InnerTuber

Hi KDE, I'll start with my general disclaimer - these are my opinions based on my experience. I'm not trying to start a fuss about Mac vs PC. I have and use both. There's a lot of ways to skin this cat. The simple way to get this going is go into iTunes and make a couple choices - First, goto edit>preferences>advanced>importing 1) select error correction so it is on (this is important) 2) under "import using" - you need to select a quality level. AIFF will give you a duplicate of the CD quality and use the most space. Apple lossless is ok if you don't know what to choose. MP3 will take the least space but can give up some fidelity. Try all 3 and see what works for your ears. I know folks who would never shrink anything. I know a guy that has like 1000 CDs ripped to 1/3 his laptops drive. He's happy. Whatever works for you. Save and insert a CD. It's preferable to have an internet connection. After you rip a CD under advanced>get album artwork Get a cord from Radio Shack that has headphone input one end and two RCA outs on the other. (This is not the "audiophile" solution, but it will work!) Take that handy cord and plug it into your pc. That cord needs to split into two RCA jacks on the other end which you plug into your receiver. Click and play a song in iTunes and you should have stereo on and available to blast. In iTunes select the coverflow mode (little thing top right) and the song will fill you screen. Output your computer display to your TV and it will fill your TV (another cable). If you have Mac, the little white remote will move you thru your music library. PC a little trickier but do-able. Linux no clue! That is the simple way to get this going. Now for the advice part ... There are lots of players and you can read tons of stuff. iTunes works well. On a Mac it outputs bit perfect music with ease. PCs require more attention to the soundcard/guts issues, but either can get you where you want or need to be. I use a few players but the main one is iTunes for various reasons. If you get the hi-resolution bug things change. No player really does everything perfectly. Some are intuitive and common, some are cultish and rare and all in-between. iPods for portability are easy fits with iTunes. Next, AIFF beats WAV files in my book due to the tagging (song name, album, etc.) Sometimes, if you change players you lose info with WAV files. Some folks prefer FLAC, but if space is not an issue why do anything to filesize (space is pretty cheap)? Mac is easier to set up than PC. PC causes you to deal with ASIO and the windows kmixer and potentially a soundcard. It's all solveable. Mac you plug in a USB cord and goto a cheap DAC or direct to receiver with USB and it's done. MacBook beats Mac mini because you can see what you do! Home server, to me, is a common misconception. Many people refer to it as music server. In reality, you don't need more than your laptop until: 1) you want a backup copy 2) your laptop is too full When that happens, there are a lot of solutions available including a server. But if you are just starting, I'd get it all going so you can hear some music before I worried about that stuff. Next step is an external drive to hold more (say plug in a Drobo or just a USB drive and move your iTunes library to it). Next, you goto wireless (USB storage into a wireless router) so that noisy hard drive can hide in a backroom. For high end, a Drobo (or other storage) USB connected to an Airport Extreme Bases station hidden in a closet wirelessly communicating to a Macbook or Mini USB connected to a ** insert your favorite DAC ** sitting by and connected to your receiver will rival or exceed any digital source, depending upon the DAC. And, providing you error correct and use a non compressed rip setting. I don't own, sell or do anything but use the above gizmos! Holler if I missed the mark here If you want to read more about this stuff send me a PM or email and I can direct you to some material on this subject

Mac or PC or ? Stereo or ?

Even my wife misses them. She said they were part of the furniture! I'm just rethinking things, but for me, the highwater mark has been KHorns with VRDs. I'm not exactly sure what I'll do next ... By the way FB, I like your taste in music! Great to meet both you and Marshall. Hope you dodged all the rain. FB - Mark gave me a schematic and if I can get my hands on it next weekend I'll mail it to you for historical sake if nothing else.

Ditto for me Duke Never quite figured out why, but I get Budaches too.

For me, Coytee hit the nail on the head. Plus, having an A/B lets you have perhaps a receiver that has radio/iPod/PC inputs etc that is easy for other people to use. Niles has one for around $80 that let's you have choice at the push of a button.

I use the Outlaw 2150 and quite like it. One nice thing is the USB input. Easy PC music.

