Abbey Road sign sells at auction for PS37,000 - BBC News
Given that sign gets covered in graffiti and/or stolen almost weekly I'm not sure why it's worth that much. Fool and money I guess.
Given that sign gets covered in graffiti and/or stolen almost weekly I'm not sure why it's worth that much. Fool and money I guess.
Back in the 80's I did some consultancy work for Reichert/American Optical in Sturbridge MA. The guy I was working for asked if I could get him a deerstalker and a Baker Street sign as a retirement present for a guy who used to be affectionately called "Sherlock Holmes" because of his tenacity in getting to the root of a technical problem.
Anyway, I had no problem in procuring a deerstalker. And getting a Baker Street sign was also fairly easy. This was of course before the internet, but I eventually got in touch with Westminster Council, and they said yes - we keep them in stock. Why? Because they get stolen regularly!
Actually my customer thought I was going to send him a tourist size sign. So when a massive wooden crate arrived, they were a bit surprised!
So there is zero chance that the Abbey Road sign is anything other than a replacement of a replacement of a ....
And if you were to ask Westminster Council where they buy their road signs, you'd be able to buy one for (guess) a couple of hundred quid.
Anyway, I had no problem in procuring a deerstalker. And getting a Baker Street sign was also fairly easy. This was of course before the internet, but I eventually got in touch with Westminster Council, and they said yes - we keep them in stock. Why? Because they get stolen regularly!
Actually my customer thought I was going to send him a tourist size sign. So when a massive wooden crate arrived, they were a bit surprised!
So there is zero chance that the Abbey Road sign is anything other than a replacement of a replacement of a ....
And if you were to ask Westminster Council where they buy their road signs, you'd be able to buy one for (guess) a couple of hundred quid.
It seems my list of weird projects just got longer. Turns out the weather resistant surveillance microphones have a problem. They seem to use a thin plastic film to keep out moisture. This is behind a louvered metal plate. That keeps out water, but behind the louvers the wind manages to move the plastic film shield and makes noise! The normal foam windscreen doesn't quite fit. The trick is design a flat wind screen that still fits.
Seems easy enough to design if one has a good test wind source. One fellow I know used to hang things out his car window to get a semi calibrated wind source.
I think a small wind tunnel is a bit more reasonable.
I suspect a lined bent duct can be used to reduce the fan noise, but certainly will be finding out!
Seems easy enough to design if one has a good test wind source. One fellow I know used to hang things out his car window to get a semi calibrated wind source.
I think a small wind tunnel is a bit more reasonable.
I suspect a lined bent duct can be used to reduce the fan noise, but certainly will be finding out!
Last edited:
An interesting chip. Drawback is low voltage and for this application high current draw. But I have samples coming in to see what the actual performance might be in reality.
Thanks.
One of the common give always in this country is a flag that has flown over the nation's capital. Seems it is a full time job for someone to put flags up on the capital roof for 15 minutes and then change them for the next one! These flags do come with a certificate saying when they were flown. Yes there are multiple flag poles for this. Different than the tall easily visible one!
Next up pens used by the president to sign a bill. Takes at least two pens per bill! One for the first name and the second for the last name! Middle initial of course when used requires a third pen! (I believe only one president didn't have a middle name!) Might even be more pens for folks like Former president George Herbert Walker Bush.
Important bills can even use more pens!
Almost forgot about getting your picture taken with the President! A handshake and picture, last time I was solicited, was a $15,000.00 contribution to the political party.
Last edited:
Suck or blow? with suction the fan noise will be after the DUT. It's been 15 years since I looked at building a flow bench for car projects but the principle should work for you. By turning a few different venturis you should be able to get different airflow rates without having to mess with the fans tooo much. Manometers optional but they look cool on the wall even if a MAF out the scrapyard does a better job.
I got a picture with Jimmy Carter for free, for participating in his Habitat build in India. Wonderful experience BTW.
The first time I did sound for Jimmy Carter, a fellow came up to me and asked to adjust the microphone for his height 5'7" as that was also J.C.'s height. The second time another fellow came up and asked the same thing as he was 5'9".
The third time Robert S Strauss then Democratic party chairman asked to have the microphone adjusted for his height. He was 6' 5" or so! He introduced J.C. and then moved the microphone down.
G.W. Bush preferred a wireless lavalier microphone, that he did not turn off when in the green room! (Yes we killed the main P.A. but enjoyed listening to it on headphones.)
