Return-Path: X-Processed-By: Virex 7 on prxy.net X-Real-To: stagecraftlist [at] theatrical.net Received: by prxy.net (CommuniGate Pro PIPE 4.2.10) with PIPE id 22053107; Wed, 27 Apr 2005 03:01:42 -0700 X-ListServer: CommuniGate Pro LIST 4.2.10 List-Unsubscribe: List-ID: Message-ID: From: "Stagecraft" Sender: "Stagecraft" To: "Stagecraft" Precedence: list Subject: Stagecraft Digest #376 Date: Wed, 27 Apr 2005 03:01:26 -0700 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1" Content-Disposition: inline X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.0.2 (2004-11-16) on prxy.net X-Spam-Status: No, score=-4.8 required=5.0 tests=ALL_TRUSTED,AWL,BAYES_00, RAZOR2_CF_RANGE_51_100,RAZOR2_CHECK autolearn=ham version=3.0.2 X-Spam-Level: X-TFF-CGPSA-Version: 1.4f2 X-prxy-Spam-Filter: Scanned For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see --------------------------------------------------- Stagecraft Digest, Issue #376 1. Punctuation by "Stephen E. Rees" 2. Re: Punctuation by Steve Larson 3. Re: Punctuation by "Stephen E. Rees" 4. Re: Punctuation by John Bracewell 5. Re: Punctuation by "Jeffrey E. Salzberg" 6. Re: Electrical math shock check by Scott Parker 7. Re: Auto Cad 2005 for $99.95 -- is this legal?? by "Karl G. Ruling" 8. Re: CD80 dimmer pack trouble by "Paul Sanow" 9. Re: Electrical math check by "jsmith at theatrewireless.com" 10. Need a Breakaway today! by "Frank E. Merrill" 11. Software Spam bouncing the list by Noah Price 12. Re: Punctuation by Pat Kight 13. Re: Punctuation by IAEG [at] aol.com 14. Subject: Dance Floor Replacement by "dk" 15. Re: Punctuation by "Jeffrey E. Salzberg" 16. Re: Punctuation by "Jon Ares" 17. Re: CD80 dimmer pack trouble by Mark O'Brien 18. Re: CD80 dimmer pack trouble by Ford H Sellers 19. CD80 dimmer pack trouble by 20. Re: Punctuation by "Michael Denison" 21. Re: Punctuation by Pat Kight 22. Dance Floor Replacement by 23. Re: Punctuation by "Don Taco" 24. Re: CD80 dimmer pack trouble by "Paul Sanow" 25. Re: Punctuation by Pat Kight 26. Re: Subject: Dance Floor Replacement by IAEG [at] aol.com 27. Re: CD80 dimmer pack trouble by "Don Taco" 28. Re: Dance Floor Replacement by IAEG [at] aol.com 29. Re: Dance Floor Replacement by "Don Taco" 30. Re: Punctuation and style by "Alf Sauve" 31. Re: CD80 dimmer pack trouble by "The Elliotts" 32. Re: CD80 dimmer pack trouble by Mike Brubaker 33. Re: CD80 dimmer pack trouble by "Jeffrey E. Salzberg" 34. Re: Dance Floor Replacement by Marty_Petlock [at] sarasotagov.com 35. Re: CD80 dimmer pack trouble by "The Elliotts" 36. Re: Dance Floor Replacement by IAEG [at] aol.com 37. Re: Punctuation by FrankWood95 [at] aol.com 38. Re: Punctuation by FrankWood95 [at] aol.com 39. Re: Punctuation by Mark O'Brien 40. Re: Punctuation by FrankWood95 [at] aol.com 41. Re: CD80 dimmer pack trouble by "Rob Carovillano" 42. Re: CD80 dimmer pack trouble by "Don Taco" 43. Re: Punctuation by Charlie Richmond 44. Re: Punctuation by FrankWood95 [at] aol.com 45. Re: Punctuation by "Paul Schreiner" 46. Rodents eating wires. Was: CD80 dimmer pack trouble by Dale Farmer 47. Re: Punctuation by doran [at] bard.edu 48. Re: Punctuation by Steve Larson 49. Re: Electrical math check by David Duffy 50. Problem with Lighting System by "Wayne Rasmussen" 51. Re: Punctuation by FrankWood95 [at] aol.com 52. Re: Punctuation by FrankWood95 [at] aol.com 53. Re: Problem with Lighting System by "Chris Warner" 54. Re: Problem with Lighting System by Stephen Litterst 55. Re: Electrical math check by "jsmith at theatrewireless.com" 56. Re: Problem with Lighting System by "Curt Mortimore" 57. Re: Dance Floor Replacement by "ladesigners [at] juno.com" 58. Re: Subject: Dance Floor Replacement by "ladesigners [at] juno.com" 59. Re: Punctuation by Jerry Durand 60. Re: Punctuation by Mike Benonis 61. Re: Punctuation and style by Bruce Purdy 62. Re: Punctuation by "Jon Ares" 63. Re: Punctuation by Bruce Purdy 64. Re: Problem with Lighting System by Ford H Sellers 65. Re: Problem with Lighting System by Stuart Wheaton 66. Re: Problem with Lighting System by Stuart Wheaton *** Please update the subject line of your reply to use the subject *** line of the message you are replying to! Please only reply to *** one message subject in each reply. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message-ID: <426E2E35.6040608 [at] fredonia.edu> Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 08:04:05 -0400 From: "Stephen E. Rees" Reply-To: Rees [at] fredonia.edu Subject: Punctuation References: Alf, Me too, and that includes 2 spaces after a colon as well. As my vision gets crappier with age, the extra room makes it easier to read and comprehend. :( Steve Rees Punctuation Curmudgeon Alf Sauve wrote: > [Personal nit: Amp should be capitalized since it is a person's name (well > part of their name), as should Hertz, Volt, and Watt. Hence, Ah and not > aH. I'm sure other's have an opposite rule of thumb. My Strunk is from > 1957 and I still like to put two spaces after each period.] ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 08:06:06 -0400 Subject: Re: Punctuation From: Steve Larson Message-ID: In-Reply-To: Have you also noticed that dim light makes it harder to read also. Steve > From: "Stephen E. Rees" > Reply-To: "Stagecraft" > Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 08:04:05 -0400 > To: "Stagecraft" > Subject: Punctuation > > For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see > --------------------------------------------------- > > Alf, > Me too, and that includes 2 spaces after a colon as well. As my vision > gets crappier with age, the extra room makes it easier to read and > comprehend. :( > Steve Rees > Punctuation Curmudgeon > > Alf Sauve wrote: > >> [Personal nit: Amp should be capitalized since it is a person's name (well >> part of their name), as should Hertz, Volt, and Watt. Hence, Ah and not >> aH. I'm sure other's have an opposite rule of thumb. My Strunk is from >> 1957 and I still like to put two spaces after each period.] > > > ------------------------------ Message-ID: <426E3656.8070209 [at] fredonia.edu> Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 08:38:46 -0400 From: "Stephen E. Rees" Reply-To: Rees [at] fredonia.edu Subject: Re: Punctuation References: Oh sure! Screw ambiance - give me visibility! Steve R Steve Larson wrote: > For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see > --------------------------------------------------- > > Have you also noticed that dim light makes > it harder to read also. > > Steve ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 08:48:37 -0400 From: John Bracewell Subject: Re: Punctuation In-reply-to: Message-id: <5.2.0.9.0.20050426084429.00b8f558 [at] pop.lightlink.com> References: Dim light, small type-face! Damn! It always gets harder to read. And now my far vision is getting a little blurry without the specs as well. On the punctuation, I'm hopelessly old-fashioned. I learned to put two spaces after periods. I learned a lot of comma rules that everyone these days seem to think are pretty useless, except that I find that I have trouble figuring out exactly what a person means in some sentences. A comma in the right place would make the intent much more evident. Ironically, I also notice that some of the people who are most adamant about observing the new punctuation rules frequently have trouble reading a sentence that would be quite clear had commas been included. Enough of personal rant. --JLB ------------------------------ Reply-To: From: "Jeffrey E. Salzberg" Subject: RE: Punctuation Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 09:00:03 -0400 Message-ID: <008c01c54a5f$e01e0720$6601a8c0 [at] Dell> In-Reply-To: > A > comma in the right place would make the intent much more > evident. ...And commas in the wrong places can totally obfuscate the meaning. Something I've noticed more and more lately is the tendency to isolate names with unnecessary and grammatically superfluous commas: "Lighting designer, George Spelvin, gave us a dim stage that was impossible to see...." ------------------------------ Message-ID: <90d9c99805042606032f956b7 [at] mail.gmail.com> Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 09:03:07 -0400 From: Scott Parker Reply-To: Scott Parker Cc: alf [at] sauve.org (Alf Sauve) Subject: Re: Electrical math shock check In-Reply-To: References: Don't forget dB for decibel.. The B being for A. G. Bell On 4/25/05, Alf Sauve wrote: > Alf > [Personal nit: Amp should be capitalized since it is a person's name (we= ll > part of their name), as should Hertz, Volt, and Watt. Hence, Ah and not > aH. I'm sure other's have an opposite rule of thumb. My Strunk is from > 1957 and I still like to put two spaces after each period.] >=20 > > --=20 Take care, Scott Scott C. Parker ------------------------------ From: "Karl G. Ruling" Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 09:23:33 -0400 Subject: Re: Auto Cad 2005 for $99.95 -- is this legal?? Reply-to: kruling [at] esta.org Message-ID: <426E0895.4687.1A154E [at] localhost> In-reply-to: > > I just received an e-mail leading to the following website with a > > lot of software offerings. > > > > http://oemfactory.net/index.php > > This e-mail leading to a website offering a too-good-to-be-true deal on software is called SPAM. Spam exists because people buy stuff as a result of receiving it. If people did not buy stuff because of spam, spam would not exist. If you don't like spam, don't buy from spammers. ------------------------------ Subject: RE: CD80 dimmer pack trouble Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 09:28:09 -0400 Message-ID: From: "Paul Sanow" Don: I'm assuming from your posts these are the older AMX-only 12-circuit = CD80 packs with the thumbwheel to address the packs. The process is = slightly different if these are AMX-only 24-circuit dimmer packs with = ramp cards behind the little panel- they are wired differently.