Listening to @HamiltonMusical #OriginalSoundtrack @HooplaDigital #LibraryLoan #HamiltonDocPBS

I love music and intimately appreciate the first instrument, voice, but not all singing is equal, of course. For example, I love opera, but hate musicals. This has held true for my entire life. Hamilton the Musical may change that. (And this, in spite of the fact that I have always personally preferred Burr to Hamilton, historically.)

Usually when things get an inordinate amount of buzz, that's my cue to steer clear, as my personal tastes often widely diverge from the popular ethos. I am an odd duck and proud of it. Sometimes though, the hoi polloi figures it out and latches onto something interesting (to me). The positive press for Hamilton the Musical has been so overwhelming and deafening that I became curious as to whether it is merited or merely folks jumping on the bandwagon. (I staunchly advocate for meritocracy, though humans seem incapable of actualizing it.) I have not taken leave of my senses, however, I did not rush off to sell my soul in order to acquire tickets. No, I've taken a more measured approach.

First, several weeks ago, I watched what turned out to be a fun and informative PBS Documentary called Hamilton's America. As it was filmed long before the effusive press groundswell in praise of the Broadway show, I hoped it would provide actual information and not merely gush about how great the production is (or would be). PBS did not disappoint. After watching the documentary --- streamed via my PBS app --- and allowing it time to digest, a few days ago, I checked out the Hamilton: Original Soundtrack recording (a loan from my local library) via my Hoopla app. I thought it would make a good listening project to begin on the holiday, yesterday.

It's refreshing! Fun, informative, lyrically dynamic and musically adept. (I enjoy rap music as an art form and this helps.) It's not something I would listen to daily on repeat, as I can do with my favorite albums, but I wouldn't rush to change the channel if it came on, so to speak. What a pleasant surprise you are, Hamilton the Musical! Mind, I've not instantly converted into someone who enjoys musicals, that would take a miracle, but I am enjoying all that I've encountered so far in regards to this musical. My horizons have broadened. And isn't that the spice of life?!


P.S. I may next attempt an associated audiobook or Hamiltome! (Will have to check what Audible has available. I have a purchase credit to use.)

#Music in the Air! #BluetoothSpeakers #InternetRadio #Victrolas #Gramophones #MusicApps #RadioApps #StreamingMedia #Bluetooth

Am really loving my home stereo setup. I decided to have a main central stereo located in my entertainment center with satellite Bluetooth speakers and soundbars placed around the open floor plan. I also have smaller stereo systems in other rooms like my office and my workshop. As it's all networked, I can synchronize play across systems and speakers or have a different sound style for each area. I can control playback with a Smart Assistant, tablet, smartphone, laptop, or remote control, and can access my cloud music libraries, music and radio apps, locally stored media and play internet and broadcast radio, plus physical discs. It's pretty rad! I'm still building it out. Certainly, I'll add more wireless speakers and I'm leaning toward a turntable for vinyl.

SIDE NOTE: By the way, this is merely my audio setup on the new-fangled side. Opposite, I have desperately desired a Victrola or other big "belled" antique Gramophone, since I was 5 years old. My mother had one that I can still picture as clear as day. I didn't care that it was perhaps valuable, I simply thought its big gleaming horn was beautiful.

In what seems to be a fairly common occurrence in poor rural areas, where people were often not well educated, were desperate, yet were trusting of their neighbors and displayed hospitality to strangers, a dishonest itinerant junk antiques dealer swindled ME out of it, thinking nothing of telling a bald-faced lie to a small child --- and I have never forgotten it! It takes a despicable person to take advantage of anyone as he did; however, it takes a no account bastard to take advantage of a five-year-old little girl who has been taught to respect the words of her elders.

The theft of my mother's Victrola (which is exactly what the stranger's deceit amounted to) marked the loss of my childhood innocence. Afterward, I became withdrawn. I became wary of anyone who professed anything without showing me proof. I became skeptical of human motives. I began to distrust people. It was a dear and precious lesson to "give" a 5-year-old. My mother, bless her, was furious on my behalf when she returned from a neighbor's, not even caring that I had "given away" her prized Victrola, but only concerned that some stranger (and a grown man, at that) had taken advantage of her baby girl. Of course, by then, the lying scoundrel was long gone.

I made a promise to myself that I would acquire a replacement for it one day, so its something for which I keep out an eye. It will require the perfect specimen. I am fascinated with early record players (and cylinder players) as a result, and recognize that this is likely another personal library collection in the making.

Saving Points for a @Vizio #SmartCast Crave 360 Speaker #WiFi #Bluetooth #MultiRoom #Fandemonium #Rewards

After I redeemed $250 worth of points for a Vizio 32" E-Series SmartCast™ HDTV, a fast USB wall charger kit and a free digital copy of Star Trek: Beyond last November, my Vizio Fandemonium Rewards points balance was pretty much shot. No biggie though, for this is what the rewards points are supposed to do, exchange for stuff. Since then, however, I've been earning points and slowly replenishing my account balance, which has grown back to approximately 39,000 points. (The rewards exchange rate is roughly 1000 points = $1.00.)

