Bit of a 'zine-frenzy over on POS right now, with 3 new releases (well, 2 releases and a "follow-up").
Also there you can grab the latest version of Hyperion Player (that's v1.1), which I think I spotted over on the RealSoft homepage at one point. Or am I thinking of something else?
Either way, there's also a couple new plug-ins for BGE 3.0.1, so if you use that gfx-tool, they could be worth grabbing.

Just before jetting off to somewhere sunny, Gasman has posted a couple more productions on Demotopia. You can find the recent "POS-WebTeam" intro, and a old demo (1994) called "Maxi Mix 2".
Also posted there is some more news of the upcoming parties. Worth a check.

Okay, not really rumours, more of a teaser. Posted up on the RealSpectrum site by Ramsoft. All we basically get is: "the long awaited beta11 is arriving and it's very tasty!" But at least it's some news.

It was pointed out yesterday at work that a recent headline wasn't followed up with enough information. I mean, people may get the wrong idea with a headline "Mmmmm, Pussy!" and no mention of the release of the game, titled "Pussy".
Well, I got a note from DJ Hooligan last night stating that he's uploaded disk #1 of the game to his site. He also mentioned that, after talking to the authors, it seems the disk only contains 1/6th of the full game, which was a commercial release.

Following on from the new URL, I spotted some information in a mail from MacBuster for CC01. He's sent me the rules for the Spectrum part of the party, translated into English. You can grab the rules here.
Of worthy note is this addition to the Demo compo: "A .tap version is a MUST for our Western friends (so, if your demo need to load some data during show - stop demo, load data and resume demo show)." Yeah, .TAP is the best way to spread your work, I think. Nice stuff.

Got a question from Anestis asking where Sintech has disappeared to. I did a bit of checking and... I can't find it! I even checked the old URL for the site, but it's just kinda gone.
If anyone has any news on the site, please let me know.

Ooh, here's some more information on the upcoming CC01-party. Some controversy has surrounded it. Well, perhaps not controversy, but some doubt about whether it'll happen. And there's now a new official URL for you to get your fix from: http://www.cc01.org.ru/

Okay, quiet today. There's only a couple things happening it seems (unless I've missed something).
The release of the new MakeTZX is finalised, and you can download it from the Ramsoft page.
And I spotted a new (?) game posted on fido7.zx.spectrum. I also saw it mentioned over on POS, but when I checked I didn't see the file for download. Perhaps it's fixed now...

Quick note before I get to bed.
Just had an email from Luca/Ramsoft about my last article (you know, Greyscale Chunky-view). To cut-n-paste: "just to point out that RealSpec B11 already has a new greyscale mode."
Sweeeeeet! I now just wonder what other features this divine tool will have in the upcoming release... don't leave us in suspense!

Feedback is a very important thing, especially in the world of software. It allows the programmer to create bug-free, user-friendly, feature-packed software. It can also benefit the person giving feedback.
Example 1: I pointed out a bug in a beta version of WinRAR (yep, I'm a registered user). The bug was fixed, and I received an early test-release.
Example 2: I suggested a couple useful features in WSW, and they've been added. Gives me a warm feeling to think I had an influence.
Example 3: I had an idea of grey-scaling "chunk" images. Either in an emulator or in a viewer.
The result of this last example is that I can bring you an exclusive version of SpecView SE. Here's a few images converted with the new feature (enabled in the "Preferences" window, on the "Misc" tab).

Okay, so the shots are tiny (they're converted using a 4x4 matrix), but they do look kinda kewl. In case you missed, the shots are from "GOA", the first chunk demo I saw.
Anyway, grab the new version of SpecView SE (2.1.12) and play with it yourself. Load in the screen$, and export to .gif.
Now all we need is this feature included in an emulator <g>.