Should I listen to YOU, the man with a seven-note range and two of those are scratchy at best, or to the hot-ass Dublin mom who tipped me a hundred bucks for playing her favorite Glen Hansard tune? You're literally the only person I've ever taken a bath with who didn't think I was a great singer. I could go on.
I do recall Bob Dylan answering the question, if you could do it differently, what would you have done differently, with, "Learn more music theory." Of course, Bob is famous for bullshitting his interviewers, so take it for what it's worth.
If you need help with formatting on the books, let me know. I've done it so often I can damn near do it in my sleep. (Course if your filling it full of pictures my abilities may be limited).
If you're looking at getting it printed by anyone other than Amazon, I can probably recommend a couple of places, depending on what you're looking for.
If you do decide to sell it on Amazon, read the contract when you sign up for a KDP account - they can be sticklers on the details.
I don't believe in any of the 'writing tools' out there, because they don't do anything that Word can't, and they imply a lot of restrictions along with a learning curve.
The truth of the matter is, formatting a book for publication is pretty damn easy. There's a few simple rules to follow, which you can put in a template for your writing and never worry about again.
Way too many people overly complicate it.
As for Amazon, it's not so much that they'll screw you. They just have clearly stated expectations up front and if you abuse them, they'll ban you and maybe even take you to court.
Now there ARE people at Amazon with a political agenda, and other people who CAN BE BRIBED. Sometimes these people will come after you (they have me) and it can get difficult or interesting.
This book was edited in TeXShop (version 4.27) and typeset with pdfLATEX (MacTeX-2018) using the memoir document class (with madsen chapter style, komaike head style, and Rued page style); several standard packages including amsmath , babe, enumitem , imakeidx, mathdesign, microtype, and standalone; and an embarrassing amount of customization and TEX-hAXing.
The text is typeset in Bitstream Charter, , Roboto , and Inconsoata.
Except as indicated in the Image Credits, all figures were drawn by the author using OmniGraffle Pro, exported at PDF files, and included using the graphicx LATEX package.
Portions of our programming have been mechanically reproduced, and we now conclude our broadcast day.
For long documents, I love me some LaTeX. If you have any programming experience it's an intuitive language to pick up quickly and WAY more stable with big docs than Word.
Had to laugh at the "a lot of knowledge about the Atari 800" skill. I spent way too much time goofing around on my C64 in that same era. Despite some possibly wasted time, I'd like to think that those early explorations with semi-primitive computers built a solid foundation that has enabled whatever skills we have these days.
My crowning achievement on the C64, at least as far as gaming went, was to make it thru Impossible Mission without dying, not even once. Good times.
Same brother, I truly madly deeply loved my C64. My crowning achievement was writing a text adventure game, very similar to Zork. I still have a working one on the bookshelf behind my desk. Makes me feel warm to look at it.
It nearly broke me when the Atari 2600 came out, my son was pretty young then so I broke the Christmas bank and bought him one, it was the first computer game I ever really had exposure to .
Happy New Year Jack and ACF family! I have made zero official resolutions aside from a short list of automotive projects I wish to complete - read ‘financial drains’, and a couple personal fitness goals to hit. A better me would set professional thresholds; I guess we’ll see.
Me, too. I used to live in the People’s Republic of Maryland, so I had a basement with room for gym equipment. Now, I live in the Free State of Florida, which, unfortunately, means no basement. So, I have to drive to my local LA Fitness. I used to run a lot, but gave it up due to plantar fasciitis and other issues. Switched to a stationary bike at the gym. I think for 2025 I’m going back to running.
I’m genetically predisposed to hip issues so I refuse to run. Both parents had both hips done by 50 and wee avid runners. I WILL NOT do anything impact related to my joints anymore. I mostly cycle train on a resistance track stand in the colder mix along with casual roller skating. Used to MTB a lot in the warmer months or just put the miles on. Keep a bench and a handful of free weights for other stuff.
I started getting plantar fasciitis and was told to do stretches. I realized that I had been wearing trail running shoes with, like many running shoes, a "high heeled" stance.
Switching to wearing minimal footwear as much as possible (critically, ZERO HEEL DROP) such as Chuck Taylor All-Stars, has completely resolved the issue.
