Google Maps Pays A Visit

Posted on by Jeff Posted in Uncategorized

good-idea-jeff_small_biggerImagine my surprise when I put our business address into the navigation function of my phone and was served up a picture of our loading dock.  Not the picture that we posted on our web site, but a picture I had never seen before.

After several years of not being able to find our address (on a private road) in any of the online mapping software, there we were on Google Street View.  Apparently a Google mapping survey vehicle had visited our neighborhood, and there was a picture of our loading dock-uncut grass included-for all the world to see.

While Google Street View may be useful for businesses, say a delivery driver who is wondering which dock is ours, its indiscriminate use, regardless of the address being sought out, is troubling.  I don’t mind someone being able to identify my businessaddress, I would prefer that not just anyone be able to identify which home driveway is mine and which is my neighbors’.

Of less concern in the privacy arena, but clearly of great interest to a business owner, is how unflattering the image Google chose to use was.  We have a very attractive building with a large landscaped front lawn fronting on a major US highway.  We take care in presenting a good face to the public and regret that Google chose to use a view of our facility that almost no one ever sees.

While we have no interest in manipulating accurate data that is in the public domain, we do feel that Google should take more care to present a balanced presentation of what their images really represent.

How Do We Get Rid of These Things?

Posted on by Jeff Posted in batteries, flashlights, Pro Sound — No Comments ↓

battery bob One of the unfortunate aspects of expendable sales, is they create a lot of waste. Batteries are an important part of modern day life, but it does present a waste issue. Even recycleable batteries must be disposed of once they have expired.

The Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC) is in the business of recycling recharageable batteries and cell phones. Rechargeable batteries are commonly found in cordless power tools, cellular and cordless phones, laptop computers, camcorders, digital cameras, and remote control toys. The mission of the RBRC is to keep these batteries out of the solid waste stream while preserving natural resources. When you see a battery recycling bin in a retailer like Radio Shack or Circuit City, it is probably a part of the RBRC network. Participating retailers display this seal.

call2recycle_logo.gif

The rechargeable batteries that RBRC collects are sent to a state-of-the-art facility where they are recycled to reclaim reusable materials that are used in stainless steel production (nickel and iron) and to make new batteries (cadmium). This organization collects cell phones as well, and refurbishes them or recycles the material in an environmentally sound manner.

If you would like to sign up your organization to participate in the RBRC recycling network, here’s a link to the sign up page.

How NOT to tape down a cable.

Posted on by Jeff Posted in tape — No Comments ↓

Tex TalksWe still occasionally rent sound equipment, and I just finished checking in a small sound sytstem rented by a student group. WHAT A MESS!

These guys had carefully taped down all the mic and speaker cables using duct tape-not the best choice, but certainly a common one. So far, so good.

When it came time to strike the cables, instead of taking up the duct tape, they pulled the cables up through the duct tape. Not an easy task! It took a lot of extra effort.

Now each cable had a thin stripe of duct tape (with bonus adhesive) running along its length. To top things off, they had left all the cables in somebody’s hot car trunk over the weekend.

Pulling a cable up THROUGH the tape forces the adhesive (a very sticky natural rubber) against the cable and coats it all over. Because the tape is mostly vinyl, with just a little fabric to reinforce it, the vinyl bonds itself to the wire jacket and immediately begins to attract dirt and stick to everything it touches.

Time for the Camie 22/80 Citrus Adhesive Remover. I have never seen anything perform as well as this stuff for removing sticky adhesives. Camie Citrus Adhesive Remover works wonders. Just a quick wipe with a soft cloth along the length of the cable cleans this problem up in a hurry. It works really well on scuff marks, latex paint, and all sorts of other sticky problems.

Got a good use for Camie Citrus Adhesive Remover (or any of our products) to share with our readers? Let us know.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Pro Gaffer gaffers tape, Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Camie Citrus Adhesive Remover, Electratrac Multioutlet extension cords, OnStage Stand microphone stands, and lots of other useful great supplies.

Wireless Mic Folklore

Posted on by Jeff Posted in batteries, mic cables, microphones & mic stands — No Comments ↓

mike2As someone who has owned and used wireless microphones for years and now sells lots of batteries for them, wireless mic folklore has been part of my work life for years. Recently, I had a chance to examine something that I assumed was unfounded, but turned out to actually be true.

We have sold Duracell Procell batteries for a long time and our largest user base is wireless mic owners. People had told me for years that one reason they preferred the Procell over Energizer’s Industrial line is that the Duracell Procells were slightly longer, and thus made better contact with the battery clips in the microphone transmitter.

I am holding examples of AA batteries from both manufacturers in my hand, and this is absolutely true. My assumption that all AA batteries are the same size was wrong and our customers absolutely knew what they were talking about.

