Something Random

[Handruin]

For the past several nights Laura and I have been working on a project. We've built a workbench in the garage...We measured out the plans and built it from scratch. It's 8' long, 30" deep, and 39" high. It was a challenge to make it level because the garage floor is sloped, and we also had to deal with the ledge against the back wall. On our first attempt, and much to our amazement, we got it level.

Pic 1 | Pic 2 | Pic 3 | Pic 4 | Pic 5

It's not 100% complete, it still needs a peg board, and the top is missing some screws because we ran out. As a separate project, we are also going to build a shelf which will sit above the oil tank. The two lolly columns will support the shelf, and we can put some of our camping gear up there to save space. The garage was a pit in those pictures because we just finished the bench.

 

[Pradeep]

Looks good. I'm guessing the oil tank is angled to get the very last drops out? Nice size garage.

 

[Handruin]

Yes, the oil tank is meant to be angled like that. Probably for the reason you mentioned, but I don't know for sure.

 

[Pradeep]

What is behind the hose reel? It looks sorta like a rotary spreader but the control isn't on the handlebar.

 

[Handruin]

It's a spreader. The control is on the right side of the handle bars. it was a cheapy, so if it appears lacking...that's probably true.

 

[i]

I'd apologize for being off-topic, but given the title of this discussion I won't this time.

I watched some TV last night. Anyone else see ABC's "Nightline" with ye olde Ted Koppel? I'm still a bit shaken. It's not often that, with absolutely no warning on the part of the show or the network as to what you're in for, you wind up watching video taken by a man while he's suffocating to death, 900 feet underwater, complete with audio. Anyone else catch it and feel similarly disturbed?

I'm going to spend as much time outside today as I can, I think. Gah.

 

[ddrueding]

I'd apologize for being off-topic, but given the title of this discussion I won't this time.

I watched some TV last night. Anyone else see ABC's "Nightline" with ye olde Ted Koppel? I'm still a bit shaken. It's not often that, with absolutely no warning on the part of the show or the network as to what you're in for, you wind up watching video taken by a man while he's suffocating to death, 900 feet underwater, complete with audio. Anyone else catch it and feel similarly disturbed?

I'm going to spend as much time outside today as I can, I think. Gah.

Ugh, that kind of stuff is typically reserved for wacko websites. Normally I'm just marginally glad that I don't watch TV, but every once in a while I'm REALLY glad.

 

[i]

Ugh, that kind of stuff is typically reserved for wacko websites. Normally I'm just marginally glad that I don't watch TV, but every once in a while I'm REALLY glad.

Yah, for sure. I feel like I need to go and find some puppies to play with outside in the sunshine or something.

 

[Groltz]

Normally I'm just marginally glad that I don't watch TV, but every once in a while I'm REALLY glad.

I'll second that...This is my 11th year without.

The story, however, interested me. I just finished reading a text version of it here.

 

[ddrueding]

I've been running onboard audio for about as long as the AC97 standard has been shipping on mainstream boards. I just did a major impulse buy and went for a Audigy 2 ZS. Now I really understand what my 850 codec was missing! This is really good sound by comparison. I know Creative sucks, but I'm not using their apps and their drivers are fine. It's also more compatible with the advanced features in my games.

 

[Mercutio]

If you'd bought an X-Mystique, you could've had better sound and better drivers. Hell, if you bought something with a Via Envy, you would've gotten better sound for 20% of what the Audigy cost, and better drivers than Creative OR the X-Mystique.

But hey, people who buy Creative hardware deserve it.

 

[ddrueding]

The circuit city where the impulse buy happened did not have anything but this card and a SB Live!. There's no way I would have ordered a sound card, I simply didn't think it would make that much difference with my current speakers (Klipsch 2.1) and my source (192kbps ABR MP3). It was on the discount table for $25 without CD. I knew the apps were garbage, so I figured I wouldn't use the CD anyway. Installed the drivers off the internet and they're working fine. No processes running, no taskbar garbage. What's wrong with the creative drivers? Do the other cards work with the hardware acceleration in new games like BF2?

Now I'm interested in upgrading the soundcard in my HTPC. Obviously gaming isn't an issue here, and I'll be ordering online, so what do you guys reccomend? It'll likely be jacked into a reciever via Coaxial SPDIF playing either XviD-encoded AC3 or MP3s. Comments?

 

[Mercutio]

X-Mystique. Don't argue. Just buy one. You can thank me later.

 

[ddrueding]

Not going to argue, just going to make sure that this is it.

"BlueGears/HDA Digital X-Mystique 7.1 Gold 8 (7.1) Channels PCI Interface Sound Card - Retail"

 

[Mercutio]

That's the one. Download the drivers in the $100 sound card thread in Computers, connect to an HT receiver with SPDIF or Coax, enable Dolby Digital, and hear what I've been raving about hear on SF for the last three years.

 

[Santilli]

Mercutio; Could you fill me in on this card???
Whats so great about it, and what does it take to get the benefits of it?

s

 

[Mercutio]

Greg,
The main thing the X-Mystique does is real-time encoding of stereo sources to 6-channel discrete dolby digital. To use that, the X-Mystique has to be connected via a digital coax or optical cable to a Home Theater Receiver with Dolby Digital processing capabilities (basically anything that's been made in the last five years or so). Obviously, you also need a full set of surround speakers as well. It's a niche product but in that niche there really isn't any competition.

