Re: [CGUYS] Obsolete consumer products...
Not all players are alike...even the ipod will play lossless files. Other players on the market also have better sound than the ipod, and play FLAC or other lossless formats. It's all digital so it doesn't really make any difference. The point is more likely she's putting those cd's in a good quality sound system, the fact the digitized music is on a piece of plastic or on a hard drive or other data drive makes no difference in the sound. On Mon, Jan 18, 2010 at 12:38 AM, Constance Warner wrote: > Sounds like the latest stuff from very young computer fan-boys. Also > sounds like replacing better products with worse. > > Examples: > CD's: much better sound quality than MP3 files. And they won't go away if > your hard drive crashes or you lose your iPod. I know someone who auditions > groups for a classical music series: she insists on CD's from the artists > who are trying to get the jobs. An MP3 player just won't tell her enough > about the groups, and CD's are professional standard in cases like these. > If you're willing to settle for less quality in your music, by all means > don't buy CD's. > > * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Obsolete consumer products...
Sounds like the latest stuff from very young computer fan-boys. Also sounds like replacing better products with worse. Examples: CD's: much better sound quality than MP3 files. And they won't go away if your hard drive crashes or you lose your iPod. I know someone who auditions groups for a classical music series: she insists on CD's from the artists who are trying to get the jobs. An MP3 player just won't tell her enough about the groups, and CD's are professional standard in cases like these. If you're willing to settle for less quality in your music, by all means don't buy CD's. DVD's: there when you want them. No subscription fees, no waiting, and no cable charges. Did anybody point out to this bozo that it's a lot cheaper to buy the three or four movies from this year's crop that you really want to see--from the discount rack at the checkout at Target--than it is to subscribe to Netflix or--much worse--sign up for cable (which a lot of us can't afford)? Home telephone service: given the quality (or rather lack of it) of a lot of current cellphone service, this one doesn't even rate a derisive comment. External hard drives: trust my manuscripts to the Cloud? Please, give me a break. The Cloud is, at best, an insecure second-line backup. Compact digital cameras: here's a news flash: not everyone can afford the latest multi-megapixel digital SLR with a lens as long as your forearm. A moderately-priced point-and-shoot will let you do serious photography on a budget. And if you only want snapshots of your vacation to email to your homeys, a compact digital camera will do the job just as well as a large, expensive SLR. As someone who grew up in a family with a couple of dozen cameras around the house at all times--my dad was a professional photographer--I can tell you that this guy definitely doesn't know what he is talking about. Magazine and newspaper subscriptions: Did anyone point out the severe limitations of the Kindle to this author? And the people I know who publish periodicals online actually make their money by selling print anthologies of the material afterwards, because print is easier to read and more permanent than online content. The author also seems to be confusing "subscriptions" with print media purchased under any circumstances, e.g. at the newsstand or bookstore. It's possible that these technologies may indeed go away in the near future, but that's no reason not to buy them while we can. --Constance Warner On Jan 17, 2010, at 7:56 PM, tjp wrote: This may be a little bit ahead of its time and thus may make some people upset. The author argues that these products and services will soon go the way of the dodo... http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SavingandDebt/ ConsumerActionGuide/10-things-not-to-buy-in-2010.aspx DVDs & CDs Home telephone service External hard drives Smart-phone also-rans Compact digital cameras Newspaper & magazine subscriptions New college textbooks Gas-guzzling autos Energy-inefficient homes and appliances ** *** ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http:// www.cguys.org/ ** ** *** * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Obsolete consumer products...
On Sun, Jan 17, 2010 at 7:56 PM, tjp wrote: > This may be a little bit ahead of its time and thus may make some people > upset. > The author argues that these products and services will soon go the way of > the dodo... The company I work for has tried Skype, mentioned in the article, and it has turned out to be a disaster for conference calls, also mentioned in the article. Maybe someday, but today? Not at all. The problem with Skype, or other VOIP services? Too damn flaky, by mega amounts, compared to regular landline phone service. Simply being the latest does not make it the greatest. Steve * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Obsolete consumer products...
