What Made you Smile/What Ticked you off Today?

[flex wood]

[Flake]

Knowing that he took the coward's way out when he had a family doesn't improve my opinions of him.

Is it really fair to claim that he took the "Coward's way out" if he was fighting severe depression?

I've done a little searching but surprisingly, I can't seem to find the etymology of that euphemism, "the coward's way out". I have a very strong notion that the phrase was originally meant to mean a suicide committed under a specific set of circumstances such as a debtor trying to avoid the public humiliation of financial ruin or a soldier who couldn't bear captivity were they taken prisoner. There's an origin to that phrase, I'm sure of it.

I likewise believe that the now-popular interpretation, that ALL suicides are "the coward's way out", is an intellectually (and maybe emotionally) lazy dismissal of a topic that is not easy to confront.

Suicide, in my opinion, cannot be a cowardly act. It's an act of ultimate finality. Most people hesitate before they order food for lunch. Imagine most people contemplating willfully leaving everything behind and putting themselves into the hands of whatever the universe turns out to be when our time on this planet is done? That's not something you do to avoid or defer a problem. That's a final decision, a move rooted in certainty that this is the only solution.

The person who commits suicide has made a calculation, right or wrong (I think it's almost always wrong) and to think that the people who are important to them like their family weren't part of the equation is to be willfully ignorant. The person who has ended their lives is as much a victim as the people they left behind. For Robin Williams (and all people whose depression is such that suicide is even momentarily considered an option), I deeply respect (while disagreeing with) the choice they made and at the same time, I regret that they were unable to either obtain the help they needed or recognize the nature of their own suffering.

Depression happens to so many of us that I think it'd be foolish to form a hardened opinion that people suffering from mental illness should 'just get over it' or 'deal with it'. If it can happen to a man like Robin Williams, who by almost all measures in American society should have been one of the happiest men on the continent, we all should take care to be aware of our own mental health.

[jp1]

Knowing that he took the coward's way out when he had a family doesn't improve my opinions of him.

Is it really fair to claim that he took the "Coward's way out" if he was fighting severe depression?

I've done a little searching but surprisingly, I can't seem to find the etymology of that euphemism, "the coward's way out". I have a very strong notion that the phrase was originally meant to mean a suicide committed under a specific set of circumstances such as a debtor trying to avoid the public humiliation of financial ruin or a soldier who couldn't bear captivity were they taken prisoner. There's an origin to that phrase, I'm sure of it.

I likewise believe that the now-popular interpretation, that ALL suicides are "the coward's way out", is an intellectually (and maybe emotionally) lazy dismissal of a topic that is not easy to confront.

Suicide, in my opinion, cannot be a cowardly act. It's an act of ultimate finality. Most people hesitate before they order food for lunch. Imagine most people contemplating willfully leaving everything behind and putting themselves into the hands of whatever the universe turns out to be when our time on this planet is done? That's not something you do to avoid or defer a problem. That's a final decision, a move rooted in certainty that this is the only solution.

The person who commits suicide has made a calculation, right or wrong (I think it's almost always wrong) and to think that the people who are important to them like their family weren't part of the equation is to be willfully ignorant. The person who has ended their lives is as much a victim as the people they left behind. For Robin Williams (and all people whose depression is such that suicide is even momentarily considered an option), I deeply respect (while disagreeing with) the choice they made and at the same time, I regret that they were unable to either obtain the help they needed or recognize the nature of their own suffering.

Depression happens to so many of us that I think it'd be foolish to form a hardened opinion that people suffering from mental illness should 'just get over it' or 'deal with it'. If it can happen to a man like Robin Williams, who by almost all measures in American society should have been one of the happiest men on the continent, we all should take care to be aware of our own mental health.

+1, you put it more eloquently than I, well said.

[jp1]

Ideally you want 5 (or 7) identical speakers for a uniform experience. This also helps with setting a proper crossover point for the subwoofer and ensuring timbre match. Some who don't research the topic might also be inclined the place the surrounds in the rear while they belong at your side slightly elevated beyond ear height. A vast majority of your dialogue will come from center channel and music from front l/r so you are correct that the front soundstage is usually larger, the surrounds are meant to introduce immersion in a subtle way. When you have rain on a movie for instance and it sounds like you are literally standing in it, you know you have it right. To each their own...but sound bars and surround in a box is not really a good starting point to judge the experience in my opinion.

