After a month’s season break, the club members are reporting in to begin this year’s labs. Boon published an article in 2009 which explains the usage of serial cables. He informs us logic gates have been superseded by computer code and advises us to stop learning from the chips. I feel the chips are an invaluable aid. However, Boon is our most advanced member and a sure way to get attention at any meeting is to begin with “Singapore says . . .” E24 has decided to wait until year-end to attend a formal electronics college and I may join in. He declares on-line courses are unsuitable because they demand “impeccable time management skills”. We may collaborate on college for it is well-known whenever our club gets involved our people pass with a mark of 100% and that is that. Our motto is like “no genius left behind because so many idiots are blocking the way”, but I never said that.
I had a choice on what to do tonight, I stayed home. I have no lifestyle of going out Fridays unless I’m playing, and when I’m not, it is a waste of money and makes you sleep in on Saturday. Even those few years I was not in a band and worked, I didn’t go out Fridays because payday was a Thursday. So here I am, wiring together a prototype headlight for the scooter. Something must be done about the way it eats a bulb every other month. Close examination shows it is a bad metal to glass connection, not the socket.
For a shocker, I see the bar charge for silver has gone up to $5.50 for Engles. This is not sustainable unless you know for certain silver is going to go sky-high. And with Utah leading the way in accepting silver and gold coins as currency, the mood is set for Montana, Colorado and Idaho at least. Utah also exempts [US minted] gold and silver coins from state capital gains taxes. I am unable to find out how the coins are evaluated, I would hesitate to accept a silver coin saying $1, but not if it said 1 oz. Also, when you pay in silver, your change is given back in paper currency.
The two monetary systems seem incompatible, but they aren’t. Anyone with Internet access can find spot prices, each state need only agree on which one to use. Inflation has to triple US prices in the next short while, there is no way out as the damage is already done. When that happens, the huge holders of overseas US money will pour it back into this country and make paper even more worthless.
This is an application of Gresham’s Law. At first glance it seems contradictory to pay a bill with valuable silver when you could pay it with worthless paper dollars. The answer is in the timing, you don’t know the price the owner paid for the silver. Just a few years back, he may have got it for $4.00 an ounce. Those who buy silver today will have a very easy time paying their bills in the near future. It goes without saying that to buy for the future, you must be operating at a surplus today. I know I am.
Outside of one or two specialty outfits, there are still no country bands advertising in south Broward. I was checking prices on three piece groups and up, which begin around the $700 mark. I just don’t see how they can make a living at it. There are not enough clubs and not enough money. This study is why I chose a duo, so we can lower the price to the point where we play more often. And I’m just the guy to calculate the breakeven point. Hell, I’d love to break even again.
We won’t be any competition for a while. Mind you, some of the live acts who’ve posted on youTube are not going to be hard to contend with. They are pretty ho-hum and play like they consider country music a farce or comedy. Those who dispute the value of a good band manager haven’t seen my show. What sets my band apart from the pack is effective leadership. And right now, we are looking for one small paying room to perfect our sound before tackling bigger shows.
