Articles & Reviews by Mike Swope

November 2010    |    eHow.com

Many people have their favorite songs as ringtones in their cell phones. You don't want to be left behind any longer, but you don't understand why you need to buy your favorite songs again when you already own them on CD and even have them downloaded to your computer. You know there should be a better way to get those songs from your computer to your phone. Believe it or not, you can turn your favorite songs into ringtones using any computer with an Internet connection and it won't cost you a penny. Read my full How-to Article >

November 2010    |    eHow.com

With a holiday always on the horizon, you may want to install some holiday sound effects or ringtones on your cell phone. Sleigh bells, Mr. Scrooge's "Bah! Humbug!" or Santa's jolly "Ho! Ho! Ho!" might impress your kids. All you need is a computer -- any computer! --with Internet access -- and it won't cost you a dime. The first step is to find and download the sound effects to your computer. The second step is to turn them into ringtones and download them to your phone. Read my full How-to Article >

November 2010    |    eHow.com

One thing kids and adults love on holidays or cold winter mornings is hot chocolate. But hot chocolate isn't the only hot drink you can make. You can also make a hot vanilla drink, top it with marshmallows or whipped cream and even color it for the season or holiday, if you wish. Read my full How-to Article >

October 2010    |    eHow.com

Your friends and family may have told you that you can't use an Apple Macintosh computer to create custom ringtones for your cell phone, but being the proud owner of an Apple Macintosh computer, you searched the Internet for software to turn your favorite songs into ringtones. And you have been disappointed. What you don't know is that you already have everything you need to turn your favorite songs into ringtones -- without spending a dime. All you need is an Apple Macintosh computer, iTunes, music CDs or digital music files, and a web-enabled cell phone. Read my full How-to Article >

October 2010    |    eHow.com

By default, Apple's powerful iTunes music software for Windows and Macintosh computers imports audio tracks from CDs in rights-protected Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) format. The AAC format, however, is not universal and, therefore, limits the usability of the raw audio file. Fortunately, Apple has provided a simple way to import your audio CD collection into iTunes as universal MP3s that can be used with non-Apple digital music players, as ringtones or almost anywhere. Read my full How-to Article >

July 2010    |    eHow.com

You probably know that you can buy ringtones for your cell phone from your provider. You probably also know that they're expensive, and not every song you might like as a ringtone is offered by your provider. What you didn't know is that you can create your own ringtones for FREE from your own CD or MP3 collection, and if your phone has web service, download them right to your phone without ever connecting your phone to a computer! To connect most phones to your computer requires purchasing an expensive USB cable, or having a computer with Bluetooth capablities, and software that runs on your computer (Macs and Linux get shortchanged all the time), which can not only be expensive but also time consuming. And frustrating, if it does not work. But there is an easier way, and you can do this from any Internet-connected computer with your MP3 on it? And did you know it works with Macintosh Computers too? It does! That's why I wrote this article in the first place, because I use nothing but Macs! Read my full How-to Article >

February 2010    |   epinions.com

Unlike some other reviewers of this film, Ong-Back: Thai Warrior met and even exceeded my expectations. I acquired this DVD from my nephew, who likes it enough he bought it on blu-ray and gave me his old copy. Most martial arts film play to genre plots, and this film is no different. If you're expecting a ground-breaking film that ignores all historical martial arts genre conventions, this film is not for you. Like most martial arts films, Ong-Bak involves a quest for honor to retrieve a cherished object -- in this case, the head of Ong-Bak, an important religious statue in a remote provincial village which has been desecrated by a small time thief and thug, its head taken back to the city. For this task, the young Ting, although he has been taught Muay Thai by the village monks but also forbidden to use it, volunteers to find the stolen head and return it to the grieving villagers. Thus the quest begins. Martial arts films fans will recognize how the rest of the film plays out. Ting goes to the city, ends up having to use his Muay Thai though it was forbidden by the village monks, battles the local crime boss and his army of thugs and goons, and eventually reclaims the stolen head of the sacred statue. Of course, we have the obligatory stereotypical comic relief in the form of an overweight, morality- and financially-challenged son of a village elder and his partner in crime/girlfriend. By the end of the film, the son of the village elder has been inspired by the courage and morals of Ting, has thrown his fortune and lot in with Ting's quest to find and return the missing head, and has begun to turn over a new stone, even contemplating returning to his father and the village, before he dies at the hands of the local criminals trying to keep the head of Ong-Bak from being returned. As with Jean-Claude Van Damme and Blood Sport twenty years ago, Ong-Bak: Thai Warrior and Tony Jaa introduce me to spectacular martial arts stunts and choreography which I have not witnessed before and are beautiful to watch. Tony Jaa's techniques in this film use all 8 striking points of muay thai, but he strikes all over the body of his opponents in surprising, unexpected ways -- striking from multiple planes of 360 degrees, not just two or three. These sequences make this film utterly enjoyable and entertaining. Although the plot is typical for a martial arts film, the audience will watch the fight scenes for the awesome surprises in them. Before watching this DVD, I had not heard of Tony Jaa. I am glad I have now discovered this superb martial arts film star. I will be looking for other films featuring Tony Jaa and his noteworthy martial arts talents. Read my full review of Ong-Bak: Thai Warrior starring Tony Jaa >

April 2010    |   epinions.com

I bought the latest release from Journey when I spent a week in Metro Manila with my lady friend. She mentioned the band and the new front man, Arnel Pineda, a Filipino. Apparently Pineda was discovered on YouTube, by Neal Schon of Journey, and Pineda was asked by email to audition for Journey. I was not disappointed! Revelation, a 2-disc set, is fantastic! Arnel Pineda sounds eerily like Steve Perry, and if one didn't know better, it would be easy to mistake Pineda's vocals for Perry's. That is both a blessing and a curse. The first CD features 11 new songs that are very much like the songs from the band's golden years in style and theme, and with Pineda's vocals, truly sound like the Journey many of us came to love in the 1980s. Name any popular song from that era, and these new recordings can be placed side-by-side with them and few would be the wiser. Of the new recordings, the most like the golden years are Never Walk Away, Like A Sunshower, Change for the Better, After All These Years, and Turn Down the World Tonight. The other songs on this disc are also rewarding, but do not compare as easily to the band's landmark hits. The last song in particular, The Journey (Revelation), is a departure from the style of the hits that made the band popular. It opens with what sounds like an aboriginal chant of some sort, and segue's into an instrumental extravaganza that attempts to be a musical narrative, perhaps. My personal opinion is that it could have been left off the album. Few fans of the Journey we know and love are not likely to listen to this song more than once. The second disc is an unexpected surprise in the release and contains 11 re-recordings of some of the band's best-known hits: Only the Young, Don't Stop Believin', Wheel in the Sky, Faithfully, Any Way You Want It, Who's Crying Now, Separate Ways, Lights, Open Arms, Be Good to Yourself, and Stone in Love. Pineda sounds eerily like Steve Perry in these recordings, and the only noticeable differences are sometimes the more limited range of Pineda's vocals and how and when Pineda alters the vocal timing. When Pineda's timing doesn't match the original recording, it nearly grates on the ear because the original recordings are so ingrained in our cultural memory. I have mixed feelings about this second CD. On the one hand, it showcases Pineda's vocal capabilities with the band's runaway hits and demonstrates without any shadow of doubht just how much he sounds like Steve Perry. On the other hand, it trivializes Steve Perry's contributions to the band's earlier success on the original recordings. Despite this, I think most fans will applaud Pineda's ability to mimic Perry so convincingly in the re-recordings. For those fans who really love the old Journey, and wouldn't want them to change, Pineda is the best choice the band could have made. He fulfills that role in a big way. Read my full review of Journey: Revelation at epinions.com >

August 2009    |   epinions.com

In The Giver, Lois Lowry's Newbery-award winning novel set in an alternative future at an unknown date, a young boy named Jonas comes of age to be selected to be the next Receiver of Memory during an annual ceremony in which all 12-year-old boys and girls are given their life-long Assignments, more familiar to us as careers. Jonas soon meets the Giver and his understanding of the very foundations of his world crumbles as he begins to receive memories of experiences long forgotten by his community, memories such as snow, sledding, sailing, war, love, Christmas and more. The Giver shares themes with other classic or well-known dystopian tales, and like these same classics, The Giver also has its anti-hero, its Runner. Both Jonas and readers begin to understand, as Jonas gains wisdom through the memories given to him, that their community functions but is missing those things that make each human life unique and interesting. After receiving the memory of a war-torn battlefield, Jonas witnesses his friends playing a game of war, and Jonas frantically tries to stop them because they do not understand the horror of the battlefield, but they are confused and perhaps horrified by Jonas' response. It is at this point that Jonas and the reader realizes the gulf which has suddenly appeared between him and his friends because of his new consciousness. This gulf only widens as more memories are transferred to Jonas. Jonas and readers learn that memories are more objects than individual memories. If a receiver's memories are released, by death or distance, they don't go back to the Giver, they go to where memories existed before Receivers, and every person in the community experiences them. Just such an event occurred 10 years before and caused great burden and pain for every member of the community when a Receiver asked for Release and administered the injection herself. As with other classic dystopian stories, The Giver also has a runner, its anti-hero who at all cost and through his own sacrifice, tries to free the community from its contrived laws and traditions. In the last quarter of the book, Jonas and the Giver contrive a plan to force the others in the community to bear the burden of the memories Jonas is holding for them, to try to change the community. If Jonas can escape the community into Elsewhere, a vague undisclosed place at some distance from the community, the memories given to Jonas will be returned to the people once he is far enough away. The Giver, however, will stay behind to help the people cope with the new, overpowering memories and the uncertainty, fear, pain, joy and social unrest they are sure to create. Unfortunately, The Giver's last pages are ambiguous and unsatisfying. Jonas and Gabe, weak and weary from their escape, find themselves at the top of a hill with a sled, identical to the first memory the Giver gave to Jonas. It is too coincidental to be the same hill and sled in that first imparted memory; it is like a dream. Unfortunately, the ambiguity of this dream-like ending will frustrate some readers who desire confirmation that Jonas either has or has not reached Elsewhere and will be saved, and the memories he carries returned to the body of the community, forcing change. The Giver is a powerful book with powerful themes. As with most dystopian visions, there is always an anti-hero, a Runner. For Lois Lowry, Jonas is her Runner, attacking the foundations of his community laid by one well-intentioned law after another. Instead of asking for Release, he chooses to become an anti-hero and tries to transfer the memories he has already received back to the collective community. Read my full review of Lois Lowry's The Giver at epinions.com >

