Al Ebaster

Musicians on a budget, or those who want a simple machine to jam with, can hardly do better for the low prices HR-16s sell at on eBay. In fact, the next-cheapest option is a plain old beepy metronome.

DiMarzio cables are sturdy and attractive, but are also three times the price of the plain-but-reliable Horizon cables. Which one is best for you? It depends on your needs -- and your budget.

The Ibanez GSR200 electric bass has some good features, but it isn't the best deal available.

The Realistic Concertmate, a portable keyboard clone of the Casio VL-1 or VL-Tone, surpasses its obvious cheesecore value with its portability, surprising features, and its formidable potential in cre...

It doesn't have a bright, trebly sound, but it scores high marks in every other category. This bass is more than worth its low price.

A large-bodied, somewhat awkward acoustic bass guitar, the $150 Dean Playmate EAB is one of the best acoustic basses for under $1000.

It gets the trademark tones of both a Fender Precision bass and a Fender Jazz bass in a single, low-priced bass guitar. And really, there is no need to upgrade from this bass -- many pro and semi-pro ...

Though most of Pennsylvania's genuine ghost towns are just cellar holes and foundations, a few are still standing. One that's been getting some attention lately is Frick's Lock, in Chester County, PA.

It's an odd niche of a genre, but the stragetic shoot-'em-up Liberation Army works. Almost too well.

Centralia, PA is a fascinating place with a unique story. However, many visitors come with overblown expectations and go home disappointed with their visit. If you know the facts, and know what's to b...

It's not Amish buggies and Liberty Bells; this is the side of Pennsylvania that few will ever get to see. If you live in PA, or are just visiting, these sites shouldn't be missed.

The Democratic and Republican parties have various factions within them, and the Green movement is no different. In fact, there are two Green parties in the United States.

Ocarinas are usually high-pitched instruments, too shrill and piercing for playing in anything but an isolated house. Charlie Hind's bass ocarinas are more mellow in tone and volume, so even apartment...

Most Anvil Studio users appreciate it as composition software, but may not know all the things it can do. With add-on packs and a few MIDIs, it's one of the most versatile music programs around.

Rogue makes good student-level instruments for very low prices, and the $50 Rogue mandolin is a fine example. It's not a perfect mandolin, but it is the best instrument you can find at under $100.

If you're especially concerned about privacy, and want the extra level of security a router can give you, by all means buy one. But if you have a good software firewall, and you only have a few comput...

Pyva.net's Jam 1.0 free music composition software lets you enter chords in plain text. Instead of using notes on a cumbersome grand staff, Jam 1.0 uses chord diagrams like Fmaj7 and Am. Music composi...

Initial Vector doesn't read like a novel as much as it feels like an action movie; it's not too hard to figure out how it ends, but the fun part is getting there.

There are two common types of memory in most PCs. DDR RAM is found in fairly modern machines, while SDRAM is used on older computers.

WinPDrums is surprisingly fun, whether or not you're recording, and it's easy to lose time rhythmically mashing the keyboard. Professional musicians will probably have no use for this drum machine sof...

It's happening all across the country: police plan raids on the homes of criminals, from murderers to poker players, and they get the wrong house. At best, the victims are terrorized by paramilitary S...

Tech crafts separate the True Geeks from the Linux monkeys. The CD coaster is a cliche -- get creative!

All these retro RPGs do something well: Some offer intense battles, others have great storylines, and a few have gripping music and graphics, but none can be put ahead of the others, so I suggest you ...

Unless you really need the power of a laptop, there's no reason to lug one around. Get a Jornada 720 -- with a keyboard, Pocket Office, and dozens of games available, it can give you countless hours o...

While most of these card games bombed financially, it doesn't mean they aren't fun.

Audition is an MMORPG that focuses on dance. Sound lame? I thought so at first. I soon found out how wrong I was.

Few social bookmarking sites compare to StumbleUpon, especially for promotional uses. Promotion isn't chided, the lack of central lists and front pages level the playing field, and the focus is on use...

No first-person shooter surpasses, or even equals Timesplitters: Future Perfect. No, not even Halo.

Though cyberpunk is probably on its way out, there's still a great selection of games in the genre -- most of them over a decade old. Here are the best cyberpunk games ever made.

