# Count Down to L214.



## Allen Noland (Apr 23, 2002)

I'll save everyone the trouble and start this thread. Usually public releases happen on Thursday, so I guess it is T minus 3 days.


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## invaliduser88 (Apr 23, 2002)

Don't know whether to cross my fingers or hold onto my butt....


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## bluegreg (May 10, 2004)

invaliduser88 said:


> Don't know whether to cross my fingers or hold onto my butt....


 :lol: very funny,

but why don' t you cross your fingers and sit on them at the same time?


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## Jerry G (Jul 12, 2003)

Thread title will fool most into thinking 214 is actually coming. Might want to change the title to a more obviously comical title. Something like "Countdown to L214 Not Coming".


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## BobMurdoch (Apr 24, 2002)

INCOMING!!!!!!!!!

(He dives into foxhole)


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## dfergie (Feb 28, 2003)

Envision the clock from 60 minutes... tick...


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## BobMurdoch (Apr 24, 2002)

dfergie said:


> Envision the clock from 60 minutes... tick...


(Cut to Eldon's headquarters)

"Do I cut the red wire or the blue wire?"

BOOM!!!!!!


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## dishbacker (Jun 15, 2004)

BobMurdoch said:


> (Cut to Eldon's headquarters)


"Don't Go There!"


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## JM Anthony (Nov 16, 2003)

Allen,

Thanks for the heads up. While I hope you're right (like others, I'd like to see the 921 get well), I also don't want this release to break more than it fixes. So, if it takes another week or two, I won't be too disappointed. What would disappoint me more are lots of problems and only minor fixes.

John


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## boylehome (Jul 16, 2004)

Double Ditto on what JM Anthony just said. Better to have the 921 working properly.


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## SummitAdvantageRetailer (Feb 20, 2005)

I thought releases come out on Wednesdays! Drat, I have to wait another day.


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## DonLandis (Dec 17, 2003)

Mark reported the L214 still has some issues. Let that be a warning if it comes too soon.

Therefore we should say 30 days and counting. See you in July!


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## Allen Noland (Apr 23, 2002)

L214 - T minus 1.5 days. (yes, it is still on scheduled for this week.)


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## David_Levin (Apr 22, 2002)

Thanks for the update, Allen.


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## Eagles (Dec 31, 2003)

Allen Noland said:


> L214 - T minus 1.5 days. (yes, it is still on scheduled for this week.)


Let's hope crow is not being served for tomorrows early bird special :lol:


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## Allen Noland (Apr 23, 2002)

Eagles said:


> Let's hope crow is not being served for tomorrows early bird special :lol:


Taste like Chicken :sure:


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## invaliduser88 (Apr 23, 2002)

Extra Crispy for me!


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## Eagles (Dec 31, 2003)

Allen Noland said:


> I'll save everyone the trouble and start this thread. Usually public releases happen on Thursday, so I guess it is T minus 3 days.


Well it's 0630 hrs eastern time and no update yet. I seem to recall most of the previous updates being spooled early in the AM. Any ETA on this update. I hope this is just not another target date come and gone with no update.


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## SummitAdvantageRetailer (Feb 20, 2005)

It looks like the time has come and gone but L214 won't be released this week. What happened to it now?! I don't care if there's one bug that's still not squashed. It's better than using the 921 with 10 bugs now!


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## Allen Noland (Apr 23, 2002)

T minus 9 hours.


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## HD921 (May 1, 2004)

Allen Noland said:


> T minus 9 hours.


what's that mean? Are we still getting the update today?


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## Allen Noland (Apr 23, 2002)

The only day of the week we haven't gotten an update was Friday.


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## SummitAdvantageRetailer (Feb 20, 2005)

Cool beans.


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## mwgiii (Jul 19, 2002)

Allen Noland said:


> T minus 9 hours.


So they are going to release it right before they go home for the day. That way Charlie cannot yell at anyone if the update blows up the 921.


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## Allen Noland (Apr 23, 2002)

Count Down Aborted. The nay-sayers win again this week.


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## kzosat (Aug 22, 2004)

Nay Nay. 

