Another Substantial Change in Home Entertainment

We went shopping today...

In Best Buy, I had one of those life-changing experiences. I can think of two times in my lifetime that I've experienced something as mind-boggling as this (in the category of computers, electronics, and technology).

The first time was in like 1993 when I got to use a computer with a SoundBlaster card for the first time. A friend showed me the game Castle Wolfenstein - the first FPS (First-Person Shooter) type game I had ever seen. Instead of the standard PC "beep" noise, it was actually making real lifelike sounds like the German guards' voices yelling, "HALT!" I was in awe and HAD to get a SoundBlaster card for my computer. Now we just accept that as the norm. EVERY computer has a super-whamodyne sound system these days. Who in their right mind would buy a computer WITHOUT a sound system built in?

The second time was in 1995 when I went over to my friend Vince's room in the Susse Chalet in Groton during SOBC (Submarine Officers Basic Course). Vince had one of those new "surround sound" systems. In order to demonstrate it for me, he turned on True Lies, and I was blown away by the all-encompassing sound that made me feel like I was IN the movie. The other really good sampler was Jurassic Park with a sub-woofer so you could feel the tyranosaurus rex's foot stomps reverberate up through your legs and through your chest cavity. I think it was less than a week later that Vince took me to Lechmere and I bought my very own surround-sound stereo system.

My experience today was on-par with those previous two revelations in modern technology. They had on display an HD DVD player showing Night at the Museum on an HD screen.
O... M... G... I was getting dizzy watching it. It didn't feel like I was watching a screen. It felt like I was in a playhouse watching a LIVE performance. The boys and I were totally mesmerized and couldn't be pulled away. I mean, I've seen HDTV's on display before, but they've always got some pretty picture of mountains or flowers or something off the discovery channel that looks cool, but I couldn't really say off the top of my head if it was any better than what I see on other TVs. Seeing this, a really cool movie that I had seen before, I could TELL the difference.

Excuse me while I go wipe the drool off my chin...

We didn't make any impulse purchases today (LW was with me in the store, so she managed to break the hypnotic trance and lead us away from the TVs), but now we're comparing the reviews on Consumer Reports and evaluating if the finances can support.

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Oh, and an update to my blog music... At least two of you (I think that makes a simple majority of the regular readers of my blog) were unhappy with my music always being the same. So I changed my blog music to "random" mode and added a bunch more songs to the list. I hope you enjoy the change of pace.

BTW - WELCOME HOME JOHN!!! Or should I say, Bienvenue à la maison! John had to move his family from one foreign country (where at least they spoke English) to another foreign country (where they don't speak English), and then promptly left his wife and son there while he went to a 3-month school back in DC. Glad you made it back home safe and sound. I know J and Q missed you tremendously, and Q must be bouncing off the walls to have you home. Now STOP READING MY BLOG and go get your wife a cup of coffee! (I'm assuming you're reading this in the morning your time - if not, go get her a glass of wine instead).