Knock, knock

[ararat]

Well, I stored my humax and my philips receivers in my basement together with Abcom IPbox9000HD. Humax and Philips didn´t do what I wanted (record HDTV, transfer tp pc, burn on discs for blurayplayer) and Abcom wasn´t good quality (recordings not flawless - irregular, but periodical image interferences).
With dreambox I can do all that I want.

If I used my receiver only for watching tv and not for recording/disc burning, I could do with Humax or Philips, too.

But I don´t pay monthly 45 € for pay tv plus ca. 18 € GEZ plus ca. 19 € for cable provider = monthly 82 € - for only watching.
My two dreamboxes are too expensive for that, anyway (about 2500 € both + 250 € for three Alphacrypt CI modules - 2 classic, 1 light)
In addition I buy blurays that I pay for and the empty discs that I burn my recordings on are not gratis, too.
Then I have homecinema equipment - 7 surround speakers + subwoofer (half as big as standard a refrigerator) + 1,47 m tv set 21:9 + Amplifier 7x150W RMS.

The only place I would ever consider to perhaps use a philips/humax receiver, would be my bedroom (but there the Abcom would be more sufficient, too - despite recordings not being flawless).
At the moment I´ve only got a blurayplayer in my bedroom for 3D movies and sometimes watch those there, because they won´t run on the tv set in my living room. I´ll probably not connect a receiver (watch cable tv instead) there.

Maybe ASTRA 19,2E reception is not the best in spain, renee. In Germany many people prefer that sat position (me, too). If I could use a motor, I would watch stations from more satellites, but I must hide my sat antenna and can´t install the devices I would prefer because I don´t live in a house of my own. I´ve onlx got a squared 45 cm Technisat dish, that I equipped with an Inverto UNICABLE LNB. The LNB + my receivers allow me to watch/record at least four hdtv broadcasts at the same time (if ever I needed it - but this never really happened - I once programmed three recordings - more recordings I only tried for test purpose).

I suppose that you don´t watch as much tv (cinema movies) as I do, renee. I usually do three times a day: breakfast 30 mins, tea 30 mins, supper and evening some hours. So it´s more likely, that I use different equipment from yours.

It´s getting late. Going to have breakfast. Will prepare my first cappucino with my new Melitta coffeemachine. A stock of cleaner(s) for the machine arrived this morning (three products; 1 milk+cream cleaner/ 2 anti coffee fat cleaner tabs/ 3 softening agent) - I only prepared normal coffee the first week. Now, that I am supplied with cleaners I will make drinks with milk (cappucino/latte macchiato).

 

[renee]

To revive this thread I want to tell you that
I put my Humax in the closet, I tried several times to
update channel lists and must have made a fatal mistake,
cant update and I dont know anybody here that can do it for me,
I will have to call around and see if sombody knows Humax and the how to

No, ararat, I will only use Astra 19E, I dont need more chanels since I only look at TV in the evening, also, I have now another
router from the local Telephone company (well from spain)
which included a satbox for spanish chanels.
They are smart, if you want to see a movie, you pay for it No, not me, they charge me enough as is

 

[ararat]

Yes, you´re right renee - Pay per view is much too expensive to use it on a regular base. E.g. prices will rise on SKY in february. One movie on " SKY Select" channel will cost five euro (+ 1 €), then.
Just imagine families with kids of different ages who all want to watch a program of their own taste (animations, etc. for the little ones / fantasy, action for the older ones) ...

Yes Astra 19.2 is my only sat position, too. If I could install sat devices of my own choice (and fix them onto the house), I would perhaps only want to receive Astra 23,5 in addition (lots of interesting hdtv channels). But you´re absolutely right, that there are enough channels on 19.2.
But I admit, that I mainly don´t watch advert interrupted "Free TV" channels (especially very seldom RTL and Pro7 bouquet - I´m not only fed up with adverts but with their stupid program as well),
but I mainly watch FTA ARD, ZDF bouquets and Pay TV SKY bouquet (History HD/ Nat Geo HD/ Discovery HD/ Cinema HD, etc.).

