Amazon.com just released this story in All in the Game & Other Short Stories, buy yours today!

Story: Predictable in the way that a good human story is predictable. Unfortunately, this was an alien story, so you kind of wanted things to be a little more…alien. The humanoids were odd, but still more human than not. Hard to believe the sentiments of characters like the manager Selfridge, who thought of them as blue monkeys, especially in what is ostensibly a “future of humankind” setting.

Acting: Outstanding. Thanks to the effects, the acting came through on the avatars, allowing for much more effective emoting than in past effects movies. It was understated in many of the supporting characters, but it was very compelling in the main characters. Giovanni Ribisi’s character Selfridge and many of the military characters were totally one-dimensional, but that suited the tone of the movie well enough to fit the story, rather than to distract from it.

Casting: I’m still not convinced that Worthington is A-list material, but the cast was good, and the characters seemed realistic. In particular, I liked the characterization of Stephen Lang’s Colonel Quaritch. The man had obviously had some of his soul ripped away by the harshness of Pandora, and it left him mean. MEAN. It made him an excellent villain to counterpoint an otherwise understated protagonist in Sam Worthington’s Jake Sully.

Direction/Art/Effects: Incredible, but enough to call a movie revolutionary? No. Nor were they in my opinion ground-breaking. The effects of the Avatars were the only really compelling new effects, in that they simply overlaid alien appearances over the actors’ live performances, instead of trying to mimic them with animation. The 3-D aspect of the movie was, in my opinion, completely over-hyped. I would have enjoyed this movie much more, without the distraction of 3-D glasses, occasional out-of-focus effects that wore on my otherwise perfect vision, and dust motes behind which the story was actually happening. Perhaps I will re-watch it in the theater in standard 2D, just to compare. I believe my suspicions will be upheld.

Cameron has delivered a solid action picture with a contrived romantic undertone, and a strongly delivered dislike for corporation-driven exploitation and colonialism. I for one would have found it much more realistic if Jake had fallen in love with the planet but had ultimately been rejected by it and by Zoe Saldana’s Neytiri, as he was an obvious outsider, even when in a pseudo-na’vi body.

The story was, as I said at the beginning, predictable, in the way that good human behavior is predictable. However, the overt corporate exploitation seems out of place in a future where, one would assume, such things have been governed away. Perhaps that is just my own naiveté regarding the progress of humanity. I also was continually distracted by behavior from the na’vi that was all too human. They should have been more inscrutable, and their goals, desires, and motivations more obscure. I suppose that would have added an extra hour while dimwit Jake fumbled through his learning of na’vi ways, though.

Okay, final word: great movie. It kept me in a grin the way that Jurassic Park did when it first showed us what realistic dinosaurs might look like, just before they ate you. It was a wonder land that kept me smiling for hours. Cameron’s vision was my dreamscape, and I reveled in it. Star Wars-ian? Perhaps. Do I want five more blurry 3-D movies about the na’vi? Probably not. Overall, I have to say that the Lord of the Rings trilogy is still more of a cinematic achievement, even without an original story.

Edit: UPDATE: Cameron is all set to deliver sequels to this movie…I better save those 3D glasses. I paid five bucks for ‘em!

This story is the title story in a new compilation available on Amazon.com, called The Last Astronauts & Other Sci-Fi Stories. Buy your copy today!

The Nombril stood silently at the edge of the chasm, seeming to stare mindlessly into the dark oblivion below. Just below it, a great crisscrossing of bridges and tunnels splayed a spider-web of paths and walkways across the yawning depths of the chasm. Grand Crossing was noted for the number of subterranean races that used its maze of walkways and bridges to move from one area of The Deep to another. Sometimes, traders stopped for a while to vend to those that passed by. Sometimes they were assaulted by the not-so­friendly races that used the pass, other times they plied their trade unmolested. Races of all type used the Grand Crossing during their travels in The Deep, as they had done so for hundreds of years. No one had ever solved the mystery of who had built Grand Crossing. Although many races claimed it was their work, most claims had holes large enough to march an army through. No one in all that time had ever seen the Nombril as it stood there hidden in its heights. Its silent vigil went unnoticed for over three hundred years, and the denizens of the deep had no idea how lucky they had been until the moment the Nombril went into motion. It had not created this place, but its purpose was served by observing this place, so that is what it did.

