• Re: BABYLON 5 is now free to watch!

    From Blueshirt@3:633/10 to All on Fri Feb 13 15:59:15 2026
    Nomen Nescio wrote:


    https://cordcuttersnews.com/babylon-5-is-now-free-to-watch-on-youtube/

    YouTube is the future of TV shows it seems!

    I don't know what's happened to Disney+ either, but I got an
    e-mail from Sky this morning informing me that Disney+ and HBO
    Max are now included free with my Sky subscription... so Disney+
    (advert supported tier obviously) at not extra charge.


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Your Name@3:633/10 to All on Sat Feb 14 10:40:02 2026
    On 2026-02-13 15:59:15 +0000, Blueshirt said:
    Nomen Nescio wrote:

    https://cordcuttersnews.com/babylon-5-is-now-free-to-watch-on-youtube/

    YouTube is the future of TV shows it seems!

    I don't know what's happened to Disney+ either, but I got an e-mail
    from Sky this morning informing me that Disney+ and HBO Max are now
    included free with my Sky subscription... so Disney+ (advert supported
    tier obviously) at not extra charge.

    Sky TV here in New Zealand dropped their normal Disney channels back in
    2019 when Disney+ launched here, but Sky TV does still have HBO.


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Blueshirt@3:633/10 to All on Fri Feb 13 21:49:28 2026
    Your Name wrote:

    On 2026-02-13 15:59:15 +0000, Blueshirt said:

    I don't know what's happened to Disney+ either, but I got an
    e-mail from Sky this morning informing me that Disney+ and
    HBO Max are now included free with my Sky subscription...
    so Disney+ (advert supported tier obviously) at not extra
    charge.

    Sky TV here in New Zealand dropped their normal Disney
    channels back in 2019 when Disney+ launched here, but Sky TV
    does still have HBO.

    This is the actual Disney+ they are including, via the app on
    the Sky Q box, with the ad supported Disney+ tier being
    available at no extra cost to Sky subscribers. The channels
    won't be on the Sky EPG to be viewed individually.

    Seems weird, but it's probably a sign Disney are desperate for
    customers in this age of streaming competition... now, every Sky
    subscriber will have access to Disney+, which - in theory -
    should push up their viewership.

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Lawrence D?Oliveiro@3:633/10 to All on Fri Feb 13 22:06:32 2026
    On Fri, 13 Feb 2026 15:59:15 +0000, Blueshirt wrote:

    YouTube is the future of TV shows it seems!

    And YouTube downloaders are the future of timeshifting ...

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Your Name@3:633/10 to All on Sat Feb 14 12:42:02 2026
    On 2026-02-13 22:06:32 +0000, Lawrence D?Oliveiro said:
    On Fri, 13 Feb 2026 15:59:15 +0000, Blueshirt wrote:

    YouTube is the future of TV shows it seems!

    And YouTube downloaders are the future of timeshifting ...

    And for getting around greedy streaming services that suddenly decide /
    forced to drop a show. Once you have a copy, you can watch it wenever
    you want (although it is technically illegal in many places).

    It's also a way around the diminishing releases of actual disc formats, although there is something of a come back for these.


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Lawrence D?Oliveiro@3:633/10 to All on Sat Feb 14 00:44:13 2026
    On Sat, 14 Feb 2026 12:42:02 +1300, Your Name wrote:

    It's also a way around the diminishing releases of actual disc
    formats, although there is something of a come back for these.

    Sony has stopped making Blu-Ray disc recorders.

    Players are still available, but no doubt their days are numbered ...

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Your Name@3:633/10 to All on Sat Feb 14 14:08:12 2026
    On 2026-02-14 00:44:13 +0000, Lawrence D?Oliveiro said:
    On Sat, 14 Feb 2026 12:42:02 +1300, Your Name wrote:

    It's also a way around the diminishing releases of actual disc
    formats, although there is something of a come back for these.

    Sony has stopped making Blu-Ray disc recorders.

    Players are still available, but no doubt their days are numbered ...

    TV set-top DVD *recorders* are difficult to find - Panasonic is one
    company apparently still making them, and you can of course get them as computer drives.

    TV set-top DVD *players* are still made by a few manufacturers, such as
    Sony, Panasonic, and LG.

    Many shows and movies are still being released on DVD, Blu-ray, and HD.
    Sales figures have dropped a lot from the highs, but disc formats are
    making a bit of a come back, just like vinyl did and to a lesser degree
    CDs and audio cassettes. Even VHS is having something of a revival.
    These come backs has / could mean manufacturers restart making the
    devices to play them on.


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Lawrence D?Oliveiro@3:633/10 to All on Sat Feb 14 02:10:05 2026
    On Sat, 14 Feb 2026 14:08:12 +1300, Your Name wrote:

    Many shows and movies are still being released on DVD, Blu-ray, and
    HD.

    DVD-Video would be a waste of time these days, unless you are only
    watching old content that was made in SD quality.

    Sales figures have dropped a lot from the highs, but disc formats
    are making a bit of a come back, just like vinyl did and to a lesser
    degree CDs and audio cassettes.

    I?ve lost count of the number of times that it?s been claimed that
    there is a ?vinyl comeback?. If there?s a more pointless analog format
    to make a comeback, it has to be vinyl.

    Are people adopting a vinyl affectation just to signal some kind of
    aversion to ?digital sound?? I?ve got news for you: all the content
    being put on that vinyl these days goes through digital processing at
    some point in the chain.

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Your Name@3:633/10 to All on Sat Feb 14 16:10:40 2026
    On 2026-02-14 02:10:05 +0000, Lawrence D?Oliveiro said:
    On Sat, 14 Feb 2026 14:08:12 +1300, Your Name wrote:

    Many shows and movies are still being released on DVD, Blu-ray, and HD.

    DVD-Video would be a waste of time these days, unless you are only
    watching old content that was made in SD quality.

    It's also cheaper for little kids' shows. :-)



    Sales figures have dropped a lot from the highs, but disc formats are
    making a bit of a come back, just like vinyl did and to a lesser degree
    CDs and audio cassettes.

    I?ve lost count of the number of times that it?s been claimed that
    there is a ?vinyl comeback?. If there?s a more pointless analog format
    to make a comeback, it has to be vinyl.

    Vinyl is definitely making a come back. Sales figures are rising every
    year, but it might never reaches the heights it ataained in the past
    (partly due to the expense these days - the records, the players, and
    the continually replacing the needle / stylus).

    For 2022, the Recording Industry Association of America reported
    that: "Revenues from vinyl records grew 17% to $1.2 billion ? the
    sixteenth consecutive year of growth ? and accounted for 71% of
    physical format revenues.

    2024: The U.S. music industry sold 43.6 million vinyl records ?
    the 18th consecutive year of growth.

    The same has begun to happen with audio cassettes, although probably
    won't be the same increase as vinyl.



    Are people adopting a vinyl affectation just to signal some kind of
    aversion to ?digital sound?? I?ve got news for you: all the content
    being put on that vinyl these days goes through digital processing at
    some point in the chain.

    Almost all of it is probably produced using digital equipment these
    days in teh recording studios, but the final vinyl record itself is
    played on analogue equipment by the purchasers, which to some people
    sounds better.

    For many people, having physical objects linging the shelves is also
    much more satisfying than a computer drive filled with digital files
    or, in the case of streaming services, having nothing except an
    on-screen list stored somewhere in the "cloud". Not to mention
    streaming services simply dropping content whenever they feel like it
    or are forced to by the rights holders.



    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Lawrence D?Oliveiro@3:633/10 to All on Sat Feb 14 03:30:08 2026
    On Sat, 14 Feb 2026 16:10:40 +1300, Your Name wrote:

    On 2026-02-14 02:10:05 +0000, Lawrence D?Oliveiro said:

    Are people adopting a vinyl affectation just to signal some kind of
    aversion to ?digital sound?? I?ve got news for you: all the content
    being put on that vinyl these days goes through digital processing
    at some point in the chain.

    Almost all of it is probably produced using digital equipment these
    days in teh recording studios, but the final vinyl record itself is
    played on analogue equipment by the purchasers, which to some people
    sounds better.

