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Yeah, nothing quite like browsing the -case on my 46" Sony

Which is why you shouldn't bother with Lady in the Water :yawn:

To again go off topic, I pulled the top of my HTPC case today during my lunch break and determined it was the 92mm intake fan that was making the most noise. I unplugged it and using SpeedFan monitored the change in temp at idle and while running audio and video. Even playing a 720p .wmv video file, the core temp never went above 45* C, so it looks like I should be all set for what limited use the HTPC gets. It's significantly quieter now than it was, and the remaining fan noise from the CPU fan and the remaining 2 60mm exhaust fans is no longer instrusive.

Lots of LA Ink.

I meant videos. I use it as a media server for audio and video.

How does it do with the latest codecs? A lot of my stuff is encoded in stuff I was under the impression I needed to run WMP with. Would I need to use Bootcamp and run XP?

It's a Silverstone HTPC case, and I got their quiet PSU. I need to pull it apart at some point and see if it's one of the other chassis fans or if its the processor fan.

I already had the PC and just recased it...

The press release says it bypasses the iPod DAC, so it would have to be all-digital if they are to be believed.

Not just that, but fan noise is killing me with my HTPC, and I have neither the patience or the money to throw at it to get it quiet enough right now. The acoustics in my new place make my HTPC seem louder where I sit with my headphone rig than itis when I'm 10' away on the couch. And this is with a HTPC case with a fairly quiet PS fan. Fan noise is a huge issue for me with respect to going computer-as-source, and this would certainly be a way around that.

Be careful... One of my cat loooooooooooves to chew on bowls. I've had to wash them twice now. Definitely And clearly gas for my car was the last thing I bought... But the last thing I ordered came in today: That's a Melora bobble-head from Rasputina... It's pretty cool, the bow for the cello is attached to the top, so when the bobble-head bobbles, the bow moves around. And it's heavy, and pretty well made. It will be living with my headphone rig at home.

I don't like doing direct comparisons between vastly different headphones back-to-back-to-back. I think the Grado/Senn comparison is best served by spending a significant amount of time with one, then the other, and then reaclaimate yourself to your original headphones, keeping track of things they do well througout.

The best part is that I drove a '62 Jeep for 3 summers without a working gas guage and never had an issue. I have the VW for 2 months and bam!

Yes, yes it is. Clearly getting very low on gas + single-digit temperatures = one unhappy VW. I'm not convinced it was fully out of gas, but the needle was definitely in the E line. I've seen it lower, but clearly I showed poor judgement letting it drop below a quarter of a tank this time of year. Whatever fuel may have been left was very unhappy. Nate to the rescue! And now it's time for the rest of headcase to I deserve it!

One of my cats has a people name, Zoe, and the other is named Koshka, which is Russian for cat. So I can understand going either way with respect to names.

My thoughts, if anyone cares, are as follows... The portal automatically getting new threads hasn't been the greatest feature IMO. I think it would be better if it was more of a showcase of our best recent/active/informative threads. I can't remember the exact thread I was disappointed to see on th front page, but I can remember this isn't the first time. I agree with those that feel things like this can be self-policing, but I also agree that a thread like this is a piss-poor example of this site, and as a result, I took no offense to it being locked if it took it off the front page. This might be better addressed in the Suggestions forum... And I just wish people would remember that just because you can doesn't mean you should. I would've thought the novelty of being free to do more here than elsewhere would've worn off and people could, well, for the lack of a better way of saying it, not be asshats just for the sake of being asshats. But every once in a while we get examples that illustrate that we're just not there yet. Having said that, I find no issue with the site moderation. There are a number of new mods because, as some of you may remember, that other site went down and there was a large influx of new members who posted before they read. It may appear excessive now that things have slowed back down a bit, but they're in place for the next batch of new registrations.

Hopefully everything works out for you. My last cat definitely chose me, and when that happens, it's great. God luck! And yes, Justin FTW!

Happy Birthday Jacob! Hope you have a great day! :D

I had put off doing it for ages, but the TV writer's strike is giving me a hell of an opportunity!

Season 1 is sooooooooo good, though. Not a weak episode among them. I too can't even begin to guess how many times I've watched Season 1. Though the most watched (and listened) episode for me is definitely "Once More With Feeling." My rip of the audio of that is one of my favorite recordings. Ever. I treated myself to the deal @ Amazon where they had the box set of all 5 season of Angel for $70. I know it's wildly uneven, but a good friend of mine swears by Season 5, and the series finale in particular. I only caught episodes here and there after Season 1, so I'm looking forward to the journey.

You didn't sell yours, did you?

