The problem with taking a while off from "doing the news" on a site like this is that once you get a chance to sit in front of a 'puter and write something... well, there's loads of it! And that makes you want to leave it another day. Eventually, it becomes too much. My news sack is bulging, and ready to spurt. Ehm. There's an innuendo, eh?!
The problem is, with all this news to get through, it'd done really badly. Like this:

• A new version of Vortex Tracker II is available. It's up to v1.0 alpha 9.
  
• New versions of Horror Word (1.03) and BestView (2.14) are available over at DJH Downloads if you want them.
  
• Apparently, Mekka&Symposium won't be taking place next year. If you want it to happen, there's a petition.
  
• If you fancy trying out your Czech, go grab some issues of ZX Magazin from Speccy.cz.
  
• Spin v0.4 has been released. You can grab a list of changes if you check out the WOS forums. There's also something about a beta of Spin 0.41.
  
• Shitloads of goings-on at WOS, but importantly it's been cake-and-icecream time. The other day, the site turned 7 years old. Well done.
  
• In the last few days, vbSpec has been upgraded by a few versions, and it currently rests neatly on v1.62.
  
• POS is closed today in memory of Ded Smirnoff.
  
• Get over to V-TRD to grab yourself a copy of Prodigi DMA USC Music Editor, which supports a DMA sound expansion for the ZX.
  
• TCG have made another update to MB Commander, bringing it up to v1.3.
  
• If you want to transfer files to-and-from PC and ZX, then check out the news on the ZX DIY Page. There's info from Garry Lancaster with some programs for just that purpose.
  
• Timewasters wanted to spread this file, and this message: "we who are who are we. we made it to say we love scene. we will be here always. (c) Timewasters". There you go, then.
  
• I've been sent this votesheet for "kpuk#3__inskene", a 'zine from Skrju. Try to fill it in and send it on by December 8^th.
  
• Sintech report on CSS that there's no confirmation yet on whether the MB03 will ever exist. They have 20 of the required 50 orders for 8BC's proposed system. It's not easy to sell something that only may exist.
  
• Also with Sintech, there's some news of a +D Clone for the sum of 99 euros. Again, it's "soon".
  
• Another post on CSS from Yarek gives info on ZXVGS 0.30 for MB02, which is working lovely-like on RealSpec. It even works with an emulated HDD interface. Yum.
  

Normal service will resume soon, I promise. Things are going haywire at the moment. Once things have settled down I'll try to get back into the "news every day" thing.
Oh, and if I've missed some news, let me know about it again. I may have missed it in my email, lost amongst the spam.