Balance

The balance every night. On the right, being terribly sleepy. On the left, that music that don't let you stop listening, What will win?




Just one song more...

Getting better

Newtonian Li-ion

Everybody know Li-ion batteries. They are the ones that we usually get on our phones, tablets, laptops and almost everything. (Actually, the only products I remember nowadays continue using old Ni-Mh/Ni-Cd batteries are cordless phones and some cordless drills).

According to the info you can find, lithium batteries have to be treated in a totally different way from old batteries. For example, it isn't bad plug them in whenever you want, and is really bad wait to load them when they are completely empty. However, in reality, it's amazingly incredible how this and the 90% of the practices that you shouldn't do are false.

Lithium batteries perform much much better if you use them as old Ni-Mh batteries.

So, we can say that the performance of the lithium batteries, like the Newton's laws, is something that can only be demonstrated in practice.

Pleasure

People do crazy things to get pleasure. They don't know the only thing you need is finding the right music.

Soundtracks to share

I feel the necessity to share with you a great soundtrack that anyone want to miss. Here it is, from Iron man 3, composed by Brian Tyler.

This is the second to last song, which contains the main theme.

And this is the last song in the film (first in the credits) . It is different from the other ones but in the end you like it.

I really think you have to listen to the full score to achieve happiness and be successful in your life. Trust me.

Ladies and Gentlemen, new design.

What I never thought was going to happen.

It has been incredible the overcoming this weeks. This is applicable not only to professional stuff, but also to personal projects. Recently, I've been able to develop one of these (which I take from a film, by the way, and has to be with programming). I had tried to get it many times before. Some of these times I didn't really try, but it kept me thinking for a while how to do it. I never imagined I would get it so soon, actually I reckoned I'd need a lot of knowledge.

When I got it is when the problem came. Now I know how to do but I don't know what to do. I don't have the ideas. My objective is make my thing becoming something useful for everyday, but I can't come with something.

What a thing. I never thought this was going to happen.

Magic of equalization

It really is magic. Every single headphone or earphone can be improved very very much just setting the eq properly. I'd say that a  flat eq, which is the default setting (no equalization) sounds bad with every song. There is no song that sounds better with a flat eq than with another.

I am an audiophile. Fortunately, this is not something where you necessarily have to spend much money. With good not very expensive headphones you can go (assuming you have a computer).

The basics are headphones and a good player. I'd add some computer program to process the sound from the player, before it goes out. I really consider it's a basic essential thing for audiophiles, but let's simplify this in what I said before.

Apart from the headphones (which is something very important, so you have to be careful when buying and read a lot in the Internet, but again, you don't have to spend too much), is the player. It is not allowed to use Windows Media Player or iTunes. You need a real player with a powerful equalizer.

That's the point to start.

I feel good for being the first one who took the step.

Update

One of the usual feelings of the person who leaves his home for another, is feeling foreigner either in your home or in the new one. It's quite like being in the middle of nowhere.

Music for Sunday night #100

Tomorrow, everything will start. So, tonight, I want to share a song in order to have a good beginning. Enjoy.

Steps method

The Steps method is a 'methodology' which I've considering during several years and now it's time to explain.

The objective of this was evading the excess of worry about the things that we experience or will experience during our lives. I'll explain how it works with a simplified example:

Imagine one of your objectives in your life is driving from a place to another. This involves a series of Steps:
- First, you have to get your driving license.
- Second, you have to get a car.
- Finally, you drive.

3 steps.

What makes this rule good, useful, is that you only have to care about the current step where you are, not worrying about the next one or next ones. For example, here it'd be like this:

While you are trying to get your license you mustn't worry about how you can do to get a car.


The Step method works well in most of cases but the thing is, though, that not always works.

Supelux HD 668B (Full Review)

I want to introduce you to the Superlux HD 668B, a miracle from Taiwan.

Here, they are.

