Item Get!

I'll probably post something with it later.

Demon Days and a rare pre-release copy of Insect Eyes by Devendra Banhart.

Chuck Palahniuk's "Diary"

Tell me how it is.

New loot!

My latest toy is Alternity Megatron, who becomes a (black) Fairlady Z. He couldn't find room to stick a Fusion Cannon into the car frame, so he had a pair of swords stashed in his undercarriage, presumably as part of his transmission.

I also picked up Divoom's iTour-10 capsule speakers for about S$29. These things aren't as good as my X-Mini 2nd Generation (normal price about S$49), but then again, they are cheaper. Time to review and compare:

• Packaging: Draw. the Divoom cappy comes in a nice clear solid plastic case which is simple and elegant, while the X-Mini 2G gets a pimped-out matte-finish cardboard box.
• Accessories: Draw. iTour-10 gets a mini-5-pin charging cable and a set of three mini-stereo adapters for 3 common handphone sockets (Motorola, Sony Ericsson, and Nokia), while the X-Mini 2G gets a microfibre pouch, a ziplock baggie, and its charging/audio split cable with a 5-pin mini-usb on one side, and a mini-stereo plug (for audio) plus a USB A male plug (for charging) on the other end.
• Presentation/Appearance: X-Mini wins solidly. While the Divoom has a nice clean glossy appearance and is smaller, it loses points for:
  • Being crooked when the top is opened to let the vacuum tube pop up.
  • Poorly-shaped mini-stereo nesting on the undercarriage, putting unneccessary stress on the poor cable.
  • The housing for the LED power indicator is smaller than the LED itself.
  • On top of that, the speaker feels way too light and plastic-like, making it seem even more like a bootleg. Props for having a grill to protect the speaker driver though.
    • In comparison, the X-Mini 2G has a semi-rubberized matte-finish surface wtih a nice effect on its colour (I bought the sexy red one), and it feels pleasantly meaty while not being too heavy to be portable - speakers need a little mass to improve the stability of their sound output. Its top stands level when it opens up, and the LED and mini-stereo cable are housed perfectly on the underside. While the speaker driver is not grille-guarded, it does have a raised arch over the middle with the words "X-Mini" cut through it, so they reflect off the driver's reflective face.
• Battery Life: Undetermined, I haven't figured out the battery life of the iTour-10 yet, while the X-Mini 2G has a generous 12-hour battery life on a full charge.
• Sound Quality: X-Mini, without a doubt. The iTour-10 hits a decent high volume, but the sound clarity is inferior, with a little distortion audible; also, the bass is very, very weak. In comparison, the X-Mini is not quite as clear as a top-of-the-line 2.1 speaker, but it certainly sounds much, much clearer than the Divoom clone, and the bass is intense - At higher volumes, the X-Mini 2G can actually jump up and down visibly from its bass output!

  • This is a double-edged sword, as the crazy bass distorts sound quality at extremely high volumes.

Amazing what sinking $20 more into a speaker can do for quality, innit?

edited 3rd Mar '10 9:01:01 AM by AceOfScarabs

Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VI (Advance), and Final Fantasy VIII GET!

Some new clothes (a red dress shirt◊ and two black ones, as well as some dress slacks), two Doctor Strange comics and a Moon Knight◊, and a new butterfly◊ knife◊; it's lighter and smaller than the other one I had, and fit together a little better.

I just bought a guarded switch, like you have on a missile launcher. So I plan on building something using that switch, a key-switch and a giant red button. Plus a lot of LEDs and maybe a buzzer or bell.

You should splice that switch into the 120v line powering your computer, label it "magic", and nail it to the side of your desk.

<- got a copy of his Literature professor's novel

Metroid Fusion and Zero Mission, together was about 10 bucks.

I uh... Bought another gun on impulse...

A relatively new and unused Sig 226 chambered for .40 cal, came with two magazines and a holster thrown in, all for 600 bucks. By itself, brand new, the gun is about 900 before taxes.

It was such a steal I couldn't help myself.. The guy even let me put a few mags through it on the range so I knew it worked fine!

Guess if I need to go guns akimbo I have something to go with my 229 now.

Brought back a rather strange assortment of stuff from the storage unit containing most of my grandmother's estate:

- an antique Chinese camphorwood chest, carved throughout

- a Japanese inkbrush painting

- a wooden model of a mummified fetus (long story) from somewhere in South America, probably Brazil

- an Argentinian gaucho knife, stainless steel with silver scabbard and fittings

- a pair of pre-Vatican II scapulars, picked up on impulse

No more stories are told today, I'm sorry, they washed away.
No more stories, the world is grey, I'm tired, let's wash away.

edited 15th Mar '10 8:15:37 PM by Zudak

Discount GURPS 4E biotech sourcebook GET!
Preacher 4: Ancient History GET!

edited 15th Mar '10 8:29:44 PM by rumetzen

The new "Pearlsbefore Swine" treasury and Mental Floss: History of the world

@Barkey: Can I rob you?

Gundam Unicorn and Kimi Ni Todoke Volumes 2 and 3 GET!

Brownie GET!

Not exactly new, but totally awesome: The Flash #123 in very fine condition! Pretty rare to find, and a great addition to my collection.

Microsoft Office Home & Student 2007, with a free upgrade to 2010 when it comes out.

Cue Microsoft hate.

A copy of Mick Foley's autobiography Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks.

^awesome

Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion, Overkill's new CD Ironbound, and Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil get!

I have weird shopping habits.

Handmade walnut grips for my Tanaka Colt SAA Artillery. Photos tomorrow - camera battery died, I gotta charge it.

New pants. And a tie, but I still need a solid-color one.