Boogie on Klaatu My Man

Let me begin by saying NERD ALERT!!!!

Rarely, do I get to read for pleasure nowadays. Am still reading a Jimmy Buffett book that was received Christmas 2006. Reading is one the great joys of life. Calming, stimulating, mind expanding and books demand no harsh time schedule. Dreamed last night of being on campus and defending the terseness of Hemingway's writing style. Also defended Thomas Wolfe's right to be verbose. My conscious mind does not remember this event, so it may be something I wanted to say in class. Even the dream was a nice distraction from the ever so important tech manuals that are now front and center.

Early in life I developed a love of things science. Best I can remember it was probably stimulated by reading the monthly issues of Boys Life, the Boy Scouts of America magazine. They were "hand-me-downs." I do know the story was serialized. It was by Robert Heinlein. Might have been a tale named The Rolling Stones. So I was off and running at an early age and remember many exciting events concerning earth's real adventures in outer space. I devoured the article in the newspaper about Sputnik's launch. We were visiting a relative in Burnsville as this event took place and it was a hot topic of discussion. I sat and listened to opinions, some favorable and others not. Remember, the cold war was in full swing at that time. When Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon July 20, 1969, I was so proud. In Vietnam at the time and wrote excitedly to Mother about it and told her how cool it was that this event occurred on her birthday! That was in the days of snail mail.

Why all this nostalgia? One of my all time favorite movies is being remade. Can't recollect how many hundreds of times it's been viewed, but it never grows old. The title? The Day the Earth Stood Still. The remake is scheduled out during Christmas holidays. Take a look at the original trailer:



Now here is a preview of the new version due to hit the big screen this coming December:



Unlike a lot of people I like Keanu Reeves and he may be a perfect choice to play Klaatu. I hope so. This is an enormous undertaking. It is brave to remake a great classic of science fiction films. Think about it. This is akin to remaking 2001: A Space Odyssey!

Why the segue to the movies? I actually read the short story from which this movie script was written. The title of the story is Farewell to the Master by Henry Bates. The written story is quite different from the movie (I like the movie better). BTW, the robot Gort had the name Gnut in the short story (I like Gort better).
You can read the entire story on the web at The Nostalgia League. If you are a fan of the movie the original story will surprise you. It's not a great read, but it is good and short.

Technology, what a wonderful concept. You think?

"Klaatu has been killed, you must save him."
~Literal translation of "Klaatu barada nikto."

Can We Say Renegade Rip Off?

It's nice to know that if someone forgets this address they can google the word 'cybersouth' and usually find this addy in the top 3 results. Now there's a lot of hoopla about a new search engine called CUIL (pronounced cool). This site has been developed by an ex-Google employee and his wife. Just searched for good ole Cybersouth using this CUIL thangy. Even with the full name including the 'from the Saltillo Beach House' this wimpy attempt at searching ended with 0 results. So, CUIL just ain't that cool! If you want to investigate it go ahead. They don't link me so I won't link them. But hey, you can google for it (insert evil grin here).

Later.

"The Internet is the most important single development in the history of human communication since the invention of call waiting."
~Dave Barry

Thoughts While Browsing the Internet

Gosh, gee, golly, whiz! News is diverse this morning. The University of Florida knocked out the University of Albany as the top party school according to the Princeton review. Ole Miss was ranked #2. Amy Winehouse is out of the hospital again. Sad to see talent go to waste. Kelsey Grammar is in the hospital again. Hopefully, it's minor medication problems. He did have a heart attack two months ago. He's a funny guy. Looks like the FCC will bust COMCAST big time for blocking Bit Torrent activities. Good, I still despise them for what they did to TechTV. That G4 channel is horrible. Their resident monkey, Kevin Periera (sp? will not waste time looking up his name) is possibly the second most irritating person on the planet dangling right behind Osama Bin Laden. The animal that shot those people in church up in Tennessee is rumored to have hated liberals. Gosh, you think the yellow press news media would make this up? Well, duh! K, I am not especially fond of the left wingers, but shooting innocent people? In a church? Somehow that just doesn't work with the word conservative. They need to publicly execute him. Today. Hang him in court square. Damn a bunch of insanity pleas. Let him rot there for a few days. Everyone is going to see Batman at the movies. It looks like Sirius and XM will merge.