=20 Step 1: Isolate your problem to see if it is in one pack or the other. = If the problem is in one pack only, swap the electronics trays. It = sounds like you have an extra tray. If the problem follows one tray = replace or repair as needed. It might be worth reseating the trays into = the packs to ensure a good connection. In any case, reduce the size of = your system to the barest minimum- one pack, one console, one converter = and as little cable as possible. Then build it up to make your system = whole again. =20 I think it's unlikely you have a dimmer (SSR) inducing this problem. = Not impossible, but pretty unlikely. I believe there is some isolation = between the SSRs and the electronics.=20 Step 2: If you isolate to one pack, look at the dimmers that are = cycling. Here's the way it is circuited: 1-12 AAAABBBBCCCC 120/208 3-phase 1-12 AAAABBAABBBB 120/240 1-phase (I think- hard to remember) Side note- check the phasing switch in the top of the tray to match = your installation. If the problem is only in one pack in one phase it is almost certainly = in the card. Remote possibility that you have a lose feed wire in the = terminal block or upstream in the distro. Step 3: Also check your cables, If you are still using those older TA4 = series (about 3/8" dia) soldering is a challenge. Swap cables around to = see if the problem follows. It could also be in the tray's receptacle- = they also get worn out over time. Step 4: If this setup has worked before then it's more likely a = component or cable failure. If this is the first time for the = console/converter/packs to be connected you could also look at the setup = of your converter- you don't mention the model. AMX signals can degrade = over distance and there can be timing issues. Sometimes it helps to = modify the number of dimmers in the signal- it can affect the timing. = If possible tell your console to send all 192 (or even 512) dimmers to = the converter. The LED flashing rapidly means there is no valid signal. Solid LED means the dimmer pack thinks the signal is valid. > We can see that one of the dimmer packs has a steady=20 > 'power' light, and=20 > the other one flickers. (When the problem is manifest.) We=20 > then found that=20 Good luck. Remember- divide and conquer. Paul *********************************************************** Paul Sanow psanow [at] vls.com Technical Sales www.vincentlighting.com Vincent Lighting Systems 1420 Jamike Ln. #2 Erlanger, KY 41018 (859) 525-2000 x211 FAX (859) 525-2050 *********************************************************** ------------------------------ Reply-To: From: "jsmith at theatrewireless.com" Subject: RE: Electrical math check Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 09:36:37 -0400 Organization: Home of the RC4 Wireless Dimmer System In-Reply-To: Message-Id: <20050426133639.QQFY27508.tomts16-srv.bellnexxia.net [at] p3m866> > A 100W inverter will draw more than its 100W rated output as > it is not 100% efficient in the conversion. I'd guess that it > would actually draw closer to 12 Amps at full load. Surprisingly, bench testing in our shop indicates that most commercial inverters on the market in the US are very efficient -- there is nowhere near this speculated 30% loss. We operated various brands of inverters, both true-sine and modified-sine (more of a square wave) while measuring both input and output currents. Efficiencies were fairly negligible, particularly with the modified-sine models. Because of high efficiencies, they also run fairly cool. Nobody wants 30% of their battery capacity lost in unwanted heat! THE BIGGEST MISTAKE people make with 12V stuff is using far too light a wire gauge. But in your case, a suitable wire gauge for 8.3A is readily available and easy to work with. Jim www.theatrewireless.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 09:41:01 -0500 From: "Frank E. Merrill" Reply-To: "Frank E. Merrill" Message-ID: <201065534.20050426094101 [at] tcon.net> Subject: Need a Breakaway today! Howdy ! I have a customer needing one Rosco or similar breakaway bottle, Green Wine style, that is waterproof. I have several breakways on the shelf, but none of that style. If you have one on the shelf and it is shippable today, kindly let me know and I'll put my customer in touch with you. Best regards, Frank E. Merrill MERRILL STAGE EQUIPMENT Indianapolis Established 1946 www.merrillstage.com mailto:Lamplighter [at] tcon.net ------------------------------ Message-Id: <87001fffe77d6e69c083f650ed182f56 [at] theprices.net> From: Noah Price Subject: Software Spam bouncing the list Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 08:15:06 -0700 Please don't post spam or large excerpts from spam to the list. The recent software spam message posted has been driving many of your server-level spam filters crazy, bouncing many messages and digests. I've cleared some of the major ones, but the only way to be sure to remain on the list properly is to reply to the WARNING messages you'll receive from the list. Of course if you can have your server administrator whitelist my server network block, or at least the mail server, that will avoid the bouncing entirely! Thanks, Noah -- | Noah Price | http://stagecraft.theprices.net/ | | Stagecraft Mailing List | stagecraft-web [at] theprices.net | ------------------------------ Message-ID: <426E5C36.5070905 [at] peak.org> Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 08:20:22 -0700 From: Pat Kight Subject: Re: Punctuation References:

In-Reply-To: John Bracewell wrote: > Dim light, small type-face! Damn! It always gets harder to read. And > now my far vision is getting a little blurry without the specs as well. > > On the punctuation, I'm hopelessly old-fashioned. I learned to put two > spaces after periods. Me, too. But this is one item I don't gripe about when I'm enjoying a good rant about the general decline in punctuation, spelling, grammar and usage. The two-spaces-after-a-comma "rule" isn't a rule of English language, it's an artifact of the printing trade in the days of typewriters and hot lead typesetting. Worn typewriter keys made it hard for the typesetters to distinguish between commas and periods, so publishers and newspaper editors began mandating two spaces after periods to help them tell the difference. That "rule" got picked up by a couple of generations of high school typing teachers, leading some of us to think it was Proper English. It's not, and now that digital composition and printing has replaced the old system, it's a dusty relic of the past. -- Pat Kight kightp [at] peak.org ------------------------------ From: IAEG [at] aol.com Message-ID: <1c6.276c40de.2f9fb746 [at] aol.com> Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 11:24:54 EDT Subject: Re: Punctuation In a message dated 4/26/05 11:20:54 AM, kightp [at] peak.org writes: << That "rule" got picked up by a couple of generations of high school typing teachers, leading some of us to think it was Proper English. It's not, and now that digital composition and printing has replaced the old system, it's a dusty relic of the past. >> not to mention that "two spaces" in any situation after commas, after period, , after "anything" can mess up auto justification and various layout functions in a document. very best, Keith Arsenault IAEG - International Arts & Entertainment Group Tampa, Florida ------------------------------ Message-ID: <001a01c54a74$9e80a560$f41e3143 [at] bigdawg> From: "dk" References: Subject: Subject: Dance Floor Replacement Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 08:28:38 -0700 Wow, my first reply to the Stagecraft list in years - hope I don't eff it up. Our theater and two studios have L'Air floors covered by Lonseal 101 by LonStage. The seams have been melded together somehow so water can't get down underneath it. My recollection is that L'Air was the first to make these floor and the other guys pretty much copied it. I've seen samples and they look the same to me. The surfaces will get comments, much like Keith described - my experience isn't that it comes from any quarter more it comes with the shifting of time. One week it's too slippery, another it's too tacky. I tend to look concerned but I don't do much about it. We have ballet and modern, don't allow rosin, and most seem pretty content with the floor. In fact, started with the theater and a few years later re-did the studios with exactly the same products just different colors. If it its new to you, it might be stressed that the flooring is for light to medium weight use. Where the corners meet are fragile - rolling a big heavy cart of risers could cause it to crack - or a big heavy scissor lift - and then soft spots like deadly holes can show up. Bad news. I have a section of our floor that L'Air custom built for me (so they said) with added squares of a heavier duty foam. So when we put our bleachers out the softer squares lower until the floor rests on the harder squares. I wonder if that makes sense. I like the Lonseal covering a lot. It's tough and can take a beating. Theater is black and the studios are gray. Ten years later it's still fairly good looking - if I had to redo the floors, I'd simply use those same products. peace, DK TD-School of Dance CalArts ------------------------------ Reply-To: From: "Jeffrey E. Salzberg" Subject: RE: Punctuation Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 11:28:41 -0400 Message-ID: <00a801c54a74$a39f6040$6601a8c0 [at] Dell> In-Reply-To: > now that digital composition and printing has > replaced the old > system, it's a dusty relic of the past. But, Pat, so are a lot of us on the Stagecraft list.... ------------------------------ Message-ID: <002701c54a74$d9279980$0600000a [at] BRUTUS> From: "Jon Ares" References:

Subject: Re: Punctuation Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 08:30:16 -0700 > That "rule" got picked up by a couple of generations of high school typing > teachers, leading some of us to think it was Proper English. It's not, and > now that digital composition and printing has replaced the old system, > it's a dusty relic of the past. Relic or not, I follow it. I believe, even with today's proportional fontage, that it's easier to read sentences when there are two spaces after periods, colons, and exclamation points. -- Jon Ares Program Director, West Linn HS Theatre Arts www.hevanet.com/acreative www.wlhstheatre.org ------------------------------ In-Reply-To: References: Message-Id: <3e984469e7f876a45700606a10eec844 [at] email.arizona.edu> Cc: marko [at] email.arizona.edu (Mark O'Brien) From: Mark O'Brien Subject: Re: CD80 dimmer pack trouble Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 08:40:45 -0700 These plugs are also known as the "Mini-Stupid" Mark O'Brien Opera Technical Director University of Arizona, School of Music Tucson, AZ 520/621-7025 520/591-1803 Mobile On Apr 26, 2005, at 6:28 AM, Paul Sanow wrote: > Step 3: Also check your cables, If you are still using those older > TA4 series (about 3/8" dia) soldering is a challenge. Swap cables > around to see if the problem follows. It could also be in the tray's > receptacle- they also get worn out over time. > ------------------------------ Message-Id: <5.2.1.1.2.20050426113439.00c0d3b8 [at] postoffice8.mail.cornell.edu> Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 11:44:49 -0400 From: Ford H Sellers Subject: Re: CD80 dimmer pack trouble In-Reply-To: References: Hey Don, I had the EXACT same problem in our dance theatre last Spring. After going through various permutations, I finally tried slowing down the DMX transmission speed from my board (on an ETC it's in [SETUP] [OUTPUT CONFIGURATION]). Moving it from Max to Med made the problem go away. I spoke to Sal at Century Lighting Svcs. in NJ, he said that the old CD-80 Racks sometimes have issues reading the signal from DMX-AMX converters when the speed is set too high. Go figure, -Ford At 09:58 PM 4/25/2005, you wrote: > If any of those of you who babysit old CD80 packs recognize these > symptoms, please help us shortcut our troubleshooting... > > ************************ Ford H Sellers Master Electrician Cornell University Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts 430 College Avenue Ithaca NY, 14850 (607) 254-2736 office (607) 254-2733 fax ------------------------------ Message-ID: <001201c54a77$886018d0$0200a8c0 [at] lpt> From: References: Subject: CD80 dimmer pack trouble Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 10:49:29 -0500 Organization: Minnesota Ballet Yes Don, I've come across it just recently. I was at a theatre where after half an hour the lights would start to flicker, but only during a fader movement. The lights were fine at full, but any slider movement made the lights flicker during the fade. The best way I could describe the flicker was like seeing an analogue board do only 10 steps of fades rather than 100 steps. I switched out boards and the problem went away. Did you switch out boards of different brands? The board the theatre was having problems with was an ETC Express and my Colortran worked fine. However, when the ETC was connected to a AMX-DMX converter that was set to DMX in and DMX out and the flicker went away. We figured that the timing output of the ETC was too high for the dimmers, even with the board setup to slow down the output of DMX. Still working with ETC to figure this out. Ken Pogin Production Manager Minnesota Ballet ------------------------------ Message-ID: <426E1D9A.30923.242FF30B [at] localhost> From: "Michael Denison" Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 10:53:14 -0500 Subject: Re: Punctuation Reply-To: In-Reply-To: An excellent cheap, short book on the subject of using your computer to produce professional looking copy, including punctuation, is Robin Williams's (not *that* Robin Williams) The PC Is Not A Typewriter, also available as The Mac Is Not A Typewriter.7F00,0000,0000 > In a message dated 4/26/05 11:20:54 AM, kightp [at] peak.org writes: > > <<<< That "rule" got picked up by a couple of generations of high school > typing teachers, leading some of us to think it was Proper English. It's > not, and now that digital composition and printing has replaced the old > system, it's a dusty relic of the past. >> > > not to mention that "two spaces" in any situation after commas, after > period, , after "anything" can mess up auto justification and various layout > functions in a document. > > very best, > > Keith Arsenault > > IAEG - International Arts & Entertainment Group > Tampa, Florida > Michael A. Denison Technical Director Cottey College 1000 West Austin Nevada, MO 64772 (417) 667-8181 x 2265 FAX: (417) 667-8103 mdenison [at] cottey.edu www.cottey.edu ------------------------------ Message-ID: <426E64EB.8030809 [at] peak.org> Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 08:57:31 -0700 From: Pat Kight Subject: Re: Punctuation References:

In-Reply-To: Jon Ares wrote: >> That "rule" got picked up by a couple of generations of high school >> typing teachers, leading some of us to think it was Proper English. >> It's not, and now that digital composition and printing has replaced >> the old system, it's a dusty relic of the past. > Relic or not, I follow it. I believe, even with today's proportional > fontage, that it's easier to read sentences when there are two spaces > after periods, colons, and exclamation points. Whatever floats your boat. (-: I wonder though: Do you have trouble reading books or newspapers? Because even when the two-spaces rule for typists was in its hey-day, it was only for typists, not for type-setting. Published material has always used, and continues to use, the single space. -- Pat Kight kightp [at] peak.org ------------------------------ Message-ID: <001301c54a7a$fc34c730$0200a8c0 [at] lpt> From: References: Subject: Dance Floor Replacement Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 11:14:12 -0500 Organization: Minnesota Ballet Keith is right on, and I second what he said. It's amazing how expensive a new floor will be, and yet people will still complain. We have the Stagestep Quietstep and have not had a single complaint from the viewpoint of ballet and modern. Like Keith said, tap is a whole 'nother ball game. If you are looking at a whole new subfloor, how much resources (time, money, shop) do you have? When I was looking to have a sprung floor for our studio (54'x58') the Rosco sprung floor would cost me $38,000! After lots of legwork I found a company that makes the rubber-foam blocks on most sprung floors and figured that I could build my own floor for only $2,000. I also do not recommend using the same marley floor installed in the studio to be taken up and installed on stage for performances, if finances allow. Kenneth Pogin Production Manager Minnesota Ballet ------------------------------ Message-ID: <059501c54a7b$f83590a0$e28aaa43 [at] DonTaco> From: "Don Taco" Cc: stagecraft [at] jeffsalzberg.com References: Subject: Re: Punctuation Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 09:20:47 -0700 ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jeffrey E. Salzberg" >> now that digital composition and printing has >> replaced the old >> system, it's a dusty relic of the past. > > But, Pat, so are a lot of us on the Stagecraft list.... > dusty? not up here in the Pacific Northwest. moldy it is. ------------------------------ Subject: RE: CD80 dimmer pack trouble Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 12:21:07 -0400 Message-ID: From: "Paul Sanow" no argument here I don't miss them at all. > -----Original Message----- > From: Mark O'Brien [mailto:marko [at] email.arizona.edu] >=20 > These plugs are also known as the "Mini-Stupid" ------------------------------ Message-ID: <426E6AF6.5090704 [at] peak.org> Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 09:23:18 -0700 From: Pat Kight Subject: Re: Punctuation References:

In-Reply-To: Don Taco wrote: > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jeffrey E. Salzberg" > > >>> now that digital composition and printing has replaced the old >>> system, it's a dusty relic of the past. >> >> >> But, Pat, so are a lot of us on the Stagecraft list.... >> > dusty? not up here in the Pacific Northwest. moldy it is. And occasionally rusty... -- Pat Kight kightp [at] peak.org ------------------------------ From: IAEG [at] aol.com Message-ID: Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 12:36:36 EDT Subject: Re: Subject: Dance Floor Replacement In a message dated 4/26/05 11:29:28 AM, dk [at] calarts.edu writes: << The surfaces will get comments, much like Keith described - my experience isn't that it comes from any quarter more it comes with the shifting of time. One week it's too slippery, another it's too tacky. I tend to look concerned but I don't do much about it. We have ballet and modern, don't allow rosin, and most seem pretty content with the floor. >> much easier to enforce in a educational institution, try telling a professional dancer they can't use rosin, very best, Keith Arsenault IAEG - International Arts & Entertainment Group Tampa, Florida ------------------------------ Message-ID: <05a601c54a7e$e3c5c150$e28aaa43 [at] DonTaco> From: "Don Taco" References:

Subject: Re: CD80 dimmer pack trouble Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 09:42:07 -0700 ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ford H Sellers" > I had the EXACT same problem in our dance theatre last Spring. > After going through various permutations, I finally tried slowing down the > DMX transmission speed from my board (on an ETC it's in [SETUP] [OUTPUT > CONFIGURATION]). Moving it from Max to Med made the problem go away. I > spoke to Sal at Century Lighting Svcs. in NJ, he said that the old CD-80 > Racks sometimes have issues reading the signal from DMX-AMX converters > when the speed is set too high. Thanks! Don't know if we'd have thought of this too soon. This makes more sense of the problem appearing across both 12-packs. We did swap out the board for a native AMX board and still saw the problem, but I wonder if the electronics were 'remembering' the problem. I'll try that again but with powering everything off in between. The board, for those that asked, is an EDI Bijou. (Don't sneer. We were using a Mantrix MX less than six months ago. And there are two other Bijou owners within 10 miles, effectively giving all three of us an emergency spare.) It's new to us, and this is the 'busiest' show we've used it for so far, so this may just be a 'painful learning experience(tm)' we had to go through. ------------------------------ From: IAEG [at] aol.com Message-ID: <1ff.5bb42e.2f9fcaad [at] aol.com> Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 12:47:41 EDT Subject: Re: Dance Floor Replacement In a message dated 4/26/05 12:15:00 PM, productionmanager [at] minnesotaballet.org writes: << I also do not recommend using the same marley floor installed in the studio to be taken up and installed on stage for performances, if finances allow. Kenneth Pogin Production Manager Minnesota Ballet >> Unfortunately I have been in situations where we had to tear up the floor from the studio and move it to the theatre ,, , not a good thing, ,, BUT I do reccomend having the same flooring for both, , don't use a foam backed product on stage and tour when your studio has a non foam backed surface Also, , not to pick on Ken, , but can we stop calling any vinyl dance flooring "Marley" ? Actually I think that the Marley company is still in existance just not generally in the theatrical floor business, most of the "manufacturers" out there are really " dealers " either buying their floors off of a real manufacturer or having it built to spec. for example what most of us know as ROSCO FLOOR has actually been over the course of that name three slightly different products from three different manufacturers, although in the Rosco catalog the product specifications hasn't really changed ( believe me, lay down older Rosco Floor, next to newer Rosco Floor and the gloss / matte qualities are very different ) , If I am not mistaken the current "RoscoFloor" product is actually made in India. very best, Keith Arsenault President IAEG - International Arts & Entertainment Group Tampa, Florida 813 831 3465 Mr. Arsenault's Office 813 205 0893 Mr. Arsenault's Cellular www.iaeginc.com www.circusnexus.org ------------------------------ Message-ID: <05ba01c54a80$f42d5c90$e28aaa43 [at] DonTaco> From: "Don Taco" References: Subject: Re: Dance Floor Replacement Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 09:56:53 -0700 ----- Original Message ----- From: > > Also, , not to pick on Ken, , but can we stop calling any vinyl dance > flooring "Marley" ? > Good idea. I vote we change it to "Scrooge." ------------------------------ Message-ID: <004c01c54a81$91962520$0400a8c0 [at] ALFOFFICE> Reply-To: "Alf Sauve" From: "Alf Sauve" References:

Subject: Re: Punctuation and style Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 13:00:27 -0400 Robin Williams also wrote, "The Non-Designer's Type Book" which I think is excellent. Alf But then what do I know? ------------------------------ Message-Id: <200504261702.j3QH2fI3038791 [at] b.mail.peak.org> From: "The Elliotts" Subject: RE: CD80 dimmer pack trouble Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 10:02:39 -0700 In-reply-to: Ken (and all concerned others), First, let me thank all who have chimed in on this. Gives up plenty to try and things we've not even considered yet. Second... At the risk of "too many cooks", let me add in here that I, too, am involved in the resolution of this issue. In fact, I was the designer for the show when the problem reared it's head during the last three nights of our run. (Luckily it was a musical--Rocky Horror--and I think that some audience members assumed it was part of the show.) But I am not an electronics guy and do not speak that language. So, I hope this makes sense.... The problem appears to only concern the first/upper of our two packs (circuits 1-12: and only 1-8 of those circuits--we have not yet isolated one pack from the other in our testing). The second/bottom pack (circuits 13-24), I understand, is actually where the control cable enters the mix. CLARIFICATION/EARMARKS OF THE PROBLEM. Occurs only in the first 8 circuits (1-8) in our first/top pack (1-12). Nothing on circuits 13-24 seems to be effected. (We have not yet tried to duplicate the problem by removing this pack from the mix. That will be tried later today.) The flicker appears to be a very quick dimming (about 50%) of the light level being output. But the amount of sudden dimming is also dependent upon the rate (see next) of the flicker. The rate/frequency of the flicker (faster/slower, subtler/more obvious) differs depending on which circuits of the first 8 are currently up. Regardless of what is causing the