Tried to find (google) s.th. that might perhaps help you to revive your Humax 5400Z, but wasn´t really successful. If you saved your settings, you may perhaps be able to revive your box with alternative firmware, though.

Found hints, that a Humax 5400Z, after replacing the original loader could get "patched" (Google: "Humax 5400Z ToH Hot") with new firmware. Then you would automatically loose your stored channels and have an empty channel list on your box. It should then be possible/necessary to copy back your settings + channel list (or + downloaded channel list from internet) via pc again.
I don´t know, how good this works and how much effort such a procedure will take. Too much, I suppose. But there´s only few to loose if you don´t consider the time used for such a procedure as wasted.
In case, things go wrong with your Humax box, you only loose a single tuner DVB-S_SDTV Ebay 50 € box, that has seen its best times ages ago.
Nowadays, for 50 € you can already get a modern single tuner DVB-S2_HDTV box and even get better picture quality with such a cheap device. Such a cheap new satbox predictably won´t last as long as the older devices did, but who knows, if in some years from now you´ll get a new 3D tv and then buy a 3D receiver, when 3D broadcasts may have become standard in near future?
Technique develops so quickly and ... if your Humax 5400Z was an eight year old evening dress from 2004, would you still wear it? And, no - the 5400Z won´t become fashion again.
As for me, I´d rather say goodbye to that old friend ...

Well, you won´t like to hear this, (I know) but not all technique improves so much, that replacing devices means improvement: this is the case with my MICROWAVE OVEN!!!

It´s about twenty years old now - a "Panasonic Dimension 4". I bought it for 1300 DM (~ 650 €) - a huge amount of money, twenty years ago even worth more than today.

But the device is a darling and already has features that you may not even find in some of the most expensive modern microwave ovens. (Weight- + several automatic- programmes/ combine oven, hot air, microwave with different timings/ programming of three succeeding timings - e.g. 8 mins 800 W followed by 5 mins 600 W followed by 10 mins 440 W/ or just only bake a cake, barbecue meat without microwaves.
Up to now I didn´t find a device which could do more than mine.
AND: Even the original lamp still works!
AND: I still live, despite all the microwaves ruining my food (after about thirty years of using such devices).
Please don´t kill me for this:mecry:, renee.

Now I did all to let this thread fall into oblivion again ...

I´m late (googled too much for 5400Z while writing my post) - so my only post, today.

 

[renee]

My Humax I still have to let fix

Please, if you want to poison yourself with Microwave food,
so be it, ararat... I will not, ever
I sin enough with other bad habits I have but in general I do eat
the right things and cook the mediterranean way,
I pig out on cakes that I bake sometimes when I get in the mood, one after the other,
just because I dont like the taste of one or the other, I make another one to prove that I can bake a good one

 

[ararat]

I don´t think that I poison myself, if I peel and slice fresh, raw potatoes and then steam them within a ceramic pot inside a microwaave oven, renee.
I had them yesterday, together with chicken (barbecued on an electric contact barbecue device) and green (Eisberg) salad with finest native olive oil and herbs. Sounds very unhealthy.
But if you want s.th. better, you may try this (German page - I googled it after the "sous vide" cooking system had been presented on tv in amagazine about modern inventions):

In german (it´s a shop page - I don´t kow how good the device is - this is not an advert.)

hxxp://vakuumgaren.tradoria-shop.de/

It´s said to be better than the usual pressure cookers. Just watch the vid, renee. This vid and more can be found on youtube, too. Maybe it´s even interesting for those who don´t understand german language.

Although it´s sunday, I´m busy today.
Have to go to the cellar now, fetch some washed (hopefully dried) hung up clothes from there. Then go to my garage and disconnect charger from car battery. Then have tea. Only had breakfast/2 breadrolls + coffee up to now (6:16 p.m. = 18:16 GMT). Will have my supper at night again (Often forget to eat in time the last months.)

