Youth Chess

Calling all chess geeks in the Sioux Falls area.  Here's the deal: I have, for the past several years, had siouxfallschess.org registered and I've never done anything with it.  That said, with my two eldest sons reaching an age where they would like to play chess more with their friends, I'm considering starting up a youth chess club (for 8-12 year olds.)  The objective would be to meet once a week to go over some tactics, motifs, and strategies and in general to play some chess with players of similar skill levels.   At the same time, I'm basically thinking that my role will be first as a facilitator and second as a "coach".  Since I suck wildly at chess, I am looking for volunteers to help with the "teaching" aspects of a chess club.  If you're interested, drop me a line.

Best Android Apps

There are a thousand lists of "top apps" out there.  SO, why write another one?  Because virtually every app list I've seen is full of truly awful apps.   My only conclusion is that syndicated bloggers and so-called "news" sites are "in-bed" with app developers to promote certain apps.

My obscurity in the blogosphere ensures that my app-list will be based on merit.  The apps I am listing here are exclusively apps I enjoy using.

Corey's Top 10 Android Apps

1. Enhanced Email ($)
2. Launcher Pro ($)
3. Dolphin HD 
4. Weather Bug Elite ($)
5. Fast Reboot Pro ($)
6. Advanced Task Killer
7. Slacker Radio
8. Tiny Flashlight + LED
9. WiFi Analyzer
10. Alarm Clock Plus 

There are a ton of games available on the Android, but many of them are ruined by one of three forms of monetizing the game:  push ads, in-game ads, and in-game item purchase. In the case of the first two, there are a couple of handy apps to help squash these.

To identify games with "push ads", you can use these apps:

• AirPush Detector
• TrustGo Ad Detector
• Lookout Security Premium

To disable ads altogether on rooted phones, you can use the "AdFree" app.  That said, it doesn't disable the advertisement space, it just makes it so the pictures don't show-up.  Which, is mostly what I'm worried about, because I hate those types of distractions.