My new BMW 328 Convertible - Once again, it was time to turn in my lease and get
something new. I loved my 135i convertible, so it was a difficult decision
to go back to the 3 series. There were a couple of things that made the
choice easier than it would have been:
1. The lease rates on the 3 series were much better than than the
1 series
2. Neither Memphis or Atlanta (where I bought my last car) had a
135i vert in a color that I liked. I could have gone to Arkansas to get
one, but I just didn't want to work with an unknown dealer.
3. I wanted a 328 convertible before I got my 135i and just could not
work out a deal to get it in my price range. This time around, I was
offered "a price I couldn't refuse".
So far, I do miss the power of the 135i. However, my daily commute
doesn't really have a lot of speed limits that can push the 135i or the new car
for that matter. In exchange, the new car is a much smoother ride.
This car has the iDrive navigation that has been bashed over the years.
However, I have to say that I love it. It shows album art for music on my
iPod, it allows voice control to find songs and albums, it has SiriusXM with the
ability to replay a portion of a program if I desire, it also has BMW apps for
when I am on a longer trip and want to integrate in Pandora and web radio.
I also love the bluetooth audio that will allow the user to start an audio app
on an iPhone and it will play it wirelessly over the speakers. I was
surprised that it actually sounds pretty decent. (I may post some pics when I
have more time).
|
Updated Living Room Headphone Area |
I decided to update an area in my living room for headphones and
to add some addition bookshelves for storage. A while back, I
fell in love with the IKEA Expedit shelving that I would see on some
of the audio sites I frequent. I thought it might work for
storing records, books, and most importantly, my headphone related
gear.
The next thing I needed was a nice, comfy chair. I have
lusted for a Eames Lounge chair ever since I first saw it on an
episode of Frazier. At that point, I decided I would
eventually have one. However, I did not take into account my
6'5 frame... I had tried the chair on a recent trip to New Orleans,
but I had my car in a parking area that had a 15 minute limit, so I
did not get the time with the chair that I had hoped. After
some conflicting information on whether I would fit, I
contacted Smart Furniture in Chattanooga, TN and asked them if my
height would be an issue. Surprisingly, they said it would be
a problem. The guy that runs the shop is over 6 foot and his
head is unsupported by the chair. That just wouldn't work for
headphones! :( Like a kid that learned he was allergic to
chocolate, I decided to seek an alternative.
While there isn't a substitute for chocolate, I found that there
wasn't really a substitute for Eames, either. However,
we looked in Memphis and found the Ekornes Stressless chairs.
Personally, I prefer the look of Eames, but these things are
comfortable and do not look like your average chair. I talked
to Natalie at Smart Furniture and decided to order it. If you
notice, I also got some risers that attach to the bottom of the
chair and ottoman that make it taller. Also, we bought the
Ambassador which is their large sized chair.
A couple months later, I went back to the Smart Furniture website
to get the measurements for the chair. I noticed they were now
giving away the $525 personal table with the purchase of the chair.
After a few rounds of emails to Smart Furniture, they agreed to give
me a table, too. They said I would not get my chair until
October since my order had to be cancelled, but somehow it arrived
in July with the table and I am a happy camper.
Many people have asked about the blue lights in the center of the
bookshelves. They are flameless candles that have many
different colors and run off of batteries. They come
with a remote that allows you to select colors and turn them on and
off.
I also moved my Marantz 2220B into this setup so I could listen
to the tuner. I love the wood box my dad built for it
and wanted to put it on display where people would see it.
|
New
Pics of the Bedroom Setup |
While these pics are not the most exciting, I went ahead and
added them to my bedroom system
page. This system does not get tons of use because we mainly
watch movies and listen to music in the living room. However,
most of this stuff was in the living room at one point, so I am very
happy with the system for occasional use.
Apple Airplay + Denon 4311CI - Apple's Airplay is another "magical" offering
from this company that seems to be hitting homerun after homerun. While I
have been using wireless to send music around my house to PS3, Roku Soundbridge,
and even Apple's own Airport Express, this new development is simply amazing!
What is Airplay and why is it so darn magical? Well, it integrates Apple's
iOS products (iPad, the newer iPod Touch, and newer iPhones) into your home
network and allows them to send a signal to certain Airplay devices.
As an example, lets say I have an album I downloaded with MOG music service onto
my iPad. While I can listen to the music on the iPad, I want to listen to
it on my main system. I just start the album on my iPad, click the volume
control and choose my Denon receiver from the long list of devices I own that
support the feature. It will then turn my receiver on, start playing the
song, and even allow me to control the volume right from the iPad. I also
have Apple TVs and Airport Express devices that allow it to be played on any
setup I choose.
The feature doesn't stop with just audio. If you have an AppleTV2, you can
also view photos and video from certain apps on the iPad. There is also an
app called TVOut Genie that will let you to surf the web while displaying the
video on the TV. All over the air!
As with all technologies, there are some shortcomings:
1. Slow adoption by app programmers - this would be a great feature for Hulu and
Slingbox, but so far, they don't support Airplay for video.
2. The Airplay feature only lets you send the signal to one Airplay device at a
time.
3. It would be cool to able to send Airplay from one iOS to another iOS
device.
4. Macs should be able to receive and Airplay signal.
Other than that, the feature is simply awesome...even magical! ;-)
I thought I would post a couple new pictures of my setup. I mounted
the TV, bought a new stand, etc.... I listed most of the new
stuff in other entries.
Click
on the pic to read more.
I am giving a new script from a Flickr account a try. If it works for a
month or so, I may change several of my photos to include the embedded notes:
We had some server issues, so my
site has been down for a few days. I still have some pics that are not
showing up, so I will try to fix those problems in the near future.
I got a new bed and moved my Sony 60 inch HDTV to the bedroom.
See more here. (I moved the
stacked speakers because I was not fond of how they looked on top of
the NHTs).
See my initial thoughts on the Sony PS3
You may also want to view my
photography page
with my camera, lenses, and accessory information. I have tried to
come up with a few shots with each lens that demonstrate what it can do.
While I have mentioned that many of the subjects on this site are not
personal, I think my
Photography section on Pbase will tell you a little about, me by what
I see through the camera.
To find out more about my lenses (with examples), please see my
UofMtiger photography page.
I encourage people to pick up the hobby, even if it is not for every day
posting. It really opens your eyes to your surroundings and gives
you greater appreciation of the simple things in life like a flower in
bloom, a fiery sunset, a butterfly's wings, etc...
You can visit this month's
Picture of the Day by clicking on the
photo to the left.
