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POLL - Weekend Home Alone


Supreme Cmdr
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The strangest thing happened to me this past Sunday.

The other-half and the baby are away on a trip visiting family, so I'm home alone.

I went into my back room where I have all my gadgets and electronic gear; looking for the box for my G400 Marvel board. I was planning on grabbing some game video footage (ATI were nice enough to send me a Radeon 8500DV board!), so I had replaced this board and all its gadgets (breakout box, cables etc.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, the box for my Pioneer CLD D504 laser disc player caught my eye. I had been planning on flogging it on eBay a while back, but kinda couldn't be bothered. I have over 100 laser disc movies in several plastic crates in there as well. So, I took this box down and reached for the Matrox box. After putting the video card away, instead of putting the Pioneer back on the shelf - it hit me!

I was home alone and could make as much noise as I bloody well wanted!!.

Just imagine this : Me. Home. Alone. No chance of "...TURN THAT DOWN!!!! shocking the living piss outta me.

So, I took the box into my media room and plonked it down on the carpet. I then proceeded to connect it to the video 3 port (I've got the VCR on vid1, the DVD on component vid1, the cable receiver on vid2 + optical and the XBox on the front mounted vid4) which was free. After fiddling around with the Panasonic PT-56WX51 (HDTV projection screen TV) settings, I went back into my library to hunt down a laser disc to play.

From this list, guess which movies (some are THX encoded others are just standard AC3*)I watched and at volume level 50 (enough to bring the house down - trust me on this).

Aliens

Under Siege 2 - Dark Territory

Hard Target

Maximum Risk

Escape From L.A.

Broken Arrow

True Lies

Eraser

The Specialist

The Usual Suspects

Once I had finished watching, it dawned on me that after a while, whats old is new again. And all of a sudden, I no longer wanted to part with my old toys. I mean, laser discs went out back in the mid-90s and I bought that player back in 1994 I think!! I had put it away when I got a DVD player.

So now, the laser disc player is permanently stashed underneath the DVD player on my rack mount; and am never taking it down again.

Did I mention that I have over 500+ vinyl LPs in the garage and that I still play vinyls on the Onkyo turntable now and again? Man, listening to the scratchy playback of "What a wonderful World" is a just fine way to get depressed about this screwed up world we now live in.

*decoded as DB Pro Logic surround by the Onkyo since I didn't find the AC3 RF connector for the laser disc (though I didn't need it since Dolby Pro Logic is just fine).

[ 03-12-2002, 10:26: Message edited by: Supreme Cmdr ]

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Guest Grayfox

oh ya those moments alone are great. when my son is with the "ankle" (what i call my ex wife) for the weekend, i kick back and watch the whole starwars trilogy in surround, Saving Private Ryan in eardrum busting surround, the alien trilogy in surround, and the Demolition Man in surround... i tell ya its great.

AND i live in my own house... no apartment with people who live above me complaining about the noise... just me, my VCR, my DVD and a case of beer and pizza for the whole weekend

im definitely feelin ya SC

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hehehehe

Yep, I have the same problem. I like my games, my movies, and my music, loud, and all I get is "TURN THAT DOWN NOW!!!"

So, when I am home alone, I too crank the volume.

Hope you had fun SC, I know I do.

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My daughter LOVES Star Wars, so when the wife and baby left for a day, Morgan, my soon to be 6 year old and I, sat down and watched the star wars movies first, 4th,5th and 6th, all the way through and the volume at MAX!! It was great fun.

Cats' away, the mice will play, and PLAY LOUD!! LOL

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I know the feeling, although I must say that when it comes to music my wife likes to crank it up as much as me. My wife and I usually get to watch movies on my big screen TV with surround sound after the kids go to bed so we have no choice but to keep it low, kinda defeats the surround sound effects. When we get some time alone we usually crank it up that our neighbors can hear it across the street. Nothing better than a kickass system playing at full volume. The opening scene in Saving Private Ryan sent my dog running for her life or so she thought. The best is when using the surround sound and my dog thinks that someone or something is in the house, she goes from room to room patrolling the house barking madly.

