Audio Book Review: JLA - Exterminators By Christopher Golden, Based On The Series From DC Comics

By T. Michael Testi (Blogcritics.org , PhotographyToday, ATAEE)

JLA: Exterminators, which was first released in book form in 2004, starts in the early days of the Justice League when a strange metallic-tasting rain fell on the United Kingdom. A race of aliens appeared to be attacking Great Briton and the JLA did not really understand why, but after a time they were defeated — all except one whose head was kept on ice by British intelligence.

We then fast forward to the present when a surge of metahuman creatures begins to appear. What is triggering their appearance is not readily apparent, but soon we understand that it has something to do with that invasion of ten years ago.

Once again, I was treated to a Graphic Audio performance that really brings you into the story. The combination of sound effects and artistic vocal performances creates what Graphic Audio calls a "Movie in your Mind," and that is truly what JLA: Exterminators is.

At the time of that early rainstorm, when the newly formed Justice League was fighting the group of invading giants from outer space, their actions stopped the invading hoard, but did they do the right thing? Did they save the world, or just delayed the inevitable?

Now Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, The Flash, The Green Lantern, and the rest of the Justice League of America must figure out what is going on with this new generation of metahumans — some good and some evil — and how to stop the destruction.

The questions to be answered are what caused this outbreak? How to stop it? And can they figure out what went wrong ten years ago? You will have to get the Graphic Audio program to find out!

One of the things that makes JLA: Exterminators work is the fact that while most of the DC comics are American-centric, this takes place in England — which gives it a refreshing edge. Also, the characters have some depth and emotion and as such, come across as three-dimensional. Finally, there is a character, Ian Partington, an ordinary Brit who develops super powers and then becomes friends with everyone in the JLA. The character development along this thread is just great and really makes this story work on many levels.

The quality of the story and performance is the reason that I will be coming back to Graphic Audio products. You can also check out some of their other series as well. If you want, you can listen to a sample, or purchase the Graphic Audio Book from their on-line Store. The story comes three ways: standard CD (the version I reviewed), MP3 CD and downloadable WMA with digital rights management.

Music Review: Grayson Capps - Rott 'N' Roll

By T. Michael Testi (Blogcritics.org , PhotographyToday, ATAEE)

Born of the prostitutes, alcoholics, vagrants, and drifters that inhabit the music of Grayson Capps and the Stumpknockers, the term Rott 'N' Roll; as well as the title of his latest album, is a reflection of the style of music they create. The Southern soul, mixed with back-country stomp, and spiced with road-house blues, brings out a down home American appeal.

Grayson Capps first discovered music in Alabama where he was born and raised. His father and friends would sit around getting drunk, telling stories, and playing acoustic guitars to the songs of Hank Williams, Tom T. Hall, Woody Guthrie, and others. While on scholarship at Tulane University, he took up playing music. He formed two bands that had moderate success and even opened shows for the likes of Keith Richards and Crowded House.

After the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in August of 2005, Capps moved to Franklin Tennessee. With the need to produce a new album, he recorded Wail & Ride. While this album included his band the Stumpknockers, it also included other musicians and had a more studio sound and quality to it.

Rott 'N' Roll on the other hand, is more about capturing the real sound of Grayson Capps and The Stumpknockers. The album was made at his home studio in Franklin and many of the songs were done in single takes. The band features Tommy MacLuckie on Lead, Josh Kerin on Bass, and John Milham on Drums. The album was produced by Trina Shoemaker.

Rott 'N' Roll has a definite different feel to its predecessor Wail & Ride, yet it retains all of the quality of writing and musicianship. There is a certain feel that a group of musicians have when they have spent a lot of time on the road playing together night after night. Grayson Capps and the Stumpknockers have that sound.

The songwriting is as good as ever ranging from the simplistic "Sock Monkey;" which by the way was written by the lead guitarist Tommy MacLuckie, and is pure punk country fun, to the incredibly deep lyrics of the songs "Ike," "Arrowhead," "Guitar," and "The Waltz."

There are the songs that are there just for the fun of it such as "Grand Maw Maw" and "Big Ol' Woman;" both of which include a drunken chorus of rednecks whom it was said found their way to the sessions. There is also an insightful and very well done poem "Fear Fruit Bearing Tree" which goes to show what an articulate writer can do when making a biting political point.

Finally, there are the songs in which it really is the music that drives the them such as in the driving "Big Black Buzzard," the stomping "Sun Don't Shine on Willy," and the equally driving instrumental "Bacon."

What struck me most though, was that each piece had its own identity; its own personality and place on this album. Some grabbed you by the collar and made you take notice like "Back to the Country" with its complex lyrics and great tune. While others sneak up from behind like "Psychic Channel Blues" which builds and has some subtle, yet biting lead guitar licks and really worked for me.

