Random musings and general banter.

[Herring]

eugh, he's handling pants now... He doesn't even know what to call them - 'jockey shorts', shorts... no idea. He's running out of things to say very quickly.

As with everything recently, there is no stock, and a dispatch date a week hence.

Give how old he tries to pass himself off as surprised he’s not calling them long johns.

I know it may seem weird to some but I recently got back into tapes. Compact Cassettes. I got a 1984 Technics deck and a Sony Walkman from 1988 and mess about with music and voice recordings, I'm genuinely wondering why they haven't been flogging new Walkman style personal stereos. There are a couple of usable ones out there. AKAI isn't just one manufacturer now but many, so the quality can vary from crap to OK. Like the cassette players, there are one or two basic budget gubbins that have different cases and boxes and mixed and matched from the same parts bin.

You’re not alone. I think I read recently that cassette sales are rising sharpish.

Part of that is because kids these days like to “own” a tangible version of albums they really like (even though they’ll still just listen to it online). That was Vinyl a few year back but now vinyl is big business again (all the big artists booking out the factories driving up prices etc younger people are turning to CDs and tapes as they’re cheaper but still physical. And cassettes in particular are seen as really retro.

Meanwhile, some of my generation are turning back to tapes out of nostalgia for the sort less pristine sound they have, the physicality of putting a tape in, and the fact you tend to not skip tracks because it a hassle etc - listening to an album becomes more of an experience.

Some logic to that all that I guess - nice to see some retrospective appreci

 

[postmanpat68]

Prims LED lights now.....why buy two for £39.98 when you can buy 12 for £39.00.

LED Tube Touch Light 30cm x 2cm

This Led tube touch light features an ON/OFF touch for easy access. The 27 LED lights and 80 lumens are a great way to illuminate certain areas, great for

www.gemimports.co.uk

 

[Dr Quincy MkII]

Give how old he tries to pass himself off as surprised he’s not calling them long johns.



You’re not alone. I think I read recently that cassette sales are rising sharpish.

Part of that is because kids these days like to “own” a tangible version of albums they really like (even though they’ll still just listen to it online). That was Vinyl a few year back but now vinyl is big business again (all the big artists booking out the factories driving up prices etc younger people are turning to CDs and tapes as they’re cheaper but still physical. And cassettes in particular are seen as really retro.

Meanwhile, some of my generation are turning back to tapes out of nostalgia for the sort less pristine sound they have, the physicality of putting a tape in, and the fact you tend to not skip tracks because it a hassle etc - listening to an album becomes more of an experience.

Some logic to that all that I guess - nice to see some retrospective appreci

Yeah ABBA released their new album on cassette and so did Elvis Costello so I got myself a copy. I also buy audio books from charity shops and listen on the move and the Walkman also has a radio tuner

 

[ianrobo111]

how much would it actually cost them to play one bit, after all fair use does count ?

 

[Herring]

Mike said the built in speakers on the record player aren’t great but they’ll do, and you can connect to a decent pair with a wire or Bluetooth.

Gen says the built in speakers are amazing.

Who do I believe?

 

[Dr Quincy MkII]

how much would it actually cost them to play one bit, after all fair use does count ?

Some songs can cost tens of thousands (rare but not unusual) to play. Especially the Eagles as the composers may not wish to be associated with certain products or people. EG would Elton John want to be used to sell cheap crap on shopping TV? But generally speaking TV stations - broadcasters like BBC, ITV and Channel 4 etc. have blanket rights to a large number of tracks (they subscribe/pay for without extra costs). I would hazard a guess that TJC/Ideal World have no such agreement. I heard Mike repeat that one of the gallery people say 45 seconds. It is actually a lot less than that in some cases.

 

[saintslad]

yeah how dare you have opinions or speak out

Oops, sorry thought it was an open forum here.

 

[Dr Quincy MkII]

Oops, sorry thought it was am open forum here.

no you are saying that to the rest of us because my point to you is it is an open forum and you are telling us to shut up and go away

 

[saintslad]

Not sure I said that. Strange response, not sure I told anyone to "shut up and go away".
I merely suggested that if you don't like what you are watching turn over or turn off.

 

[Latearrival]

Not sure I said that. Strange response, not sure I told anyone to "shut up and go away".
I merely suggested that if you don't like what you are watching turn over or turn off.

Telling someone to turn over or turn off is exactly the same as telling them to shut up and go away the words may be different but the sentiment is exactly the same.
Therefor it isn’t a strange response at all.

 

[saintslad]

Turn over or turn off simply means watch a different TV channel or switch the television off.