There are other ways to get six channel surround from Stereo sources, but none of them work as well as Dolby Digital Live encoding. Most receivers can do Prologic 2 and/or Neo:6. Both sound fairly lifeless in comparison.

Anyway, David, I notice that you haven't thanked me yet. I can only assume this is because you haven't installed your card yet.

 

[Santilli]

HMMM. I think I have a reciever that does a pretty good job of that:
Yamaha RX-v995. 600 watts, and 6 channels. When combined with Klipsch speakers, well, it sounds better then most movie theatres. We just got done watching a couple James Bond movies, and it's pretty incredible.

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_6_3/yamaha-rx-v995-receiver.html

So I gather you would use the computer to input the sound, do the real-time encoding, and send it to a HTR receiver that was not capable of doing the encoding itself? Or in other words, you could save a bunch on the reciever, by not having to pay into the upper end or receivers?


s

 

[Mercutio]

No, the receiver has to be able to handle a Dolby Digital bitstream. Which anything with digital inputs should have.

 

[ddrueding]

Anyway, David, I notice that you haven't thanked me yet. I can only assume this is because you haven't installed your card yet.

Quite so. I haven't been to that apartment in quite some time. Hings have been really busy for me for the last few weeks. Theoretically the card is waiting for me there on the counter, but there still hasn't been time to plug it in.

Don't worry, I'll be sure to let you know when I do.

 

[Pradeep]

Dell has two 500GB SATA drives for around $570 with free next day shipping from Small Business, after applying $60 coupon off $500.

www.bensbargains.net

 

[Will Rickards]

T minus less than one day till Alex is born!
He'll be born 7:30am EST tomorrow.

 

[Buck]

Congratulations Will, I hope all goes well for mom and Jr. or Juniorette.

 

[Buck]

Oops, didn't see the He bit. I wasn't sure with just Alex. Sorry.

 

[ddrueding]

T minus less than one day till Alex is born!
He'll be born 7:30am EST tomorrow.

7:30am huh? Did you get that in writing?

Congratulations.

 

[Tea]

There was a young lady named Wilde
Who kept herself quite undefiled
By thinking of Jesus,
Contagious diseases,
And the dangers of having a child

 

[tazwegion]

Something random eh? well Tea set the scene for some toilet poetry

"Now here you sit in the stall,
kindly use the paper... and NOT the wall,
if no paper can be found,
simply drag yourself across the ground..."

LMAO :lol: :eekers:

 

[Mercutio]

The sun is falling and it lies in blood
The moon is weaving bandages of gold
Old black swan where oh where is my lover now
Where oh where is my lover now

Torn and tattered is my bridal gown and my lamp is lost
With silver needles and with silver threads
The stars stitch a route for the dying sun
Old black swan where oh where is my lover now

I had given him a kiss and a golden ring
And a golden ring
I had given him a kiss of fire and a golden ring
Oh with silver needles and with silver threads
The stars stitch a route for the dying sun

Black wing o black wing take me down with you
Take me down with you take me down with you
Take me down with you
Old black swan take me down with you
I had given him a kiss of fire
Take me down with you

-- traditional folk song

 

[time]

To me, that didn't sound like a folk song. In fact, it appears to be a song called "The Black Swan", composed by Gian Carlo Menotti in 1946 for his opera "The Medium".

 

[Buck]

If I'm not mistaken, Toby didn't have much to say.

 

[tazwegion]

Good call there Time... thank heavens for the Google - lyrics search tag

Is Nina Simone the 'folk singer' you refer to Merc :?:

 

[i]

Bored. Bored. Bored. So very bored. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

 

[Mercutio]

Actually Taz and time, I have some sheet music here that attributes it as an English folk song.

 

[mubs]

i, I should have looked you up when I was in Rosslyn in the 2nd week of July. Meeting an SF person in flesh and blood would have given you something to think about.

 

[i]

Thanks for the laugh, mubs -- seriously, I laughed out loud. I don't know if it was intentional or not, but your tactful use of the line, "would have given you something to think about," right after my quote from The Shining was perfect timing. :lol:

But seriously though, sometime we should have a(nother) SF meetup or something. It would be cool to meet you and others here.

The real challenge would be the Australians of course. Or us, I guess, depending on your perspective.

 

[Tea]

Specially me!

 

[i]

Specially me!

I thought you and Tannin were a package deal. That's certainly the case for me, myself, and I.

 

[tazwegion]

I thought you and Tannin were a package deal. That's certainly the case for me, myself, and I.

Probably depends on which one you were speaking to, how they were feeling on the day... or if they were experiencing a 'splitting headache' (if you'll excuse the pun :roll

I really don't have that much experience in the manifestation of multiple sock puppet disorders

 

[Buck]

I really don't have that much experience in the manifestation of multiple sock puppet disorders

Not speaking from personal experience, but it seems bizarre.

 

[tazwegion]

Multiple personality disorders are quite interesting (unless you've got one in which case you'd have to run a ballot with yourself to decide )

My understanding though is they occur less frequently in cold weather