Some audio options

Sonos Play 3

Ikea Eneby (White)

Leff Amsterdam Tube Audio (Steel)

Sonos Play Beam (yes Sonos again)

Further Info:

Windows Media Player Sucks

Sound-Style-Power-Connectivity-Value

Greenery in the home!

Short Planter (300 x 300 x 350(H)mm external, 280 x 280 x 190(H)mm internal)

Gandia Blasco's Na Xamena Sunlounger

A Song of Vanilla Ice and Fire

How's it hanging?

IKEA - TISKEN hook with suction cup

Preventing dryness

Stadler Form Oskar

Extreme Ways

Efficient Power

Xiaomi Mijia Power Strip Outlet

Odroid XU4Q

From HardKernel

I bought this to replace our home media centre, which is still working great using Kodi.

The specifications are good:

• Samsung Exynos5422 Cortex™-A15 2Ghz and Cortex™-A7 Octa core CPUs
• Mali-T628 MP6(OpenGL ES 3.1/2.0/1.1 and OpenCL 1.2 Full profile)
• 2Gbyte LPDDR3 RAM PoP stacked
• eMMC5.0 HS400 Flash Storage
• 2 x USB 3.0 Host, 1 x USB 2.0 Host
• Gigabit Ethernet port
• HDMI 1.4a for display
• Size : 83 x 58 x 20 mm approx.(excluding cooler)
• Power: 5V/4A input
• Linux Kernel 4.14 LTS

Positives:

• The power consumption is so much lower vs. the x86 machine (12V/12.5A).
• I was able to install Android TVOS (based on Lineage 15.1) easily from the excellent Odroid community.
• I went further with passive cooling and bought a great machined aluminium case from Ameridroid.
• Ubuntu Linux 18.04 worked great for simple productivity applications

BUT

• The open source Android TVOS combined with the 32-bit ARM Cortex-A15 (originally for the Samsung Galaxy S5 in 2014), was unable to cope with h265 decoding at 1080p, which was a requirement for WAF
• The machine did get too hot after about hour of use

So we recouped about 70% of the purchase price via eBay. Let's keep trying.

Further Info:
Kodi settings
NEW RIG

Mobo for New Rig
Software for New Rig
And Now (Software)
And Now (Hardware)
Getting Closer to Next Project
Next Project
Windows 7 Starter Kit
2nd Baby Arrived (father doing well)
Baby News
RKHTPC

Lots Mirror

LOTS Mirror from IKEA

Natalie's Rap 2.0 (Uncensored Version)

The Lesser Spotted Adele

Hanging Storage (SKUBB)

IKEA SKUBB storage with 6 compartments, white

35SpringIdeas

2x LacIe-2big-NAS

I'm afraid I can't let you do that

• Status light: Off
• Send usage information: Off
• Static DHCP so that the Sonos Play 3 and media centre can locate it, especially through the Wifi Router
• The second one is off-site

Further Info:

[Solved] To NAS or Not to NAS

Ghost in the Shell

What breed of cat is this?

Oldest Torrent: Matrix-ASCII

http://takeovertheworld.org/matrix/

Adele Carpool Karaoke

Repost: Find the Panda - Star Wars version

Source: Oneste

We're Bad Guys

The Truth About Dishonesty

Renewable Energy Word Chart

With thanks to Wordle.net

The Digital Pool

With thanks to GIFMaker.me

Repost: LIVA Core... in oil

It sounds like a festive Christmas recipe.

Natalie's Rap

A SOPHISTICATED LOFT IN BRAZIL BY DIEGO REVOLLO

Source: Design Milk

“Waking up at 10am was so worth it to get that perfect light & fog”

Hipster Barbie’s Instagram Mocks Every Annoying Hipster Instagram Post

The Force Awakens Trailer

Kirrilee by Empathy Test

Mama Said Knock You Out (Auto Tunes f. Mama & Papa)

One Woman, 17 British Accents - Anglophenia Ep 5

Eyeballs at the Ready

Win7 on 2014 Macbook Air

2014 MacBook Air 11" (MD711x/B)

• 1.4GHz Intel Core i5 4250U
• Intel HD 5000 graphics
• 4GB DDR3-SDRAM 
• 128GB SSD
• 11.6" 1366x768 HD LED screen
• 2xUSD3.0
• 802.11ac Wi-Fi
• 1.1kg

Win7 Installation Procedure

1. Purchase Win7 and download ISO (I used the very last link to this file "X17-24395.iso") to a USB drive;
2. Fire up the MacBook Air, connect to the Internet, and insert your USB drive with the ISO file;
3. Also insert a USB2.0 drive with at least 8GB capacity - this USB key will be wiped and will become the "Win7 install disk" - this USB drive must be USB2.0;
4. Now go to Boot Camp Assistant (type Command + Space, and enter "Boot Camp") and select these options:

5. Select the ISO from the source USB drive, and the destination USB2.0 drive;
6. Now settle in while the Macbook copies and downloads files, and creates the Win7 install disk;
7. Once done, remove the USB drive with the ISO file - we're done with this one now;
8. Next you'll be asked to size your Win7 partition (I managed 87GB out of the 128GB);
9. Then the Macbook will restart and hopefully boot from the Win7 install disk and hopefully you will get to this screen 

10. At this point, apparently you should take out the Win7 install disk then hit "Install Now" and then reinsert the Win7 USB drive. This is by far the weirdest thing, but it worked for me...
    
