Comments on: Set Piece http://freerangelibrarian.com/2006/09/18/set-piece/ K.G. Schneider's blog on librarianship, writing, and everything else, since 2003. Fri, 21 Nov 2008 11:52:45 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: kgs http://freerangelibrarian.com/2006/09/18/set-piece/#comment-2912 kgs Tue, 19 Sep 2006 15:56:26 +0000 http://www.freerangelibrarian.com/2006/09/18/set-piece/#comment-2912 Cary, you've hit on exactly what I'm missing here: the stores. I miss Peet's, Trader Joe's, and CostCo. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO BADLY! I understand "Hotlanta" is the place for TJ's and Costco--a five-hour drive. Peet's I can do online. I can do Costco online as well, but the warehouse-store experience is what you're referring to, and I know exactly what you mean. Honestly, there isn't much else for me to miss. The ocean? Not so far away, and it's warmer than the other one. Culture? More than I will ever experience. But Costco and TJ's (and mail order wine! We had to drop the Sunset Wine Club)... those I miss. Cary, you’ve hit on exactly what I’m missing here: the stores. I miss Peet’s, Trader Joe’s, and CostCo. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO BADLY! I understand “Hotlanta” is the place for TJ’s and Costco–a five-hour drive.

Peet’s I can do online. I can do Costco online as well, but the warehouse-store experience is what you’re referring to, and I know exactly what you mean.

Honestly, there isn’t much else for me to miss. The ocean? Not so far away, and it’s warmer than the other one. Culture? More than I will ever experience. But Costco and TJ’s (and mail order wine! We had to drop the Sunset Wine Club)… those I miss.

]]> By: Cary Gordon http://freerangelibrarian.com/2006/09/18/set-piece/#comment-2911 Cary Gordon Tue, 19 Sep 2006 15:20:14 +0000 http://www.freerangelibrarian.com/2006/09/18/set-piece/#comment-2911 Costco... (u got in FL?) The closest thing to gov't issued we have and, of course, Costco is the new Sears except for tools, where Sears is still the new Sears. Plasma/LCD - more of a preference than anything else. The biggest consideration is how it will look in the room. Plasmas can be brighter, but then LCDs can have greater contrast. LCDs also have potential (at the moment) for higher resolution, but there is no program material now or in the immediate future that will take advantage of anything over 720p. If you are exclusively cable or sat users (no "over the air" programming) you might look into getting a monitor, but that is no guarantee of savings. Personally, I think that the $20k Sharp LC65D90U 65" LCD HDTV would look great in any room. Costco… (u got in FL?) The closest thing to gov’t issued we have and, of course, Costco is the new Sears except for tools, where Sears is still the new Sears.

Plasma/LCD - more of a preference than anything else. The biggest consideration is how it will look in the room. Plasmas can be brighter, but then LCDs can have greater contrast. LCDs also have potential (at the moment) for higher resolution, but there is no program material now or in the immediate future that will take advantage of anything over 720p.

If you are exclusively cable or sat users (no “over the air” programming) you might look into getting a monitor, but that is no guarantee of savings.

Personally, I think that the $20k Sharp LC65D90U 65″ LCD HDTV would look great in any room.

]]> By: JanieH http://freerangelibrarian.com/2006/09/18/set-piece/#comment-2910 JanieH Tue, 19 Sep 2006 14:32:16 +0000 http://www.freerangelibrarian.com/2006/09/18/set-piece/#comment-2910 Oh, I feel your pain. Every once in a while my husband and I talk about getting a new television but the options seem to overwhelming. We "upgraded" when we bought our home 5 years ago to a 27" model, no bells and few whistles, but it was a major upgrade at the time. Now our friends visit and ask if this our spare tv and where is the real one? We only have one and it is woefully obsolete and tiny compared to everyone else. Still, we rarely have time to watch and right now it is primarily used by Alex to watch Kipper the Dog so I think it will soldier on a few more years. Oh, I feel your pain. Every once in a while my husband and I talk about getting a new television but the options seem to overwhelming.

We “upgraded” when we bought our home 5 years ago to a 27″ model, no bells and few whistles, but it was a major upgrade at the time. Now our friends visit and ask if this our spare tv and where is the real one? We only have one and it is woefully obsolete and tiny compared to everyone else. Still, we rarely have time to watch and right now it is primarily used by Alex to watch Kipper the Dog so I think it will soldier on a few more years.

