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Just a random thought brought on by the release of the "Hunter" TV series on DVD. My DVD habits have declined drastically over the past year with the arrival of some significantly increased living expenses. Since I haven't been buying lately (save for a few films I really want to own), my...

I need a little input from anybody well-versed in mortgage structuring... I recently signed up for an 80/10/10 mortgage. The 80% mortgage is a 5/1 ARM at 5.125%, my caps are 2% annually or 11% over the life of the loan. The second (10%) loan is a 15 year fixed at 6.95%. My mortgage guy...

I'm 29, single, and just bought my first house (2 bed, 2.5 bath townhome). We had the general inspection this morning and I just finished signing a slew of mortgage papers. I feel that I've been treated well by everyone I've dealt with, but it's still been quite an ordeal (and I have yet to...

Is anybody here an experienced wine taster? I'm just starting to really get into it and think I've reached my first milestone (I can now tell good wine from bad wine). With regards to tasting, how does one learn to identify what they're tasting in a wine? How can you pick apart the taste into...

I have a 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix with the stock AC delco Cd player radio head unit. I just recently got an iPod and have tried the available FM modulators for use in my car. While the sound isn't terrible, I'd like to use a cassete adaptor or line out directly to the head unit, as I've been...

I'm looking to replace my old Sony 32FS13 bedroom TV, as the 32" direct view is a monster that is just too big to keep (physical case size, not viewable screen size) given the space limitations of my new apartment. I fear that I've been suckered by the coolness of flat panel (albeit LCD as...

After 8 years on a strong career path in accounting and finance, I've finally decided that being a finance guy for the rest of my life just doesn't float my boat. I'd really like to get into teaching business/accounting at the college level. I know I'll have to take a major pay cut, but I know...

I was over at a friend's house the other night and noticed that his Mits 55" seemed noticeably bigger than my Panny 53". When I got home, I did a quick measurement of my TV and found that my viewable screen size is approximately 51". I didn't have a tape measure and could only estimate the...

Hey y'all: Just got the Panny 53wx53 delivered last week and it looks pretty darn good with only "pre-break in" picture refinement (brightness, contrast, etc. according to Avia and the user menu dictated 9 point convergence) HDTV is amazing (depending on source material), and DVDs look...

After having the DVD for more than a year, I finally got around to watching the "Almost Famous" Director's cut DVD. Much to my dismay, the movie froze in one place and had numerous spots of pixellation, etc. When I took the disc out of the player, I saw what appeared to be the dreaded disc...

Hey y'all, I'll be taking a trip down to Athens and Atlanta for business on Thursday and will end up spending the weekend in the city solo (on my birthday, no less). I've never been down to Atlanta and will have all day Saturday into Sunday afternoon to check out the scene. I'd like...

Hey East Coast board members, I'm looking to plan a ski vacation for a group of twenty-somethings for a week in January. We're all from NJ or Manhattan, so our options for destinations seem to be Vermont or the Poconos. A condo/private home rental in the Poconos will be around $2,000...

Any news on a "About a Boy" release to DVD? I'm a huge Nick Hornby fan, and considering the good reviews while in theatrical release and the fact that "High Fidelity" got OK treatment with the book to movie transition, I've been looking forward to seeing this one for a while.

Anybody have any suggestions for vacation ideas in September? I'm supposed to be planning it with a bunch of friends, so no need for romantic getaways, etc. We're planning on taking about 10-12 days. We did London/Paris last year and had a blast, Las Vegas the year before. Pricewise, we're...

OK, I'm feeling pretty lazy today and Amazon is way too hard to get a comprehensive list. Any big releases hit stores in the past two weeks? Is it worth taking a run to BB? I already picked up the Usual Suspects SE and Training Day on their release dates, but didn't buy anything last...

Do direct view sets need time to break in like RPTVs? I'm asking because I picked up a Wega 32fs13 last Monday and it looked pretty good after minor color/brightness/tint adjustments. However, I was doing a little extra calibration last night and noticed some brightness issues along the top...

I'm currently changing places and have decided to purchase a new TV. My current 32" Phillips TV will take up residence in my bedroom. I really want to get a RPTV, but know that if I plan on getting one of those, I'll have to bring in a professional to calibrate it so I can get my money's...

This has probably been discussed to death but... I'm moving into a new apartment soon and will, of course, be setting up my home theater. I currently live in a dump, so all of my wires are electrical taped to the walls, with no attempt at concealment whatsoever. The new place is much nicer...

I'm currently looking for an apartment in the Central NJ area (Princeton, Lawrenceville, Hopewell, etc.) and am not having any success finding availabilities within my price range ($800-$900/month for a 1 bedroom). Have any of you out there had any success with Rent.net, etc.? I've tried...

I know this has been discussed a million times and I've done a search for old threads and believe I know the answer, but I just want to make sure... I just bought Full Metal Jacket yesterday (the remastered one). I know it's full screen because that's how the director wanted it for home...

I'm looking for some suggestions for some "feel good" movies. These are the films that, after they're over, you know that all is right with the world and you have a big grin on your face. These are the movies you have no problems watching over and over again because you get that same feeling...

Amazing. I walked into BB the other day to pick up Almost Famous - Untitled and found one xbox sitting on the shelf. I was thinking about buying one for a friend, but pretty much gave up on the idea when I realized how scarce they are. Needless to say, I grabbed that sucker and a copy of...

Doesn't being old rule? Remember when you were younger and you had to beg your parents for a new game, game console, or toy? I'm not even talking about a $300 system. I used to have to beg and whine or do chores so my parents would buy me a $5 GI Joe figure! The only real chance you ever...

I need some help. I'm having a friend of a friend build a computer for me, and he gave me some details on pricing, components, etc. Here's his suggestion: Either an AMD Athlon 1700+1.47GHz, or a 1.7Ghz Pentium 4. Either 512MB Ram with the Intel or 1Gig Ram with the Athlon. Plextor 16x10x40x...

I was watching the "Akira Production Report" on the Akira SE last night and thought of something. They have a segment in there that talked about the work required to set up each scene. In one interview, an artist said that all scenes were meticulously painted by hand. Even buildings situated...

Sorry if this has been discussed before, but the search function is currently down. Can someone tell me the OAR of "A Clockwork Orange"? I was going to pre-order the soon-to-be released collectors edition, but noticed it was full screen, while the normal DVD is widescreen (according to Amazon...

I watched "The Godfather - A Novel for television" this weekend on AMC (they had a marathon where they showed the entire thing (about 8 hours) back to back to back). It's the program that breaks the first and second movies into pieces and shows them in chronological order. I've noticed on...