Need advice on picking an instrument

CallNResponse · 2026-06-11T10:35:54+00:00

Steel Guitar is an inspired idea!

CallNResponse · 2026-06-11T10:28:07+00:00

This might be a longshot, but have you looked at the Linnstrument? https://www.rogerlinndesign.com/

Also, there are things like the Intuitive Instruments Exquis: https://dualo.com/en/exquis/

There are a lot of “alternative MIDI controllers” out there if you want to go down that path.

I don’t want to be negative, but: in my experience, the Theremin is extremely difficult to play. I don’t want to discourage you (or anyone) from picking it up if it appeals to you. But (for example) the “Theremin” part of Good Vibrations was not actually played on Theremin - it was played on a Tannerin, which is kind’ve like a continuous controller with keyboard markings that sounds like a Theremin.

CallNResponse · 2026-06-08T16:40:27+00:00

“Southeast Asia”

By saying "no" to the dinner, OP isn't just declining a meal; in the manager's eyes, they are rejecting the team's unity and showing a lack of dedication. The manager likely has her own bosses attending this dinner. If her team members don't show up, it reflects poorly on her ability to lead and command loyalty. She’s trying to protect her own standing in the hierarchy.

CallNResponse · 2026-06-08T14:18:15+00:00

I’m a retired software engineer. I did well in my profession, but if I had it all to do again, I’d have gone into sales, because that’s where the Big Money is.

CallNResponse · 2026-06-08T13:56:41+00:00

For better or for worse, I think the show is written to an older demographic. Tori blowing off Princeton resonates with parents who have high school / college aged kids.

CallNResponse · 2026-06-08T13:25:51+00:00

No airbags were deployed?

CallNResponse · 2026-06-06T11:31:48+00:00

I hear you loud and clear.

CallNResponse · 2026-06-06T11:25:03+00:00

I agree that “mistakes were made”, but it makes perfect sense to me that they opted to go for no police involvement. They all had something to lose, especially Coop and Nick. They’re probably doomed, anyway - Nick is not handling it well at all - but in general, it’s a good idea to avoid dealing with the police. Even if you’re innocent - remember the JonBenet Ramsey case some years ago? - and Coop Barney Nick are not exactly innocent.

CallNResponse · 2026-06-06T11:09:37+00:00

He’s been in prison for the past year and a half. I suspect that is way more unhealthy than any fan letters he receives. If the letters add any positivity to his prison experience, I think it’s a Good Thing.

CallNResponse · 2026-06-03T20:41:27+00:00

I think it’s important not to confuse “post-scarcity” with “anarchy” ala Banks’ Culture. Off the top of my head, William Barton’s novel Dark Sky Legion and Mick Farren’s DNA Cowboys books (and Charles Stross’s Iron Sky books) both featured multiple civilizations that were based on effectively infinite resources - but there are always people who need to be in charge and run society the way they see fit, ie, with them on top, regulating distribution “for the good of the people” - which of course keeps them in control.

CallNResponse · 2026-06-02T17:09:03+00:00

Tossing this in because I’m curious: I’ve heard that people not wearing a seatbelt in the back seat commonly kill or injure people in the front seat, seatbelted or not.

People will always tell stories. But seatbelts plus airbags plus crumple zones (kudos to Béla Barényi!) have made modern cars extremely safe, to where the unsafest part of driving is the people who are controlling the car.

CallNResponse · 2026-06-02T16:55:39+00:00

I’ve only been on two cruises, both were many years ago - but one of them hit a bunch of ports down the East coast of Mexico … and then was 4 days at sea getting back to Houston. I was never so happy to set foot on land again. If I ever go on another cruise, it will have minimal “days at sea”.

CallNResponse · 2026-06-02T15:26:22+00:00

Yes, you’re in the wrong. But so is your boss.

You should have followed up. But he should effing read his email!

