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I managed to build few T2 in the past few years. Just sharing pics how T2 fits in Modushop Dissipante 400 enclosure. Many thanks to Mr. Gilmore and HC community

Slowly but surely continuing to improve. I've got a long way to go before I can challenge Nate for FTW (w/kg I have no chance), but its amazing how much a little bit of regular riding improves your cardio.

This is my latest to add to the growing collection, I think a may have a problem... oh well. This is a Simon Marty guitar, it features his innovative radial bracing, the back and sides are ancient Huon pine, salvaged before a dam flooded a valley, estimated between 1000 -1500 years old, the neck is Australian rosewood and the top is spruce.

You Wish.

Damn you LAiV. Just after I’m satisfied with your Harmony µDDC and µDAC you release a new, cheap combo DAC-headphone amp. Yo Rob!

Wow. OK, so at least now I know that he was repeating something he heard. And probably not something he meant as a direct attack aimed at me personally. It's still incredibly poor judgement, but that's much easier to navigate than the alternative. This morning when my direct manager came into work, he immediately asked how I was feeling, and said he'd been worried about me since I escaped early the day before. We went somewhere private and I told him some things that I'd gone through during the AIDS epidemic that might bring some understanding to my emotional breakdown. Some of those I've never spoken to anyone about. I don't want to elaborate on that here, but a lot of my issues stem from survivors guilt. You think you're beyond events that happened 40 years ago and out of the blue something triggers you all over again. He was incredibly sympathetic and completely understood how that could affect me the way it did. He's straight, but "California straight", which is to say very insightful and dismissive of anyone who isn't. I explained to him that I decided I didn't want to take this event any further. I didn't want to admonish this young man, and I really didn't want to involve upper management. He respected those wishes, but he did suggest that tomorrow (Saturday), while all of the office staff and upper management were away for the weekend, he direct myself and this young man to a private office space. He told me that if I were willing for the two of us to have a private, civil conversation and explain some of the events that I'd discussed with him, and what triggered my response to the 'joke' he told, he thought this young coworker would be sympathetic and it might be a positive lesson to learn earlier as opposed to later. I'm not completely comfortable doing so, but I do think he's probably correct. And I don't want this to fester. As much for my own piece of mind than any other reason. We'll see how that goes, but I do suspect his instincts are good ones.

People at 18 can have their minds changed. Way more so than people at 50. It may not be something you can do, but there is at least hope something will click.

I don't know this kid, but I don't see the homophobic element to his stupid "joke." I think it demonstrates a racial commentary because AIDS in Africa really wasn't about the gay community. I think he was just mocking Africans. Regardless, I don't see why you wouldn't tell him how offensive it was and make clear you don't approve of or accept that kind of comment. If he truly feels that way, he doesn't deserve your affection or attention.

Hell yeah, Adam! The only advice I have is get after it and as someone else I follow on Strava would say, "This suffering is a privilege." Well, maybe one more thing - don't ever worry about comparisons to others. One of my good friends from 30+ years ago rides 8,000+ miles a year (pilot) and when he rides centuries with us barely breaks 140bpm at 50+ years old. I just can't be him. I'm a year younger but have always outweighed him by 40lbs even when we're both fit. He also doesn't know how to have fun, so as usual balance is the answer.

It’d been six weeks so I dialed up empanadas again.

Amazing from SCTV to Schitt's Creek and on through recent dramatic roles. RIP to the legend Catherine O'Hara. Sad day. ☹️

RiP

I have often said that hatred starts as ignorance. I DO think political correctness has gotten out of hand, but on a personal level understanding what you're saying and to whom it is being said matters. I'm sure he's a fine young man, but with "young" being the operative word, he's likely pretty susceptible to influence by others. Maybe his fragile state and need to feel acceptance is there too. So he emulates the others to be accepted into their circle. I'd say talk to your manager first, and see if he is willing to say something. Tough situation, you don't want to put the kid on the spot or deeply accuse him, but it sounds like he needs to hear something about his behavior before it gets worse and maybe turns into TRUE hatred, not just a joke. My 2 cents

They are very different headphones and the ES-2a easily beats in terms of price but I'd lean more towards the 009D in terms of raw performance. The 009D is really growing on me and what amazes me is how Stax can release crap like the X9000 and the 007S and then this... Both the X9000 and 007S are headphones I'd never listen to for fun while I've been logging a lot of hours on the 009D.

