STAN'S LINKS PAGE!
WHAT'S ON THIS PAGE, YOU ASK?
STOP!
version 6.0 November 2008
READ THIS: OK, it is self-indulgent for me to ask this of you, but
please....
I want you to take few
minutes and FOCUS.
Focus on what.... ?
Reading this page!
If you just read it,
without stopping, you may get the entire gist of the goings-on here.
But, it is really
long....too long in fact. Browse it, then!
Then feel free to go
back and explore the various links. Thanks for "listening".
(Prepare for some maximum verbiage…)
I'm a native to the Phoenix area and have accumulated a lot of
friends and cosmic debris that relates to me somehow....what can I tell you,
other than this large page of LINKS refer to people and places I know....
friends &
their links * non-internet
friends * work-related * rock & roll
audio/video
electronics * pinball * other electronic doo-dads * computers
still more links!
_________________________________
Do you
have any curiosity for what it is like to be an aging baby boomer, bachelor guy
living in a middle class suburban setting in the 21st
century?? Well, it's kinda like this...
Gosh, I have some friends.....
- Whoa!
There's my best buddy Tom Semans, who worked with me as Lighting Technician
and Production Manager for many years at the Scottsdale Center for the
Arts (SCA). He has lived in
- It's a bit romantic to visit Big Bird (Brian Beinlich and his wife, Sharon and their 101 Dalmatians). In 1995 they got hitched, and....now...there is young man Mason joining a proud Momma and Papa. Shows how things can happen and change. Bravo! If you want, you might be able to return to the scene of their especially romantic fabulous WWW* experience. On his page you can see his new baby, World Wide Wedding pictures, and even some bootleg fotos of yours truly.
- Closer
to home, there's my neighbors, Steve Gonnella
and his wife Debbie. Geez...they were both teachers for a while,
but now Steve is back working for
- Then
there's Barry Dude! Barry Lyon
was some kinda networking/ hardware/ customer
service manager/subordinate type thingie person,
but all I know now is that he has been out of work for a long while,
enjoying life and most importantly, is that he is a still a friend. Where
are you
- Plus, there are some of my good friends from work. Geez...at least I am still working!!
- For the past decade, I had been working most of the time for the company originally and best known as Go-Video. See below for details.
- Of
special note is my very good friend, John Berkheimer
who was formerly Chief Engineer at GoVideo. He also worked with me at the
- Also,
there's ex-roommates Martin Elmers
(who is a very good friend) and
Mike Wood. These three had a long running collaboration of software and
hardware development for unique business and hardware applications: Mesa
Research. John worked with Martin on the Promote Remote,
a very special internet powered remote control, marketed by
Gemini/Phillips which is muay kueleo! Most recently, these two have been working on
two diverse projects. The Tyrell Corporation's Jukebox...came out the
summer of 2004 and is still going strong. It has a 100 tune MP3 disc
program of oldies supplied (I helped!) and those page flipper things and
two rows of push buttons to make your sellection.
It is pretty nifty! Also, they have the delicious Crossroads Barbeque at
the Rhythm Room in
- Oh yes, there's Deadhead Emeritus, Bob Kirkpatrick (check out his home page here) with his psychedelic family. He's also my personal netguru..he was the first to get that netcam thing going and took our personal pics so very long ago)!
- After those guys, there's the infatuigable Art Berger (who I met at Go-Video) and his demented Woody Allen-esque world. On a never-ending search for the highly overrated...what a nebbish, what a guy! Oh yes, and he repairs TVs! Who said shtupping shiksas is a mitzvah? Was that me?
- Hey! There's Mitch Simons with his loverly wife Beth (and child). I've known Mitch for a while, too...he used to manage the Sundome a looong time ago, then he was now defunct Entertainment Management Group...(was owned by megacorp Viacom). He was with Iris Technologies, do some kinda hi-tech thingie. I think was been working on a tivo-like hard drive recorder for analyzing football games...something like that anyway.
- Jody Goldfield is a reclusive but very smart electronics guy who I've known a long time. He trades and services industrial electronic test equipment similar to, say Tucker, but of course on a much smaller scale. Back to school??
- Brian Morphew...a buddy I've stayed in touch with over the years....he's my friend and backyard mechanic. Still diving for golf balls, Brian?