Interesting kit car, probably easier to build than a KHorn! http://www.rqriley.com/xr3.htm

I like this thread and agree with OB. Conserve. It's that simple, reduce demand and the price will fall. The disclaimer being our conservation could be offset by others usage. Futures markets perform a valuable service. To blame futures for oil prices makes little sense to me. The price is a result, not a cause. The reason a cup of coffee doesn't cost a different price every month at McD's is because somebody in the background is using the futures market. Ditto for many other food and energy products. Just because most folks (meaning us) are buyers of oil (or gasoline), and the price is high does not allow one to ignore that sellers (i.e. Shell) are able to invest since they have the ability to ensure high returns for a period of time into the future. Futures also offer the opportunity to buy at prices too low relative to the fundamental value. Sadly, given the overall economy, the commodity markets have been the shelter for surplus funds somewhat negating the usual swings in both directions; hence, a bull market. Corn into ethanol to me is a non-starter. Humans need to eat the corn. Ethanol plants are like cogen plants. Takes tax breaks to work. The best part to me, is that simple things that made no sense a couple years ago, like installing panels and selling power into your local grid will begin to make financial sense. Prices will drop rapidly if there ever is enough demand to get critical manufacturing volumes. Ditto for tankless heaters and all the junk Mother Earth News professed for decades. And I'm not particularly green, but it's going to happen. Wind, solar, etc. I'd imagine the oil comapines today see a problem. People will turn them off. They likely are concerned about the price internally because they know with their current model they cannot sustain returns to investors (read your 401k). They have a problem, we have a problem. We let it happen to ourselves and we will also fix it. The solution will cause their current model to change. How many of us will complain when they mothball a refinery due to weak demand? Yeah it might not be for 5 years, but if I was them, I'd be reluctant to make infrastructure capital investment today. Frankly, I'm more appreciative we have abundant land/food/water, even tho we already squabble over water. I'd take good ole USA with vast land and food resources over oil. We will always need food and water. Oil will be replaced. Odd to say, but Brazil has their act together now and look where they were 5-10 years ago. They have similar resources and have done much better at managing energy dependence, not to mention foreign policy. Wanna point a finger ... I'd start with our litigation system - that's what screws with our costs IMHO. Keep in mind the same companies making all the money will have to spend it somewhere. Maybe they will buy condos/business/homes in the USA. The oil company making "huge" profits will dole a lot out as dividends. That's not a bad thing. Here's my favorite green thought -

I'm surprised the Smart car doesn't have better milage. For about 15-18k it doesn't strike me as much of a solution.

Yeah we can really get jerked around by these storms. Other than the obvious rain and wind, which actually can blow citrus trees right out of the ground, they spread agricultural diseases. I'd never really thought about that until all the issues with citrus canker here in Florida. Plus the high tides if a storm gets the right angle cause huge damage. I know one day our pool with self convert to saltwater which is why I can't put a home theater in downstairs. But we like it here. I don't think sand is very condusive to earthquakes so we have that going for us. I'll post some spaghetti charts when they come out next storm and share how confused everyone really is about the storm tracks. See that area between zone 3 and 5 where activity is rather null, theory I hear is that it's due to the shallow gulf. From Tampa you go out a mile and water is 15 feet in the bay and out the skyway it drops to 20-25 feet. Go north 30 miles and the Gulf is shallow for miles. Oddly, even tho hurricanes don't seem to go there, there was a no-name storm several years back that crammed water up ever river in that no activity area and caused severe flooding all the way inland to US 19. My brother in laws boat floated away lashed to it's trailer and they found it still sitting on the trailer up the Crytal River. Gotta love and respect Mother Nature.

I had no clue RC cars/trucks were up to 4 HP ... That's more than my first minibike. Must kick up a mini tornado ...

In laws live about 1 hour SW of Chatt. We'd drop the mutt off there!

Hey Mark - we were tempted to go as well just to see Robert Plant and Allison again. Think Gail's daughter bought tickets. Need to get a few folks and rent a big arsed mobile thing to live in a few days one year to catch it all. We thought about driving from Ft Paine, but feared getting in and out on a daily basis. Thanks for the link.

I think using a computer can be fine. Depends on your choices and expectations. Do you want radio at all? What's the budget?

I guess I use 12 guage and buy it wherever I stumble on it onsale - Rat Shack/Home Depot/Lowes/BBuy/ etc. If it turns green after a few years you can replace it and use the old stuff to rewire a lamp or something.

