I'm new around here, so I thought I'd say hi. So, Hi.

A bit about me - I'm an electrical engineer living and working in Folsom, California. I've been drooling over the empeg since I was in college - now that I've been out for a while, I decided to finally splurge on one. I'm more pleased with it than I ever could have imagined. How on earth did I ever get by without one?

See you around.

Welcome. Sounds like you'll fit in well around here. A lot of EE and programmer types hang out here. But there's a great mix from all over the spectrum. I too bought my first one after drooling over them in college. Warning...they can be habit forming! If you don't believe me...check the spare empegs thread.

Yeah, it's hard to imagine not having an empeg now. It's to the point where I actually volunteer for long drives so I can have my empeg instead of dealing with someone's CD player or *gasp* AM/FM radio.

Anyway, welcome to the board.

Yeah, I just replied in that thread...

I hadn't even really considered the possibility that my empeg could die; now I'm mortified to not have a backup plan to cope with the worst case happening.

I think I should fit in around here - I'm a hardware geek by trade, and I'm lucky; hacking with hardware is my hobby, too.

Cool. You'll be interested in some of the hardware projects then. You'll want to check out some of the GPS stuff, the OBDII stuff, the digital output boards from stuart at Eutronix, Chimaera's stagnant USB project, PCA's tuner kits, the remote display kits and others.

EDIT: And if you're feeling really daring, maybe you want to tackle the hardware mods to output the display.

I'm an electrical engineer living and working in Folsom, California.

Grass Valley area here. Hi, neighbor.

You're the only other person on this side of Sacramento who've got Empegs that I know about. Only me and my friend Tod up here, and now you. Everyone else I know is in the Bay area. (If there's any other Sacramento area owners who I've forgotten, please chime in!)

A few times a year, there are Bay Area owner's get togethers. They're pretty ad-hoc spontaneous kinda things, but sometimes a few of the folks from Cambridge are in the area at the time and can attend the meets. So be sure to keep your eyes on this BBS for news of the meets, maybe you'll get a chance to meet the people who made the player.

My girlfriend is from Jackson, but grew up in Grass Valley ... what a small world.

I'll definitely make it down to the next Bay Area meet, if there is one. I'm down in Santa Clara for my job several times a month, anyway, so I'm used to the drive (I just can't get myself up a 4AM to catch the flight down there).

Welcome!

I, too, hate to admit it, but I have a 'spare' Empeg. (Actually.. It's not really a spare. It started out as one, but now I use it as much as my 'real' one. Usually testing different things I want to do on it, etc etc. I named them 'Statler' and 'Waldorf'. )

I was prompted to get my first was was the firesale. I put it off (not knowing, at the time, that it WAS a firesale.) And then picked one up when I found out what it could do.

I got my SECOND one when I was getting the first one installed in my Mini. I was standing in the showroom looking at head units there. I was trying to find an acceptible one in case the Empeg bit the dust. None of them even came CLOSE. So, I got the second one.

Now the only thing I pay for is more gas. Because I liked to drive BEFORE the Empegs, I drive MORE now, WITH them.. (50k miles the FIRST YEAR I owned my Mini. Scary.)

Me.

I'm down in Santa Clara for my job several times a month

First of all welcome. You are going to love this place!

So.......Santa Clara Huh!
I'm just down the road at Adobe Systems in downtown San Jose. Maybe we can do lunch!

I worked at Intel in Folsom for a bit (Lived in Citrus Heights)..but now I moved my Empeg to Boise, ID where I believe I'm the only one in the state who has one. Speak up if I'm wrong.

E

You're the only other person on this side of Sacramento who've got Empegs that I know about. Only me and my friend Tod up here, and now you. Everyone else I know is in the Bay area. (If there's any other Sacramento area owners who I've forgotten, please chime in!)

I'm in Elk Grove, I didn't realize I was in such close proximity to the FAQ Master

Hmmm. Get enough Sacramento people and I'll organize a meet somewhere in the area. I'm thinking Cattlemen's...

