And now what did you do TODAY?

*Craig Sawyers* · August 5, 2019

Different package, but Linear Systems do the LSK389 (in TO18 style can and also surface mount) in three Idss bands.

*Knuckledragger* · August 9, 2019

Made some fairly large steps to figuring out my financial future for the rest of the year (more or less). I'm not entirely out of the woods yet, but I'm in much better shape than I was a week ago. I don't often mention this on HC (or anywhere else), but I haven't had a real day job since February of 2001(!) That means (A) I haven't had a real boss in over 18 years and (B) the only person responsible for making sure my dumb ass is fed, clothed and housed is me. It ain't always easy, but I have grown to enjoy being my own fuck up.

What has changed in the last nearly two decades is that the cost of living has gone up hugely. Under two terms of one gibbering, war mongering Republican fuckwit, two terms of a centrist, corporatist DINO who could speak in complete sentences and now half a term of deranged, sunsetting, Russian-backed shitgibbon covered in Cheeto dust, the cost of living for non billionaires marches on like a rally of disgruntled citizens down Pennsylvania Avenue.

This has made the paradigm of one man living alone in a 1967 five bedroom house increasingly unsustainable. In the next year, I'm leaving scenic western MA. After 40+ decades here, I don't think I'll miss it. Of course where I'm moving to is like a foot above sea level so I'm fucked when the ocean rises, but aren't we all?

Also, I am really REALLY in need of a new mic preamp. My current one is 16 years old and has a host of issue. The company (Symetrix) discontinued the model I use (528E) which has been the industry standard in radio for decades. I found a company called Revive Audio that repair and upgrade 528Es for a reasonable price. Being a small company, they don't answer their phone. I've just finished an email to them, but I imagine the turnaround is measured in weeks if not months. In the interim, I need SOMETHING so I'm idly looking at $100 Behringer mic preamps. Wait, how did this turn into a Jacob's Mindless etc etc post?

*Grahame* · August 9, 2019

^ socio-politico-economic vents aside,
What does this mean for TestTone?

Asking for a friend.

*Knuckledragger* · August 9, 2019

I just signed up for an AMZN credit card. I am continually amazed how the richest man in the world is so good at providing services that I can't live without. I have a Behringer preamp that has a 12AX7 tube soldered into it on the way to me now. It's a $100 model, and I got it for $31 shipped. It won't be here for tonight, so uh... here's me plugging an Electro Voice RE20 straight into the mic input on my 2005 vintage Pioneer DJ mixer (in Head Case speak, that's like plugging Sony Qualias into an Aiwa MP3 player.)

*ironbut* · August 9, 2019

I got one of the Amazon Chase cards a while back and I've been super happy with all the perks.

BTW, if you need a pretty nice Mac interface/preamp, you can borrow my spare Metric Halo ULN-2 + dsp (2D card).

I only use it for field work these days so I wouldn't miss it for a couple of months.

Just ask.

Duh,..

Just remembered that the ULN-2 is a firewire device. One of these days I'll upgrade it to 3D (usb-c and ethernet) for now, I use it with my 2012 MBP.

But, if you can use it ask.

Edited August 9, 2019 by ironbut

Dusty Chalk · August 10, 2019

18 hours ago, Knuckledragger said:

...where I'm moving to is like a foot above sea level so I'm fucked when the ocean rises, but aren't we all?

So...Florida? And: yes. Although a foot above sea level might be fucked sooner than the mountains of West Virginia, if you can believe that.

*Augsburger* · August 10, 2019

Well my house is 1,000 feet above sea level so if I am screwed you all are probably drownded.

*Knuckledragger* · August 10, 2019

Started off the day by putting my big clumsy foot through the hose of Miele vacuum and breaking it but good. A replacement is $155 minimum because mine's got the wiring for a power nozzle. Luckily, I can get the replacement part for the non powered version and (I think) pilfer the bits I need, doing a repair myself.

I realize I'm preaching to the choir here, but there is so much to be said for buying items of quality. This Miele was $400 for the base unit, 20 years ago. The power nozzle and turbo nozzle were like $250 more. The machine is still going strong (my own clumsiness notwithstanding). Similarly, my 2006 Echo weed whacker was like $500 and the spinning blade of doom attachment was another $150 with the "don't cut your stupid self" bar. I can get it serviced every year for under $100 and it still deals with the kudzu like growth on my property.

Now if anyone needs me, I'm seeking to get my precious 2003 mic preamp repaired and upgraded.

Dusty Chalk · August 18, 2019

Not today, but this week, I started learning JSP. Didn't realize that was something different than Javascript (which run on the browser), but rather, Java Server Pages (which run on the server). Somehow, I've managed to spend most of my career avoiding all but the most trivial GUI work. (I usually do backend work. [cue Steve])

And I already was told I could call myself an expert once I learned how to do Decorators. I think she was being sarcastic, but who cares, the guys who usually do the GUI work are too busy trying to upgrade all the code from Java7 to Java8, and I'm pretty sure I can get it all done in a couple days.

So...pride.

jose · August 19, 2019

We have at home some members of our family who have had to be evacuated from a town called Tejeda.

Quote

https://elpais.com/elpais/2019/08/19/inenglish/1566205037_427383.html

This past week we had a chrono climbing until that town crossing a part of the national park that is being devastated by the fire. Logically it was suspended.

Three huge fires in a week and a half.

Luckily, we are all safe since my house is on the other side of the island.

*Augsburger* · August 19, 2019

Stay safe Jose and family.

jose · August 19, 2019

In this week many good and humble people have lost their homes, their animals and their crops ... their lives razed in minutes.