(This review is also published at SFReader.com > )

April 2009    |    SFReader.com

If asked, C. Dennis Moore quickly lists Stephen King among his favorite authors, and this affinity is evident, as he writes about similar characters in this collection of stories. At the same time, Dennis' stories enthusiastically employ the themes and motifs found in the work of Edgar Allen Poe, an important progenitor of the modern short story, particularly the horror genre. Most if not all of Poe's protagonists are monomaniacs who become entirely fixated on a single concept or idea. Poe himself fixates on dead or dying wives, premature burials, decomposition, resurrection, and communication from beyond the grave in many of his tales. Many of Poe's tales are also told in the unreliable first-person by unnamed narrators. Poe believed that quality work (with the exception of novels) should be short enough to be read at a single sitting and focused on a specific single effect or emotional response. Most if not all the stories in Terrible Thrills subscribe to these principles established by Poe in the 1830s and 1840s with such tales as "The Cask of Amontillado," "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Premature Burial." Even Dennis' title suggests that each story in Terrible Thrills has an intentional single effect, their very own terrible individual thrill. Terrible Thrills opens with "Preparations," one of the best stories in this collection. In this short 2-page story, Dennis manages to paint a reality eerily similar to our own with one very important and disturbing customary funeral meal distinction. Body parts also play an important role in the horror genre, even in Poe's time. Dennis, however, literally likes to turn body parts loose in his stories. "Bob's Leg" is one of the most entertaining stories in this collection. It can't be easily forgotten by anyone who has ever worked at a fast food restaurant. In this story, Jared asks his manager, Bob, how he lost his leg and which one is prosthetic. They go to the men's room, where Bob locks the door and lifts his left pant leg to reveal his prosthetic leg. Then Bob, as agreed, shows Jared how he lost the leg to hunger. Several stories in this collection take a conventional legend, fairy tale or myth and rewrite it, turn it on its head, with pleasing, entertaining, sometimes terrifying consequences. In "Working for the Fat Man," one of the best stories in this collection, Santa has refused to change a thing about Christmas to compete with the big toy manufacturers. His workshop has kept turning out the same old tired wooden trains and tops while the toy manufacturers make fun, exciting toys kids love. Though everyone thinks Santa is a jolly old soul, the elf who narrates this story knows better. Santa has a dirty little secret we don't know anything about. He takes a child from the naughty list back to the North Pole with him every year. This holiday, though, the elf who narrates this story pulls a switch and takes a child on the good list (a twin). Now what Santa does to these naughty kids is particularly naughty, but what happens to Santa when he unknowingly takes this good twin instead of the naughty twin into the back room to play is truly grotesque and frightening. And what Santa does to the offending elf is even more horrible and terrifying yet. Dennis has great fun with readers with this tale. For horror fans who enjoy holiday horror, this story isn't to be missed. In character, the 25 stories in C. Dennis Moore's Terrible Thrills resemble the work of Stephen King, the modern master of horror. On the other hand, these stories are indelibly reminiscent of the themes and style of Edgar Allan Poe, grandfather of the modern horror story. In these stories we find death, corpses, hungry body parts, evolving identities, supernatural beings, and myths and legends turned inside-out. Like Poe's tales, Dennis' stories are colorful, curious and thrilling, psychologically terrifying for their characters but fascinating and riveting for readers who dare to keep reading. Sometimes, despite the subject matter, C. Dennis Moore even makes us laugh. Nervously. Read my full review of C. Dennis Moore's Terrible Thrills at SFReader.com >

(A shortened review is published at Amazon.com >)

March 2009    |    epinions.com

I don't remember much about the original Witch Mountain films from the 1980s. Which means that I did not dislike them. When the previews for this new film appeared, it looked like it would follow a similar plot with updated special effects and a good male lead in Dwayne Johnson (aka The Rock), so I put my kids in the car and took them to see Race to Witch Mountain. We were not disappointed. The film was better than I expected, and better than I remember the original films to be. It kept me and my two boys, ages 5 and 6, entertained throughout. The film is not long on philosophy or intellectual depth, but it is a straight-forward live-action Disney production. Everything and everyone is who they appear and pretend to be. There are no surprises in the film, plot twists or reversals. In short, a space craft crashes to earth. Of course, the government has tracked the craft and dispatches units to cordon off the area and search for wreckage and passengers. They find two sets of footprints leaving the area, and using modern technology such as surveillance cameras, ATM cameras, traffic cams, are able to learn that the children have been picked up by a cab, driven by Jack Bruno in Las Vegas, and the chase ensues. As the plot progresses, we learn the children have come to earth to save it from invasion from their planet, whose natural resources have been depleted and can no longer support life (sound familiar); however, the children's father believes their planet can be made habitable again, but the information to do so happens to be hidden on earth in a dilapidated mountain cabin. Here, an indestructible alien assassin, bred to hunt and kill, enters the picture. Like the originals, there are now two entities chasing the aliens and the humans who help them. Race to Witch Mountain is not carried by special effects, though they are appropriate for the film. One memorable special effects scenes occurs early in the film, as they are being pursued by black SUVs. The young boy alien, who is able to alter his molecular density, wrecks one of the SUVs by standing in the road in its path. This is one of the scenes shown on the previews. The SUV crumples and parts fly by the boy in slow motion. Race to Witch Mountain is entertaining, light fare suitable for the entire family. It is neither too long nor too short and does not leave any loose ends, except the aliens' handheld device in the possession of Jack Bruno so they can be found again by the aliens. Read my full review of Disney's Race to Witch Mountain >

March 2009    |    epinions.com

I have been reading books about serial predators and serial killers for several years. I have found John Douglas' books entertaining and informative, but also somewhat complicated when trying to categorize the criminals, their behaviors and their crimes, because things are not black-and-white and sometimes cannot be easily categorized. Pat Brown's Killing for Sport: Inside the Minds of Serial Killers is a book written for another audience, the Average Joe, the layman. At first, I thought this characteristic of the book would overly simplify the serial predator problem, but I was happy to discover that it does not. The book reads well and easily enough that a 6th grader could probably read and understand it with the right amount of detail to feel complete, even to readers accustomed to reading more complicated and detailed books on the topic. Killing for Sport discusses specific serial killers cases only in passing to help clarify a point being made. Despite the serious subject matter, Pat Brown has a sense of humor that's evident throughout the book, with chapter titles such as "One Little, Two Little, Three Little Serial Killers," "Creature from the Black Lagoon," "Better You than Me," "Smokey and the Bandit," and other tongue-in-cheek titles. The same humor is used well throughout the book and is neither insulting nor distasteful. The true value of Ms. Brown's book is to challenge current law enforcement definitions and to debunk some of the myths that have been created and repeated by other profilers. Ms. Brown disagrees with the common definition of a serial killer, because it defines the serial killer by the number of murders known by police rather than the murders that have not yet been discovered. Among the myths challenged by Ms. Brown in this book include: 1) Unless you hear about a serial killer at large in your area, you can assume no serial killers are living in your community; 2) Serial killers are strangers who leap out at you in the night; 3) Serial Killers are super clever; 4) Victims of a serial killer all look alike; 5) Our present methods of catching serial killers work; and a handful more. Though the book does not discuss specific cases, sprinkled on nearly every page are relevant quotes from serial killers some from well-known serial killers, but many from less familiar serial predators. Of course, these quotes are morbidly fascinating, but revealing. Ms. Brown has carefully and effectively selected these quotes. Unfortunately, Ms. Brown does not discuss other serial predators such as rapists or child molesters at any length, but recognizes that serial killers may evolve from a rapist or child molester (early attempts to satisfy their "special" needs), or may kill only once and return to the lesser predatory behavior. Though the subject of the book is serial killers specifically, since serial killers are a type of serial predator, I think a chapter on other types of serial predators would have been interesting and helpful for readers to not only define serial patterns but to possibly identify or at least acknowledge that a serial killer may experiment with other serial crimes before escalating to murder. Despite its easy read and simple language, Ms. Brown has written an important book for Joe Public to learn more about serial killers lurking in our midst. Even if they may be a friend, spouse, family member or neighbor. Read my full review of Pat Brown's Killing for Sport: Inside the Minds of Serial Killers >

March 2009    |    epinions.com

I bought this book due to its unique twist on the narrator's point of view. Though there may have been books written from a dog's point of view before, this is the first (so far as I know) in the detective genre. And despite this being a first novel, it is a quick, delightful read. Bernie (the private investigator) and Chet (his dog, the narrator of this hairy tale) are partners, as far as Chet is concerned. They live together and work together. Bernie, like most private detectives, is divorced and lonely. He has had an alcohol problem in the past, smokes, and is always short of money. Despite being down on his luck, Bernie is not bitter or angry. He is a good friend, with his heart in the right place. He is good in a fight, too, as tough as they come, though sometimes flakey according to his friends. Did I mention Bernie plays the ukelele? Chet, the narrator, is Bernie's only constant companion. Though he failed canine school, Chet is loyal and brave, especially when danger threatens his friend Bernie. Chet loves to ride in the car...it is like a drug to him (his own words). It gets him high. Chet, as readers might imagine, also has a keen nose for smells, which comes in very handy during the course of the novel. Every character has odors about him or her. Of course, pleasant characters are associated with pleasant odors, and the perps or unpleasant characters are associated with unpleasant odors (though not foul or repulsive). To Chet's credit, he lives life to the fullest, and clearly enjoys being canine. The fun in this novel isn't just Chet's point of view, it's the sheer enjoyment Chet takes in being canine, succumbing when appropriate to his canine desires and pleasures. Part of the fun, too, is the tension created by the fact that Chet learns things before Bernie, but Chet can't understand the information well enough to remember it, and even if he could remember it he can't communicate it to Bernie, so Bernie must acquire the same information in his own time and solve the case. It is impossible to actually tell a story from an animal's point of view due to language. Chet as narrator is able to communicate to readers many things, but at times he claims he doesn't understand some words or expressions, which would seem to contradict the language being used to tell the story in the first place. This took me out of the story at times, but for the most part the impossibility of it all is forgotten as I went along for the ride until the story ended. Read my full review of Spencer Quinn's Dog On It >

