* Stuff to Do in Las Vegas - Besides Gamble ----- I have a lot of text books and reference materials, here are some of the references I can recommend:

* Handbook for Sound Engineers - What a great reference. Chapters written by Dr. Ahnert, Pat Brown, Ralph Heinz, F. Alton Everest, Ken Pohlmann, Ray Rayburn, Bill Whitlock and a host of others. Really a great reference by the best of the best.

* Sound System Engineering by Don Davis - All audio engineers ought to have a copy of this book. Physics and electronics haven't changed, and this book is just a valid now, as was the first edition in 1975.

* The Audio Dictionary: Third Edition, Revised and Expanded - Very well written and entertaining, especially for a "Dictionary". Covers audio, electronics, radio, recording, dsp, and music. There is also a great appendix on "How to Subdue a Hi-Fi Salesman".

* The Sound Reinforcement Handbook - Ubiquitous. The others are better, but this one is a little more "plain english".

If your serious about Audio Engineering, you need to be a member of the professional organizations. It's not that expensive, and having access to the current and past Journal submissions is a very valuable resource. -----

  A web site maintained by mastering engineer Bob Katz. I find the articles section of particular interest. He has some great things to say about dynamic range management, the volume war syndrome that record companies have fallen into, as well as the real truth about what digital processing does to the audio signal. Mr. Katz also has a list the best Mastered CD's. This entire site is a real gem. Mastering Audio, Second Edition: The art and the science (Book)

I know, I know, but RaneNotes is a really fanatastic wealth of literature. Some of my favorites are the Bandwidth Calculator, and a well written document on the often misinformed topic of Constant Voltage Audio Distribution (70v systems). There are also papers on topics ranging from Sound System Gain Staging to shielding and grounding. ------------------

There are a lot of things the movies do right, and I think the standards and handling of dialogue are among them. There is a method to the madness (sometime not always followed) but at least they are trying. Take a look at : Are Movies too Loud? from the Dolby site.

Here we go. This tends to be a large topic, and widely misunderstood. I see lots of questions about how Clear-com works (or doesn't as the case may be). Follow this link to Clear-Com's manuals. Among other things there is a Party Line installation manual. -Be sure to check out the section on System Checkout which describes a useful method for determining proper terminiation. If you are having problems interfacing wireless base stations into your system without inducing a hum, be sure to look at the MT-1. If you use an MT-1, read the section on terminiation again. Another resource for good Icom info is located http://www.epanorama.net/links/intercom.html. This is kind of a hodge-podge of info for several different types of com, but there is good info on interfacing, and the methods that various manufacturers use. ------------------

* ArsTechnica ----A fantastic resource for computer and technology related information. They have really good coverage for both Mac and PC related issues and news, reviews, and a shopping engine. As well as excellent papers on CPU theory and Praxis. They also maintain one of the largest forums on the internet. If you want opinions, general discussion or a good laugh, take a look there. The site is maintained by a group of guys from Boston. They routinely have impromptu get-togethers in the Boston area, open to all. Check it out.

* GotApex ---- Self described as "Redline your PC and Get Mileage from your Wallet." Definitely the very best deals on the net. They get the inside track to deals and coupon codes that no one else has. Apex also happens to be a regular on the ArsTechnica forums.