Dinner with Microsoft

A couple of tech authors, two evangelists from Microsoft and I went to dinner the other night. As the conversation strayed from topic to topic through the night, someone would say, "Oh, you've got to send me a link to that."

So, for those of you who were there: here are all those links.

For those of you who weren't there: These are the kinds of things that geeks talk about when Microsoft treats them to a nice meal.

• EAV: Why do the big SaaS providers' databases follow the Entity-Attribute-Value model instead of using a relational database structure? The Entity-Attribute-Value model entry at Wikipedia describes the justification for EAV. "But what about relational constraints?" You can find a good discussion here.
• Doctor Who: The Ten Doctors web comic is a must-read for old-time Doctor Who fans. (Of the four people at the table at that time, how many were old-time Doctor Who fans? Four.) The two current (official) Doctor Who spin-offs are Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures. Finally, that friend who named her dogs Tegan and Nyssa was obviously a Peter Davison fan.
• ZED451: According to a press announcement for the ZED451 restaurant:

  The name ZED451 was derived from a combination of last letter of the English alphabet and the degrees Fahrenheit at which fire starts. “ZED” represents the culmination of the owners’ restaurant experiences, and “451” symbolizes how the dining experience begins.

  And yeah, ignition temperature depends on the substance to be ignited and on several other factors. But that food was delicious!
• TV time: Americans watch an average of 3 hours of TV a day.
• Music and the basal ganglia: I discuss the topic at Banjo versus TV at Touhy Toastmasters, especially on this slide. Dr. Richard Restak is the author who discusses how practice burns circuits into your brain.
• Hugh Jackman: Yes, he's Wolverine, but he also starred on Broadway in The Boy from Oz, Sunset Boulevard, Oklahoma! and Beauty and the Beast.
• Film: The film Primer was made with a $7000 budget and it won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance in 2004. And, again, if you really want to enjoy the film don't read anything about it before you watch it, including the cover of the DVD. It'll be even more fun that way.
• More film: The list of films that my cousinnephew and I watched is here; the film notes are under the label film.
• Comic books: Some of the comics discussed: DMZ, Y the Last Man, many Joss Whedon comics (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Angel: After the Fall and X-Men [ReLoad and Decimation]) and Fables. Also, Bully the Little Stuffed Bull is a terrific comic book blog and I'm not just saying that because we're pals. And Alan Moore's disputes over his work have their own section on his Wikipedia page.
• Evergreen: There's a good description of the newspaper term "evergreen" at Slate's Today's Papers Glossary.
• Working with Microsoft: That book is Partnering with Microsoft and it hasn't been updated since 2005. That newsletter, which does sound like a good idea, is Directions on Microsoft.
• Multimedia technologies: We talked about Curl, JavaFX, Mozilla Prism, AIR, Flash, Thermo, Flex, Silverlight and Expression (including Blend). I'm still not sure which TIBCO technology we were talking about; TIBCO General Interface, maybe?
• Cool office supplies: Levenger makes those cool notebooks. On the cheap: The Hipster PDA.
• Design guides: Before & After magazine, Web Pages That Suck and Jennifer Fleming's Web Navigation: Designing the User Experience.
• Sharing presentations: SlideShare
• Hinsdale, Illinois: It's affluent.
• Other technologies: Mesh
• Misc blogs and sites:
  • Beth Humphreys
  • David Chappell
  • designthinkingdigest.com
  • Don Box's Spoutlet
  • J.R. Jenks
  • Jakob Nielsen on Usability and Web Design
  • Lake County .NET Users' Group
  • Logic+Emotion
  • Petzold Book Blog
  • Rough Type: Nicholas Carr's Blog
  • The Thirsty Developer

Thanks for the great night out! I think we had as much fun as our NDAs would allow!

Banjo versus TV: Week 20

A weekly check-in on the Banjo versus TV project — J.R.'s resolution to spend more time in 2008 on his banjo than on TV.

After last week's successful jam session I've found myself on a learning plateau. Which, Mike tells me, is to be expected after reaching a goal like that. So I've been taking it easy and just picking through my favorite songs.

In preparation for my next push, and as a reward to myself for reaching a goal, I've order up some song books.

