Audiophile Series: Mass Storage of Data

Five words:

Seagate Backup Plus Hub 8TB

Stick those in your shopping search and get yourself all the storage you need. I got one a year ago for around $170. Next year there should be newer, larger drives.

This drive I am recommending is actually a bit on the slow side, but it is fast enough for audio or video playback. You would never use a drive like this for editing (do that on your 7200 RPM or faster hard drive or an SSD). You know you will need all that storage sooner or later and with 8TB you will never pass on a file because you don't have storage.

A storage drive does not impart anything to the sound itself, but this particularly large Seagate is very handy indeed. It includes a couple extra USB 3 ports, of which you can never get enough. It seems to sleep automatically as it should and there don't seem to be any nasty fans or anything noisy.

Audiophile Series: Computer Audio Interfaces

There are a lot of great sound sources that are convenient to use from a computer. Unfortunately, the audio section of your computer may need some attention to really be audiophile quality.

Although I've used laptop, phone and tablet audio outputs with good hi-fi systems and earphones, I have also heard the differences - sometimes they just have a bit of audio distortion or imbalances that let you know you can do better.

My main setup has long included a computer, loads of great tube amps, and a collection of great audiophile loudspeakers (along with other sources). The audio interface for such a setup needs to be a real hi-fi device. I have used just a few. I had a Roland Edirol FA-101 firewire interface for a long time. I really did not need everything it did but it sounded really good.

When the FA-101finally died (I left it powered on for years) I picked up a Behringer UMC404HD. I still wanted multi-channel capabilities and studio inputs and wanted to try using a USB interface. It is a well built device and works great. I also picked up another Edirol FA-66 for real cheap on ebay, just because I could. I use it if I need more inputs or outputs.

For my laptop based system I got another Behringer, the UMC202HD. This interface sounds great. The 202 is my recommended interface for stereo. You can buy one second hand on ebay (use caution) for $40 or I think I saw Behringer selling them directly for $60 brand new. I have not messed with high end audio over a laptop HDMI output, but it may hold promise.

Upgrading to a Berhinger UMC 202 HD is a no-brainer. You will thank me.

Audiophile Series: BD Player for playing SACD ISO's

SACD ISO's can be made using certain rare PlayStation machines that have been isolated from updates. Many disc images are available. They can be played over PC's, directly on some gear, and burned to DVD media.

There are internet guides available on how to play SACD-ISOs from a PC - I may backfill and write my own some time. In the mean time you are on your own. Using a PC involves several components and some minor audio compromises but a PC sounds very good if you use decent gear (a nice audio interface).

You can also play the images directly from some devices that play DSD, but I haven't played with those. [Edit 2018. I have played with these and they sound good too. Not better in any way.]  I expect they are touchy and may want the files split.

SACD ISO's created by ripping via a PlayStation can be burned to writeable DVD media and played like regular SACD's on certain players. I recommend the Sony BD players. They can easily be found on ebay. Both my S580 my S470 were in the $35 range.

The digital to analog converters and analog outputs of the Sony BD players are quite good, but they get you stereo only. To use in surround mode, you need to go over HDMI.

The list is very specific. Although similar or later models might work, it is doubtful. These do work:

•Cambridge Audio Azur 650BD
•Cambridge Audio Azur 751BD
•Denon DBP-1611UD
•Denon DBP-2012UD
•Denon DVD-2910
•Denon DVD-3910
•Denon DVD-5910
•Denon DVD-A11
•Denon DVD-A1XVA
•Marantz DV7600
•Marantz UD5005
•NAD M5
•NAD M55
•NAD T585
•OPPO BDP-80
•OPPO BDP-83
•OPPO BDP-83SE
•OPPO BDP-93
•OPPO BDP-95
•Pioneer BDP-140
•Sony BDP-S180
•Sony BDP-S370
•Sony BDP-S370/BX37
•Sony BDP-S380
•Sony BDP-S470
•Sony BDP-S480
•Sony BDP-S570
•Sony BDP-S580
•Sony BDP-S780
•Sony BDP-S870
•Sony BDP-S970
•Sony BDV-E870
•Yamaha BD-S1067

The Rock Hall's Power of Rock Experience - A Review

The Rock Hall replaced the "hall of fame video" with a new projection and audio system and a new film. The old film was a recap of each years' inductees. If you sat through the whole thing is was pretty long (an hour+, I think), but the video was pretty cool and the audio outstanding.

