Why is the Org so boring now?

[dozy]

Like so many other things , a certain group move in and the locals move out . Happens all to often .

[orkneycadian]

Did it become boring because Orkneycadian stopped posting and no other reason?

Nowt to do with me! Over censorship 4 years ago drove a lot of folk away. I only came back when some bribed me with the offer of some Old Pulteney in 'e Camps if I livened the place up a bit. So far, thats been a bigger challenge than expected.

[crayola]

I know the story. Well some of it.

I hope whoever bribed you in ’e Camps has joined arms in trying to liven up the place.

[orkneycadian]

I think we are on a hiding to nothing here Crayola. Seems to be past livening up. Looks like I won't be getting that Old Pulteney after all.

[crayola]

This isn’t the first time I’ve tried.

There are always plenty folkies reading the General forum mind. Who would have thought once proud outspoken Caithnessians would one day turn into en-masse passive consumers of the collective wit and wisdom of a witch and an Orkneycadian?

[orkneycadian]

Its not all lost - I have resisted the urge to post on the thread "Where is a good place to pick wilks (sic)" with the obvious answer of "the beach". Now someone has sprung out of the woodwork and posted something altogether more comprehensive. Not all you Caithnessians have lost the use of the "Reply to thread" button. Yet.....

[orkneycadian]

Over censorship 4 years ago drove a lot of folk away.

And probably still is to this day - Theres a thread in the Recommendations section titled "Ghosts and paranormal" - In that, several posters describe a SB7 "spirit box". For the uninitiated, this is simply a bog standard AM/FM radio, but when you hit the search button, instead of stopping on a station it finds, it zips past it. Just like spinning the dial on an analogue radio. The result is chopped up bits of broadcast radio sounds. Rather than pay £10 in Tesco for a radio that stops properly on the stations, you can spend £70 online to buy a similar radio that zips past the stations. As a "ghosthunter" its then up to you to try and associate the sounds you hear, with what you want to hear.

Now, these spirits are very amenable it seems. Despite being able to do what they want, it seems that they choose to limit their communications with us to FM in the range 76 to 108 MHz and AM from 522 to 1710 kHz, which is very conveniently the same as standard broadcasting. OK, 76 is a bit lower, but matches a lot of the radio chips coming out of China that find their way into low cost walki talkies...

The spooks even know to use FM on the 76 to 108 MHz band, and AM on the 522 to 1710 kHz band!

So, that aside, my suggestions on this in the thread in the Recommendations section do not appear to have made it past the site moderator. Meanwhile, more poor technophobes could end up spending 7 times more cash on a radio that doesn't work properly, i.e. in search/seek mode, it doesn't stop on the stations it finds. Meanwhile, you are led to believe that any sounds you hear are not snippets of broadcast transmissions, but ghosties from the other side speaking to you. You couldn't make it up.....

So - Since recommendations are censored in the recommendations section, my recommendation is to save £60 and buy your radio from Tesco. It'll work a lot better and you'll be able to hear Caithness FM in its entirety - Not just a snippet of sound every 30 seconds.

[crayola]

Maybe some of those banned because of political bias 4 years ago could be persuaded to return if they were asked nicely?

[wavy davy]

Now, these spirits are very amenable it seems. Despite being able to do what they want, it seems that they choose to limit their communications with us to FM in the range 76 to 108 MHz and AM from 522 to 1710 kHz, which is very conveniently the same as standard broadcasting. ..... buy your radio from Tesco. It'll work a lot better and you'll be able to hear Caithness FM in its entirety - Not just a snippet of sound every 30 seconds.

Ghosties were once people who had radios and knew the bands used in broadcasting. Why would they waste their time using frequencies which no-one could hear? They micht be deid but they're no glaikit. And why would anyone want to listen to Caithness FM in its entirety? You're making no sense man.

[orkneycadian]

If the departed were as savvy at broadcasting as suggested, then they might keep their words on one frequency. Make themselves a lot easier to be heard.

And listening to Caithness FM? The closest you can get to a near death experience, whilst still maintaining a pulse. Just.

Anyway, the point, censorship is still alive and kicking on 'e org. About the only thing that still is!

[mi16]

The ferries only have themselves to blame for their site bombing to oblivion.

[sam09]

What could be done to make it more popular?

What about a Rant Room (uncensored). Chance would be a fine thing.

[wavy davy]

If the departed were as savvy at broadcasting as suggested, then they might keep their words on one frequency. Make themselves a lot easier to be heard.

Then only one of them could speak at a time. If they all tried on, say, 102.5 FM, all you would hear would be a garbled cacophony. Hmm, you might have a point.

[orkneycadian]

Well, I thought I would give this ghosthunting a try. Being too miserable to shell out £70 on a broken radio from Amazon, I got the old Eddystone fired up the other night. Screwed it, and a wiper motor out of a Mk 1 Fiesta to the kitchen table, and joined tuning knob and the shaft of the wiper motor with a pair of the wifes tights. A quick squirt of belt dressing, the battery off the Dexta, a set of jump leads and it was good to go.

Initial tests were not too successful. The wiper motor shaft is pretty small, so the gearing was a bit low, and the radio scanned between about 104 and 105 MHz. All I heard was unintelligible gobbledygook, except one occasion where a spook said "helicopter".

