Matt's turntable, amp, and speakers.
(Credit: Matt Calderone)What's the definition of a great hi-fi? It's the one you're listening to. Not just for background "listening," but actual, focused listening.
Investing a lot of money on a hi-fi isn't the only way to get there. In fact, spending as little as possible on decent gear is the best way to get acquainted with good sound. Who knows, you might become an audiophile.
My friend Matt Calderone might be on his way. He was given a used Denon DP-7F turntable, and recently bought a Kenwood KA-701 integrated stereo amplifier on eBay and a pair of Klipsch speakers through Craigslist. All told, he spent less than $200.
Calderone is 26 years old so I was curious about how and why he wound up with a hi-fi. He says he's always been interested in LPs, and he likes listening to them over a decent stereo, not computer speakers. Calderone thinks good speakers make a big difference.
It's not just that the sound is better, music engages on a different level when heard over a hi-fi. Calderone frequently winds up just sitting on the couch and get this, he listens to entire records! The music is the main focus; vinyl has that effect on some people. Calderone is going to add a CD player soon, but for now his system is analog only.
The hardest part of buying a used hi-fi is picking the right gear. If you're new to hi-fi ask an older relative who knows audio about which brands are worthy, but for starters I'd recommend steering clear of Sony and Bose products. I like Creek, Denon, NAD, Onkyo, Pioneer, and Yamaha amplifiers and receivers; look for used Advent, AR, Boston Acoustics, DCM, Epos, Infinity, Klipsch, Magnepan, Mirage, Monitor Audio, NHT, Polk, Snell, or Vandersteen speakers. For a few hundred bucks you can put together a very listenable used system.
... Read moreIn the place where they struck oil, they might, on hearing this news, be struck dumb.
You see, as I wandered through the pages of eBay in search of some fine and modern cooking utensils, I came across something that forced my digestive system to ask questions of my cerebellum.
(Credit:
eBay)
For there (here, indeed) was what seemed to be a brand new Xbox 360 for sale at the most reasonable sum of $1.1 million.
This, as your own cerebellum might be whispering to you, is no ordinary Xbox. For this pristine machine was signed by former governor of Alaska and current literary figure Sarah Palin.
The enervatingly enterprising vendor of this quite frankly priceless technological specimen is David Morrill (that's Morrill, not Imorrill) who claims he resides in Alberta, Canada.
He says he took a trip to Alaska and made sure it coincided with the then-governor's picnic on July 24.
He claims he pushed his way through the crowd to get within sniffing distance of the great Alaskan's hem, told her he had traveled three days just to see her, and asked her to sign his Xbox.
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An old iMac shell seems to make a suitable habitat for a hamster. Who knew? And the good news is you can buy it now on eBay. The bad news, of course, is the creator wants a ridiculous $350 for this thing--and it doesn't even boot up on hamster power.
The most suitable rodent inhabitant for the iMac cage, says its creator, would be a hamster, since hamsters tend not to chew as voraciously as mice, gerbils, and rats.
(Credit: eBay)
"Everything is safe. I put my own hamster in there for a while just to get a good laugh and sense of accomplishment," says the cage's maker.
(Credit: eBay)This story originally appeared on Gizmodo.
This is the last time we let Wilson choose the show title. Good news--The 404 Wikipedia page is BACK! Edit away, but please don't redirect the page. Today we talk about a fake bus stop in Germany, a "green" iPhone app, the iPhone 4G prototype, the "World of Warcraft" movie, and Jake Gyllenhaal as the Prince of Persia.
That's right folks, our Wikipedia page is back up, and we're praying it's permanent this time! Big ups to our buddy Darth Paxton for helping us out, so go ahead and edit it all you like (we can't edit it ourselves) with inside jokes, characters, guests, etc., but please don't edit the redirections, those need to stay in place. Whoo! We're notable!!!
Also, do not attempt to adjust your monitor, the photo to the left is indeed our first look at Jake Gyllenhaal as the Prince of Persia. With those two swords in his hands and that red sash around his waist, he looks more like a chef at a Chinese restaurant than the video game hero.
Speaking of bad video game movies, we're afraid to see what Sam Raimi has in store for the "World of Warcraft" movie adaptation, although it'd be pretty funny to just have a half an hour of peons mining and chopping wood.
A quick disclaimer: there are two stories in today's rundown that some might deem offensive, but although they're both a little dark, the beauty of The 404 is being able to find a lighthearted (and sometimes tasteless) joke in everything! For example, here's a funny story about a fake bus stop in a clinic that's designed to keep its Alzheimer's patients from escaping. Sounds awful, right? I agree--maybe all the money they spent on building this "net" could have been used to pay more nurses and doctors to determine the reason why the patients are trying desperately to escape in the first place!
Anyway, that's the first story. You'll have to listen to the full episode, which also includes news about an eBay auction for an original Sony PlayStation signed by Michael Jackson and a very "green friendly" iPhone app
EPISODE 387
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... Read more
(Credit:
Rob Cockerham)
Talk about expensive firewood. Winning a whopping $103.50, a wireless (and featureless) pure wood Kindle recently sold to the highest of 19 bidders on eBay.
Sacramento, Calif.-based Rob Cockerham of Cockeyed.com designed this wooden reading device, which holds one page from "The Count of Monte Cristo." He advertised the Kindling as "thinner than most quesadillas," holding "900 bytes of information (about 120 words)," and having a "complete lack of functional buttons."
After tracing a photo of the Amazon Kindle using a graphics-editing program, Cockerham handed the project over to a friend who laser-cut a piece of wood to exactly resemble the Kindle.
