Yoink! One radio station steals another's new format

Radio is something that I've been passionate about for several years. I've worked for four or five radio stations here in Montreal in some capacity over the past six years, and I've enjoyed it immensely. I may be a volunteer at Radio Shalom, but I really do enjoy what I do there.

Anyway, that being said, I'm a pretty big radio geek as well. One of the things I love to do is record format changes off of online streams, and then share them with fellow radio geeks. I love historic stuff too, and what's more historic than the beginning or end of something?

Format changes are often shrouded in mystery or controversy. Some stations will play something totally bizarre and random before launching their new format, just to spike listener interest. The identity of the new format is usually kept under wraps until a specific launch time.

Recently, a format change in Milwaukee caused a bit of a stir. Two stations were planning to flip formats. Saga Communications-owned WJZX, formerly known as Smooth Jazz 106.9 was planning to drop the smooth jazz format and shift to a new CHR (Top 40) format that would be called 106.9 Now. On May 27th at high noon, the stage was set for the transition to 106.9 Now. A domain for the new format's website had been established, and the station had even reserved the new call sign of WNQW. Everything appeared to be ready for the change.

After the obligatory end-of-format announcement from WJZX's general manager, WJZX became Tiger 106.9, a stunt / gag format that played "music for liars and cheaters." Obviously, it was patterned after Tiger Wood's cheating debacle, and it played songs about infidelity. Kind of a funny idea, I have to admit. Some of these stunt formats, while merely placeholders, are quite creative. WJZX would adopt this format until after Memorial Day weekend, when they would officially launch 106.9 Now.

Meanwhile, across town, Clear Channel-owned WQBW, formerly 97.3 The Brew, was planning to drop their '80s rock format in favour of a new CHR format as well. When they heard about WJZX's intentions to reformat as Radio Now, they acted fast. The next day, May 28th, WQBW abruptly segued into the new CHR format, identifying themselves as Radio Now 97.3.

Now, that's gotta be the dirtiest trick I've ever seen. WQBW basically "yoinked" the Now moniker from WJZX while they were stunting. Competion among radio stations in a given market is nothing new, but stealing one station's new format is another. They beat their competitor to the punch, and laid claim on the Now format and branding. Clear Channel later said that they were planning to flip WQBW, but once they became aware of WJZX's plans, they moved the switch up.

Obviously shocked by WQBW's rather unusual move, the only thing WJZX could do was continue stunting. The Tiger 106.9 format remained in place until May 29th at 7 PM, when it was dropped in favour of American-themed music in honour of Memorial Day. When I tuned in online yesterday, they were still playing the American stuff (songs that make reference to America, military marches, etc.). Tom Joerres, the general manager of Saga Milwaukee said in a recent interview that the new format won't be launching anytime soon due to this rather controversial format yoink. So I guess we'll be hearing American stuff (or something else) on 106.9 for quite some time. You can read the interview here: http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/entertainment/95130799.html

In my three-plus years of recording format change airchecks, I have never seen something as bizarre as this happen before. I guess the only thing that can be said is "you snooze, you lose." WJZX, which has now officially adopted the WNQW call letters, chose to wait to launch the Radio Now format in order to build listener interest, and the format itself. This ultimately proved to be a big mistake, as WQBW swooped in and stole it from them. Radio is often a cutthroat industry which features heavy competition among competitors. Clearly, the competition ended up with the upper hand in this situation. Meantime, I'll continue to follow this most interesting story, and I'll have more updates for you as soon as I can get them.

More info on the situation can be found here: http://radioinsight.com/

On The Mark Transcript - May 30th, 2010

Here is this week's On The Mark transcript. Enjoy :)!

In the news this week…



A major northern highway in Greece was closed for two hours earlier this week for a very strange reason – an invasion of frogs.


Millions of frogs covered the highway, which led a police officer to call it “a carpet of frogs.” Authorities closed the highway after three cars skidded off the road trying to dodge the frogs. No human injuries were reported.


The frogs had most likely left a nearby lake to look for food. I think they were trying to set a world record for the largest-ever game of Frogger.
--
In a bizarre twist on the old adage “man bites dog”, a New York man bit another man. Oddly enough, dogs were actually involved.


A sheriff’s office said that one man bit another during a fight over a couple of dogs at a park in New City, about 30 miles north of New York. One of the men didn’t like the way their pets were playing at a dog park.


