Five thousand posts

[Mark Hammer]

That's right, five thousand posts since ... actually, I'm not sure when the counter started.

When you consider how long my average post is (not exactly taciturn or laconic, am I), that's a whole lotta key presses, many of them done on my employer's nickel.

To my pleasure, I've only embarrassed myself a few times, and to my pleasure as well I've been able to help a number of people get exactly what they were aiming for.  It's really wonderful when that happens.  To my surprise, or maybe not, people have been unbelievably nice to me.  I still can't get over all the things people just give me.  The generosity here makes me want to pinch myself regularly.

NOT to my surprise is the fact that should I look somebody up from this forum when and if I happen to be in another city, they are always a decent person and we have a great time.

It has been fun watching some people "grow up" here.  And given how young some are when they started, it really HAS been watching them grow up.  Weird to be older than their parents, yet trade notes as if we were classmates, but that's kinda fun too.  I suppose if there is anything that inspires me to keep posting, to keep helping out against all odds, it is the fact that I see just about all of these folks turn into people for whom contributing to the forum and to the community becomes a reflex.  The more they learn, the more they grow, the more competent they become, the more they feel the need to give back.  That is pleasing on so many levels.

I/we have seen our share of tragedy in fellow members too.  Some folks have been to hell and back, sometimes several times.  Some folks here lead lives that are enviable, and others just can't seem to catch a break.  In just about every case, when folks go through hardship, it seems like there is almost no one else they'd rather share their misery with or seek solace from than their buddies here.  And when they have to leave, it is always with regrets.  Some folks have left in anger, but they find it hard to stay angry for long, and the pretty much always come back.  When they return, it is always with welcome.  When they have good news, it seems like there is no one they'd rather tell than the folks here.  Pat yourselves on the back folks, you're good friends and good neighbours.  Your parents raised you right.

So what has changed over 5000 posts?  Well, everyone still seems to love distortion, I guess.  No one seems to have lost a great deal of interest in sounding like any of a half dozen guitar heroes.  Technically, the emergence of technologies and services that permit people to go from the germ of an idea to a finished product has been little short of astonishing.  Five thousand posts ago, there was so much the average person could simply not buy or do.  Making a pedal that looked and worked professional was outside the capabilities of all but a few.  Now, you can go from stumbling onto a rare pedal to having a great compact PCB layout of it made available to having a gorgeous machined pedal with all the bells and whistles and durable color chassis graphics in a matter of a few days.  That has been partly because we helped each other find such materials and methods and services, but also partly because we have become a consumer force to be reckoned with.

What has also changed along with this is the blinding speed with which people can go from "I wonder if a person could make, like, their own guitar cable or even fuzz box?" to being technically savvy enough to be the person doing those PCB layouts.  The resources available for the interested learner, not the least of which are the extremely talented and generous people here, have made rates of progress unbelievably fast.  As I've mentioned in past, what took dopes like me 30 years to acquire is now taking the up and comers 2-3 years and often less.  Part of that has been because the old farts have made it easy to take account of the past.  When we were younger there was a huge past we could never seem to find out about.

The international quality of this forum is as bright a sign of the world's future as any I've seen in my lifetime.  The very idea that people in Khazakistan, Germany, Australia, Sweden, Japan, Greece, Brazil, Spain, England, Mexico, Italy, Canada, and France could be working together on common problems, is pleasing.  As Africa gets more connectivity, I hope to see more coming from there too, and maybe even South Asia.  Heck, lets get some folks from Iran and Iraq.  One day we'll see postings asking where you can get tubes in Turkmenistan, diodes in Djibouti, pots in Paraguay, etchant in Eritrea, copper board in Cameroon, knobs in Nunavut, and transformers in Trinidad .  And we can all complain about limited stock at Radio Shacks around the world together in harmony! 

But seriously, look up in the right hand corner.  As of this posting, 265,703 posts, 35452 topics, 4585 members.  Wow.  Just wow, as my son says.

To those of you whose posts number in the single or double digits, keep at it.  Keep asking questions.  Keep offering whatever answers you can.  Keep praising your colleagues.  Keep feeding everyone with ideas.

