Friday Check In

Hi all. My week went pretty well overall. We had a major software upgrade Tuesday. It took most of the day, but it worked pretty much right out of the box (a few little tweaks) but overall went very smoothly.

Guitar-wise I haven't gotten to play a whole lot, but I've been doing some 3D modeling again.

It looks like I've got a Cessna 310 model being worked into the open source flight sim "Flighgear." As some of you already know I've got a couple of cars in the open source motorsport sim "Speed Dreams." I'm excited about the plane because I've wanted to get a model in Flightgear for years. (I purposely made the Cessna 310 in order to sneak in a Sky King version in there).

Anyway, one thing I want to ask you guys (anyone on this forum) is if you know of an internet radio or some kind of streaming device that would work for someone who is blind...or near blind. My mother-in-law has had macular degeneration for several years, but had a "blowout" last weekend and has lost most of her sight. Long story short, ordinary radio is terrible in her location...dead spot. So she can't deal with lots of fiddly menus etc. but she's got good wifi access.

Hi Chad

Try this site to see if it will help. If she can see the dial to select what to play, she has lots of variety here.

http://mobilesoftwaredesign.com/OldTimeRadio/OtrPlayer/otr_player.html

Best regards
Art

I asked one of my blind OTR friends and he said:
"I would recommend a smart speaker for your mother-in-law like Alexa or Google home. She would need someone to help her set it up, but once it’s working, she can use voice commands to stream whatever she wants."

Chad, GB is correct about Alexa. I sometimes use that Alexa skill myself. Here's a link to a description for that Alexa skill.
https://www.amazon.com/Appbly-com-Radio-Old-Time/dp/B084ZHLJS8

There are also quite a few OTR streaming apps for Android devices. Sometimes, I'll use the Old Time Radio Player app bluetoothed to my car stereo through my phone. I've been using it so long, that I sprung the 99 cents for the paid version.

Folks I completely missed posting. I thought I had. Summer is here I am out so much I forget my computer duties and posting things.

Just got back in from taking the doggo down to the sea. He loves to sniff the smells hang out but going in is a no no. He thinks this is foolishness.

Hopefully I will remember to post on Friday.

Stay safe my friends and enjoy the summer.....

It's not summer yet, officially
It's only unofficially summer
Get it striaght

Unless you're a meteorologist
https://weather.com/en-CA/canada/science/news/meteorological-seasons-astronomical-seasons-difference
and you think that TODAY, June 1 is summer

Have you been hiding your meteorological pedigree from us?

Yeah in Ireland June 1st is summer. It's warm sunny and nice. I say summer out loud hoping the weather hears me and stays dry.

Suspense anniversary events are starting https://sites.google.com/view/suspense80th/home
I contacted a bunch of folks and they did not realize it, and suddenly they started to plan events!
There's a few more in the works, too!

Finally catching up on OTR paperwork and bureaucratic stuff. Maybe I'll catch up on a book this weekend and get closer to finishing it.

Our own nickp57 has only 20 more Theater Five plotlines to go before all 260 episodes have fresh plotlines (except for the one where we can't find any and there is no recording). It's been a heroic effort. There's one scripter we can't find any information on except for her death certificate. It's one of the newbie writers that T5 worked so hard to cultivate with the dream of getting them experience to work on the various ABC TV series.

If you're a fan, the Downton Abbey movie now in theaters has enough inside jokes and scenarios to please you greatly. What an incredible and unlikely franchise.

We watched the new Bosch series on Amazon Prime -- they had enough plotlines going that the 10 episodes never seemed padded. And Titus Welliver was his usual incredible understated (in an "I've seen it all before, you're not going to rattle me" kind of way) self.

Even when Britbox' Death in Paradise lighthearted murder (did I just type that?) show is getting tired, it's still better than so much other stuff that's thrown our way. We just finished the last episode and will have to just do our best to wait for more. Likely to start Netflix Lincoln Lawyer series this weekend.

