Is Visions Electronics Really Your Best Price?

My wife is looking for a simple laptop so she does not have to share my desktop with me anymore. As she puts it and I understand, she wants a computer she can call her own. Nothing fancy, just a simple, portable unit that will allow he to check her emails and listen to her music and watch the occasional movie from the comfort of her chase.

Today we received the newest, Visions Electronic flyer, in the mail, well that got her excited when she saw the sweet deals Visions was offering…. Netbooks starting at the sale price of $198.00 and 17.3” Acer laptops for only $498.00, plus tax… Sweet deals with the savings of $150.00 off the regular price. Sweet that is until we read the fine print. Not your high-end systems but they are just what she needs and in the price range, she desires to spend.

Yes, at those prices you knew there had to be a catch, right! There was, the deal is you get a Netbook or Laptop at the advertised price, IF you subscribe for a 2 to 3 year contract with a TELUS internet connection of only $40.00 or more per month.

If you do not have internet service already then perhaps it would be a great deal, but what are the chances of that.

As it stands the $150.00 savings on the advertised Netbooks and Laptops becomes a $960.00 (plus tax and installation fees) extra on the advertised price, which is not such a great savings after all.

The moral is, not everything you see in a Visions Flyer, or any flyer for that matter, is always what it seems. Read the fine print and do your homework before you buy. As the old saying goes, “If it seems too good to be true, it most likely is!” In this case it, as I see it is just a well-defined marketing ploy to sway the wary buyer into purchasing an item they are better off paying the full price for, or better still shop around at the other dealers, we are and there are and to date I am finding far better deals.

Visions states, “Visions, Your Best Price!” in this case, they are anything but, as I see it!

Cooliris Photo Wall

CancelAd’s, Are You Willing to Pay?

Are you willing to pay to Cancel Ad’s while surfing the internet? Profy.com thinks you may and have come up with that they perceive as the solution for both web users and marketers alike.

Presenting CancelAds, the brainchild of Svetlana Gladkova and developed by her business partner, Marcus Reimold, a German internet entrepreneur and owner of socialoyster.com and jigtweets.com.

CancelAd’s was designed to allow you, the end-user, to enjoy ad-free surfing on web sites and blogs that are part of the CancelAd’s program. For a small subscription fee per web site or blog, you can not only enjoy viewing the member site free of ads, but also have access to information non-members will not.
Personally, when Svetlana first informed me about the service I was standoffish. Being a member of the older generation I immediately perceived CancelAd’s as a frivolous attempt at generating revenue for a service that was, well, pointless. I mean, I use, Customize Google, Adblock Plus add-ons for Firefox, which serves my needs quite well along with my RSS feed reader and TinyRead.

However, as Svetlana pointed out during our correspondence in respect to CancelAd’s, “There is a difference between simple ad blocking by a plug-in for Firefox and CancelAds”, she notes, “We offer web surfers the option to avoid ads, where online publishers (bloggers like yourself or myself) still make money.” She continues by saying, “At the same time when a usual ad blocking tool is used, the publisher loses money on lost ad impressions – so it is an approach to fair ad blocking, not competition to the existing tools.”

After reading her correspondence and the complete article and doing some deep soul searching I realized I was not giving the program or the idea a fair evaluation and decided to do some personal research before making my final judgement. I wanted to ensure I was giving CancelAd’s an honest chance. With details in hand I decided to ask some members of the younger generation from age 15 to 36 of varied levels of internet usage and I admit I was surprised in the unanimous vote of both interest and appeal such a service actually has. It seems, after discussing the program with others of my age group that the older generation has a developed a higher level of patience when dealing with online spam/advertising.

Advertising is a way of life, like it or not. As a business, it is a necessity in an attempt to generate potential clients and keeping exiting ones thereby ensuring the survival of one’s company. As an individual, advertisements can be either a doorway to enlightenment or hell depending on the message and the frequency they are presented. In some cases, it is seen as a visual assault on ones senses, which can then lead to potential loss of new and or existing clientele. It then raises the question can CancelAds bring peace and harmony to both publishers/advertisers and viewers alike which comes down to wait and see and on the other hand, if Profy.com and their CancelAd program do not at least try they will never know.

