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Tonight I watched northern lights dancing over the lake

Took a walk. Found falling water.

RIP wallet. Ended up buying a Cannondale Synapse. I had about 7-8 people who helped advise on this (thanks, Brent, Al, Nate) and at the end of the day I decided to give an endurance road bike a try. There is so much good content on YouTube as well. I really liked the GCN videos to get me up to speed on everything. The single most important factor in my choice ended up being doing the demo weekend on the Specialized Diverge. I learned: I want something that feels faster than Diverge did on road I wanted a nicer group set than whatever came on the Diverge Carbon Comp I don’t particularly enjoy riding on dirt roads (at least so far) 54 was probably the right size to get for me That I wanted carbon That I didn’t like a 1x That I didn’t want suspension Putting all that feedback together, I focused in on endurance road bikes. A bike that is not the fastest but easy to control and comfortable for long distances on road sounded like just the ticket. The Synapse seems to be a well loved bike throughout the years and now comes with a slick tech integration where the shifting, light and radar all run off a single battery. I had no light and radar to bring to the table so getting them as part of the package seemed like a good idea. People hated the v1 of the tech stuff but they just refreshed with a v2 setup that seems quite a bit better thought out. The massive down tube storage also means I can fit all the tools in there and don’t need a saddle bag. I struggled with the e-bike vs. regular bike debate. I really wanted to demo a fancier e-bike for the weekend but after calling around for hours the only e-bikes available to demo were either eMTB or motorized beach cruisers. Neither would be a good test. A co-worker also said this, which has stuck with me: “If you are buying a bike for fitness, why the heck would you buy an e-bike.” Yes, that besmirches what modern e-road bikes are, but they also are not entirely wrong. I will be giving up a lot of rides until my fitness level improves, but that was a trade off I was comfortable making. I think if I still lived in Marin it would have been e-bike all the way, but climbing is optional in the Sacramento River Valley. I’m super excited to go out and log some miles! Already failed to clip out at a stop and “pulled a Brent,” so we at least have that out of the way. The shop helped me relax the pedal tensioner so now it is a little more forgiving. Finally, celebrated the first ride with an appropriate cake. 😉

Decided to push hard today. Got stuck in a little traffic but was still relatively speedy.

Casing installed. Next weekend will be the doors.

RIP to the legend. I loved The Sting as a 10 year old moviegoer, although it was eclipsed by Paper Moon which came out that year too because I kinda crushed on Tatum O'Neal who who was also 10 at the time.

This is what I would call - While My Guitar Gently Weeps.

Too much? Oh well, hope your birthday is awesome anyway! Cheers!

...and look at those vacuum triangles. carpet porn... am I right?

Peter Weller talks coffee: Also, he wrote his first book on a book on Italian painting from before 1435: https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/leon-battista-alberti-in-exile/CA506C81F7296D3DB63B1EDC7A136E9E

Wet Leg - Moisturizer ex. a little more

Oh, and disregard the customized "nose picker" finger tip in pic #1. It's my only imperfection, so I like to show it off so you know that I'm still human.

New Chameleons, Arctic Moon. Some similarity to their older work, but much is new and different. Lyrically I love it, and the music fits each song. Lead singer Vox (used to be Mark Burgess) puts some soul and emotion into the words, representing relationships, new-found love but also the scary nature of the modern world (last song for example is called Saviors Are A Dangerous Thing). But it's certainly an acquired taste. I'm loving it so far.....

James McMurtry and BettySoo 9/11/25 Bijou Theatre, Knoxville https://archive.org/details/betty-soo-20250911 https://archive.org/details/jamesmcmurtry20250911

And I like that I could hide my Judy Garland, Babs and Patty LuPone albums in those acoustic ceiling panels!