• Parking Lot Picker's Songbook by Dix Bruce
• Mel Bay's Master Anthology of Banjo Solos, Vol. 1
• Mel Bay Back-Up Banjo by Janet Davis

More on these when I leave the plateau.

The Bourbon Street Refugees in a Chicago El station

I met a string band in a Chicago El station today. They're working their way from New Orleans to Oregon.

They told me they've been together for just a short while. When I asked their name, the woman with the fiddle and washboard told me they were called The Bourbon Street Refugees in New Orleans.

That sign says, "TRAVELIN' BAND. HELP US OUT." I gave them a few bucks. Their banjo player is a mandolin player who's been working on his banjo since November. He's a frailer, but said he'd like to give picking another try the next time he gets his hands on some picks. I happened to be carrying some picks (of course) so I donated them to the cause.

They told me I could post a couple of videos, so here they are in all their cell-phone-camera glory.

Good luck on the tour, folks!

We left with Mom before the fight broke out

Update: Darn it. I read the date wrong so this whole post doesn't make any sense. The incident occurred on Friday night; we were there on Saturday night. You can just ignore this post. The band on Friday night was The Tony Smith Show and not Roy and the Orbitz.

Never mind.

---

Mom, my little sister and I left the Chambers lounge on Saturday before the fight broke out. We'd finished our meal and caught just the first few songs by the Roy Orbison tribute band Roy and the Orbitz.

The first I'd heard of the fight was when my sister sent me a link to two Chicago Tribune videos: "Officer accused of beating 2 people in a bar" and "Cop charged in bar attack tells a different story".

Depending on whom you believe, we missed either:

• A Chicago cop beating up on a fifty-year-old woman and her sixty-one-year-old boyfriend for no reason (and then fleeing the scene) or
• A fifty-year-old woman asking a Chicago cop to dance with her, her sixty-one-year-old boyfriend hitting her for asking and the cop hitting the boyfriend (and then fleeing the scene)

The cop, who had some vaguely-described prior run-in with the police in 2006, has been relieved of his duties. He was arrested by the Niles police, was released on bond and is to appear in court in June on charges of battery.

So the question is: If Roy and the Orbitz are called to testify, and are asked to do so in song, what Roy Orbison song do you think they'd sing?

• Under Suspicion
• Oh, Pretty Woman
• Crying
• Running Scared
• Chicken Hearted
• It's Over
• Breakin' Up Is Breakin' My Heart
• Communication Breakdown
• She Cheats on Me
• Sweet and Innocent
• How Do You Start Over Again
• Handle with Care
• Love Hurts
• End of the Line

Update: A cell phone picture I took that night. As much as the lead singer looks like Roy Orbison, the bass player looks like Colin Mochrie. Perhaps they should add Hyakugojyuuichi!!! to their repertoire.

Banjo versus TV: Week 19

A weekly check-in on the Banjo versus TV project — J.R.'s resolution to spend more time in 2008 on his banjo than on TV.

The big news this week was my sister's jam party.

She told me she'd invited a bunch of musicians with a variety of skill levels. Translation: Several good musicians and me. But her trick worked. I had a blast at my first jam party!

The band played...

...the singers sang...

...I kept up on my banjo when I could...

...and when I couldn't...

...I hammered away on the pots and pans.

The crowd had a good time and gave me more compliments than I deserved (and almost as many as I could want).

I was very nervous about the jam. The Chordie.com set list was available in advance, so I brought it to my weekly banjo lesson and asked Mike for advice. After giving the list a once-over (Initial assessment: "You're screwed.") he helped me pick out some songs that are within reach of my current skill level.

Here are the songs on her set list that were doable:

• Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morisson (G)
• Calypso by John Denver (capo to A)
• Horse With No Name by America (play only Em and D)
• Jambalaya by Hank Williams (capo to A)
• Last Dance With Mary Jane by Tom Petty (G)
• Paradise by John Prine (G)
• Slip Slidin' Away by Paul Simon (G)
• Squeeze Box by Who (G)
• Stand By Me by Misc. Soul, Rhythm and Blues (G)
• When You Say Nothing At All by Alison Krauss & Union Station (capo to D)
• Wish You Were Here by by Pink Floyd (G)
• Your Cheatin' Heart by Hank Williams (G)

And here are the songs that were beyond my reach for now:

• Ain't Too Proud to Beg by The Temptations
• Bad Moon Risin' by Creedence Clearwater Revival
• Behind Blue Eyes by The Who
• Broken Hearted Saviour by Big Head Todd and Monsters
• Burning Love by Elvis Presley
• Daniel by Elton John
• Don't Let Me be Misunderstood by The Animals
• End Of The Line by Traveling Wilburys
• Feelin' Alright by Grand Funk Railroad
• Fire and Rain by James Taylor
• Friday I'm In Love by The Cure
• Gimme Three Steps by Lynyrd Skynyrd
• Handle With Care by Travelling Wilburys
• Heartache Tonight by Eagles
• Hit Me With Your Best Shot by Pat Benatar
• I Only Want To Be With You by Dusty Springfield
• I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor
• I'm A Believer by The Monkees
• I'm on Fire by Bruce Springsteen
• Its All Been Done by Barenaked Ladies
• Midnight Radio by Big Head Todd and Monsters
• Peaceful Easy Feeling by Eagles
• Rhiannon by Fleetwood Mac
• Sloop John B by Traditional
• Summer in the City by Lovin' Spoonful
• Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond
• Taking Care Of Business by Bachman Turner Overdrive
• Temptation Eyes by Grass Roots
• That'll be the Day by Buddy Holly
• Tiny Dancer Acoustic by Elton John
• You May Be Right by Billy Joel
• You've Lost that Loving Feeling by Righteous Brothers

The band was very kind to me and moved several of the songs to G so I wouldn't have to capo. Thanks, everyone, for making me sound good!

Also in the last week:

• As I was practicing over lunch at the park, Jared Voss came up and introduced himself. Jared's a guitarist with Mattithias and the Stereo Expanders who likes the idea of lunch-time practice in the park. We exchanged contact info; maybe we can set something up.
• Yay, pawn shop bluegrass! I got these used CDs on the cheap at our local pawn shop:
  • Flatt & Scruggs at Carnegie Hall
  • Don Reno: Founding Father of the Bluegrass Banjo
  • Dead Grass featuring Vassar Clements
  • The Three Pickers (Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson and Ricky Skaggs)
  • The Grass is Blue by Dolly Parton
  • All-Time Southern Gospel Hits Collection (OK, it's gospel and not bluegrass. Sue me.)
  • Bill Monroe from the Country Music Hall of Fame Series

The Punisher Meets Archie

Thanks to a tip from the indefatigible Chris Sims I have a new addition to J.R.'s wish list:

Archie Meets the Punisher.

Or is that The Punisher Meets Archie?

Either way, I want it.

I found Power Girl!

Long-time readers (Hi, Mom!) will recall that I'd made a promise to this woman.

We met at Wizard World 2007 in Chicago. I was wearing a Plastic Man costume, my nephew was wearing a Woozy Winks costume. The meeting went something like this:

Some dude: (Tapping me on the shoulder.) She wants you to come over.

Me: Huh?

Some dude: (Motions towards the woman in the Power Girl costume.) She can't leave the booth and she wants you to come over.

Me: Power Girl!!!

Her: Plastic Man!!!

(I run over to the booth, dragging "Woozy" with me. A big hug as we talk over one another.)

Talking over one another: ILovePowerGirlILovePlasticManAlwaysBeenOneOfMyFavoritesOhMeTooWeHaveGotToGetAPicture.

Me: (As we pose.) You realized that I'm going to have to PhotoShop this so my arm wraps around you.

Her: Of course!

Me: I'll get you a copy.

But, dummy that I am, I neglected to get her contact information. So, even though the picture came out beautifully and I got not just one but two great PhotoShop mods of it, I didn't know how to get a copy to her.

Until now.

The woman, I've discovered, is Liana K, co-host of the popular Canadian show Ed & Red's Night Party.

Here's what Wikipedia has to say about her.

Liana Kerzner (born 1978 in Toronto, Ontario), better known by her stage name, Liana K, is a Canadian television entertainer who co-hosts the talk show, Ed's Night Party.

After studying English Literature and Anthropology for a time at York University, she abandoned her academic studies in 1997 when she was hired for behind-the-scenes work on Ed's Night Party. This eventually led to Kerzner earning the positions of senior producer and co-head writer of the program. By 2004, she joined Ed the Sock to become the first female co-host on the show.

