Since last week's invitation to publish stories on The Apple Blog, we have written two articles.

The first, covering KavaSoft's iTunes Catalog, received more than 450 promotions to the Digg site, resulting in tremendous traffic on this blog to my personal music library, and hopefully, a similar amount of interested folks perusing the KavaSoft site to make a purchase.

The second, to be published at 11 this morning, is less likely to set off a Web firestorm, but in my opinion is even more essential - detailing how I have now finally found a product that lets me synchronize my BlackBerry with my Mac. For far too long, I thought the Mac would go unsupported by the BlackBerry - that my data would have to live in a parallel universe between the Windows/Outlook/BlackBerry platform on one side and the Mac OS X/Mail/Address Book/iCal platform on the other.

The new article can be found here: PocketMac Syncs Blackberry With Mac

In the last five years or so, a subculture of independent Mormon-themed films has sprung up, with a certain amount of success. (I hesitate to say they've become cult favorites, thanks to some ill-mannered folks still in denial about the church's openness.)

From "The Other Side of Heaven" to "The Singles Ward" and "The R.M.", members of the LDS church have turned the other cheek, mocking themselves and a myriad of stereotypes, ranging from their puritanical avoidance of drugs, alcohol and gambling, to traditional approaches to dating, and a regimented schedule which includes three hours of church services each Sunday, home teaching throughout the month, and countless service projects. Throwing a wrinkle into this formula is a film, which we saw on DVD from Netflix last night, called "Mobsters and Mormons", where a mob-affiliated stool pigeon is relocated via the FBI's Witness Protection Program to friendly Salt Lake City, and the worldly family tries to adapt to an unfamiliar straight-laced neighborhood, complete with area gossip queen, aggressively helpful neighbors, and the local bishop, who finds the father a job in his hardware supply store.

To say the film featured top-notch world-class actors and a prize-winning script would be a lie, but it was certainly entertaining. The family, in a "fish out of water" scenario, finds the Mormon differences very odd. The fact the Mormons don't drink alcohol or coffee draws comparisons to the Amish, and the visitors haven't been in Utah for more than a minute before asking a gentleman at the airport if he has multiple wives. (He doesn't, and explains the church's 100-plus year ban on the practice, in vain.)

While one would expect a film about Mormons, in Utah, produced by an LDS producer and featuring a largely Mormon cast, to always show the church in a good light, it does speak to those who might be watching where it says that while the church may be true, not all its members are. In a show where the outsiders are embraced by some, they are also shunned by others. They feel out of place, exacerbated by shut doors and closed window blinds. Yet, somehow, they get by.

If you're looking for a film likely to be toasted with multiple Academy Award nominations, this isn't your show. Some of the acting is amateurish, and stereotypical, not just of the Utah Mormons, but of the New Jersey-based Italian mobsters. The plotline is funny, but easily anticipated. If you want to laugh and can relax about those things, feel free to pick it up. You might be surprised.

(It's time for an update)

1. Law and Order: SVU
2. War at Home
3. Law and Order: CI
4. House
5. ER
6. CSI
7. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
8. Arli$$ (in syndication)
9. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
10. Law and Order

If I think back to Cal's one-time eight game winning streak, and a lofty top-ten national ranking, I have to only shake my head at how shakily the team, once discussed as a potential candidate for the national championship, finished the end of the season. After blowing out those schools they were supposed to in the first half of the year, Cal struggled to beat Washington in overtime at home, lost in ridiculous fashion to Arizona, and couldn't finish off USC in Los Angeles. Today, though the team came away with a win, 26-17 over Stanford, in the 109th Big Game, it seemed we were more often holding our head in our hands and groaning after Cal plays, than we did cheering, as the team made inexplicable plays, saw too many dropped passes and played ragged against a woeful team they should have demolished.

And look what a college football snob I've become.

The Cal Bears, combined with USC's 13-9 loss at UCLA today, tied for the Pac-10 conference championship (though the first tiebreaker is obviously their loss to the Trojans), sported a 9-3 regular season record, and went undefeated in all 7 home contests this year, six of which we saw. Before tomorrow's polls come out, Cal is currently ranked #21 in the country, a far cry from recent years, where the struggle was to see if they could win more than a handful of games. And now the team has won 5 Big Games in a row versus the hated Stanford Cardinal, and we have been present for the last three.

But all those great things seemed to pale when we saw Cal do battle today at Memorial Stadium. With the wind whipping through the bleachers, Stanford owned the time of possession seemingly from the game's onset, marching down the field the first eight minutes of the quarter. That they stupidly chose to "go for it" and fall short on fourth down meant Cal had dodged a bullet. Yet, even with that gift, Cal went to halftime with only a 13-10 lead, on the back of a fumble recovery for a touchdown by the team's defense. For those scoring at home, at the time it was Cal Defense, 7, Cal Offense, 6. Against Stanford, who came into the contest with a 1-10 record, and left 1-11, we should have been a lot closer to dominant than dormant, and the fans let the team know it, as you could hear scattered boos (including mine) as the team trudged to the locker room at halftime.

As Stanford continued to keep the game close, Cal led 23-17 into the 4th quarter, and we could just sense what always happens in the Big Game - the underdog would somehow sneak ahead. I would have bet even money that in minutes, it would be 24-23, Cardinal. I started getting e-mails on my Blackberry from colleagues, asking if Cal would actually lose this game. From the stands, I typed back, "They suck right now, but I wouldn't trade places with Stanford."

Stanford of course failed to score. Thank goodness. Later, in the 4th quarter, Cal hit a field goal to extend the margin to 9 points, or two possessions, and ran down the clock, until finally, the scoreboard read 0:00, and we had won. Though we had bitten our nails, and cursed out the squad, they had managed to play just well enough not to lose, and they kept the freakin' axe. That's all that really matters.

Now, at least for us, the Cal season is basically over. They play Texas A&M in the Holiday Bowl in San Diego on December 28th, and barring a change of heart and/or miracle, we're not going. So Bears, thanks for a great season. Though you didn't make banner headlines across the nation, you did well, never losing at home, and setting  a school attendance record. We were happy to help.

Listening to ''Eastway'', by Inner & Outer (Play Count: 2)