The new system includes new screens that move, fake lights to shine on the audience' faces, fake speakers that light up, rumble seats (seats that vibrate), and a very short video (not even 15 minutes, I don't think). It's rubbish.

The new setup has little I would salvage if I were fixing it. The seating is just OK, but it could stay. The screens are stupid - their movement does nothing to enhance the experience - they need to go. The video is crap - show anything else. The sound is OK - I wonder if they maybe just used the same old stuff - they were fine - and added some new rumble to the mess. Keep the sound but get rid of the horrible fake speakers with light.

I am embarrassed by the whole thing. Fortunately the rest of the museum has not completely lost its way, but this exhibit is crap.

"Cleveland, City of Light, ...

... City of Magic"

- Randy Newman

This nifty resource lists bigger buildings in the city:
http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/ci/bu/sk/li/?id=101311&bt=7&ht=2&sro=1

Good reference for your perusal.

You were expecting Paul McCartney?

Yes, I guess I was. I should know better than to set my sights so high.

Brian Wilson and his band of very accomplished players came to the Hard Rock Rocksino stage in Northfield (Cleveland) Ohio on April 22, 2017. I had seen the Beach Boys several times over the years, but never with Brian Wilson. Having seen some of the recent videos and heard the great Smile album that was re-recorded (by this band?), I was expecting a high-brow musical experience with this, the Pet Sounds tour. What I got was closer to a Mike Love Beach Boys show without the charismatic front man.

The sound was the worst I have heard in this venue. The kick drum pretty much drowned out anything else. Everything else was just OK, but with the kick booming, who could hear it. There were some good vocal and instrumental performances that got ruined.

The song selection was very much just popular Beach Boys plus Pet Sounds. I was hoping for a greater experience from my first (and only) Brian Wilson show, but what I got was just OK.

Nicky Hopkins’ Greatest Hits

1. Blues De Luxe (Jeff Beck - Truth)
2. Gettin In Tune (really, all over Who’s Next)
3. Edward the Mad Shirt Grinder
4. Loving Cup - the Glimmer Twins
5. Drowned - The Who
6. Edward’s Thrump Up
7. Highland Fling
8. Volunteers of America
9. Baby’s House - Steve Miller

Simple SharePoint List Item Validation Example

Sometimes SharePoint validation can be touchy. This is a simple example of ...

If you answer "Yes" then you must also complete this other field.

VPN is a choice field. VPN Justification is a single line of text.

The formula is:

=IF(VPN="Yes",LEN([VPN Justifiction])>2,TRUE)

and the User Message is:

VPN justification must be completed

Simple and effective.

Setting a Due Date

This formula worked real well as

• a calculated default value 
• on a date only field 
• to set the due date to today plus two 
• and accounting for weekends:

=Today+2+IF(OR(WEEKDAY(Today)=4,WEEKDAY(Today)=5,WEEKDAY(Today)=6),2,0)+IF(WEEKDAY(Today)=7,1,0)

Concert Venue Ratings

As a seasoned and opinionated concert goer, listing venues strengths and weaknesses seems like it would be interesting and fun. When it is all said and done, we will see if it is useful for the global good. These will be mostly venues in and around Cleveland, Ohio, my home town. The posting will expand as time permits and experience grows. These will be generous at the top - there is room for plenty of grade A venues.

