Content

The Mystery of Henry Hoke

JonathanGreen — Thu, 17 May 2012 16:55:11 +1000

Like many readers of ManSpace, we at the Institute of Backyard Studies (IBYS) are big tool collectors. Most Sunday mornings you’ll find us out at garage sales, swap meets or the trash’n’treasure, casting expert eyes over piles of rubbish and junk in a search of that elusive little beauty. A Stanley plough plane from 1923 perhaps... or maybe a Wilkinson folding drawknife is just sitting there, waiting for our loving touch. You live in constant hope of that big find and some days are good.

New Samsung Smart TV range

Darcy — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 10:52:51 +1000

The new 55" Samsung LED8000 Smart TV

Samsung has recently announced the launch of its latest Smart TV models in Australia, featuring a whole host of new functions and features that most of us are more used to seeing in gaming consoles.

On the go again!

wrenton — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 14:35:25 +1000

It’s been a while since the last update, but there has been quite a delay with the supply of the steel for the upper level, and once a again it felt like there was very little happening. Quite a few of the wall frames had been completed but erecting these all depended on the steel being in place.

Going back a month or so, the bricklayers did a fantastic job with all the lower walls being completed in just under two weeks. It would have been nice if the steelwork had come along as well! Anyway, the clock cannot be wound back, and, as of this week everyone is back on the job.

Having a bar of it

JonathanGreen — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 15:36:57 +1100

In the launch edition for ManSpace we asked readers to send in personal stories about their space. Darren Gallagher has answered the call and gives us a first person account of The Flying Sailor Bar & Brewery; his garage retreat inspired by beer, blues music and cool cars: Never a truer word has been spoken since young Tobias talked it up in the 18th century. There is something fantastic about being young and hitting the high seas (which led to being hit from time to time, or from port to port). Having moved around as a lad because of my father’s employment, little did I know that he ...

Like a giant Meccano set

wrenton — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:04:51 +1100

With the holiday break behind us the action on ‘The Block’ is picking up. Early January the scaffolding was put in place, then from that point on there didn’t appear to be much happening. However, we were assured there was plenty going on behind the scenes.

So you have at least 3 quotes, now what?

matthew — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 08:57:20 +1100

If you have carefully selected your tender list, then choosing your builder should be relatively easy. If you have read my previous blogs you would have already selected builders that can provide what you are looking for. So once you take this variable out of the equation it comes down to scope and dollars.

What you are trying to do here is get all of the builders to price exactly the same scope. Once this is done you can either just go with the cheapest price, or negotiate with your favourite.

What is 'network attached storage' (NAS)?

Darcy — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:47:18 +1100

A NAS device by Netgear. NAS boxes come in a variety of shapes and sizes.

Take a look at the content we’re enjoying in the second decade of the 21st century. Our pictures, music and movies all have one thing in common – they’re all digital.

The slab is in!

wrenton — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 10:46:14 +1100

It is hard to believe, looking at the concrete slab, how much work has gone into getting the project to this stage.

The initial setup was done, and once all the string lines were set out the lower corner of the floor seemed to be so elevated it was difficult to get everything in perspective. The fall of the block seemed to create an optical illusion. However, it was a case of wait and see as the preparations continued.

100+ best movies to show off your home cinema

Darcy — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 16:19:44 +1100

Progress at last!

wrenton — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 11:26:25 +1100

Who could believe that after signing the building contract, not a blade of grass had been disturbed in three months!!

We finally have some action shown in the photos. The clearing of the block has been completed, the cut has been done for the downstairs, and now the foundations have been poured.

Quotes, and taking the razor to the plans

wrenton — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 14:31:32 +1000

The three builders quotes have come in and to our horror they are all more than 30% over our original budget. We will now get the razor out and look at where we can reduce the cost of the whole project. We met with each of the builders again and went through in detail all the areas where savings can be made without jeopardising the overall design. They resubmitted their quotations and we have chosen Jake - a local builder who is very keen to build our home. The next step is to complete the Project Building Specifications as required by the Master Builders Association. This is a 30 page ...

Jumping through hoops - permits and builders!

wrenton — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 14:53:39 +1000

Our planning permit was finally approved six months after being submitted to Council. The approved plans state that the works must be in line with the stamped plans, which note that the Manna Gum tree at the front of our property ( on Council land) is to be removed at our expense: The next step in our building project is to meet with our architects and proceed the advanced stage of the design development and working drawings. Further on from there we were presented with our interior design drawings which include all interior specifications including cabinetry, kitchen design ...

What's the difference between a DVR and PVR?

Darcy — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 10:38:19 +1000

Those who are looking to replace their humble VCR will most likely have to choose between a Digital Video Recorder (DVR) and a Personal Video Recorder (PVR).

