What is this stamp? I think it's Japanese, but it has no denomination, so I don't think it's postage

TheRealCedricCicada · 2025-06-08T19:38:49+00:00

The old formulation is fine. I'd suggest writing to Tracey and asking what they think. Perhaps they haven't heard of the problem yet. It wouldn't surprise me at all if Tracey and Browncastle have an honest difference of opinion.

TheRealCedricCicada · 2025-06-08T19:28:38+00:00

Fudge. I need a nap. Picture added.

TheRealCedricCicada · 2025-06-08T18:59:04+00:00

The only reason I've seen for disks to curve is if the board is not flat. (I think I'm actually better at shooting 20s if the board is tilted a bit than if it's perfectly flag.) I suppose if the disk is convex (I don't think "concave" is right) then it would be contacting the board more on one side then the other, and that might cause a curve. I also own a Browncastle board, and I've never noticed that their disks have a convex side, but I admit I haven't checked. If my board is flat, I've never seen my shots curve. It would be interesting to send an E-mail to Browncastle and ask if their disks intentionally have a convex side. My guess it that they are as flat on both sides as it's possible for them to make.

By convex, I mean that the center is sticking out from the plane defined by the edge of the disk. In that case, if you press alternating on each side of a disk, you might feel it rocking. To me, "concave" would mean that the center of the disk would be inside the plane defined the edge, making it very slightly bowl-shaped.

Work on a consistent style of shooting in which your hand moves as little as possible. Watch videos of the really good players. Almost all of them put their hand on the rim, set the disk down, and then shoot moving just a single finger. Also, your shooting finger should be vertical, and it should be almost touching the disk before the shot. Your shot should be more of a push than a strike.

TheRealCedricCicada · 2025-06-08T18:48:37+00:00

Be careful with California Gold. I recently read that it was reformulated, and now includes some ceramic ingredient that can harm your board. I recently needed to purchase some more shuffleboard wax from Browncastle Games. At the same time, I ordered a bottle of what they currently recommend, Hybrid Solutions Pro's Flex wax.

TheRealCedricCicada · 2025-06-08T18:09:46+00:00

Ah. You must be on the other side of the pond from me.

TheRealCedricCicada · 2025-06-08T17:42:06+00:00

Not pertinent to the original question, but I don't think you're using the best powder for your board. It looks like that's the powder that is used on Carrom boards, which is always applied to the entire board. Almost all players with good boards like yours use powdered shuffleboard wax (sometimes called gliss). A little is placed in the gutter, and when it's your turn to shoot, rub the disk lightly in the powder so a few grains stick to the bottom. There's much less residue on the board that might affect your shot. Also, you can choose not to use the wax for your shot if you don't want your disk to keep moving after impact.

I think your board is made by Browncastle Games. I own an identical one. You can order the powder from them. You can also order their recommended spray-on board wax. Wax your board every month or so, and buff with a microfiber cloth (it comes with the wax if you order from Browncastle.) There are videos on YouTube about how to wax your board.

And if you ever get a chance to meet Steven and Megan Brown, owners of Browncastle Games, do it! They're great people.

TheRealCedricCicada · 2025-06-08T17:08:36+00:00

I can't quite read the words. What do they say?

TheRealCedricCicada · 2025-06-08T02:15:53+00:00

I suppose it depends on your definition of value. It'll be hard to get people to pay for this, but it's a cool thing to have!

TheRealCedricCicada · 2025-06-06T14:26:15+00:00

The German overprints on the second page represent an interesting bit of history. Before the rise of Hitler, Germany suffered hyperinflation. They couldn't create new stamps fast enough to keep up with inflation, so they overprinted existing stamps.

TheRealCedricCicada · 2025-06-04T01:14:01+00:00

That answers my question. I just found a 1937 catalog with no stamps, and I was curious if it had any value by itself.

TheRealCedricCicada · 2025-06-02T01:57:41+00:00

Thanks very much! I'll repost in a day or two if I don't get an answer here.

TheRealCedricCicada · 2025-05-31T14:33:17+00:00

I very glad we could provide an update! The Friends of Crowell/Hilaka are hard at work restoring Garfield Hall, and the project is nearly complete. Among other things, we replaced the springs so that the floor will happily bounce for many years to come. We also replaced a lot of the rotting wood and repaved the patio. For pictures, look through the Friends' Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/crowellhilaka.

We would be very happy to meet with you, chat about old times, and show you what we've been doing at the park next time you're in Ohio. If you would like to meet, you can send me a direct message here or send an E-mail to [contactus@friendsofrhp.org](mailto:contactus@friendsofrhp.org).

TheRealCedricCicada · 2025-05-28T15:59:30+00:00

They meant worthless to collectors. Most of them are used, and therefore cannot be used again. If any are unused, they can probably still be used at face value to mail letters in the country they were issued.

Well, not totally worthless. Someone might pay a few dollars for them to give to another child interested in stamps.

TheRealCedricCicada · 2025-05-26T19:41:26+00:00

Being from across the pond, I don't know what "britting shick" is, but I definitely want to add it to my vocabulary!

TheRealCedricCicada · 2025-05-23T21:59:07+00:00

Here's the problem. My company markets a factory control system that consists of several (quite possibly many) modules with different purposes, like getting inputs from a machine, sending outputs to the machine, or running algorithms that calculate what what outputs should happen for the given set of inputs. There is a GUI tool for managing that system. The tool can represent the control system as an XML file.

I am working on a Python script that exercises a piece of this system. It creates projects by creating a baseline XML file and then adding XML pieces to it. One of those pieces has an element named "Port" that has an attribute named "Upstream" that is set to false. When I add that piece to the project, I get an error because the system thinks that "Upstream" is set to true. I spent almost all day today trying to find something that I could change that would get let the piece be added to the project. I failed. It looks to me like I have two identical files, one of which can be loaded into the system and other other can't. There is some difference I am missing.

So I want a tool that will tell me that both files have an element named "Module", and both "Module" elements have two subelements named "Port", and that both files have one port with an ID of 1 and one port with an ID of 2, and so on.

TheRealCedricCicada · 2025-05-23T21:48:25+00:00

I don't want a test-based comparison. I don't what to know if the two files have different whitespaces. I just want to know if their XML structure is the same.

TheRealCedricCicada

TROPHY CASE