One hosiery adjustment later, and it was scanning between about 102 and 103 MHz. Heres a transcript of what the Pye reel to reel captured......

Me: Hello? Is there anybody there?
Radio: Crackle, hiss, spit.
Me: Hello, can, you hear me?
Radio: Hello
Me: Wow, it works! Hello, what is your name?
Radio: Barbara
Me: Where are you Barbara
Radio: Country
Me: Which Country?
Radio: Western
Me: Right, so you are in a Western country. Which one?
Radio: Caithness
Me (thinks): Hmmm, this spook is not very spatially aware. Doesn't it realise Caithness is a county in the east, not a country in the west? Hmmm, maybe its the interference from the wiper motor.....
Me: How many spirits are there with you?
Radio: One Oh Two point Five
Me: OK, what are some of their names?
Radio: Shania, Travis, Dixie, Brad, McGraw
Me: Wow, this is truly amazing. Shame on me for doubting it.

At this point, we had a slight technical hitch - The cat jumped up on the table to investigate the strange noises. I think its been watching too many Whiskas adverts. It got its tail caught between the tights and tuning knob on the Eddystone and let out a tremendous yelp. On hearing the commotion, the missus dashed in and gave me merry hell and skelp on the lug for ruining her best tights. On finding that the wiper motor was screwed to the kitchen table, she got even more feisty. Its a good job the wifi reaches to the barn so you can read this.

I might try some more experiments later. I reckon with the sprocket off the dungspreader, I can up the gearing a bit to take in a wider sweep of radio spectrum, and hear even more ghosties!

Stay (un)tuned folkies!

[crayola]

Have you tried the wiper motor from a Mark 1 Escort with go faster stripes? They’re more attractive to long gone boy racers from my generation who may have a message for me.

[Cleared_Hot]

Why is the Org boring ?? .. It never used to be but its all down to a change in society and the slow march to where we are now. Anyone today who has an online opinion you don't like must be crushed and, god forbid, anyone who claims to be offended must result in everyone stopping, kick in the tears and a tea candle, and giving them a cyber cuddle. If like me you have a sense of humour you cant post anywhere these days without someone firing up the outrage bus and handbrake turning it into your post in a cloud of outrage and tears.

I posted here a long time ago, a long time ago. I mean, I had hair back then. Back in a time when if someone had said that one day a guy would be prosecuted for making a dog do a Nazi salute in a video you would have been met with laughter. And then a small crowd who, having tracked you down in real life for your silliness, would follow you around pointing and haranguing you. But that is life today. I mean look at the front page of the forum and the thread titles, the NHS should prescribe this place for Insomniacs who don't respond to drugs. Even this thread, about why the Org is boring .. is boring. Talking to dead people and Mark 1 Escort wipers ?? .. Eh ?? .. has there been a sudden liking for necking Toilet Duck in Caithness over the past decade ?? .. because you need to stop drinking it people. Seriously.

Back then you had characters like Fred, a man who so believed everything he read on the internet if it told him he was dead he would nip outside and bury himself. Then there was Anfield who believed that every British serviceman or woman was a career criminal in the making and is probably now a professional griever with a share in a tea candle factory. They were, like lots of others, characters that made you smile for one reason or another. Joxville is another name that springs to mind. He was a good lad. And Golach too. And Northerner as well, he was class. I might not have agreed with them all the time but we did have some right laughs. Ultimately though we were all forced out because we pushed the limits a bit.

I haven't been home in years but if this forum is a sign of the place I am not encouraged to, there is more crack in a broken leg.

Oh and as I bet inquisitive minds are wondering who I was then allow me to demonstrate what the Org used to be like, this thread was one of mine .. http://forum.caithness.org/showthrea...light=blimping

Would that be allowed today ?? .. Probably not.

Why is the Org boring ?? .. Because the world has changed and people have become boring because any attempt at standing out these days is met with that crowd who love labelling everyone with a tag ending in "ism", "ist" or "phobic" shouting the loudest.

Simples.

[orkneycadian]

Yup, got it in one!

[janeyj]

I look in on the Org every day. If it's so boring....does that mean I'm boring too?

I admit I haven't posted for awhile. But that's because I was being stalked by some keyboard warrior who was creating mayhem across the Org at that time. I always imagined him (if it was a him) looking like Columbo and sitting at his computer 24/7 wearing a long crumpled raincoat waiting for someone to post and then pouncing on his prey!

No, I don't find the Org boring. Who has decided this? Where are the survey results? I haven't been accosted by Bill Fernie at the doors of Wick Tesco with a clipboard. Yet.

Love

Janey

[orkneycadian]

Have you tried the wiper motor from a Mark 1 Escort with go faster stripes? They’re more attractive to long gone boy racers from my generation who may have a message for me.

No, but I like your thinking. So much so, that its got me thinking that the rear wiper motor off a car that does a 180 degree sweep will take in more MHz than the front wiper motor that sweeps little more than 90 degrees.

[orkneycadian]

has there been a sudden liking for necking Toilet Duck in Caithness over the past decade ??

I actually find necking it quite difficult. That funny top on the bottle is hopeless. Swig it one way and you have to bend over backwards to get any out. The other way, you have the bottle pointing skywards, whilst the "nipple" is just coming up to a comfortable drinking angle. I find the best results are had by decanting it from the bottle into a jug, like you would home brew. Then you can pour it into a glass and swig as normal.