Head and shoulders above the rest !
346187
President Zachary Herney, the incumbent in a hotly contested presidential race, is a strong supporter of a publicly funded NASA, open to the scientific community at large. His opponent, Senator Sedgewick Sexton, has made overspending and mismanagement at NASA his campaign hot button issue and clearly favours privatization of space research. NASA's timely discovery of a meteorite buried deep within an arctic glacier that provides positive long sought for proof of the existence of extra-terrestrial life seems to be the needed success that will put a lock on their reputation with the US taxpayer and a stranglehold on Herney's successful re-election. But when Herney's hand-picked team of civilian experts and intelligence analysts begin to sniff out the possibility of scientific fraud, Dan Brown treats us to a magnificent display of high intensity action and fireworks; the best and the worst of Washington political posturing, cover ups and power plays; and a deadly team of Delta Force assassins assigned to ensure the fraud is kept under wraps.

But, as exciting and as imaginative as it was, it wasn't actually the plot or the fast-paced action that put Deception Point into the category of one of the finest thrillers I've ever had the pleasure of reading.

Unlike so many other thrillers, Dan Brown has not sacrificed characterization for plot. In fact, he has treated us to a marvelously broad cast of realistic, well-developed, human, credible characters that fairly leaped off the page - Marjorie Tench, a bone deep ugly spinster [...] with an incredible set of finely, honed killer political instincts; Michael Tolland, a charismatic scholar who like David Suzuki, David Attenborough or Jacques Cousteau, seemed to be able to translate real scientific knowledge unerringly into a well understood and widely appealing television format; Rachel Sexton, the daughter of the self-centered presidential hopeful senator, struggling to distance herself from politics and retain her credibility as a skilled intelligence analyst with the NRO; and Gabrielle Ashe, the starry-eyed aide who succumbed to Sexton's political reputation and got trapped in a career-killing sex scandal.

The second feature that separated Deception Point from other lesser lights in the thriller genre was his exhilarating use of technology! In hindsight, Brown's one sentence author's note prefacing the story provided that little extra "wow" factor that left me awestruck -

"All technologies described in this novel exist."

As I was reading the story, I flagged no less than a dozen examples of astonishing gadgetry that I was completely unaware of. One example to whet your appetite:

" ... new experimental `IM' weaponry - Improvised Munitions - snow rifles that compacted snow into ice pellets, desert rifles that melted sand into glass projectiles, water-based firearms that shot pulses of liquid water with such force that they could break bones."

What do you think? Does it sound like I enjoyed this one? If you like thrillers, get this one on to the top of your reading pile today.

Paul Weiss
3796174
I have been a car audio/stereo nut for years.  It's all about the tunes, and definitely about the quality.  Audiophile quality usually comes at a price now a days.  You can spend some serious cash for products that will handle way more, and knock your socks off, however, for the average consumer, the price for this loaded Rockford Fosgate P2-2X10 enclosure delivers above and beyond what you would pay for the same equivelant in the competition realm of subwoofers and amps!

These subs are wired internally from the factory down to a 1-Ohm load and handle 600W RMS/1200W Peak (300W RMS per speaker).  I have them paired to an Alpine MRX-M110 1100W Monoblock amp.......these things BREAK YOUR TEETH!
I have owned many subwoofers over the years.  I have had some old-school Rockford's in the past, that performed well...but nothing really show stopping.  I have owned Kicker, Audiobahn, Infinity, Alpine, Cerwin-Vega, MTX to name a few, and I must say, for 10" DVC Subwoofers, these are HANDS DOWN the hardest hitting for the price you pay!

I only have the amp set at barely 1/4 gain, and the bass boost is non-exsisting...OFF!  These subs push so hard and accurate that at a stop light, the care is dipping below idle to about 500RPM with each bass hit!!!!!  The accuracy is beyond amazing! They pick up every range and reproduce the waves with 100% precision.  If I were to push them all the way (the Apline MRX-M110 at 1-Ohm stable load produces 800W RMS), I would have to install a cap or upgrade the factory alternator otherwise my Lincoln MKZ would be stalling at every street light!! :)

Tuned these subs to tracks from Skrillex, Crystal Method, Korn, Metallica to name a few, and I have never heard deeper punchier bass from Korn and Metallica in my life!!! Skrillex and Crystal Method were the perfect test subject for the accuracy of the drivers in reproducing extreme bass lines all across the Hz spectrum.  These things responded with ease as if they were actually looking for more.  These subs crave the power! The more you push them, the better all around accuracy/SPL/Tone you receive.

The box is constructed quite well!  Thick dense black aviator carpet surrounds the entire enclosure, the subs are double-secured in the box with the standard basket mounting screws and then with the aluminum trim piece around the sub locked in with torx heads.

