All
the |
(Navigation bar
directly below.)
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© A.J. Goldsby,
2009.
(All rights reserved.)
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Click HERE
to see the page
for my downloads.
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Click HERE
to see any chess
items that I have
that are ...
FOR SALE!
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Buy a book
from Amazon.com
(And help me out as well!)
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| Today's date is: |
Welcome! My name is A.J. Goldsby I. (I am a fairly well-known chess player, who has lived most of his life in Pensacola, FL / in the USA.) This is the home of my biggest chess website, and serves as the focal point of nearly all of my chess activities. Originally, this site was part of the "Geo-Cities" family of websites. In the spring of 2009, I learned that GC would soon be shutting their doors ... forever. Naturally, I could not bear the thought of my biggest website closing for good. Therefore, I purchased a domain, and moved all of my pages to this location. If you have any questions at all, please feel free to e-mail me at: LifeMasterAJ@yahoo.com.
Important notice:
Friday; October 9th, 2009: To all the fans of my websites ... my car is currently broken, and it is going to cost about $3,000.00 to have it repaired. (The engine needs to be rebuilt.) I have been without a car for several weeks now. My daughters are having to walk to school in the rain, and I have to "bum a ride" for the simplest of tasks. (Like going to Wal-Greens to get milk.) I desperately need some help. ANY contribution would be greatly appreciated!!! [See the sidebar for the link to my PayPal account. OR - send checks and money orders to: A.J. Goldsby; PO Box 11718; Pensacola, FL (USA) 32524.]
The best current {chess} quote:
"A great result for Anand
... and for chess."
"Vishy deserved the win in every way and I'm very happy for him. It will not be easy for the younger generation to push him aside."
- GM Garry Kasparov
GM Viswanathan Anand has won the World Championships, and has cemented his position as the world's best player, regardless of the numbers.
<Read all of Garry's comments, which were taken from the ChessBase website.>>
Thanks to all of you who take the time to e-mail me with ideas,
suggestions and corrections!
(Be sure to visit my domain
as well!)
You can now make a direct donation via "PayPal," ... please do so today. (See the sidebar.)
If you like my website, don't forget to donate. I suggest an annual (minimum) donation of $25 to $35 a year, but only from those folks that are financially able to give something. If you don't have a credit card, or - as many people do - you just want to send a check, money order ... or maybe you just want to stuff a few dollars in an envelope ... below is my mailing address. Thanks! Remember - your continued support is what makes this website possible.
My (mailing) address is: A.J. Goldsby I; P.O. Box 11718; Pensacola, FL 32524
Click HERE to go to Google ™ ... the world's best and largest search engine; and search for web sites and/or web pages - with 'chess' as the subject. (Literally MILLIONS of matches!!)
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[ Today's Tip? Go and get the FREE Google Toolbar ... and BLOCK most pop-ups!! ]
[ Another g-tip? New!
***
(If you are {still} searching for chess material, you can also check out the link at the top of the page.
This site was voted to be: (the) "Best
General Chess Web Site" for 2004,
by The Chess Journalists of America!! [The CJA site.]
Click HERE to see the meeting times for the Pensacola Chess Club.
We plan to have quite a few tournaments in 2009. Use this link to see the information on any tournament ... or if you would like to download any of the flyers for these events.
CG's P.O.D.
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A.J.'s - Site Problem
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White to move.
Position
in Forsythe: (top-to-bottom/left-to-right)
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r2q1rnk/1p1bb1pp/p2p4/3NP1P1/P2Bp3/3Q3R/1PP1B2P/6RK w
White: Kh1, Qd3, Nd5, Bd4, e2, Rg1, h3; Pawns: a4, b2, c2, e5, g5, & h2
Black: Kh8, Qd8, Ng8, Bd7, e7, Ra8, f8; Pawns:
a6, b7, d6, e4, g7, & h7.
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This is a "White to move" (and win?) problem. I won't tell you the players or the source, if I did that, it would make it too easy for you. Please, use ONLY your brain, no computers! |
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Now I have a
page to permanently record the problems,
(from my home page); ... most with analysis as well.
(Click here
to see another page ... with even more problems, these are posted on a weekly
basis.)
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More problems to solve, ... ... ... IF you are interested.
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"Chess News" |
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GM V. Anand wins the (FIDE) WORLD's CHAMPION title!!!!!!
GM
Anand won his 2008 title match against GM V. Kramnik by the score of 6.5 to 4.5
and is now the undisputed World Champion.
(The official website
for this match, read
all the ChessBase reports on this match, read
the TWIC news report for game 11.)
