Bottlehead Forum
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Doc B. on May 17, 2010, 10:21:40 AM
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As you know I have been a little cagey about committing to dates about various events like product releases, meetings, classes, etc. As of this afternoon I can explain why.
A rough calculation of the space usage of our 2000 sq. ft. house indicated that we are now using 937 sq. ft. for Bottlehead and the Tape Project. We've managed to hang in pretty well through the economic downturn (thanks for the support!) and now with the economy picking back up we are realizing there is just no "give" left in this 70 year old house to further grow the businesses. So we have been looking for a new space off and on for the past nine months. After looking at a string of places that looked like "fixer uppers" we happened upon a very hip business park on Bainbridge Island with a really great 1542 sq. ft. space in a brand new building. As of this afternoon the signatures on the lease are dry so I can announce that Bottlehead and also the Tape Project's packing, shipping and customer service aspects will be living in this new space sometime near August 1.
Our lab and packing operations will be housed in one suite that we intend to lay out in an open plan so that we can reconfigure the space as a classroom that can hold 10 or 15 students at a time. Across the hall we will have offices, a lobby area with a little bar area, and - wait for it - A 4000 CU. FT. DEDICATED LISTENING ROOM! Yee haw! The isolated room will be 16.5 x 25 x 10, with a hole in the ceiling that opens up to a sloped ceiling of 18'. I'm hoping to use a lot of the ideas that Paul and Michael used when they built their mastering rooms, which I still think are about the best rooms I've heard.
If I haven't made it clear here, the idea is to create a space that is very bottlehead friendly. The office is just a few minute's drive from the Bainbridge Island ferry terminal and we will plan to do a lot of events here to fully utilize the space. I foresee short one day classes as well as the more intense kind of class we have done in the past, monthly meetings, new product release events, and a place for folks to come and audition Bottlehead products and Tape Project tapes.
Oh, did I mention that there is a vodka, gin and whisky distillery with a tasting room right downstairs?
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Sounds great! Congratulations! Wish I lived a lot closer. Well, maybe one day.
-- Jim
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Oh, did I mention that there is a vodka, gin and whisky distillery with a tasting room right downstairs?
Sounds like you better put a futon in there somewhere.
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Congratulations! No more "commuting" in your slippers and robe, I reckon!
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Awesome. When you start classes/workshops in earnest, I'll use that as my excuse for my first ever visit to WA state. Congratulations!
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Never been to Washington State. Now it looks like I may have an excuse to visit.
Congratulation!
Debra
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Congrats Dan!
"with a little bar area"
Naturally! :-)
"there is a vodka, gin and whisky distillery with a tasting room right downstairs"
How much did that weigh into your decision making process!? (heh-heh-heh)
Mike
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I meant an espresso bar.
No, really.
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Our space is just an empty shell, but here is a pic of our downstairs neighbor Keith's distillery. That would be my office right above those ceiling joists...
(https://forum.bottlehead.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.kitsapsun.com%2Fmedia%2Fimg%2Fphotos%2F2009%2F07%2F31%2F20090731-212305-pic-68045438_t300.jpg&hash=44bf9472b443142f48f440eb8433e52c0aa47832)
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Killer news Dan!
I have a funny feeling that Keith will soon have a full Bottlehead system in his living room!
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Our space is just an empty shell, but here is a pic of our downstairs neighbor Keith's distillery. That would be my office right above those ceiling joists...
(https://forum.bottlehead.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.kitsapsun.com%2Fmedia%2Fimg%2Fphotos%2F2009%2F07%2F31%2F20090731-212305-pic-68045438_t300.jpg&hash=44bf9472b443142f48f440eb8433e52c0aa47832)
That makes me thirsty! Excellent for the whole crew. I hope the commute doesn't cramp the Bottlehead style.
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Here some pics of one side of the new office. This is the "public" part - lobby/kitchenette, offices and listening room. The lab and packing and shipping will be in one open space across the hall.
This is looking from a point where a wall that will divide our office from the neighbor will be. The space looks foreshortened in this photo, it's actually about 35-40 feet all the way to the back wall. That listening room area is about 16-1/2 feet wide and 25 feet deep. There will be a hard ceiling at 10 feet in that room, that will have an opening to the sloped ceiling above. All the other spaces will be open to the sloped ceiling. After working in this basement with a 7' ceiling for 15 years it's gonna seem like heaven.
