Just checked my Net speed over FiOS, and it’s lookin’ lots better than last night’s test. Read it and weep in envy!
Category: Tech
Speed Racer
As I’ve said before, I ♥ FiOS Internet service from Verizon. Well, it just got better with a free upgrade in speed! It’s supposed to now support 5 Mbps upload, but I can live with 2.684 Mbps. For now.
The Price is Right
My friend Samjay recently purchased a 50-inch Panasonic plasma HDTV for $2500. There were rebates and side deals for installation, but the bottom line is, that’s how much he spent.
And that got me thinking. Is that a lot of money for a TV set? Well, sure it is, but how does it compare to the first color TV my family owned? My father bought an RCA color console in 1967. The first program I ever watched on it? Don’t ask! Okay, I’ll tell you. It was My Mother the Car.
Dad says to the best of his recollection the set cost $450. Running that amount through a few online inflation calculators, in today’s dollars that comes out to $2714. So it would seem that Sam’s purchase isn’t all that extravagant.
Speakering of Sound
Nobody is asking me what my computer speakers are, that make differences in audio quality so apparent. So I’ll ask for you!
These are my speakers — the Logitech Z-3. c|net gave them only a so-so review, but I think they’re very good, and besides, J&R Musicworld had them for only $45, plus $5 shipping. They’ve been replaced by the Z-4.
Backtrack
Friday, December 8, has no entry. It’s blank. The day that John Lennon was killed in 1980. I’d like to say I did that intentionally, to symbolize the space that could never be filled; but, the fact is, I screwed up.
The first Beatles song that I was aware as being “a John song,” was “I Feel Fine.” I’ve always considered “I Feel Fine” to be very innovative, and not just for the guitar feedback intro. To me it represents the point when The Beatles started to really break away musically from Beatlemania.
The audio player has the original single, 42 years old, that belonged to my big sister. Perhaps it still does, but she’ll never get it back! 😉 When that finishes, a second track will kick in with take 6 of the instrumental for “I Feel Fine.” This one you won’t find on “Anthology.”
[audio:http://www.dograt.com/Sounds/Wordpress/DEC06/IFeelFine45.mp3,http://www.dograt.com/Sounds/Wordpress/DEC06/IFeelFine.mp3]Technical note: Listen to the cymbals in the left channel of the studio session recording. Hear the smearing and slurping effect? The original is perfectly clear and clean. This is a good example of where 128 Kbps MP3 comes up short.
Hackers On The Net – 1
This is the start of the most significant blog posts I can ever possibly make. It’s about the most incredible and amazing magazine article I ever read, or ever could read, published in my lifetime. It predicted the future with uncanny accuracy. It’s about people who said, “This is what we are going to do.” And they did it.
Let me show you an example of what I’m talking about. Here is a laptop for accessing the Net.
The year? 1972. That isn’t a typo. I’m talking about the year of the Watergate break-in. More in Part 2, coming up.