When your TV suddenly stops working at midnight on February 17, 2009, blame Vice President Dick Cheney. Back in 2005, the Senate's vote on a spending bill that included $1.5 billion to help people buy digital-TV converter boxes was deadlocked 50-50, so Cheney flew back from the Middle East to cast the tiebreaker.
Personal hovercraft. Jet-propelled backpacks. Robots that automatically prepare your meals and clean up afterwards. And everyone's favorite - weekend junkets to the orbting Hilton space station. Back in the optimistic 1950s, technology writers were confident that by the 21st century, such things would be a part of daily life.
I trudged through booth after booth, aisle after aisle, mile after mile, becoming increasingly depressed. The Consumer Electronics Show - held mainly in vast, warehouse-size buildings - was like an inventory manager's nightmare. Some idiot had leaned on the "TV" button and unwittingly ordered up a zillion screens.
7 Soundbars: Simple to Lux690283470999Boston AcousticsModel 2Think back to a time long ago (to a living room far, far away), and you might remember when TVs came in big, bulky cabinets.
Who or what is Alcyone? I would have accepted the following answers: 1) In Greek mythology, the daughter of Aeolus. 2) The brightest star in the Pleiades cluster.
I would also have accepted: 3) A compact home theater system with speakers that look like softballs.
"Hey, stop hanging around! You're blocking the doorway!"
That's what shop owners were shouting at teenagers who were loitering outside stores and in malls. The kids were supposedly deterring adult customers - that is, the ones with more spending power.
Onkyo TX-SR605 receiver751398007583OnkyoTX-SR605The question I get asked the most often: "Which speakers should I buy?" My answer is frustratingly subjective: Buy whatever sounds best to you.
Having worked in and around recording studios for 30 years, I cut my teeth on professional gear before broadening my horizons to the vast consumer audio/video world. In studios, you quickly learn that trustworthy monitors are essential. Every tracking and mixing decision hinges on what your monitors tell you; if they mislead you with any inaccuracy, your recording will suffer.
How much is music worth? Nietzsche wrote, "Without music, life would be a mistake." That places a high value on sounds that entertain and sometimes inspire us. Then again, at 3 o'clock in the morning, you'd pay good money to have the music at the party next door shut off.