    With all that dust and wear that gets worse with every play? ?Sounds
    better? than what? Maybe old shellac 78s, but nothing newer than that.

    For many people, having physical objects linging the shelves is also
    much more satisfying than a computer drive filled with digital files
    or, in the case of streaming services, having nothing except an
    on-screen list stored somewhere in the "cloud". Not to mention
    streaming services simply dropping content whenever they feel like
    it or are forced to by the rights holders.

    This is why you have copies of the files on your own computer drives
    -- preferably more than one.

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Your Name@3:633/10 to All on Sat Feb 14 18:01:41 2026
    On 2026-02-14 03:30:08 +0000, Lawrence D?Oliveiro said:
    On Sat, 14 Feb 2026 16:10:40 +1300, Your Name wrote:
    On 2026-02-14 02:10:05 +0000, Lawrence D?Oliveiro said:

    Are people adopting a vinyl affectation just to signal some kind of
    aversion to ?digital sound?? I?ve got news for you: all the content
    being put on that vinyl these days goes through digital processing at
    some point in the chain.

    Almost all of it is probably produced using digital equipment these
    days in the recording studios, but the final vinyl record itself is
    played on analogue equipment by the purchasers, which to some people
    sounds better.

    With all that dust and wear that gets worse with every play? ?Sounds
    better? than what? Maybe old shellac 78s, but nothing newer than that.

    For many people, having physical objects lining the shelves is also
    much more satisfying than a computer drive filled with digital files
    or, in the case of streaming services, having nothing except an
    on-screen list stored somewhere in the "cloud". Not to mention
    streaming services simply dropping content whenever they feel like it
    or are forced to by the rights holders.

    This is why you have copies of the files on your own computer drives -- preferably more than one.

    *And* copies on DVD, Blu-ray, VHS, vinyl, audio cassette, 8-track,
    Video8, MiniDV, Digital8, Hi8, paper printouts, carved stone tablets,
    ... ;-)


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Lawrence D?Oliveiro@3:633/10 to All on Sat Feb 14 06:43:54 2026
    On Sat, 14 Feb 2026 18:01:41 +1300, Your Name wrote:

    On 2026-02-14 03:30:08 +0000, Lawrence D?Oliveiro said:

    This is why you have copies of the files on your own computer
    drives -- preferably more than one.

    *And* copies on DVD, Blu-ray, VHS, vinyl, audio cassette, 8-track,
    Video8, MiniDV, Digital8, Hi8, paper printouts, carved stone
    tablets, ... ;-)

    Bit dumb to put all that money into those inferior formats, when
    high-capacity magnetic and solid-state drives are so cheap ...

    Quantity is not quality ...

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Your Name@3:633/10 to All on Sat Feb 14 20:16:26 2026
    On 2026-02-14 06:43:54 +0000, Lawrence D?Oliveiro said:
    On Sat, 14 Feb 2026 18:01:41 +1300, Your Name wrote:
    On 2026-02-14 03:30:08 +0000, Lawrence D?Oliveiro said:

    This is why you have copies of the files on your own computer
    drives -- preferably more than one.

    *And* copies on DVD, Blu-ray, VHS, vinyl, audio cassette, 8-track,
    Video8, MiniDV, Digital8, Hi8, paper printouts, carved stone
    tablets, ... ;-)

    Bit dumb to put all that money into those inferior formats, when high-capacity magnetic and solid-state drives are so cheap ...

    Quantity is not quality ...

    Backup, backup, backup ... in as many different formats as possible
    (and stored in as many different locations as possible, even other
    countries), then one can no longer be read for whatever reason, some of
    the other still can. ;-)


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Blueshirt@3:633/10 to All on Sat Feb 14 12:11:38 2026
    Lawrence DOliveiro wrote:

    On Fri, 13 Feb 2026 15:59:15 +0000, Blueshirt wrote:

    YouTube is the future of TV shows it seems!

    And YouTube downloaders are the future of timeshifting ...

    A lot of classic era Doctor Who full episodes are available
    free on the BBC "Doctor Who: Classic" YouTube channel... I
    can only see the episodes with a VPN so I assume it's US only...
    but still, it's something for Whovians over there to download
    if they want a digital collection of Doctor Who full stories on
    their hard drive.

    Unlike modern Who, those episodes are worth watching again and
    again...


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Blueshirt@3:633/10 to All on Sat Feb 14 12:11:39 2026
    Lawrence DOliveiro wrote:

    On Sat, 14 Feb 2026 12:42:02 +1300, Your Name wrote:

    It's also a way around the diminishing releases of actual
    disc formats, although there is something of a come back for
    these.

    Sony has stopped making Blu-Ray disc recorders.

    Players are still available, but no doubt their days are
    numbered ...

    Physical media is pretty much only made for collectors now...
    the younger generation don't seem to buy much physical media
    these days.

    I've got tons of it; books, comics, LPs', cassettes, CDs, DVDs,
    Blu-rays (etc.) but they sit on shelves and in boxes... and I'm
    fairly sure the children/grandchildren will just dump the lot of
    it when they clear the house after I die.

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Your Name@3:633/10 to All on Sun Feb 15 11:10:29 2026
    On 2026-02-14 12:11:39 +0000, Blueshirt said:
    Lawrence DOliveiro wrote:
    On Sat, 14 Feb 2026 12:42:02 +1300, Your Name wrote:

    It's also a way around the diminishing releases of actual disc formats, >>> although there is something of a come back for these.

    Sony has stopped making Blu-Ray disc recorders.

    Players are still available, but no doubt their days are numbered ...

    Physical media is pretty much only made for collectors now... the
    younger generation don't seem to buy much physical media these days.

    Actually, it's mainly the younger generation who are driving the come
    back of the old media ...


    DVDs and CDs are becoming cool again, thanks mostly to Gen Z
    ------------------------------------------------------------
    Consumers of all ages are looking to discs to get offline and
    away from algorithms, and for a younger generation, it?s seen
    as ?vintage.?
    <https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/12/14/dvd-cd-revival-sales/>

    Just enter a fake email address to get past the paywall pop-up, but
    there are numerous other similar articles elsewhere.



    I've got tons of it; books, comics, LPs', cassettes, CDs, DVDs,
    Blu-rays (etc.) but they sit on shelves and in boxes...

    I've got lots of VHS tapes, DVDs, and books too, as well as a few
    comics and audio-story casettes and vinyl records. Plus quite a few
    boxed computer games and a ton of toys (mainly Star Wars).



    and I'm fairly sure the children/grandchildren will just dump the lot
    of it when they clear the house after I die.

    Only if they are dumb or lazy. Such things in good condition could be
    worth a lot of money (maybe not individually, but as a total amount).
    :-)

    I don't have any children, and my younger brother *is* dumb and lazy,
    so they will probably all just go in the bin, if I don't sell them
    first.



    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Lawrence D?Oliveiro@3:633/10 to All on Sat Feb 14 22:32:05 2026
    On Sat, 14 Feb 2026 21:33:21 +1100, Daniel70 wrote:

    On 14/02/2026 2:10 pm, Your Name wrote:

    Almost all of it is probably produced using digital equipment these
    days in teh recording studios, but the final vinyl record itself is
    played on analogue equipment by the purchasers, which to some
    people sounds better.

    It sounds better because it IS the actual sound produced by the Voices/Instruments .....

    I wonder how it can manage that, given it came from digital sources
    ... I mean, you?re not trying to say that the digital sources were
    capturing ?the actual sound produced by the Voices/Instruments?, are
    you?

    I suppose another possibility is that the real world sounds inherently
    scratchy and dusty, which somehow gets removed during digital
    sampling. So the vinyl format is putting back that original real-world authenticity.

    Could that be it?


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Lawrence D?Oliveiro@3:633/10 to All on Sat Feb 14 22:33:44 2026
    On Sat, 14 Feb 2026 20:16:26 +1300, Your Name wrote:

    On 2026-02-14 06:43:54 +0000, Lawrence D?Oliveiro said:

    On Sat, 14 Feb 2026 18:01:41 +1300, Your Name wrote:

    On 2026-02-14 03:30:08 +0000, Lawrence D?Oliveiro said:

    This is why you have copies of the files on your own computer
    drives -- preferably more than one.

