Black Mage

God I love it when a project drops out of the blue! Torrenting now!

I've got a brand new Nintendo DS Lite (Onyx) up for grabs for only $115 USD (that includes shipping within the contiguous United States). It's brand new and has never been removed from the box. The tab seals are even till intact. I won it in a contest at work, but already have one. .....

Buzz Out Loud, episode 1008

Thanks! I have found that when doing HDR, it's easy to overshoot the color and end up with something that, though cool, is sometimes a bit much. I don't think an occasional uber-HDR photo is bad (can be fun, actually) but I try for a more realistic, subtle approach. For these I used three exposures, each. I think that most are +/- 1 stop, or +/- 2/3 stop. Edit: Just got some good shots of the mammatus-like clouds over the house, after the storm this evening...

RIP, you crazy-ass SOB. *raises a pint of Guinness*

Been playing with Photomatix Pro, giving the HDR treatment to a few of my photographs from Lake Powell. Here's what I've do so far.

Holy crap! Listening to this with headphones on...makes my head feel like it's about to explode...in the best way possible, of course.

David Choi - Hold On

Great Big Sea - Consequence Free

Great, now you've got me second-guessing myself. Comparing the headphones I bought (ATH-M30) to the ones on Amazon (ATH-M40fs), the main differences are... M30 freq response is 20 - 20,000 Hz vs 5 - 28,000Hz with the M40fs M30 65Ω impedance vs 60Ω with the M40fs M30 weighs 7oz vs 8.8oz with the M40fs The M30 has a 1/8" plug and includes a screw-on 1/4" adapter, while the M40fs has a 1/4" and no adapter, so I'd have to buy one of those. I also read that the M40fs has replaceable elements, cables, and earpads. So I paid $70 for the M30's, where I'd pay $60 for the M40fs on Amazon (free shipping), and another $5 to $15 for an adapter (what should I look for, there? Does is really matter, or should one pay extra for a higher quality adapter?) Really, either way I break-even as cost goes, but the thought of getting a better set for the same price is probably going to win out. I may be returning those M30's this evening or tomorrow morning.

Thanks for the input, everyone! I took a drive to Guitar Center in Riverdale, today, and brought my list of suggestions from everyone for reference. After talking to the guys there I handed over my debit card and dropped $69 for a pair of Audio-Technica ATH-M30 headphones. They cost more than I was looking to spend (aim was $60, tops), but the sound is better than I've heard in a long time, plus they seem to have good isolation. I know I could have found them cheaper on Amazon or something, but I decided to support the guy. I hate it when people come to me at work and mine my head for information and recommendations then go buy online. Drives my nuts. So what do you think, did I at least not get shafted, so to speak?

Next month I'm taking a week-long vacation to Lake Powell, but this comes with a seven-hour drive through the Southron Wastes of Utah...in the truck with my dad, his girlfriend and her dullard son. And I'll probably be in the back seat with the dullard son. Needless to say I don't want to exchange so much as a word with him for those seven hours. My plan is to load my iPod with seven hours or so of podcasts, or an audio book or something. My standard issue iPod earbuds, however, do become quite uncomfortable after a while, so I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to upgrade my earphones. Now, if I could justify it, I'd shell out a couple hundred bills for a nice pair of Bose headphones (the around-the-ear type). However, I really can't justify that kind of cost, so my question to you, my fellow Overclockers, is what is the best value in ear/headphones? My little brother raves about Skull Candy earbuds, and I thought they were pretty good, but I'm still very open to suggestions. Thanks!

There no are no words in all the tongues of man to describe this remix...though "perfect," "amazing," and "auditorially orgasmic" come to mind.

I was just listening to today's Buzz Out Loud and got a real kick out when Tom Merritt mentioned this remix at the end and even played a short excerpt. Check it out on episode 979 at 32:09.

Some of the most memorable and my favorite remixes are the solo piano mixes (kLuTz, where are yoooouuuu!?), and this piece is no exception. it's one of those pieces that just make you want to kick back in the evening with a glass of absinthe, and a DS (a combination that can make for some interesting PokéMon battles/discussions on WiFi).

An instant 5-Star! I love the abrupt transition from folk to rock, it really wakes up an already great remix! And, as always, I have to give props to a fellow Irish whistler, Geoffrey.

I don't know...I'm just not feeling this one nearly as much as I enjoyed the original. My primary critique is the pacing. When I listen to this it's like I want to keep walking forward, but all of a sudden something forces me to stop moving mid-step, with my foot hanging in the air, before I'm allowed to finish taking my step. If that makes any sense.

Beautiful, piece; a good chill-out remix with mellow, floating harp and glok. It is a bit quiet, though, but not a problem that couldn't be fixed by a quick volumetric boost from iTunes. Funny, when I listened through it the first time, I was a bit distracted reading something on Lifehacker and only took vague notice of what I thought was a transition into a guitar solo. It wasn't until after Scott Anderson started singing "Restless tonight, 'cause I wasted the light..." that I realized that Argitoth's remix had ended and iTunes had shuffled to Finger Eleven without me noticing the end of the remix. Melodically speaking, the two songs work pretty well together.

K'naan - In the Beginning

Some of my best photo work is food-centric Blood Orange Marmalade Curried Pineapple Hummus with Seasoned Eggroll Crisps Apple and Prune Galette Shitake, Crimini and Oyster Mushrooms (with a slight HDR treatment)

There's a little something for everyone in this song! Rock guitars, cello solo, synths...it really keeps you on your toes, anticipating the next transition. Only half way through the song and this one has already earned a ***** rating.

I happened upon this via theawesomer.com, it's a fan film called The Hunt for Gollum. I was watching the trailers and I'm pretty impressed from what I saw. Production quality looks solid, that acting seems good, and it looks to maintain the same visual styles of the real LOTR movies. It seems to take place in the middle of The Fellowship of the Ring, after Gandalf leaves the Shire to research the Ring of Power. I think Gandalf enlists Aragorn and other Rangers to, as the title suggests, track down Gollum. I gotta say I'm quite intrigued, really. Should be interesting to see how well they pull-off Gollum, the orcs, elves, etc. The film is about 40 minutes long and will released online, May 3rd...for free, no less! Thoughts? I think this will worth an hour of my Sunday. http://thehuntforgollum.com/updates.htm

Damn you, Arrowned!

Hey cool, I never pass up a chance to promote my bloggage! I have one that I've been posting to for a couple of years, now called [cogito, ergo creo]...which is broken and grammatically error ridden Latin for "I think, therefor I create." It's another food blog among hundreds, but I enjoy doing it. My posts aren't done on any sort of schedule. I just write and photograph when I feel I've made something worth sharing. I may post four times in a week, I may post once in a month. Just depends. [cogito, ergo creo] http://tomhamilton.blogspot.com Check 'er out and drop me a comment.

I was ending a round of World of Goo on Steam when I saw the Braid link and immediately downloaded the demo... In a word "amazing!" I had read great reviews in the past, but it far exceeds my expectations. I especially love the soundtrack. Unfortunately there's no official release of the OST, but you can listen or buy them on magnatune.com (via the Braid Blog...http://braid-game.com/news/?p=260)