Enough. Outta here and back to real work. In the words of Texas Philosopher Extraordinaire Mr. EdC, "Have a better than expected day."

"I am having an out of money experience."
~Billy Wobblynife (hmmm, musta been at the gas pump)

Summertime

It's hot. When outside or traveling today take care not to overheat or dehydrate. If you are not in an air conditioned facility find one. Travel in remote areas can be especially dangerous. Have beverages on hand and keep that cell phone handy. In the Deep South we have to be careful most of the summer and seem to adapt, but that is not necessarily enough to ward off heat stroke. Go to Weather.com, type in your zip code at the top and check out your area. Please don't take chances.

It is very sad to know that people lose their lives due to overheating this day and time. Any power company executive types that will turn off power this time of year should be horsewhipped and then gut shot. You can always wear more clothes in the winter, but the opposite is not viable. Yes, conserve energy, but don't get goofy with it. Protect those pets too! They are your responsibility.

"People don't notice whether it's winter or summer when they're happy."
~Anton Chekhov

Excellence

Qantas Airlines once again landed a jetliner under duress without the loss of life. Go Qantas. This is an airline from Australia that operates over 200 planes worldwide and has a tremendous safety record. Even though an oxygen tank exploded onboard leaving a hole in the fuselage the plane landed safely on July the 25th.

Contrary to Dustin Hoffman's statement in the movie Rainman 62 lives have been lost on their planes when they were serving as part of the Royal Air Force during World War II. Still, their commercial record of passenger flights is spotted with very few plane mishaps that have never resulted in fatalities.

It's nice to see people striving for top notch quality...especially where human life is concerned. Read more at Reuters.

"If black boxes survive air crashes, why don't they make the whole plane out of that stuff?"
~George Carlin

FYI, the Gas Dilemna

Some may not have received the email about how to buy gas. Did you know it's best to fill up (slowly) in the early morning. Gas is more dense at a low temperature. Pump slowly so as not to create excessive vapor return. Here's a list provided by the Department of Energy that tells where companies purchase their fuels.

Companies that import Middle Eastern oil:

Shell........................... 205,742,000 barrels
Chevron/Texaco......... 144,332,000 barrels
Exxon /Mobil............... 130,082,000 barrels
Marathon/Speedway... 117,740,000 barrels
Amoco............................62,231,000 barrels

Citgo gas is from South America , from a Dictator who hates Americans. Don't buy
from CITGO.

Companies that DO NOT import
Middle Eastern oil:

Sunoco...............0 barrels
Conoco..............0 barrels
Sinclair...............0 barrels
BP/Phillips..........0 barrels
Hess...................0 barrels
ARC0..................0 barrels

Thanks Marti for the great email! Another site that may interest you is HERE. While Obama is hobnobbing in the middle east John McCain is actively pursuing an end to these ridiculous fuel prices. Put aside your political prejudice and take a look. Oh yeah, where's Obama's plan? Anyone seen it?!?!?!

"The use of solar energy has not been opened up because the oil industry does not own the sun."
~Ralph Nader (before you flame me, let it be known I am not much of a Nader fan, but these words ring true)

Saigon or Memphis? Give Me Saigon

I do not like Memphis, TN. They have a fool for a mayor and are some of the rudest people in the world. I not only despise and abhor the Memphis Veterans' Hospital, I downright hate it. And Dr. Beavers...you best stay out of my neck of the woods. Show up and your nasty hateful, snarling peer group will be taking care of you. Bet Satan will be glad when he gets you BACK on his staff. It is my genuine hope and desire that I NEVER, NEVER, NEVER have to go back to this War Zone. Memphis is a cesspool and if the world ever gets an enema they'll stick the tube in Memphis. Insertion central will be around the Memphis VA Hospital. If you are a Memphian and this makes you mad, please don't come back. Also, it's not for me to judge my fellow man, I understand. But being rude and impolite has no rhyme or reason. And calling "Mayor" Herrington names? Look at his politcal history. Can't help that which is obvious.

