Some email exchange with Greg, by way of preparations for his arrival here:
>>Ah, we've finally remembered one thing you may bring that's hard to find here, and can't possibly be affected with units of measure: we'd need a MIDI adaptor for the sound card. It should fit into the standard 15-pin (or whatever odd number of pins it has) on the PC sound card, and have the two DIN-5 cables for the synthesizer on the other.
> I'll ask Justin to see if he can get that for you. I'll forward this request directly to him, but please email him directly to stay on top of it.
>> It's just a wee gadget and that's why I can't find it here; I'll repost this paragraph to him. Anyway, real musicians do their MIDI things on Atari machines.( I thought I've sent this message to him, too, now I saw I didn't.).
>I had Nadal (a new part-timer who is our web artist, among other things) check this out for you. There were none available in Virginia (the computer stores said "Call the music stores," while the music stores said "Call the computer stores.") We ended up finding it in upstate New York and it will be sent directly to you. They tell us you should receive it in the next week or so. I had them send it to the address on the letter of invitation you sent to me.
>> Go (my older daughter) just came home with some thoughts on what we'd need besides this gadget. A 35mm camera - something with pentagon prism, changeable lenses, and possibly semi-automatic exposure (this means we strongly prefer automatics which can be turned off). We have a couple of lenses already (50mm and 30mm) with M42 fitting, so if it's a bayonette it'd be nice to have an adaptor ring. Inbuilt flash and long exposure capability would be a plus. Fancy motor, automatics, autofocus and other electronic is not necessary - we'd actually need a replacement for our seven year old praktika (East German - very good one, but it won't drop the mirror anymore, and nobody repairs them anymore except one guy in Belgrade; having nothing to do there otherwise would actually make the repair half the price of a new one, and this one cost just 100$ in its time). So, no hi-tech profi equipment, just a decent Japanese or US camera. The cameras and other technical stuff can be found here, but they're always on low stock, can't find the model you want, and they're way too expensive compared to shopping outside the country. I'll explain the blackmail economy to you, if I ever I get to understand it.
>I have a camera for you which uses Pentax K-mount lenses. It is a "Lindenblatt," which was a name put on an OEM Japanese body by an importer in New York City (Cambridge Camera). It is a 35mm SLR. The Pentaprism has some discoloration, but that won't affect the photos at all. I spent yesterday searching for lenses and I got you a 75-210 zoom lens for it. I couldn't find any other lenses, but I can look for more when I get back. It has a new battery and is ready to go. I bet you can even find compatible lenses used in Yugo-land. I hope you enjoy it.
>My guess is that she will want to get a 50mm and 28mm lens for architectural work.
>> I'm amazed that architects need it that early, but OTOH, they're getting into other secrets of the profession also very early. I wonder what will they be doing the other four years. I may reconsider revamping the lab. It's packed in a cupboard at my parents'.
>Mine is in my attic - a complete 4x5 setup to go along with my view camera which is packed in the attic.
4x5 of what? Feet? Yards? If yards, do you know how big is one milliyard :)I think I'll have to have all the units of measure neatly printed on a piece of paper and carry it along. There may be things which will cause a cultural shock, but your against-all-world units of measure will really drive me nuts & bolts. Well, I'll get by - if I could get used to Hungarian keyboard layout, I'll chew this as well.
Now I remember you mentioned bringing a HD in the last ICQ chat, with your DOS stuff on it. Am I correctly guessing there's a migration job ahead? I've written one scx2scx converter already, and I think it may be adjusted to port to vpm. I'll have to look at your screens first, of course.
Hey, how do I recognize you at the airport? The guy who's obviously American on a French plane and looking for a funny-looking bearded guy? How about a .jpg or .gif? Stick your face into the nearest scanner and give it a go...
I'll probably be accompanied with a cute blonde - my architectural daughter is willing to make me company while waiting for the customs to skin you :)
>> Right now there's a long ad on the TV for www.madona.com (with single N). It's owned by the son of our beloved dictator. You may spread the URL around so maybe some hacker group could do something nice to the site :). They are the most expensive provider in Požarevac (the hometown of The Family) but - they have an offer which is never to be refused.
> This message is made of biodegradable bytes and will selfdestruct in 30 seconds... 29... 28... 27... 26...
Glug.....
> BTW, my buddy from Hungary called yesterday and said his bank had no clue yet, and they said they "complete the transaction within five banking days, not including the starting date", which (using his words) "means one banking day is probably a fortnight long". He'll recheck it on monday.