Now that third-degree karate belt is behind me, I can tell Sensei is getting ready for second-degree weapons testing. Supposedly our system once had over 50 kata for weapons and 30+ years ago they decided it was not necessary -- and that 8 would be just fine with enough hidden stuff in them that you could study those 8 forever. Started to get re-acquainted with the oar (eku-bo) this week and did well with it, and have been doing sai for a few months. I've been shocked with the latter since my repaired left shoulder occasionally gives me neuropathy in the small fingers of my left hand. So of course, when I was practicing the other day, which sai is it that I drop? The one in my right hand, of course. Really enjoy the tonfa (handles for a stone grinding wheel) and I have loved the bo (6' stick) since I picked it up for the first time -- and still do bo kata from my old style when nobody's watching. I'm anxious to teach some of the younger students when I get the chance and teach them you guide the bo, you don't hold the bo... the equivalent of Karate Kid "wax on... wax off" I guess!

Enjoy the weekend... and listen to some Suspense! I'm on the Radio Talking Book Service (transcribed!) this weekend!

An uneventful week for me, except that I completely forgot about a CT scan I was supposed to have yesterday.  I had to reschedule it and the doctor's appointment that was/is to follow.  That's going to crowd the latter part of this month with a bunch of doctor's appointments (hauling my mother in law to some too.)

I got this nifty little mp3 player and radio combo.  It plays mp3's from an SD memory card (32 GB, so it'll hold a thousand plus radio shows, maybe even TWO THOUSAND PLUS!)  I loaded the SD card with OTR, but discovered it didn't have a shuffle capability, either that or I couldn't figure it out.  So I made myself a little program on my PC to randomly rename the OTR files without repeats.  

The programming had me befuddled at first, but then I did some research.  I learned something new.  it's a Knuth shuffle or Fisher-Yates shuffle.  Once I figured that out, it worked smoothly and efficiently.  I was kind of proud of that little bit of code.  Oh, and the little MP3 radio kept me entertained, while I unloaded 80-some-odd bales of alfalfa at the barn.

Another boring week at The Funny Farm. We had to put the raised beds on hold, due to the inability to find the right materials. We're trying to decide what meats to use, to baptize the new Traeger Grill. I'd like to take a shot at a smoked brisket. But that's a huge chunk of meat for just three people. One of whom doesn't like brisket. But I'll probably do it anyway and surprise my neighbors with some smokey goodness. I describe this grill as the perfect country nerd toy. Computer controlled and blutooth enabled.

We may do a short road trip next week, to visit my brother-in-law in Chattanooga. For me, Chattanooga means another visit to the Songbirds Guitar Museum. https://songbirdsfoundation.org/ Their main focus is on guitars from the 1920's to current. If you love the guitar and the music it's famous for, this place is a paradise. If you ever get the chance to visit there, make sure to visit The Vault. We're talking 50's and early 60's Gibson Les Pauls, Fender Strats and much more. This room holds the stuff dreams are made of. Can Ya tell I really like the place? And if we do make the trip, this shirt will be coming home with me. https://songbirdsfoundation.org/merch/eddie-ate-dynamite-t

Be safe, be well and be happy,
Space

Oh, I'm sitting here watching a documentary on the pulp fiction books of the 30's-50's and it reminded me of an event in my life that you guys might appreciate.

Just before Robert Sheckley died I was able to correspond with him. If you're unfamiliar with him he primarily wrote short science fiction, several of which were used in X-Minus One. Anyway, I pretty much told him he was my favorite, and I'll never forget his response: "Thank you for your goodwords."

I thought it was an interesting response because at the time I was trying my hand at some short story writing (unsuccessfully) and I prided myself on an efficient style by choosing words that would convey as much meaning in one word as possible.

Just wanted to share.

Folks I missed Friday again. Brother is in so I had excuse of being off out and about getting a sunburn and eating all kinds of things we shouldn't.

We are off down country on the weekend so a fun time will be had by all.