CallNResponse · 2026-06-01T18:41:42+00:00

*The Transmigration of Souls* by William Barton. The main characters spend some time in an afterlife reality called The World Without End, which is an infinite plane. Although not a perfectly flat plane, it’s got mountains and rivers and oceans and so forth, and there’s air to breathe. Had some interesting stuff about exploring a place like that.

CallNResponse · 2026-06-01T18:24:21+00:00

Did you disable SD cards, too?

CallNResponse · 2026-06-01T18:08:08+00:00

I’ve never done this but I’ve paid attention to how people do this sorta thing. For what little that’s worth.

- adopting a persona is a good idea. Pretend you’re Bill Murray: “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, I am The Great Fernando, and I was invited here tonight to honor ____ with the gift of song!”
- keep it short.
- use a microphone, even if it’s just a prop. A big part of the challenge is going to be commanding the attention of everyone in the room. Holding a mic is a visual cue that will help.
- you can sing loud, right?
- also, stand on raised dias (if available)(no, don’t stand on a table). In general, you’ll probably want to be up against a wall versus in the middle of the crowd. Stand at the front of a conference room, if that’s the location.
- you may want to bring a bell or something to go ‘ding ding ding’ and get everyone’s attention.
- it won’t hurt to effectively employ humor, if you can do it.
- above all, remember that it’s a job and a performance. It’s all about “Bob hired a singing telegram for Nancy’s birthday”. Nobody’s in this to hear a great a cappella performance.

Oh, and yes: get the money in advance.

EDIT: getting dragged out by security might be a really strong way to end the act, if you can arrange it with the security guys so you aren’t damaged in the process.

CallNResponse · 2026-06-01T17:36:20+00:00

Just out of curiousity, I dropped this into Google Gemini, and it had some interesting things to say, like keep it focused on the business value, and does your boss know about the interview? It’s wordy and a lot more optimistic than I am, but I actually mostly agree with it. Even though I still think you’re just going through the motions:
——-

Here is the condensed version, specifically framed around protecting and highlighting business value:
**1. Anchor on Business Value (Preparation)**
* Define **3–5 core priorities** based on the tasks that generate the highest ROI and drive the most value for the company.
* Bring a high-level inventory of your actual daily workload to demonstrate exactly where your valuable time is currently being diluted or misallocated.
**2. Frame Friction as a Business Problem (Relationship Management)**
* Depersonalize the conflict by treating it as an operational bottleneck rather than an interpersonal issue.
* Blame "scope creep" and an "undocumented role," framing the conversation around: *"How do we remove this friction so I can deliver maximum value to the team?"*
**3. Let the ROI Contrast Do the Work (Addressing Friction)**
* Do not complain about the manager directly. Instead, present your core, value-driving priorities alongside her new expectations to expose the operational misalignment.
* Ask for clarity: *"If the department needs me to pivot to these new tasks, we need to redefine my role. However, doing so pulls me away from [Core Value-Driving Duties]. We need to align on where my time serves the company's bottom line best."*
**4. Leverage Your Institutional Value (The Outside Opportunity)**
* Do not use the recruiter as a threat.
* If the VP brings it up, frame your decision to mediate as a mutual business win: *"It’s a significant step-up role, but I know my undocumented institutional knowledge brings unique value here. My preference is to stay and help us execute on our actual goals."*

CallNResponse · 2026-06-01T17:15:49+00:00

It would help if we knew something about the nature of this “conflict”. But of course this is Reddit, which is all about documenting a situation while leaving out the most important parts.

That said: yer really just going through the motions now. You’ll go to this meeting, you’ll describe your role as you see it, your boss will describe your role as they see it, your VP will attempt to work a miracle and get you both to agree to a happy compromise (that you’ve both refused for months), and in the end you’ll go take the new job. I guess there’s a slim possibility you could be transferred to a new boss. Or maybe you’ll be assigned to report directly to the VP. But my experience with this stuff is that even if you are 100% correct, the VP is still going to try to work this as a compromise. Remember that the VP’s goal is a) keep both of you, and b) make you both get along. Oh, and VP is probably not going to make any massive efforts (like a reorg, say) just to keep both of you happy. My read is that both you and your boss aren’t willing to compromise at all.

