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FLAT SPEAKERS SURROUND WITH SOUND

It seems like being flat is really in when it comes to the world of computers. Flat screen monitors are quickly replacing bulky conventional tube screens, flat bed scanners have all but dominated the personal scanner industry and now it looks like the world of sound is going flat as well. But "flat" doesn't apply to the sound emanating from Sonigistix's Monsoon speakers but rather only to their appearance. Sonigistix's Monsoon line of flat panel speakers have become a thing to be desired by anyone looking for high quality sound reproduction on their computer. I owned a pair of the MH-1000 speaker systems as soon as I heard them. Sonigistix names it Planar Focus Technology. But all you need to know is that their flat speakers, measuring at less than a half inch thick, produce a glorious sound rivaled only by home stereo speaker systems costing hundreds more.

Adding to their high quality line of flat speakers comes the new MH-505 Flat Panel Surround System. This six piece MH-505 supports the 5.1 Surround Sound standard and comes complete with four desktop satellite speakers, one center channel speaker and one subwoofer with built-in amplifier. Also included is a Surround Sound control module that lets the user manually adjust the placement of the aural image. Many of today's newer sound cards support the 5.1 standard and the MH-505 is fully compatible with these cards while remaining backwards compatible with 4 channel and older stereo audio cards.

Looking to set the price at a competitive level ($179), Sonigistix departs slightly from it's totally flat speaker design with the MH-505 system and integrates a 2.5 inch midrange cone driver to each of the four satellite speakers. Check the web site for details on their complete line of flat speaker systems including their top of the line MM-2000 four flat panel system ($299) and the iM-700 ice USB speaker system ($169) made to compliment the appearance of the iMac line of computers from Apple.

www.monsoonaudio.com

Star Trek on your computer

Being a fan of most everything Star Trek, I've always wanted those very cool animated displays one sees on the computer screens in the show to run on my computer. And as you will read, evidently I'm not the only one. LCARS is the name for those visually pleasing and high tech computer displays used by the characters in the Trek TV series and movies. LCARS stands for "Library Computer Access and Retrieval System" and it is the fictional computer system used in the Star Trek universe. Also referred to as an "Okudagram," the design was originally created by Michael Okuda, the scenic art supervisor for "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and it has been used in everything Trek ever since. LCARS screens depict data on everything, from Astrometrics Lab to Warp Drive as it simulates some kind of futuristic operating system used by all Federation computers. That explained, I stumbled onto System47, a screen saver for which any Trek fan with a computer would gladly hand over their entire stash of Latinum (a commodity of great value in Trek land). After installation, System47 converts your computer into an LCARS system complete with absolutely authentic sounding clicks, beeps, chirps and warp engine noises. And the display screens themselves would be good enough to fool even Seven of Nine (a human who was assimilated by the Borg, who are an alien race... oh never mind.) Needless to say, this screen saver will become a prized possession by anyone who admires the Star Trek phenomenon. And you won't have to spend one tiny bar of Latinum because System47 is free. System47 is an endeavor that could easily have been a commercial product given the amount of work, attention to detail and quality put into it. This is obviously a labor of love by the author and I thank him for it. You will too. Windows and Macintosh versions are available for download at the author's website.

www.mewho.com/system47