Pete's Write

Sony has been on an almost perfect home run. The WH over the ear noise canceling headphones have been flying off the shelves, and since around version 3 onwards, also been dominating the market. The combination of comfort, good sound and very importantly in the modern video conferencing world, tip top noise cancelation and microphone performance. Now as the world opens up, the timely release of version five will also see buyers see if this makes a good airplane headphones for their trips too. In fact, in the world before video conferencing took over, the main reason for noise cancellation was for suppressing the aircraft noises. Then the other needs also came into play and now it's back to the original game of flying, so let's see how it performs. Some blurbs and tech info off their website: https://www.sony.com.sg/electronics/headband-headphones/wh-1000xm5?cid=Cat-PE_SG_Model:sem:goog:WH-1000XM5&gclid=Cj0KCQiAutyfBhCMARIsAMgcRJS3IYSdAfwLFROUwhhtsWyASjr2-ZsKHtzLaBHtUaIt3khW...

When I saw the actors, and the general styling of the movie, I was almost certain it had some involvement of Wes Anderson, who uses a rather similar style, but interestingly, it was not his work. There are a few classic genres or cinema tricks used: the unlikely buddy cop firstly, harkens back to the Dirty Harry partnering a newbie lady cop who is much less experienced, prone to mistakes but ultimately uses her energy to turn the tide and even save the main detective. The two cops are also very different, in age, sex and approach.  The plot seems to follow a who dun it, much in the vein of Agatha Christie, who is actually in the movie, played by a much younger actress, along with other famous names like Sir Attenborough. Many plot elements are true to life, and the play itself is actually something that was popular and well receieved. However the pacing, flashbacks and the twists seem to follow something that Wes would use, and this is actually a good thing, turning this from just ...

With so many superhero movies coming out in the past decade, one has to be special to rest above the pack. And can one too many be a bad thing? Marvel has shown it can generate hit after hit, with the climax blockbuster Endgame, it has surpassed it and whilst some of the follow on movies like Spiderman 3 has been successes, the others have been less well received.  In the Marvel vs DC comics battle, DC comics seems to have come off a lot worse if you count box office receipts and Black Adam is one of the latest that try to swing things back towards DC. Sadly, I doubt that it will, and even box office results indicate so. It seems that The Rock, who seems to guarantee a taking whenever he is in it, can't seem to excitement comic fans. Considering how much effort has gone into the production of this movie, the plot seems so derivative. There are scenes and plots that are taken from other shows, even the motif on the back of Hawk's flight chair looks like something out of Thunderb...

When caltex hints, check your gauge when shell rises, get ready if Esso follows it’s time to go… Sino will soon go and should you hesitate  then soon when SPC increase, you’ll have sorrow, if you try and wait til tomorrow… ** I have no financial interest or other interests in any of the items / events I write about.

So, when we entered 2023, suddenly, my mail and calendar no longer worked for my work mail as it kept asking for my password. After a clarification call to the IT support, I was informed that my workplace decided that the older operating system (OS) on my iMac was no longer acceptable, and I had to upgrade to OS 11 and higher, i.e Big Sur and up. I was worried about this, as I have been using the current system for ages, and it has served me well. Furthermore, it might break some of my apps, or worse make the entire interface unfriendly. Now, given that it's a Mac, I thought, well, that should not be the case, so I decided to do some backups, wisely as it turned out, on my Time Machines (TM) first. I'm not the devil may care, throw caution to the wind type, so I did three back ups. I was tempted to cut it short, and just rely on one, but this caution proved to be justified ... Some background, I use a 2015 Retina 27" iMac, with a hybrid drive that I event...

It has been more than a decade since my first Haiku fan and my review: Choosing a Haiku Fan And I have followed up with another  Mounting a Fan and Using more than one Fan Since then, I have gotten more fans, so I have at least one of each generation. They are a thing of beauty, but nothing lasts forever.. However the one that broke down first was the newest one I have, which is just coming to three years old. Now, most of the time, the motor last pretty long, and even the remote sensor works fine. However the power supply is the weakest link here, and it's not something that's plug and play.  The motor can also give issues less frequently, and you can hear it give out, or the ball bearings can wear out, but these give warning. If you have a sudden failure, especially if there is a thump or pop, then it is more likely to be the power supply.  So unless you are really handy and competent, you will definitely need to reach out to the local tradie or technician for help....

Some background: I have loads of data, I have photos, music, data from work etc, so I decided, having a NAS (network access storage) will be useful. There will be data stores, a Time Machine for my Mac, and I will also let my wife use it. With a help of a buddy who kindly dropped by, I got my Synology set up today.. Initially there was a bit of a scare as I couldn't find my HDDs haha He also suggested to avoid using all the HDD from the same batch, just in case there are manufacturing errors. So I am doing a 8+8+8 and later on as 12 TB in a four bay Synology DS920+, all Red Plus There are no screws needed, you unpacked the HDDs, there's a latch for each bay, you remove the sides, slot in the HDD, then place the plastic sides back. It only goes in one way, so you can't really make a mistake. Which bays get used first is fine. The initial steps were intuitive enough, you go to the "Find Synology" link, which quickly finds the 920+, and that's the easy part. Howe...

The appeal of music, played through a stereo setup, with a pair of good speakers, be it floorstanders or bookshelves with a good source and a solid amplifier, is a nice experience that does not get as much exposure these days with the draw of home theatre. It takes some time to wind down, sit down with a good book or drink, turn the lights down a little and play something that will keep you happy for hours. There has always been a stereo amplifier in my setup, and the day it came to replace the Marantz PM 11S3, which I have been keeping for quite a while, I was at a loss, it was almost like losing a family member. It was also the last of the Reference amplifiers with an analogue power source, and one that had the feedback of their guru, Mr Ken Ishiwata. ( https://peteswrite.blogspot.com/2014/04/marantz-pm11s3-review.html ) In my journeys, I have reviewed quite a few amps as replacements, and I had to be particular, as the Dynaudio Confidence Platinum C1 that I use them with do apprecia...