Month: January 2021

It’s a Brave New Connected World for Home Audio and Visual Media

Posted by menyok on in Entertainment, Music

How the internet and wireless connected systems are changing audio and visual media within our homes. Is fully digital – non tangible video and audio becoming the norm?

If you have found yourself wanting to get a new audio or TV system, you will have probably noticed just how much choice you have and how many more possibilities there are to bring sound to your home. Many of use still have a large collection of CD’s, DVD’s or even older media such as tapes and vinyl but these days you don’t even need to touch hard-copy media.

Everything these days can be connected in some form or another but the most popular way is using internet wireless routers. Most of us are already using them with our computers, tablets and smartphones but did you know you can do it with some audio systems? Network connected audio devices are now available where you can download, store and stream your favourite music to other rooms in your household. You can use the hard-drive in your computer or a network attached storage (NAS) to convert your CD’s to high quality FLAC (free lossless audio codec) and even use downloaded 24-bit studio quality music files.

It’s not just your network connected audio that you can receive and play your music collection. If you have portable media devices such as a tablet computer or a smart-phone you can access your collection anywhere with a network with access to the internet. With such innovations in place music lovers are freed from just confining their enjoyment to just one room and could have smaller satellite systems in places such as the bedroom and kitchen. For those that are on the move can access their collection on the commute to work and even on holiday in other countries.

Home visual media is also benefiting from the new connected nature of multiple systems. TV’s can now be routinely found to be able to connect to home networks and the internet which is turning them into media hubs, where you can download or stream music and movies online. The proliferation of high-definition movies and program content is giving the perfect excuse to take your TV experience and turn it into a home cinema showcase. Virtually all modern movies come with multi channel soundtracks and most audio and video devices support additional speaker configurations. For those that have not experienced the difference that a home cinema system can have when viewing high-definition content will be surprised to the difference it makes to the enjoyment of your favourite movies.

Moving on there would be an increasing shift towards a fully digital, non hard copy attitude to the media available to us. We would no longer need tangible media such as disks as we would have all our acquired media be them music, movies, video, written and photography would all be stored in storage that we personally may or may not own in our homes. For media we have not made ourselves there would be access rights that we have bought so even if we somehow loose our media libraries we could still re-acquire what we had stored in them. There may be discussions as to if we would still prefer to own tangible media but I would think they would just gather dust somewhere like my current CD collection does.

9 Knock-Out Knits

Posted by menyok on in Fashion

Knits are like a winter fashion rite of passage. Those in the know about style say you need at least one in your closet. You can go subtle with a knitted accessory — such as gloves, a hat or scarves — or opt for a larger piece, like a sweater dress or a statement cardigan, worn here by “Real Housewives” personality Kyle Richards. Knits are as cozy as they are fashionable and can be styled dozens of ways. Make sure whatever you buy fits well and is structurally sound so it lasts for years.

Knit Pullover

Singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding wears this quintessential winter knit pullover with a pair of black shorts for a youthful vibe. Jene Luciani, a nationally acclaimed fashion and style expert, says this look is right on trend, and also suggests pairing a pullover knit with leggings, shimmering tights, tweed shorts or jeans.

Knit Jacket

The tossed-over-the-shoulder knit jacket worn by British model Alice Dellal is a timeless garment that’s universally flattering. “This is a versatile piece you’ll wear all the time, especially in a neutral color like this one,” noted Luciani. “She could have come straight from work, worn it buttoned up over the dress in the office, and then taken it off to reveal some tasteful cleavage for the evening out.”

Knitted Scarf

“A scarf is a winter weather essential, but fashion-wise it’s meant to be an accent piece, so you want to make sure it does just that,” advised Luciani. She says that while this scarf — worn by singer-songwriter Carly Rae Jepson — is a knock-out knit, it should be paired with either no hat or a smaller hat for better balance.

