Scott Dolan

Well, I suppose if you, or anyone for that matter, could show that you can discern between 44,100 digital samples per second and continuous analog then maybe there would be an issue. Until then, I'd say those digital "bursts" will do just fine.

Yes, the Knuckleball was around then.

Yeah, it's called ripping the audio to a lossless digital file.

It's an incredibly bizarre turn of events when Gould and I agree on something.

If by "a steal" you mean "insanity", then I agree.

I wasn't around in the 1910's to verify your statement, so I'll have to take your word for it. But do take my word for this - Rangers not having fun right now. Fortunately, it is really well documented. I suppose you could have done a little homework before taking your idiotic potshot. Spitters could be thrown as fast as a four seamer, yet broke like in a fashion similar to a knuckleball.

I wasn't around in the 1910's to verify your statement, so I'll have to take your word for it. Doctored balls broke far harder than any sliders these days. That's why they were outlawed.

The slider came about in the 1910's, and the forkball in the 1920's. It's a safe bet Ruth saw those pitches. Not to mention legally doctored balls. I think the greatest hitters from the steroid era will eventually make the Hall, but it likely won't happen in our lifetime. Th Hall is lined with players who cheated, but they weren't playing in the time of hypersensationalized, 24 hour "news" channels.

Only the result of this practice goes in the W/L columns of each team. The Orioles should be a playoff contender, and many think the White Sox have improved enough to make a respectable run at the post season. Whether it feels like practice, or not, both teams will approach this game just as seriously as any other.

The players are under contract. They get paid whether there are 0 fans in the seats, or 30,000. So I can see no reason for them to care at all. The owners will lose a pittance, but stadium employees will be the ones to lose the most. As for it being an overreaction, that's possible. But I think MLB looked at how the city of Baltimore botched its initial response to the problem and thought better of having tens of thousands of baseball fans descend into an area that could potentially be dangerous. At the time the decision was made, nobody seemed to know how long this unrest could go, or how bad it could potentially get. And if you had National Guard and police fighting protesters in the streets, the last thing you needed to add to the mix is 20,000-30,000 more people for them to protect. Being a Royals fan, there is certainly no love lost for MLB right now, but I can't see anything wrong with their decision.

So which QB are they drafting in the first this year?

Hahahaha…

Another issue being that owning a big house is a shit ton of work. Our place is 2700 sq. ft. Just keeping the fucking thing clean is damn near a full time job. My wife and I agreed many years ago if we ever moved, we'd never get something this big again.

Wow! It's like I was typing that, yet my fingers weren't moving. Please! Less stuff and less storage! I like open spaces.

And people actually string together the cutscenes from some of the best games these days and turn them into movies. And they work quite well. So I agree with you and your friend. It's been really fun having lived through the entire evolution. And witnessing all the game changers. Those games that came along and had everyone saying "this changes everything". Games like Final Fantasy VII and Grand Theft Auto III. Biggest problem I see now is that I'm not sure there's anywhere left to go. Games like Bioshock and Bioshock Infinite took shooters in a new direction by created incredibly deep and complex storylines dealing with everything from politics and religion, to quantum mechanics, racism, and the compexity of the parent/child dynamic. But, at the end of the day it was still basically just a first person shooter under the hood. Just one that left you trying to piece together the story long after you finished, but... Same can be said of The Last Of Us. Much more straight forward story, but with a script and voice acting that puts most movies to shame. And by far the most emotionally engaging game I've ever experienced. It makes The Walking Dead tv show look almost vapid in comparison. But again, still just a third person shooter under the hood. So I don't know that we'll ever see something like a GTA III ever again. But even the smaller advances since then have been fun to experience.

My son and I have game night every Friday in our dedicated game room. Some of our recent favorites have included Uncharted 1/2/3, Bioshock Infinite, The Last Of Us. It's weird to look back on video games from the mid 70's, when I first started playing them, and seeing what they've evolved into these days. We gone from blips and bloops to some of the finest voice acting, motion capture, and writing ever seen. These days the best video games are better than most movies. One of my favorite cutscenes from The Last Of Us:

It was our last just war, that's for sure. It's funny, I come from an era where most folks think Communism was the greatest threat this country ever faced. But, if you talk to folks from that generation they'll tell you that Nazism was a bigger threat, and that it wasn't even close.