Interesting. I had almost the exact opposite issue. Wore almost exclusively Sambas, moccasins, and/or flip flops for years. Switched to boots or brogues and the issues mostly went away.
My reasoning about the dangers of heel drop is that when I visited a podiatrist, he gave me a handout which said to do ankle flexion stretches, such as stand on a platform, several times per day. My theory was that heel drop amounts to perpetual ankle extension so reducing it was halfway to a flexion stretch.
First thing my podiatrist did was hold up my shoe by the heel and toe and flex it upwards. It flexed big time so he told me to stop wearing them. I now do the same thing when buying shoes and only wear stiff shoes with a good shank that doesn’t flex.
Plantar fasciitis has been the thorn in my son's foot, so to speak, for a while now. Running consistent six minute miles is really the only thing standing between him and the USAFA -- he can do it, but it really hurts and the custom inserts don't completely address it. I should have him try running in zero heel drop shoes.
I was cured of my plantar fasciitis years ago by my ace podiatrist and biomechanical expert in Chicago. Years ago he devised his own custom scanning machine and produces perfectly fitting carbon fiber orthotics where he can vary the flex depending on the weave. The problem with almost all orthotics is that they’re ill fitting. I’ve been wearing mine every day for a long time and could tell they fit perfectly the first time I slipped on my shoes with the orthotics, and before I even took a step. That was because of all the lousy orthotics I had prior. Drop me a line if you want more info. Based on what he did for me it’s worth a ride to Chicago. Or there may be a podiatrist close to you that uses his scanning equipment. FYI he also fits the sports teams and college teams in Chicago.
Plantar fasciitis takes some time to fix, probably months, because you have to de-stress all the small ligaments and tendons in your foot that are tensed up from your foot not moving correctly over time. Do not let anyone give your son a heel pad injection to lessen the pain as that is only a temporary fix and just masks the mechanical issue causing the problem.
I was plagued by pf foot pain for several years, until a couple of friends recommended Brooks shoes. Bought a pair of Ghost 15s and the pain quickly went away. Don't know if they will work for everyone.
Gibson: A company whose entire mojo is built upon a three year run of guitars in the late 50’s. Not that I’m complaining.
Here’s where I am: Most Gibsons sound like absolute planks: inert, lifeless hunks of wood smothered in nitro. Walk into any Guitar Center and there are a half dozen I immediately want to throw in the trash as I yell, “bring me your finest, wench!” to a confused 19 year old employee.
A good Gibbo is amazing, but they are hard to find.
I shouldn’t complain, as I play as if I have two Xmas hams for hands; proper instruction would help me more than finding The One, but I rarely miss an opportunity to complain.
There's a reason PRS sells as many guitars as they do, and it isn't because people want to grow up to emulate any of their talentless and unlistenable endorsers. They have mastered getting it right every time. While you might not have the chance of getting something truly special via the luck of the draw, neither do you get the dead plank.
I played a Silver Sky at Chicago Music Exchange. The neck felt great but the plastic tuners and selector switch cover looked and felt cheap, particularly on a $2800 guitar. I just couldn't get over that, which is both petty (tuners are easily swapped) but also, I think, valid because it's an anomaly for a company that in every other case I can think of gets all the details right.
If I had to guess I think they did it that way to create some space between the Silver Sky and the eventual Private Stock version... Private Stocks ALWAYS have nice tuners... my 3000-serial Signature PS has Robson Electrics, for God's sake!
The commonly accepted swap in the PRS hobby is PRS Vintage Locking. You get a nicer looking plastic button and the locking capability, they're drop in with no adjustment.
I love my '83 Les Paul Studio "Custom Shop Edition" (mfrd in Nashville not Kalamazoo) - bought new in '84 - even though it is not from the glory days of Gibson and is a relatively humble model. I don't consider myself a Gibson or Les Paul person at all - in fact that's the only Gibson I've ever owned - but I've still probably gigged with that guitar more than any other over 30 plus years.
One time in the late-80s it fell out of its case and landed face-first on an asphalt road. Some minor fixes thanks to my father were all it needed (headstock was miraculously unharmed).
