[sdiy] What got us into SynthDIY? [was: simple TTL OT]

[Oren Leavitt]

Hi RDD,

It sounds like you've gotten the electronics bug in much the same way I did!
I was about 7 years old at the time when curiosity got the upper hand, I 
popped open a flashlight, took one battery, the bulb, a piece of wire 
and made my first circuit! Hmmm... Lets try two bulbs and one battery...
I then moved up to Radio Shack P-Box kits, the Science Fair 100 in one 
(When I got past '100', I started adding extensions to mine - even 
mounted a heat sinked power transistor on one end of the wood box:-), 
Heathkits, scrapping anything electronic for parts for projects, blowing 
up an 8ohm speaker on 120VAC, having circuits go up in smoke when my 
parents have guests over for dinner, doodling electronic schematics on 
my school desk during long boring classes (after constantly being 
admonished for bringing actual electronics to school to 'play' with), 
etc....
That's was my beginning.
Then I heard the music of Wendy Carlos and Isao Tomita - well the rest 
is history....Here we are in SynthDIY!

Cheers
Oren - And they're coming to take me away ha-haaa...(my alma mater)

R. D. Davis wrote:

>Quothe Oren Leavitt, from writings of Thu, Nov 13, 2003 at 11:58:39AM -0800:
>  
>
>>Physics & Electricity/Electronics should be taught in grammar school.
>>This world would be a better place :-)
>>    
>>
>
>Of course, it doesn't have to taught in schools.  Parents can
>encourage children to enjoy such hobbies, although I recall friends
>whose parents didn't want their kids to waste their time on
>such---making them participate in sports instead, so they could grow
>up to be able to utter such intelligent phrases as: "duhhh, uh,
>footbawl!"  It was fun to learn about electronics with Radio Shack's
>p-box kits, 100-in-one kit, Heathkits, disassembling old radios to get
>parts to build projects with, etc. and assorted experiments.
>Connecting a DC motor to a 120VAC electrical outlet was one of my
>earliest experiments---it taught me to spend more time learning about
>theory :-) ...while that experiment left a little mark on the
>floorboards, I survived it and learned from it...  today's children
>are, alas, too overprotected, and are thus prevented from learning
>from their own experiences.
>
>  
>
>>[At the airport] C'mon guys, it's just my analog synth! Here, lemme
>>plug it in and make some sounds for you! Did you ever hear Brian
>>Eno's 'Music for Airports'? Guys...you're so serious...C'mon...[Men
>>in the white coats are on their way...]
>>    
>>
>
>Hmmm... it also might also be fun to sing Napoleon XIV's song "They're
>Coming to Take Me Away" in airports while transporting such a synth.
>
>For those unfamiliar with this grand classic, here's a snippet from
>the lyrics:
>
>    And they're coming to take me away ha-haaa 
>    They're coming to take me away ho ho hee hee ha haaa 
>    To the funny farm 
>    Where life is beautiful all the time 
>    And I'll be happy to see those nice young men 
>    In their clean white coats 
>    And they're coming to take me away ha haaa 
>
>    You thought it was a joke 
>    And so you laughed 
>    You laughed when I said 
>    That losing you would make me flip my lid 
>
>    Right? You know you laughed 
>    I heard you laugh. You laughed 
>    You laughed and laughed and then you left 
>    But now you know I'm utterly mad 
>
>    And they're coming to take me away ha haaa 
>    They're coming to take me away ho ho hee hee ha haaa 
>    To the happy home with trees and flowers and chirping birds 
>    And basket weavers who sit and smile 
>    And twiddle their thumbs and toes 
>    And they're coming to take me away ha haaa 
>
>:-) :-) :-)
>
>Uh-oh, here they come with those oversized butterfly nets again, gotta
>run... l8r
>
>RDD
>
>  
>

-- 
Oren Leavitt
oleavitt at ix.netcom.com