Grade  Venue  Narrative C Agora, Cleveland, Ohio No matter what they've done to try to improve this once great opera hall, it is a dump. Surprisingly good bathrooms. Scary hall and neighborhood. Excellent sound on the bottom. The top is more like an arena for some reason. Bad bar. The old Cleveland Agora on E21st was a dump too, but with low ceilings. They used to have shows in a smaller room here, and that was OK. A- Akron Civic Auditorium, Akron, Ohio Older auditorium with decent acoustics. Older seating. Weak concessions. A Allen Theater, Cleveland, Ohio Wonderfully renovated. Great sound, comfortable seats and good sight lines. The old version of the theater was big and beat up but not a bad venue either. A Beachland Ballroom, Cleveland, Ohio The Beachland has the best vibe of any concert venue. The ballroom sounds better than it has a right to, thanks to Mike Miller. The room is too square and isn't right acoustically, but Mike gets it to sound just fine. A Beachland Tavern, Cleveland, Ohio The tavern shares the vibe of the ballroom, just smaller. Both have good bars. B Blossom Music Center Peninsula, Ohio Outdoor venue that feels more like a stadium or festival. Huge. Close in can be intense, though. OK sound that is like a festival in back. Horrible for orchestra. Concessions passible. B Cain Park, Cleveland Heights, Ohio Nice outdoor setting. OK sound (rattles around a lot). Stupid moat in front of stage. There is a bar and food, but not much selection. B Connor Palace, Cleveland Great for plays if you don't have a seat that really sucks. The nose bleeds can get really cramped. A- E J Thomas, Akron, Ohio Great sound and decent seating. Multiple high balconies. Weak concession. Needs upkeep. A Foster Theater (Rock Hall), Cleveland, Ohio Intimate theater with great sound for smallish events. Comfortable seating. First class. A Grand Ole Opry House, Nashville, Tennessee Great sound, seating and consessions. 1970’s modern facility that works and has character. A Grog Shop, Cleveland Heights, Ohio This is the ideal stand-up bar venue. Small, quirky. Great bar. Things always sound OK. B- Hard Rock Rocksino, Northfield, Ohio Good sound everywhere. Flat floor seating with a few risers in the back. No class. Very weak bar. Interesting location. A- House of Blues, Cleveland, Ohio Great sound everywhere. OK bar (it used to be much worse). Somewhat over priced. It's a great place for a concert. B- Kent Stage, Kent, Ohio OK sound and not too big. Poor seats. Bad bathrooms. Dumpy old movie theater. A- Lakewood Civic Auditorium, Lakewood, Ohio Large older auditorium. Decent sound and sight lines. Cramped. Feels like a high school (because it is). B+ Mahall’s, Lakewood, Ohio Good sound. Garage quality seating but clean and unique. Good bar. A- Mentor Performing Arts, Mentor, Ohio Large modern auditorium. Good sound. Comfortable seats. Doesn’t feel too much like a High School (though it is). A Music Box Good sound, seating, food, even the ticket prices aren't that bad. Spiffy clean place. Great venue. B- Nautica Stage, Cleveland, Ohio Mediocre sound. Poor seats. Concessions vary. Large venue feel. Nice setting. A Nighttown, Cleveland Heights, Ohio Next to jazz club in the dictionary should be a picture of this place. Surprisingly good sound, good food, good bar, good vibe. D+ Public Hall, Cleveland, Ohio Sound is never good pretty much anywhere. Seating usually uncomfortable (sometime very much so). Usually very weak concessions. Old school arena. The Music Hall side of the venue is seldom used anymore. It was much better. B- Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio Usually decent sound. Huge venue with high altitude seating. Modern. B Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Lobby, Cleveland, Ohio Very tricky sound – usually not the best. Temporary or no seating. Fun for often memorable events. A- Severence Hall, Cleveland, Ohio Acoustic music sounds great here - anywhere in the hall (even way up high in the back). Amplified music rattles around and doesn't work very well. I preferred the 1960's configuration with panels on the ceiling. The seats are great. The bar is usually limited. B State Theater, Cleveland, Ohio Mediocre sound and sight lines. Unfortunately this venue is used for a good number of musical events. B+ Wilberts, Cleveland, Ohio OK sound. Quirky seating. Good food. Bar is good but have had stale beer on taps. Clean.