Curve-Hugging Knit Dress

Curves abound in this flattering knit dress worn by model Kyle Bax. “It’s really accentuating all her best assets without looking too tight,” said Luciani. “She’s completely smooth too, which tells me she has the right undergarments underneath — very important with a knit dress.”

Knit Beret

“I love a knit beanie cap with flowing locks and side-swept bangs peeking out,” said Luciani about singer-songwriter Brooke White’s knitted beret. “She’s also wearing the cap right at the crown, which is proper placement.” This chic placement shows off her face.

Cropped Knit Sweater

German actress Hannah Herzsprung stands out in this purple Chanel cropped knit sweater. Luciani said she loves bright colors in the winter and suggests not shying away from them. For a variation on this look, try a “button-down cardi with the marbled effect and stay in the color scheme of the skirt,” she advised.

Sequined Knit Cardigan

“I love a good metallic, especially around the holidays,” said Lucini of German singer-songwriter Bahar Kizil’s sequined knit cardigan. The sequins punch up an otherwise drab garment. “This sweater hits just above her hips, which still shows her shape, and she wears it open, so it shows off the sheer top underneath.”

Sheer Layered Knit Sweater

Ashlee Simpson pairs an oversize sheer knitted sweater with an undershirt and leggings. Luciani said the proportions here are good — baggy on top and fitted on the bottom — but cautioned to be wary of this look if you’re curvy since it can hide your shape and add pounds. She recommends this look for petite women, in particular.

Cropped Knit Cardigan

“No one does casual-chic quite like Katie Holmes,” said Luciani of the actress. “I love the leathery waxed look to the pants paired with the perfectly proportioned cardi and cream shell underneath.” When re-creating this look, keep things in a neutral color scheme like Holmes does and make sure every piece fits well.

Advice About Online Shopping You Should Know About

Posted by menyok on in Shopping

Do you hate all the inconvenience of going shopping? Online shopping is the answer to your problems. Thanks to today’s technology, you can compare prices, purchase the product you want and have it delivered within a couple of days. This article provides great online-shopping advice you should understand before beginning.
Do more research on the online store you are interested in before ordering a product from them. If a store does not provide quality service or products, you will more than likely find some negative reviews published on other sites. It is best to stick to online stores with an excellent reputation.

If you are going to be doing some shopping online, make sure you understand the liability for each credit card you use online. Many credit cards have automatic fraud prevention built in while others offer it for a minimal fee. You do not want to get stuck with purchases made on your card if the number is stolen.

If a company has a newsletter, sign up. Often, companies will give sneak peeks, special deals and coupon codes to people on their mailing list. However, be careful. You don’t want to sign up for every company’s newsletter or you’ll soon be buried under endless emails. Only sign up for a company’s newsletter if you really like their products and would use a coupon code.

When shopping online, you need to be extra careful if you are using your cellphone to purchase online. Using a public Wi-Fi can leave your personal vulnerable to hackers. Try to only use your secured network when shopping online using a cellphone and never use a public Wi-Fi hot spot to shop.

Ensure you always conduct your online shopping on a secured computer connection, such as your home Internet. Otherwise, you make yourself vulnerable to hackers who prey on those using public connections.
If a website is not secure, do not make a purchase. Simply look up at the web address when you are shopping. If you notice an “https” instead of an “http,” you can feel confident enough to insert your credit card information. However, if there is no “s” in the address, move on to a different site to be on the safe side.

Try being patient instead of overpaying for expedited shipping options. The speed of standard shipping just might surprise you. The dollars saved can be put to use in subsequent shopping sessions.

Always save or print out a copy of any order confirmation you receive when making online purchases. If you do not have a printer, you could always bookmark this page. You can also use Online Bookmark Tool. Should something happen, it will helpful for you to have your order number, product description, your name, and payment information.

Shopping online will help you save a lot on your favorite products and avoid crowds. It’s entirely possible to do your shopping in your sweatpants, with your feet up! And who wouldn’t want that? That said, the right knowledge goes a long way, so keep these tips in mind.