Lunchtime assignation (with Joanne) Fish Taco's 'N Usual @Big Rock

In better, and somewhat hilarious news... I'm especially fond of the 14,000 vs. fewer than 40 metric. Tell me how your bill failed without saying your bill failed...

Industry I started watching this in the beginning and kind of thought of it as junk in the beginning. A bunch of new hires in a London bank/brokerage vie for permanent positions. Someone described the show as a cross between Euphoria and Succession, and can kind of see that analogy. It is in Season 4 now, and has gotten much much better. A lot of very unlikeable self-centered people, but for some reason I enjoy watching it. Kinda like waiting for the next car crash.

I think you're safe. It's a step down soundwise, and it doesn't have the 1/4 inch thick casing. It would be convenient with the headphone amp, but I usually find those tacked on amps to be lacking.

The Controversial Photography of Martin Parr

I was just checking to see what else I might have missed from his career, at IMBd. But it seems that Sanford and Sons was pretty much it, at least of anything significant. He was perfect for that unassuming role. RiP.

At times humor is like music, something that you find of your liking or fun at some point, becomes absurd and despicable at another. If your impressions on this young man are right, he is still a good person worth your consideration. For some reason he found the joke fun, he shared it with a good intention and most likely he didn’t consider all the implications. As I see it, just asking him why he thought the joke was funny might clear up things.

Guess I need to get a pair of K1000s and start walking around with them. I'll be cool then, right?

Broadchurch (Seasons 2 & 3) - Back in 2013, we watched season 1. While excellent, it was very intense, centering on the death of an 11 y/o boy in a tight-knit English coastal town. So much so, that when series 2 aired, we opted to not continue watching. In the last weeks, we circled back to binge thru season 2 & 3 in succession. These were just as intense as the first and reminded me how much I love Olivia Coleman's work. Definitely not for the faint-of-heart, or a casual watch. But these were the blueprint for many similarly-themed series over the last decade.

Linus Tech Squeaks have announced a new line of USB-C cables. Video is mostly fluff, because Linus. On the plus side, the cables are marked and while not TB certified, some in fact are. Given what I've paid for TB3/TB4 cables, even with shipping these things are a bargain.

Huon pine? Is it from Middle Earth?

Any style, any language, and Pelageya always makes it sound good. From Jesus Christ Superstar And back to Ukrainian folk song

1 metric boatload of labor goes into building stuff like this. And then making more and more. compared to a bunch of other stuff at this price level this is actually worth the asking price. No idea of performance. Highly similar to megatronxl. In 10 years when the electrolytics need replacing its going to be a multi day project.

Kazuhito Yamashita 25 March 1961 – 24 January 2026

Sad indeed. R.I.P. Catherine O'Hara.

For sports, I think the A7V should be a nice upgrade. I'm noticing the battery dies way faster with precapture on, but I think the feature is well worth it. One from Asheville from a couple of years ago. And the obligatory B&W.

Carr has had a number of comeuppances over his early years. Now 53 he seems to be past this shady past. Who can ever forget the late great Sean Locke in Carrot in the Box on 9 out of 20 cats does Countdown

RIP Catherine O' Hara. Details coming.

