My Rave Reviews and Really Cool Websites.
by Roy Mackey
You know I am a real fan of word of mouth advertisting. Especially these days, since accountants working closely with the devil and marketing agencies have concluded that it is cheaper to do marketing than to make a better product. Actually they are not really stupid about it since there is an element of truth to it. A prime example is with smoking. They only had to tell people over and over a few million times that smoking was healthy and good before everyone wanted to smoke and loved the taste... in fact some so much that they would rather fight than switch brands!!! Then along came someone with some influence who started telling a different story and perception changed again. Now the smell of cigarette smoking rates right up there wih something you stepped in while at the park!.
This all makes it harder to get around this forced impression even with word of mouth. At least with word of mouth there is a chance you will get some truth. With advertising there is no chance. Not all companies are like this though. Take Apple for example, they invested a ton of money standing the phone industry on it's ear and they were not even in the buisiness!!! Accountants at all the other phone companies were trying to figure out how to call their old phone a "New" phone by adding a pretty blue button. While they were busy doing that Apple was gearing up to rock the whole boat.
Two years later every other company is scrambling to catch up with this "Newbi" in the business. We all heard their ads... along with comments like "the new x phone is going to blow the iPhone right out of the water" Some of the graphics in those ads were amazing (that idea came from the accounting and marketing departments) Sure enough though it just turned into a lot of hot air and steam... I knew a couple of people who got stung buying phones by those "desperate to catch up" phone companies.
Almost all of us have had similar experiences with this. We used to eat at Subwaste quite often and were quite happy when one opened down the street. We went there once and were amazed as we watched her fiddling around trying to make sure we did not get one grain of lettuce more than we should of. It was almost embarrassing to watch. The only advantage to it was that the sandwich fit in our mouths easier. She made a lot more profit on that one sandwich than she would of normally but we have never been to her Subwaste ever again.... in fact almost never to another Subwaste again!! Hmmm I wonder where the profit was in that? Of course it is no surprise why 80 percent of all new businesses fail within the first year!! Thus I go back to the importance of word of mouth. Below is my word of mouth....
Oh and you as the consumer do have the power also using your "dollar vote" with every nickle you spend. In fact you can't spend a penny without it being a "vote"
My Favorite Site
To me gas welding is like meditating. You are forced to focus your attention "in my case especially" for very long periods of time on a few vital things like the flame, welding rod, and weld puddle. If you are not paying at least partial attention your weld will fail. For me to get my wandering mind to stay in one place for as long as I do is nothing short of a miracle. This is partially why I dropped out of school. That along with my very short memory. If you don't believe the memory part me just ask those people I grew up with back on the farm. I can't quite remember their names now but they fed me well for the first half of my life... ok maybe more.
Anyway in todays modern world with everything constantly flashing us in the face in small fast blips welding is a huge break from that. What I really love about gas welding is how quiet it is unlike mig welding. To me an hour or three of straight welding leaves me feeling very zen and relaxed. Way more than an hour or two soaking in some hot tub.
Anyway you should try it sometime and if you do or already are a welder then you must check out this site. A gas welders dream narrated by the God of gas welding... Kent White. I never met the guy but obviously he is someone who knows what he is talking about. I am hoping that, one day, if I ever grow up and get a life I am going to take one of his metal working courses. You could too. Remember just because you lean to weld doesn't mean you have to weld something useful or practical. Look at me!! I weld all the time and almost never make anything useful... except for that broken drill bit I welded once.
Welding is meditation... just keep your eyes on the flame.... as you go.... deeper.... and deeper... and deeper.... in to ... relaxation...
Just in case you forgot to click:
When it comes to really cool stuff this is the site to check out! Now I am not just saying this because he is now has my modified hammer series on his site either. I am saying this because his site is incredible!! I have been getting his newsletter for a long time and always loved going there. You have to check it out to see what I mean. If you do most of your shopping at wallysmart or similar then maybe it is not for you. But if you like really cool, pre-roboticly made stuff with class then this is your site!!!
by
Steven Pressfield
I don't see cry-babies liking this book much. Mostly because it exposes, in a flash, how serious they are about their work. If you have gotten attached to cry-babying and excuses yourself then you may want to save your money. Though if you want the truth on how to get somewhere with your art then this is a "must read". There's not a mean word in this book but a lot of painfully truthful ones. Some can't take the truth some can.