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Eileen's office is three times larger than yours. Not that she doesn't deserve it but I would suggest changing your President for Life title to something more realistic.
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This is standing in the corner of the listening room area, looking back the other way. Along with the high ceiling the big windows will be a welcome addition after living in the basement.
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This shows the entry door and the wall that runs along the hallway that divides the office and the workroom.
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Eileen's office is three times larger than yours. Not that she doesn't deserve it but I would suggest changing your President for Life title to something more realistic.
She does deserve it, and that big space may be turned into an office for her and an assistant in the future. What I didn't show in the photos is that you will have to get through not only the lobby but also Eileen's office to even get to my office door. I kinda like that, waay in the back.
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Here some pics of one side of the new office. This is the "public" part - lobby/kitchenette, offices and listening room. The lab and packing and shipping will be in one open space across the hall.
This is looking from a point where a wall that will divide our office from the neighbor will be. The space looks foreshortened in this photo, it's actually about 35-40 feet all the way to the back wall. That listening room area is about 16-1/2 feet wide and 25 feet deep. There will be a hard ceiling at 10 feet in that room, that will have an opening to the sloped ceiling above. All the other spaces will be open to the sloped ceiling. After working in this basement with a 7' ceiling for 15 years it's gonna seem like heaven.
Is the Queens' office really 3 times as big as yours? ;-)
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It's about twice as big. That room will likely house other stuff as well as Eileen's office.
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Are you building Sean a cubicle?
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We're just starting to plan out that side of the setup. I think the lab gets a whole 25ft wall of bench space in the new workroom. And we are going to enclose the CNC engraver to cut down the noise and preserve the sanity of those working in that room.
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Wow congratulations ! This might warrant a road trip (actually plane trip) for me.
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"We're now accepting resumes for Eileen's assistant - must pass the photogenic test" :)
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Congratulations Doc, Queen Eileen and PJ for locating such wonderful digs. Always nice to see good things happen to good people. Here's to continued success for the Bottlehead team and I can't wait to visit sometime.
-Randy
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Outstanding!
Those pictures really say it all. You guys must be sitting on pins and needles!
Heck,.. I'd like to live in a space like that!
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When we first looked at the business park the new space is located in we were looking at a really ideal space that was already built out and needed only some minor changes. When we said yes to that space we found out that it had been taken by someone who wanted it with the rest of the building, so we had to take the unbuilt space in a different building that I showed in the photos. We found out last week the deal on our first choice fell through. So on Friday I ran over to the landlord and arranged to switch back to our first choice.
This means we ought to be in an even cooler space than the one I have shown here, by August 15. Among other cool features it has a 20' x 25' space on the second floor, with a vaulted ceiling averaging (I think) about 15'. With a little thought this should make a really nice listening room. We'll have separate lab and packing rooms in this space, and a lobby that we can configure as a classroom.
If all goes as planned we hope to be having an open house in September.
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So, still walking distance to the distillery;)...John
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How often does that happen? Great news!
Congratulations!
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So, still walking distance to the distillery;)...John
Yup, just a walk across the parking lot and far enough away that our place won't smell like mash, which was one issue with the other space. I've already had a conversation with distillery owner Keith about serving some of his organic vodka at our open house.
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Nice. Sounds like it will be a great place for Bottlehead International Headquarters. Still hope to visit one day...
-- Jim
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Yee haw! The contractor started construction yesterday. He's just removing a wall to open up the listening room space and closing off some openings to the the space next door. The listening room is a very open space for now, that we will decide how to finish after we spend some time with it. Figured he'd have the framing done today and drywall starting to go up tomorrow. A few adjustments will be made to the HVAC, a bit of paint and carpet will be done etc., and it should be ready to go. So I think we may be moving in a couple weeks. I'll try to get some pics up soon.
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Headed over to the new office after work last night and took a few photos of the construction. You will have to use a bit of imagination to see these rooms with the proper furnishings for each task:
This is the lobby, looking out the front door with it's slate tile . That's my old 300CE peeking in the window.
