So, I'm sitting next to my buddy Brad, who's about to go onto TSS and demonstrate Object Desktop to Leo, when I hear someone announce that Michael Robertson is in the studio. Yes, the same Michael Robertson who helped get Lockergnome's Web site started in 1996; the same Michael Robertson who took on the music industry with MP3.com; the same Michael Robertson who is working on making Lindows the choice for people who are tired of Microsoft's tactics and policies. It was the first time we met each other face-to-face. Unfortunately, he had to jet off to another meeting after his appearance, but we had about 15 minutes to grab a quick cup of coffee at Peet's. I'm not sure if he (or his PR agent) liked the brew, but I talked their ears off – trying to catch up on six years of wonky business deals and near misses. I told him a bit about Gnomedex, but it may be too late to get him out to Iowa this time around. Even so, we made tentative plans for the next time he was breezing through town. Unless he pulls a fast one and calls my show with a fake question about his printer not workin' with that dern Winders.

I'm debating whether or not I should get a digital video camera before heading back to Des Moines in a couple of weeks. For all practical purposes, the instant AVI recording capability of my PowerShot G2 is suitable for uploading to the Web (which is what I'd most likely do with it). I'd look awfully silly carrying around a tripod, but I know it's necessary to get the best shots; even with some kind of anti-jitter feature enabled, the difference between a good shot and a great shot often boils down to the composition of the scene. Again, I'm faced with having to choose from a wide variety of able models. The Canon ZR series is awfully tempting; I don't want to “invest” more than a grand on the equipment. I'm looking for your experiences now – with whatever camera. Don't worry; the most helpful notes will get published in this very space. What good is knowledge if you don't share it with your friends? Ah, while you're collecting your thoughts, I have to start writing next month's CPU Magazine article. It'll be about the misconceptions of the shareware industry – a real eye opener.