Your post made me cry. I’m so sorry and saddened to hear about the loss of little george. I have one child, Matthew who is now five, and I can’t imagine life without him. I’m truly heartbroken for you and your family.
I believe you’ll find strength to support each other and move forward together. I know there’s nothing I can say that could possibly make a difference, but if there’s anything I could do to help, please just ask.

Sean

I’ve installed a few Sonos systems for clients. They really are very good and very easy to use. At home I currently have an Airplay based setup with Apple TV and Airport Express. It’s not a patch on a Sonos setup.
I’ll be installing my own through-house Sonos system just as soon as I can scrape some wedge together.
Go Sonos, you won’t regret it.

One thing, if you get any reception issues (unlikely), then just spend an extra £39 on another bridge. It acts as a booster.

And Spotify Premium rocks!

Better than dimmers are >1 circuit.

Absolutely! You’ve taken the dimmers out possibly because you have just about enough light on 1 circuit with them full on. And you’re quite right to be planning multiple ccts. This is the basis of “mood” lighting.
At home I have 1cct for overhead worktop lighting, 1cct for overhead peripheral downlighting and 1cct for under unit lighting. That’s the kitchen. I then have another cut running the 5amp sockets for “accent” lighting – table and standard lights etc. There are 2 other ccts which aren’t dimmed at the moment, but will be when I do a spot of re-wiring.

Running the whole lot (and this is where the magic starts) is one of these…..
http://www.lutron.com/Products/SingleRoomControls/GrafikEye3000/Pages/Overview.aspx
There’s only 5 buttons – off and 4 scenes. So you just pick your light levels for each cct for each scene and then you’re done. Just press a button and it’s all done for you.

Have fun designing your system.

I’m not sure. If it’s not a price issue, then why bother to produce dimmable and non-dimmable specific ranges? Perhaps there’s another reason. Either way, if price isn’t an issue then I don’t really understand why anyone would specifically want a non-dimmable fitting?

I wholeheartedly agree, and I should have mentioned it in my post. Retrofit LED lamps are not really the way to go. Specifically, they can have issues with keeping their LEDS and electronics cool which could impact the life of the lamp.

Edit.
Ah yes. Actually a 30% price difference between dimmable and non.
http://www.energybulbs.co.uk/products/LED+Light+Bulbs/LED+Downlights+%26+Combinations/Integrated+LED+Downlights
Neither are “cheap”, but it’s fair to say that LEDS are non dimmable because significantly they’re cheaper.

Speaking of Willie The Pimp, you might be interested in checking out some Captain Beefheart. I haven’t really been there yet, just scratching the surface still.

I remember asking my mate, a Zappa completist, the same question a few years ago. He actually rang me back and asked me if I had any idea what I was getting myself into! Haha!.

Anyway, he suggested The best of Frank Zappa, as a taster, which I did. Then I picked up Hot Rats, Apostrophe and Over-nite Sensation. His repertoire is mind-blowingly broad, but great fun. I personally like The Grand Wazoo a lot.

Once you’ve really listened to a bit of Zappa you realise what a musical bloody genius he was and he’ll always be one of your favourite artists. He’ll also keep you busy discovering music for years!

Enjoy! As Terrahawk said, you can’t go wrong with Zappa.

As with most things, this is a subject that gets more involved the more you get, err, involved. I won’t begin to pretend that I’m an expert on this subject, but I’ve worked on projects with friends who are, and they’ve been installing very expensive LED lighting systems into large hoses, and in a nutshell, it’s a bit of a science.

As I say, I don’t know much, but I’ll tell you what I know………..

Halogen.
12v MR16 gives a nicer light than 240V GU10. There’s not a huge amount in it, but it’s a difference all the same. GU10 used to have a habit of tripping breakers when they “blew”. They would also kill cheap dimmers sometimes when they blew. They now tend to stretch the filament over a “pinch” in the lamp glass which stops them shorting when they blow. Lamp life can be variable with both. In the case of 12v lamps it’s dependant on the quality of the transformer and whether it “soft-starts” the lamp. GU10’s are hard started all the time, which is when they are most likely to blow.
If you fit a good quality dimmer (not the trash you pick up at B&Q) like Lutron, you will enjoy the benefits of virtually never having to replace a lamp, and you will be saving money because you aren’t running the lamps at 100%.
I have a kitchen with 22 12v halogen lamps and I’ve replaced 2 in the last 3 years. They seem to last indefinitely.
When you run the lamps at 90% you’d be hard pressed to see the difference in light level.

LEDs.
Oh God!
Okay, this is maturing technology and things are changing all the time, so in a few months the situation could be completely different.
Lights have a colour temperature, basically how warm or cool the colour is. Red at one end of the scale and blue at the other. A cool light will be blueish, and in the case of fluorescent lamps we’d call them daylight tubes.
Incandescent lamps (like 12v or 240 volt halogens) are often described as having a warmer colour, especially when run at less than 100%. in our homes we generally prefer a warmer colour of light.
Some science….. but don’t shoot me if I get a detail wrong here..
LEDs produce white light using a trick. They are basically blue LEDs and a yellow phosphor which when excited by the LED produces a wider range of colours. But the thing is that when you look at the light spectrum produced by an LED light, it’s quite “lumpy” when compared to a regular incandescent lamp.
in a nutshell, a cheap LED lamp may have the right colour temperature, but the light it produces looks weird.
This is because it’s producing more or less of certain colours and our eyes can sense this.
It’s known as the colour rendering index (CRI). the index goes from 0-100 with 100 being a perfect spectrum of light. The higher the number the better.

To get a higher CRI you have to spend more money. Also, the higher the CRI the less efficient the lamp becomes. So the more expensive lamps with good CRI are actually slightly dimmer. So to produce the same amount of light as regular 50W halogens, you need more of them.

Dimming.
I believe that no house should be without dimmers in at least the main living spaces. Having the “big lights” on full whack all the time is not nice. Others may feel differently, but that’s just my view.
When you dim Incandescent lamps (Halogen, good old bulbs etc) they change colour, becoming redder as they dim. We as humans are used to this and we like it. It gives a room a warmer glow.
LEDs do not change colour as they dim. It’s not a criticism, just an observation.
Some LED lamps/fittings are not dimmable, because they’re cheap.

Don’t forget that if you install or alter LOW VOLTAGE light fittings (not the lamps) and they’re not “pre-made” sets, then the work will need signing off by a registered sparks or building control.

It’s a bit of a minefield, innit?
Dunno if my ramblings are of any help, or even understandable, but hopefully they are of help.
Please feel to set me straight if I’ve made an error.

Griffster.

As redfordrider said, the official name for it is “Buyer Remorse” and it’s a well known and documented state of mind.

Don’t worry, after a couple of rides you’ll wonder how you got by without it.

Either that or an Islabike. We bought a Cnoc 16 for our 4 year old and it was amazing to see the transformation in his riding. His next bike will definitely be another Islabike. This one.
http://www.islabikes.co.uk/bike_pages/beinn20.html

“Dead cats don’t shit.”

Brilliant title for a song. Or a film!

@Milkie, try this:-
http://doorchimesuk.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=464
Have a look on ebay, I got mine for less than the price on the linkee above.

12 bore!

+1 for Powerline adaptors. I install these all the time for customers wanting internet connectivity where running cables isn’t possible.

Linkie-poos:-

If it’s for family holidays and stuff, how about one of the “Waterproof” cameras? Not so capable in the zoom department, but more than make up for it in the “The best camera in the world is the one you have with you” department. I think the current pick of the crop is the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3. Review here:-
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/Q311waterproofcompactgrouptest
It’s a bit on the spendy side for a compact, but I think it’s worth it.

We have the first version – the DMC-TS1 and it’s rugged, durable and gets taken everywhere. I also have a nice Nikon D80 with a 28-200VR lens which only goes out to special events and spends the rest of it’s time in the cupboard (although the lens currently needs repair). It’s takes lovely pictures but I’d never risk taking it to the beach!

Try CCL computers. I bought a 4 camera and recorder package from them which was cheaper than anywhere else.

Have a look at this.
http://www.cclonline.com/product/67893/53317/Security-Cameras/Storage-Options-Home-DIY-CCTV-Kit/CAM1458/

Oh no, they’re not worth anything at all. Send them to me and I’ll dispose of them for you. :o)

Wireless senders are very hit-and-miss. Really, the only way is wired.

The education pricing probably requires student and college ID info. Ring an Apple Store to find out.

There are always rumours about Mac refreshes, but a quick Google returns some activity forecast between April-June for a major refresh. Don’t quote me on that though. Have a look at macrunors.com and see what they’re saying. The nice thing is that whether you buy now or the newest in 6 months it’ll still be a great spec and will last well for many years.

+1 for Crucial. Don’t buy the Apple RAM, get the Crucial and fit it yourself, or have a friend do it.

Above all, your son will have fun using it.

+1 for the Peaslake MTBO. Very friendly event.

The next one is on the 29th April 2012.

http://www.peaslakemtbo.com/

Interesting thread and a common dilemma.
If the room is going to be very “live” with acoustics compounded by a vaulted ceiling, I’d say you’ll need to compromise on ultimate audio quality. Especially since you mention that you have a proper system in another room. Therefore, if background music is the realistic aim, I’d go for a higher speaker count run at lower levels. It helps to alleviate the problem of the room sound imposing too much. As somebody mentioned, it’s more or less the same as sitting closer to the speakers.
Definitely ceiling or in-wall speakers for this project. As mentioned, either KEF or B&W are good choices.
If you want the choice of having them flat when not used and pointing at you when required, KEF do some motorised ceiling speakers. They’re rather spendy though!

If budget allows, why not run the room design past an acoustic consultant before you build? At least with some basic acoustics predictions you could iron some of the nasties out at the design and build stage rather than try to fix them afterwards?

If its going on the wall, a 32″ won’t look much bigger than a 26″ would if it was on a stand, if that makes sense.
They’re all Freeview compatible and all except the very cheapest will have inputs for your Xbox. Just check that the Freeview is HD.
LED and LCD names are misleading. The old LCD screens used cold cathode backlights, the newer ones use LEDs to back light them. They are still LCD screens, it’s just that the marketeers call them LED.
Lastly, the old saying “you get what you pay for” generally still holds true. I won’t go as far as to recommend specific models, but generally Panasonic plasma and Sony LCD (LED) tend to sit at the top of my list in terms of picture quality.
Hope this helps.