Then there was the time the secret service was having security prep meetings and used a wireless microphone. A client in a building nearby complained of the sound coming over their boardroom system.
Today I got an offer to meet and greet William Shatner, for a fee of course...
First VIP politician I met was a Kennedy. Pretty sure I have worked in some capacity for every president after Eisenhower. I think I have already mentioned my D.J. Trump tale.
The third time Robert S Strauss then Democratic party chairman asked to have the microphone adjusted for his height. He was 6' 5" or so! He introduced J.C. and then moved the microphone down.
G.W. Bush preferred a wireless lavalier microphone, that he did not turn off when in the green room! (Yes we killed the main P.A. but enjoyed listening to it on headphones.)
Then there was the time the secret service was having security prep meetings and used a wireless microphone. A client in a building nearby complained of the sound coming over their boardroom system.
Today I got an offer to meet and greet William Shatner, for a fee of course...
First VIP politician I met was a Kennedy. Pretty sure I have worked in some capacity for every president after Eisenhower. I think I have already mentioned my D.J. Trump tale.
Ed really doesn't need any encouragement 😛
William Shatner... I've got one of his albums. Is he famous for anything else...
William Shatner... I've got one of his albums. Is he famous for anything else...
According to Discogs, "He is best known as Captain James T. Kirk of the Starship Enterprise, in the science fiction television series Star Trek (1966-1969)"
William Shatner
Chum and they will come.
Listened to Huxley last night doing a condensed version of "Brave New World" and realized that soma rhymes with coma.
Last edited:
Do you know all the nuts?
My cousin Sam Yochelson did a bit on the Kennedy assassin.
Also did sound for a US President, but only once for that. Visiting Prime Minister once too.
The president happened to be Richard Nixon. It was a $1,000/plate fund raiser event in an SF hotel. Donors received a chicken salad lunch. The press was served a much finer buffet in an adjoining back room. Guess someone wanted good press reviews of the speech.
At the time the Secret Service was carrying around twin SM-57 mics on custom mic stand adapters that held two mics closely in parallel. They claimed it was to tighten up the pickup pattern. The mic preamp was also carried by the same guys. It was custom and fit into a metal briefcase looking thing. As I recall, it had multiple XLR outputs for house sound amplification and for press feeds. So although we came equipped to do everything, we ended up only setting up speakers and amplifiers and then riding gain as needed.
The president happened to be Richard Nixon. It was a $1,000/plate fund raiser event in an SF hotel. Donors received a chicken salad lunch. The press was served a much finer buffet in an adjoining back room. Guess someone wanted good press reviews of the speech.
At the time the Secret Service was carrying around twin SM-57 mics on custom mic stand adapters that held two mics closely in parallel. They claimed it was to tighten up the pickup pattern. The mic preamp was also carried by the same guys. It was custom and fit into a metal briefcase looking thing. As I recall, it had multiple XLR outputs for house sound amplification and for press feeds. So although we came equipped to do everything, we ended up only setting up speakers and amplifiers and then riding gain as needed.
Last edited:
There actually are folks named Nomis. Also at least one named Anna with that last name.
Then there was the fellow who grew up in Boston. His initials were B. R. A. as a result he got ribbed a lot about it. So when he had his first kid he named him so the three initials were B. S. A. How he did not realize many folks just use the initials and the last name? After the kid was born and he told me the name, I just looked at him and mentioned naming a kid B. S. was worse. ( Err something like that!). 😉
On one of my early presidential sound gigs, the candidates sound guy insisted on a semi obscure German microphone. I asked the advance folks if they thought it was a good idea to not put their candidate on camera with American microphones. So they went to the Shure ones everybody had. SM57s not having the chrome windscreen allowed for better camera shots. Of course today the microphones are made in Mexico!
Then there was the fellow who grew up in Boston. His initials were B. R. A. as a result he got ribbed a lot about it. So when he had his first kid he named him so the three initials were B. S. A. How he did not realize many folks just use the initials and the last name? After the kid was born and he told me the name, I just looked at him and mentioned naming a kid B. S. was worse. ( Err something like that!). 😉
On one of my early presidential sound gigs, the candidates sound guy insisted on a semi obscure German microphone. I asked the advance folks if they thought it was a good idea to not put their candidate on camera with American microphones. So they went to the Shure ones everybody had. SM57s not having the chrome windscreen allowed for better camera shots. Of course today the microphones are made in Mexico!
Last edited: