"Media Cube" nearly complete but, finally running.

[GilaMinumBeer]

GilaMinumBeer's slideshow on Flickr

Yeah, the room is small for sure. And I do have a lot of furniture in there too.

I don't have any fatigue issues in being so close to the screen and nor has SWMBO said anything either. The first movie we watched on it when it was operable was "Iron Man". Not bad.

Head position is ~8 foot from the front of the screen. The room is filled by sound with 7 surround channels and a single 15" powered sub (I have 2 but, toghether, they were overpowering the room) all powered by a Yamaha RX-Z9 A/V Controller. For video, a upsampling Sony DVD-R sends vidoe to the 67" screen via HDMI. In addition to that I have a Mits DVD standing in as a CD player (no video connected), a Pioneer LaserDisc player, a PS2, and XBox, and finally an Explorer 8300HD PVR for general viewing.

In the cabinet to the left is the CD collection and on the right are the DVD's. Yes, I have way too many CD's (been collecting them since they came out in the early 80's). Stacked up next to the TV tabel is my modest collection of LaserDiscs.

Controlling everything is a Logitech Harmony One Universal remote. After some tweaking, image uploadings, and operational compromising, the "One" received my non-tech savvy SWMBO's seal of approval. This remote offers true 'one touch operation' of even some of the most complex systems. Even my 2 year old has figured out how to switch on the system to TV (PVR is set to come on to the Noggin channel).

 

[ThickHead]

Mantap!!!!

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Mantap!!!!

So sorry, saya punya isteri orang melaya tetapi, saya jangan chakap bahasa melayu bagus. Saya punya chakap rosak la.

Kilau saya faham awak kata bagus, saya kata "Terimah Kasih"

 

[MrManTX]

Dude! OSU! Very nice! I grew up in Stillwater.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Dude! OSU! Very nice! I grew up in Stillwater.

Gone but not forgotten. OSU is my Alma Mater but I never was a sport fan.

 

[MrManTX]

Same here. I am, however, happy to hear they're doing well (so far) this year.

 

[ThickHead]

So sorry, saya punya isteri orang melaya tetapi, saya jangan chakap bahasa melayu bagus. Saya punya chakap rosak la.

Kilau saya faham awak kata bagus, saya kata "Terimah Kasih"

Tidak apa apa dooong! Aku Bule gila juga. Istri saya dari Indonesia dan aku masih belejar bahasa juga loe.

So we'll just stick to English...eheh.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Tidak apa apa dooong! Aku Bule gila juga. Istri saya dari Indonesia dan aku masih belejar bahasa juga loe.

So we'll just stick to English...eheh.

Yeah. Same here.

As for my wife, she is more intent on learning the nuances of English but, considering that the entire family in Malaysia is Melayu speaking and she and I are have children (one on the way) I feel it is necessary I learn the language.

Unfortunately, my wife hasn't been too intent on teaching me Bahasa Melayu and we visit Melaka so infrequently it is hard to absorb enough to be fluent. I have books but, they are very dry reads and nothing beats the method of learning by doing. It think it's like Math, the more you do the quicker you learn. And if you stop for any reason, you atsrt to lose it quicker than you learned it.

 

[ThickHead]

Yeah. Same here.

As for my wife, she is more intent on learning the nuances of English but, considering that the entire family in Malaysia is Melayu speaking and she and I are have children (one on the way) I feel it is necessary I learn the language.

Unfortunately, my wife hasn't been too intent on teaching me Bahasa Melayu and we visit Melaka so infrequently it is hard to absorb enough to be fluent. I have books but, they are very dry reads and nothing beats the method of learning by doing. It think it's like Math, the more you do the quicker you learn. And if you stop for any reason, you atsrt to lose it quicker than you learned it.

Congratulations on the pregnancy!

I have the same dynamic going as you. My wife's entire family is in Indonesia and though all her siblings speak some level of English, or so it's rumored (only big bro speaks English with me), her parents do not speak English at all. Fortunately for me we still spend quite alot of time in Indonesia as I have clients throughout southeast Asia. This affords me the opportunity to be surrounded by the language often, which really helps in learning.

My wife also speaks mainly English with me unless we prefer not to be comprehended in a crowd. Though she is very fluent, she too is continuing to learn the nuances of the English language and prefers the practice. So as a result, my communication skills in bahasa are much better than my comprehension skills. I say what I want to say very clearly, I just dont always hear as well as I would like to...eheh.

Anyway...nice to chat with someone who shares that dynamic. So...do you dig Tiger beer?

Cheers!

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Congratulations on the pregnancy!