After years of my trying all the other techniques out there like meditation, visualization, law of attraction, affirmations, rituals, gambling, distraction, brainstorming, astrology, tarot, I ching, tool collecting and re-birthing I got no where. Years of busting my butt trying to find the easy way and absolutely no answers or results.
Then ole Smartie pants "Pressfield" comes along suggesting I should just try working!!! What a novel idea I thought and decided to giver a try it. Needless to say my productivity has now skyrocketed, I have more leisure time, I also feel more calm, cool, content and centered. I do my writing and sculpture every day. I have traded my artist "angst" for "artistic prolificness" I decided to give up my hunt for the holy grail. I now let all those other Indiana Jones types out there do the holy grail hunting for me... I am too busy now with art work to do. My site is calling me for more content!!! : )
This guys work will get you thinking... if you are brave enough to slow down to really look.
Hey if you are looking for cool art click here. This guy is amazing and in fact one of the artists on my secret must buy list. Good luck trying to by a piece off him though. Unless you got the class and the cash.
Here is another score I stumbled across. In fact just down the street from us. Marta and I were out one day just going for a walk to get some candy bars for breakfast the next day when we spotted the place. She said we should go in but I took one look and noticed they had a lot of junk similar to what I have in my studio. Weirdo's I thought after all my Dad always told me to never trust anyone who did what I did. Just the same she conned me into going in. Now I kept my back to the exit door just in case as you can never be too careful with people selling this kind of stuff. Before long though I was drooling over all the cool scores they had in there. On top of that the two owners seemed very nice and friendly. A couple of real dynamo's with incredibly good taste and style. Now I am talking here about Wally's Mart or Iskea tastes that have made Vancouver design what it is today but real taste. Classic vintage pieces covered in a patina that only time can reproduce. Pieces that will outlast you and are as much an investment as anything. Now I admit if you are rich and can afford to shop at Wally's Mart or Iskea then fine you may want to stick to them. After all it is only the rich that can truly afford to buy that cheap junk. Mostly because six months later you will be throwing it in the landfill. Unfortunately most lower income people don't realize the folly and expense of buying that stuff. Mind you I guess landfills gotta eat too.
Anyway after a little haggling, hair pulling and eye scratching we managed to work out a deal on some card file cabinets they had there. Likely sixty years old or more and still work like day one. This in incredible considering if you are not careful with most new ones today will get damaged or broken on the way home from the store. Not a big deal if you are rich of course but I aint. The nice thing about buying classic vintage stuff like they sell it will very likely never see the landfill. After you step beyond the great divide your kids with be thanking you for leaving them these gems. Which will be far better than cursing you for buying so much disposable landfill junk that they have to deal with. No it is win/win shopping here. Anyway if you are in the hood chekem out... you will be glad you did. I believe they are presently open by appointment only right now but you can do a little window shopping if you do wing by.
These guys have cool tools... really. They don't seem to sell much crap like most tool places these days. Want quality then check them out.
604-872-1696
Seriously if you are short on cash you want to shop here!!! I pay twice the price for bandsaw blades here I used to buy elsewhere. BUT the blades last ten times as long!!!!!!!!!! Now unless you failed math in school you can see what a bargain this place is. I used to buy blades for my metal bandsaw at another cheep import store awhile ago. The blades were a great bargain if you were cutting balsa wood otherwise they were just a frustrating and drepressing disappointment. Not to mention money down the drain!! When one of the blades I get here breaks I always go "Finally" as it sometimes seem they last forever and I do a lot of cutting. Not only that but these guys are into service. The one time I was there they asked me if I break in my blades. I never heard of that before but apparently if you do they even last longer!! When they first told me that I was like "dude you guys are scaring me" It was strange.... kind of like a doctor who doesn't sell you pills, or a mechanic who only fixes what really needs fixing, or a gas station telling you how to get better gas milage!!!! They also sell drill bits and all sorts of other blades. In fact I tried a couple of their drill bits and have since decided to finally let go of the cheap pot metal ones I have been buying... again at the cheap import tool stores around town. With the economy like it is you cannot afford to waste money on cheap junk. Just my two bits here.