As Svetlana has pointed out CancelAd’s already has a number of users signed up in an attempt to monetize their sites, many of which she notes are bloggers as well as a web service called Mloovi Twitter Translator. Svetlana goes on to point out that, the sites are not restricted to just English origin as many are also in Chinese, Spanish and even Arabic.

It should be noted that web publishers DO NOT pay any fees for being part of the CancelAd program. However, a portion of the end-user subscription fees are deducted to cover CancelAds service fees and expenses, which as Svetlana points out, is similar to what any paid service does.

As she further notes, “…I don’t think the service will help publishers attract new customers, instead it is able to help them convert their exiting readers into paying customers…”

It seems CancelAd’s, while still in its infancy is generating some buzz on the internet from the likes of, Allen Stern of CenterNetworks, Jolie O’Dell of ReadWriteWeb and Steven Finch of Crenk each well worth checking out to better allow you to define your own feelings about CancelAd’s.

For myself, while I can see both the pros and cons of CancelAd’s, even after researching it further and actually signing up to better understand it I personally do not see myself paying for the service. It is not based on the fact I would have to pay a micro amount of dollars for the service, in fact, my decision is not based on money, but rather on the fact, I am personally content with the options I have and still use for the past few years that just work for me. (Plus I am somewhat set in my ways and change takes time) That is not to say I will cancel my membership with CancelAd’s, which is free to join ( it is the end-user subscriptions that you pay for) as I may in the future find a need for its services so I am keeping the door open especially after reading one point on particular that Svetlana made to me.

“Allan, I’m afraid I can hardly agree it is fair to use any ad blocking tool because web publishers expect to make money off advertising…”

A valid point, which as a business owner myself I have to agree, it then comes down to what you the end user feel is fair for you. We all know that some, not all, advertisers go overboard in an attempt to get their message across. Some are just downright unethical such as the porn pop-ups for example. Not all advertisers are unethical and do provide a good service but sadly, the bad ones ruin it for everyone.

Remember the world needs open-minded visionaries who are willing to take chances despite all odds. In conclusion, while it is not a service I have a present need for I wish Svetlana and her business partner Marcus much success.

LeapFish, a Slum Dog Millionaire?

I had intended to post this article in January of this year and for personal reasons held off. I have since made a pact with myself to finish any project I start regardless of how I feel about it. It is with that in mind I present the following!

I had the opportunity to watch the movie, Slum Dog Millionaire and for some strange reason I reflected about the controversial topic of LeapFish. Like the main character and the overall plot, in the movie, LeapFish has numerous twists and turns, but we know the truth is out there, somewhere!

LeapFish first came to my attention on November 27, 2008 when I received and email from sspr.com, a marketing firm in Princeton, New Jersey. Normally I would send unsolicited email directly to the trash without any thought of opening it prior, but for some unexplainable reason I opened it:

Hi Allan,
Ben Behrouzi is a 27-year old serial entrepreneur who has already been a part of 20 multi-million dollar startups including Reply.com, iMotors.com, RealtyNow.com and more. He has just launched LeapFish.com, a new search engine that conveniently surprises users with new found search information as it combines the best of the web in a single search. Type in a search term and LeapFish instantly delivers a plethora of relevant results from Google, Yahoo, and MSN, along with blogs, news, Q&A, videos, images and shopping results from major online destinations including Ebay and YouTube. More than just a useful aggregator, LeapFish features a refreshingly clean interface with search widgets that display up-to-the-minute news, images, videos and more, on every search term.

Can I send you the press release on www.leapfish.com to consider for a possible story?