Space enjoyed that shirt I was taught Eat A Donkey Get Big Ears. But I like that one better.

Stay safe folks and enjoy summer...

Seamus wrote:Folks I missed Friday again. Brother is in so I had excuse of being off out and about getting a sunburn and eating all kinds of things we shouldn't.

We are off down country on the weekend so a fun time will be had by all.

Space enjoyed that shirt I was taught Eat A Donkey Get Big Ears. But I like that one better.

Stay safe folks and enjoy summer...

I learned with: Elephants And Donkeys Grow Big Ears.

Friday again

Got all of the intros to the 24 Suspense that will play on Stay Tuned America starting next Friday morning all done. Working with Keith Scott and all his voices was an absolute hoot.
I learned today that STA will also turn the anniversary block into a standalone podcast at some point.

More events supposedly to come -- including one of the streaming stations is planning to have a separate channel just for Suspense that will start with episode 1 and just keep going.

In the meantime, Theater Five blogposts are still going every day -- love that I can queue them all up. I've been doing it 5 days at a time. I've been listening in the car -- distance to karate class is 1 episode each way Still shocked at how forgotten this series has been all these decades.

In August, I get to do a presentation on The Big Story for MWOTRC. Love those folks. They're finally re-starting in-person meetings scattered through the year, and will keep meeting on Zoom other times. Zoom's been very convenient for lots of things. But you can't beat in-person meetings.

Putting plans in place to go to the REPS Showcase in Seattle area in October. They're recreating a missing Suspense as one of their recreations.

That's it from here -- enjoy the weekend!

Today's the big Suspense anniversary day. Such great fun. Details at https://sites.google.com/view/suspense80th/home
Some things just came together late yesterday afternoon.

"New" reel deck coming -- the one I have is showing signs of some mechanical issues that may be difficult to fix. So many reels... so few decks... even fewer deck owners. We really do need to recruit more hands to help out in OTRdom.

Watching Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix. So far so good, occasional wooden acting but the underlying story carries it.

Watched The Responder on BritBox, starring Martin Freeman. The story is dark as it balances personal corruption to arrive at a just resolution is interesting, but the show can get really dark... it's not light entertainment for sure.

Shakespeare and Hathaway is light, and at the end of the day when you're tired of thinking, is what we need. We're into season 3.

Reviewed a bunch of Whistler files -- wow! many upgrades to come and some new AFRS versions that have not been around. Posting in July.

I'll be on YesterdayUSA Saturday at 7pm with Keith Scott and the YUSA gang. Call in and say "hi". Details on the Suspense anniversary page.

Have a great weekend!

I hope everyone is doing well.

Well, there was a lot going on this week for me...spent a lot of time driving.  I'll fill you guys in on any developments related to that once I know more.

Oh, I discovered a radio show I'd really like to collect, but I've not found any surviving shows (searched for all of 4 hours.)  It's called "Our Secret Weapon," hosted by Rex Stout.  If any of you have any copies, I'd love to get my grubby hands on 'em.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Secret_Weapon

So, I did something a little crazy.  My wife found some guitars for sale pretty cheap.  I was just going to get one or two that appealed to me, but she pretty much insisted I get the whole bunch (to resell.)  They're all in pretty good shape and definitely playable.  So if anyone needs a guitar, I've got a couple for sale.

Just a quick check in. I'm currently using some very sketchy wifi at a McDonald's. But I'll be off the grid for a few days on a mountaintop in Tennessee. Haven't met anyone named Crocket or Clampet yet. But anything is still possible. More later, once we get closer to civilization.

Checking in late. Saturday morning. Pretty beat brother was here for two weeks so touring around. Had great time.
GB always enjoy your updates from the world of OTR and baseball.
Chad great to get guitar deals. I see heavy metal axes.
Space getting offline is a great thing. I had week of no Internet was heaven.
Stay safe my friends...

Friday once more.