- Iris Finklestien (no relation to Steven or Richard) used to live across the street from me, but she got married and moved....she's now an ex-neighbor!
- There's Diane....a good friend, she's a movie hound. She's generally low key but opinionated, however that is possible. She's an overall nice person that I enjoy hanging out with. Smile, Diane!
- Honorable mention goes to Ralph Mueller (from the SCA), who used to be over thar at the City of Scottsdale's Cable Channel 11, but retired...what are you doing Ralph.... rite on, Ralphie baby!?!?
FRIENDS, Missing In Action....
My God. As I get older, (at the time of updating this I am 57!), I have
lost too many friends over the years. I would like to dedicate this area
to friends past who have either died or stayed out of contact. Before I
continue, I offer these words, let's take advantage of
our friendships now. Take an good friend out to
dinner or vice versa, spend a little time and do something special. You
just never know....
- Stephen Finklestein. Twin brother of Richard, they are (were) electronics wheeler-dealers. I just hate it when people do too much crap and it catches up with them. What more can be said. So sad.
- Jan Tucker. Jan was a special guy who was just coming in to his own....he had great taste in music and art. He had some problems, perhaps linked to his diabetes. He stayed with me for about a year around 1992. I had been in contact with him and just seen him in June of 2001 then a few months later, gone from heart failure.
- I knew Andy Carrol for almost 30 years...from a long time ago at "Audio Lab"....to more recent ventures with tattoo equipment. He was a good man, and he is missed. When my mom moved out of their last house, he was the Realtor that sold it for us. For a finder's fee, he took me to Durant's for an unforgettable dinner; it was the last time I saw him. Thanksgiving, 2000. We think somethings caught up with him.
- Pat Oxford- was a good old friend; I partied with him for many many years, and would listen to his rants and raves....he was a self professed "tube guru" who had been building custom power and pre-amplifiers from scratch for many years . Died Jan 4, 1999. Hepatitis. RIP, Pat.
- Khauri
Munns. A fiercely individual spirit from
days past in the 80's at the
- Terry Dunlap was the founder for GoVideo. It all started with his mobile video production unit doing mostly wedding videos, then he decided, hey-if they can have a dual cassette deck, why not dual videocassette decks? He fought some of the big boys-he won, then he lost, then he carried on, the he got out of GoVideo. Then, tragically in 2006, while driving down the 101, a drunk native American veered to the opposite side of the freeway and luck was not with him that day….he was gone in moments.
- Kevin Peterson, a wild free spirit at GoVideo passed from a strange case of leukemia in 2005. Kevster. Could it be a curse of the GoVideo building on McLain??
Friends who I haven't heard from or seen for a while...
- Dick Robinson a good friend (was a friend of Pat Oxford), lives nearby, used to sell beds (now he's bar tending) and tries to stay out of trouble. Now, he's Mr. Magic! Slick! He's got some good stories!
- Let us pause for a moment for supercybercutie Simone with her Sun Buddy - she is still offering sun block in individual use packages purportedly made from pharmaceutical grade ingredients by a French laboratory. The Simonestress!! {Hey Simone, where is that missing $100 for your car rental?? And you got married without ever telling me???}
- On the other side of that World Wide stuff, there's my "littl' buddy" Kari Hatamuki-where are you, buddy?
- Since
November of2007, soon after the demise of GoVideo, I have been at Adcom doing
customer service and internal sales, mostly for their trade in program. I am
good at getting things done that no one else will do, and generally getting
in the way of things and trying to have a little fun! At Adcom, I work
with the Donnellys: James, Dan, Ray and Dianne,
along with Dave Hilsee. They are a good bunch of
people. Adcom is currently in a joint-venture with Emerson Radio, so that kinda makes me an Emerson Radio employee…woo hoo?!? Oooh, here’s the veddy interesting article about Emerson in 2007.
- As you may have read above, I am spent of time at GoVideo, formerly Sonic|Blue, formerly Sensory Science, formerly Go-Video. In 2001-2, I have done only a moderate amount of freelance audio, video and electronics service and consulting. But what I did do is build my awesome stereo, which I will showcase here. Too much!
- Go-Video was best known for the invention of the Dual-Deck VCR in the 1990s. They had some real firsts in the Consumer Electronics marketplace.
