my review sometime in 2008 when the DVD goes to the $.99 rack at BlockBuster. Thanks again HBO for another great show that I'll hear great things about on Mondays.

The Joy of Waiting Tables..

For all those who have endured the agony of annoying customers in restaurants, The Onion has a pretty funny piece on the foul language of waitstaff these days. If you are not familiar with The Onion, it is a sarcastic and satirical (to say the least) publication, on current events and random topics that are guaranteed to generate a laugh or two. Anyone who has worked in the restaurant business will surely appreciate the article, and anyone who has not worked in a restaurant should be forced to before they die, to learn the true value of what great service entails. Check out The Onion to escape for a break from real news, and for some good satirical writing on the day in the life of restaurant servers, click here.

Dust off the CD collection...

The much anticipated CD trading site LaLa was finally launched to the public last Thursday. LaLa was under heated debate over copyright and infringement possibilities, but the lawyers say it is as legal as a used CD-shop. LaLa is a used CD trading website, sending CD's by mail with LaLa's prepaid postage envelopes (similar to peerflix and netflix). It is free to sign up, and each trade costs $1.00/cd and $.49 for postage...Out of the total $1.49 for the transaction, LaLa puts $.20 in an account to pay musicians and other musical foundations if the artist is dead (anything to appease the mighty record industry). After getting an account, members create a wish-list of CD's they want. Then, you must create a Have-list of CD's you will trade of your own collection. It's a one-to-one situation, for every CD you get, you must give one up. LaLa handles the transactions by sending emailed instructions on where to mail a certain CD. Apparently the CD's arrive very quickly. All tradings are added up at the end of the month, and your credit card will be billed $1.49 for each trade. Coming soon, LaLa is getting used record stores in on the action, where they can list all of their used CD's, and users in the same zip code will be informed that it is available at a local shop (for a higher price). While I may be too unmotivated to join in, it is getting pretty good reviews; especially since most people already have their entire music collection on their hard drive. I know my CD's have been in boxes since the Ipod took over my life. For $1.49, it is a pretty good way to get a whole new music library. Any predictions on when the first lawsuit arises?
If you have motivation, click on any of the above links, or go to www.lala.com.

(Source of information: WiredNews)

NBA Final(ly)...

Although a big hoops fan (more NCAA), I always think NBA and NHL go too long. It's hard for me to get into the NBA finals in June; with the exception of the Jordan era. However, this should be a great finals, and I do like the matchups this year. While I like Dirk and the Mavs, I do think Shaq and Dwayne are going to prove too tough, and win in 7. Don't worry Mavs' fans, my predictions are never right. What I did want to mention is Mark Cuban's blog, because I think this dude is nuts, eccentric, obnoxious, but I truly admire the Maverick's outspoken owner. Cuban is a billionaire who is always in the thick of things, and is never afraid to speak his mind, trash-talk, and he is the Maverick's number one fan. It's refreshing to see a guy with that much money acting like a little kid, and not the least bit worried about what anyone thinks about him. He truly cares about his team, and apparently goes overboard making his players stay in Dallas over the top. When I win powerball, I hope to have as much fun and be as carefree as Cuban. I only mention his blog, because how many billionaires take the time to write their thoughts on basketball and current affairs to the world? I think it's great that he seems like any other person just trying to have a good time in life.

Sphere It...

Sphere is a fairly new blog search engine that is bound to gain some attention and praise. It is one of those technology tools that just works. Simply punch in a topic or name of a blog and you get instant, up to date articles recently posted on millions of blogs. I tested it with my own blog, and sure enough one of my posts popped up soon after I posted. Sphere has the simplicity of Google with very little frills or extras. It gets straight to the meat and is instantaneous. Sphere also has a tool called 'Sphere It' which you can drag to your Firefox toolbar and when you are reading something on the Web that interests you, just click Sphere It, and you will get a bunch of similar articles/topics that were just posted on blogs. For all blog explorers, check out Sphere.

Moose Props...

It's been at least a week since I've mentioned the Yankees, and it is time to give credit to Mike Mussina. At 8-1, Moose is dominating hitters with his skillful finesse, and unbelievable control. The Yankees have half their payroll on the DL, and their regular players of late don't even have their own baseball cards. What could be catastrophic, the Yanks are cruising along, all on the shoulders of Mike Mussina. Since the Yankees acquired him in 2001, he has silently become the most dependent and reliable starter for the Yankees, and I know they value his workhorse mentality. I know the Red Sox would rather face RJ than Mussina any day. Hopefully the middle relief will catch on. Under the radar, Mike Mussina is starting to build a case for the Hall.

Small Google Pleasures...

From my always informative crew over at LifeHacker, Google has incorporated a rather complex calculator into their search engine. Isn't it a pain going to the start menu>accessories>calculator everytime you need to multiply 12 x 9 (I always hated the 12's)...Well, because everyone has the Google toolbar in their FireFox browser (not sure if IE can handle such a complicated feature), just put in whatever type of math problem you need in the search box and voila...This thing does trigonometry, algebra, physics...Ever wonder how many liters in a gallon? Who doesn't suck at the metric system? Just type in 10 liters in gallons and there's your answer. 12 Euros in US dollars? You get the point. So the next time you need the square root of 159, just type it in Google. Your Ashley Simpson search can wait. Google is taking over our lives, but I'm not fighting it. Thanks again LifeHacker for tidbits that keep making my life so complete.

Cursed Ivories?

Sadly, another keyboard player for The Grateful Dead died today. Vince Welnick (of The Tubes fame; you know, She's a Beauty..one in a million girl..80's classic). The cause of death has not been determined, but sources say it might be suicide...Bruce Hornsby and Vince co-chaired the keys for a stretch after Brent Mydland died of an O.D., and Vince took over the role until Jerry's death in 1995. I think Hornsby may be getting a little nervous because of the apparent curse. Prior to Brent, the band lost Keith Godchaux (while a severe drug addict, Keith was killed in a car crash), and their original keyboardist, Pigpen, died at the age of 27 (COD was not so natural). While Vince never quite won me over with his style or sound, it is a shame nonetheless. Best wishes to the Dead community and to Vince's family.

...Till It's Gone

Returning to graduate school in Denver has been a rewarding experience, but it is difficult to realize what I have given up in the process. My old life consisted of rafting in my backyard several days a week, with usually a weekend float trip in Utah, or somewhere beautiful and relaxing. Winter in Durango comprised of 75+ days of snowboarding in the sun. My current week consists of riding public transportation every morning with miserable people who hate their lives, jobs, and probably their homelife. The 20 minute ride accompanied by my Ipod and crossword are the highlights of my workday, and I refuse to get sucked into the trap of cubicle dispair. I am not griping, only passing on the thought that it is important to make change and continue searching for knowledge, but never compromise the simple things in life that truly make us happy. Sometimes change makes us understand exactly what we need in life, and that has been the most educational lesson of my journey so far. All good things in all good time. Cheers.

First time is free...

Because several people thanked me for helping them waste time by feeding their internet addiciton with the Post Secret introduction, I decided to spread some more time killers. One of my most frequently visited sites these days has to be LifeHacker. Simple and a little confusing at first, LifeHacker is loaded with tips and tricks for technology geeks, or for those trying to organize their life. While the articles are always well done and informative, the links are just as good. There are some quality sites associated with Lifehacker, and I promise you can spend a great deal of time exploring, as opposed to getting anything done in your life. Links of interest are: DeadSpin(sports), Gawker(NYC entertainment), and an LA celebrity schwag site that I am not overly familiar with, but looks fun is, Defamer. Hope you enjoy, and my apologies in advance.