Dumbed down consumer electronics: Adding DTV channels
in [Design]
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From: JosephKK on 12 Aug 2010 21:29 On Wed, 11 Aug 2010 07:13:17 -0700, Joerg <invalid(a)invalid.invalid> wrote: >JosephKK wrote: >> On Sun, 08 Aug 2010 07:25:19 -0700, Joerg <invalid(a)invalid.invalid> >> wrote: >> >>> JosephKK wrote: > >[...] > >>>> cost me about $100 long distance for a little less than a MB. Now >>>> that would be a few seconds and included (and would dissapear) in my >>>> monthly. Today, a sloppy webpage will eat up a MB or more, and an >>>> overnight DL would be about 5 GB; over 5 thousand times the data >>>> volume. Just about 20 years difference. >>> >>> In those cases I'd rather send them a SASE envelope, a blank diskette >>> and $20 for the effoert to copy and the walk by the mail room. Then use >>> the remaining $80 for a nice dinner with the wife. >> >> Probably would have if it was available that way at that time. > > >What wasn't available? Stamps? Envelopes? Dinner? Wife? Ok then, maybe a >girlfriend? > >Ok, diskettes could be hard to come by but we sometimes used audio >cassettes for data storage. Those were cheap. I believe Commodore called >them datasettes. Quite simple really, they would not deal with physical media. DL it or go without.
From: Joerg on 12 Aug 2010 21:43 JosephKK wrote: > On Wed, 11 Aug 2010 07:13:17 -0700, Joerg <invalid(a)invalid.invalid> > wrote: > >> JosephKK wrote: >>> On Sun, 08 Aug 2010 07:25:19 -0700, Joerg <invalid(a)invalid.invalid> >>> wrote: >>> >>>> JosephKK wrote: >> [...] >> >>>>> cost me about $100 long distance for a little less than a MB. Now >>>>> that would be a few seconds and included (and would dissapear) in my >>>>> monthly. Today, a sloppy webpage will eat up a MB or more, and an >>>>> overnight DL would be about 5 GB; over 5 thousand times the data >>>>> volume. Just about 20 years difference. >>>> In those cases I'd rather send them a SASE envelope, a blank diskette >>>> and $20 for the effoert to copy and the walk by the mail room. Then use >>>> the remaining $80 for a nice dinner with the wife. >>> Probably would have if it was available that way at that time. >> >> What wasn't available? Stamps? Envelopes? Dinner? Wife? Ok then, maybe a >> girlfriend? >> >> Ok, diskettes could be hard to come by but we sometimes used audio >> cassettes for data storage. Those were cheap. I believe Commodore called >> them datasettes. > > Quite simple really, they would not deal with physical media. DL it > or go without. Well, at $100 which was a lot of money back then I am sure you could have found someone who'd download it for you via a local call, then send you the tape. You pay him $50 and keep the other $50. Win-win :-) -- Regards, Joerg http://www.analogconsultants.com/ "gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam. Use another domain or send PM.
