By David Gibbons
January, 2005
Late in 2004, O'Reilly(R) Publishing released HOME THEATER HACKS by Brett McLaughlin. As with all of their "Hacks" series books, this one "presents 100 insider tips and tools" for Home Theater. Mr. McLaughlin selected several of my essays to be included.
Look for:Hack #20. Add Metal Plating to Support a Center Speaker (Alas, this essay was heavily edited. I recommend the article on this Web site, "Put a Wing On Your RPTV" as much more representative of my actual intention.)
Hack #39. Little Speakers Can Create Big Problems = "Small Speakers"
Hack #56. Watch Out for Entertainment Centers = "Home Entertainment Center - Curse or Blessing"
Hack #57. Don't Be Swindled Into Buying Overly Expensive Cables = "Wire and Cabling Hustle"
Hack #71. Reduce Lens Flare on RPTVs "Lens Flare - The Hidden Enemy of Rear-Projection TVs"
Other than article #20, you'll find that the articles in this book are fairly close to my original essays. It's great to be published in such good company. I will continue to refine the essays on this Web site, so over time they will change and grow as I learn new things. Stay tuned for new information.
ps. So now I'm now a "Home Theater guru." Like, cool, dude.
By David Gibbons
Sept 25th, 2004
The show was located at the Somoma County Fairgrounds, and I was just inside the main entrance to Grace Pavilion, on the left.
I had a complete home theater set up and running, and talked to folks and answered questions all three days. (I now have a lot more admiration for the folks who work those shows - it is a lot of work!) I learned more about the problems folks face in setting up home theaters, particularly in the planning process. Now I can write more essays based on the things I learned at this show.
For those of you who saw me at the show, I look forward to seeing you in the future when I do a tune-up or set-up for you.
