So trivial, yet it really ticks you off.

[Fifty150]

I don't see film being sold anywhere. And not even Costco accepts rolls of film anymore. Maybe you have your own dark room, and the chemical is still good. Or there are specialty stores that still sell film, develop it, and make prints. For most of the public, film is obsolete. I have cameras. But nowhere to buy film, develop it, or have prints made. As an average person who shops at Walgreens, CVS, Safeway, Target, Wal*Mart....... film is not an option.

 

[Trenchfriend]

An instrument you're comfortable with makes all the difference. Try everything, though - I can't get on with wide and shallow necks, but something narrower at the nut and nice and round in the hand works well for me. Scale length can also vary - you'll find a big difference between a Fender Telecaster (25.5" scale length), a Fender Mustang (24" from memory) and a Gibson Les Paul (24.5"). Best bet is to find a few good shops and try everything you can - you'll know the 'right' one when you feel it.

I will test the popular chinese ESP Ltd. EC-10 black, the next time. The neck looks small and handy. We will see.
I have small/short hands for a man. I had a classic guitar, a while ago and it was horrible, absolutely not playable!

 

[Edward]

I will test the popular chinese ESP Ltd. EC-10 black, the next time. The neck looks small and handy. We will see.
I have small/short hands for a man. I had a classic guitar, a while ago and it was horrible, absolutely not playable!

Oh, I hear you: I hate that wide / flat thing too. I've not played that particular LTD model, but a 42mm nut width is a nice, comfortable size, and the slim U neck profile should work very well. That Gibson scale length should also be a bit more comfortable for you than the Fender scale - it's not so much you can see it visually, but it definitely feels different. If they have them local to you, anything similar from the Vintage brand is worth trying too in and around that priceband.

 

[Edward]

I don't see film being sold anywhere. And not even Costco accepts rolls of film anymore. Maybe you have your own dark room, and the chemical is still good. Or there are specialty stores that still sell film, develop it, and make prints. For most of the public, film is obsolete. I have cameras. But nowhere to buy film, develop it, or have prints made. As an average person who shops at Walgreens, CVS, Safeway, Target, Wal*Mart....... film is not an option.

In truth, I don't know what the state of the film market over here is like now. It's surprisingly easy to find a 35mm camera here in London (the hipster kids who like to listen to their 'retro' music on cassette have discovered film, it seems), but one thing I've noticed in recent years is all those pre-paid "we'll develop your film" envelopes that used to be everywhere at the airport have disappeared. I suspect (increasingly like pipe tobacconists) it's one of those things that is now a mostly online specialist service. Digital ain't perfect, but it's so, so much more convenient.

 

[tonyb]

…
Or there are specialty stores that still sell film, develop it, and make prints. For most of the public, film is obsolete. I have cameras. But nowhere to buy film, develop it, or have prints made. As an average person who shops at Walgreens, CVS, Safeway, Target, Wal*Mart....... film is not an option.

There’s one such store in this major metropolitan area, but only the one, as far as I can tell. They sell and process film, but it appears that a large part of their business is scanning and restoring and reprinting old images. That’s what I used them for.

 

[Zombie_61]

There’s one such store in this major metropolitan area, but only the one, as far as I can tell. They sell and process film, but it appears that a large part of their business is scanning and restoring and reprinting old images. That’s what I used them for.

Here in the suburbs 15 miles east of Los Angeles there's a shop called, appropriately enough, Monte's Camera Shop. On the awning over the front door it says "Film and Digital", and the last time I was there they were indeed still selling and processing film and film cameras, and making prints for their customers. But that was more than a few years ago, so I don't know if they're still doing that.

 

[tonyb]

…
I think we've come to a point where while better on paper will always be available, in terms of what the eye can perceive there isn't anything like the same rapidity of development as there used to be, so the cameras are in reality going obsolete the same way any more. That said, it'll be interesting to see what the lifespan entire of a quality digital camera is. I know folks still using thirties film cameras. Obviously the really cheap stuff will die early, but the high end thing, the six grand Leicas, I'll be interested to see how long those can last. A long time I would think, though inevitably digital gubbins will surely wear out faster than mechanicals?