What a bizarre and confusing article. Going in the order they went in: DVDs: The author made the point that DVD purchases "could turn cold" based on... the success of Netflix. Which ships DVDs. So are DVDs obsolete? It then tries to make the case for the PPV or VOD model with no real explanation of why Netflix has continued to succeed in light of these models. Totally missing is any mention of BluRay at all or the more obvious comparison to what hit the music industry, so I'm lost about what he's really trying to say. Don't buy a DVD because it will be obsolete? Home Telephone Service: Well, for starters, he doesn't DEFINE what this is. It isn't POTS, since he includes the cable companies into the obsolete branch. And although he cites the growing use of cell phones as a primary phone line, he talks more about VOIP services... which will require an internet connection... which are mostly provided by telcos and cablecos which will charge you more if you don't get the phone service. I'm also not sure why they didn't just make the prediction about the more complete integration of the "bits are bits" services. External hard drives: I really have no idea where they were going with this one, since they don't seem to justify it at all. "External hard drives crash... but cloud-based backup services are expensive." Really no clue where they were going. I'm not saying they're wrong, mind you, just that they don't seem to cite any clear reason why they might be right. I would more likely argue that external hard drives will slowly vanish as you get home networks that have large shared file servers as part of them and either better ways to get remote access to them or better cloud-based locker services. Smart-phone also-rans What I find funniest here is that these are defined as "iPhone" and "Blackberry". Of all the people I know with blackberries, only one actually uses it for external applications, which is what the author considers the important metric. That one person, btw, uses it for an external email program because he finds the built-in one so bad. (I don't own one - I can't comment.) Again, I think they're missing the boat on this prediction because they don't really know what they're saying. What both the Blackberry and iPhone did when they came out was change the entire nature of the cell phone market. Android is poised to do that as well, and Apple could very well change it again. Given that the life span of a phone is lucky if its two years, I'm not sure why anyone would care if their model was abandoned in that time period. Compact digital cameras: I think they might be right... but for the wrong reasons. Nowadays, just about every cell phone has a camera in it, and some are suposedly getting pretty good.The next step up from them isn't a PHD digital camera, its the DLSRs. So people who just want to shoot pics have their cell phones... and people who get a little (but just a little) more serious would move to the more serious cameras... leaving the PHDs out in the dark. But the article doesn't say this. It doesn't even hint at it. Newspaper subscriptions: I think the use of "subscription" in here was important, if surprising. Everyone else is just predicting the death of Newspapers and Magazines outright... forget their funding model. Well... at least in the US. Apparently European papers don't seem to be suffering the same way we do since they don't rely on advertising and do rely on subscriptions and spot sales more. Gee that seems to disagree with what this article says. How strange. CDs: This isn't the story of the coming decade, it was the story of the past decade. Old news. New college textbooks: I don't get this one. This is supposed to be a new trend? I think the only really new trend here is that publishers now work a lot harder at making sure they release a new edition every semester or year to force an "upgrade" to the new textbook. Those that don't are using DRM to license it for just one semester. Gas-guzzling autos: I think this might be the most statistic-laden prediction... and yet it misses the mark about why it might be right at all. It will only come true if enough real alternatives come on the market, and I honestly don't know if they will. Once again, the real question is "what is the game changer". For a while it looked like Hybrids would be the game changer, and the Prius made it look that way. But the Prius was something special - designed from the ground up to be efficient, and that design work shows in its increased price tag. For cars that are retrofitted to take a hybrid engine, the fuel savings aren't anywhere near as good, and there hasn't been enough ground-up design with hybrid (or other alternatives) in mind yet to drive the price down. Until that happens, people who are only price sensitive (and thats what the article implies) will continue to buy non-hybrids because the ROI isn't there yet. Energy-inefficient
Re: [CGUYS] Obsolete consumer products...