 
 

SharePoint Double Encoding Space in URL to %2520 - An Easy Solution

I got bit by SharePoint double-encoding a %20 (space) in a list name when I tried to rename a customized display form used in that list.

Now, mind you, these are two things I always avoid - spaces in list names and customized forms. But I inherited these, and then I proceeded to muck it up with the rename. The result was that links on tasks that went back to the list were double encoded - the % in %20 becomes an incredibly insidious %25, which is just a horrible thing in a web browser.

Now you might want to try some simple workaround or fix, like a redirect or something, but touching that %25 is real hard. I found a great solution using jQuery to rewrite the URLs. I did not try this but it seemed like it would work.

I found that if I renamed the list without any characters to encode, the links were all fixed.

Next I wanted to put the list back to the original name. This turned out to be impossible. No matter how I did this, SharePoint was nice enough to double encode the thing and make it %2520.

So the answer is to permanently change the URL for the list to not have any encoded characters (spaces, etc.). If need be, you could do some sort of redirect for anything with the old name, but this is largely unnecessary as SharePoint really does a good job with fixing all the URLS (just as it broke some of them).

Multiple Mouse Pointers

We can use touch, mouse, keyboard, voice control, and even various camera based controls that Microsoft and Sony have introduced, and I have used MIDI devices since the 80's, but there is a missing feature on our computers. What if I want to use TWO mice and have TWO pointers?

I'm not sure if there are analogous missing features for other inputs, but just think about the mouse. I use two mice most of the time (much of my waking hours). I got used to using a left hand mouse when I was having back and neck issues years ago. We often have two or more screens. But there is only one pointer.

Someone needs to think of ways to separate the inputs - much like touch vs. mouse, only going a lot further.

With MIDI, there were always multiple inputs available either on the same channel, a separate channel, or globally. You can use a couple keyboards, a breath controller, etc. to control whatever device is set to listen. The 32 year old Musical Instrument Digital Interface specification for serial data streamed at low speed was an example of how the problem could be solved.

Why is nobody working on this?

Opening Form in a Popup from a Link

I know I figured this out more than once (who knows, there may be another version on THIS blog somewhere). That, and there are multiple ways to do this. It should also be noted that sometimes this is a bad idea and won't work right, so think about how it might not work and test it!

Take yer link:

http://yadayada.com/qa/_layouts/listform.aspx?PageType=8&ListId={F06E16DD-3D2B-4022-8E76-495BAAED3DDC}&RootFolder=

and transform it into:

javascript:OpenPopUpPage('http://yadayada.com/qa/_layouts/listform.aspx?PageType=8&ListId={F06E16DD-3D2B-4022-8E76-495BAAED3DDC}&RootFolder=&IsDlg=1')

Bingo!

Greatest Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Performances

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is currently polling this topic: http://rockhall.com/voting/the-greatest-moments-in-rock-hall-history/. Voting ends May 1, 2015.

I consider myself uniquely qualified and exceedingly opinionated, having visited the museum hundreds of times, attended many events related to the museum (though only one induction, in 2012, but soon to be two), I bought the 10 DVD boxed set of induction videos when it came out a few years ago, and most importantly, I carefully listened to all the entries yesterday evening on my big hi-fi at as high a volume as I could take it.

So I mercilessly rated all the nominated performances from 1 to 10. The obvious favorite is posted in the #1 position on their page - the sublime While My Guitar Gently Weeps performance from 2004.