A third man tried to stop the fight, but he was bit on the wrist by one of the combatants. Perhaps the biter didn’t like the dog treats that he had been offered.
--
And now, here is another story from the Stupid Criminals File.


Repeat offenders are a regular sight in the police files. Usually, these people are caught committing the same crime several months apart. However, one recent repeat offender was given two DUIs in the span of only five hours.


Police in Missoula, Montana say that Frank Rees was arrested at about 2:30 a.m. on suspicion of drunken driving and posted a $500 bond just before 5:30 a.m. About two hours later, Rees was again arrested on suspicion of drunken driving, this time after police reported he hit a parked car.


This just in – Frank Rees has been arrested yet again, this time after being freed from prison. The offence this time – DUI, or Driving Under Idiocy.
--
And now, here’s your Radio Shalom sports scoreboard.


Morrison Berkshire, the official home team of the Howie Silbiger Show, finished in second place in the North Adams Division standings. They had an impressive 11 – 2 record, with a .846 winning percentage. Here’s hoping they will go deep in the playoffs.
In underwater hockey action, South Africa beat France 6 – 2 at the CMAS 13th Underwater Hockey European Open Championships


Finally, in chess boxing action, Andy “The Rock” Costello defeated Sergio “The Phoenix” Leveque by KO in the 8th round in the European Heavyweight Championship Eliminator.
--
And now, here’s your Radio Shalom travel forecast.


Cluj is having a relatively nice evening with a high of 19 with some clouds. Over in Ufa, it’s a bit cold, with a high of only 9 under partly cloudy skies. It’s sunny with a few clouds in Vigo right now, with a high of 20, and finally, Bulawayo is experiencing some light rain with a high of 14.
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Studies have shown that people want some educational value from newscasts. In response to that, we present the Word of the Week. This week’s word is rowdy-dow, which means to be noisy or boisterous. See? We just saved you a trip to the dictionary.
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This segment is more than just about the news, it’s also about luck. This week’s Random.org Lucky Number is 24310. May it provide you with no end of good luck this week. That number again is 24310.
--
Wanna get on your story on the radio? There’s two ways to do it. You can either get your own radio station, or send your news stories to mark@truetalkradio.com. We’ll read only the good ones. As for the bad ones, well, that’s a story best left untold. You can also visit the official On the Mark blog at www.madmark77.blogspot.com, where past newscasts will be archived.

That’s what’s making news this week. For Radio Shalom News, I’m Mark David, and now you’re On the Mark. See you next week.

Absolute Rubbish: The Million Pound Drop Live

Part of the reason why I started this blog was to share my opinions and reviews of certain things, both good and bad. I also live giving these kinds of things creative names and taglines, so negative reviews will be written about under the "Absolute Rubbish" name. Here comes the first Absolute Rubbish review.

I like game shows. If done correctly, they can be fun, entertaining, and even suspenseful. The same can be said about virtually any type of TV show. The point being, if they keep us interested, we will watch these shows in droves.

Occasionally, you get a game show with a good concept and format that suffers from numerous problems. An example of that is The Million Pound Drop Live, which is on Britain's Channel 4.

Channel 4 has a history of having some great, award winning game shows on their schedule. Recent examples include the long-running Countdown, which holds the distinction of being the very first program broadcast on the channel when it launched in 1982. Another example is ratings powerhouse Deal or No Deal, fronted by veteran British TV and radio personality Noel Edmonds. What sets The Million Pound Drop Live apart from these shows is that the latter actually don't suck.

On paper, MPD sounds like a pretty simple concept. Contestants are spotted with £1 million in bundles of £25,000. The object of the game is the attempt to keep as much of that money as possible by answering a series of eight multiple-choice trivia questions. The contestants place can place the money on as many answers as desired, based upon how sure they are of the answer(s) being correct. After the money is placed, trap doors open up under the incorrect answers. Obviously, any money that's placed on a wrong answer is literally dropped out of the game, and subtracted from the original million. If there's any money left after that, play continues. The eighth and final question is all-or-nothing, as all of the remaining money must be placed. The number of possible answers decreases after every few questions, increasing both the risk and difficulty of the game. 

The show is presented live, and some of the questions asked reflect this. In addition, people can play along online while the show is on. Based on what I've read, contestants were selected via Facebook and Twitter. This, in effect, is also how the show is promoted.