I worked at Intel in Folsom for a bit (Lived in Citrus Heights).

Did your paths ever cross with Chris McAllen or Bryant Freitag? Couple of friends of mine who worked there at the Folsom complex. Bryant was in developer relations, Chris worked for the Flash memory division. Neither work there any more, I was just curious.

Hmmm. Get enough Sacramento people and I'll organize a meet somewhere in the area. I'm thinking Cattlemen's...

You've certainly made the trip to the bay area enough, so I'll make the trip out that way if you organize something. I've driven by a number of Cattlemen's and always thought I should stop.

Matthew

I've driven by a number of Cattlemen's and always thought I should stop.

I love eating at Cattlemen's. And there's one west of Sacramento, in the neighborhood of Vacaville/Davis somewhere (I think it's in Dixon?). I haven't eaten at that one, but I eat at the Roseville one regularly and it's great. Perhaps if we wanted to do a combination Sacramento/Bay-Area meet, that'd be a good midpoint.

Catllemen's is great, but it's not for vegetarians. Of course, with a name like that, you'd tend to expect that, wouldn't you? It's also not for the casual quick meal, either. Basically, they have very large portions of meat and potatoes in a carefully commercialized cowboy atmosphere. And with the amount of salad and bread you get before the meal, you basically have to show up in the mood to eat a horse. It ends up being about $30.00 per plate when you figure in drinks, appetizer, and tips, but it's well worth it in my opinion.

Once upon a time, one of the Cambridge guys asked me where they might go to sample truly "American" food, and I couldn't think of anything at the time. Now that I think about it, this is probably the closest one could get to that goal...

I once googled for the name "Cattlemen's", and discovered that there are several different independent chains of restaurants all over the country which all have the same or similar name. The one I'm talking about is this one.

Cattlemen's is great. I know there's one in Rancho Cordova (just off 50 at Hazel) and one in Roseville. I think the one you're thinking of is in Dixon. I've never been there, but I know where it is - a friend of mine throws LAN parties right near there about once a month.

I work at Intel in Folsom. I'm an Applications Engineer for Intel chipsets. I worked on Desktop chipsets for quite a while, and now I'm doing Enterprise stuff. Been working on chipsets since 2000, when I graduated from Texas A&M and moved out here. I've never met the two folks above - the site in Folsom is 6K people strong or so.

Ditto, I'm an hour from Sacramento and an hour from SF (or, in theory anyway). Anyway, I'll be there. Cattlemen's rocks. MMmmm....Steak.

Oh, and I have been to the one in Dixon, many times actually. Tony's right, it would be a great mid-point for a Bay Area/Sacramento meet. Plus, who cares, it's good food.

Okay, cool. We'll do it. Sometime after the holiday season, I think. I'll see if we can time it to catch one or more of the beloved Cambridge team on one of their trips out to Rio in Santa Clara.

I work in Santa Clara too... I'll be down for lunch sometime...

The place I work for (Roos Instruments) is just down the street. We're just starting to work with Intel (doing automated test equipment) and get a couple a visitors a month. I assume 'applications' means your on the other side of the MFG process - oh well.

Happy empeg'n!

I lived in Cameron Park a while ago(in my pre-empeg days). My dad worked at Level One in Sacramento. He stayed they only about a year after Intel bought them out, then followed me to Utah. They always wanted to take me to Cattlemens, but we never made it.

I still have many friends at Intel in Folsom. Many were in the TAC. Do you remember the conference room scheduling dept? All they hired were these hot young ladies. They were next to us and we'd always change our printer to theirs just so we could make the journey of eyecandy.

I'd be down for Cattlemans. Good food!

I think everyone remembers the TAC. That's all done online now; you only get TAC if someone else has double-booked a room, and I don't remember the last time that's happened to me.

That was the glorious section of FM4, right? If it was, well then, I knew it well.

Figured I'd bump this, to see if we're still on for dinner sometime.

What do you guys think?