jheis

OK, I'll probably get flamed, but I'll say it. The number one band on my "makes me hurl list" is ... (wait for it): The Grateful Dead. Absolutely cannot stand them (& I lived in San Francisco for 16 years & northern CA for another 20 years). Whenever I recognize one of their "tunes," I immediately kill the radio. I know there are lots of deadheads, but I never got the point of the endless noodling. James

Barry Manilow - No way, no how, not ever. He writes the songs that make the whole world cringe. Phil Collins - Drums are not a lead instrument. Eagles - Didn't like them then & don't like them now. Beach Boys - See above. Betty Carter - Simply can't stand her voice, but a least she's dead. ABBA - Nuf said. KISS - See ABBA above, plus listen to Terri Gross' interview with Simmons on "Fresh Air" - hard to imagine how anyone could be more of an A$$. Michael Bolton - Just cause he exists. Kenny G - Geeze, learn how to play that thing. Any and all of the other "smooth jazz" dreck. James

About a year ago I sold a "new in the box" NeXT laser printer on ebay. Turns out the buyer was in Australia. The printer weighed ~40 lbs. He paid $362 for the printer & it cost $370 to ship it to Australia. Heresys weigh 40 lbs ... each! James

Nope, it's autocross day. (so is Sunday 4/18.) James

Mine are all over 15 years old. Don't buy anything Rat Shack anymore - they're not even close to being competitive with online resalers. James

Jason: I've got a ton (well maybe a dozen) of those gold Rat Shack RCA's. Came in red, black, yellow & green. James

Put Marie Osmond on and the squirrels will be shooting at you! James

Made me wonder about the derivation of the term "riff raff.' Good explanation here: http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-rif1.htm James

B&K is a great match with Klipsch. The problem with buying any pre/pro these days, however, is with the constantly changing/unstable HDMI crap. For example see: http://hometheaterreview.com/what-if-hdmi-actually-worked/. I love my B&K Reference 50, but it dosen't have any HDMI capability. The standards seem to be in a constant state of flux, so if you want something you can hang on to & enjoy going forward - I'd say wait until things shake out. Just my .02. James

... and no bigger than a small refrigerator! James

Cutie at the check out register carded me. I showed her my driver's license & slyly said "thanks" [] She said "that's OK - it's Father's Day" [:|]

a little odd? Gimme a break - he was a freakquake. James

How can we miss you if you won't go away? []

Read that story somewhwere else without the photo. Couldn't figure out how a dog could "chew the bumper off a car."

AT&T: the only phone company you cannot reach by phone. Customer service second only to DirecTV in it's awfulness. Company should be taken out and shot. James

Hell, I remember the '50s. I don't think anyone has mentioned Slinkys. "Most people are like Slikys - pretty much useless - but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down the stairs." (can't take credit for that - read it somewhere) James

I know, I know - wishfull thinking.... James

I had this mental picture of Dick Cheney riding him down - kinda like Slim Pickens in Dr. Strangelove. James

montage (actually, I think a more appropriate term would be "medley").

Perhaps we should drop Donald Rumsfeld on North Korea. Peferably from a great height. James

"Saving Grace." Just stumbled onto this show starring Holly Hunter as a promiscuous, Porsche driving cop - with a tobacco chewing guardian angel named Earl.... Currently in reruns on TNT at 11:00 pm. I understand it's being cancelled after the (upcoming) third season in spite of rave reviews. Gotta get this one on DVD. Love Formula 1 & WRC, but coverage is non-existant to spotty at best in the US. After watching the excellent HBO series on Hendricks driver Jimmy Johnson, I caught the last half hour of the Daytona 500 fiasco - reminded me of why I hate NASCAR. For Black Adder fans, I hear that the whole series is being released on DVD - can't wait! James

I'm going to make a point of that in the future.

Yeah, compelling story. I didn't see the show, but if I remember correctly she was almost killed in a bicycle accident when she was hit by a Jeep that ran a red light. She had been a pianist from an early age & was begining to play professionally, but because of her injuries (shattered pelvis along with major head injuries) she was no longer able to sit at the piano to play - so she turned to vocals. Has to wear the dark glasses because the head injuries have made her extremely sensitive to light. James

It's not really a Jay vs. Conan thing. NBC is just a f'ing disaster under Zucker. Personally I can't stand Letterman either - he's smarmy - not funny - and I'll never forgive anyone who would subject us to the odious Paul Shaffer. James

Hey Guys You might want to remember that you're giving recomendations to someone who owns exactly 6 (six) LPs. Rocket science is not required - although vinyl is not exactly rocket science - or even rock science. I suspect that this will be a short lived infatuation. Any functional TT should be adequate for him to decide if he wants to continue.... James