Surely it is only good manners when another target date is missed to at least let people know what is going on.

Because we know that there is going to be only a limited number of kits in the first batch I'm sure everyone is, like me, checking the board several times a day for news and it is very frustrating to hear nothing day after day.

I'm probably blowing my chance of getting one of the first batch by saying this but I think this lack of updates is very rude when so many people are waiting. (over 1400 viewings of my previous post on the subject)

I know that people are doing this in their own time,and I really am very grateful for all of their efforts, but it doesn't take much to keep us informed.

Remember that Patrick is not devoting 100% of his time to this (and I don't expect him to). He has other more important commitments to attend to. He has put a huge amount of his own money and time into this and he didn't have to do it for us.

Patience is a virtue.

when another target date is missed


I wasn't aware that *another* target date had been missed. In all posts from Patrick (or Rob) regarding the subject they have been upfront with what they want as a target date, but *also* about the fact that this is an unofficial 'third-party' kit that will be ready when it is ready.

Obviously there are a lot of people interested in this kit, but the vast majority of them understand the 'rules' and are waiting patiently, even though we'd all admit that it is difficult to do.


I'm probably blowing my chance of getting one of the first batch by saying this


Well then, why say it??????! The first batch is, IIRC, 70 kits limited to a max of 2 per person. I'd guess that the first batch will sell out within a day - and would do so even if it were twice the size. But you're probably in luck, I doubt that Rob or Patrick would be vindictive and discount you from the first batch. (Obviously I don't speak for them so I could be wrong. ) But you'll still have to run the gauntlet with the rest of us.

What you need to remember is that Patrick has a lot of his own money sunk into this project that he'd like to recover as soon as possible. I obviously don't know the exact figure, but suffice it to say, it is probably in the $10k region. I'm sure that Patrick has a lot of potential uses for that money.

As you have observed, this is being done in Patrick's own time. As with all of the third party hardware and software offerings by members of the board, we have to accept that Patrick has to put bread on the table too.

There are also precendents for empeg-related projects involving patient waits;

The original Mk1 Empeg.
The button LED kit. (About 8 months waiting list)
Mark Lord's docking bay. (Takes 3rd place to work and climbing)
...and others.

I don't think that this tuner kit is unique in that aspect.

I'm sure that Patrick could have produced a couple of hundred built tuners and had them all shipped by the end of September if he'd really been inclined too. But the price would have probably been $300+, and that may have been too much for the market to bear. The reality is that low volume electronics is an incredibly tough market to be in - and I for one am thankful that despite knowing this, Patrick is still prepared to invest his own time and money into producing the tuner kit for us.

Your timing is impeccable, sir.

i love it when a plan comes together.. or someone has to eat their own words.

I'll get my coat !

Dont feel bad - you only expressed what a few others here were probably thinking (not me though )

Erm i you forgot to mention i waited 18 months for the mk2 to come out after seeing a mk 1 so you want an empeg you wait you want a big company poo pile buy it tomorrow

The button LED kit. (About 8 months waiting list)

EGADS!!! I didn't know it was that long!!! Maybe I'll learn to solder well enough by then... I found someone able to do that soldering for me, but I ordered my kit last month. I hope he remembers his promise!!!

We should get this guy to whine about lack of 2.0-final, so it will come out the next hour

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We should get this guy to whine about lack of 2.0-final, so it will come out the next hour.

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You kiddin'? I'm just estatic that they ARE making a 2.0 final. After over a year of it being discontinued! Heell.. If the programmers were local, I'd all treat them to a movie or soemthing.
It shows customer service, and that means more to me than just about anything else..

Me.

Pay for some beers at their local bar.

Pay for some beers at their local bar.

Um, that's "pints" and "pub".

Why do I have the feeling that when it comes to imbibing alcohol, these blokes don't need any assistance translating American to English?

Pints. I find it humorous that England has gone all metric, except for the beer. Don't mess with a limey's pint!

Beers and the speeds of our cars...

Try ireland for a giggle road signs distances are in Km but speed limits are in Mph I am not jesting

Why do I have the feeling that when it comes to imbibing alcohol, these blokes don't need any assistance translating American to English?

