So after a lot of work by the Mrs the whole living area is transformed somwhat... We now have a feature wall with pictures hung with the ArtTrek system. If you have no idea what Artrek is, just think overpriced fishing lines.

To be honest the floor tiles are not laid up to my satisfaction. But really, it's not like we have a choice. Had I known earlier I can  use a different tiler I would have done so. But hindsight is always good. It's too late now anyway for any further regrets.

Anyway, here are some pics of the lounge:

Found an interesting issue when taking these pictures. I have to use Manual mode to get the expsoure right. With Aperture priority I cannot get it right even with EV compensation (it's either too light or too dark).

Manual mode nails it. I wonder if this is due to the LED GU10 globes I used. Or is it because the light is too faint to offer enough contrast for the metering to work.

Anyway, this is my front stage. The additions are a pair of B&W 683s which is second hand. These pure 3 way speakers do pump out alot more bass (than bookshelves or 2.5 way systems). So much bass in fact it's totally cancelled out by my squarish room. Hence the bass trap and absorption panel you see in the far left. The two fronts simply cannot work without the traps.

And this is my backstage. Noticed the rear backs are placed wrong? Well, that's because I had a 5.1 setup earlier, and only moved to 7.1 when I acquired the Elektra T7. The angles of the surround backs are not right too. I have fixed it but yet to rerun Audyssey for this to take effect.

Overall I like the new LED GU10 globes, if you have a sharp eye you'd noticed the globs cast a yellow tint for the front stage, and a whitish tint for the back. That's right, because these are two seperate purchases!

These lights work very well. Providing enough brightness for me when I need to move around, and not blinding enough to affect the picture quality of the TV. In fact the yellow tint seems to give a more accurate colour for some reason (White looks better!)

And this is my TV itself. It's a 46" Samsung 950. Yup one of those local dimming LEDs people rave about. I just blacked out the tape with black electrical tape because it looks better that way.

This is probably the 2nd best LCD in the world in terms of technology. The Sony tricolours are probably better but too expensive for me. It can't really beat the Kuro in contrast, but it certainly beats it when it comes to power consumption.

Notice I'm using MytHTV, but clearly the computer is running on Windows 7? Yes, the MythTV devs has made such an excellent effort to make the code compile on Windows. Using the script it took me less than a weekend to get this working. The whole idea of using Windows is so that I can watch BD.

And a PC solution for playing BD is by far the most flexible (if not the most expensive). For each his own but I have no idea why people pay hundreds to thousands of dollars for PVRs and BDs when it's clear that computers can do the best job.

Computers being problematic is a thing of the past. Windows 7 is so good it's really a viable OS and it's a good base for folks to design their system in. Alas I can only afford one license and hence the other frontends are still Linux based. Why can't Microso$t do a family bundle in Australia, like they had in North America?

Link: http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21498,26367316-2761,00.html?from=public_rss

Absolutely pouring  in Perth today. I looked at the Calendar, it's mid Nov!!!!! OMG!

After several years. Still believe firmware using computers to record FTA shows are the best. And commercial PVRs just don't cut it.

The problem is deep rooted.

The primary reason why computer systems are better because there are several software actively developed by people whose purpose is to get it working (no restrictions like budget, no real deadline to meet, etc). With a community project the support is better and you have a direct communication with the people actively improving the product. It's amazing the quality of software can get when there's no bean counters to mess it up.

Commercial PVR makers' main goal (like any business) is to sell their product, making a good working product is not really part of the plan (folks responsible for making a good product are normally not tasked with running the company)...

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This trip was done approximately 3 months ago. Only had time to upload them yesterday. Was supposed to GPS geo-tag them but the coordinates somehow just don't match the time stamps. So no GEO information. Should really consider getting myself one of those GPS data loggers.

Following pictures are just some random selections. Click on any of them to look at the album (65 pictures in total I think).

Still need to improve on my photography skills. But it's comforting to know I can guesstimate between Canon and Nikon now. Read a thread over at OCAU recently when a guy was "confused" why the D40x pictures are so much more beautiful than a Canon 50D. And the immediate reply was to use "Rockwell Settings". That joke really light me up.

Some drivers in Perth are really really silly. So I was there driving along the freeway, and taking the CBD exit (the one that goes to the Convention centre). There was this totally idoitic VW 4WD driver, he totally stopped his car while on the off ramp. God knows why he's doing that, maybe he sported a dolphin or two at Swan River or something.

However, stopping completely without looking back is such a dangerous (not to mention stupid) thing to do because me being behind him has no idea or expectation he is doing this. And in true Singaporean nature I gave him the honk. And in true Singaporean nature he gave me the middle finger.

I think he's trying his best for me to rear end him so he can claim insurance. If you can't afford the car, don't get such an expensive car, and don't get custom plates. PLEASE!

So I have ripped the Michael Buble's Crazy Love CD at work and play it back here at work. The dynamics just isn't there..

What should I do? Get a DACMagic?

Had been listening to more CDs recently. Spent more money than I'm comfortable with on CDs recently (a whole $34 worth!). The outstanding one is Michael Bublé's Crazy Love. One of the track has a very James Bond feel to it. A bit of Jazz, kind of blue, a touch of soul (apologies if I used the wrong terms), but overall an excellent work from Bubbles. Kudos. Love it.

So me and the Mrs went to Perth City on the Weekend to have a walk around. Mainly to meet some friend of our to pass some wedding gifts. After lunch we stroll by to the new Piazza that was mentioned on the news.

Long story short I like the effort Perth council has put in. The events, the stores, and the overall hive around. The crowd isn't there, but if they stick to it, plus the right events, I think this will certainly attract crowds. For once there's a place in the City where family can bring their kids.

On that weekend we saw some air brush folks spray painting fantastic artwork, some folks dancing Swing. Also the Perth Museum was displaying a huge 4-ton jade Buddha. All out an interesting weekend. Too bad I did not bring my camera. I'm not a cultural person at all, but it feels good to be there.

Can't really appreciated that black and white sculpture near the round about though. Maybe I need more time to look at it from different angles under different lights.

The activities was good and lively, yet the shopping district starts closing at 5pm. That is really a huge dampener to a nice weekend. Perth is improving, but still has a long way to go.