Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Am I the only one?
- Thread starter LordeOurMother
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Yes. That would be a good example. Whether it's based on religious beliefs or not, it's the same.
What hasn't slid downhill in Harford, CT? I wasn't even aware they still made guns there. Much of the original factory is decrepit, aside from its iconic dome which they've restored. I think they're in West Hartford now, which is a whole different story. A former coworker of mine was very, very into the gun scene, and well acquainted with tactical law enforcement and the New England gun manufactures. I know he fell out of favor with Colt some time ago.
----------
You're right, no matter how much effort we put in for him to see the bigger picture it doesn't work. I have done my best to try and help out in this regard but I don't agree with the dissemination of wrong or prejudiced information. In the future, if anything, I'm just going to say "wrong" or "bad idea" rather than entertain a thoughtful response. He can learn the hard way what magnets do to hard drives.
With the regards to his inflammatory behavior, he should know better not to do this by this point. I've given him the benefit of the doubt and even defended him, as you all know. But I'm done. If anyone needs to discuss this any further send me a PM and we can do it somewhere where as not to disrupt the thread. It's a dead horse as it is.
I don't doubt that you're right about moving production-you are certainly much better acquainted with the area than I am.
I've had Colt double action revolvers spanning a time frame from about 1910 to 1970. I've owned a bunch, but only kept two-a Police Positive Special from about 1920 and a Trooper 357 from 1968. The Trooper is internally a Python without the top rib or underlug on the barrel, and without the 2000-3000 price tag. It's the best shooting 357 Magnum I have, and honestly I've completely lost interest in trying to find a Python I could afford since buying it.
DA production went down hill with the introduction of the new coil spring type lockwork, and the late production Colts I've handled-short of the Python made in 2000 I looked at a few months ago-have left me with a pretty crummy impression of the brand. By 2000(which I think was the last year Colt made DA revolvers) the Pythons were effectively built to order from the custom shop, so it's not surprising that they retained their build quality.
Even in their prime, though, the Colt lockwork theoretically made for a more accurate gun. In practice, however, S&Ws tend to be a lot more durable and easy to repair. I once spent two days fitting a new cylinder stop to a Colt Official Police. It was a very good learning experience and gave me a very intimate understanding of how the Colt lockwork functions, but is not an experience I want to repeat any time soon
. Nowadays, the only things I think that Colt makes are SAAs, 1911s, and AR-15s. I know very little about ARs, so can't comment. The SAAs are good, but as I said I've heard that Uberti at least makes some of the parts for them. I know that they outsource some of the finishing work(specifically the color case hardening) to Turnbull. Turnbull is a legend for his color case work, but at the same time the frame on my Uberti looks pretty darn good. The recent production Colt 1911s I've handled and shot have left me pretty underwhelmed.
I've always found the "hipster" angle on old technology intriguing. I have several interests in things that overlap with at least some of the "hipster" community, although I think the difference is that I stick with stuff and learn as much as I can about it rather than dropping them as quickly as I pick them up.
I've had a long-time interest in photography(although my interests have shifted somewhat). I learned on film and am still comfortable with it, plus the chemist in me is fascinated by what's going on in it. For quite a while now, there have been artists making their living with the Diana, which was a cheap Russian medium format camera. They were renowned for their terrible quality control, including light leaks and imperfect, and poor film flatness that gave everything an out of focus and streaky quality that some really gifted artists used to great effect.
Dianas went out of production and prices shot up on them, so along came the Holga. It's basically a Chinese clone of the Diana with the same quirks inconsistent quality-just made worse(if possible). When Holgas came on the market about 15 years ago, they sold for $15-20 new.
Around 2007 or so, I took a serious interest in shooting medium format film and bought a pair of medium format cameras-first a Rolleicord and then a Rolleiflex. These are dual lens reflex cameras that were once something of a professional standard(before 35mm film started to get good, and good 35mm cameras affordable). Both the Rolleicord and the Rolleiflex were made by the same company, although the 'Flex was considered a higher end camera and the 'Cord a more consumer oriented camera. The quality was equal, but the 'cord had several nice features that made them faster and easier to use-namely a pair of "sensing" rollers that started the film counter at the appropriate time(and are notoriously difficult to set correctly-although I managed to do it) and a "crank" that is turned about 3/4 of a turn to first advance the film and then turned back the same amount to cock the shutter. The 'cord(at least in later versions) requires you to manually "start" the film by turning until a set of arrows on the backing paper lines up with dots in the film gate(most medium format SLRs work the same way) and then shutting the back. The film is advanced with a knob, and then the shutter is cocked by pulling a small lever under it(then fired by moving the lever in the other direction). The optics on both are Zeiss and equal in quality.