January 2009    |    eHow.com

People don't think about their tires very often. Though they should inspect their tires and check air pressures monthly to prevent unwanted delays due to flat tires, or worse, an accident caused by tire failure, most people by nature just don't pay much attention to their tires. Only when their tires have worn bald, go flat, cause vibrations and other ride disturbances, or otherwise become safety hazards do most drivers notice their tires and, if needed, replace them. I have written about how to properly check tire inflation in another article. In this article, you will learn how to efficiently inspect your tires on any vehicle in less than 10 minutes and know when to replace them. There's no such thing as a convenient flat tire, or a convenient accident. Read my full How-to Article >

January 2009    |    eHow.com

Many companies would have you believe that all you need is a business card to hand to people to start your own business. At the same time, they downplay the importance of the business card by making them overly simple. They just want your order; they're not interested in giving your business the best foot forward. Custom business cards today are NOT custom business cards. They are simple templates with an uninspired generic design imprinted with your information in a common font. The result is a business card that is interchangeable with most any business! In short, a business card that is forgettable! Instead, you want your card and your business to be memorable. Here's how to get more out of your modest business card budget. Expect to pay a little more than those "free" or custom business card offers available on the Internet, but also expect to reap the benefits of the additional investment. Read my full How-to Article >

January 2009    |    epinions.com

I was raised a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, though I was inactive for many years. I have seen that most of the Mormons I know are successful and happy, and I was curious how this is accomplished, what they have done differently than I have done. This book helps shed some light on tenets of the Mormon faith that have helped the CEOs in this book become successful leaders of Fortune 500 companies. It outlines the Mormon characteristics they share and how those characteristics impact their careers and families: David Neeleman, founder and CEO of JetBlue Airways; Kevin Rollins, CEO of Dell Computers; Jim Quigley, CEO of Deloitte & Touche USA (a professional services firm, including accounting and auditing); Dave Checketts, former CEO of Madison Square Garden Corporation, owner of the Knicks; Gary Crittenden, CFO at American Express; Rod Hawes, founder and former CEO of Life Re Corporation; Kim Clark, Dean of the prestigious Harvard Business School; and Clayton Christensen, a leading Harvard Business School professor and consultant to Intel, Eli Lilly and Kodak. Divided into 15 chapters, this book examines topics documenting the characteristics shared by these 8 men, including but not limited to serving missions, playing hardball, serving in time-demanding church callings, developing disciplined personal habits, practicing infallible honestly, paying tithes, remaining humble despite the power of their professional positions, prioritizing their time and commitments to distinguish between what's important and what's urgent, honoring the Sabbath, cherishing the everlasting importance of family (Mormons believe that families can be together forever as a blessing of their religion), and marrying women who share the same beliefs and values (especially regarding eternal family relationships). It is clear that this book examines how the religious beliefs of these noteworthy men impact their families and careers. "The true definition or true defining situation for a person is what they do when they are alone and don't HAVE to do anything else," Dell's CEO Kevin Rollins told Jeff Benedict, the author, as he researched and interviewed to write this book. "What do they do? Do they do frivolous things? That's when you define what you are." Since I am Mormon myself, I found this book an engrossing read. It is not a how-to management or success manual. Rather, it describes how the character traits, faith and religious beliefs of these men have helped make them successful. For Mormons who may be similarly driven as these men, this book may stand as a guide how their faith can strengthen and empower their careers and their families' lives. For such members, this book is a must read, and will need to be read over and over again for the lessons it will teach them. Read my full review of Jeff Benedict's The Mormon Way of Doing Business >

December 2008    |    epinions.com

In this third installment in the Dexter series, we again see Miami through Dexter's eyes. Here again is Dexter's sardonic and witty self-commentary and comedic observations about modern life. Here again we meet not only Dexter and his Dark Passenger, but Rita, his fiancee; Cody and Astor, her children; Debs, Dexter's adopted sister and police sergeant; and Dexter's other colleagues in the Miami PD. This third book in the Dexter series finds Dexter still trying to balance the needs of his Dark Passenger with his human disguise as Dexter the soon-to-be groom. Of course, there are multiple intermingling plot complications which weave throughout this book and Dexter's balancing act with his Dark Passenger and his life-in-disguise. As noted in my review of Dearly Devoted Dexter, the second in the book in the Dexter series, Dexter has recognized that Cody has his own Dark Passenger (Astor says nothing about the same within her, though she is every bit as interested and involved as Cody). This complication is one of the primary plot elements in this third book. Dexter has agreed to teach Cody and Astor about the Dark Passenger, as Harry had taught him. Unlike Dexter, who in his youth was passive, a vessel waiting to be filled with Harry's wisdom, Cody and Astor are eager to begin their dark education. In typical Dexter fashion, however, Dexter finds it difficult to take control of these situations, and fumbles at times about what to teach them and how. The re-appearance of Sgt. Doakes is grotesque but welcome in this third book. In the last book, Sgt. Doakes lost his tongue, feet and hands. In this book, Doakes goes back to work since he has only a couple years left until he receives his pension, and the attorneys for the Miami PD feel that Doakes going back to work is in everyone's best interest. Though surely gruesome, as related by Dexter, Daokes first appearance during a morning meeting is almost comical. Doakes next appears at the end of Cody and Astor's lesson in Dexter's office, mumbling and pointing at the kids. Doakes apparently understands that Dexter is doing something with the kids, especially since he has seen Cody's Dark Passenger (or so Cody tells Dexter). It is not clear, however, how much Doakes understands from the scene. Dexter himself is the catalyst for the main plot in this book when he kills Zander Macauley. Zander is a member of a secret group practicing an ancient religion dating back to biblical times, as early as the time of King Soloman. This group worships Moloch. For the purposes of this book, Moloch is real, a god who has fathered thousands or millions like him, the source of Dexter's Dark Passenger, and many, many others. These shadows are attracted to children like Dexter, Cody and Astor who have been traumatized, and possess them like demons. When the first two burned and headless bodies appear, Dexter's Dark Passenger recognizes its father's work and symbolism, and abandons Dexter. Thus the title: Dexter in the Dark. Unfortunately, Moloch's introduction into the Dexter series changes the entire series. What was once crime fiction now moves into the genre of the paranormal. Though this explains Dexter's Dark Passenger, it does so in an unsatisfying mystical way. Though it was not clear in the series exactly how or why people get Dark Passengers, the speculation left the answers in the satisfyingly complex, mysterious, misunderstood world of psychology and how people respond to traumatic experiences. The how or why wasn't necessarily important. Now, the answers are simple: Dexter and others like him, including Cody and Astor, are possessed by demons. Read my full review of Jeff Lindsay's Dexter in the Dark >

(This review is also published at SFReader.com > )

December 2008    |    epinions.com

I was thrilled when the Batman film franchise was rebooted with Batman Begins. I hadn't seen much of Christian Bale, but I was willing to give him a chance. Gary Oldman, for the most part, has always played the villain, so his role as Detective Gordon was also a pleasant surprise. Of course, we can't forget Liam Neeson, either, as Bruce's philosophy and martial arts teacher who really turns out to be the villain in this first flick. Interesting casting and turns of events in the first film, and the character development of Batman, made the first film memorable for many viewers. This second film in the rebooted franchise is no less surprising, but the surprise comes with mixed emotions. This new film is a headier concoction, dealing with tough psychological and sociological issues. The hero as individual is no longer important. This film is not about Batman as man, hero or billionaire. It is, instead, about preconceptions, chaos and Batman's role in inspiring and combating chaos and evil. The scope of this new film is much larger, less microscopic, a step back to view the larger picture (as it were). The characters in this new film are more interesting sociologically than those in the first film. Batman, Gordon and Rachel Dawes find themselves in a plot with strict political and sociological boundaries. Batman's square peg is that which a single masked vigilante can do to save a city from crime and corruption. His effort in the first film isn't good enough, apparently. We find Detective Gordon in still much the same predicament as the first film. Doing all he can for the city, trying to take down the mafia by hitting the banks who launder their dirty money. Rachel Dawes knows Bruce is the Batman, and knows that she cannot ever be with Bruce as long as the city needs Batman. She has also come to realize that she can't ever marry Bruce because Bruce is really Batman's alter ego, Batman's mask. The Joker is the character thrown into the script to spice it up. While crime and corruption don't necessarily have a face in this film, the Joker clearly gives chaos a face to remember. Heath Ledger is lost in this role (metaphorically speaking). He is unrecognizable as Heath Ledger. He is entirely the Joker. Twice in the film, the Joker reveals how he became the Joker, or got the scars that give him the scarred smile he wears. Both stories involve family situations and a knife. Either story could be true, I guess. But it is also true that both stories could be lies. The only unsatisfying event in this film is when Harvey Dent becomes Two Face because Rachel Dawes is blown up by the Joker. It's just not convincing that a man as fearless as Harvey Dent about putting criminals behind bars, and doing whatever it takes legally to do so, will roll over so easily when defeated by such a small thing as the death of a woman who is not his wife. For viewers who like their super heroes, this film will disappoint. For viewers who like their sociological and psychological studies, this film will not disappoint. Read my full review of Batman: The Dark Knight >

