WCMUT....what cheered me up today

Few dozen kids trick or treating last night. Nearly all took just the one treat and said thanks or were reminded to say thanks by their parents
 
About 4 months ago we treated ourselves to a new record deck, and a streaming unit to update the hi-fi. 2 months ago the CD player started jumping all over the place and a couple of weeks later the amp packed up (they were 30 plus years old). Yesterday the wife & I bought a new Rotel Amp, and a Marantz CD player. We are both keen music lovers, and we spent last night listening to music.

Not on the record deck though..... The new amp is wider than the old one and needed to go in a different place in the media unit and the cables wouldn't reach :facepalm:. New longer cables ordered today for delivery tomorrow....
 
About 4 months ago we treated ourselves to a new record deck, and a streaming unit to update the hi-fi. 2 months ago the CD player started jumping all over the place and a couple of weeks later the amp packed up (they were 30 plus years old). Yesterday the wife & I bought a new Rotel Amp, and a Marantz CD player. We are both keen music lovers, and we spent last night listening to music.

Not on the record deck though..... The new amp is wider than the old one and needed to go in a different place in the media unit and the cables wouldn't reach :facepalm:. New longer cables ordered today for delivery tomorrow....
I love getting new tech.
 
About 4 months ago we treated ourselves to a new record deck, and a streaming unit to update the hi-fi. 2 months ago the CD player started jumping all over the place and a couple of weeks later the amp packed up (they were 30 plus years old). Yesterday the wife & I bought a new Rotel Amp, and a Marantz CD player. We are both keen music lovers, and we spent last night listening to music.

Not on the record deck though..... The new amp is wider than the old one and needed to go in a different place in the media unit and the cables wouldn't reach :facepalm:. New longer cables ordered today for delivery tomorrow....

What speakers are you using?
 
I've got a pair of Celstion 55's. 30 years old but still doing a reasonable job.

Crickey that is old, but the old stuff is often built to last so kudos. My parents still have a Miele vacuum, the kind you drag around (not the upright kind) and it still sucks the life and soul out of the carpet. It's easy to keep track of how old it is, it's the same age as me! lol
 
Under my PC desk I have a pair of Celef monitors I bought in the mid 1970s.

Dave
 
Under my PC desk I have a pair of Celef monitors I bought in the mid 1970s.

Dave

Do you have any modern speakers? Just wondering how they compare.
 
Do you have any modern speakers? Just wondering how they compare.
Slightly left field but I've just got a new soundbar from Sonos. It connects to the tv and my wifi network, plus integrates with Spotify and Google home.
Considering the physical dimensions they have to work with, I am absolutely blown away with what modern speaker technology can achieve.
The custom music speakers must be incredible.
 
I spend a fair bit of time in the summer house reading and listening to the radio .It faces south east.. so bright and warm even when cool/cold outside and two days ago I sat, captivated, watching a small spider make a web on the outside of one of the 36 panes of glass . Up-down-diagonally, clockwise etc. it went, sometimes tidying up a loose end. It reminded me of the tale of Robert the Bruce. It eventually completed the task taking up half of the glass (it's oblong.. 12"x 8") and retreated into the corner waiting for a meal to appear. They seem to spin a small ball of web in the corner where they stay..for warmth, I assume. So, when I came to clean the panes of glass today, I just couldn't bring myself to destroy that web and left it. As long as the spider's there I'll leave it be.
 
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Slightly left field but I've just got a new soundbar from Sonos. It connects to the tv and my wifi network, plus integrates with Spotify and Google home.
Considering the physical dimensions they have to work with, I am absolutely blown away with what modern speaker technology can achieve.
The custom music speakers must be incredible.
I looked at having a soundbar but it blocked out a length of the bottom of the LG TV screen. Which? magazine alerted me to that saying that such and such a soundbar was excellent if you don't mind not seeing part of the bottom of your picture. I'm not sure I'd like that, it would annoy me, so I'll stick with the five-speaker surround-sound system which is very good but from what you say, it seems that my system could be improved. I can believe it because I've had those small speakers for years.They're about 8" in height x 2"..something like that. You don't realise how 'behind times' whatever it is you have, until you experience an up to date version then you realise how not-so-good whatever you have is..lol. I've disconnected the woofer because the base sound was too deep.
 
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I looked at having a soundbar but it blocked out a length of the bottom of the LG TV screen. Which? magazine alerted me to that saying that such and such a soundbar was excellent if you don't mind not seeing part of the bottom of your picture. I'm not sure I'd like that, it would annoy me, so I'll stick with the five-speaker surround-sound system which is very good but from what you say, it seems that my system could be improved. I can believe it because I've had those small speakers for years.They're about 8" in height x 2"..something like that. You don't realise how 'behind times' whatever it is you have, until you experience an up to date version then you realise how not-so-good whatever you have is..lol. I've disconnected the woofer because the base sound was too deep.
We had 2 LG OLED 55". We recently replaced one with a 65" LG QLED. That one has 2 positions when fitting the panel to the stand. The higher setting just gave us the 2.7" clearance we needed for the Sonos to sit under the panel without obstructing.
 
Back when I worked risk assessments were a big part of my job and since I left work I've done a few bits and pieces here and there just for something to do or to help out. Recently I foolishly volunteered to do some more and it's been pretty much an eye opener and has reminded me why I left work. I've been trying to decide if it's better for an organisation to have nothing in place as a starting point or to walk in and find that they've got a lot in place but it's a shambles, I think it's sometimes better to have nothing and start from scratch.

Anyway. What cheered me up is that I've realised that I really can't be bothered with all this and what goes on in organisations any more and I wont be accepting any more work in the future :D
 
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Finished the job that a knackered bolt halted a few days back. Both Bobbers now fitted with engine protector bars (which will hopefully never be needed!!!)
 
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I looked at having a soundbar but it blocked out a length of the bottom of the LG TV screen. Which? magazine alerted me to that saying that such and such a soundbar was excellent if you don't mind not seeing part of the bottom of your picture. I'm not sure I'd like that, it would annoy me, so I'll stick with the five-speaker surround-sound system which is very good but from what you say, it seems that my system could be improved. I can believe it because I've had those small speakers for years.They're about 8" in height x 2"..something like that. You don't realise how 'behind times' whatever it is you have, until you experience an up to date version then you realise how not-so-good whatever you have is..lol. I've disconnected the woofer because the base sound was too deep.

I'm not long into the surround sound bug and it really does lift movies to their full potential, especially if viewing on a good TV as well. Possibly one of the biggest modern benefits is the room correction microphone and software that can come with certain AVR's.

The price of some systems is eye watering and admittedly when I heard Richer Sounds demo their £40k system it did blow me away, even better than the cinema. But £40k... ouch! lol Mine was a very modest £2k all in and it's more than enough for me. It will hopefully last at least a decade, so to me that is very good value for money. :)
 
I'm not long into the surround sound bug and it really does lift movies to their full potential, especially if viewing on a good TV as well. Possibly one of the biggest modern benefits is the room correction microphone and software that can come with certain AVR's.

The price of some systems is eye watering and admittedly when I heard Richer Sounds demo their £40k system it did blow me away, even better than the cinema. But £40k... ouch! lol Mine was a very modest £2k all in and it's more than enough for me. It will hopefully last at least a decade, so to me that is very good value for money. :)
I have a good quality surround sound system and did some research today ... surround sound v soundbar. Every result was the same..that a soundbar will never match a good quality surround sound system .

Here's one result.

"If sound quality and immersive experiences are the top priorities in your home audio system, surround sound will always be superior to soundbars. But the reasons are less obvious than you might think.

 
I have a good quality surround sound system and did some research today ... surround sound v soundbar. Every result was the same..that a soundbar will never match a good quality surround sound system .
It does in our house. We got rid of our surround system. My wife couldnt stand people walking behind us, or opening a packet of crisps behind the sofa. :D
 
I walked to church today for the rememberable service, it's about half an hour each way if you rush. This is the most I've done since getting whatever is going around. It'll be 5 weeks on Tuesday since I felt the first symptoms so it's hung on a bit.
 
It does in our house. We got rid of our surround system. My wife couldnt stand people walking behind us, or opening a packet of crisps behind the sofa. :D

haha yes I know what you mean, sometimes it sounds like someone is messing around in the kitchen behind the living room, but it's just the surround speakers.

Stereo can be surprising accurate as well, but only if recorded using a binaural microphone and the listener is wearing headphones. This example in particular (below), the first time I heard that first knock I actually called out "come in" because the door was in the same direction lol

Only works with headphones:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDAfnDnT2gA
 
I walked to church today for the rememberable service, it's about half an hour each way if you rush. This is the most I've done since getting whatever is going around. It'll be 5 weeks on Tuesday since I felt the first symptoms so it's hung on a bit.
Apparantly, we've got the worst strain of 'flu in 10 years. If your symptons are 'flu-like. We're off on holiday soon and earlier today, my wife cancelled a lunch,for Thursday, with her friend in Cardiff because she doesn't want to travel on the train. She picked up a nasty bug going into town on the bus just before one of our holidays this year so won't risk it. A man on the bus was coughing and blowing his nose, she said, and sitting right behind her so she's probably right. They say the main source are children.

 
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WCMUT?

Lunch with two old frinds from the days when I was really into cars. They were on their way back from Cornwall after a long weekend of spirited driving. It must have been quite strange seeing my lowly Audi Q2 leading a pair of Mini GP's :LOL:

We had lunch, my wife was with us, and made plans to meet again next month at the Piston Heads event at Thruxton....
 
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I often follow this guy on YouTube called Xiaoma who can speak excellent Mandarin, but he also has a great knowledge of many other languages and goes around surprising people from various nationalities in America. I was watching one video in particular which covers many of his escapades and it revealed a lot of generosity from complete strangers in various shops and cafes. But it was one of the comments below the video that caught my eye:

"It's incredible how much the world opens up, when you're able to meet people halfway."

What a great comment.
 
haha yes I know what you mean, sometimes it sounds like someone is messing around in the kitchen behind the living room, but it's just the surround speakers.