    Troubleshoot - if your screen freezes here, it's most likely because the Macbook isn't able to load the Windows keyboard and trackpad drivers. The solution, sadly, is to go back into Mac OS (which may need you to press the Option key on power up), fire up Boot Camp, delete the Win7 partition, then create a new Win7 partition per Step 8. Note that I don't believe you can boot straight to your Win7 install disk using the Option key at power up, you must reboot via Boot Camp
    
    Troubleshoot - if you get told "No device drivers were found" and you can't get the MacBook to recognise them, then you may have missed Step 10 above, in which case there's nothing for it but to go back into Mac OS, fire up Boot Camp, delete the Win7 partition, then go back to Step 8.
    
    Troubleshoot - if you have trouble getting Boot Camp to delete the Win7 partition, it may be because the Win7 partition needs to be re-formatted. Go to the Disk Utility, select the partition and format as "journaled", then go back to Boot Camp to delete the partition.  If all else fails, you can reinstall OS X, by holding down Command+Option+R on power up, and selecting Install OS X.
    
    
11. If everything has gone to plan, you will then get this screen, where you select your Boot Camp partition, format it and hit next.

12. Once your Win7 install is complete, go into the Win7 install disk, and run the Boot Camp Support Software, which will let you customise a few things, like left clicking and right clicking on the trackpad.

Further Info:
NEW RIG
Mobo for New Rig
Software for New Rig
And Now (Software)
And Now (Hardware)
Getting Closer to Next Project
Next Project
Windows 7 Starter Kit
2nd Baby Arrived (father doing well)
Baby News
RKHTPC

Cutest Gangsta

Melon Cream Soda I Must Have It

Teasers for Upcoming Previews

On Vacation

Come Together - The Beatles - Pomplamoose

Really these are different people?

Kim Webster

Jessica Chastain

Leslie Mann

design, modern architecture, geek, memes and the occasional cute animal

[SOLVED] Windows 7 x64 Network Shares (Video and Music) Drop Out Intermittently (WMC7 and Sonos)

So we started noticing that videos streamed from the New Rig to the Living Room PC and music streamed to the Sonos were cutting out after about 5 mins.

Everything was working fine until last week when some security updates from Microsoft were installed.  Why would this be?

1. Hardware - checked all network connections/cables, and optimised the Wifis channel (using inSSIDer 4). Then updated firmware for router and the network adapter.
2. Software - checked to see that all network settings were what they were supposed to be (using Homegroup, media streaming on) and ensured Services were set to optimise sharing.  Then did a system restore (which can only do successfully after uninstalling AVG!).  Finally, the problem appears fixed after following these steps to ensure UPnP device host, Windows Media Player Network Sharing services are restarted and set to 'Automatic' and then going into WMP12 Libraries and ensuring that Streaming is turned on.

Why, Microsoft?

Further Info:
New Rig
Software for New Rig
And Now (Hardware)...

The History and Future of Everything -- Time

The Importance of Definitions

Image credit: Unknown but appears here

Who said...

"Puny god."

"It's not an S."

"This drink... I like it!"
"I know, it's great right?"
"ANOTHER!"

"This isn't a car."

"I can do this all day."

"Yeah, I was. But after five days of agonizing pain, the cobra died."

"I hate working here — they are so weird!"

"No! They expect one of us in the wreckage, brother."

"I have to make sure these people never bother us again in our lives."
"What are you going to do?"
"What I do best."

"You asked me to come say goodbye. Sayonara!"

"There's uh...water in the tap."

"The rest of him was too fat for my horse." (You will NEVER get this).

"Sir, a helmet can interfere with my psychic abilities"
"Think a bullet in the head might interfere with them more."

"Okay, Robin wishes he was me."

"It was considered a very sexy name at the time."
"It sounds like an STD."

"You haven’t killed anybody in months!"
"That’s a positive thing!"

"Maybe I went and did the worst crime of all: I got civilized."

Previously on "Who said..."
December 2012
October 2010
June 2010
January 2010
December 2009
August 2009
January 2009
May 2008

Roswell Processor

Edit: turns out this was a marketing play by NVidia to drum up interest in their new Tegra K1 processor!

