Thank you Dave for writing and Jeff for posting. I am on the fence regarding the current crop of mp3/radio recorders and this kept me squarely perched there for some time to come; as much as I want one, I will wait. Clarence KD8OSB

I watched this video, and it is troubling. I began to consider the subjugation of women in popular media since there was a popular media, and I don't think we've come very far. (It's often polite or cute or assumed, but it's there.) The misogyny is bolder today, to be sure, but the attitudes under it are the same. Our ethical sense has outpaced society's ability to change.

My question is, is the mp3 recorder programmable like the CC Witness? I'm very interested in the KA801, but haven't bought it yet, mostly because it's not programmable; and I really want an external speaker, so CC Witness is out (besides, it's overpriced).

Saying "RadioShack knows how to eat humble pie," Advertising Age reports on "RadioShack's Journey to Bring Back a Forgotten Customer." The article calls the forgotten customer the DIYer; I hope the renewed recognition of the electronics hobbyist extends to the radio enthusiast, which do overlap some. http://adage.com/article/special-report-ana-annual-meeting/radioshack-s-journey-bring-back-a-forgotten-customer/230602/

Anyone have an opinion on Kaito KA801 or 800 ? Good but limited reviews on amazon.

Ed S, Language is as language does. There is no right or wrong, only standard, nonstandard, and usage errors (and variations of those). "Proper" is a prescriptive artifact. You can no more have proper English than you can a proper skin color. You can however have standard usage in one speech community that is different from standard usage in another. When one of those speech communities has more influence in media, education, government, etc, it also has the influence to classify groups of people by how they speak. It's/its is an example of a spelling usage error (since they are aurally equivalent). (Just so happens yesterday I was having a conversation with an African American on how her speech community refers to the exaggerated Black English Vernacular (BEV) dialect that white people like myself sometimes call "ghetto"; her initial response was "don't go there," because it was just as much a socio-economic question as a linguistic one; she finally suggested, after I couched the question more clinically, that "urban" was a better choice. By the way, BEV is an internally consistent system with its own set of standards and usage errors; that is one reason why a white person "talking black" is so often regarded as a poser or humorous, because their speech is filled with unintentional errors.) Clarence KD8OSB

Amazon today dropped the price from $229 to $193.21 http://www.amazon.com/Grace-Digital-Victoria-Wireless-Featuring/dp/B004YI9HG2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314306850&sr=8-1

Daniel, can you describe the buttons you push and decisions you make during your ecss tuning of the 909? I would like to know how to duplicate your fine tuning for AM DXing. Thanks, Clarence KD8OSB

Now I've seen everything: Breville VTT296 2 Slice Radio Toaster. http://www.slipperybrick.com/2011/02/the-breville-radio-toaster/ For collectors I suppose; I suspect the constant heating and cooling would age some radio components quickly. Don't like the idea of having a radio of any sort near where I would be working with jam and butter.

Thank you, Jeff! I don't recall making any comments on watches, so you may be thinking of someone else regarding an opinion on the Seiko. I am showing these recommendations to my wife and we'll narrow it down, they all look quite nice. Appreciate your help very much. (Whatever we get, I will be wearing it as we travel; who knows, maybe I'll develop a taste for wearing watches.) -Clarence

(Question for Jeff at bottom...) I visit Herculodge almost every day and am glad when a heads-up like this comes along. I decided to buy the Sangean RCR-22. I've been using a Sangean 909 as an alarm and a Grundig G8 as a "fall asleep to" radio (partly to compare the two, partly because the volume on the G8 is a little easier to get just right), but have been wanting a small but solid reliable radio that will do both to my liking; I've been looking at the RCR-22 for a long time. I'll still use the 909 for SW listening, but put the G8 away for now. (Broke the kickstand on it recently, I could kick myself for being too rough with it, but I actually prefer it lying flat now). Question for Jeff: I'm visiting relatives in China; one of them wants a new watch and I think an Invicta would be nice. Budget is $200 or less. He'd like it to be self-winding (if that's an option). Can you recommend a good all-round manly watch? Thanks! -Clarence

Another new interesting Radio for Japan, JVC RD-D2 BoomBox. http://www.slipperybrick.com/2011/01/jvc-rd-d2-boombox/ Clarence

KE7CYT, with all respect, I doubt that will happen, in fact, quite the opposite, employers are becoming accustomed to a certain amount of immaturity and excess in a candidate's digital past. The YouTube generation has a different sense of propriety and privacy than we do - Blippy, for instance, a service that lets you share your credit card purchases with your friends. Being in Ecomm, that's a very interesting opportunity, because it means I have some access to customer buying habits outside my POS. Scary? Maybe. But like every other human activity, some participants will abuse it and society will correct the imbalance with regulations or self-imposed guidelines (which IMHO is essentially what families, clubs, religions, laws, and civil institutions are doing without realizing it). --Clarence

I work in ecomm so I have to understand and participate in the social cloud; I do so under a pseudonym that allows me to have some fun and stay a little detached from the company I work for. However, I'm obviously not "Clarence" or an angel, and if anyone had the time they could put the pieces together and learn quite a bit about me, since my accounts and activity patterns overlap. In fact, there is no anonymity online. Yes, personal info should be protected, I'm not suggesting Zuckerberg's comments are trivial - they're not, and I'm going to share this story with my team as yet another example of the indelible nature of digital activity and how it can impact you and others in your circle, like your employer. But, given enough time and resources, and a few dollars (just a few), anyone can uncover a great deal about almost anyone else, and that will only become more true, more dangerous, and more embarrassing. --Clarence

Thanks, Russ. $300 is a lot based on the mixed bag of reviews. I presume you're keeping your ATS-909; mine is good performer, picks up a station almost every 10khz step. Shame about the 750, handsome radio. FWIW, there's a LW station locally comes in on the 909 like it's next door, but the G8 is deaf to it; otherwise a good little radio for $29 at Radio Shack a while back.

Jeff, you have owned both the PR-D5 and 750. If you could choose only one, based on its performance as an AM DXer (and not price or sound), which would you choose?

Thank you Jeff for reposting my question, and Blake for your review and response. I had read your review which is one reason I was excited about getting one. So happens I have a relative in China that wants to give me a gift and has picked out a Net radio for me, http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=3036213014 : I've not done any research on it yet, so don't know how to respond; I can't read Chinese and although the face seems to be in English, the display in the photo is not. I don't know if my wife will allow the Grundig if I get this one. I have been wanting a Net radio too, I listen to Toronto AM740 each night (I'm in Mich) but would be great to tune in OTR over my home network.

I've actually been looking at the Grundig Satellit 750, the latest model is said to be an improvement, and reviews are widely positive; I'm surprised at the "El Junko" label WC uses. Does anyone (including WC) own one and want to comment?

Congratulations, Jeff! My baby girl is 15 months and every day is as magical as it is messy. My best to you and your family.

Thank you, Huesby.

I have seen a number of times that 8" or 200mm is an upper limit for an internal ferrite bar antenna. Is this a practical limit? Or a regulatory limit of some sort? Thank you. (I DX with an ATS-909 and Superadio III, mostly MW, sometimes SW but not often.)