We've decided to wall mount our 50 inch Plasma TV. Apart from the fact that it will
be aesthetically pleasing, we will have the opportunity to hide cables behind
the wall, and create that 'invisible' look that is all so appealing in the
modern home.

I think the biggest dilemma with mounting is figuring out which mount with work
best, and most importantly, what will actual sustain the weight of the TV.
There are a few options:

'Fixed', 'tilt', 'Swivel'.

I liked the concept behind 'Fixed purely because by design it minimizes any
chance of disaster by not using any moving parts. The mount is bolted to the

I need a new pair of headphones - Noise cancelling headphones. My old and faithful PXC-150's are finally starting to show their age. There are a few brands around, which vary considerably in price and audio quality. The problem is that I often come across a set that I really want then find a 'niggle' with them after ploughing through numerous forums and review sites.

On the short list is the Audio Technica ATH-ANC7. Great price, right size, appear to be well constructed. Fantastic reported Sound Quality. The niggle? The things leak like crazy. This means that if you're sitting next to someone on your daily commute listening to 'Barbie Girl' from your 'Best of the 90's Eurotrash' album at a reasonable volume, people will be able to hear the lyrics CLEARLY. This is a real problem for me, not only because I don't want people hearing what I'm listening to, but I just don't want to be that annoying person who has their music up so loud that everyone on the bus can hear it.

The Bose QC2 and QC3. Apart from the fact that I've found these extremely difficult to source fpr a decent price (both online and retail stores), these things are Extremely expensive, ranging anywhere between $300 - $600. Most reviews indicate that these are a decent set of cans, with respectable sound quality and reasonable comfort. Many owners of these headphones complain that they are poorly constructed and how annoying they are when you actually need to walk around with them on (they apparently 'jiggle' when you walk with them). Apparently 'Leakage' isnt a problem with these things, just the quality issue and exorbitant price tag.

There are a number of other options in the Noise Cancelling segment, but I wanted to keep it simple. I looked at other options like the Creative Aurvana X-Fi, and the  Sony NC60's, and quite a few others, but still came to similar conclusions regarding price, build quality, and sound leakage.

So what options does that leave me with? Very few. There was only one set of cans that kept coming up after hours of fruitless searching for the 'Ultimate Cans': The Sennheiser PXC-450. What makes these great? They check all of the boxes. They're built well, they sound great, they don't leak sound, and in terms of price, they sit somewhere between the QC3's and the sony NC60's. My only qualm with the PXC-450 is their sheer size. They are massive. It might take a little getting used to, but I'm a big boy.

The Sennheiser PXC-450's are for me. I think.

+Paul

I came across the following issue and thought I'd share it with those that were looking for a fix.

Within the CMS Drupal, there is a feature called 'Clean URL's'. Clean urls allow you to produce URL's that are search engine friendly.

I currently use a host called 000webhost (they are fantastic, check them out), and could not get clean URL's to work. After a great deal of pain, I found a solution:

1. Turn off 000webhost analytics. Do this by going to the following link:

http://members.000webhost.com/analytics.php

2. Edit the .htaccess file in the root of your Drupal installation. Remove the "#" before "RewriteBase /" on the 100th line and save.

3. Finally, go into your drupal installation. You will have the option to enable clean URL's.

+Paul

I recently tried some Natto on a recent trip to Japan. From Wikipedia:

Nattō is a traditional Japanese food made from fermented soybeans, popular especially for breakfast. As a rich source of protein, nattō and the soybean paste miso formed a vital source of nutrition in feudal Japan. For some, nattō can be an acquired taste due to its powerful smell, strong flavor, and sticky consistency. In Japan nattō is most popular in the eastern regions, including Kantō, Tōhoku, and Hokkaido.

My first Natto experience was at breakfast at my hotel in Japan. Like the above says, Natto is most definitely an acquired taste. The flavour can't really be likened to anything in the westerner's palate, apart from perhaps smelly cheeses such as blue cheese.

While I didn't particularly enjoy the Natto experience, I want to force myself to acquire a taste for it due to its high nutritional value, and my love of Japanese food and culture.

So off I go to find my closest Asian grocery store to begin my Natto journey!