Have a nice sunday or sunday evening, all:thum:

 

[renee]

Thanks ararat, I looked at this youtube and it sounds
very interesting, I have to check it out more , normally
I do steaming when doing vegetables but this is not only easy
to use but also easy to clean, plus the price is right.
I do make a lot of soups, especially in the winter time,
I love them and I dont have to cook every day because a pot
lasts me two, sometimes three days - I do not like to freeze, dont know why, eating two days the same meal is just fine for me.

I agree with you, some things they have made better years ago than now, also one can repair everything, nowadays not.

I hope you enjoyed your Sunday :thum:

 

[ararat]

Maybe I´ll buy one of these "SousVide" pots as well, renee.

Once I bought a steam pot because I let a tv advert (shopping station) entrap me. I boiled some water in it (for a first cleaning), read the manual, wiped the gasket ring with oil and never used it again - too many parts to be cleaned after cooking, too many precautions, pot too big for my purposes (perhaps good for preparing big roasts).
The newly invented "SousVide" pot seems to be much easier to handle, clean and to be coming in sizes that suit my needs better.
Not an urgent thing to buy first, but I´ll keep it in mind.

First I wanr a new screen for my pc. My monitor from 2007 doesn´t work correctly any more. Standard mode still acceptable, but game mode, cinema mode, night mode, etc. show much too dark picture. Standard mode is a bit weak, too, but I can live with it to some degree.
Will wait until april before I buy a new 1920 x 1200 Monitor (16:10 , not 16:9). Shouldn´t empty my bank account too much and don´t want to hurry things and rather inform about different devices. I already took an LED model into consideration, but maybe during research I´ll come across a device that even convinces me more.
In april I´ll in addition get new speakers (Logitech Z906 5.1 active speaker system) for my pc.
Playing games, I sometimes get the impression as if some sound is missing with my old analogue 4.0 speaker configuration (2 x 2.1 active system). Two subwoofers to be placed in my office are too much. Both have independant power supply and independent volume controls. It´s better to have one command centre for all speaker´s volumes and less cables (now including a 230V cable - with new setup only low voltage cables under my carpet) lying under my office carpet. Connection to pc will get easier, too - only one optical SPDIF cable.
Hopefully audio performance will improve. Nowadays there is always some supply noise in the speakers, when they are activated but not running (slightly louder than the fans of my pc - right now I hear the buzzing speakers).. Hope I get rid of that and in addition get better sound especially in games.
Maybe I´ll get disappointed and the guards (in the game THIEF DEADLY SHADOWS) will still hear things that I can´t in my speakers. The guards say it out loud, when they hear a noise and they sometimes do, although my alter ego in the game stands still leaning against a wall - maybe he moves s.th. but my 4.0 speaker configuration doesn´t play it?
Well, I´ll find out.

I like the game so much, playing the thief who should better hide and stay unremarked, because he is too weak in combat and easily loses fights, that I started game editing.

I found a tutorial on the internet, how to do it. I haven´t got far, yet, but I already got some rooms with a guard and a servant walking patrol routes and I placed some (locked, unlocked, with handles, sliding doors) doors to open, chests to find loot inside, yesterday my first stairway and my first ladder to climb up inside a funnel.

Game editing with UnrealEditor for Thief3 is construction + computer in one.
I admit I forgot about writing my novel the last days. I will go on, but I will do some construction for some time. The rooms still look a bit empty, there´s so much to improve ...
I upload a (trimmed for some unknown reason) screenshot of the editor with one of my rooms - just to give you an impression.
Edit: Just found out that screenshot resolution was reduced by SU server during upload - original size of screenshot is 1680 x 1050 pixels. Maybe zooming helps a bit to recognize s.th..
It´s much more fun to see that the level works o.k. in the game.
Some editor windows (not shown on the screenshot) I wouldn´t have known how to deal with, if I hadn´t got the tutorial: often one draws things, but sometimes one has to fill in numbers that I never would have thought of to be necessary (e.g. how far goes a shadow being casted by an object - how far does a light shine - what opening angle does a door need, when you want to avoid it being embedded into the nearby wall).
---
Should Thief4 get published this year (as pronounced), there will hopefully be the possibility, too, to edit/build own levels/stories, but with improved graphics and probably some changes in gameplay. Could become interesting.