December 2008    |    eHow.com

Most people know very little about their tires. Many people think one tire is like another and purchase the least expensive tire available. There's certainly nothing wrong with purchasing the least expensive tire available, but you'll get more satisfaction from your driving experience by choosing tires appropriate for your car and your driving habits. Though there are thousands of sizes, brands and tread patterns available, if your tires match your driving needs and driving habits, your driving experience will be much more enjoyable, no matter how short or long your trip or commute. This article shows you how to act like a tire sales professional and select the best tires for you and your vehicle. Read my full How-to Article >

December 2008    |    eHow.com

Last winter, on one of the coldest days of the year, I came home to a cold, cold house, wife and six children. It was already dark outside, and the house was sure to get colder. Like many people at Christmas, the last thing we want to spend money on is our furnace, and we feared we would need to spend $100's of dollars, along with a service call. But our problem turned out to be a simple one, and I was able to restore our furnace to working order with only an expenditure of time. Perhaps when your furnace doesn't ignite, you need only to replace your ignitor or thermocouple, too. Both are comparably inexpensive repairs and do not require a trained furnace technician. However, if at any point you are uncomfortable working with simple components in your furnace, or inside an electrical appliance in general, call a technician immediately. Working with any thing electrical can be dangerous. Read my full How-to Article >

November 2008   |   SFReader.com

Darkly Dreaming Dexter, the first book in this series about Dexter Morgan, a blood spatter expert for the Miami Police Department and a serial killer, creates a unique, interesting character and world for us to live in as we read. In this second book, we find Dexter trying to fit into a normal life as conventionally as he can to squelch Sergeant Doakes suspicions about him. His relationship with Rita continues. He plays hide-and-seek with Rita's son and daughter and other kids in the neighborhood. After work, he goes to his Rita's house and drinks a beer or two, like he thinks most boringly normal men do after work. He kisses Rita dramatically at her door when he arrives and when he leaves. These things are for Sergeant Doakes' benefit, who has begun to relentlessly stake out Dexter when the novel opens. Though his reasons are nefarious, Dexter genuinely takes some pleasure in these activities with Rita and her kids. By the end of the book, Dexter's relationship with Rita develops inexplicably into an engagement. This "normal" life for Dexter is a direct result of the lessons he learned from Harry, his adoptive police officer father, and introduced in the first book. The heart of this second book, however, is not Dexter. In this sequel, Dexter is more witness than participant. While Sergeant Doakes investigates Dexter, another serial criminal appears in Miami. This perpetrator drugs his victims and, with a mirror on the ceiling so they can watch, surgically dismembers and disfigures them one piece at a time. He does not kill them, however. He keeps them alive as he does his work. He skillfully cuts off their fingers, arms, legs, genitals, eyelids, ears, and other body parts. He even cuts out their tongues. When his work is complete, all that is left is a featureless human torso and head which cannot walk, talk, or move in any meaningful way. Inevitably, Doakes and Dexter recognize something about each other. As in the first book, Dexter's Dark Passenger is able to recognize others with Dark Passengers, too. Somewhere behind Doakes' great anger lurks a chuckle from his own Dark Passenger. Not the same thing as Dexter's Dark Passenger, but a similar beast. The opportunity for Dexter to rid himself of Doakes' interest arrives in due course during the investigation of the new criminal in Miami. Doakes is wrapped up in the investigation as one member of a military team who served covertly in El Salvador together. Torture and murder were part of their protocol. When the team was pulled, they left one behind to answer for their activities. This man is the new serial criminal, torturing those who left him behind. One by one, the members of this team are captured, tortured and dismembered. Doakes is likewise captured and loses his tongue, hands and feet before he is rescued. This state of affairs, of course, frees Dexter from Doakes' grasp. After all, Doakes cannot tell anyone his suspicions about Dexter now. As in the first novel, Lindsay also leaves some highly suggestive undeveloped loose ends. Perhaps the most consequential undeveloped situation in this book is the knowledge that Cody, Rita's six-year-old son, has done something to the neighbor's dog while his older sister, Astor, watched. This apparently isn't the only episode, either. Cody is the boy and likes that sort of thing, Astor explains. Together, now, they share a small but horrible secret, and Dexter thinks that Cody has his own Dark Passenger, and that he can help Cody as Harry helped him. At Cody's confession, Dexter feels an echo from Harry rolling through his bones, when Harry told Dexter the exact same thing. Once more I have to ask, did Harry learn his code from experience and in turn teach them to an impressionable Dexter? Read my full review of Dearly Devoted Dexter >

(This review is also published at epinions.com > )

November 2008   |   AnthologyBuilder.com

After several months, I finally completed choosing the stories I wanted in my custom short story anthology from AnthologyBuilder.com. Like other anthologies bought from the site, my anthology is also available for you to purchase. The selections in my anthology include some great stories, including "In Memory" by Eric James Stone, "How I Got Fired from the Best Damn Job in the Whole Wide World" by Samantha Henderson, "Still Life With Boobs" by Anne Harris, "Confessions of a Zombie's Wife" by R. L. Copple, "Trompe L'Oeil" by K.C. Shaw, "Tabloid Reporter to the Stars" by Eric James Stone, "Harvest of Debts" by J Alan Erwine, "Death on Elsewhere Street" by Jaine Fenn and "The Black Bat" by Phil Beloin Jr.

Of course, you can always create your own custom anthology, too. The price is the same. If you do choose to support AnthologyBuilder.com and create your own anthology, please remember to review the stories in your anthology after you have read them, and review them well, to help others make their story selections for their anthologies. Without these reviews, it is hard to choose stories because buyers can't tell too much from the story previews. Reader reviews, when they contain helpful information, will help sell stories. And that's what everyone who visits AnthologyBuilder.com wants, I think. To buy and sell great stories that appeal to their personal tastes.

But the web site is only half the story. The other half is the final printed product. In the case of AnthologyBuilder.com, the finished product is as polished as any trade paperback you'll purchase at any bookstore. The full color cover is glossy. There are a title page, list of copyrights, and standard copyright notice at the front of the book. Your own custom introduction appears, as well as a table of contents. The paper itself is similar to the paper found in other mainstream anthologies, if not identical. In fact, the whole production has the feel of one of the Best Of annual paperbacks, i.e. Best Short Stories of 2008, etc. At 320 pages for only $14.95, my custom anthology was a bargain. Of course, your very own custom anthology will be a similar bargain. You can preview my select anthology, and if you like the stories in it, you can simply purchase it quickly and easily. Remember that anthology creators don't get any money from the sale of the anthology of stories they've selected. It's just easy to purchase other anthologies that other buyers have created.

AnthologyBuilder.com has a great deal of potential, but a lot of work to do. They already have a great finished product. Now the front end needs some work to make it world-class, the go-to site for custom anthologies. In addition to fiction, the site could cater to poetry and non-fiction as well. Imagine the possibilities!

See my personal blog entry about AnthologyBuilder.com from earlier this year when I first discovered the site.

March 2008   |   Epinions.com

Lexmark thermal inkjet printers boast many attractive features that make it difficult to choose the best model. While these printers include USB and wireless connectivity, they can only be used as a USB printer or wireless printer, not both. You can't connect it by USB to a computer, and then have multiple computers print to it wirelessly. Connected by USB, the Lexmark X4550 works very well and provides reliable printing, scanning, and digital media support for that single computer. It is hard to ask for more from a USB printer, I think. But connected wirelessly, the X4550 falls far short of expectations. It is plagued by inadequate support, inexplicably unstable connectivity, limited support for scans, and snail-like digital media access. Mac users especially should be prepared to reference the Help utility frequently due to inadequate documentation. You should also follow the installation and setup instructions to the letter. Lexmark doesn't leave any room for error, and it isn't as simple or elegant as Mac users have long come to expect. Errors often mean restoring the printer to factory defaults and starting over with the setup and installation. One of the most useful features of the Lexmark X4550 is its color and black and white copy capability. This feature does not require any connectivity at all; just plug in the printer and press a button to begin copying. In the end, I can't honestly recommend the Lexmark X4550 except for those users who can't live without a wireless printer a moment longer and this unit is the only unit they can find. The USB connectivity works very well, but the wireless capabilities are unstable and unsatisfactory, especially for scanning and digital media. It might be worth nothing that we have returned to the printers we were using before we introduced the Lexmark X4550 into our home office. It is no longer worth the wireless headaches it gives us, and there isn't enough room on our desks currently to use it as a USB printer. Read my full review of the Lexmark X4550 Wireless Multi-Function Thermal Inkjet Printer >

(This review was first published at MacNN.com >)

February 2008   |   SFReader.com

A novel about a serial killer surely sounds like a book with a good deal of violence, terror, blood and ugliness, but Darkly Dreaming Dexter is not this kind of book. And that's what makes it a great read, and Dexter a great character. It is filled with ironies and insights which make the reader laugh nervously and consider the people around him. Dexter, a blood splatter expert for the Miami PD, is very good at reading blood splatters. Dexter, however, is not your average serial killer (aside from the fact that he works for the police). He preys only upon other serial killers. Through careful detective work he makes absolutely certain that his victims are guilty. He will not allow his "Dark Passenger" to harm the innocent, part of a code instilled in him by his adoptive father, Harry, a policeman who came to understand that he could only guide Dexter to choose how and when he succumbs to the darkness within. When Harry realized that Dexter would one day kill people -- realized that Dexter actually wanted to kill people -- he coached him carefully. "Some people need killing," Harry said. Dexter's adoptive sister, Debra, it so happens, is likewise a police officer with the Miami PD but suspects nothing about Dexter's "Dark Passenger," although she has grown up with him. To Debra, Dexter's just very, very smart. Darkly Dreaming Dexter is appropriately told in the first person. Dexter tells us that he is not human, that he does not feel emotions as we do. He also tells us that he cannot control himself, that his need flows and ebbs unpredictably (the irony in this, of course, is that Dexter DOES control himself until he finds an acceptable victim). Dexter has also learned how to appear to be normal, thanks to Harry. Dexter does all the things a normal man does, responds the way a normal man should under the appropriate circumstances. He wears the mask of normalcy very, very well. In Darkly Dreaming Dexter, Lindsay tends to paint serial killers as something of a secret fraternity. This is perhaps the most chilling aspect of this series and its main character. When the latest serial killer in Miami begins killing prostitutes, Dexter admires the killer's work and wishes to communicate with him. Like an artist might speak with another artist. As the novel continues, Dexter discovers that this new serial killer is also communicating with him, giving Dexter clues to his identity. Thankfully Darkly Dreaming Dexter is not a particularly bloody or violent book. For some readers, this only makes the book all the more terrifying. Gore and violence aren't frightening. The situations that spawn them are. Read my full review of Darkly Dreaming Dexter >

PS: If any readers knows where I can acquire an inexpensive hardback edition of the first edition of Darkly Dreaming Dexter contact me!

