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Sorry folks - it appears the email notifications on threads, etc stopped working back in December. After an upgrade to the site tonight they are all processing now - so apologies for the spam of notifications.

Maybe they should just rename it the Apple Darwin.

Because we have enough genuine stupidity to go around?

Hold my beer… https://www.threads.net/@shorty_ocelot/post/C259_RkNj7k/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

@naamanf

RDT_20240203_154635.mp4 What could possibly go wrong?

um yeah - this is what you want to see from the guy sitting across from you on the subway..

Drinking or eating... I'm not proud regardless....LOL. HS

There is something about a Cartier tank... HS

There’s zero chance we’re going to collectively stop AI before it gets dangerous, right?

live country at the flora-bama bar (made famous by the Jimmy Buffet song Bama Breeze)

How the decisions that led to the founding of Israel left the region in a state of eternal conflict. (NYT gift article)

Just wrapping up day 15 of the Winter Basho from Japan... I only watched the highlights of the last 14 days (7 hours) and then the live stream... 🤓

Dawn Falls provisions

so due to a comment i made over there, someone wanted to know if i had the eddie current dht filament schematic. here it is. eddiecurrentfilament.PDF

For anyone who cares, a long term impression of the Niche Zero and Breville Dual Boiler: I couldn’t be happier. My Breville issues were caused by buying used, nothing inherently wrong with the machine. It’s super easy to use and makes just absolutely delicious espresso. Temperature is spot the fuck on. I have no desire to do the Slayer mod, but of course I have a Flair 58. Regarding the Niche, it took me a little while. I didn’t love it compared to 64 SSP burrs, at first, but I have come around to it. Using it is of course foolproof. Workflow is perfect. Shots are round and unctuous and delicious. I honestly don’t want to “upgrade:” I’m perfectly happy. I have a routine that I go through twice every morning, and I enjoy the coffee every time, even when I fuck up on coffee selection (I found a light roast Yirgacheffe somehow so porous I have to grind on 0, but it just barely pulls a traditional shot: I normally just turbo it, though: it’s still good). Both machines are older, but quality hasn’t been affected by the appearance of competitors: I would buy both again, here in 2024. Maybe I would get the Duo, if I were buying new now, but I’m unlikely to “upgrade” from the Zero to one: it’s a great grinder.

I made a SMD version of the Protector PCB for the CFA3, and after testing it this weekend I came up with some ideas for changes #1 - add blocking diodes in series with the power supply inputs. first thing I did was fry the V+ regulator by hooking up power backwards. other protection diodes for the regulators could be added, but I think they're less important #2 - add minimum load resistors for the regulators (R25, R26). I've previously noticed some 3-pin regulators can have an unstable output voltage if their load is too low. the resistors are so each regulator has at least a 5mA load #3 - option of getting DC voltage reference from the +/-12 regulators or the external supply. In this case, the +/-12 regulators could have as much as a 0.5V imbalance which requires hand selecting resistors to set the voltage reference (the voltage across R8 + RV1). if powering the protector with LT1021 referenced GRLVs, the voltage is going to be within millivolts for both + and - references. You would install either R1 or R9, and R2 or R10. the PCB could also be designed to allow switching between the two for two different range options. one feature of using the GRLV / higher voltage supplies for the reference is if those supplies were to become damaged and start outputting a different voltage, the reference will probably be thrown off more than enough to permanently disable the output jacks until the problem is found/fixed. #4 - added RV1 pot, the purpose is to adjust the range of the protection if it is too sensitive or not enough #5 - added dual indicator LEDs, for "Good" (D9/white) and "Protection On" (D10/orange). Not a bi-color LED, but 2 separate LEDs next to each other. The white "good" LED will be lit but very dim when the Protect LED is on, and the orange will overpower it. #6 - changed relay from 12 to 24V for 1/2 the current and to use more equal current from the +/-12V regulators #7 - added 4.4mm Pentaconn jack short protection. The 4.4mm jack has a switch in the back that only opens when the plug has been fully inserted. The relay keeps the L- and R- pins disconnected, which is every other pin on the jack, until the plug has been fully inserted + a .5 second delay, and then instant release of relay when the plug starts to be removed SMD version & in CFA3

Through two episodes the new season (the 4th) has been pretty good. Jodie F quite a catch for them. I love the Alaska setting.

I didn’t find one, on my search for a 1908, but I found a couple watches I wouldn’t mind going home with. The Louis is most likely, but I think I would honestly buy a Ralph Lauren 867 by Piaget first for half the cash.

Ha ha! I was peering at that plate of food and wondering what on earth it was - until I googled it and found it was dog food!

