• Return of the Poster ID

Alright I got the links all up to date. If you look at them and you are like "what! how could he not have added my site!?" or any site that you feel should be on there, then send me the link and I'll take a look at it. It's possible I might have missed some good ones.

a.) It plays on Windows Operating Systems only.

b.) System Requirements are high.

1. MPEG - MPEG video has been around for MANY MANY years, and it's still the best format. It is the highest quality and requires only very low system requirements. It'll play on 486's for heaven's sake!(Maybe 386? I never tried an MPEG on a 386) Anyway playing an mpeg will not slow down any computers, it eats very few system resources. Secondly it plays back on virtually every OS that exists, meaning that anyone can watch mpegs without a problem. Virtually all video technology is based off of mpeg anyway. Windows Media is MPEG-4 based. DVD is MPEG-2. HDTV is also MPEG-2. Everything is flippin MPEG! Just use it damn it. Don't automatically think that MPEG = LARGE FILE SIZE, because you can make low quality crappy mpegs that have small file size and are about the same quality as most other video formats of that size. The reason you see most mpegs as large file sizes is because people like high quality, and MPEG is of course the highest quality video. You can make shitty mpegs, but I'd still like to see 320x240 for all video out there. Standard issue 320x240 25-30fps MPEGS are great, or VCDs.
   For MPEG creation software check out: Panasonic MPEG Encoder, Xing, WinVCR, there's more - just search for mpeg related material(and it's not hard to find warez versions of these programs, shhh!).

2. DivX - DivX is MPEG-4 based. It's actually a hacked windows media encoder that does even better. The requirements on DivX are high though, you need a pretty powerfull computer and DivX's eat up significant system resources. They play back however on almost all OS's, and it's an open format. Basically if you really have an urge for some reason to use Windows Media(.asf, .wmv), just use DivX instead - it's the same damn compression, even better quality in the same file size in many cases.
   For DivX creation software check out: DivX ;-)

3. RealVideo - Has been around for a while, and they have players for most Operating Systems. The quality can be pretty good too. It eats up system resources but not as much as MPEG-4 based video. I just wish people would utilize it's ability for quality and make 320x240 or 300kbps RealVideos, instead of these really shitty 160x160 RealVideos(I HATE THAT!) The compression of RealVideo is very good, but it's not quite MPEG/DivX quality.
   For RealVideo creation software check out: RealProducer

4. QuickTime - This is Apple's version of a proprietary greedy video format. It's also MPEG-4 based. This one at least always had a Windows player from the start(otherwise it wouldn't survive at all). Quicktime 4 only works in Windows and MacOS and is also a system hog, but not as much as Windows Media. Nobody really uses this except big companies, and thats because it plays back easily on the two most popular common user OS's. Notice most enhanced CD's you get feature video in Quicktime. It was pretty interesting that Forever had videos in RealVideo(only because RealNetworks paid them more). I wouldn't be surprised if Apple also gave money to these companies to use it. The player is the worst thing ever as well. No normal people use this anyway, so lets just keep it that way.
   For Quicktime creation software check out: The above three alternatives.

5. Windows Media - AVOID USING THIS LIKE THE PLAGUE: Proprietary, closed, system hog, works on Windows only. No point in using this when you have the first three to choose from. Eventually there will be a finished MacOS player, as well as a linux one probably. Until then, just DivX it please(or better).
   For Windows Media creation software check out: Start reading this post again from the beginning.

Audio is not as much fo an issue as video because you have basically two real choices: MP3 or RealAudio. There is a reason why MP3 got so popular. It's because it is the best audio format that there is. It can be CD Quality in a very small file size! It is also an open format and plays on every Operating System, as well as many non-computer devices: all the mp3 players that exist, can be easily burned to CD's to play back on cd/mp3 players, everything is starting to play mp3's now: cell phones, digital cameras, etc. MP3 IS IT. There is no reason to use anything else.

RealAudio was good when it first came out before MP3 came and kicked it's ass all over the place. Again, do not immediately think that MP3s must be at least 4MB. You can make lower quality MP3s in small file size, just like you can do with RealAudio, in the same exact quality audio. Most music that people have is in MP3 as it is. So it's v.uncool to put out something in RealAudio. I mean you have your mp3 playlist playing all your songs and then there's this realaudio... and you can't incorporate it in with the rest of your songs, and have to fire up this seperate clunky player everytime you want to listen to it. Thats ass. So what at this point is the justification for using RealAudio? Answer: nothing. It's annoying, it's obsolete, stop making them.

