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Twisted Road by Jack Riepe

If we come up with enough $ maybe we should spring for the aforementioned "good" michrophone also.....

Ken

Good point. Anyone know what a good microphone would be??

So far, I have received the following:

M. Cox $20
R. Machida $10
P. Springer $25
K. Foster $25
M. Morales $50
S. Henson $25
A. Trask $25

Total $180
 
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In regards, to a microphone, looks like a headset is the way to go, according to reviews on Amazon. Should be able to easily get one for under $50. Most are in the $20-$40 range.

Let's see how the donations go. If we can raise $200.00 we should be able to hook him up pretty good.
 
I think I may have sent my donation to the wrong PayPal account. It says the funds went to a Charles McCarthy but I see that you sign your name Chris. Let me know if I messed up and will make the correction.

Looks like it made it, great. If you come up short just drop a note and I will kick in some more.
 
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It looks like we are up to $130! Only 5 more Ten Dollar donations should get us there....

735 views and only 5 donors?

Come-on MOA!! We can do better than this!

Ken
 
In regards, to a microphone, looks like a headset is the way to go, according to reviews on Amazon. Should be able to easily get one for under $50. Most are in the $20-$40 range.

Let's see how the donations go. If we can raise $200.00 we should be able to hook him up pretty good.

Send me a PM with your address and I will send you a money order for ten clams. I don't have a Pay-Pal account.
 
735 views and only 5 donors? .......Times are tough and it is not easy for many folks to give so no shame in not giving and not everyone is a fan. And usually efforts like these, direct mails, email virals, etc., generate only a 1-3% return rate so if you count the most recent two pending contributors we are right at 1%.

Zendudhist fronted the money so at least Jack will have it this week to begin to play with and I am sure contributions will come in over time........
 
Whoa, Nellie!!

Here is the list:

So far, I have received the following:

M. Cox $20
R. Machida $10
P. Springer $25
K. Foster $25
M. Morales $50
S. Henson $25
A. Trask $25

Total $180

Looks like we are good for the software and a headset/microphone. Anybody want to make a decision on which to buy?

Let's hold up on the donations for now. The software was $150, so we have $30 for a headset.

What do you all think?

Chris
 
Not sure that 30 dollars will get him a decent headset but looking on Amazon the Andrea for about 40 bucks gets good reviews and for 45 bucks the talk pro USB 100 is also a good entry level headset for dictation. Make your best choice. And if you need a few more bucks just let me know.
 
Not sure that 30 dollars will get him a decent headset but looking on Amazon the Andrea for about 40 bucks gets good reviews and for 45 bucks the talk pro USB 100 is also a good entry level headset for dictation. Make your best choice. And if you need a few more bucks just let me know.

I still haven't included my contribution, so I think we have enough money...

Any other recommendations, comments, etc., about the headset/microphone choices?
 
I still haven't included my contribution, so I think we have enough money...

Any other recommendations, comments, etc., about the headset/microphone choices?

I have seen some sets of Dragon that include entry level microphones. You might want to hold off on picking up a mic until you find out if one is included with the software.
 
Hey All,

I received an email from Jack and he asked that I get your names, addresses and phone numbers, so he can thank you. If you are not comfortable with this, no problem...

Please send to my email address: ccmmcc@gmail.com
 
That is a good choice of a headset to get him started. Thanks for taking care of the logistics on this. And hopefully we will see Jack back to himself soon......don't you love it when a plan comes together. Thanks to everyone that had a part in this.
 
Hey All, Jack asked me to post this for him in the forum. Apparently, I am now his hot, new, secretary:brow

Chris

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Esteemed Colleagues and Friends:

IÔÇÖm not quite sure how to word this sentiment as I have never been in this position before. I do not mean the position of being indebted to someone for a a once-in-a-lifetime experience. (I have been in that position anytime a woman has ever taken her clothes off for me.) I am referring to the uncommonly unique pinnacle of having folks so eager to read my tripe, that they engaged a robot to do the heavy keyboard lifting for me. Literary critics of mine (and they do abound) would never refer to my writing as ÔÇ£cerebral heavy lifting.ÔÇØ Several have been so unkind as to label it ÔÇ£bathroom inspiration.ÔÇØ (Yet a cure for common constipation is still something.)

In a recent conversation with Chris McCarthy, I said, ÔÇ£This committed, if not misguided, cadre of ÔÇÿRiepe ReadersÔÇÖ constitutes the basis of a classic fan club. I find it hard to believe I have fans.ÔÇØ

Chris laughed and replied, ÔÇ£The word ÔÇÿfansÔÇÖ doesnÔÇÖt adequately describe bikers. I think the group would rather be identified as a ÔÇÿposse.ÔÇÖÔÇØ

Of course, I am now dictating these lines into the fancy headset that arrived shortly after the Dictation software package. The program is struggling with my Jersey City accent, which has been described by many as a combination of fingernails moving across a chalkboard and broken glass rattling around in an old Thermos. So when I said the word ÔÇ£posse,ÔÇØ the program scratched its ass for a second or two and came up with a similar sounding word with the same number of letters. Th difference is that a ÔÇ£posseÔÇØ is something that would likely chase me, while the other word is something I have pursued since I was 15-years-old.

