Recent times have been unusual in more ways than one. The pandemic has profoundly changed the landscape of life as we knew it. Government mandates and lockdowns caused retail sales to plummet. Supply chain vulnerabilities manifested themselves as shortages of daily staples such as toilet paper, sanitizing products and other goods. These and other business disruptions called for a new approach to mitigate losses. Curb side pickups and social distancing became part of the lexicon, yet many businesses were still unable to weather the storm.
With the all but continuous advancements in computing technology, it is difficult to keep up with the times. Obsolescence (primarily in speed, processing power and memory) of home computers, laptops and tablets seems as timely as the introduction of newer and better models. No sooner do you buy something than the upgraded version comes out. So is it really worth trying to keep up with this rat race? Well, that depends on several things.
If you need to borrow money quickly and without a credit check, the pawn/loan process can be very helpful. Bring in items of value as collateral to receive a loan for an agreed amount, and then retrieve your item(s) upon repayment of the pawn amount within a specified period of time.
Most cars include some type of audio system from the factory, which is commonly referred to as the 'stock' or ‘OEM’ system. This can be as basic as an in-dash radio receiver and a pair of speakers or complete high-end entertainment systems including DVD players, monitors, amplifiers and an array of speakers throughout the vehicle. With as many different options as are available in OEM equipment these days, there is an even greater variety of aftermarket products designed to enhance, upgrade or replace stock car audio gear.
People are spending more time at home these days due to the pandemic. There are just a lot fewer things to partake in with the cancellation of many social activities and events. So what do you do when you’re cooped up at home? There are actually many activities we can revisit, especially with a bit more time at our disposal. Cooking (and we don’t mean throwing a frozen dinner in the microwave), family game night, camping, hiking, crafting, reading (those old fashioned things made of paper, not your tablet), gardening (not quite yet, but hopefully soon), and last but not least – listening to music or watching movies. We can’t help you with some of these, but we certainly can with home entertainment equipment!
Happy New Year to all! Hopefully 2021 will be a good year for everyone. This last year brought us its share of drama, including a pandemic, lockdowns, civil unrest, economic hardships and consumer product shortages to name a few. Many aspects of normal life simply got “cancelled”. Zoom meetings have replaced traditional gatherings, academics are conducted remotely, stores have more traffic signage than our highways, and now we only get to see people’s eyes out in public. Remember the mad run on toilet paper, or unscrupulous folks price-gouging on hand sanitizer? Still waiting for a second round of stimulus checks, only 8 months after the first payments? And most of us still can’t find ammunition today… It has to get better, right? We don’t know about you, but we’re ready to say goodbye to 2020 and a hopeful hello to 2021!
A quality home entertainment system should emulate listening to live music or enjoying a movie at the theater as accurately as possible in the privacy of your own home. This can be as simple as a stereo receiver and a pair of speakers in your living room or as elaborate as a custom home theater comprised of surround sound decoding equipment, amplification, sources, speakers and a high definition display of your choice. Depending on your performance expectations, this could be accomplished with or without breaking the bank.
Uncertainty has truly become the new normal. When the COVID crisis took hold in the US, the first order of business was to stop the spread. Various mitigation efforts ensued, and terms such as ‘social distancing’ became household words. The shutdown of non-essential businesses and public venues followed, and altered policies for those that remained running in some capacity were implemented.
Thursday, March 19th marks the official start of spring in 2020. Typically this correlates with the vernal equinox, which is the moment the Sun crosses the celestial equator. While this may be what meteorologists and calendars tell you, whether or not it will actually feel like spring in Minnesota on this date is yet to be seen. But one thing is certain – winter is on its way out.
Spring and summer bring with it a desire to roll down the windows in your car, turn on the stereo and hit the road. It’s when many people decide it’s time to upgrade their automotive entertainment. But why wait till the warm weather to begin? Winter is as good a time as any to get some work done on your car audio, so that when that Spring fever hits, you will be ready to roll!