Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[mnementh]

Who the fuck are you, and why can't I get these stupid closed captions off my TV...?

mnem
I haven't lost my mind; it's backed up on a floppy here somewhere...

[grizewald]

 

So it seems that the lunatics have taken over the asylum, even here in my sleepy southern Stockholm suburb.

I went to the local supermarket earlier this evening to get something to cook for dinner and discovered: no toilet paper, no kitchen paper, no dried pasta, no pasta sauce and most confusing of all - no fresh milk!

I was hoping that the Swedes weren't that stupid, but alas...

[bd139]

My wife & I met in the Fascape chat back in the day when Skiffy actually had some nerd cred... 

Proof again that I was fishing in the wrong pond! 

I was watching Lexx then and hanging around in goth clubs. Hard to believe that was 20 years ago now 

[bd139]

So it seems that the lunatics have taken over the asylum, even here in my sleepy southern Stockholm suburb.

I went to the local supermarket earlier this evening to get something to cook for dinner and discovered: no toilet paper, no kitchen paper, no dried pasta, no pasta sauce and most confusing of all - no fresh milk!

I was hoping that the Swedes weren't that stupid, but alas...

I'm in heaven here. I just hit the local tesco and literally everything is gone apart from salmon, tender stem broccoli, chantenay carrots, bagels, salami and emmental cheese. Good haul that was.

[mnementh]

Still have half a dozen Minimus 7W's too.

4 of them here.  Got them for free back when I worked at Rat Shack in the early 90's.  I do love the sound.

https://sites.google.com/site/mpbarneyspeakers/radio-shack-minimus-7-mods

They're a "thing"; have been for decades. Here, have another rabbit-hole.

https://www.audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/minimus-7-loudspeakers-measurements.199790/

https://www.audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/minimus-7-speakers.186155/

mnem
 

[grizewald]

So it seems that the lunatics have taken over the asylum, even here in my sleepy southern Stockholm suburb.

I went to the local supermarket earlier this evening to get something to cook for dinner and discovered: no toilet paper, no kitchen paper, no dried pasta, no pasta sauce and most confusing of all - no fresh milk!

I was hoping that the Swedes weren't that stupid, but alas...

I'm in heaven here. I just hit the local tesco and literally everything is gone apart from salmon, tender stem broccoli, chantenay carrots, bagels, salami and emmental cheese. Good haul that was.

I'd quite happily eat that for dinner!

The biggest problem with this stupid hoarding behaviour is that it's self-fuelling. Those who wouldn't consider hoarding unnecessarily see that there's been no toilet paper in stock at their local supermarket for the last three days and end up buying three packs just in case the nutters keep on stocking up.

The recursive end of that is houses overflowing with toilet paper from the top floor windows!

[bd139]

Yeah that's basically me. Mr 34 rolls

[mnementh]

My wife & I met in the Fascape chat back in the day when Skiffy actually had some nerd cred... 

Proof again that I was fishing in the wrong pond!     I was watching Lexx then and hanging around in goth clubs. Hard to believe that was 20 years ago now 

I remember watching Lexx on Skiffy back when they were in the clear/C-band on Galaxy5 using a satellite system literally made from parts scavenged off other people's systems when I did upgrades/service for them. Well, when Uniden got out of the consumer satellite RX biz I picked up a brand-new dual-band IRD, Digicipher module & feedhorn/polarotor for $100; that MIGHT have been before Lexx came out over here.  Had a 12'  Chapparal welded-aluminum sectional dish with pole welded to an old genset trailer, parked up by the pond; had to go that big because G5 was just on the treeline at the bottom of the arc. Reception was great in the winter when the trees shed tho. 

mnem
*space cadet from way back*

[tggzzz]

So it seems that the lunatics have taken over the asylum, even here in my sleepy southern Stockholm suburb.

I went to the local supermarket earlier this evening to get something to cook for dinner and discovered: no toilet paper, no kitchen paper, no dried pasta, no pasta sauce and most confusing of all - no fresh milk!

I was hoping that the Swedes weren't that stupid, but alas...

I'm in heaven here. I just hit the local tesco and literally everything is gone apart from salmon, tender stem broccoli, chantenay carrots, bagels, salami and emmental cheese. Good haul that was.

I'd quite happily eat that for dinner!

I wouldn't eat very much from Tesco.

[mnementh]

The biggest problem with this stupid hoarding behaviour is that it's self-fuelling. Those who wouldn't consider hoarding unnecessarily see that there's been no toilet paper in stock at their local supermarket for the last three days and end up buying three packs just in case the nutters keep on stocking up.

The recursive end of that is houses overflowing with toilet paper from the top floor windows!

Hey... y'all saw my similar recent adventures; I bought 60 triple rolls a few days ago because I COULD GET THEM. After going to 4 other stores and finding basically , my aching back and hungry belly said "If they're not limiting quantities, get a month's worth so you don't HAVE TO for it like them crazy ozzies.

Still haven't found any more eggs, tho.

mnem
"Honey, why are you trying to crack muh bald haid open into that skillet...?"

[Specmaster]

Well, I normally do buy our toilet rolls in lots of 3 packets at a time because we like the Asda own brand paper and it is literally the other only thing I normally buy at Asda apart their own brand of clumping cat litter which I also buy in about 6 bags at a time, all our other shopping is done in Tesco, Farmfoods and Lidl which are at the other end of the city. So anyone seeing me buying toilet paper will think that I'm a panic buyer when in fact I'm not. It is now becoming a bit of a concern though because I'm now on the last pack of 24 rolls and I have been to Asda daily now checking to see if they have any more in, and the shelves are naked of any toilet paper, not a single sheet survives! That is the same across the city so unless some shows up real soon, may have to start using fingers  , than I can give a genuine stinky finger to anyone who deserves one 

You guys talking about your Tandy speakers reminded me that when they closed the stores over here, there was one in the Lakeside mall that had these computer speaker sets (can't remember their name) but they were either 2 or 3 way speakers with a massive linear power supply, that weighed a metric ton, well sure felt like it. The sound of those speakers was magical and I took every single pair the shop about 5 IIRC with the intention of eBaying them. I ended up keeping one set myself, then my sons wanted a set each and so never got them on eBay and I believe that I still have a set in their original box, unopened somewhere in the garage.

The bass on those just had to be heard to be believed, the others have long since given up the ghost and gone to speaker heaven, but they were my very last Tandy purchases.

[Specmaster]

Yeah that's basically me. Mr 34 rolls

Surely you mean Mr 36 rolls?

[Cerebus]

I'd quite happily eat that for dinner!

The biggest problem with this stupid hoarding behaviour is that it's self-fuelling. Those who wouldn't consider hoarding unnecessarily see that there's been no toilet paper in stock at their local supermarket for the last three days and end up buying three packs just in case the nutters keep on stocking up.

The recursive end of that is houses overflowing with toilet paper from the top floor windows!

I popped to the supermarket yesterday for herbs, grapes and olives - all of which I managed to get. It was notable though that what I'd seen a week ago had got worse, with eggs, chocolate and sweets, and any kind of canned goods now added to the list of things that were 90% empty or worse.

As before, still loads of fresh fruit and vegetables. Clearly the average citizen (1) doesn't eat vegetables and (2) doesn't buy them. Which is fine from my point of view because I can survive for a long time on vegetables alone without feeling deprived. I will however feel deprived once I run out of tinned tomatoes and pasta, not necessarily for consumption together, if I can't get some more before I do. Ditto cheese.

Currently the house is filling with the smell of the Chicken stock that's cooking, made from the carcase of the chicken that I butchered earlier (and quickly roast before dumping in the stock). Tomorrow that gets combined with the chicken meat, garlic, olives and tomatoes, slow cooked, and served up with lots of veggies for dinner. I am not going to starve.

