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There's a lot to be said for that. One of my cats was found for me. She was the runt and was abandoned by the mother to die @ 2 weeks old. She stays 10-15' away from me almost all the time, and can be a real pain in the ass. I went to the SPCA a few years ago to get another cat, and there were a couple that seemed nice enough. But the one I got just wouldn't leave me alone. She followed me around the room, climbed up the cages to get me to pet her and couldn't get enough attention. I almost didn't get her because she was older (7 years) and had been hit by a car at some point, and as a result was down an eye and one of her canines, so her tongue keeps sticking out. Needless to say, she's a goofy looking cat. But after having cats (and dogs) my whole life, she is the most affectionate cat I've ever come across. She picked me and I'm glad she did.

I changed from my Denon DVD-4800 to a Denon DCD-815 CD Player and a Denon DA-500 DAC. Still have the 4800... A universal player that only plays Redbook doesn't get a lot of interest in the FS ads! The 4800 should theoretically be better than the mid-90s vintage Denon gear, but I like the versatility. I also received a SMC EZStream wireless media streamer as a kick-ass birthday gift, which kicked the iPod and dock out. CDs are great and all, but it's so nice to be able to access anything I own without having to sort through piles and piles of discs. And the mod that added an optical out was a nice addition, allowing me to use it with the DA-500 which acts as a digital switchbox (3 optical inputs, 2 coaxial inputs) as well as a DAC. Still using my Millett Hybrid, the same Tung Sol 12FK6 tubes, and my HF-1. Though I did go from mahogany cups to zebrawood cups on the HF-1. Does that count?

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!