I then proceeded to do what I always do when opening a link from my emails I copied and pasted the link in my browser. The latter is a standard practice I follow regardless of the sender. What I discovered was a very intriguing search engine aggregator that was simple in design and pleasing to the eye, which prompted me to request the proffered press release as follows:

LeapFish.com Unveils Most Convenient Search Engine on the Web
Newly Released Beta of Multi-Dimensional Search Portal Offers the Best of the Web in a Single Search
PLEASANTON, CA LeapFish, a multi-dimensional search aggregator, announced today the launch of its beta search engine, LeapFish.com, that promises to conveniently surprise users with new- found search information as it combines the best of the web in a single search.

Type in a search term and LeapFish instantly delivers a plethora of relevant results from Google, Yahoo, and MSN, along with blogs, news, Q&A, videos, images and shopping results from major online destinations including Ebay and YouTube, all conveniently organized in a single, easy to use interface.

“The growing complexity and variety of the Internet has naturally fragmented data accessibility online. Today’s users are driven to utilize more than one online destination to find the data they seek,” said Behnam Behrouzi, President and CEO. “LeapFish offers a one-stop convenient solution for more complex searches by querying the web’s most sought-after destinations and rendering the results to users in a surprisingly easy-to-use format.”

More than just a useful aggregator, LeapFish features a refreshingly clean interface with search widgets that display up-to-the-minute news, images, videos and more, on every search term. Click “see more” under a search widget and get a complete list of relevant results. Hover over a video and view it right on LeapFish. Hover over an image thumbnail and see the actual image on demand.

“Future releases will allow LeapFish to intelligently decipher the search term entered and deliver the most relevant search widgets from a growing list of over 200 currently being developed,” Behrouzi said. “Users will receive instant results from relevant online authorities in maps, music, real estate, social sites and more, based on the search term they enter.”

Behrouzi points out that LeapFish does not intend to race alongside Google or Yahoo, but instead seeks to leverage what is already working and wanted online. “LeapFish utilizes what already works to capture the breadth and variety of the web and lends more accessibility to what is already valuable to us in the vastness of the Internet,” he says.

LeapFish utilizes proprietary hyper-threading technology to communicate with all major online portals simultaneously to deliver the various search results from across the web to users in a single search query. The beta search platform has been under development since early 2008 and is geared for considerable advancements over the coming months.

LeapFish Features Summary:

• New-Found Knowledge: By developing relationships with more than 200 leading online destinations in search, news, imagery, videos, real estate and more, LeapFish is defragmenting the accessibility of valuable information online.

• Convenience and Variety: LeapFish conveniently surprises users with new-found search information by bringing the variety of the web right to their finger tips.

• Simplicity: LeapFish’s comfortable and familiar interface allows for the organization and display of various types of search information in a single easy-to-view format.

So will you make the leap to LeapFish? To try LeapFish for yourself, visit www.leapfish.com.

About LeapFish

LeapFish empowers Internet users with a radically simple way of searching the breadth and variety of the growing web. The first multi-dimensional search aggregator in the world, LeapFish gathers, organizes and renders the most relevant information from the depths of the internet’s most valuable destinations in one simple search. LeapFish Inc. is a privately held corporation headquartered out of CARR America Corporate Center in Pleasanton California. For more information, visit www.leapfish.com

I am willing to admit that after reading the above release and scoping put LeapFish for myself I became slightly enamored with the simplistic design layout of LeapFish. However, I did and still do have some reservations in respect to the limited time zone and weather widgets due to the fact there were no options for Canadian time zones and the weather was strictly American. Ben has reassured me that changes are in the offing in respect to the latter for an International audience but as of to-date is not available. Call it Canadian pride it you like but to me it is important as a potential user, more so since the service is being offered.

I had queried LeapFish via email after initially viewing the web site and discovering the aforementioned pet peeves. I was doubtful I would receive a reply based on the following, which I had sent on a Saturday night:

I am presently checking out your web browser Leapfish to define if it has the value I seek to switch too from Google. My questions to date are as follows:

1. In the bottom right hand corner of the home page you have a request box for weather in ones area. However, it only accepts US Zip codes which as a Canadian makes it useless to me. While I note you are still in beta format, will there be options for users of other countries to be able to submit and receive weather information for their area or will it remain US based only?

