RockRaines

My DTV boxes are about the size of a coaster. They are also RF so you can hide them behind wall mounted TV's. Its pretty awesome. Definitely still need Comcast internet though, DSL from ATT blows.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Oct 2, 2013 -> 02:25 PM) Yeah - they must put their installers through some rigorous skills testing and pay them well. I had the same amazing experience with our installer. They actually give a s*** what it looks like at the end of the day. As I posted many months ago - I love the Genie and I adore DirecTV. It's also nice that every picture is true HD and not compressed like s***ty Comcast. The genie may be the best thing ever. I still forget that I can tape something in one room and it really means the entire house. I was staying up watching the hawks game that I taped when I realized I could continue watching in bed.

QUOTE (Brian @ Oct 2, 2013 -> 02:14 PM) I would've gotten DirectTV at my new place but HOA wouldn't let me put a dish anywhere so have Comcast. I had a good deal for first two years through DirectTV website as new customer. Try that. Here's a tip for HOA's. They are always interested in lowering costs. Our's is locked into Comcast because of ugly dishes on units. HOWEVER, we looked into getting DTV for the entire building at a HUGE cost savings. We were only a couple of votes short in the first go round. The dish usually goes in one central location.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Oct 2, 2013 -> 01:24 PM) Speaking of TV provider customer service, man oh man do I love DirecTV. Just got off the phone with them after 45 minutes. My 2 year contract expired last week and I called to see what kind of promotions were available. The first guy I talked to offered me a few things, a free HD-DVR box, 10 bucks off a month, some additional content for basically free, etc. But I wasn't thrilled with any of them. Because I didn't like what he was selling HE offered to send me to the retention department where they "have more room to work." Talked to the guy in the retention department for 25 minutes, not haggling, but just talking about what they wanted to GIVE me. I didn't ask for anything other than "what can you do for me?" At the end of the day I basically got treated as a brand new customer with additional incentives. I got the Genie system (sadly i signed up with them like 6 months before that launched), I got the new customer pricing, an extra 10 bucks off hbo and showtime, I got Sunday ticket free (2nd time in 3 years) and I got to keep my current 2 receivers (in addition to the 2 new genie boxes) without having to pay the 6 bucks a month for each. All and all, a VERY happy customer. I LOVE it so far. Besides the almost 200 dollar savings and superior technology (the genie f***ing rocks), lets talk about installation services. I have an old house in historic Oak Park. Half of the house is an addition that has been wired for several services over the past several years. First the directv guy gets there and tellls me I need all new wiring. Cool, it makes sense. He looks at the dish network dish and wiring and said, wow, why did they do it this way. He then removes the ugly dish from the front of my house and takes out their horrible wiring. He then hides my DTV dish in the back and smartly wires my 5 rooms so that you can barely see anything externally. Some of my rooms are hard to wire, then guy doesnt flinch, comes up with great ideas and even tacks it to walls/hides it internally where needed. He then puts my splitter in a central location so I have minimal delay. The guy cleans up and is gone, such great service. Comcast guy comes to install just internet in one room. Looks at cable coming from pole to house "thats old", begins to replace. No big deal, replaces the run from the pole to the house and the slack is such that its hanging down into my yard. He tells me he will fix that later. he then follows some of the DTV guys wiring and starts to eye a place to drill a hole through my house. I ask, cant you just put it back through the plate that the DTV guy did, its already hidden and sealed. "No, then you wouldnt know which one is which". Seriously, he said that. finally I convince him to do it and it looks decent, but he didnt hide any wires on the side. I completed this work for him later. He then says he is done and begins to pack up, I had to ask him again to take out the slack on the wire hanging head height into my yard. He makes me sign the thing and starts to leave and I notice its not working. "give it a few min". Reluctantly I let him go and 6 hours later I am back on the phone with Comcast trying to fix my service. Finally I get it working after going through 3 different foreign techs. The service has been night and day so far.

QUOTE (Jake @ Oct 2, 2013 -> 12:21 PM) Yeah, this is a tough one. Obviously the original biker is at fault, though I can imagine that many of the other bikers could have reasonably misinterpreted the situation. Bikers understandably don't take getting hit with cars lightly. Now, that is not to say we should settle our beef by mercilessly beating people, either. A classic "violence begets violence" story here Apparently this group had been terrorizing people through the area all day, riding on sidewalks, through red lights etc. They were trying to slow down this car to "take over" the highway, but then they tried to open his door and he took off. They slashed his tires etc to get him to stop then beat him in front of his family.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Oct 2, 2013 -> 11:49 AM) I bet Rock would be willing to pay you $300 to do it for him Thats a fact. I cant do any of that s***.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Oct 2, 2013 -> 11:40 AM) I think i'm leaning that way for my next "big" tv purchase. We have two set-ups, the everyday TV watching during the week upstairs (40 inch) and the finished basement home theater area downstairs for movies and sports (currently a 55 in). It'd be nice to get 100 inches up on the wall. I just don't know about the brightness without spending a fortune, but it has been a few years since I looked into them. The one thing that worries me about that is how do I hook up my components? Do I have to run cables into the ceiling etc? Seems like a ton of work.

QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ Oct 1, 2013 -> 05:13 PM) Looking for 2009 or newer and two musts are 4x4 and a trailer hitch. I've heard nothing but good things about their safety ratings and reliability, plus it seems their depreciation value is pretty damn good, as even cars five years or younger with 100,000+ miles are still going for well over 10 grand. It tows like a mF'er too. I love my ride. My 2013 was a first model and its a little quickly with the electronics, but its an awesome vehicle I fully recommend getting the Hemi as the engine loosens up and gets better with age. its also rock solid.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Oct 2, 2013 -> 08:16 AM) How long did you have the cars? I generally look at having a car for 5 years or so, on average. 2-3 years for my leases. My last jeep I purchase and I kept it 2 years and traded it in for a 2013 model. I had over 5k in equity in it so it kept its value nicely. I dont keep cars that long at all, I like it being under warranty and frankly I really like new toys.