What's the difference?

Types of networks

Darcy — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 12:44:56 +1000

Can I use the neighbours' WiFi?

Darcy — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 13:22:45 +1000

Where possible, you should secure your own wireless network and avoid accessing your neighbours' networks.

If you don't know exactly what it is, 'WiFi' refers to wireless network technology which allows you to use a WiFi enabled computer, tablet or smartphone anywhere in your home, provided that you have a wireless router installed.

Wired home networks

Darcy — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 16:59:08 +1000

Wired home networks offer greater speeds and better reliability than wireless.

Internet speeds for streaming media

Darcy — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 15:16:28 +1000

How to improve WiFi range

Darcy — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 12:32:35 +1000

One way to extend range is to use multiple access points to create a mesh network.

It wasn't that long ago that in order to connect a computer to the internet you needed to either have a telephone socket somewhere nearby, or be willing to run cable throughout your house.

How to choose a content management system

Darcy — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 10:41:13 +1000

What is 'content'?

Darcy — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 16:27:56 +1000

Content can refer to anything from movies to photos.

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PRODUCT NEWS: Sharp AQUOS Quattron 3D home entertainment hub

Darcy — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 11:32:07 +1000

Sharp's announces its new LE830X series 3D LCD TVs, from the AQUOS Quattron 3D range.

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PRODUCT NEWS: The McTiVia

Darcy — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 11:22:34 +1000

McTiVia wirelessly sends and displays any content from your Mac, PC, iPhone, iPad, Android and BlackBerry devices to your TV.

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PRODUCT NEWS: Beam cloud-based PVR service

Darcy — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 11:14:17 +1000

Beem has launched a cloud based PVR service in Australia, allowing people to record and watch TV using cloud storage.

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PRODUCT NEWS: Oceanic Distribution iPhone app

Darcy — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 11:09:56 +1000

Oceanic has launched its new iPhone app. The app is a full catalogue with details on all products including RRP prices and pictures.

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Wireless networks

Darcy — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 16:33:03 +1000

Wireless internet, also called WiFi, allows you to stream content anywhere in your home.

What are wireless networks?

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Digital radio

Darcy — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 16:25:21 +1000

Digital radio allows you to view the album art for the song you are listening to.

What is digital radio?

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Digital TV

Darcy — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 09:36:25 +1000

What is Digital Television (DTV)?

Digital TV (or DTV, for short) is a type of television trasmission that's been brought in to replace the conventional analogue signal, which has been used since the invention of television. Digital TV signals are transmitted as a digital signal instead of an analogue signal, and as a result it requires either a digital set top box to decode the signal, or a TV that's capable of receiving digital TV signals.

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IPTV and Video on Demand (VoD)

Darcy — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 16:06:14 +1000

IPTV and video on demand allow you to watch what you want, whenever it suits.

What is IPTV?

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What is streaming media?

Darcy — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 14:59:00 +1000

What is streaming media?

Streaming media is an increasingly popular means of delivering content over the Internet. It normally involves content being broadcast from a service like Youtube, Apple TV, ABC iView or Foxtel on an Xbox 360. It also includes setups where your content is stored in one location, and you're able to 'stream' it to another location (like you might with a Slingbox or similar).

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Gaming consoles as media centres

Darcy — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 12:32:22 +1000

Proud owners of a home theatre setup want to be able to entertain their guests without fear of tripping over components and cables. An unnecessarily large number of gadgets and gizmos and wires will cheapen the image of what is inevitably a very expensive installation.

There is a very capable and cost-effective solution though – and we have Halo, Grand Theft Auto and WiiFit to thank for that.

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Cloud storage

Darcy — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 16:45:46 +1000

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Personal Video Recorder (PVR) / Digital Video Recorder (DVR)

Darcy — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 13:56:13 +1000

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Home Theatre PC (HTPC)

Darcy — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 13:32:31 +1000

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Blu-ray Disc

Darcy — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 16:25:14 +1000

What is a Blu-ray Disc?

Blu-ray Discs (or BDs) are optical discs used for storing data, movies and video games. Blu-ray Discs are the natural successor to DVDs, thanks to their vastly increased storage capacity and the fact that they're the same size as DVDs and CDs, which allows for easy backwards compatibility.

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DVD

Darcy — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 16:26:42 +1000

What is a DVD?

A DVD is an optical disc which stores information. DVDs can be used to store movies, games or data, and can be written to and re-written, depending on the type. The acronym 'DVD' officially stands for 'Digital Versatile Disc', although because of their popularity for storing movies, some people refer to them as 'Digital Video Discs'.

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