Ham

The comb filter was a pretty big deal in the early eighties. Sylvania had a little comb filter board, that one could plug into their E-50 series chassis. The chip must have been over clocked or something. I ended up replacing quite a few of them.. along with the digital memory module in the tuner. At least it was a plug in replacement.. but I replaced the defective IC in both of these little boards.. Fast forward to the 2000's. I've replaced cheap failed chinese manufactured 2200 microfarad capacitors in Pentium IV motherboards, and in the power supplies.. a Pentium IV is still useful. It can do enough computerish things to surf the internet.. and its relatively cheap, second hand. Or even in a form of a throwaway. i.e. free. Install Linux.. and you have a perfectly capable to surf the internet computer. along with open office. So.. in the university I'm at.. at the moment. There is a literal sea of such failed computers. so some character comes in, with an expensive desoldering tool.. a nice temperature controlled Weller soldering iron.. a little bit of desoldering braid, in case we have a small splash of molten solder, somewhere.. "hey.. it ONLY university property.. we really don't care what happens to it here.. they've slashed our budget as it is, and we don't really give a s*it.." *they* are at war with the math department. Get far less funding, you know.. it's the POLITICS that is a killer here.. true story. so I use the de-soldering tool. the stinking capacitor drops off the board.. the new one goes in. I mop up the solder spill. And.. it still works.. or rather, it works. First attempt at boot. Previously, it took about 12 attempts. I hope all of this makes sense to SOMEBODY.. other than myself.. why am I saying all of this.. I dunno. In the end all I got was a real, working computer. Other than the one at home, and the two that I drag to school at various times.. The reason I am not at my last job? The boss could not understand the comb filter.. it all was beyond his control.. would you trust your computer to a maniacal squirrel, with a hot soldering iron?

You just forgot to cover it with enough toilet paper. And a brick.

This was a partial fix for the "dancing colors" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comb_filter Hitachi came out with an even better system, that had analog storage, would store the last three or four lines of video, and would choose the "best fit" to cancel the interference.. then came EGA, VGA.. etc..

pin stripes. that only bothered early color televisions.. this is the last generations technology: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NTSC the problem was, when one transmitted too thin of a stripe in the pin stripes, the luminance frequencies entered the pass band of the chrominance frequencies. In other words (plain english) if the lines were too close together, you would see colors dancing between them while watching the show. I used to work on this stuff..

Why couldn't I have been so lucky as to gotten that ride?

Just wonder. If you don't mind. Please choose the worst experience you had.

The peeps look "cool" when you put them in a microwave oven for about twenty seconds..

It was called Total Fitness Institute then. The former numbnuts limb leader from WVA I knew was also a participant once, best I remember. I always wondered how it worked out for John Somerville.. a Google search with his name in quotes yield practically nothing..

so in my war against the "beast". I refuse, to pay an everyday low price for.. anything. The seventeen extra cents generally goes to a less harrassed, un-demasculated worker.. my own personal nemesis would shop at Wal*mart. let's say that is the only place I could afford my meds. I would get in, get the meds. Bypass aisle five, with cut flowers, imported from India's most fertile land, the land of big screens and computers, and get the hell out, as fast as my feet could carry me. I can look into the soul of wal*mart as well, and see myself. It is not a place which I want to be..

we have the privilege to leave an impression.. maybe that's all there is to an after-life.. who know..

When I consume red meat, I pray for the soul that was sacrificed for my sustenance.. same damned thing. When I read the label on the mostly cotton tee-shirt, I pray for the people who manufactured it.. capitalism is an unrestrained, for the moment, Pig.. who feeds the pig.. maybe Leary was right..

so who is the "ultimate foe". The devil? or some other abstract concept? In THIS particular world, who is it.. what about the fellow who buys a tee-shirt made in Pakistan, by a drugged teenage worker? You know.. that is how they get young kids to be able to repetitively perform menial tasks, don't you? YOUR dollar votes for this kind of behavior and practice.. I mean. "I will" to have this tiny bit of prosperity. at what cost? its nice to have a scapegoat in all of this..

"republican wives". The author was Jim Harrison.. http://www.cottagebooks.com/jimharrison.htm

You let me look into your soul for one brief second. And I saw myself.. I don't care if our beliefs, background, all that stuff is so very different. Those are not important issues.. Does this make sense?

but, but.. it's a gold mine, doncha know.. why consume the whole Loaf of Life, when one can pick at and sell the crumbs of st(?) vic..

check your "friends" list..

it was an offer of friendship.. no soap opera or anything...

some of the literature involved.. those in political power and wealth, who had to offer services to those who could not afford to pay. They slightly grumbled, and did what they had to do.. It was "republican wives". Forget the author.. maybe somebody could refresh my recollection.. it's getting shorter.. what am I looking for here. I don't know.. I hope somebody can toss me a bone or something..

I love fiction.. rather, I have grown to love it. Maybe it was the Great Lakes fiction class I has to take in college.. there were so many "real" issues in fiction.. the effects of the encroachment of land development.. the effects of the introduction of technology in a small town. Including the effect of the same to a supposed "minister" there. the deterization of society.. the homogenization of education. i.e.. political correctedness, and its unintended consequences.. all from just.. Great Lakes literature. Globally, I'm sure it is all the same.. so.. if you can honestly name the "ultimate foe".. who is it? :) who really is your ultimate foe, and why? fair question, I think.. if not.. take it up with the Great Squirrel..

you would not believe how happy you made me, saying this..

OK then! How about a "yes", on MY terms?

well.. but then again.. they favored abortion, when it was convenient.. at least the way I understood things.. I dunno.. maybe we are saying the same thing..

To me, the christian(?) conservatives are the worst. They have no idea who really pays for the hot water they enjoy for their shower in the morning.. and the (relatively, in a global sense) the cheap gas, they burn, on the way to work.. some are waking up though.. am I Christian.. I suppose it depends on how you define it.. somebody other than myself will have to bestow me with the title.. sorry.. I'm not smart enough to figure it out.. I'm smart enough to figure out some math. God, no.

well.. I hope the club admits membership for Squirrels.. hey. Same for the cats here. We have two of them. If Jesus comes back.. the cats come with me.. I can't imagine life for them, with a Republican, anti-christ money and property grubbing oriented state. My best friend says.. no problem. They are innocent.. maybe they were just sent to observe, like some of us..

too many details for me. just a thought.. one can only be some kind of "elitist" when it comes to oneself.. I can only dictate to myself how to judge.. You have good thoughts friend.. center of reference.. well, when, or if speaks to me, I have little choice but to agree. I mean.. what are the alternatives here.. generally, a human voice has not ever done this for me. I've pretended at times.. the only thing one can tell another.. is how one choses to judge.. I'm glad I'm not THE judge. too much work..