Low Tech Habits in a High Tech World

[1sickbastard]

I still love using a tube amp. Hi-tech FX are cool and all, but thothing beats that certain warmth that comes from vaccuum tubes. But damn, it's getting really hard (and expensive) to find replacement tubes.

Also, I love spinning vinyl lp's.

 

[CHNOPS]

I still love using a tube amp. Hi-tech FX are cool and all, but thothing beats that certain warmth that comes from vaccuum tubes. But damn, it's getting really hard (and expensive) to find replacement tubes.

Also, I love spinning vinyl lp's.

Tubes are hi fidelity. Warmth comes from transistors.

 

[dirtwrench]

I like a real book in my hands. Since being home recovering from surgury, I think I've been thru 6 books. This format on a screen is fine, but a paperback book has some romantic feel to it.

When fully active, I still rely on hand tools instead of air/electric powered whenever I can, pencils and notepads instead of notes on the cell phone, and life at a slower pace out here in the middle of nowhere.

 

[breakwall]

It's also a gateway for copyright infringement and authors getting paid shit and distributors and publishers making all the money while the creators and industry is in transition. Sort of like newspaper reporters. I am a rare breed who believes in supporting both platforms until the industries figure out a new business model.

When they evaporate, the creators you adore could be gone for good. Just remember that.

I buy a lot of my books from used book stores. Do authors make money from me buying books secondhand? Should I feel guilty?

 

[Sinny]

Tubes are hi fidelity. Warmth comes from transistors.

Sadly, I know this to be true because I have a transistor out on my Sunn amp and it will cost more than the combined value of all my solid state amps to repair it.

Nothing beats the warmth of transistors. Agreed on that. But for the right price, solid state sounds *awesome.* /cheapskate

 

[RobDownSouth]

I still love using a tube amp. Hi-tech FX are cool and all, but thothing beats that certain warmth that comes from vaccuum tubes. But damn, it's getting really hard (and expensive) to find replacement tubes.

Also, I love spinning vinyl lp's.

Did you used to post here as Acitore_Vuli?

 

[good4u2]

If anyone else ever got it right, sure! I'm still waiting.

Hmm.sounds like a challenge....I am up for it....
I am a slow learner and it make take a few lessons....but once I get it right...well...then we move on to the next lesson...
which would be?

 

[Very_Bad_Man]

I have the complete Encyclopedia Britannica on my office shelves. I prefer books over DVD or the net. I find the smell of a book to be comforting.

 

[koalabear]

I reload my own ammo instead of buying the fancy store bought stuff.

 

[breakwall]

Did you used to post here as Acitore_Vuli?

That guy wanted to buy my old Marantz amp.

 

[Drinking Cap]

I have a compo Easton, but I love my wood Hespeler.

I don't really have a problem with the compo's, aside from their dicey durability, but they just feel wrong in my hands. Like an aluminum bat.

 

[Sinny]

I buy a lot of my books from used book stores. Do authors make money from me buying books secondhand? Should I feel guilty?

Used bookstores long have profited from that, a commerce worth supporting. They also support authors with signings and in-store promotions and lots of publicity for authors. Those stores are evaporating. The industries feed one another. However, that relationship doesn't exist in the electronic world. Who benefits from a file transfer freebie to another user? Nobody. The consumer wins, the creators and the related industries don't. I don't expect people who have never made a living from words to understand that.

 

[breakwall]

I don't really have a problem with the compo's, aside from their dicey durability, but they just feel wrong in my hands. Like an aluminum bat.

Aluminum bats really suck. A good compo stick is much better than that. But still not the same.

 

[butters]

i don't own a dishwasher, an electric ice-cream maker, electric bread maker, electric knives, mixer (though i do have a hand blender), and though i'll make toast using the grill in my cooker it comes nowhere near as yummy as using a toasting fork and open fire with lots of butter.

 

[thør]

Paper maps vs GPS

The battery on the map never dies in the cold.

 

[CHNOPS]

Used bookstores long have profited from that, a commerce worth supporting. They also support authors with signings and in-store promotions and lots of publicity for authors. Those stores are evaporating. The industries feed one another. However, that relationship doesn't exist in the electronic world. Who benefits from a file transfer freebie to another user? Nobody. The consumer wins, the creators and the related industries don't. I don't expect people who have never made a living from words to understand that.

I disagree. Controlling distribution helps corporations make money, but limits artists'/authors' potential audience. From the creative standpoint, the more eyes/ears on your work, the better in the long run.