Last year was too easy. Hope this year isn't bad. COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY HURRICANE FORECAST TEAM PREDICTS ABOVE-AVERAGE ATLANTIC BASIN HURRICANE SEASON IN 2008 FORT COLLINS - Colorado State University hurricane forecasters today maintained an earlier forecast that called for a very active 2008 season. The hurricane forecast team is calling for 15 named storms forming in the Atlantic basin during this year's hurricane season. Eight of the storms are expected to become hurricanes with four becoming intense hurricanes (Saffir/Simpson category 3-4-5) with sustained winds of 111 mph or greater. Tropical Storm Arthur, which formed on May 31, is included in the CSU hurricane forecast, meaning that 14 more named storms are expected this year. "Conditions in the tropical Atlantic look quite favorable for an active hurricane season. Sea surface temperatures are anomalously warm, while sea level pressures and levels of vertical wind shear are quite low," said Phil Klotzbach of the Colorado State hurricane forecast team and the lead author of the forecast. "Our primary concern is the warming waters in the equatorial Pacific. At this point, we do not believe that an El Nino will develop by late this summer; however, this is a possibility that must be monitored closely." The hurricane forecast team is using a new statistical model to predict tropical cyclone activity this year. This model shows considerable improvement in skill over the models that have been used to issue June predictions over the past few years. The hurricane forecast team predicts tropical cyclone activity in 2008 will be 160 percent of the average season. By comparison, 2005 witnessed tropical cyclone activity that was about 275 percent of the average season. The 2007 season witnessed tropical cyclone activity that was approximately 100 percent of the average season with a total of 15 named storms, six hurricanes and two major hurricanes forming last year. Long-term averages are 9.6 named storms, 5.9 hurricanes and 2.3 intense hurricanes per year. The hurricane forecast team reiterated its probabilities for a major hurricane making landfall on U.S. soil: - A 69 percent chance that at least one major hurricane will make landfall on the U.S. coastline in 2008 (the long-term average probability is 52 percent). - A 45 percent chance that a major hurricane will make landfall on the U.S. East Coast, including the Florida Peninsula (the long-term average is 31 percent) - A 44 percent chance that a major hurricane will make landfall on the Gulf Coast from the Florida Panhandle west to Brownsville (the long-term average is 30 percent). The team also predicted above-average major hurricane landfall risk in the Caribbean. "The Atlantic has seen a very large increase in major hurricanes during the 13-year period of 1995-2007 (average 3.8 per year) in comparison to the prior 25-year period of 1970-1994 (average 1.5 per year)," said William Gray, who began forecasting hurricane seasons at Colorado State 25 years ago. "This large increase in Atlantic major hurricanes is primarily a result of the multi-decadal increase in the Atlantic Ocean thermohaline circulation (THC) that is not directly related to global temperature increase. Changes in ocean salinity are believed to be the driving mechanism." For 2008, Klotzbach and Gray expect continued warm tropical and north Atlantic sea-surface temperatures, prevalent in most years since 1995, as well as neutral ENSO conditions - a recipe for enhanced Atlantic basin hurricane activity. These factors are similar to conditions that occurred during the 1951, 1961, 2000 and 2001 seasons. The average of these four seasons had well above-average activity, and Klotzbach and Gray predict the 2008 season will have activity in line with the average of these four years. "This active cycle is expected to continue for another decade or two at which time we should enter a quieter Atlantic major hurricane period like we experienced during the quarter-century periods of 1970-1994 and 1901-1925," Gray said. "Atlantic hurricanes go through multi-decadal cycles." The past two years - 2006 and 2007 - had slightly below-average and average activity, respectively, with only one Category 1 hurricane (Humberto) making landfall on U.S. soil in 2007. The Colorado State hurricane forecast team has said the hurricane seasons of 2004 and 2005 were anomalies: Florida and the Gulf Coast were ravaged by four landfalling hurricanes each year. Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne caused devastating damage in 2004 followed by Dennis, Katrina, Rita and Wilma in 2005. "Coastal residents need to prepare for every hurricane season, regardless of seasonal predictions," Klotzbach said. "There is inherent uncertainty in seasonal predictions. Also, seasonal forecasts cannot say anything about when or where storms are going to make landfall." Probabilities of tropical storm-force, hurricane-force and intense hurricane-force winds occurring at specific locations along the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts within a variety of time periods are listed on the forecast team's Landfall Probability Web site. The site provides U.S. landfall probabilities for 11 regions and 205 individual counties along the U.S. coastline from Brownsville, Texas, to Eastport, Maine. The Web site, available to the public at http://www.e-transit.org/hurricane , is the first publicly accessible Internet tool that adjusts landfall probabilities for regions and counties based on the current climate and its projected effects on the upcoming hurricane season. Klotzbach and Gray update the site regularly with assistance from the GeoGraphics Laboratory at Bridgewater State College in Massachusetts. The website has recently been upgraded to provide increased functionality. The hurricane team's forecasts are based on the premise that global oceanic and atmospheric conditions - such as El Nino, sea surface temperatures and sea level pressures - that preceded active or inactive hurricane seasons in the past provide meaningful information about similar trends in future seasons. The team will issue seasonal updates of its 2008 Atlantic basin hurricane activity forecast on Aug. 5, Sept. 2 and Oct. 1. These forecasts will contain predictions for the individual months of August, September and October. GRAY RESEARCH TEAM ATLANTIC BASIN HURRICANE FORECAST FOR 2008 -Released June 3, 2008- Tropical Cyclone Parameters (1950-2000 Climatological Averages in parentheses) Forecast for 2008 Named Storms (9.6)* 15 Named Storm Days (49.1) 80 Hurricanes (5.9) 8 Hurricane Days (24.5) 40 Intense Hurricanes (2.3) 4 Intense Hurricane Days (5.0) 9 Net Tropical Cyclone Activity (100%) 160 * Numbers in ( ) represent average year totals based on 1950-2000 data.