Did they say why? 

Is it just me or are they really gun shy about the 921 now? Not that I want a broken fix (oxymoron?)


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## ayalbaram (Aug 4, 2003)

all i can say is TOLD YOU SO. This is why is was negative when you guys put a date on this we've been told so many times the update was coming and it didnt. I have no faith in anything they say about a new s/w release, the thing doesn't work right and it probably never will. They need to dump all the code and start from scratch it is to broken to be fixed as evidence by the fact that it is taking this long to put out bug fixes.


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## Jerry G (Jul 12, 2003)

ayalbaram said:


> They need to dump all the code and start from scratch it is to broken to be fixed as evidence by the fact that it is taking this long to put out bug fixes.


I don't think that's a good solution. The 921 is simply doomed. If Eldon can't get it right after all this time, there is no reason to believe they can ever get it right. Whether it's the code writers, the hardware, or both, it's simply useless. And Charlie will never invest the resources to start again with a new group of competent code writers, assuming it's even doable with the current hardware.

Charlie needs to give up a few of his dollars and offer to swap out the 921 for a 942 for no charge (or perhaps a minimal charge--I'd be willing to pay $100) for anyone who wants to do so. He will regain some of the goodwill he's lost with the 921 fiasco and perhaps stop me from switching to DirecTV as soon as D* comes out with a MPEG4 HD PRV, which is what I'm planning to do.

No matter how long they wait to release the next software and no matter how much they test it, I'm completely confident is believing that it will still contain significant bugs and will never fulfill it's basic functionality with any degree of competency. At this point, I've become so fearful of trying to even record two shows at the same time, I doubt anything will ever restore confidence in the 921's ability to do this. I will always wonder if any attempt to record two successive shows or two shows at the same time will work. I will always turn on the 921 after such an attempt with the fear that one or both of the recordings failed. This is the result of 1 1/2 years of complete incompetence by Dish and Eldon in maintaining the 921. There is NO evidence that this incompetence will ever stop.


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## 921Blues (May 29, 2005)

Yeah...this is scary. I posted in a separate thread about my problems with the 921 too, and most of us concluded that I have a bad unit. However, it has been STRANGELY reliable for about 2 weeks now - not one reboot. (Maybe I shouldn't have said that...). The problem is, now I'm worried that L214 will mess things up. I definitely say wait until it is ready...don't hose me now.

921Blues


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## Scott Greczkowski (Mar 21, 2002)

When I was on the 721 beta test team the software guys never knew when the software was going out.

One day I was on the phone with them when during the call new software was being uplinked. I asked them why the software was going out and they said it wasn't when I told them that the software was going out they were like "Oh sh*t we didnt know it was going out and it wasn't supposed to go out untill tommorow"

Dish is a funny company.


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## kzosat (Aug 22, 2004)

Scott Greczkowski said:


> Dish is a funny company.


Do you laugh at tragedies? You have a strange sense of humor Scott. :hurah:


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## DonLandis (Dec 17, 2003)

Scott means the other definition of "funny" It is PC today that we aren't allowed to say "queer" but that is what he means. Dish, In his opinion, is queer, odd, strange, not ha ha funny. 

Well, I'm glad someone has made a decision to abort sending us another software that, according to Mark, still has known problems. I feel this way, If Mark says it's still not right, I believe him. If he says it's ready then I use it with caution he and the other betas have overlooked something. 

What Scott posted is, indeed pathetic. His description matches what Mark has said in the past when he was caught surprised when a new release is sent, He even said one time that what we got was never even tested in the form it was sent. 

But I have something really good for all of you that are worried about the fate of the 921. Rest assured that the entire 921 fiasco will take care of itself with E*'s plan to obsolete all their HD receivers and DVR's with a new line that you will be forced to get when MPEG4 is introduced. How they will implement the planned obsolescence of our 921's as well as the 942's is anyones guess. BUT, I know this for a fact. It will happen and probably in the next 18 months so don't bother with the also buggy 942 at this time. Not worth it!


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## bbomar (Oct 18, 2004)

kzosat said:


> Did they say why?