*******
CORUS / Wijk aan Zee, 2009
Six players were tied for the lead going into the final round. Only Sergey Karjakin - who at age 12, (in 2002), became the youngest GM ever - managed to win to win his match-up, and thus won this year's edition of this Super-GM tournament. Three big guns ... GM's L. Aronian, T. Radjabov and S. Movsesian tied for second through fourth places, (in the "A" group). Other notable participants were Kamsky, Ivanchuk, Adams and Morozevich.
Nigel Short had the "B" group locked up, until a last round loss cost him the title. The little known So took first in the "C" group.
---> The official website. The CB story (on the last round). The news report from TWIC. The page from "Chess Games" on this event.
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GM Kiril Goergiev just broke the world simultaneous record. (He had to play 360 opponents and score more than eighty per cent!!!) [more]
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Linares, 2009 / XXVI Super-GM
GM's Vassily Ivanchuk and GM Alexander Grischuk tied for first (at +2) in this annual tournament of the world's best. [CB report]
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5th M-Tel Masters / Sofia Super GM
This tournament - now arguably the premier chess event of the year - was won by GM Alexei Shirov. [CB report] [CC/TWIC report]
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The "Pearl Springs" Tournament / Nanjing, China
Thursday; Oct 08th, 2009: As I write this, Magnus Carlsen is in the lead ... by two full points!!! [Read more.]
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For more information, please see my
page
devoted entirely to "Chess News."
(Be sure to check out the various
"Archive Pages" as well.)
Many have suggested that I do a regular column. Like GM S. Gligoric used to have in CL&R.
So I decided to do it. Click HERE to see my "Game of The Month."
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Make sure you visit my page devoted to Correspondence Chess!
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February 26th, 2003: After nearly 8 years of hard work, I have finally done it. All the games in MY list of the "Ten Best" are finally, thoroughly and DEEPLY annotated. All the games have a "JS re-play" page. Most have a very thorough and deep analysis of all the options, to include an opening repertoire. (I continue to refine and add to these pages on a regular basis. Nov. 20th, 2007.) |
Dozens of people have asked me to keep a list of what is new or what has changed.
That would be too difficult to do.
---> But now you can click
HERE
to see one of my latest creations.
(This will change every time I post a new page, or greatly
up-date an old one.)
***
Click HERE to see the page with my latest annotated games.
Announcements and chess games
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Bobby Fischer passes away at 64 years of age ... from an unspecified illness. (My page on this news item.)
-
I have always thought that H.N. Pillsbury ... was a great player, and perhaps belonged in the list of
"The 25 Best Players" of all time. However, I usually don't find too many people to agree with me on this topic.
Here's a blog that discusses this {briefly} in passing. -
A NEW version of ChessBase Light is now available. And its FREE! [more]
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A very interesting endgame ... that is definitely worth a second look.
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My letter to Joel Benjamin ... in the (on-line) issue of Chess Life. [New - corrected - link, July, 2008.]
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Read my book review of "The Immortal Game," by David Shenk.
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My review of Igor Stohl's new volume (#2) on Garry Kasparov's Greatest Games.
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My win over NM Jerry Wheeler ... is featured in GM Ray Keene's column, (or try here),
(in the London Times); for March 18th, 2006. {My analysis of this contest.} -
A good review ... of a great book ... on a very historic match.
(IM Jeremy Silman's review of the same book.) -
Be sure to visit this page for listing chess miniatures. (My old {original} page for
miniatures is full.) This page already has a few nice games, so be sure to check it out. -
Click HERE to see the famous game, Lasker - Napier; Cambridge Springs, 1904.
-
Click HERE to see a brilliant game by R. Nezhmetdinov. (This is not a new game,
but it has not been available for several years. At some point, the web page became
severely corrupted, {unreadable} and I was not aware of this. Additionally - - about 3-6
months ago, they closed the host site for this page, and I had not {yet} reposted it. I have
also redone it and touched it up a bit, so it will be like looking at a brand-new web page.) -
In my quest to fix (and repair) broken links, you should be able to reach all the games on
the page that is dedicated to all the best chess games of Garry Kasparov. (Click HERE.) -
This is NOT a new game, however it has been unavailable for several years now ... due to
many problems, mostly which were busted links. However, now you can see this game ...
in all of its original and resplendent glory. (Rubinstein - Hromadka, 1923.) -
My analysis of game one of the WCH-2008 Anand-Kramnik match.
-
Check out the new problem (Aug - 2009) on my page dedicated to this area of chess.