Couldn't go back to film myself, definitely makes it far more expensive, though at some point I still want to print a lot of my photos and get them in albums.

Yup. The point of diminishing returns isn’t all that high on the scale.

Still, I remain grateful to those who need the latest stuff. That way I can buy it for much less when it becomes yesterday’s news.

My friend the pro carries a digital Leica pretty much everywhere he goes. I doubt he expects to be replacing it anytime soon.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I last shot 8mm movie film (not "Super 8," darling of the hipster set, but Standard 8 like your mother used at Christmas) about ten years ago, and was still able to get it developed by sending it off to a lab in California. Among the subjects was one of the theatre kids in her senior prom dress, who is still waiting for me to put the film on Yoo Toob.

 

[tonyb]

It doesn’t really tick me off, but it’s worthy of note, I think, but not deserving of its own thread …

Thirty-one dollars and five cents for two takeout burgers and an order of fries.

 

[belfastboy]

It doesn’t really tick me off, but it’s worthy of note, I think, but not deserving of its own thread …

Thirty-one dollars and five cents for two takeout burgers and an order of fries.

Damn, I used a coupon and got two Big Mac combo meals for half that.....and I could refill my Coke.

 

[tonyb]

Damn, I used a coupon and got two Big Mac combo meals for half that.....and I could refill my Coke.

This was at Five Guys. And also at the dewy-eyed bride’s insistence.

 

[Zombie_61]

USPS. I realize their own Postmaster General is doing everything he can to sabotage them, but I just don't understand the way they do things. I ordered a hat from Village Hat Shop in San Diego. They took a few days to ship it, and it took approximately three hours after that to reach a USPS distribution center only seven miles from our house. That, apparently, didn't make them happy enough, because it was then returned to Village Hat Shop in San Diego for no apparent reason. According to their own tracking it's currently at the post office which covers our neighborhood, and should be delivered some time before 9:00 p.m. tomorrow. I give it 50/50 odds it'll end up somewhere on the east coast before then.

 

[Edward]

Yup. The point of diminishing returns isn’t all that high on the scale.

Still, I remain grateful to those who need the latest stuff. That way I can buy it for much less when it becomes yesterday’s news.

My friend the pro carries a digital Leica pretty much everywhere he goes. I doubt he expects to be replacing it anytime soon.

Absolutely - and without the early adopters helping to recoup the R&D costs, the price would never drop over time to what suits the likes of me.

I'd expect the Leica digitals to have a long life, not least because the design is such that the frame can be given a new hard drive and such if needsbe. Reparability is something that comes with the high end stuff you don't get at the other end of the market these days. In all truth, if I ever won big on the Lotto I'd have a Leica digital rangefinder... I've always had point and shoot, but I'd like to learn to do it 'properly', and the manual rather than digital controls that Leica still use for much of their stuff appeals. When comes the time (in the next couple of years we hope it'll be safe and viable to take our postponed honeymoon, which would be a good occasion to justify spending on a nice camera), I might well look seriously at a second hand Leica from a dealer. The mostly-metal build really appeals; I've had enough of cheap-feeling plastic by this point.

This was at Five Guys. And also at the dewy-eyed bride’s insistence.

Two or three of those have opened in London in recent years. They get rave reviews, but given how reminiscent they are of McDonalds in overall look and style, I've never quite been able to bring myself to try them as I know all too well I'd just end up fuming if I felt I'd spent double what McDonald cost for the same food, basically. I actually enjoy what I occasionally buy here in UK McDonalds, but it always feels priced 'about right' to me. I certainly would look elsewhere if it doubled in price overnight.

