I am downloading the digital release of Distant Worlds II.  I am puzzled that the FLAC version is a whopping 1.2 GB, which is double the size of the ALAC version.  It's even larger than the album length's worth of uncompressed CD audio.  The 'C' in FLAC is a misnomer in this case.

Perhaps it's 24bit?

and it did! pics
http://twitpic.com/1ltv86
http://twitpic.com/1lttzh
http://twitpic.com/1ltu95
http://twitpic.com/1ltys4
http://twitpic.com/1ltuu5

I've always wondered if there was another collector on STC. Do you collect anything other than Final Fantasy?

No, as that would most likely end up bankrupting me the way I usually collect stuff I like hehe.  Final Fantasy figurines are really the only thing I collect (and I haven't been doing it for that long tho, what's on my twitter pics is all I have really.)  I did opt for that Chrono Trigger Formation Arts set that coming up in the summer tho as I like that.  I don't have that big a love for Kingdom Hearts so I don't bother with that line of stuff.

I actually make a point of buying games online only.  I hate walking into a store only to find that the game that I'm looking for is out of stock.  I suppose that I could call ahead, but I hear that the custom in many stores is for clerks to tell callers that an item is out of stock without even checking.

Game music, video games and DVD purchases are now officially over.

So it's more spiders to add to my slowly growing collection.

All are unsexed spiderlings ranging from 1/4" to 1" in size.

Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens (Venezualan Green Bottle Blue)
Brachypelma albopilosum (Honduras Curly Hair)
Pterinochilus murinus (Usambara (a mountain range in Tanzania) Orange Baboon aka "Orange Bitey Thing")
Nhandu chromatus (Brazillian Red & White Birdeater)
Psalmopoeus irminia (Venezualan Sun Tiger)

So that'll get the spider count to 10.

Should keep me plenty busy. I won't have room for more until I get my own appartment, so I wanted lots of variety in species, coloration..... and temper ! I've no doubt the OBT and Sun Tiger will give me my money's worth in adrenaline rushes ! =P

Pictures will be available once I receive them

DG: I take it these spiders are quite expensive? Also curious, how did you get into arachnids?

cheers,

-avatar!

exotic pets are cool, but stay away from the asian aquatic animals section at petsmart. I had to call the cops when one employee tried to take me in the back room to show me their Gei-Ping Ora Fish...

There are a variety of factors that will dictate the price to a certain point. Size is one of them, typically, the smaller they are, the cheaper they are. Then is general availability and getting them to breed in captivity. Spiders that breed easily and have a lot of eggs (up to 2000 in some species) will be cheaper as they are more numerous in the pet trade. Rarer species in captivity will command a higher price. I've seen some 1" spiders sell for 500$ or more while a good number will be as low as 10$ each. Sometimes color will also bump up the price. The more colorful spiders are a tad more expensive compared to the drab ones. Last but not least would be hardiness. The most resilient of species are usually inexpensive while those demanding specific care are more expensive to deter inexperienced keepers I'd guess.

For the record, the Curly Hair (3/4"), Red & White (1/4") and Orange Baboon (1/4") were all 10$. These are species that are extremely hardy, can live in a variety of cages and are generally really easy to care for. The Sun Tiger (1/2") was 30$. This one is a bit more advanced as far as care goes and given it appears sporadically in dealers' price lists it's a bit more expensive. Last one, the Green Bottle Blue (1") was at 60$. The combination of amazing coloration, greater size and difficulty to breed in captivity makes this one a bit more expensive. It is as hardy and easy to care for as the first 3.

Hope that helps.

Edit: How did I get into the hobby ?

It first started in October '08 when I was bored online and decided to look at pictures of Goliath Bird Eaters on Google. I was eventually directed at a forum and started looking at the various threads and saw the amazing variety of species and coloration. Read about it but didn't consider owning one yet. Fast foward to March '09, I stop by my local pet store to buy some treats for my dog. I look at the displays while I'm there and notice the Chilean rose tarantula in a small tank with sand, a water dish with a cotton swab in it, dead crickets all over the cage and a small piece of half-log for a hiding place. I was agahst at how poorly that thing was cared for. So I decided it deserved a better life and I'd challenge myself with this.

During the first few months, I was scared to work in the cage because it did show a threat posture when I tried to do some rearranging in the cage over the first couple of days. Eventually, I acquired the confidence to go in, do what must be done and then leave it be. I've never tried to hold it for fear of it tumbling to its death rather than me being bitten.

Fast foward to Oct. '09 and I decided to try out something diffrent, so I got myself an Emperor scorpion. Again, it felt like starting back from square one, eventually I created the perfect environment for it. Result : It dissapeared under the soil, never to be seen again. I was basically looking at a cage with soil for a good couple of months. The only indication telling me there was a scorpion in there was the remains of crickets left outside of its burrow. This turned me off from scorpions so I decided to donate it and focus my collection on tarantulas exclusively since they are generally more active and on display most of the time.

Whew.

Trials & Tribulations hit Wii today, for those interested (it's still my least favorite AA game). What I was REALLY hoping for was the release of Rise From the Ashes alongside it, but it stubbornly remains unavailable, and the only release date I can find online is a safe-bet call of the end of June, covering the original vague Q2 2010 date. So, Capcom, consider yourself warned - there's two more Mondays before the end of May arrives and I buy that plane ticket.

On another note altogether, Picross 3D isn't quite what I was hoping for, but for $20 it's alright. My chief complaints at this point would be increased clock pressure and completely terrible music (the latter easily remedied by putting on rain sounds instead).

These are the definites now, money is still a bit tight so I had to cut out the others from my order.

That's ok tho, I get two of the most beautiful species in the hobby and they are good eaters, fast growers and females live around 15 years which is actually quite decent !

When you get a chance post more pics. Also, I'm just curious to see what your house/apartment/room is like with all the crawlers around
Does it ever freak people out?

cheers,

-avatar!

For you, I'll get some pics.

And no, people aren't freaked out. They are used to the sight of giant, hairy spiders by now.

Pterinochilus murinus (Usambara (a mountain range in Tanzania) Orange Baboon aka "Orange Bitey Thing")

This is the one that's coming home next week. Monthly payments got in the way, so I was forced to cut back further.

Oh well. At the very least, I get an orange spider with serious attitude !