Jason Goldman has built an excellent Pipe Tool application for the iPhone and iPad using the Tobacco Reviews data that lets you use the Tobacco Reviews database to keep track of your cellar inventory. Go check it out!

Examples of what is acceptable:

• “first produced in 1897″
• “previously produced by SmallTobaccoCorp from 1950-1970, afterward made by BigTobaccoCorp from 1971-present”
• “no longer available outside of Upper Slobovia”

Examples of what is NOT acceptable:

• “Blended by Bob Somebody at Gee Wow Tobacco Haus, the number one pipe shop in Podunk County”
• “available from somewebsite.com for $3.47 / ounce”
• “I received this as a sample from Jimbo at Jimbo’s House of Pipes”

Thanks, and watch this space for more exciting news soon.

In the hopes of alleviating the problems I have, reluctantly,  re-enabled the paged view of reviews. I know many of you didn’t like the paged reviews last time, and you’re probably not going to like them this time either, but they are now a necessity.

I have set the view to be a conservative twenty reviews per page for now. If that goes well and the performance problems disappear, I will inch the number up as high as I can without destabilizing everything again.

On every blend page you will find a PREVIOUS and NEXT button both above and below the reviews for that blend. You can use these buttons to go through older reviews for each blend.

Thanks for your understanding, and your support in keeping the site running. I greatly appreciate it!

As a service to the entire pipe smoking community, Pipes Magazine has set up this page that allows you to automatically email your Senators and Congressmen. It takes only a minute or so of your time, and a letter will be sent. You can use their draft, or create your own. The system does everything for you – it couldn’t be easier. There is also an option to pay a small fee ($3) to have your letter printed and hand-delivered to your representatives. I highly recommend this, as it’s too easy for email to be sent into oblivion through the simple press of a button.

Happy New Year.

ps:  Happy Holidays

This year, I am thankful for:

• The new location for Tobacco Reviews and myself (I am back living in the mountains of NC after a decade away);
• New hosting for the site, which mans the random errors when the servers reboot should be eliminated;
• The users who donated and subscribed to make that move possible, and allow me to continue working on the site, the site would not still be here if it were not for you;
• Time to work on the new features, the next of which will be unveiled after Thanksgiving!

So, thanks to you for making Tobacco Reviews what it is, and for allowing my to continue to afford to keep it running and spend my time working on it.

What are you thankful for this year?

• The sorting/listing of the reviews continues to be the old style, while I work on figuring out a better way to accomplish what I want for the unregistered visitors to the site. The main reason it hasn’t been changed back is that the voting mechanism is not working as I had hoped. Some people were using it to disagree with a review, not to rate the competence and clarity of the review. Until this is resolved, things will remain as they are.
• There is a great new feature coming in the next week or so (that won’t change your experience of the site, don’t worry) that I am pretty excited about: Tobacco Reviews data will be available as an API. Developers, start your engines! If you ever wanted to do something with all of the data in Tobacco Reviews, now is your chance to do so. Details on using the API will be available when the whole thing goes public, but if you just can’t wait, email me for details.
• The big feature under development now is the message boards. Yes, I am finally getting around to getting them built! The most important feature to note about them is that they will not be free and open to everyone. Only those who have donated or subscribed will have access to them. This is for two reason: 1) People tend to be better behaved when they have something at stake. 2) I need more subscribers to the site, and this is a great way to reward subscribers without walling off and charging for something I was already giving away for free. Details on pricing, etc. will be forthcoming soon.
• Tobacco Reviews (and I) are moving. My trip to the mountains was not all for pleasure. I am in the process of relocating to North Carolina now, and will be, hopefully, settled in up there in another month or so. Wish me luck.

If you are among those who wish for the reversion to become permanent and for the new sorting not to come back, think of this as your chance to put your money where your mouth is.