Part of what is happening with Newspapers and Magazines is information overload. I have two newspaper choices I can readily make. The small hometown paper which comes out once a week and the larger neighboring town newspaper, which is a daily. We have been getting both for 6 years, but you know what we realized? The large town paper rarely if ever featured news about our small town, and I could read most of the stuff on line in other formats (not their web site) or via blogs. I still get the weekend paper. The local paper is locally owned and the editor is full of himself. I get it because I live here and we do advertise in it (church and clubs etc.) Otherwise I would not bother. Years ago I got 4-5 computer mags a month to read. No longer. There just is not much good stuff in them, and they rarely have what I am looking for. Overload, too many with the same old junk in them. I remember when Computer Shopper was a prerequisite for any one doing computer stuff. My son still buys Popular Mechanics, and Popular Science. Those two have not messed with the formula and content and are still worth the read. Print Media is dying due to its own missteps and conceit. They thought they did not have to compete with anyone and they got lazy and lost their edge. Those that are good will remain, but the others are dying due to their own shortsightedness. This happens a lot. Remember the oil market in 86? I moved to East Texas at the time. (Boy was that a smart move) Boy did the oil service industry clean itself out at that point. The only companies that survived were the good and strong ones. The bad ones and fly by night ones all folded up. Similar is happening in the Newspaper/Magazine industry to a point. Stewart At 10:13 PM 1/17/2010, you wrote: At 07:56 PM 1/17/2010, tjp wrote: >Newspaper & magazine subscriptions Well since PC Magazine went to web only, I receive the e-mails but never read them. Just a subject line isn't enough to tickle my interest. PC World still comes as a magazine and I read it regularly -- in places where I wouldn't want to be bothered carrying an electronic device along. If the magazine gets lost, left behind, . . . I've lost little. Not so with a kindle. If there is an article I want to investigate further at a later time, I can turn down a page corner or rip out the page. What does a kindle do? I wouldn't want to carry something as expensive as an iPhone or Blackberry around. I'd just lose it. Mislay it anyway. If I mislay a magazine, I pick up a different one and read it. Fred Holmes * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** * * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Obsolete consumer products...
At 07:56 PM 1/17/2010, tjp wrote: >Newspaper & magazine subscriptions Well since PC Magazine went to web only, I receive the e-mails but never read them. Just a subject line isn't enough to tickle my interest. PC World still comes as a magazine and I read it regularly -- in places where I wouldn't want to be bothered carrying an electronic device along. If the magazine gets lost, left behind, . . . I've lost little. Not so with a kindle. If there is an article I want to investigate further at a later time, I can turn down a page corner or rip out the page. What does a kindle do? I wouldn't want to carry something as expensive as an iPhone or Blackberry around. I'd just lose it. Mislay it anyway. If I mislay a magazine, I pick up a different one and read it. Fred Holmes * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Obsolete consumer products...
-DVD's...Redbox and Netflix are hurting Blockbuster as much as anything else, and they both deal heavily on the actual DVD, not just content. -CD's...could be gone. -External Hard Drives..well if capacity keeps going up you might only need that 400tb HD that is *in* the computer. -Newspapers/Magazines subscriptions...an odd way to put it, these industries hope you will move your subscription to a kindle or like device. He probably meant actual paper delivered to your door...course that's not what he said. -New College Textbooks...um..yeah we've been doing this for *years* already...good prediction. -Smart-phone also rans...andoid has only been out a little over a year, and phones have just started coming out the last few months, I'm not sure I'd write android off basing on a few months of sales. The author also only notes how well/bad the mytouch has sold on tmobile, he ignores the rest of the market and the fact that android is coming to every carrier out there. Also while android doesn't have 100k in apps, 20k isn't bad for again, only a little over a year on the market. -Compact digital cams..just because DSLR is getting cheaper doesn't mean these little point and shoots are going anywhere. On Sun, Jan 17, 2010 at 5:56 PM, tjp wrote: > This may be a little bit ahead of its time and thus may make some people > upset. > The author argues that these products and services will soon go the way of > the dodo... > > > http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SavingandDebt/ConsumerActionGuide/10-things-not-to-buy-in-2010.aspx > > DVDs & CDs > Home telephone service > External hard drives > Smart-phone also-rans > Compact digital cameras > Newspaper & magazine subscriptions > New college textbooks > Gas-guzzling autos > Energy-inefficient homes and appliances > > > * > ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** > ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** > * > * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Obsolete consumer products...
