I can't say I've seen Grandpa Doug on the forums for quite a while now. I do really hope he is OK.

As for OT threads I have been asked about my opinion them before now. I think they are absolutely fine in moderation. If they took over the forum then I'd certainly have a problem with them. But when they are just normal conversation between friends that all happen to be musicians that visit Synth Zone then I think that's a very good thing. All work, no play etc

But I would be interested to find out that Grandpa Doug is OK and has just been unable to visit the forum for a while.