Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

In my day, never was longer.

Accused of treason; bitches about the ratings. I am in awe.

I’m starting to think Jesus may have made a mistake saving people with no questions asked.

Republicans don’t want a speaker to lead them; they want a hostage.

Republicans want to make it harder to vote and easier for them to cheat.

Fundamental belief of white supremacy: white people are presumed innocent, minorities are presumed guilty.

rich, arrogant assholes who equate luck with genius

“Jesus paying for the sins of everyone is an insult to those who paid for their own sins.”

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

This country desperately needs a functioning fourth estate.

Democracy is not a spectator sport.

“When somebody takes the time to draw up a playbook, they’re gonna use it.”

Too little, too late, ftfnyt. fuck all the way off.

Not all heroes wear capes.

If ‘weird’ was the finish line, they ran through the tape and kept running.

Nothing worth doing is easy.

The worst democrat is better than the best republican.

The “burn-it-down” people are good with that until they become part of the kindling.

No offense, but this thread hasn’t been about you for quite a while.

Some judge needs to shut this circus down soon.

The unpunished coup was a training exercise.

Our job is not to persuade republicans but to defeat them.

They think we are photo bombing their nice little lives.

Relentless negativity is not a sign that you are more realistic.

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Open Thread

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Ever since I posted those pictures of my dog, I’ve been trying to get more pictures of her, but she seems to have decided that the camera is evil or something because she turns away whenever I point it at her.

It’s a good long weekend for staying indoors and watching movies, so that’s what we’re doing.  Star Trek: Deep Space Nine on Netflix.  Currently season three.

What all are you guys doing?

 

Reader Interactions

61Comments

  6. 6.

    Eric S.

    Waiting for The Girl to arrive. Headed to Chicago Auto Show so she can look at potential new cars. Dinner at a good seafood restaurant after.

  9. 9.

    abo gato

    Re-doing a closet. Just had wood floors put in our bedroom and last weekend we got our bed put back together so it was great to sleep in it this week. The closet in there was done with cedar on the walls and a nice shelving and drawers and rack effect on the back wall. Husband just finished that up and now it’s up to me to go through clothes and send stuff to Goodwill and put back in the closet what I plan to keep. Right this minute, that seems like a lot more than I want to do.

  10. 10.

    pragmatism

    Going to get some pho as a sickness/hangover cure. Tried to kill the sickness with booze, unsuccessfully.

  12. 12.

    Gravenstone

    Laundry. And saving most of my CDs to my computer in preparation of getting a new MP3 player. Open to suggestions/recommendations. I figure SW:TOR will be on the evening’s agenda.

  13. 13.

    Brachiator

    @efgoldman: Some info on the program here

    Immerse yourself in full concert performances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, led by dynamic Music Director Gustavo Dudamel, live from both Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and this season, Dudamel’s home turf of Caracas, Venezuela. LA Phil LIVE provides fans with access to a unique concert experience

  16. 16.

    Comrade Mary

    Dicking around. I still have so much paper to get organized, so why am I wasting my time on the net?

  17. 17.

    WereBear

    @efgoldman: A good point. My camera is auto-focus with an infrared bounce; most of my cat photos have their eyes closed because of it, whether I used the flash or not.

    Of course I get the best focus when they are sleeping!

    Working on a blog post that turned into a series; I’m in my fourth year so this is a good thing, but it’s sucking up my afternoon. At least Mr. WereBear & I are getting over the pneumonia that has ruined the last two weeks. Our little nurse cat was getting frantic over us.

    Caught Melissa Harris Perry’s new show: fantastic! Really sharp and with some good guests.

  18. 18.

    Soonergrunt

    @efgoldman:
    @Jules:
    It’s very strange. She doesn’t get up and move away or anything like that. No barking or growling or whining like you’d expect if it made her uncomfortable. She just looks the other direction.
    Maybe it’s the flash that she’s gotten scared of.

  19. 19.

    Evergreen (formerly Betsy, forever ago)

    Writing marathon weekend. Need to churn out at least 15 pages by Monday evening. It’s the last chapter, though, so there’s light at the end of the phd tunnel…

  20. 20.

    trollhattan

    My dog dislikes cameras so much she’ll run from a handheld soap bar. I only get good shots of her when she’s distracted (and just one before she vacates) or when she really wants something.

    Dunno, maybe don’t feed yours for a day and hang a porkchop from the camera?

  21. 21.

    Gary

    I’ve been looking for the bag of hinges that I bought last year (and which I had mistakenly thought was in that pile of neglected stuff in the corner of my bedroom) so that I can keep my five-year-old promise to my wife to replace all the rusty hinges on the doors in our house.

    The search was giving me a caffeine withdrawal headache, however, so I’m taking a break at the computer with a cup of French Roast. If anyone has an idea where I should look for those damned hinges, let me know.

  23. 23.

    Mr Stagger Lee

    Same here with the movies. The service for Whitney Houston was very moving, props to Stevie Wonder, Alica Keyes, and CeCe Winians for their singing. Kevin Costner gave a good eulogy.

  24. 24.

    Judas Escargot, Your Postmodern Neighbor

    Currently season three.

    (To the tune of the DS9 theme music)

    It’s Deep Space Nine, a Star Trek show.
    It’s Deep Space Nine: Not Babylon 5.
    It’s Deep Space Nine, keep watching it.
    It gets really good… around Season four.

  26. 26.

    Linnaeus

    Got tired of feeling isolated by working at home and decided to go to my university’s library. Where I probably won’t work very much, but the light is better here, there’s people around, and I can go get an espresso later.

  29. 29.

    RossInDetroit

    I’m repairing and setting up an old Thorens turntable. I used to do this all the time but I seem to have lost the knack/eyesight for this fine work. It’s taking all afternoon. Plus I’ve lost my cartridge alignment jig just when I need it. Because of course I have.

    ETA: found it filed between PIL and Offenbach.

  30. 30.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @efgoldman:

    Yup, in a theatre. Same place I see all the Met Opera Live in HD performances.

    I’ve also only ever seen the Symphony of a Thousand live once in my life, back in the mid 1970s when I was a classical announcer for an NPR station in Tampa. The Music Personnel Conference held a convention in Minneapolis that happened to coincide with Skrowaczewski conducting the Eighth, so we all bought a block of tickets and attended in a group.

    Concert begins in about 20 minutes. I’ll report back this evening :-)

  32. 32.

    burnspbesq

    @Gravenstone:

    And saving most of my CDs to my computer in preparation of getting a new MP3 player. Open to suggestions/recommendations.

    Rip them at native resolution to either Apple Lossless or FLAC, depending on whether you’re getting an iPod or something else. Friends don’t let friends listen to mp3.

    If you don’t want an iPod, the HiFiMan players will give you near-audiophile-sound from FLAC files if you have decent headphones.

    There are plenty of good headphones around for $100 or less. Go to Innerfidelity.com or head-fi.org for information overload.

  33. 33.

    RossInDetroit

    @burnspbesq:

    Best sub-$100 headphone I’ve owned is the Grado SR-60. And I’ve owned a LOT of headcans. Replace the ear cup foam with pads from Sennheiser HD-414 and they’re comfortable, too.

  34. 34.

    Gary

    I found the hinges in the very pile of neglected crap in the corner of my bedroom where I thought they were. I just couldn’t see them until after I had a cup of coffee.

    Never underestimate the power of caffeine.

    I replaced one hinge, and took down the Christmas lights earlier, so it has been a very successful Saturday.

  35. 35.

    debit

    Today we did all our shopping and are now trying to do all the cooking for the next week. It’s just too hard to come home and face the thought of cooking after a ten hour day. So, we did our version of Spanish Rice in the rice cooker, made cheese muffins, did the first round of cookies, and I now have the base for lasagna simmering on the stove top.