- They changed their official name to SENSORY SCIENCE a few years ago, but in September 2001, the company was bought up by SONIC|blue of Rio MP3 player fame (in Tigard Oregon), with the home office in Santa Clara, California. They were then divested from Sonic Blue, which went into bankruptcy-boo…! And ultimately GoVideo continued for a few years, being bought up by Chinese company TCL, and then we came in for a “soft landing” closing the doors. Bwah hahah……no more
- At
GoVideo! I was a QA (Quality Assurance) SB (Stan Brown) GoVideo kinda guy. Gone! My responsibility as QA Engineer was
to ensure that products designated to me are manufactured to be of
suitable quality before mass production. Most recently I have been to
- Most recently SONIC|Blue went bankrupt, and now GoVideo splintered off to have its controlling interests financed from TCL a very large Chinese electronics manufacturer, know for large domestic Chinese sales of TVs and Cell Phones
- I
was a specialist at "Go-Video" for the on-screen system
development and remote control customization for Loewe digital TVs, but in January 2002,
they moved to
- Some of the former GoVideo employees, including Mike Aiken, Mike Santos and Greg Todd moved on to new LCD TV company NuVision .
- I completed consulting on a large project for
the City of
- Several years ago, I finished a working stint with JOS Projection Systems-which is now Technology Providers (David Barazoto is de man!). I consulted constructing several large Audio/Video systems for them; a classroom at the College of Law at ASU, an A/V system at Sun Lakes, and the then new St. Joseph's' Barrow's Neurological Institute facility: a video conference room and auditorium.
- For many, many years I've known the good people
at EAR in
- For ten years, I worked for The City of Scottsdale at the Scottsdale Center for the Arts. It's still a progressive city with an 800 seat performing arts center; I was the Sound Technician there, working many diverse music artists such as Dave Brubeck, Oscar Peterson, etc. They still have the annual Arts Festival every spring... ahh...the good old days.
- Speaking of the good old days, a
long time ago, in a place here in
Do you like Rock & Roll? I
like it!
- Watch TV? (Don't we all) like to see your favorite music artist perform on TV? Wow, just check out Rock Music on TV for listings of you can hear and watch. They have been around a while, and they are good!
- Howzabout concerts? Want to know the where your favorite band is playing on the road? How about what's going on in your town this week? Man, these guys are the best, they have been around a long time. Check out Pollstar and do a search for your favorite band or city.
- Geez, do you REALLY like rock and roll? The internet has changed over the years, but there still are some pretty good music links that seem to be consistent in this ever-changing world:
- AMG (All Music Guide) has a really good description for most every rock band that has existed. Best listing I have seen.
- Ultimate Band List...find plenty of info about ANY rock band.
- Rolling Stones one of the older web sites-getting a little stale....
- Hard Rock Hotel, the place (I want) to go when in Vegas.
- Rolling Stone magazine...I subscribe...
- MTV...yes I still want my MTV. MTV 2. VH1, VH1 Classics. Is it all good? Mostly...
- Here is a good place for music reviews.
- Then, there's my favorites in local stuff...
all of them thar Audio/Video and Electronics
- Included into my new rack system is the Nirvis Slink-e that controls my three Sony 400 disc changers. Slink-e is sooo nifty 'cause it allows PC control of the discs or playlists, and includes album covers and automatic CDDB lookup.
- I have many Sony components, Why? Sony seems to have the best corporate based consumer electronics engineering in the world; after all, they are giants in the broadcast and pro audio industries, and I believe there is a trickle down effect in their products.
- I am a Betamax enthusiast and years ago I got a new (to me) SLHF-1000 - a pinnacle of Beta VCRs. Sony has been innovative leaders in design and I like the attention to detail. I also like the ergonomic design and useful features they pack into their products. This is so in most of their legacy products.
My Sony products: (some are digitally connected)
- TA-E2000ESD a great digital processing control preamplifier
- 730ES tuner
- 75ES DAT deck
- MDP 333 laser disc player
- CDP-C545 5 disc CD player
- SL-HF1000 Betamax VCR
- APM-007AV amplified speakers (square diaphragm) for the PC
- IT-M500 speakerphone
- ICF-260 Dream Machine clock radio.