The Terror by Dan Simmons One of my favorite writers, and someone who isn't as well known as he should be. Summer of Night is an all-time favorite book, and he's written any number of other great novels... I don't care for his fantasy stuff, but the the thriller and horror books his written are great.

Busted! Yeah, that's what happens when I have to work a 1/2 day the day after Christmas and I'm the only one in the office. It was something I had been looking forward to doing and finally had a chance to do it. I thought it would take about a 1/2 hour to wrap up. An hour and a half later... Of course, I will have the intraweb @ home before year's end, but I didn't want to wait that long!

Nicely done, Haj. Looking good. There's always something satisfying about wrapping up a project like this. Congrats.

I decided to expand on my mid-year report card for my end-of-year ranking. Any one of the albums receiving an A could be considered my Album of the Year, but if forced to choose one it would have to be Rasputina's Oh Perilous World. The rest of my ramblings are as follows... A | Catherine Anne Davies - The Piano EP Another haunting collection of songs from Ms. Davies. Nothing groundbreaking here, but the simple and straight-forward songs and her voice create a haunting atmosphere that's difficult to describe but not easily forgotten. Samples available here. A | Epica - The Divine Conspiracy Since picking this up, I've explored their back catalog and came away unimpressed. But wow, this is one hell of an album. Stunning female vocals, great varied songwriting and interesting instrumentation and arrangements keep me coming back for more. A | Joanna Newsom - Joanna Newsom and the Ys Street Band EP I love "Colleen," and her touring bands contributions to the reworks of "Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie" and "Cosmia" are welcome additions to her catalog. After listening to the bootleg "Live at Bottletree" so much, I've really grown to love what her band brings to the table. A | Nellie McKay - Obgliagtory Villagers Such a short album comes as a bit of a shock after she split with Columbia over the length of Pretty Little Head, but it's filled with some great songs. You can really hear the joy she has in making music, and it's a top-notch group of musicians she has recorded with. Another great album from her that blend all sorts of musical styles seamlessly. A | Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero I can understand the issues people have taken with this album... Short on hooks, high on repetition. But to me it's probably strikes the best balance of angst and accessibility of all of the NIN albums. I find it very listenable, with a number of memorable songs. The mood and tone are just right, and as always, the layering of textures and sounds always keeps things interesting. A | Rasputina - Oh Perilous World I'm a huge fan of Melora Crager's Neo-Victorian Chamber Rock, and have loved pretty much everything she's put together. But losing Zoe Keating and the prospect of a concept album had me a little worried. And I have to admit, after the first listen, I was less than impressed. But a few more listens has revealed an album that while less accessible, is just as enjoyable as the rest of their albums. A- | Feist - The Reminder I was a little late to the game on this album. After reading so much praise in so many places, I was hesitant to buy in. But I'm sure glad I did, because this is a great collections of songs. I've since picked up Let It Die, and this has been one of my favorite finds of '07 thus far. A- | Moonsorrow - V-Havitetty A full-length album with 2 tracks usually screams of pretentious, self-absorbed musicians whose ambition exceeds their abilities. This is not the case on this album... Not at all. The 2 tracks actually feel like 4, and the balance of folk metal, viking metal and black metal make for an amazing musical journey. I think I still prefer Verisakeet, if only for "Jotunheim," but V-Havitetty is stunning. A- | Nina Nastasia & Jim White - You Follow Me An excellent follow-up to last year's On Leavnig, with the blending of her voice and guitar and his drums is much better than I could've ever imagined. The only reason it's not ranked higher is there are a few times where I wish the drums weren't quite so prominant. But otherwise they struck a great balance, and her voice is always amazing. A- | The New Pornographers - Challengers I'm admittedly a late-comer to TNP, and only checked them out because I knew Neko Case (who can do no wrong in my eyes) contributes vocals on a number of tracks. And while "Challengers" and "Go Places," the two tracks she sings on are my favorites, the rest of the album is pretty spectacular from start to finish. I'm not familiar with their discography enough to rank it, but from what I've heard, it's another near-flawless release. A- | Opeth - The Roundhouse Tapes One of the best live recordings I've hear, this set has some of my favorite tracks as well as some that were pleasant surprises live. The only thing that could've made it better was if Martin Mendez had managed to stick around on drums, but otherwise a great release with excellent SQ. A- | Tristania - Illumination To my ears, this is their best album since Widow's Weeds. I know World of Glass is often referred to as their best, but it never did much for me. Illumination is pretty straight forward, but they have the best post-Morten male vocals and it's probably the best Vibke has ever sounded... Which will only make me miss her more. A- | Virgin Black - Requiem - Mezzo Forte While I've enjoyed parts of their previous albums, this is their first release that really works for me as a whole. The