Tuesday, February 12, 2013

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Skullcandy PLYR 2 Gaming Headset


Skullcandy has been a headphone company for a long time, but lately it's been looking to get into gaming products. This started with the company's acquisition of Astro Gaming, which makes our Editors' Choice A50 wireless gaming headset. Now, Skullcandy is releasing its own line of gaming headsets, lower-end than Astro's headsets and more targeted toward affordability. The Skullcandy PLYR 2 is its first wireless gaming headset, and it's built very much like a scaled back Astro A50 with a very reasonable $129.99 (direct) price tag. However, that price cut means it takes a big hit in audio quality from its alternatively branded bigger brother.

Design
The PLYR 2 features a wireless module shaped vaguely like a hockey puck with a glowing white skull on it. It has USB, mini USB, and 3.5mm audio ports on the back, and a notch around the sides for holding the included cables when not in use. To set it up, connect the longer USB-to-mini-USB cable from your computer to the puck, then plug in the shorter cable from the puck to the headset to charge it. The receiver uses USB for both power and audio; unless you're connecting it to a media player or other audio device, you won't need the 3.5mm port.

The headset is lightweight, though a little bulky thanks to the over-the-ear earcups, and slightly tight-fitting to boot. It's almost entirely plastic, and the matte finish and light weight of the headset can make it feel flimsy and cheap. However, it held up well in our tests, and has proven resilient when dealing with the standard bending and dropping a gaming headset usually endures. And thanks to its light weight, it won't weigh your head down.

The right earcup holds the Power button and a four-way rocker switch that controls volume and balance between voice chat and game volume. The rocker switch isn't ideal for changing those settings, since it's a little sluggish compared with a wheel. The left earcup holds the flip-down microphone, which is on a flexible rubber arm. When it's up, it clicks into place and mutes the microphone, so you don't have to worry about whether it's picking up your frustrated expletives.

Performance
Gaming headsets aren't known for amazing audio quality, and an inexpensive wireless headset like the PLYR 2 won't please audiophiles or users who want powerful bass. With our bass test track, The Knife's "Silent Shout," bass synth notes distorted slightly but noticeably, and didn't have the power or depth found in the wired, more expensive, Mad Catz Cyborg F.R.E.Q. 5. When watching video, dialog on the PLYR 2 sounds slightly bright, thanks to the headset's mildly forward treble response. It also doesn't offer surround sound audio, but that's not a big deal for gaming headsets; even when headsets have discrete drivers for each channel, they can't produce nearly the imaging and sense of direction that a real surround sound home theater system can.

Skullcandy PLYR 2For gaming, the PLYR 2 does the job, but it lacks the bass punch expected when playing games with lots of explosions. I played Team Fortress 2 with the PLYR 2, and while my Soldier's rockets sounded suitably loud, they lacked a sense of depth or weight. I could hear team chat relatively clearly, but the blunt, loud bass washed out some of the speech's texture, and the bright treble made dialog sound slightly crackly. The game/voice rocker switch lets you tweak that balance, but it still leaves the PLYR 2 with middling low-end.

The wireless range of the PLYR 2 is excellent. I walked the full length of the PCMag Lab, a solid 50 feet, before the audio began to crackle and fade out. The range is significantly better than a Bluetooth headset's 33-foot maximum range, and edges out the dedicated wireless gaming headsets we've reviewed in the past.

The Skullcandy PLYR 2 wireless gaming headset is affordable and offers plenty of functionality, but at the expense of sound quality. The weak, hollow bass and bright treble disappoints, but its $130 price tag for wireless gaming and voice chat make it a tempting headset if you want to cut the cord. Logitech's G930 wireless gaming headset costs slightly more, but it offers much better sound quality and is a better choice overall. If you really want to splurge, get the high-end Editors' Choice Astro Gaming A50 wireless gaming headset; it costs over twice as much, but it sounds much better and is clearly worth its price.

More Headphone Reviews:
??? Skullcandy PLYR 2 Gaming Headset
??? Mad Catz F.R.E.Q. 5 Gaming Headset
??? Munitio SV
??? TDK BA100
??? Sennheiser HD 280 Pro
?? more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/-Oa2PvQFJXk/0,2817,2415165,00.asp

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Poor sense of philosophy and history


I've been absent a while, but I seem to remember your "beef" with TKD, and it's lack of mental/philosophical development about a year or so ago. That you were leaving TKD to pursue Krav Maga and/or Hapkido. Without derailing this thread before it really even starts, I'm curious how your proverbial "walk about" panned out.

Also, I'm not sure who you are disappointed in around here, I have found that the majority of folks here offer quite a bit of knowledge when it comes to the subject. I am NOT a historian, but I do consider myself relatively well read when it comes to Taekwondo, and to a lesser extent general Korean history, and general martial arts history/philosophy. In 2008, for my master's test, I wrote a 270 page thesis on the historical and philosophical teachings of Taekwondo. Granted I do not practice Kukki TKD, I am a Moo Duk Kwan TKD practitioner, but I still consider what I do to be TKD.