The Nombril at rest was a seven foot high statue of a humanoid. It had a non-descript appearance that was only offset by the fact that it was carved entirely from a single piece of obsidian. Its rough-hewn features could have been those of any number of humanoid races. Mostly it looked human, except for the slightly abnormal length of its arms. Its massively carved arms reached nearly to its knees, despite its usually rigid upright posture. The representation was almost devoid of garment, save the modest loincloth covering its groin. The Nombril most closely resembled humans, but it was not a human creation. It was much more than just a statue carved from obsidian, as well. It was “The Nombril,” the Vessel of Souls. Theologians and historians nicknamed it “The Eater of Souls” due to its alleged behavior. The combination of the souls which it consumed made it much more than the sum of its parts. It was a creature of unspeakable power, hidden in the relatively innocuous guise of a statue. It was a creature of inscrutable goals, an enigma to all those who observed its actions. The Nombril was seemingly impervious to outside persuasion. It leaped into action without pretense and, seemingly, without explanation. In legend, it had slain both good and evil indiscriminately, and it had been named a horror in the legends of places all over-and beneath-the world.

In its current location, it had come to rest in an odd position, bent deeply onto one knee with both hands splayed out to its sides, looking down into the chasm, as if silently observing the traffic below. Its position seemed tense, strained, as though it was about to spring into action at any moment, and yet it had been in exactly that spot, in exactly that position, for 298 years without moving…

A pair of Tolakian traders came by one of the Grand Crossing’s lower entrances. They were not heavily laden, but their cargo was quite precious. They were carrying an ancient jewel encrusted greataxe and a pair of equally over­decorated gauntlets in small packs, affixed to their belts. The axe and gauntlets were to be a gift-bribe to a neighboring
Dwarven kingdom, in exchange for being overlooked, and for having their caves unmolested, at least by Dwarves. The Tolakians were generally a peaceful race. Their motley and brilliantly colored scale hides gave away their reptilian ancestry; they resembled nothing so much as a pair of large bipedal Tokay Geckos. They were wrapped with long belts that circled their lithe bodies several times, but wore no other adornment. Dwelling as deep beneath the surface as they did, they seldom found the need for clothing, and disdained it unless painfully cold. The belts were dotted with pouches and small charms of all types and sizes, and their bodies were heavily bedecked with rings and necklaces of arcane power, the ‘tell’ to their sorcerous natures. Most wanderers of The Deep would and did avoid this pair of travelers, for as benevolent as they were, they were not to be trifled with. Many other races had lost entire platoons of warriors to a single angry Tolakian Sorcerer.

Although it was not apparent to most travelers, one of the Tolakians was female. Her name was Negaerion. She was traveling with Belectholdil, a younger male and a student of hers. Their journey was expected to be brief, but it would be cut much shorter than either of them suspected. Negaerion announced to Belectholdil that they were going to take a quick short-cut that another traveler had suggested they might be able to take advantage of. It was a path that most people of The Deep could not take without climbing equipment, but Negaerion knew that it would be easy for them, and would also cut a full day off of their journey. They dropped to all fours in unison and began to climb the treacherous walls of Grand Crossing. Their movement along the walls of the great chasm was more fluid and surer than when they walked upright as other races. Their heritage was clear as they passed by several crossing bridges and walkways, to the startled surprise of many other passersby. Light jingling from the pair of small packs on their backs could be heard over the din of small rocks and pebbles that were kicked loose by the Tolakians as they rose up through the chasm, completely unaware of the danger they were rapidly approaching.

The Nombril sensed the imminent approach of the two Tolakians. Both were exceedingly young from its point of view, but he sensed immense power coming from the leader of the pair. Her aura was easily visible to him, and it was rich with intelligence and command over arcane powers that he had not seen here in the crossing for many decades. It rose soundlessly to its feet and took a single step back, satisfied for the moment with the knowledge that this time at least, its prey would be coming straight to it.

Negaerion and Belectholdil continued climbing, barely even winded, until they were well beyond the highest of the heavily traveled bridgeworks of Grand Crossing. They kept their large golden eyes firmly locked on their goal. They were well acquainted with the heights in which they were working, as most Tolakian dwellings were made in vertical, rather than horizontal, caves in The Deep, so neither was much concerned with falling. Their goal, a narrow ledge, loomed larger in their field of view. Pale shadows were thrown by the dim lights of travelers below into garishly exaggerated pinwheels of shadow above the pair, but their large eyes were piercing the veil of darkness, and they could see the ledge clearly. Belectholdil reached it a split second before Negaerion did, and he halted, upright on his hind legs, while Negaerion finished the climb.