    *And* copies on DVD, Blu-ray, VHS, vinyl, audio cassette, 8-track,
    Video8, MiniDV, Digital8, Hi8, paper printouts, carved stone
    tablets, ... ;-)

    Bit dumb to put all that money into those inferior formats, when
    high-capacity magnetic and solid-state drives are so cheap ...

    Quantity is not quality ...

    Backup, backup, backup ... in as many different formats as possible
    ...

    In as many different *high quality* formats as possible. You don?t
    want backups that are less trustworthy than the originals, do you?

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Lawrence D?Oliveiro@3:633/10 to All on Sat Feb 14 22:34:21 2026
    On Sat, 14 Feb 2026 12:11:38 GMT, Blueshirt wrote:

    A lot of classic era Doctor Who full episodes are available
    free on the BBC "Doctor Who: Classic" YouTube channel... I
    can only see the episodes with a VPN so I assume it's US only...

    BitTorrent is still a thing, you know.

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Lawrence D?Oliveiro@3:633/10 to All on Sat Feb 14 22:38:27 2026
    On Sat, 14 Feb 2026 14:39:26 -0000 (UTC), The Doctor wrote:

    I would take physical over digital.

    If there is an analog format worth resurrecting, it?s tape.

    Vinyl remains stuck in the 1970s, but the humble cassette tape
    continued evolving long after that, with things like chromiun and
    barium oxides, metal particles, new kinds of Dolby noise reduction,
    and what-all.

    Speaking of noise reduction, remember that vinyl has this convoluted
    thing called the ?RIAA equalization curve?. Back in the day, you had
    ceramic versus magnetic pickups, and one of them had to compensate for
    the curve, but the other did not (I forget which was which). How could
    you be sure either way that you were compensating for the curve
    exactly? You didn?t.

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Your Name@3:633/10 to All on Sun Feb 15 13:47:06 2026
    On 2026-02-14 22:32:05 +0000, Lawrence D?Oliveiro said:
    On Sat, 14 Feb 2026 21:33:21 +1100, Daniel70 wrote:
    On 14/02/2026 2:10 pm, Your Name wrote:

    Almost all of it is probably produced using digital equipment these
    days in teh recording studios, but the final vinyl record itself is
    played on analogue equipment by the purchasers, which to some people
    sounds better.

    It sounds better because it IS the actual sound produced by the
    Voices/Instruments .....

    I wonder how it can manage that, given it came from digital sources ...
    I mean, you?re not trying to say that the digital sources were
    capturing ?the actual sound produced by the Voices/Instruments?, are
    you?

    I suppose another possibility is that the real world sounds inherently scratchy and dusty, which somehow gets removed during digital sampling.
    So the vinyl format is putting back that original real-world
    authenticity.

    Could that be it?

    The recording studios also use a much better digital equipment than
    home music players or what is released on the CD or online / streaming services, so what you're hearing has been downsampled.

    But the on and off bits of digital audio and video can never match the near-infinite uniqueness of analogue. Even if you were digitally
    recording at a bazillion samples per second, you'd still be missing
    things between each sample. Of course, once you get to such ridiculous
    rates, whether the human ear can actually tell the difference is a
    matter of opinion though. Simiarly with computer / phone / TV screens -
    nobody is going to notice any difference between 4K, 8K, 16K, etc.
    unless they are pressing their noses against the screen.



    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Your Name@3:633/10 to All on Sun Feb 15 13:55:37 2026
    On 2026-02-14 22:33:44 +0000, Lawrence D?Oliveiro said:
    On Sat, 14 Feb 2026 20:16:26 +1300, Your Name wrote:
    On 2026-02-14 06:43:54 +0000, Lawrence D?Oliveiro said:
    On Sat, 14 Feb 2026 18:01:41 +1300, Your Name wrote:
    On 2026-02-14 03:30:08 +0000, Lawrence D?Oliveiro said:

    This is why you have copies of the files on your own computer
    drives -- preferably more than one.

    *And* copies on DVD, Blu-ray, VHS, vinyl, audio cassette, 8-track,
    Video8, MiniDV, Digital8, Hi8, paper printouts, carved stone tablets, ... ;-)

    Bit dumb to put all that money into those inferior formats, when
    high-capacity magnetic and solid-state drives are so cheap ...

    Quantity is not quality ...

    Backup, backup, backup ... in as many different formats as possible
    ...

    In as many different *high quality* formats as possible. You don?t want backups that are less trustworthy than the originals, do you?

    It's all very well having a 1024K video on a drive, but if you haven't
    got any way to plug it in or a device that can decode / play it, it's pointless. Meanwhile, the carved stone tablet is going to be readable
    by anyone for centuries (excluding damage or the language dying out).
    :-)

    It's a bit like the Voyager probes that rather stupidly carry a
    phonograph record ... but will the lifeforms (whether alien or future space-travelling humans) that eventually find it actually be able to
    play the sounds or decode the images, even with the supposed
    instructions etched into the back??



    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Your Name@3:633/10 to All on Sun Feb 15 14:05:55 2026
    On 2026-02-14 22:38:27 +0000, Lawrence D?Oliveiro said:
    On Sat, 14 Feb 2026 14:39:26 -0000 (UTC), The Doctor wrote:

    I would take physical over digital.

    If there is an analog format worth resurrecting, it?s tape.

    Vinyl remains stuck in the 1970s, but the humble cassette tape
    continued evolving long after that, with things like chromiun and
    barium oxides, metal particles, new kinds of Dolby noise reduction, and what-all.

    New release audio casette tapes do exist (even new release 8-tracks).
    Not huge numbers of course, but the growing come back might change that
    to some degree.
    <https://tapeheadcity.com/collections/new-releases>

    Even the JB Hi-Fi high-street shops here in New Zealand (and presumably
    their Australian stores) have a small selection of new audio casette
    releases.
    <https://www.jbhifi.co.nz/collections/music/cassettes>



    Speaking of noise reduction, remember that vinyl has this convoluted
    thing called the ?RIAA equalization curve?. Back in the day, you had
    ceramic versus magnetic pickups, and one of them had to compensate for
    the curve, but the other did not (I forget which was which). How could
    you be sure either way that you were compensating for the curve
    exactly? You didn?t.



    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Lawrence D?Oliveiro@3:633/10 to All on Sun Feb 15 02:23:32 2026
    On Sun, 15 Feb 2026 13:47:06 +1300, Your Name wrote:

    The recording studios also use a much better digital equipment than
    home music players or what is released on the CD or online /
    streaming services, so what you're hearing has been downsampled.

    Are you admitting that digital technology can possibly be good enough
    to serve as source material for your precious vinyl?

    But the on and off bits of digital audio and video can never match
    the near-infinite uniqueness of analogue.

    Quantum theory says no.

    Even if you were digitally recording at a bazillion samples per
    second, you'd still be missing things between each sample.

    Fun fact: your nervous system is basically digital (nerve impulses
    either fire or don?t fire). So you already do.

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Lawrence D?Oliveiro@3:633/10 to All on Sun Feb 15 02:24:42 2026
    On Sun, 15 Feb 2026 01:40:41 -0000 (UTC), The Doctor wrote:

    Tape vs Digital Versatile Data format. What will not deteriorate?

    This is why you keep multiple copies, and maintain (and keep checking)
    hash checksums to ensure nothing has changed.

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Your Name@3:633/10 to All on Sun Feb 15 16:16:19 2026
    On 2026-02-15 02:23:32 +0000, Lawrence D?Oliveiro said:
    On Sun, 15 Feb 2026 13:47:06 +1300, Your Name wrote:

    The recording studios also use a much better digital equipment than
    home music players or what is released on the CD or online / streaming
    services, so what you're hearing has been downsampled.

    Are you admitting that digital technology can possibly be good enough
    to serve as source material for your precious vinyl?

    I didn't say whether it was "good enough" or not, simply what happens. Personally I couldn't actually care less since I have zero interest in
    music anyway. :-)

    For a CD, the sounds are downsampled to CD-quality from teh higher
    quality studio digital recordings. Similarly with various streaming
    qualities.

    For vinyl, it will depend on how exactly the vinyl master is made, but
    it still won't be a purely digital recording, even though the studio
    source was. There will be minute changes and differences. Together,
    that *could* mean some people hear (or more precisely *feel*) a
    difference in quality.




