From the painfully obvious to everyone else on the planet department...
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I've never in my life seen or heard so much bitching as I have in the past few years about the price CDs! Amazing, really. :(( "$16 is too much" :(( ** turns around to buy a new X-box game for $40+ and steal music via Kazaa** :wtf: I'm done.
"Manifest plainness, embrace simplicity,
reduce selfishness, have few desires."
-- Lao TzuBW
Yeah well, $16 for a compilation (best-of) CD isn't bad, but when it's the typical release that has only one or two good songs in it, $16 is a lot for us non-rich folks. :-) Regards, Alvaro
Hey! It compiles! Ship it.
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I could be wrong, but from here the UK and much of Europe appears to be borderline socialist so no tax in Europe surprises me, only the willingness of the majority of the electorate to live that way. Actually for most people here in Canada on the west coast it's around 80 cents to 90 cents a liter, but my car physically can't run for very long on low octane gas unless absolutely necessary to get to a gas station that has high octane gas so I pay the highest price. Fortunately my car also gets one of the best gas mileage of most recent model cars as long as I keep my foot light so it all balances out in the end I guess. Up until about 8 years ago we used to have these things called "gas wars" where different gas stations would actually compete for your business by setting prices much lower than everywhere else. Unfortunately I haven't see it since then, but at one point about 10 years ago, gas in Victoria B.C. was selling for 25 cents a liter when it was in the 50cent range everywhere else.
John Cardinal wrote: Fortunately my car also gets one of the best gas mileage of most recent model cars as long as I keep my foot light so it all balances out in the end I guess What do you drive? John Cardinal wrote: Up until about 8 years ago we used to have these things called "gas wars" where different gas stations would actually compete for your business by setting prices much lower than everywhere else. Now it's the other way around. "Well if the guy across the street is charging 82cents, then I could probably get away with charging 84." J
"I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees."
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I've never in my life seen or heard so much bitching as I have in the past few years about the price CDs! Amazing, really. :(( "$16 is too much" :(( ** turns around to buy a new X-box game for $40+ and steal music via Kazaa** :wtf: I'm done.
"Manifest plainness, embrace simplicity,
reduce selfishness, have few desires."
-- Lao TzuBW
brianwelsch wrote: "Manifest plainness, embrace simplicity, reduce selfishness, have few desires." -- Lao Tzu By the way, your sig always bothers me, the lines you quoted are generally considered to be the very end of that particular passage and they are immediately preceded by: "...However, if these three passages are inadequate, Adhere to these principles: perceive purity...." Followed by what you quote. Perhaps if you put a "..." before it?;) Ironically, in essense the first part of the passage (which I've not included here) is an admonition against going with set principles instead of using your instincts so I suspect "Lao Tzu" would be unhappy to see this quotation. ;P
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I've never in my life seen or heard so much bitching as I have in the past few years about the price CDs! Amazing, really. :(( "$16 is too much" :(( ** turns around to buy a new X-box game for $40+ and steal music via Kazaa** :wtf: I'm done.
"Manifest plainness, embrace simplicity,
reduce selfishness, have few desires."
-- Lao TzuBW
$16 isn't bad for a good steak either, but if McD's started charging $16 for a double cheese burger, there might be some complaint. (though McD's has some serious competition, so...) I tend to buy a lot of CDs used/second hand, so rarely pay over $10/disc anyway. But then, my purchase of discarded early '90s one-hit-wonders doesn't do much for the music industry's cash intake either...
Shog9
I returned and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong...
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John Cardinal wrote: Fortunately my car also gets one of the best gas mileage of most recent model cars as long as I keep my foot light so it all balances out in the end I guess What do you drive? John Cardinal wrote: Up until about 8 years ago we used to have these things called "gas wars" where different gas stations would actually compete for your business by setting prices much lower than everywhere else. Now it's the other way around. "Well if the guy across the street is charging 82cents, then I could probably get away with charging 84." J
"I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees."
Jamie Hale wrote: What do you drive? Subaru Imprezza WRX. Why every car doesn't have a turbo and conform to Californian emmision standards I'll never know. Jamie Hale wrote: Now it's the other way around. "Well if the guy across the street is charging 82cents, then I could probably get away with charging 84." Yes, exactly! And the government says "oh, we'll have to have a look at that" and never do. I don't like the govt. interfering in business, but this is just too wierd that there is no competition in that industry.