Something very sad

*Torpedo* · August 19, 2019

Very sad indeed. We were warned about the effects of global warming, yet people still do nothing. Who would have thought about such fires in Gran Canaria 20 or even 10 years ago?

jose · August 19, 2019

I don't think the problem is only for the global warming.

The serious problem lies in the plague of "Cool invironmentalists" who live on the government's subsidies here.

Our forests have not been cleared of thickets, dried leaves, reeds for more than a decade. Forest roads and hunter passages have not been cleared. Things our grandparents did on a regular basis in a hurry to avoid this and that act as a fire breaker. Now if you cut a weed, the Seprona (something like a forest guard) takes a second to appear and punish you.

The funniest thing is to see the autonomous president say that the Canary Islands have no means ... but we have autonomous police, drones of the Guardia Civil and a legion of sucks useless inks in the administrations .. and they want to reduce the number of firemen because they are very expensive. Hay que joderse.

Luckily the Army and the Firemen are true heroes.

This year to get off with our mountain bikes from a peak we pass through a place where the pinocha (dry pine leaf) mantle reached almost half a meter high. This is highly flammable but nope can be touched because of the environmentalists.

I'm sorry but I'm very pissed off.

Edited August 19, 2019 by jose

*EdipisReks1* · August 20, 2019

You do realize that "clearing forests" is precisely the opposite of what forests need, right? These ecosystems burn, naturally, on a regular basis: many plants and animals absolutely require it. "Firebreaks" are not natural. Clearing forests of undergrowth also doesn't prevent forest fires. What it does mean is that, instead of smaller fires happening on a regular basis, you get more absolutely devastating ones, they just don't happen as often: old trees that haven't been replaced by new ones (because they can't release seeds because there haven't been fires, plus weeds that aren't naturally endemic are able to grow in "cleared-out" areas, and thus prevent seedlings of trees from growing where fire-depdendant cones can actually work) make for GREAT kindling.

Don't live in areas where forest fires happen.

Edited August 20, 2019 by EdipisReks1

*Grahame* · August 20, 2019

If only you'd raked your forest floors, like they do in Finland ...

jose · August 20, 2019

6 hours ago, EdipisReks1 said:

You do realize that "clearing forests" is precisely the opposite of what forests need, right? These ecosystems burn, naturally, on a regular basis: many plants and animals absolutely require it. "Firebreaks" are not natural. Clearing forests of undergrowth also doesn't prevent forest fires. What it does mean is that, instead of smaller fires happening on a regular basis, you get more absolutely devastating ones, they just don't happen as often: old trees that haven't been replaced by new ones (because they can't release seeds because there haven't been fires, plus weeds that aren't naturally endemic are able to grow in "cleared-out" areas, and thus prevent seedlings of trees from growing where fire-depdendant cones can actually work) make for GREAT kindling.

Don't live in areas where forest fires happen.

If you have made this comment to annoy me, you have achieved but I will answer you even though you do not deserve it

It's easy to say "Don't live in areas where forest fires happen" when you live in the middle of a continent where the space to live is infinite. Those of us who live in limited spaces (such as the islands) do not have extensive areas of land to live and here we are the first to respect nature despite living in the middle of a forest. This comment shows me how short of mind you are.

That is precisely the objective of keeping the forest clean. In case of fire, these will be smaller and controllable. Ask anyone who lives in California.

Edit: I apologize to everyone for my post yesterday. If you think it is appropriate, I can delete it.

Edited August 20, 2019 by jose

*morphsci* · August 20, 2019

I agree with you Jose. The current practice in the US is to utilize controlled burns. They are smaller and lower temperature fires, that mimic the temporal fire ecology of these forests. Do they do a good job with that mimicking? That is up for debate. But it is certainly better than the previous preservationist policy of total fire suppression. But then again, what the fuck do I know?

Edited August 20, 2019 by morphsci

*robm321* · August 20, 2019

I also agree with you, Jose. That is an ignorant policy and it's proving itself out.

"Don't live in areas where forest fires happen" is about the most ignorant fucking statement.

*EdipisReks1* · August 21, 2019

3 hours ago, robm321 said:

I also agree with you, Jose. That is an ignorant policy and it's proving itself out.

"Don't live in areas where forest fires happen" is about the most ignorant fucking statement.

"'Don't live in areas where forest fires happen" is about the most ignorant fucking statement '" beats it by a little ways.

Edited August 21, 2019 by EdipisReks1

*Augsburger* · August 21, 2019

Having lived in Southern California and experienced five major fires, fires where I can actually see the flames on the hillside I can tell you from first hand experience that brush clearing and fire breaks do help in minimizing the fire damage. I can only speak from first hand experience where I have seen the fires burn brush all the way up to the cleared areas and then stop. These observations and opinions are shared by some friends who are LA City and County fire fighters and fire Captains whose job it is to fight these fires. My opinions are based on first hand experience not information gleaned from the internet.

There is no need to be rude to Jose or Rob.

Dusty Chalk · August 21, 2019

I hate people. I should probably live where there aren’t people.

jose · August 21, 2019

Today we have brought clothes and food to displaced people.

It seems that after five days, the fire is "stabilized" but not controlled. The 5 seaplanes and 11 helicopters do not stop operating from dawn until night.

Sentinel-3 image from space. You can see three fires.

Gran_Canaria_wildfire_node_full_image_2.

Nasa image

*TMoney* · August 25, 2019

Toured Salesforce tower in SF, the 2nd highest building west of the Mississippi. Karl the Fog (yes, it has a name) was out in force but the views were amazing nevertheless.