Happy 27th Anniversary, MIMF!

[Jim McConkey]

For those not keeping track, today (July 5) is the MIMF's 27th anniversary. In our more active days, and long before COVID, we used to have live, virtual birthday parties including all manner of virtual chocolate (founder Deb's favorite food) treats, from chocolate cakes to chocolate beer to just plain old chocolate (dark, please!). No big party today, but have yourself a bite or two of your favorite variety today in honor of the Forum's longevity!

Thank you to all the members here who so freely share their knowledge and experience with others, and for keeping it civil while doing so. 27 years is a near eternity in the internet world, and we have only existed so long because of like-minded individuals asking and answering away in a cooperative way. Activity has definitely declined over the years. If you find this Forum useful, please share it with your fellow builders and encourage them to drop by. Maybe we can stimulate a little more interest and get more conversations going again.

And no mention of thanks would be complete without a huge round of applause for the all-volunteer staff who keep the place running smoothly and keep things civil. Special thanks to sysops Deb and Nick for founding the Forum back in 1997, to Charlie for keeping it alive, and to Barry, Mark, myself and all the former volunteers for moderating.

For our big 25th anniversary two years ago, we introduced some new commemorative swag, including T-shirts and mugs. In case you missed them, they are still available, and help keep the Forum running:
https://www.mimf.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?p=64413#p64413

Plain old donations to the Forum are always appreciated, too! Link at the top of the page.

Happy 27th Anniversary and many more!

[Bob Gramann]

Yep, I learned a lot here. Thanks to all for keeping it running.

[Jarno Verhoeven]

Same, learned a lot here, indeed also remember it to be more lively, but that is how these things go. It's a cyclic thing, I think. I dabble in electronics, and when I started building effects pedals and modular synthesizer modules, it was a pretty small community, which quickly grew very large, from 2010 to 2020, and then shrunk back down again.
I do think there's a relation offerings by commercial vendors, people request weird stuff, specialty vendors make weird stuff at premium prices, people think "f-that I'll build my own", companies start offering weird stuff at lower cost, people buy that instead of investing a bunch of time and money.
In some cases, it's still DIY, look for instance at guitar and effects pedal kits being offered.
Oh well, happy birthday everybody!

[Eric Knapp]

Thanks to all you good folks this old rookie has learned more here than from all the books and videos I've consumed. Before places like this existed learning this craft was a daunting task. You've made it possible and I'm very grateful.

-Eric

[Bryan Bear]

I have said it before and I'll say it again, I would not be in this hobby at all had I not come across this place back in about 2004! Thanks everybody for all the hard work and great advice.