Random Thoughts and One-Offs

[bill5]

No, I told you how anyone writing checks at a grocery store is annoying and for obvious reasons...labelling that my fault is simply absurd. I'm afraid you're the one that's digging (yourself an ever-growing hole).

 

Pointing out their behavior is "Luddite" simply states the obvious. It's sad that this somehow escapes you.  

[Artomas]

I was in one of the many drug stores in my small town, and I only wanted a few drugs, so I paid in cash... and the cashier actually said, "I hate cash". I was like, "Don't let them hear you say that!" but really I was thinking, you know you applied to be a cashier, the job with "cash" right there in the name, right?

 

So I started paying attention to how people payed money, and I saw people pay with their phones. Your phone and their cash register work it out together, and they don't even have to ask your permission. At the Dunkin Donuts drive-thru, they stick a  chunk of black plastic out the window, and you wave your phone in front of it like Harry Potter with a wand, and they give you coffee. I watched it happen. I felt like I did the first time I saw someone use an ATM. It was magical. If cheques are for the luddites, then credit and debit cards are for the philistines. Soon, we'll all get microchipped, and they'll need a surgeon in order to mug you.

[o0Ampy0o]

At Whole Foods you can use your palm. 

 

Perhaps down the road they will be integrating readings of your future.

[o0Ampy0o]

Digital tech has a major disadvantage because you have to think of everything you want it to do in advance. It helps if you have experience with the standard analog form of everyday utilities. Product design requires common sense and a mind for practical application while there is an increasing lack of both in the world. Generations are growing up in a world where they must be told how to think and there is less and less reference to what comes naturally.

 

I don't have a rewards card for every store I may drop by. Some payment devices immediately want your phone number. More and more stores routinely ask for a charity donation. Same goes for tips. The eye candy may highlight a button they want you to push but not the one that advances things or what I wanted or expected. You make a mistake and there is no back or undo option. At one store they have to reboot the register.

 

At Walgreens the way their device prompts you is so confusing to me paying cash ends up being the quickest and easiest option. 

[Tom Williams]

I have a prediction for the future (I suppose that's the best kind).

 

Over the next few hundred years, the electromechanical Hammond organ will obtain the same multi-century mystique as the Stradivarius violin, with the Leslie 122 permanently associated with it.  I can imagine the physicists doing their doctorates on the interaction between Hammond 's lost tonewheel oil recipe and the Leslie's vanished varnish formula.

[o0Ampy0o]

I do psychic readings of the past.

 

Here is a freebie:

 

You had a prediction for the future regarding Hammonds and Leslies.

 

20 minutes ago, Tom Williams said:

I have a prediction for the future (I suppose that's the best kind).

 

Over the next few hundred years, the electromechanical Hammond organ will obtain the same multi-century mystique as the Stradivarius violin, with the Leslie 122 permanently associated with it.  I can imagine the physicists doing their doctorates on the interaction between Hammond 's lost tonewheel oil recipe and the Leslie's vanished varnish formula.

 

[Synthaholic]

I am now on my 4th 4-space rack bag since 1990, when I bought an SKB to play overseas. Then I switched to Gator. But all three were retired for the same reason: broken zippers. Having the flaps hang open eventually makes them fail. I would then go to large, glued-on velcro straps to get by until it was finally time to open the wallet for a new one. This time I've taken precautions by fastening a chain and a small bungee cord to keep the back flap from fully opening.

 

 

 

I've been doing the velcro-attached power strip for my last two bags, and it's very convenient. I just have my Yamaha tabletop mixer, a rack module, a tc helicon VoiceLive Touch 2 vocal processor, and a dbx GoRack plugged into it, along with a USB charger for my tablet. Everything stays plugged in and zipped up. Two pieces of very thin wood connect together through the back flap to anchor the power strip's velcro.

[Floyd Tatum]

On 5/6/2023 at 8:48 PM, Artomas said:

Soon, we'll all get microchipped, and they'll need a surgeon in order to mug you.

What, you think muggers are going to shell out $ for a surgeon?   Not likely!   You'll be lucky if they watch a "how-to" Youtube vid first.  😃

[David Emm]

1 hour ago, Floyd Tatum said:

What, you think they're going to shell out $ for a surgeon?   Not likely!   You'll be lucky if they watch a "how-to" Youtube vid first.  😃

 

It'll be like on "Futurama:" they'll use a glorified hole puncher to chip you like a dog.

 

If they're hungover or just having a bad day, you may get chipped in the butt. 😱

[Synthaholic]

On 2/24/2022 at 8:37 PM, Synthaholic said:

Not just for keyboards. 🙂

 

 

 

Amazon Prime Days let me finally retire this old On Stage simple X-Stand. A new one is $35, but I bought this Double X Stand for only $33, and it's the tits!

 

Amazon.com: RockJam Xfinity Heavy-Duty, Double-X, Pre-Assembled, Infinitely Adjustable Piano Keyboard Stand with Locking Straps

 

I'm not quite getting the straps part - I don't know that professional keyboards have screw holes in the bottom to accommodate them - and I'll probably remove them in short order. But the locking part is unique. No little button to go into a hole along with your crossed fingers that it won't pop out on stage, dropping your keyboard to the ground. It uses the teeth method and clamps down. This gives you many more gradations to put the stand at the exact level you need.