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Sc its moments like this I think we need a BC reunion weekend. So many people who think like me!

My Subwoofer has remote presets and I have two settings HOME and AWAY. I actually have to schedule a personal day and sneak home after taking the wife to work and Susie to daycare , or my wife will schedule a "family" activity(Next week its Dragon Tales Live oh goodie)

I recently had one of my personal days to rewatch Executive Decision on the HOME setting.

My ears wereringing for two days. I topped it off

with T2 Platinum series and Independence Day. I'm pretty sure I'm sterile now but what the hell.

I just got Apocolypse Now Redux which is scheduled for Good Friday cause the wife has to work. Ps has anyone played Halo ina darkened rooms at full volume? Not better than sex , but damn close.

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quote:


Originally posted by Race Bannon IV:

I recently had one of my personal days to rewatch Executive Decision


Thats one of the laser discs I'm going to watch next - and maybe Independence Day and Demolition Man

quote:


Ps has anyone played Halo ina darkened rooms at full volume? Not better than sex , but damn close.

Yep. And in HD format too

[ 03-12-2002, 15:13: Message edited by: Supreme Cmdr ]

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quote:


Originally posted by Gordon:

My wife and I usually get to watch movies on my big screen TV with surround sound after the kids go to bed so we have no choice but to keep it low, kinda defeats the surround sound effects.


NOW you understand my jubilation at being home alone. I've got a 16 unit entertainment center and the closest I get to hearing a peep out of it, is from the TV's own built-in speaker. Frigging ridiculous I tell you. I even bought a wireless pair of headphones - but that's not the same thing.

And because the baby (well, she's a toddler now really) hangs around with me a lot; if her mom ever pops into that media room and sees anything other than Barney, Teletubbies (kill me now please!!), some kids TV program or one of her Baby Einstein tapes, I'm toast.

[ 03-12-2002, 15:18: Message edited by: Supreme Cmdr ]

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quote:

Originally posted by Supreme Commander:

And because the baby (well, she's a toddler now really) hangs around with me a lot; if her mom ever pops into that media room and sees anything other than Barney, Teletubbies (kill me now please!!), some kids TV program or one of her Baby Einstein tapes, I'm toast.

Heh, well my kids are older (one in 9th grade and one in 7th), but I can sympathize with you, from Kid Songs to Power Rangers it's amazing I still have some of my sanity. The ironic part is that they (my kids) now get to use my theatre system cranked up more than I do, so that's what you got to look forward to.

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Teletubbies might be good.....IF your on drugs!

My kids were never allowed to watch Barney though as that is a very dangerous "program". I made them read Microprose Simulation manuals instead.

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quote:

Originally posted by Captain X:

Teletubbies might be good.....IF your on drugs!

Yeeeaaaahhhh maaaaaaannnn!! smokin.gif

quote:

I made them read Microprose Simulation manuals instead.

LOL!!

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quote:

And because the baby (well, she's a toddler now really) hangs around with me a lot; if her mom ever pops into that media room and sees anything other than Barney, Teletubbies (kill me now please!!), some kids TV program or one of her Baby Einstein tapes, I'm toast.

LOL my sister used to watch The Magic school bus, The Smurfs and a xfew others like that... I can't and don't want to remmeber their names

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Guest Grayfox

i can relate with race here... every morning mine wants to watch PBS... ugh... barney, dragon tales, kaiyoo, et al... sometimes im glad i DONT have a wife anymore.. the *****ing would be unbearable

"jesus would you turn that noise down?"

"yes dear....*grumble grumble*"

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quote:


Originally posted by Gordon:

but I can sympathize with you, from Kid Songs to Power Rangers it's amazing I still have some of my sanity.


....at least your speaking for yourself. My sanity is still in question. But then again, you of all people, should know something about that.

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quote:


Originally posted by Epsilon 5:

The Smurfs


Goddamnit!!! You had to go an' mention them? I'm never going to close my eyes tonite. Do you know how long it took me to clean my brain of those memories? Yer bastard!!!

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Speaking of HD...