Sam's Club was/is selling an Olevia 65 inch 1080P I think for $2,995. Was a $500 reduction, might be over now. I'm unsure.

Opps, forgot about Boz Scaggs and the Ramblin Man Dickie Betts and Great Southern in there too

Todd Rundgren two weekends ago Robert Plant and Allison Krauss last weekend - This show was AMAZING Slowhand this weekend

Never tried this but it looks like you need something to record out of Media Player http://www.download3k.com/Install-Windows-Media-Stream-Recorder.html

For $99 it gets you started converting that old vinyl. Next step up looks to be the ProJect III USB. http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?whse=BC&topnav=&prodid=11274236&ec=BC-EC877-CatHome&pos=4〈=en-US

Did you try DVD Decrypter? I've seen it fail, but it gets a lot of them. I think you can also just rip the audio.

I don't find it easy to predict the outcome of a judge, or even a mediation, particularly at the onset. Nor, have any of the litigators or defense folks I've hired. Folks that bill by the hour aren't always motivated to get anything thrown out, especially at the onset. Now where's the fight in that? Each side always has a story to tell (and money sunk) by the time it gets that far. Any litigator that thrown out on dismissal too many times would seem to need a career path adjustment. Our litigation system continually amazes me with it's inefficiency. I think you're trying to apply common sense!

My understanding is a bit different. AIFF and WAV are lossless, i.e., you should get a ripped duplicate. WAV files tend to have more problems moving from media player to player with things like album art. Apple lossless and FLAC encode, then decode, but don't throw away any music. The do make the file size smaller. Lossy rather throws info away to shrink depending upon the bit-rate and sample rate (settings). "Higher" settings may not lose enough to be material. Especially, if you grew up going to lot's of Deep Purple or Sabbath concerts. Depending upon how you hook things up, lossy may sound just fine, that's preference and circumstance, and given whatever amount of storage at yoru disposal you can hold more songs. For example, to give fodder, compressed may sound near identical to a WAV file if played on an iPod via a transmitter to your car radio. Compressed may sound near identical if you run a line out of the iPod and split into RCA jacks or poke it into an input on the front of a receiver / car player. As you get closer to the raw data, perhaps using USB out and with a DAC, then you begin hear more differences in formats. The aformentioned is generalizations for cds. Ripped vinyl or other music can benefit from higher bit/sample rates. Mo info so to speak. No real point in upsampling cd's I am aware of to improve quality. Aren't gonna get more info than you started with. For good quality cds, based on my learnings, if you use Windows, FLAC is hard to beat. If you use a Mac, AIFF is hard to beat. Ultimately, near anything can darn near be played on anything with conversion, but why bother ... the exception being hi-res music, which very few iPods will really appreciate to begin with. Nor, does iTunes appreciate FLAC, so one converts or using a second player.

Where they are now Klipschificating the neighbors regularly with my reckless abandon and their wonderful sound.