>From the internet I have made phono friends all over and have enjoyed visiting >some of them and plan to visit others.If you put the flame too close to the >fuse, the firecracker will light. Phonographs you can argue about, and all of >Edison's variations makes this fun, but I learned long ago talking about >certain issues makes people upset, so just avoid it. Chose a charity and >support it, that you you will make a difference and feel good at the same >time. Also, remember you can easily get the e-mail of the person making a >post and write them off list for clarification. The off list option is >wonderful and allows private conversations, that way the list cannot see. >Another good option is to write your controversial reply and then delete it. >Write Loran off list if you have any questions, I have found him incredibly >knowledgeable in many areas, it seems phonographs are just one of his >interests. For example if I wanted to write loran below I would copy >[email protected] and paste it in the To: area, then change the subject to >Off-L and double check to make sure it really is off list.Steve who learned >long ago the more he learned the less he knew and realized he was a flyspeck >on the wall of knowledge. Go to a large library to share this feeling.> From: >[email protected]> Subject: Re: [Phono-L] Holier than thou?> Date: Tue, 3 Jul >2007 20:34:30 -0700> To: [email protected]> > OK, people. Last warning. Lay >off the religion and politics or I will > turn on moderation. I've never had >to do that before, but I will if > this gets out of hand.> > Loran> >_______________________________________________> Phono-L mailing list> >http://phono-l.oldcrank.org From [email protected] Wed Jul 4 08:36:30 2007 From: [email protected] (Loran T. Hughes) Date: Wed Jul 4 08:37:45 2007 Subject: [Phono-L] An Introduction and Random Thoughts Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Dear friends, For those of you new to the list or don't know, let me introduce myself. My name is Loran Hughes and I'm the owner of Phono-L. Owner? Yes, I own and maintain the server. Except for a few donations from generous members, I bear all the costs of running this list - the hardware, software, domain name, electricity, internet connection, and glasses (so my old eyes can see the screen). I was born and raised in southwest Oregon. We lived on a dirt road, got our milk from our cow, and raised pigs, chickens, rabbits, and cattle. We kids took care of them, named them, and when the time came, we ate them. My dad had a TV repair shop in a little town that would have passed for Mayberry. He was also a musician, a drummer who would load up the drum set in his station wagon and play sets at some of the local watering holes. One of the musicians he worked with turned out to be my future father-in-law. I studied mechanical engineering in college - my passion was drafting. I also had a thing for this girl that I had known since the 5th grade. Drafting degree in hand, I married the girl of my dreams and joined the Air Force??? It turned out to be a good choice for us, and I settled in as a "lifer." Our little family got to live in Monterey, San Antonio, Seoul (and other South Korean towns), and the Baltimore/DC area. I learned a foreign language and had a clearance slightly less than God himself. A near fatal bout with cancer while in the service gave me perspective on life and family. I discovered the wonderful world of phonographs. When I retired, the government gave me the cool classification of "disabled veteran," which entitled me to a neat license plate and free entrance to national parks. OK, I also get a little tax free green from Uncle Sam. It ain't much, but it helps. Since the service, I had a gig as a technical writer. I really loved that job, but sadly learned the hard lessons of corporate takeovers and ended up with a pink slip and a pat on the back for my troubles. I freelanced for a bit, then ended up with a position as a systems administrator. So that's where I came from. Here are a few things I learned along that journey. 1. If you form your opinions from newspaper stories, it's nice to know that the article is written to fit in the empty space between advertisements. These days, articles seem to lean more on opinion and less an accounting of facts. When I was in the business of knowing the situation on the ground (so to speak), news accounts usually got more wrong than right. 2. Newspaper reporters can sometimes spell words correctly, but are mostly dumb as rocks (my opinion). 3. Ditto for TV news. 4. I have very liberal and very conservative friends. We focus on what we have in common. If you can't see past the politics, you need to reevaluate your life (in my opinion). Now if you've made it this far, I'll tell you what this has to do with phonographs. It's the history of recorded sound and the objects that we preserve that is the glue that binds this group. My life and background is different, as is everyone's on this list. I enjoy hearing about folks who collect other things, such as the recent discussion of classic/vintage autos. I enjoy hearing about new finds and interesting research projects. Now a cold, hard fact. There is a limit to freedom of speech here. If you feel the need to discuss religion, politics, or air dirty laundry, take it off list. I stopped playing the part of a crotchety old sergeant long ago. Trust me, you don't want him to come back. Your benevolent dictator, Loran P.S., thanks for reading this rant. Have a safe and happy 4th!