]]> By: David Fiander http://freerangelibrarian.com/2006/09/18/set-piece/#comment-2909 David Fiander Mon, 18 Sep 2006 18:49:27 +0000 http://www.freerangelibrarian.com/2006/09/18/set-piece/#comment-2909 The problem right now is, do you get the HDTV and count on there being interesting HD content in the future, or do you get the basic television and cope? Buying a display is a bit easier than buying a camera, since either it displays satisfactorily or it doesn't, and you don't really need to worry about compatibility and formats and stuff (aside from the HD or not question). I'm a big fan of basic research followed by "buy what you like", but the most important thing to do, as with computer shopping, is to STOP looking once you've made your purchase. New stuff will <i>always</i> come out the day after you bought, so don't worry about it. The problem right now is, do you get the HDTV and count on there being interesting HD content in the future, or do you get the basic television and cope? Buying a display is a bit easier than buying a camera, since either it displays satisfactorily or it doesn’t, and you don’t really need to worry about compatibility and formats and stuff (aside from the HD or not question).

I’m a big fan of basic research followed by “buy what you like”, but the most important thing to do, as with computer shopping, is to STOP looking once you’ve made your purchase. New stuff will always come out the day after you bought, so don’t worry about it.

]]> By: kgs http://freerangelibrarian.com/2006/09/18/set-piece/#comment-2908 kgs Mon, 18 Sep 2006 18:17:47 +0000 http://www.freerangelibrarian.com/2006/09/18/set-piece/#comment-2908 Well, if you bought it at Sears it was probably Good Enough; my college typewriter came from Sears--it was Sears' own Smith-Corona, branded as Sears. I'm sorely tempted to pay too much and buy it in a store where if I need to I can go back and bother people... Well, if you bought it at Sears it was probably Good Enough; my college typewriter came from Sears–it was Sears’ own Smith-Corona, branded as Sears. I’m sorely tempted to pay too much and buy it in a store where if I need to I can go back and bother people…

]]> By: Laura http://freerangelibrarian.com/2006/09/18/set-piece/#comment-2907 Laura Mon, 18 Sep 2006 17:52:45 +0000 http://www.freerangelibrarian.com/2006/09/18/set-piece/#comment-2907 It is precisely the desire to wait for a government-issued TV (or vacuum cleaner, or typewriter) that fueled all the appliance shopping of my childhood. I remember clearly the evening when I was in high school that my mother came home from work and said, "I want to watch a movie--let's go buy a TV/VCR!" So off we went to Sears, where we looked around briefly, said, "Gee, that one looks good," found a salesperson, and lugged it home. It's still working, which is my justification for making such decisions in a spur of the moment fashion. I'm not sure I can entirely recommend it, though. It's also the way I ended up with a typewriter in junior high--my mother was certain (though we already owned a computer) that I'd need it for college. It is precisely the desire to wait for a government-issued TV (or vacuum cleaner, or typewriter) that fueled all the appliance shopping of my childhood. I remember clearly the evening when I was in high school that my mother came home from work and said, “I want to watch a movie–let’s go buy a TV/VCR!” So off we went to Sears, where we looked around briefly, said, “Gee, that one looks good,” found a salesperson, and lugged it home. It’s still working, which is my justification for making such decisions in a spur of the moment fashion. I’m not sure I can entirely recommend it, though. It’s also the way I ended up with a typewriter in junior high–my mother was certain (though we already owned a computer) that I’d need it for college.

]]> By: kgs http://freerangelibrarian.com/2006/09/18/set-piece/#comment-2906 kgs Mon, 18 Sep 2006 15:48:53 +0000 http://www.freerangelibrarian.com/2006/09/18/set-piece/#comment-2906 It seems as if a number of models came out around May... though they seem to be coming out year-round. I'm looking hardest at Sony, Samsung, and Panasonic... It seems as if a number of models came out around May… though they seem to be coming out year-round. I’m looking hardest at Sony, Samsung, and Panasonic…

]]> By: Phalbe Henriksen http://freerangelibrarian.com/2006/09/18/set-piece/#comment-2905 Phalbe Henriksen Mon, 18 Sep 2006 15:34:45 +0000 http://www.freerangelibrarian.com/2006/09/18/set-piece/#comment-2905 Have you checked out the "year" of TV's? Are you going to be buying at sale prices at the end of a year, or are new models on the shelves now? As with all technology, changes (improvements) come fast and furious as the prices actually go down. Have you checked out the “year” of TV’s? Are you going to be buying at sale prices at the end of a year, or are new models on the shelves now? As with all technology, changes (improvements) come fast and furious as the prices actually go down.

]]>