Apple's Soundtrack made its debut last June, as part of the massive video-editing bundle Final Cut Pro 4. But now the same Soundtrack software is available as a stand-alone product. This puts Soundtrack within reach of video editors, Web designers, and content providers who don't need the rest of the Final Cut Pro 4 package.

It requires at least a 500MHz Power Mac, Mac OS X 10.2.5, and 5GB of available hard-drive space. Apple's official specs say that you can install the program with a CD and that the sound loops, called Apple Loops, on the included DVD are optional, but this isn't really the case. Soundtrack's entire appeal lies in the fact that it lets you mix and match the 4GB of material it provides.

Sundance: Stars, snow, and social cyborgs

Back in the early days of the Sundance Film Festival, when video was considered an emerging technology, there were independent filmmakers, and there were technologists. The two didn't typically go hand in hand.

Fast forward to this year's festival, which starts Thursday and will for the first time feature a 3D film, and indies and techies are one and the same. These days, it's near impossible to be the former without being the latter, what with the conveniences and opportunities that come with the likes of high-definition cameras, advanced editing software, and the Internet as a distribution tool.

So it's no surprise that the 2008 festival--an increasingly star-studded 10-day indie-film showcase in snowy Park City, Utah--has stepped up its technology-related programming.

AVI/MPEG/RM/WMV Joiner

Join AVI, MPEG, and Real Media files in one non-stop movie.

Multimedia mavens, rejoice: if you've been spending long hours with your video editing software, this program can help you regain the rest of your life. It lets you stitch together video clips of different formats (AVI, MPEG, Real Media, ASF/WMV) into one seamless, non-stop movie file. The program supports all major formats, including MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, and Divx. You can join as many video files as you wish. And the program makes it a cinch to take apart and rearrange the clips into any sequence. .

Carlin is more hippy than dippy

He worked in radio for a time, teamed for a couple years with fellow comic and longtime friend Jack Burns and eventually began to appear on every TV talk show of the day.

"I went through some changes, as the whole country did, in the '60s and I took on a much more personal point of view and started doing a lot of autobiographical things about my childhood, my neighborhood, being Irish-Catholic, being a kid from Harlem.

Minooka girls clinch SPC outright

Senior post Jackie Selfridge then scored on a Maggie Null assist to cut the Morris lead to three points, and two Schieffer free throws a bit later made the score 36-35 in Morris' favor with 2:06 to go.A Redskin turnover out of a time-out set the Indians up to score their ninth straight point and take the lead on a Schieffer drive with 1:54 left. Null came up with a steal on Morris' next turn, and sophomore Lyndsay Doyle sank a three on the other end. Doyle then got a steal of her own, was fouled and made 1-of-2 free throws for 13 straight Minooka points and a 41-36 lead. .

Bay Area Vista

Our show provides depth, context, perspective, compelling personal stories and entertainment. Janice Edwards is host and producer of "Bay Area Vista." Jon Rodriquez is Associate Producer.

Recently on Bay Area Vista, 'Hustle and Flow' Director Craig Brewer

Watch the next episode of Bay Area Vista at the special time of 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 24.