Dubious Activities... and SF Happenings

My Random House Webster's dictionary defines dubious as: "of doubtful quality; questionable; and also of uncertain outcome." Well, there you have it.

I'm going through an ordeal of having bought a probably pirated copy of Adobe Creative Suite 2 Premium and Macromedia Studio 8 for graphics and web applications last year (for $650 total). This was through a site I thought reputable ReRoSoft. I thought I was getting a legal OEM version (without retail packaging or tech support). Well, I was WRONG. Going through a fraud claim/dispute with my credit card company really sucks raw eggs... through a thin straw.

Lately, my Photoshop, Illustrator, and other programs have opened with an error message saying, "The registration code you entered is invalid. Please check to make sure you entered your code properly. This program must now close." Yuck.

Well, now after purchasing yet another copy for an additional $680, I'm not able to un-install the old copies that don't work. Well, no pics on flickr and less work for me... That must mean I should be out playing golf! Ha ha.

Not much happening this weekend I know of. Just tonite, Beck is in town. Wow, If I Had a Million Dollars... Oh, there is the Evita sing-a-long at the Castro. Gee, somehow I missed the Sound of Music sing-a-long, the Mary Poppins sing-a-long and every other one they've e-v-e-r had. Coincidence? I think not. But if that's your thing, get your go-girl power (even the guys) and go harmonize.

Okay, here's a deal. Get 50 free song downloads with no obligation (okay, you gotta register, but can cancel anytime) from emusic.

Then there's always A Clean Well-Lighted Place for Books. Yes, they just sold their web domain (a veritable gold-mine as former bookstore.com) for an undisclosed amount. Yes, the partners are trying to sell the business. But they still have an average of 6 book signings/events a week during the summer. Calvin Trillin will be there next Friday, June 2 at 7 pm. He wrote the bestseller in verse, Obviously on He Sails and now is on tour for his new book of "insightful poems about George W. Bush's presidency" in A Heckuva Job.

I can't believe this one. Amazon has a pre-release price on the new Apple MacBook 13.3" 1.83 GHz Intel Duo laptop for $999 + free shipping (after $100 rebate). Granted I've put Amazon on my "black list" for bad returns and service issues of late (see ratings here and here), and I've switched from Apple to a PC. But hey, it's a great deal anyways.