Apparently I am not the only person with such feeling. Check out Jacqui Cheng's article at ArsTechnica. There's never been any doubt I support law enforcement. Yes, there are Barney Fife's in the real world, but most of the people wearing blue are good people. No doubt they have a job that would be impossible for me to perform. We need them and at times their jobs seem impossible. Our local PD is unobtrusive and friendly. Okay, don't speed in Saltillo. It's against the law and they enforce it. That suits me. Saltillo is 180 degrees when compared to Memphis.

There has to be a few good folks that live in Memphis. I just haven't met them. There are churches throughout the city so some good has to exist. Most of the folks you meet when you cross the border into Mississippi are nice folks. The close proximity to Hatefulville has not had negative results on the people in Olive Branch, Horn Lake, etc. Most newcomers in that area will tell you they migrated to North Mississippi to escape the crime and corruption of Memphis. Reminds me of the Hebrew nation leaving Egypt many years ago.

Maybe we'll discuss things technical tomorrow.

“We live in a stage of politics, where legislators seem to regard the passage of laws as much more important than the results of their enforcement.”
~William Howard Taft

Short Note

Yes, the absence is due to lack of time and positive material. Nobody likes to read a constant whine so I've refrained from posting for a few days. The scattered and random problems have not let up so I'll refrain from boring you. This shall pass and my normal sub-normal routine will be regained. Everyone hang in there. That's my plan...

"Drag your thoughts away from your troubles... by the ears, by the heels, or any other way you can manage it."
~Mark Twain

Wanting to See Wendy and Smee

Stayed busy all weekend with a few things accomplished. I know it was mentioned Friday that the whining would be over, but this an explanation...sorta'. I am running behind and struggling to return to the regular routine. Please tolerate my tardiness. It was not planned to make these extra trips to the doctor or spend the mega amount of time trying to recover lost data. This will all pass and my level of dependability will return to normal. Some rest was obtained over the weekend and what time I was awake was spent in front of a PC. So you see, my greatest desire is to finish all the work so I can go play. My Peter Pan Syndrome is calling me. Nothing would be greater than to slide on a Harley and ride for a day. Wow, even thinking about it de-stresses me. All in good time. Good Lord willing, I will be on track late today or early tomorrow. By the way, prayers are always welcome.

Want a good laugh? Click on the picture, which will enlarge it, then read the orange and yellow sign. It may not seem that way at this very moment, but the right to chill is always on my mind, lol.

"The only man I know who behaves sensibly is my tailor; he takes my measurements anew each time he sees me. The rest go on with their old measurements and expect me to fit them."
~George Bernard Shaw

Happy Birthday MOM!!!!!

Great wishes and enjoy your visit with Verdana, Uncle Snake and Mal!!

"Mother love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible."
~Marion C. Garretty, quoted in A Little Spoonful of Chicken Soup for the Mother's Soul

It's Hot on the Side of the Road

Okay, it's time for a break. After another trip to the doc I was cruising home glad to have that behind me. Then...the truck quit. Yep, driving down the road and it just laid down. Let me count a blessing and say that it is back up and running with no problems. Cost was minimal and it's running fine. Of course this 'adventure' consumed a considerable amount of time. Not a good thing, you know. Thank goodness my client with the data recovery problem was understanding and we will continue that project on site Monday. My client that needs cable and phone terminations is also understanding. The problem with software glitching for another client has been fixed with a band-aid so it can wait a few days. The gaming machine being built for a most understanding new friend (and hopefully fellow Guild Wars player) should see life late tomorrow or Sunday afternoon. The overhaul of a Dell PC should be finished this weekend too. Whew!