But yeah almost all other LPs I've ever played have been uninspiring. A huge caveat to that is the early 90s Les Paul Classics, which IMHO deserve their excellent reputation and somewhat high prices even if their pickups were/are too hot for many. Agree in every respect with your observations about PRS - fantastic quality/quality control. Even a Soapbar SE I had was very well made. But they lack something indefinable. I've sold the ones I've owned with no regrets.
A PRS has a slick, polished consistency and no soul. They never sing in your hands. I have an ongoing discussion with a friend about this, and neither one of us has come up with anything definitive.
Not about the guitars but about the company. About every consultant and consulting firm in Nashville has had their turn in the barrel at Gibson…except me.
But I did have a recent turn with a former Gibson CFO at another client. Couldn’t get out of there fast enough with the unrealistic expectations and micro managing.
Gibson was particularly horrid during the Henry Juszkiewicz era - i'll never forget their purple Jimi Hendrix (Strat style) signature guitar and its quick removal from circulation - but yeah sounds like they aren't much better since. No inside scoop but it at least appears that Fender is significantly more pleasant to deal with. When Gibson went after PRS for IP infringement - regarding the Singlecut, which hilariously looks much less like a Les Paul than untold millions of direct LP copies over the years - Paul Reed Smith himself noted that Fender had been very supportive throughout the ordeal.
Thanks in part to you and Danny, more seat time in the Miata this year. Actively work on getting faster and not psychologically getting in my own way (the latter goes for off-track, too).
Continuing the nine-month sine wave of fitness, this time in the "good" direction.
Drunk and alone happens to pretty much everyone. The lesson, however, is not to lift weights under these circumstances! Stick to the traditional approach of playing sad country songs on your stereo.
Id kill to have a night drunk and alone these days. When im drunk and alone in my sixties, id kill to have another week with my young children. I know we are going to miss it but it’s a bit overwhelming right now!
The proper way to use alcohol is only as an attitude adjustment. It doesn’t take much to do that. I hardly ever drink now that I’m retired, as I have no attitude to adjust any longer. When I worked I needed a lot of adjustment.
Everyone is doing it wrong, doing something stupid, weak, or on steroids (if they are stronger than me of course). But the ladies and the motivation makes it worth it. Plus I don’t need to be by myself more. If I was a family man, I see the time benefit of the home gym though. Or being able to work out with friends that are less comfortable.
Opening a gym is something I kick around. But it’s just so easy relative to my technical abilities, it seems like a bit of a cop out. And gym goers that annoy me would be my clients, ugh.
If anybody could build a great gym it would be you.
Seeing women at the gym is a demotivator for me. Largely because I've never known a gym rat girl that I could love. Conversely, I could fall deeply for any six girls in the Guggenheim on any Tuesday.
I’m a member of a private club that includes gym access. I think people use it either first thing in the morning (men) or midday (milfs). I go in the evening on occasion, and aside from bringing my daughter, there’s rarely a soul in there. I need to go a lot more in 2025.
I wish it was socially acceptable to wear sunglasses inside. Being a little aspie and having an unusual eye problem besides makes it tough to know where to look.
There are a lot of guys on steroids. If i could guarantee i wouldnt lose my hair, id be one of them! I missed months of lifting last year because of nagging injuries that wont heal. Never lifting injuries of course
It’s not so much for the injuries as to make up the lost progress from not being able to lift because of the injuries. What i need to do is lose the 20lbs i gained from being injured because i was just eating and drinking. At least i can finally walk again without intense pain
1. (not zero) congrats on the state of the ‘stack; it truly brightens my day to receive the notification of a posted article.
2. Crawled around my friend’s new 996 last night, it’s in fantastic condition and I found out he paid more like $25k for it. There’s a blue/blue 2002 coupe 6MT on BaT right now stalled at $19k giving me all the thoughts, and my YouTube algorithm has taken a noticeable shift. Not in the position to do anything, yet. But I can bide my time.
3. Based on your suggestion I procured a basic Leek and have started carrying it regularly. It makes me very happy in design and quality, and I have whipped it out for use much more than expected. I’m struggling to come up with a more useful way to spend $62.
4. Happy New Year all, look forward to another year of stimulating discussion and having to think.
Leek is the bomb. Speaking of Porshs and gyms, the other day at my gym I saw a new looking GT3 RS with the de rigueur Montana plates (I don't live in Montana).
