Post a Picture of Your Silly Purchase of the Month.

IMAGE(http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Technology/Pix/pictures/2012/9/19/1348047045487/PS3-008.jpg)

Pic from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology...

My slim died about a year ago, I think. Buggered PSU or something. I got a super slim, super cheap, for £125 which is the cheapest I've seen. At price I thought I should take a punt on it.

1Dgaf wrote:

IMAGE(http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Technology/Pix/pictures/2012/9/19/1348047045487/PS3-008.jpg)

Pic from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology...

My slim died about a year ago, I think. Buggered PSU or something. I got a super slim, super cheap, for £125 which is the cheapest I've seen. At price I thought I should take a punt on it.

Nice. Now go play Journey and Papa & Yo.

So a couple of months ago I got myself a Legacy AS-750.

IMAGE(http://imageshack.us/a/img7/3121/legacyas750.jpg)

I'd wanted to learn the sax for a while and I saw a killer deal on Amazon. It didn't seem such a silly purchase at the time. Then I started to practice. It didn't take long before the wife kicked me out of the house. Then the neighbor kicked me out of the garden. That left me my studio - which is cold and, to be honest, when I'm there I want to sculpt.

I chatted to a friend who used to play the sax and she turned me onto Electric Wind Instruments. After some research, I got a Yamaha WX-5:

IMAGE(http://imageshack.us/a/img690/1521/yamahawx5.jpg)

Of course it's only a midi controller, so I also needed a sound generator. More research and I found that Roland make a nifty portable sound module with decent GM2 (General Midi v2) tones. The Sound Canvas SD-50:

IMAGE(http://imageshack.us/a/img849/4221/rolandsd50.jpg)

So yeah, very silly. The good news is that the WX-5 is great for practicing my playing - I use headphones - while I can work on my embouchure (mouth positioning on the mouthpiece) when I go to my studio. When I can finally make a decent tone from the real sax, I'll be pretty good with the fingers. Only a few differences in the keys. Mainly around the octave keys, though there's a weird set of 4 keys - called the "table" key - that you play with the right pinky that I'm way off learning how to use.

So, any other sax players out there?

I used to play Alto in middle/high school jazz/regular band. I grew up playing piano, however, so when the opportunity arose just to play piano in jazz band and jazz choir, I took it. If you have any really basic questions, I could probably answer them. That midi will be cool for learning the notes and everything. I don't know how well it'll strengthen the facial muscles required to play, though.

My biggest suggestion is to just listen to Brubeck pieces with Paul Desmond playing over and over again. After being an alto player, I didn't really like the sound of the instrument until I really started listening to Paul Desmond. Best tone, ever.

I played consistently for ten years, peaked at six, but it's been six or seven years since I was playing on a regular basis. I still have my tenor and my alto. Their cases are stacked in a corner of my music room waiting for that day I pick them up again.

I think this is all you need to know to play sax:

tuffalobuffalo wrote:

My biggest suggestion is to just listen to Brubeck pieces with Paul Desmond playing over and over again. After being an alto player, I didn't really like the sound of the instrument until I really started listening to Paul Desmond.

Like this?

Best tone, ever.

Yup.

SuperDave wrote:

I played consistently for ten years, peaked at six, but it's been six or seven years since I was playing on a regular basis. I still have my tenor and my alto. Their cases are stacked in a corner of my music room waiting for that day I pick them up again.

That'll be handy when we start that ska band

Nothing to see here

I thought this is all you needed to know

HedgeWizard wrote:

I think this is all you need to know to play sax:

FTFY

sometimesdee wrote:

I thought the blingy watch was silly, but then again...

IMAGE(http://images.craigslist.org/3Ee3ka3F95N95O55U4ccg09adc6f7ee5a102e.jpg)

Congrats. Looks like an '04 Impreza 2.5 TS.

There's suddenly a lot of sax and violins in this thread...

mrtomaytohead wrote:
sometimesdee wrote:

I thought the blingy watch was silly, but then again...

IMAGE(http://images.craigslist.org/3Ee3ka3F95N95O55U4ccg09adc6f7ee5a102e.jpg)

Congrats. Looks like an '04 Impreza 2.5 TS.

Something doesn't look right with the way it's parked though.

Demosthenes wrote:
mrtomaytohead wrote:
sometimesdee wrote:

I thought the blingy watch was silly, but then again...

IMAGE(http://images.craigslist.org/3Ee3ka3F95N95O55U4ccg09adc6f7ee5a102e.jpg)

Congrats. Looks like an '04 Impreza 2.5 TS.

Something doesn't look right with the way it's parked though. :D

That seems to be the standard parking method around here! Obviously this is parked for the photo, but I'm constantly flabbergasted by what people consider an acceptable parking job. Is it really hard to park a car within the lines? I sometimes wonder whether people just don't notice, or whether they don't care.

Coldstream wrote:
Demosthenes wrote:
mrtomaytohead wrote:
sometimesdee wrote:

I thought the blingy watch was silly, but then again...

IMAGE(http://images.craigslist.org/3Ee3ka3F95N95O55U4ccg09adc6f7ee5a102e.jpg)

Congrats. Looks like an '04 Impreza 2.5 TS.