All I need is my Sega's CD QSound.

Proper set up is key. Your receiver should have set positions for the dimensions of your room. Read the manual of your receiver like there is going to be a pop quiz on it. Some receivers have settings for "small" "medium" and "large rooms", others let you input the sq. footage. A good receiver isn't cheap, so utilize that equipment for the best sound possible. Totally worth the time to tweak the settings.

I do the whole seven speaker thing, but I have to say I have a friend who has a sound bar that really does a fantastic job. Maybe it's the size of his theater, but the bar does an incredible job of putting out "surround" sound.

Good part about calibrating your sound system is that I find it something that is fun to be obsessed with. Nothing like hearing the THX theme full blast in crystal clear quality.

Long winded response. Skip if you don't care about home theater or have already researched and/or are satisfied with your current setup.

All of this too. I usually trust Audessey to get all that properly calibrated for me, but I have been known to double check it. Another great reason to stay away from all of the HTIB stuff is they usually include a cheap receiver. I haven't been exposed to some of the more expensive soundbars so I can't comment on that bit. I personally have a 5.1 set of B&W running off a mid range Denon that in it's entirety (used) rings in under $1k so it is not what is considered high end or audiophile. It sounds pretty damned good when I am playing Bluray stuff though. My subs are not included in that price and they need to be upgraded, but it is a myth that a larger sub is always better. Depending on your main speakers cone size you should supplement with something close in size. So, 6.5" cones = 8"-10" subs, while obviously larger mains with 8" or larger cones will use a larger more powerful sub. If your mains are smaller using a smaller than 8" main woofer or you have a cheaper av receiver (Something under $700-800) then you should be setting your mains to small with a crossover somewhere above 60hz and let the sub carry the weight of the bass since it will be using a significant amount of power to do so and can make your speakers clip if the receiver isn't equipped to provide it.

So, I know that is all way off topic and probably more than anyone cares to read, but just in case...please excuse me if you already knew it or didn't care. I will drop it now.

Lastly, I am not proclaiming that there is one right way to do things. Please, take my opinions for what they are (opinions). It is a matter of personal taste and choice as to what everyone will like. Some people love their Sony setup from Walmart that was $300 and I'm not trying to invalidate that, there is absolutely nothing wrong with it.

[fastbilly1]

Ive had the gamut of home theater setups over the years - From high end pro audio to htib (no soundbars yet). And what jp1 said at the end of his post is the most important thing: if it sounds good to you, that is all that matters.

[nullxor]

I keep getting packages with consoles that I'm supposed to modify, but a lot of people seem to think that it's okay to send the package months after paying for the service or even before a deal was worked out and paid for.

Now I have a bunch of random consoles and packages that I have to figure out who owns what and what I'm supposed to do with it and half of the people don't ever speak to me again as they were new members to begin with and never log back into the site.

I have some stuff from several months ago that hasn't been claimed even after contacting them through several different outlets. Do I just sell this stuff or what?

Not sure where else this frustration would be relevant or have an answer for.

[TSTR]

Re: Sound

I used to do the whole surround sound deal. Now IDGAF and just rock 2.0 out of some big ol' towers. Less mess, less fuss, and works for me.

[Stark]

Re: Sound

I used to do the whole surround sound deal. Now IDGAF and just rock 2.0 out of some big ol' towers. Less mess, less fuss, and works for me.

#righteousindignation #shakesfist #KHANNNNNNNN

[BogusMeatFactory]

So I started a conversation about the new, Shadow of Mordor game coming out. I stated that I wasn't keen on how the tone of the game fits into the Middle Earth world and how that isn't appealing to me, but if it were in its own universe, it would probably benefit even better and be an awesome game.

Got a lot of crap for that comment, even though it was posted calmly and civilly. What makes me smile is that there were a lot of people who both agreed and disagreed with me, who told me they appreciated the honest and friendly discussion and appreciated me not being filled with hate over something like this. Made my day.

[Key-Glyph]

*brilliant, compassionate post*

Thanks, Flake. That was beautiful.