(This review is also published at epinions.com > )

February 2008   |   SFReader.com

For readers who savor details, Night Watchman is a feast. Few books capture details as clearly as James Viscosi in Night Watchman. Viscosi gets extensive extra credit for descriptive writing that makes most of the scenes in Night Watchman vivid and real, like some places we know, or at least some places we imagine that we might know. Nearly every descriptive word in Night Watchman hits the mark. Readers will certainly feel, as I have, that they recognize the places in Night Watchman, or the places are as they would be should readers happen upon them. Fortunately, Night Watchman doesn't rely on descriptions alone. Night Watchman tells the story of Nate Watson, a regular Island City cop who is ritualistically murdered by a small band of juvenile delinquents and resurrected as a zombie with retractable chains, trying to figure out why he has become the undead, what role the delinquents play in the story as it unfolds, and how to stop them since they have also become the undead. Getting into the heads of his characters is another thing that Viscosi does well in Night Watchman. Viscosi's best characters in Night Watchman have distinct and unique personalities, and he shows us this story in turn through their eyes. But the willing suspension of disbelief is not completely earned by Viscosi's Night Watchman. The story begins in a world very much like our own and ends in a world with unfamiliar supernatural laws with only the vaguest notion of how it is all possible. I also find Nicholas Fenton's motives problematic, especially since it is revealed only very late in the book, a cracker jack in the last pages, intended to wrap up the mystery in a paradox: Fenton, clearly evil, does it all for love. I also find Nate's character unsatisfying. For half the book, Nate wanders uncertainly through Island City trying to cope with what he has become and deciding what he should do about the teen zombies, and his own undead condition. For a policeman, he's uncharacteristically indecisive and impotent, even hides behind dumpsters. Despite Night Watchman's unsatisfying elements, the book is an engaging read. Viscosi's undead teenage zombies are interesting characters. The first half of the book is fun just trying to guess what they will do next, how they will do it, and to whom. But the most engrossing elements of Night Watchman are Viscosi's vivid, well-crafted details, which draw readers in to witness the story as it unfolds. Viscosi's descriptions demonstrate a surgically keen eye and imagination for the dark and the beautiful, wrinkles, pimples and all. For Night Watchman, the journey -- and what we see along the way -- is the tale. Read my full review of Night Watchman >

(This review is also published at epinions.com >)

January 2008 | Epinions.com

I was introduced to House of Nanking by my friend. We were attending MacWorld San Francisco this year (2008), and this is one of his favorite restaurants. To my surprise, House of Nanking is smaller than expected. All-in-all, it will only seat about 50 people, elbow to elbow. Literally. Fortunately, there was only a small line, and since there were only two of us, we were ushered in quickly, in under 5 minutes, by the owner himself. The owner himself also served us. Our food arrived in due time. The owner had selected two dishes and a soup for our meal. One dish featured shrimp, spinach leaves, red peppers. The other dish featured mushrooms, spinach leaves, and chicken, I believe. Both were covered in dark, though different sauces. But both dishes were to die for! They were delicious. The soup was likewise delicious, and I found myself wishing we had more of everything! I've never had better Chinese food than House of Nanking's. Chinese food here in the Midwest pales in comparison. Most are standard Chinese fare, bland, nearly tasteless. After my friend and I had cleared our plates of every scrap and emptied our soup dishes of every drop, and began working on our second glass of water, we noticed that the wonderful flavors we had just enjoyed continued to linger in our mouths and make them water. We dearly wanted more! My friend commented that the beer he had last time must have ruined the flavor of his dinner, because the flavor of that meal last time didn't linger like this. The taste lingered the rest of the evening, in fact. The experience was astounding! Our mouths watered for hours! Read my full review of House of Nanking >

November 2007  |  Epinions.com

A succubus, self-described as one of Hell's best, is on the run from the Devil himself, with several powerful demons hot on her heels, and she escapes to the human realm and, with the help of a witch, assumes an undetectable but desirable human form, and takes a job as a stripper. Dangerous! Sexy! Lots of opportunity! Unfortunately, I expected more from such an interesting setup. This book is clearly written for those readers who enjoy nothing more than the same old standard romance with a few thinly veiled supernatural pretenses thrown in. Nothing scary or threatening about the book at all. No scary dreams afterwards. No Hannibal Lecters. The cast of character types resembles the same found in any romance, only the names have been changed to protect the innocent. Despite the familiar story line and paranormal trappings, Jesse is like every other female lead in every other romance novel. Her reactions are exactly those of the typical heroine in romances. These characteristics alone are likely to entice romance lovers to give this book a try. They won't be disappointed. With a setup such as we have with Hell's Belles, it would seem anything could happen. In fact, it is the potential in this book keeps readers turning pages, not for the story that is told, but for the story that MIGHT be told. Jezebel should have an insatiable appetite for sex. Who and how many will she seduce? Being from Hell, she must have some very powerful, frightening friends, and even scarier, blood-thirsty bounty hunters searching for her, too. When will they appear and what will happen then? Are all the strippers at the club succubi? What racy scene will we find? How will Jezebel survive the demons who stand between her and freedom? Who will get hurt? Will anyone die? Sex and horror, or the potential for them, clearly sells this book. And will also sell the next in the series, The Road to Hell. Unfortunately, there isn't enough sex or danger in this book to fulfill the promises of the title and the potential of the characters for some readers. On the other hand, there is enough romance to satisfy most romance aficionados. Read my full review of Hell's Belles >

(This review is also published at SFReader.com >)

October 2007  |  MacNN.com

The StreetParty Size 0 is aptly named. Measuring 22 cm (8.7 in) wide and 12.5 cm (4.9 in) tall, with a profile just 16 mm (.63 in), and weighing just 300 g (.66 lbs) sans batteries, the StreetParty Size 0 is about the size of a trade paperback book when closed and can be transported anywhere easily. A stand smartly unfolds to become both a stand and an adjustable dock which fits all iPods dating from the first Mini to today's iPod Touch -- except the Shuffle. Unfortunately, U.S. consumers will be initially confused by the StreetParty 0 because no U.S.-compatible AC adapter is included or available for the system from Gear4. Even powered by batteries, the system's paired tweeters and low-resonance drivers provide a fuller audio experience than a 700 MHz iBook, rivaling a 17" PowerBook G4, with greater volume than either. A surprising bonus to the StreetParty 0 is the particularly useful remote control. Despite its strengths, the StreetParty 0, unfortunately, misses the mark. Not only is the system comparatively expensive, the lack of a U.S.-compatible AC adapter is inexcusable (since the review unit was shipped to me here in the U.S.). Users also need to purchase additional cables to use the StreetParty 0 as a dock with a computer, or with an audio source other than a dockable iPod. The neoprene slipcase also lacks pockets or pouches to help keep the AC adapters or iPod together with the system for convenient mobility. (Surprisingly, this problem persists with many mobile iPod accessories. None of them include any means to keep the accessory with the iPod for regular use on the go. For those mobile accessories one wants to use every day, it soon becomes an inconvenience to haul everything around separately, and it becomes considerably less complicated to just leave the accessory behind. This seems contradictory to what the accessory manufacturers should intend!) Read my full review of Gear4's StreetParty Size 0 Super Slim Portable Speaker System for iPods >

October 2007  |  Epinions.com

Other reviewers have written that you won't want to put down this book. To some degree, I must agree with them. Though I first thought this book was a biography about a serial killer I had never heard about (the review list wasn't clear about the genre, or it didn't matter because the book sounded interesting, take your pick), I quickly questioned the biography because it was too internalized, too detailed, bordering on too gruesome for most publishers. Despite its flaws, which are a matter of opinion anyway, Absolution: The Ted Roth Story is a violent, bloody but well-written read which borders on fun. It sucks readers in at the start, a twisted coming-of-age story gone murderously wrong, then takes them through Ted's evolution from a personal, selfish murderer into a murderer who can kill without the childish pain or rage necessary to precipitate his first three murders. It should be clear, however, that the ever convoluted and loosely knitted plot can, with a good measure of suspended disbelief, also be fun to witness. This is part of Absolution's charm. Readers don't exactly know what will happen next. Absolution's greatest strength, however, is its powerful writing. No book is any good without powerful writing. Some books are acclaimed for it alone. Despite the loose plot development and the unnecessary frame (the book pretends to be an audio recording made by Ted during his last hours of life, a heavy-handed technique which only serves to annoy readers as it interrupts the real story), Absolution is well written. Sprinkled with a few typos or missing words as one might expect from a digital publisher, Absolution nevertheless hits all the right notes at the right times for the right duration to make the individual scenes memorable and ring like a fine concerto. For the writing alone, readers should pick up a copy of Absolution: The Ted Roth Story, and discover an author worth watching. Read my full review of Absolution: The Ted Roth Story >

(This review is also published at SFReader.com)

October 2007  |  eHow.com

With increases in fuel prices over the last few years, consumers are naturally more concerned about fuel economy. Fortunately, there are a few simple things consumers can do to get more miles out of their tires and each gallon of gas. These tips include how to properly inflate your vehicle's tires to manufacturer specifications, how to check for problems with your tires, when to balance and rotate your tires, and when to have your vehicle aligned. All these factors affect rolling resistance and tire wear, and if overlooked end up costing you more money over the course of a single year.

