Adjectives vs. nouns
by Paul McGowan
Near the end of summer Terri and I decided one way to get out of the house without worrying too much about being unsafe was to take advantage of Boulder's many bike trails. Our city has 300 miles of bikeway, including 96 miles of bike lanes, 84 miles of multi-use paths, and 50 miles of designated bike routes. Seems like we could spend quite a lot of time enjoying the fresh air and sunshine.
First, we'd need bikes. But, as an avowed nerd engineer, I determined it couldn't be just any bike, and thus hour upon hour of research ensued. What I was hoping for was an electric-assist bicycle that we could easily store in the back of the car should we wish to take them to one of Colorado's many parks. Given the size of my car that meant the bikes had to be foldable and lightweight. A rather tall order.
I finally found the perfect bike. They are from the Stark company. Pretty cool story. There's even a heartfelt video from the founder, Oscar Stark. Their website offers both custom ordered or in-stock versions. They're not cheap, but we bought into the story and ordered a pair.
That was at the beginning of September. As November marches forward we still have no bikes.
Turns out the words "in stock" and "available for immediate delivery" doesn't have the same meaning to everyone.
Our bikes are stuck somewhere in China.
Why am I writing a blog post about it? Because the whole affair now makes me laugh and I just wanted to share.
After repeated emails to their customer service about why they continue to advertise their bikes as "in stock" and "available for immediate shipment", after they notified me they have "no bikes in stock", I finally received the following email.
"The pandemic has caused a problem with our stock levels which I can see by our correspondence has been mentioned to you multiple times. We use the word stock as an adjective, not a noun."
Now, you tell me. Is this not the best and funniest response from a company you've ever read?
Really?
Paul McGowan
Founder & CEO
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Table of Contents – Issue 211
It’s safe to say that every Copper reader grew up with Radio Shack, especially if you’ve ever burned your fingers on a soldering iron. Now, every Radio Shack catalog ever...
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Table of Contents – Issue 211
It’s safe to say that every Copper reader grew up with Radio Shack, especially if you’ve ever burned your fingers on a soldering iron. Now, every Radio Shack catalog ever published can be accessed on the website, www.RadioShackCatalogs.com. A sister site, www.alliedcatalogs.com, features catalogs from Allied Radio going back to 1929. Both sites offer a wealth of additional material including advertisements, vintage TV commercials and much more. They’re incredible treasure troves of audio history.
The music world has lost two songwriting legends with the passing of Kris Kristofferson (88) and JD Souther (78). Kristofferson wrote iconic songs including “Help Me Make it Through the Night,” “Sunday Morning Coming Down,” Me and Bobbie McGee,” and also had a successful acting career. JD Souther struck gold with his “You’re Only Lonely,” and penned many hits for the Eagles and others.
In this issue: B. Jan Montana says the Titanic’s musicians knew…about life and its meaning. Adrian Wu has a report on the Hong Kong High-End Audio Visual Show. Wayne Robins has a conversation with Perla Batalla about her album, A Letter to Leonard Cohen: To a Friend. Batalla sang in Cohen’s band for years and knew him well. Rich Isaacs has the latest installment in his series on test records and demo discs. I talk with singer/songwriter extraordinaire James Lee Stanley about his new album, The Day Today, and review the Hyeseon Hong Jazz Orchestra’s wonderful new Things Will Pass album, with an interview from the composer. Paul McGowan continues his look back on 50 years of PS Audio. Ray Chelstowski offers a tribute to the late JD Souther and interviews the masterful blues guitarist/singer Kenny Wayne Shepherd.
Harris Fogel has thoughts on quality, style, and class, in audio and elsewhere. We cover the latest release from Octave Records, The Art of Hi-Fi, Volume 06: Guitars. Rudy Radelic covers The Vinyl Beat and new reissues from Black Sabbath, Idris Muhammad, John Lee Hooker, War, and more. I continue my series on playing in a rock band with advice on getting mentally prepared for a gig. PMA magazine designs the ultimate listening chair. Ken Kessler keeps spinning reel-to-reel tapes. PS Audio earns positive reviews from Hi-Fi News and Alpha Audio. We conclude the issue with potent portables, playlist priorities, and calavera.
Contributors to This Issue:
Ray Chelstowski, Frank Doris, Harris Fogel, Rich Isaacs, Ken Kessler, Paul McGowan, B. Jan Montana, Olivier Meunier-Plante, Rudy Radelic, Wayne Robins, James Schrimpf, Adrian Wu, Peter Xeni.Logo Design:
Susan Schwartz-Christian, from a concept by Bob D’AmicoEditor:
Frank DorisPublisher:
Paul McGowanAdvertising Sales:
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