Introducing BenBeitzel.com, the latest creation from JAVConcepts. BenBeitzel.com is the "officially rad website for Benjamin R. Beitzel," a musician, actor, DJ, and a recent graduate of the University of Pittsburgh.

One of my favorite parts about this new website is the videos page. Ben has produced a number of short videos with himself, and with his band Lovenotes. Ben's videos are creative and innovative, and are certainly a joy a to watch. The award winning Rhythm of the Park is a great example of Ben's talent.

Other sections of the website include recent news, a schedule of events, DJ testimonials, and a short Bio page with contact information.

Be sure to check out this new website, and let me know what you think by leaving a comment! If you like Ben's work, and can't get enough, then try the new Lovenotes CD entitled The Early Years, now available on iTunes.

Mozilla's popular web browser is about to be 3! Version 3 that is. Firefox 3 is faster, more secure, and more customizable than ever before. A new downloads manager, single-click bookmarking, and less intrusive password remembering are just a few of the 14,000 improvements to the browser.

In an effort to Spread Firefox, users of the browser are attempting to set a world record of the most software downloaded within 24 hours. Help set a Guinness World Record by pledging to download Firefox 3 on its release day. The browser is expected to be released in June.

Can't wait until the release date? Download the Firefox 3 release candidate now!

I have been using my Macbook for nearly two months, and I've come across some pretty cool applications in that time. The following apps are programs that I use every day. Each app offers something that makes my day just a little be easier, and more enjoyable. I'll start with two simple menu bar additions, touch on two time-wasting games, and then work my way up to one of the most well made programs on the Mac.

5. Magical by Charcoal Design

This free program makes adds a customizable clock to the OSX menu bar. I configured my clock to have a tiny black square with the day of the week, and the day of the month in it. Before I had MagiCal, I would have to go to the dashboard to see what full date was, and this is obviously way too inconvenient. But thanks to MagiCal, I can get the information I need with just a quick glance no matter what I'm doing on my computer.

4. Caffeine by Lighthead Software

Have you ever tried to watch a movie on your Mac, and found yourself flicking the mouse every five minutes because the screen was dimming? If you have, then Caffeine is the program for you. Caffeine sticks a little cup of coffee in your menu bar. Clicking it prevent your Mac from automatically going to sleep, dimming the screen or starting screen savers. Click it again, and your Mac is back to normal. This little lifesaver is free from Lighthead Software.

Sock Oom POW, the latest group coming out of USC, debuted at 2nd Street Jazz this past Thursday night. The funky, 8 piece group played a number of original songs along with a few classic R&B hits. The band started of with an upbeat crowd pleaser called "Everybody Dance Tonight", and continued to rock the house with two full sets of R&B bliss. Catchy rhythms and a clean sound are sure to make this group an instant favorite.

This band is a collection of some serious talent. Each of the members in the group sounds like a professional. The group stands out from other high school and college bands. The original songs that Sock Oom POW members wrote are catchy, and fun to dance to. As SC student Brian Ball puts it, "I was impressed to see how a group of people that usually don't do much R&B put together two great sets, much of which was their own material. I'm pretty sure there were only two covers in over an hour of music. The horn hits were really nice and well-timed - they sounded like they had been playing together for years." It was impressive to see such a large band come together to create solid sound that is easy to listen to.

Hello everyone! I have just secured a new job for myself for the next school year. The job is with Illumin Magazine, an online magazine put out by the Viterbi School of Engineering at the University of Southern California.

The goal of Illumin is to illustrate the many ways engineering benefits and impacts our daily lives. Illumin articles are created by students of the University of Southern California, and are edited by small team of dedicated student editors. The magazine prides itself on the unique multimedia that each article contains, such as music, pictures, and videos.

I will be taking the webmaster position at Illumin next Fall. I am very excited to be working with such a motivated group of editors. I hope to propel Illumin into the Web 2.0 era, and help to maintain its status as one of the best University-run online magazines in the nation. Be sure to check out Illumin, and see how engineering affects your life, every day!