I do get the point about recursive infectious hoarding, because I had to convince SWMBO that it's still sane enough that we shouldn't make ourselves into part of the problem by getting loads more than we need when we go shopping on Thursday even if it feels that other people are forcing us into it. Give it a week or two more and people won't have anywhere to put anything more that they buy - it has to get sane again sometime soon.

[bd139]

Don't underestimate the average idiot. At the end of the day this will happen

[Specmaster]

I do try not to buy for the sheer sake of it, but I have to admit to a small amount of buying extra now, because if my Mr J does decide to shut down everything for a few weeks, there are 4 of us that still require feeding and 2 cats. I went to Aldi the other day, and they had reasonable stocks (we have a regional warehouse in the City, so we should be reasonably OK) but they were limiting customers to 4 of anything. So did buy up to the limit on things like pasties, long life milk, tinned carrots and baked beans and veg soup. No toilet tissue in the store though 

Seeing as I'm in the age group that Mr J wants to self-isolate for up to 3 months I may have to resort to on-line shopping but even that is having problems. I made some bread today using the only yeast I could find, 1 x 7g sachet in Asda, which was one out of a multipack that they gave me FOC. Amazon had a 125g tub on prime, great thought I, I'll order that, placed the order...delivery anticipated 14th April.

[bd139]

Good luck with online deliveries. They are completely fucked. I had a lead time of 7 days on Ocado 5 days ago and literally have no idea what is going to turn up now. Now the lead time is 14 days.

[tautech]

The Missus has just gone for her weekly shop.....wonder how many bog rolls will we get ? 

[Specmaster]

Good luck with online deliveries. They are completely fucked. I had a lead time of 7 days on Ocado 5 days ago and literally have no idea what is going to turn up now. Now the lead time is 14 days.

It looks like we are all fucked now then and Brexit has just highlighted how stupid UK going it alone is, we have taken ourselves out of the EU wide medicine scheme so should the EU develop a vaccine for it, guess who won't be in the front line for any supplies, didn't have to guess hard did you. Have you seen this today https://twitter.com/mrjamesob/status/1239841917921300480?s=20 Typical gammon.

[bd139]

Fucking bell ends. I hope they catch it.

[Specmaster]

Fucking bell ends. I hope they catch it.

So do I, they have no self-respect and zero respect for the surrounding people, and they are, whether they like it or not, currently an ambassador for the UK in Spain and what a lot of selfish bastards they make us look like, and also in a way explains just why we are leaving the EU, some people seem to think they are better than the Europeans 

[bd139]

Yeah we have a reputation. This is a fair representation of it



Edit: still SFA of interest on eBay.

[tautech]

The Missus has just gone for her weekly shop.....wonder how many bog rolls will we get ? 

None ! And apparently there were plenty to be bought. 

A couple of empty shelves but not of anything we needed even though she did a bit of a hoarding shop. 

[mansaxel]

I was hoping that the Swedes weren't that stupid, but alas...

We are, especially in large groups. Yeast was out in my local shop (Färingsö), but coffee was cheap. (I only buy Zoegas, because of a long story involving the smell of toast while driving past the roaster when I lived there and so on. (Another roaster here in Stockholm have a facility that smells like baked potatoes. Their coffee isn't nearly as good, either. ))

This evening yeast was back. There is hope. Just need to not go crazy from working at home the third week in a row. I suppose there will be more weeks like this, so better live and learn.

TE related: I've got my mind set on a DE-5000. Any hints on which of the sellers that is good? I want the tweezers and the croc clip plugin as well, the latter mostly to rebuild with Kelvin clips as per several videos I've seen. No, not the robrenz video, I'm not that good.

I'm saving so much money from not commuting and not eating out that I can buy more TE. Wonderful!

[Specmaster]

Yeah we have a reputation. This is a fair representation of it



Edit: still SFA of interest on eBay.

You're not wrong.

[Specmaster]

Has anyone seen these cap testers at all and are they any good?