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Mel, Esmé, and I did our annual visit to The Great Dickens Christmas Fair. This time with special guests Al & Claire. Thanks for hanging out guys.

Peter said it best. Life is precious.

While it's awful this had to happen at all, thank goodness both of you made it through. It sounds like a rough road ahead, but never stop being thankful for it. I'm sure that with time and effort, you can get to a place of contentment again. I'm pulling for both of you!

It's done in the digital domain.

Tom do you plan on editing the vinyl as well? I play my vinyl through an ADC > RIAA>DAC and record a ton of it but it is something with a bit of a learning curve.

Anyone that's ever paid attention to JHA knows that they release new upgrades the minute they come up with them. He may be getting branding and sales advice, but I think his product development cycle is run by Doug from Up.

Potentially NSFW Audio

So let me get this straight: Take the most true to source digital file, give it the glorified MP3 treatment, dither it, and, dare I presume, EQ it, and call it better than the original? Or put it another way, it's the snake oil bullshit version of FLAC. Finally, the entire concept of streaming audio to a high end home setup is lost on me. You are already tethered to your system; you aren't going anywhere. Load that shit up on your HDD, and, as Posty said, who gives a shit how big the file is? If you can afford Meridian's crapola, then a few TB of spinning aluminum (or MLC memory cause it sounds better) is not going to matter much.

"As a MQA decoder is software and modern DACs are controlled by firmware, there is no obstacle to hardware companies offering MQA decoding other than the need to pay the necessary license fee" You don't say. The one listeners impression http://www.stereophile.com/content/meridians-mqa-one-listeners-impression Ticked most of the Audiophile Review meme's "as though a veil had been lifted" "this was the closest to real I've ever heard "

Thanks for keeping us posted, Larry. We're all pulling for you and your daughter. You both will remain in my thoughts and prayers. I know it must be an awful feeling not to be able to help your child or being able to tell her that she'll be alright, let alone to manage your own pain and emotions. But just know that the fact that you are there with her right by her side for every step along the way will mean the world to her.

I've readjusted my short term goals. Next on my list is being mobile enough for a bowel movement. Honest enough? No more making 6 month plans...

The Eagles are on right now over here. This one's for you and your daughter, Larry. One day at a time. That's all we can do. Take it easy Take it easy Don't let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy Lighten up while you still can Don't even try to understand Just find a place to make your stand Take it easy.

I finally got around to the power supply for my mini-kgst. I was able to get the +/-400V with delay, filaments, +/-15V and a +5V supply all on one board (5.9" x 6.25"). Here's what I came up with... Here's the 3D models from DipTrace. I did all of the non-standard 3D component models myself. I'm getting good at it. I ordered the wrong size caps for the HV supply . I'm going to put in another order and should have it up and running shortly. I redesigned the timer circuit because I'm using it with a solid state relay. There was a short ON burst in the older one that would turn on the relay for a small fraction of a second. This one keeps the output low until activation. I've been testing it for about a month and it seems to work well and is stable. It was a combination of reading the datasheet for the LM555, modeling some ideas in LTSpice and then testing on the bench. I'm usually careful, but made a mistake on placement of the charging capacitor. I had to move it, but got luck and it was a fairly simple surgery. I'm looking forward to getting the caps for the HV and testing it out the rest of the board. All in all I'm happy. Most parts are fairly accessible and it seems like I'll be able to get to them if need be. This board will mount under the top panel of the amp in the back. The transformer will sit on the top above the top panel directly above the supply. I'm using the Antek 100VA 350V transformer and steel case. More to come

Thanks for all the well wishes. So, McKenna went to the OR early Thursday AM to stabilize her bilateral lower extremity fractures, and the pins and rods will be changed to internal plates and screws in 10 days. That same time I had a rod placed in my left femur, and then yesterday I had internal plates and screws installed in my left ankle, and had my right patella reconstructed. My broken ribs really make mobility even harder, since moving takes my breath away. They're looking to send us to a rehab hospital in Colorado Springs next week, maybe in time for Xmas. We're in for a lengthy recovery process, and the impact on McKenna's college career and her future is significant. So I think I'll have to look for a personal injury lawyer. She's likely to have lifelong sequellae from her injuries, and we need to make sure her medical expenses are covered (as well as pain and suffering). We're both having nightmares and reliving the crash. It's horrible. Fortunately we get a refund on school fees for the spring, but we have to give back the financial aid that was used to pay for the non-refundable deposit (that will carry over to fall). She's had to defer her human rights semester abroad till the fall, but she was going to be away for the spring when all of her other friends were also going to be at semester abroad. If she goes to school at Duke this spring, she'll be wheelchair bound with no friends around to help her. Duke is offering to help her find last minute housing and transportation, but suggests that a personal leave of absence might be better. This will delay her graduation by 6 months and we're afraid it will delay law school for a year (if they don't accept new students for law school in the spring). Life (not "like") just got much more complicated, but we're both just happy to be alive!

If people are still serious about this, I will look into switching that weekend with my ex.

Mikey' crackers (rosemary, parsley and pepper) and his homemade mozzarella were both awesome. The other two cheeses were great too but the homemade touch was very cool. Claire makes a mean spaetzel and it went well worth sausages and kraut as always.