Ageing (dis)gracefully!
Archive for August, 2006
New Headphones
Aug 31st
I have had to get?another set of headphones. My relatively new pair died last night from illness. They have been very sick since being slung across the?room in anger after yet another Starforce inflicted PC crash! The right channel finally gave up its fight for life last night and I had to relucantly bury them in the garden* and go about choosing a replacement.
My choice was the?Technics RPF350, a compromise in price and quality.?They seem ok, but again?I am finding myself picking holes in the sound quality and lack of?overall volume. I really think I am going deaf as maximum volume really isn’t enough to fully enjoy some music!
David Gilmour
Aug 29th
Finally found David Gilmours self titled first solo album today! It was re released recently and I have been looking out for it for about 3 weeks now. Every music shop I went into had seemingly sold out.
It was at the bargainous price of ?5.97. Music Zone in Taunton is my new favourite shop! Pleasingly, I noticed it somewhere else shortly afterwards for ?9.99, nice to know I got a good deal.
Just need to get his recent ‘On An Island’ album now as my downloaded MP3 version is wearing out! 
iPlayer – DVR
Aug 27th
As mentioned a few days ago, my new broadband package is a little different and actually links in with TV in the form of IPTV and Catchup tv etc. To?be capable of these features I needed a new DTT set top box, which was duly provided as part of the overall package.
The box is a Netgem iPlayer 6640 and seems to be made specifically for my ISP, namesco. It is a fully functional hard disc based Digital Video Recorder (DVR) with a ton of very nice features. It was delivered on Friday, so I have had a few days to get used to its finer (and not so finer) points.
Still going strong
Aug 27th
Four?days on since I migrated to namesco and I am pleased to say that speeds have been great! Consistently I have been able to get maximum throughput and in peak times it hasnt been any lower than 3mb …just completed a speedtest and got the following results:
Download Speed: 5825 kbps (728.1 KB/sec transfer rate)
Upload Speed: 362 kbps (45.3 KB/sec transfer rate)
Happy days! 
PC World – Waste Of Time!
Aug 26th
Had an eventful trip to PC World in Exeter today, one that has really put me off shopping there again.
I needed an ethernet-wireless bridge and reserved one (via the pcworld website) at their Taunton store, with the view to picking up today.About an hour after I reserved it, I had a call from Taunton to say that it wasn’t infact in stock. I enquired if they could order it, and the guy said ‘no,?I was just phoning to inform you we are out of stock’ …so i asked if they could tell me what other stores had the item … he proceeded to repeat his last answer. So I gave in and let him go.
ISP #5!
Aug 24th
Today I transferred to my?fifth new ISP this year alone!
Two months ago, after bad experiences with two independant ISPs (Evolution & Multiplay) I decided to return to Freedom2Surf. I had been with f2s for 6 years beforehand and had never really had issues with them,?I left for a better deal.?My decision to return to them was based on this very fact,?I just didn’t want anymore problems with an ISP that couldn’t deliver a good quality of service. F2s were a known quantity to me – or so I thought!
New CD’s!
Aug 22nd
I bought four new CD’s today. Depeche Mode – Ultra, The Who – Tommy, Syd Barrett – Barrett & Syd Barrett – Opel. All utter bargains from ‘Music Zone’ in Taunton.
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I used to own the Depeche Mode album, but it disappeared somewhere many moons ago, probably during a house move. So replacing that was nice (I am listening to it as I type). I am not a huge Depeche Mode fan, but I really do like this album. It reminds me of the year I left school and started working, I was able to go out and by CD’s etc and started to build up a nice little collection. I think I heard a few tracks from this album on the radio at work, and loved it. Great memories sitting her listening back to it.