Kerzner has also been involved in many of Ed the Sock's other media projects, including the annual Fromage specials and Smartass: The Ed the Sock Report, both on the Canadian cable music and variety television channel MuchMusic.

Kerzner has been also active as a performer in theatre and competitive dance from a young age.

She's also a comic book fan and she loves cosplay. And she blogs.

So I'm going to drop her an email (or blog post or something) with a link to this post so I can finally get her the photos.

Now, I know what you're thinking. "OMG, J.R.," you're thinking, because you think in initialisms. "You and Liana K are so much alike. Blogging, comics, costumes, hand puppets. Ravishingly good looks. How are we going to tell you apart?"

I can see your difficulty. So I used information from our respective sites to create the following chart of comparisons.

Liana K	J.R. J
Your results: You are Spider-Man You are intelligent, witty, a bit geeky and have great power and responsibility. Spider-Man 100% Supergirl 90% Batman 80% Wonder Woman 75% Green Lantern 70% Superman 70% Hulk 60% Iron Man 60% Robin 55% The Flash 55% Catwoman 50% Click here to take the Superhero Personality Quiz	Your results: You are Spider-Man You are intelligent, witty, a bit geeky and have great power and responsibility. Spider-Man 90% Hulk 75% Superman 65% Iron Man 65% Catwoman 55% Supergirl 53% The Flash 50% Green Lantern 50% Robin 48% Batman 40% Wonder Woman 38% Click here to take the Superhero Personality Quiz

Hope that helps.

Banjo versus TV: Week 18

A weekly check-in on the Banjo versus TV project — J.R.'s resolution to spend more time in 2008 on his banjo than on TV.

Mike, my instructor, approves of the approach to pinky and smoothness that I described last week, so I've been doing more of the same this week. And by "more" I mean "less" since I haven't had much banjo time this week.

One of the things fueling this: I have got to watch some more TV. Just look at the trend through last week:

At this rate it's going to be too easy to keep my banjo hours over my TV hours. And next month's trip to Midwest Banjo Camp is just going to make matters worse. I figure it'll be about 23.5 hours of banjo time, even if I don't participate in any of the off-hours open jam sessions.

If I let my banjo hours fall much farther behind my TV hours, the TV hours will provide no motivation at all.

So I'm going to freely indulge in as much sweeps-watching as I want.

Censorzilla

I am far too amused by this obscenity-filled list of source code comments from early Mosaic code.

Helen Killer

Here's hoping that Helen Killer is everything that Chris Sims says it is. Sounds like a comic for the ages.

Update: Oh no! Everybody's sold out of Helen Killer #1! I've tried three comic shops. Good thing that Wizard World Chicago is coming up next month; I should be able to find a copy there.

Banjo versus TV: Week 17

A weekly check-in on the Banjo versus TV project — J.R.'s resolution to spend more time in 2008 on his banjo than on TV.

I worked on two things this last week: my pinky and my smoothness.

For the pinky, I played Rocky Top from my Easy Banjo Solos book. Its chord progression (G-C-G-Em-D-G-C-G-Em-D-G-Em-G-F-C-G-F-G) includes a little bit of the pinky-centric D and F chords. I had to play this song at a painfully slow pace, but I played it.

And speaking of pace, I worked on my smoothness by setting my metronome at a leasurely 100 beats per minute and playing all of my songs (except Rocky Top) at that speed. I kept wanting to go faster, but it was good for me to stick to that pace and to concentrate on a nice, smooth play.

Also in the last week:

• Another good article on the subject on neurology, learning and music: "Why You Make the Same Mistake Twice."

Banjo versus TV: Week 16

A weekly check-in on the Banjo versus TV project — J.R.'s resolution to spend more time in 2008 on his banjo than on TV.

This week, as portrayed by the graphics from Hal Leonard Banjo Method Book 1:

Also in the last week:

• Illinois suffers a 5.2 earthquake along the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone the day after I play Wabash Cannonball on my banjo. Coincidence?
• Came across a quote from Earl in a 2006 Rocky Mountain News article:

  Gary Scruggs reminded his dad that when he started out, most banjo players were country comedians such as Stringbean and Uncle Dave Macon.
  
  "Uncle Dave told me I played good in a band but I wasn't a damn bit funny," Scruggs said.