 

I used it last night for the first time and it was rock-solid, 8 lbs., and the perfect height to hold my 4 space Gator rack bag with plenty of the rack hanging over each side, unlike the On Stage, where it just fit, but a knock from the side could have made the whole thing come crashing down. Highly recommended. I would even use this for my keyboard, although I'd probably throw a bungie cord around the clamp, because I'm a paranoid MF.

 

I'll keep the On Stage one for the 5 gallon gas can.

 

 

[Stokely]

Seems like a good place to put this mini rant/lament.

I recently had a thread about powered speaker recommendations--I needed one for some fill-in gigs, but thought I could use it more on certain shows.  Ended up with a Yamaha DXR-10.  Last night I thought might be one of those "certain shows":  indoors, but a wide stage with carpet and the place tends to be full of people (aka, sound absorbers).

Hell no, back to IEMs I go.  Until I get on a big outdoor stage or have sound company where I'm not comfy trying IEMs at least.    I was still within 10 feet of the drum set and my right ear felt deaf after the first set.  I made the issue worse by having my wedge on that side, for the second set I switched it to the left (which had less room to the edge of the stage).   On some more chill songs--say, Brass in Pocket--it was great.  Then we'd crank up for some uptempo rock song and the drums just killed me.   Until he gets an e-kit, which will likely be when I see pigs winging overhead as he has no money, I have to protect myself.   I'll miss the air and energy but the IEMs definitely have the clarity but most importantly my ears won't ring after shows.

[Finale]

Finally, a piano with a true upper register :

 

 

And Jean-Michel Jarre's practice piano :

 

 

[Synthaholic]

Just ran across this. Bravo!

 

 

[ProfD]

I would appreciate if people would pull off the road when trying to figure out GPS directions. 

 

Stopping in the middle of the road is unacceptable and inconsiderate of drivers who actually know where they are going without reading directions. 

 

Then, there's the folks who want to apply make-up or shave while driving. 

 

Wake up early enough to take care of personal hygiene and grooming prior to leaving out. 

 

So far, I have not seen anyone stop in in the middle of the road to both shave and apply make-up.😎

[David Emm]

20 hours ago, Synthaholic said:

Just ran across this. Bravo!

 

Excellent. What a pleasure to see someone wring out a Roland VP-550. The VP-770 was the one to beat, as it included their Vocal Designer, which took it off into space. Its arguably the best vocoder of the lot, if you want to lean into realism over robot choirs. Ed Diaz did a performance with it that left no doubts about its powers.

[Synthaholic]

It's that time of summer, pre-school year, when computers and accessories go on sale. Costco has $200 off Apple computers, and they currently have this on sale until August 21 for $69.99:

 

Lexar High-Performance 1TB NVMe Portable SSD and 64GB USB-C Dual Drive Storage Bundle | Costco

 

I picked one up. It writes and reads very fast, and the extra 64GB flash drive is very cool, as the connector flips from USB to C. It also comes with 2 cables.

 

If Costco hasn't changed their rules, I believe non-members can still purchase from the website for a 5% additional charge, making it still a great deal.

[16251]

On 7/31/2023 at 2:43 PM, ProfD said:

I would appreciate if people would pull off the road when trying to figure out GPS directions. 

 

Stopping in the middle of the road is unacceptable and inconsiderate of drivers who actually know where they are going without reading directions. 

 

Then, there's the folks who want to apply make-up or shave while driving. 

 

Wake up early enough to take care of personal hygiene and grooming prior to leaving out. 

 

So far, I have not seen anyone stop in in the middle of the road to both shave and apply make-up.😎

A few more:

Stop lights should not mean "time to look at my phone."

Uber's double parking on streets not wide enough.

Actually, Ubers, stopping, going, turning, etc, etc,

[Lou Gehrig Charles]

On 7/31/2023 at 1:43 PM, ProfD said:

 

Then, there's the folks who want to apply make-up or shave while driving. 

 

Wake up early enough to take care of personal hygiene and grooming prior to leaving out. 

 

So far, I have not seen anyone stop in in the middle of the road to both shave and apply make-up.😎

I was behind a guy who was trimming his own hair while driving.  At each red light, he'd pick up a scissors, look into the mirror and trim a few locks of hair.  Maybe he wanted to look good for an important interview, or a big date?  Seems like a good way to get a really bad haircut.  Imagine the mess afterward.

[ProfD]

3 hours ago, 16251 said:

A few more:

Stop lights should not mean "time to look at my phone."

No time for that around these parts.

 

As soon as the opposite light turns yellow and milliseconds before the light turns green, impatient drivers want a foot stomping on the gas.

 

Nevermind if another driver barrels through the opposite light while texting, shaving, applying makeup, drunk or high or getting serviced.

 

Many folks are way too impatient and inconsiderate. Then, there's road rage...😎

[Stokely]

I recall being on a local road, 3 lanes but lots of lights, in no way a highway.  Typically dangerous such road, lots of turn-offs and very busy.  Stopping at any light, I'd look around--every driver in sight is glued to their damn phone.  You can watch drivers ahead of you take off without taking their eyes off their phones.

