On Sep 14, 3:03*am, John Byrns wrote:
In article ,
*Reid wrote:
Way back when, a bit over 16 years ago in fact, I wrote this:
http://groups.google.com/group/news....browse_thread/...
a934bbff7e1550#
I pop in occasionally to see how it's doing. *It seems that despite
some horrific flame wars and personality clashes (and the inevitable
influx of spam), this group is still useful. *I'm pleased.
What do you think? *Is this still a cool place?
Considering the general decline of the usenet, it is doing better than one might
expect, it is definitely still a cool place. *Unfortunately the group is
currently suffering through one of its worst periods as a result of constant OT
political posts by a craized Australian wing nut, one can only hope that he will
eventually tire of his OT silliness.
This group, rec.audio.tubes has only a tiny amount of technical
discussions relating to vacuum tubes compared to 10 years ago when
maybe there were 100 posts a day and many of those posting were
wearing out their soldering irons buiding various item, mainly tubed
audio power amps and preamps.
There is an extremely small amount of practical work building tube
operated gear going on. Most guys who turned 50 some ten years ago got
an urge to build the amp iof their dreams like they always wanted to
for the previous 30 years but were stopped by having to work and raise
a family and deal with a missus who said NO. Well, finally they got
the fad, built their amps, and then what? Fads abd crazes don't last,
and nobody knows what they are doing now at age 60. Given up on a
whole lotta stuff "they used ta do" once when they were young. My
living is earned by working with vacuum tubes, and I'd be one of the
rare types who is still interested and has wonderment for what I still
achieve with a soldering iron, and who also delights in sharing the
whole darn journey by maintaining a relevent website and talking to
ppl here or anywhere. Its actually difficult for me to ever find
others able to discuss vacuum tube stuff at my level so I keep out of
other internet forums where the usual discussion is a series of single
sentence comments which contain so little useful info and such dumb
questions that I'd be wasting my time by being there. They know where
I am though, and that I reply to private emails if they have a
question, but of course typing to each other is 99% of what they do,
where WORK is 99% of what I do.
The social media like FarceBook and ****ter has absorbed the time of
millions who like to connect, so groups like this were doomed to loose
posters because "alternative pubs" have opened their doors. I never go
to pubs where ppl sit about bull****ting to each other. The Internet
seems to bring Fake Freindships, ppl think thay have friends if they
Farce around or **** about in social media. I don't feel any need, and
could be called a loner, misfit, unsociable, but such labels don't
stick because there's a lot of ppl I like in the REAL WORLD, and who
like me.
I don't mind being labelled a "craized Australian wing nut" who has
said more on vacuum tube use than everyone else put together for the
last 10 years. I do have many political/social/ecomomic opinions and
many here seem very glad to read my long posts on such matters. It
gives them something to interest them, and someone to flame and
insult, and a vent for all the alternative opinions that exist in the
minds of maybe 4 regulars from the USA who lurk here, and who hate my
guts because I am so disagreable with redneck hardline right wingers.
Millions of other left wing "socialist scum" also disagree with the
ardent voices which always disagree with anything I say about the
world. There IS A HUGE APPETITE for OT subjects amoung a few here and
all the limp dicked wallys who dislike any message with more than 3
sylables hate OT, and expect a world to have its people talking just
ONE sentence to each other each day, rather than have a world where
people might say 500 sentences to other people. So a vast number of
people have grown to hate hanging out at this group because ppl like
me spoil the place, as well as those who reply to every word I say
with huge unsnipped posts which are too big sometimes for Google to
give to me in their entirity. Flipper is such an example. He thinks I
am a terrible ****struck socialist son of a pig.
But Flipper has huge trouble getting a socialist lable to stick
because he's so inept at personal judgements. If he were to use his
words and brain more wisely he'd notice that I am a capitalist, but
not the ratbag FU2 type who tramples over everyone and everything in
the name of progress. I run a business which I own, and its 31 years
since I worked for an employer or was a member of any union. I've
never been a member of a political party. But I love the fact my
country has FREE MEDICAL CARE for EVERYONE and that law and order here
is so good that our gun ownership is far lower than the USA. I'm quite
happy to pay my taxes, and I know that much of Big Business is amoral
and inefficient in 101 different ways. Sure Big business is mainly
responsible for much basic happiness in the world - when its not being
arsolic. Big Government can be seen the same way - thank goodness for
the roads and bridges, and traffic laws, police, legal system et all.
Sure there are arsoles in Gov and the Gove owned public service, but
there are more good ppl than arsoles. Seems to me a sensible mix of
private enterprize and socialist Gov activities allows the best of
living to happen.
I don't expect people I meet anywhere, including here, to be able to
tolerate all they see in anyone else, but anyway, I don't give a ****
how many rotten cabbages are thrown at me daily.
To be able to happily survive in un-moderated groups like this one
takes a certain kind of personality which allows one to never worry
about being called a truckload of horrible names. I'll still say what
I think and mean what I say where possible.
It'd be a very dull world without the OT.
If you don't like OT, then don't read the posts, but meanwhile its a
free world and nobody has the right to shut me or anyone else up.
That's enough BLATHER for 15 minutes!
Patrick Turner.
--
Regards,
John Byrns
Surf my web pages at, *http://fmamradios.com/