Finally watched the recent Bond movie on Prime. It's almost three hours. Usual Bond fare with Craig, you feel you were entertained, but not enough to watch again.

Saw episode 1 of season 2 of Grace on BritBox. Good series. Two episodes in season 1 and three in season 2. They're teasing us by posting only one episode a week.

Where did June go? The Suspense anniversary stuff was great fun and is now winding down. And the Cobalt Suspense upgrades conclude tomorrow. The Whistler starts on Sunday.

About to make some big news re Gunsmoke. Details in the next week if all goes well.

HAPPY FRIDAY! Yes, I'm back in semi-civilization after most of a week "off the grid". It was beautiful country but Hot as Hell. I took the drone along and got a bit of video and a few pics. But my timing for lighting was awful and I forgot to pack my filters. But I may add a thing or two later.

My wife is going to Florida to stay with her sister for a couple of weeks, to help her after an upcoming surgery. Most of my time while she's gone, will be spent resisting the temptation to do anything stupid enough, to get me in trouble once she returns. If you've learned anything about me by this time, it's that this task is much tougher for me, than it would seem to be for most people. And we recently bought that Polaris Ranger... and I know where some nearby woods trails are...

Be safe, be well and be happy,
Space

GB, I hear you I have no idea where the time is going.  Summer in full swing spending lots of time outside touring around.
Space, sometimes those crazy things just gotta happen. I was able to sneak in another complete vintage hifi system Including speakers so far I have not faced any consequences. Fingers crossed it stays that way. I think when I stopped buying vintage cars and bikes, small stuff passes security checks :-)

Stay safe my friends enjoy the weather

Greetings all -- half of 2022 is gone.
It's not like we weren't doing our best to pay attention.

It was a big week this week -- the missing Gunsmoke was put up and now there's only 4 missing of that entire series. Hooray!

The Whistler posts continue... fun to finally catch up on that series.

Radio Talking Book Service asked for another four weeks of Suspense programs and I've submitted all of them. Nice to have them done...

This will be a strange month -- no karate classes, but lots of work to do on my weapons. They're all coming along pretty well. That oar is heavy!

I'm still transferring Hehn stuff -- still have a lot of radio interviews he did from the late 1960s and early 1970s to digitize. And yesterday I ran into squealing tape at the end of one of them. I'm always confused as to whether I should bake all of the reels or just the ones that are proven squealers. Brown tape almost never squeals. Black backcoated tape almost always do. It's all the other kinds that are crapshoots.

My deck is pooping out, too... another one on the way in July... I hope... an OTR acquaintance gained in the Hehn project has one at a good price owned by one of the post-pioneer collectors...

I hereby declare all calories consumed on Independence Day weekend to be null and void.

Happy Friday Cobaltia. Again, not a lot to report. Still hot and dry. The temps have dropped back to normal for the area and season. But the yard and pasture could really use some rain. I'm not even mowing this week, because the grass isn't growing.

I've been doing a lot of retro-reading lately. Many classic sci-fi novels were originally released as muti-part serials in pulp magazines. Quite often, those later novelizations were very different from the original serials. Currently, I'm reading E.E. Smith's Gray Lensman, which ran from October 1939 through January 1940 in Astounding. It's a fresh way to enjoy many of my favorite "comfort" books. I have an extensive collection of digital pulp magazines, thanks to the Pulpscans group. And I read on a 10" Android tablet, which is a pretty good size for magazines. A bit smaller than the original magazine. But not too heavy to read comfortably.

Be safe, be well and be happy,
Space

Happy Friday folks,

Another month down. I mean what the heck is going on here?

Its full summer here hot days, warm nights lots of time outdoors. Taking week long road trips to a new destination each month now. Its my way of enjoying life while I work.

Stay safe, stay cool and I really enjoy the updates GB and Space...

Hi everyone, I hope everyone is well.

The only news I have to report is that we finally got a decent rain. We got about 2 inches, which is our first rain of any consequence in about 8 months. Yay!

Stay safe everyone.