October 2007  |  eHow.com

Most people do not know how or when to properly inflate their car or truck's tires because they have not been properly trained and certified. This can result in dangerous over- or under-inflation conditions which at best will damage your tires and at worst can cause a deadly accident. In this eHow to article, I show you how to locate your vehicle's correct cold tire pressure specifications and when and how to inflate and/or adjust your tire pressures to match these manufacturer specifications. Some things to remember are that you cannot gauge a tire's pressure properly by sight only, and tire pressures should never be set to the specifications while tires are warm or hot.

September 2007  |  Epinions.com

There are few poets who genuinely engage me as a reader, among them Robert Frost, Robert Lowell, W. S. Merwin, Philip Levine, William Stafford, W. D. Snodgrass, John Gilgun and now Roger Kirschbaum, to name a few. Though I know Roger and his work from the informal poets' circle at Missouri Western State College (now Missouri Western State University) in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and enjoy his first chapbook from that era very much, Hunter Ranch is like discovering a new poet. He has matured and fine-tuned his poetic voice and vision into a perfect symphony of sight, sound, color, place, and meaning. Roger revels in the mystical commonplace, writing surgically precise but simple details of every day objects, activities and experiences, and gives them meaning through simple, commonplace language. Like the best of poets, Roger plays no tricks on his readers. Divided into four seasons – Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter – Hunter Ranch takes readers to the heart of the Midwest where nature, love, loss, family and an honest day's work are examined and praised with quiet, religious fervor, striking a nearly perfect balance between compression and accessibility to communicate a mystical labyrinth of ideas, concepts and relationships that cannot be conscionably extricated, separated and dissected without destroying the poems. Some readers, no doubt, are quick to define or dismiss this book by date and region, by time and place, but we must not confuse any of these with simplicity, with being less important, less engaging, less accomplished, less accessible or less rewarding. Roger has skillfully and bravely wrestled with universal themes among the minutiae of the Midwest to publish a moving, timeless and masterful collection of poems. Roger's poetry is not simple. Every syllable, every word, every line, every poem in Hunter Ranch...not one word is wasted. For many poets, the powerful work collected in Hunter Ranch would be a pinnacle, a crowning achievement, their old man and the sea. Roger, however, is a young man, and his final master work, we hope, has yet to be written. Read my full review of Roger Kirschbaum's Hunter Ranch >

June 2007  |  MacNN.com

There's no doubt that the iPod Nano is beautiful. iPod Nanos cost more than most jewelry at big box retailers, so people are keen to both personalize and protect their Nanos. GizMac's Titan Clear Case for the 2nd generation Nano is the perfect choice for Nano owners who can hardly bear to take their Nanos out of its package. A complete accessory and protection package for the 2nd gen iPod Nano, the Titan Clear Case includes a polycarbonate case, armband with elastic velcro, carabiner clip, rotating belt clip, double weave lanyard, and thin film click wheel protector. The clear protective case resembles the finish of the Nano's retail packaging, and the four attachments make Nanos considerably more convenient to use. Whatever your activity, the Titan Clear Case provides everything you need to fully enjoy your 2nd generation Nano while displaying its beauty, as though it were still unopened. Read my full review of GizMac's Titan Clear Case for 2nd Generation iPod Nanos >

May 2007  |  MacCompanion

As a freelance graphic and web designer, I create and massage images for print and the web. I was interested in reviewing Lineform as a possible replacement to the expensive upgrade to Adobe Illustrator CS2 or CS3 in the near future. Like many freelance graphic designers, my needs are relatively simple. I need to be able to create logos, import and edit logos and PDFs that have been emailed to me, create and edit simple logos and illustrations, and reliably prepare all final files for offset press or the Internet. Since Lineform is marketed as an application to create simple logos to complex designs and illustrations, similar to Adobe Illustrator, Macromedia Freehand, CorelDraw and Canvas, I thought that Lineform might meet my modest needs and those of other freelance graphic and web designers. Lineform, however, is not ready to take the place of these more capable illustration packages, despite its strengths. Though Lineform’s features compare favorably to other modern illustration packages, it is not designed to be used as an import/edit/export tool, which is a requirement in the graphics world. Lineform’s user manual only lists the file formats it will export, not import: BMP, JPG, PDF, EPS, SVG, PNG, and TIFF. Nevertheless, importing and exporting is a common use for illustration software, so I tested Lineform’s import and export capabilities, and found that Lineform 1.3.1 falls short of my expectations. Though sample artwork included in the download is appealing and professional, Lineform isn't yet up to competing with the entrenched illustration packages used by graphics professionals today. Read my full review of Lineform 1.3.1 >

May 2007  |  Epinions.com

I have been a Spider-Man fan since I was 8 or 9 years old, possibly younger, when I began to collect Spider-Man comics. I have a small collection of comics today, more than half the collection are Spider-Man related. For Spider-Man 3, I had high expectations, especially with the appearance of Venom, arguably the most popular villain in the modern Spider-Man comics (the 1980s and 1990s anyway). Unfortunately, the third Spider-man installment falls short of my expectations. Despite this, it is a film well worth watching. For Spider-Man fans, though, who grew up reading the Spider-Man comics in the 1980s and 1990s like me, they likely won't bond with the film the same way they bonded with the comics. All the important actors and actresses return for Spider-Man 3. Spider-Man 3 also introduces new characters to the film franchise. In this installment, Captain Stacy, his daughter Gwen Stacy, her boyfriend Eddie Brock/Venom, and Flint Marko/Sandman enter the world of Peter Parker. For comic fans, the introduction of the Sandman, a classic Spider-Man villain from the 1960s, like Dr. Octopus, is a welcome addition. For younger comic fans, the introduction of Spider-Man's black costume, which eventually bonds with Eddie Brock to become Venom, is also a welcome addition. Both villains are certain to draw two generations of fans. As other reviewers have noted, this film is more mature than the first two films. Peter Parker, Mary Jane and Harry Osborn are no longer high school graduates or college freshmen; they are now adults trying to make their way between the youthful world they once knew and the adult world where rent is due and feelings are sometimes hurt by the cruelty of strangers but hurt most deeply by those closest to us. A strong, perhaps heavy-handed, theme in Spider-Man 3 is the power of choice. All the characters in this film, including the villains, have had to make choices. What some in the audience will also realize, especially in regard to the characters of Harry Osborn and Flint Marko, is that these characters, like Peter, have made choices, too. We find, though, that Mary Jane, Gwen Stacy and Eddie Brock also make choices throughout the film. When Spider-Man 3 ends, I have the certain feeling that this could well be the last film in the franchise for this generation. There are no concrete plot lines or tensions left open, as there were in the first two films. No hidden lairs discovered. The film ends with Peter entering the blues bar where Mary Jane still works, stepping to the stage, holding out his hand, and the two of them beginning to dance slowly. They do not speak. So, despite their pain, there is hope for them and their relationship. It depends on the choices they now make. And the choices that will be made in Hollywood. Read my full review of Spider-man 3 >

February 2007  |  MacNN.com

It is impossible to find convenient power while on the go, on vacation, at work, at the gym, in class, or wherever our busy lives take us. The Proporta USB Mobile Device Charger solves this problem with a small, elegant, convenient charger for our iPods and MP3 players, cell phones, PDAs, and other mobile devices (excluding the Microsoft Zune). The Proporta USB Mobile Device Charger is a little smaller than the latest video iPod (100 x 62 x 15mm or 3.9 x 2.4 x 0.6 inches), weighs about as much as a 2nd generation iPod Nano (120g or 4.2 oz), and resembles a white iPod. Any standard powered USB port on your computer can charge the Mobile Device Charger. The Proporta USB Mobile Device Charger comes bundled with a retractable cable and five connector heads to charge Sony-Ericsson and Nokia cell phones, mini-USB devices, and iPods. These five tips cover a large portion of the mobile device market. For mobile devices not compatible with one of the bundled tips, the appropriate tip may be purchased from the Proporta web site. Despite its shortcomings, the Proporta USB Mobile Device Charger is very useful for our increasingly mobile lives. Everyone has a cell phone and iPod or other MP3 player, and many play handheld games. If your mobile devices run down when they cannot be conveniently recharged, consider the Proporta USB Mobile Device Charger. It will keep you mobile longer. Read my full review of the Proporta USB Mobile Device Charger >

February 2007  |  Epinions.com

I bought Strange Candy for a strange reason: its short single paragraph intros to each story as commentary. The stories themselves are indeed Strange Candy. They're short, sweet, and eclectic. Like a small bowl of hard candy. In here are two stories featuring Anita Blake, and another set in her world without the familiar characters. Here are also several stories set in the world of Nightseer, the world of Laurell's first novel. One of Laurell's strengths is a habit "of taking the fantastic and dropping it into the middle of the real," as she confesses. Her best fiction, including the stories in this book, are evidence of this habit. Unfortunately, this collection also features probably Laurell's weakest story, structured like a trite plot from any similarly-themed movie. The theme of dropping the fantastic into the middle of the real world is better expressed in other stories in this collection. "A Clean Sweep," though the shortest story in the book, is a clever, entertaining gem with a sinister end. It reminds me of some of the stories of my friend, C. Dennis Moore. Six stories in this collection are heroic fantasy (including the stories set in the world of Nightseer). They feature wizards, devils, dragons, swords, magic and the like. Though I'm no fan of stories of the fantasy genre, these stories yet engaged me once I had begun to read them. Laurell's best stories are about interesting characters in interesting circumstances in interesting worlds, and have complex relationships and surprises throughout. These elements alone keep most readers engaged. Even those with disposition to not like or enjoy them. Together, these fourteen stories span Laurell's first sale to her most recent. If you're an aspiring writer, you'll find this book perhaps even sweeter and more satisfying than the average reader. Read my full review of Laurell K. Hamilton's Strange Candy >

