Mr Info

Vic's a former Buffalo Evening News sports reporter who hails from near Utica, NY. Maybe he's trying not to be a homer. He makes more than many of you think he does.

I want to get an amp for the 5:1 surround speakers I am installing in my house. These are OK speakers, Stealth Acoustics, but far from top of the line. I plan on attaching a couple of other low-end speakers in another room to the amp. I would like to send digital radio, internet audio (e.g., radio), HDTV, DVD/CD, and even an old cassette and turntable (for vinyl parties) through the amp. I am willing to pay reasonably for something but I don't need top-of-the-line equipment. Any suggestions which manufacturer/model to investigate? I had heard there is a seconds location for audiophiles who dump their equipment after a year but I have not had any luck in finding it. Thanks

Saw the Trans-Siberian Orchestra tonight for the first time. We went out of curiosity to see a holiday show (and also due to some recommendations from this board: LewPort71, Fezmid & Campy; to name a few). I counted 8 singers, 7 musicians, and 8 people added to the group from the local symphony. Some traditional Christmas songs (a lot of those were the type where you recognize some of the lyrics but can't remember the title) as well as originals and everything from blues to Beethoven to Led Zep to Latin chants. Outstanding show - and it is a performance. The laser and light show as well as the pyrotechnics were impressive. The real snow fall was cool. They used mini snow machines and due to the low humidity in the Coliseum, most of it evaporated before it landed. It's all well-choreographed but you are not sacrificing style for substance. They compliment each other. I'll being seeing them again some day.

Wrong again - Below are the links - current as of 1:45 pm on 11/19. List - no rebates, shipping, etc. (both vendors have those specials). These are stock systems - non-customized to provide with a fair comparison. Dell Inspiron 9200 $1,569 (256m RAM) HP Compaq Presario R3320 $1,479

One of my wife's friends lives 2 houses away from Marv in Williamsburg. She said she was going to invite us over to meet him. Thanks for the Marv post as a reminder.

You do not mention of the DVD writer. There is still a good difference in price between DVD R and DVD WR devices. We'll ignore the fact that you may have a desktop with a DVD writer or that I may have a 21" monitor to connect to the laptop. My point is that you get more bang for the $. Nothing against Dell - I know lots of people that are happy with them. But they're not the price leader among the big guys as a lot of people believe. Depends which apps you run regarding the processor. However, within the next 1-2 years you'll notice the difference if you plan on using any 64-bit apps. I expect the laptop to be productive for 2-3 years.

Exactly!!

Not that similar - That 9200 configuration/price you are quoting has half the RAM (256), a smaller disk (40 vs 60 M), the DVD was read only, & the Athlon 64 3200, by all specs, is superior to the Intel 4 that is in the 9200. Especially, when considering present and future 64-bit enhancements. The screen is bigger on the 9200 but the DVD writer, not even considering the additional RAM, larger disk, and better processor, is the big difference when comparing value at similar cost. I am willing to bet that the majority of people would pick more RAM, a larger disk, a better processor, and a writeable DVD over having a 17" screen vs. 15.1". That's the difference. More bang for the buck.

Sure, I did the research to prove it. Find me a Dell laptop with 512 M, 60 G drive, a 1394 port, a DVD +R/W, and a processor equivalent to the Athlon 64 3200 for less than $1300. I'll even forget about the parallel port and the superior video. Actually, I don't believe you'll be able to find a new Dell laptop with all of that for less than $1500. And I got free shipping, too.

I did a component comparison between Dell and H-P for laptops and you get more bang for your buck with the latter. This is comparing the off-the-shelf systems. For example, the H-P (or Compaqs) came standard with 512 M memory and 60 G hard drives. Those were upgrades with comparable Dell systems. I got a 15" screen, DVD writer, Video is NVIDIA GeForce 4 440 Go with 64MB DDR, AMD Athlon 64 3200 processor, IEEE 1394 port, and it even included an old-timey parallel port for $1267 (parallel and serial ports are non-standard on current systems). You can't get that much for that price at Dell.

The writers and editors on that site give themselves away. 'Sprewell called himself “a man of principal” .....' So, the kids' principal is pimping him out?

I think you're thinking about Festival Express with Joplin, Dead, The Band, Buddy Guy, and others.

Look at the Videos on the Has Been site if you want a quick laugh.

Shatner will be joined by Ben Folds and Joe Jackson for a song on Leno tomorrow (Friday, 10/22) night.

She's behind my door every night. She's a wonderful woman and I'm a very happy man.

Thanks for the feedback. Actually, the solid wood is only about 15% more than the veneer/solid core so cost is not that much an issue. We have shopped this around the US in finding a manufacturer and finally located a reasonably priced one that also does quality work in Marietta, OH. They will use Woodport's doors for veneer but manufacture the solid doors themselves. If we choose solid, we will submit them the manufacturing specs for Woodharbor doors and they can copy it. We look at most components in the house as a commodity (windows, doors, tin ceiling, wood floor, etc.). Once we had all the specs set for these components (window/door sizes, etc.), we sent this to the reps for Andersen/Marvin/Kolbe&Kolbe, etc. We would also get quotes from Internet companies for the same inventory and ask them to meet the price. This takes a lot of time and effort but allows you to get the biggest bang for your $. The house is the biggest investment of your life - get the most you can with your $. BTW - like your avatar. Did you see our picture with Phil? Great guy.

We are building a house and have the flexibility with our builder to choose many of the particulars of our house. We are replicating a Victorian house in a historical district. The next decision we have to make is on the interior doors. We are evaluating using solid hardwood doors vs. a solid core door with veneer. Most likely we will use cherry. We have already obtained most of the hardware for the doors (1877 cast iron steeple hinges, glass knobs, thumbturns, etc.) and we will supply it to whomever we choose as the manufacturer. The issues that appear with solid wood pertain to the potential of panel movement in the doors due to shrinkage/swelling, etc. The other is the potential of non-uniformity of the grain/color. Most likely, we will pre-finish the doors with a slightly darker stain than the natural wood so that should minimize the grain/color differences. The veneer/solid core would allow a more uniform look to the all of the doors and minimize any panel shifting. Any interior door experts out there? Thanks Picture gallery of the construction

Yes, there still is a Nacho Mama's in Carytown and the owner will be opening another in Mechanicsville very soon.

I thought I saw that Milloy would also join the press conference.

Yeah, I remember Seductions and Sundowner's being right next to each other but this other place (in my first post) was off-the-beaten track and not jam-packed like these were.

Your post got me thinking - if the folks from Pepcid and Zantac had a sense of humor, they'd be handing out freebies in the lot before the game.

I searched TBD and previous information on these places is gone. A whole bunch of us are flying up on Friday for the game and we're looking for a good spot either Fri or Sat night. We want this to be a one-stop shop. A few years back, I remember a place, away from the craziness on Luck's Lane, that had some guy outside selling hot dogs and inside there were TV screens above the bar showing all kinds of videos as well as a decent stage. Anybody know this place? Thanks, in advance, for your recollections and suggestions.

I'm going up to NYC for the Wed. night game against the Twins. I grew up outside of Buffalo, now live in Richmond VA, but was always a fan of the Twins. I don't dislike the NYY but root for the Twins. I just want to see a good game.

OK, I went to the link and looked at the dates. Are there 2 TSOs? I see the band playing at two locations on most of the dates listed.

I agree, it appears that spelling it is more of a problem.