In the Tolakian tongue, he softly began to chide his teacher for her slow climb, but his admonishments were cut short by a black form that rushed between them, even before either of the speedy reptilians could reply. Belectholdil was snatched up by the neck by The Nombril, as Negaerion watched on in horror, unable to act. With seeming disdain, The Nombril backhandedly flung the young Tolakian out into the open space of the chasm, where there was nothing to grab and slow his fall. To the honor of his family, Belectholdil fell soundlessly to his death, facing it boldly rather than crying out in fear. He took the magnificent axe with him to the bottom, the only weapon that either of them carried on their journey.

This booth is made from readily available materials. You should be able to buy the metal corner pieces and bungees at a local swap meet. The rest should be available at any local hardware and lumber store.

THE EQUIPMENT

• 4 closet poles 7 foot long, for uprights
  (Standard closet pole is 1½ inch diameter. I do not recommend using anything smaller.)
• 3 closet poles 9′ 9″ or 11’9″ (for 12′ width) for cross-beams
• 4 closet poles 5′ 5″ or 6′ 5″ (for 12′ depth) for arches
  
• 4 metal corner pieces
• 2 metal roof arch pieces
  
• 1 blue tarp (preferrably heavy duty type with a silver coat on interior and reinforced corners) 10′x10′ or 12′x12′ (alternately, you can get a rectangle with an additional 5-10′ of length, to make a water-shedding back wall, but you will definitely need to buy an additional 10′x10′ or 10′x12′ tarp to hide it from the public.
• 1 canvas drop cloth, no grommets required. 8 or 10 oz. canvas minimum. You can treat yourself with UV/water sealant, if you like. Try to get one at least the same size as your blue tarp. Preferrably get one that is one foot larger on both dimensions.
  
• 50′ sisal rope
  
• ball of twine
• 4-8 ten inch landscaping spikes (shown here with a standard tent spike, for size reference)
• 4-8 1½ inch washers with ½ inch inside diameter, for landscaping spikes
  
• A BUNCH of ball-capture bungees (like, 30 or more).
  

THE PROCEDURE

1. Taper ends of all closet poles, using sandpaper, wood plane, belt sander, palm sander…whatever you have and can use. Only one end of the 7′ poles needs to be tapered. The other end will rest on the ground, and should be left unaltered.
   When done, you want the ends to look something like this:
   
2. Connect the roof frame together. Be sure to make the three long parallel poles from the 9’9″ (11’9″) poles, and the four arch beams from the 5’5″ (6’5″). The four remaining 7′ poles are your uprights, or legs. Be sure to screw in the wing screws nice and tight (most come with eye screws now, which make nice places to hang things from…). When you’re done, it should be resting on the ground, and look something like this:
   
3. Attach the tarp. If you got a good heavy duty type, put the silver side down (if both sides are silver, then do what pleases you). You can attach them like this:
   
   …or wrap the poles double to make it tighter (pays off when it rains).If you have a rectangle, be sure to dangle the excess off of the side you will make into your back wall. When you’re done, it should look like this:
   
4. Cover the tarp with canvas drop cloth. Let a bit hang from front and rear — and sides, if possible. Using 3-4 foot lengths of sisal rope, securely wrap and tie the corners of the tarp to the metal corner pieces, wrapping any excess rope downward along bottom part of metal corner. Use twine to secure ends of sisal rope by whipping. To see whipping procedure, click here. If you’re just not handy with twine, you can tape the rope (any tape) about an inch from the end, dip your rope ends into Elmer’s glue or melted hot glue, and let them dry overnight…I’d do this before you hit the festival grounds, though, or you’ll be working all day around gooey glue covered rope ends. Remove the tape when your glue is dry. Viola!
   