In any case, I still love shooting medium format film, especially when using a reversal film like Fuji Velvia(there's nothing like laying it down on a light table and looking at it through a loupe). I'm still working out of a big stash of MF film, but the last time I bought some I bought Fuji Provia(a good, general purpose reversal film) in bulk at about $3/roll. Good B&W film like Kodak Tri-X(or my favorite, now discontinued Plus X) and the various Ilford products ran $3-5 a roll. Funnily enough, Tri-X, which has been on the market for 50+ years, is one of the more expensive ones.
Not too long ago, I was walking around the mall(a place I try to avoid as a general rule) and saw one of the "hipster" stores selling Holgas for $80 and a 3-pack of B&W film(I think Ilford in some form or fashion) for $60 and I saw people buying them. You could have knocked me over with a feather-I paid less than $80 for my Rolleiflex, and I think about $45 for a 20-roll box of Fuji Provia.
I was at a local park/nature preserve one day walking around with my Rolleiflex, and someone with a Holga saw me changing film in my camera. She was impressed at how I did it like it was no big deal, which it honestly isn't after you've done it a few times. I ended up giving her a demonstration, as she was at the end of a roll and didn't know what to do. I also got a look of alarm when I licked the sticker on the roll. All medium format film uses a sticker at the end of the roll to seal the backing paper around the film. The sticker IDs the film type and keeps the backing paper from unrolling. Fuji uses a self-adhesive sticker that is unfolded, but Kodak and Ilford still use postage stamp glue on their sticker that needs to be wetted to stick-it's something I do without thinking, but does probably look unusual to someone not use to MF film.
I imagine my "hipster" friend takes the Luddite route simply because he cannot afford the latest and greatest.
And while the same is true with myself, I don't reject technology just because I cannot afford it. If it's the cool thing and he can afford it he gets it. He may not understand it and consequently will treat it with disdain when no one is watching, but he'll own it. If he can't afford it, well you know he's a self-described Luddite right.
The truth is that a good majority of the people he associates with are probably incompetant with new tech even if they have no problem affording it. But they all stroke each other's egos so he gets what he wants I guess.
It's a cool thing to use old tech in new ways or to live with it or to just be interested in it. Much like the scenario you have painted the same can be said about other tech. Our own tech here, PowerPC still continues to turn heads either in amazement at how we can manage to make these "old" Macs work or that we are still using them to do the job.
PowerPC Macs would be my equivalent to guns or cameras or film or what have you. I like these old Macs and even now that I have an MBP I like them more. They still do basic things well and more complex things may take slightly more time but they perform. And the beauty of these machines, especially now in this "hipster", "cool" society still turns heads.
I bought a new TLR medium format Lubitel around 1993 - it cost £9 - back then, Russian cameras were budget/entry level, whereas now they're sought after.
I don't mind the hipster phenomenon - it's only a fashion as transient as the latest hairstyles and despite running prices up on items, it has the knock on effect of raising awareness and making manufacturers 'reboot' classic designs. I think it's great analogue photography has witnessed a rebirth - the same happened with electronic instruments in the 90s. Back then I was buying analogue synthesizers at pocket money prices but the interest took off, prices escalated beyond reason and as a consequence, manufacturers started reviving vintage synths again. Exactly the same thing then happened with first wave digital instruments later on.
I think a part of appreciating anything vintage goes hand in hand with maturity - when you're a teenager, your parents are wrong and they don't know anything but when you grow up and have children yourself, you realise they knew their stuff afterall. In the same fashion, you perhaps look backwards to technology you grew up with and appreciate it more and take satisfaction that it's still around, doing it's job - despite the years rolling on.
I can confirm this... I try to listen to my parents as best as I can, but most of the time I wind up not doing so because I think I know better, and of course it plays out that my parents were correct, so when I look back at what happened, I definitely realized they know what they are talking about. I'm sure I will realize it even more when I grow up and maybe have kids.
Well I myself am only 19 having just completed my first year in college. I'm still a teenager for a few months. My parents have always supported me in academically and financially, and helping my band and such. As I became older I realized I disagreed with them religiously and politically, but was mostly saddened by their unwillingness to discuss these issues. I suppose being a traditional Irish catholic my mother can hardly be blamed for being a product of her time. But alas, it would be nice if they were willing to at least discuss such issues without getting upset. I think they are great parents objectively, but I personally feel they can be intellectually dishonest on certain topics. I think that is a reasoned stance, and don't see life experience changing that perception of them for the time being.
