[ЯOЯЯIM]

(Original post by G8D)
Yeah I'd prefer a separate mic as I plan to buy decent(ish) headphones pretty soon so it'd be a waste to buy another ****ty pair.

For anyone here that has any interest in helping me I'd either be looking for something that clearly pics up audio from ~1 metre away or is relatively versatile in where it can be placed...

For your consideration:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Zalman-Micro...ef=pd_sxp_f_pt

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samson-Mic-C.../dp/B001R76D42

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Blue-Microph.../dp/B0012AUHXW

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Technica-ATR.../dp/B002GYPS3M

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Audio-Techni.../dp/B001AS6OYC

[G8D]

(Original post by ЯOЯЯIM)
For your consideration:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Zalman-Micro...ef=pd_sxp_f_pt

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samson-Mic-C.../dp/B001R76D42

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Blue-Microph.../dp/B0012AUHXW

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Technica-ATR.../dp/B002GYPS3M

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Audio-Techni.../dp/B001AS6OYC

As good as I imagine most of them are the only one I'd be willing to pay for had pretty meh reviews.

Thanks anyway.

[Intriguing Alias]

(Original post by G8D)
As good as I imagine most of them are the only one I'd be willing to pay for had pretty meh reviews.

Thanks anyway.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kinobo-Micro...7891099&sr=1-5

That has pretty great reviews?

EDIT: Or this is better still if <£20 is still within budget:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Logitech-980...7891558&sr=1-3

[ak137]

(Original post by Dez)
Seems it is, whoops.



CS3 has caused me problems on OS X in the past, it was very unstable. I have CS5 now and it runs perfectly.

(Original post by G8D)
Unless you have a professional need for PS then CS5 will suit fine. lovely UI it has.

[Gofre]

My relationship with technology is being stretched right now, I've just past the 24 hour mark of essaying, the only time I've left my little corner of the library with two computers was to pick up a McDonalds breakfast at 4am. It doesn't help that the one computer I managed to get is running a single core Pentium CPU (whereas virtually every other machine in the uni seems to have a relatively decent Core 2 Quad) which treats requests to open PDFs like you'd just asked it to stab itself, and a display where you could probably count the pixels. Luckily my trusty MacBook Pro with my portable audiphile rig are on hand to keep me sane =P

[RipperRoo]

(Original post by ЯOЯЯIM)
I worked as a typist for about a year and that somewhat necessitated a mechanical keyboard. After some time I noticed less stiffness in my fingers after a day's work and I found it easier to exceed my previous average of 80-85wpm without making mistakes. Depending on the switches you use, however, the noise level can increase rather sharply.

However, as you pointed out, the price does jump up by £80 and that's a low estimate. If you're prepared to fork out that much, you'll want to splash out on the best switches and configuration for your needs, potentially putting the price up to £120. Generally, I would recommend mechanical keyboards to people who type swiftly and on a regular basis; examples of such people would be computer programmers, typists/audio transcribers and people who play fast-paced, hot-key intensive video games like Starcraft. People who should not necessarily consider spending £80-£120 on a keyboard are students who do not type up lengthy essays daily and who do not play video games.

Though I've used IBM, Das and Leopold keyboards and have no major complaints, the manufacturer I would recommend is Filco--simply because they're very easy to find and the quality is excellent. Among my peers, I've seen fewer complaints about Filco keyboards than with other manufacturers. You'll need to think about the switches next. If you're set upon having a mechanical keyboard, you would do well to consult this guide on mechanical switches bearing in mind that your housemates may not appreciate louder keyboards.

I will also add that buying a backlit keyboard strikes me as fairly pointless in practical terms--if you type fast enough and regularly enough to necessitate a mechanical keyboard, you're going to know how to touch-type, and if you can touch-type, you don't need to see the keys in the dark.

If you like backlit keyboards aesthetically, do whatever you want. You may also like to look into buying custom-colour keys and replacing the industry standard ones. You can create patterns or just a pleasant colour scheme.

Finally, avoid manufacturers like Razer or anything geared towards "gamers" as these keyboards tend to be overpriced for what they are.

Wasn't expecting a post this informed; thanks for the advice. I do quite a lot of programming, and with the summer holidays coming up, will probably do a lot more gaming, so I guess I could warrant getting one.

I was glancing over that guide yesterday actually, seems like there's lots of choice, I'll have to find somewhere I can try one out sometime (may be difficult though).

As for touch typing, my downfall comes when it comes to typing lots of special characters (particularly "$%&*()|\) which are used a lot when programming, I'm pretty decent otherwise. I guess I do like the aesthetic of a backlit keyboard too since I do tend to sit in the dark when on my PC.

I think I may just hold off for now since it's quite a lot of money, on top of buying a whole new PC.

[Gofre]

Has anybody ever downloaded music from Amazon MP3?

[Chrosson]

(Original post by Gofre)
Has anybody ever downloaded music from Amazon MP3?

Yep.

[Dez]

(Original post by Gofre)
Has anybody ever downloaded music from Amazon MP3?

Yes, quite a few times. The quality is as good as can be hoped for from MP3, and being DRM-free means I've had no issue re-encoding it for my iPhone or anything else. Probably the best online music shop at the moment.

[Gofre]

(Original post by Chrosson)
Yep.

(Original post by Dez)
Yes, quite a few times. The quality is as good as can be hoped for from MP3, and being DRM-free means I've had no issue re-encoding it for my iPhone or anything else. Probably the best online music shop at the moment.

Yeah I've found that they use 256kbps on average, think I'll stick to spottily for now. Will have to find another use for my voucher =P

[Mad Vlad]

It's 90-95% Humidity and 88F in DC at the moment.

And I have an air conditioner.

[Mad Vlad]

This has also amused me.

[S-man10]

I forgot how heavy a mouse with a trackball was

[Mad Vlad]

(Original post by S-man10)
I forgot how heavy a mouse with a trackball was

[tface]

(Original post by Mad Vlad)

I just cannot get the hang of those. Whenever I borrow my friend's laptop that has one it just zooms all over the place, seemingly disregarding any attempt on my part to be accurate!

[S-man10]

(Original post by tface)
I just cannot get the hang of those.

Says more about another aspect, it's alright if she left you

[Mad Vlad]

(Original post by tface)
I just cannot get the hang of those. Whenever I borrow my friend's laptop that has one it just zooms all over the place, seemingly disregarding any attempt on my part to be accurate!

It just takes a bit of practice. Your dexterity on a laptop is significantly superior with a TrackPoint than with a regular trackpad when you get used to them.

[S-man10]

(Original post by Mad Vlad)
It just takes a bit of practice. Your dexterity on a laptop is significantly superior with a TrackPoint than with a regular trackpad when you get used to them.

I had no problems using it the first time. I did use something quite similar for practice, my technique was perfect

[Mad Vlad]

(Original post by S-man10)
I had no problems using it the first time. I did use something quite similar for practice, my technique was perfect

S-man impresses all the ladies with his TrackPoint skills ffs. Ironically, I'm pretty good with a TrackPoint. Not that I have much use for this skill these days.

[S-man10]

(Original post by Mad Vlad)
S-man impresses all the ladies with his TrackPoint skills ffs.

They are very transferable ffs

Tell her you want to take her back to your place and show her how you play with your trackpoint on your thinkpad. Works like a charm ffs