5. At this point, you need to raise the roof on one side, and insert two legs into that side (remember, the upright poles need to be tapered too, but only at one end).
6. Then raise the other side, and insert the last two legs. Your roof will be upright, but somewhat unstable as-is, and should look something like this:
   
7. At this point, you can easily stabilize this shape, by running about 9′ of rope from each upright corner down to the ground about 18-24 inches from the corner pole’s foot. Drive a landscaping spike into the ground like a big tent stake and tie that baby off. If you don’t know how to tie a non-slip knot, buy a Bluejacket’s Manual at an Army-Navy Surplus. Every knot you’ll ever need is in there, plus a few you’ll never need. It’d be a good idea to put up a back wall, too, especially if your roof tarp was really long, to hide it and provide a stash spot behind the wall for things like coolers. Your finished booth should look something like this:
   

You should be able to figure out how to hang walls, etc. on your own from here. I’d recommend buying enough tarps to make four walls, just for security’s sake, but this should still be very close to my $200 mark. Most of all: enjoy!

If you don’t mind spending a bit more, I found a kit online that has the corners, bungees, and a tarp. You only have to buy canvas, poles, and tie-down hardware after that. They have a bunch of sizes and start at 10′x10′ for about $55 plus S/H. Click on the kit below to be whisked away to their website:

I’m not really known for being a very sentimental guy. If anything, I probably come off as a bit remote, to most people. Opening up about how I feel about something isn’t really my cup of tea.

The news of the passing of Gary Gygax hit me HARD. It took some time for me to sort out these feelings. I couldn’t figure out why the hell the death of some old gaming dude was bothering me so much. I mean, he’s only half of the duo responsible for Dungeons and Dragons, anyways, right?

That may be true, but he was certainly the only half that anyone ever heard about. Without reading the news articles today, I doubt most gamers, even hardcore long-term gamers like myself, could name the other half (it’s Dave Arneson, in case you wondered).

And after some careful consideration over my perplexing emotional state, this is what I have concluded:

1. I am a ninny.
2. I am a game geek.

My earliest and fondest memories are of playing D&D, and role-playing games, most notably D&D, have been a fundamental element of my life.

I care more about this silly game than I do almost anything else (except the wife and kids…). Even when I was at my deepest depressions, or my sickest mania, I have always had time and patience for gaming.

I started playing D&D almost as it was being marketed for the first time (as D&D…I never played Chainmail). Hell, I played from the very first editions, and have played every version in between, and have bought the core books so many times over I can’t count them all. Even the ones that sucked (read: Skills and Powers).

Through it all, I have never lost sight of the fact that the root of all current popular role-playing gaming can be distilled down to the work of one E. Gary Gygax (and that other guy). Sure, there were a lot of table-top war games that contributed to the RPG industry. None have ever had or continue to have the powerful impact and immense following that D&D have, though. And nobody has been considered more the voice of gaming than one Ernest Gary Gygax. None of you (damn) kids would ever be playing Warcraft, or even Doom, for that matter, had it not been for the explosive popularity of role playing games like D&D (and you kids keep off my lawn).

But I never met him. Never shook his hand, or got to thank him personally. Never even got an autograph. So why is his death so directly affecting me? Because it’s the death of a symbol. In my life, there have been precious few symbols that stand the test of time. My parents gave me nothing to hang from, in that regard, except perhaps a disregard for parent-child relationships. My time served in the United States Navy gave me many things, but nothing with the lasting power of a symbol. Aren’t I a true patriot? Certainly, but not a flag-waving zealot, to be sure. My current life is wonderful, too, and filled with pleasures that only my own hard work and perseverance have afforded me. I’m blessed to be able to share it with a wonderful woman, and look forward to passing on my good fortune to my children. But I see nothing in any of these things that carries the power of a symbol, not this symbol. Not for me, at least.

This. This…stupid, silly book:

That, to me, is a SYMBOL. A symbol with the subtitle, “by Gary Gygax.”

It’s a symbol of the eternalness of the child that lives behind these eyes. It’s a symbol of the joy of having a hobby that lets me make friends anywhere, at any time. It is, above all, a symbol of happiness. It gives me the breath to laugh in the face of death, and the temerity to dive headlong over precipice of oblivion, and after all that, I can have a glass of soda, eat a few cookies, and relax with a few good friends. How is that not powerful? How is that not a symbol?