As interesting as this all seems, there has been only one winner out of the six shows that have been aired thus far (a total of seven episodes will air). Everyone else failed miserably. One contestant was also stupid enough to lose the entire million pounds on the very first question. This exposes three major flaws with the show. One, the contestants chosen don't appear to be very intelligent; two, the contestants aren't playing conservatively, and three, no one is going to watch a show where people keep winning nothing. Had I been playing, I'd have placed smaller bets on each answer. As for the final question, that would have been a difficult decision. I'm not used to taking such large risks. The sole winners (contestants either play alone or in pairs) managed to win only £75,000 of the original million. That's rather pathetic, considering they could have won thousands more if they had done a better job of keeping their money safe.

In short, The Million Pound Drop Live suffers because of the casting. Sure, the format is pretty good, but the casting department obviously didn't do a good job, since there has been only one winner in six nights. The producers must be happy; they've been able to save the show's budget on numerous occasions. Casting was one of many issues behind the cancellation of NBC's Deal or No Deal, as the contestants on that show were complete idiots. I wonder if The Million Pound Drop Live will get any more winners. It remains to be seen, but given the show's track record thus far, I'm not very optimistic about it.

6 Dice, 1 Cup: Battle of the Farkles

Above: 6 dice, 1 cup. The essential ingredients of any Farkle game.

If you like to play games while on Facebook (I know I do), then you've probably heard of Farkle. Farkle is an addictive dice game that has been around for years. It involves six dice, lots of risk-taking, and an equal amount of luck. The object of the game is to score as many points as possible in 10 rounds using the dice. I like to think of it as "Yahtzee on crack." It's a fun game to play if you're bored at work or wherever.

  

The image to the left shows the many scoring combinations in a standard game of Farkle. Ones and fives are your best friends in the game, as they tend to come up most often. If, at any time, you can't score any points with any of the dice, it is considered a "Farkle", and you lose any unbanked points accumilated on that turn. In most versions of the game, the minimum amount of points one can bank in a single turn is 300. 

There are several versions of the game available on Facebook now, each with their own special features, rules, and bonuses. I'll be doing reviews of some of the versions I play, and discussing their pros and cons.

1. Farkle Classic
Actually titled "Farkle", this is the original version of the game. It follows all of the standard rules and scoring configurations. One of the unique versions of this game is the fact that you can play against a friend once you reach a specific level. Just like in a casino, chips are earned after every game, and can be used to purchase additional turns and other game enhancements. You earn 25 chips after ever game, and more can be earned through a special bonus game, which can be played every four hours. In the bonus game, you play a standard round of Farkle, and the points banked are converted to chips. A recent addition to the game are "Farkle Powers", which are activated with "Power Dice". Everyone starts with 30 Power Dice, and one is deducted every time a power is used. Additional Power Dice are earned every 24 hours. The maximum amount that can be earned are 12, but you can't carry more than 30. The Farkle Powers are Unfarkle (-F), which can be used to undo a Farkle, Roll 6 (+6), which allows you to roll a fresh set of six dice and rack up additional points, and Double (x2), which doubles the score for each turn. Each power can be used once per game, and they can also be used in the Bonus Game.

Although this is the Farkle game that started it all, it has deteriorated in quality over the past few months. New rules changes are introduced without prior notice, and many users have cried foul to them. The Farkle Powers were actually borrowed from another Farkle incarnation (more on that later), and while the add to the game, their use has recently been modified. The chips don't really have much use beyond purchasing additional rounds (only up to three). As the old adage states, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." However, the rampant changes made by the developers have resulted in many angry users. I say they just should left things alone, but that's just one man's opinion. Of all the versions that I play, I play this one the least now. Oddly enough, my friends have done the same.

2. Farkle 2
Farkle 2 is a slightly modified version of Farkle Classic. It features the same scoring and rules as its predecessor, and basically plays the same way. There is only one power available in this version, and it is the Unfarkle option (Cost: 100 chips), which has unlimited use. Unlike the original version, there is no bonus game for chips. Instead, additional chips can be earned in a variety of ways, most of them in-game. The are challenges featured in the sidebar which, if completed, earn you additional chips. They all involve getting a certain amount of points, sometimes several times in a row (i.e., three rounds of 1,650 points, a 2,900 round score, a game score of 20,000, etc.). Additional chips are earned at the first login, after every game, and by increasing skill levels. You start at Level 1, and a meter tracks your progression to the next level. Each level-up rewards 50 chips, and a funky superlative. In addition, getting medals in the weekly tournament based on your daily game scores can earn you even more chips. This proves that the chips are actually relevant in this incarnation.