The Statler Brothers - Flowers On the Wall

Just in the last few years: Lagerfeld, Westwood (who was also predeceased by her natural successor Alexander McQueen), Miyake, & more recently Armani. Now Valentino last week: The remaining big Japanese designers of that era: Rei Kawakubo (Comme des Garçons) & Yohji Yamamoto are both getting up there in age. Ralph Lauren is up there too, and thankfully still active for the brand. With Donatella having stepped down from Versace, who else is left from that period (70/80/90's)? Is Calvin still working? Mucia Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, Tom Ford (Gucci), Marc Jacobs are a few young-ish [sic] names I know crossing over into this century. I have no idea who is leading classic houses like Chanel, Dior, etc. On a positive note, I am currently amazed at Coutre to the Max, who appears to be an old soul in this young boy's body, & doing amazing things. Can this be real?

‘We get a lot of requests for it be used in sex scenes’: how Goldfrapp made Ooh La La https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2026/jan/26/sex-scenes-how-goldfrapp-made-ooh-la-la-baudelaire

Smoky Moroccan Chickpea Soup (formerly Stew) a la Mishka Makes Food

Mal Waldron's Breaking New Ground Ex. Suicide is Painless (M*A*S*H) https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/03/arts/music/mal-waldron-jazz-music.html?unlocked_article_code=1.HFA.-b1C.SIYIipEJh-Y8&smid=nytcore-ios-share

It's been a day. Got up this morning and came downstairs to the thought, "man, it feels cold on the first floor of the house." First call was to the boiler guy, praying that a circulation pump had crapped out overnight. Verdict - WRONG ANSWER. He quickly determined the boiler was doing it's thing but the pipes for the zone that heats the first floor were not. Shit. Phoned a friend whose husband is a plumber. Started chasing frozen pipes a little before 11am. Finally found the culprit at 2pm. Had it fixed and flowing heat again by 2:30. All told, it felt like a bargain at under $1000 given that a pipe could have burst and we've got another 10 days or so of freezing temps ahead of us. Still managed to make scones for Lily's best friend who slept over last night and turns 18 next week (JFC) and also still made dinner - pork chili verde with cast-iron-skillet cornbread. There will be barrel strength bourbon in my future. Oh and we've already got almost a foot of snow and I've cleared the driveway once. I believe I will sleep tonight.

Dusty, half this family isn't Jewish, but they bought in....to celebrating Jewish family and events, as well as the Shiva mourning. Call it Shiva or not, to me it's a good thing. There is a lot of formality to a Shiva, many times it is not followed 100%. Personally, I find it the beginning of healing. Family and friends come to pay respect, connect, tell stories, and eat. The formal period is 7 days/nights. When Karen passed, I was tearfully surprised by one of my two best friends flying in from California and spending all the days/nights of Shiva visiting (3 days for us). It's that type of love and connection that helps the healing. It's just a good thing, no matter what it's called, what religion it follows, etc.

I meant kick-start the HC travel team back into being, whether or not Marc has Red Oxx bags.

I feel like any band called Tropical Fuck Storm has a fair bit to prove?

The original bag lady

I’ll add one more Rob. Feels very 2025/6. Cons and Clowns.

Just so good.

I've going over my collection, filling in any items I'm missing, I felt I really should have a modernized version of the Sigma. I came across a rather abused normal bias set which needed new drivers but wanted to try something different... so here is the SR-Sigma 507: The housing was very discolored so I wanted to try my hand at painting it. The frame was primed and painted satin black but I left all of the other parts in the primer color. The plan was to make them gloss white but this looked too cool so this is how they stayed. The drivers and cable are from a 507 so it took a lot of work to get this right. The drivers are in the cage that Stax introduced with the x07 series so I glued the drivers and fitted spare metal grills to them. In terms of sound, this is the best Sigma I've ever heard. The bass is overblown, as is always the case with Sigma's, but it has some real power to it and is more controlled than every other I've heard. The top end is nice and clean and the midrange is just sublime. A fun addition to the collection.

After mornings outside when the temps are in the 30s I could get used to going out when it is already 70 at dawn in Hawaii.

We skipped the BEPs this year as the luck thing hasn't worked for the last few. Went with a whole einkorn wheat flatbread with onions, shallots, anaheim peppers, gouda, cheddar, parmigiano, and herbs.

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