I have the same dynamic going as you. My wife's entire family is in Indonesia and though all her siblings speak some level of English, or so it's rumored (only big bro speaks English with me), her parents do not speak English at all. Fortunately for me we still spend quite alot of time in Indonesia as I have clients throughout southeast Asia. This affords me the opportunity to be surrounded by the language often, which really helps in learning.

My wife also speaks mainly English with me unless we prefer not to be comprehended in a crowd. Though she is very fluent, she too is continuing to learn the nuances of the English language and prefers the practice. So as a result, my communication skills in bahasa are much better than my comprehension skills. I say what I want to say very clearly, I just dont always hear as well as I would like to...eheh.

Anyway...nice to chat with someone who shares that dynamic. So...do you dig Tiger beer?

Cheers!

Can't really say what I think of "Tiger", it's basically a macro lager. I am sure it is typical of that "style". Drinkable when ice cold, tolerable through a glass, but not my first choice if FES, Hoe' Gand Cru, or even Carls Spec Dark' is available. Given the limited selection tho' I usually opt for the local fare, Nescafe (Tarik Lagi!), or a Teh-O Ais with a nice plate of Satay, Rendang Dagging, or Roti Canai dengan teleur. Yummm! I live on that stuff.

Sadly, my one and only experience with Tiger involves the Cotton Island (Pulau Kapas) and a request to SWMBO to "get me a beer". 20 minutes and $9usd later she arrives with a, warm at it's coolest, Tiger. On the island, they don;t start the gens til early afternoon and it was about 12:30 when I got my beer. It's on the shelves here in OKC too but, I usually opt for something more "crafty".

And yes, I have the same exact issue usually. I can speak the language somewhat eloquently (convincing enough some get the impression I am fluent) but my ears "tak faham" the regional, and individual inflections very well. Which usually results in many people getting louder in an attempt to help me "faham". To which, with family, I have to respond "Hey, I am not deaf. I just don;t understand the language" to remind them. Usually, causes a chuckle.

I would be thrilled if I had the occasion to visit Msia for work. Heck, I would even be willing to relocate if I could find work that could pay at the least the equivalent (in current exchange rate to Rm) of my current usd salary. Oh well. A man can dream.

 

[pen25]

nice gila. very nice work

 

[ThickHead]

Can't really say what I think of "Tiger", it's basically a macro lager. I am sure it is typical of that "style". Drinkable when ice cold, tolerable through a glass, but not my first choice if FES, Hoe' Gand Cru, or even Carls Spec Dark' is available. Given the limited selection tho' I usually opt for the local fare, Nescafe (Tarik Lagi!), or a Teh-O Ais with a nice plate of Satay, Rendang Dagging, or Roti Canai dengan teleur. Yummm! I live on that stuff.

Sadly, my one and only experience with Tiger involves the Cotton Island (Pulau Kapas) and a request to SWMBO to "get me a beer". 20 minutes and $9usd later she arrives with a, warm at it's coolest, Tiger. On the island, they don;t start the gens til early afternoon and it was about 12:30 when I got my beer. It's on the shelves here in OKC too but, I usually opt for something more "crafty".

And yes, I have the same exact issue usually. I can speak the language somewhat eloquently (convincing enough some get the impression I am fluent) but my ears "tak faham" the regional, and individual inflections very well. Which usually results in many people getting louder in an attempt to help me "faham". To which, with family, I have to respond "Hey, I am not deaf. I just don;t understand the language" to remind them. Usually, causes a chuckle.

I would be thrilled if I had the occasion to visit Msia for work. Heck, I would even be willing to relocate if I could find work that could pay at the least the equivalent (in current exchange rate to Rm) of my current usd salary. Oh well. A man can dream.

Eheh...your assessment of the Tiger is identicle to mine. The only reason I asked is that the beer lists, in the archipelago at least, are typically pretty thin unless you're in a major city. I am sure that in Malaka and Kuala Lampur the selection is a bit more accomodating. In fact, I spent alot of time in many places where the selection was Tiger or Bintang. I will take Tiger over Bintang every time lah. Anyway...dont get me started on the food. Rendang Daging and Roti selai dengan telur are staples....satay is great as long as they hold the tikus!

I feel pretty lucky having the opportunity to spend so much time in Asia, getting paid for it. I absolutely love it there!

Anyway...I am sure that you are having fun learning the language. I know its been a hell of alot of fun for me, with plenty of comedy to go along with it!

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

nice gila. very nice work

Thanks. It was fun to do.

 

[Joe C]

I like the addition of the ayinger celebrator ram (i believe it's a ram?) around the taphandles - well done.


Awesome space, someday I'd love to have something similar.