Once again at a future point sometime I would like to have all the files ever released on this site uploaded again. If you own a machine that is hooked up to a t3 or faster, that is reliably up 24/7, running a *nix/BSD OS, and want to donate a few hundred megs to me on it, I would be very thankful. I know this is HIGHLY unlikely to happen, but I thought I'd throw it out there anyway :)

• Made bottom of story boxes end closer to last text.
• Split the current month's news into two pages.
• Anti-Cache code added to main page!
• Redirection page created for spicenews.com/html/news.html

Decided on a new policy to split the page at the 16th of each month, just to make the main page load faster and save half bandwidth for both me and you. This has nothing to do with the new site design, I just haven't modified any of the site code for a year and a half and it is just a good idea as the news is more frequent these days than was a year or two ago. The new design main page is only about 10k-30k larger than the old main page depending on how much news is on it, plus you don't have the left toolbar page in seperate frame to load, so the new design should technically load faster than the old one. The exception is Netscape, which might load the page slower because it won't render anything until entire tables are loaded.

By the way since we never tested it, if you are using Netscape this site really does look bad in it. Don't worry I'm not giving up on browser compatibility, this is what I was talking about when I mentioned the consequences of uploading an unfinished site(see below). Although Netscape's archaic ways, lack of update, and downfall after rape by Microsoft & purchase by AOL are a whole different article.. Either way, here is a picture of how the site looks in IE5. So sorry for the 25% of you that don't see the site as it is, hopefully it will be fixed soon.

So this site is now under construction until there will be a "It's Done!" post on the main news page. The disadvantage is that there is plenty of room for problems putting the new site up without much testing. The advantage is that you get to see it's progress, if you like that sort of thing. All new developments will be listed on this page as they happen. The degree as to how much will change visually from what is up now may not be that much, but some stuff needs to be finished, a lot of compatibility needs to be done, some behind the scenes coding, etc. Overall I'd say it's about 70% done.

Of course all the wizardy behind this new design comes from the gods of html - GammaDelta - let there be no question about that.

Also the phuck-it server is fuct right now. Lee is working on it, but not right now since he's on vacation in Europe, so when the video links don't work, thats why.

• Updated Album 3 page
• Updated Solo Projects page

It's no secret and I've said before that I hate Geri, and many people have told me "read her book, then you won't hate her, you'll like her." So now it's been read, and what does Jozzy Spice think of Miss Halliwell now? I don't really have a specific like for the girl, but I don't feel any raging hate against her anymore. Basically I have read her life story up until very recently and know a lot about her. The reason I hated her for so long is because she left the band, with no real reasoning or explanation of anything, dropping out in the middle of the world tour. I was mad at her for not explaining why she left, not giving any advance notice, and then just cutting off with no definable reason, no other reason pulling her away being apparent, she just kind of bailed out on Spice Girls and their fans in the middle of the tour, with no reason. It's like having someone you are close to for a good period of time, then one day they just leave, and they don't even tell you why, they just leave a message with another friend. Either way.. after reading the book I realize that she wanted to leave way back a long time ago, in the early days of 1998, was it late 97 even? In Geri's mind the Spice Girls from the start was a "two year deal", they would do as much as they could and enjoy themselves and live it to the fullest for two years. I guess when they first realized they had something special and were going to be huge they were talking about how pop groups have short lives and Geri said something to that degree about "well let's do this to our fullest and make the best out of it for the next two years." and it seems that the other girls just acknowledged her comment as more like "yeah in two years this COULD be over so we should enjoy it." where it seems that Geri was thinking "in two years this WILL be over." It's very evident, especially in the part of the book where the girls start talking about all their plans and what they want to do after the tour and about extending the tour to Asia and Australia, Geri says "what about the two-year plan?" and they all look at her dumbfounded as she described it. So regardless, Spice Girls was just another thing that Geri wanted to do for a set period of time in her life and always planned to stop doing it after two years or so. Maybe she thought the group wouldn't last after two years... perhaps she didn't fully realize how huge, powerfull, and talented Spice Girls really were compared to all other pop groups, perhaps she is just the type of person who likes to do many different types of things in her life and never devote herself to one occupation. Overall it was time for her to move on, she wanted out, she was over it. I don't blame her for that, I just think she should have stuck it out until the end of the tour, and herself told everyone that she was leaving a bit before she did, and why. So I guess I don't hate her anymore, now that I understand everything. I'm no fan of hers either, i'm just on neutral grounds with her. I wonder if she would have left at all if she saw how the group was after the tour... much more slowed down. She would have had time to unwind, I wouldn't be surprised if she was still in Spice Girls if she decided to stick it out until the end of the tour. She matured, so did the other girls, she has done solo work, so have the rest of the girls. Sucks that she's gone, but I'm over it. I have peace with Geri.