One bidder worried that "reading the same page over and over again, I fear I might grow board." But Cockerham assuredly responded that he "nailed the look of the original Kindle with this beauty and I guarantee you will knot get tired of reading it."
Past spoof projects by Cockerham have included Devo hats, a Dwight Shrute Bobblehead doll, and a "HypnoDisk," a giant black and white swirling wheel used to distract opposing shooters at basketball games.
(Credit:
Rob Cockerham)
The Kindle DX is geared, among other things, toward textbooks, a potentially huge target market.
(Credit: Amazon )Amazon announced its most recent Kindle device this week: the Kindle DX. Though it's almost identical to the original Kindle, this newer model is marketed for use with textbooks and for reading periodicals. While this seems to give the impression that Amazon has presented a more practical solution for college students, it's likely that the everyday pupil will reject this new device.
Currently, most students purchase their books on campus, where new and used copies are available, while the more frugal of us order online from Web sites like Amazon.com or eBay's Half.com. At the end of the semester, students can sell their books back to the school or to online buyback services where they receive a check for about 15 percent of the original price. For decades, this has been the routine.
More recently, however, the words "e-textbook" and "Netbook" have created a buzz around campus.
E-textbooks have been available for some time now, and are currently purchased for use on a laptop or desktop for about half the price of the print book version. Electronic textbooks are an excellent alternative to print books since with them, a student can search for a specific word or topic, copy/paste text into their coursework, comment within the textbook, and enjoy a lighter backpack.
... Read moreDan the Mantern makes his triumphant return to The 404 to talk about his exploits as a newly single man. Yes, ladies, he is available. You can find him on J-Date. Today, we expound on weekend movies "I Love You, Man", "300," and "Revenge of the Nerds" and find out why Jeff Bakalar is going to prison.
Dan T. Allen: 22-year-old male seeking female.
(Credit: Wilson G. Tang/CNET)Apparently, EA sent out packages of brass knuckles for the release of its video game version of "The Godfather II." Unbeknownst to them, it is a crime in most states to send brass knuckles, as they are in the same category of weapons as switchblades and gas guns. Also on today's show, we cover Vermont legalizing "sexting," a special eBay auction just in case you need to tell someone off, and Disney releasing a controversial animated movie featuring a black princess.
We've got a special treat for you today, as well. If you check your RSS or iTunes feed, you'll discover that we've officially pushed to you The 404 ringtones, including our main theme courtesy of Mr. Jamie Lewis and a Tom Merritt-inspired "Calls from the Public" ringtone. Also, if you have an iPhone, we've got special instructions on how to use our ringtones on your Jesus Phone. But wait, there's more! Yes, because of popular demand, we're pushing out acoustic versions of Jonathan Coulton's performances of "Codemonkey" and "Re: Your Brains" performed in our very own podcast studios. Don't you just love us?!?!
Remember to mark Thursday, April 16, as the day your life changes when Bore Out Loud and the Snore Oh Four battle to the death in a dance off (bring your tap shoes). Be sure to RSVP. We'll be partying hard at the whole upstairs floor of The Delancey in New York City at 7:30 p.m.
EPISODE 319
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... Read more
(Credit:
eBay Motors)
It's no Ferrari, but an original 1956 Aerocar--the first flying car to be deemed street-legal in the U.S.--is listed for sale on eBay. And it's only $3.5 million--if you use "buy it now."
It's presumably in good shape, with the auction stating that its engine was inspected a couple of years ago, but if you plan on flying this car anywhere I'd recommend a tune-up first--the engine hasn't been officially inspected since 1976.
Of course, for that money you could buy a top-of-the-line personal jet as well as a rare super car, but that wouldn't be nearly as neat as this thing. I want it.
(Credit:
Sony Pictures)
Love Spidey? Hate cancer? Of course you do.
Consider this: Stand Up To Cancer [link includes an auto-play video], an organization dedicated to building interdisciplinary teams of experts to focus on solving specific cancer problems, has teamed up with eBay to auction off a number of "celebrity experiences" to raise funds for cancer research.
At the top of the list: a visit to the set of Spider-Man 4 to meet the cast and enjoy a walk-on role, plus a trip to the movie's New York premiere, and designer duds to wear to the show. (At the time of writing, the bid to beat is $5,000.) Or, if you'd prefer, wait until September 5 to bid on a set visit, walk-on role, and tickets to the Los Angeles premiere of Iron Man 2.
Other goodies going on the block in the next few weeks include lunch with Judd Apatow, who will also review your comedy script; a round of golf with Sugar Ray Leonard; and a visit to the set of the CBS Evening News (which is owned by CNET's parent company CBS). Check out the Stand Up To Cancer eBay store for a list of all items in the auction.
All proceeds will go directly to Stand Up To Cancer; consult your tax adviser about tax-deductibility.
(Credit:
eBay)
Kevin Core is showing that his imagination as an amateur computer modder is matched by a natural sense of marketing. Last year he impressed many Cravers with his "Tumbler Batmobile PC," built from a remote-controlled toy purchased at Wal-Mart. Now, after waiting patiently for several months, he has put the creation up for sale on eBay--just days ahead of the much-publicized release of The Dark Knight.
In addition to the 2.8GHz AMD Sempron chip and other specs mentioned when it first went public, the Bat-PC has a "stealth" power switch and three orange LEDs that "simulate the jet exhaust," according to the auction description. Somewhat surprisingly, however, the bidding hasn't even cracked $250 as of this writing, a paltry sum that would be an insult to any self-respecting winged avenger.
