When you work for a giant corporation, work 10 hours in a warehouse, 50 hours a week and have worked 50-60 hours a week for the past few months, and have been there for nearly two years and yet you're treated like you're some newbie who whines and complains, that's when I want to put my middle finger up to the general manager and the managers below him who make several times more money per year than I do.

I do the grunt work by picking up 50 lb boxes, 1500+ boxes a day, they sit on their asses on a computer 10-12 hours every weekday barking orders to the people below them. And they wonder why the warehouse has such a high turnover rate with a load of inexperienced workers.

I'm so tired.

I'm just so unhappy I don't live in a resort in the Bahamas. I need room service, marble floors, those nice soft outdoor lights god damnnit. And like, statues. And reception desks, nice resturants and Farrari's, fuck I need a Ferrari.

And like, five tailored suits.

And some nice shoes, $500 shoes.

Beware: first world problems. And i will be rambling again, long wall of text.

I hate buying (expensive) stuff just to replace something you were completely happy with, at least if the new item will not be technically superior or anything and you were happy with the old product, until it died. Buying e.g. a new phone or laptop usually at least means the new product will be more powerful and capable, so while spending money stings, you still feel you are getting something better. Not this time though.

The Philips soundbar that I bought with my Philips TV a few years ago has been acting up for a longer time, usually that it was silent unless I restarted it several times. I was never really sure if it was a hardware problem or something else.

At some point it worked flawlessly again as long as I started it with a certain (source, instead of power) button from the remote controller, but now it has gotten worse: when I try to start it from the standby-mode, I have to restart it like 10-40 times before it actually starts up, instead of going back to standby mode right away.

Then after that it is usually still silent, and I have to restart it again for another 10-20 times before you can hear anything. But after that point, it works flawlessly with good sound too... until I turn it off once again at the end of the day. Since it is now having some problems powering up from the standby mode, I presume it is hardware problem (capacitators?) and it needs to be replaced.

And it seems it started acting up pretty much right after the 2 year warranty had lapsed, which lead me to think this is an example of "planned aging", ie. the product is designed to break up after n years. I keep hearing these stories how e.g. LED TV manufacturers intentionally place the capacitators near heat sources on the circuit board as then the capacitators will fail sooner due to the extra heat, etc. etc. To hell with manufacturers! And i thought Philips is trustworthy...

Anyway, now I have been looking for a replacement (some sort of stereo speakers for my TV whose own speakers are pitiful), hoping to get one as cheaply as possible. I'd be ready to even just connect my existing PC multimedia speakers (Creative Labs) to the TV with a 3.5mm mini-jack, but there the problem is that the volume button on the TV remote affects only TV's internal speakers, not the output through any of the ports (3.5mm mini-jack, RCA, optical, HDMI...). Which means I'd have to walk to the speakers every time I want to change the volume. Damn it, why does everything have to be so hard?

While looking for a replacement (normal stereo, either 2 or 2.1, no need for 5.1 etc.), I don't get it why TV sound systems nowadays seem to be mostly those soundbars, even if they come with a separate subwoofer anyway? Why not just two tiny satellite speakers + subwoofer? The thing I hate about my current Philips soundbar is that my TV is elevated a bit higher, and the soundbar at its base blocks the TV remote control signal, so I have to raise my arm high in the air for the TV to get the remote signal over the soundbar. So I'd rather not have a soundbar anymore, also a "two speakers and a subwooder" setup could be more easily be used as multimedia speakers for a computer too, if needed.

All the alternatives, at least those costing less than 300€ (hopefully much less, even down to 100€) are missing some feature I want. These are the features I'd want, in some kind of priority order:

1. A wireless remote controller (a must, as I will use it with the TV mostly, and my stupid TV doesn't control any sound output to external devices; this also rules out most PC multimedia speakers which otherwise would seem good)

2. Not a soundbar, but rather two small separate speakers and a subwoofer (so that it won't block the remote controller signal for the TV, and easier to use as PC multimedia speakers too)

3. Optical digital input (S/PDIF or Toslink or whatsitcalled)... I guess I could do with analog input (3.5mm jack or RCA), but since my TV has Toslink, I'd like to use it. I had been using either it or HDMI (audio) with my existing soundbar.

4. Bluetooth... the only reason I'd like this option is so that I can easily play music from a smartphone or tablet on the speakers occasionally. I really liked this feature on the Philips soundbar, like having a full stereo system and a jukebox with your mere phone, playing the music through your big speakers. Unfortunately, this is one which seems be missing from many PC multimedia speaker solutions that otherwise seem perfect.

A couple I've been eyeing for example:

Trust GXT 638 2.1

- This seems to get very good user reviews for its sound quality, it has a wireless remote controller, it is not a soundbar, even optical input... but it is lacking the Bluetooth input capability. Damn, so close, otherwise this seems very good, and for a nice price too (119€).

LG 2.1 soundbar LAS350B

- Very nice price (99€), comes with a separate subwoofer, has digital input, Bluetooth-input... but why does it have to be a damn soundbar? Does a soundbar bring some extra oomph to the sound instead of satellite speakers, considering it comes with a separate subwoofer anyway? This would be less usable as PC multimedia speakers, if I ever decided I want to use it as one.

- Also the user reviews are a bit contradictory... most say it is quite good for its price, but a couple complain, saying e.g. that the subwoofer is very weak with no oomph, and that's why he decided to return his (really? how much was he expecting for a 99€ sound system, or is it really that bad?).

