Oh hai Mark!
I’m an ass but hiding your numbered list on your (creator not OP) thumbnail is as click bait as it is part of big-tech-driven media promotion styles - and you’re already on YouTube to boot.
It’s so hard to even want to click throught to watch this stuff when it’s so lacking in self-awareness. I’m not faulting you for being on YouTube but don’t criticize the game while playing with the worst parts of it.
Veronica Explains is a such a breath of fresh air In this department.
That time I wish we had awards to grind out.
In my experience people who “don’t want to talk politics” or are “apolitical” do so because they understand exactly what their personal politics are: “my wants and needs come first, and at any cost, so I will pretend to hate all politics because it serves my own. Any discussion will put me in an uncomfortable situation and clearly I prioritize my own comfort.”
If you like Pilot might I also recommend Java Roasters out of Toronto or Bows and Arrows from out west. If you’re in Quebec, Nucleus is very very good with a Pilot-like variety of roasts and origins.
IMO the current cream of the crop of Canadian roasters is Quietly out of Stirling Ontario but that’s just my preference.
Getting Quietly’s coffee at home used be a challenge (limited stock releases once a week at 11am EST) but they’ve opened up their webstore releases to two days a week. Still very hard to grab their decaf - which is consistently some of the best specialty coffee decaf I’ve ever had.
Had them crushed up on an elevated take on Mexican street corn in CDMX. Tasty.
Not sure I could handle them whole.
Canadian. Recently injured, reasonably severely.
Ambulance on scene, admitted immediately, consult, imaging, initial treatment and out in 3 hours. Multiple regular follow ups and imaging - none of which took more than an hour.
If you’re sick or injured you get seen pretty quickly.
As someone else put it - the system is really good at solving acute problems and saving your life.
Keeping you healthy - that’s more up to you (than it should be). It’s not close to perfect but I’d pick it any day over whatever it is in Lake Americaland.
Oops. You’re technically correct, the best kind of correct. I’ve updated my link.
Probably because they used to be part of education machine for how dangerous guns were - and that, by far, firearm fatalities from suicide account for over half (58% in 2023) of gun deaths.
But now, with an administration that politicizes everything - and ignores any evidence of facts that dispute their goals - they’re turning the tables.
Note: am not American and also own several firearms. Was surprised when taking our country’s requisite firearms safety course that the overwhelming focus was on self harm and reduction of those risks. (And since we’re here - it’s shocking how many gun owners immediately assume I’m far right leaning just because I’m next to them at the range with a firearm in my hands; no friend healthcare IS WAY more important than this tool.)
Based on how good their products have been to date it’s at least in the realm of there being room. I imagine high-end bicycle tires are reasonably high margin and grippy often means high-wear.
With their lube (I’ve been a user of their super secret liquid and hot melt products since they were released and the same with their oil-based product for wet weather/mtb) any price difference is offset by how long the products last - and that’s ignoring just how well they work.
Abbey Tools found a way to sell out ultra-high end wheel building stands when perfectly competent dirt cheap solutions are in full supply.
And then we have bike brands realizing they can’t just sell $10k+ bikes anymore.
Interesting for sure.
Broke my arm last week, couldn’t wait for MoErgo adaptors to arrive, so I designed and printed my own (the orange pucks).
The right side of the keyboard has been positioned for my broken arm and hand position at rest.
Getting the magnets right took a little prototyping. First time using brass inserts too.
Will post these on printables so anyone else can follow suit if need be.
cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/29876719
Something different today. Nothing related to Linux or whatever, this time it's all about hardware. And art! Musical art to be more precise.
I wanna introduce you to the Open Theremin, probably the first and only musical instrument you play by NOT touching it AND that's fully open source, both the soft- and hardware.
It arrived yesterday and I played around with it for a few minutes. Because I haven't learned yet how to play proper notes (it has a HUGE range of sounds it can make!), it sounded more like a tinnitus than music for now. Still, I had LOTS of fun just jamming around 🙃
What even is a theremin?
The theremin is a IMO pretty underrated and unknown musical instrument.
Traditionally, it's fully analog, but the Open Theremin is based on an Arduino, which makes it better (less expensive, better playability, etc.) from what I've read.
The theremin was the first synthesizer invented about 100 years ago. Due to its high prize tag, limited pitch and very steep learning curve, it hasn't really caught up with other musical instruments yet and mostly found its niche in sound effects, because there just aren't that many professional players out there.
Carolina Eyck is one of those. Here for example is a very well done song played on the instrument by her.
How is it played? In theory, very simple. You have two antennas: one for the pitch, and one for the volume.
When you increase or decrease the hand distance from them, you can change the sounds it can produce. So you pretty much play it by just wiggling your arms around in the air.
This 2 minute video explains all of it very well.
The Open Theremin
As already mentioned, the OT is based on an Arduino and therefore digital.
Everything is open source, both the hardware (schematics, instructions, etc.) and the software.It's a very cool project with a great focus on community.
Here for example you can find lots of cases people designed for the instrument. It's highly modular and customisable, including people who turned it into a MIDI input device.I bought it for 130€, but had to pay extra ~40€ duty because I imported it from Switzerland.
It came like this:
Just the board, the antennas, knobs, a thread and some screws.
Assembled it looks like this:
I will also craft a case for it soon.
While you can (and traditionally DO) play it as standalone device, I also ordered a Pocketmaster effect "pedal" you usually use for electric guitars.
Without it, it sounds pretty "flat" imo, a bit like a mosquito, because it just creates one signal (and because I have zero experience!). With the effect pedal, you can add some reverb for example, which gives it a lot of depth and makes it sound more like a proper musical instrument. And because it's digital, I can change the sound entirely, from a bass humming up to a metal chainsaw guitar effect and whatever. There are so many modifications in the pedal that I'm quite overwhelmed right now to be fair. I really have to dive into it first.
Are you guys interested in that kind of stuff?
If so, I could post another update in the future regarding the case, some tips and maybe even a few songs I make as soon as I get the hang of it.
When I researched I found it a bit disheartening to find barely any information about this device and think more people should be aware of that cool project...