One cold winter day in Chicagoland I saw a 996GT3 (this is like 15 years ago) at my old gym on balding summer tires. I thought to myself, this guy is either very brave or very stupid, and it’s more likely the latter.
At my tennis club I ran across a 996 I wanted to buy on the spot. It was silver blue metallic with a patinaed red leather interior. Black Turbo twist wheels, likely PlastiDipped. The exhaust looked like Billy Boat. Wooden shift knob.
Later I ran across the owner, a Japanese guy who told me he got the car exactly as is from a guy in Wisconsin. It just looked badass and half ratty, and fun. That's the beauty of 996s, they are still cheap enough that you can treat them rough.
Fine singing voice is debatable
Should I listen to YOU, the man with a seven-note range and two of those are scratchy at best, or to the hot-ass Dublin mom who tipped me a hundred bucks for playing her favorite Glen Hansard tune? You're literally the only person I've ever taken a bath with who didn't think I was a great singer. I could go on.
Depends, how’s her relative pitch? Seven note range isn’t a thing—notes aren’t pitches. Someday you’ll learn music theory.
Everything I need to know about music theory I learned from Noel Gallagher, who explained to the press that there are only twelve chords.
I know all of those chords, except for D sharp, because when I want to play that I just tune the whole guitar a whole step down.
Bigger than The Beatles, truly.
"Oasis didnt get big. The Beatles got small."
Noel always reminds me of Christian Horner, for some reason.
I believe CH is an Oasis fan, in fact.
I wonder if that was a riff on 'bigger than Jesus'.
I think that was the whole point:
Oasis was bigger than The Beatles who were bigger than Jesus.
Not knowing music theory didn't keep John Lee Hooker from dying a rich man in a Beverly Hills mansion.
I do recall Bob Dylan answering the question, if you could do it differently, what would you have done differently, with, "Learn more music theory." Of course, Bob is famous for bullshitting his interviewers, so take it for what it's worth.
:And I only know _THREE_CHORDS_ !" .
=8-) .
-Nate
And thus began the ACF podcast: not about cars, bad enthusiast press writing, or horology.
Let us hope that such a thing NEVER happens.
Written word > Spoken word
Maybe you two should do a duet on the album. :)
a "hot ass Dublin mom"? why, you're the John Bon Jovi of north-central Ohio...
Happy New Year!
Thanks for making life a bit more fun for us.
Happy New Year to you Jack!
The Sinistar throwback was incredible...boy did that bring back childhood memories. That bastards voice could terrorize me properly at ANY AGE!
Happy New Year!
If you need help with formatting on the books, let me know. I've done it so often I can damn near do it in my sleep. (Course if your filling it full of pictures my abilities may be limited).
If you're looking at getting it printed by anyone other than Amazon, I can probably recommend a couple of places, depending on what you're looking for.
If you do decide to sell it on Amazon, read the contract when you sign up for a KDP account - they can be sticklers on the details.
What’s your recommended software for setting up a book for publication?
And yeah, I’ve heard Amazon will screw you every possible way they can.
MS-Word.
I don't believe in any of the 'writing tools' out there, because they don't do anything that Word can't, and they imply a lot of restrictions along with a learning curve.
The truth of the matter is, formatting a book for publication is pretty damn easy. There's a few simple rules to follow, which you can put in a template for your writing and never worry about again.
Way too many people overly complicate it.
As for Amazon, it's not so much that they'll screw you. They just have clearly stated expectations up front and if you abuse them, they'll ban you and maybe even take you to court.
Now there ARE people at Amazon with a political agenda, and other people who CAN BE BRIBED. Sometimes these people will come after you (they have me) and it can get difficult or interesting.
But it's still the only game in town.
(It's going to be some old word processor that's never been run on anything newer than a PC-XT, isn't it)
Norton Textra 1.0, on which i wrote the original One Racer's Perspective articles for Bicycles Today in 1990!
George "S1000" R.R. Martin and William Buckley are/were WordStar men.
The Colophon for Jeff Erickson's Algorithms (homepage http://algorithms.wtf):
This book was edited in TeXShop (version 4.27) and typeset with pdfLATEX (MacTeX-2018) using the memoir document class (with madsen chapter style, komaike head style, and Rued page style); several standard packages including amsmath , babe, enumitem , imakeidx, mathdesign, microtype, and standalone; and an embarrassing amount of customization and TEX-hAXing.
