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Our fifth photo topic was somewhat hard to define, so it went by a few names -- "Ugly Beauty," "Out-of-place Beauty," "Urban Decay." Basically, the idea was to find objects without traditional visual appeal, and find a way to photograph them that makes them beautiful. (click on the image at left to enlarge) You can check
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I've come to expect a lot from my electronics. They have to be smarter, thinner, more powerful. They should provide a fun gaming experience AND help me find a good recipe for dinner. And maybe they should shine my shoes while they're at it. Most of the time, I am not disappointed. There are a lot of amazing gadgets out there. Occasionally though, the
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I recently made a major investment -- I bought a Nikon D60 SLR with an 18-55mm vibration reduction lens . I'm getting married this year, and really cannot see going to some beautiful tropical locale with the love of my life and not having a good camera with me. So now that problem's solved! Now, I've used SLRs before, and had a good two and half weeks
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I've been known, on occasion, to drool over a Sonos® wireless multi-room system . Just a little. But I can't help it. These systems are so intelligently designed — incredibly easy setup, super versatile playback of your music throughout your home, and a powerful yet intuitive Controller to make you ruler of all things musical in your three bedroom,
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In my house, our audio/video systems sport neatly bundled and organized cables, but not because of me. Although I do know quite a few cable management tricks , I'm just not someone who's that bothered by clutter. My fiancé, however, is a different story. Thanks to him, what would otherwise be an impenetrable jungle of black and grey cable jackets is
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Getting hands-on time with cool new products is one of the perks of working here at Crutchfield. And being the home video producer, I've seen a lot of gear pass before our camera lens. So I thought I'd share three products that made me say "wow" as we got them ready for their close up. 1. Yamaha's RX-V3800 (right) is a beautiful receiver. It's not often
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Sometimes, it’s hard not to fall prey to "gear lust" – wanting the newest, coolest, niftiest version of every product that comes our way. And I have to say, for the most part, I’ve been good. I saved my tax refund, rather than buying that SLR I saw in training. I’ve managed not to upgrade my TV or receiver or Blu-ray player for almost two years. But
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I've become something of an ambassador for surround sound. Having enjoyed it for four years now, I simply can't let any of my friends or family upgrade their TV without also upgrading their sound. And invariably, when I'm halfway through extolling the virtues of multichannel sound, how it makes movies and TV shows and video games so much more fun and
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A TV's out-of-the-box settings are rarely ideal for home viewing -- usually, the brightness, contrast, and sharpness are turned way up to help the picture out-shine other sets on a bright, fluorescent-lit showroom floor. So when my parents bought themselves a home theater system for Christmas -- complete with a 52" Toshiba HDTV , Mirage surround sound
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For years, plasma TVs were considered off-limits to anyone who wanted to play video games. The threat of burn-in loomed -- play the same game for too long, and your health bar, ammo count, and any other stationary display could be permanently etched into your plasma's screen, an unwelcome discoloration on all your TV shows and movies. So anyone who