    But the on and off bits of digital audio and video can never match the
    near-infinite uniqueness of analogue.

    Quantum theory says no.

    Multiverse theory says every peice of music exists in every format and
    quality ... somewhere. :-p




    Even if you were digitally recording at a bazillion samples per second,
    you'd still be missing things between each sample.

    Fun fact: your nervous system is basically digital (nerve impulses
    either fire or don'?t fire). So you already do.

    Yes and no (and depends on who you ask). The human systems, including
    the nervous system, are not really strictly analogue nor digital. They
    are basically a mix of / somewhere between the two.



    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Your Name@3:633/10 to All on Sun Feb 15 16:19:42 2026
    On 2026-02-15 02:24:42 +0000, Lawrence D?Oliveiro said:
    On Sun, 15 Feb 2026 01:40:41 -0000 (UTC), The Doctor wrote:

    Tape vs Digital Versatile Data format. What will not deteriorate?

    This is why you keep multiple copies, and maintain (and keep checking)
    hash checksums to ensure nothing has changed.

    Despite claims by various manufacturers, *no* media is ever-lasting.
    Companies claiming their disc formats will last X number of years are
    simply guessing (or owrse, lying), since none have been around for that
    long to know for sure.

    Various factors also affect the lifetime of storage media (humidity, temperature changes, etc.).

    Even carved stone tablets will eventually erode if left outside in the
    wind and rain. :-)


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Lawrence D?Oliveiro@3:633/10 to All on Sun Feb 15 05:29:49 2026
    On Sun, 15 Feb 2026 16:19:42 +1300, Your Name wrote:

    Despite claims by various manufacturers, *no* media is ever-lasting.

    This is why you keep multiple copies, and maintain (and keep checking)
    hash checksums to ensure nothing has changed.

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Lawrence D?Oliveiro@3:633/10 to All on Sun Feb 15 05:57:18 2026
    On Sun, 15 Feb 2026 16:16:19 +1300, Your Name wrote:

    On 2026-02-15 02:23:32 +0000, Lawrence D?Oliveiro said:

    On Sun, 15 Feb 2026 13:47:06 +1300, Your Name wrote:

    The recording studios also use a much better digital equipment
    than home music players or what is released on the CD or online /
    streaming services, so what you're hearing has been downsampled.

    Are you admitting that digital technology can possibly be good
    enough to serve as source material for your precious vinyl?

    I didn't say whether it was "good enough" or not, simply what
    happens.

    You used the term ?downsampled? to refer to consumer delivery formats
    like vinyl.

    For a CD, the sounds are downsampled to CD-quality from teh higher
    quality studio digital recordings. Similarly with various streaming qualities.

    Streaming and file formats can be in any sample rate and depth
    desired. No need for any ?downsampling? at all.

    For vinyl, it will depend on how exactly the vinyl master is made,
    but it still won't be a purely digital recording, even though the
    studio source was. There will be minute changes and differences.
    Together, that *could* mean some people hear (or more precisely
    *feel*) a difference in quality.

    So analog losses actually *improve* the perception in quality?

    Does this go for the dust and groove wear as well?

    But the on and off bits of digital audio and video can never match
    the near-infinite uniqueness of analogue.

    Quantum theory says no.

    Multiverse theory says every peice of music exists in every format
    and quality ... somewhere. :-p

    Regardless of your attempt to distract from it, your original
    statement remains nonsense.

    Even if you were digitally recording at a bazillion samples per
    second, you'd still be missing things between each sample.

    Fun fact: your nervous system is basically digital (nerve impulses
    either fire or don?t fire). So you already do.

    Yes and no (and depends on who you ask). The human systems, including
    the nervous system, are not really strictly analogue nor digital. They
    are basically a mix of / somewhere between the two.

    Nevertheless, it is a fact that nerve impulses either fire or don?t
    fire, there is no in-between. That doesn?t depend on whom you ask; go
    ask any expert.

    (No doubt you?ll get the typical contrarian answers from audiophiles
    and other non-experts, so don?t bother ...)

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Your Name@3:633/10 to All on Sun Feb 15 20:15:17 2026
    On 2026-02-15 05:57:18 +0000, Lawrence D?Oliveiro said:

    On Sun, 15 Feb 2026 16:16:19 +1300, Your Name wrote:

    On 2026-02-15 02:23:32 +0000, Lawrence D?Oliveiro said:

    On Sun, 15 Feb 2026 13:47:06 +1300, Your Name wrote:

    The recording studios also use a much better digital equipment
    than home music players or what is released on the CD or online /
    streaming services, so what you're hearing has been downsampled.

    Are you admitting that digital technology can possibly be good enough
    to serve as source material for your precious vinyl?

    I didn't say whether it was "good enough" or not, simply what happens.

    You used the term ?downsampled? to refer to consumer delivery formats
    like vinyl.

    Actually I said "released on CD or online". Studios will have far
    better quality equipment, so the digital recording will need to be
    downsampled for any other home-based digital releases. Vinyl releases
    will be different since they aren't digital.



    For a CD, the sounds are downsampled to CD-quality from the higher
    quality studio digital recordings. Similarly with various streaming
    qualities.

    Streaming and file formats can be in any sample rate and depth desired.
    No need for any ?downsampling? at all.

    Downsampled from the higher quality studio equipment, as well as often
    being compressed.



    For vinyl, it will depend on how exactly the vinyl master is made, but
    it still won't be a purely digital recording, even though the studio
    source was. There will be minute changes and differences. Together,
    that *could* mean some people hear (or more precisely *feel*) a
    difference in quality.

    So analog losses actually *improve* the perception in quality?

    Does this go for the dust and groove wear as well?

    Not if your keep your equipment and collection clean.

    The same can be said for CDs - dust on the lens or disc can affect play-back.



    But the on and off bits of digital audio and video can never match the >>>> near-infinite uniqueness of analogue.

    Quantum theory says no.

    Multiverse theory says every peice of music exists in every format and
    quality ... somewhere. :-p

    Regardless of your attempt to distract from it, your original statement remains nonsense.

    Digital = on or off, and only at the sampled timeframes
    Analogue = variable and constantly changing, even if only minutely




    Even if you were digitally recording at a bazillion samples per second, >>>> you'd still be missing things between each sample.

    Fun fact: your nervous system is basically digital (nerve impulses
    either fire or don?t fire). So you already do.

    Yes and no (and depends on who you ask). The human systems, including
    the nervous system, are not really strictly analogue nor digital. They
    are basically a mix of / somewhere between the two.

    Nevertheless, it is a fact that nerve impulses either fire or don?t
    fire, there is no in-between. That doesn?t depend on whom you ask; go
    ask any expert.

    (No doubt you?ll get the typical contrarian answers from audiophiles
    and other non-experts, so don?t bother ...)

    Yes, they fire / don't fire, but the *rate* at which they do that does
    vary depending on the circumstances.



    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Blueshirt@3:633/10 to All on Sun Feb 15 12:22:01 2026
    Lawrence DOliveiro wrote:

    On Sun, 15 Feb 2026 13:47:06 +1300, Your Name wrote:

    The recording studios also use a much better digital
    equipment than home music players or what is released on the
    CD or online / streaming services, so what you're hearing
    has been downsampled.

    Are you admitting that digital technology can possibly be good
    enough to serve as source material for your precious vinyl?

    Most vinyl LP's are produced from digital masters these days.
    Some artists create specialist analogue masters, but not many.
    The real audio nerds that have stereo equipment that costs three
    grand and think analogue music is the best thing since the
    sliced loaf are few and far between. The record labels are
    driving the market with expensive collectors editions of albums,
    and multiple editions of the same album on twenty different
    colours/splatters. (The latest Megadeth album got to No.1 on the
    Billboard chart last week helped by it's multitude of physical
    editions... CD, a lot of LPs, Cassettes and even a KiT version.)

    With the price of LP's these days most people buying vinyl are
    record collectors and probably don't even play their records.
    Many keeping them sealed thinking they will be worth something
    one day. - Which in many cases, they won't! Plus, a lot of
    LP's nowadays come with digital download codes for MP3/FLAC
    versions of the music. Which helps. So not everyone is buying
    vinyl because they like the "warmth" of analogue... along with
    the hissing, crackles and pops that go with it.