 

[butters]

if i was able, i'd have all real fires indoors instead of radiators. the mess would grate on me (sorry) but the visuals would make it worthwhile.

 

[thør]

I read the paper version of the newspaper every day. I pay for a subscription.

I enjoy my newspaper time.

 

[Sean]

I connect my phone to my computer with a cable instead of using Bluetooth.

 

[bernett69]

I use my smart phone to actually make phone calls..

 

[breakwall]

Used bookstores long have profited from that, a commerce worth supporting. They also support authors with signings and in-store promotions and lots of publicity for authors. Those stores are evaporating. The industries feed one another. However, that relationship doesn't exist in the electronic world. Who benefits from a file transfer freebie to another user? Nobody. The consumer wins, the creators and the related industries don't. I don't expect people who have never made a living from words to understand that.

My only rebuttal is that I just bought a book from Amazon for my Kindle. The book was published in the early 90s, and the only way I was going to get a copy of it was to buy it from a used book store. My purchase directly profited the author, in some monetary form. I have to assume he is benefitting from his ebook version of that work more than he is from paper copies.

 

[Sinny]

I disagree. Controlling distribution helps corporations make money, but limits artists'/authors' potential audience. From the creative standpoint, the more eyes/ears on your work, the better in the long run.

I agree, actually. Yet my point goes deeper than distribution. Until the creators and the industries figure out a viable business model, I continue to support older platforms. Many creators operating under the older models are getting screwed. It will take at least five more years before creators figure out how to make money again using new platforms. Until then, I support with my wallet while the transition takes form. So few people will agree. I don't care. They want the cheapest option, whatever is free or convenient. In the meantime, writers flitter off to other industries, never creating again.

 

[trysail]

‡ There are three people in the U.S. without a cellphone. I'm one of them. My landline works 100% of the time. There is no bad reception. There are no dropped calls. The world got along perfectly fine before cellphones. I know exactly what my telephone bill wil be. There are no fast-talking salespeople. There is no contract. There is no fine print. The landline works when the electric power system doesn't. I don't have to recharge my telephone. I don't have to buy a new one every year. It doesn't get lost or stolen. I don't have to buy absurdly overpriced batteries.



‡ Printed books last forever. Once purchased, they will remain in your possession forever. They are easily lent to family and friends. They don't require batteries. The file format will never change. Your copy will outlast you and will be enjoyed by your heirs and assigns. They're readable in broad daylight, at the beach, in the woods. They can't disappear into the void. They can't be mistakenly zapped. Amazon/Barnes/Microsoft/Big Brother won't know what you read. Paper books are easily annotated. It's easy to mark your place.


‡ Social media websites are for idiots. If you want Big Brother or the identity thieves to know where you live, what you look like, what you buy and how to rip you off, they're a good idea. Otherwise- not so much.



‡ My waterproof camera uses film. It's now roughly 25 years old. It goes underwater with me when I dive; it goes on sailboats when I sail; it goes skiing with me when I ski. It works everytime, all the time. It doesn't mind being jostled or wet or abused. When I take the film to be developed, I get negatives, a CD and prints— this gives me the best of all possible worlds.



‡ My 14-year old automobile was paid for with cash. It works just fine. It gets me from Point A to Point B reliably and inexpensively. I don't confuse my identity with my automobile. Contrary to the marketeers efforts to make you think otherwise, you aren't what you drive.


ETA:
‡ Paper charts/maps over GPS. When you're trying to claw off a lee shore, you sure as fuck don't want to worry about trying to figure out how to operate the friggin' GPS. The same goes for making landfalls on an unfamiliar coast. GPS has its place as a confirming source but I'll take paper in a pinch.

 

[thør]

I have crank-up windows on my daily driver.

 

[Sinny]

My only rebuttal is that I just bought a book from Amazon for my Kindle. The book was published in the early 90s, and the only way I was going to get a copy of it was to buy it from a used book store. My purchase directly profited the author, in some monetary form. I have to assume he is benefitting from his ebook version of that work more than he is from paper copies.

I'm in Seattle. I know book editors who work there, so I am privy to how the contracts are structured. Authors do make some money, but it's pennies on the dollar from the old book deals. Let me be clear that the transition to e-publishing is underway and it is futile to resist, but I am cognizant that hundreds of thousands of writers are fucked in the process. I do what I can to support them directly until they figure out a way to make a living again. It's just going to take some time to figure out.

And good for you for buying and not just trying to get the file from free from someone. That's the act that so many people just carelessly do without realizing that sharing intellectual property for free potentially puts writers out of work.