2. In the upper right hand corner of the home page is assign in option. If I were to have sign in access would that allow me to alter the home page to my specifications based on set options such as is presently available in Yahoo.

3. What are the benefits of having a Leapfish account and how do I sign up if I decide to do so?

You can well imagine my surprise when two days later I received a telephone call (Monday morning) from an individual whom I was to learn was Ben Behrouzi, the founder of LeapFish. He was calling to follow up on my questions. Okay he was using my questions to lead into presenting the opportunity to sell me on his Keyword Marketing program on LeapFish. Hey! I would have done the same thing if I were in his shoes.

He was very tactful and actually reminded me of myself with his tactful lead in to his sales pitch for which I take my hat off and bow with the deepest respect, but the comparison stops there.

I would like to note that Ben was at no time aggressive during the conversation and actually listened to my reasons as to why I was declining his offer without any interruptions. Something most marketers I have had the bad luck of running into should learn to do as opposed to forcing you to hang up or walk away in frustration giving the company they represent a bad name.

As Ben explained, LeapFish has/had three-(3) levels for the keyword program. For the use of the word, “Photography” Level one-(1) came in at $5,400.00 per year that broke down to $450.00 per month or $14.42 per day based on a 31-day month. Level two-(2) was a reduced rate because of it being a lower tier for $4,300.00 per year or $358.33 per month and just $11.56 per day, again based on a 31-day month.

I declined the offer because given the then and present state of the world economy, many businesses if not most, would see such a program a losing proposition. As I saw and still see, such monies, while a pittance for some, can be better utilized elsewhere.

Other reasons that I did not bring into play at that time where the fact that as any good marketer can see is that there are many good on-line marketing options at present, which if correctly researched and incorporated can be had for a fraction of the cost quoted with just as good if not better results.

I follow a steadfast rule given me by my business advisor, Robert Sanzalone, who I first met when he was a Program Facilitator for the Vancouver based Successful Contracting and Contracting program; SCC for short. What it all comes down to is a good marketing strategy that is readily available to anyone for whom the greatest cost is just some good old-fashioned time and effort.

A third reason, which I also did not state during my conversation with Ben that was in the back of my mind, is that LeapFish while still in its infancy is also ripe with controversy.

Based on those facts, from personal research, I envision a very small audience with the chances of LeapFish ever making it big enough to warrant such an investment into their Keyword program being viable as zero. While 99% of the individuals I have talked to in respect to web browsers that would/could be potential buyers use Google and the remaining percentage use Yahoo and MSN. While LeapFish integrates with each of the latter, potential buyers would also need to be using LeapFish itself for the Keyword program to work. Then there is all the online controversy!

When I say controversy I mean ‘CONTROVERSY’, which I asked Ben about in an email for clarification as follows to ensure my article was as unbiased as possible.

Ben and Belinda,

Well here, we are in 2009, which is already seemingly slipping by fast. I trust that Christmas was good to the two of you and that the New Year is brining you all the expectations you hoped it would for a fruitful new beginning in a new year.

As you recall I emailed you both the following questions at which time Belinda emailed me that Ben was travelling over the holidays and could we re-visit said questions after the holiday season. Hence my follow-up with my questions to date.

I tried to read each and every article to date on Ben, LeapFish and his other ventures and conflicts. An impossible task especially when ensuring I also have time for my personal and business life as well. That being said I have just a few limited questions at this time.

As stated in the LeapFish blog, “The first multi-dimensional search aggregator in the world”. After doing extensive research, I discovered that that particular line is incorrect as other search engines that can be/are classified under that particular category, provide the same, and in some cases, more search results. My question is does LeapFish still stand by that statement or was it in fact an error on the part of the staff editor or whomever prepared the blog that has yet to be corrected?

