What would LG say?

My old Denon 1930 DVD player has died.
A moments silence.
It was a real workhorse. I've looked around for a replacement and finally settled on the LG DVX582H.

It has some great reviews and all at a very good price.
Region hacking is a bit more complicated than a remote job though.
You need this file HERE
What you do then is burn the folder 'RMTM0000' onto a CD. I made mine a straight forward Data Disc.
You then pop it into the player and hey presto! It asks what region you would like to set the player at.
I chose '0' to make it 'All Region' and that's it.
Job done.
It's a very smart player, gloss black finish, very light and compact. Very quiet in operation with all the usual features you would expect from an upscaling DVD.
It doesn't do SACD, but, well, there you go.

What would Mr Sony say?

  Here's my Amazon PS3 Hardware listmania list:

 

1.  Sony Playstation 3 80GB Console 1x Dual Shock 3 controller by Sony The list author says: "Any PS3 will do, dont worry about hard drive size."

2.  Western Digital Scorpio Blue 500GB Sata 8MB Cache 2.5 Inch Internal Hard Drive OEM - Sony Playstation PS3 Compatible by Western Digital The list author says: "Pimp up your PS3 to 500GB for a bargain price. It just slots in!"

3.  SONY COMPUTER Dual Shock 3 Game Controller [PS3] by Sony The list author says: "It's expensive, but the best. Mine has lasted years and still as good as new."

4.  PS3 Slim Stand by Game On The list author says: "These come in normal & slim sizes. Great to keep upright, neon lights & USB."

5.  Cooling Fan (PS3) by Competition Pro The list author says: "For £10 this could keep your PS3 from overheating. Fits on very nicely especially upright."

6.  Controller Dual Charging Dock (PS3) by Competition Pro The list author says: "Keep your controller charged up. Needs powered hub for when the PS3 is off."

7.  4 Port USB Hub ~ High Speed 2.0 (480Mbps) ~ 1.1 & 1.0 Compliant ~ Bus Powered (No Power Adapter Needed) ~ Drivers Supplier for Windows 98SE (no drivers needed for later versions) by World of Data The list author says: "This works great as a powered hub, you may need more than the 4 slots though as things progress."

8.  1209 Trendy and Quality High Speed 7 Port USB 2.0 Tower Hub with UK AC Power Cable Adaptor Externally Powered USB Tower Hub 7 port --- 12 Month Warranty >>> THT Trade by THT Trade The list author says: "This will give you 7 ports, enough to keep things charged to the max, even when off."

9.  Sony Playstation Eye Camera with EyeCreate (PS3) by Sony The list author says: "You get one with Eye Pet or Move Starter Pack, but here it is just to show."

10.  AmazonBasics USB 2.0 A-Male to A-Female Extension Cable (3.0 Metres) [Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging] by AmazonBasics The list author says: "A few of these may come in handy, for the Eye, or if a controller runs out of juice on a long session."

11.  Crown PlayStation Move Eye Camera Clip (PS3) by Crown The list author says: "Maybe overlooked, but this little clip could come in handy."

12.  PlayStation Move Starter Pack with PlayStation Eye Camera, Move Controller and Starter Disc (PS3) by Sony The list author says: "The starter kit will give you 1 wand, Eye and Demo disk."

13.  Playstation Move Controller - Black (PS3) by Sony The list author says: "Spare Wands for more than 1 player, or if your not getting the Starter kit."

14.  PlayStation Move Navigation Controller (PS3) by Sony The list author says: "Navigation controller to use with the wand instead of the normal Pad."

15.  iTALKonline QUAD Contoller Charging Dock for PlayStation Play Station PS3 MOVE Motion Controller & Navigation Controller (USB Charging Adapter Included) by iTALKonline The list author says: "Let's keep the Move stuff charged (another USB port gone!)"

16.  PlayStation Move Gun Attachment (PS3) by Sony The list author says: "Currently the best gun to stick the Move controller in."

What would Jackie Chan say?

I watched Jacke Chan in The Accidental Spy on the weekend. Jackie usually delivers an entertaining movie, and this was no exception.
What was the exception though, was the cover.
I've never seen such a piece of misleading media.

So, from top left to bottom right, lets take a look:
Fighter jets- it is possible there was a very brief flypast, but I must have missed it.
Blonde Girl- I think i would have remembered her in the movie, but I don't think there was any blode women at all.
Jacke- Well, at least he was in it!
Lady in Black Catsuit- No, another no show.
Parachuters- Jacke did use some umbrellers as a makeshift parachute...but not this.
CIA type guy- I think he must have been in the backround, as an extra, in a completley different film!!!