This is just a guess but I don't think the stuck aspect ratio is fixed.
They were still collecting data on it long after L214 was in beta.
The stuck aspect ratio seems to have been the other major bug
introduced in L211. I don't recall seeing it before L211, nor do I
see any posts about it before L211.


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## lionsrule (Nov 25, 2003)

It is WRONG that a moderator posts a speculative "countdown" for software that alot of us "need". You pretend to know/have access to information that the rest of us rely on. If you want to start of thread mocking those in here that ***** and moan about when will the new release come....fine, do so. But please, do not write under false pretenses and imply that you know something definitive that the rest of us don't. Good bye harbinger of falsehoods......


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## Rodney (Aug 22, 2003)

I hope you are incorrect concerning the stuck aspect ratio as being the cause for delay. In my mind the most important fix is the one that resolves the issue which caused hard drives to be wiped clean. If the hard drive issue has been fixed it should have been sent, assuming it did not create another equally severe issue, as an emergency release.

I would love to hear the logic that is being used to hold up the release for a aspect ratio fix if the hard drive issue has been repaired.


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## rixhd (Jul 14, 2004)

lionsrule said:


> It is WRONG that a moderator posts a speculative "countdown" for software that alot of us "need". You pretend to know/have access to information that the rest of us rely on......


Isn't that a bit harsh? Allen is just reporting what Dish is telling him. He has no control over them giving out bad information. Please don't discourage him from giving us the information he has. I for one want him to tell us exactly what he is being told. If Dish says something we don't like, we shouldn't blame him. :nono2:

I personally would prefer to wait for a stable release. Sure, I curse the 921 several times a week when it flakes out. I am definitely looking forward to the upgrade to mpeg4 and the replacement of my 921. I just wish Dish could be more up-front with us about the problems. It would make putting up with all this easier to take.

Thanks Allen and Mark, please know we appreciate what you're doing and keep it up.


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## kzosat (Aug 22, 2004)

I too appreciate the updates Mark and Allen. You are only the messenger and I appreciate the info you provide. I will never shoot the messenger like some are quick to do.


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## Mark Lamutt (Mar 24, 2002)

Stuck aspect ratio isn't the problem. 

Lionsrule - you're welcome to not read threads like this if they bother you so much.


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## mwgiii (Jul 19, 2002)

I am as disappointed about the delay as everyone, but I would like to thank Mark & Allen for providing us all the info that they do.

Please keep it up and know the vast majority of us VERY MUCH APPRECIATE your hard work.


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## Scott Greczkowski (Mar 21, 2002)

lionsrule said:


> It is WRONG that a moderator posts a speculative "countdown" for software that alot of us "need". You pretend to know/have access to information that the rest of us rely on. If you want to start of thread mocking those in here that ***** and moan about when will the new release come....fine, do so. But please, do not write under false pretenses and imply that you know something definitive that the rest of us don't. Good bye harbinger of falsehoods......


I must come to the defense of Al here. Al is a newbie when it comes to working with Dish Network, and he will learn that we can not always trust what we are told by Dish Network. We have ALL been burned by bad information coming from Dish Network.

I should say that bad information coming form Dish Network is not actually coming from Dish Network, but one or two employees who like to help us out with the information. The problem is not from Dish Network as a whole as a company.

I have learned not to give specic dates on a lot of things I am told by Dish Network, because I know firsthand that doing so in the past has made me look like an idiot.

When you run a forum, your members rely on you for information and we all want to pass on the most accurate information to you, so if we pass along something that we are told don't get mad at us if its not true or delayed, again we are only passing along information that we are told.

Sure we could zip our lips and no pass along any information coming from our contacts, but that would make the site a dull place. 

Moral of this story is please don't shoot the messenger.


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## David_Levin (Apr 22, 2002)

I also appreciate any info you are able to release. I'm well aware that all release dates are not absolute until the green light starts flashing.

So, are we looking at another 2 weeks (to find a fix, followed by another beta cycle)?

From my perspective, 921 software doesn't have to fix all problems (but, please, fix something). On the other hand, we really don't need another release that generates new problems.