To everyone...Keep your iron tinned and warm, keep your horizons growing, keep troubleshooting those things that just won't seem to work, keep helping each other out, keep your temper, keep practicing, keep the faith, and if you live anywhere in the path of the storm moving through eastern North America, keep warm.

[troubledtom]

your wisdom is a thing of joy.
                  - tom

[Toney]

Lovely sentimements.
Cheers.

[formerMember1]

yeah i always appreciated your help!!  Ya never steered me wrong!!

I only been doing pedals since this past summer and have come a long way, thanks to you and others,..

i also posted in your other thread about that contact cleaner stuff, and saw your post count, and by the time i was done typing forgot to mention it your 5,000 post count,

thanks for the help!!

you are to 5,000 posts by helping others, i am almost to 1,000 posts  by asking for help. 

[petemoore]

  I can say for certain that I'm better for knowing Mark Hammer, and a fantastic group of Forumites. Happy 5000th !!!

[vanhansen]

Congratulations, Mark.  I consider myself lucky to have come in to contact with such great people like yourself who share the same passion, whether it be a means of putting food in the table to just an after work and weekends hobby.  Next week I'm on vacation and with the bag of parts a fellow member so graciously sent me (with Christmas colored caps I might add ), I'll be busy.  You've shared so much with everyone here and with me personally when I've had questions.  It's invaluable.

Here's to another 5000 !!! 

[RDV]

----------------------King of the keyboard.

RDV

[johngreene]

Bragger.



Just kidding, an impressive feat Mark!

Edit: you know what, 5000 posts is nothing if you take into consideration just the number of words posted!! I don't think anyone can come close to that! 

--john

[jmusser]

It's been a good place to hang out, that's for sure. Thanks for the reflections.

[Herr Masel]

In almost any other forum I consider a higher post count to mean more free time wasted, this forum is the better, for here it is more time put into practice, and more knowledge/ideas learned and taught. Thanks.

[puretube]

It`s the quality that counts !
(not the quantity that qualifies...)
X5k

[Herr Masel]

True, but what I meant is that around here they usually go hand in hand.

[Marcos - Munky]

Yeah Mark, like Ton said, it's the quality that counts, and your posts do have quality. Thanks for all your help.

[R.G.]

tee hee... wasn't it Winston Churchill that remarked that "Proficiency at billiards is evidence of a misspent youth."?

Maybe Aristotle?

Wow. five thousand. And I think that my fingers are getting shorter from all the banging on the keyboard. 

[12afael]

happy bir"five thousand"day Mark.
I remember times in which there were no forums just a few pages. then the old ampage(do you remember a RaFaEL), cool old times.
now there are a couple of great forums like groupdiy, guitarramania , and a few more.
In other time the people shared by letter . lamentably I was too young and I birth too far .

the sensation to see people grow is beatifull .
4 years ago I created a forum of amplifiers and effects in Spanish now we have more that 700 members and 22000posts .
I have seen young of 17 years old constructing tube amplifiers, I feel so proud of being able to help those . I´m like a godfather.
I´m shure you feel the same.
this year I found a audio group at my university we share info as on a forum but face to face.
I hope that somebody can continue it when I finish the university.

so thanxs for years of help mark .

12afael

[MartyMart]

I'm up to about half that number ..... but the "quality" isn't there  .... yet !!
Thank's Mark, you've made several builds and my knowledge WAY better ..


MM.

[Phorhas]

Mark, many words have been said already, so I'll just asy THANK YOU

[stm]

Congratulations. I've always admired how you participate in all range of posts, from the most simple and humble "my first build doesn't work" to the most technically advanced threads about TZF, pitch shifting, etc.

You certainly enjoy teaching as well as learning. My admiration goes to you this day!

[Ry]

Mark,

While the number s amazing, you should be more proud of the consistent quality of your posts.  I have been around since about '99, on Aron's forum before Ampage and you have always carried on discussions with an amazing amount of respect and level headedness that I aspire to.

Thank you for the time spent and thought invested, may you post 5000 more!

Ry

[sir_modulus]

hey man,

I'd be proud to have 1 or two mark hammer level posts, let alone 5000!