In any case, I purchased my first mac in 2011. It was the first computer that was all mine. Instead of a PC that we all shared in the past. Influenced by the wonderful G5 in my school music department and my music teacher, I was coerced into getting a mac for my audio production. It was sort of last minute, as I had plans to get a Dell laptop for a few months. (To think...I probably wouldn't be writing this message on my Quicksilver surrounded by Macs now!).
So for me it isn't nostalgia that attracts me to these machines. I always liked computer hardware and messed about assembling old ATX PC's from old 90's parts since I was young. I played computer games on the PC long before I had a gaming console. But these Macintosh's...they were odd and intriguing. A different OS! And a much better one. Snow Leopard quickly gave me a sour taste for anything Windows based.
Shortly after I got my laptop I became really interested in Apple's history. And then just at the height of my interest, Steve passed away. I read his biography and the allure of the original 128K got to me. I saved up and splashed out on a 512Ke much to the confusion of my friends, who couldn't fathom why I would waste so much money on something so useless. I just really liked it. It looked so carefully created with real dedication. So timeless and unique. So perhaps my interest in these machines comes both from their historical significance, and their captivating aesthetic.
To me, the original Macintosh is pure art, the Apple II is the most interesting computer ever produced, and OS X is the greatest piece of software I've ever used.
PowerPC draws me in because again, it's different. It's not intel. But it can do the same things! I suppose ultimately thats just curiosity. But I still like to collect these things like a madman and put them on shelves. But in working condition mind you. I have no interest in pretty paperweights. If they can't be networked, they're of little fun to me.
Thanks for reading my autobiography.
Trust me-I'm as happy as anyone to see that film isn't dead yet. I use digital mostly now for convenience sake, but it's pretty darn hard(whether in the camera or in PP) to get a photo to look as good a properly exposed transparency. I've yet to see a desatured digital photo that duplicated the contrast and grain of Tri-X, or the subtlety and "creaminess" of Plus-X(RIP). Fortunately, even though my beloved Plus-X is no more, Ilford at least makes an ASA 125 film that's pretty darn close to it(although I find it hard to get the same contrast as I could get from Plus-X). Tri-X is just a ton of fun-I love how elegantly it responds to pushing and pulling-in fact I'd go so far as to say that at ASA3200 I prefer it over the ASA3200 T-grain film that Kodak use to make(or maybe still makes).
I just hate seeing inflated prices on this stuff, as the cost can turn people away pretty quickly. Fortunately, B&H photo is just a few mouse clicks away(and they still sell enough film that you have a good chance of getting fresh stock).
The other issue I see with B&W is that the processing never has been standardized like C41, E6, and K14(RIP). You really do have to develop it on a roll-by-roll basis in a tank, knowing the film type, EV at which it was exposed, and using the correct developer(and agitation cycle) to achieve the desired results. Granted, a couple of minutes in D-76 with continuous agitation can get okay results out of everything, but it's far from optimum. Then, printing is another story all together. A well-done silver B&W print is a true work of art.
Color is a totally different story. We have a pro lab in Louisville that does C-41 and E-6 on site 3 days a week(they use to do it daily) and does maintain their chemicals(as well as run control strips) correctly. They will also cross process and push or pull-by request-at the end of the day. They do a small enough volume now, though, that you pay dearly for it. As much as I like to support a local business, most of my E-6(and what C-41 I shoot) gets sent to Dwayne's in Kansas. They are one of the largest operating labs in the US(and was the last in the world to process K-14). They can keep their prices reasonable while still running regular control strips and maintaining their chemistry. Of course, it's possible to do C-41 and E-6 at home, but the chemistry is expensive enough and perishable enough that you need to do a lot of volume to make it financially worthwhile.
One Walgreens store in town still has an in-house 1hr lab, but I wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole. I took some C-41 there 6 months ago, and was appalled at the result. It was scratched to pieces, and it took me a lot of time to get the color right when I scanned it. As if that wasn't enough, the one person in the store who knows how to run it had no idea what I was talking about when I asked when a control strip was last run.