 

• While my Guitar Gently Weeps 2004 - I get chills every time. One wrong note sticks out. Still a ... 10
• Let it Be 1999- horrible rubbish. 2
• Roll Over Beethoven 1986- the real deal - Jerry Lee! Keith! A real JAM. 8
• Sweet Emotion 2001 -Nice Take on the song! Totally rockin. 8
• Light my Fire 1993 - Nice, nice Doors + Don Was and Eddie Vedder. Acid. 7
• I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For 2005 - UBoss 7
• When the Levee Breaks - Neil  Young and Crazy Zeppelin. He dominates ANY band! 8
• I Saw Her Standing There 1988 - Fun jam. Jeff Beck guitar solo! So many great moments. Dylan! 7
• In the Midnight Hour 1999 - The most soulful! 6
• The Weight 1994 - Best song of this bunch. Well performed. 7
• Honky Tonk Woman 1989 - Best party (just cuz it's the Stones for cryin out loud). 6
• Green Onions 1992 - Really bad. Keith, the Edge, Johnny freakin Cash, Neil Young, Joh... aw nevermind. 1
• Blue Suede Shoes 1987 - Carl totally carries an otherwise poor performance. 5
• Sunshine of Your Love 1993 - CREAM, A bit slower but better than ever. Real rock and roll. 6
• Enter Sandman 2009 - Welcome to Cleveland. 6
• I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch) 2003 - lost jam but lots of joy! 5
• Come Together 1994 - Good tribute to John Lennon. 6
• You've Lost That Loving Feeling 2003 - The vocals are hard to take. 1
• Last Night I Said Goodbye to My Friend 1996 - They should do this again in 2015. 4
• Hey Bo Diddley 1987 - Paul Butterfield rocks! 5
• Teach Your Children 1997 - CSN & JT. A bit rough. 3
• Teenage Lobotomy, Rockaway Beach, Blitzkrieg Bop 2002 - Green Day showing why they are being inducted. Great covers. 7
• Respect Yourself/I'll Take You There 1999 - nice. 6
• Higher Ground 2012 - I was there! It's about how I remember it. A cacophony at 1:30 in the morning. 6
• Wish You Were Here 1996 - Nice unplugger. 6
• Barracuda 2013 - Still works. The Gibson SG sounds great. What a riff. 6
• Crossroads 2013 - Geddy Freeking Lee! Great synthesis of performers. Dave Grohl. One of the best thanks to Geddy. 9
• Paradise City 2012 - Clevelander Gilby Clarke has the smallest ego on stage and should also be inducted. 6
• It's So Easy 2014 - I saw Linda in 1973. This did not capture that spirit. 4
• Smells Like Teen Spirit 2014 - Joan Jett channeling Kurt. Outstanding. 7

It was a lot of fun to watch them all. It took hours to do! After all the careful listening, While My Guitar Gently Weeps is still solidly number one. Crossroads is a surprise #2!

Other observations

Early on I was impressed with Billy Joel taking the lead in I Saw Her Standing There and elsewhere, but I also quickly hated Paul Schaefer's contributions. He did not belong on stage with the others, and he kept showing up, ruining many of the songs. Sorry, Paul. It didn't work.

 

I hope there will be great moments at this year's induction. Ringo and Paul can't help but be cool, Stevie Wonder inducting Bill Withers sounds exciting, and I look forward to Joan Jett. Green Day opened the 2012 inductions with a nice little set and a dozen f-bombs about the audience that arrived in a comatose state (and by the end at 1:30, we were mostly zombies). Hopefully we will be a better audience this year, but the line up looks huge again and I don't see how they can make it through the proceedings without going late into the night. Bring a blankie and pillow. 

You CAN Attach the Same Content DB More Than Once

... you just have to detach it first.

Let me back up. I think at least three times I've gotten all excited and apprehensive about restoring a test DB to a SharePoint 2010 farm for a second test because I already did a test in the same farm with the same database.

If you read this great Technet topic http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc287634(v=office.14).aspx you could walk away with the idea that you won't be able to attach the database (even though you have detached it).

Rest assured, that although the Technet posting is accurate, it is not trying to say that you can't attach the database, detach it, and then reattach it. I think it would have been better worded to simply say that all the site collection/GUID combinations must be unique, so you can't attach the same one twice.

Personal Automation - what I am looking for

I want my computer assistant (device) to always be on and watching and listening to what is going on. I want it to identify me by voice and face, and learn who other people (and animals!) are. It needs to interface with devices around me (communications, car, lighting, heating and AC, etc.). It needs to know where I am at all times and go with me everywhere.

We have the technology for all that and we can make it secure. I hope we don't have to wait too long for it to all work well. Microsoft seems pretty far down that path (farther than anyone else), but it isn't quite all there and working well enough to really be effective.

Why the Farm Account Can't Access or Configure Service Accounts ...

... and What is the Correct Domain Account for running SPTIMERV4?

These are two questions that have plagued man for too long. The answers are both 42.

The farm account can't access configure service accounts because it is not in the local administrators group on the server (or at least it is not supposed to be). Thus, it cannot change who runs services. If you want to configure service accounts you must use an account that is in the local administrators (make it yours or maybe the setup account).

The farm account is the correct account for running the SharePoint Timer Service (Windows service). The permissions must get delegated to it by psconfig or some other magical process.

Those are my answers and I'm sticking to them until I get a better answer. I based this on a bit of painstaking research and experimentation. I did not find the correct answer anywhere, but you just found it!

This is based on SP 2010 Foundation on Windows Server 2008R2, but I am pretty sure it holds true for a number of others.

Figure Skater Jason Brown Totally Looks Like Sue Heck!

Almost from the moment I saw him in Nationals I had the idea that figure skater Jason Brown totally looks like Sue Heck. I agree with this post that Figure Skater Jason Brown Totally Looks Like Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and the photos tell that story, but look at this:

 

Jason's genuine enthusiasm is a lot like Eden Sher's characterization of Sue Heck - they seem so over the top, yet they are totally sincere. You have to love them both!

Thrift Haul

I'm not sure if I've entitled a blog post "thrift haul" before, it is quite possible. Big or small, purchases of second hand things are thrift hauls, but the term also denotes a major score. I had a major score on Friday, August 30, 2013 in two cool sets of loudspeakers from one seller. A thrift haul.

I have a major weakness and definitely a hoarding problem as it relates to one thing - loudspeakers. Part of the problem is that once you acquire them, they are hard to get rid of. The good ones are pretty bulky and in general, most people (consumers) believe that loudspeakers don't need to be large any more - that somehow science has made the bulk unnecessary. This, of course, is not at all true.

I made a random, unplanned stop on Lakeshore Boulevard in Mentor to a garage sale. I was in my Town and Country, so I was prepared for what I found. First, there were two beat up looking old smallish speakers stacked on top of one another with $1 marked on them. They were said to be untested. They had stamped "Made in Denmark" on the backs of them and my memory went to work and identified them as Dynaco A-25's. Sold. But they were $1 each not for both! I told the seller that he drove a hard bargain and I was unemployed, and he almost gave me a dollar back. I told the two guys that testing these speakers would make my day. It certainly would have been the highlight if not for the rest of the haul.

As we were loading these in the Chrysler the guy mentioned that they had another set of speakers but they needed to retrieve them from the basement. I could come back (and I left my phone number). But after chatting a while (and getting some nice moon flower seedlings from their garden), one of the two guys got a dolly and (carefully) dragged out the first of a pair of Infinity Quantum 3 speakers. I remembered that Infinity used to make "great" speakers (before they made just "good" speakers, and my 2000 Chrysler has factory Infinity's and they are pretty good). I offered to help getting the other speaker but he insisted on getting them up himself. They mentioned that Empirical Sound in Cleveland had re-(coned or foamed??) the speakers in 1997 and that they mostly sat in the basement since then, unused. They were a little dusty but otherwise the cabinets were beautiful.

He asked $40 for the pair and I hesitated (do I need another project? do I want more big heavy speakers?). I even told them that these speakers probably would not become part of my system as I had Martin Logan's, etc., blah, blah. It sounds stupid to me now. So I bought them for $40.

Now I had a more difficult loading situation in the van, but it went fine. But these things are major ball-busters. They are supposed to weigh 110 pounds each, but I think dust and moisture from a hot day adds 10 pounds. Maybe 20. It felt like 150! So I used my "forearm forklifts" for the first time carrying these things down into the studio. I set them down in front of my Bozak Symphonies (which dwarf the Infinity's) not knowing how I was going to power these for testing.

I decide to look them up on-line before testing. They are Infinity Quantum 3's. The first entry I see calls them the third best loudspeaker in the world. A bit of hyperbole, but it got me thinking I would use the Martin Logan's hookups for testing (each has a Peavey 120/120 strapped to be a 240, and a big ass hunk of wire). I waddled the Quantums over by the Martin Logan's (SL3's) and these too dwarfed the big Infinity's. After connecting them and firing up the amps and turning off all the other speakers (I have a lot running in the large room, normally) I started the random source of Bob Marley Legend from HD Tracks (24 bit, 192 kHz). They sounded very good. Clean, and everything seemed to be working fine.

Putting on Jethro Tull Aqualung 24 bit 96 kHz (unwittingly a multi-channel version), I got my "ah-ha" moment. They sound amazing. Totally freaking awesome. The bass is exceptionally tight and pronounced. Not as powerful as the Bozak's but better defined (yet a little muddier). The mids and high all blend up from the bass beautifully and are completely transparent. It put up such a good sound stage that I had to stick my ear up to the Ohm Walsh 4 center channel to see if it was playing. Very impressive, and I am not easily impressed. I haven't tested extensively, and they sounded just average on a couple just average sources, but I went back to Aqualung (and Locomotive Breath) and again was wowed.

I am shocked that I now have a major new loudspeaker to get into my studio mix (that included the Martin Logan's and Bozak's along with an Ohm Walsh 4 for a center channel and a whole other set of cool ones for another surround in the same room). These are keepers.

So these two nice gentlemen (and I use the term loosely) made a major contribution to my loudspeaker hoarding disease, and I thank them. The A-25's will go into the hoarding pile along with the many EPI's, JBL's and so many other interesting speakers I don't need or use. Something else from my setup of speakers I do use will have to move out to make room for the Infinity's. They work perfectly (for now, using them could rattle them apart, you know) and I love the sound. It will be fun to continue to put them through their paces and pit them against the Martin Logan's and the others. Amplification will be a concern, but I have some surplus in that department (the 120/120 don't need to be strapped, for instance). It will be audiophile fun testing all this quintessential thrift haul.

Cleveland as a Film Location on IMDB

Here is an interesting search I stumbled upon. Cleveland as a film location on IMDB. It doesn't work from the Android app, but it does from the full site.

http://www.imdb.com/search/title?locations=Cleveland%2C%20Ohio%2C%20USA&ref_=ttloc_loc_6

The search yields 544 results as on the date of this posting, but that includes stupid things like sporting events. The search does a good job of sorting by "Moviemeter" but you can also sort other ways:

MOVIEmeter▲ | A-Z | User Rating | Num Votes | US Box Office | Runtime | Year | US Release Date

Numero uno is The Avengers. Number two is Captain America: The Winter Soldier. These were movies that took the liberty of disrupting things in the city during their making (and not really featuring it - Cleveland was a stand in for New York), but I think fans of the genre feel that these were good efforts.

I'm looking forward to Draft Day. Maybe it will turn me back into a Browns fan. Frank Langella wearing a Browns cap??

Of course you could do this for any city. File under useless information.

Photo credit: me; Cleveland food trucks on a Wednesday lunch run; panoramic mode on a Samsung Galaxy Note II