Something doesn't look right with the way it's parked though. :D

That seems to be the standard parking method around here! Obviously this is parked for the photo, but I'm constantly flabbergasted by what people consider an acceptable parking job. Is it really hard to park a car within the lines? I sometimes wonder whether people just don't notice, or whether they don't care.

Right there with you, even at my work, it's a constant pain in the butt with all the people who back into spaces at practically 45 degree angles (medians between each row so you can't pull through) and just walk away.

mrtomaytohead wrote:

Congrats. Looks like an '04 Impreza 2.5 TS.

'05.

Demosthenes wrote:
Coldstream wrote:
Demosthenes wrote:

I thought the blingy watch was silly, but then again...

Something doesn't look right with the way it's parked though. :D

That seems to be the standard parking method around here! Obviously this is parked for the photo, but I'm constantly flabbergasted by what people consider an acceptable parking job. Is it really hard to park a car within the lines? I sometimes wonder whether people just don't notice, or whether they don't care.

Right there with you, even at my work, it's a constant pain in the butt with all the people who back into spaces at practically 45 degree angles (medians between each row so you can't pull through) and just walk away.

I just have to say that this wasn't my doing. I just yoinked the pic from the Craigslist listing. I can only assume that the previous owner rectified that horrendous parking job once she was done taking the pictures.

Lots of silliness this month mostly due to

A) Not having to buy food for the first half of the month because I was in Korea on business.
B) Overtime/Trip Bonus pay from being in Korea
C) It's Christmas times and I decided to treat myself

IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/uJ8qtl.jpg)

From left to right we have:

Logitech G930 Wireless Headset
Papilio Pro FPGA board w/ RetroCade Synth expansion board
EVGA GTX 660
Star Wars: Edge of the Empire Boxed Set
Deadlands Hell on Earth splat book for the Doomsayers (basically radioactive clerics)
Not Pictured: 8Gb of RAM for my gaming rig.

SOOOOO SILLY!!!

Soooo jealous of the saxes. I sold my alto years ago, still kick myself for passing up the chance to get a bari for $300 that played awesome, and have a pawn shop tenor that's not playable. I guess I'll start watching Craigslist to see if I can score a deal on a tenor or bari.

LiquidMantis wrote:

Soooo jealous of the saxes. I sold my alto years ago, still kick myself for passing up the chance to get a bari for $300 that played awesome, and have a pawn shop tenor that's not playable. I guess I'll start watching Craigslist to see if I can score a deal on a tenor or bari.

I do the same thing from time to time except with euphoniums. When I played it was on an instrument owned by my high school, so when I graduated I had to give it back. I always keep my eye out for a decent horn at a good price, but I have yet to pull the trigger. I did snag a very severely abused valve trombone though. It plays, but it's not the same as having that big horn sitting in your lap.

Nice videocard Radical!

Sparhawk wrote:

Nice videocard Radical!

Agreed. I put the same card in the computer I built a few months ago and I've been absolutely loving it.

Tscott wrote:
Sparhawk wrote:

Nice videocard Radical!

Agreed. I put the same card in the computer I built a few months ago and I've been absolutely loving it.

I was getting 300FPS in TF2 the other night. Such a wonderful thing. Plus I can pull 60FPS in Planetside 2. I'm in PC gaming heaven!

Radical Ans wrote:

I was getting 300FPS in TF2 the other night.

0_0

I think I'm lucky to get 30FPS when I play TF2.

well xmas came and went and with all the traveling people just handed over money and well wishes instead of stuff we'd have to pack with us. In the end, aside fmor the boring clothes i refreshed my wardrobe with I got a new set of SPD bike pedals and shoes, and a couple nice bottles of olive oil <- that I am most excited about.

My new laptop just arrived today(!), an Acer Aspire One 756. At 1" thick and with an 11.1" screen, it's tiny and light and yet nicely speedy for basic tasks and light gaming, especially now that I've put in 8 GB of ram.
IMAGE(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-iPk8BZBxzMs/UODLvM4rKOI/AAAAAAAAAZ0/bVMXK2U-dZ4/s519/IMG_20121230_181752.jpg)

With an ordinary reference bottle for scale:
IMAGE(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-dHo2FVYh3i4/UODL7gQwyII/AAAAAAAAAaE/q9NaZnSUY4Y/s692/IMG_20121230_181832.jpg)

Radical Ans wrote:

Deadlands Hell on Earth splat book for the Doomsayers (basically radioactive clerics)

SOOOOO SILLY!!!

Are you marshaling a game? I've played in a couple of Deadlands campaigns, and loved them, but they always seem to peter out. Such great fun, though.

TheHipGamer wrote:
Radical Ans wrote:

Deadlands Hell on Earth splat book for the Doomsayers (basically radioactive clerics)

SOOOOO SILLY!!!

Are you marshaling a game? I've played in a couple of Deadlands campaigns, and loved them, but they always seem to peter out. Such great fun, though.

Not at the moment, but it's my favorite setting of all time so when I come across any of the books I snatch em up. The classic books especially have a ton of good fluff to keep me entertained.

Oops wrong thread!

IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/kWQi4.jpg)

It's a very Iron Kingdoms/Privateer Press kind of day.

IK RPG Core Rulebook
IK RPG Urban Adventure module
2x Stormblade Storm Gunner
Precursor Knight Battle Chaplain & Standard Bearer
Epic Caine
Thorn
Firefly
Stormclad

And now my collection of Cygnar is almost complete...