How is everyone doing? (13 Viewers)

[gonzopancho]

Me Too! Thought it was da Weed or sumptin else

Da weed is why you see da colors while listening to da sounds

 

[gonzopancho]

Don't tell my wife that.

Had a shop teacher in Jr High named Dave Crocker.

Asked him one day, “how’s your wife?” I have no idea why, I just did.

“You mean Betty?” He replied.

I didn’t know his wife’s name, but sure… “yeah”, I said.

“She’s in the hospital.”

“What happened?”, I asked.

“She burned her buns.”

Yep, I walked into that family joke, near 50 years ago.

 

[PabloCruise]

The most bad-ass helicopter ride I ever took was in a UH-1 Iroquois ("Huey") at the Grasberg mine near Puncak Jaya in Indonesia.

Not my video, but same location, same helicopter about 14 months later.



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I am guessing there is a good story there...

 

[PabloCruise]

I've had similar happen a couple times. Most recently I was in Seattle for a cloud conference and one of the guys from Cisco (who had grown up behind the Iron Curtain and was therefore familiar with the computers that were in use in the 1970s (because the USSR was cloning them)) thought I should see a local museum with a bunch of old computers.

There is a similar (but small) community who is into "retro computing", which is essentially restoring old computers. I have a friend who just acquired (and had to move) this entire 5ESS telephone switch: The End of An Era in Telecommunications - https://it.arizona.edu/news/end-era-telecommunications

Anyway, this guy from Cisco that I know, who had gown up in Poland in the 70s was enthusiastic about a local "computer history" museum that had been founded and funded by Paul Allen (who had just died two months previous to when I was there.) "You gotta see it!!", so he and I and a guy who works for me at Netgate went over, but we got there about 45 minutes before closing time.

I'm admiring some of the machines I'd used over half a lifetime ago, and someone walks up and asks, "Did you used to live in Dallas?"
"Um, sure. Why?" "Were you part of the 'lunch bunch'?" That group was a collection of geeks in the DFW area who all used Unix (which you might know as "linux" now). We met once/month for lunch, typically on a Saturday. Bunch of introverts all trying to find anyone to talk to about our nerdy interest. At this point I knew that he must know me from ... 1989 or so, and friends, I look nothing like I did then. In particular, I never wore a beard, or glasses and my hair wasn't anywhere near this grey. Steven was a teenager back then, as you can probably deduce from the picture of the two of us.

But 30-ish years later, he was basically second in command at the museum, and I guess I looked familiar enough that he asked.
That led to a tour for all of us into three levels of sub basement where the work in-progress was kept, including the restoration of the PDP-10 that Paul Allen was attempting when he died. That's a picture of Paul Allen (the taller guy) and Peter Löthberg in front of the PDP-10 KI-10. Built in 1968, it’s the first computer that both Allen and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates ever used prior to founding Microsoft. I don't know how many of this group know the origin story of Microsoft, but if you do, this is the actual computer that Paul and Bill used in high school that led to the origin story of Microsoft. They'd only gotten it to Seattle (from Sweden) in September. Allen died in October, and I saw it in December.

The parallels between this group and that efforts ate the museum are easy to make.

They were working from original circuit diagrams when they could get them. A lot of parts used back then are NLA, so they have reproductions made. I've included a picture of the recreation of the NLA lamps for some of the "blinken lights". These have to be the correct size and resistance in order to work. They have (had) a large store of now unobtainum parts on shelves to aid in their restoration efforts.

There was a near complete effort of the restoration of an even older computer from the late 50s and early 60s. This is the one in the pictures that has "wings" that open and used the coupled manual typewriter as and input/output console.

Just in-case you didn't know what your family is likely to do with your "old truck" after you're gone, six years later and Paul Allen's sister has put it all up for auction. Seattle’s Living Computers Museum logs off for good as Paul Allen estate will auction vintage items - https://www.geekwire.com/2024/seattles-living-computers-museum-logs-off-for-good-as-paul-allen-estate-will-auction-vintage-items/

Selah

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That is some history!!!

 

[PabloCruise]

Wow. That is some interesting history and it needs to be saved. If people can't see where we came from how do we even begin to wrap our heads around where we are now, technologically?
Hopefully someone steps up to save the collection.

This ^^^

 

[PabloCruise]

Ive fixed several HH Scott's up over the years. 299d, 208, 2x model 99s, and a few LK72s. I'm not scared of em it's all routine service work for me.



I've got a few thousand vacuum tubes in my "stock" the audio related ones are getting scarce but I don't mind paying for new ones when needed.
Here are a few of my toysView attachment 3692932
This is a set of 4 Acrosound TO-300 mono amplifiers which I built from scratch. They make about 25 watts of beautiful sound with under half a percent thd from about 8 cycles to 80k...
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That's my HH Scott model 208 power amplifier which I built a wooden stand for.
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The front side of the HH Scott 208.
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The power supply to one of my custom preamp builds. (They use an HH Scott phonostage)
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The guts of one of my hand wired custom preamps, hh scott phonostage us the tubes on the left followed by a Shunt regulated push pull line output on the right two tubes.