The port pushes plenty of air.  The only down side is because of the mesh-aluminum grill over the vent port, when these suckers throw, you get air-flow noise that might be a bit undesireable.  However, it would only apply if you want to showboat, and by all means go for it!  Simply removing the grill or cutting out the mesh bracket easily solves this problem.  However, in the cabin of the sedan, this noise is not heard whatsoever.

Look no further if you are looking for a quick setup to add deep pounding bass to your ride in quick installation time, this is the box to get!  I have plenty of other boxes and subs in manual installed configurations, but this box is built extremely well!  Quite box with no air leakage, solid construction and all internal wiring has been done with Rockford terminals and speaker wire.

The best buy for the money!  You will not be disappointed!  And they will take a beating for many years!
1573519
Another treasure of heart-centered words set to beautiful melodies, gut-wrenching stories with lilting, stick-in-your-head tunes, along with earthshaking jams that reverberate all the way to your bones! The success of the brothers and Paul, and their adjunct members, seems to me, worthy of more recognition than they get! Long awaited, with this album, they have again produced some of the most diverse, can't be label or boxed-in music in the market today. What does it sound like?????  More!!!!!
1201281
every single song has something to offer. they all sound very similar, but also unique in their own respect. you can also hear very signature sounds from each of the members that make up this group. FANTASTIC album, can't believe i'm only the second review, but hey, that shows just how much talent can go unnoticed!
1853656
Excellent quality for the price! Can't be beat!
3083805
I tested several competitors - the Roth Alfie (overpriced, poor fm reception), the Cambridge i765 (excellent value), the Polk I-Sonic Series 2 (also excellent, but no CD) and none came even close, sound-wise.

I was seduced by the craftsmanship and sheer heft of the Geneva. When I pulled it out of the box, I knew it was something special.

Of the ones I tested, the Roth Alfie is the only direct competitor price-wise, and although the Roth is gorgeous visually and has more bells and whistles, it can't match the sound from the Geneva. The Roth struck me as a "style over substance" product - the Geneva struck me as "all substance".

I have seen a few comments from people complaining about the low bass, but folks, this isn't a high-end component system with 10" - 12" bass speakers.  If you are realistic about the limitations of the one-box design, you'll be amazed at just how good this product is. Tight, clear, transparent - just great. I use it in my office and it fills the room with sound without breaking a sweat.

I wish it had more FM presets and am a little disappointed that it doesn't receive AM broadcasts, but those are minor complaints. A clock would be nice too.

And now I am going to show my age - I wish that this unit had phono inputs. Yup, I still have a batch of records and would love to be able to play them occasionally.  As a matter of fact, if the larger "L" model had phono inputs, I'd buy one for my living room and sell off all of my components.

You owe it to yourself to hear this system before you buy any of its competitors.
1171790
There are not enough good words to use to describe these headphones! The design, construction, operation, and sound quality far exceeded anything I was expecting, especially for the price! Rich bass, super clarity, ease of operation, quick and simple pairing, and the list goes on! The comfort with wearing them, even with glasses is nothing short of amazing. Telephone call quality is unbelievable. Android and Windows operation flawless. I have a Roku 3 with the remote than can use headphones - you can screw the $1000 TV surround system. Put these on and you are in the movie!

