Just Saying -- the soapbox thread

[juansolo]

Really nice history lesson on how normal, working class people achieved legal rights.

Will watch that one later *thumbs up*

[alanp]

Brian, I found some inspiration for the next Moodring revision. Skip to the tunnel section.

[reddesert]

Brian, I found some inspiration for the next Moodring revision. Skip to the tunnel section.

That demands a new pedal design - the Plug'ole.

Also, getting close to the edge of that thing, NOPE.

[Willybomb]

So there I was, trying out a guitar in a local shop. I'm after something of decent quality as the majority of my guitars are relatively cheap and I want a really nice one. The staff were helpful enough, letting me plug in and try it out and not getting too miffed at Rosie walking around (she's actually really well behaved, stays close, keeps her hands to herself and doesn't touch anything).

But the guitar is horribly set up. Old strings, an action 5mm off the fretboard, and while the intonation is fine at the 12th fret, basic open chords sound terrible as a result. Not great when I'm ready to spend the $800 on the tag. I showed the employee and he tried it out and agreed with me.

I told them I was interested in buying it and asked if it was possible to have it set up so I could try it properly - obviously I don't want to buy a guitar and find it's a lemon that can't be adjusted further.

I also said very explicitly that I would prefer to buy local than go online.

No worries, they tell me, and take my number so they can let me know when it's ready. The tech tells me he can't do it that day (I could see he was busy, he had 3 guitars in line to be done) and I reply that there's no hurry as I have to sell some stuff first. No probs, they'll call me when it's done.

Fast forward two weeks with no call and I go back in today. Same guitar still sitting there, same strings, same high action. Bit disappointing.

Ok, so I didn't put down a deposit, and I did say that there was no hurry, but wouldn't you think that with today's retail under pressure from online that they would at least set the thing up properly, contact me and make an $800 sale? I was tempted to offer far less based on work needed to bring it up to scratch, but I can get it online with all that work done and delivered for the same money....

So tomorrow I go around the other shops, see what's there, and I'll probably end up purchasing something online. Preferably from someone with an actual physical shop.

[alanp]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6710691/Boohoo-bans-wool-cruel-animals-campaigners-say-harm-sheep.html

This is far from the first time that PETA have tried to get people to ban shearing sheep.

Their blatant, underhanded dishonesty pisses me right off.

Firstly, if you do not shear sheep, they suffer quite a bit from heat in summer, not to mention increase of flystrike and worse problems. The RSPCA get phone calls about animal cruelty to sheep each year -- from people worried that sheep NEED shearing, because who wants to wear the equivalent of a few wooly jumpers in 30 degrees celcius weather?

Secondly, all that "proof" that PETA puts up of how sheep are horribly abused during shearing? Boy, it sure is a shame that animal abuse like that is not illegal in any Western countr--heeeey, wait a minute! It *IS* illegal! Plus the farmer is going to be pissed at the shearing gang he hired -- rather than a healthy animal, plus unattached wool, he now has dirty wool with some hide attached, plus blood, and an animal that will need a fair bit of veterinary attention.

Thirdly, growing cotton needs a fair bit of water, which, famously, the world doesn't have as much of as it used to. Polyester and other synthetic fabrics are, we are told, part of the Plastics Problem. Wool is all natural, doesn't have the problems of the first two fabrics mentioned, plus, you eventually get mutton stew as well.

I always wonder what these dozey sods think will happen if farmers have no use for cows (milk is theft from calves!), sheep, or other animals. Do they think that the animals will wander around in some Disneyesque paradise?!

[davent]

Yesterday ordered a few things from a new company to me, Icebreaker,  New Zealand based, makes their clothing from Merino wool.
dave

[gordo]

Mmmm, mutton stew.  People Eating Tastey Animals...

[juansolo]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6710691/Boohoo-bans-wool-cruel-animals-campaigners-say-harm-sheep.html

This is far from the first time that PETA have tried to get people to ban shearing sheep.

Before I even read the article I see it's origin. It's a tabloid that specialises in scare-mongering, xenophobia and sensationalism. Most things in there are usually very selective with the facts, deeply manipulative or just pure bollocks. I wouldn't believe a word printed in it.

[juansolo]

Brian, I found some inspiration for the next Moodring revision. Skip to the tunnel section.

That's not far from me.

[brucer]

My box of fail is growing faster than my pile of successful builds.  Just saying.

[alanp]

You should see the pile of failed, shitty PCBs I've thrown away over the years due to board-breaking design mistakes.

[alanp]

Really nice history lesson on how normal, working class people achieved legal rights.

Something that the video has made me think about is male suffrage, not just female suffrage.

For a very, very long time, only *rich*, upperclass men were allowed to vote. Wouldn't do to have the lower classes getting ideas above their station, eh what?

Interestingly in New Zealand, Maori men had universal suffrage for more than a decade before European men, due to cultural attitudes to land ownership. (Traditionally, Maori owned land communally, while Europeans owned land individually.)

[brucer]

My box of fail is growing faster than my pile of successful builds.  Just saying.

You should see the pile of failed, shitty PCBs I've thrown away over the years due to board-breaking design mistakes.

Well, I'll try to avoid throwing these cursed, @#$ing PCBs out ... maybe.  Actually, I'll send these circuits to anyone in Canada, US or UK who will troubleshoot the populated, unworking PCBs, fix them and tell me where I went wrong:

- VFE Blueprint with tap tempo
- lectric-fx Zirconia
- Kastle (brejna) Bass Drive DI

You can keep them after that.  Any takers?  Send me a PM.

[alanp]

Paging Jon! Jon, come in!

[benny_profane]

My box of fail is growing faster than my pile of successful builds.  Just saying.

You should see the pile of failed, shitty PCBs I've thrown away over the years due to board-breaking design mistakes.

Well, I'll try to avoid throwing these cursed, @#$ing PCBs out ... maybe.  Actually, I'll send these circuits to anyone in Canada, US or UK who will troubleshoot the populated, unworking PCBs, fix them and tell me where I went wrong:

- VFE Blueprint with tap tempo
- lectric-fx Zirconia
- Kastle (brejna) Bass Drive DI

You can keep them after that.  Any takers?  Send me a PM.

How did you go about adding tap tempo to the blueprint? I know the PCB has pads for tempo, but I thought that was never used in that project?