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Blueshirt@3:633/10 to All on Sun Feb 15 12:22:03 2026
    Your Name wrote:

    Multiverse theory says every peice of music exists in
    every format and quality ... somewhere. :-p

    As long as it's on Spotify, that's all that matters!

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Blueshirt@3:633/10 to All on Sun Feb 15 12:41:03 2026
    Your Name wrote:

    On 2026-02-14 12:11:39 +0000, Blueshirt said:

    Physical media is pretty much only made for collectors
    now... the younger generation don't seem to buy much
    physical media these days.

    Actually, it's mainly the younger generation who are driving
    the come back of the old media ...

    I think they're more collectors though, or people that just like
    a physical product, something to hold and look at. I doubt many
    of them have a decent turntable, with a phono pre-amp and other
    required equipment to listen to a LP properly. Plus they'd need
    a good record cleaner and regular stylus replacement. I don't
    see too many of them going the whole hog as it's an expensive
    pastime. It's a novelty driven by the record companies, not a
    way of life.

    My money would be on a lot of them keeping their records sealed
    or only played a few times... once the record gets hissy and
    starts skipping, they'll go back to Spotify and Apple Music!

    I've got tons of it; books, comics, LPs', cassettes, CDs,
    DVDs, Blu-rays (etc.) but they sit on shelves and in
    boxes...

    I've got lots of VHS tapes, DVDs, and books too, as well as
    a few comics and audio-story casettes and vinyl records. Plus
    quite a few boxed computer games and a ton of toys (mainly
    Star Wars).

    Mine's mainly Doctor Who and Star Wars...

    and I'm fairly sure the children/grandchildren will just
    dump the lot of it when they clear the house after I die.

    Only if they are dumb or lazy. Such things in good condition
    could be worth a lot of money (maybe not individually, but as
    a total amount). :-)

    A lot of my old nerdy stuff wouldn't be in the greatest
    condition... all of my books and comics have been read a few
    times and the pages are yellowy. The VHS tapes and DVDs are ok
    as they are in plastic cases, but I can't seem to give them away.

    All of my records have been played, many, many times, and the
    sleeves would have the usual wear and tear. So not worth too
    much.

    I don't have any children, and my younger brother is dumb and
    lazy, so they will probably all just go in the bin, if I don't
    sell them first.

    The bin might sound good to my children when the time comes.
    It'll keep their house's clean and tidy!


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Blueshirt@3:633/10 to All on Sun Feb 15 12:53:15 2026
    Your Name wrote:

    On 2026-02-14 22:38:27 +0000, Lawrence D?Oliveiro said:

    If there is an analog format worth resurrecting, it?s tape.

    Vinyl remains stuck in the 1970s, but the humble cassette
    tape continued evolving long after that, with things like
    chromiun and barium oxides, metal particles, new kinds of
    Dolby noise reduction, and what-all.

    New release audio casette tapes do exist

    There's usually a cassette version of most music albums these
    days. They generally only use the standard type I ferro magnetic
    tape though, so high fidelity is not the reason for them being
    released. They're limited edition releases for music collectors.

    All new cassette releases should come with a pencil included for completeness...

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From The True Melissa@3:633/10 to All on Sun Feb 15 08:38:18 2026
    Verily, in article <10mqrsl$3hek4$1@dont-email.me>, did
    YourName@YourISP.com deliver unto us this message:
    Actually, it's mainly the younger generation who are driving the come
    back of the old media ...


    # DVDs and CDs are becoming cool again, thanks mostly to Gen Z
    # ------------------------------------------------------------
    # Consumers of all ages are looking to discs to get offline and
    # away from algorithms, and for a younger generation, it?s seen
    # as ?vintage.?

    It's not just the drive for vintage. Gen Z, or at least some of it, is
    trying to reclaim privacy and local control.

    I wish them luck. I'm too old and tired to fight on the fronts, but I'm rooting for them and I'll help if I can.

    --
    The True Melissa - Canal Winchester - Ohio
    United States of America - North America - Earth
    Solar System - Milky Way - Local Group
    Virgo Cluster - Laniakea Supercluster - Cosmos

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Blueshirt@3:633/10 to All on Sun Feb 15 13:52:01 2026
    The True Melissa wrote:

    It's not just the drive for vintage. Gen Z, or at least
    some of it, is trying to reclaim privacy and local control.

    If they want privacy they'd want to stop taking selfies of
    themselves everywhere they go, the dinners they eat, and
    the drinks they drink, and posting them all over the place!

    :-)

    I wish them luck. I'm too old and tired to fight on the
    fronts, but I'm rooting for them and I'll help if I can.

    I wish the future generations luck in knowing when a photo of
    somebody doing something is real or it's been created by a
    AI/LLM app!

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From The True Melissa@3:633/10 to All on Sun Feb 15 10:45:57 2026
    Verily, in article <xn0pm27vz1bfsad001@post.eweka.nl>, did blueshirt@indigo.news deliver unto us this message:

    The True Melissa wrote:

    It's not just the drive for vintage. Gen Z, or at least
    some of it, is trying to reclaim privacy and local control.

    If they want privacy they'd want to stop taking selfies of
    themselves everywhere they go, the dinners they eat, and
    the drinks they drink, and posting them all over the place!

    :-)

    I'm pretty sure those are different Zoomers. :-)

    My son's a Zoomer, and he's definitely part of the privacy movement. He refuses to use several major technologies.


    I wish them luck. I'm too old and tired to fight on the
    fronts, but I'm rooting for them and I'll help if I can.

    I wish the future generations luck in knowing when a photo of
    somebody doing something is real or it's been created by a
    AI/LLM app!

    After Photoshop and LLMs, "Photos don't lie" just sounds silly now,
    doesn't it?

    --
    The True Melissa - Canal Winchester - Ohio
    United States of America - North America - Earth
    Solar System - Milky Way - Local Group
    Virgo Cluster - Laniakea Supercluster - Cosmos

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Your Name@3:633/10 to All on Mon Feb 16 10:12:32 2026
    On 2026-02-15 10:43:23 +0000, Daniel70 said:
    On 15/02/2026 9:38 am, Lawrence D?Oliveiro wrote:
    On Sat, 14 Feb 2026 14:39:26 -0000 (UTC), The Doctor wrote:

    I would take physical over digital.

    If there is an analog format worth resurrecting, it?s tape.

    Vinyl remains stuck in the 1970s, but the humble cassette tape
    continued evolving long after that, with things like chromiun and
    barium oxides, metal particles, new kinds of Dolby noise reduction,
    and what-all.

    Speaking of noise reduction, remember that vinyl has this convoluted
    thing called the ?RIAA equalization curve?. Back in the day, you had
    ceramic versus magnetic pickups, and one of them had to compensate for
    the curve, but the other did not (I forget which was which). How could
    you be sure either way that you were compensating for the curve
    exactly? You didn?t.

    "ceramic versus magnetic pickups"?? What happened to Crystal needles??

    The more you pay, the better the stylus / needle quality. The material
    used is one factor, but there are also others too, such as the shape of
    the needle's point.

    "Stylus Quality: Higher-quality styluses made from durable
    materials such as diamond or sapphire tend to have a longer
    lifespan compared to lower-quality alternatives."

    <https://www.kbaudio.co.uk/blogs/record-players/the-5-main-types-of-record-player-stylus>




    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Your Name@3:633/10 to All on Mon Feb 16 10:23:02 2026
    On 2026-02-15 12:41:03 +0000, Blueshirt said:
    Your Name wrote:
    On 2026-02-14 12:11:39 +0000, Blueshirt said:
    I've got tons of it; books, comics, LPs', cassettes, CDs, DVDs,
    Blu-rays (etc.) but they sit on shelves and in boxes...

    I've got lots of VHS tapes, DVDs, and books too, as well as a few
    comics and audio-story casettes and vinyl records. Plus quite a few
    boxed computer games and a ton of toys (mainly Star Wars).

    Mine's mainly Doctor Who and Star Wars...

    and I'm fairly sure the children/grandchildren will just dump the lot
    of it when they clear the house after I die.

