Ho Hum...

[Analog-X64]

Just dropping in to say hi.

Working Nights with weird start and end times. I just got home, I worked last night from 10:00PM to 8:30AM This morning.

Now I'm heading off to bed, because they want me back at 5:00PM to 3:30AM.

[Vosla]

Reminds me of my funny night shift yesterday/today which started at 00:00 and ended 03:00 because somebody managed to misplace an e-mail...

[Analog-X64]

Ok so here is how the weekend started...

Friday - Woke up at 5:00AM and drove to Ford Plant for 6:30AM. 7:00AM Finaly someone showed up to let me through security gates for Safety training and orientation.. This is normal when going to an automotive plant for the first time.
12:30PM Safety training completed, I got scheduled to come back to start working at 10:00PM - 8:30AM however not before attending an orientatin at 4:00PM...with me so far?? I said NO WAY in hell am I driving 1 hour to get home rest a bit, drive another hour to comeback for the 4:00PM Orientation and than turn around and drive another hour to get home and turn around and come back for my 10:00PM Start. So I said No thanks... I'll skip the orientation.

So I drove home and did the best I could to sleep... I woke up around 8:00PM got something to eat and headed back to the Ford Plant for my 10:00PM Start.

So now one would assume that the following night we would again start at 10:00PM and work Till 8:30AM...BUT nooooO!!! we cant have that.... so for Saturday night I got scheduled to work 5:00PM to 3:30AM... so what that meant was, once I got off work at 8:30AM I drove an hour to get home and went straight to bed around 9:30AM again did my best to sleep as much as I could. I woke up around 3:00PM got ready and left for my 5:00PM Start.

Let me tell you that Automotive plants are not Air Conditioned and the damn heat wave we are having did not help. Ontop of being in a hot plant, I have to wear LONG Sleeve Shirts to protect my arms from the Sharp edges of Automotive parts, a Hard Hat, Safety Glasses and Safety Shoes with steel toes (which are not light).

I finished my work much faster than they thought, so I got tonight (Sunday) off, I've been pretty much sleeping all day recovering.

So what is it that I do? I program industrial Robots for the Automotive industry. Here are the two types that I can program, they are competitors to each other and each has its Positives and Negatives.

Fanuc Robot (Yellow) and ABB (RED) the ABB Robot is a Swedish product and is the Rolls Roys of the Robotics world.


Of the 4-5 Robot manufacturers in the world ABB is the toughest to program, but once you learn it, the rest of the Robots are a piece of cake to program.

[agent4125]

Working graveyard is tough. I did it for a year while working at a hotel in Disney World, which I guess was cool in a way. But I was also going to school during the daytime, so I was a zombie pretty much all of the time.

Just remember to treat the robots well! We don't want them to revolt, seeking to wipe out all human life. Actually, they probably covered that during Orientation, which you skipped, so...

[Analog-X64]

Working graveyard is tough. I did it for a year while working at a hotel in Disney World, which I guess was cool in a way. But I was also going to school during the daytime, so I was a zombie pretty much all of the time.

Just remember to treat the robots well! We don't want them to revolt, seeking to wipe out all human life. Actually, they probably covered that during Orientation, which you skipped, so...

About 12 years ago, I was doing some work at I.B.M and I did 18 Months of Night Shift straight... very bad for the healthy took me 2-3 years to get back to normal and recover from me. I will do a few days of it here and there, but not for long periods of time.

Hmm...maybe I shouldnt have skipped the orientation...and come to think of it... I thought I saw one of those robots looking at me funny.

[Razmo]

ANX: Aaaah! Ain't it lovely when you feel needed and wanted?

..But how will you find your time to do that SID electronics synth with all of that hard work of yours? ... Have you started at all?

I just got half of the electronic parts from MOUSER that I need to build that FM synthesizer called MIDIBox FM... Have even decided to sacrifice my "clockradio" to get a fine housing for the project

Also have that MB-6582 project comming up... but I need for SmashTV to have those component kit ready first...