- When we were Sensory Science, we manufactured the California Audio Labs line of products, and I have several of their units. It is audibly great sounding equipment, however, the operation is at least occasionally "quirky", hey, I shouldn't complain...I have:
- CL-2500 SSP Surround Sound Processor. It boasts excellent sound with a major effort to simplify product operation by using "presets". It has a wide array of inputs and capabilities.
- CL-2500 Video Switch. .
- CL-2500 Amp. 5 Channel 500 Watt Per Channel Power Amplifier-Geez!.
- I'm a JBL (Pro) speaker man. I listen to music via a pair of large 4350 studio monitors (4-way; two 15" woofers, a 12" mid-bass, a two inch compression driver mounted to a straight horn, and a slot tweeter), a 4311B for center (with an augmented bi-radial horn and slot tweeter), and (4) CONTROL 1's for surround. Jeez, in March of 2001, I went through a big hassle getting the 2230 woofers reconed via JBL (ultimately unsatisfactorily because they can "bottom out" at extreme LF levels). Anybody anywhere have original recone kits for them?? They also got re-grill clothed, and look and sound pretty nice... I am Happy.
- My power amplification system (someday I hope to upgraded to quad-amp'ing the JBLs):
- Bi-amp system for the JBL monitors:
- JBL 5234 crossover set at 250Hz
- 5 x 500WRMS/Channel CAL Power Amplifier-it drives stereo HF/LF drivers and the center channel
- BGW 250c power amplifier, surround channels
- My other audio components include:
- Additional video equipment includes
- I now have a Sony 65XBR2 65" 16x9 HD TV. I LIKE IT! I used to own A Loewe 36" "Art" television with a "digital chassis". Now Diane has it! It is quite possibly the best direct-view television set being made in the world! Supplied by Sensory Science (see above about them). It has cool on-screen software in it, and I helped!
- Go-Video Dual-Deck VCRs and products I have accumulated over time:
- GV-9755, a recent top-of-the-line model with flying erase heads
- SDV-650, a Go-Video branded top-of-the line VHS single-deck machine from JVC, it has excellent quality with a TBC and dynamic drum heads.
- D2730, Networking DVD player with progressive scan that lets me directly output audio and video into the stereo by computer networking. A really cool player that just didn't catch on in the market.
- In the closet are more old Go-Video Dual-Deck VCRs:
- GV-2000, the original, Dolby Stereo, (in the closet-a prototype)
- GV-3060, the original Hi-Fi model (at mom's in a dusty cabinet)
- GV-8020, 8mm/VHS (in the bedroom)
- GV-6060, first generation stacked Hi-Fi model (in the closet)
- Dish Networks 622 HD hard drive recorder
- I also have a new Dish 811 HD reciever. Mostly so I can watch a few really good HBO shows I love in HD.
- As I was working for Sonic Blue, I have a Replay 4040 utilized into my system and includes ethernet connectivity. It is a very interesting product with a lot of potential...however...don't get me started....
- I was instrumental in creating a "test plan" for the Rio Riot, the 20 GB hard drive MP3 player, so I have one. It is a nifty thang for listening to MP3 music on the road. (I have about 15GB MP3 library). Taint no ipod, though!
- I service consumer and professional audio equipment freelance and have constructed and repaired many, many audio and video systems.
- I maintain a service shop in my house, complete tools and test equipment. Test equipment includes Hewlett-Packard oscilloscopes, VTVMs and distortion analyzer, Waveforms oscillator, Sound Technology FM generator, counter, variac/load panel, and my personal favorite, a Tektronix X-Y monitor permanently connected to a (custom built by Pat) component tracer. I now have a Neutrik
- I've
been servicing equipment on and off for Esoteric Audio,
- I
owned several older 7' Advent Video Beam 1000 projectors.
Amazingly in November of 2001, a
- I also have a Kloss 2000 I must get around to repairing and using that one, too.
- Here is a very valuable resource for repairing audio and other electronic equipment.
- I also buy and sell some audio/video equipment. I use the Scottsdale-based Orion Research (I've met their president a few times, Roger Rohrs) as a reference along with Audio magazine.
- I purchased an Otari DTR-900 32 channel digital audio tape recorder on Ebay. I have just made a web page for it that you can get to from here.
