jheis

Just received my coupons for the Digital TV Converter Box fiasco. The list of "coupon eligible" converter boxes looks like a bunch of "off brand - made in China" crap. Anyone checked these things out? Recommendations? Thanks James

The best thing that can happen to anyone is to be banned from that site. Signed up & visited once at Max's recomendation. Never went back. James

Asbach is a brandy - not an aperitif - although I suppose it could be used as such. The bars around Ramstein used to peddle it to GI's mixed with Coke - brandy & Coke. Yuck, what a waste... James

Rob: Get on their mailing list. They do a beautiful catalogue several times a year. James

Tom: Here's a link to a site that will give you a pretty good overview of what is available on the market today www.fountainpenhospital.com Not really sure what to recommend in modern pens, I'm mostly interested in the vintage stuff... Other than a couple Namikis & a Pelikan, the only modern fountain pen I've had was a Waterman - had to send it back twice - never did work worth a damn. I can forgive a lot of hiccups from my 75+ year old pens, but a brand new pen that doesn't work is inexcusable. James

Nice bike Andy! Here's a shot of my Bimmer. 1952 R68 - one of 1453 built. The first production BMW able to exceed 100 mph. James

If you're looking for a new pen, I really like the Namiki/Pilot "Vanishing Point" series. It's a retractable fountain pen. The mechanism works kinda like a ball point, so there's no separate cap to worry about. http://www.namiki.com/collections/pilotVanishingPoint_RA.php Pilot also has the "Varsity" line of inexpensive disposable fountain pens if you just want to "get your feet wet." James

Thought I'd bring this thread back to the fore. Here's a shot of my 1933 Franklin Olympic Convertible Coupe taken at the Silverado Concours a few years ago. Franklins were built in Syracuse NY from 1902 through 1934. They all had air-cooled, overhead valve engines from the begining. My car weighs 3,500 lbs & has a 274 ci straight six putting out 100 hp at 3,100(!) rpm - so it'll get up and dance - I know for a fact that it'll do 85 mph.[] Same size engine as my 928 although it gives away a little bit on hp. James

Ah yes, some of our local produce. As we say around these parts: Come to Sonoma for wine. Go to Napa for auto parts. James

Thebes: "it's New Year's Eve and I'm temporarily restrained." As in "Temporary Restraining Order?" James

Try Soundscape in Santa Rosa. They're a Klipsch Heritage dealer with a service department. If they can't help you, I'm sure they can recommend someone who can. James

Actually, there have been quite a few V4 engines.... Lancia built a narrow angle V4 for many years. English Ford & German Ford (also used by SAAB & Matra) built different version V4's. AJS, Aprillia, Ducati, Honda, Suzuki, and Yamaha all built or build V4 motorcycle engines. Johnson, Evinrude, and Yamaha built two stroke V4 outboard engines. James

I've got a pair of kg2's that I stumbled on by chance. Love 'em. James

Rob: You've got a good eye. If it didn't have a "condition problem" (chip in the rim of the cap) the 1928 yellow (Mandarin) Parker Duofold would be the most valuable pen in my collection. As to my favorite, I like all of the Parkers (mainly in the center of the photo). The ones I use most often would be the '31 black & pearl Parker Duofold, the '34 red striped Parker Vacumatic, and the '29 jade green Parker Duofold. I also really like the two little ring top '26 blue & grey Parker Lucky Curve pens near the right side of the photo - nice writers. James

Pick up a copy of the cowboy junkies "'neath your covers" for Margo Timmins' cover of "darkness, darkness." Don't know if it's available on vinyl though.... James

fini: You know you're not the only one.... James

Islander: It's a little course we have tucked away in a back corner of the Sonoma County Airport. It's made up of what, I think, used to be access roads around some old WWII era fuel dumps. It's kinda like four back to back ovals - or two figure eights beside each other. It's even got some elevation changes in the "go kart" section which dives through the center section of one of the ovals. Almost unlimited configuration possibilities! You're right it's a fun little track! James

Oh yeah. I've had mine for almost 15 years now. James

Just noticed that Costco has a $20 off coupon for a Hitchcock Collection in their December Mag. Good through the 14th. Item # 340975. James

First of all, $325 is a fair price - I recently sold a pair of '82 WO Heresy I's for $450. The drivers rarely wear out. At most a diaphragm may need replacing - easy job. Lots of folks will insist that the caps (capacitors) in the crossovers must be replaced, but chances are they will sound great just as they are. I'd try both the Onkyo and the Denon. Personally, I do NOT like the way Denon sounds, but that's just me. Go for it! Oh, by the way, welcome to the Forum. James

Bet that smelled good....

w: I got it. James

Norm: No harm, no foul. No offense taken. Welcome to the forum. Tommy: Read Andy's Blog. He answers your question. James

Bi-amping and bi-wiring are two very different things. Lots of discussions on both subjects. James

The 4 binder posts are to allow for "bi-wiring" i.e. running one set of wires to the HF section and another pair of wires to the LF section. If you do a search you will find lots of discussion on bi-wiring. Bottom line is that it is pretty much a marketing gimmick. One pair of wires to each speaker is sufficient. I mean, after all, how's the poor electron to know which wire to take - unless, of course, the wires have arrows on 'em. Here's a blog entry by a Klipsch engineer on the subject: http://forums.klipsch.com/blogs/andyw/archive/2007/08/31/bi-wiring.aspx By the way, welcome to the forum! James