Recent posts

#21

Tactile / Re: Victorian Boombox Mark IV

Last post by J. Wilhelm - September 20, 2024, 08:02:05 PM

A lot of radio stations in the UK are abandoning AM FM and switching to DAB DAB+.

I hate the adverts and DJ's anyway.

I think as long as my mobile works I should have music wherever I go, although I do pay for ad free Spotify, I can create a playlist of hours (endless if required), one press of play and off I jolly well go, no switching out discs etc (there is only a certain amount you can burn onto a CD).

I love my old tech, my PC runs into a 90's (30 years old, ish) Technics amp and graphic then pumps out to Mission and Tannoy speakers.

The equivalent of DAB in America is the HD radio I've talked about above, but like I wrote above, HD Radio is about to die without government intervention.  HD Radio is now limited to car stereos only - by corporate design from the owners of the format. 

Often hyper capitalism will kill technology, and both air wave digital transmission formats, the 20 year old HD Radio, and the brand new ATSC 3.0 Television AKA "Next Gen" are both endangered species at this point.  Really sad, if you ask me. Leaving corporate conglomerates to self regulate is the problem in both instances. It's a Federal Communication Commission's failure to regulate, standardize, keep open and promote the technology as it was done in the 20th century.

#22

Off Topic / Re: The Brassgoggles Model Mak...

Last post by James Harrison - September 20, 2024, 06:53:54 PM

I know myself and Mr Harrison have both seen this announcement, but in the event anyone else has an interest in Britain's pre-grouping railways, there's been an announcement of some more period appropriate coaches

https://rapidotrains.co.uk/evolution-coaches/

Yes, tragically the day after the invoice landed for a set of GCR 6-wheelers I had on order.  Somehow an order for four of these has also gone in.  I suspect it will be a poor month for the house fund.

#23

Off Topic / Re: The Brassgoggles Model Mak...

Last post by Madasasteamfish - September 20, 2024, 05:34:15 PM

I know myself and Mr Harrison have both seen this announcement, but in the event anyone else has an interest in Britain's pre-grouping railways, there's been an announcement of some more period appropriate coaches

https://rapidotrains.co.uk/evolution-coaches/

#24

Off Topic / Re: GAAAAAHHHHHH Mk.VI: The Re...

Last post by Sorontar - September 20, 2024, 12:39:46 PM

I went to update my laptop and it died :^(
It now no longer manages to load up, I think because it is out of memory.
I can get the company techs to fix it for me next week, when I actually have a "lull" at work, but I was hoping to not have to go into work. I also have this desktop machine in the mean time, but this is my backup solution and it doesn't have all my files and software (though a lot is on the cloud).

So it is more a frustation and a distraction.
Sigh.

Sorontar

#25

Tactile / Re: Victorian Boombox Mark IV

Last post by SeVeNeVeS - September 20, 2024, 09:49:19 AM

A lot of radio stations in the UK are abandoning AM FM and switching to DAB DAB+.

I hate the adverts and DJ's anyway.

I think as long as my mobile works I should have music wherever I go, although I do pay for ad free Spotify, I can create a playlist of hours (endless if required), one press of play and off I jolly well go, no switching out discs etc (there is only a certain amount you can burn onto a CD).

I love my old tech, my PC runs into a 90's (30 years old, ish) Technics amp and graphic then pumps out to Mission and Tannoy speakers.

#26

Tactile / Re: Victorian Boombox Mark IV

Last post by J. Wilhelm - September 18, 2024, 07:24:35 PM

Yeah, I don't get the resurgence of CD and physical forms of music, vinyl record sales have increased in demand as well.

For me, a total technophobe, Spotify is an absolute god send, One account all my music in one place and available on multiple devices without having to require half a room and shelving to store all those CDs and records.

 

I am currently toying with the idea of replacing the radio in my old van from CD FM to something a little more up to date that allows Spotify and DAB, no more rummaging around for a CD in the glove box........

If I do, the radio would probably be worth more money than the vehicle itself

 

I can see why streaming is more attractive.  But in order to make it fulfill the promise and replace storage and the air transmission radio, it needs to be a satellite service like Sirius, otherwise you're beholden to your Internet Service Provider.

Being a communications purist, my beef with that is twofold:  it's a paid service (in America we're used to free service sustained by advertising or donations), and electric outages or natural disasters automatically isolate you, because the radius covered by cellular towers is short. 

Aerial radio fulfilled the promise of wireless transmission over hundreds of miles if not thousands and even around the World (shortwave radio).  The only modern equivalent is satellite.

I don't know if this is remotely interesting to you, but I stumbled upon a British chap on You Tube who repairs and reviews older music hardware such as stereos, video and audio recorders of all types and mostly concentrates on vintage hardware.  The name of the channel is Tech Moan.  It's nice to see older hardware come to life, and shows how much quality in sound reproduction quality was lost after the introduction of the iPod and smartphones (hint: we can't even reproduce today the quality of 1980s hardware when we try to build, say, a modern version of a cassette deck, or , appropriately, a boombox).

#27

The Engine Room / Re: Expression of Interest

Last post by Sorontar - September 18, 2024, 01:51:23 PM

I have seen a lot of instances of semi or fully professional groups trying to dominate the market and standardise everything to "their way", be it webhosting sites, mod systems for games, interfaces for systems, online marketplaces. The benefits they promote are exposure, compatibility, versatility and prestige. Those don't always work well together, and aren't always benefits.

Sorontar

[truly]

#28

The Engine Room / Re: ??

Last post by SeVeNeVeS - September 18, 2024, 01:46:32 PM

A simple one word or sentence reply or a click on a like would suffice to encourage more of the same.

Hmmm..... Justin..... I see you edited. You have not been the only person to go through a shit time, the last 15 months have not been a bag of fun and jollies for me either. Daily trips to the hospital to only watch your beloved one fade away and finally pass.

I am really sorry to hear of your wife's current condition, and my heart truly  goes out to you in the best possible way.

If you wouldn't mind, may I point out the amount of time it took to type your very eloquent, possibly the best retort/riposte I have ever read here, you could have just maybe replied to every new post in the last 6 months.


Edit... I decided to let fate decide. Toss af a coin, best of three... Post or not to post anymore.  Result.... POST so you poor buggers will have to endure more of my random ramblings and rants.   

#29

The Engine Room / Re: ??

Last post by Sorontar - September 18, 2024, 01:43:54 PM

I'm still here. I don't post much but I am busy at present.

Life happens to all of us.

Sorontar

#30

Off Topic / Re: The Brassgoggles Model Mak...

Last post by James Harrison - September 17, 2024, 05:45:11 PM

I went to a model show last weekend.

I got Second in SF gaming figures.

Congratulations!