I read this article some time ago and think he is off the mark. I was thinking about this the other day. CD's yes, but not DVD's. They are getting there, but I am not ready to upgrade my whole library of DVD's yet. It took me 20 years to accumulate the VHS library and it has been just 10 years, plus I have not seen any evidence that Blue Ray is worth the hype. If he had said CRT monitors and Tube TV's I would have agreed. (I still have a couple of CRT's and a few tube TV's was just in a parts dept for a car dealership and they still used CRT's.) External hard drives? Who is he kidding? Until SSD's come down in price not going to happen. Home telephone service is also off the mark. I think this guy spends way too much time on the coast. Get into the heartland and it does not make sense to not have a landline phone. In most disasters there are only two things that keep working. Telephone and Cell phone. My electric and cable go out far more frequently than my landline. Not everyone is ready for smartphone. My wife does not want one at all. My mother does not want one. So what would they get? Again not enough outside focus to see the big picture. (And if he is defining smartphone=Iphone, get real.) Compact Digital cameras who is he kidding? These are one of the biggest selling items around. Not many want or need DSLR's. I have to almost agree on magazine and newspaper subscriptions. We just cut back on our newspaper subscription and do not subscribe to many magazine subscriptions. I buy off the shelf when I want them. New college textbooks are one of the biggest rip offs around. We buy used when possible. Textbooks are being changed out way too frequently for monetary reasons and not content reasons. High markup, high profit item. But I do not think electronic is the answer either. (real question is why do professors require you to buy them when they infrequently use them) Gas Guzzling autos. Well for those who can afford them they will always exist. I live in a small town, 12K and just today I saw someone driving a Roll's. My brother bought a 08 Dodge Challenger SRT Hemi as his mid life crisis vehicle. He does not care about the mileage, it is his baby. (Single guy) Energy in-efficient homes and appliances. Most appliances sold today are much better energy wise than they have been. However the real key is cost effectiveness. Most lower income folks cannot go out upgrading, so it is a trickle down effect that will help this. As those who can afford the more expensive the lesser income will be able to get the new more efficient hand me down stuff. (I am one of those lesser income folks.) So again my whole comment on this guy is get out of your comfortable ensconced dwelling and get out into the real world. You might change your assessment a little. Stewart At 06:56 PM 1/17/2010, you wrote: This may be a little bit ahead of its time and thus may make some people upset. The author argues that these products and services will soon go the way of the dodo... http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SavingandDebt/ConsumerActionGuide/10-things-not-to-buy-in-2010.aspx DVDs & CDs Home telephone service External hard drives Smart-phone also-rans Compact digital cameras Newspaper & magazine subscriptions New college textbooks Gas-guzzling autos Energy-inefficient homes and appliances * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
[CGUYS] Obsolete consumer products...
This may be a little bit ahead of its time and thus may make some people upset. The author argues that these products and services will soon go the way of the dodo... http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SavingandDebt/ConsumerActionGuide/10-things-not-to-buy-in-2010.aspx DVDs & CDs Home telephone service External hard drives Smart-phone also-rans Compact digital cameras Newspaper & magazine subscriptions New college textbooks Gas-guzzling autos Energy-inefficient homes and appliances * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Free app
Thanks Mike, I did it. It took some doing to figure it out on the phone end, but I finally got it and now have a couple of cats on my phone Jeff Miles jmile...@charter.net Join my Mafia http://apps.facebook.com/inthemafia/status_invite.php?from=550968726 * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Wi-Fi foe sues neighbor for using electronics - The Santa Fe New Mexican
I'm not sure the retirees are the ones buying into this...'science'. To be honest, I don't know who would be the constituents for this...seems to be the same watermelons that are the on the fringe of the environmental movement. On Sat, Jan 9, 2010 at 12:51 PM, phartz...@gmail.com wrote: > > > Real or not, Republicans in Florida are right on top of this growing > phenomenon. If it'll garner a vote from the golf cart riding retirees > in the state, then why not? > > FLORIDA GOVERNOR PROCLAIMS MAY 2009 AS ELECTROMAGNETIC SENSITIVITY > (EMS) AWARENESS MONTH > > http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/100437 > > > * > ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** > ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** > * > * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Dump adobe reader
D Freye wrote: I want to dump adobe reader and replace it with a program that NEVER calls home or even asks unless I suggest it. Any ideas? Be at Peace. I use Foxit Reader. PDF documents with many pages are better view by Adobe, however. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Dump adobe reader
foxit On Sun, Jan 17, 2010 at 2:50 PM, D Freye wrote: > I want to dump adobe reader and replace it with a program that > NEVER calls home or even asks unless I suggest it. Any ideas? > Be at Peace. > > > * > ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** > ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** > * > * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
[CGUYS] Dump adobe reader
I want to dump adobe reader and replace it with a program that NEVER calls home or even asks unless I suggest it. Any ideas? Be at Peace. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Better than a UPS