So If Only is not surprisingly the best book about Spice Girls that exists. Oh yeah, I cannot end this review without giving a shout out to their former manager Simon Fuller who was "always such a nice guy" - page 298. Simon Fuller: FUCK YOU!

Please note that this is a seperate site, not run by me.

• Must have a good knowledge of HTML(some proof please), FTP, computers in general.
• Must have own webspace(only need under a meg. Almost all ISP's give you a few megs) Free webspace is not acceptable(geocities, etc). The webspace cannot have any banners or banner windows, etc, or be slow.
• Must be available for contact on demand(pager, or cell phone, or frequently checked answering machine, etc) Yes you'll actually have to talk to me in real life at some point most likely! (All charges would be on my end)
• Must be reliable
• Must be in the continental United States
• Must absolutely love Spice Girls!

#1 - Eat It!:

:P Yeah thats my Northern Star cover signed by Melanie C! That day ruled.

#2: This day sucked! - not today but referring to last Friday when me and a few Spice-friends were supposed to go see Mel C on VH1's The List. Note: VH1 bashing follows:

We all had tickets ordered and confirmed about a week in advance for the show. So it's time to get going. Two of us(me included) couldn't get there early due to work/school, so one of our friends was saving us a spot in line, who arrived about 4 hours before the show time. So first we get to the place where it's supposed to be and it's not even there. VH1 decided to move it to another building without having anybody with tickets notified about it. So we finally get to the place where it's really going on about 2 hours in advance. We arrive only to see tons and tons of people, probably about 200 outside waiting to get into the show. How could this be??? How could there be so many people to this event. The other events with Melanie C were only a few people waiting a couple hours in advance at the other events Mel C was at in LA. Well I guess this version of the list was special, the LIVE episode, the FIRST LIVE episode ever. And I guess since it had other celebs on it people were there to see them as well. So we finally find our friend who is supposed to be saving us a spot. Where did we find him? In the back of the fucking line!! It wasn't his fault, he had been there close to the front for quite some time. But the asshole VH1 people told him he had to go to the back because groups got priority. If you had a group of people you would get priority in the line. Doesn't matter how long the person in front was standing there. How stupid is that!? And of course there were many groups of people, tour busses kept arriving. Not only that but a school had chosen that day to go on a field trip and guess where they got to go, to the taping of The List live. WOW, so there were tons of people there who didn't even care who was on the show and didn't want to be there, and we were in the back of the line with our tickets. Well not the very very last people, but in the back area. We were pissed of course. But we still thought we'd get in. They start letting people in and all the other lines get to go before us. FInally our line starts going in with the students and everything. It gets to halfway down the line and then that was it. No more people, it was full. The bitch came out(and trust me she was a bitch) and said that they had to turn us down because the show was full. Her excuse was that this was a special live version of the show, the first ever live one, and people from all over were coming to see it, executives from New York, MTV people from NY, everybody from everywhere. Thats nice, we only had tickets and had to go out of our fucking way to get them!!!! And we didn't get in. How ridiculous is that!? You have tickets for something, but you can't get into it. So we were pretty pissed off needless to say. And we waited to try to catch Mel on her way out but to no avail. The only enjoyable part was a group of Kristy Alley fans that were out there waiting with us(and they actually got to meet kristy) acting very funny and being very entertaining. But that is a truly good example of bullshit, what VH1 did to us. "Let's not tell you when we change the address and make you travel extra far to a different location, and oh yeah, by the way when you get there, even though you reserved tickets a week ago, you can't go to the show." BULLSHIT! Next time you hear the word bullshit I want you to think of the assholes at VH1. ....but it's alright, it was only one event.

We were there for hours before and people who came like 30 minutes ago were getting to go in first, we were pissed needless to say. We tried to complain to Alley saying that we were there for so many hours before anyone but she told us that "it didn't matter". So we were really disappointed as we went in after half the audience was already let into the building. Everyone was in one big room just inside though and they escorted the crowd to the third floor. We were at this point trying to get in front of the line just by outpacing people and passing them up the stairs and whatnot as we felt so cheated! So finally they get everyone in a big line on the third floor and we are maybe a third of the way down the line. Oh yeah, Rosanne had some flowers with a happy 26th birthday tag on them and note inside for mel that were taken away by one of the security/seating guys but he said he would give them to her. All along he was carrying them as he told us where to go and he put them down on an abandoned price is right stand as we all waited in line.