The data recovery plus implementation of new accounting software is definitely the priority. Hopefully these projects will be completed in two weeks. When all has subsided I'll answer the phone while in hiding. For a few days only emergency calls and rest. Then back to the grind. Somehow another visit to the doctor will occur later this week. There is a small amount of concern about health issues, but they are not serious enough to increase my stress level. Thank goodness, that meter is off the scale anyway, lol. Going for rest and cleanup this weekend. Thanks for the support everyone. The phone calls and well wishes do help. And especially, thanks for the prayers. Tomorrow should see a return to tech issues and whining should be on the back burner. But hey, you never know...I may go from turbo to warp whine. Please continue to pray for me. I certainly did some on the side of the road earlier today.

"Problems are not stop signs, they are guidelines."
~Robert Schuller

Another Trip, Another 1/3 Tank of Fuel

After sitting almost 2 hours the nurse declared I was not fit for tests because I had eaten. Frustrating. Now I have to turn around tomorrow and spend time and money to return. And I'll be hungry. This may be a secret ploy to make my lardbutt lose weight, ya' think? It would have been so nice had they informed me beforehand that I needed to refrain from groceries. It's just another trend in the march towards the Apocalypse. Gosh, I need a break. This pushes everything further behind. I am stressed, distraught, and very tired. Whine over.

"I try to take one day at a time, but sometimes several days attack me at once."
~Yane

Funny Video

Taking a short break. Just went to JibJab and viewed a hilarious video. Take a look; Time for Some Campaignin'. Thanks Verdana! Funny stuff.

Back to the grind of trying to recover data. Later.

Tape Calibration Tool

The problem with data loss continues and is only complicated with the loss of my #1 workstation. Am using a new approach. Instead of trying to retrieve the data from the 4mm tape intact the effort has turned to moving that data to the hard drive to see if anything can be salvaged. Somehow I think this may work, yet the compression will have to be deflated to see any usable data. Have downloaded a program that is trying to do this as we speak. This is a nightmare. This is a last ditch effort before starting all over again from scratch. If you ever want to see what computer hell looks like work with a failed tape backup. Does anyone have recommendations? Sure could use some help.

Please, please take my advice. If you are still using a tape backup go purchase an external harddrive backup kit (minimum of 2 drives). Then throw that tape machine in the trash after you pound it thoroughly with an eight pound sledge hammer. These devices rarely worked when recovery was needed and most of the time the problem stemmed from not creating a proper backup. Have redundancy on your backup: Use RAID or burn to CD/DVD. Do a major system backup of any servers on a separate drive once a month as well as daily backup. IF YOU ATTEMPT A RESTORE, BACKUP BEFORE STARTING THE PROCEDURE!!!

It's very late and tired does not begin to describe my mindset. Lack of sleep is not helping. Enough complaining for one night. Please take my advice. This will keep you from experiencing such problems.

"The man who doesn't relax and hoot a few hoots voluntarily, now and then, is in great danger of hooting hoots and standing on his head for the edification of the pathologist and trained nurse, a little later on."
~Hubbard

Printers are Heavy

One thing to say:

Flexeril

C ya tomorrow.

“Wisdom is nothing more than healed pain.”
~Lee

Just Re-Read Yesterday's Post

See Title.

"The sorrow which has no vent in tears may make other organs weep."
~Henry Maudsley (So that's what is causing these pains in the ass? Kleenex here I come!)

As Miss Scarlett says, "I juz hate it when it's sticky!"

Sometimes life just sucks. All I want to know is WHEN the nuclear strike is going to be deployed with the beach house as the primary target? I am possibly more frustrated than ever before...well, there was that era when the Vietnamese as a nation tried to kill me. Everything I touch has blown up this week and it's about to get old. My huge investment in the gaming machine is possibly gone with the wind. It won't post. Does anyone need an ex-computer-blower-upper as an employee? Please contact me. Hell, there's always aluminum cans on the side of the road. Probably cut my hand off if gathering them today.