In the following, it is impossible to read all of the articles surrounding Ben and his ventures so I have just provided what I feel are a few key questions at this time. If you could just provide a brief, comment on each that would be appreciated. Be advised I will use your quotes/comments purely for the purpose of ensuring that like anyone I quote in my article it will be his/her facts as provided.

1) Brabus Ventures (BrabusVentures.com), owned by embattled CEO Ben Behrouzi and parent company of ePerks.com, LeapFish and DotNextInc has updated it’s website and added new “Values” and “Culture” pages to combat the barrage of negative publicity their business practices have earned them. There is only one problem: the pages are STOLEN Story Link

I note that the wording in examples given in the above story are indeed per verbatim. What were LeapFishes thoughts or reasoning behind this?

2) I am not even going to attempt to provide any details in respect to Tech Crunch and just ask Ben’s input in respect to the accusations put forth by Tech Crunch to which I noted I am assuming portions of his response posted on Tech Crunch.

3) I recall Ben stating that LeapFish was relatively new. Can you provide the start date LeapFish came into being either in Alpha or Beta or both.

4) Is LeapFish the name that Ben designed or is it a name that was purchased and revamped to its existing format and if so may I ask when?

While as previously noted, there is a lot of material to cover but any answers to the latter will greatly help me define what questions I may/may not have for you soon.

To date although he has read my emails he has never responded.

As I noted in my message to Brad it is and still is impossible to read all the articles surrounding both himself and his varied venture capitals. One of the main characters in the Behrouzi online battle and ePERKS, another of Behrouzi holdings, is by Lord Matt who goes into detail about the dark side of Behrouzi as he sees it. Other insightful links are Sage Blogger, Go Beyond MLS, blogcatalog, BloodhoundBlog, BrokerScience and the list goes on. ( I stopped at 50 sites in my research) I decided to go one better and did a search on the US, BBB, site and discovered the following:

“Based on BBB files, this business (ePerks) has a BBB Rating of F.” it goes on to read,

We have identified a pattern
BBB Definition:
pattern – More than 2 complaints involving the same allegations usually within 12 months that are significant in relation to the company’s size and volume of business.
of complaints concerning sales practices, cancellations, refunds and customer service issues
BBB Definition:
service issues – Claims of alleged delay in completing service, failure to provide promised service, inferior quality of provided service, or damaged merchandise as a result of delivery service.
BBB Definition:
customer service issues – Claims alleging unsatisfactory customer service, including personnel’s failure to provide assistance in a timely manner, failure to address or respond to customer dissatisfaction, unavailability for customer support, and/or inappropriate behavior or attitude exhibited by company staff.
. Complaints processed by the BBB claim 1) Company does not follow through with the number of real estates leads they claim customers will receive using their services. 2) Despite what the company tells their customers at the time of signing up for services, they later find they are unable to cancel the service and receive a refund. 3) Phone calls and emails to the company go unanswered.

The company has responded to all complaints processed by the BBB.

I proceeded to do a BBB search of all business related to Ben Behrouzi including LeapFish and all businesses come up under the same address, with different business names at 4420 Rosewood Drive, Suite #2550
Pleasanton, CA 94588

Unlike Yarri.com with its, spam fraud, Leapfish is comparable to a three-(3) ring circus, LeapFish was nice to use but not worth investing in. I say was, because while as noted previously, I personally love the layout and ease of use based on the fact it uses Google, Yahoo and MSN as its search engine options, but when it comes to Behrouzi’s business ethics, the thought of using LeapFish leaves a bad taste in my mouth, figuratively speaking. I am once again using Google.

In closing, it seems that in the case of LeapFish or more to the point Ben Behrouzi vs. the movie Slum Dog Millionaire, Behrouzi is rated as just a Slum Dog, full of talent but with the ethics of the devil himself, as I see it!