So, how on earth did this end up as a cover for this movie???

What would DIY Man say?

I've been buying up the 40 disc cases on Amazon : LINK
They tend to fluctuate in price, but £6-7 is average each.

They are great for saving shelf space. I found you can get all 6 series of Lost in 1 case! or Futurama, Life on Mars & Ashes to Ashes in 1, plus I have a few called things like War Movies or Action movies.
A huge shelf saver!

What would Carly Simon say?

So I've heard yet again on the radio, Carly Simon's 'Your So Vain'. The repeated chorus is:

You're so vain, you probably think this song is about you

You're so vain, I'll bet you think this song is about you

Don't you? Don't You?

Now I don't know much about this song, who it's about, how angry she was etc, etc, but the lyrics are begging the man to dare to think she cares enough to actually write this song about him....but, well, the unfortunate mistake Carly made was that, yes, the song WAS about him. If not, who else is it about?

What would Danielle Rousseau say?

Did you enjoy the end of Lost?

I know it's not the most important issue in the world, it's just a TV show after all, but for those who invested the time and stuck with the show for 6 years, coming to the end has been a bit of a shock. Looking at the Polls, views seem to be evenly split between those who loved it and those who hated it.

Those who hated it seem to do so because of unanswered questions.
I was almost in that camp, but thanks to a few pointers I would now watch it all again (with a break first of a year or so).

Here are a couple of things that helped me not to be a hater of the last series:

1: Like a lot of people, I thought Series 6 was starting after the bomb had been detonated and the glimpses into the 'sideways flashbacks' meant that they had succeeded, the bomb had meant the plane never crashed and they were all living an alternate life. It was confusing how they could also be on the Island and how Desmond could act as a bridge between them...but hey, this is Lost.

Actually that was a huge trick of the last series. The bomb didn't work, it just transported them back to their own time. The plane not crashing onwards, that's them dead. They are on another 'Island' of limbo or something, stuck their until they are ready to 'move on' which is what Desmond is trying to accomplish. Also, I'll add here, I was surprised to see a lot of people thought it also meant that they had all died in the first series plane crash??? Um..NO!

2: I wanted to know who made the rules up and where it all began...surely there was a Top Dog somewhere organizing things? How could the "Bad Locke' not leave the Island when Jacob seemed to come and go as he pleased? Why did they make the statue/lighthouse/Island moving device etc when they didn't seem to be that advanced.

What helped me here was realizing that Lost is just a snapshot in history, albeit a big one, of the Island. Jacob is only 1 of 4 Protectors of the Island we will see in the series, there have been a lot more before Jacobs 'Mother' and will be a lot more after Hurley. How the first one came about...I don't know, maybe that's another story and not knowing doesn't seem such a big deal. Each Protector seemed to be able to make their own rules up, maybe something to do with the Island working through them a bit. This to me explained very neatly the Lighthouse etc, it was just made by an earlier Protector. 'Bad Locke' couldn't leave because it was one of Jacob's rules. You follow my drift here?

3: What was the significance of the 'numbers' they were such a big deal in the earlier series and meant nothing in the later ones?

Well, I missed this completely and had to look it up. Remember the names on the cave walls? They each had a number. The 6 Candidates were the 6 numbers that made up the Lottery number.

4: OK, lastly, what was Dharma and The Others all about. What on earth were they even doing their? How could Dharma even find the place and set up all those experiments seemingly unhindered by Smokey or Jacob?

My view on this is that Dharma were ultimately working for Smokey, which is why they never got harmed, and the Others had been drawn to the Island by Jacob, to help him protect it. All the Dharma experiments seemed to be to do with tapping into the 'magic' of the Island, which is what Smokey was interested in.
Was the final war between Dharma and The Others Jacob's doing? Don't know, and again, it doesn't seem that important.

p.s.
What was the Island anyway?
No idea. It was just a place where a source of incredible power was situated..and power attracts.

What would David Bailey say?

I've finally bought some lamps to make a small photographic studio.
I bought this set on Amazon:  LAMPS

Here is a pic of them in my very cluttered and small work area

And here is the picture taken of the lens. There's no postwork at all, not even to clean up the mark on the lens

I'm very pleased with the result. I use this set-up to primarily take pictures of my scale models.

Incidentally, I found fungus on this lens (even though it's kept in a flight case with lots of silica gel) so have ordered a set of lens spanner's on eBay to try and DIY clean it myself with some white spirit vinegar.