The text is typeset in Bitstream Charter, , Roboto , and Inconsoata.
Except as indicated in the Image Credits, all figures were drawn by the author using OmniGraffle Pro, exported at PDF files, and included using the graphicx LATEX package.
Portions of our programming have been mechanically reproduced, and we now conclude our broadcast day.
https://jeffe.cs.illinois.edu/teaching/algorithms/book/99-backmatter.pdf
For long documents, I love me some LaTeX. If you have any programming experience it's an intuitive language to pick up quickly and WAY more stable with big docs than Word.
Somehow I am the only GNU bigot loyalist out there who NEVER uses LaTeX! I should address that issue.
You should definitely fix this. Given what sensibilities it seems we share, I think you'll like it and wonder why you waited so long.
Had to laugh at the "a lot of knowledge about the Atari 800" skill. I spent way too much time goofing around on my C64 in that same era. Despite some possibly wasted time, I'd like to think that those early explorations with semi-primitive computers built a solid foundation that has enabled whatever skills we have these days.
My crowning achievement on the C64, at least as far as gaming went, was to make it thru Impossible Mission without dying, not even once. Good times.
Same brother, I truly madly deeply loved my C64. My crowning achievement was writing a text adventure game, very similar to Zork. I still have a working one on the bookshelf behind my desk. Makes me feel warm to look at it.
'You have been eaten by a Grue.'
So many times!
It nearly broke me when the Atari 2600 came out, my son was pretty young then so I broke the Christmas bank and bought him one, it was the first computer game I ever really had exposure to .
-Nate
Happy New Year, Jack! Always enjoyable!
Happy New Year Jack and ACF family! I have made zero official resolutions aside from a short list of automotive projects I wish to complete - read ‘financial drains’, and a couple personal fitness goals to hit. A better me would set professional thresholds; I guess we’ll see.
Jealous of the full gym at home.
Me, too. I used to live in the People’s Republic of Maryland, so I had a basement with room for gym equipment. Now, I live in the Free State of Florida, which, unfortunately, means no basement. So, I have to drive to my local LA Fitness. I used to run a lot, but gave it up due to plantar fasciitis and other issues. Switched to a stationary bike at the gym. I think for 2025 I’m going back to running.
I’m genetically predisposed to hip issues so I refuse to run. Both parents had both hips done by 50 and wee avid runners. I WILL NOT do anything impact related to my joints anymore. I mostly cycle train on a resistance track stand in the colder mix along with casual roller skating. Used to MTB a lot in the warmer months or just put the miles on. Keep a bench and a handful of free weights for other stuff.
I started getting plantar fasciitis and was told to do stretches. I realized that I had been wearing trail running shoes with, like many running shoes, a "high heeled" stance.
Switching to wearing minimal footwear as much as possible (critically, ZERO HEEL DROP) such as Chuck Taylor All-Stars, has completely resolved the issue.
Interesting. I had almost the exact opposite issue. Wore almost exclusively Sambas, moccasins, and/or flip flops for years. Switched to boots or brogues and the issues mostly went away.
Interesting.
My reasoning about the dangers of heel drop is that when I visited a podiatrist, he gave me a handout which said to do ankle flexion stretches, such as stand on a platform, several times per day. My theory was that heel drop amounts to perpetual ankle extension so reducing it was halfway to a flexion stretch.
Glad it worked for you, though!
First thing my podiatrist did was hold up my shoe by the heel and toe and flex it upwards. It flexed big time so he told me to stop wearing them. I now do the same thing when buying shoes and only wear stiff shoes with a good shank that doesn’t flex.
Plantar fasciitis has been the thorn in my son's foot, so to speak, for a while now. Running consistent six minute miles is really the only thing standing between him and the USAFA -- he can do it, but it really hurts and the custom inserts don't completely address it. I should have him try running in zero heel drop shoes.
Chucks worked for Rocky Balboa!
https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Fjpdiuu8g68ib1.jpg
Sizing can be different than other shoes.
https://www.nike.com/t/converse-chuck-taylor-all-star-high-top-unisex-shoe-xX439O
But more important than the running per se may be the other 23 hours/day.
