Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: And we may never meet again ...

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  • ChrisW, in reply to andin,

    Holy crap

    In the off-Key case, I reckon that would be 'unholy crap'

    Gisborne • Since Apr 2009 • 851 posts Report Reply

  • andin, in reply to ChrisW,

    I read it with increasing horror. I hope a libel action is really seriously looked at.

    Thanks again. I figured out what the problem was.

    raglan • Since Mar 2007 • 1891 posts Report Reply

  • Tim H.,

    When Napster was about I revelled in it. It was astonishing, the depth of the catalogue was unlike anything we've seen before.

    After that I didn't really get into any of the other sharing networks, too hard, too seedy.

    Now YouTube more or less fills that gap. Great place to find odd songs and nostalgia. Stuff you couldn't buy if you wanted to. And it is linkable so sharing is as easy as posting to Tumblr.

    I spent a few years buying the occasional album from iTunes or Amazon. Now I use them for TV shows and the occasional film. I'd use iTunes more if their catalogue was deeper.

    Spotify has changed the game for me this year. £5 a month for unlimited ad free music. Not quite the same depth of catalogue but good enough for day to day listening. Having the reviews and biographical details of the bands available inside, the interface as well as influencers and related artists, is what has really altered the way I approach music. I not only listen but I learn about the bands' context, their critical reception and who else I might enjoy. And I can just wander this web of linked music at will not having to worry about how much it will cost me.

    Hackney, London, UK • Since May 2011 • 2 posts Report Reply

  • Kyle Matthews,

    Our plan is a 20Gb per month plan, which is absolutely fine most of the time. IN that 20Gb though, there is also a 2Gb daily restriction which, if breached, knocks us back to dial-up speed for the day afterwards. So buying a game through Steam takes planning and foresight and a close eye on the download speed and meter, so I can pause it when we're close to 2Gb and the resume it the next day. It annoys me.

    That sounds like vodafone. That annoyed the hell out of me as well so I changed.

    Depending on which plan you get, Slingshot broadband has a data cap free period overnight. I think mine is 1am - 7am. So my 25 GB cap runs me out to about 40 GB. Could get out to 60 or something I'd imagine if I went and found a way to just run the software at the right times with a cron job.

    I’m a bit surprised that ISPs like Orcon haven’t got with that kind of programme yet – I have to say that it’s going to be one of the slight annoyances about returning home to NZ.

    A bunch of ISPs have offered free downloads from iSky, so it is happening for some.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel,

    more ocker pallor...

    Easy peasy...

    here there be Dragons...

    Mental elf warning!

    n-n-n-not Paul Hardcastle...

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • Kumara Republic,

    Another one to add - the vocals of Ian and Jimmy surprisingly mesh quite well. I'm tempted to do a Warcraft machinima to this one.

    The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report Reply

  • andin,

    Easy peasy to gnarled old rockers giving the crowd what they want.
    A lyric to sing along with?

    And bubblegum, one of those great forgotten fads.

    raglan • Since Mar 2007 • 1891 posts Report Reply

  • recordari,

    More ponies...

    and no word from China?

    They're behind the Great Wall.

    AUCKLAND • Since Dec 2009 • 2607 posts Report Reply

  • Bart Janssen, in reply to Russell Brown,

    Looking forward to it arriving now ...

    If you're like me you'll spend the first week with it discovering things in your vinyl collection that you'd forgotten. I spent some time going back and forth between vinyl and CD to get a sense of the difference, my ears aren't as good as most folks but there is just something about vinyl, a warmth of tone is what it came down to for me.

    Sadly I also discovered that old scratched up records sound old and scratched :(.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report Reply

  • Rich Lock, in reply to Russell Brown,

    I take earplugs to any show I think is going to be loud, and certainly to anything at the Powerstation. There have been gigs I simply couldn't have enjoyed without them -- like, for example, Shayne Carter's retrospective set at the Stroke launch. That was loud.
    I would advise not using the cheapo foam rubber ones though. For $20-odd you can get better ones that you can adjust by pulling in and out. Stuff sounds a lot better.
    I'd be interested in anyone else's recommendations.

    Alpine earplugs are the most comfortable and effective ones I've found. And they're not expensive.

    back in the mother countr… • Since Feb 2007 • 2728 posts Report Reply

  • Rich Lock, in reply to andin,

    Righto. Bought a new turntable.

    that was quick.

    Yeah, apparently he suddenly got a load of free money from somewhere......:)

    back in the mother countr… • Since Feb 2007 • 2728 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown, in reply to Rich Lock,

    Yeah, apparently he suddenly got a load of free money from somewhere......:)

    Heh. If only I could get my money from Paypal that easily ...

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown, in reply to Rich Lock,

    Alpine earplugs are the most comfortable and effective ones I've found. And they're not expensive.

    They're a step up from the ones I have at the moment. Might investigate before Saturday.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • recordari, in reply to Rich Lock,

    Alpine earplugs are the most comfortable and effective ones I've found. And they're not expensive.