Best place in the world to buy crap you don't need. One of the last places where you will actually find real customer service! You see people selling on ebay NEED your high rating. They seriously want you to be happy with your purchase. Do you really think the sales clerk at wallysmart is so excited about the "employee of the month award" that they just can't wait to give you a hand? Naive store owners might think so but anyone living in the real world (including scientists who studied these cheapo awards) knows those cheap paper awards are about as exciting as not stepping in a dog mine at the local park. They are more of an insult than anything.
Ok they do sell some cheap stuff and the videos I bought from them sucked big time but they have a cool array of odd ball hard to find handy dandy tools! I use their catalog often to score some really cool stuff.
The sellers of reeel fine robotic cnc plasma cutting machines. In my oppinion the best you can buy for the price. Best tool I ever bought by a long shot!!
Not sure I know everything that these guys do but they sure helped me with my vintage 1948 Brunner air compressor!! They actually saved it from certain death. Which of course saved me from the pain and suffering that would have caused. If you want to know a little more check my blog post on them.
http://www.burningiron.com/me-blogging-the-dog/berkley-compressor-in-red-deer
or
Seriously you will never regret dealing with these guys!!
These guys got a couple of gizmos I intend to score soon. Definately a fine American company selling high quality parts
604-278-0060
It was by shear fluke that I had the good fortune to bump into these guys!! Man what a lucky day that was!!!! One of my vintage machines here needed a couple of impossible to find springs. I was stumped and it was not going to run without them. Some guy said they will make them for you. I was like... yeah right... as if. Finally after a few days of blank stares from bored parts counter people I snapped and phoned them.
I am telling you this is one incredible place if you need springs...
one or ten thousand!!
Not only that but even after I told him I only needed two he was still willing to talk to me??? I could not believe it!! Real old time service!! (for those who don't know what service is I can explain. it is where the business you are dealing with actually gives a shit... not just pretends they do.) I am telling you, check them out, you will be glad you did.
604-738-2205
Now as you may know I am not one to go on and on about something but if you need a good chiropractor then Paul Dodsworth is your man. Over the years I have been to see a lot of different chiro's and found some that were very good and some not so good. One chiropractor I went to years ago... Dr. EZ Mile... seriously that was his name!! told me some intersting stuff about his business. He said that if a chiropractor was good then each subsequent visit should be farther appart than the previous visit. Thus as time went by you would need to see him less and less. He was right as he did miracles on my back and the visits quickly got farther and farther apart. This was a great concept but I could not see where the money was in that?? Sure enough though that is exactly what I found every time. With every good chiropractor I saw each subsequent visit is farther appart than the previous visit. Needless to say I found this with Paul.
Why someone would want to get into a business like that is beyond me. The only thing I can figure is that they are more concerned with healing people than buying new gold plated golf clubs. Obviously Paul is one of those strange doctors who really does want to heal people since I have needed to see him less and less over the years. When I do need to see him it is usually because I was carrying a 400 pound block of steel with one arm up a ladder or something like that. After seeing about ten or more different chiro's over the years I would honestly have to say that Paul has pretty well been the best of the best!! On top of that he is just a really great guy!!
Bambo Cafe
Hey if you lurking around Vancouver and looking for something great to eat... Herez the place!!! Not only that but they have extremely good taste in art!! If you stop in there take notice of my piece "New Moon" on the wall. They also have some of my handmade post cards.... FREE!!!
If You get on my contact list you can get updates every so often on new work and shows etc that I have coming up. These are titled LIVE ART NEWS IN AMERICA and go out every month or so. Keep up to date on new work, latest books and other funny stuff. Just to note I never sell or give out emails to anyone for any reason.
ph. 604-269-3500