A number of technologies have to improve, and some old line models must be terminated for this to occur. I know presently Energy companies (read power distribution) are very large and hold a huge influence. This would break their monopoly. Also the technology of batteries will need to improve. I know the development of power cells also is supposed to be coming right along and this would also fit in. I think the development of multi purpose energy cells ( battery, power cell etc.) would be really good. One of the things that has happened over the last year or so is the standardization of Cell phone connections for power (micro USB) The standardization of hook up for energy cells (battery etc.) would make this very possible. Stewart At 02:11 PM 1/17/2010, you wrote: I thinK this is a good time for some creative thinking about energy. As we change how we get and manage portable energy many old assumptions will need to be reexamined. If our cars start to run on big battery packs we need to consider how those get charged. The conventional idea is to plug the car into a power source. It may be far smarter to charge the battery outside of the car and swap out the car's battery. Then somebody might figure out that the battery charger and battery could be used to power the house during a power outage. Then somebody else notices that the battery charger could by run from solar cells during the day or even from a wind mill,. The batteries could run the house and the car. Suddenly we are all managing energy very differently. We don't need to build any more coal-fired power plants and the need for centralized generation is greatly diminished. Centralized generation could become a secondary source of power. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** * Rev. Stewart A. Marshall mailto:popoz...@earthlink.net Prince of Peace www.princeofpeaceozark.org Ozark, AL SL 82 * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Better than a UPS
I thinK this is a good time for some creative thinking about energy. As we change how we get and manage portable energy many old assumptions will need to be reexamined. If our cars start to run on big battery packs we need to consider how those get charged. The conventional idea is to plug the car into a power source. It may be far smarter to charge the battery outside of the car and swap out the car's battery. Then somebody might figure out that the battery charger and battery could be used to power the house during a power outage. Then somebody else notices that the battery charger could by run from solar cells during the day or even from a wind mill,. The batteries could run the house and the car. Suddenly we are all managing energy very differently. We don't need to build any more coal-fired power plants and the need for centralized generation is greatly diminished. Centralized generation could become a secondary source of power. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Better than a UPS
This is after a few battery changes and upgrades. Stewart At 12:01 AM 1/17/2010, betty wrote: Garden lights have cheap, usually poorly made, solar cells. If you bought them more than a year or two ago, they have NiCad batteries--cheap ones that are less than 500 milliamps, and low quality. The NiMH batteries in the new ones are cheaper and low quality. If you change the batteries in your garden lights to Duracell/Eveready/Rayovac 2000+ mA your lights will charge better and last longer, even on cloudy days [but the batteries might cost more than the lights. Lithium batteries for heavy use are entirely different from NiCad and NiMH anyway--no comparison. Aside from cell phones and other electronics, they're used in cars and for storing power generated by solar PV shingled roofs. We've been following the development of PV power and storage for over 20 years, but only recently has it become more affordable, thanks in part to the investment by the German government that encourages homeowners to install the solar shingles. Similar projects are in progress in Japan. In the US? For now, open your wallet and pay for it, unless you live in a state that can afford the tax credit. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** * At 12:01 AM 1/17/2010, betty wrote: Battery alone will never work. Just tonight I went outside to take my son to work, and my garden lights were not working. It has been overcast all day long and raining so they did not get a charge. Now I know that the solar panels on them are small and not high quality but extrapolate that out and you see that they need almost daily charging to be totally reliable. Garden lights have cheap, usually poorly made, solar cells. If you bought them more than a year or two ago, they have NiCad batteries--cheap ones that are less than 500 milliamps, and low quality. The NiMH batteries in the new ones are cheaper and low quality. If you change the batteries in your garden lights to Duracell/Eveready/Rayovac 2000+ mA your lights will charge better and last longer, even on cloudy days [but the batteries might cost more than the lights. Lithium batteries for heavy use are entirely different from NiCad and NiMH anyway--no comparison. Aside from cell phones and other electronics, they're used in cars and for storing power generated by solar PV shingled roofs. We've been following the development of PV power and storage for over 20 years, but only recently has it become more affordable, thanks in part to the investment by the German government that encourages homeowners to install the solar shingles. Similar projects are in progress in Japan. In the US? For now, open your wallet and pay for it, unless you live in a state that can afford the tax credit. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** * Rev. Stewart A. Marshall mailto:popoz...@earthlink.net Prince of Peace www.princeofpeaceozark.org Ozark, AL SL 82 * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