LOL... "beers" needs no translating anyway, that's a perfectly valid English usage ("Let's go for a few beers"). But "bar", apart from being the piece of furniture in a pub from which the drinks are served, tends to mean a pretentious and/or poncey drinking establishment, which certainly doesn't describe the Wrestlers (despite its bizarre new exterior lighting).

Peter

It just occurred to me that I remember there was a law in England whereby a shopkeeper could actually be arrested for selling things in English units. I guess that doesn't apply to beer?

Here it is. Maybe it's just produce?

Never thought of that actually. I guess it's an exception to the law.
Besides, I'd feel stupid walking into a pub and asking for ~0.5683 litres of beer please!

- Trevor

Ironically while beer is still sold in pints (Real pints of 20 Imperial Ozs too), spirits (hard liquor) are now sold metrically.

Might be that prepackaged foods and beverages fit the law. In the US, one of the few places where metric is used is bottled soda / cola products. 1L, 2L, etc. Of course, cans are still sold in ounces. Go figure. It explains a lot though...

It just occurred to me that I remember there was a law in England whereby a shopkeeper could actually be arrested for selling things in English units. I guess that doesn't apply to beer?

Correct, there are specific exemptions for beer, cider, and milk.

http://www.dti.gov.uk/ccp/topics1/guide/metricbus.pdf

Peter

Real pints of 20 Imperial Ozs too

The last time I was in the United States, I went into a bar (on Lower Murphy Avenue in Santa Clara) and asked for "a pint of Sam Adams". I wasn't really paying attention and it was only when the waitress asked if we wanted another round that I noticed that I'd been served a 20oz glass, whereas my colleagues had both been served 16oz glasses. Perhaps my English accent is more convincing than theirs? It was an "Irish" bar, so perhaps they're more attuned to British, as opposed to US, units?

Peter

There are a lot of places in the US that sell ``pints'' of beer in ``cheaters'', which are glasses that appear to be 20oz glasses, but which have over-thick walls and bottoms, so that they contain well less than 20oz. Are you sure that you got 20oz?

Of course, that wouldn't explain why you got a differently sized glass than your colleagues. Was your beer on tap and theirs from bottles or something? Maybe you got a 16oz glass and they got a 12oz glass (bottles in the US are 12oz, IIRC)?

Greenshields serves their beer in pints..

There are a lot of places in the US that sell ``pints'' of beer in ``cheaters'', which are glasses that appear to be 20oz glasses, but which have over-thick walls and bottoms, so that they contain well less than 20oz. Are you sure that you got 20oz?

When we asked the waitress for "three more Sam Adams", she said, "Uh, this one's an Imperial" and it was only then we noticed it looked like a bigger glass (pubs in the UK often have several different shapes of pint glass, and it's pretty random which one you get).

Is it fairly common to serve 20oz pints in the US, then? Do people actually ask for "an Imperial Sam Adams" if that's what they want, or do some places serve 20oz pints by default?

Of course, that wouldn't explain why you got a differently sized glass than your colleagues. Was your beer on tap and theirs from bottles or something?

Dunno, perhaps it's in what they asked for ("two Sam Adams"). Maybe they even got a different bartender (they turned up a few minutes after me), one who didn't have the "English accent, serve Imperial measures" heuristic.

Peter

I do know that if they claim to be selling pints, then they are required to serve pints. That is, ``pint'' cannot be used simply as a synonym for ``glass of beer''.

My guess is that you asked for a pint and they asked for a ``Sam Adams''. As to what actually happened beyond that is unknown to me.

As far as it being common to serve imperial pints, it's not rare, but it largely depends on the bar. I'd say that a general rule of thumb is that they're much more likely to if they have a lot of beers on tap. If they serve most beers from the bottle and have two or three crappy beers on tap, then you're more likely to get a beer in whatever size glass they could get cheap from the distributor.

I do know that if they claim to be selling pints, then they are required to serve pints. That is, ``pint'' cannot be used simply as a synonym for ``glass of beer''.

