Backtrack
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Valve removes option to sell paid 'Skyrim' mods
After a few days of hearing complaints on the internet, Valve is removing the payment feature from the Skyrim Workshop on Steam. The PC gaming juggernaut explains that it underestimated the differences between the communities built around its own games and those from other studios, and toeing the waters of an established modding scene like one surrounding The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim's "was probably not the right place to start" experimenting.
Line 6's BackTrack is here to record all your moments of brilliant greatness
You play guitar, and we know you're very gifted. You haven't been to Juilliard, but it doesn't matter because you're inspired. What you need now is something to capture inspiration, so you can then drag it -- in the form of a WAV -- onto your desktop via USB 2.0. You need BackTrack by Line 6. Just plug your guitar into BackTrack, plug BackTrack into your amp, and start playing. The device begins recording when it detects a signal and it never stops as long as the battery has a charge (up to eight hours). When you let out a truly boss riff -- or a tasty lick -- you don't have to worry about losing that gem. The basic package retails for $139.99, can capture up to 12 hours of audio and comes equipped with 1GB flash memory. BackTrack + Mic comes equipped with 2GB flash memory and an internal microphone, records for up to 24 hours and retails for $209.99. Both models are rechargeable via USB and have the standard 1/4-inch in / out and headphone jacks.[Via CNET]
Backtrack: log everything you type
A while ago we posted on using a keylogger to recover text after a program crash. While that sort of works, it's a very inelegant solution, as the keylogger records, unsurprisingly, each and every keystroke including backspaces and deletes, etc. so getting the text back out often requires quite a bit of editing work. Well I recently discovered BackTrack, a logging program that does something similar but in a much more intelligent, that is, Mac-like way. It monitors your typing and records all of it (except passwords) in a database organized by the title of the window you're typing in. Unlike a pure keylogger, though, it records the typed text, including self-corrections, rather than just the individual keystrokes. So if an application you've been typing in (e.g. Word or a browser) crashes ,your text (but no formatting) is recoverable from the BackTrack interface.I don't generally purchase software after just one use, but I've been looking for something like this for ages and plunked down my own hard earned money after using it for only a few minutes. I now consider this an essential part of my Mac experience. The only downside I can see is that you have to manually purge the database periodically (I don't see why this couldn't be automated to only keep the last 30 days, etc.). This, however, is a quibble as it's very easy to purge from within the preferences. Also, of course keep in mind that although it generally doesn't save passwords, there may be security considerations and you'll want to keep potential snoops away from your computer.Backtrack is $15 and a demo is available, but if you act quickly it is on sale (until midnight tonight) for only $9.95 at MacUpdate. Highly recommended!
