bravo

To answer your questions: External HDD is fine. Not imperative to access files over network, but I would use the feature if it had it. As storage is external this is moot, but around 2TB would be more than enough. I'm currently making do with 500GB. Format - well I have a range of formats from video in all sorts of formats d-loaded on the web to self-encoded H.264 video with Dolby Digital AC3 audio in a mkv container. I also have an increasing number of uncompressed DVD's in VideoTS folders - ie ripped straight from DVD including menus, etc. The playstation plays these fine but the menus don't work. VLC plays them as if they are the original DVD's. A player that could do this would be nice. Looking at the Apacer units now...

Yes but only photo and music files, not video.

Recommendations for media player?

Some interesting comments. I'm still undecided. I want the serving of media content onto the tv to be pretty easy. ie I want to be able to flick the channel button to access my stored content, and then whiz through a menu with a remote to play the content. I don't want to be pugging or unplugging a notebook to watch digital content. maybe I need one of those WDTV or AppleTV thingamajigs?? But then I'd also need a separate DVD player??? The notebook would then be free to perform the other tasks (web, email, etc). I would have got an ipad, but I'm concerned about lack of storage space, whether the browser is any good (I use chrome with a few add-ons for now), and my ability to work on the odd word or excel document. Being able to play powerpoint slideshows would also be an advantage. I don't need a heap of grunt as I'm not going to be running any overly hungry applications.

I know this is a car forum (duh!) but there's alot of tech-savvy people on here that might be able to help me out with my latest IT prob. I used to have a Sony VAIO (less than a year old) and a PS3 with external storage which was my computing/entertainment solution. Both have gone south (don't ask), and I need to replace them. My needs: The ability to play DVD's The ability to play digital video and music files through my entertainment system and tv I don't have an HD tv, but I do have a fairly decent home theater with all the bells and whistles Phillips AVR with HDMI inputs and outputs, but obviously without an HD tv I need video via composite or component. The ability to surf the web, share digital media, organise digital media, etc This must be mobile (ie notebook, netbook, or tablet). Wi-Fi The ability to work from home - Microsoft Word/Excel or compatible software. I don't need the rest of the office suite, but I would like to be able to edit and format word/excel docs without too many limitations. Being able to convert to PDF would also be good. I have a windows version of Acrobat (full version) but wouldn't want to have to buy another copy for a different platform if that's my only option as it cost enough the first time! The ability to use an external wireless keyboard. Email (preferrably a built-in client, not webmail). Notg a must-have, but a like-to-have would be an optical drive capable of transferring my current DVD's to digital files to store on the media/server or whatever I end up with. I don't play games. I don't need masses of computing power. I want good battery life, portability, and ease of use with the home theater, preferrably by remote control. I'm going overseas for a bit soonish, so would prefer to spend more on the portable bit and less on the fixed bit at home. So.... Do I get an ipad and some sort of media server? Do I get a notebook/netbook and a media server?? I don't want or need to spend mega bucks, but don't really know where to start. Maybe some people can tell me what they do? Cheers.

The perfect toolbox for the perfect tool - v-tech yo!

I've passed all the info on. They are of course, going to try the mechanic in a acan first (rather than brasso). And may consider valve stem seals. It uses a fair bit of oil (no leaks) and whilst it smokes most at startup and under acceleration, there is a very small bit of smoke alot of the time, so maybe a bit of both (rings and valve stem seals). Thanks again. if they do the seals I'll report back.

How many people ended up on that trip man?

lol i did this when they rang a few weeks ago. Hilarious. My work colleague spent ages pretending to do what they asked, but saying it didn't work. So they tried to "troubleshoot" why she couldn't access their download. Eventually they tried to get her to test her internet connection. "Oh, I don't have the internet". Lulz all round.

lol @ mike. Aqua-spew. I'm getting itchy for a fish again Chris. How's the arm coming along?

thanks all.

I gave a working Sega Game Gear away a year or two back. With games. First PC was Commodore 16 - won it after Mum and Dad bought me a pair of gumboots from Para Rubber! Had the tape drive storage, and you coded your games in by hand line by line from the manual and then saved them on a tape drive before you could play them! It could store them in RAM (all 16KB of it!), but you had to code them again next time you turned it on.

If he had been Chuck Norris, a roundhouse kick in the air within 20m of the wall would have blown it apart, and every woman within a 5mile radius would get pregnant. Obviously NOT Chuck Norris...

OK, so I've got two questions. The first one I'm sure must be a joke, but as I'm not a mechanic I have to ask, and the second is serious. Ok here goes... A friend has a e30 pre-f/l 323i. It was a single-owner when they bought it, and had been babied it's entire life. Very low kms (Under 100,000), and never left it's home town. In other words it never got used on the highway. We are reliably led to believe it almost never got driven at over 80km/h before my friend bought it. It's in mint condition and always been fully serviced, but it blows a little smoke. Mechanic's expert opinion is that due to it's history it has glazed cylinders/rings and so it's a bit of blow by. It runs 100% fine and the owner doesn't want to rebuild the motor. Mechanic's opinion is that based on the occasional use it's going to get, that it's not a priority to fix, and the car may as well be driven as-is. Now for the interesting bit. My friend has owned the car for over 10 years and as predicted by the mechanic, it hasn't worsened, and it runs like a charm. However it does foul the plugs regularly enough that they need a good clean each service (6 monthly to yearly). Question 1) Another mechanic has suggested pouring a wee bit of brasso down the air intake in a bid to sovle the problem by polishing the cylinders. Sounds a bit like those rumours about pouring sand in your intake to polish it, but as I'm no mechanic, and brasso should combust, I thought i should ask so that someone like Glenn could end the debate for us. So, will it work or will it cause damage? I say the latter, but my curiosity has gotten the better of me. Question 2) Will hotter plugs alleviate the problem of them fouling so often? and how hot a plug can you get away with on an old m20b23? Cheers guys, and please only answer if you know what you are talking about.

Weird, I got a couple cut at Mitre 10 about 4 years ago no trouble. Still going strong - use them as my main key. $7 ea from memory including the cut.

Closed. Many valid points, but Brian is entitled to his whinge and has a point too.

lol

Yes, I'm bored... Been having fun with this.

Why wet Ashkan?

Sweet link.

Go do a burnout in front of the beehive Rio. And then tell them they should all be driving e30s...

Welcome!

Chopped through the nerve on my thumb on the fan of the 327 eater (so that'll tell you how long ago). Lost feeling for about a year, but after the first couple of months got a bit of tingle near the base of the cut like pins and needles. Doctor told me this was a good sign of the nerve regrowing. Now I have feeling back totally, but pins and needles right on the tip, so must be the last bit finally healing. Keiti did some damage to a nerve in her accident in the e30. Has constant pins and needles down her finger. That was a couple of years ago that happened. Dad had a heavy pump dropped on his index finger when he was younger. Severed the nerve completely. Never got feeling back to his finger tip and it goes a weird colour when its cold. You'll mend good enough I'd say, but you may have some loss of feeling or tingling for a very long time or life. Probably sux to think about now, but also probably not the end of the world. People survive OK with no arms.

Thank's for the donk video Henry - actually an OK track!

I know they're great, but it's still a chav-mobile - esp. with the colour-coded interior - yuk.