(https://forum.bottlehead.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bottlehead.com%2Fimages%2Fvid%2F1.jpg&hash=87ac2acbe8d32ceada93b2b6dac0926b42f1d3ac)
Our office is off the lobby. Nice high ceiling and a corner view. Got a screaming deal on a set of Herman Miller Aeron side chairs...
(https://forum.bottlehead.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bottlehead.com%2Fimages%2Fvid%2F2.jpg&hash=c08c083236c1426622c342b707cf5c008ad4a524)
Looking down the hall you can see the stair to the upstairs listening area. The opening up above is actually the listening area.
(https://forum.bottlehead.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bottlehead.com%2Fimages%2Fvid%2F4.jpg&hash=da964fc7d76e0c716b7976014e1ed2762889a3a3)
This is the packing and shipping room, again with a very high ceiling
(https://forum.bottlehead.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bottlehead.com%2Fimages%2Fvid%2F6.jpg&hash=d42cd7ada57b3e831619cecc6f6c9bf3a82baecc)
This is the kitchenette, which is on one side of the packing room. Imagine my Olympia Cremina espresso machine on the counter...
(https://forum.bottlehead.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bottlehead.com%2Fimages%2Fvid%2F7.jpg&hash=839f21ea6d2d69ef6357e07fa88375d483e1aecf)
This is the view out of the lab windows - with the contractor's dumpster blocking part of it. The workbench will run along right under those windows to take advantage of the light.
(https://forum.bottlehead.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bottlehead.com%2Fimages%2Fvid%2F12.jpg&hash=34292c8032994ff384b4e8391845d78b6b441068)
Hmmm, what's up here?
(https://forum.bottlehead.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bottlehead.com%2Fimages%2Fvid%2F14.jpg&hash=d00069984323cd9949a234483929d48a55e13669)
Looks kinda lofty...
(https://forum.bottlehead.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bottlehead.com%2Fimages%2Fvid%2F16.jpg&hash=8e78f67a54b27c87094fafa0ba4d08d8ae6be824)
Ahh, it's the new listening space
(https://forum.bottlehead.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bottlehead.com%2Fimages%2Fvid%2F18.jpg&hash=ad985c005e1c5f533c69368b9a5fba7323afac23)
the back of the listening space
(https://forum.bottlehead.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bottlehead.com%2Fimages%2Fvid%2F20.jpg&hash=21acf8c208de568bbe420be48ab8e754a8915843)
Obviously this is a very open space - for now. We plan to move in and get some sense of the sound and then further develop the room. Most likely we will end up building an isolated room inside this space to give us the best possible listening conditions. But that's Phase Two. Right now we just want to get moved in and up and running. This photo is looking down out of the opening above the lobby that I showed in the second image. I left it open for now to give us a little better symmetry with the open stairwell on the other side of the room.
(https://forum.bottlehead.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bottlehead.com%2Fimages%2Fvid%2F22.jpg&hash=56c8f008b1233c70b667be1e128d60bce42c4ff2)
Where the next set of great Bottlehead product ideas will incubate
(https://forum.bottlehead.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bottlehead.com%2Fimages%2Fvid%2F24.jpg&hash=379aa9618d62ecf6b1e8ae37cba9a479940a0a78)
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Nice big room for the listening room. I'm jealous!
The new home-o' Bottlehead looks very nice.
And you gave me a big laugh with the last picture. The thinker's room.
Congratulations! It is well deserved.
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Looks great! Judging solely by your pix, it looks to be a bit more manageable than the alternative, with nicer views to boot.
Those "disability bars" in the restroom can come in handy at cocktail hour, BTW!
Say, I wonder what it would set you back to have the contractor spray those structural ceilings and that ductwork with insulating foam?
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Yeah,.. really looks fantastic! You guys should be proud of how far Bottlehead/TP has gone.
congrats
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More great news, the landlord will be revamping the air conditioning, installing some sound treatment in the ducting and they will be installing an "air sock" diffuser in the listening room.
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Good deal Dan!
Now's the time to do that stuff instead of after you move in. Sometimes that kinda crap might delay your move date but believe me, it's worth it.