February 2007  |  Epinions.com

Global warming to many just means that the earth is getting warmer due to trapped greenhouse gases and a shrinking ozone layer in our atmosphere. Big deal, right? Nobody likes too much cold anyway! Well, global warming is a very big deal. So big in fact that the United Nations has recently released its report on global warming. Long before the UN's report, however, this authors looked at global warming and published this book, which helps explain global warming's causes, impact, and one frightening but convincingly possible scenario: A New Ice Age!The best-selling book The Coming Global Superstorm defines a superstorm, describes the conditions under which a superstorm will occur, and considers the lasting effects of such a storm. Bell and Strieber look into our historical past and theorize that superstorms have occurred in our ancient history, and conclude that nearly each superstorm coincided with global extinctions on the scale of 70% of the world's species alive at the time of the superstorm. Superstorms, they believe, also triggered past ice ages. The cause and effect possibilities and implications are powerfully convincing. Along the way, Bell and Strieber look at ancient cultures, consider earth's greatest ancient structures, and compare common traits of worldwide religions to support their theories. In the end, Bell and Strieber call readers and mankind to make our greatest efforts to control our species' role in global warming, and if possible stall it. Bell and Strieber indicate that there is no way to know when this global superstorm will occur, but conditions are ripening for just such a storm to occur. The superstorm such as Bell and Strieber describe is brought to entertaining life in the film The Day After Tomorrow. While the film tells a good story and makes use of very effective special effects, most viewers don't realize that this film is a dramatization of the events described in The Coming Global Superstorm. Unfortunately, this dramatization does not provide enough factual information to understand what happens in the film. The filmmakers could have included some exposition to explain and foreshadow the chain of events as depicted in the film. Though this film is entertaining, and IMHO very good, when compared to the inspiration for it, the book is far better -- and frightening -- than the movie. Incidentally, the UN's report on global warming confirms much if not all the global warming facts and theories found in The Coming Global Superstorm. Read my full review of The Coming Global Superstorm >

November 2006  |  Epinions.com

Harold Crick must die. Having written some poems and stories, experienced some small success, and viewed the world through the eyes of an author, it is clear that Harold Crick must die! It's that simple. The power of Stranger than FIction is that it brings to consciousness the facts of our very lives. It is a minimalist story, a la Ernest Hemingway and Raymond Carver. The story is a simple but powerful interwoven tapestry of a small handful of lives, including Harold Crick, a senior IRS agent; Karen Eiffel, a novelist whose new book is not yet finished but with the publisher's deadline looming; Ana Pascal, anarchist and owner of a small bakery who knowingly shortchanged the IRS 22% from her last income tax; Professor Jules Hilbert, a professor of literature; a bus driver; a reckless young boy on a bicycle. And an apple. But in this tapestry is a magical event: Karen the novelist narrates Harold's life for a few weeks, and Harold hears her narrative voice (of course, no one else can hear her voice as she narrates about Harold). Shortly, Harold's very modern wristwatch plays a significant part in his very certain imminent death (according Karen-as-narrator). Naturally, this leads Harold to try to find an answer and solution to his predicaments: some unknown voice is narrating his life in his head and has revealed that "unknown to him" he will soon die. So the plot begins. In the end, Harold seeks out Karen Eiffel and meets this woman who is about to kill him in her book about his life. Professor Hilbert defines her as a tragidist. Both Professor Hilbert and Harold read her completed manuscript, but its last few pages, Harold's death, are not yet committed to typewritten copy. Prof. Hilbert tells Harold that he must die; the novel is Karen's masterpiece. Harold, after reading the manuscript, agrees, and calmly accepts his fate, telling Karen that he loves the book and that she must finish it. This perfect, masterful ending she has written in her own hand on a yellow legal pad unfolds in the next scene. And the movie fades to white. Walk out at the fade to white in this film. Leave the theater. The ending you'll savor will be so much more painful. Meaningful. And sweet. Read my full review of Stranger than Fiction >

November 2006  |  MacCompanion

Drupal, phpBB and WordPress are popular open-source web applications for building online communities. Drupal is a CMS, or content management system. phpBB is a forum (bulletin board) application. WordPress is a blog application. But Drupal, phpBB and WordPress are not necessarily user-friendly applications for the average, every day webmaster. Installing, configuring and editing the behavior and appearance of Drupal, phpBB and WordPress involves creating a database, installing modifications and extensive source code editing. Not for the faint of heart! The average webmaster must turn to some resource for help, such as the book Building Online Communities with Drupal, phpBB and WordPress. Like most computer instruction books, each section is ordered from system requirements and installation to configuration, modification and maintenance. But readers must expect to spend considerable time not only reading the book but experimenting with their installations, since these applications are mature and feature-rich. Despite its depth, Building Online Communities with Drupal, phpBB and WordPress could use more illustrations, diagrams, charts, tables and screenshots. The book is written by coders for coders, so visuals are scarce, but they would come in very handy to illustrate points and relationships. In general, readers will be hard pressed to find any better, more complete printed reference for Drupal, phpBB or WordPress. Read my review of Building Online Communities with Drupal, phpBB and WordPress >

September 2006  |  MacNN

There are all kinds of iPod accessories, but the iPod/MP3 Shower Radio is the first we've seen for use in a bath environment, and features MP3 hookup, AM/FM radio, stereo speakers, fog free mirror, and LED lighting. It measures 7.8" wide x 9.8" tall x 2" deep and requires four AA batteries. The Shower Radio is easy to setup, use, and maintain. Just install the batteries, plug in the iPod and insert it into the water-resistant compartment, and listen to your music or local radio. The standard controls for volume, lights, radio stations, and switching between radio and MP3 player are placed well. The MP3 shower radio is also useful at the pool, beside the hot tub, or any other damp locations. Unfortunately, the iPod/MP3 Shower Radio meets only the most basic needs. Read my review of the iPod MP3 Shower Radio with Fog Free Mirror >

July 2006  |  Epinions.com

Everyone's bound to cheer Superman Returns. Several of the special effects sequences are so breathtaking that all discussion is deserved. The mid-air plane/shuttle disaster, the bullets bouncing off Superman's chest (and even his eye!), and hundreds such spectacular scenes will truly make the world believe again that a man can fly! There are dozens of scenes that make the audience feel as if they are really there in the scene with the characters, and if they were any closer, they themselves would be in danger. Just as Superman Returns takes risks with its incredible special effects, the film also grasps opportunities just as zealously. Superman Returns explores emotional issues for its hero, and does so surprisingly well. No longer is Superman invincible, indestructible, the proverbial Man of Steel. He is now more "one of us" after his 5-year absence than ever before. This creates more depth of character than the franchise has ever known. Superman Returns also takes risks and grabs opportunity with the character of Lex Luthor, who IMHO has never been much of a threat to Superman or the world. In the Reeves' films, Lex Luthor is a putz, surrounding himself with mindless, brainless, bumbling, uneducated idiots who do his bidding. While just a touch of this remains with this modern Lex Luthor, that is all that remains. Lex Luthor is a very dangerous man. Kevin Spacey's Lex Luthor is explosive, and does not distance himself from his crimes. He is as likely to kill you himself as to have one of his few henchmen do it for him. Duality has long been a feature of the most powerful tales of world literature. The most powerful tales use paired characters, events, and circumstances to generate and fuel their plots. Superman Returns employs dualities from start to finish between Superman/Clark Kent, Superman/Lex Luthor, Jor-L and Kal-El and Lex Luthor, fathers and sons, etc. These dualities make Superman Returns a rich feast for the mind and those old enough to remember the first Reeves-helmed Superman film. Read my full review of Superman Returns >

July 2006  |  MacCompanion

If you've built even one web site, you've had questions. If you're like me, then you don't have too many friends with more experience to call on for gudance at a moment's notice. The Doug Addison's Web Site Cookbook is the next best thing, filled with hundreds of practical and worldly tips and tricks. The Web Site Cookbook will also prove useful for website owners and help them understand and appreciate the complexity and special skills required to build and maintain an effective web site. Though I expected the Web Site Cookbook to use a trite cookbook theme, it's all business, but Doug does not intend for the Web Site Cookbook to be read linearly, from beginning to end. He understands that his readers will have varied experiences with web site development. So he presents his information in a unique problem-solution-discussion format. He has anticipated common questions readers will bring to his Cookbook and answers them.Though the Web Site Cookbook is a superb web site design and development general reference, it sidesteps some of today's noteworthy web development technologies and trends. Specifically, cascading style sheets, blogs and open source applications. Despite these shortcomings, Doug Addison's wisdom is dead-on with practical, real-world experience. Read my review of Doug Addison's Web Site Cookbook >

June 2006  |  MacCompanion

For budget-minded graphic designers, web designers and digital photographers, the PANTONE® huey™ monitor calibration system is something of a miracle. Tired of off-color images, we struggle to get the best color reproduction from our images in our work. The PANTONE huey changes all that. Before huey monitor calibration system, we used Apple's OS X built-in calibration software, which was not exactly scientific, but the best thing available to us within our budget. Now with huey, our monitors are calibrated and adjusted for room lighting automatically every ten minutes. The huey monitor calibration system not only fits our budget, but it is easy to install, too. Simply open the box, clean your screen with supplied materials, plug the huey colorimeter into an available USB port, insert the CD, drag the huey icon to your Applications folder, launch the huey application, and follow the five onscreen steps. The entire process takes less than 10 minutes the first time through. Once installed, the huey colorimeter continues to monitor your room's lighting and adjusts your monitor accordingly, so that you are able to constantly see the details in your images on your monitor. The PANTONE huey is the first step in your budget to better color in your images. Read my review of the PANTONE huey monitor calibration system >

PS: Robert Pritchett, MacCompanion Editor, discusses the June issue of MacCompanion on MacReviewCast #58. My review is mentioned during the interview. Listen to Robert talking about MacCompanion on Review Cast #58 (MP3) >