Note: According to Web 2.0 Journal, Ben Behrouzi is now with Ulitzer as Startup Journal Founder.

ShadowofNine

“After Vlad had sucked the life out of Father Grimes he started to roam looking for more human wine to satisfy his hunger, he could smell the fresh scent of young blood. The scent drew him to the Baker Estate a bedroom window was open on the third floor, within seconds the monster was standing at the foot of the bed and before him was the most beautiful human creature he had ever seen, he entered the beautiful humans mind and whispered…” “I Will Turn You” just one of the many intriguing compositions by a good friend, workmate and composer known as the ShadowofNine, Shadow for short. He has requested I avoid disclosing his real identity for reasons I will allude to later in this review.

Immediately after I agreed to his terms I started by querying him about the name, ‘ShadowofNine’, to which he responded, “I originally chose the name Shadow but it was disallowed on iCompositions as being too short so I lengthened it to ShadowofNine.

I first met ShadowofNine (Shadow for short) in the fall of 2007 when I applied for work at a local North Shore establishment. Although I had applied for a position in another department, Shadow was the one assigned to interview me for a position in his. I accepted and a strong friendship developed soon after we started working together which remains to this day.

I eventually learned that Shadow had a passion for music but it was not until later in the first year of our meeting that I learned just how deep that passion was and how it had developed. Unknown to me at that time an even greater insight into this gentle, dedicated and hardworking individual was yet to come.

Born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan on November 5, 1944 his (Shadows) family later moved to Vancouver, British Columbia for two years; when he was ages four and five. Then it was off to Regina, Saskatchewan for the balance of his youth, as he puts it. It was there that he spent his high school years at Balfour Technical School; in 1983, the school’s name changed to Balfour Collegiate. After graduation, he moved to Ryerson University in Toronto, Ontario for just one short year.

As he (Shadow) so boldly puts it, “I did not like Ryerson so I got into radio instead”. The year was 1970 when Shadow began his career in FM Radio and, as he stated, “Not having any formal training I learned on-the-job”. “Besides”, he commented, with a twinkle in his eye and a smirk on his face, “I always had a good voice, and was a ham growing up, so it was easy for me to do radio right out of the shoot”. Eventually, he informed me; he moved into AM Top 40 and hated it so he left to pursue other interests. As he said, “the pay was the shits, so there were no regrets”.

“In reality”, he stated, “I went into radio because I was interested in music, in all its different genres”. “For me”, he continued, “the radio years were where I studied music and artists different takes”. “The program”, he explains, “was a free form progressive music show. I had total freedom to do my own thing.” “It was a fun time for me”, he commented.

I recall reading Shadows bios on iCompositions and in particular, I recalled one comment as follows, “I do have a history in the music biz”. He also wrote about how he had served as vice president of a recording industry association and managed a few artists, promoted concerts, ran a now-defunked record label and had sat on panels for the Canadian music industry…”.

Shadow had never mentioned any of the latter in our multiple conversations including his day with the late Johnny Cash, so ever being the inquisitive type I decided to ask him for every juicy detail. True to form as soon as I pressed for an answer, it was with his usual great humility that he replied, “Well not much to tell, those are some of my experiences in the music industry”. “Probably the best experience”, he continues, “was in the concert promotion part of the business, I learned the promotion work with many big stars…”

Big stars, I thought with a silly grin, and pressed for more. I soon learned he did mean big stars as he continued, “Some of the acts I worked with, mostly as an associate promoter, included, Pink Floyd, Procol Harem, Bill Cosby, Ella Fitzgerald, Kiss, Joe Cocker and many, many others”. I was aghast in utter astonishment by this point and all I could think of was, WOW!