What I find to be the best thing about Farkle 2 is the extremely generous scoring. It is not uncommon to get a score of 2,000 points or more in one turn (my best is 22,400 in one round). In addition, I find it far easier to take risks in this version that I would not normally even attempt in Farkle Classic. The only major change Farkle 2 has made recently is a complete overhaul of its graphics, which was met with much happiness from users. Overall, this version is the most well-rounded and fun Farkle variant I've played thus far, and it's also the one I play most often as a result.

3. Super Farkle
Super Farkle is significant because it was the first version to feature Farkle Powers that can earn you additional points or undo Farkles. It seems to have been designed for the younger set, due to its graphics and the presence of cutesy cartoon characters. Despite that, it still plays very well. As always, it follows the standard Farkle rules and scoring, and offers gems (instead of chips) for logging in, completing challenges or levelling up. The only changes this version has made recently is the addition of power-up items which can be acquired in-game. These power-ups are one-time use items that usually add a certain amount of points to your round score. I find it to be a good change. I don't play this version nearly as often as I play Farkle 2, but I find it to be lots of fun. The cute characters don't detract from the game, and the addition of the powers helps signficantly. In case you were wondering, the powers available in Super Farkle are Unfarkle (300 gems), Roll Six (500 gems), and Doubler (1,000 gems), You can also purchase an additional round for 3,000 gems.

4. Lucky Farkle
I've only just discovered Lucky Farkle recently, thanks to the insistance of a friend, and I must say, I'm not very impressed with it. As usual, it's your basic Farkle game, but with a twist: virtual scratch cards. Every scoring combination has a mystery prize next to it, such as additional points, additional chips, and sometimes free turns. Each scratch card features a background from one of the zillions of other Facebook games made by the same developer. In addition, some are rarer than others (indicated by the color of the border). You can only get each prize once, but if you throw one of the combinations you already scratched off, you get full credit for the roll, but you don't get to re-scratch that area. This harkens back to Yahtzee, where once you scored a certain combination, you couldn't do it again. You can also buy more scratch cards with your chips.

Speaking of rolls, there are some major pros and cons to doing so. One of the pros is that there is no minimum score required to bank points. If you don't feel like taking the risk, you can bank 250 points or less, if you wish. However, the risk is one of the cons. The name Lucky Farkle is clearly a misnomer, as this game has a higher Farkle rate than any of the others. In fact, I've had numerous consecutive rolls where I Farkled on the first roll. That makes the game look very rigged, in my opinion. And unlike the other versions, if that occurs, you can't Unfarkle it. In fact, this version has no powers at all. I guess the developers thought that since the scratch cards offered so many bonuses, the powers would have been redundant. I disagree, but what can you do?

Another major flaw I've found with (Un)Lucky Farkle is the subtraction of chips from your stash while you play. As I said before, there are no powers in this version, so the fact that this happens makes no sense, and is rather stupid. In addition, sometimes, you can give scratch cards to a friend who is also playing the game. However, many users have complained that when this happens, neither side receives the scratch card(s). I can attest to that, as it's happened to me a few times already.

The bottom line is, despite the fact that this version features some unique bonuses, the game itself is heavily flawed. I understand that risk is a major part of any version of Farkle, but like I said, Lucky Farkle has an impossibly high Farkle rate not seen in any other version. And of course, there's the other flaws I've mentioned. Granted, this incarnation is currently in the beta stages, and given the extent of the problems, the developers have a lot of work to do. Hopefully they will listen to the comments their players are posting. Lucky Farkle has the potential to be great, but these flaws hinder its execution significantly.

And there you have it. I hope you've enjoyed these reviews. Happy Farkling, and may your next roll of the dice be six ones (that's worth 4,000 points and a free roll) ;).

On The Mark Transcript - May 23rd, 2010

As promised yesterday, here is this week's On The Mark transcript. Enjoy :).

In the news this week…

It’s a well-known fact that most students take the school bus to school. However, a recent mishap in New Jersey saw a bunch of kids being transported to an entirely different location.