Superlux is a taiwanese brand very well known (in the Internet) for manufacture awesome sound quality headphones at silly inexpensive prices. The HD 668B is the most popular (and best, because I've bought them) model they sell. This headphones are design for professional studio monitoring, so you can imagine what is the quality they have. What you can't imagine is the price they cost. This depends on your location but it will be surprising anyway. Let's start.

What really matters, the sound.

The sound is VERY GOOD. Let's talk about it.
When I first plugged them, I had read lots and lots, tones of good comments, so many that I hoped an orgy of sound waves, but obviously, it wasn't so. However, I say they sound INCREDIBLE, I can't imagine a better sound.

Technically, they have very good bass, very good middle and incredible treble. Although treble is better than bass or middle, I'm not saying at all they aren't good, because they are, very. The bass is not what you hear from the awful Dr. Dre's Beats, they are not too much, not exceeding, but they have great punch however. The middle is also very good, correct volume, you can hear everything in these frequencies very good and very clear. The treble is great, brilliant, twinkly, just how it has to be.

 - Evolution

In the internet, lots of picky users who care about headphones say that these ones become different with 200 hours of life. It seems the bass becomes much better and louder, the middle becomes much better, and the treble becomes a bit softer and proper. Which is EVEN GREATER.

(Anyway I'm not going to plug them for hours when I'm not listening just to reach 200 hours of use).

- Equalization 

If there is anything in the sound that bothers you (improbable), it can be fixed simply with a bit of equalization. They are not difficult to equalize. But it isn't necessary really. You won't be at all disappoint with the 'default' sound.

-Volume

The Superlux speakers have a resistance of 56 ohms, which is almost double the usual resistance in common headphones. One of the things you may doubt about is if you'll need a headphone amplifier or a good sound card in your computer. The answer is NO. They sound very good and loud in a normal PC with integrated sound card. The sound is also quite a lot loud either in my non-loud Philips MP4 player or my Nokia phone. I like listening to loud music and I am completely pleased with the volume. In fact, I would say they sound louder than my 32 ohms Philips!

- Comparisons

The sound which comes out of this headphones is so good that you can check in the Internet which other headphones they are compared with. One of the most famous comparison alternatives (and one of the most cheap) is the Sennheiser HD555 which costs around $80 (Ebay). The Superlux turn out to be better by far, of course. They are often tested against AKG and Beyerdynamic models as well.

Packaging and box

The packaging is not a golden box with diamonds on it. It is printed with low quality ink, in fact, nor has
sponge inside to protect the king of headphones. However it is simple, beautiful and it works very good, so why spending more money in a better box?






Accessories 

The accessories Superlux come with are more than enough. Firstly, they come with a black bag to carry them which doesn't have any protection but it's very fine, very correct, I won't have to buy something where carrying them.You are provided two cables, one is one metre long and the other is three. You can put them together and make a four metres long cable. You also got a manual, a plastic clip to 'evade disconnecting the cable from the headphones by mistake', and a 3.5 mm to 6.3 mm jack adapter. Every metal part in the cables and the adapter are golden. According to the manual they are gold plated (as some HDMI cables). I don't know if it's true but I liked to read it.


Comfort

The system used by Superlux to hold the whole thing to your head looks strange but works. For someone it may be uncomfortable because of the pressure in your head (the manual says it is 3.5 newtons. Yes, it does). Anyway it is right so, otherwise, later on, it would be too weak.

-The pads

The pads is by far the most popular trouble with these headphones. People say they are very bad quality, they produce too much heat and your ears sweat. Well, now it's summer and I haven't had any problem with them. I have to say that I've tried much much worse pads than these ones. Anyway, all the headphones are a bit hot.

If you can't deal with the default pads you can get a replacement. Most of people buy original AKG pads for the K240 which fit perfectly in the Superlux, but they are expensive. You can find these things in Ebay too, starting from a price of $9.

HOWEVER, it is known that the sound is modified by doing that. The new pads, which are not the same plastic don't get a seal between your head and the speaker so well as the original ones do. As a result the sound can escape and bass become lower. 