Sure, but presumably they're entitled to serve 16oz US pints rather than 20oz Imperial pints. I just wondered how they chose which. (This is leaving out the confusion caused by the 4% difference in the size of the fluid ounce -- an Imperial pint is 568ml or about 19.2 US fluid ounces.)

Peter

Aren't we a little off the subject of this thread?!?

I am waiting patiently!

OH wow, just saw the post about the tuner kits being available!!!

Cool.
Now just wonder how far down i am on the list!

Aren't we a little off the subject of this thread?!?

But my post displays an annoying lack of info over tuner kits -- surely it's bang on-topic?

Peter

I guess my point is that if you were unable to initially notice the difference in sizes, then maybe you also were unable to notice the fact that you had a 16oz glass and your colleagues had a 12 oz glass, which would make yours a pint and theirs not. Well, maybe not, but I don't know how inebriated you already were. (And before you say something about the waitress claiming it was Imperial -- that may well be their codeword for ``real pint'', so as not to appear to be screwing the rest of their customers.)

As to why certain bars would serve one size versus another, I suppose it's up to the individual owners. Smaller pints would tend to make more money, but the local Bennigan's advertises serving ``real pints'', so I suppose that there's some cachet in imperial pints, especially for those that pretend to be Irish or English inspired.

As to why one bar would serve two different sizes when none of you thought you had made any distinction I have no idea. Mistake?

Greenshields

Ah! Someone else from Raleigh! I prefer Tir na Nog myself. One of the few places in town where you can get a Guinness poured properly.

Edit: I haven't been in a while, tho' and it seems that it might have taken a turn for the worse.

Edit: I haven't been in a while, tho' and it seems that it might have taken a turn for the worse.

Ran out of beer? ...are now Tir No Nog?

Yep.. We got a keg from Greenshields and thought it was pretty good beer (helps to be served strait from the tanks). Have not yet made a visit to Tir na Nog, though I've been wishing to for a while..

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But my post displays an annoying lack of info over tuner kits -- surely it's bang on-topic?

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Certainly seems on-topic to me..
And as far as the whole differently-sized glass, maybe the waitress just LIKED you better? (Hey, it's possible.. Right?)
'Sides, now that someone mentioned it, what pub do I have to call to get ya'll a drink? (And I'll do it, too. Assuming I can pay for it over the tele... Hmm.. "Yes, I'd like three pints of your best for three chaps that will be in later tonight. Do you take Mastercharge?")

Me.

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Beers and the speeds of our cars...

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Yup. As per my last note, definately on-topic.

Me.

what pub do I have to call

Surely this needs to go in the FAQ under Basic questions about the car player and the company?

Besides, I'd feel stupid walking into a pub and asking for ~0.5683 litres of beer please!

Just ask for the full litre then There is a bar near me that servers, pints (16oz), 1/2 litre, and full litre beers. In fact I had a litre or two of beer there while watching the superbowl a couple of weekends ago

Just ask for the full litre then

ewww...wouldn't it be warm before you're half done with it?

--dan.

ewww...wouldn't it be warm before you're half done with it?

Well they serve them in thick, glass, frozen mugs. I haven't had a problem finishing one before it got warm, but I do consider myself to be a fairly accomplished beer drinker

Is it fairly common to serve 20oz pints in the US, then? Do people actually ask for "an Imperial Sam Adams" if that's what they want, or do some places serve 20oz pints by default?


I've never asked for an 'Imperial' pint anywhere...but it is fairly common in the north-eastern states for a full 20oz pint to be served, especially if you're in an Irish pub or bar. A lot of the micro-brewary establishments also seem to offer the choice of 16oz or 20oz pints which is a bit bizarre. My only hypothesis is that their entire existance is based upon rebelling against the US mega-corp lager industry to start with, and in doing so they have taken a look at how beer is sold in other countries and decided that 20oz is a far better size for a beer.

Aren't we a little off the subject of this thread?!?

You're new here, aren't you?

Naaaaaa. blah blah blah

watching the superbowl

whats a superbowl ?

A bunch of people running around throwing, carrying and chasing after an oddly shaped piece of synthetic pig skin, trying to prove they're the best in the world this year at doing so.

whats a superbowl ?

Two litres of beer. In a wide glass.

Peter