Stereo can be surprising accurate as well, but only if recorded using a binaural microphone and the listener is wearing headphones. This example in particular (below), the first time I heard that first knock I actually called out "come in" because the door was in the same direction lol

Only works with headphones:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDAfnDnT2gA
Thanks for that, nearly keeked myself there
 
I often follow this guy on YouTube called Xiaoma who can speak excellent Mandarin, but he also has a great knowledge of many other languages and goes around surprising people from various nationalities in America. I was watching one video in particular which covers many of his escapades and it revealed a lot of generosity from complete strangers in various shops and cafes. But it was one of the comments below the video that caught my eye:

"It's incredible how much the world opens up, when you're able to meet people halfway."

What a great comment.
I've watched several of his videos, too. It's quite funny to watch him go into Chinese restaurants in New York and order in Mandarin or Cantonese. His wife is Chinese. They don't expect Americans to speak Mandarin or Cantonese and it shows on their faces. He has said that,apart from english,of course,he speaks Mandarin, Cantonese and Spanish. He approached some Japanese young ladies one day (in Japan) who were beautifully dressed for some occasion..a festival,maybe, and told them how good they looked and they were very surprised and laughed..giggled. However, he said he knows only a few phrases in Japanes and has admitted his videos can be misleading.

Here's one person's view.

However, the essence of it is, as he says himself, speaking someone's language with them really does go a long way.
 
After about 6 weeks of annoyance (that JLR's parts supply chain has been disrupted by hankers), Mrs Nod has her iPace back.

Had a courtesy car for the past month or so but even an S Class Merc was no real substitute.

Best of it is that it was a warranty job rather than a £10k bill!!!
 
A few weeks ago, in WAMT, I posted about a young man..about 20 years of age, who, at 0807 every morning en-route to work, drove past our house to the end of the road at about 45-50mph, turned left and roared off again. This was every morning without fail right on time. He returned at 5.15pm at the same speed. One day, I was outside ready to see where he went. I found his home address, quite close by, and informed the police. The lady taking my call said she'd pass the details ..his car, the registration number, the colour, his address, a description of him... to the speed detection unit.

For the last three days he's been sticking to the 30mph speed limit. I call that 'a result'.
 
A lovely, sunny day with dry roads so we went out for a shortish round trip on the bikes. And lunch!
 
Scotland qualifying and in epic style has cheered me up. :D
 
Finally, and another thing to cheer me up.

The European Commission wants browsers to manage cookie preferences instead of pop-ups on every website.
 
Scotland qualifying and in epic style has cheered me up. :D
I see in First ministers questions someone asked “ Can the Scotland manager get a knighthood?” Well ok, if he also has found a cure for cancer, I d be happier if he could give Gregor Townsend some tips about winning!
 
I see in First ministers questions someone asked “ Can the Scotland manager get a knighthood?” Well ok, if he also has found a cure for cancer, I d be happier if he could give Gregor Townsend some tips about winning!
He deserves a knighthood for what he did at the mighty Killie before the SFA poached him!
 
I see in First ministers questions someone asked “ Can the Scotland manager get a knighthood?” Well ok, if he also has found a cure for cancer, I d be happier if he could give Gregor Townsend some tips about winning!

Well they gave the Mayor of London a knighthood, so I guess anything is possible.
 
My wife had a £50 Toby Carvery voucher so we went to one of the two here at 1.45pm today. On a 'standard' plate..quite large..we had roast beef with all the veg & roast potatoes. It's £12.50 each...very good but my wife has a Blue Light card that gives 20% discount ,,so... £9.50. We have £31 left on the voucher which is valid for 2 years. We can pay the balance of £7 and have two more visits.I can highly recommend the meal.The meats were Beef-Turkey-Ham. It's really useful when we are going away on holiday and being collected around 4-6.00pm by a taxi to the airport.
 
My life has been more than a bit rough over the last couple of months, but I was cheered up this morning by the wonderful images on this site.
 
WAMT was what happens so often whilst doing what I always like to do on holiday and photograph the sunrise from our balcony and ships passing by which is the main reason we always get a full sea view room. This morning it was at 0750. As ever, I have to endure the awful smell of drifting cigarette smoke....this time from below. We're up on floor seven. Next door, either side, don't smoke. There's a section in the poolside 'restaurant' eating area ..outside,at least, for the afflicted but smoke drifts. I curse them. Quite often, I've noticed it's a couple who smoke rather than just the husband or wife.

Lovely crepuscular rays this morning plus the cruise ship 'Silver Spirit,' sailed by , described as an 'ultra-luxury' ship. After it passed our hotel I went to a live webcam to watch in dock in Funchal,

It's the white one in the foreground. when the camera pans to it. That makes three cruise ships there.


I use 'vessellfinder' to give me a heads-up when a ship is due to come into Funchal. This one, M/V Hamburg, will pass the hotel soon. It's due in at 1020hrs. I also use 'planefinder' plus 'arrivals' at the airport because the planes do a half-circle over the sea as they line up for landing. We rarely see departures..they go north.

 
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