    After it’s in the oven I’m going to crack open a bottle of wine and see what’s new on Netflix.

  37. 37.

    RossInDetroit

    @efgoldman:

    You’re as much of an antique as I am. Come sit on my damned lawn!

    Can I bring my grandfather clock?

    I’m only doing this because 30* turntables is too many to have in one room and people pay good money for this stuff. The old Thorens decks are in demand.

    *or 40. I forget.

  38. 38.

    RossInDetroit

    @efgoldman:
    I also like the Beyer DT990. AKG is the classic studio ‘phone but the high end gets to me unless I have access to the treble knob.

    I have the Thorens playing now and it sounds GOOD. I may keep this.

  39. 39.

    R-Jud

    The people on the west side of us are now raising chickens. There was an all-cat pow-wow on the fence overlooking that yard this afternoon: our cats, next door’s cats, two doors’ down’s cats. I think when they finally issue their statement about the tripartite talks it will begin: “Be it known that chickens are big scary fuckers, but we can’t stop looking at them.”

  40. 40.

    Josie

    @Scott: I agree that they think the flash is lightning. My big dog vacates the room when she hears the sound of the camera being turned on. I have to turn it on in another room and sneak it in behind my back. Then I have to be really quick once I bring it out or she is gone before I can take the picture. Lately she has also decided that the flashlight is a lethal weapon.

  41. 41.

    Yutsano

    @R-Jud: They may try for the hens. It will be their biggest error. Brooding hens are some of the meanest cusses on the planet.

    It could be worse though. They could have geese.

  42. 42.

    RossInDetroit

    @Scott:

    My dog associates flash with lightning and just runs under the bed when the camera comes out.

    I’ll bet it’s the sound as well. The flash is charged by a high frequency oscillator. We can’t hear it but dogs might. Hold it up to your ear and you can hear the lower harmonics while it charges.

  43. 43.

    Phylllis

    Watching Antiques Roadshow and surfing the net trying to figure out how to cram a week’s worth of sightseeing into two days while I’m in DC in late March. Really want to get to Arlington and the National Cathedral while I’m there this time. Steak and crispy potato fans for supper, then we’re putting Diner on.

  44. 44.

    DaddyJ

    What a coinkydink, we are currently Netflixing DS9 as well, for the second time. Another coincidence: last weekend we watched a local TV broadcast of One Flew Over the Cukoo’s Nest; then the very next day we were watching the DS9 episode where Vedek Winn first slithers onto the station. My daughter remembered the character (who could forget her) and said, “You know, she’s just like Nurse Ratched. OMG, she is Nurse Ratched!”

  45. 45.

    burnspbesq

    @RossInDetroit:

    Best sub-$100 headphone I’ve owned is the Grado SR-60.

    A great choice for home. For mobile applications, at that price point I would be more tempted to go with the Sennheiser PX-200 (on ear) or Ultimate Ears UE600 (in ear)

    I’m using Westone 3s these days for mobile applications. For home, you can have my Sennheiser HD 800s when you can pry them out of my cold, dead fingers. Sounds crazy to refer to $1400 headphones as a bargain, but I’ve heard $20K/pr speakers I like less.

  46. 46.

    p.a.

    making ‘scarole and beans. DS-9 is my fave Trek. Definitely best acting (pace Patrick Stewart). But I always snicker when I think of my cousin’s name for it: Star Trek: Space Mall.

  47. 47.

    RossInDetroit

    @burnspbesq:

    I use headphone very little because I only listen to music at home & have a big room for it.
    I’m working on a headphone processor/driver box that will let you dial in harmonic distortion like a vacuum tube. Turns out MOSFETS act just like a pentode when you lean out the current. I ginned up a cute clean/distorted mixer circuit.
    So I’ve been listening to headphones to evaluate that.