Make sure and blast that AC/heater before you get in there too. There's always some construction dust that gets trapped in the duct work and you want that stuff out of the system when it's easy to vacuum it all up. Those zip saws that HVAC guys use now days makes a mess!
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The HVAC in this building was a crazy setup - four different systems serving three different spaces that had been configured as one big office. The landlord has been super cool about understanding our needs, and I found out today that we will have our own system created out of these four different systems. So I think we will end up with an AC system that we can tailor to our needs as we continue to refine the space.
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It's great to have a cooperative landlord!
Having been a studio rat for most of my adult life, I've had the opportunity to see a number of different techniques applied to the issue of air-handling noise, some more successful than others. Perhaps the most costly was in the new construction of a small sound-stage for motion picture/video work, in which the air-handling system was located in a separate part of the structure which was largely mechanically isolated from the building which housed the studio! Of course, we still shut it down for critical sound recording, but it was pretty damned quiet!
Which brings up a relatively inexpensive addition you may wish to inquire about: A "Hand-Off-Auto" switch is what the HVAC guys called it, but it simply meant a kill-switch for the system that shut down everything without fussing with any thermostats or other settings. The trick, of course, is to remember to reset it back to "Auto" when you're done with critical listening, but the "Off-On" functionality is surprisingly useful.
Another simple technique that seemed to do a lot for the money had to do with the use of isolating couplings between the air-handler and the ductwork. These appeared to me to be made of heavy leather, but I imagine they were likely more involved than that. Breaking that metal-to-metal mechanical link close to the air-handler really seemed to pay off big in terms of noise reduction, though, and I see that this technique is now often used on the new noiser high-efficiency furnace home installations in my area. I think they would be a pretty easy retro-fit if the current system(s) aren't using them.
Finally, of course, is the ductwork itself. Having it lined with deadening batting is very helpful; the really deluxe version uses over-sized ductwork and a lower-velocity fan with quiet diffusers. In the sound-stage, that meant no actual diffusers, just large openings.
Now, I have absolutely no idea whether any of these ideas is practical in your situation, of course, but I thought I'd throw them out while you're still in this phase rather than later!
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My contractor's estimated completion date is this Friday. So it will probably be a little insane around here starting next week. We have yet to figure out shipping addresses, phone numbers, etc. and we will let folks know if and when these things change. Most likely we will look into keeping the old phone number as a forwarding number for a while and keep our current PO box, and our UPS shipping address will change.
We also have some flooring to install and several workbenches to construct in the new place, so we may have to postpone some aspects of shipping and kit assembly for a few days while we get all of this together.
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Construction looked very close to completion when we stopped by the office last night. I'm getting the ancient Toyota pickup remuffled tomorrow so we can haul our first load over - a table saw - and start to build packing and shipping benches for the shipping room, a bench for the lab, and a bigass desk for me. Have to tile a floor and a few other things, so I will probably be off the grid quite a bit next week. Oh man, that reminds me, we also have to get broadband service and wire up the LAN. Yeow! Time to get busy!
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At last the office is complete enough to start moving in. We have some things to sort out yet like cable and phone before we can start to work there every day, but Shawn and I are thinkin' we need to get the system upstairs so we can have a little music while we get the lab and and packing rooms built. Tomorrow is looking like a great day to set up a sound system!
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LOL! I remember helping some friends to move into their new place a number of years ago. The very first thing we moved, even before the final inspections, was a used refrigerator which had been modified to house a full keg with tap and CO2 tank. They were moving out into the country, you see, and had decided that re-cycling one beer can every so often made much more sense than several every week...
Thankfully, the three of us managed to get the job done a full day before everyone else arrived to help with the full move.
Was your space pre-wired for your local network?
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Just a quick note from the Chamber of Solitude before I head back to the office. We have a system about 2/3 set up. Been driving back and forth with loads to the new place since 10 this morning, and I will probably be off the grid for the rest of the day. Looks like things are moving along nicely here, thanks everyone for pitching in on the tech support! I'll try to post a pic or two of the first inklings of the new listening room once we get some noise.
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Exciting stuff!
I bet you're plenty beat up when you get home at the end of the day.