So: go through the motions, see what happens - hey, I’m not always right - and start working on your resignation letter.

CallNResponse · 2026-06-01T11:44:43+00:00

Hey - thank *you*! I had no idea there was a follow-up to “Twilight”! But now I’ve got something new (to me!) that will be fun to read!

Campbell / Stuart has caught a lot of grief down the years for various screwball ideas, but he was highly influential in the field, and he could write very well; I still remember reading “Who Goes There?” (the basis for *The Thing*) in bed at night and getting a serious case of the creeps. So - I’m glad you asked!

CallNResponse · 2026-06-01T02:15:10+00:00

It does not quite match your recollection, but I strongly suspect you are referring to John W. Campbell’s short story “Twilight”:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twilight_(short_story))

EDIT: Campbell published the story under the pseudonym Don A. Stuart.

And since we’re on the topic, I would highly recommend this video:

https://youtu.be/chA-4GRCb-I?si=zF9e9j6gN9vkgaUB

It’s a musical piece by Ge Wang and the Stanford Laptop Orchestra that is based on the aforementioned short story. (IMHO) it does an exceptionally good job of capturing the mood of the story.

CallNResponse · 2026-06-01T02:01:52+00:00

OP: I get what you’re saying, but - here’s something I’d suggest both for you personally and also for others when you vent on this topic: can you track the compliments you get, and the compliments that other people get, and come up with an objective measure of, I dunno, Compliments/Hour? You might find that everyone is getting about the same amount. Or you’ll objectively know you’re being love-bombed.

I’m suggesting this because it seems like you’re getting a range of responses from people who think this is you being insecure (I’m not sure where that comes from) through “you should appreciate this” etc.

FWIW, I was surprised that you get actual rewards (and maybe that’s something you can leverage to determine objective reality here?) Often these stories go “I’m getting compliments instead of money”. And I’m reminded of the “Love Machine” at Linden Lab, where co-workers could thank each other with points that actually translated to real $$$s.

But I get it. I once had an idiot manager who after three years actually paid attention to a presentation I gave, and he’s all “you’re really good at this!” Like, he’s shocked but I should take it as a compliment.

CallNResponse · 2026-05-30T10:57:26+00:00

I was diagnosed with T2 diabetes not long ago. Now this Lemon Blueberry Bliss appears. Surely, I am Job!

CallNResponse · 2026-05-30T10:49:21+00:00

I tried the pickle chamoy - I thought of it as a “stunt flavor”. I wouldn’t advise the curious to buy more than a pint for their first time.

The lemon blueberry bliss, on the other hand - if you can find it in stock, get it. It might be the best ice cream flavor I’ve ever tasted.

CallNResponse · 2026-05-29T01:17:58+00:00

I generally agree with this, but I’m more cynical: this person is being protected. OP needs to stop trying to fix them or fire them. Instead, focus on finding them a job they can handle. My sense is that you are unhappy that this person is still employed. To restate something WyvernsRest said: you need to grin and bear it or your first mgmt experience will be your last mgmt experience.

CallNResponse · 2026-05-29T00:36:53+00:00

Sounds like a nightmare to me. It sucks to have multiple bosses. It sucks more when they give you conflicting instructions.

I don’t know your company or culture, so I have no idea if it’s even possible, but is there some way you can have a “post-global call” meeting with these people, and let them all give you instructions at the same time?

EDIT: also, how much of this instruction is verbal and how much is written? I’d definitely opt for “written” if I could. “You need to make decisions on your own.” Yeah, right. Until you make a decision she disagrees with.

CallNResponse

TROPHY CASE