There is one thing that I have done more than any other thing in my life, and that is play D&D. More than doing schoolwork, degrees notwithstanding. Certainly more than any job or career I have had. It has been more compelling to me at times than my own life (and there are those who would call this unhealthy, but look at me now, Jack Chick, and suck it). Frankly, there were times when I was so poor, that playing D&D was the only release I could afford (it helps if you have the books already…this was before WotC started revising the goddamn game every 18 months and fishing in your pockets). In all of my nearly thirty nine years on this planet, only eight of them were not haunted by those lovely little funny-looking dice, and those murderously heavy books.

Losing Gary Gygax weakens my perception of the immortality of this game. It puts my faith in its perpetuity at risk. It challenges my own mortality, too, of course. If Gygax can die, then what of my beloved game? Where in this fluid world will I be able to cast my childhood anchor? But the logical side of my brain takes over just in time, reminding me that the game is in other hands now, for better or worse, and is in no danger of slipping away (as long as WotC doesn’t screw the pooch). Frankly, as long as the old books are still available in used book shelves, the game is always just a store run away.

So, it’s with a heavy weight on my soul, that I say a final farewell to an idol of my childhood. My heart goes out to his family and friends, for they have lost a truly great man, faults and all. By comparison, all that I have lost is an icon of my youth, but that still makes me very sad, as silly as it may sound to you. Rest in peace, Gary. May all your hit rolls come up natural 20.

WHY EBOOK READERS?

I’m fascinated by emerging technology. Ebook readers aren’t exactly new, or even newsworthy, but I had an opportunity recently to paw at some of the best offerings available to mankind at the moment, and thought I’d share my thoughts on the whole experience. They offer a lot of convenience (carry an entire library of books in one book’s space), and a lot of new qualities (e-ink, which looks almost exactly like printed words on paper, and requires power only when refreshing/changing the page), but it remains to be seen, a) which is better, and b) why I would bother with either one.

HARDWARE

Over all, I preferred the look and feel of the Sony. I enjoyed the “smug factor” of waving a Kindle under the noses of friends and family and watching them salivate and “Oooh” at it, though…at least until I explained it was on loan and wasn’t really mine.

Kindle 1

Kindle 1′s greatest criticisms stem from its hardware. Its page buttons are enormous, and sit right at the device edges, where any stray thumb, finger, or stray bump in your sweater will cause a page turn (heh, heh…”The Sweater Bumps” is the name of my new band). This quickly became a nuisance that wasn’t soon forgiven or forgotten. The keyboard is larger than I expected to need on an ebook reader…it’s not a text machine or an email device, so why the huge keyboard, Amazon? Typing on the keyboard still isn’t very comfortable, in spite of the largeness (too big for thumbing like a smart phone, too small to use like a laptop), so surfing for book titles or looking things up wasn’t really all that much fun. The scroll-wheel and “magic” chrome LCD sidebar are cute, but ultimately not very compelling.

The styling has been described many ways (most amusing was that it was being called the “snow-speeder” after the Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back vehicle of the same name). It’s a bit goofy-looking, and feels cheap and chunky. As it turns out, my initial opinion of the hardware turned out to be dead right. Not only did I manage to break the screen by dropping the device (and the “book cover” was no help at all, since it doesn’t lock properly to the device), but Amazon has just released a complete redesign of the hardware. By the way, that drop was totally accidental.

Sony PRS 500

Although I preferred this device’s look and feel over the Kindle’s, it had its faults as well. Again with the large, clunky keyboard. This device had several options for page turning, none of which interfered with reading in any way, or caused any inadvertent page turning. I know it sounds like I’m harping on this, but 1) page turning is what drains the batteries on these devices, and 2) it’s a nuisance to keep finding yourself on a page you’ve either already read, or have no idea how you got there. Its “book cover” was locked solidly to the device’s rear cover, and required an alarming amount of force to remove (I was concerned I would break it before it gave and released normally). Mog smash.

The styling was sleek, and understated, as you’d expect from an experienced gadget company like Sony. It feels slightly heavy for its size (like every piece of fruit or vegetable you were ever told was ready to eat), which projects a sense of quality and resilience. Although this device was dropped, too (not by me, thankfully), I managed to break it a different way, so read on. Also, the white case on the Kindle makes the displayseem to be brighter than the Sony. It’s a total illusion, as it turns out, because both use identical e-ink displays, right down to their dimensions.