We are in negotiations with another battery manufacturer now, and one of the criteria we will use when considering whether to offer their AA and AAA batteries at Buybattery.com will be how long they are.

I never cease to be amazed at what can be learned from listening to our customers.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Shurtape gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Electratrac and Coast Wire extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands. Look to us first to meet your microphone accessory and battery needs.

Duct tape goes back in time!

Posted on by Jeff Posted in tape — No Comments ↓

mike2Periodically, I talk about our customers finding new uses for our products, and I always end the blog by asking you to let us know if you come across an interesting new use for something we sell. We get some great responses.

We’ll, now its my turn. Try and top this!

I took my daughter and her friends to the Carolina Renaissance Festival, near Charlotte, NC, on Saturday. Beautiful day. Huge Crowds. Great Event.

I’ve been a couple of times, and one of my favorite performers is Dextre Tripp. Dextre performs a really entertaining daredevil show and he is always coming up with something new. I’m not sure exactly what juggling chain saws has to do with the Renaissance, but histocial correctness is not what Dextre’s show is about.

Picture this. Dextre balanced at the top of teetering ladderdaredevil_3 (an major accomplishment in itself), in flames, with 200 exploding firecrackers duct taped to his chest.dare devil 1 This guy is on fire, his chest is exploding, and he never loses his balance. It was one of the most amazing feats I had ever seen, and it could have never been accomplished without duct tape.

For the grand finale, Dextre invites the audience to pelt him with water balloons to put out the flames while he is still balanced on the ladder.

Now that’s entertainment!

The Renaissance Festival runs through the end of November. If you live anywhere near Charlotte, its a great way to spend the day.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Electratrac and Coast Wire extension cords, OnStage Stand mic stands, and lots of other useful production supplies.

Why Does This Device Stay Trapped In The 1950’s?

Posted on by Jeff Posted in extension cords — No Comments ↓

Tex TalksI was adding some components to our office alarm system yesterday and had to plug in a new outboard power supply (wall wart)wallwart.jpg to power it. While there was a spare outlet (two, actually) available, the two power supplies already plugged into two of the four available outlets rendered the last two useless.

Whether you are dealing with duplex (two outlets)duplex.jpg or quad (four outlets) the spacing of your wall outlets has not changed for decades. The space above or below (as well as side-to-side for quads) is still spaced like it was when houses and offices were built in the 1950’s. There are lots of devices designed to get around the problem, but they require additional components, complication and expense.

Since no single connector would ever plug into multiple outlets at the same time, there is absolutely no reason to continue to adhere to this standard. Why don’t wall outlets built into new buildings reflect the need to plug power supplies directly into the wall without covering adjacent outlets? It wouldn’t prevent any devices currently in use from being plugged in, but would accomodate all the devices we now use that require wall warts.

This is a great opportunity for those who market residential and commercial installed wiring devices to solve a problem, create added convenience for the end user, make a safer environment (fewer overload and trip hazards) and maybe even make a little more money themselves.

Let me know what you think.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Shurtape gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Electratrac and Coast Wire extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands. Count on us to meet your power distribution needs.

A real world test for wire ties

Posted on by Jeff Posted in Other News — No Comments ↓

goodbuyguys.com spokespersonThere’s nothing like a real world test to let you know if a product performs as advertised.Goodbuyguys.com got its start doing hands on special event and concert production and began selling the products we used all the time. We don’t do too much “hands on” event work anymore, so its a little more difficult to check out our products.

When I decided to build an outdoor kitchen this summer, I thought it might be nice to cover part of our new patio with an awning. I welded up the frames and mounted them to the side of the house and then went to an old friend who is a sign painter to get the awning cover.

At his suggestion, several years ago, I had replaced an awning by using a vinyl banner that he provided. It worked great and saved a lot of money, so I decided I would use a banner instead of having a custom awning made.

We had grommets set on 6 inch centers rather than on just the corners so that it could be stretched tightly over the frame.

Now for the test.

We have sold wire ties for years, mainly to expo companies and installers who use them for bundling cables. All of our black wire ties are supposed to contain ultraviolet light protection to keep them from breaking down due to exposure to sunlight. I was able to stretch the awning/banner to the frame using 11 inch black wire ties and it looks great. If the UV protection works as advertised by the manufacturer, the ties should last as long as the awning.

Check back with me in a few months and I’ll let you know how they are holding up.

Goodbuyguys.com is a collection of web sites (including buytape.com, buybattery.com, buymicstand.com, buyextensioncord.com, buyaflashlight.com and buywireties.com) designed to deliver a great selection of entertainment production and audiovisual supplies.