Any problem?

Well, there is one thing that bothers me, but I have to accept it. The Superlux HD 668B are semi-opened headphones, which means that part of the sound can escape and part of the noise can come in. So, to my mind, the worst thing of these headphones is the isolation (any other semi-opened or opened headphones suffer from the same). It can become a problem if you like listening to music while travelling, like me.

Conclusion

If you don't buy one of these you are an idiot.

Superlux

At least a year ago, I discovered this miracle of taiwanese production. I really wanted to have Superlux headphones, but having a deep thinking I decided not to buy them (my nice Philips were already working). And they keep going (with little fixing), however I will start a new phase in my life and I won't have my loved stereo nor my Pc speakers near. So I've decided now is the right moment.

Review soon.

The tragic end of arts

A picture is worth a thousand words.

Music for Sunday night #99

Tonight, I bring a good song from Death Magnetic, by Metallica. This is an album that you enjoy more each time you listen to it. Great heavy song this one. Enjoy.

How everything work.

Why does everything in this f*cking world which we have to live in cost money? Shitty world.

We know the stupid answer. Everything involves an effort which is the price we pay, but I don't give a shit right now.


Then, why do we blame miserly people? They are how they are because this world makes they be so.
I'm becoming miserly.

Music for Sunday night #98

Last week I was searching for good duet to enjoy, the best. And I got what I looked for. Enjoy.

Different ways of carrying a fridge

Several ways for transport a fridge. Share this post, maybe someone needs it.

LOW COST

EXPERT

PRO

Music for Sunday night #97

This week, I've discovered a beautiful song that I must share here tonight. Enjoy.

Music for Sunday night #96

Tonight, I want to show you this great song by Avenged Sevenfold which I discover when I was playing NFS Most Wanted. The game, (unlike GTA Vice City) has a poor soundtrack, but I can recommend this song, which will be probably the best of the OST. Enjoy.

Update:

New gadget on the right..

The liking for the differences

It will have been a good experience for them, but also for me. It has been a good experience to have had them here.

I love to speak to foreigners, so that they can let me know how things are outside. It is a cheap and risk-less way to 'travel'. I presume I like foreigners (most of them).

Now, I hope they have a good trip back and seeing them soon.

Maybe someday I will be a foreigner.

Contrasting

Today, I have been told a way of stop hating the place where you live. What you have to do is first, go abroad, and second, go back to your location. So, you'll like your place more.

But, I think it doesn't work. This is one of these things that depend of how do you do them.

For example, using this method, I'll guess I go to Mexico (I don't like the place really , just an example). Now,

- if I spent a week or two, I'd probably find the crime, car robberys or even food, quite bad. This way, I would feel better getting back to the place I am from.

- however if I spent two months living there, maybe I would get used to that and then when I went back, I might miss Mexico.


So, myth busted (in theory).

Can you wait for a moment?

There are several acts we repeat along our lives. For example, in the contemporary human life we constatly spend money. We are also frequently eating.

But the most noticeable is that we wait.

Music for Sunday night #95

Tonigh, a new song a mate (@Jo4nyMJ) sent to me. Not bad, positive sound. Enjoy.

Nearer

Today I am

Murphy's Law and people

Some time ago I spoke about Murphy's Law related to the time. Today, I relate it to people.

Whoever you search for help in the nets never is available when you really need him/her.
GUARANTEED.

Holy sh**...

Teens phone battery

Do you know how teenagers keep their phones alive? So is how I keep myself alive.
Teenagers recharge their phones every time they can. They plug the charger to the power for short periods of time. (Someone can say there is no problem because of the lithium batteries, someone just don't care. I don't believe lithium batteries manufacturers by the way. But lithium batteries are another matter).

Now, think sleeping is like recharging a battery. That's it.

Fortunately, I don't shut down like phones. I wonder how long I'll be ON. Someday I'll know.