    Only if they are dumb or lazy. Such things in good condition could be
    worth a lot of money (maybe not individually, but as a total amount).
    :-)

    A lot of my old nerdy stuff wouldn't be in the greatest condition...
    all of my books and comics have been read a few times and the pages are yellowy. The VHS tapes and DVDs are ok as they are in plastic cases,
    but I can't seem to give them away.

    Star Wars VHS tapes sell for around US$10-$15 in used good condition
    ... a still factory sealed VHS tape of the original pre-"Episode IV"
    movie did sell for US$2,500 though.



    All of my records have been played, many, many times, and the sleeves
    would have the usual wear and tear. So not worth too much.

    My few records haven't been used much. We haven't even had a record
    player for at least 25 years, probably longer. I sometimes look at
    buying a new record player, but the prices are expensive thanks to manufacturers greedily jumping on the resurgence bandwagon ... plus I
    wouldn't use it much.

    I did buy one of the last VHS-DVD combo boxes that I put in the
    cupboard and has never been used.




    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Your Name@3:633/10 to All on Mon Feb 16 10:30:26 2026
    On 2026-02-15 13:52:01 +0000, Blueshirt said:
    The True Melissa wrote:

    It's not just the drive for vintage. Gen Z, or at least some of it, is
    trying to reclaim privacy and local control.

    If they want privacy they'd want to stop taking selfies of themselves everywhere they go, the dinners they eat, and the drinks they drink,
    and posting them all over the place!

    :-)

    Many young people are also reverting to "dumbphones", partly to get
    away from silly 'social media' and its privacy problems, which means no posting of photos all over the place.

    The ?boring phone?: stressed-out gen Z ditch smartphones for dumbphones

    <https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/apr/27/the-boring-phone-stressed-out-gen-z-ditch-smartphones-for-dumbphones>





    I wish them luck. I'm too old and tired to fight on the fronts, but I'm
    rooting for them and I'll help if I can.

    I wish the future generations luck in knowing when a photo of somebody
    doing something is real or it's been created by a AI/LLM app!



    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Your Name@3:633/10 to All on Mon Feb 16 10:35:34 2026
    On 2026-02-15 15:45:57 +0000, The True Melissa said:
    Verily, in article <xn0pm27vz1bfsad001@post.eweka.nl>, did blueshirt@indigo.news deliver unto us this message:

    The True Melissa wrote:

    It's not just the drive for vintage. Gen Z, or at least some of it, is
    trying to reclaim privacy and local control.

    If they want privacy they'd want to stop taking selfies of themselves
    everywhere they go, the dinners they eat, and the drinks they drink,
    and posting them all over the place!

    :-)

    I'm pretty sure those are different Zoomers. :-)

    My son's a Zoomer, and he's definitely part of the privacy movement. He refuses to use several major technologies.


    I wish them luck. I'm too old and tired to fight on the fronts, but I'm >>> rooting for them and I'll help if I can.

    I wish the future generations luck in knowing when a photo of somebody
    doing something is real or it's been created by a AI/LLM app!

    After Photoshop and LLMs, "Photos don't lie" just sounds silly now, doesn't it?

    Fake photos pre-date Photoshop by decades and have been around as long
    as photogrpahy itself by using in-camera and development tricks. One of
    the most famous examples are the Cottingley Fairies photos from 1917
    done by two little girls that even had people like Arthur Conan Doyle believing them. <https://blog.scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk/the-story-of-the-cottingley-fairies-shows-that-image-manipulation-is-nothing-new/>




    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Mickmane@3:633/10 to All on Mon Feb 16 09:07:00 2026
    On 13.02.26, Blueshirt <blueshirt@indigo.news> wrote:
    Nomen Nescio wrote:

    https://cordcuttersnews.com/babylon-5-is-now-free-to-watch-on-youtube/

    YouTube is the future of TV shows it seems!

    I won't object! :)

    Anyone found episode 2, "Midnight on the Firing Line?

    --

    Mickmane


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Blueshirt@3:633/10 to All on Mon Feb 16 09:48:05 2026
    Mickmane wrote:

    On 13.02.26, Blueshirt <blueshirt@indigo.news> wrote:
    Nomen Nescio wrote:


    https://cordcuttersnews.com/babylon-5-is-now-free-to-watch-on-youtube/

    YouTube is the future of TV shows it seems!

    I won't object! :)

    Nobody would. Everyone seems to be on YouTube these days...
    even the grandchildren!

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Blueshirt@3:633/10 to All on Mon Feb 16 09:48:07 2026
    Daniel70 wrote:

    On 16/02/2026 8:23 am, Your Name wrote:

    Star Wars VHS tapes sell for around US$10-$15 in used
    good condition ... a still factory sealed VHS tape of
    the original pre-"Episode IV" movie did sell for US$2,500
    though.

    Sorry!! "pre-"Episode IV"?? Do you mean the prequels, Ep I, Ep
    II and Ep III??

    And, in my opinion, there IS no "Episode IV"!! When I saw it
    at the flicks, it was just "Star Wars".

    Are we doing this AGAIN?!!!

    ;-)

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Blueshirt@3:633/10 to All on Mon Feb 16 09:49:40 2026
    Daniel70 wrote:

    On 15/02/2026 11:53 pm, Blueshirt wrote:
    Your Name wrote:

    New release audio casette tapes do exist

    There's usually a cassette version of most music albums
    these days. They generally only use the standard type I
    ferro magnetic tape though, so high fidelity is not the
    reason for them being released. They're limited edition
    releases for music collectors.

    All new cassette releases should come with a pencil included
    for completeness...

    Umm! Is that pencil to be used to re-wind the cassette??

    Is your nickname Sherlock by any chance?

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Roger Blake@3:633/10 to All on Mon Feb 16 18:09:29 2026
    On 2026-02-14, Lawrence D?Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:
    I?ve lost count of the number of times that it?s been claimed that
    there is a ?vinyl comeback?. If there?s a more pointless analog format
    to make a comeback, it has to be vinyl.

    Sales figures and continuing releases of new material show vinyl to
    be quite popular and growing each year. It wasn't supposed to happen,
    but there it is.

    Are people adopting a vinyl affectation just to signal some kind of
    aversion to ?digital sound??

    That's a presumptuous assumption. For some of us we simply never left
    the format. I'm still using audio equipment purchased 50-60 years ago
    and have a large collection of 78s, 45s, and LPs as well as cassettes, 8-tracks, and CDs. (For video while I have a media server I also have
    Beta, VHS, Laser Disc, and CED disk.)

    There is a lot to be said for having physical media rather than depending
    on streaming services where you really have no control and your favorites
    may disappear at any time.

    --
    Roger Blake

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Your Name@3:633/10 to All on Tue Feb 17 10:57:39 2026
    On 2026-02-16 09:16:17 +0000, Daniel70 said:
    On 15/02/2026 11:22 pm, Blueshirt wrote:

    <Snip>

    ... CD, a lot of LPs, Cassettes and even a KiT version.)

    "a KiT version"?? Is that something that the Knight Industries 2000 Car
    can play?? ;-P

    KITT = Knight Industries Two Thousand. :-)
    (Or Knight Industries Three Thousand in the awful reboot series.)


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Your Name@3:633/10 to All on Tue Feb 17 11:05:22 2026
    On 2026-02-16 09:29:52 +0000, Daniel70 said:
    On 16/02/2026 8:23 am, Your Name wrote:
    On 2026-02-15 12:41:03 +0000, Blueshirt said:
    Your Name wrote:
    On 2026-02-14 12:11:39 +0000, Blueshirt said:
    I've got tons of it; books, comics, LPs', cassettes, CDs, DVDs,
    Blu-rays (etc.) but they sit on shelves and in boxes...

    I've got lots of VHS tapes, DVDs, and books too, as well as a few
    comics and audio-story casettes and vinyl records. Plus quite a few
    boxed computer games and a ton of toys (mainly Star Wars).

    Mine's mainly Doctor Who and Star Wars...

    and I'm fairly sure the children/grandchildren will just dump the lot >>>>> of it when they clear the house after I die.

