Hello Lists, As some of you may know, I'm the guy who wrote Specimen. And as a tiny fraction of that some may know (or care), Specimen hasn't seen an update in an exceedingly long time. What, exactly, is going on? The answer, dear friends, is simple: music. My introduction to the art of electronic music composition began precisely when Specimen development halted. For a few months, I fumbled around with countless little songs in an attempt to figure out how one goes about the process of coaxing the electrons in such a fashion as to result in sonic euphoria. And once I reached that point where the magnitude of my suckiness became bearable, I began writing songs. This process began in February with the assistance of an old friend, who lent his discerning ear and exceptional bass talent to the effort. And yesterday, we finished step one --- general composition. We now have 11 rough drafts that will be polished into a full length album and released next fall --- 100% Linux and OSS produced. It occurred to us that we might share some of this with all you folks out there in Internet land, both to stoke the flames of anticipation and to remind my adoring public that I have not yet shed this mortal coil. So, I am pleased to present a collection of snippets from the aforementioned tracks above, pieced together in an easy to swallow medley: http://www.gazuga.net/preliminary_beats.ogg http://www.gazuga.net/preliminary_beats.mp3 And for those interested in staying abreast of the latest and greatest, be sure to tune into The State of the Beat: http://www.gazuga.net/blog That's all for now, but don't worry --- I'll be back before you know it. Kinda like herpes, only better. Peace out, -Pete