Too bad they are really Xiao Taylors made by slave children in an offshore sweatshop.
I was cured of my plantar fasciitis years ago by my ace podiatrist and biomechanical expert in Chicago. Years ago he devised his own custom scanning machine and produces perfectly fitting carbon fiber orthotics where he can vary the flex depending on the weave. The problem with almost all orthotics is that they’re ill fitting. I’ve been wearing mine every day for a long time and could tell they fit perfectly the first time I slipped on my shoes with the orthotics, and before I even took a step. That was because of all the lousy orthotics I had prior. Drop me a line if you want more info. Based on what he did for me it’s worth a ride to Chicago. Or there may be a podiatrist close to you that uses his scanning equipment. FYI he also fits the sports teams and college teams in Chicago.
Plantar fasciitis takes some time to fix, probably months, because you have to de-stress all the small ligaments and tendons in your foot that are tensed up from your foot not moving correctly over time. Do not let anyone give your son a heel pad injection to lessen the pain as that is only a temporary fix and just masks the mechanical issue causing the problem.
that does sound pretty interesting
if youre willing to divulge his info id appreciate it
Zero drop shoes take some getting used to but many people swear by them. Don't buy Altras unless you like replacing shoes every 15 minutes.
I was plagued by pf foot pain for several years, until a couple of friends recommended Brooks shoes. Bought a pair of Ghost 15s and the pain quickly went away. Don't know if they will work for everyone.
Gibson: A company whose entire mojo is built upon a three year run of guitars in the late 50’s. Not that I’m complaining.
Here’s where I am: Most Gibsons sound like absolute planks: inert, lifeless hunks of wood smothered in nitro. Walk into any Guitar Center and there are a half dozen I immediately want to throw in the trash as I yell, “bring me your finest, wench!” to a confused 19 year old employee.
A good Gibbo is amazing, but they are hard to find.
I shouldn’t complain, as I play as if I have two Xmas hams for hands; proper instruction would help me more than finding The One, but I rarely miss an opportunity to complain.
My left shoulder already hurts typing this.
There's a reason PRS sells as many guitars as they do, and it isn't because people want to grow up to emulate any of their talentless and unlistenable endorsers. They have mastered getting it right every time. While you might not have the chance of getting something truly special via the luck of the draw, neither do you get the dead plank.
The Silver Sky is the best Strat ever made... but he did all his best work with Fender IMO. It's hard for musicians to be truly great after 35.
I played a Silver Sky at Chicago Music Exchange. The neck felt great but the plastic tuners and selector switch cover looked and felt cheap, particularly on a $2800 guitar. I just couldn't get over that, which is both petty (tuners are easily swapped) but also, I think, valid because it's an anomaly for a company that in every other case I can think of gets all the details right.
If I had to guess I think they did it that way to create some space between the Silver Sky and the eventual Private Stock version... Private Stocks ALWAYS have nice tuners... my 3000-serial Signature PS has Robson Electrics, for God's sake!
The commonly accepted swap in the PRS hobby is PRS Vintage Locking. You get a nicer looking plastic button and the locking capability, they're drop in with no adjustment.
Bingo. As a former PRS owner, I know all too well that a PRS is guaranteed to:
1. not suck;
2. Have zero spiritual magic
I love my '83 Les Paul Studio "Custom Shop Edition" (mfrd in Nashville not Kalamazoo) - bought new in '84 - even though it is not from the glory days of Gibson and is a relatively humble model. I don't consider myself a Gibson or Les Paul person at all - in fact that's the only Gibson I've ever owned - but I've still probably gigged with that guitar more than any other over 30 plus years.
One time in the late-80s it fell out of its case and landed face-first on an asphalt road. Some minor fixes thanks to my father were all it needed (headstock was miraculously unharmed).
But yeah almost all other LPs I've ever played have been uninspiring. A huge caveat to that is the early 90s Les Paul Classics, which IMHO deserve their excellent reputation and somewhat high prices even if their pickups were/are too hot for many. Agree in every respect with your observations about PRS - fantastic quality/quality control. Even a Soapbar SE I had was very well made. But they lack something indefinable. I've sold the ones I've owned with no regrets.