Alley comes back to us in line and says "you four came here as fans just to see Melanie C...right?" and we were all like "yeah.." and she just said "ok." and gave us a bit of an intriguing look. BOOM, right there my heart rate went up like you wouldn't believe just by the way she said it and looked at us before leaving. So we were all like quiet wondering if somethings going to happen, oh my god is she going to set something up for us, etc etc. So Alley comes back and is standing there in front of the line. Then low and behold some people come around the corner AND WHO ELSE IS ONE OF THEM BUT MELANIE C!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! I think I noticed it was her first but I'm not sure, we all went crazy at about the same time. At first when I saw her I wasn't quite sure if it was her, as her hair looked a bit different from the previous day on Politically Incorrect(she styled it back similarly for the show later though). But then I knew it was her and we were going crazy. First Rosanne shouted "Melanie those are for you!!" as she pointed to the flowers on the price is right stand. Melanie said something like "oh thats so sweet", and took them. Melanie was coming through there because I guess it was on the way to her dressing room but I just know Alley had something to do with it because there are other ways to get to the dressing rooms then public corridors where people are waiting. I mean no other celebs went that way. So back to the good stuff!!!!! Then melanie walks over closer to us and we all get around her. First Rosanne grabbed or shook her hand and I don't remember what was said by anyone else from this point on because I just had like tunnel vision between me and Melanie in the hearing manner if you know what I mean. Everything else was just muted out. Melanie came closer to me and she already had those flowers and something else in her hands and I had my Northern Star album cover and pen out and was thinking "oh my god, how is she going to sign this with all those things in her hands". So first I just kind of grabbed her hand and shook it kind of and said "Melanie, do you think you could sign this quickly?" holding my northern star cover and pen. She said "oh sure, no problem..." and handed her flowers and other stuff to one of the guys or girls standing by her(I don't know, tunnel vision/hearing!!!). So she was signing my album cover and right after she started I told her "Melanie, you're music is da bomb, I know lots of people like to write harsh things and stupid things sometimes, but don't listen to them because they are full of it, just keep making the music." and she said "oh thank you! thats so nice, that means so much to me, I really appreciate that." Then right away I said "So are you going to release a US Single?" and she said "yeah actually, Never Be The Same Again is going to be a single, released next month. I'm actually shooting the video for it next week with Lisa." and I said "Lisa, Left-Eye?" and she said "mmm-hmmm" and I said "so everything's cool now with her? It's all good?" and she said "yeah, she's being really nice." So I said "thats awesome!" Then something else happened where some lady said something about her daughter loving her and got something signed(tunnel, Rosanne told me that). All this time by the way that I'm talking to mel Rosanne is getting like 3 cd covers signed! And so then she started to leave and I think Rosanne told her happy birthday and then I said "yeah, happy birthday" because it totally slipped my mind to say it until that point and then I said "And Spice Girls forever Mel, don't ever forget Spice Girls!" and she said "ok don't worry I won't, bye bye!" or something similar to that. That is the only line I don't remember exactly what she said but it was something positive. ..and then she was gone.

Then I finally came out of my tunnel mode and was back in real life and I realized that the cap to my marker was missing and that Melanie took it by accident, hah! I thought that was quite cool actually, I could tell people who asked where the marker cap was in the future that Sporty Spice took it! But the girl is soooooooo nice, that like just one minute after she left, she had one her assistant girls run it back out to me! WOW!! And that was it for the meeting... and that was da bomb!!!!!!!!!!!! WOW Melanie C is sooooooo awesome!!!!!!!!! I LOVE HER! The show was so awesome as well as many of you have probably already seen by the time you read this. Wow did she do good on the show! And her singing "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" was excellent!!!! IT WAS SO GOOD!!!! I can't wait to get an MP3 rip of it! WOW, and her 5 questions thing went quite nicely too! I think this was possibly the best show she ever did. And it was so good! I think it will help her out a lot, I mean she really really did well and it was the Friday night show, and probably a lot of people were watching it. We thanked Alley about 5 times for her help! Ohhhhh yeah, Rosanne is the high pitched scream you'll probably hear throughout the show and *maybe* you might hear me sometimes screaming "YEAH!!!!" OH GOD, and melanie's little acting thing with the second guest is soooooo cute!!!! And she was waving to us and stuff during the commercials, ahhhhh it was sooooooooo cool! Everything was so dope!!!!! She was awesome on Politically Incorrect as well! She had a lot to say on the issues and didn't hesitate to speak!

Oh yeah and I know she's not reading this and probably nobody she knows is reading this, but a very very special thank you to Alley for her help and kindness, and also to the rest of the great CBS audience staff! THANK YOU!!!!!