From: Michael A. Terrell on 13 Aug 2010 03:05 Joerg wrote: > > Michael A. Terrell wrote: > > Joerg wrote: > >> Michael A. Terrell wrote: > >>> Joerg wrote: > >>>> Michael A. Terrell wrote: > >>>>> Joerg wrote: > >>>>>> JosephKK wrote: > >>>>>>> On Sun, 08 Aug 2010 07:25:19 -0700, Joerg <invalid(a)invalid.invalid> > >>>>>>> wrote: > >>>>>>> > >>>>>>>> JosephKK wrote: > >>>>>> [...] > >>>>>> > >>>>>>>>> cost me about $100 long distance for a little less than a MB. Now > >>>>>>>>> that would be a few seconds and included (and would dissapear) in my > >>>>>>>>> monthly. Today, a sloppy webpage will eat up a MB or more, and an > >>>>>>>>> overnight DL would be about 5 GB; over 5 thousand times the data > >>>>>>>>> volume. Just about 20 years difference. > >>>>>>>> In those cases I'd rather send them a SASE envelope, a blank diskette > >>>>>>>> and $20 for the effoert to copy and the walk by the mail room. Then use > >>>>>>>> the remaining $80 for a nice dinner with the wife. > >>>>>>> Probably would have if it was available that way at that time. > >>>>>> What wasn't available? Stamps? Envelopes? Dinner? Wife? Ok then, maybe a > >>>>>> girlfriend? > >>>>>> > >>>>>> Ok, diskettes could be hard to come by but we sometimes used audio > >>>>>> cassettes for data storage. Those were cheap. I believe Commodore called > >>>>>> them datasettes. > >>>>> The 'Datasette' was a modified cassette deck that plugged onto the PC > >>>>> board with a six pin edge connector, not the storage media. > >>>> Yeah, but you know how it goes. People start using a catchy name for the > >>>> media as well. Just like many people say "I made a mess here, do you > >>>> have a Kleenex?" even though Kleenex is the manufacturer and not the > >>>> product name. > >>> > >>> That may be, but I never saw any 'Compact Cassette' marked Datasette. > >> There were, in Europe. IIRC "data cassette" or something like that. I > >> guess the only reason was to make a buck more on them. Supposedly they > >> were 100% tested for no dropouts in the magnetic layer. > > > > > > A stronger, thicker backing so it wouldn't stretch like cheap c-120 > > cassettes. Radio Shack used to sell them. Some were as short as five > > minutes. > > I just bought answering machine grade. 30 minutes, sturdy as heck, and a > lot cheaper. I saw a lot of those that were garbage. Most of those sold in the US were just overpriced Japanese junk. with a fancy, no known brand label. The data tapes used a different backing material that would break, instead of stretching.
From: Joerg on 13 Aug 2010 10:27
Jim Thompson wrote: > On Thu, 12 Aug 2010 13:44:43 -0400, "Michael A. Terrell" > <mike.terrell(a)earthlink.net> wrote: > >> Jim Thompson wrote: >>> On Thu, 12 Aug 2010 13:26:29 -0400, "Michael A. Terrell" >>> <mike.terrell(a)earthlink.net> wrote: >>> >>>> Jim Thompson wrote: >>>>> On Thu, 12 Aug 2010 03:09:07 -0400, "Michael A. Terrell" >>>>> <mike.terrell(a)earthlink.net> wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> Jim Thompson wrote: >>>>>>> On Tue, 10 Aug 2010 05:41:50 -0400, "Michael A. Terrell" >>>>>>> <mike.terrell(a)earthlink.net> wrote: >>>>>>> >>>>>>>> Jim Thompson wrote: >>>>>>>>> That's pretty poor... Firefox claims _92_ "Radio Broadcast Companies" >>>>>>>>> in Mesa alone... which I doubt... maybe 30 active AM and FM that I can >>>>>>>>> think of. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> I have Sirius in the Q45, but I do web radio in my office...Roku >>>>>>>>> Soundbridge. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> Here are pictures of some of your local radio stations: >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> http://www.fybush.com/site-010509.html >>>>>>>> http://www.fybush.com/sites/2005/site-051125.html >>>>>>>> http://www.fybush.com/sites/2009/site-090918.html >>>>>>> Our house is one additional ridge south of the South Mountain towers, >>>>>>> so I don't have to constantly see the !@#$% blinking lights ;-) >>>>>> >>>>>> Yeah, but you can't see inside the studios from your house. :) >>>>> Almost bought a lot on the next ridge north, but checked it out at >>>>> night to see how driving the ridge road in the dark would be. The >>>>> towers were blindingly annoying. >>>> >>>> Then they aren't tall enough. :) >>> Quite visible when you're on an adjacent hill. >> >> Some of the towers around here stick up through the clouds. :) > > But you live in "flat-land". > > Actually South Mountain is in the clouds one or two days a year when > it rains ;-) > Once I saw Sutro Tower after take-off at SFO, sticking out of a nice fluffy cloud layer. You could only see the top and the antennas in full sunshine, nothing else. Absolutely picturesque and I had my camera stashed in the overhead. Could still bite myself for that, I never saw this again on any eastbound flight. -- Regards, Joerg http://www.analogconsultants.com/ "gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam. Use another domain or send PM. |