Vizio SmartCast™ Crave 360™ Multi-Room Speaker

I think I have enough TVs --- all HDTVs --- at the moment between a Vizio 60" 1080p, a Samsung 46" 3D 1080p, the aforementioned Vizio 32" 1080p and a Seiko 20" 720p (the only upgrade would be going 4K+). Instead, I've decided to aim for the 2016 Vizio SmartCast™ Crave 360™ Multi-Room Speaker Model #SP50-D5 [MSRP $249.99] as my next reward. Currently, I have an eye out for WiFi + Bluetooth speakers and/or soundbars with a goal of having one in almost every room, but there's no hurry.

The 2016 Vizio SmartCast™ Crave 360™ Multi-Room Speaker is "a portable 360° 2.1 multi-room speaker featuring amazing clarity, 8 hours of power and a wireless charging base" according to its specs. (See vizio.com/sp50d5.html.) I might change my mind regarding which reward I should next claim between now and then... I've got a ways to go yet in order to save up $250 worth of points again. As long as Fandemonium rewards continue to be offered, I'll get there eventually. Besides, it's my idea of fun to earn cool freebies!

Setup Your Own Holiday Muzak Channel #DIY #MicrosoftStore #MP3 #Freebies

It's beginning to look a lot like... the gift giving season is in full swing. Promotions are popping up left and right and tons of free goodies are being parceled out. It's a wonderful time to be a bargain hunter-gatherer!

Before the advent of the Internet, one could always suss out what season it was by the type of music being piped into area department stores. Often tinny-sounding versions of the originals, this Muzak was either a bane or blessing depending upon whom one asked. I generally found it annoying, especially around the holidays. I'd rather listen to real music of my own choosi

In that vein, I was happy to discover that the Microsoft Store made a number of Christmas albums available for free download the other day, including the classic A Charlie Brown's Christmas by the Vince Guaraldi Trio (a Jazz standard) along with some Motown and pop tunes. I snagged them all and plan to program my own Holiday "Muzak channel" Playlist to beam across the various Bluetooth soundbars and speakers strategically placed throughout my home. Nowadays I shop almost exclusively online, but this doesn't mean I can't enjoy all the trappings of the retail holiday season. As I get to pick the music, I can assure that it doesn't annoy me, however. And you wonder why I love tech.

NOTES: I adored the A Charlie Brown's Christmas animated cartoon as a child and watched it religiously every broadcast. (I still watch it every year, but I now own a digital copy, and thus, no longer need to wait for the television programming.) The accompanying musical score has always held a special place in my heart, and so it was an interesting aside to discover after I moved to the Bay area, that Vince Guaraldi had been born in San Francisco and had died just down the road in Menlo Park. This knowledge added another emotional layer to the music, learning that he'd been a "local boy" to an area I consider my other home. Made him seem almost like a long-lost family member reclaimed.

#Live Tonight: @DrinkCheerwine #LegendaryGiveback #CharityConcert w/ #AvettBros

I LOVE music and a good live show is second to none. But unfortunately, in order to attend most live shows one has to go out in public, and well, the public is there. I'm not a big fan of large gatherings. If unavoidable, I deal with them. However, given the opportunity to party at home with a chosen few friends, I'll generally stay at home far from the madding crowds. I make no apologies for being a notorious homebody.

Luckily, the advent of live streaming technology has made it possible for me to "go out" whenever I want, while staying in. Take tonight, for instance, I plan to "attend" a live charity concert without leaving the comfort of my home. I'll have the best seat in the house and I won't have to worry about drunken revelers spilling beer, fights breaking out, or concessions running thin on vegetarian options.

I can simply access the concert live stream and then cast it to the display of choice --- in this case, my 60" Vizio SmartTV HDTV with a multichannel soundbar. It's a fairly simple thing to do with my home theater setup. It doesn't matter if there's only a general web feed of an event, instead of a native media broadcasting app at play, because all the TVs/displays in my home are internet connected SmartTVs. Content (once acquired by my media server) is pretty much shareable across my entire home network. Did I mention that I'm a tech geek?

THE CONCERT BEGINS AT 8:00PM EST.

This evening, I'm "attending" The Legendary Giveback Charity Concert featuring the Avett Brothers and supporting a good cause. It happens to be sponsored by Cheerwine. As a result, Tastemakers (aka Cheerwine Authentic Soda Society fan club members) who helped promote the event could qualify to receive discounted tickets to the actual show or get a link to stream it live online. One guess as to which option I chose (especially considering the venue is far away).

Yep. I've got a web link queued in my media server. I have good food to prepare, Cheerwine in the fridge and cold beer on tap in my Draftmark system. All my somewhat rowdy friends are coming over to party with me. All I need to do now is press play....