“Canadian groups”, he continued, “were groups that me and my partner could sign and send province wide, that’s where we made good money”, he smiled wryly with a faraway look in his eye. It was if he had stepped back into the past and was reliving some special point in time. Then in the blink of an eye he was back in the now as he continued, “We would get together with a service group in a community, they would hustle tickets for a good commission and a fund-raiser”. “When you can put 3,000 kids into a hockey rink in Estevan, Saskatchewan you can make big dollars”, he stated. “That was then, not that way anymore as bigger promoters paid attention and squeezed us small guys out by signing a tour for the whole country”, he commented. “It was a lot of fun”, he added, “but it was also hard work and stressful…”

When asked to comment on his past position as the vice president of a recording association Shadow was quick to point out. “I was the vice president of the Saskatchewan Recording Industry Association for two-(2) years in the 80′s”. “I also ran a small Indi label called, Ten Bear Records”, he continued, “with two other chaps”. Shadow went on to say that, “at the same time I managed a Progressive Rock group called, “Mary, Mary” and a funk band called “Funk ‘N’ Stein“. He went on to describe how he had launched albums for the later two bands and had had moderate success with both. “However” he commented, “I did not enjoy the baby sitting that you must do with Artists, who can be very needy and immature”.

“Every year”, Shadow continued, “I attended conferences about the music business, was invited to sit on panels regarding artist promotion and submitting demos to record companies in the late 80′s and early 90′s”. In 1995, he (Shadow) moved to Vancouver and never reinvolved himself in the music industry organizations. That is not to say he left his love for music behind as he embarked on a new adventure, but it seems this time music was to be purely a hobby.

It was at this point of the interview that he (Shadow) explained why he chose not have his name published in this article as well as why he does not use it in his present gig as a composer at iCompositions. As he so boldly states, “I do it (use a moniker as he calls it) so that I can have a private life”. “My days of helping young artists are over”, he continues, “I have my own thing that I want to do and I just don’t want any intrusions on my space…”

He has been involved in his own thing, as he calls it, on and off for twenty-(20) years now and it is in just the last two-(2) years that he has taken it to a different level. The level he was at when I first met him one year ago which still holds me in awe. You have to know the man to begin understand my statement but that is another story.

The Shadow I have come to know (The hardworking individual and musical hobbyist) has no plans as far as his music goes beyond composing and playing for fun. As he stated, with a laugh, “I will compose and play tunes until the grim reaper appears and says the gig is over”.

Despite the fact, he stated he was composing for fun I decided to ask if he labeled himself as an amateur or professional for his compositions to which he had this to say. “Depends what your interpretation of pro is, is it if you sell a piece of music you are a pro, or”, he continues, “is it your attitude?” He went on to say, “One thing I think I am is an Artist, I paint pictures with sound…”

When asked how he actually created/composed his musical creations on his computer, he (Shadow) provided me with the following information. He told me he uses programs called Garage Band and Ableton Live, to create his compositions with hopes of soon expanding onto Logic 8, which as he wryly comments, “…is an expanded version of Garage Band with more bells and whistles”.

His computer of choice is the Macintosh or to be precise, an imac desk model with a two-(2)2 GHz core and two-(2) Duo Gigs 677 MHz DDR2 SDRAM. In addition, he uses 2 hard drives, a 160 Gig internal and a 500 Gig external drive.

Did I mention he also uses an M-audio 49 keyboard, a D 50 Roland keyboard, an Emax Sampler and several different sound modules?

His explained his reasons for going to a Mac, to me, in this manner, “Mac computers are very user-friendly and lend themselves more to music composition and playing.” He went on to say, “I have always found PC to be cumbersome and the outboard gear you need to buy is already in a Mac at no extra charge.

He had me there as I seethed inwardly with jealousy, and to this day, I look at my PC in a new and not so pleasing light.

There is so much more I could write about the ShadowofNine, who also writes Orchestration music under the name, ShadowsOrcas, interesting as he is I decided the best way to conclude my brief introduction into his world at this time was too provide a link to a composition of his own making titled, “Theme from a Foot Print in Time“. Personally, I feel he has unwittingly written about himself and the footprint he has left in the time continuum for others to live and learn from for which I humbly say, Thank You!