SOFTWARE

Kindle 1

The Kindle has a few advantages here, and they are big ones. First, the Kindle has a greater range of font sizes than the PRS 500.  Next, the Kindle’s biggest advantage: no leash. Wireless access not only to obtain more books, but for a number of web-based products like wikis, RSS feeds, and even subscription-based newspaper and magazine websites. Its use of Sprint’s Data Network (Amazon calls this “WhisperNet”) gives its users a dramatic range of freedom.

You can also manually load files to the device via USB-to-MicroUSB connection from any computer (no software required), but file type is a serious restriction here. Only its proprietary format and technically one other (.prc/.mobi, but only unprotected ones) can be read by the device, although I was able to find third party software that could make conversions from most other document formats. This is ironic, considering how web-friendly it is otherwise. No .html or .txt books? On the plus side, you can send documents to Amazon, who will (experimentally) reformat them and send them to your Kindle for a modest fee.

Sony PRS 500

Unlike the Kindle, you have to plan ahead with this device, and load everything you think you might want to read before you walk away from a computer. It’s got plenty of storage space, and like the Kindle 1, it has an SD card slot for expanding memory. Unlike the Kindle, and to my pleasant surprise, it reads a startling number of formats, including .pdf and .txt files. This makes dumping your own material on the device quite easy. Be warned with pdfs, though, if they are not resized to a smaller page size, reading them will require a lot of extra manipulation. If you have Acrobat Pro, this isn’t a problem, but not everyone can or will do this. The fact that it accepts a much wider range of formats (.lrf, .pdf, .txt, .rtf, ePub) makes it a good fit for people seeking to carry/convert their own works. Book purchases must be done via USB-to-MicroUSB, however, and software must be installed on the host computer before any transactions can be done (think iTunes and iPod).

So how did I break the Sony, you ask? I know you’re paying attention, so here goes: I just ran it dead. My loaner didn’t come with a wall-mounted charger, nor did it come with a warning like “Don’t drain it dead or it’ll never work for you again, dumb ass.” Sadly, that’s exactly what I did. Once it went back to its owner, who had the charger, it was easily enough recovered, but if I had been using that thing on travel without its charger, I’d have been one sad sack!

FOR PIRATES ONLY

I was able to quickly and quietly find a rather large supply of books to read via my friendly neighborhood bit-torrent website. It goes without saying that this was a) illegal, and b) fun as all hell. I took my ill-gotten gains (mostly in pdf and/or rtf formats), and downloaded some free software to convert them for both devices. Although the Sony takes .pdf and .rtf, I found I disliked the look/feel of those documents in the Sony, unless I converted them. Needless to say, none of the stuff I downloaded contained DRM, so there were no problems installing anything I downloaded.

As an additional experiment, I obtained a DRM-encrypted book from an associate (we’ll call her “Unwitting Accomplice” to preserve her anonymity). That content was formatted for Kindle, and was copied into the Kindle via manual cable connection, and played just as well as paid-for content and my DRM-free pirated content, so the pundits who cry foul at not being able to pass along books, once read, can bite me. Not true, simply put.

CONCLUSIONS

At the end of the day, I’m still not convinced I need any kind of eBook reader. It is novelty alone that would compel me to buy one at all, and at a nominal price of $200 for the Sony PRS 500, even it isn’t in my disposable income range. That means the Kindle, with it’s massive $360 price tag, is right the hell out. When you add to that cost the fact that books for either device still cost in the $10 average range (which is still more than an average paperback novel), it’s not a very convincing sales pitch.

I believe where this technology will find its niche is in replacing horrifically expensive printed textbooks and other educational materials, but only when the devices are capable of rendering higher resolution graphics (black and white is totally acceptable, but grainy charts and formulas are not!).

As of this writing, Kindle is in its second hardware iteration, having overcome a lot of its initial releases hardware shortcomings (no word yet on how easily Kindle 2 is destroyed, when dropped. If I get my hands on one, I’ll let you know). It looks slick, is reportedly much thinner and lighter, and probably makes the person holding one feel even more smug, when waving it under a peer’s nose. Cost is the same as Kindle 1, for those keeping score.

