*cough *cough

I'm not feeling so great these days... got a persistent and heavy cold. Anyway, here's a fine snippet of news for all'y'all:

I just installed them...

I don't usually post about tech stuff. Not because I'm not interested in it but because I don't think most of the folks who read my blog are (though, at least two of you are).

Anyway, I came across this little article on Engadget and found it kind of funny. For a few months in Calgary I installed HDTV/Home Theatre stuff (thanks Stafford) and not a few cables would have been Monster brand. I know the test outlined in this article isn't perfect (even though it was effectively a double blind, it really should have been a brand vs. brand test), but it would probably pass the MythBusters' standards. Either way, the point is where you make your money (markup is best in cables, not components) and what you and the customer believe/understand. Regardless, make your own conclusions. (You can also read it on Engadget here)

Audiophiles can't tell the difference between Monster Cable and coat hangers

We've always believed that the perceived quality boost that comes from using high-end cables is really just a trick of the mind (read: justifying the ridiculous cost of premium cables to yourself) -- if you've dropped enough cash, you can probably hear anything you want. Still, our belief is one thing -- cold hard proof is another, and it looks like a group of 12 self-professed "audiophiles" recently couldn't tell the difference between Monster 1000 speaker cables and plain old coat hangers. Yeah, coat hangers. The group was A-Bing different cables, and unbeknownst to them, the engineer running the test swapped out a set of cables for coat hangers with soldered-on speaker connections. Not a single one was then able to tell the difference between the Monster Cable and the hangers, and all agreed that the hangers sounded excellent. No wonder Monster has to rig HD displays. Still, we bet people still fall for the hype -- oh hey, if you're looking for the ultimate in sound, we've got half a meter of oxygen-free, triple-wrapped double-insulated Sonically Shielded AmpliSized Egyptian Llama cable here that we'll part ways with for just a couple grand

I have a Monster brand component cable. I paid store cost.
~Jon

Found it!

Ok, for those of you who missed the clip of Stephen Colbert interviewing Philip Zimbardo, I found it again. Make sure to watch it before Viacom orders Videosift to "cease & desist" too.

Worse comes to worse, go google colbert, lucifer effect, sunday school.


via videosift.com

Also, if you're looking for something good to read, check the Amazon.ca widget in the sidebar of this blog.
~Jon

*UPDATED* It's over

Well, I've made it through the ski rally. Now I just need to get back to normalcy.

The video below was on the Colbert Report last night. It is pure genius. I had heard about the "Lucifer Effect" on CBC radio before. The best, though, is watching Colbert slowly shift from his tongue-in-cheek shtick to theologically rocking this guy. Just goes to show that even though you're very smart doesn't mean you automatically know everything about everything.

The gold, though, is Stephen's closing statement. Enjoy.

VIDEO CLIP NO LONGER AVAILABLE ON YOUTUBE

"I teach Sunday School..."

*UPDATE: Well, they took down that interview from YouTube. I'll see if I can't find it again. In the mean time, enjoy this Hinterland Who's Who instead.

I'm a little exhausted.

The following film is creepy, informative, creepy, funny, creepy, classic, and creepy. If you've got a spare 15 minutes, enjoy. Right? Right!