New Media

From

To

Really would like this tech to work

XDModo solar charger sticks to the inside of a window to soak up the sun

Helm's Deep ≡ Death Star

Think about it

A A RON

NEW RIG

• Streacom FC5WS Evo fanless chassis & 160W pico PSU
• Gigabyte GA-Z87MX-D3H LGA1150 Micro ATX Motherboard
• Intel Haswell Core i7 4770T 2.5GHz 45W HD4600 8M Quad Core CPU
• Corsair 32GB (4x8GB) XMS3 DDR3 Memory
• Samsung SSD 840 PRO 2.5-inch SATA 128GB MZ-7PD128BW
• WD 3TB 3.5" WD30EZRX Caviar Green HDD
• 2xWD 2TB 2.5" WD20NPVT Green Power HDD

Further Info:
Mobo for New Rig
Software for New Rig
And Now (Software)
And Now (Hardware)
Getting Closer to Next Project
Next Project
Windows 7 Starter Kit
2nd Baby Arrived (father doing well)
Baby News
RKHTPC

Mobo for New Rig

GA-Z87MX-D3H

Further Info:
Software for New Rig
And Now (Software)
And Now (Hardware)
Getting Closer to Next Project
Next Project
Windows 7 Starter Kit
2nd Baby Arrived (father doing well)
Baby News
RKHTPC

Dumb Ways to Die

+Zombies

The Age's 'OddSpot' Monday April 15, 2013

A US perfumer has launched two new fragrances for zombies. Zombie for Him is a mixture of dried leaves, mushrooms, mildew, moss and earth and Zombie for Her is similar with a touch of dregs from the bottom of the wine barrel for a feminine touch.

Why Teens Are Tiring Of Facebook

Software for New Rig

• Windows 7 (64 bit)
• AVG Anti-Virus
• Google Chrome
• Adobe Flash
• Adobe Reader
• Media Center Studio
• Sonos Controller for the Play 3s
• Shark Windows 7 Codecs
• inSSIDer 3
• 7-Zip
• Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware 
• VirtualCloneDrive
• Duplicate Photo Finder
• Exact Audio Copy
• VLC Media Player
• GOM Player
• MKVtoolnix
• Mp3tag
• Microsoft Office
• Dropbox
• CDisplayEx
• Skype
• iTunes :(

Further Info:
And Now (Software)
And Now (Hardware)
Getting Closer to Next Project
Next Project
Windows 7 Starter Kit
2nd Baby Arrived (father doing well)
Baby News
RKHTPC

I Can Haz Productivity?

I Can Haz Productivity? Why You Should Look at Cute Animals at Work

Who said...

"Hand me the keys you c*cksucker!"

"I didn't kill my wife!"

"What happens to us in the future? Do we become as*holes or something?"

"Gimme da f*ckin' keys you f*ckin' c*cksucker motherf*fucker, lalalalalala!"

"Give me my f*ckin phone call!"

"Hey Malkovich, Think fast!"

"Some motherf*ckers are always trying to ice-skate uphill."

"Hand me the keys you f*cking c*cksucker! What the f*ck?"

"That's it, man. Game over, man. What are we gonna do now?"

"Hand me the keys you c*cksucker!"

"Have you ever tried shawarma?"

"Ray, if someone asks you if you're a god, you say 'YES'!"

"Hand me the keys you f*cking c*cksucker!"

"All those moments will be lost in time... like tears in rain."

"And now, a word on nutrition..."
"Jeez, he's f*cked up!"

"You're going to need a bigger boat."

"The Good, the Bad and the Eww of Earwax Removal" by Melinda Beck, WSJ , 16 October 2012

The Tool Above Is An Essential Household Item

Yes

No

Ummm...

Create your own poll

Best. Dystopian Future. Ever. (It's all a deep end).

Pet Project

SainSmart SS808/MK808 Android 4.1 Mini PC TV Box 

Check out these specs - you can see why I had to buy this.

CPU RAM ROM Display Wifi I/O Power Supply	Rockchip RK 3066, CORTEX-A9, Dual Core 1.2-1.6GHz 1GB DDR3 8GB Nand Flash Mini HDMI RK 901 (support 802.11b/g/n) Micro SD (support 32GB) 1x USB2.0 Host 1x mini USB (support OTG/HOST) 1x mini USB (for charging) DC5V 2A
OS Dimensions Weight			Android 4.1 Jelly Bean 88mm x 31.5mm x 15.8mm 50g

Further Info:

And Now (Hardware)...

Retribution

Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro's Telenoid Android

SAY 'TWEET' AGAIN.

Headline Shirts

Reblog: Owl In Flight

TYWKIWDBI

Now For A Holiday

And Now (Software)...

Now the new project is up and running, it's time to install some software with WAF. This 'puter is to replace the AOpen MP45-BDR in the living room connected to the TV.

Later I will look to add some storage in the living room for back-up and then upgrade the inside of the HTPC.

Software installed under Windows 7 (64 bit):

• AVG Anti-Virus
• Google Chrome
• Adobe Flash
• Adobe Reader
• Media Center Studio
• Gmote
• Sonos Controller for the Play 3
• Shark Windows 7 Codecs

Further Info:

And Now (Hardware)...

And Now (Hardware)...

Streacom FC08 fanless chassis with CIR &150W pico PSU
Intel DH67CFB3 mini ITX motherboard
Intel Core i5-2390T processor
8GB Corsair XMS3 DDR3 RAM
120GB OCZ Agility 3 SATA III SSD
Sony BC-5600S blu-ray drive

Further Info:
Getting Closer to Next Project
Next Project
Windows 7 Starter Kit
2nd Baby Arrived (father doing well)
Baby News
RKHTPC