-------
Forgot to comment your new avatar last time, although I of course had remarked the change. Beautiful flower, renee - should have another look at them with my MAC (writing with pc at the moment), where the display is better.
The blue flowers against the black background which you had before caused an interesting strange kind of 3D effect on my old LCD monitor. The bright new one is 2D again, but beautiful.

------

I´m late again - no more time for more posts today, although I remarked through email notification that there are some new posts to answer to.
This post was already long enough for more than one of Claudia´s Games.


I hope all of you are fine:thum: and didn´t freeze to death or melt under the desert sun or get washed away ...

 

[Virtual Angel]

Yo mates...some clean in 3rds here....
Mods of section a little work are needed...
Many spammers around...
Best regards VA

 

[ararat]

Two posts in two days in this thread after a three months´ break, it´s like a renaissance.
By the way - "renaissance" - Renee still alive or left SU:mecry:?

 

[renee]

Sorry, ararat, I do miss our chats, I told you that
I cannot come here as often as I had before, there
are several reasons for it that I dont want to go into.
But you can always find me by e-mail or others.

Its very very hot in Spain at the moment and I hope it
will cool down soon.

Perhaps more later ... not here

 

[ararat]

Good to see, you´re still alive, renee.

Was missing the chat with you, too and I suppose others did as well:mecry:.

I can imagine now, that sometimes posting + mailing can get too much and that somebody may need a break.
After a lot of PMs in my mailfolders on different boards, I felt worn out, too. I felt like being on duty all day long at my home office with so many questions from different members for help.
Now I understand why some people´s signature says "No support via PM". It really can get too much work. Had to close my PM mailbox for public use, to have some more spare time left for myself.
Some minutes ago. I sent you a "friendship request" to make sure, you can still send PM to me via SU mailbox. (will have to send one to some others, too)

"But you can always find me by e-mail or others." ... by the way, renee - I did send you Easter email ... things get lost sometimes
even followed you - at least had a look at the boards you had mentioned (in email to me) springtime this year.

Can´t become member in too many boards.
I´m in so many boards, already and soon will probably even add one more, because I just changed the firmware image of my dreambox from CVS OE2.0 to Merlin3 OE2.0 (very much more satisfied with the new image).
In addition to your offer, I got invitations for a few other boards, but I couldn´t go there as well for some reason I could explain in private mail.
-------

Hope you don´t melt away in Spain, renee (or even have fire around your house). We had a cold summer start here and people were complaing (as always) that they wanted "real summer". Now that they´ve got it, they are complaining that it´s too hot.

Whatever weather people get, they aren´t satisfied for long. They want dry warm, but not too hot weather at daytime to go for a swim in not too cold and not too warm water, then pleasant warm, but not too cold weather in the evenings to sit outside for a nice barbecue and afterwards cold fresh but not too fresh air to get refreshing sleep, when they lie in bed.
Somebody should install an air condition device outside the buildings ...

I was very satisfied with the mixed weather (some hours sunny, some cloudy, some rainy every day - perfect) we had got, but since last week it got hot all day long (I hate that).
-------

Püppi is mainly lazily lying on the dried out lawn, waiting for food and whipped cream. Her right eye was dripping for some months - looked even like dripping blood sometimes. Wanted to catch her, but luckily phoned a doctor before.

"No use catching the cat - only treatment possible would be eye drops (and Püppi wouldn´t allow me to give them to her) - dripping eye shouldn´t harm her as long as the liquid wasn´t purulent - just observe and only catch in such case".

So I only waited and it went away by itself. Same counts for a permanent black spot on one side of her pink nose - looked like dirt - went away by itself.