flicker, all instruments plugged into the first 8 circuits are effected equally. In the case of those first 8 circuits that are OFF when the problem occurs, the "off" instruments pulse ON to about 10% (just noticeable if looking straight into the instrument) in time with the dimming of the instruments that are on. Turning the dimmer packs off (shutting off power to them) for some 10 minutes+, may help (it seemed to on Saturday night). I shut the dimmers down for 10 minutes during intermission and this may have helped. (Any problems that exhibited themselves were less severe and controllable (the rate or severity of the flicker) to a degree by bringing up different dimmers (in the same 1-8 that were not already up during the effected cue). But turning off the power to the dimmers for 10 minutes doesn't explain why the problem was "fixed" for the entire Friday night show, since the power to the packs was off only about the same length of time--enough to swap in the new controller board and try it in both packs until the problem appeared "resolved" (see below). TRIED A NEW CONTROLLER CIRCUIT BOARD. Since the problem was only exhibiting itself in the first 8 circuits of the first dimmer pack, we swapped out the controller board for a "new" one (might be a used one, but it is definitely a board that has not been in our packs before). Problem remained. Placed the controller board into the second pack. The problem seemed to be resolved since it did not occur at all during last Friday's performance. However, the next day (our last performance) the problem was back again in full force, exactly as it was on Thursday (if not a wee bit worse--hard to know for sure). ELIMINATIONS (?) Eliminated the light board (EDI Bijou) as well as the DMX-to-AMX converter by testing with the AMX output of the old Strand MX (Mantrix) board. Problem remained. Eliminated the cabling from the board to the jack in the light booth by swapping cables. Problem remained. Board configurations changes by reloading from the backup made the night we opened (3 weeks before the problem began). Well, I'm off to the theater to see what else I can learn/eliminate. Warmest regards, --John Yahoo! chat handle: Ymir20000000 --------------------------------------------------------------------- Eliminate annoying spam! My mailbox is protected by iHateSpam, the #1-rated spam buster. http://www.ihatespam.net -----Original Message----- From: Stagecraft [mailto:stagecraft [at] theatrical.net] On Behalf Of productionmanager [at] minnesotaballet.org Sent: Tuesday, April 26, 2005 8:49 AM To: Stagecraft Subject: CD80 dimmer pack trouble For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see --------------------------------------------------- Yes Don, I've come across it just recently. I was at a theatre where after half an hour the lights would start to flicker, but only during a fader movement. The lights were fine at full, but any slider movement made the lights flicker during the fade. The best way I could describe the flicker was like seeing an analogue board do only 10 steps of fades rather than 100 steps. I switched out boards and the problem went away. Did you switch out boards of different brands? The board the theatre was having problems with was an ETC Express and my Colortran worked fine. However, when the ETC was connected to a AMX-DMX converter that was set to DMX in and DMX out and the flicker went away. We figured that the timing output of the ETC was too high for the dimmers, even with the board setup to slow down the output of DMX. Still working with ETC to figure this out. Ken Pogin Production Manager Minnesota Ballet ------------------------------ Message-Id: <6.2.0.14.0.20050426115806.01c820d8 [at] mail.insightbb.com> Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 12:03:03 -0500 From: Mike Brubaker Subject: Re: CD80 dimmer pack trouble In-Reply-To: References:

Anyone considering sneering should try one first. I have, and think that it certainly holds its own. Not against Emphasis, et al, but for conventional and a limited quantity of moving fixtures, it is very decent. Just a thought. Mike At 11:42 AM 4/26/2005, Don Taco wrote: > The board, for those that asked, is an EDI Bijou. (Don't sneer. We > were using a Mantrix MX less than six months ago. And ------------------------------ Reply-To: From: "Jeffrey E. Salzberg" Subject: RE: CD80 dimmer pack trouble Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 13:09:25 -0400 Message-ID: <00b501c54a82$b5d1da00$6601a8c0 [at] Dell> In-Reply-To: > The second/bottom pack (circuits 13-24), I > understand, is actually where the control cable enters the mix. Have you replaced the jumper cable between the two? ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Dance Floor Replacement Message-ID: From: Marty_Petlock [at] sarasotagov.com Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 13:14:19 -0400 Steve Rees asked about dance flooring; responding IAEG [at] aol.com wrote: >...no matter what flooring system you put in >you aren't going to make everyone happy.....No matter what, it's a struggle... Keith's expertise in this area is amazing, and his reply too true. It is one of those sad situations where the only resolution is when all parties are equally unhappy. Marty Petlock Technical Facilities Manager Van Wezel P.A.H. Sarasota, FL. ********** E-mail messages sent or received by City of Sarasota officials and employees in connection with official City business are public records subject to disclosure under the Florida Public Records Act. ********** ------------------------------ Message-Id: <200504261715.j3QHFMI3046081 [at] b.mail.peak.org> From: "The Elliotts" Cc: stagecraft [at] jeffsalzberg.com Subject: RE: CD80 dimmer pack trouble Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 10:15:20 -0700 In-reply-to: > Have you replaced the jumper cable between the two? < Not yet, Jeff. But I'll look into it today. Thanks. Warmest regards, --John Yahoo! chat handle: Ymir20000000 --------------------------------------------------------------------- Eliminate annoying spam! My mailbox is protected by iHateSpam, the #1-rated spam buster. http://www.ihatespam.net -----Original Message----- From: Stagecraft [mailto:stagecraft [at] theatrical.net] On Behalf Of Jeffrey E. Salzberg Sent: Tuesday, April 26, 2005 10:09 AM To: Stagecraft Subject: Re: CD80 dimmer pack trouble For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see --------------------------------------------------- > The second/bottom pack (circuits 13-24), I > understand, is actually where the control cable enters the mix. Have you replaced the jumper cable between the two? ------------------------------ From: IAEG [at] aol.com Message-ID: <96.261f30b0.2f9fd1e5 [at] aol.com> Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 13:18:29 EDT Subject: Re: Dance Floor Replacement In a message dated 4/26/05 1:15:10 PM, Marty_Petlock [at] sarasotagov.com writes: << Keith's expertise in this area is amazing, and his reply too true. It is one of those sad situations where the only resolution is when all parties are equally unhappy. Marty Petlock >> Marty, , , I love that, , , "equally unhappy" can I use that ? very best, Keith Arsenault IAEG - International Arts & Entertainment Group Tampa, Florida ------------------------------ From: FrankWood95 [at] aol.com Message-ID: <1d6.3b5ace32.2f9fdb9a [at] aol.com> Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 13:59:54 EDT Subject: Re: Punctuation In a message dated 26/04/05 13:51:32 GMT Daylight Time, jbrace [at] lightlink.com writes: > On the punctuation, I'm hopelessly old-fashioned. I learned to put two > spaces after periods. I learned a lot of comma rules that everyone these > days seem to think are pretty useless, except that I find that I have > trouble figuring out exactly what a person means in some sentences. A > comma in the right place would make the intent much more > evident. Ironically, I also notice that some of the people who are most > adamant about observing the new punctuation rules frequently have trouble > reading a sentence that would be quite clear had commas been included. I haven't heard of this 'two spaces' rule, and don't use it. I always apply commas as breath pauses. Imagine that you are reading it aloud. When a breath is appropriate, and with due consideration to the context, stick one in. What are these new rules? For me, they haven't changed since the fifties. Frank Wood ------------------------------ From: FrankWood95 [at] aol.com Message-ID: <145.44691262.2f9fdd14 [at] aol.com> Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 14:06:12 EDT Subject: Re: Punctuation In a message dated 26/04/05 16:29:26 GMT Daylight