    Only if they are dumb or lazy. Such things in good condition could be >>>> worth a lot of money (maybe not individually, but as a total amount). >>>> :-)

    A lot of my old nerdy stuff wouldn't be in the greatest condition...
    all of my books and comics have been read a few times and the pages are >>> yellowy. The VHS tapes and DVDs are ok as they are in plastic cases,
    but I can't seem to give them away.

    Star Wars VHS tapes sell for around US$10-$15 in used good condition
    ... a still factory sealed VHS tape of the original pre-"Episode IV"
    movie did sell for US$2,500 though.

    Sorry!! "pre-"Episode IV"?? Do you mean the prequels, Ep I, Ep II and Ep III??

    And, in my opinion, there IS no "Episode IV"!! When I saw it at the
    flicks, it was just "Star Wars".

    That's the VHS version that was sold factory sealed at auction - it
    doesn't have the "Episode IV" text in the opening crawl.




    All of my records have been played, many, many times, and the sleeves
    would have the usual wear and tear. So not worth too much.

    My few records haven't been used much. We haven't even had a record
    player for at least 25 years, probably longer.

    My modular Stereo system (Radio Amplifier, Cassette Player, Record
    Player and CD Player) HASN'T been re-assembled since I moved into this
    house almost ten years ago.

    We have a mini-stereo system (rarely used) with a CD player and casette
    tape. My car, being 30+ years old, also has its original radio cassette
    tape player in it.

    Our old vinyl record player system was gotten rid of years ago because
    it was "never used - just taking up room and collecting dust".
    Personally I would have kept it, but it wasn't my choice. Then again, I
    only have maybe half a dozen vinyl records (the Star Wars Original
    Trilogy audio dramas, a Watership Down audio drama, and a couple of
    others).




    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Your Name@3:633/10 to All on Tue Feb 17 11:19:59 2026
    On 2026-02-16 18:09:29 +0000, Roger Blake said:
    On 2026-02-14, Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:

    I've lost count of the number of times that it's been claimed that
    there is a "vinyl comeback". If there's a more pointless analog format
    to make a comeback, it has to be vinyl.

    Sales figures and continuing releases of new material show vinyl to
    be quite popular and growing each year. It wasn't supposed to happen,
    but there it is.

    Paper, newspaper and magazines, and printing things out was supposedly
    going to die when the computer and then internet came along, but in
    reality the sales of printers soared for a many years, although has
    dimished more recently. Many newspaper and magazines have gone, but
    there are still many others being printed every week and month.

    To quote Mark Twain: "the reports of my death are greatly exaggerated."



    Are people adopting a vinyl affectation just to signal some kind of
    aversion to "digital sound"?

    That's a presumptuous assumption. For some of us we simply never left
    the format. I'm still using audio equipment purchased 50-60 years ago
    and have a large collection of 78s, 45s, and LPs as well as cassettes, 8-tracks, and CDs. (For video while I have a media server I also have
    Beta, VHS, Laser Disc, and CED disk.)

    There is a lot to be said for having physical media rather than
    depending on streaming services where you really have no control and
    your favorites may disappear at any time.

    Yep. I still buy my monthly computer magazine at the local shop. I
    started with the first issue sold here (issue 3) and I'm up now to
    issue 421, having only missed a few due to shipping problems in all the
    years I've been buying it. They are all piled up in a bookcase. I also
    still have a big box of the previous computer magazine issues I used to
    buy before Commodore went bankrupt. :-)



    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Roger Blake@3:633/10 to All on Mon Feb 16 23:51:28 2026
    On 2026-02-16, Your Name <YourName@YourISP.com> wrote:
    still have a big box of the previous computer magazine issues I used to
    buy before Commodore went bankrupt. :-)

    Speaking of things that weren't supposed to happen, Commodore has risen
    from the dead and is now selling an updated version of the Commodore 64:

    https://www.commodore.net

    --
    Roger Blake

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Your Name@3:633/10 to All on Tue Feb 17 15:22:39 2026
    On 2026-02-16 23:51:28 +0000, Roger Blake said:
    On 2026-02-16, Your Name <YourName@YourISP.com> wrote:

    still have a big box of the previous computer magazine issues I used to
    buy before Commodore went bankrupt. :-)

    Speaking of things that weren't supposed to happen, Commodore has risen
    from the dead and is now selling an updated version of the Commodore 64:

    https://www.commodore.net

    Sort-of. It's not really a "Commodore 64". It's a recreation - when you
    look inside there's almost nothing in it, because much of it has been "recreated" in fewer hardware chips. It also has modern ports for USB,
    SD cards, etc. It could be good for nostalgia buffs perhaps, if it
    wasn't so expensive.

    It is much better than many of the previous attempts (and the so-called
    "new Amiga" models) that are really just a standard Windows / Linux PCs running a software emulator.

    The new "Commodore" also has vague plans to remake the Amiga, but it
    will again be a "recreation" and too expensive.



    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Fred Ellis@3:633/10 to All on Mon Feb 16 20:59:56 2026
    On 2/16/26 2:07 AM, Mickmane wrote:
    On 13.02.26, Blueshirt <blueshirt@indigo.news> wrote:
    Nomen Nescio wrote:

    https://cordcuttersnews.com/babylon-5-is-now-free-to-watch-on-youtube/

    YouTube is the future of TV shows it seems!

    I won't object! :)

    Anyone found episode 2, "Midnight on the Firing Line?


    I have a complete set of 'Babylon 5' DVDs, The episode 'Midnight On The
    Firing Line' is on disk 1, episode 1. The original air date is 1/26/94.







    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Roger Blake@3:633/10 to All on Tue Feb 17 03:16:03 2026
    On 2026-02-17, The Doctor <doctor@doctor.nl2k.ab.ca> wrote:
    Useless machine.

    It doesn't need to be useful, it is mainly for hobbyists to play around
    with and for nostalgia purposes.

    I still have an original C64 and 1541 drive that "ran when parked". Even
    have the CP/M cartridge for it. Dual processors, woo-hoo! :) Of course
    these days if you want to experience those old low-res games an emulator
    will do the job nicely. (I won't be buying a new C64.)

    --
    Roger Blake

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Fred Ellis@3:633/10 to All on Mon Feb 16 22:13:24 2026
    On 2/16/26 9:46 PM, The Doctor wrote:
    In article <plmdnYKLteBURA70nZ2dnZfqnPidnZ2d@giganews.com>,
    Fred Ellis <fkellis@sticx.net> wrote:
    On 2/16/26 2:07 AM, Mickmane wrote:
    On 13.02.26, Blueshirt <blueshirt@indigo.news> wrote:
    Nomen Nescio wrote:

    https://cordcuttersnews.com/babylon-5-is-now-free-to-watch-on-youtube/

    YouTube is the future of TV shows it seems!

    I won't object! :)

    Anyone found episode 2, "Midnight on the Firing Line?


    I have a complete set of 'Babylon 5' DVDs, The episode 'Midnight On The
    Firing Line' is on disk 1, episode 1. The original air date is 1/26/94.







    You must be from the USA.


    Rodger on that. I have been a big fan of the show from the first day I
    saw it.




    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Your Name@3:633/10 to All on Tue Feb 17 18:16:55 2026
    On 2026-02-17 02:54:33 +0000, Daniel70 said:
    On 17/02/2026 8:57 am, Your Name wrote:
    On 2026-02-16 09:16:17 +0000, Daniel70 said:
    On 15/02/2026 11:22 pm, Blueshirt wrote:

    <Snip>

    ... CD, a lot of LPs, Cassettes and even a KiT version.)

    "a KiT version"?? Is that something that the Knight Industries 2000 Car >>> can play?? ;-P

    KITT = Knight Industries Two Thousand.? :-)

    Well, I was close!

    (Or Knight Industries Three Thousand in the awful reboot series.)

    Must be "Yet to get here."!

    That was the garbage reboot in 2008 which used a Ford Mustang as KITT
    and only lasted one season.

    *BUT* there are rumours of another idiotic reboot attempt in the works. :-(

    The original show was good, but all the subsequent releases have been
    varying levels of garbage. I doubt any new reboot will be any better
    either.