 

[Trenchfriend]

@Edward
The ESP Ltd. EC-10 is mine, now. And yes, the playability seems to be excellent.
But what's really fun to me, is the Chorus option on this headphone amplifier! I LOVE IT SYNTHY!

 

[tonyb]

…
Two or three of those have opened in London in recent years. They get rave reviews, but given how reminiscent they are of McDonalds in overall look and style, I've never quite been able to bring myself to try them as I know all too well I'd just end up fuming if I felt I'd spent double what McDonald cost for the same food, basically. I actually enjoy what I occasionally buy here in UK McDonalds, but it always feels priced 'about right' to me. I certainly would look elsewhere if it doubled in price overnight.

Five Guys is a whole nuther animal from McDonald’s. The burgers are made to order and can be dressed up with a dozen or more extras (at no extra charge), including tomato and grilled onions and peppers and mushrooms and an array of condiments such that you can end up with a burger you wouldn’t eat in the car lest all that sloppiness end up on your lap. Fries are cut on premises and fried in peanut oil.

The interiors suit me fine — lotsa red and white ceramic tile and “industrial” light fixtures.

 

[Hercule]

Five Guys is a whole nuther animal from McDonald’s. The burgers are made to order and can be dressed up with a dozen or more extras (at no extra charge), including tomato and grilled onions and peppers and mushrooms and an array of condiments such that you can end up with a burger you wouldn’t eat in the car lest all that sloppiness end up on your lap. Fries are cut on premises and fried in peanut oil.

The interiors suit me fine — lotsa red and white ceramic tile and “industrial” light fixtures.

We aren't overly fond of Five Guys. I guess their burgers are ok. But what I hate is that they put your order inn a paper bag then dump more (loose) fries (usually over salted too) in the bag.

 

[Harp]

Among the subjects was one of the theatre kids in her senior prom dress, who is still waiting for me to put the film on Yoo Toob.

Aww, that's sweet.

 

[Zombie_61]

We aren't overly fond of Five Guys. I guess their burgers are ok. But what I hate is that they put your order inn a paper bag then dump more (loose) fries (usually over salted too) in the bag.

Five Guys didn't exist until I was in my mid-20s, and even then they didn't make their way into this part of the world until maybe five to ten years ago. They started out becoming one of our favorite burger joints, but after a couple of years the "newness" wore off and the quality dropped drastically. The last time we ate there was the last time we ate there because the idiot who took our order got it so wrong that we thought they had given us someone else's food, then we had to wait nearly an hour for them to prepare the food we wanted.

As for the whole "big ol' bag of fries" thing there are a few independently owned burger joints around here that do that. When I was a younger man I would have appreciated walking away with such a large order of deep fried tuber, but as I've grown older the allure of the french fry has all but disappeared and having them between me and my sandwich/burrito/tacos is just obnoxious and annoying.

 

[tonyb]

Spuds are cheap, relatively, especially when purchased by the carload. So giving me a big ol’ pile fries is the least they should do when I’m paying 31 dollars and 5 cents for two burgers and that order of fries.

 

[Hercule]

Re burger joints.

My son really likes Steak-n-shake for, of all things, their chicken tenders. It was alright, very cheap and actual shoestring fries. Very retro. They've all but disappeared around here. I think it was their business model that did them in. It really isn't feasible to maintain fast-food a made to order burger sit-down restaurant and drive through. They often seemed to give priority to the drive through which undermined the service inside. Also they expected their servers to bus tables too which created a logjam in the whole process. At any given time you could go there and they wouldn't have any silverware or glasses. Once we went there in the evening and the manager had a melt down and locked the door and everybody already inside ate for free. That was the oddest thing.

Anymore the burgers we encounter at sports bar type restaurants are just ridiculous with all the crap they put on them. It's gotten out of hand. You can't even get the things in your mouth there's so much extra stuff on them. The older I get the happier I am with just a burger and a bun, which is what we're having this evening with oven roasted potatoes and carrots.