He had his whole family in the car with him. I would have done the same thing. This biker gang is a bunch of f***ing idiots.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Oct 2, 2013 -> 08:35 AM) I have a similar model but in the 240 hz...very pleased with it overall, although I am not one of those people that really digs in to the advanced settings all that much or anything. I usually look for the advanced config online and then dont touch my sets. Works pretty great for them all so far.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Oct 1, 2013 -> 01:03 PM) I believe the Jeep brand is RockRaines forte. PM him and see what he thinks JGC right now are fantastic cars. You will get a more solid car than you've seen them build in years and they come in a variety of flavors. I highly recommend picking one up.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Oct 1, 2013 -> 03:34 PM) I personally avoid leases like the plague. With car loan interest rates as low as they are, leasing doesn't make much sense. You are restricted on mileage, they have tight requirements on getting regular maintenance done in small windows (and will hit you with charges if you don't meet those to the letter), and you get dinged left and right on turning the car back in for all manner of things. All that for not having an asset at the end of the lease period. Yes, cars depreciate. But do some comparison math. You'll find that if you lease versus own for some period of years, with current loan versus lease rates, then look at the asset value versus no asset... they break even more or less. And THEN you start in on the charges and limitations in a lease. Just my view. Buy, new or used. Find a brand and model that holds value well (not sure if the Cherokees are in that group, I know a few years back they were not, maybe they are now). Eh, if you dont keep cars very long leasing is great. I've never got dinged on penalties when returning a leased car, ever. My last two leases actually were worth more than the buyout at the end as well.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Oct 1, 2013 -> 02:12 PM) Some do, but a lot of people specifically concentrate on protein after workouts, and it's actually carbs their body needs at that time. I do both. Carbs for recovery, protein for soreness and to make me feel full.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Oct 1, 2013 -> 12:19 PM) After workouts your body needs carbs, not protein. Also, it will make a difference if you aren't already getting enough protein elsewhere. I probably eat upwards of 100 grams of protein with my normal diet every single day, so supplementing more won't do anything. Alot of those shakes have recovery carbs as well.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Oct 1, 2013 -> 12:32 PM) This is a nice TV http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BG5M94S/?tag=g...sl_8j1trqsmlp_b I'll look at it. Need something big but still like advanced functions like local dimming.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Oct 1, 2013 -> 12:22 PM) Sony is still great, but you can probably get that set for 1000$ less if you kill off the useless 3D and "smart" features. You're appletv is smarter than anything they can possibly include to make that tv smart, so paying for smart tv's is a waste. I bought my last plasma with NO smart features on it and it cost 999$, the smart version was 1699$. My 90$ appletv is smarter. Hmm, let me see what I can find. I need something at least 70 in for that basement area.

Although I have all Samsungs, thinking about pulling the trigger on this for my basement: http://www.amazon.com/Sony-KDL-70R550A-70-...=I26T2F9Y52R9CT Sony's are still respected right?

QUOTE (Chilihead90 @ Sep 30, 2013 -> 04:47 PM) So Pirri isn't even making the roster? Stupid fantasy hockey guides telling my Pirri was likely to nab the 2nd-line center job. No, they sent him down a few days ago.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Sep 30, 2013 -> 03:27 PM) Balta gave a story about a truck sitting in the left-most lane of a three lane highway and not getting over even when the driver had time. Your response was to talk about "4 wheelers" and deride them for wanting to go faster to get to a job they hate anyway. Something's getting lost in your narrative here. Trucks passing other trucks on a busy 2 lane highway like route 65 makes me angry to no end. Singlehandedly makes a traffic jam only to get right in front of that truck then slowing down.

QUOTE (DukeNukeEm @ Sep 30, 2013 -> 12:24 PM) Look, I'm not totally into the whole "trucks run the economy" crap, this happens to be the one job available which I have zero threat of being laid off where I can still make a middle class income as a 24 year old. But to compare the importance of trucks to taxi cabs is just stupid. The reason you don't have to slaughter chickens in the morning is because some truck is enabling a farm far away to do it for you. Everything you own, including your house, was put where it is on your behalf by a truck. This isn't me being confrontational or demeaning, its just a goddamn fact. The taxi that gets you home drunk might seem equally important to you, but if you spent one day seeing all that goes into logistics you'd instantly change your tune. Eh, not sure my house built in 1890 was enabled by trucks. Pretty sure the materials were on the rail.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Sep 30, 2013 -> 01:06 PM) Spoiler tags are for spoilers. The show has aired. Its over. SO thats the rule now? So if a movie has premiered then its all good?

What happened to spoiler tags?

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Sep 27, 2013 -> 12:34 PM) I have a 42" Samsung LCD that is 7.5 years old and still works wonderfully and looks great. I also have a 50" LCD that's about 3 years old and is also a-ok. 40 in LCD, 5 year old, 50 in plasma, 6 years old, LED 3 weeks old. All are fantastic.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Sep 29, 2013 -> 10:36 AM) I think Duke has made some reasonable points but his tone doesn't usually lend itself to sympathy. Our country is entirely dependent on the trucking industry and regular drivers certainly do disregard how difficult it is to operate a truck in many conditions and how dangerous trucks are. Our large cities are very dependent on taxis as well, doesnt mean I respect their operators.