Hope your cats are fine and can handle with hot temperatures.
-------

Sous vide pot - still one thing to think about (just gave away my standard pressure cooker). I´m eating too much fastfood, when it´s hot (not to heat up kitchen) - maybe sous vide pot would be a solution - healthy food + short heating times.

But I still don´t eat anything but my self baked bread - just got 25 kg of new BIO grain + 30 bags of BIO sour dough (don´t want half open glass with selfmade sour dough in my fridge) for the next months.
Neighbour loves my bread so much - sometimes give him half a bread - but don´t want to be baking every day. Sour dough bread always takes me two days - first day making the gough - then rest for 24 hours - next day baking. In between two sour dough breads, I bake one whole grain wheat raisin bread (for teatime) in my baking machine.
-------

Some more healthy things:
Got rid of all energy saving lamps (mercury inside) - bought expensive LED lamps for all rooms.
Got rid of Aspartame - still get two pieces Cyclamat (morning coffee), but then only Xylitol (just bought 9 kg) or real sugar.

-------

Still writing too long posts, as you can see.
Nice to hear from you again (whenever you like and you´ve got enough time).

 

[ig0r]

Hi renee you can write me your reasons in PM? Regards ig0r

 

[ig0r]

up to renee, mate i saw that you was here

 

[ararat]

Seems to have been a short visit, only:mecry:.

 

[ararat]

just to keep this alive

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJnQnFAvDZE

 

[unieno]

Knock Knock.....??

I want Nobody but you.

http://youtu.be/BA7fdSkp8ds

 

[ararat]

Music makes you feel alive,
but our lives pass by as quickly as a blink of an eye.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDXOioU_OKM"]The Maker - YouTube[/ame]

 

[ararat]

In order not to get too long posts in the game "associations", I continued my more private comments here.
Those who may want to know, what was talked about before - may click on the "Previous" button above.

@SassaFras

Really nice pieces of music that you uploaded on YouTube :thum:
I listened to more than only "Double-Edged Sword". Found four of your songs and I liked them all.
You´ve got a pleasant voice and what is worth a lot: it´s in tune!
If you played the guitar and even the bass - you really did well.
(So many appearances on BGT or similar shows in other countries, where the "artists" can´t play or sing but you definitely can!)

You ought to found a band or become member in one, if your time allows it. It´s really worth a try.
(You cannot always record multi channel and if you want to keep solo artist - you´ll need a record company or at least try starting to get known better, by performing on BGT or similar.)

Sorry to say about You Tube:
Very few people get "discovered" on YouTube, just only because they upload a video there.
How should watching people know, if they don´t come across your video more or less accidentally?
Those million clicks videos on YouTube are produced by clever management and media agencies.
Some people without a supporting background were just lucky (David after Dentist, etc.) and - what is important - they often got an eye catcher in the preview thumb of their video. People first watch (thumb previews) and then may listen, if they got attracted.

If you´ve got such an agency caring about making you known to the public, then you may even upload rubbish videos and people will watch it.
(Most famous "YouTubers" have contracts with such agencies - I saw on TV.)

2 million clicks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WLLpMBhctU
Just for kidding araound. Nearly impossible without such an agency pushing careers.


Your songs may get better known, perhaps if they had motion videos with s.th. extraordinary inside. If a video is kind of just LP cover like, most people will only listen, if they know the artist already. So if a "Queen" record with still video from a known LP cover gets uploaded, people may click on it. ...

I just wanted to explain, why there are only few views, although your music deserves more.

By the way: Whatever we´ll be posting here - we won´t get famous through this.
-------

How sad "Sweet Tears Bitter Wine" is. :mecry:
Hope, you were not in despair, when you were writing it.

Just found a short "tape recorder note" (guitar recording) when I really was in despair - maybe I even was drunk when I played with broken heart. When I listen to this little song - that I never finished - nowadays, it rather sounds like a love song.

(By the way - my voice is NOT always in tune on this recording . especially not in the end. I rather sound like a weeping girl there. My voice much too high here - at age ~28. I attach it, because it´s short.)