(You can scroll down to the bottom of the page ... OR ... click here.) -
The CG website has a new page. (Its a handy index to all the chess World Championships ...
(and it has a nice introduction as well). -
My newest page ... its fairly short, but interesting. Its on the game: Rozentalis - Bologan; Belfort, FRA; 1995.
Click here to see this game now. -
Tuesday / September 8th, 2009: A new page ... that will contain lightly annotated miniatures.
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Thursday; September 10th, 2009: I have a new page for listing my (free) downloads. Check it out!!
-
Friday; October 2nd, 2009: I have updated my analysis of the game, Bobby Fischer - Oscar Panno; BA 1970.
(This includes a free download of my current analysis of this game!)
The latest, interesting chess link ...
(July, 2009.) A new and interesting site: The CHESS CUBE. Play chess, get good chess analysis, watch chess video's. (Go there now.)
Sunday; March 21st, 2004: After hearing (from one doctor) that he did not think my wife, (JULIE); would survive more than a year, (after her initial diagnosis) ... because of the type of cancer that she had; Praise the LORD God - she is doing fine; and absolutely no sign of the disease. (And thank his son, Jesus Christ! Rejoice!) (Please click HERE to read the full story!)
Wednesday; May 03, 2006: My wife just completes a long cycle of daily radiation therapy and also chemo-therapy to treat a re-occurrence of her cancer. (I continue to believe in God's miracle.)
Sunday; January 13th, 2008: My precious wife lost her battle with cancer ... and went to heaven to be with the Lord. Jesus - please help me to carry on.
Sites of Special Interest
#
1.) Cambridge
Springs, 1904 - A site that looks like it was prepared by a
professional. This is a
site that is completely dedicated to
perhaps the strongest
tournament that was ever played on American soil! It is also a
site that deserves
to be better known than it actually is. A fun site to kick around for
any chess player
or historian. Have a look!
(NOT my site, but Steve Etzel's of Wisconsin.)
#
2.) SB's
Chess Page - Without question, one of the finest {private}
chess sites on the
'net. While occasionally
one of the links will not work, and there are a few (mostly)
minor errors,
the sheer amount of content here is of special note. Wow!
#
3.) Tim Krabbe's
Chess
site. A chess author ... one of the first (big) chess web
sites.
(Whole books
have been written with the content contained within here!)
#
4.) Bill Wall's excellent chess site.
A site that is filled with great content. Visit
it.
I don't think
you will regret the time you took to do this. (A great place to
explore,
and there are
many great downloads as well. There is a lot of content here.)
(It's here!! Bill Wall's favorite game
of chess ... annotated by yours truly! This is the link
- right here.)
#
5.) Dan Thomasson's excellent web site, "The
World Chess Academy." I have
contributed
to this site, Dan would
love to have other masters - and also qualified,
nationally
known chess writers - contribute as well. (Contact
him.) My column.
#
6.) THE
website for ratings and
chess!! (This is the
site of Jeff Sonas, a very respected
chess statistician.) The
size and also
the scope of this site is simply scary, and I don't
think I have said this about
any
other website ... even my own!!! (I mean this in the highest
form; as an honest
and
a very, deeply sincere compliment.) I have been exploring this site
the last
couple
of weeks ... since the big re-do ... and it continues to amaze me. [more]
# 7.) Next?
***
Send me your favorite chess site ... and maybe I will post it here.
Click HERE to go to my < humans vs. computers > chess web site.
Wednesday; August 25th, 2004: I received a very impassioned e-mail from a big fan. His e-mail basically said - "Hey, you have written about practically every subject under the sun. BUT!! ... You have completely ignored the area of computer chess, especially the games of HUMAN(s) versus COMPUTER(s). Why is this?"
My response was: "Oh, really? Did you know that I have an entire WEB SITE ... devoted to that subject?"
Check
out my "ROOK-and-PAWN"
Endgame School.
It's pretty good!
And after several YEARS of work, the R+P
section is finally finished. (Other sections - like the one for Q+P or N+P endings - are still
uncompleted.)
The section (now a page) on E-bay has moved, click HERE for all the details.
I NEED YOUR HELP!!! Click here for more details.
Sponsor wanted! (Donations accepted.)
NOTE: All original writings and thoughts on these pages, [MY ENTIRE WEBSITE!] AND all original graphics are copyrighted (c) to A.J. Goldsby I. They may not be copied, or reproduced in ANY form, (electronic, printed, or otherwise); ... without my express, written permission!!
Copyright © A.J. Goldsby, 1995 - 2008 & 2009. (ALL rights reserved.)