Wife and I just bought a Pioneer. Now this puppy is the high definition TV of high definition. It has about 800 lines more than your standard HDs, and its a 53' projo 16:9 widescreen.

The problem is that there isn't CRAP going on in HD programming. Even DirecTV has almost next to nothing. Yeah, there's a bit on the premiums, but it's still not a whole lot.

So, naturally, we go over to DVD. Proscan DVD. Sony. Kicks more ass than Jackie Chan at a donkey convention.

And what does she want to watch? Gone With the Wind. Hoo-rah.

When do I get to be home alone? HUH?

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The frickin Smurfs!? the bain of my existence? the personification of Reagan era materialism. The first cartoon desined specfically to sell sh*t to the hapless parents of children hypnotized

by the music and color schemes of the most inane and maniacally , insidious exercise in commerciallism ever? May thier creators burn in Hell. And Take Tinkywinky ,Po , Lala and the other tubbies with them too. I have implemented a moritorium on any childrens programs of that ilk.

I tolerate Barney because I must. No Barney means Suzie cries. Suzie cries means Mommies mad.

Mommy's mad means no nookie. Hence Daddy's mad and cries. One last note on Barney..I recently attended a conference on working with drug addicted sexual predators. I found out there that

child molesters arrested at home typically have so many Barney tapes in thier possession they need a separate crew just to remove them. Now that is scarier that than picture of the dining room thing!

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Somehow we have turned to the topic of children's programming and the effect it has on the the mature ( yeah right) male psyche. I have been home for the better part of the week with a sick child during pledge month on PBS thus I have been subject to insane quantities of the same show being repeated for three hours at a time... As a result gentlemen I give you the following list as the most tolerable/intolerable of present children's programming for Men:

The good:

1) Clifford the big red dog - Im a guy therefore I love dogs even big red freakish ones, I am also glad that John Ritter has finally found some work as a cartoon voice guy.

2) Redwall - I dont care if they are Mice , If they carry swords and can use magic they are okay by me.

3) Dragon Tales - I like dragons, it goes back to my D&D days. I just cant hate a show that has dragons in it.

4) Slim Pig - the name and theme song just make me laugh. A 2d pig in a 3d world. A classic.

5) Book of POOH - Yes I actually laugh out loud at Tigger, eeyore is the best potential suicide character on TV. Pooh has a substance addiction. Kind of reminds me of my family growing up.

The Bad:

1) Teletubbies - WHat the F*%$ is this ? No really I'm not kidding , I have no idea what this is?

2) Barney - I like dragons but I hate Dinosaurs, god that show drives me nuts.

3) Sagwa the Chinese Siamese Cat- I like dogs therefore I hate cats.

4) Elmo - Anything Rosie O'Donnel likes I am forced to hate.

5) Caillou - My god this kid never stops whining and crying. Cripes if my little girl grows up like that she will end up hospitalized and in Prozac before she is 10. Why does he have no damn hair? Give the little s*&^ some hair and maybe he will shut up.

There you have it Dad's. The next time you are trapped home keep these shows in mind or you may very well lose yours.

Cheers

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This is surprising... you've not talked at all about japanese cartoons. Well, italian childs are crazy about all that anime stuff and don't care about teletubbies, barney and all the rest.

Another cool thing is that also many italian adults are mad about oriental culture, cartoons and products.

I'm lucky to not been one of them

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quote:


Originally posted by Oban:

during pledge month on PBS thus I have been subject to insane quantities of the same show being repeated for three hours at a time...


Been there. Done that. Got the cancelled checks. I feel your pain man, I feel your pain.

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Don't get me wrong I hate the purple dionasaur, however it brings a tear to my eye when my son (2) sings to me and his sister (3 mo) and throws in the kiss and hug.

I have to note the kiss is more like being spit on, just so he gets the right sound ...

Caillou, he just needs a slap!

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quote:

Originally posted by Vanethian:

Another cool thing is that also many italian adults are mad about oriental culture, cartoons and products.


Do these includes Italian women? If so, does a "semi-oriental" guy counts as one of their interests?

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