Time, stagecraft [at] jeffsalzberg.com writes: > > now that digital composition and printing has > > replaced the old > > system, it's a dusty relic of the past. > > But, Pat, so are a lot of us on the Stagecraft list.... Well, that is true.But, for those of us who go back to handwritten text, the space was always rather variable. If it looked right, it was right. Frank Wood ------------------------------ In-Reply-To: References: Message-Id: Cc: marko [at] email.arizona.edu (Mark O'Brien) From: Mark O'Brien Subject: Re: Punctuation Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 11:12:41 -0700 On Apr 26, 2005, at 10:59 AM, FrankWood95 [at] aol.com wrote: > What are these new rules? For me, they haven't changed since the > fifties. > Nothing has... ------------------------------ From: FrankWood95 [at] aol.com Message-ID: <7f.5cf64b20.2f9fdeec [at] aol.com> Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 14:14:04 EDT Subject: Re: Punctuation In a message dated 26/04/05 16:30:46 GMT Daylight Time, jonares [at] hevanet.com writes: > Relic or not, I follow it. I believe, even with today's proportional > fontage, that it's easier to read sentences when there are two spaces after > periods, colons, and exclamation points. A matter of opinion. I personally disagree, but it is of small importance. The capital letter signals the start of a new sentence. What is of more importance is breaking up long sentences into comprehensible components, and correct spelling, and perhaps capitalisation. Parentheses play a part, too. Frank Wood ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 14:17:52 -0400 From: "Rob Carovillano" Subject: Re: CD80 dimmer pack trouble Message-id: <000901c54a8c$42c8a610$a8a44481 [at] rcarovil> References: Sounds like a small rodent with sharp teeth has been having at your cables. Rob Carovillano Technical Director Bluett Theatre Saint Joseph's University 610-660-1044 rcarovil [at] sju.edu ------------------------------ Message-ID: <060601c54a8d$602419f0$e28aaa43 [at] DonTaco> From: "Don Taco" References:

Subject: Re: CD80 dimmer pack trouble Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 11:25:49 -0700 ----- Original Message ----- From: "Rob Carovillano" > Sounds like a small rodent with sharp teeth has been having at your > cables. God forbid it turns out to be that. Running a cable from one end of our box to the other is a nightmare. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 19:25:32 +0100 (BST) From: Charlie Richmond Subject: Re: Punctuation In-Reply-To: Message-ID: References: On Tue, 26 Apr 2005 FrankWood95 [at] aol.com wrote: > I always apply commas as breath pauses. Imagine that you are reading it > aloud. When a breath is appropriate, and with due consideration to the context, > stick one in. A good and sensible policy which seems to be largely forgotten these days... > What are these new rules? For me, they haven't changed since the fifties. Probably American. I certainly was taught by the California school system in my year long 1962 typing class to always put 2 spaces after periods (full stops in the UK) and colons (but not semicolons). Charlie ------------------------------ From: FrankWood95 [at] aol.com Message-ID: <1a1.3291d036.2f9fe166 [at] aol.com> Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 14:24:38 EDT Subject: Re: Punctuation In a message dated 26/04/05 16:53:58 GMT Daylight Time, mdenison [at] cottey.edu writes: > An excellent cheap, short book on the subject of using your computer to > > produce professional looking copy, including punctuation, is Robin Williams' > s > > (not *that* Robin Williams) The PC Is Not A Typewriter, > also available as > > The Mac Is Not A Typewriter.7F00,0000,0000 param> This is true. But MS Office does not share my views on grammar and on punctuation. Occasionally, I run things that I have written trough the grammar and spell checkers. Of course, I ignore them, although the spellchecker is good at typos. I do it for interest. I note, incidentally, that this post has an HTML content.Why or how, I don't know. But plaintext mail, which is all that this group supports, won't handle it. Frank Wood ------------------------------ Subject: RE: Punctuation Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 14:29:01 -0400 Message-ID: <6E497ADB607656479C24E6D7BF6B505A0196C7E1 [at] exchange.rmwc.edu> From: "Paul Schreiner" > Probably American. I certainly was taught by the California=20 > school system in=20 > my year long 1962 typing class to always put 2 spaces after=20 > periods (full stops=20 > in the UK) and colons (but not semicolons). Likewise, though mine was a Catholic high school typing class in 1984-5. I still do it...just one of those things I don't think I'll ever quite break myself of. Not that I really care enough about one-space-vs.-two to try... ------------------------------ Message-ID: <426E8F57.7F37A9CA [at] cybercom.net> Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 14:58:31 -0400 From: Dale Farmer Organization: The fuzz in the back of the fridge. Subject: Rodents eating wires. Was: CD80 dimmer pack trouble References:

Don Taco wrote: > For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see > --------------------------------------------------- > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Rob Carovillano" > > > Sounds like a small rodent with sharp teeth has been having at your > > cables. > > God forbid it turns out to be that. Running a cable from one end of our > box to the other is a nightmare. I'm having that issue right now. Except it's my parent's home and the phone wiring. Since my dad knows I own a punchdown tool, I'm the son who is called in to fix anything involving phones. I've successfully displaced the computer assistance requests to one of the grandkids. --Dale ------------------------------ Message-ID: <1114542355.426e9113164c1 [at] webmail.bard.edu> Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 15:05:55 -0400 From: doran [at] bard.edu Subject: Re: Punctuation References: In-Reply-To: Quoting FrankWood95 [at] aol.com: . > The capital letter signals the start of a new sentence. What is of more > importance is breaking up long sentences into comprehensible components, and > correct > spelling, and perhaps capitalisation. Parentheses play a part, too. > Frank Wood Is that last sentence a parenthetical statement? Andy C-D ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 15:30:50 -0400 Subject: Re: Punctuation From: Steve Larson Message-ID: In-Reply-To: > From: doran [at] bard.edu > Reply-To: "Stagecraft" > Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 15:05:55 -0400 > To: "Stagecraft" > Subject: Re: Punctuation > > For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see > --------------------------------------------------- > > Quoting FrankWood95 [at] aol.com: > . >> The capital letter signals the start of a new sentence. iPods are important to Apple but they don't capitalize the i. sjl ------------------------------ Message-ID: <426EB328.1090801 [at] audiovisualdevices.com.au> Date: Wed, 27 Apr 2005 07:31:20 +1000 From: David Duffy Subject: Re: Electrical math check References: In-Reply-To: jsmith at theatrewireless.com wrote: > David Duffy wrote: > >>A 100W inverter will draw more than its 100W rated output as >>it is not 100% efficient in the conversion. I'd guess that it >>would actually draw closer to 12 Amps at full load. >> >> > >Surprisingly, bench testing in our shop indicates that most commercial >inverters on the market in the US are very efficient -- there is nowhere >near this speculated 30% loss. > >We operated various brands of inverters, both true-sine and modified-sine >(more of a square wave) while measuring both input and output currents. >Efficiencies were fairly negligible, particularly with the modified-sine >models. Because of high efficiencies, they also run fairly cool. Nobody >wants 30% of their battery capacity lost in unwanted heat! > > The 70% figure was off the top of my head at the time to show that inverters are not 100% efficient and the loss needs to be taken into account. I just looked up the specs of a 130W modified sine unit and it was 85% at full load. A 450W pure sine unit came in at about 83% while another brand simply says >90%. (maybe they mean 90.1% ??) So, my 70% was too low but I wouldn't say the 10-17% losses quoted in the spec sheets was negligible. David... -- ___________________________________________ David Duffy Audio Visual Devices P/L U8, 9-11 Trade St, Cleveland 4163 Australia Ph: +61 7 38210362 Fax: +61 7 38210281 New Web: www.audiovisualdevices.com.au ___________________________________________ ------------------------------ Message-ID: <002501c54aad$adfd1850$0617000a [at] blair.edu> From: "Wayne Rasmussen" Subject: Problem with Lighting System Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 18:17:05 -0400 We are running a 48 dimmer Sensor rack in our studio theatre, controlled by an Express 24/48 board. Two dimmers have become nearly inoperable. The symptoms are: 110 volts of power can be read at the connectors in the room, but they will only cause a lamp to barely glow. Things I have checked: 1. Wiring--all connections intact and tight--connectors, drop boxes, larger boxes upline, and dimmer cabinet 2. Dimmers--swapped operational dimmers. The "bad" dimmers work well in other slots, while the "good" dimmers don't work in the problem slots. 