While there are many all over the world that will capitalize on martial arts to turn a quick buck, I don't see many "devolved" practitioners, as you say on MT. Although, I've been gone a bit, maybe there are some newbies on here that I haven't met.. .

Also, keep in mind that before many martial arts evolved to later incorporate more of the philosophical aspects to the art, not the other way around. Many Japanese arts evolved from "Jutsu" arts to "Do" arts.

I would like to note, that I do not disagree with your premise, only that it has not been my general observation here on MT. The diluting has been a problem since the beginning in the U.S., and it will always be there. That said, there are still training halls out there that offer what you are looking for. You just rarely find them in your local strip mall.. .

Source: http://www.martialtalk.com/forum/showthread.php/107849-Poor-sense-of-philosophy-and-history

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Investment Advsier Public Disclosure : Retire on Your Terms

Are you curious about the background of your financial advisor or brokerage firm? Don?t assume finding a dependable advisor is a shot in the dark, use the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission?s Investment Adviser Public Disclosure website to develop a more informed opinion. This tool enables you to search for investment adviser firms, an individual investment adviser representative, and brokerage firms.

To access the Investment Advsier Public Disclosure tool, click here.

The SEC Investment Advsier Public Disclosure tool homepage.

The SEC?s Investment Adviser Public Disclosure tool homepage.

Source: http://www.retireonyourterms.org/?p=778

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Should You Save For Retirement Or Invest In Your Business?

The article was written by Tom Ewer, a regular contributor for MyWifeQuitHerJob.com!

Most of you have probably heard about the four hour workweek and are familiar with the general concept of lifestyle design The idea of creating a luxury lifestyle through reduced working hours and increased mobility is pretty attractive and calls into question all that conventional wisdom has to say about life and career.

investingMy thoughts on the matter were brought to the surface back in November 2012 when I was confronted (in the nicest way possible) by a commenter in a post on my blog.

In this post I want to reveal my unconventional thinking behind the whole issue of income and retirement and explain the thinking behind it.

Savings and Retirement Goals

I am very income-focused ? my general thinking is that the more you earn, the less risk you are exposed to. This of course assumes that you are responsible with your money and don?t simply fritter it all away, but that is certainly not my intention.

At 27 years of age I am not particularly interested in either savings or retirement, which is why I caught the attention of Sam from Financial Samurai in my October 2012 Income Report. In the comments section Sam asked what most would consider an obvious and sensible question:

Do you have any savings and retirement goals in mind?

My response probably wasn?t what he was expecting:

No savings or retirement plan at this stage ? at 27 years of age my focus is purely on reinvestment.

Sam was clearly taken aback by this and immediately advised me to start saving at least 10-20% of my after-tax profits for retirement. At the time I ignored the advice (respectfully) and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

Why I?m Not Saving for Retirement

Here?s my one sentence position on retirement: if you take care of your business, your business will take care of you.

Let me expand upon that. I am currently 27 years of age. I own an online business which incorporates freelance blogging, affiliate marketing and information product and eBook sales. I?ve grown the entire business from the ground up in the past 20 months or so.

I am extremely focused on income diversification as I see it as a means of reducing exposure to risk drastically. At this stage in my life I perceive it as being far more important to grow my business than save for retirement.

The simple reason why is because if I grow a business that is big and diverse enough to support multiple income streams, my retirement will essentially be taken care of.

In an ideal world, at the age of 35 I see myself with a diverse online business complemented by secure and low-risk property portfolio. Whilst I *could* save for retirement in the meantime, doing so would reduce my available capital and by extension hamstring the growth of my business. Saving for retirement simply doesn?t make sense to me at this age ? far better to reinvest the money.

The conventional notion of retirement planning is best reserved for those who are in full time jobs ? for business owners I believe that the considerations are completely different. If you can build a business that can either (a) produce or (b) be sold for more than enough money to support you through retirement, why would you *also* save?

Having a backup to your business should the worst happen is one argument, but if your business is suitably diversified then it becomes a case of how risk-averse you want to be (and I simply don?t feel the need to be that risk-averse).

The Alternative to Saving for Retirement

Although growing your business to a level where it will be capable of supporting you in later years is one way of cancelling out the need for a retirement fund in the short term (i.e. when you are still relatively young), I actually have a proposal that I consider to be the solution regardless of your age.

That solution is very simple: live below your means. Or to put it more directly, spend less than you earn. Ideally, quite a lot less.

This is something that many (most?) westerners seems to struggle with. We are addicted to debt and ignorant of the consequences. Credit cards and loans make us feel like we have more money then we truly do ? a slippery slope. It?s like an obese person who bemoans their weight gain while still gobbling down junk food and soda ? the end result is tragically predictable.

When you live below your means one magical thing happens: at the end of every month you have money left over. You can then put that money towards rainy day savings (which I *strongly* advocate ? three months as a bare minimum) *or* reinvest it into the business so that your monthly income stream continues to increase. Either way you?re golden.

Unless you are already in financial dire straits then living below your means is probably possible right now ? even if you?re ready to tell me that it is not. Consider your expensive car loan, cable bill, and any other number of luxuries, then ask yourself how much you value your material possessions over peace of mind and future prosperity.