FEEDBACK?
Just
so you will know, I have had literally hundreds, if not thousands, of e-mails
and other communications concerning my web site and my reviews at Amazon.com.
( Some days I have had well over 100 e-mails! {Of
course I get a certain amount of junk-mail too.} )
I have had
dozens of suggestions to improve my web site. (Many of the new pages
I have added have been by, "popular request.") I have tried to
listen to ALL of these opinions with a fairly open mind. So? Stay
tuned! I will be adding new pages and constantly trying to improve
and expand the old ones!
---> And THANKS!!! to everyone who has taken the time to write!
NOTE: Just about all my web pages are subjected to being updated, improved, changed, what have you. I really don't think any page is ever truly finished. I am learning though not to make any one page too big. (No one wants to wait that long while it is loading!)
*******
This is the world's best and largest {private}
chess web site.
Nov, 2008:
Please note ... there are many pages on this website that many search
engines do not find. When I first started, I knew nothing about the
"rules" of web design, nor did I limit my hierarchy/structure to
the standard limit of three tiers. Therefore, there are many pages that you will
find here that may not be found by using any standard search engine. Happy
hunting!
NETZINE?
MANY people have written me asking that I put out a weekly or monthly magazine via e-mail. I would report to you on new pages on my web-site, things I had seen in chess, chess news topics, etc. I could also let you know when I write a new book review, so you could read it and then contact me to tell me what you think of it. While this is an excellent idea, I can barely keep up with my present work-load. BUT ... it may eventually come true sometime in the future. In the meantime, please send me an e-mail and just let me know your address. Just say, "Contact me when ever you do good stuff!" And I will. :)
[Did Mark Crowther start this way?]
www.lifemasteraj.com?
Another problem I have experienced (a lot in the past) is that Yahoo has repeatedly "dumped" my site, i.e., they have removed my site (temporarily!) for taking too many hits! The ONLY way this problem will disappear is if I PAY to get the "unlimited data transfer" option! (Which I now have done.)
***
If you have really enjoyed this website and would like to send a contribution/donation, my address is:
A.J. Goldsby I; P.O. Box 11718 / Pensacola, FL 32524 (U.S. Dollars only please.)
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*** September 11th, 2001 ---> Always remember! *** (My prayers will continue to go out to those families that were affected by this horrible and senseless tragedy of 9-11. I pray that you joyfully prosper in a way you never thought possible. Because only by doing so, can we show the nasty, grungy little terrorists of this world that they only make us stronger!!) God Bless America!! (Click HERE to see the ChessBase report and a commemorative picture gallery.) *************************************************************************************************************
Prayers and condolences to the families (and friends) of
the space-shuttle
Columbia! |
Problematic Web Pages
(April 24, 2001. I decided to address this issue, as I got OVER 30 e-mails today on the same subject!!)
Many people have written me and asked why I would repeat text, or make it so large as for one sentence to fill the entire screen. Most people seem to think I do this on purpose! The answer is, of course, that working on web pages and [html] code has turned me into a gibbering idiot.
All kidding aside, one of the problems I have had with all my web pages is the problem of corrupted and/or 'exploding' web pages. I am still not 100% sure what is causing this problem. (I went on to describe this problem in great detail ...)
HELLO!
******
Welcome to my Web
site!
Hi, I am LIFE-Master
A.J. Goldsby I.
This
is my WEB PAGE.
:)
(How do you like it so far?)
(I first wrote the comment below {& above} back in the 1990's.)
Please be patient with me. This web-page stuff .........................
Here are a few of the categories that I plan to have very shortly:
A short biography, (done); a chess resume (Explaining why should you listen to me.), (done); my list of the ten best chess books ever written, (done); (I have not [yet] written a chess book yet, so this is not some sort of self-promotional ad.); a personal study program from me guaranteed to make you a better player, (done); one of my annotated games (or more), (done); and my choice of the greatest player who ever lived. (done); Does this sound interesting to you? Also I want you to know what Internet sites I play chess on, (done); and where to play chess if you come to Pensacola, FL. (done).
Some of the categories I plan to bring you next? Short Bio's of some of today's top players, many more annotated games, more book reviews, and more chess ... chess ... chess.
*** Stay tuned. More good stuff is definitely coming! ***
"THE BEST" of Everything
What are the best chess books ever written? Who were the best chess players who ever lived? What were the best chess tournaments ever held? What are the best chess games ever played? What are the best, short games of chess ever played? What were the best and the most amazing chess moves ever played? When I created this website, this was just one of the areas I definitely wanted to cover. Click HERE to go to my "nerve center," where you can find links to all of these pages. (I also wanted to have my own chess course for beginners. This took nearly two years of development, then another year before I was able to complete this project. See my "Training" page for the appropriate link. I have received hundreds of e-mails thanking me for this.)