Just a quick hello to everyone as I just finished setting up an account FINALLY. No newbie, over 35 years in retail audio. My ID I have used for years. Best Regards to everyone ESL-1

But in all fairness this could have been much worse. A totally freak accident. I was running stock through the saw when all of a sudden the toe of my shoe got caught up in the expansion joint of the concrete floor and caused me to trip forward, pushing my thumb straight into the blade. I probably couldn't cause that to happen again if I tried. But $100 or whatever a cartridge costs is totally worth it. I've been here before. No Dr. visit today, just a Band-Aid. It's a little deeper than it looks, and it bled a lot before cleaning it up, but I'm very happy to have a thumb.

Because I am impatient, I installed the iOS/ipad release candidates. After spending a day with them, I think two things: 1) Apple’s decision to re-write the entire design language is going to make this their most polarizing in a long time, 2) I think they nailed it. I was hesitant, but after a day I can't see ever wanting to go back.

What a jam - Video quality not the best, but sound quality is good. And three percussionists is what we all need. Highlight is also the keyboard player.

+1 es lab user here

I enjoy thinking about different ways to accomplish the often-overlapping electromechanical goals of audio devices. Every few years I get to considering electrostatic headphone connectors, and every time I end up finding the same collection of vintage part numbers, shared experiences, and a few useful drawings that can be put together to probably lead to a functional socket or plug, if you want to make one yourself. I appreciate and have used that information, and now I'd like to consolidate it and create some actual specifications to help anyone trying to make a plug or socket. The most useful thing to start with would be plug specs. Pin diameter, length, pin circle diameter, and housing outer diameter, in case you want to make a recessed socket. Here's a drawing of a plug I got from Dan Clark (I can't guarantee that it's the same as his current production plugs) and a plug from the Hifiman Jade II. If it would be useful I could make a complete model of both plugs and share the STEP files. Next week I'll be able to add the dimensions for the Audeze CRBN2. Eventually I should be able to measure some Stax plugs. Found partial catalogs for Cooper and Amphenol 78-S6S socket and 86-71-6S/91MPM-6S plugs, but neither specified pin diameter. Standard pin diameter seems to be .093" or .094" (2.36-2.38mm), the same size as a 3-pin XLR contact or an octal tube socket pin, or a Size 12 circular connector contact. There is a standard housing layout for #12 contacts that matches the position of a 6-pin Stax plug, arrangement 16-6 or 17-6, but I haven't been able to find any documentation of the pin circle diameter. Neutrik also makes a crimp socket contact, HA-3FXX. The threaded socket most commonly used for electrostatic jacks and tube sockets (like this, or these) is good and conceptually simpler to design a housing for, but I would love to find a design guide or get some advice on the right way to make a hole for circular connector contacts or that Neutrik contact. They're probably not easy cavities to machine from a single piece of material, but 3D printing is useful, and I saw some mil-spec circular connectors that appeared to use stacked layers. Standard pin circle diameter is . . . something between the .406" (10.31mm) in the Cooper catalog and the .435" (11.05mm) of Kevin Gilmore's socket drawing. The Hifiman plug was closer to the Cooper at ~10.5mm. The Dan Clark plug seemed to match up perfectly with the KG drawing. My estimate of this Viborg socket from their drawing puts it closer to 11mm. If anyone has any dimensions to share I'd be happy to add them to a single reference PDF. Any other useful application information about connectors would be good to include as well, if anyone has had experiences with pins being too long or too short, or pin-to-pin clearance standards, or other things. Cable-related information would also be valuable. EstatPlugDimensions.pdf

The interior panels and shelves are of Red Oak, the bastard step child of White Oak. I guess the contractor was trying to save money? I'm assuming they'll want it finished in the same smokey Rubio Oyster wax oil finish? I think it'll be pretty close once it's done. Right now it's a glaring obscenity IMO.

Mmm...shoegazey...

Room porn, really.

Damn Steve... Well 100 dollars for a thumb is pretty good deal if you ask me.

A last taste of England. "I'm sorry we're out of clotted cream" England, eh.