Read an interesting study about devices and "checking in".  They noted people do it on average every six minutes.  It's an anxiety behavior, the fear of missing out.  I know I have done it many times, pulling up work email (no longer have ****book) or pulling up news.  I have to tell myself to stop, I feel neurotic after reading that study!   It's like, how did people survive before they were glued to a device?

And driving in a vehicle changes nothing for way too many people.  Texting away like they can't bear to be alone with their thoughts for five minutes.  Self-driving cars can't get here quick enough.  Very glad I work from home, 95% or more of my "mileage" (in quotes because it's such a paltry number) is from weekend gigs.

[Finale]

No texting on the autobahn.

 

 

[bill5]

On 7/31/2023 at 2:43 PM, ProfD said:

I would appreciate if people would pull off the road when trying to figure out GPS directions. 

 

Stopping in the middle of the road is unacceptable and inconsiderate of drivers who actually know where they are going without reading directions. 

 

Then, there's the folks who want to apply make-up or shave while driving. 

 

Wake up early enough to take care of personal hygiene and grooming prior to leaving out. 

 

So far, I have not seen anyone stop in in the middle of the road to both shave and apply make-up.😎

Give it time.

 

Covid schmovid, stupidity is the real pandemic which has gripped this world (and as far as I can tell this country especially) for decades. 

 

[o0Ampy0o]

Nomination for new Karen Upgrade

[Stokely]

5 hours ago, o0Ampy0o said:

Nomination for new Karen Upgrade

Not sure about a "Karen", that there is a crazy person.  She sounds a bit like a family friend that over the years has gotten more and more "out there"...conspiracy theories all the time, probably a qAnon cult member.  I feel really bad for her husband, who is a great guy.

[Synthaholic]

I do not believe that she is human!!!  

[stoken6]

10 hours ago, Synthaholic said:

I do not believe that she is human!!!

To add insult to injury... among her siblings, she's merely average.

 

Cheers, Mike.

[Synthaholic]

On 7/15/2023 at 3:52 PM, Synthaholic said:

Amazon Prime Days let me finally retire this old On Stage simple X-Stand. A new one is $35, but I bought this Double X Stand for only $33, and it's the tits!

 

Amazon.com: RockJam Xfinity Heavy-Duty, Double-X, Pre-Assembled, Infinitely Adjustable Piano Keyboard Stand with Locking Straps

 

I'm not quite getting the straps part - I don't know that professional keyboards have screw holes in the bottom to accommodate them - and I'll probably remove them in short order. But the locking part is unique. No little button to go into a hole along with your crossed fingers that it won't pop out on stage, dropping your keyboard to the ground. It uses the teeth method and clamps down. This gives you many more gradations to put the stand at the exact level you need.

 

I used it last night for the first time and it was rock-solid, 8 lbs., and the perfect height to hold my 4 space Gator rack bag with plenty of the rack hanging over each side, unlike the On Stage, where it just fit, but a knock from the side could have made the whole thing come crashing down. Highly recommended. I would even use this for my keyboard, although I'd probably throw a bungie cord around the clamp, because I'm a paranoid MF.

 

I'll keep the On Stage one for the 5 gallon gas can.

 

 

Nearly 4 months later I can highly recommend this stand. The peace of mind alone makes it one of my best purchases in 2023. Pro tip: super glue the rubber end caps onto the metal bars.

[hurricane hugo]

Not at all sure where to put this, so it ends up here:

 

 

[Synthaholic]

On 3/8/2023 at 2:46 AM, Synthaholic said:

I was cleaning out my Outlook inbox attachments to make space and ran across this, from 2014. Randy was the lead singer in the first band I was ever in, 'Conflict', in Melbourne, Florida, circa 1977-ish. Now he's a big-time race car driver in his particular field. Helluva nice guy and I'm so happy for his success and longevity in a really dangerous sport. He even has a Wikipedia page: Randy Pobst - Wikipedia

 

Here's Six Minutes Of Randy Pobst Driving A BMW Like A Madman

 

 

 

 

This weekend, Randy Pobst ran along with us in the American Endurance Racing series's first race. He won the first race handily. Here's how the pro did it.

 

This video picks up after he passed me for the lead and was just running like crazy out front, clicking off laps two to four seconds faster in this E36 than our trusty E30 could manage. We didn't stand a chance!

 

Good thing we managed to win on day two.

 

And at the end, he just has some fun. Randy is a damn good driver and a good guy. Can't wait to see him drive the BMW M1 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca next week!

 

Back in March I posted this about my first lead singer, auto racing's Randy Pobst, in my first band, 'Conflict', circa 1976. I just found a photo. Randy looks pretty much the same. I'm playing my Vox Continental, which I really wish I still had.

 

[Synthaholic]

New tweet from Korg.

 

https://twitter.com/KorgUSA/status/1747484107993481692?t=qjyW07IUjYYyQfzfrVl4JA&s=19

 

https://www.korg.com/uk/products/digitalpianos/poetry/