I am very grateful and encouraged by the responses, both publicly and through other venues.
It'd be best to answer all in a single posts rather than reply to all emails individually (and thusly, with the grace of a hairy legged ballerina, I cut my work load by 90%).
Errors are part of our everyday life. We learn more from mistakes than from what is properly done. Or at least, we can, if we choose to. No error is final if it can be corrected. The beauty of computers is that we can undo and no harm is done. Don't you wish life was like that? Can you imagine reloading a "save" of your portfolio right before the market tanked?
Clearly, audio sites are more than just about audio. Heck, there's been enough posted about any subject that we could simply reduce it all into a FAQ and limit posts to gear that's no more than, let's say 60 days. That would give a generous 30 days for "break-in" and another 30 for "audition."
We share a rather unique hobby/pastime. It gives us a great excuse to talk silly. Ever have your friends/coworkers within earshot while you had an audio-related phone call? To most people, we kinda look like guys wearing moose hats. Our strangeness brought us together. First to talk about the gear. What to buy. How do I mix tubes and ss. Why does this hum.Why does that squeak. Why do these tickle. But soon after we start recognizing that there are some very intelligent and interesting people in this ungulate lodge.
We read and post because it gives an opportunity to share, however fleetingly, the wisp of another's consciousness.
Which is exactly the same reason why we listen to music, or read literature, or admire art, oh heck it's the main reason for the existence of the humanities.
To glimpse the world from another's perspective, however inexact our interpretation of such may be, and to share a bit of our own with others.
Like many of you, I have made friends that I have never met or spoken to. Does this make these friendships any less valuable? Well, maybe to some. To me it doesn't.
I value my communications with all of you, wether it's through very personal emails dealing with "real life" problems, stream of consciousness posts about a plotting cat or a majestic yak, silly one liners, music, or audio.
Now, there's no point nor shame in denying that you all share this to a certain degree. So, there's no need to continue having those nightmares about the nun with the army boots singing Guantanamera while the cast form Cats kick-steps in the background wearing stove top hats and brandishing giant salad forks and then Britney Spears and J-Lo drop out of a burro shaped piñata and then the nun produces a large ruler which she lubricates while Britney holds down J-Lo and... oh, heck, you all know how that goes. Why repeat it.
Personally, don't feel that my time on the audio boards is wasted. It's not as if I don't have other things to do. I just happen to rank this one thing rather highly.
As do quite a bit of you. Otherwise, these sites would not exist.
So sing out loud, sing out clear: "I'm weird I'm here!" or perhaps: "I'm loud and I'm proud" or maybe: "Yakitty yak, I'm a yak!"
Wheter you are manly man, a womanly woman, a manly woman, or a womanly man, you're one of us.
Hiram