Music for Sunday night #94

Tonight a great song I discovered thanks to GTA Vice City OST. Fantastic. Enjoy.

I can decide what to do at the weekend, but I can't decide to stay in my home or not. This is decided not by me.
Everything will change in the next months. Advantages and dissavantages. As fights aren't good, I know I have to wait. I am used to using a word for these moments, oh!: Patience.

Composer

Five minutes ago, I was surfing my Facebook profile when I clicked in a link to my website, which I thought it was out of service. But it is still working.

I'm remembering when I liked composing little songs. I hadn't check my website earlier because I remembered the songs worse than they really are. Actually I like them, and I can't know how I was capable of doing that.

It is a lot of time since I tried for last time to compose something, and I couldn't get anything. The previous time to this last one, I neither got anything, and so a couple of previous times, so I left it.

What I feel when I listen to my songs and when I enjoy them, is sadness because of the fact that I couldn't find any purpose for them, any aim. I feel my little talent for composing is wasted.

I've thought sometimes about composing something bigger now (and this is assuming that I am able to compose again), but why? There is no motivation. For what? What is the purpose? What can I do with the result of several hours of work? The only thing I can do is showing it for some days in the networks.

I wish I had a purpose. I wish I were asked to do some composing work for some short video, for example.

Music for Sunday night #93

Sunday night is better with good music. Enjoy.

Complaining about James Bond, Skyfall.

Yesterday night I watched Skyfall at last. I wanted to watch a good film and I did. Generally is was fine, but there are some particular details about I feel the need to complain.

- The plot; M.

What the heck does happen with M in the plot? I'm really disappointed with this fact. Why M is the centre of  the story? She was the simple woman in previous films who ordered missions to James, moreover it is evil and she doesn't matter James death in the film. I don't know why is so important in this film, why Bond almost die protecting her! What a stupid motivation for the film!
This point was terrible.

- The car.

Why Mr Bond is not given any good custom Aston Martin? That's crucial in these films! Moreover, he only get a pair of gadgets for the mission, a gun and a transmitter. That's not enough!
In the end we can see an Aston Martin, that's true, but it's in the end of the film, it's an old uncool A.M., and it is destroyed some minutes later.

- The music.

Oh, I can remember how popular was the Skyfall theme by Adele, when it was released before the film. It is a great song. But, do you know what? It is only played ONCE in the film, at the beginning! I can't understand why.

And that's it. Now, I feel free.

Music for Sunday night #92

Tonight I want to show you this song in which we can see something that I think never has happened in the history of the RHCP. I think this is the first song in which the components change their instruments. We can see how Flea leaves the bass guitar and plays the piano, and Josh leaves the guitar and takes a Fender 6-strings bass guitar. This is Happiness Loves Company. Enjoy.

Pre-amplifier

Yesterday I ended a new project. This time I made a pre-amplifier out of two old PC speakers.

The thing was not very difficult and it wasn't a challenge for me. I added a new function which is very useful. It consist in a button that lets you get the signal bypassed, so instead of removing the thing when you don't want an amplified sound, you just press the button.

It looks fine. I hope not to have problems with heat .

By the way, the LED you can see in the pictures is beautiful purple (instead of blue) and brighter.

The stuff

There are quite a lot of things I live everyday that I'd like to post here. I'm thinking in one of those actually. If I don't write them is because maybe I don't want to remember them if I find the post over here in the blog later.

Music for Sunday night #91

This is a song that I've discovered today. It's great! I feel the need of sharing it. Dragonforce. Enjoy.

Music for Sunday night #90

Pink Floyd released a great album long ago. This album was called Pulse, a live album. And this is one of it best songs. Enjoy.

Looper

Some days ago I watched Looper, a movie/film which stars more or less Bruce Willis, that I want to complain for. The plot is about time matters, time travels. I am used to like this kind of films, so I decided to watch it.

It was an slow boring film. Totally pitty. The bad thing is the whole film, and I said a pitty because the plot is so good, but it's terribly brought to the screen. It could have been great, but little motion, (maybe locations), no effects...

