Other What currently makes your life awesome?

Hairy PC Jesus has made a video on the ethics of LTT after taking $100k for a fan testing machine he’s never used.

Jerry Jerry Jerry *throws a chair*

 

They cover so much more than that tbh, and frankly, having now watched the video, it's a lot more concerning than just spending big on testing equipment that they don't yet know how to use properly.

I've always taken LTT as a "for entertainment only" kind of deal. On videos they do for "big" hardware releases, there are usually always corrections made during the edit or inconsistent data that doesn't make sense. The amount of stuff that company puts out in a week is absolutely insane, something like 24 videos a week across all their channels, there's no way they can be rigourous and methodical for every single review they do.

However some of the stuff highlighted in the GN video is seriously dodgy. I watched the LTT Billet Labs video when it came out, and even at the time I could tell that it was a pretty shoddy effort from LTT. I'm pretty sure one of the hosts even admits on camera that they're not using the documentation that was sent with it. I've literally never installed a GPU water block, but it's obvious even to me that a block made for one specific card will perform poorly - or not perform at all - when used on a completely different card. But I didn't realise that LTT had auctioned off this one-of-a-kind prototype without permission, which has now effectively stalled Billet Labs before they've even got to market properly... That's... beyond unethical, it's theft. And Linus had the gall to double-down on a WAN Show segment and flat-out call it a bad product. JFC...

My respect for GN has only increased the years. Besides being one of the more in-depth and rigourous review channels, they've done a number of videos like this where they call out unethical, irresponsible, or inaccurate practices - even when these videos are likely to directly harm their relationships with manufacturers, system integrators, or even other creators. EDIT: And they visibly and publicly own up to their mistakes.

 

Found out my best mate from my younger years also passed his big bike test a couple months ago and is also looking for people to ride with.

This is a picture of our bikes in 2011!


I sense some fun times ahead.

 

A 6 cylinder S3? lovely, that IS a treat! 95 HP is more like it and servo brakes too.

 

Following on from other recent postings, in this very thread:

 

I received an unexpected special gift today, and I'm quite touched.
I got to work and found that instead of a bag of camera spares that I was told had arrived while I had a couple of days off, I had been given a beautiful Nikonos V underwater camera in olive green.

When I was at the camera shop, I sold the last batch of these in the UK after they were discontinued in the early 2000s

It came from my parents' neighbour up the road whose kids I grew up with.

I was intrigued by his underwater camera on holiday in 1980, and bought similar one a few years later for boating and snorkelling. He then bough this one to go with it and I admired it years ago.
The original one has gone to a daughter, but while he was having a big clear out, he remembered that I'd always loved this one and asked for first refusal of he ever came to sell it.

It's an amazing bit of kit, with 4 other lenses available for it with 2 of them useable on land.

The super wide 15mm lens is designed to be in direct contact with water and has been adapted to be used on modern mirrorless cameras as it is better corrected and sharper than moren land lenses behind a port!

I now have a selection of Nikonos models and a Calypso camera from 1962 on which they are based, I need room for a display shelf...

So, a thank you card and special bottle of wine are being sorted for him tomorrow.

It's not quite your thing @Bloody_Pete but you might appreciate the engineering that allows it to descend to 50m safely. BTW, your cameras look completely incredible in engineering and output terms.
How's the PC case coming on?

 

Is that your new signature, mate?

 

For a little while at least.

 

Awesome: lunch in our French farmhouse garden:



Daunting: the work needed to turn the barn into a workshop:

 

You're gonna need a bigger lathe.

 

Pre ventilated to let any fumes out at high level - very h&s conscious of you

 

Our girls. Who have brought me out of a pit of despair.

Final Sunday.

 

co codamol 30/500 for an old shoulder injury.

 

My drug of choice for migraines.

 

Will just fit:

 

Anti-hotlink site.

 

* sharp intake of breath, takes cig out of mouth *

"Oooh, that's a bit of a job there mon ami, I can do it for €silly-number but I can tell there'll be 'unforeseen' extra expenses to come."

"D'accord?"

 

Tis good stuff.

 

Yeah, a bit like that. Luckily the place is awash with British builders who set up business here doing up the rural holiday/retirement properties of mad foreigners. "My Derelict House in the Sun"...

But as long as I can get the roof and floor done I can repoint the walls myself.

 

Auction day, some really nice lots came up but unfortunately I got outbid on most

I’ve walked away from many auction having overspent on lots that’ll yield absolutely no profit and leave me with a ton of work to recoup cash. Finally im learning!

I did however have an early victory. Large camera gear lot, I confidently laid down a £75 autobid, but much to my surprise it sold for a measly fiver!

Looking forward to digging through those boxes tomorrow

Edit: Box collected, I'd say a solid £300-£400 in resale value from a fiver spent. woot!