A PRS has a slick, polished consistency and no soul. They never sing in your hands. I have an ongoing discussion with a friend about this, and neither one of us has come up with anything definitive.
Not about the guitars but about the company. About every consultant and consulting firm in Nashville has had their turn in the barrel at Gibson…except me.
But I did have a recent turn with a former Gibson CFO at another client. Couldn’t get out of there fast enough with the unrealistic expectations and micro managing.
Yikes. They spend all their time strip mining their history instead of making good guitars
Gibson was particularly horrid during the Henry Juszkiewicz era - i'll never forget their purple Jimi Hendrix (Strat style) signature guitar and its quick removal from circulation - but yeah sounds like they aren't much better since. No inside scoop but it at least appears that Fender is significantly more pleasant to deal with. When Gibson went after PRS for IP infringement - regarding the Singlecut, which hilariously looks much less like a Les Paul than untold millions of direct LP copies over the years - Paul Reed Smith himself noted that Fender had been very supportive throughout the ordeal.
An old friend of mine worked for Gibson Kalamazoo for a few decades. Henry J used to call him at night and just RANT.
God sent the Nashville flood to humble Gibson.
Happy New Year, Jack and ACF.
Thanks in part to you and Danny, more seat time in the Miata this year. Actively work on getting faster and not psychologically getting in my own way (the latter goes for off-track, too).
Continuing the nine-month sine wave of fitness, this time in the "good" direction.
Outstanding!
See you at the races
“I now have a squat rack (thanks for nothing, reader who bullied me)”
Thank you to the reader who beat me to that - it would suck to read that you’d gone out in the fashion of Isaac Hayes.
I already had to drop 205 on the spotter bars once last night. In my defense, I was drunk, alone, and had already done the lift once with no problems!
"drunk, alone"
:(
Don't do this, friend.
Drinking a mix of Jameson and port right now, alone, because I am technically open for another hour but there is no way anyone else is walking in.
I am very happy about it.
Ah, port, the drink of English gentlemen -- and Jameson, the drink of the most certifiably insane woman I ever pulled a set of panties off.
Good. Cuz' Bushmills is for Prots.
Drunk and alone happens to pretty much everyone. The lesson, however, is not to lift weights under these circumstances! Stick to the traditional approach of playing sad country songs on your stereo.
Or rubbing one out and passing out in your own filth.
*the readership nods in knowing sympathy*
“I Feel Like Hank Williams Tonight”
Id kill to have a night drunk and alone these days. When im drunk and alone in my sixties, id kill to have another week with my young children. I know we are going to miss it but it’s a bit overwhelming right now!
Hang in there Scott ;
IMO there's no upside to getting drunk after childhood to experience it .
There are myriad other ways to deal with life's sorrows, many can and will kill you if they get the chance, don't give anything that chance .
-Nate
The proper way to use alcohol is only as an attitude adjustment. It doesn’t take much to do that. I hardly ever drink now that I’m retired, as I have no attitude to adjust any longer. When I worked I needed a lot of adjustment.
Good deal .
I come from a long line of nasty, mean spirited drunks, this made me dislike alcohol entirely .
-Nate
Happy New Year to all!
Let’s hope this year doesn’t get too crazy.
Really looking forward to the book.
Seeing other people work out triggers me too.
Everyone is doing it wrong, doing something stupid, weak, or on steroids (if they are stronger than me of course). But the ladies and the motivation makes it worth it. Plus I don’t need to be by myself more. If I was a family man, I see the time benefit of the home gym though. Or being able to work out with friends that are less comfortable.
Opening a gym is something I kick around. But it’s just so easy relative to my technical abilities, it seems like a bit of a cop out. And gym goers that annoy me would be my clients, ugh.
If anybody could build a great gym it would be you.
Seeing women at the gym is a demotivator for me. Largely because I've never known a gym rat girl that I could love. Conversely, I could fall deeply for any six girls in the Guggenheim on any Tuesday.
All you really need is a bar and a squat rack. Thats 90% of it. Anything above that is a bonus
I’m a member of a private club that includes gym access. I think people use it either first thing in the morning (men) or midday (milfs). I go in the evening on occasion, and aside from bringing my daughter, there’s rarely a soul in there. I need to go a lot more in 2025.
