I still support local, but...

Because I’m an adherent of the DIY lifestyle, I’m comfortable in miscellaneous supply stores. So, when I walked into the audio store on North Main Street yesterday and found speakers, amplifiers, and wires scattered around the store like pets in a pet store with no locks, I was not concerned –this is par for the course.

With the shop owners attention I tried to explain to him why I wanted a cheap four-channel amplifier (long story short, I want a cheap four-channel amplifier because Providence loves crack). I was clear in relating to him that I wanted to run my iPhone directly into the amplifier that would in turn power the speakers. He told me “that’s not possible” and “the technology just doesn’t exist to do that yet.” I sensed that he might have been confused so I adjusted my approach. I told him that I wanted to use the iPhone just like a regular mp3 player and not use the USB port. He then told me “I’ve been doing this for ten years and I’ve never seen anything like that.”

In a somewhat related story, I used a portable cd player and car amplifier on my scooter back in 2003, with great success.

I don’t claim to be an electronic genius, in fact I’m so naive I don’t even know what I don’t know about electronics. But that just makes this audio storeowner look even worse. I have a hard time supporting a local business when the owner knows less than the kid who has been working at best buy for two weeks.