Dusty Chalk

I lived in a townhouse for years, from 1988 to 1993, IIRC. It's exactly as you say -- I really liked the lack of lawn care (HOA took care of the front, I used a weed wacker on the back forty...square inches), but occasionally the neighbor liked to listen to things loud -- I suspect I was the bigger problem. Also, parking can be a problem, depending how things are set up. (We didn't have reserved spots, so it was last come, walk far.) Some units are really well built, though, I've been in one where I've never heard them. Downside you may not have realized is in the DC area, there's a big temperature differential between the upstairs and the downstairs. We ended up having to get a window unit for the master (topmost floor). At 2500 sq. ft., you might consider multiple units. I suspect if this is in the South, you'll have the same problem. Also, talk to your dad! He'll give you honest answers, won't he? Tell you whether he can hear the neighbors and how much. Also, if you both trust each other, you can save a lot of money by not getting a realtor. Single biggest expense when real estate is sold directly. You still need everyone else, just not the realtor.

I tend to go for the most power and capacity that I can afford, in an attempt to future proof, but that's more of a Windows mentality, because Windows software has a tendency to act like a liquid -- take up the form of its container. Apple software tends to have much better longevity (from everything I've heard), so I think you just answered your own question -- i7 and 8G, for battery life and lack of overkill. (i5 don't really take that much less power, they're just i7's that failed quality control.) And who knows, if you get garageband, you may want the extra power.

Not shown: falling off later when the vehicle slows and stops

Didn't the first one have electric piano in like every song, or am I thinking of someone else?

yes -- since when do you not prefer meat?

Correct.

Lollers at them all cheering

I didn't start really feeling my age 'til around 50. I credit not having kids.

Did you riot? No, seriously, Stravinsky is a genius.

New London Grammar

I like all three of those artists, so wasn't expecting anything less than to like it, and I did. Unrelated, this is classic Steven Wilson/Lasse Hoile:

Yeezh, and thanks for sharing.

A diabetic gave a couple of these to me yesterday -- I felt bad taking them, but then I thought, "it's like taking biscuits from a diabetic", and laughed internally. And then thanked him. They were really good.

Been listening to these on Spotify, and so far I've listened to the top 10 tracks by each band in the first row and enjoyed every one.

I went and saw my favourite recent discovery band, Bent Knee, and got recognized by Courtney, Jessica, and Ben, and got to hear some great music performed unbelievably well. I

Lollers

Biosphere, Dropsonde

Well maybe if you weren't wrong all the time, I'd give it a go. I understood what you were saying the first time. I was saying I disagree with it.

The brain-ear system accommodates for the first part. That's the whole point in developing our hearing from infancy to adulthood. And the second part is just a contradiction. I mean think about what a soundwave is -- a localized variation in air pressure. If you recreate that localized air pressure variance just outside the ear as accurately as possible to reality, that should correspond to sounding as real as accurately as possible. I still disagree -- you have convinced me of nothing.

I disagree. The reference is real life. If you have a recording, and you know what it is supposed to sound like approximately one inch from the ears (where the drivers of most headphones are, and if that's where your mics are), reference headphones are ones that recreate that soundwave as accurately as possible. Ones that deliberately colour (ones that accentuate the presence or attenuate the sibilance regions, for example, or play up the midbass to trick bassheads into thinking there is moar base), are not reference headphones. Of course, this leads me to be very confused about the Sony MDR-V6/-7506, because I do consider them to be reference headphones in terms of bandwidth, once you mentally compensate for the colouration they introduce.

Favourite imgur comment: that is horrific!