May 2006  |  MacCompanion

Apple's iPod has become today's walkman, but better because people can now take ALL their music with them on their iPods. Apple's Hi-Fi System introduced earlier this year is another useful accessory for the iPod, replacing what were once home stereo systems. You remember those, don't you? My brothers and sisters all had home stereo systems (my brother's was orange and made up of three globs -- two were speakers, one was the 8-track player/radio). Now comes the accessories for the accessory for the iPod, in this case, a high-priced protective case to make Apple's iPod Hi-Fi System a mobile stereo system. Unfortunately, this case features arguably inadequate protection and a bloated, nearly explosive price tag. With less padding than a conventional laptop bag, the iPod Hi-Fi Case is little better than a padded backpack. Most of the case's padding is less than 1/4" thick and in the double-flap, bottom and sides. The back has some padding, but not nearly the padding as the other four sides. The double-flap also features an impact resistant slice of plastic to protect the speaker grill of the iPod Hi-Fi System while in transport. Though the bag is described as play-through, this does not mean that the Hi-Fi System will play through the bag when it is closed. It plays through only when the bag is opened and the speakers are exposed through the oval opening in the front. Read my review of Waterfield Design's iPod Hi-Fi Stereo System Case >

April 2006  |  MacNN

Good design is hard to teach. Fortunately, Bryan Peterson makes a better than average attempt to teach good design and recognizes that a solid understanding of basic design principles is at the heart of good design. Though short, the book is a dense, real-world study of these fundamentals. A real plus that informs the book from cover to cover is Peterson's professional work experience. Throughout the book, he takes into account real-world considerations, such as quantity of information, print quality and production, mailing costs, and final destination. Also sprinkled throughout are 200 color illustrations, most of which represent finished products from noteworthy designers. The most important things that Peterson offers in this book are questions that every designer should ask of their designs to assess how well their designs succeed and exercises to help student designers better understand and apply the principles discussed. These exercises are open-ended, so they require time and effort to perform. If readers choose to ignore these exercises, then reading Design Basics for Creative Results is essentially a waste of their time. There is much more to becoming a design professional than reading any book, even Peterson's, but Peterson's book is a very good place to start. Read my review of Design Basics for Creative Results, 2nd Edition >

April 2006  |  MacCompanion

There's a whole subculture out there that most of us don't know about. Bob Parks shows this subculture to us, after trying to explain it and the forces that have created and nurture it. Makers are renaissance people, with experience and interests across a variety of technologies. They are unsatisfied being just consumers and are interested in improving existing products and experimenting with technology, an archetypal blend of toolmaking and science. Makers also like to share. Besides operating their own web sites, Makers also share code and parts openly on the Internet. As with most subcultures, Makers meet to discuss and show off their projects. Makers have a competitive spirit, and these groups thrive on friendly, personal competition, challenging each other. On a larger scale, Makers also compete in formal competitions such as Dorkbot Nights and the Burning Man festival. In February 2005, O'Reilly successfully launched Make magazine, the first magazine devoted to do-it-yourself technology projects. Clearly any book about Makers is first a book for Makers, and second a book for those of us curious in such things. These such things are sometimes interesting, sometimes inspiring, sometimes highly unusual, and often fun. Projects profiled in this book utilize LEDs, all kinds of sensors, jet engines, servo-motors, wood, metal, plastic, fabric, plumbing, automobile engines, car bodies, industrial equipment, paper cups, balloons, discarded electronics, electronic motors, switches, buttons, wiring, paper, digital cameras, lenses, inkjet cartridges, mirrors... anything that suits the needs of the project. Many of these used and discarded elements are acquired through "dumpster diving." Radio Shack and eBay figure prominently throughout the book for those hard-to-find-in-the-trash parts, and several web sites are mentioned as well. Despite the disparate sources, these Makers have made some incredible (and useful!) contraptions: Cap Holter's board-busting machine. Sathya Jeganathan's improvised baby warmers for needy hospitals. Kerry McLean's gasoline-powered monowheel. Peter Madsen and Claus Norregaard's 6.6 ton hand-built submarine. Bathsheba Grossman's 3D digitally printed metal sculptures. Tom Chudleigh's spherical wooden treehouses. Koichi Hirata's robotic fish. Matty Sallin's pig-shaped alarm clock that cooks bacon. Louis Giersch's 1000-degree solar concentrator used to burn up anything he wants to burn up. Richard Flanagan's jet-powered go-kart. Dennis Havlena's working PVC bagpipes. Andy Gustafson's semi-automatic pneumatic potato cannon. These and 90-odd more amazing and unexpected projects are profiled in this book. Read my review of Makers: All Kinds of People Making Amazing Things in Garages, Basements and Back Yards at MacCompanion >

March 2006  |  Epinions.com

After just two visits to Steak & Shake restaurants, Steak & Shake is now our favorite vacation hamburgers-as-fast-food restaurant. Partly because Steak & Shakes are only available in about 1/3 of the lower 48 states and there aren't any in Wichita, but mostly because they're a great franchise. In fact, for our spring break vacation in March 2005, we went to St. Louis, and a Steak & Shake restaurant was the bright spot (besides Magic House) in an otherwise miserable vacation in that city. Read about our nightmare vacation in St. Louis, and how Steak & Shake was the turning point in that vacation >

March 2006  |  Epinions.com

Lambert's Cafe on Hwy 65 between Springfield and Branson, Missouri, has become as much as family tradition as Silver Dollar City, White Water, Table Rock Lake or any of the shows on the Branson strip. Though serving delicious home-style meals, including beef, pork, chicken and vegetables, with never-ending portions and free all-you-can-possibly-eat passarounds such as fried potatoes, macaroni and tomatoes (like ghoulash), sourghum molasses and fried okra, Lambert's Cafe's real claim to fame is that it is the original home of throwed rolls. That's right, Lambert's staff throw hot, fresh, tasty white rolls to you from across the table and across the room. All you gotta do is raise your hands, prepared to catch them. Kids and adults alike enjoy Lambert's easy, family-friendly atmosphere. So much so that we now have to stop at Lambert's every chance we get, usually on our way to Branson and on our way home from Branson, too. Read my review of Lambert's Cafe >

March 2006  |  MacNN

Usually, any kind of bundled pack (software or magazines for example) means bundling one good item and two much lesser items together and charging a bit more for all three, to create the illusion of value. Feral Interactive's Family Fun Pack 2 is nothing like this practice. Instead, it is a collection of three great 3D games that entertain the entire family through atmosphere, strategy, and problem solving, and a throw-in Children's Encyclopedia Britannica. Rayman 3 is appropriate for ages 5+, Worms 3D for 8+, and Ghost Master for 13+, IMHO. All three are challenging, and for adults with the time, suitable for adults, too. Rayman 3 is a cartoony adventure with mild violence, something like Mario Brothers, where the only things shed are coins, treasure and stars, and game play is relatively simple to grasp. Worms 3D is a more challenging, due to the physics involved in and around the playing fields and the weaponry, and a tad bit more violent, but not much. Ghost Master is not violent, but it is at times risque -- the training haunt is called Haunting 101 and features a girl’s college dorm with hree floors of college coeds in bathrobes, towels, and pajamas -- but nothing more than the standard SIMS family of games (Ghost Master plays like the SIMS). My children and I enjoyed all three games to varying degree, according to our age and experience. The graphics in all three titles are bright, game play satisfying, and puzzles challenging. Problem solving is an important skill to develop in our children, and these games encourage players to consider multiple paths and strategies to complete missions and solve puzzles to reach their goals. Worms 3D, Rayman 3, and Ghost Master pack enough atmosphere and quirky charm to keep your family entertained for months. Of course, the Children's Encyclopedia Britannica will also help children with their homework. Read my review of Family Fun Pack 2 >

March 2006  |  MacCompanion

I'm no novice to CSS or stylesheets. I'm a prosumer, a freelance web/graphic designer who builds several web sites a year while maintaining existing web sites (I also worked in a corporate environment doing same for nearly 9 years). CSS is the holy grail for web development in many ways, but looking at a page of CSS code can get...well...dull. The built-in tools in Macromedia Dreamweaver and Adobe GoLive just aren't as good or as current as they need to be to keep up with developments in CSS styling. MacRabbit Software's CSSEdit 1.7 relieves this dullness and writes CSS code in a near-WYSIWYG environment while still allowing access to raw code. Though Dreamweaver and GoLive feature built-in CSS editors, CSSEdit is better than both. Even if you use a WYSIWYG HTML editor like Dreamweaver, GoLive or FrontPage, you'll find CSSEdit more than useful. MacRabbit developers have studied how CSS coders develop stylesheets and designed CSSEdit to seamlessly slip into their workflow. CSSEdit is easy to use and has many powerful features: 1) Comment-based grouping to simplify locating and arranging styles; 2) Font family and style tag favorites that help simplify stylesheet editing; 3) Real-time previews in the application itself, an external browser, and click-and-drag preview window; and 4) Displays both raw code and interface controls. CSSEdit 1.7 offers professional reliability and results. All it needs is a CSS stylesheet to get to work. I have used CSSEdit to edit the stylesheets on ColaCollectables.com, Kansas Learning Center for Health's redesigned web site and PHP calendar, U-Save Tire's e-commerce site, and RapidWeaver web sites. I have CSSEdit loaded in my dock, along with the other applications in my web design arsenal. Read my review of CSSEdit 1.7.2 >

February 2006  |  MacCompanion

RapidWeaver 3.2 is superb and inexpensive web design software. It is based on Apple Computer's iApps motif, and publishes websites that incorporate media from Apple's iApps, as well as other content. Blogs, photo galleries, file sharing pages, contact forms, movie galleries and custom pages can all be created quickly and easily with RapidWeaver 3.2. RapidWeaver 3.2 is based on a template system and comes pre-packaged without 25 templates. Other templates are available for free or a small fee across the Internet. RapidWeaver takes the user's content and inserts it into a pre-determined design (like this site). These templates can be altered, and custom templates created from revising existing templates or from scratch (I recommend revision!). Content is king on the web. RapidWeaver lets users get that content onto the Internet quickly. Best suited for personal web sites, or small business web sites, RapidWeaver suitsthe needs of all users but high-end professional web designers building sites that cost tens of thousands of dollars. For most freelance web designers, RapidWeaver can be used to create and then pass off maintenance to most small business clients. This new Swope Design web site was built with RapidWeaver 3.2. Read my review of RapidWeaver 3.2 >

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August 2000  |  Download PDF  |  Presented to Wichita Chapter AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Artists)

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