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Yes, that's exactly what I should have said. I'm so sick of the crappier media parroting the record industries claims that sales are down due to illegal music downloading when anyone who indpendently looks at the stats says that it's just down. Not related to downloading at all. I'm still mad that I can't buy music online in Canada when it can now be done in Europe and the U.S., but on the bright side, as others have pointed out here, the Canadian govt. effectively gave permission for people to copy music when they put a tax on blank media to compensate artists for copying their music.
John Cardinal wrote: I'm so sick of the crappier media parroting the record industries claims that sales are down due to illegal music downloading when anyone who indpendently looks at the stats says that it's just down. Not related to downloading at all. My dad works for a small record company and he says the big problem is not downloading, it's piracy. It's just very easy for anyone to duplicate a CD, jewel case and all, and sell it at a fraction of the distributor's price. The retailers love it -- they pay less and make a higher margin. The customers love it -- they get the same thing for less. And the pirates love it -- they pocket the profit without having to pay royalties to the artists. It's nasty stuff and it's killing the industry. X| Regards, Alvaro
Hey! It compiles! Ship it.
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I've never in my life seen or heard so much bitching as I have in the past few years about the price CDs! Amazing, really. :(( "$16 is too much" :(( ** turns around to buy a new X-box game for $40+ and steal music via Kazaa** :wtf: I'm done.
"Manifest plainness, embrace simplicity,
reduce selfishness, have few desires."
-- Lao TzuBW
Well, when you think that the average wage on Brazil is $200/month, $16 is too much. It's not a coincidence that in Brazil about 50% of the CDs are pirate ones... You can do it on anything you choose - from .bat to .net - A customer
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brianwelsch wrote: "$16 is too much" It is a lot of money, if you are only really interested in a couple of tracks. 80% of stuff on most albums, I find to be crap that feels like filler. Now if I could just buy the tracks I wanted, I'd be much happier. Michael 'War is at best barbarism...Its glory is all moonshine. It is only those who have neither fired a shot nor heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded who cry aloud for blood, more vengeance, more desolation. War is hell.' - General William Sherman, 1879
Michael P Butler wrote: if you are only really interested in a couple of tracks. 80% of stuff on most albums Yeah! I remeber one time when I bought a CD for ~$16 just for one track! :laugh: Today I never buy CDs anymore. I'm still in love with MP3 and will always be! Rickard Andersson Here is my card, contact me later! UIN: 50302279 Sonork: 37318 Interests: C++, ADO, SQL, Winsock, 0s and 1s
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brianwelsch wrote: "$16 is too much" It is a lot of money, if you are only really interested in a couple of tracks. 80% of stuff on most albums, I find to be crap that feels like filler. Now if I could just buy the tracks I wanted, I'd be much happier. Michael 'War is at best barbarism...Its glory is all moonshine. It is only those who have neither fired a shot nor heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded who cry aloud for blood, more vengeance, more desolation. War is hell.' - General William Sherman, 1879
My friend swears by The iTunes Music Store[^] [edit]Heh, I hit submit rather than preview... :rolleyes: Anyway, I wanted to say that that's only good if you have a Mac. But I hear from a reliable source[^] that PressPlay[^] is really good... :-D[/edit]
Flight to Redmond - £200 Bulldozer Rental - £100 Destroying the MS campus single handedly for not doing an Academic upgrade, PRICELESS! -Jonny Newman
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Jamie Hale wrote: What do you drive? Subaru Imprezza WRX. Why every car doesn't have a turbo and conform to Californian emmision standards I'll never know. Jamie Hale wrote: Now it's the other way around. "Well if the guy across the street is charging 82cents, then I could probably get away with charging 84." Yes, exactly! And the government says "oh, we'll have to have a look at that" and never do. I don't like the govt. interfering in business, but this is just too wierd that there is no competition in that industry.
John Cardinal wrote: Yes, exactly! And the government says "oh, we'll have to have a look at that" and never do Because (at least in NB) the gov gets a tax based on the price, not a flat tax. They just sit back rubbing their claws together, planning how to spin-doctor this into a "balanced budget", as if it was good planning on their part.:mad: Day 64 of Fridge Science Experiment: nothing blinking yet.