The whiner is leaving the building.

"One cannot too soon forget his errors and misdemeanors; for to dwell upon them is to add to the offense."
~Henry David Thoreau (Wow, am I trying to wrap the old brain around this perspective!)

Legend

Many years ago I was introduced to a Windows utility program written by a fellow name Patrick Kolla. He lived in Germany. His program was and is dedicated to his girlfriend or someone he describes as the most wonderful girl on earth. She has to be understanding because Patrick must have logged some record hours programming during the past. I downloaded it, sent him a $20.00 donation on several occasions and still use the program on all my machines.

The latest version is still available for free download and he still accepts donations. He incorporated in Ireland several years ago and the rest is history. If you don't run SpyBot Search and Destroy, well, good luck keeping the bad guys at bay. The program has great depths and can perform many tasks other than zapping the spyware baddies. Version 1.6 has several improvements. The one that stands out is speed. He's cut the scan time in half. Awesome. You can download it at MajorGeeks under the Anti-Spyware category or go to Patrick's home page Safer-Networking. Here you will find other tools that are great additions to your computer protection software.

Again, he still takes donations. Don't be a cheap ass. Send this brilliant, giving man some bucks to help him stay active in the pursuit of spyware free computing. Thanks Mudslingr for the great tip about the new version. BTW, we need to order some of those kewl SpyBot T-Shirts!

Send Me a Song

Sometimes it's good to stop and smell the roses. With the world in turmoil over radical factions wanting to deprive us of freedom and people showing absolute stupidity in their absurd choices in the upcoming elections, it's time to pause and enjoy one of the good things in life. Turn up the volume, watch and listen. This is sheer beauty.

Told ya! Feel better? Tomorrow we talk about the new version of SpyBot.

"Beauty... when you look into a woman's eyes and see what is in her heart."
~Nate Dircks

Reflections: Today's News

ABC TV is banned at the beach house. The recent flurry about all the employees being ordered not to wear flag lapel pins or things red, white and blue has put me off this bunch of traitors. Last time I looked around it still seemed like I was living in the US of A. Now I am beginning to wonder. Anyway, I hope ABC TV goes to ratings hell and never recovers. Their programming sucks anyway. Google for 'ABC bans flag' and read the thousands of articles.

Well, shucks. How can I let Obama's latest posturing go without saying something? He wants to 'talk' to the goofballs in Iran and 'discuss' the missile launch they performed yesterday. Talk my ass! I don't think saber rattling will even do any good. These idiots WILL strike. Count on it. That "Imadinnerjacket" jerk running this backwards country should be the first to see Allah. If they want to enslave their women, perform unnatural acts with God knows what, hate EVERYONE that doesn't believe in their god plus want us dead and also stay in the dark ages concerning civilization that is their right and privilege. DON'T threaten me or my country in the process. Homey don't play that game. No fear. The beach house is ready. Thanks out to Cmonk for the funny nickname that befits Iran's latest incarnation of Hitler. What is the proper spelling anyway? Sure varies across the net.

Oh yes, in case someone hasn't picked up on it, word is out around the beach house this Obama guy is horrible. Even Jesse Jackson had negative remarks about him, lol! Then Rev Jackson did an Obama flip and tried to get out of it. If you are so ignorant that you can't see why you shouldn't vote for this guy then you are probably not reading this page. That works for me. And hey, what is with all this foul language on TV? Do these creeps think it's cute or trendy? It's not. Can we say, no respect?

Enough negativity. Time to take meds and get over a rough day. It's possible another rough one awaits just before dawn. Pray for me, please. Pray for our country, please.

"Each man must for himself alone decide what is right and what is wrong, which course is patriotic and which isn't. You cannot shirk this and be a man. To decide against your conviction is to be an unqualified and excusable traitor, both to yourself and to your country, let men label you as they may."
~Mark Twain (Can I get an Amen!?!?!)

Little Boxes Were Chasing Me...Wait...Was That a Dream or What!?!?!