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## Allen Noland (Apr 23, 2002)

lionsrule said:


> It is WRONG that a moderator posts a speculative "countdown" for software that alot of us "need". You pretend to know/have access to information that the rest of us rely on. If you want to start of thread mocking those in here that ***** and moan about when will the new release come....fine, do so. But please, do not write under false pretenses and imply that you know something definitive that the rest of us don't. Good bye harbinger of falsehoods......


For every one person that doesn't want the info, there are 15 that do. You are in the minority. And up until this morning all indications were that the release was comming.

And FYI, you don't have to have any special access to speculate that a release for the 921 might come on Thursday.


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## Allen Noland (Apr 23, 2002)

Scott Greczkowski said:


> I must come to the defense of Al here. Al is a newbie when it comes to working with Dish Network, and he will learn that we can not always trust what we are told by Dish Network. We have ALL been burned by bad information coming from Dish Network.
> 
> I should say that bad information coming form Dish Network is not actually coming from Dish Network, but one or two employees who like to help us out with the information. The problem is not from Dish Network as a whole as a company.
> 
> ...


Thanks, I think.


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## BobMurdoch (Apr 24, 2002)

All of Scott's info is accurate, ...... until it isn't anymore.

Changes occur for a variety of reasons, but I'd rather deal with a few incorrect rumours instead of just existing in a vacuum until events occur.


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## lionsrule (Nov 25, 2003)

My point is this: Please don't use exaggerated headlines and posts like "countdown to L214 and T minus 8 hours, etc.... These are the types of self gratifying phrases that are used to portray yourself as knowing WITHOUT A DOUBT that something is about to occur. Why don't we all start making bold statement regarding countdowns and T-minus?? T-Minus 7 days until ESPN2HD!!! T-Minus 6 Months until MPEG 4 receivers!!! Hell, why don't I start making up specs and model numbers while I'm at it. 

My problem isn't with the messenger (as you all like to incorrectly state), it's with his mispronunciation of the message. Dishnetwork didn't state anywhere or to anyone in any official capacity that they were releasing a software update this week. Unless YOU ARE PERSONALLY RESPONSIBLE for spooling the software, don't go around bragging like you know when it's going to happen.


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## kzosat (Aug 22, 2004)

lionsrule said:


> My point is this: Please don't use exaggerated headlines and posts like "countdown to L214 and T minus 8 hours, etc.... These are the types of self gratifying phrases that are used to portray yourself as knowing WITHOUT A DOUBT that something is about to occur. *Why don't we all start making bold statement regarding countdowns and T-minus?? T-Minus 7 days until ESPN2HD!!! T-Minus 6 Months until MPEG 4 receivers!!! Hell, why don't I start making up specs and model numbers while I'm at it. *


Don't know why, but this sounds like a Deaniac? AAhhhh (no political talk please) 



lionsrule said:


> My problem isn't with the messenger (as you all like to incorrectly state), it's with his mispronunciation of the message. Dishnetwork didn't state anywhere or to anyone in any official capacity that they were releasing a software update this week. Unless YOU ARE PERSONALLY RESPONSIBLE for spooling the software, don't go around bragging like you know when it's going to happen.


So, are you gonna jump all over news networks when they televise a NASA launch that gets aborted since they "Weren't the ones responsible for the launch"? Up until the cancellation of the spooling, Al had no reason to believe it would not be spooled today. You do realize all the news you get is almost never from the person responsible for it right? You hear it all from a reporter who relies on their sources.

Why didn't you jump all over people that reported Spaceway-2's launch date after it got delayed?

Heck as we all saw Dan Rather got burned by his sources and Al did here too. It happened many times in the past, and it will happen again and again.

*KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK IN REPORTING THIS INFO TO US!!!!*


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## conner65 (Jan 26, 2004)

> My problem isn't with the messenger (as you all like to incorrectly state), it's with his mispronunciation of the message. Dishnetwork didn't state anywhere or to anyone in any official capacity that they were releasing a software update this week. Unless YOU ARE PERSONALLY RESPONSIBLE for spooling the software, don't go around bragging like you know when it's going to happen.