Around 30 students boarded the school bus as usual at 7:45 AM, thinking that they were going to school. When the driver hightailed it onto the New Jersey Turnpike, the students realized something was amiss.


It turned out that the bus they boarded had arrived early to transport another group of students to Six Flags Great Adventure. Police later intercepted the bus and helped to return the students to their school.


My question is, why did the students tell the driver to turn around? I’m sure they’d have preferred a day at Six Flags over a day at school.


--


In a previous edition of On the Mark, I read you a report about some teenagers who were arrested at a McDonald’s for rapping their order to the drive-thru clerk. There have since been some new developments in the story.


A court recently found Spenser Dauwalder, 18, of Salt Lake City to be not guilty of causing disorderly conduct. In fact, he had not been the one doing the rapping. He had actually been driving the car.


City officials were disappointed with the result, stating that Dauwalder was complicit in what had transpired.


The official verdict given in the courtroom read “Not McGuilty.”


--


And now, here is another story from the Stupid Criminals File.


We’ve all heard stories about grand theft auto, but have you ever heard one about grand theft aircraft?


A homeless man stole and crashed an airplane at a Maryland airport, causing about $12,000 worth of damage. Despite this, he’ll only have to pay $40 in restitution fees.


Calvin C. Cox, 51, claimed he stole the plane because he was “homeless and cold.” He was later sentenced to a nine-month prison term, but was eventually released in April so that he could pay the restitution fees.


I assume his real reason for stealing the plane was to fly to the nearest bar or soup kitchen. If I’m every hungry or cold, I’m going to steal a parka.


--


And now, here’s your Radio Shalom sports scoreboard.


In lacrosse action, the Washington Stealth defeated the Toronto Rock 15 – 11 at Comcast Arena Saturday in Everett, Wash. to become the 2010 NLL Champions.


Marysville High School has won the 2010 Arnold Archery Championships with an impressive final score of 3,361 points.


Finally, in Little League Baseball action, Morrison Berkshire defeated Elks by a score of 6 – 2. Winning pitcher Mike Bloom had three strikeouts for Morrison Berkshire.


--


And now, here’s your Radio Shalom travel forecast.


Pago Pago is looking nice with some sun and partial cloudiness, and a high of 28 degrees. It’s a relatively clear night in Baku with some clouds and a high of 19. The same can be said about Torre del Greco, only with a high of 18. Tsu is currently experiencing some light rain and a high of 16. Finally, Vaduz is looking promising with a high of 24 and a few clouds.


--


Studies have shown that people want some educational value from newscasts. In response to that, we present the Word of the Week. This week’s word is nihilartikel, which is a deliberately erroneous entry in a dictionary or other reference book . See? We just saved you a trip to the dictionary.


--


This segment is more than just about the news, it’s also about luck. This week’s Random.org Lucky Number is 35345. May it provide you with no end of good luck this week. That number again is 35345.


--


Wanna get on your story on the radio? There’s two ways to do it. You can either get your own radio station, or send your news stories to mark@truetalkradio.com. We’ll read only the good ones. As for the bad ones, well, that’s a story best left untold. You can also visit the official On the Mark blog at www.madmark77.blogspot.com, where past newscasts will be archived.


That’s what’s making news this week. For Radio Shalom News, I’m Mark David, and now you’re On the Mark. See you next week.

New Feature: On The Mark Newscast Transcripts

Since this blog was relaunched to become an extension of my weekly satirical newscast on Radio Shalom (they do share a name, after all), I will be posting the transcript of the current week's newscast here on my blog after I read them live on The Howie Silbiger Show. If you're interested in hearing me read On The Mark live, be sure to listen to Radio Shalom (AM 1650 in Montreal) at around 7 PM Eastern time on Sundays. You can also listen online at http://www.radio-shalom.ca/.

And don't forget to listen to the rest of The Howie Silbiger Show as well. It's a very good show. Howie, Rabbi Shlomo Mahn, and I will appreciate it ;).

Thought for the Day: Looters Aren't Hockey Fans

The No. 8 seed Montreal Canadiens recently eliminated the No. 2 seed Pittsburgh Penguins from the playoffs, which gave the entire city a reason to celebrate. After the game, which had been broadcasted live on a big screen at the Bell Centre, fans took to the streets to celebrate the improbable victory. Part of St. Catherine St. was closed to vehicular traffic as a result. But it didn't take long for things to get ugly in the midst of this celebratory atmosphere.

