Major Label goes DRM free

Major Recording Label EMI recently announced that it will offer digital rights management (DRM)-free downloads of its entire digital catalog, and added that Apple's iTunes store will be the first to peddle its wares. Though the Beatles' catalog won't be a part of this deal just yet. This is a good move for a major Record Label, because it means that I can purchase music that will be available to play on any platform, without mind bending DRM. Which means that I can get some new music for my RioCar, which doesn't support DRM, as it's linux based and no longer actively supported.

Snively Hot Spring

I recently made a trek to the base of the mountain where Scenic Hot Springs is located. I was going to scout things out, but there was too much snow, and not enough trail to find the hot springs, even with the help of a GPS. The following day, I found several hot springs listed in the Baker, Oregon area, though none turned out to be viable. They were either dried up, or privatized. However, on the way back from Yakima (visiting my wonderful girlfriend), I stopped at Ontario, and made a detour to Snively Hot Springs, near Owyhee Reservoir. It was a fun excursion, as I got to experience a Hot Springs, unlike the previous six I had visited earlier in the day, and the day before. The water, however, was too hot, and needed to be mixed with the cooler water from the Owyhee river. This made for a passable Hot Springs™ experience, but I wouldn't put Snively on my repeat offender list for Hot Springery.

3.0

Today I turn 30.

Uncle Phil

Went to see Phil Keaggy last weekend up in Coeur D'Alene. I drove up from Boise, and it was snowing pretty heavily on the way there. My good friend and fellow Ibex alumni Matt drove over from Seattle to witness the event. The concert was fantastic, as Phil usually is. We had some time to catch up on life's developments, and headed to Spokane. Then I headed back through Yakima, Washington. Which happens to be my new favorite place; for some of the bestest reasons ever.

Drupal 5.1

Drupal 5 has arrived, and it has descended upon this website. All the neato enhancements of Drupaldom should now be making the website spectacular! I've also enhanced the photogallery navigation with custom mangling.

Nintendo Wii

Many years back, I was one of the chosen few who suffered the harsh reality of the Nintendo Power Glove. It was a concept far ahead of its time, and was quite out of place back then. This anachronistic idea garnered frustration and loathing, albeit it was pretty awesome looking in sixth grade. However, with the advent of the Nintendo Wii, the idea has come full circle. The Nintendo Wii is a gaming revolution. It presents the ideas of the power glove, and trumps them fully with an array of today's technologies. All that is needed now is a suite of wonderful Nintendo games to compliment such a fun gaming console. And Nintendo is apparently hard at work bringing the games of the past and future to the Wii.

Windows Vista: Event Horizon

Microsoft recently released their long awaited edition of the Windows operating system, Vista; coming in at least nine different flavors. To coincide with this event there seems to have been some horn blowing in the camp of the Mighty Blue Apple (see Mactopia fanaticism). It's fun to see how people can be so passionate about their computers. It's amusing that I have no idea what brand of hammer I own, or what type of tires my Explorer has. Though perhaps the inlaid hammers of craftsmen are a thing of the past, blended into mass produced and indistinguishable quantities of disposable tools. And in the end, that is what an operating system is: a tool.