I was just wondering, what kind of service (AC) do you have available? There must be gobs of Amps if you want it. I guess I've never really looked but the transformers they hang for big complexes must be huge compared to their residential brothers.
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Here's the latest pics. We got the system set up and it seems that the room will work well with the appropriate amount of treatment. First shot is the system as it sits this evening. Second shot is just a view standing on the landing of the stair to the listening room, looking down the hall to the lobby.
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Looks excellent Dan! The TP release covers down the hallway really look classy.
Ya know, when most folks are moving into a new place, the gear they usually listen to is a boombox!
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More good headway today. We leased one third of a larger space for our office. The building was being used by a high tech firm before us, and it was heavily wired for network and phone. Unfortunately all the LAN cables (must have been 50 or so, these guys even had a fiber drop installed) came to a hub in the part of the space that we didn't lease. So we spent the first half day pulling about 17 cables that went to ports in our part of the building thru walls and along chases, and then spent the second half figuring out which cable went where with a continuity beeper and labeling them. In the end we found we have one to four LAN ports in every room but the bathroom. Tomorrow we terminate cut and rerouted LAN cables, hook up switchers and a router and hope the cable guy shows up this week. Once we get internet running we can move in!
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I recommend going wireless for the can; it's just safer that way!
As much work as it must have been sorting all of that out, it must be a great feeling to have all of that infrastructure already installed. It's way less work than starting from scratch, believe it or not.
I presume the espresso maker waits until the very end...
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I presume the espresso maker waits until the very end...
Eileen brought it over Monday. No fridge yet though, so no milk on hand.
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"... no milk on hand."
May I point out that espresso requires no milk?
Lattes? Cappuccino? Pfeh!
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Indeed Shawn and I had double espressos for our afternoon pick me up. I often prefer an Americano, cap or machiatto myself, depending upon my mood. The nice thing is that all will be available at Bottleheadquarters.
LAN cables are done, now we just need to hear back from the cable company and get hooked up so we can begin to move in. Lab carpet came up yesterday and the next step there is a new vinyl tile floor and benches. The new listening room continues to surprise us. It would seem that my gamble of leaving the back walls of the room open to the rest of the space paid off. We have plenty of bass and it seems pretty even. The soundstage is marvelously wide without the instruments or singer's heads growing too big. When we have some more time I will shoot it and see where we need to head with treatments. I think it's going to evolve into a really good room.
I'm in the old office today, keeping all the other balls in the air.
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we get things done. This is the new composition vinyl tile floor in the lab, which replaces the carpet that was in there before. Two very messy sticky days of crawling around on our knees, but the end result is a nice light, easy to sweep floor. Workbenches are the next step in this room. Cable guy is supposed to show up Tuesday and once we have internet, the plan is to really move in.
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You guys are going to have some really great digs! Congratulations. Too bad "Bottleheadquarters" is a bit of a trip from the northern plains, otherwise, I'd stop by sometime. The listening room idea is great!
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The shop looks great.
Those double doors are sure to come in handy too.
I've seen some shops where they have their bins of "occasional" parts on racks with decent casters. They just kept them in a storage room until they were needed and wheeled them into rows in their shop.
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Woo hoo! I am posting from the new office. Just got the network and phone pulled together and most of my office stuff moved today. We will get a little more moved tomorrow and then we will be leaving for Chicago on Thursday.
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Congrats! That's got to feel good
I have a sister I've never met about 40min away, a son in japan (flight from Seattle)..so no more excuses for a visit
better start saving me pennies
q
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Here's a bad phone shot of the of new headphone listening setup we're putting together in the lobby.
(https://forum.bottlehead.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bottlehead.com%2Fsc_images%2Fheadphonestation.jpg&hash=60d2eb1ca94ea5fbc38b9a4579278d7ac0f6def5)
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That is the best picture I have seen from a phone. It isn't high resolution but it is in focus (I think they have bad focusing for the most part) and it is well lighted. I would have never known it was a phone shot.
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Thanks Grainger. Photoshop saves the day once again. Cheap cameras under artificial lighting seem to burn out the highlights with a ghastly yellow overtone and generally oversaturate. I had to hammer this one pretty hard to get it to look vaguely natural. I'm bringing the real camera to the office today so I should have better shots soon.