    Wow, thanks. I can use them for both concerts and while hooning around on my 2-stroke scooter.

    AUCKLAND • Since Dec 2009 • 2607 posts Report Reply

  • andin,

    Sadly I also discovered that old scratched up records sound old and scratched :(.

    If you have the patience and the time, getting hold of a good record cleaning machine - a nitty gritty or Keith Monks - and give your records a clean, it is well worth it.
    the Keith Monks is better. It actually cleans the groove.It has an arm with something like dental floss in it which tracks like a tone arm. I will be doing mine again over winter. Its been 15 yrs.

    raglan • Since Mar 2007 • 1891 posts Report Reply

  • Jacqui Dunn, in reply to andin,

    Back in the day, I worked at an ad agency that used to do the Lever Hit Parade (with Ted Thorpe). Recommended for cleaning up the vinyls was warm water and a squirt of detergent. It loosens up the dirt and gets rid of the grease. Rinse, and dry with a soft cloth, following the groove.

    Deepest, darkest Avondale… • Since Jul 2010 • 585 posts Report Reply

  • Rich Lock, in reply to recordari,

    Wow, thanks. I can use them for both concerts and while hooning around on my 2-stroke scooter.

    Yep, I use them at gigs and on my motorbike. I find they work well for both.

    back in the mother countr… • Since Feb 2007 • 2728 posts Report Reply

  • Simon Grigg, in reply to Jacqui Dunn,

    Recommended for cleaning up the vinyls was warm water and a squirt of detergent.

    As the owner of a silly number of bits of vinyl, I'd agree Jacqui. All the fancy sprays in the world won't get your record as clean as water and detergent - the latter used very sparingly, and the water lukewarm.

    I always clean with distilled water afterwards and let it drain dry naturally.

    Just another klong... • Since Nov 2006 • 3284 posts Report Reply

  • Rob Stowell,

    I had a friend and flatmate with a huge record collection. Never did the dishes, but he used to come into the kitchen and wash his records. Always cracked me up, seeing this big stack of records lined up like plates in the drying rack.
    Works quite well on dirty dvds/cds too.

    Whakaraupo • Since Nov 2006 • 2120 posts Report Reply

  • andin, in reply to Simon Grigg,

    Probably the best option. its hard to find a Keith Monks machine, They were usually bought by radio stations for record cleaning duties. And are now probably in garages and basements, those that survived the switch to CDs.

    Its a cover but they do it justice. And Tex gets to show his best features.

    raglan • Since Mar 2007 • 1891 posts Report Reply

  • Rob Hosking,

    Its a cover but they do it justice. And Tex gets to show his best features.

    Indeed. As he does on this marvellous infomercial which, I believe, was for a genuine album he had to make for contractual reasons.

    South Roseneath • Since Nov 2006 • 830 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel,

    up against the wall...
    a selection of '80s gig posters from Sydney *
    for your edification... more here

    *some interesting ephemera on links, too.

    I'm still trying to find a trace of The Sheiks
    they were a real fun Sydney band,
    a good night out as I recall...
    (Memories may vary from reality)

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • Simon Grigg, in reply to Rob Stowell,

    its hard to find a Keith Monks machine, They were usually bought by radio stations for record cleaning duties.

    Not that hard it seems.

    There is a second hand vinyl shop in Singapore that I've spent too much money in, which has a machine that washes each record you've bought and blows cool air onto it to dry. It's then placed in a anti-static sleeve and sealed in a plastic outer. Wonderful service. You hand your purchases to the staff and then return in an hour or so to pick up and pay after they've been processed.

    The owner said the device was custom built for him - it uses no chemicals and leaves no marks.

    Just another klong... • Since Nov 2006 • 3284 posts Report Reply

  • recordari, in reply to Ian Dalziel,

    a selection of '80s gig posters from Sydney *

    I see Big Pig in there who were going to be my next choice.

    AUCKLAND • Since Dec 2009 • 2607 posts Report Reply

  • Moz,

    For $20-odd you can get better ones that you can adjust by pulling in and out. Stuff sounds a lot better. I'd be interested in anyone else's recommendations.

    I use industrial safety ones that look a lot like the alpine ones but cost about $10 and last about 10 years. Paul Keen gave me a set back in about 1990 when I was doing lighting at Orientation in Canturbury and when they finally died I was quite pleased to discover that they were so cheap. Remarkably effective, although defeated once by Straitjacket Fits on their "we're louder than you" O-week tour. I just dump them in my wallet so they're there whenever I want them. Useful for me because I hang round with tradies as well as musos.

    My test for plugs is whether I can converse with the person sitting next to me when it's loud.

    Also, cut the stems short and they're nowhere near as obvious. At The Herd the other night Urthboy did a wee blink when he leaned into the crown and noticed them (we've chatted before about earplugs). That, by the way, was a great gig. 10 years of The Herd/Elefant Tracks. I've gone more hiphop than rock now I'm old. I leave with you 77%...

    Sydney, West Island • Since Nov 2006 • 1233 posts Report Reply

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