---
Meanwhile I even found three keyboard songs of mine, that I already digitized some years ago. (Forgot about them) I may attach one later*, because

Nice keyboard music by the way.

the YouTube examples were played by others not by me. I hope you didn´t think so. I never uploaded anything on YouTube.

(*Don´t want to exaggerate uploading too many files at a time and have some mercy on SU servers.)
---

The song of yours that I like most is "Brake the Soul" - I guess it would be the best choice for a first appearance (stage gig), because it has surprising "turns" in melody.

"Neverend" sounds to some degree influenced by "Moody Blues" to me.
(Guitar in this song slightly out of tune - probably g or h string. But don´t mind - I watched a classic concert on tv the other day - a violin, cello quartett accompanied by a very versatile professional guitar player - his concert guitar was out of tune, too - always five cents above the other instruments.)

---

Your dog (SassaFras) a girl:
What animal ever I got in my life - if mouse, hamster, bird, cat, etc. - always girls. They choose me. (I nearly always got difficult shy ones) .

No more time for games today. I´ll have 3D homecinema day this afternoon (friend visits me). Have to hurry now.

By the way - nearly same hairstyle -

 

[ararat]

First: Why did I place my answer here?
Because MY comments are often getting far too long for word games. This thread here is and always was "For all purposes".
Hope I didn´t do wrong with this. (No negative intentions with this.)
-------

I listened to your songs (all four) this morning again, @SassaFras .

my preferences:
1st Brake The Soul
2nd Double Edged Sword
3rd Can´t decide.
I guess Sweet Tears Bitter Wine first (especially, if it would be filled up with some - not too much - drumsounds here and there).
But it´s not fair to put Neverend at the end of the list.

Only my own taste, if I would create a playlist.
Which one is your favourite?

(Even recommended my yesterdays homecinema visitor to play your song at YouTube. )

Didn´t comment on lyrics, yesterday, because to me always first comes the melody, then the melody, next the melody and then perhaps, if the melody is good, I may listen to the lyrics of songs.

Maybe this is so, because I rarely played what I felt and often played what I didn´t feel. In some cases I even started hating songs of mine.
(Don´t you ever start writing songs with fun lyrics! People always want to hear the funny stuff only, then. I always heard "Oh please play that funny song with the cruel dentist, again .... Oh play the one with the fat girl. ... play the one ...", when I had my guitar with me.)

Your lyrics have lot of sadness inside. (Being hurt/disappointed by others. My problem is, that I´m not a native speaker of your language and may perhaps not always notice "hints" or "double meanings" in words. Therefore I shouldn´t comment on the lyrics. - But I hope, that I can feel, what you wanted to express. _ Yes, sometimes we go through hard times. ...)

I attach two recordings.
1. autumn.zip
A sad - much too long - keyboard song (I was not sad at all, when I played it). Most of the work is done by the keyboard´s automatics. I only played some chords with my left hand, changed effects and played the solo melody right handed.

2. jammin.zip
Bit long, too.
Some jamming with my busted western guitar. I had no lyrics and sang what just came to my mind right at that moment. I even sang the name of an unknown little village - only because it rhymed.
(I don´t like my voice on recordings).

 

[SassaFras]

Hi ararat, thanks for the kind words about the songs. Didn't realise that about Youtube Some great tunes you've got there. Love the guitar work in Jammin' and Autumn has a jazzy feel to it (great keyboard work) Heartbreak sounds more upbeat - despite the song's title

Neverend is about alcohol (from my younger days)...Sweet Tears is more of a Pink Floyd-ish composition, whereas 'Sword was one where I was just in the mood to get the guitar out and thrash for a bit - was written on the spot - great when that happens!

I've kept your songs (hope that's ok) will play them again tomorrow and really listen as been busy today with work.

Thanks to the power of the internet, maybe we could co-produce a tune ie; I add something to yours or you add something to mine via studio? I understand it may be difficult for you to play anything new...otherwise a brand new composition would be awesome.

All the best for now

Kev