Hmmm… I didn't know Rockwell did that either. But then I look at it and think, "DUH! Who else could have drawn that?"

Audacity? It's kind of a pain in the ass at first, but their are plenty of instructions and tutorials online.

It certainly doesn't look good for your boys this upcoming season... Sorry, dude.

Ah, thanks for the clarification. I actually was not aware of the difference between the two. Beautiful building, though. Inside and out.

Yeah, the cryo bullshit really takes the cake. That's right up there with speaker wire break in. Inanimate objects don't "break in". Oh, and just be fair to those with tube systems, vibration dampers can be handy if the shelf you have the amp on isn't as sturdy as it should be. But they are a waste of money for anything else.

It is indeed a beautiful cathedral.

It does connect better, it has tighter clearances. Thing is, I could take the bare wires from the romex in your wall and gator clamp it to the prongs on your plug, and you'd still be getting full power. As long as metal is touching metal, you're golden. As for their construction, they're really very simple. Plastic body with solid contacts usually made out of either nickel or brass. So it's basically a solid connection between the romex and whatever you're plugging in. Not sure if that helps either of us. ***WARNING: What follows are admissions not meant to be read by the weak of heart. Or stomach…*** But, let me get into something I had been thinking about after Mr. Bresnahan's most recent post. (didn't have time at work to respond properly to it) "Snake oil" can be a really funny thing. I've bought into it MANY times throughout my 44 years, and there's no guarantee that I'm immune to it even now. About 20+ years ago I got into a huge "new age" kick. Enya, yoga, herbal supplements, the whole nine yards. As a byproduct of that I got into all sorts of "natural" remedies and supplements of rather dubious efficacy. Now, I will say that I still try to adhere to yoga to this day (though poorly, lately) as it is great for strength training and flexibility. And Enya, hey, Orinoco Flow is still rather catchy. But, all the supplements and "natural" remedies? Oy, I would be embarrassed to even begin to calculate money pissed down that drain. But you know what? I felt on top of the world physically AND mentally! Unfortunately, I now know that a lot of that was the placebo effect. And that actually kinda saddens me to a certain degree. I almost wish I could have that placebo effect back. As the character Chris Stevens famously said on Northern Exposure, "we all need a little fantasy". To bring it into modern day, when I first got my Emotiva DAC, my wife and I were blown away by the notable difference it made in sound quality when hooked up to my 15 y.o. HK receiver (keep this in mind, because it's important). As well it should. 15 years of advances in electronics SHOULD yield some positive results, right? Well, later I got my Emotiva amp and preamp. Hooked them up and was duly impressed. The old lady said, "yeah they sound fine, but they didn't make anywhere near as much difference as the DAC". Now THAT'S the 'who cares, just play some music I like' old lady I've been with for 28 years! In my mind, and ears, she was just missing out! Then I added my Dynaudio speakers. The coo deh grah! To my mind and ears they sounded like angels singing down upon me from heaven above! Her response? "Yeah, they're 'nice'". All the while looking at me with both pity and love (both honestly earned, goddammitt!). Broads... But you know what? She was right. That DAC was a game changer. The rest? Minute improvements. What I'm really trying to get at here is that we all have a truly magical ability to bullshit ourselves. It's just nice when we have someone in the real world to point out the silliness of it all. So if you hear a difference in your power outlets, then fucking rock on, brother. Ultimately, I'm glad that you do. But, we all, and I mean WE ALL, need to take care when it comes to passing on these things to others. I accidentally got mjzee into the Emotiva rabbit hole, and I hope he's finding as much enjoyment from their equipment as I am. Either way, as you stated earlier Stefan, communicating in this intertube world can be problematic. I'm still learning everyday.