• Saw Slightly Bent at the No Exit Cafe in Chicago. The banjo player, Bill James, was friendly and informative when he found out I was a banjo newbie. Thanks for the tips, Bill!
  
  Here's a video from a Slightly Bent performance in January:
  
• I watched a Netflix copy of Earl Scruggs: The Bluegrass Legend: Family & Friends. This PBS documentary was shot in 1969. It captures an interesting moment in banjo history – just after the 1969 breakup of Flatt and Scruggs. Highlights:
  • Foggy Mountain Breakdown with Earl on the Banjo, Randy Scruggs on guitar and Gil Trythal on the Moog synthesizer
  • Earl's joins a Vietnam War Moratorium protest in DC. "I'm disgusted and sorry about the boys we've lost over there."
  • An interview with Earl's best friend. "Prior to Earl Scruggs, the banjo was a rhythm instrument; it was an instrument of the clowns."
  • A classmate of Randy Scruggs, goofing on the J. Edgar Hoover's book, Masters of Deceit, which is being handed out to all of the seniors at their southern high school.
  • Earl and Bill Monroe warm up backstage at the Grand Ole Opry.
  • Joan Baez describes how she confessed her crush on the shy Earl to a stranger in a ladies' room, who was (of course) Earl's wife Louise.
  • In the middle of singing It Ain't Me Babe and with baby Gabriel on her knee, Joan Baez slips into a hilariously dead-on impersonation of former lover Bob Dylan.
  • Many other examples of Joan Baez being charming and funny during a rough time in her life. From Gabriel's age I'm guessing her scenes were shot in 1970 during husband David Harris' 15-month incarceration for refusing to serve in Vietnam. Earl asks Joan to sing If I Were a Carpenter with him and Randy, "for David". Really, you should pick up this DVD just for the Joan Baez scenes.
  • Lots of other performers, including The Byrds and Bob Dylan.
  Highly recommended. And now I must get:
  • I Saw the Light with Some Help from My Friends, the album Earl was working on.
  • Earl Scruggs: His Family and Friends, the album reflecting the music covered in this documentary. (Amazon sells a strange combo CD that combines with the last-ever Flatt and Scruggs album, Nashville Airplane.)

Banjo versus TV: Week 15

A weekly check-in on the Banjo versus TV project — J.R.'s resolution to spend more time in 2008 on his banjo than on TV.

Squeezed in a little practice during a busy week. Spent much of my time in my Hal Leonard book, especially on...

Also in the last week:

• Good topic at the BHO: "What was the worst piece of advice given to you when you were first starting out?"
• I've been rewatching Understanding the Formula of Music, the DVD I discussed three weeks ago. I pick up a little more with each repeated viewing. For example, this DVD has taught me what an arpeggio is -- a journey of understanding that began in 1970 when I first saw this scene in The Aristocats:
  

Banjo versus TV: Week 14

A weekly check-in on the Banjo versus TV project — J.R.'s resolution to spend more time in 2008 on his banjo than on TV.

Another week in which the TV (6 hours 42 minutes) beat the banjo (3 hours). I think I'm hitting a low patch in my enthusiasm. Which happens. (See Reid Toth's article, "Motivation, Procrastination and Instant Gratification" in last month's Banjo Newletter.)

Also in the last week:

• My banjo was kidnapped for April Fools' Day.

Mentos Passwords for Stupid Fools Farting Sweet Home minus Garfield

Seven links:

1. Leningrad Cowboys & Red Army Choir - Sweet Home Alabama
2. GRC's Ultra High Security Password Generator
3. April Fools (Flickr group)
4. fart-sounds.net
5. Garfield minus Garfield
6. Computer Being Stupid
7. Diet Coke + Mentos

Banjo versus TV: Week 13

A weekly check-in on the Banjo versus TV project — J.R.'s resolution to spend more time in 2008 on his banjo than on TV.

Kind of a slow week, banjo-wise. I ate into my surplus by watching some trashy TV with the redhead. (Hurray for Best Week Ever and Girls Next Door!) But the banjo is still way ahead.

I suppose I should reflect on the whole Banjo versus TV project, what with this being the thirteenth week and therefore the project's one-quarter mark. I'm very happy with my banjo-playin' progress. I can now pluck six songs or so with modest skill, which is a good start and is waaaaay better than I'd be if I hadn't been putting in the hours.