Computer Guy, Meet Sound Guy

Posted on by Jeff Posted in extension cords, mic cables, microphones & mic stands, Pro lighting, Pro Sound — No Comments ↓

Tex Talks My experience with using personal computers goes back to the early 1980’s, so I’ve had more than my share of opportunities to set up, take down, reconfigure, and generally wander around computer peripheral cabling. The more I handle this stuff, the more mystified I get.

I began my career as a an audio techncian, and spent many years building, setting up, configuring, and repairing concert sound systems. People who design computer peripheral wiring could learn a lot from the audio industry.

While the performance and compatibility of computer peripherals continues to improve, the interconnections between these devices never catches up. I can’t think of a single data-type connector that comes close to matching the performance of the lowly audio XLR connector, a design that is well into its second half-century of use.

I just spent 15 frustrating minutes trying to replace a computer monitor in the office, only to be reminded that there are at least three (if not more) different pin configurations for a D-sub connector, even though they all have the same physical shell. Maybe, it’s just me, but I almost always have to try to plug in a USB connector at least two times, as there is nothing visible on the outside of the connector to indicate which end is up. I guess there are savings involved in making ethernet connectors with with almost useless plastic locking pins, but the savings quickly evaporate when you spend a half-hour trying to pry one out of a computer port after the release tab snaps off. The list goes on and on.

Audio connectors, on the other hand, are designed to be patched in the dark, repaired (when necessary) in the field, and to be common to hundreds and hundreds of different manufacturers equipment. The Shure SM57 microphone ( probably the most popular and common in the world) uses the same connector now as when it came to market in 1965. A 40 year old SM57 works with a brand new Chinese-made microphone cable right out of the box.

We’re depending more and more on computer-based devices all the time, and the portability designed into these items means that they are constantly having to be cabled and uncabled. Hopefully, manufacturers will consider adopting some connector standards that are up to the task.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Shurtape gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Electratrac and Coast Wire extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands. Count on us to meet your cable needs.

What will they think of next?

Posted on by Jeff Posted in Pro lighting — No Comments ↓

goodbuyguys.com spokespersonIt’s been a long time since I did any concert or special event lighting, but I still follow the industry pretty closely. I came across a really odd innovation and before I knew it my imagination got away from me.

Take a look at this.dmx phone The dmx phone from Digital Light Solutions is a lighting controller interface that will let you use a common cordless telephone to remotely control a dmx enabled stage lighting system. The manufacturer promotes the device as a simple and effective remote focus tool, as, at least in theory, the telephone can also store multiple cues.

It’s a little hard to follow the logic of spending $500.00 so that you can then use a $29.99 cordless phone from Radio Shack to focus and control a lighting system without being tethered by a cable. Especially when simple DMX controllers can be purchased for a couple hundred bucks. I guess that the wireless capability would be nice, that is if you were willing to put up with the laughter of everyone else on the crew. “LD,  phone home!”

Here’s what really got me thinking about this package.

My cordless phone at home constantly scans for unused frequencies in the range allocated by the FCC for telephones. This is so I can have some privacy from neighbors whose phones might use the same frequency.

I have tickets for an upcoming performance of The Lion King. If they had the dmx phone interface in their lighting system, could I fire up my phone, scan to find the frequency their system was set to, and take over control of the show? Now that would be cool.

Got a cool idea to share? Let us know.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Electratrac and Coast Wire extension cords, OnStage Stand mic stands, and lots of other useful production supplies

Posted on by Jeff Posted in gaffers tape — No Comments ↓

spokesperson for buytape.comA while ago I took my family to see The Lion King last night at Memorial Auditorium in Raleigh, NC. What a terrific show! Memorial Auditorium has been a great customer of ours for a long time and they are having terrific success with their Broadway Series.

We have been a supplier for both touring companies of The Lion King for a number of years and we enjoy working with their great crews. I had been to the show in New York a couple of years ago and was anxious to see how it would adapt to a road production. Since the music, props, puppets and costumes translate well into touring halls, the bulk of the show travels well. Some of the large set pieces have been reduced in size, but that really doesn’t reduce the impact of this huge production.

Our friends Mark Colvin and Chris McKay, Lion King property masters, use gaffers tape, friction tape and other products they get from us to keep the puppets and props in the show in working order. They really have their hands full and do a great job. This show is stunning in its beauty and its complexity.

While I’m on the subject of Broadway touring shows, what’s up with the way they price tickets these days. The face value of the tickets were a reasonable (when you consider the cost of a production like this), but by the time the got into my hands, they cost considerably more.  Why so many additional added on service charges, handling fees, mystery charges, etc.? I can’t think of any other industry that prices their product this way. How about just charging an honest price and simplifying this ridiculous surcharge system!

Got an opinion about the cost of seeing a good show? Let us know about it.

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