Knuckledragger

One of my requirements during motherboard selection was that it have good digital audio out. I had two other models I considered besides the one I chose. this insane Gigabyte model, which outputs digital audio via optical, coaxial and HDMI in stereo or multichannel, at a variety of bitrates. The other was an MSI? which I can't find right now. It was $100 cheaper than the Asus I went with, and had both optical and coaxial outputs. I passed on it because the reviews said it was really bitchy about memory. It didn't like 8GB sticks at all. The Asus is part of the "armored" series and is built like a tank. That has been reassuring during the chip installation and mounting of the CPU cooler. Now I'm watching this video:

^ lolski. This guy has no idea of what he speaks. All my audio gear is outboard, and connected via USB and S/PDIF, KTHX.

Other than the humble SanDisk box (and to a lesser extent, the Intel one), just about all of the packaging and product names seem aimed at 14 year old boys. Right now I am re-watching this video:

It's time.

Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland, in 1951

This is the kind of product I'm looking for. That particular model looks a bit fiddly and like it might break the USB port on my lappy if it got torqued.

As observant Head-Casers will note, I am a fan of I often end up taking 45 minutes or so during the process, and I like to listen to podcasts while doing so. My laptop sits on a shelf that's about 4' away from the sink where I shave. I have some really (really) crappy speakers right now that are USB powered and have a 1/8" audio cable. They have two modes "too quiet to hear" and "so distorted you can't make out speech." I'd like a USB powered speaker (singular or pair, it's irrelevant), ideally one that has a built in DAC so it's only connection to my laptop is via the USB cable. I've never particularly liked the analogue output on any Macintop that I've owned. 1/8" jacks seem to live to crackle and drop out. Bass response is utterly irrelevant, but clarity in the upper frequencies is essential. I'm dyslexic, and therefore have really bad auditory processing of language. I need to be able to understand what's being said in a podcast while running water in the sink, etc. I tend to leave the speakers in the bathroom when I'm not using them, so something that's at least vaguely moisture-resistant would be a plus. My budget is under $100, but the farther below that number, the better. I have to buy a bunch of other things this fall, like a new car. Any HCers have experience with products like this? Got any suggestions? I'd prefer something available on AMZN, as the 'Egg has made me (and many other 'Casers) quite angry.

Ireland is not exactly known for its ambient musicians, but Dublin's Mick Chillage stands toe to toe with his German and Scandinavian counterparts. When I first his his downtempo album Tales from the Igloo album in late 2010, I was immediately captivated. The whole album is pretty stellar, but the closing track, a re-interpretation of John Carpenter's Assault on Precinct 13 theme really grabbed me. I've played it out a few times and always a few people recognize it, but aren't sure what it is. I tracked him down on Facebook, and it turns out he's a pretty cool cat. He regularly posts links to new projects he's working on. Most of the music he makes these days is decidedly more ambient than downtempo. A couple of years ago, Mick released an album on the late, great Pete Namlook's label Fax +49-69/450464 called FAXology. "Returning Home," the closing track from it is a bit of a slow burner (as ambient music is wont to be), but the payoff is damn well worth it. Mick's a deft synth programmer, but he also has an uncanny sense of melody. Returning Home is one of the best thing's he written. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bceTjk1JLA

Sony ups the WTF factor once again.

We take your 4-8-8-4 steam train and turn it into a mag-lev bullet.

I should note that during this past week, WAMH upgraded to a "Pro" account on Mixlr, so the sound quality should be better.

Sup Heads? My show is once again on the air. WAMH's new web streaming page is right here. My show's website is updated, as well.

Holy crap, 1Password 4.0 is out. It's a major change from 3.X. I am ...unsure what I think of it thus far.

^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2GcVxy3jRA The new WAMH studio. Photos not by me.

Thanks for the kind words, folks. After going through the meat grinding known as the US health care system yesterday, it looks like what I have is a very bad allergic reaction. To what exactly, they're still not sure. I'm considerably better today, but I still do bear a passing resemblance to Two-Face.