3. Profile--dimmers should come on at 100%. Any suggestions? Thanks, Wayne Rasmussen Blair Academy ------------------------------ From: FrankWood95 [at] aol.com Message-ID: <60.54699cb6.2fa01c45 [at] aol.com> Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 18:35:49 EDT Subject: Re: Punctuation In a message dated 26/04/05 19:26:30 GMT Daylight Time, charlier [at] RichmondSoundDesign.com writes: > > I always apply commas as breath pauses. Imagine that you are reading it > > aloud. When a breath is appropriate, and with due consideration to the > context, > > stick one in. > > A good and sensible policy which seems to be largely forgotten these days... > > > What are these new rules? For me, they haven't changed since the fifties. > > Probably American. I certainly was taught by the California school system > in > my year long 1962 typing class to always put 2 spaces after periods (full > stops > in the UK) and colons (but not semicolons). I don't really mind. So long as the writing is clearly and appropriately punctuated, it's easy to read. That is what matters. Spelling is another question. I know that US usage has largely done away with double consonants. Personally, I think this to be wrong. The English language has few enough indicators of its pronunciation. The double consonant, implying a short vowel before it, has always struck me as useful. The only European language I know of with a completely logical phoneme-to-character relationship is, believe it or not, Welsh. One symbol, which may be two characters, one sound. Once you know the code, it's easy. The characters that Tolkien invented for "The Lord of the Rings" show a similar logic. This is not surprising, given the subjects he taught. Start off with t, p, k, and s. Voice them, and you get d, b, g, and z. Aspirate them, and you have th (as in 'weatlth'), f, gh, and zh. Do both, and you're on th (as in 'the'), v, ch (the Scottish pronunciation), and zh. Frank Wood ------------------------------ From: FrankWood95 [at] aol.com Message-ID: <9a.254708fa.2fa01dcb [at] aol.com> Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 18:42:19 EDT Subject: Re: Punctuation In a message dated 26/04/05 20:33:54 GMT Daylight Time, tiptd [at] theatreinthepark.com writes: > >> The capital letter signals the start of a new sentence. > > iPods are important to Apple but they don't capitalize the i. The names commercial companies give to their products ignore the rules. Myself, if I had to write the name of this product, I should enclose it in inverted commas, single or double. This, to some extent, sanitises errors. Frank Wood ------------------------------ Message-ID: <012501c54ab2$0279ad90$6401a8c0 [at] chris> From: "Chris Warner" References: Subject: Re: Problem with Lighting System Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 15:48:05 -0700 Sounds like a termination issue in the rack. Chris ----- Original Message ----- From: "Wayne Rasmussen" To: "Stagecraft" Sent: Tuesday, April 26, 2005 3:17 PM Subject: Problem with Lighting System > For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see > --------------------------------------------------- > > We are running a 48 dimmer Sensor rack in our studio theatre, controlled by > an Express 24/48 board. Two dimmers have become nearly inoperable. The > symptoms are: 110 volts of power can be read at the connectors in the room, > but they will only cause a lamp to barely glow. > > Things I have checked: > > 1. Wiring--all connections intact and tight--connectors, drop boxes, larger > boxes upline, and dimmer cabinet > 2. Dimmers--swapped operational dimmers. The "bad" dimmers work well in > other slots, while the "good" dimmers don't work in the problem > slots. > 3. Profile--dimmers should come on at 100%. > > Any suggestions? > > Thanks, > Wayne Rasmussen > Blair Academy > > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. > Version: 7.0.308 / Virus Database: 266.10.3 - Release Date: 4/25/2005 > > -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.308 / Virus Database: 266.10.3 - Release Date: 4/25/2005 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 18:52:04 -0400 From: Stephen Litterst Subject: Re: Problem with Lighting System Message-id: <426EC614.A8E870D0 [at] ithaca.edu> Organization: IC-Dept. of Theatre Arts References: Wayne Rasmussen wrote: > 2. Dimmers--swapped operational dimmers. The "bad" dimmers work well in > other slots, while the "good" dimmers don't work in the problem > slots. This says to me it's a DMX/console problem. What could have control of the dimmers? Do you have a Unison system that's not letting go? Are the dimmers parked on in the Express? Have you tried turning the dimmers on through the CEM? Could they have been set at a low level in the CEM without your knowledge? Someone with better verbal skills than I can explain how an SCR dimmer will always read as outputting 120v when read with most multimeters. I need a chalkboard for that conversation. Steve Litterst -- Stephen C. Litterst Technical Supervisor Ithaca College Dept. of Theatre Arts 607/274-3947 slitterst [at] ithaca.edu ------------------------------ Reply-To: From: "jsmith at theatrewireless.com" Subject: RE: Electrical math check Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 18:59:09 -0400 Organization: Home of the RC4 Wireless Dimmer System In-Reply-To: Message-Id: <20050426225912.ZNZC25800.tomts13-srv.bellnexxia.net [at] p3m866> > >>A 100W inverter will draw more than its 100W rated output > as it is not > >>100% efficient in the conversion. I'd guess that it would actually > >>draw closer to 12 Amps at full load. > >> > >> > > > >Surprisingly, bench testing in our shop indicates that most > commercial > >inverters on the market in the US are very efficient -- there is > >nowhere near this speculated 30% loss. > > > >We operated various brands of inverters, both true-sine and > >modified-sine (more of a square wave) while measuring both > input and output currents. > >Efficiencies were fairly negligible, particularly with the > >modified-sine models. Because of high efficiencies, they also run > >fairly cool. Nobody wants 30% of their battery capacity > lost in unwanted heat! > > > > > > The 70% figure was off the top of my head at the time to show > that inverters are not 100% efficient and the loss needs to > be taken into account. I just looked up the specs of a 130W > modified sine unit and it was 85% at full load. > A 450W pure sine unit came in at about 83% while another > brand simply says >90%. (maybe they mean 90.1% ??) So, my 70% > was too low but I wouldn't say the 10-17% losses quoted in > the spec sheets was negligible. > David... I guess the lesson here is to watch what you buy. No doubt, efficiency is at or near the top of the list for parameters to look closely at. :) Jim ------------------------------ Subject: RE: Problem with Lighting System Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 18:42:12 -0500 Message-ID: From: "Curt Mortimore" Had the same problem last week only with a single dimmer. Slightly different system, express 48/96, Fleenor splitter, two portable Colortran 12 packs, one portable Sensor 24 rack. The Sensor rack had come on-line two days before our last show and the ME had used only one channel of it for the house lights. Small black box theatre, dimmers in the corner, after the show had started the cooling fans would shut off and then come back on as soon as we hit intermission. Very noticeable! The ME parked one of the unused dimmers at 10% so the rack would see a signal and keep the fans on. Although a cacophony of fans was heard throughout the show at least it was constant. Fast forward to this show where we are using more of the dimmers in the Sensor rack and we had the exact problem you describe. Although, only with the one channel that was parked. You mention two dimmers. Are the offending dimmers in the same module? Have you thoroughly checked the control connections in the rack? If the problem does not move when