What I like about Grayson Capps and The Stumpknockers is that it is not a manufactured sound. It comes across as genuine and edgy and totally unique. The songs paint pictures that leave indelible images in your mind. Of the thirteen tracks on Rott 'N' Roll, there was not one that I did not find a reason to enjoy for one reason or another. If you want some great down home southern blues with a bit of Rott 'N' Roll, then you need to give this album a spin.


Song list for Rott 'N' Roll

Back To The Country
Arrowhead
Gran Maw Maw
Psychic Cannel Blues
The Waltz
Big Black Buzzard
Ike
Sun Don't Shine on Willy
Big Ole Woman
Guitar
Fear Fruit Bearing Tree
Sock Monkey
Bacon

Software Review - SnagIt 9 from TechSmith

Written by T. Michael Testi

SnagIt 9 is the latest release of TechSmith's screen capture program. With this version there have been quite a number of changes since the previous iteration, and this time it is really as much of a makeover as it is an upgrade. In fact, they have rebuilt SnagIt from the ground up.

SnagIt 9 runs on Microsoft Windows 2000 or later, requires Internet Explorer 6.0 or later, 1 GHz Processor (2.4 GHz is recommended), 512 MB RAM (1 GB Recommended), and 60 MB of Hard Drive space.

TechSmith originally started out in 1987 as a custom software company who developed for the Windows platform. Responding to a demand for screen capture utilities, they created SnagIt in 1991. Over time, SnagIt offered some video capture capabilities and these, in turn, became Camtasia in 1999. The current version of SnagIt (9.0) was released in June 2008.

SnagIt enables Windows computer users to capture anything they see on the screen. You can then edit and combine those screenshots and share them by using your favorite applications including Microsoft Office and via e-mail.

With SnagIt, if you can see it, you can capture it. Depending on the mode that you use it in, you can capture a small section of a screen, a whole window, multiple windows, or a whole scrolling webpage. There are 11 preset buttons that let you target what you want to capture, whether it's just a region, some text, or the whole enchilada. You can even create your own custom presets.

SnagIt lets you edit your captures by adding things like text and arrows, highlighting sections of your image. You can output to a printer, clipboard, file, e-mail, PDF, and Flash as well.

So what is new with SnagIt 9?

• New more fluid workflow – replaced the old linear workflow and now gives much more freedom to use SnagIt the way you want to. If you want to capture screen after screen, you can without having to save each shot before you go on to the next. If you want to capture and edit, you can. This is one of my favorite updated features to this version.

• Combining multiple images – now much easier using the open captures tray. You can drag and drop screen captures on to the canvas and make your edits, enhancements, and off you go.

• Auto store – a complement to the fluid workflow in that you can just capture, capture, capture. Everything is now stored for you. No longer do you have to save and rename before the next capture. When you are done, you can handle it all then. So much easier than ever before!

• Visual Search pane – now keeps track of what you have captured so you don't have to. If you can remember a detail like when you captured it or from what Web site, SnagIt will help you find it.

• Tags & Flags – lets you mark your projects so that when you are ready to put them all tog

ether you can find them. No need storing them in separate folders; just tag and flag them.

• New editing interface – heck it is a total UI makeover and makes it look and work in the new Microsoft Office 2007 ribbon style menu interface. One of the more challenging aspects of this version is figuring where things are now compared to the prior version, but once you get use to it, it is a snap.

SnagIt 9 is one of the most comprehensive and powerful screen capture applications available for Windows. It offers a lot of tools for organizing, simplifying, and editing your captures. It is incredibly easy to use, is customizable, and offers multiple views.

I work online a lot and I find that it is much easier to grab a screenshot, mark it up, and send it to someone than it is to try to describe something. If you prefer to try it before you buy it then there is a 30-day trial available. To purchase it new, it is $49.95 for a single user license. If you own a prior version it is $24.95 to upgrade. But until August 12, 2008, it is only $19.95.

If you find yourself capturing screenshots on a regular basis, then owning SnagIt 9 is a must. This is highly recommended.

 

Technorati Tags: SnagIt,Screen Capture,Software,Images

Software Review: XMLSpy 2008 From Altova

Written by T. Michael Testi

MLSpy 2008 is the latest version of Altova's integrated development environment (IDE) for XML. XMLSpy allows programmers to create XML-based applications and Web services in a more dynamic and easier to understand environment. The version that I am reviewing is XMLSpy 2008 release 2 which came out on May 7, 2008 and it is based on the Enterprise version. There is also a Professional version and if you would like to view the differences between the two, you can check out the feature comparison list.