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$16 isn't bad for a good steak either, but if McD's started charging $16 for a double cheese burger, there might be some complaint. (though McD's has some serious competition, so...) I tend to buy a lot of CDs used/second hand, so rarely pay over $10/disc anyway. But then, my purchase of discarded early '90s one-hit-wonders doesn't do much for the music industry's cash intake either...
Shog9
I returned and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong...
Shog9 wrote: $16 isn't bad for a good steak either, but if McD's started charging $16 for a double cheese burger, there might be some complaint. Considering that a good steak and a McD's burger are two totally different products. I mean, the McD's burger doesn't actually contain any real meat for a start... :laugh: Secondly, people who eat good steaks are actually aware of what they're eating. ;P John[^]
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Yes, that's exactly what I should have said. I'm so sick of the crappier media parroting the record industries claims that sales are down due to illegal music downloading when anyone who indpendently looks at the stats says that it's just down. Not related to downloading at all. I'm still mad that I can't buy music online in Canada when it can now be done in Europe and the U.S., but on the bright side, as others have pointed out here, the Canadian govt. effectively gave permission for people to copy music when they put a tax on blank media to compensate artists for copying their music.
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Shog9 wrote: $16 isn't bad for a good steak either, but if McD's started charging $16 for a double cheese burger, there might be some complaint. Considering that a good steak and a McD's burger are two totally different products. I mean, the McD's burger doesn't actually contain any real meat for a start... :laugh: Secondly, people who eat good steaks are actually aware of what they're eating. ;P John[^]
> Considering that a good steak and a McD's burger are two totally > different products. I mean, the McD's burger doesn't actually contain > any real meat for a start... I think that was the point. New CDs coming out nowadays don't actually contain any real music either...
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John Cardinal wrote: Yes, exactly! And the government says "oh, we'll have to have a look at that" and never do Because (at least in NB) the gov gets a tax based on the price, not a flat tax. They just sit back rubbing their claws together, planning how to spin-doctor this into a "balanced budget", as if it was good planning on their part.:mad: Day 64 of Fridge Science Experiment: nothing blinking yet.
Richard Jones wrote: Because (at least in NB) the gov gets a tax based on the price, not a flat tax Same here in B.C. I think. I shouldn't really bitch, it's not like I use the car for work very much, but some people need fuel for their job and these kind of price fluctuations have a crazy influence on their bottom line. Free enterprise is something I truly believe in but I don't think that is in effect for gas prices.
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brianwelsch wrote: "Manifest plainness, embrace simplicity, reduce selfishness, have few desires." -- Lao Tzu By the way, your sig always bothers me, the lines you quoted are generally considered to be the very end of that particular passage and they are immediately preceded by: "...However, if these three passages are inadequate, Adhere to these principles: perceive purity...." Followed by what you quote. Perhaps if you put a "..." before it?;) Ironically, in essense the first part of the passage (which I've not included here) is an admonition against going with set principles instead of using your instincts so I suspect "Lao Tzu" would be unhappy to see this quotation. ;P
John Cardinal wrote: your sig always bothers me I'll have a word with it. ;P You know I'm pretty ignorant to the context of the quote. I just liked the way it sounded. I'll check it out.
"...manifest plainness, embrace simplicity,
reduce selfishness, have few desires."
-- Lao TzuBW
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John Cardinal wrote: your sig always bothers me I'll have a word with it. ;P You know I'm pretty ignorant to the context of the quote. I just liked the way it sounded. I'll check it out.
"...manifest plainness, embrace simplicity,
reduce selfishness, have few desires."
-- Lao TzuBW
Don't get me wrong, I think they are wise words, but most wise when taken in context. The fascinating thing about the Tao Te Ching is that it is almost impossible to quote a small part of it without reversing or obfuscating the original intent of the author for that section. Unfortunately the versions that are commonly available on the internet are taken from original translations that have had their copyright expire and are now generally accepted as being very inaccurate to the original intent of the author. Project Gutenberg seems to be the source of this version. The first translators colored the translation to a very high degree with their own preconceived conceptions and in some cases they actually reversed the original intent of some of the passages. The bit you quoted seems to be almost word for word the same as the more modern translations that I have. I aplogize for being pedantic, it's something I've been fascinated by for many years, not just the philosophy but the variations in translation and how the translators beliefs can unwittingly colour their translation to such a high degree. It has pretty big implications for many things that society commonly accepts as fact.