A pitty.

Music for Sunday night #89

And here is what I spoke about last week. Enjoy.

Difficult choices.

I found you, my new trainers.

Oh, dear, I'm becoming more picky as the time goes by. You won't believe what I have done for a new pair of trainers.

At least two or three years have passed since I bought my Joma 360. Great trainers, comfortable as hell,  more good-looking than I expected, and very very durable. But they did their work and it was about time to let them rest in peace.

And there went the big problem. How the hell could I find a worthy successor? I knew it would be like a headache.

I started just searching. I visited lots of shops but nothing. Of course I spent plenty of my lifetime looking in the internet. I can't remember how many hours I spent in Amazon. Everything but anything.
I was given a 10% discount coupon for a local sport shop chain, but even so I didn't succumb.

Later, I travelled even more kilometres and visited a new bunch of shops. I liked two items and I took some photographs to compare later. More kilometres, more photographs, more kilometres and of course, petrol. My fucking mobile phone failed me again AGAIN, battery ran out. (I think my phone has coped very well with the time and it is still useful, but dawn, it has left me in the lurch so many times...).

I had no photos to compare but however I found them. They were a pair of sizes bigger than I thought they would be. Beautiful black and red. I bought them.

Now I hope they are so comfortable as they look because I still have to test them. Do you want to see them? Please click here, Although in the photographs they don't look as well as in reality.

I feel happy now. Hope to enjoy them.

Music for Sunday night #88

Tonight I want to show you this song from The Avengers soundtrack. It's quite good and it remembers me the film, and the great Ironman. There is another one from the same album that I'd like to post. If I don't forget I'll post it next week. Enjoy.

The X project 2

After some interruptions I continue looking for.

The X project

TV

I've just repaired a television, and I feel great. I'm writing now that it works, I hope it keeps working for a long time, because if not, people will come to me.

Once this is said, I have to tell that it's fantastic doing these things. The fixed TV was a old TRC one, so thanks to whoever I read something in the internet before I touched it too much. These TVs are very very dangerous, well, you can die easily if you touch them not taking care. They store a great amount of volts, over 25.000 V in a component called "the flyback" for months after the last unplugging. If you don't discharge the machine before working, this voltage can kill you in just a second. A TV like this looks dangerous just looking inside...

Apart from that, and maybe because of the issue, in this TV there were also parts charged with 300 volts which can injure your skin. This is not a game.

Anyway I did it, and I feel so good possibly for how I've dealt with these dangers. I've had more than one and two bad experiences with electricity in my life and someday I will turn out hurt, but not today.

Music for Sunday night #87

Tonight, I'd like you to listen to these song. I listened to it the other day, it wasn't the first time, but it gave me goosebumps. Great Dire Straits. Enjoy.

Friends

These days I'm realising there are people that know how to take care of their friends very very well.

Student life. Teachers say we're selfish and self-interested, yes we are. What's wrong with that? Why teachers are surprised at our single interest in exams?

We have to be careful. Subjective things are as very important although they make you think they don't.

We are being taught wrong subjects.

Music for Sunday night #86

Tonight I want to show you one of the first (not exactly) songs of the RHCP that deserves to be bring to the present. Enjoy.

My Murphy's Law

I don't know how to call it. I had thought about a series of laws to post in twitter with the hash tag #MyMurphyslaws, or similar. Because it seems like if variations of the Murphy Law happen in my life, including the Law itself.

The thing I've realised today is my Murphy's Law related to the time. Have you ever noticed you can't find anything useful/enjoying to do when you have plenty of free time and your mind is full of interesting projects to develop when you are full of work? It seems like this...

Not cool...

Music for Sunday night #85

Oh! Dear reader, I can't play this song. Too many memories come. Anyway, you should play it and see if you feel something. Enjoy.

Music for Sunday night #84

Tonight we're listening to Pearl Jam. This is one of the best songs of their first album. Recommended. Enjoy.