That's really surprising; I would think MWF after work would be the busiest time.
They might be there right after work. I usually finish work, make and eat dinner, wait to take a dump, and then go work out around 7 or 8pm.
TMI!
Couldn’t agree more, anyone stronger/faster/lower body fat percentage than me is definitely on steroids of some kind!
I wish it was socially acceptable to wear sunglasses inside. Being a little aspie and having an unusual eye problem besides makes it tough to know where to look.
I’ll look right at their ass then in their eyes. I’m also handsome and have blue eyes. This will not work for everyone.
Yeah when I do that people think they're about to get forcibly raped. Even the men.
Only the ones who are not confident heterosexuals .
The Gym isn't like prison that way .
-Nate
Andy Warhol, "Dr. Johnny Fever," Giorgio Moroder, Karl Lagerfeld, Bono.
https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-28590449
Enzo Ferrari
https://youtu.be/MF7xOw6k1Mw?si=WoC1HnfqOkMG33UJ
There are a lot of guys on steroids. If i could guarantee i wouldnt lose my hair, id be one of them! I missed months of lifting last year because of nagging injuries that wont heal. Never lifting injuries of course
I’d try bpc157 for joint injuries before I committed to anabolics. I’ve not actually ever used either though.
It’s not so much for the injuries as to make up the lost progress from not being able to lift because of the injuries. What i need to do is lose the 20lbs i gained from being injured because i was just eating and drinking. At least i can finally walk again without intense pain
Muscle memory is real
2024 was an unlucky health year for me. Nothing serious but every time I'd start lifting again, I'd get injured in some obscure way.
Well, as James Todd Wagner once said, "At least I'm still good-looking."
Steroids are not going to make your joints feel better.
It’s not for the joints, it’s for the three month of missed lifting from the injuries.
And if you start lifting a lot more all of a sudden, how do you think those joints are going to feel?
my biggest complaint is so many people can't be bothered to re-rack the weights and put things back for the next person. lazy fuckers.
I often complain about this at my home gym that only I use.
Same here. It's insane the way stuff just gets LEFT OUT.
1. (not zero) congrats on the state of the ‘stack; it truly brightens my day to receive the notification of a posted article.
2. Crawled around my friend’s new 996 last night, it’s in fantastic condition and I found out he paid more like $25k for it. There’s a blue/blue 2002 coupe 6MT on BaT right now stalled at $19k giving me all the thoughts, and my YouTube algorithm has taken a noticeable shift. Not in the position to do anything, yet. But I can bide my time.
3. Based on your suggestion I procured a basic Leek and have started carrying it regularly. It makes me very happy in design and quality, and I have whipped it out for use much more than expected. I’m struggling to come up with a more useful way to spend $62.
4. Happy New Year all, look forward to another year of stimulating discussion and having to think.
Leek is the bomb. Speaking of Porshs and gyms, the other day at my gym I saw a new looking GT3 RS with the de rigueur Montana plates (I don't live in Montana).
One cold winter day in Chicagoland I saw a 996GT3 (this is like 15 years ago) at my old gym on balding summer tires. I thought to myself, this guy is either very brave or very stupid, and it’s more likely the latter.
At my tennis club I ran across a 996 I wanted to buy on the spot. It was silver blue metallic with a patinaed red leather interior. Black Turbo twist wheels, likely PlastiDipped. The exhaust looked like Billy Boat. Wooden shift knob.
Later I ran across the owner, a Japanese guy who told me he got the car exactly as is from a guy in Wisconsin. It just looked badass and half ratty, and fun. That's the beauty of 996s, they are still cheap enough that you can treat them rough.
My Atari 800 was of the XL variety. Does that count, or does it make me uncool?
Oh it's fine, just remember that when you use the right cartridge slot you...
Wait a minute...
You CAN'T use it
Because you don't HAVE it
And your "64k" is the same as the 800's 48k!
(I started on a 600XL, BTW, and own an 800XL today.)
Those large motorcycles suit you pretty good.
I'm a small bike hooligan trapped in the body of a Harley-ridin' stevedore!
I always say that I have the spirit of a bon-viveur trapped in a body that demands the life of an ascetic monk. Ce dur la vie, non?
C'est dur, I meant!