male vocals are much improved, the addition of classical female vocals really fleshes out the sound, and the guitar sound is still to die for. I'm really looking forward to the other two parts of the Requiem project. B+ | Dean & Britta - Back Numbers I don't know how else to describe this album other than just striking me as cool, hip and fun. The lush arrangements and Britta Phillips and Dean Wareham's detached vocals really work well to create an atmosphere I enjoy. B+ | Norah Jones - Not Too Late I'm glad she decided to take a chance and contribute more to songwriting. The mood is definitely darker here, and the album is better for it. Not as immediately accessible as her first two albums, but I think it's the strongest of the three. B+ | Lumsk - Det Vilde Kor After discovering this band last year, I was really looking forward to hearing what they came up with next. This album sounds little like their first two releases, with no metal influences at all. But what's left is a beautiful folk sound with stunning female vocals. B+ | Roisin Murphy - Overpowered Excellent electro-pop... Her voice is great, and the album flies by. This is a fun album with surprising staying-power. B+ | Swallow The Sun - Hope The balance of the heavy and melodic reminds me a lot of Opeth, as do the clean vocals. However the sound is a bit different, with deeper growls and a sound that's more doom than death metal. The songwriting is great, production is strong and everything sounds just as it should. B+ | Ulver - Shadows of the Sun A quiet understated release that has quite a bit going on. Hard to believe they started out as a black metal band. This is an excellent compainion piece to their previous album, Blood Inside. Their cover of "Solitude" is the album's high-point. B | Tori Amos - American Doll Posse I really wanted to give this a higher grade. There are some songs on here that are the most enjoyable she's written in ages. But it's a little too uneven to move it up, and after listening to A Piano a lot recently, I realize that just because it's the best she's done in a while doesn't mean it's among the best she's done. Still an enjoyable album, and it gives me hope for what's to come... Just not something I reach for very often. And quite possibly one of the worst album covers in recent years. B | Emilie Autumn - Laced/Unlaced While she is a classically-trained violinist, her music has strayed away from that more and more. This double album is an interesting work... The first disc, Laced is a collection of recordings of straight forward violin pieces. Some are your standards you'd expect someone to record, while others are original compositions. Unlaced, however, is the collision of her classical training and the "Victoriandustrial" direction she's exploring. Electric violin, noise, distortion and no vocals makes the 2nd disc a lot to swallow, but there are some very enjoyable moments to be found here. B | Callisto - Noir What should sound like a pale imitation of Isis really holds its own with a better sense of atmosphere than any of the Isis releases and some interesting choices in instrumentation and song structure keeps you on your toes. B | Jesca Hoop - Kismet A very creative artist who draws from almost any style or period. I've had The Silverscreen Demos for a while and have always enjoyed it. Her growth is obvious, and the songs that carry over from the demos really benefit from the increased production budget. B | Maria Taylor - Lynn Teeter Flower This is another album that doesn't have any real flaws, but just hasn't connected with me. I still love her voice, and there are some great tracks on here. But it's another one that's just not the kind of stuff I've been listening to lately. B | Within Temptation - The Heart of Everything Nothing groundbreaking here, but a throughly enjoyable listen. Sharon den Adel's voice is great, and the straight-forward songwriting is quite good. B- | Charlotte Gainsbourg - 5:55 I really like this album when it's on... Her voice is beautiful, the songs are pleasant enough and there's nothing wrong with it. It's just that other than the chorus of the title track, I've found it kind of forgettable. It strikes me as background music... Excellent background music, but background music none the less. So the B- might be a little tough, but until something from this album really clicks with me, here is where it stays. B- | Pelican - City of Echoes I'd like to think of myself as a pretty big fan of Australasia and The Fire In Our Throats..., but I haven't really enjoyed this one as much as their previous efforts. It's a strong album, with some great moments. But it's another one that hasn't really left a strong impression with me. B- | Sleepytime Gorilla Musuem - In Glorious Times This sounds to me like a pretty big step forward. I enjoyed Grand Opening and Closing, but it's a pretty challenging listen and wasn't something I reached for often. This is much more accessible, and an album I've really been enjoying, but another that leaves little lasting impression. C | Blonde Redhead - 23 I was really looking forward to finally checking out this band, after reading a ton about them over the years. But this was a pretty big disappointment for me... kind of an average release that I enjoy when playing but rarely seek out. C- | Nightwish - Dark Passion Play I was never a big Nightwish fan, so I'm not coming to this as someone who was disappointed they had a new singer. I was actually very impressed with the vocals... For me it was just too bombastic and busy. So for me at least, it was another great year of music. And with released from Goldfrapp and Draconian coming in early 2008, next year isn't looking too bad either.