Pete's Write

Creative has long been associated with computer sound technology and music, producing speakers that punch above their weight, literally ..  Their latest offering arrived in the third quarter of this year  in the form of the xf1.  Let’s turn the review around and get to the sound first since it’s been extensively reviewed already. Many reviewers have agreed it has good sound especially in the higher frequencies. It has clear mids and treble without being piercing. Its main deficiency is the lack of solid bass which is not surprising given its diminutive proportions.  You can add a sub but that’s one more cable and one more purchase. For what it can do you won’t miss that deep bass for zoom, YouTube and general use or even light music. If you want deep punchy bass you might need something more substantial.  I compared it to my reference setup based on the KEF LS50 driven by a rotel a11 tribute amp and clearly there is a difference. Apart from a more solid bass and...

Now about that new GST tax rebate. Japan was one of the few countries that still allowed tax refund on the spot when you shop but they had to stop due to abuse.    Now it’s like most other models where you buy, pay tax then show up at the airport with the goods then claim tax.  The amount to qualify for a refund remains the same but the total has gone up, and the important thing is now you need to claim at the airport before you check in your luggage.  On day one 1/11, there was minimal crowds at Kansai, probably because the smart shoppers would have finished their shopping a day before and were also worried about long queues and confusion.  So the new system is you buy something and get it acknowledged in the store as before but now you won’t get your money back immediately.  You bring it to level four, same level as the departure hall where there are two counters. You log in with your passport and follow the instructions.  They may ...

First the blurb from their website on their specs: https://www.leapfroglobal.com/armaggeddon-gaming-monitors/amg/PIXXEL-PXP-32-UXG Note that the site is not the most accurate, since the site mentions that the HDMI is 2.0 and in another place says it's 2.1. There are also no dimensions, but I measured it at 71.5cm across and 53.5cm high from the bottom of the stand at the lowest mount and the screen itself is 43cm high with a little chin at the bottom. The rarefied air of Retina display resolution monitors is a same club of a few select brands, which can give the finest resolution.   Why Retina display?   A Retina display is better because it packs a high pixel density into the screen, making individual pixels invisible at normal viewing distances. This makes text and images more comfortable to view for long hours and Mac upscaling allows crispy text even when upscale 200%.   Apart from Apple’s two monitors, the usual   offerings come from LG, Asus, Dell and Acer trad...

I have been using a google mesh wifi system in my home, and a ethernet backhaul backbone with 1gb network from Starhub since I moved to my current home in 2019.  It has served me well with seamless movement from floor to floor and even the gardens. My current setup has the modem and ONT sited in my storeroom next to the ONT point, and a TP link 24 port gigabit unmanaged switch sitting next to it.  The main router sits in the area between the living room and dining areas, providing a stable wifi in the level one and I have another unit in the living room to extend wifi into the front garden with backhaul on ethernet.  One more sits at the level two landing with  backhaul on ethernet, then another with  backhaul on ethernet in my den and the last in the wife's office on level three. Now with the upgrade to 5gb, I have swopped out the gigabit switch, added a new ONT and added a TP link 10Gb 8 port unmanaged switch. I'm no expert so these TP link ones are a real no ...

The recent Nepal-Tibet floods is a poignant reminder of the power of Mother Nature, and also the desperate situation over there, which was what drove me to join a team back in 2012 and 2013 to go over twice to help. I was there to do some social work, and render assistance, and in our second trip, we even manpacked a portable surgical OT complete with ventilation and curtains, kindly donated by a retired engineer friend. Nepal and Tibet are two mountainous regions, with underdeveloped infrastructure, and some of the toughest terrain you can imagine.  For my first trip there, we had to trek for three days, across ridge-lines and ravines, cross fast running rivers, sometimes on fast rope and metal cables and climb up to 3000m and setup the forward base for the porters who will bring in the heavy stuff. Originally the bus would carry everything, but the roads were full of holes and some roads were half their usual width due to the rains, or simple too dangerous. Whilst the hike was to...

The recent slew of measures by the government will affect HDB prices  First the elimination of the waiting period before private property owners can buy HDB  Second the increased chances for young people to own HDB as a result of the higher salary cap and the increase in the number of ballot chances With more eligible people vying for a limited pie, naturally prices will increase and as a result the resale HDB market will also increase too. This double whammy will be most acutely felt by those who don’t fall into the above two groups and now may need to dig deeper to afford a resale or pray for a good ballot as their odds will be reduced relative to the new couples. Then more may turn to the resale market and downstream you may also see an effect on the private property. Singles and those who are looking for a second bite at the BTO and even those downsizing from private will likely pay more.