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Music giants slash price of albums: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3079854.stm[^]
"Universal - which has artists like U2, Eminem and Sir Elton John on its roster" That's their problem - they need to sign up some talent. :rolleyes: Still, it's nice to see people in the USA finally getting music for the same price we've been paying in Europe for the last three years. :-D
David Wulff
"Sanity is just a state of mind, insanity is a developed past-time for Mr Wulff" - Jonny Newman
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Don't get me wrong, I think they are wise words, but most wise when taken in context. The fascinating thing about the Tao Te Ching is that it is almost impossible to quote a small part of it without reversing or obfuscating the original intent of the author for that section. Unfortunately the versions that are commonly available on the internet are taken from original translations that have had their copyright expire and are now generally accepted as being very inaccurate to the original intent of the author. Project Gutenberg seems to be the source of this version. The first translators colored the translation to a very high degree with their own preconceived conceptions and in some cases they actually reversed the original intent of some of the passages. The bit you quoted seems to be almost word for word the same as the more modern translations that I have. I aplogize for being pedantic, it's something I've been fascinated by for many years, not just the philosophy but the variations in translation and how the translators beliefs can unwittingly colour their translation to such a high degree. It has pretty big implications for many things that society commonly accepts as fact.
John Cardinal wrote: I've been fascinated by for many years, I've always viewed Eastern thought as somehow grounded, or maybe true. I've mostly ignored pursuing its knowledge until fairly recently though. It's very practical and timeless. The version I've got at home is translated by Gia FuFeng, I believe. I read bits from time to time, but it takes a while for it all to really sink in. That particular quote was taken off the web, rather than from my reading. Do you know of a particular translation that is regarded as being truer to the original than others? Maybe it's best to read several translations...
"Manifest plainness, embrace simplicity,
reduce selfishness, have few desires."
-- Lao TzuBW
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Don't get me wrong, I think they are wise words, but most wise when taken in context. The fascinating thing about the Tao Te Ching is that it is almost impossible to quote a small part of it without reversing or obfuscating the original intent of the author for that section. Unfortunately the versions that are commonly available on the internet are taken from original translations that have had their copyright expire and are now generally accepted as being very inaccurate to the original intent of the author. Project Gutenberg seems to be the source of this version. The first translators colored the translation to a very high degree with their own preconceived conceptions and in some cases they actually reversed the original intent of some of the passages. The bit you quoted seems to be almost word for word the same as the more modern translations that I have. I aplogize for being pedantic, it's something I've been fascinated by for many years, not just the philosophy but the variations in translation and how the translators beliefs can unwittingly colour their translation to such a high degree. It has pretty big implications for many things that society commonly accepts as fact.
John Cardinal wrote: Tao Te Ching Delightful work... a must read! I've heard it said, though, that who writes about the Tao, knows not the Tao. That must make it very frustrating to be a philosopher. All in all, though, I prefer The Tao of Pooh[^].
"Nobody is Ugly at 2AM"
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John Cardinal wrote: I've been fascinated by for many years, I've always viewed Eastern thought as somehow grounded, or maybe true. I've mostly ignored pursuing its knowledge until fairly recently though. It's very practical and timeless. The version I've got at home is translated by Gia FuFeng, I believe. I read bits from time to time, but it takes a while for it all to really sink in. That particular quote was taken off the web, rather than from my reading. Do you know of a particular translation that is regarded as being truer to the original than others? Maybe it's best to read several translations...
"Manifest plainness, embrace simplicity,
reduce selfishness, have few desires."
-- Lao TzuBW
brianwelsch wrote: Do you know of a particular translation that is regarded as being truer to the original than others? Maybe it's best to read several translations... My personal favourite is the Wing translation because it contains a lot of commentary that puts it in perspective, however this might (or might not:-D) help get you started: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/listmania/list-browse/-/19XJ019CUR18T/104-7856744-5018318[^]