I even decided to look at a project for the MIDIBox myself, but I'm really not that skilled with electronics, so it'll be a hard one... I have some spare CEM3396 synth chips here that I would like to try to make a mono-synth out of... CEM 3396 is a "synth in a chip" like the SID actually, and is a fully analog sound chip... exactly the same that is inside the Oberheim Matrix-1000. Fun thing is that all control to the chip is with CV... hope I can pull this off, as it would be nice to be able to do this little monster ... one great thing with this chips filter is, that the volume does not drop when increasing the resonance

Oh no! now I'v done it again... gone completely offtopic

[Analog-X64]

Dear Razmo,

Well apparently I wasn't wanted that badly since I didnt get that dream job I interviewed for a few weeks ago, they hired the internal candidate, on the other hand if there were any other external candidates they didnt get it either. So for now I will have to do these jobs I don't particularly enjoy doing.

So far I have 8 x Sids, MOBO, LCD Display, PowerJack, I'm working on getting the Dials/Knobs and also waiting for the Parts to become available as an entire kit. Shouldn't take me more than an afternoon to have the thing built once I have all the parts in front of me. I was thinking of getting or building a clear case for it, since the MOBO is a nice shade of RED.

I think tomorrow I'm going to try a local Music Store and see if they carry or can order for me an Electro Harmonix: Small Stone.. I hope they are not terribly expensive.

I've got a few projects on the go.. Like said the MB-6582 is on the go, I should start doing some recording this week, going to make some Original Unz tracks to start with before attempting a C64 remix... I also have a specific Depeche Mode song I'd like to remix, but I'd need one of the Guitar Players here to strumm a few chords for me.

I've also purchased a few books to refresh my C/C++ Programming skills and also brush up on Game Development Concepts... going to start to write an Game Engine for my "Uridium" Remake.

Also I hope to finish the Music Video I started rendering about 6 months ago or so, but that one is kind of depending on some $$$.. I want to build a mini Render Farm.. Unfortunately last week I got a double whammy.. My Truck's Fuel Pump needed replacing so that cost me $1400 and a few days later my Dishwasher decided to go tits up so that cost me another 1400... for a grand total of $2800... which is what I would want to spend on 4-5 Render nodes.

All the above might be irrelevant, as I'm experiencing some discomfort on my right side, which could be anything from Gal Stones, Liver Problems or some other thing. I've got an appointment on Wednesday October 3rd for my annual physical so who knows.

[Razmo]

ANX: Seems like you suffer from the same prob. I have a tendency to suffer: too many projects! ... I have to restrain myself from starting too much at the same time, or nothing ever get finished.

Well, my MB-6582 will most certainly be thrown into a 1U casing... absolute minimum of configuration, as I tend never to touch my gear really... I'm fine with a SoundDiver adaption to control the thing. But surely... the full design looks ravashing!

Electro Harmonix Smallstone should not be the worst of grips into your wallet... considdering it's the best phaser pedal around, it's impressively cheap... but also the size of a small brick ... just remember to get the USA version!... the Russian (cheaper) model does not have that totally same sound I've heard. You could also go for the newer NANO smallstone they've made... I do not know however, if it's the same sound, but according to their advertisement it should be exactly the same... just smaller in size, and more handy. Just remember that the smallstone should be run at 7.5 volts... NOT 9 volts which is standard... Jarre had his modded for this voltage to allow the LFO to go even slower.

I'm looking foreward to hearing those unzy tunes ... Strummin' I cannot help thee with!

Anyways, hope your pain is nothing serious

[Analog-X64]

I'm tottaly messed up!!!. I tried to stay up as long as I could last night, because I have to go into work tonight for 10:00PM I could only stay up till 3:30AM went to bed and woke up at noon....oh my head!!! There's got to be a better way to make a living.....My head feels like...

[Razmo]

That's not good ANX! ... better keep on the lookout for something better

[Analog-X64]

Well it appears that this schedule of mine, will continue till around Christmas. I shouldn't complain too much as its paying the bills and keeping a roof over our head.

I'm still sending resumes out looking for some type of I.T. Work.