The 3.5mm jack is definitely a great touch. Nothing bad about these headphones. I only wish I got them in Red.
93437
I love these headphones! The sound quality is more than what I expected. Looks the part and definitely walks the walk. The provided carrying case is so luxurious! Loved the initial overall quality I got one for my girlfriend too! Funny thing right after I put these to her ears she was stunned speechless and a few minutes later she gave me her UrBeats. nuff said. Don't be blinded by market hype. Finally a venerable professional audio company goes head to head with the overrated Beats and sets the standard.
3843689
Its Janet at an all new level.  She proves that she is all woman both strong and vulnerable, independent yet needy, and the most incredibly sexy artist out there.  As with each of her successive albums, she has matured and it leaves me aching for the next already!  Thanks forever Janet!!
2911498
This album is undoubtedly a high water mark for the band, and with a band like Radiohead that's saying a lot! Put simply, the album is a masterpiece from front to back. The music has achieved a level of sophistication and complexity that can only come from decades of writing music together. We always expect greatness from Radiohead, and they always deliver, but this album is a little bit more of everything than I could have even hoped. It's truly stunning. Many will debate if this album is better than OK Computer. The verdict is besides the point. The real point is that after all of these years, the band is still making music worthy of that debate, and it undoubtedly is. Amazing! Do yourself a favor and buy this.
4826461
Perhaps the pinnacle of Jazz/Rock Fusion, this album takes four guys who are tops in their respective fields and makes it work. Although Chick Coreas' name and keyboard playing is featured prominently, it is not really Chick Corea and these other musicians, as the name might want to suggest.  Each member is so good at his respective instrument/s that certainly without each of them this album would not be the blockbuster that it is. In fact, later on when each went their way, I was more prone to buy DiMeola and Clarkes' solo efforts. By the way, if you have not seen DiMeola and McLaughlin perform "Short Tales of the Black Forest" (yeah, I know it's a Chick Corea song) on acoustic guitars, I would drop what I was doing right now and head on over to YouTube. When you're done don't forget to reach up and push your jaw shut. My favorite cut from this album is "Earth Juice" which is almost like an introduction rather than a full fledged song. If you don't find yourself bouncing around while listening to this you had better have someone check your pulse! Of course I highly recommend this album!
1016842
Best there is! Little expensive, but you can't buy better!
3872739
Football records speak for themselves, and Ken Perrone's wins and loses are right up there with the best! I think that the most successful coaches are the ones who can create a strong cohesive unit! Family as it my be. Getting 50 plus young men to buy into what ever the coach is preaching, and preform as one strong unit!  Ken was very good at that! He was a great organizer, innovator, motivator, and teacher! Ironically so were Jim Jones, and David Koresh for much different reasons!  Maybe that is what Ed Curtain was trying to say LOL!  I started  with Ken when he arrived on the scene in Salem. His philosophy was to start implementing his programs early on. He started up a 7th and 8th grade program. I was in the 8th grade, having never played organized football, I tried out for the team against my mothers wishes. We had some great coaches, and teams along the way, Freshman, and JV's. I was a nobody coming up through the ranks, but with Perrone you were always given a chance. You just had to make the best of that chance!  My greatest honor along the way, outside of the great friendships that were created that still stand tall today, was being elected one of the Captains of the 1977 season by my teammates. I wish I could remember exactly what Ken said to me as I walked up on stage to except the honor, but it went something like this you were not my first choice, congratulations don't mess it up. That was Ken, always motivating! He had a keen sense of what worked for certain people, and he knew what would work for me. Thank you Ken Perrone!
I don't know Sean. I have never met him! The book is a little self centered, but given the source from which it was written, it really has to be. It is a really good story! Sean did a good job with this! Fascinating read! It is amazing how ego's can get in the way instead of thinking rationally, and just doing what is right! If you played for Perrone, you will know the characters involved!  It will bring you back to a really fun time of your life! Our 77' team gets mentioned twice in the book. We were 8-2 and lost both games by a total of 5 pts, lessons in life!. Yes Ed! It was us who left the empty champagne bottles in the locker room after the Thanksgiving game. Our high school football careers were over! We were celebrating the fact that we had never lost to Beverly during our 4 years in High School. Boys will be boys, Ken had nothing to do with it! Ed Curtain was our Principle at the time! That was one Monday morning meeting I dreaded attending LOL!  Sean mentioned one thing very briefly about Perrone in the "Afterword" that really caught my attention! It was the one thing that Perrone was not good at! Nobody is perfect!
...Enjoy the book!!!
4318438
What can I say.... AMAZING.. I can't believe the continued high quality of their arrangements is maintained regardless of the types of music.  They can do it all!!!!!  Kevin and Avi are part of what I enjoy the most, listening to the Base line and Percussion that is the foundation.  I can hear it clearly along with the Harmonies that have me humming, dancing along.  I put on their music when I have to work late and it keeps me up and motivated as my feet move/dance under my computer desk :-)  Get this and be prepared to have your mind blown....
4070138
I love this band. Even with Dino gone, Burton and the gang still kept their dignity. This is even more powerful than the slightly disappointing "Digimortal" (another great CD). "Cyberwaste" doesn't sound like the original Fear Factory, but "Archetype" is automatically deemed a classic. "Bite The Hand That Bleeds" took me a little while to get hooked to it, but it worked, even for a slow song I didn't expect from such a delivering band. "Bonescraper" is yet another grand track. The whole CD is just great! Buy this album right now! I don't care if you have to finance it, I don't care if you're in debt, just get off you ass and do it, damn it!
4052368
Adding a hint of new to something that already works and not have it ruined requires the highest level of skill... and these guys NAILED IT!! They've completely surpassed what I was expecting, and it works so well in this album that it might become my favorite of 2013.

If you haven't heard these guys before, check their music out on youtube, then come back here and give them some support. They have absolutely, without a doubt, earned it.

Well done, Young the Giant!!
3551258
This has ALL the bells and whistles you could ever want as a DJ.  I'm still exploring its capabilities, and I've been using it for over a year. This is a sturdy unit with a steel frame, and has heavy duty knobs and sliders with very positive and consistent ranges.  There are a million ways you can interface this thing with other sound inputs and outputs, and it is very forgiving about input voltages.  I'm a fan!