What probably turns most spam victims into spam poets is a desire to find peace, humor, and even beauty in the aggressive, adaptive advertising that defines spam e-mail.

"Walking," its most unique feature, breaks down a piece into chunks a few seconds long and repeats one chunk a few times before moving on.

It's a popular myth that drug dealing, sex, and violence are relatively new to video games. The level of excess these themes have taken in titles like Grand Theft Auto is new, but even before the NES ...

They probably won't top many Christmas lists next year, but many mandolinists will eventually give in and buy one of the Neapolitan mandolins. They're easy to find if you know what to look for, provid...

Herb growers have a lot of interesting choices in mints, and everyone eventually finds their favorite variety.

If your Pentium II is more useful as a footstool than a workstation, the time to part ways is long overdue.

The Internet is useful in both finding information about your home town and planning a move.

The humor is crafted to offend; if you can't take a joke about head-butting a fireman in the testicles and throwing his dalmation in a river, this isn't something you'll want to read.

No, this article isn't about Net-surfing kids with green hair and lip piercings. But to Internet Explorer or Firefox users, an alternative web browser can be just as approachable as that other kind.

Green, smoky and loaded with caffeine, many are calling yerba mate "the new green tea."

Don't buy a Mountain ocarina if you want a beautiful instrument. Buy one if you want an easy-to-play ocarina that sounds good and will last a lifetime.

Videogamers do a lot of things using only their thumbs: They score touchdowns, take out terrorists, solve complex puzzles and occasionally even save the world. But what about playing music?

Installing an additional hard drive is much easier than replacing the older one, and it keeps the first disk's storage, operating system, and programs in service.

There's a lot of complexity to video card technology, but very little toinstalling one. Even if you don't have problems with your current video,it can substantially improve performance, and that's alw...

Sure, a really little computer is nice, but a really, really big one is nicer. Here are the biggest items in each category.

Wireless networking technology can connect up to dozens of computers together in an ad-hoc network, without the hassle of cabling or the cost of a router.

If your computer had to choose between enduring the most vicious hacker attack or the tiniest jolt of static electricity to its motherboard, it would welcome the hackers every time.

You click Internet Explorer. After a full three minutes of grinding sounds coming from your hard drive, your computer crashes from a sheer lack of resources. It's time to do something.

Here are some ideal gifts for your geek.

For me there are only two filesharing programs to choose between. While Warez is easier to become familiar with, Limewire is undeniably better in every other area. Limewire is much safer from cripplin...

Though famous, and rightly so, for its mega-hits "Slide" and "Iris," The Goo Goo Dolls' Dizzy Up The Girl is a diverse and powerful pop rock album that marks a change in the sound of the Dolls.

Any �90s radio listener would have had a hard time dodging the Gin Blossoms' mega-hits "Hey Jealousy" or "Till I Hear It From You." After the Blossoms split, one of the new groups to come out of it ...

After the Gin Blossoms split in 1997, one of the new projects to emerge was Jesse Valenzuela's solo album. Valenzuela, the Blossoms' guitarist and vocalist, keeps to the sound that made his former gro...

Essentially a standard keyboard's innards, wrapped in silicon rather than hard plastic, the Manhattan keyboard is very mushy and difficult to use.

It can be tough staying alive in GTA: San Andreas. Cops, rival gangs, and even angry drivers pose a huge threat, probably more than in any other GTA title. But with a few tips, avoiding death can be a...

For the beginning professional or the passionate enthusiast, Acoustica Beatcraft may be the best balance of sheer power and user-friendliness.

As the name might imply, abandonware is software, typically gaming, that was once sold and supported, but has since been "abandoned" by its creator.

Gutterflower (2003), the Goo Goo Dolls' follow-up to their hugely successful Dizzy Up the Girl, is a strong work by a constantly growing and evolving group.

"Smell-o-vision," like the hover car, has long been a technological fantasy; everyone thought we'd have it by the 21st century, but nowadays we're content with over-sized SUVs and HDTVs.

Drum machine programming has possibly reached its easiest with Hammerhead Rhythm Station. Though too limited for professionals, Hammerhead is remarkably accessible and fun for creating percussion loop...

Audacity is an excellent recording program, and for those who can barely afford the electricity that powers their instruments, it's completely free and open source.