Damn! Beautiful...

 

[PabloCruise]

Would have helped, not my pasture though.

Leroy pretty stoic guy and is a stand up dude. Tone of his voice was nothing like I had heard. He tried unhooking tractor with baler on fire. Flames pushed towards him so he had to pull it around different direction but thankfully he was able to save his tractor.

That sounds like a stressful AF situation.

 

[PabloCruise]

Not uncommon here. Growing up our Hesston baler caught fire. Knew when he called what had happened

What is the problem? Why the unintended combustion?
I am guessing there is a lot of dust/debris as a by-product of the bailing.

 

[PabloCruise]

Don't tell my wife that.

How long have you been married Scrappy?
Sounds like you have gained some wisdom over the years...

 

[PabloCruise]

And hanging at friends ranch too, did some slower “more personal” cutting, first time I’ve witnessed the Northern lights.
Men always do an evening tasting on single malt, 21 bottles this year…we pick a top 5. (Small pours!)

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That sounds like a hell of a trip!

 

[greenbeast]

What is the problem? Why the unintended combustion?
I am guessing there is a lot of dust/debris as a by-product of the bailing.

Typically a bearing going bad.

 

[PabloCruise]

Irony is same day I was in woods with skid steer and brush cutter. My fear was a spark from striking a rock which never happened but few hours later neighbor had his fire.

We need rain in a bad way. It’s super hot and dry here!!

I hope you get some! We have been fortunate enough to get a few days in a row of cooler temps and some decent precip.
I hope it blows over your way.

 

[PabloCruise]

Bachelor this week as family is gone. Sucks when I want to watch a movie no one else would be interested in but stepbrothers is playing with Talladega nights following it. To top it off I’m scrolling through channels and Goodfellas just started and My Cousin Vinny is on also.

Why would anyone ever do this to a guy!!

What a dilemma….

Oh, the humanity!

 

[PabloCruise]

Had a shop teacher in Jr High named Dave Crocker.

Asked him one day, “how’s your wife?” I have no idea why, I just did.

“You mean Betty?” He replied.

I didn’t know his wife’s name, but sure… “yeah”, I said.

“She’s in the hospital.”

“What happened?”, I asked.

“She burned her buns.”

Yep, I walked into that family joke, near 50 years ago.

Awesome!!!

 

[PabloCruise]

Life is good here!

We just got a foreign exchange student from Norway. It should make for a fun senior year for the boy.

 

[greenbeast]

I hope you get some! We have been fortunate enough to get a few days in a row of cooler temps and some decent precip.
I hope it blows over your way.

As I sit enjoying some coffee watching some old Twilight zone shows I recorded we are getting little rain. Gonna stop in hour or two but I’ll take what we can get.

Spent afternoon yesterday reshaping Mom and Dads yard after dad gave it a try with small tractor and 10 load of top soil. Lot easier on a skid steer but I can’t let dad use it as I fear he will destroy something in the little tank! Moved a lot of dirt as he had large mound adjacent to his driveway making it only collect and run down driveway. Slope was so steep also I fear he would have turned his mower or small tractor over, all corrected now.

 

[greenbeast]

Life is good here!

We just got a foreign exchange student from Norway. It should make for a fun senior year for the boy.

Bringing the 4 runner and a uhaul your way next Friday to move Kelsey in. Exciting stuff and she is super stoked!!

 

[PabloCruise]

As I sit enjoying some coffee watching some old Twilight zone shows I recorded we are getting little rain. Gonna stop in hour or two but I’ll take what we can get.

Spent afternoon yesterday reshaping Mom and Dads yard after dad gave it a try with small tractor and 10 load of top soil. Lot easier on a skid steer but I can’t let dad use it as I fear he will destroy something in the little tank! Moved a lot of dirt as he had large mound adjacent to his driveway making it only collect and run down driveway. Slope was so steep also I fear he would have turned his mower or small tractor over, all corrected now.

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Is that Dad out there wondering why in the Sam hell you ruined the mound he worked so hard to construct?

 

[greenbeast]

Bachelor this week as family is gone. Sucks when I want to watch a movie no one else would be interested in but stepbrothers is playing with Talladega nights following it. To top it off I’m scrolling through channels and Goodfellas just started and My Cousin Vinny is on also.

Why would anyone ever do this to a guy!!

What a dilemma….

A simple fix here would have been Blazing Saddles, if that came on there would no dilemma at all!

 

[PabloCruise]

Bringing the 4 runner and a uhaul your way next Friday to move Kelsey in. Exciting stuff and she is super stoked!!

Oh shoot man!
I can't believe it is that time of year already!
I was just over at CSU last night.
LMK if you have time to grab a cup of coffee or a sammich or something...