Craig Sawyers

A genius record producer who turned out to be as mad as a box of frogs, and died in prison for murder.

Marilyn in 1949, age 23. Kodachrome.

Have a spiffing day, old chap! Happy birthday Grahame!!

These were the original Aerius, and when plugged in to the mains power were energized all the time - so 24/7. And that was the process that killed the connection to the diaphragm. They never admitted there was a problem, but the Aerius 2, and every ML since, goes into sleep mode and turns off the HT energizing voltage until an incoming audio signal turns it back on again. But it nevertheless is a technology that I wouldn't mess with. Electrostatic panels are fragile period. UV radiation kills them, so a location near a window (yes - window glass attenuates UV quite a bit) is not a good mov

Hmm. I don't know how sensible it is to put a light behind a pair of ML's. I know from bitter experience how fragile that curved electrostatic driver is. Mine disconnected themselves just sitting there. I repaired them by putting small discs of conductive foam through the holes at one side in the front cover, then a thin wire contacting the foam, then Kapton tape. The wire went inside and was hard wired into the energizing transformer. They were out of guarantee, and there was no way I was going to pay for a new set of panels so I got creative. I was not impressed with their reliabil

That was a hell of a series, made more relevant because I am the same age as the group that Apted followed from age 7 in 1963 through to mid 60's now. But until I read the obituary I did not realise he was a movie director too. RIP Apted.

Happy birthday - have a truly great day!

Looks like a DIY version of an early STAX unit. Whatever it is, it is really nicely made with high quality components. The ceramic tagstrips are the ones used in 1960's Tektronix tubed oscilloscopes, which is a sign that the builder was very aware of their quality in a point-to -point wired build.

I was a few days ago adding up how few of the original Star Wars cast were still around. It is missing one more that has gone - Jeremy Bulloch, who was Boba Fett, only a few days ago. Oh - and Alec Guiness of course...

In my shop in my converted garage the power tools I have are: A Wadkin BRA350 radial arm saw. Although this three phase beast can do any compound angle, I have it accurately set up to do 90 degree cuts. To the extent if you use a square on a cut edge, you can't see light through. An industrial grade bandsaw which I've fitted with a Kreg fence with microadjuster. An Axminster planer/thicknesser. That is a 3-blade 30cm cut. Lousy for interlocking grain woods because of tear-out. A router table with a Dewalt 2000W router with depth adjuster. A biscuit jointer.

Oh damn - Tim de Paravicini. I didn't see that coming. RIP a guy who designed a landmark series of products.

Boba Fett actor Jeremy Bulloch, RIP. Too early from Parkinsons at 75. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-55358301

When we bought our house, newly built, around 30 years ago, I jumped up and down on the floor - "woohoo - it is a concrete raft! Let's buy it!" So fortunately I get none of the bouncy floor stuff at all In an earlier house maybe 35 years ago, which did have bouncy floors, I had a custom slab of slate made (from here http://www.delaboleslate.co.uk/ ) and put it on on wooden bearers which I screwed into the walls in an alcove for the deck. But Stretch hand me down or not, that sir is a hell of a deck!

Dead easy if you make it from two pieces. Make the join a feature with a row of really nice countersunk brass screws. Make it from two contrasting woods. Or, if you want to hone your traditional skills, contrasting woods dovetailed together. Or a finger joint. You also need tough woods given this thing is going to get walked on and scuffed. So for contrasting tough wearing woods that won't warp - hornbeam for the flat bit and iroko for the vertical bit. Nicely contrasting too,

RIP Barbara Windsor. Probably not that well known in the US, but in the UK famous for being in all the Carry On movies, and long time member of the cast of a popular soap East Enders. Aged 83 from Alzheimers. She continued acting for three years after diagnosis. Quite a character; in her 20's she had affairs with the East End gangsters the Krays.