Somewhere between the simplicity of Hammerhead and the advanced features of Acid lies Leafdrums, an excellent shareware drum loop creation tool.

Unfortunately, those without extensive technical knowledge are often intimidated by the huge selection of software and hardware that perform various tasks. What about an all-in-one program that can be...

For strategy players who want a top-notch historical simulation, Kessen is a first-generation PS2 title that's heavy on tactics but is still fun and accessible.

Its graphics were primitive and its production was unrefined, but Grand Theft Auto's release was surrounded by no less controversy than GTA3s.

An old and deservedly unpopular game, Magic: The Gathering for Playstation is a failed attempt at turning the enormously popular card game into a real-time strategy title.

A tale about a nut case who goes on a shooting rampage through both rural and urban settings, Postal makes Grand Theft Auto look both logical and understated.

Running drugs, killing cops and murdering civilians. Sounds like it's the latest ultra-violent video game for the Playstation 2 or Xbox, right? Actually, Shadowrun is over a decade old, and was releas...

If you've played Daggerfall, you know it's a revolutionary game for its open-ended gameplay and incredible freedom. You probably also know that things can get repetitive after a few days if you just t...

It seems like most "role playing games" are just name and graphic changes over the same plot and setting. For role players tired of cookie-cutter Japanese RPG's, Fallout offers a post-apocalyptic sett...

It may look like any other anime-based RPG that's a few years old, but Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete for the Playstation is an extraordinary game, with a huge story and classic role playing fun.

People new to writing music have a few ways to write a song. Anvil Studio, a great piece of music writing software, allows composition for up to sixteen separate parts.

Nearly every seven-year-old computer game is considered a fossil. Some manage to keep a few loyal fans but most simply sink to the bottom of the bargain bin. Unlike any other game its age, Starcraft s...

Gamers can be forgiven for thinking few multiplayer online RPG's exist beyond Everquest and World of Warcraft. Well, there's Guild Wars of course, but all those cost money. What about a free online RP...

Final Fantasy players can skip this one. Morrowind, unlike most console RPG's, offers a totally nonlinear role-playing experience, and how enjoyable the game is depends on the player's imagination.

Amplitude is a solid music-based video game for the Playstation 2. Though overshadowed by the enormously popular Dance Dance Revolution, Amplitude offers an exciting and different take on a growing ge...

Rogue's SX100B four-string bass has its shortcomings, but can serve a new player well until he or she decides to upgrade.

With dozens of games in America, Europe and Asia, Dance Dance Revolution is a massive video game dynasty. Avid players can shed pounds in a more fun and engaging way than conventional exercise program...

Is Unholy War as good as the latest strategy games? No. But fans of classic Playstation gameplay and graphics may find an interesting and unique experience in Unholy War.

After buying a transparent or windowed PC case, the only logical thing to do is equip it with all sorts of lighting. Of course, the case could be left as-is, but a flashing, glowing computer is far mo...

There are dozens of entry-level mandolins, and only a few have even fairly good tone. Though it's no match for a high-end Gibson or Weber instrument, the Kentucky 250S is a great way to get started on...

Whether you're a computer junkie or just a user with a taste for style, almost nothing can give your PC a shot of cool like a transparent case.

In 2000, The Cure broke a four-year dry spell with what the band assumed would be its final album, "Bloodflowers." Thankfully, The Cure did not fall apart, but with the disc's wholly inescapable malai...

Not quite a harmonica and not quite a piano, the Hohner HM 32 melodica combines strong accordion-like tones with the ease and accessibility of playing a keyboard.

When shopping for a new PC, you probably limit your search to the usual brands: Gateway, Dell, Compaq, or Emachines if you're on a tight budget. You probably want a reliable computer, but you don't wa...

A look at Utada's first American CD, Exodus, and a brief bio of the singer's music-filled childhood.

Shopping online for a guitar can be risky. You don't get to play and try out a few instruments before you decide, the axe can be damaged in shipping, or -- worst of all -- you might waste your money o...

Here's the scenario: Muslim extremists are viewed as serious threats by the West. Among others, the United States supports a brutal, but immediately useful, leader who is willing to kill his citizens ...

If someone asks what you think of the Green Party, is Ralph Nader the only name that comes to mind? Depending on your opinion of them, you might be tempted to throw in "spoiler," too.