  48. 48.

    burnspbesq

    @RossInDetroit:

    Have you got the noise under control? I have a tube headphone amp that does a great job of mellowing out the Sennheisers just a teenie bit, but the 60-year-old tubes I’m using (a Mullard 12AU7 and two Tung-Sol 5687s) aren’t exactly giving me a black background).

  49. 49.

    RossInDetroit

    @burnspbesq:

    Hiss, buzz or tube rush? Buzz is power supply. Hiss is thermal noise. Rush is the tubes. The 5687 is not a quiet tube and there are no quiet alternatives. I’ll bet it’s a White cathode follower circuit with anode loaded 12au7 driver. The only way around that would be to re-engineer to use 6DJ8s instead, and that would be a complete overhaul.

    You might get 3db quieter by swapping tubes. maybe.

  50. 50.

    RossInDetroit

    Hmmm. The PX-200 has an integrated volume control. Try turning the headphone’s own volume control down some and turning up the gain on the headphone amp. The noise is probably a fixed voltage at the amp output independent of the music signal and you need to get the music signal up above it. Turning the headphones’ own volume control down will attenuate the noise and turning up the volume at the amp will restore the level of the music signal.

  52. 52.

    RossInDetroit

    @burnspbesq:

    That sounds like a ground loop issue. Try lifting the power supply ground of the headphone amp with a 2/3 prong power plug adapter ‘cheater’ and not connecting the ground lug.
    Ground loops are a bitch to find, and the more stuff is connected the more you get.

  53. 53.

    RossInDetroit

    If it’s a ground loop it will go away when you unplug the signal input cables from the back, breaking the ground loop. If it’s still tehre with the inputs unplugged then it’s power supply noise, but I doubt that. The power supply looks really well engineered, regulated and well filtered.

  54. 54.

    Evergreen (formerly Betsy, forever ago)

    @Linnaeus: Thankee. It’s been a long time coming.
    Based on your handle, is it safe to assume you are a zoologist? (Or at least some kind of biologist?)

  55. 55.

    RossInDetroit

    @efgoldman:

    I still have heaps of tube gear. Mostly it gets rehabbed for export. American ’50s – ’60s Hi Fi is a big deal in Asia. I do some local repairs but the fix/resell is more lucrative and anyway my wife will want the basement emptied before I kick off.

    There’s a HUGE network of tube hobbyists out there now. The stuff is easy to work on and nice to listen to.
    I listen to a lot of solid state myself.

    And FYWP won’t let me post a link to my Make Magazine amplifier article. FYWP FYWP.

  56. 56.

    burnspbesq

    @RossInDetroit:

    Try lifting the power supply ground of the headphone amp with a 2/3 prong power plug adapter ‘cheater’ and not connecting the ground lug.

    That seems to have done it.

  58. 58.

    RossInDetroit

    @burnspbesq:

    Classic ground loop. I’m glad that worked out. You have no idea how much time people spend chasing little noises in their Hi Fi. Hence the popularity of the Ipod plug/play scenario.

  59. 59.

    RossInDetroit

    @burnspbesq:

    I’m agnostic about circuitry. It’s about what sounds best at the price point.

    I’m usually listening to whatever I’ve recently repaired, built or modded. Certain things tend to stay around. B&O turntables because they’re trouble free, sound good & I’ve modded one for remote control. Accuphase amplifiers and tuners because the performance is outstanding and they sound great. Plus they weigh a ton and are difficult to move once installed.
    For years I built and listened to single ended and push-pull triode amps. 300B, 2A3, 45, 71A, GM70, 845, etc. They sound very nice but are terribly expensive and drastically inefficient.
    lately I’m learning about MOSFETS and will probably work my way through the classic MOSFET amp circuits for entertainment and education.

  60. 60.

    stevestory

    I propose we levy a tax on both front pagers and commenters that when you post something where you’ve left entire words out of sentences you owe the blog $1 towards operating costs. Within 3 days BJ’s endowment would be the size of Harvard’s.

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