Sony hasn’t been idle, either. They released a PRS 505 with a few minor tweaks (slightly faster pagination, more memory, batteries that don’t stay dead when you run them dead, even if you don’t have a wall charger from your friend who forgot to mention, “Oh, by the way, don’t run it dead.”), and a sweet PRS 700 model that includes, among other improvements, annotation (apparently Kindle already had this…like I cared/noticed?), touch screen (sweet!) with gesture-based page turning, and a battery-draining backlight for reading in the dark (also sweet!). These features come with a hefty $399 price tag, though. I hear the downside of the touch screen is that the screen is now more glare-sensitive than standard e-ink screens. Watch for the tech guys to find a way to overcome that hurdle, or else say bye-bye to the touch screen yet again. I think most buyers will decide glare is more annoying than the touch screen is attractive.

Incidentally, I have a pocket eBook reader installed in my smart phone (freeware, duh), and guess what? I don’t read books on that thing, either! Surprise! ::sigh:: I guess I’m not the bibliophile everyone thinks I am.

I really enjoy the portability of flash drives, and I get the most bang for the buck on these by carrying not just music, or data files,  but my computing life!

• Server Simulators: As a growing web designer, I find I need to constantly flex my brain, and that means more or less constantly working on a web site, domain, or server. Unfortunately, that isn’t always possible. My work (like many, I’d bet) has a hideous firewall, behind which I am unable to access most administrative tools that are server-side. So I found MoWeS Portable ( MoWeS Portable, from CH Software). This is a true wonder! With this loaded on my flash drive (it takes on average about 100MB if you add extras, and why wouldn’t you? I’ll warn you, the installation can be a bit hinkey, but once done, it works just like a real server, only it’s running on your flash drive!  WOS also offers to sell you flash drives, but I’ve no idea whether they are good deals or not. My recommendation is to look for the fastest, rather than the largest flash drive. This will greatly improve your portable application performance. I personally loaded my portables to a micro HDD USB device, and although it’s not as hardy as flash, it doesn’t suffer flash’s shorter lifespan problems or speed issues. Of course, being a HDD, it died pretty quickly, so I bought a regular flash drive with the highest available write speed, for good measure. Go to WOS CH Software website, and it will custom-build you an installation package that includes any or all of the following:
  • Apache Server
  • MySQL Database Support
  • PHP support
  • Nearly a dozen other server-side installations, including content management systems like Joomla/Mambo, Wiki installations, Bulletin Boards, and more!
• PortableApps.com: The coders at PortableApps.com are committing acts of genius. They take open source and free software, convert them to flash-friendly (no registry writes needed to operate) software that can be easily installed to your flash drive, making it a portable workstation! Everything from Open Office to portable antivirus and anti-malware kits can turn your little thumb drive into a professional computer debugging kit and “anywhere” workstation. Imagine not carrying your laptop with you on vacation! Just find yourself an internet cafe, plug in the flash drive, and viola, your browser, complete with your favorites, your saved passwords, your office programs configured the way you like them. And when you pull the plug, nothing personal is left behind (oh, sure, browsing history is accessible, but who cares? Use an encrypted browser like xB Browser, and it won’t matter). Most of the freeware described on this page can be had in portable format, either from PortableApps.com or from other websites (see Links for more sources).
• Toolkits: I recommend trying an Italian kit called winPenPack (English/Italian switch in upper right corner of page) that provides everything but the web server in a monstrous installation of over 150 different applications. Download it along with the English language pack, and you can run a super-kit without having to do setup yourself, if you like. This is a really big download, and unpacked can take up a GB of memory, so this is not for you “week-ender” flash owners with only 512MB! I recommend using drives with at least 2GB and preferrably 4GB, just to save room for your work, a few tv episodes, and a little music to listen to while working.This is really worth it, though! Alternately, you can “DIY” by getting yourself a little program called PStart (short for Portable Start), and put it on your flash drive. Then add all your other apps to its menu, and create an autorun.ini file to run the program at startup, and what do you get? A personalized operations menu running in the system tray of whatever computer you plug the drive into, that’s what!

The real charm of portable software is being able to use familiar programs that retain your setting preferences even in unfamiliar settings. I hope you find this at least as interesting as I do, and I look forward to reading your responses to my findings.

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• It must be extremely light on RAM and ROM, at least when compared to other applications of its kind. This is especially important for programs that replace existing WinMo applications (and they must do the job a LOT better to be considered a true replacement).
• I prefer that it be a multi-tasker. Things that only do one thing must do it EXTREMELY well to be considered.
• It’s got to add something to the usefulness of the device. I’ve played some really fine games on my WinMobile device, but that’s a subject for its own page. Games are not considered part of usefulness in this article.

