Edited (in the loosest sense on the word) by Gary W. Priester
VOLUME 3 ISSUE 5 •  September 15, 1999

In this issue:

Winners and Stuff

The winner of the second copy of Alien Skin's Xenofex is Curtis Brettin. Congratulations Curtis. Curtis writes in his comments, 

    I see a pattern emerging on these quizes! Great WebXealot edition. I know I'll get a lot out of the new user material. It is a nice compliment to your tutorials. I believe more introductory information is needed. Please write a book on Xara.

 

For you luck-challenged readers who really wanted a copy of Alien Skin's Xenofex, the cool plug-in filters that work so well with Xara 2, Click Here to see what you might have won. As for the book Curtis is asking for, let's wait a few months and see if there is anything left to write a book about, eh?

This month's winner was picked using the following scientific method. I added the number of the month (9), to your editor's year of birth (1942!), subtotal 51, subtracted this from the last two digits of this year (99), subtotal 48, added the number of ring-neck doves in the hen house (4), subtotal 52, subtracted the current issue number (5) 47, added 1 for good measure, subtotal 48, to which was added the number of finches (2) subtotal 50, and divided by the total number of cats in the household (5) for a final winning number of 10. However the seven hens, (we mourn the passing of Angelina) were up in arms (wings?) for not being included and so were added to the final total producing this month's lucky number of 17. Your editor's wife, thinking this whole process to be silly and unscientific, called for a drawing and picked the real winning number at random from the prize hat. It's getting all too complicated.

Your editor (that's me) gamely ventured out from behind the monitor for a few hours last week to schmooze with some of the folks from Corel Corp. who were in town for the Seybold Conference. Over dinner and a bottle of fine California Sauvignon Blanc, your editor managed to score a copy of the CorelXARA replacement CD! Not only that, maybe it was the wine, but your editor managed to get Corel's charming and intelligent Communications Manager to agree to make TWO copies of the replacement CD available for this month's drawing. Cool?

So, what's on the CorelXARA Replacement CD? What does it cost and how do you get a copy? The disk contains the program files (Duh!), 12,500 clip art images, 750 TrueType and Type 1 PostScript fonts, and 750 photos. Except for the photographic fills that you can use from the Fill Gallery, all the other material on the CD is mostly new and not the same as found on the CDs for versions 1 and 1.5. The disc sells for $19.95 USD plus shipping, (about $10.00 USD). Click Here to go to Corel's Customer Service page. The part number for the replacement CD is CX20CSENGOJC .

Insider Information!

While the schmooze-fest mentioned in the previous paragraph was rewarding in terms of two CDs to be given away for next month's drawing prizes, that was the extent of the insider information. Try though I might, I was unable to garner any more information about Xara 3 with the exception that it is alleged to be released in the fall. However, as I have not even seen a beta or alpha copy, I can only speculate as to fall of which year. But you know, as soon as there is any word—even a good rumor—you'll read it here first.

The Featured Artist for the month of September is Marcus Geduld. Visitors to the Xara Gallery will be familiar with Marcus's warm and witty animations. In addition to more animations, you'll learn about Marcus's passion for the theater and gain insight into his animation techniques. The September Trompe L'Oeil Room sheds light for beginners as well as advanced users. The tutorial—split into two tutorials—creates a bright table lamp that reflects on a shiny table top.

There are several new goodies in the Shareware Page the most colorful of which are several new replacement Xara icons created by Athena Hatton. These icons replace the standard Xara icon on the Taskbar. There are instructions on the Shareware Page to help you add the icons.

You're editor wishes to thank all of you who used the form to submit your entries and your encouraging comments. Feedback is always welcome, as are questions and even criticisms. The feedback on the new user information was overwhelmingly positive.

©1999 Gary W. Priester, All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in any way without the express written permission of the author.