What is XMLSpy 2008? It is a XML development environment for designing, editing, and debugging enterprise class applications that involve XML, XML Schema, XSL/XSLT, XQuery, SOAP, WSDL, and Web service technologies. Its aim is to be a productivity enhancer for J2EE, .NET, and database developers. Along with being an XML editor, it offers a code generator, file converters, a debugger, a profiler, and integration into Visual Studio .NET and Eclipse.

One of the other main features XMLSpy includes is the ability to edit XML documents in multiple formats. I personally think that this is one of those kinds of features that once you get used to it, it's hard to work without XMLSpy. You can look at your XML document as a text doc, a grid format, and as a WYSIWYG view. Next it has a built-in well-formedness checker and validator. If there is something wrong with your document, you don't have to wait till it fails and then try to figure out what is wrong with it; XMLSpy does it for you.

You also have intelligent editing such that if a schema is associated with your XML document, the auto-completion feature of Text View provides help in editing. There are structural editing features like line numbering, indentation, bookmarks, as well as expandable and collapsible element to aid in navigation.

You can create schemas quickly and easily, there is support for XInclude and XPointer, a built-in XQuery 1.0 processor, and you can transform your XML document as well. You have debuggers, project management, database import, and the ability to compare XML files. If you are using Java, C++, or C# to manipulate data in XML, you can generate code containing class definitions for the schema. That is a lot already.

So with all this, what's new with XMLSpy 2008 Release 2?

• Very large file support – has been enhanced to work with much larger files. These result in a reduction of memory consumption by up to 75-80% as compared with the prior version when opening and validating XML documents in text view. This now means that you can work with files 4 to 5 times larger than before. This will be very beneficial to those with databases and other large applications.

• Detailed find-and-replace in XML Schema editor – now adds to the robust find-in capabilities that already exist in XMLSpy by adding the ability to find-in Schemas. Here you can find within single schemas and across complex multiple schemas as well.

• Enhanced XSLT details in info window – now places an XSLT tab in the XMLSpy info window which provides information for developers working with XSLT stylesheets. This tab allows you to view the associated schema and XML Instance files as well as any included or imported XSLT documents. The toolbar buttons allow you to organize some or all of the files into an XMLSpy project or even add the files to a ZIP archive.

• New XSL Outline entry helper window – complements the XSLT tab and aids in the optimization of XSLT development. When working with a XSLT 1.0 or 2.0 stylesheet, it lists the templates and functions in the current XSLT file as well as those in any included or imported file. Here you can view or edit each template's mode, priority, and associated comment directly in the XSL outline window.

• Support for Java, C#, JavaScript, and VBScript in XSLT 1.0/2.0 engines – now allows those who embed program code in Java, C#, JavaScript, or VBScript to add advanced functionality to their XSLT stylesheets. Now, not only can you take advantage of XMLSpy's XSLT editing and transformation capabilities, but you can also test, perfect, and optimize them using the XSLT debugger and XSLT profiler.

• Support for SOAP 1.2 – now allows you to create and test Web Services messages using SOAP1.2 by checking the appropriate box in the SOAP request settings dialog.

• Project generation for Visual Studio 2008 – gives you the option to generate a Visual Studio 2008 project file when generating C# or C++ code in XMLSpy.

• Visual Studio integration extended to include Visual Studio 2008 – now offers seamless support into Visual Studio 2008.

XMLSpy 2008 is available from Altova. It is $1090.00 USD for the Enterprise version and $539 for the Professional version. Still unsure, you can download a 30 day trial version as well.

If you work with XML with any regularity then you need to do yourself a favor and check out XMLSpy 2008. Right out of the box it will begin to save you time and money in making sure that your data is correct and allowing you to see your data in a whole new way. As you progress in your learning of XMLSpy 2008, you will find yourself using more and more of the toolset and becoming even more productive. I highly recommend XMLSpy 2008.

 

Technorati Tags: Altova,XMLSpy,XML,Web Services,Visual Studio,SOAP,Software,Programming

Software Review - NetAdvantage For .NET Suite- NetAdvantage AppStylist 2008 Volume 1 From Infragistics

Technorati Tags: NetAdvantage,Infragistics,AppSylist,Presentation Layer,Software,Development

Written by T. Michael Testi

 

This is the third part of a three-part series that will cover what is contained in the NetAdvantage For .NET Suite. The three products are NetAdvantage for ASP.NET, NetAdvantage for Windows Forms, and NetAdvantage AppStylist. You can go online to explore more about the products in this suite. The goal of this series it to define what each product does and what it can do for you.

Infragistics over the years has positioned itself as a leader in the development of the presentation layer technologies. By creating high quality, reusable presentation layer tools for ASP.NET, Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), Tablet PC, and Java Environments, they are able to provide their customers with the ability to accelerate the development process by reducing development time.