you move the module, that dimmer is not parked AND all the circuitry between the dimmer and instrument are solid I am stumped. My last suggestion and please don't be offended. Have you called ETC tech support? In my experience they are extremely helpful, courteous and much better at these little mysteries than I. I hope some of that proves useful! Curtis L. Mortimore Graceland University 1 University Place Lamoni, IA 50140 ------------------------------ From: "ladesigners [at] juno.com" Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 23:52:36 GMT Subject: Re: Dance Floor Replacement Message-Id: <20050426.165312.11356.120863 [at] webmail22.lax.untd.com> "Marley was dead: to begin with. There was no doubt whatever about that. The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the undertaker, the clerk, and the chief mourner... Old Marley was a dead as a door-nail... There is no doubt the Marley was dead. You will therefor permit me to repeat, emphatically, that Marley was as dead as a door-nail... This must be distinctly understood or nothing wonderful can come of the story..." /s/ Charles Dickens,(c)1843 (who was paid PER WORD to write the above!) but can we stop calling any vinyl dance flooring "Marley" ? Actually I think that the Marley company is still in existance just not generally in the theatrical floor business, Keith Arsenault ------------------------------ From: "ladesigners [at] juno.com" Date: Wed, 27 Apr 2005 00:11:04 GMT Subject: Re: Subject: Dance Floor Replacement Message-Id: <20050426.171133.11356.121160 [at] webmail22.lax.untd.com> much easier to enforce in a educational institution, try telling a professional dancer they can't use rosin, ...Or a professional violinist, violist, cellist, or bassist for that matter... /s/ Richard ------------------------------ Message-Id: <6.2.1.2.0.20050426130517.00aa4b28 [at] localhost> Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 13:08:15 -0700 From: Jerry Durand Subject: Re: Punctuation In-Reply-To: References:

At 05:04 AM 4/26/2005, you wrote: >Me too, and that includes 2 spaces after a colon as well. As my vision >gets crappier with age, the extra room makes it easier to read and >comprehend. :( Now if only WORD and HTML would allow that. I have always put two spaces in, but in proofreading things in WORD I often have to take out spaces where they fall at the right margin, WORD puts the second space at the beginning of the next line. That's just stupid. And, of course, HTML by design ignores any number of spaces over one, so your nicely spaced message gets re-formatted for you. ---------- Jerry Durand Durand Interstellar, Inc. 219 Oak Wood Way Los Gatos, California 95032-2523 USA tel: +1 408 356-3886 USA toll free: 1 866 356-3886 fax: +1 408 356-4659 web: www.interstellar.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 20:30:20 -0400 Subject: Re: Punctuation From: Mike Benonis Message-ID: In-Reply-To: On 4/26/05 11:30 AM, "Jon Ares" wrote: > For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see > --------------------------------------------------- > >> That "rule" got picked up by a couple of generations of high school typing >> teachers, leading some of us to think it was Proper English. It's not, and >> now that digital composition and printing has replaced the old system, >> it's a dusty relic of the past. > > > Relic or not, I follow it. I believe, even with today's proportional > fontage, that it's easier to read sentences when there are two spaces after > periods, colons, and exclamation points. I can't remember if they taught it in school or if I picked it up on my own, but I too follow the two spaces after a period rule. I think it makes sentences easier to read, and it just seems "right" to me. Best regards, -Mike Benonis Senior and Sound Designer/Technician Stone Bridge High School 43100 Hay Road Ashburn, VA 20147 (703) 779-8900 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 21:06:47 -0400 Subject: Re: Punctuation and style From: Bruce Purdy Message-ID: In-Reply-To: > Robin Williams also wrote, "The Non-Designer's Type Book" which I think is > excellent. > Also "The Non-Designer's Design Book" and "The Non-Designer's Web Book" which are also excellent resources. Bruce -- Bruce Purdy Technical Director Smith Opera House ------------------------------ Message-ID: <001d01c54ac9$932059e0$0600000a [at] BRUTUS> From: "Jon Ares" References:

Subject: Re: Punctuation Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 18:36:46 -0700 > I have always put two spaces in, but in proofreading things in WORD I > often have to take out spaces where they fall at the right margin, WORD > puts the second space at the beginning of the next line. That's just > stupid. So true... luckily, smart layout programs like Quark, Pagemaker, Freehand and the ilk recognize the 2-space rule, and if it approaches a margin, it adjust accordingly, and doesn't leave them in. -- Jon Ares Program Director, West Linn HS Theatre Arts www.hevanet.com/acreative www.wlhstheatre.org ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 22:24:17 -0400 Subject: Re: Punctuation From: Bruce Purdy Message-ID: In-Reply-To: > And, of course, HTML by design ignores any number of spaces over one, so > your nicely spaced message gets re-formatted for you. You can put as many spaces as you want in HTML. Use " " for each space you want. (Without the quotes.) Bruce -- Bruce Purdy Technical Director Smith Opera House ------------------------------ Message-Id: <5.2.1.1.2.20050426222334.02530bd8 [at] postoffice8.mail.cornell.edu> Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 22:44:32 -0400 From: Ford H Sellers Subject: Re: Problem with Lighting System In-Reply-To: Hey Wayne, Have you tried resetting the rack? The Sensor Racks allow you to profile the dimmers at the Rack as well as at the board, and it's not hard for an inexperienced operator to profile the dimmer, or the channel itself (did a student do the patch? Was it cleared before you re-patched from your old show?). I'd check the patch, confirm that there isn't a profile on the channel or dimmer, then check the rack setup. As I recall it is pretty easy to leave a dimmer parked at the rack if you're not careful. The Sensor racks are great in that they can be easily configured at the rack, but sometimes not so great because they can be easily configured at the rack. I hope this helps, -Ford At 06:17 PM 4/26/2005, you wrote: >We are running a 48 dimmer Sensor rack in our studio theatre, controlled by >an Express 24/48 board.... > >Any suggestions? > >Thanks, >Wayne Rasmussen >Blair Academy ************************ Ford H Sellers Master Electrician Cornell University Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts 430 College Avenue Ithaca NY, 14850 (607) 254-2736 office (607) 254-2733 fax ------------------------------ Message-ID: <426F139C.6050700 [at] fuse.net> Date: Wed, 27 Apr 2005 00:22:52 -0400 From: Stuart Wheaton Subject: Re: Problem with Lighting System References: In-Reply-To: Wayne Rasmussen wrote: > We are running a 48 dimmer Sensor rack in our studio theatre, controlled by > an Express 24/48 board. Two dimmers have become nearly inoperable. The > symptoms are: 110 volts of power can be read at the connectors in the room, > but they will only cause a lamp to barely glow. > Get a two-fer and a 500 watt instrument. Plug the 500 watts into one leg of the two-fer, and plug the two fer into the offending circuit. Meter the empty socket of the two-fer. It won't be anywhere near 110 volts. Stuart ------------------------------ Message-ID: <426F1625.4090405 [at] fuse.net> Date: Wed, 27 Apr 2005 00:33:41 -0400 From: Stuart Wheaton Subject: Re: Problem with Lighting System References:

In-Reply-To: Stuart Wheaton wrote: > Wayne Rasmussen wrote: > >> We are running a 48 dimmer Sensor rack in our studio theatre, >> controlled by >> an Express 24/48 board. Two dimmers have become nearly inoperable. The >> symptoms are: 110 volts of power can be read at the connectors in the >> room, >> but they will only cause a lamp to barely glow. >> > > Get a two-fer and a 500 watt instrument. > > Plug the 500 watts into one leg of the two-fer, and plug the two fer > into the offending circuit. > > Meter the empty socket of the two-fer. > > It won't be anywhere near 110 volts. > > Stuart Replying to myself... sorry Also be sure to check any flexible cabling in the path. pigtails or multi-cable drops that might have been strained or gnawed. After that check, meter the circuits under load, starting at the dimmers and working to the outlet until you see the volts drop out. Good luck! Stuart ------------------------------ End of Stagecraft Digest #376 *****************************