The One Key Factor

The key assumption behind all of this is that you build a passive (or semi-passive) business that is capable of supporting you through retirement ? either through its sale or passive income generation capabilities. For instance, one might argue that any online business I nurture over the next few decades would require my involvement at retirement.

But if I spend that time funneling the earnings from my business into a low-risk property portfolio that could easily be managed for a fee, my retirement plan is looking pretty rosy.

I guess it all comes down to this ? putting money into a retirement fund isn?t going to make you much. If instead you take a holistic approach to your business and remind yourself that your aims are to support yourself now *and* in the future, your business can be your retirement plan. And at the end of the day, because you reinvested that money rather than saving it, you?re far better off.

photo credit: photosteve101

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Making homemade guns on a 3-D printer becomes real, so engineering expert suggests stronger laws on gunpowder

Feb. 11, 2013 ? With controversy swirling over gun-sale background checks, limiting the size of weapon magazines and retaining Second Amendment rights, the problem of making homemade guns with 3-D printers has become a matter of public concern.

Laws mean little if a determined criminal or a hobbyist teen wants to make plastic guns or extra-high capacity magazines, says Hod Lipson, Cornell University professor of engineering and a pioneer in 3-D printing.

"With a homemade 3-D printer, you can print a gun using ABS plastic, the same material that LEGOS are made out of. You can even use nylon, and that's pretty tough," he says. "You won't be able to make a sniper rifle with a 3-D printer and it won't shoot 10 rounds a second, but the gun you can make could be dangerous. And a high-capacity magazine is nothing more than a strong plastic box with a spring. It's trivial to print."

Lipson and co-author Melba Kurman just published a new book, "Fabricated: The promise and peril of a machine that can make (almost) anything." (Wiley, 2013.) The book includes a chapter on "3-D printing and the law," which addresses the legal and ethical challenges raised by 3-D printed firearms. The book also explores 3-D printing's impact on consumer safety, intellectual property, and ethics.

As Lipson and Kurman detail, three-dimensional printers are intended to do the world good. In industry, 3-D printers can make hard-to-find spare parts and complex new devices. Researchers are developing techniques to 3-D print tailored and personalized body parts like heart valves. 3-D printers can even make food.

Lipson explains that on the Internet, there are blueprints and designs available to 3-D print guns. As an engineer, he's seen dubious rogue designs online. "Some designs are not safe," he says. "More than criminals, I am worried about innocent kids making guns and injuring themselves. What happens if the design is faulty or if the plastic was printed at the wrong temperature, rendering the gun weak? When fired, it could blow up in its user's face. All kinds of parameters go into making 3-D objects and when you introduce an explosive such as gunpowder, that's when things can go wrong," Lipson says. The small footprint of new personal-scale manufacturing systems also makes it easier to fabricate firearms more discreetly than before.

Lipson agrees that a more effective gun control solution worth exploring might impose legal limitations on gunpowder rather than gun parts and accessories such as magazines.

Says Lipson: "If I were talking to lawmakers, I would encourage them to address the most basic part of a firearm -- the energy source. You must have gunpowder to fire a weapon. The law could regulate the explosives. To fire a bullet, you need high-energy propellant like gunpowder. After all, 3-D printed and arbitrarily shaped plastic firearms are going to be increasingly hard to detect using traditional screening techniques. A high-capacity magazine might look like something else. It may be more effective to control the gunpowder."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Cornell University, via Newswise.

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Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_science/~3/nl88YqsnQLc/130211162114.htm

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Clean-up begins after tornado mauls Mississippi

TUPELO, Mississippi (Reuters) - Authorities were cleaning up and assessing the damage on Monday after a number of tornadoes and severe weather tore through nine Mississippi counties, injuring dozens of people as homes and other buildings were torn apart.

Governor Phil Bryant said at least 63 people were injured and about 200 homes damaged or destroyed by the twisters, which cut a 75-mile path of destruction across the south-central portion of the state.

There were no reported deaths, but two people were critically injured when a tornado, believed to be at least a mile wide touched down in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, shortly before sunset on Sunday.

Preliminary data from the National Weather Service said the Hattiesburg tornado was an EF-3, packing destructive winds of up to 145 miles per hour.

Severely damaged buildings included the modern, multi-story Westminster Presbyterian Church in Hattiesburg, which flattened a pickup truck when debris flew off the building, and parts of the University of Southern Mississippi, Emergency Management spokesman Greg Flynn said.

He said most students at the university were off campus for the Mardi Gras holiday when the twister damaged several buildings there, including a performing arts center and an alumni house.

Bryant declared a state of emergency in counties hit by the severe weather and power outages continued across a widespread area as a steady rain fell on Monday.

"The bad thing is, it keeps raining," said Flynn. "It's supposed to rain all day today and then all day tomorrow.

"We've already had flash-flooding issues and the creeks and the streams are all overtopped. It's just going to make things a lot more difficult in the recovery process."

(Writing by Tom Brown; Editing by Paul Thomasch and Andre Grenon)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/tornado-causes-damage-mississippi-town-hattiesburg-004637934.html

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