Brit Bites Followed by a waterside walk

Not to disrupt the construction portion, but just got this up and running over the break, and put it in the system for a listen today. In my typical tradition, currently uncased. This is a UGS Muse preamplifier. This uses the UGS 3 Universal Gain Stage (Pass Labs XP 12 and I believe XP 30 use these), with the Muses 72320 volume control chips. This was developed on a French forum (homecinema-fr.com), originally with a relay-based volume control, and then updated with some redesign for the Muses chips. There are threads on diyaudio for a board group buy there as well. The preamp is fully balanced differential, with 4 inputs and 2 outputs. Even though it provides a HT bypass function, I may hardwire one of the outputs for monitor functionality for headphone amp use. This uses Salas shunts providing the +/-24V for the UGS modules, and regulated down to +/-16V for the Muse chips. Custom Toroidy transformer (4x24V and 2x8V secondaries, dual 115V primaries in their Audio Supreme version). This was mostly surface mount, and was a challenge to build. The 100 pin CPU (STM32 ARM) was a good time to solder, with a size of about a dime. I've only listened to this for about 20 minutes or so today; it sounds very good, but getting the Pass Aleph P out might not be so easy The last picture isn't mine, but shows another builder's case layout. Mine will be somewhat similar I think.

Fish & Chips # @ https://samscafe.com/

Christmas appetizer's fr fr

1. Reverse seared fillet mignon. 2. Lobster pie. 3. Fondant potatoes. Next year will likely need to start with some sort of cleanse.

Christmas appetizer tryout

Tonights installment of spot / hide the banana 🍌🍌🍌

Fair warning: This is gonna be a long walk and it's going to make increasingly less sense as it goes along. This is the original Canon EF 50mm F/1.8: It is was only made for a short time between 1987 and 1990. It is, in my estimation, still the best 50mm for the EF system. The Mark II is the same optically, but it's got toylike build quality and a plastic mount. The EF 50mm F/1.4 (a lens I have used extensively since 2006) is ...fine. It's not as sharp, has more distortion, and a bigger PITA about focusing. The exotic EF 50mm F/1.0L is a collector's bauble that is astronomically expensive on the used market. It might as well be a Ferrari. The current EF 50mm F/1.2L is better than the 1.0, but still entirely too expensive, large and heavy. In case I'm not being clear, the 1.4, 1.2 and 1.0 fifties are optically inferior to the humble 1.8. I was fortunate to get my Mk I 50/1.8 from a friend who had just broken his EOS camera and gone back to film. I've jealously guarded it since '08 or so. I will be buried with it. The problem is, I don't have a lens hood for it. Now that I'm shooting full frame full time, I need a hood. Canon lens hoods are a dark science. After much searching, I'm more or less positive I need an ES-65 hood, in either Mk I, II, III iteration. The problem is that there's the new mirrorless 50mm F/1.8 STM that users an ES-65B hood. That damn thing (and Chinesium knock-offs) are everywhere. Finding a real McCoy ES-65 in decent shape and at an okay price has been a PITA. I found a couple reputable sellers on the 'Bay and I'm going to pick one up this weekend. This is a Janpol 55mm F/5.6 enlarger lens I got over the summer. It uses the M42 mount. The problem is that it doesn't focus, so I need an M42 helicoid adapter. Guessing what mm range I need is a shot in the dark. I actually DGAF if I can't hit infinity focus on the Janpol, but I'd prefer to have a workable focus range. This is Tamron "Adapt-a-matic" manual focus 135mm F/2.8 from the 1970s, photographed here with my 85mm F/1.8 (I was feeling lazy and used a modern lens for once.) This Tameron is part of their line of lenses that predated the their Adaptall series. The mount adapter is removable and different ones could be swapped in. The problem is that I have a ...Konika or something mount and I need Nikon F or M42. These adapters unimaginably rare these days. What I've read is the trick is to find an old lens with an adapter you want. I've seen a few on the 'Bay in various focal lengths (28mm and 200mm seem popular) and pick one up soonish. No, I have no idea how many 135mm primes I own at this point. They just fall in my lap. This is the Canon EF 600mm F/4L USM: It has been the industry standard wildlife photographer lens since 1988. There are a number of versions. The fist lacked image stabilization. The IS version arrived in '99. The IS Mk II came out in 2011, and the still-in-production III came out in 2018. It'll set you back a cool $13,000. Like most such super-teles, the Can 600mm is a fancy telescope to which one attaches a camera: If the 600 F/4 is not sufficiently insane, there's also the EF 800mm F/5.6L: (Bald guy not included.) It's a stop slower, but is the same bargain price of 13 grand. I have only recently begun to think of 800mm as anything other than silly, but it's really nice for moon photos and especially small critters. Also I went on a bender looking at photos taken with the old FD 800 and saw a lot of cool stuff. Lest one thing we've hit the limit for irrationality, there is also the Canon 1200mm. No, I don't mean the exotic 1200mm F/5.6. There's like 20 of those in total, and it's such a big deal when one comes up for sale the normie press covers it. Also they cost as much as a house. Even if I could magically afford one, I have an aversion to lenses that need to be manned by a crew like a mortar emplacement. No, what I'm talking about is the comparatively diminutive 1200mm F/8L: It's only available in the mirrorless RF mount, and costs a paltry $20,000 (roughly the rental cost of a weekend with the EF 1200mm I imagine.) I will admit, even for me the RF 1200 seems too much. Any critter that far away is no longer of interest to me. There's also the issue that the 1200, along with the 600 and 800 (not to mention the 400 and 500) are completely out of my budget and always will be. So why am I dedicating so much time and space to these things? Well... I now live full time right next to a pond. Since 2005 I've been photographing it: Taken with a PowerShot S60, 2005. Taken with an EOS 30D and EF-S 17-85mm, 2006. Taken with a dollar store camera and Kodak Gold 200, 2007. Taken with an EOS Rebel G, 35mm F/2, and Kodak Gold 200, 2007. Taken with Kodak BW400CN and a 17-40 in 2008. Taken with Velvia 50 and a 17-40L, 2008. I sometimes wonder, did I peak in '08? Taken with an IR-modified PowerShot G2 in 2009. Taken with an IR modified 5D classic and a 17-40L, 2013. Taken with a fricken iPhone, this past January. Taken with my 5D IV, which I've taken to calling "the 5D4" and one of my many silly manual lenses. In this case it was the Asahi Super Takumar 50/1.4. I don't actually like this photo too much, but it's been weirdly popular on Flickr. The point of all this is I live next to a mini nature preserve. I see ducks of the common mallard persuasion, as well as more exotic ones like hooded mergansers. I see black skimmers, who are the Blue Angels of the water bird world. They are so graceful as they fly over the pond it's amazing. I see "common" green herons, who are amazing birds only outclassed because they have to share space with a couple larger iterations. Chief among those is a solitary great blue heron who shows up every once in a while. He's such an animal I could probably write several paragraphs about him. I've also seen two white egrets, who are stunning for entirely different reasons (BRIGHT WHITE. HUGE.) So far, with the rarest exception, I have failed to photograph any of the above avians, as well as any of the ground based fauna. There's a host of reasons for this. I don't put in enough effort. I'm not attentive enough in watching the pond. I'm old, slow and clumsy by the standards of humans (and we we are a clumsy species as far as wildlife is concerned). Also I am completely lacking the right glass for the job. I do own two manual focus 300mms and a crappy 75-300mm autofocus lens. They are NOT up to the task of dealing with birds. As I mentioned paragraphs ago, I cannot afford any of the exotic Can L super-teles, now or ever. So where TF is this going? Full Retard, where else. This is the Canon RF600mm F/11 STM. It's $800. This the Canon RF 800mm F/11 STM, it's under $1000. These are not "normal" lenses at all. First off F/11 is comically slow, or was until we entered the high ISO mirrorless era. Also they lack apertures. At all. You cannot stop them down further than F/11. They are, as the kids say, weird AF. They're also the most economical way to get to the field of view necessary to capture small and easily spooked animals. Also they're all within my long term reach in a way that big stonking L glass never will be. I'm not saying I'm planning out a Canon R5 purchase next year with a 600 and 800mm side order, but I'm sure thinking about it. I'm thinking about it a lot.

