FA+
Shop
Industry
14 years ago
Well, just starting to get back on my feet again, now. Worked on my boat a bit more on Sunday, just applying the UV protectant now- Epoxy doesn't withstand sunlight well at all, so you have to cover it up with varnish or paint. Otherwise, whatever it is you have made will turn to sticky brown crap after a few weeks in the sun. Even then, its not a good idea to leave these things outside, which seems like an anachronism for a boat, I know… But just ask anyone who has made the mistake of putting that pour on gloss finish on an outdoor table- Epoxy turns to shit outside. Even in the shade.
Spent the afternoon after that working on commissions until my eyes began giving me trouble, then I went down and began tearing into the innards of a 150KW UPS system for a local TV station. I couldn't get the transformers out, which kind of pisses me off- they weighed about 800 pounds a piece, and much of that was copper. My friend and I fished all the other valuable parts out we wanted, and left the rest of the carcass and the unfortunately heavy parts to the other junk collectors. I hated to see that thing be taken apart like that, but the service life was pretty well exhausted, and the replacement was already in service when I was called in.
The inside of the data hub was… Significant. It was easy to see why the UPS was replaced. If it went down, something on the order of half a million homes would be without internet, TV, or phone until it was brought back online. Its frightening how much we all depend upon what is ultimately incredibly delicate and complex technology. Especially the fiber optic stuff. One good solar event, and we can kiss all that shit goodbye.
Scary to see how complex it was. Scary to see just how many pieces of equipment go down on a fairly regular basis, even without the urgings of our sun. The halls were literally littered with broken, or brand new, but quickly obsolete equipment. There were piles of high end TV monitors- broadcast grade stuff that I used to lust after when I was into home theater, lying out in the rain. They were pretty much fucked when I got there. But they aren't wide screen, so out they go… There were also broadcast D2 recorders, and optical disc recorders, Betamax broadcast VCRs, really high end video gear- all working, all out in the rain. The image quality from these pieces blows HDTV away, and there they were- in the scrap pile.
Farnsworth is undoubtedly rolling in his grave. NTSC was a work of genius. Digital is pretty much a fraud, designed to do one thing and one thing only: Carve up the RF spectrum into smaller bits, so the powers that be could make more money. I'm tired of watching HDTV. The quality is absolute SHIT. Downloaded music also sounds like crap compared to the original recording, and music servers seem to ruin everything put into them. You can't even find a halfway decent CD player anymore…
Oh, well. Time to go listen to some vinyl, and draw some more.
Spent the afternoon after that working on commissions until my eyes began giving me trouble, then I went down and began tearing into the innards of a 150KW UPS system for a local TV station. I couldn't get the transformers out, which kind of pisses me off- they weighed about 800 pounds a piece, and much of that was copper. My friend and I fished all the other valuable parts out we wanted, and left the rest of the carcass and the unfortunately heavy parts to the other junk collectors. I hated to see that thing be taken apart like that, but the service life was pretty well exhausted, and the replacement was already in service when I was called in.
The inside of the data hub was… Significant. It was easy to see why the UPS was replaced. If it went down, something on the order of half a million homes would be without internet, TV, or phone until it was brought back online. Its frightening how much we all depend upon what is ultimately incredibly delicate and complex technology. Especially the fiber optic stuff. One good solar event, and we can kiss all that shit goodbye.
Scary to see how complex it was. Scary to see just how many pieces of equipment go down on a fairly regular basis, even without the urgings of our sun. The halls were literally littered with broken, or brand new, but quickly obsolete equipment. There were piles of high end TV monitors- broadcast grade stuff that I used to lust after when I was into home theater, lying out in the rain. They were pretty much fucked when I got there. But they aren't wide screen, so out they go… There were also broadcast D2 recorders, and optical disc recorders, Betamax broadcast VCRs, really high end video gear- all working, all out in the rain. The image quality from these pieces blows HDTV away, and there they were- in the scrap pile.
Farnsworth is undoubtedly rolling in his grave. NTSC was a work of genius. Digital is pretty much a fraud, designed to do one thing and one thing only: Carve up the RF spectrum into smaller bits, so the powers that be could make more money. I'm tired of watching HDTV. The quality is absolute SHIT. Downloaded music also sounds like crap compared to the original recording, and music servers seem to ruin everything put into them. You can't even find a halfway decent CD player anymore…
Oh, well. Time to go listen to some vinyl, and draw some more.
Glad to hear you're back up and kicking. :3