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QuickMenu

Site Link

Lets you navigate your programs and settings menus just like a windows desktop machine. No more closing 6 folders after you’ve run your program. Menus are highly configurable, and can include or ignore currently open programs. Latest version has exclusion rules for always-on programs. Also has built in battery/memory indicators, and can make X button close programs or minimize, at your preference (with opposite action happening on long-tap of X button). Also has built in hibernate feature to recover RAM loss issues. Does so many things, and looks so clean and professional, I can’t resist. This is my #1 WinMo App!

Total Commander CE

Site Link

Vastly superior to the default file explorer in every WinMo version I have ever used. Manage & explore files and folders, create shortcuts, has built-in registry editor, built in FTP manager, built-in LAN manager, built-in ASCII editor. All around superior tool.

Mortplayer

Site Link

For those who use their mobile as a music player. Kills the screen and sets buttons to act like just a media player to save power while listening, has great skinning capabilities, and is very feature rich. It even has a timeout feature to play as you go to sleep and then “put itself to bed.” Also is compatible with most BT Stereo headset playback controls, which not many audio players can claim. Plays mp3 and ogg formats only, but skins, controls, and “player” modes are worth this limitation. This is a one-trick pony, but oh, what a trick!

iContact

Site Link

Replaces the default contacts manager, and does so with class. I was a long-time fan of PocketCM contact manager, but it just became too bloated and slow to continue recommending it. Although iContact does not manage SMS threading like PocketCM does, I found that I don’t really miss it that much. Skinnable, to a certain degree, but it’s main benefit is that it already looks 100 times better than the Windows default contact manager, and is finger friendly, unlike the default.

ClearTemp

Site Link
One of the few single use items on this list, but only because it performs a critical function that I haven’t seen done half as well by any multi-tasker (including SKTools). Cleans out your mobile’s temp files, strips dead links, clears unused registry entries, and generally makes your mobile a more hospitable environment for your files. Does it quickly and safely.

TCPMP

Site Link

The Core Pocket Media Player does for Windows Mobile what Windows Media Player did for PCs, but never could do for mobile devices. Simply a superior tool. Plays nearly any media format, and has easy to use controls and playlist management. Not my first choice for using my WinMo phone as an MP3 player, though, as was previously noted. Much better for video playback, and even other audio formats.

Schap’s Advanced Configuration Tool

Site Link

This amazing tool helps you modify a LOT of registry settings that would otherwise represent a tedious manual task. Saves me a TON of time on customizing after I flash a new OS to my phone, and lets me adjust things as needed. Just remember to close any open work before using this, as the last step is always a reboot.

Google Maps for Mobile

Site Link
Puts navigation tools on your mobile. Even those without GPS can use it, and it will use radio triangulation to guess your current location! Those with GPS have better accuracy, but the same full features. Needs no other explanation, really. Simply the “go-to” program for finding things on the go. Now has additional search capabilities for finding nearby businesses, etc. just like Live Search…which renders Live Search useless to me, yet again.

Opera Mini Browser

Site Link

The Pocket IE browser is, well, lame. It’s about as good as any other WAP browser, which isn’t saying much. If you want an iPhone-like web experience with your WinMo phone, try this browser. Yes, it’s by far the largest app I’ve ever recommended, but the heavy download comes with the functionality of a full browser. The only thing that would make this app perfect would be the ability to switch between full screen (default) and seeing my taskbar, so I could watch the clock and/or battery strength while surfing, and pull up notifications. Very smart surfing, considering the screen size.

UPX4PPC

Site Link

File sizes of applications and their libraries getting you down? Well, bring them down, in file size, I mean. This little application will make all of your uncompressed .exe files and .dll files much smaller (sometimes as much as 40% smaller!), leaving you with more memory space to add more applications!

MyMobiler

Site Link

Technically, this is a PC application, but it’s made for use with your mobile. Does the one thing ActiveSync should have done, but never did, lets you see and operate your mobile from your PC monitor! Allows for typing, touch actions, and can even be used to drag-n-drop files. Must-have for anyone who works from their mobile a lot while synchronized with a PC.