Chicken Taco Soup (🐔 🌮 🍲)

RIP Carl Weathers. He was 76.

Just read about this, bummed me out quite a bit.... RIP to Brian Lumley, probably my favorite horror writer. https://locusmag.com/2024/01/brian-lumley-1937-2024/ His Necroscope series was a super-creative view on the source of vampires (and the source of my username!), and led me to several of his other (Fantasy & Horror mostly) series, as well as to F. Paul Wilson, one of my favorite all-time authors.

RIP Melanie, far too early at 76. It must have been sudden because she had just signed a record deal.

RIP Charles Osgood. Host of CBS Sunday mornings and voice of the Osgood file on CBS Radio. My parents used to have the local CBS affiliate on the radio all the time in both their cars. Charles' voice is as comforting as a warm blanket. I must have heard him on air hundres of times. https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/23/us/charles-osgood-death/index.html

Norman Jewison, director of Fiddler on the Roof, dies aged 97 https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/jan/22/norman-jewison-dead-director-moonstruck

"Inventor of NTP protocol that keeps time on billions of devices dies at age 85 Dave Mills created NTP, the protocol that holds the temporal Internet together, in 1985." https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/01/inventor-of-ntp-protocol-that-keeps-time-on-billions-of-devices-dies-at-age-85/ https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/the-thorny-problem-of-keeping-the-internets-time RIP Dave Mills

RIP Peter Schickele aka P.D.Q. Bach After Looney Tunes, he was my next most significant childhood introduction to classical music. Rest easy, Peter.