Several people began smashing windows of some of the stores on St. Catherine, and subsequently began stealing things from them. The police, which were out in full force, later made 41 arrests in connection with the thievery. Some of the individuals taken into custody were minors.

Now, I can understand that people were very happy with the Habs' epic victory. I know I was; I had been watching the game at home. But what connection does smashing windows and looting stores have to do with being a hockey fan? I fail to see one. I find these actions to be stupid and pointless. Yes, the Habs won, and as great as that is, that doesn't mean that you have to go around destroying everything in sight. In addition, there are cameras virtually everywhere on St. Catherine, so this makes the people who committed these despicable acts look even more stupid. I'm sure that the surveillance video(s) will be used to apprehend all the indivduals that were responsible for this.

These overly rowdy individuals aren't true hockey fans, in my opinion. The true fans are those who are able to celebrate a monumental win with some good-natured fun and partying. Looting doesn't make you a better hockey fan; it makes you a better criminal. I hope that our police force deals with these idiots in a way they see fit. This is beyond unacceptable, and hopefully, it will not continue. I shudder to think about what would happen if the Habs were to win the Stanley Cup...

Fake yo-yo champ dupes several Wisconsin TV stations

My weekly newscast on Radio Shalom, On The Mark with Mark David, highlights bizarre and unusual news stories from around the world. Basically, everything you're not reading in the papers or seeing on television makes it into my newscast. I believe that people are tired of hearing the same news all week, so what my newscast does is puts a fresh perspective on the news by changing things up a bit. It's fun, it's interesting, and it's also good for a few laughs.

I recently happened upon a weird news story that I'd like to discuss. A 35-year-old man named Kenny "K-Strass" Strasser has been appearing on several Wisconsin television stations claiming that he is a yo-yo champion. He apparently works for a company called Zim Zam, which produces special yo-yos that are "greener". Normally, this would sound pretty interesting, but there were several discrepancies found when Mr. Strasser did live interviews for these TV stations. Take a look at the video below to see the extent of these discrepancies:

WSAW: Fake Yo-yo champ investigation and prank @ Yahoo! Video

Many believe that this whole thing is a big sham, and is part of some kind of elaborate comedic set-up. Judging by the above video from WSAW-TV in Wausau, Wisconsin, I am inclined to agree. The American Yo-Yo Association even said that they have never heard of Mr, Strasser, and that his accolades are false. One of the reporters mentioned that in a telephone conversation, Mr. Strasser admitted that he stretched the truth a bit. It also proves that some news outlets also need to do better research when booking interviews with people. Mr. Strasser looked really dumb in his interviews, and was basically just rambling the whole time. And when he demonstrated his yo-yo skills, he failed epically. He even forgot his yo-yo strings in one of them! If that doesn't prove that this guy is a fraud, then I don't know what does.

This story proves that fact-checking is vital before booking interviews. You can't always take everything that you see or hear for face value. This is an issue that has been brought up several times on a discussion forum that I frequent. It applies to everything. A lot of people don't trust the media because of occurrences like this one. As a journalist myself, I always present information that is factual and true.


Had I been working for WSAW, I'd have done a fair amount of background research on Kenny Strasser and Zim Zam before deciding to do an interview. Journalism requires one to research things with a fine-toothed comb. Clearly, this was not done properly here, and they let this guy embarrass himself and the station on live television. 


The moral of the story is, research first, interview later. If the subject seems to be sketchy, either do more research, or cancel it outright. Making an embarrassment out of yourself is a risk that need not be taken. The Kenny Strassers of the world do not deserve airtime.

Randomness Evolved

Hello, Interwebs. I am in the process of retooling the ol' blog a bit right now. Updates will be more frequent, as I am a guy with a lot to say, and I need a place to expel it from my mind.

The first change that you'll notice is the new name, On The Mark. This name is borrowed from a weekly satirical newscast that I do on Radio Shalom (AM 1650) here in Montreal. The new tagline of "Randomness Evolved" will reflect the fact that I will discuss virtually anything here, be it random thoughts, ideas, or whatever else I can come up with. No holds barred.

So for the -4 of you who actually read this stuff, stay tuned for more exciting (?) changes, coming soon to a screen near you.