Just spent several minutes trying to find a link about Toyota installing solar panels on the Prius. After going to 5 different links, finally one was found that didn't have those annoying little boxes jumping up every time you hovered over a link in the article. Satan is truly alive and at work on the internet. Don't these jerks understand we don't want crap popping up all over the place when browsing? We finally get rid of the true form of popups and now they are back and worse. Am I being too sensitive or are there folks out there that agree? Inquiring minds wanna' know. Oh yeah, that link about the awesome Toyota Prius Solar Panel Concept can be found at CNet News.com, sans irritating little advertising boxes.

Y'all have a casual day.

"Let advertisers spend the same amount of money improving their product that they do on advertising and they wouldn't have to advertise it."
~Will Rogers

Looking Forward to Labor Day

Here's more incentive to start using the Firefox browser instead of Internet Explorer. Read the article at CNet's News.com. As recommended many times before, please don't try to uninstall Internet Explorer. You need it. It is necessary for Windows operations. Let me also mention Internet Explorer is a good browser. Firefox is much, much better. Prettier too. Also faster. Easier to navigate. And Sea Monkey ain't too shabby either. Is the name wayyyyy kewl or what??!?!

Hope the 4th of July weekend was great. Hang in there. We'll get through Monday.

"Most men pursue pleasure with such breathless haste that they hurry past it."
~Soren Kierkegaard

Planning? Not So Good

If anyone has a 939 motherboard CPU heatsink and fan, locally, please contact me. The better part of yesterday and the past 3 hours has been spent trying to find one earmarked for a project that is due TODAY. My level of frustration hasn't been this high in quite some time. I had returned the fan/sink unit to its original box along with a damaged CPU so I wouldn't misplace it before the new undamaged CPU arrived. Well, it's arrived as has everything else and there's no use assembling without that cooling unit. Now I will be behind and struggling since there are no retail outlets open on Sunday that carry such items. If I rob the one out of this machine then my ability to access critical installation data is gone and transferring that data to another machine is not practical. Now the house is a wreck, the 'all-nighter' has me tired and exasperated plus my stomach is imitating a concrete mixer. Anyone need a job cleaning the beach house? Promise not to get in the way too much.

You know, it's always somethin'...

"I feel like a fugitive from the law of averages."
~Mauldin

What Next? Will He Invent the Internet Too?

Barack Obama would rather climb a tree and tell a useless lie than stand flat footed on the ground and tell the truth. This guy changes in midstream just to suit his campaign and the horribly biased news media. Now he's wearing a flag lapel pin. Do you really want someone that seems to be lying if his lips move elected President of the United States of America? Certainly not. If you are so stupid that you can't see this huckster's demeaning politics then go ahead and vote. Maybe we'll get you elected village idiot or something!! Read more at the LATimes. As far as the hype about helping veterans: No thanks Mr. Obama. I'll damn sure take my chances with ex-POW and patriot John McCain instead of your deceitful ass.

Yes, these antics really concern me. Wonder which way the wind will blow in Barack's ever changing fantasy world tomorrow? Yep, he's about change. Just change church or anything...

"Patriotism is easy to understand in America - it means looking out for yourself by looking out for your country."
~Calvin Coolidge

Concern

On this day of national celebration it disgusts me that the despot running for President on the Democratic ticket has absolutely no respect for the greatest symbol of national freedom mankind has ever known. He probably wants to do away with the field of stars and replace it with a crescent moon. If you vote for Obama then you are NO friend of mine. If you vote for Obama you are no friend of these Great United States of America. His disrespect for our flag and our country is borderline treason. Please folks, use your mind. Go to the polls and vote for McCain. If you helped put Obama in office then you should be ashamed of YOUR treason. I pray that God will forgive you of this evil.

Please pause today and think about the fate of our country. It's time we stand up and be counted as patriots. God Bless America.