Yes, I've learned my parents have quite a lot of wisdom and talent I never recognized when I was younger. Older adolescents and teenagers love to be defiant, egocentric, and think they know best. I think there is some truth to parents forgetting what it's like to be kids to an extent and not understand social differences between times, but overall they know what they're talking about. Often times their perspective is more advanced than younger generations can comprehend. I always remember in 6th grade a teacher who knew my parents fairly well said "your mom and dad are two the smartest people I know". I never really realized it until a few years ago, I suppose when I started to become more of an adult and see other adults as people rather than authority figures. At the same time, you begin to realize your parents are not right about everything and like anyone have their faults. I'm just about 26 and still frequently ask my parents for advice.
It's easy to be resentful towards parents, I was for years. Having a sterotypical Jewish mother is no fun for sure, and having a sterotypical Jewish father who goes along with the whims of the mother doesn't help
. I realize now that they only wanted the best for me and that they did everything in their power to give me every opportunity they could possibly provide, and making many sacrifices along the way. I cannot imagine undertaking having kids anytime soon, especially 3 like my parents! My parents have some viewpoints a disagree with, nothing too awful, but they have their right to opinion. I'm lucky to have very compassionate and generous parents, not everybody has that gift. When I was younger I was very much into modern design/furniture/architecture. My parents on the other hand big into ornate antique furniture, which I once considered old, used, stuff. For my 6th birthday my dad refinished (one of his hobbies) a beautiful antique roll top desk. I apparently got upset because it thought my parents had bought me a used gift for my birthday (of course it was actually very expensive). At one point I had my entire bedroom redone with Ikea-like space-age furniture. A few years later the crappy furniture made of veneer and particle started to fall apart and look like garbage, so back came my old furniture and I realized how much nicer it was and how much more craftsmanship it possessed. Antique solid roll top desk, sleigh bed, nightstands, etc vs. cheesy modern furniture. My dad is currently in the process of restoring a round quarter sawn oak dining table with claw feet for my apartment
Top marks for your teacher persuading you to go OS X! Making music on a PC can be an uphill struggle - it's not impossible but I always found it problematic unless you keep your PC super clean in terms of software and add ons.
Core Audio on OS X is fantastic...it's sad that a G5 can do seamless 64 track audio without breaking a sweat and yet be brought to it's knees by a script ridden website.
----------
Agreed. Digital photography is an incredible example of transformative technology and it's great that it's flourished but it still cannot replicate the tonal latitude of film.
Plus, there's the cameras too - how many of todays digitals will be around in ten years time? I think if I dropped my Zenit 12 all that would break is the pavement
Exactly the same when I was a youngster, my dad was expert at restoration and making reproduction furniture which lead me to often moan "why is all our furniture brown?"
I think as one matures you process your parent's influence and keep the good stuff and try to reject the negatives - evolution I guess.
Growing up in a religious environment must be hard though if your views don't tally - I know it destroys some families.
Indeed! I just love audio production in the Mac. I've seen my friends that I work with using windows and ableton, and the amount of those windows 7 "DONG"s that pop up would make your skin crawl :L
I started off with ProTools before trying Logic 9. Logic really impressed me with its ease of use while keeping all the power of a real DAW. I use Logic X now and I've got a real smooth workflow with almost zero interruptions. I can get an idea from inside my head to bounced MP3 in minutes with no fuss. A real Jobsian tool, let's you focus on the music without having to fiddle with the computer much at all.
My music teacher was brilliant in every way. He singlehandedly ran a choir, jazz band, trad band, composed all the music for every drama we put on and spent every penny he earned on his incredibly high end recording studio he has extended into his house. I went there with my band to record an EP and got to see it in person. Just racks of analog effect units and tube compressors. Padded walls of the recording area big enough for the whole band, and then the closed off control station with an enormous digital desk. Controlling it all was a 27" iMac on a long arm wall mount. Amazing stuff.
He used the G5 until he got that iMac and now the G5 controls all his older equipment in the school. So good of him to use all his second hand stuff for the students. The G5 still gets to record a huge multitrack piece composed by a student every year for the Christmas song! And for recording live performances at school, he always used the G5 instead of the far newer Dells. When I asked him why when I was younger he said it's the only machine in the school he trusted to remain stable.
His first Mac was an old LC around 1992 and when he got it he was amazed by how much time he saved playing in piece with MIDI on the keyboard and then printing out scores from the printer. Night and day compared to writing by hand!
That's what I think is so good about PPC - you can buy any G3/G4/G5 and it will be capable of professional level music making in some shape or form - that's why in my opinion, even when they no longer function on the web, PPCs will always have value.