Dish states all the time in Tech chats and Charlie Chats when they will be releasing a software update and then they rarely come through. Allen and Mark know more than you and some info is better than none. If it wasn't for this forum and Mark, I would have never solved my "blue line" problem a year and a half ago.


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## Ron Barry (Dec 10, 2002)

For the record. Based on my experience there is always a last minute discussion of all parties that have ownership in the process as if a release will go out or not. Just because you have a countdown of a software release does not make it happen. Yes there was plans, if all systems are go, to pull the trigger but guess what Dish did not feel comfortable and decided not to. 

Yes it is disappointing. 
Yes it happens all the time in the software world. Dish is not alone here. It is the nature of the Beast. 
Yes I am also disappointed. Hoping to see 214 since I am a 921 owner.
And Yes the angry directed towards Alan is uncalled for in my opinion.


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## bbomar (Oct 18, 2004)

Mark Lamutt said:


> Stuck aspect ratio isn't the problem.


Thanks, Mark. That's the only really aggravating problem problem
I have right now. I say let's wait and make sure we don't introduce
new problems, like the jitter and stuck aspect ratio in L211.


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## JM Anthony (Nov 16, 2003)

lionsrule said:


> It is WRONG that a moderator posts a speculative "countdown" for software that alot of us "need".


Here's an idea for you, don't read threads like this. I think Allen was passing on what he believed to be credible information, on an issue that's important to all us 921 owners.


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## bluegreg (May 10, 2004)

All I want the 921 to do more than now is have guide data for ota without subscribing to it from dish. then they can take as long as they like to fix the other bugs. I am 100% certain that the 921 will need to be unplugged weekly for some stupid bug or another anyway. becuase in over a year every software update has created other problems so why would it be solved now. the 921 is just a stupid cable box that will be collecting dust in a few years like all the other cable boxs you have.


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## kmcnamara (Jan 30, 2004)

Anyone know why Thursday is such a magical day for software releases? I know it can happen Mon-Wed too, but the most common day is Thursday. Seems odd to me.


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## Allen Noland (Apr 23, 2002)

lionsrule said:


> My point is this: Please don't use exaggerated headlines and posts like "countdown to L214 and T minus 8 hours, etc.... These are the types of self gratifying phrases that are used to portray yourself as knowing WITHOUT A DOUBT that something is about to occur. Why don't we all start making bold statement regarding countdowns and T-minus?? T-Minus 7 days until ESPN2HD!!! T-Minus 6 Months until MPEG 4 receivers!!! Hell, why don't I start making up specs and model numbers while I'm at it.
> 
> My problem isn't with the messenger (as you all like to incorrectly state), it's with his mispronunciation of the message. Dishnetwork didn't state anywhere or to anyone in any official capacity that they were releasing a software update this week. Unless YOU ARE PERSONALLY RESPONSIBLE for spooling the software, don't go around bragging like you know when it's going to happen.


I'm just in shock. Most people start flaming dish and the developers. You start lobbying for Me (and Mark) to not share the little bit of info we get with the 921 community here.


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## erasmu (Nov 17, 2003)

Allen,

Just consider the source for some of those comments. I, for one, very much appreciate any information you share. It is likely to be more reliable than just about any other source we have access to. Since you are not in control of software releases, I understand that you will occasionally be wrong. If there are some that don't want your information, they do not have to read the thread or your posts. It is not like anyone is going to buy stock based upon the information provided. Thanks for sharing.

Ed R


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## RocketNJ (Jul 29, 2003)

Sure looking like no software upgrade this week. Now Friday @ 00:05 eastern and no upgrade.


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## Ron Barry (Dec 10, 2002)

Might want to read the thread there Rocket..


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

I saw over there Dish is still testing ASG1 version on selected 62 receivers.


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## murphy43 (Dec 4, 2004)

12


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## murphy43 (Dec 4, 2004)

Lion ...... relax. It is only television.


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## kzosat (Aug 22, 2004)

murphy43 said:


> Lion ...... relax. It is only television.


Well said (surprised no one else has said it by now)

Hey, murphy, what are you and P.Smith talking about? Where did you see thie information?


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