Suggestions of course welcome, if someone has some good option in mind that fulfills all my audio needs at an agreeable price.

Nothing says "how the fuck are you?" like a short story. Yes it is a reflection of how I feel.

A little something I wrote this evening that differs greatly from my usual writing:

Purgatory

He sat naked and alone in the darkness. Cold stone entombed him. Bones surrounded him, his only companions, and a constant reminder of The Beast lurking Beyond. Surely it must be time?

Drip drip drip.

He was gaunt and weak. Nothing survived here. Nothing but himself and The Beast. He'd lost track of time and had stopped counting the passing days, weeks and months long ago. Time no longer had meaning. Purgatory lasts an aeon.

Drip drip drip.

The hunger was returning. There was no sustenance in the darkness. How long had it been? He couldn't remember. His senses were sharp and keen. He was aware of every subtle change in his surroundings. He was always on guard. Always ready for the inevitable confrontation. It was unavoidable. Purgatory lasts an aeon.

Silence.

The Beast was coming. The sound of metal grinding against stone greeted him. He knew this pattern well after experiencing the same cycle again and again. He prayed to silent gods that this would be the last time, the end to his Purgatory.

Thud.

His breathing quickened in anticipation upon hearing that sound. A clang of metal on stone instantly followed the loud thud. Metal grinding against stone once more heralded the arrival of The Beast. It was time. The cycle always repeated, infinitely looping.

Drip drip drip.

Every hair on his body stood on end when adrenaline coursed through his veins, as it was now. Heavy footsteps shambled towards him from Beyond. The sound of metal scraping on stone followed the footsteps. The Beast seemed to know exactly where he was in the darkness. Hiding was futile. Fighting was futile. He turned his back to The Beast. It was time.

Laughter.

He smelled the smoke. The darkness faded as his shadow danced against the walls of his stone tomb. He closed his eyes. He was so used to being imprisoned in the darkness that he could no longer bear the Light. It brought back painful memories. His broken and jagged claws drew blood as he tried to fight the memories surfacing. Resistance was futile. The Beast entered his bone-filled Purgatory. Please let this be the last time...

More laughter.

He remembers time and space before the darkness and hunger, long before he became imprisoned. A time when Light basked upon greenery and life was full of prismatic wonder and beauty. A space where home was a feeling of warmth and love rather than his current cold and lifeless tomb.. A time and place where love and laughter were intertwined, where children and innocence could co-exist. A time and place that is not Purgatory.

A scream.

The Beast slices through his memories with a powerful blow and his head erupts in agony, as if struck by lightning. Warmth washes over him and he feels his strength return as blood flows swiftly. The hunger is too strong. Resistance is futile. It is time to feed.

Ripping...clawing...pounding...tearing...screaming...burning...silence.

Kill The Beast and you will be set free.

He roars and charges The Beast, swinging with all of his might, landing a powerful blow to the back of his cowering foe's skull.

Maniacal laughter fills the tomb.

He held her in his arms, stroking her matted auburn hair lovingly. Eyes once full of love, Light and colour stared back emptily, hauntingly dark. Her blood, still warm, dripped through his fingers. He can never forget. He will never forgive. He is rage.

It is a place of darkness. It is a time for Purgatory.

Drip drip drip.

Regional pricing rears its uglyhead. No Man's sky.

I can't preorder No Man's Sky anyway, need to save up to pay property tax.

Smart. Otherwise you'd have to pre-order the alternative game... No Man's Land. *rimshot*

Quite disturbing, I liked it.

Me, I have just moved house and am getting used to my new surroundings. I'm actually now living much closer to where I originally grew up, but it feels so different, not like it used to at all. I guess I'm still trying to get over some recent painful experiences. It's like I need to get to know myself all over again (so maybe it's appropriate I've found my way back here).

Luckily I have a much better internet connection than before, so that should help me pass through this difficult time. My parents also dug up my old physical collection of games and DVD's from their attic, which is giving me one hell of a nostalgia trip (how awesome those old boxes and manuals used to look!).

Friday night at a hotel with a big pool. At 3pm it was already filled with rugrats, and it'll only get worse as it gets later. Normally I wouldn't care because they'll peter out around 11pm and I'd be up anyway, but I was planing to crash early for my UHaul drive back across the border and then 10 hours of windshield time after that. Ugh.

purchased a hotdog beside the skydome and a fucking seagual took it out of my hands and flew off. aAnd I started to scream and swear my head off and yelled at some kid that walked by me... >:( I will find that damn bird one day and I WILL HAVE MY WAY WITH IT!

Just because your phone CAN take a super-high resolution photo, does not mean you should always have it set to do exactly that. Customer sent me today a photo of a power supply, to show me that the front-panel light was red instead of green. 8.8MB file. The lowest resolution would show the exact same thing without taking 40 seconds to download. "You get my photo yet?" No, it's still downloading. "You have a slow phone." Maybe, and you could tone down your camera settings about 49 notches.

I was looking at the screenshots on the Zeus + Poseidon page and the housing placement is absolutely abysmal. Whoever was playing when they took those screenshots clearly has no clue what they're doing.

Okay, he now sends me a 9.2 MB photo instead of typing in the four-word error message.

Holy crap - another just came in, 12.9MB.

The first company to release a phone that defaults to a 20MB picture file, I'm gonna go all Milton Waddams on their corporate HQ.

So many morons here trying their best to make the gaming industry worse by pre-ordering games like no man's sky.

Never pre-order games, that drives up the prices of games.