The X project

I've been for almost two weeks and I continue, looking for something to do with the knowledge I have learnt. I need something. But I can't think of anything!
It looks easy, but nothing comes. You'll see:

A thing suitable to be built has to meet these two requirements. (Obviously, I have to be capable of making it):

1.  It has to be cheap.
2. It has to be useful.

Easy. I'm blocked...

Music for Sunday night #83

Tonight, I've been listening to a live concert by RHCP in the Slane Castle, in 2003. I really think this CD has all the best songs until that date. It is a perfect compilation. So, I'd like to show you at least one of those magic songs. Enjoy.

Music for Sunday night #82

What short weekends that I am having these weeks. Tonight we're listening to RHCP. Anything better. Enjoy.

Music for Sunday night #81

Just a few hours ago, I was listening to music during the way back home. Then I played the famous songs "For Whom the Bells Tolls" and  "Fade to Black" by Metallica. After they finished I was very disappointed with the band because I really felt the guitars, the distortions, drums..., everything very weak and soft, not heavy! What was happening? I didn't know. Maybe it was the sound quality of the CD, because it was made lots of years ago, and apart from this, I had been listening to a brand new high quality CD just before.

Anyway, I tried to solve it, so I played the last Metallica's album, "Death Magnetic", and, oh yeah, then things was sounding great. For a moment, I was disappointed with the band... Here is the song which threw light upon the issue. Enjoy.

Music for Sunday night #80

Tonight, we're listening to another RHCP song, because the more you listen to their songs the more you like. Enjoy.

Ungrateful

I offered to help you, don't you want my help? Ok. It's up to you, spend your money.

I'm 8

As I said to you I got a new laptop. It is common that a machine comes with Windows 7 home basic or premium pre-loaded. Those versions were designed for home non professional use, so I wanted to upgrade it to Ultimate version. I spent some days asking in forums how to do it, because new laptops are more difficult things to manage with than PCs. 

For example, there is a partition in the hard drive called "Recovery" that allows you to format your laptop or restore to factory default settings, and it is very delicate. So a clean installation was a difficult way. Then, I decided I would update from the system and some computer things more.

When I received my laptop, it came with Windows 8 inside.

Well. Some holiday hours lost...

It looked a good version to try. I mean, it didn't look basic or for beginners, and well! It is the last trend in computer operative systems! So I tried it.

I've only one day in migrate from my old Windows XP with some incompatible programs to W8. That is because my new toy is quick. Very quick.

It is amazing how stupid I felt the first time I started W8, but it is more incredible how fast I have learned to use it very fluently. I like this system. I'll keep using it. So, now, I am officially 8.  

The machine

The other day, for first time in lots of years, I bought a laptop (I'm writing with it). I was all the Christmas holidays searching for the best offer until late in the morning. First of all, I wanted to buy an Asus laptop. It was very very good, and it was very affordable. However, due to its powerful graphic card (which was mid range), the machine became too hot and restarted. It wasn't a common fail to all the units, but lots of customers suffered from it.

So, after thinking a lot, I got rid of the idea of the great deal Asus laptop and I went for another brand.
I chose Toshiba. Of course, I had to pay quite a lot more, but I considered it was worthwhile.

Now, I have it in my hands. I got a beautiful and powerful Toshiba Satellite laptop which is working fine for the time being. What I am doing know is testing if the battery works correctly and I already have more than one hour and a half to play.

Maybe the battery is not very good. According to the test it life is over 3 hours and a half, not too much, and in fact, it is physically small. The adapter is the opposite, because it weighs near three tones and is bigger than two school buses.

For now, I am happy with it. I hope it never breaks.

Music for Sunday night #79

As you suposed, this Sunday night I'm sharing a RHCP song. Why? Let me say, this week the Red Hot Chili Peppers have released a new set of 2 songs, which is part of "I'm With You Sessions" (I'm With You's B-sides). So now, listen to this new material. Enjoy.