Did you know that I was one of Amazon.com's,
"Top 1000 Reviewers?"
***
Please read one of my many reviews!
(After very careful perusal of Amazon's "Top 1000 Reviewers" list, I find I may be the ONLY person who has reviewed nothing but chess books!! The approximately 100-125 reviews [more or less] that I have written to date on ONLY chess books compares very favorably to the now well OVER 7500, [That's a lot more than seven-thousand folks.] (!!); reviews written by the #1 Reviewer. (H. Klausner) In addition the #1 reviewer has reviewed dozens of different types of books in possibly hundreds of different categories. If you would like to see the list of 'Amazon.com's,' "Top 1000 Reviewers," then click here.
So I may be Amazon.com's #1 Reviewer of (just) chess books.
(If you have a chess book you would like me to review, drop me a line.
See
my e-mail address, above.)
(Did you know they have over 2,500 chess books?) [Listed.]
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Note: March 09, 2004. I have now written a few reviews of movies, non-fiction books, and other things. But what I wrote above was true at the time that I wrote it. I still concentrate almost entirely on reviewing chess books and chess software for Amazon. (I review video games for a software company. I have signed a strict license agreement with them. I cannot post any of those reviews here.)
I also am one of the chess top Chess writers in the South-East U.S.
I have written dozens of articles that have been nominated for awards by various organizations.
I have been nominated many times for the articles that I have written --- in various categories --- to, "The Chess Journalists' of America." [C.J.A.] I have won (more than) once and received several "Honorable Mentions" from the country's most prestigious organization that judges chess writers.
(Click HERE to go to my "Resume Page." Here you will see a list of some the articles I have written and some of the awards I have won.)
A Chess King.
(A cool little piece of modified clip-art.)
***
I used a "clip-art" image to reproduce this.
I manipulated it [size] using several "art" programs; ( Like MS Paint, MS Image Composer, and even the image editor inside CompuServe's browser software. [To change the contrast and brightness of the image.] ) Then I went back to MS Paint & Image Composer and just filled in the "empty spaces" with color. I also touched the crown up a little. Pretty nifty, huh? Its a "Chess King." No complaints, either. After all, this IS a website about chess!
Actually, I put this in here mainly for me.
(I figured I deserved something for finally getting my website up and running.)
*******
Initially, (1994?); I had a friend that used to actually make the web pages for me, but only after I had written what I wanted to say - or I had completed the {chess} analysis. My very first chess web site was on another server, but that company was affiliated with the "Excite Group," and they went out of business a few years back. (Circa 1999.) This was (and is) the very first web site that I built entirely on my own. So I am extremely proud of it. (This site was completely overhauled in July of 2004. I re-did ALL of the major/main web pages.)
("Angels playing chess.")
(Remember these little guys? This was the very first artwork, or "star-dot GIF" file that I used on my website. I can't remember exactly where I got it, but I am sure I downloaded it off the Internet somewhere.)
A NICE FEATURE!!
Any time you see the animated medallion, (above ); you will know this is, "An A.J.'s Top Ten Pick." So it does not matter what page you are on, this indicates that this is one of my "Top Ten" picks in that category. It could be "Cool Sites," or "The Best Players," or even, "The Best Books."
Rest assured if you see this award, it was not given out lightly. It was based on my 30-plus years of chess related experience.
***
So keep a sharp eye out!
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Need a new or used auto? Click HERE!
This page was last updated on: Friday, October 09, 2009 09:44 AM .
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Over half a million hits on this web page. (My old counter.)
This counter uses a completely different system than the one below. It only counts unique visitors every (new) 12 (or 24) hour period. This is why it varies somewhat from the main GC counter, which counts every single hit. (A couple of e-mails have addressed this problem, and I always want your questions to be answered.) |
How does a counter work? Find out by clicking here.
(This link will take you to "Marshall Brain's website,"
that is called, "How Stuff Works."
This is an excellent web-site
to get information on just about ANY
topic.)
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This is a new counter that was installed in June, 2009. (The old counter was a GC one, it stopped working as soon as this page was moved to its new location.) |
(Click HERE if you want to measure your brain!!)
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Copyright (c) A.J. Goldsby I
Copyright (©) A.J. Goldsby, 1995 - 2008.
Copyright © A.J. Goldsby, 2009. All rights reserved.