The NetAdvantage For .NET Suite is compatible with Visual Studio 2008, and Visual Studio 2005. It works with Microsoft Windows XP and Vista. Infragistics products are subscription-based which gives you updates and upgrades for the period of the license, usually one year. So when you see the terminology "2008 Volume 1", this means it is the first release for this release of the product for that year. The license is also developer-based which means that the developer can install it on more than one machine, but they are the only one who has the right to use the license.

So what is NetAdvantage AppStylist? It is a revolutionary product that lets application developers and graphic artists peacefully coexist within a company. It allows each to do their job without stepping on or getting in the way of the other. It allows one to determine and develop the functionality while the other designs the look and feel and branding.

NetAdvantage AppStylist is really two products in one. One is for ASP.NET and the other is for Windows Forms. It is a standalone application that works outside of the Microsoft Visual Studio IDE and therefore allows visual designers to create and edit style libraries for use with these Infragistics products. It is meant to allow graphic designers to collaborate more efficiently with developers in creating polished, professional applications.

The Application Styling Framework (ASF) divides the space between the developer space and the designer space to let each accomplish their tasks. The designer should not be concerned with how the developer implements the design and the developer should not be concerned with any aspect of the look and feel of the application. By reducing the job cross-over, NetAdvantage AppStylist can speed development.

Some of the features of NetAdvantage AppStylist include

• Styling similar elements – such that when a graphics artist wants the column headers on a table to appear like the column headers in a list or tree without having to re-specify these setting for each control, they now have that ability from within their own IDE.

• Target components by type – will let a regular appearance to be applied across all controls of a particular control type without the developer having to tediously go in and change all of the properties within an application.

• Target individual instances – lets you change individual instances of a control type to look different than the others all without the developer having to change anything within the application.

• Coexistence with the Infragistics Object Model – In Windows Forms it merges its style settings with those of the control at appearance resolution time. On the Web, it is based on the client machine as part of their browser's routine CSS class resolution.

NetAdvantage AppStylist For Windows Forms will make the graphics artist feel right at home and allow them to become productive much more quickly through tooling that has been designed to work like the graphics media programs that they are already familiar with.

To work with NetAdvantage AppStylist you create/open a style library and base a new style library on an existing template. You can then customize the color palette of the style library. In the past, these color changes would need to have been coordinated between the graphics and applications designers, which really means that when the graphics designer wanted a change, the developer would have to stop work and make these modifications.

Then, to see the results of the changes, the graphics designer would have to wait until a test build has been completed to see the results. Now, in NetAdvantage AppStylist the graphics designer has access to every control and UI interface available so they can see what things will look like.

Once everything is complete, the graphics designer saves the style as an .isl file which the application designer then includes into the Windows Forms code. The developer then can implement it with as little as a single line of code: Infragistics.Win.Appstyling.StyleMangager.Load("MyStyle.isl");

When the application starts running, the appearance is defined by the new Style Library. Throughout the system, all controls are now updated to use the new styles without the possibility of errors or missed controls. If the graphics designer changes their mind on something, they just present an updated .isl file.

By technological differences, NetAdvantage AppStylist For ASP.NET works a little differently from the Windows Forms version. Here the style libraries are folder-based instead of file-based. Designers use .wsl files that describe the contents of their style library, but because the style library is now composed of separate .CSS and image files organized by style set and control type, style libraries can span multiple files in a nested folder structure.

Those appearance settings that can be styled for the Web conform to the style properties as defined by CSS and supported by major browser vendors. By defining a style using a Web site's web.config file, the new style can be set without ever taking down the site or rebuilding it.

From there the workflow is basically the same as it was with Windows Forms. You begin with a template and modify it to the look and feel that you want. You then save the .wsl file and then update your site to take advantage of it.

I think that this is a tremendous addition to anyone using either NetAdvantage for ASP.NET or NetAdvantage for Windows Forms. Even if you are not using a graphics designer and the developers are doing the layout, this will be a tremendous productivity boost to anyone.

There are two licenses that you can purchase NetAdvantage AppStylist. First is with Priority Support for $1,195.00 USD, and Standard for $695.00 USD. For the Studio it is $1,490.00, and $995.00 respectively. Priority support includes one year of priority phone, 24-hour chat and rapid response online support. As an added bonus, with either license, along with the updates, upgrades, and product releases, you also get the C# code for all ASP.NET tools and designers. You can even download an evaluation copy. There are no features disabled during your evaluation period.

If you are tired of having to repeatedly go back and forth with designers on your ASP.NET or Windows Forms application interfaces, having to spend more time then you want on the look and not enough time on what really counts—the product—then I highly recommend you take a look at Infragistics NetAdvantage AppStylist.