The lesson here is that I must pay careful attention as to how my work is interpreted and be extra careful in reading the final copy. Otherwise, this e-mail would have included the sentence: ÔÇ£I will be forever grateful to the p#ssy that forever changed my method of composing.ÔÇØ And while that would still be technically true, it does dramatically alter the context of what I really wanted to say.

Let me begin by saying that this ÔÇ£posseÔÇØ of readers will always have a degree of special privilege in my world. I am working on a measure of recognition for each you, so you can be readily revealed to each other, and the crowd, at BMW events. We should get together (at the rally) whenever possible, in closed session to conspire and share confidential story data. I will be happy to answer any questions from this group (relating to any story I have written) with unabashed honesty. But I have to warn you, my best riding stories always have a jagged edge and a layer of salt to the language.

You are all deserving of a progress report, and this is it. I initially regarded the dictation program with the utmost skepticism. I hate all f#cking computers, including this one, which I love. (God bless Apple and all those who make these incredibly expensive, thoroughly reliable, and remarkably likable computers.) I still hate them.

I read the dictation programÔÇÖs simple directions three times. They seemed straightforward enough. (This is the lie of all professionally packaged computer programs.) I began to install it like I was diffusing a Mark V torpedo. The microphone/headset installed first. I want to report that the dictation program did come with a headset that worked fine. Two hours later, a much fancier headset was delivered. (I immediately switched to the fancier one. It has a nicely padded ear cuff and a bulbous microphone the size of a grape. Too bad both of these have USB connections. I am looking for a headset like this for my cell phone.) I will get a WWII B-25 pilotÔÇÖs hat that I will wear under this second headset for maximum effect.

Then I installed the software. It all went according to plan, and no one was more surprised than I. There are four or five prompts to get the program up and running. My adventure with these will be the subject of an upcoming blog. Several members of this posse (you know who you are) suggested that I would be too provincial to deal with this software. Normally, you might be right. But this one seemed hard to screw up. There will be a learning curve, but not for any of the reasons youÔÇÖd suspect.

Reason #1:
I talk to myself as I work. The program happily adds these colorful asides to whatever IÔÇÖm working on.

Reason #2:
I still chat with newspaper reporters on the phone. We have remarkably candid conversations. These include pronouncements like, ÔÇ£Did you see what those assh@les in Congress did yesterday? I canÔÇÖt believe that stupid mutha-f#cker from (insert your state) thought it would be a good idea to...ÔÇØ The dictation program simply added all these to my text.

Reason #3:
I experiment with punctuation. The dictation program regards my experiments as ÔÇ£evil.ÔÇØ It thinks I am an editorial vivisectionist.

But there have been some immediate changes too. I woke up with the kind of headache that is normally associated with a gunshot wound. This was around 3:40am, which is when I usually start work. I thought, ÔÇ£Another lost day today,ÔÇØ as I will not look at keyboard nor a computer screen with a headache. (I cannot take anything because of the arthritis medication.) But I didnÔÇÖt have to look. All I had to do was talk. And I still got a few hours in before the sun came up. A huge time savings will come in answering e-mail too. I cannot thank you guys enough. You may have created a monster though. Look a for a new bog this weekend.

Submitted to Chris McCarthy for posting because I am still too provincial to call the MOA office get my access to these forums untangled. Why? (Repeat this as a chorus: ÔÇ£Because Riepe hates all computers.ÔÇØ I have more f#cking passwords than the Mossad.)
 
I'm sorry I've arrived late to this thread, but as a big fan of Jack's, I'd like to donate as well to help with any costs.

Please PM me with a paypal addy if you're still accepting funds for Jack.

His columns in the ON as well as his books have given me more than a few laughs and I'd like to do what I can to help him continue writing.

Thanks,
DBC
 
Chris, this is absoutly great!
Thanks to you and all the conributors for making this happen.
Jack is one of our dearest motorcycle brothers, and this is what it's all about...Helping each other in a time of need!

But if he calls us pus#ys again......i dunno.

Ken
 
I'm sorry I've arrived late to this thread, but as a big fan of Jack's, I'd like to donate as well to help with any costs.

Please PM me with a paypal addy if you're still accepting funds for Jack.

His columns in the ON as well as his books have given me more than a few laughs and I'd like to do what I can to help him continue writing.

Thanks,
DBC

Thanks for the offer, DBC, but we collected enough to get him everything. The money came in fast!
 
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