2010 — 17 May: Monday
Guy Garvey has just wished me a happy new week, as he always does. Time for some shut-eye. I stayed up rather too late this morning (as it were) and have been drooping somewhat tonight. My own fault, of course.
Yawn. G'night.
How, I wonder, do...
... you safely assess the safety of airborne volcanic ash without actually flying into it? I expect I shall be fairly ashen tonight, myself. My plumber is calling in to deliver his estimate, which obviously has too many digits in for him to trust it to his warning email. Let's hope I remember to catch "Museum" for a laugh or two. Even if its curator has been stranded somewhere by Eyjafjallajokull...
Time (09:07) for a quick bite, pack-a-snack, and then hit the road running (as it were).
Crikey!
It's 15:33 and I've been back just a few minutes from one of the most enjoyable and fruitful A/V demonstrations I've ever attended. The Steinway Lyngdorf (Model D) speaker system literally brought tears to my eyes (even before I learned it cost, with digital amplifier and CD player, a corking £150,000). By a long way the most natural, unconstrained sound I've ever heard from a speaker system.
Closer to both our personal price ranges, however, as impoverished IBM pensioners, was that Epson video projector I mentioned. The picture it produced was every bit as crisp and colourfully detailed as my Pioneer Kuro (though there was a little something lacking in the black levels). It was being shown on a screen that was 84" wide, which makes the 60" diagonal of my plasma seem pretty tiny.
The latest (April 2010) of numerous iterations
Best of all was seeing visible proof that a) the Oppo Blu-ray player really does do a stunning job, even on SD material, and b) that the larger image does far more justice to a 1080p hi-def video image. Video nirvana, more or less. I think I could accommodate a nice neat projection screen. So, Junior, would you care to make me an offer for the plasma? And thank you, Rob, at Gecko Home Cinema.
Later
Back again, this time from a successful trip to Soton to pick up the June issue of The Word and the Ubuntu User issue that majors on the new 10.04 LTS release. Bathtime reading, methinks, as I soak away any aches and pains induced by the plumbing estimate. Way past time (17:31) for my next cuppa. It's still a mix of sun and clouds out there. We're going to aim for a walk tomorrow now that Mike's immune system has finished dealing with his rhinoviral nasties.
Plumbing the depths...
... of my poor, battered bank account. Mind you, it occurs to me that, set against the cost of that wonderful Steinway system, a mere £7,640 plumbing bill seems almost like petty cash! After all, we each owe our profligate bankers more than that much for the rescue (if that's what it really is) of their rotten banking system and the cost of printing all that guvmint money that's been flung at them.
Me? Grumpy? Never! :-)