    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Blueshirt@3:633/10 to All on Tue Feb 17 11:42:47 2026
    Daniel70 wrote:

    On 16/02/2026 8:49 pm, Blueshirt wrote:
    Daniel70 wrote:
    On 15/02/2026 11:53 pm, Blueshirt wrote:

    All new cassette releases should come with a
    pencil included for completeness...

    Umm! Is that pencil to be used to re-wind the
    cassette??

    Is your nickname Sherlock by any chance?

    Wat you talking about, Willis?? ;-P

    Isn't Usenet great? From "Babylon 5" to "Diff'rent Strokes"
    via Sherlock Holmes! Where else could you find that sort of
    thing!

    :-)

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Dimensional Traveler@3:633/10 to All on Tue Feb 17 06:43:22 2026
    On 2/17/2026 3:42 AM, Blueshirt wrote:
    Daniel70 wrote:

    On 16/02/2026 8:49 pm, Blueshirt wrote:
    Daniel70 wrote:
    On 15/02/2026 11:53 pm, Blueshirt wrote:

    All new cassette releases should come with a
    pencil included for completeness...

    Umm! Is that pencil to be used to re-wind the
    cassette??

    Is your nickname Sherlock by any chance?

    Wat you talking about, Willis?? ;-P

    Isn't Usenet great? From "Babylon 5" to "Diff'rent Strokes"
    via Sherlock Holmes! Where else could you find that sort of
    thing!

    :-)

    Any sort of bar with regulars.

    --
    I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
    dirty old man.

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Roger Blake@3:633/10 to All on Tue Feb 17 14:44:31 2026
    On 2026-02-17, The Doctor <doctor@doctor.nl2k.ab.ca> wrote:
    In article <20260216221010@news.eternal-september.org>,
    Ever set up a FreeBSD box?

    I've played around with FreeBSD in the past (heck, I've worked
    with ancient BSD 4.1 in the past), but getting lazy in my old
    age I mainly use Linux Mint in recent years. For the most part
    Mint "just works" for what I need without needing a lot of
    tinkering.

    --
    Roger Blake

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Fred Ellis@3:633/10 to All on Tue Feb 17 20:58:39 2026
    On 2/17/26 8:00 AM, The Doctor wrote:
    In article <6kKdnUxMbK1gdw70nZ2dnZfqn_GdnZ2d@giganews.com>,
    Fred Ellis <fkellis@sticx.net> wrote:
    On 2/16/26 9:46 PM, The Doctor wrote:
    In article <plmdnYKLteBURA70nZ2dnZfqnPidnZ2d@giganews.com>,
    Fred Ellis <fkellis@sticx.net> wrote:
    On 2/16/26 2:07 AM, Mickmane wrote:
    On 13.02.26, Blueshirt <blueshirt@indigo.news> wrote:
    Nomen Nescio wrote:

    https://cordcuttersnews.com/babylon-5-is-now-free-to-watch-on-youtube/ >>>>>
    YouTube is the future of TV shows it seems!

    I won't object! :)

    Anyone found episode 2, "Midnight on the Firing Line?


    I have a complete set of 'Babylon 5' DVDs, The episode 'Midnight On The >>>> Firing Line' is on disk 1, episode 1. The original air date is 1/26/94. >>>>






    You must be from the USA.


    Rodger on that. I have been a big fan of the show from the first day I
    saw it.




    Noted the wrong date format of MM/DD/YYYY . The real format
    is DD/MM/YYYY .


    The Doctor, I agree with you. I don't understand why here in the U.S.
    they do the date ass-backwards. When I was in the Army the date was Day/Month/Year. To me it made logical sense.

    On the DVD box the date was listed Month/Day/Year, instead of
    Day/Month/Year. Oh well, I could never understand why the date is done
    that way.



    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Your Name@3:633/10 to All on Wed Feb 18 17:05:57 2026
    On 2026-02-18 02:58:39 +0000, Fred Ellis said:
    On 2/17/26 8:00 AM, The Doctor wrote:
    In article <6kKdnUxMbK1gdw70nZ2dnZfqn_GdnZ2d@giganews.com>,
    Fred Ellis <fkellis@sticx.net> wrote:
    On 2/16/26 9:46 PM, The Doctor wrote:
    In article <plmdnYKLteBURA70nZ2dnZfqnPidnZ2d@giganews.com>,
    Fred Ellis <fkellis@sticx.net> wrote:
    On 2/16/26 2:07 AM, Mickmane wrote:
    On 13.02.26, Blueshirt <blueshirt@indigo.news> wrote:
    Nomen Nescio wrote:

    https://cordcuttersnews.com/babylon-5-is-now-free-to-watch-on-youtube/ >>>>>>
    YouTube is the future of TV shows it seems!

    I won't object! :)

    Anyone found episode 2, "Midnight on the Firing Line?


    I have a complete set of 'Babylon 5' DVDs, The episode 'Midnight On The >>>>> Firing Line' is on disk 1, episode 1. The original air date is 1/26/94. >>>>
    You must be from the USA.

    Rodger on that. I have been a big fan of the show from the first day I
    saw it.

    Noted the wrong date format of MM/DD/YYYY . The real format
    is DD/MM/YYYY .

    The Doctor, I agree with you. I don't understand why here in the U.S.
    they do the date ass-backwards. When I was in the Army the date was Day/Month/Year. To me it made logical sense.

    On the DVD box the date was listed Month/Day/Year, instead of Day/Month/Year. Oh well, I could never understand why the date is done
    that way.

    Basically because Americans are too lazy to say the word "of".

    Proper English: "Today is the 18th of February, 2026."
    American 'English': "Today is February 18th, 2026."

    ;-)


    The real problem is that, like everything else, the rest of the world
    is switching over to the silly Americanised dates. For example, the
    local New Zealand Herald newspaper always has the date ass-backwards.
    :-(


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Rudy Canoza@3:633/10 to All on Wed Feb 18 03:57:13 2026
    The Binky Doctor wrote:
    You must be from the USA.


    Will you ever move out of your mammy's basement, Binky?

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Rudy Canoza@3:633/10 to All on Wed Feb 18 03:59:56 2026
    The Binky Doctor wrote:
    Bar drunks included.

    https://postimg.cc/8JKDz1HK


    GUFFAW!

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Blueshirt@3:633/10 to All on Wed Feb 18 12:01:33 2026
    The True Melissa wrote:

    My son's a Zoomer, and he's definitely part of the privacy
    movement. He refuses to use several major technologies.

    It seems some kids are going back to using a pen and paper...

    https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/parents-opt-kids-school-laptops-ask-pen-paper-rcna257158


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Rudy Canoza@3:633/10 to All on Wed Feb 18 07:50:56 2026
    The Binky Doctor wrote:

    https://postimg.cc/xJ1FNsgg <- Friend of Jeffery Epstein and Paedophile

    https://postimg.cc/8JKDz1HK


    GUFFAW!

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Your Name@3:633/10 to All on Thu Feb 19 10:53:17 2026
    On 2026-02-18 11:16:51 +0000, Daniel70 said:
    On 17/02/2026 10:42 pm, Blueshirt wrote:
    Daniel70 wrote:
    On 16/02/2026 8:49 pm, Blueshirt wrote:
    Daniel70 wrote:
    On 15/02/2026 11:53 pm, Blueshirt wrote:

    All new cassette releases should come with a
    pencil included for completeness...

    Umm! Is that pencil to be used to re-wind the
    cassette??

    Is your nickname Sherlock by any chance?

    Wat you talking about, Willis?? ;-P

    Isn't Usenet great? From "Babylon 5" to "Diff'rent Strokes"
    via Sherlock Holmes! Where else could you find that sort of
    thing!

    :-)

    "Diff'rent Strokes" .... That was the name I couldn't think of ....
    cause I kept thinking of "The Bill Crosby Show" .... who's name I
    couldn't think of, either, at that time!!

    "Diff'rent Strokes" had two spin-off shows: "The Facts of Life" and the
    lesser known "Hello, Larry".

    There was also cross-overs of "Diff'rent Strokes" with "The Fresh
    Prince of Bel-Air", "Amazing Stories", and "Silver Spoons". Plus David Hasselhoff and KITT also appeared in an episode of "Diff'rent Strokes"
    because Arnold was a fan of "Knight Rider".


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.11
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)