- I occasionally follow the internet newsgroup rec.audio.marketplace. I occasionally buy and sell audio and test equipment. I really enjoy newsgroups and MP3s these days. Lots of cool old music to find and hear!
- Heck, I was Phoenix Chairman for the AES (Audio Engineering Society) several years ago.
- I have a penchant and knowledge of pro audio and rock music.
- Of course, I enjoy good, well presented movies...and I peruse the TV and video industries.
- IMDB International Movie Database is the best for all things about movies. Links, reviews, trivia, you name it, they have it.
- Here is a good source for movie reviews.
- In a foul mood? Go talk to Mr. Cranky about it. He will tell you how bad a movie is, not how good it is. Great fun!
- Wanna buy some DVDs? Here are the best deals you can find for finding movies on the internet!
- I enjoy batting the silver ball around; I have two machines and try to keep up with the Pinball industry-now it's almost dead!. It is amazing and sad of the demise of pinball. Williams is out of the pinball business as of 1999. Here is an interesting article about it. Is the future of pinball dying??
- High Speed - a 1985 Williams game (jeez, they only make slots now) that has become somewhat of a standard for pinballing. Although at least two generations old, it still gives good play...run the red light and escape!
- Funland - a fully electro-mechanical Gottleib game from around 1968, this game's object is to target 10 ducks to light a rotating special. Old, tired, but still fun to play on occasion.
- Dammit to hell, lately I have had a jones
on playing
- Heck, I even have an Atari Video Pinball as well as an Video Music which turns tunes to video patterns.
- I "upgraded" to GT Interactive's Arcade Classics, to run it on the PC.
- I used to own
a "Firepower" but sold it to my friend Rich Robinson.
For
Other Sundry Electronic Devices
- There is a smattering of X-10 devices around the house that allow remote control of various electrical devices. Some interesting devices are:
- Homeminder- This guy allows you to control lights and appliances via a TV interface screen, including timed events. It allows you to lay out individual rooms throughout the house.
- Around the house. I use the X-10 modules to control some overhead mini-fresnells, kitchen and auxiliary lights and the bedroom TV (a great alarm clock!). If you have any interest in X-10 products, you must check out this link (and this one too!)...both of these guys are pretty good.
- The thing I like best about the X-10 modules is the ability to simply turn all the lights out, at a conveniently placed button location. I like to be in the dark...especially with someone special! No comment at this time : (
- Speaking of lights out, I have a custom switch system for my audio/video system, that allows all of my components to, with the flick of a switch, go to what I call "phantom" mode. What this means is that all of the indicator lamps and displays on the equipment turn off, while the equipment continues to operate. I find this ideal for minimizing distractions, especially during movie watching.
- You must be well connected to get around and have a good Internet Service Provider. I have been through a ton of 'em, but today I use Cox high speed. If you just have a modem, I suggest you get a good inexpensive one. Hey, go to google.com and search for "free ISP" to see what is available at a good price. Or, pony up the dough, and get the high speed, if you can.
- You must also have to have the right software to do any internet job...and a really good way to find it is via The Ultimate Collection Of Winsock software, better known as TUCOWS
- My computer? (11-08) Now, I gots an Alienware Dual Core Pentium 945 series system with 4 GB of RAM with a Intel Motherboard, 256 mb dual output ATI video card, 4 500 GB HDs. Cable modem, 2 DVD burners, Creative Xtreme Sound Card, 2 USB HDTV tuners, a scanner, HP Printer, camera, modem, WAP and a Dell 22” 16x9 and Viewsonic 19" monitors. All this in an Alien full sized tower. Muahaha. Accessories n' stuff too! It all works pretty good, and I am pretty much up to speed with all of it. Looking to buy some hardware? Check this very cool page out!
I have a home network, with my old computer in the
workroom
How to create your own homepage (by me):
- Within most of the images on my homepage edition #1 there are hidden links, some of them were at that time, my favorites ...you'll just have to click on images 'em to find them all, there are some way cool ones there.
- Heck, if I haven't taken enough of your precious time already, you can even check out my original (like really old - a lot may be defunct, but hey you may find some interesting stuff) bookmarks collection! Or howz about a mess o' links at beaucoup.com?
- Can
you find my "
Hey, found a cool link that gives you a map of where
ever...here's where I live in