"We on this continent should never forget that men first crossed the Atlantic not to find soil for their ploughs but to secure liberty for their souls."
~Robert J. McCracken

Firefox Rocks!

With over 8,000,000 downloads in 24 hours Mozilla grabbed the Guinness World Record. Was there ever any doubt? This awesome browser has run glitch free since the 17th of June and is FAST!! If this wonderful browser is not in your arsenal click on the image at the beginning of this paragraph and download it. It's not only FAST, but far safer than Internet Explorer. Besides, it's prettier and easy to use! Read more about the record in Ryan Paul's article at ArsTechnica.



If you participated in this event then you should receive an email to download your personal certificate. Later.

"Electricity originates inside clouds. There, it forms into lightning, which is attracted to the Earth by golfers. After entering the ground, the electricity hardens into coal, which, when dug up by power companies and burned in big ovens called 'generators,' turns back into electricity. where it is transformed by TV sets into commercials for beer, which passes through the consumers and back into the ground, thus completing what is known as a 'circuit.'"
~Dave Barry

Headset That Mo-Thumps!

For several months I've used the Plantronics Audio 480 headset. It consists of two separate ear buds with a mic attached to one. These are lightweight, the sound is awesome, they are stereo, the inline control seems durable and they come in a nice leather carrying case. These were designed with laptop users in mind. They also come with a variety of earpieces to custom fit to your ear. Retail is somewhere around 70 or 80 bucks. I caught them on sale for $50.00. Not a bad product and they seem very sturdy even though they appear delicate. That said, let me voice my one complaint.

Okay, Ears like a Vulcan here. Huge ears that look funny and they ring at around a 1000 hertz tone. ALWAYS. It's called tinnitus and it has driven people crazy. I know that to be a fact. Some say I am over halfway to crazytown. After researching tinnitus on the net it is absolutely amazing how many people have this frustrating noise buzzing around. But, I deviate. My complaint is that after 35-45 minutes these become uncomfortable and will at random fall out of my Spock like ears. I love them for the quality, but they are now in my laptop bag where they belong.

Months of research had me looking at the Sennheiser 166's and the Turtle Beach Ear Force X1 model. The reviews on New Egg rave about the Sennheiser product and are mixed on the Turtle Beach set. Found the Turtle Beach set locally at Circuit City and decided to try a pair since they could be returned in 14 days. They won't be returned. Why did I decide on purchasing a headset with poor reviews? Because of the biggest complaint. Folks kept saying they have too much bass. C'mon is this really possible? To have too much bass? Don't think so. This inspired me to try them. Also, down through the years the beach house has used other Turtle Beach sound devices with great satisfaction and, damn it all, they just have a really kewl name!

Brought this bad boy home plugged it in, adjusted some settings, made sure the fit was comfortable on my elephant like ears and then took several interesting aural trips. First, Guild Wars. This is an online game that is truly a work of art. Immediately there was a plethora of information never before apparent. Just phenomenal!! Then I switched to some mp3s and after a variety of tunes decided they are great for music listening. Then onto the net and YouTube. Again nothing but great clarity and the most bass ever heard in a headset or headphone. Some perspective here. My normal headphones for the beach house media system is an AKG K-240 Monitor headphone from Austria that I have owned for years. Cost was plus plus at the time purchased, but well worth it. The Ear Force X1 is equal in bass performance! Might even be a smidge better when gaming, lol.

Since they are designed to work with XBox 360's chat function that all but assured me the mic would suffice. After use on TeamSpeak and Google Talk they have passed the mic test with flying colors. Great sound, great microphone and great comfort. They don't quite make it over my ear lobes, but the design is such that there is no pressure in that area. The inline control is easy to use and seems sturdy. Not often do I recommend a product this quickly, but these are a great buy. Even with this horrible had to make a clinic trip ear infection they press gently against the affected area. And using it behind the ear in mono mode is comfortable.

Check out this awesome product that works with both PCs and XBox 360s at TurtleBeach.

"Quality is not expensive, it's priceless!"
~Greg O'Quinn