Hey DrL..
Excellent excellent post. Thanks for helping 'tip the fulcrum' back to where it belongs...
Me too. You see, (and I am going out on a 'limb', here...) Brian (aka "laserist") is one of the people, upon whos' backs WE (and, I include myself in this 'we', even-with 18+ years working with lasers...) are ALL standing, in SOME-way, shape or form...
Brian - like mixedgas, Laserman532, LaserWizard, Robert Hess, William Benner, Casey Stack, Greg Makhov (and several others) are people who - as Pat so eloquently put-it one-time - "...were the guys peeling-back the foreskins of technology.." - and are largely responsible - in at LEAST some way - for ALL - ALL we have to 'play with', here, INCLUDING, solid-state, because even though some, were purely 'ion / analog Gods', the physics / electronic-principles they worked on / designs they tested / proposed / explored - or even created - in SOME way, have SOME trickle-down benefit to how EASY and accessible things are today, for 'laserists'.
And like many 'great men', these guys are usually just too HUMBLE to 'let-on' what thier true accomplishments - in laser HISTORY - really, are... and so, to a 'n00b', who thinks 'all ya gotta do is drop $2-3 grand on an RGBV rig and and FB3 and - whammo - you're a " laserist " - or - 'all ya gotta do is BUY a retired medical laser off eBay, hack some wires together and glue-on some galvos, and - whammo - you're a " lasershow Co. " - episodes like we have seen in other threads, where those with the MOST experience on this Forum (and, in some-cases, the entire INDUSTRY...) get 'accused' of being 'selfish' by not pouring-out all the 'trade-secrets' from a bottle, on-demand - like it's frigging 'PPV' or something - quickly cause 'parables', rich with 'lessons-learned', from the YEARS of experience, lived-thru, to 'well-up' and get posted, as 'passionate' as they may-be.
So yeah, Andrew - THANK YOU for reminding folks that we (myself, included...) should 'RESPECT OUR ELDERS', and of just how valuable they really all are. And while I am 'on my knees', here THANK YOU to Brian, Steve, Pat, Tim, Bill, Greg, Robert, et. al. for all the TIME and INvaluable knowledge and help you freely offer around here, and for 'putting-up' with the 'Plateau I's and IIs', here... (myself, included...)
peace-out...
j