Bring the #Fandemonium @Vizio! Say It Loud #VizioFans

Intrepid gadget geek here. I'm the kind of person who makes trips to my local Best Buy merely to ogle the wares. I make lists of "products I want" and "products I want developed". (I'm a natural born engineer.) I love technology and expect its use to make things in my life more convenient, simple and/or fun.

And what could be more fun than earning free HDTVs/Home Theater Displays & Home Theater Audio equipment, especially when you're a tech geek, movie lover and music aficionado like me? Not much, let me tell you.

Back in December 2014, I stumbled upon Vizio's loyalty rewards program, known as Fandemonium, and immediately signed up. At the time, I couldn't believe a TV/Audio manufacturer was offering a person the chance to earn big ticket gear for free merely by performing such simple tasks as visiting its website or watching product videos. I thought there had to be a catch. But no...

Since becoming a member, I've amassed enough points to cash out for two sweet soundbars (29" and 38") to complement the HDTVs I already owned. And just this last week I cashed out for a "$250 Off Any Purchase" voucher (good at vizio.com) which I then used to get a brand new 2016 Vizio 32" E-Series SmartCast HDTV with Google Cast built-in (MSRP $229.99) plus a Smartphone/Tablet Fast USB/Wall Charger Kit (MSRP $19.99) for completely free! (The voucher applies to base merchandise cost, so the discount made my subtotal $0.00, which in turn generated no taxes and each item I bought included free shipping.)

BONUS: Vizio.com is currently running a promotion (while supplies last through 31-Dec-2016) wherein one gets a free Star Trek: Beyond UHD Digital Copy (MSRP $29.99) --- in the form of a VUDU code --- with the purchase of any of its new SmartCast HDTVs or (tuner-free) SmartCast Home Theater Displays.

Thus, in addition to getting a free 32" HDTV along with the equivalent of a free Google Chromecast* (MSRP $35.00), and a free Smartphone/Tablet USB/Wall Charger, I should also get a free digital copy of a recent theatrical release movie. (The promotion terms state that the Vudu movie redemption code will be emailed to you 7-10 business days after you register your new SmartCast HDTV/Home Theater Display purchase on Vizio's website.) My new telly arrived last Friday, so I'll find out if code supplies have been exhausted roughly a week afterwards. However, as the promotion is still being actively advertised all over the Vizio website, I fully expect to get a Vudu redemption code in my inbox soon.

*NOTE: New 2016 Vizio SmartCast products have Google Cast built-in. Google Cast is the software only version of its Chromecast hardware. You get the same functionality of a Chromecast device natively, without having to plug a dongle into your TV's HDMI port. So it's an upgrade.

Getting a free Star Trek movie is a cool bonus. I grew up watching TOS reruns on the tube so I'm a Trekkie of old, but I actually haven't seen this latest film. I was unimpressed with the "meh" Star Trek reboot and snored through the "weak tea" Star Trek: Into Darkness, as a result I didn't rush out to see this one. But I was willing to chance it for free. If I hate it, no biggie, though I'm hoping it proves to be a stronger flick than the first two, because it wasn't helmed by JJ Abrams. After disliking what he did with Star Trek and then Stars Wars, I realize I'm just not an Abrams fan (professionally). I was super annoyed that he messed up not one, but two of the iconic Sci-Fi franchises of my childhood.

Regardless, I'm winning the race! I'll have gotten a total of about $315.00 worth of new A/V products and accessories for free. Obviously, I spent time to earn the rewards points in order to trade them in for merchandise, but it only takes me a few minutes to participate in the program each day. Plus, I'm already accumulating Fandemonium rewards points again, saving for the next go around. (There are other rewards available for redemption like branded Tees and mugs, autographed gear, etc., but I save my points up for the big ticket items.)

After I've had a chance to play with my new toys for a bit --- which with the holidays upon us unfortunately may not be until after Christmas --- I'll put up an E-Series SmartCast HDTV review and also give some background detailing my experiences with Vizio (customer service) and its products. I own two Vizio HDTVs and two Vizio soundbars at this point. All of which I got for free. (A few years ago, I won a 60" SmartTV 1080p HDTV in a Winter Fest contest sponsored by an unrelated third-party company. It was my first Vizio product, and is what led me to investigate the company that manufactured it, which is how I stumbled upon the link to the Fandemonium Loyalty Rewards program, and ending up joining. I figured, why not.)

My only regret is that is didn't discover the Fandemonium promotion sooner. I missed out on nearly two years of point earning opportunities. Urgh! But don't cry for me Argentina, as I have attempted to rectify the situation post haste, by earning every point I can nowadays.

Yeah, I'm sitting here grinning as I type this. Sign-up for Vizio Fandemonium Rewards!

NOTICE: I'm a loyal member of the Vizio Fandemonium Loyalty Rewards program, however, I was not asked or required to make this post. The opinions expressed are entirely my own. I have earned Vizio rewards for program participation and may earn (a few) points if you sign-up for the program using my referral link above.