Earlier: @ https://www.murielskitchen.co.uk/ Later: @ https://www.4fratellicaprini.co.uk/

Yep, I’ve noticed output and filament boards match up to each other. Here is how it looks like on my screen, all output tubes side by side. Size 24 in x 12 in – huge. Question regarding jumbo socket – what socket do you have in mind? This from a French company might fit.?

Mission Accomplished

Fish N Chips Mini triple chocolate brownie Because what's better than being in a cozy pub, When it's raining outside.

Today I installed the door jambs that I milled up, for the bathroom the Al and I built the vanity and doors for. Unfortunately the GC didn't listen to me, and built the door opening smaller than requested. It was already the size we wanted, but for some odd reason he filled in the opening a bit. Not the end of the world. I had already discovered this before building the jamb. However the finished doors will now have to be cut down. As I'm picky about symmetry, I'll need to take a little off of each side. It's not a lot. Maybe 3/16" to 1/4" on all sides. The height also needs a bit off, but we anticipated this. I'll only need to remove some at the top, as the bottom rails are taller, which looks better IMO. I don't want to install the casing or doors until the GC builds out the closet system. He's expressed to me that he'll be very careful, but why make it more difficult for him and nerve wracking for me?

After the air disaster article linked in the reading thread where Rear Admiral Moffett doesn’t exactly come off well, decided to return today with Esmé to the Moffett Field Museum that’s five minutes from our house. Of course the museum is about the place, not the man the place is named after, and the emphasis is on the USS Macon, once docked here, not its sister ship the USS Akron, where Moffett and nearly the entire crew perished (twice those of Hindenburg), all in the pursuit of military rigid airship supremacy (20/20 of course on what was accomplished there), but sometimes strange how heroes are selected. Bonus: Tom Cruises. Still a great, volunteer-led tiny museum

Dea Matrona at Royal Albert Hall:

I didn’t see this one coming. “CRT enthusiasts” are here. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250911-the-people-who-hunt-down-old-tvs

Nice Omron relay 3D model, don't you think? Zoom in for a good look.

Charlie Kirk officially dead. Dude was an inauthentic, dark money backed grifter. For years we made jokes about an entire generation being unsure of the exact size of his face. There's even a web widget based around it. He certainly did not deserve to be shot and killed. As for the rest of us, this bodes poorly for the future of our political landscape.

Using all the oscillators.

IMO this is right up there with Lee Hazlewood/Nancy Sinatra's "Some Velvet Morning" and "Summer Wine" and Nick Cave/Kylie Minogue's "Where the Wild Roses Grow". Hearing her sing her part ultra high over his almost-talking drawl is the perfect representation of the siren call.

With the passage of Rick Davies, I am reminded of one of my favorite mashups of all time. Mashups are invariably novelty tracks, and many (most) of them try too hard and don't really gel properly. Once a great while, one comes along where the whole is is greater than the sum of its parts (like a really good remix.) In 2006, the artist Arty Fufkin combined Gnarls Barkley, Supertramp and Rockwell. It's been in my record back in one form ever since.

Ninja vanish! 🥷 Body Talk by The Deele (1984) from Miami Vice:

Um, nipples?

I’m looking for a way to produce 125 VDC low current. One idea is to use a switching voltage regulator, LT8365 maybe … board size 2.0in x .73in (51mm x 18mm)

Silksong crashes Steam, Nintendo eShop on release day — highly anticipated indie video game took six years to arrive and is already one of the most played games ever on Steam. My (sainted, octogenarian) mother asked me about Silksong today. Its launch was so big that the type of news she listens to covered it.

Got to see a jazz orchestra play at a house party (the house of the drummer; when did drummers get houses and not cardboard boxes to live in? And there was this bonkers 50ft radius tree swing he built for his kids (and it's *totally* not a sex swing, I hear). It's pretty bonkers. Was hit up about this just hours before it started; such a neat thing to stumble across. I knew 2.5ish people b4 I went there and came out probably having expanded the musician friend group in the area a bit. My kind of people (band nerds.) Such a good time.

Your presence there is not going unnoticed.