 

[Slipalong Trevaskis]

Nice to see Jezza selling an array of top-quality items on his birthday. Started off with a dash cam, and now that cheap car vacuum. Advance warning to save you from tuning in. E bikes are coming up at 11 with Kelly.

 

[Latearrival]

Ooo I’m mega excited, Jeramy while demonstrating (by waving it around in the air) a must have backpack said they have camping gear on tomorrow I really can’t wait

Meanwhile time to get back to filling my seed trays

 

[cheeky chappie]

I know it may seem weird to some but I recently got back into tapes. Compact Cassettes. I got a 1984 Technics deck and a Sony Walkman from 1988 and mess about with music and voice recordings, I'm genuinely wondering why they haven't been flogging new Walkman style personal stereos. There are a couple of usable ones out there. AKAI isn't just one manufacturer now but many, so the quality can vary from crap to OK. Like the cassette players, there are one or two basic budget gubbins that have different cases and boxes and mixed and matched from the same parts bin.

Was talking about all this with a work colleague the other day. I'm SOooo glad I grew up in the 70s/80s, many happy memories of popping down the high street to check out the latest LPs, singles and music on cassette. And looking at the packs of blank audio and video cassettes deciding which brand to buy.

Yes there's obviously a degree of rose-tinted glasses, however on balance I'm pleased I grew up in the pre Internet era.

 

[cheeky chappie]

Mike is just doing the old market stall schtick and you know what, it works !!

I suppose if the stuff you're selling is only worthy of being sold on a market stall ...

 

[Jazzydrury]

Was talking about all this with a work colleague the other day. I'm SOooo glad I grew up in the 70s/80s, many happy memories of popping down the high street to check out the latest LPs, singles and music on cassette. And looking at the packs of blank audio and video cassettes deciding which brand to buy.

Yes there's obviously a degree of rose-tinted glasses, however on balance I'm pleased I grew up in the pre Internet era.

Going into Woolworths finding the case of a album you want, take it to the counter, after 10 minutes of trying to find it, you would get a sorry we can’t find it

 

[Slipalong Trevaskis]

Christ it gets worse. Natalia has arrived with a new launch of Opatra Lumicap Pro, which is basically a cheap looking baseball cap with red lights inside.

 

[Professor Branestawm]

Am I to understand that a lot of the watches share the same parts bin?

They do. Perhaps to a surprisingly large degree.
Once upon a time, and not so long ago, the Swatch group, through their subsidiary ETA, provided most smaller (and some larger) Swiss brands with their movements. Often pre-assembled, so all the ‘maker’ did was slip it in to the case and fit the hands and winding stem. And charge thousands.
ETA stopped supply a few years ago, but one of their own subcontractors, Selitta, stepped up with copies of the main workhorse movements (they are mostly out of copyright protection). Other makers have since joined in. The Selitta equivalents to ETA have tiny changes, mostly very superficial and can normally just be dropped in as direct replacements,
Even Breitling, Tag, Omega, Longines, and arguably IWC, as well as more fashion brands like Gucci, Tiffany, etc, all used ETA movements. Some claimed they improved them, in-house, but I have the ETA customisation price list somewhere and almost every ‘improvement’ could be specified in the order and ETA would do it (not just the usual elabore or top grades- real customisations were offered).
The real manufactures (places who truly made their own watches) would be the likes of Patek, Rolex, Zenith, Vacheron Constantin, Lange & Sohne, Glashutte original, etc. But most of them are a bit like Ferraris. Very beautiful but very temperamental also. Rolex is the exception, really - not so aesthetically beautiful, though technically lovely, and a sturdy workhorse.

If anyone wants to see just what ETA offered in customisation, let me know. I think it’s safe to say that many brands never actually did anything other than encasement.

 

[Slipalong Trevaskis]

They are currently selling that **** AKAI turntable on TJC and playing music on vinyl and through Bluetooth, but Mike, who is full of ****, said he can't because of copyright. What a load of BS.

The * is a word ending in it

 

[Professor Branestawm]

Akai used to be a brand you looked at when I was in my 20s and 30s. No longer the same company that produced some great sound equipment back in the day. Similar story with the Blaupunkt name, too.

I have a lovely old Akai personal stereo (only Sony could use the word Walkman) from 1985. I bought it with one of my first wages - we’d never been able to afford a real brand name until then. Bright red, auto reverse, and with an insert like a cassette that played fm radio. I changed the belts on it last year - it still works. If anyone wants to see, I can dig it out. It’s so hard to believe that was almost 40 years ago!
But Akai became one of those brand names that seemed to fall away - I suppose like ‘Bush’ in the UK.
Does anyone else have any really old stuff like this, kept for sentimental reasons? Or am I just a weirdo?