In other words: so far, so good.

Also in the last week:

• I picked up my spare banjo from the shop. Now both banjos have fifth-string capos.
• I registered for Midwest Banjo Camp.

They kidnapped my banjo on April Fools' Day

I arrived at my office on this fine, April 1st morning and discovered a ransom note, hanging from my office door by a banjo strap.

We have your banjo.

If you ever want to see your precious banjo again prepare 300 unmarked AgileBucks and dial 847-699-XXXX for the drop point.

No cops.

I rushed to my banjo case; the one I keep my spare banjo in so I can do some early morning practice at the office. Opening the case, I discovered that my banjo was gone and that it had been replaced by a rock. A mocking rock that laughed at me and glowed with the message "BEWARE!"

It was clear that the kidnappers worked for AgileTek. They wanted to be paid in AgileBucks; the currency that we use for our rewards at AgileTek. (Click on these pictures...

...for a little background on AgileBucks.)

What to do? What to do?

(To be continued.)

Update:

I prepared three bundles...

...and made contact with the kidnappers. I got my banjo. They got their bundles of AgileBucks. As instructed.

Almost exactly as instructed. I mean, the note did say "unmarked," right? So I made sure that all of the AgileBucks in the middle of each bundle were totally, completely and without a doubt...unmarked.

Happy April Fools' Day, you rotten, banjo-thievin' scoundrels!

Mark your calendars: Midwest Banjo Camp on June 6-8 in Olivet, Michigan

Midwest Banjo Camp will be held at Olivet College in Olivet, Michigan on June 6-8, 2008. I'm trying to talk the redhead into coming along on the "non-playing spouses, companions and chaperones" option. Wish me luck.

Banjo versus TV: Week 12

A weekly check-in on the Banjo versus TV project — J.R.'s resolution to spend more time in 2008 on his banjo than on TV.

No banjo lesson this last week, which was a week dominated by non-banjo activities.

I used my little bit of practice time effectively, I think, concentrating on two songs from my Hal Leonard book: Hand Me Down My Walkin' Cane and Hard Ain't It Hard. Man, those songs are easier to play when you syncopate 'em.

Also in the last week:

• I played around with some plastic picks, following some instructions I found for shaping them with hot water. I dunno; they just feel funny. Maybe I'll come back to them at a future date.
• Man, I am such a newbie. That bad job I did stringing my banjo last week? It sounds like things would have gone much better if I'd had a string winder. I didn't know such an item existed until I saw one on eBay on Thursday.
• Spent some time on music theory this week, watching the DVD Understanding the Formula of Music. I really liked it. The narrator, Dan Huckabee of Musician's Workshop, has put together two tightly-packed hours of information and has made the subjects very clear and approachable. I came away from this DVD understanding a bunch of concepts that I'd been struggling with, such as diminished and augmented chords. I like Huckabee. I can see where some of the reviewers are coming from regarding his flat delivery style, but those folks should get over it and learn from a man who has an impressive bio. He's got some other DVDs that are available from his web site (and from Amazon and via NetFlix). His more recent DVD How to Figure Out Music from Recordings seems to cover much of the same material; perhaps it's the replacement for The Formula of Music. But if you want to see that newer DVD via NetFlix you'll have to get in line behind me; I've already added it to my queue.
• One thing about that video, though: The logo for Musician's Workshop has been bugging me.
  
  What's with the lute-playing turtles? Are they supposed to remind us to take a slow and steady approach to learning music? Are they a response to critics' statements about Dan Huckabee's slow delivery style? Are they some oblique reference to the myth of Hermes and his creation of the first stringed instrument from a butchered turtle?
• I was Googling up information on proper banjo posture when I came across this article about using the banjo as a weapon. An excerpt:

  You can cut your reaction time considerably by having a quick-release harness or wearing it on one shoulder like Earl Scruggs who claims he does it to avoid taking off his hat but you can tell by the way he holds the banjo that he's ready for action.

• I watched my NetFlix copy of Best of the Flatt & Scruggs TV Show: Vol. 4 and it was every bit as much fun as the first three volumes. That brings me up-to-date with the series so far. Amazon says that volumes five and six should be out on April 1, 2008.

You got your rodent in my burger!

Ewww.