Jzoe Blog

this is just a test

Hey, update- the new URL for my blog is http://jzoe.com/blog.html.

I won’t be updating it at this adress anymore, so you’ll want to change any links, bookmarks, or habits.

That’s right, jzoe.com is your one-stop spot for everything jzoe.

I just had to post this one.

Well, this is it… I’ve got my graduation cap and gown airing out so they won’t be wrinkly for the ceremony, and just tonight I went through the ceremony with my graduating brothers- the fraternity now officially recognizes that I’m moving on.

I guess that means I should really get to writing my thesis and studying for finals.

So this explorer is out in the jungle with his guide, and they hear this drumming in the distance. The explorer asks his guide, and he replies, “we’re fine unless the drums stop.” As they continue onward, the drums keep getting louder, but the guide assures him that he has nothing to worry about as long as the drums are going. Suddenly, the drums abruptly stop, and the guide freezes with a horrible look on his face. “What happens now?” asks the explorer, trying desperately not to panic, but all is lost when the guide responds, with terror in his voice, “Bass solo!”

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hmm….

Hey! This saturday I went to the Phi Sig formal with Kendra. We had a great time, but she’s got a bad cold right now. I feel really bad if it she’s any sicker from going out, but I’m glad she came. Also, I know that she had a good time- behold! One of the few pictures of Kendra smiling!

And what a smile! Also, please notice the old-school juice she’s got!

So, I finished the speakers. There is still some work to do tweaking them to sound their best, but I think they’ve got potential. Right now they’re just a little weak in the bass.

The speakers on top of them are B&W 303s; and with some a/b testing, i decided that I really do like how mine turned out. The B&Ws are warmer (so far)- but I know a couple of things to do next to improve that. Overall, I’d say that my speakers compared favorable with the 303s. They’re only… 8 times the size? Oh well, they also ought to be louder.

Well, I suppose I’d better let y’all know that I’ve got my speakers- at last!

Adam was absolutely awesome for this- the build quality is very good, the materials are great, and he seriously helped me out by making these things for me.

Still, he’s a sucker. Why is he a sucker? He loaned me his cordless drill for the weekend to put these cabinets together. Yes, this drill is so awesome that this weekend of drilling and screwing cordlessly has been more fun than I could imagine YEARS of speaker use could be.

The important thing is- how do they sound??

Right now I would have to say that I’m not yet satisfied. They play really really loud and clean and clear- if I want my music to sound big and alive, these are great. Anyway, it’s going to be a lot of work with electronics to make sure these things sound normal and natural without the highs or lows being messed up.

Ok, so I’ve had some of my speaker stuff for a while now, and that’s the woofer there. It’s heavy! It has a huge magnet on the back, almost 2 1/2 pounds. They aren’t shielded either, so I’ve got to be careful with these things around computers.

Here’s what it’ll do to your monitor:

I’m not sure exactly what causes those patterns; maybe i’ll ask around and find out. The first noticable effects of the magnet getting too close to the monitor happens around a foot and a half away. If I ever get into home theater stuff, I will definitely get shielded speakers.

Oh, and that’s not permanent. In case you decide to try that sort of thing, the button you press to make it go away is “Degauss”. Even then, I didn’t get the magnet any closer to the screen than I had to in order to create that pattern… a single degauss didn’t clear the screen 100%. I had to let it sit unpowered overnight.

Anyway, according to adam’s site it looks like he’s planning to bring the finished cabinets here on thursday. That’s very exciting to me; the rest of my components will be here by then and I will be able to spend friday fine tuning everything and hopefully be able to show off a little bit over the weekend.