HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: igb@fulcrum.co.uk (Ian G Batten)
Subject: Re: Record shops (LPs)
Organization: Fulcrum Communications
Distribution: uk
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1992 16:33:51 GMT

In article <JRG.92Dec14162857@owl.doc.ic.ac.uk> jrg@doc.ic.ac.uk (James Grinter) writes:
> could be incorrect too? Or are they saying that the recording
> equipment has always been perfect, but we've only just fixed the
> players?

No, ADC converters are as much of a black art as DAC converters.  More,
perhaps.

ian
From: jesa@s0jxb.exnet.co.uk (John Budden)
Newsgroups: uk.misc
Distribution: uk
Organization: JCB Digital
Subject: Nissan Prairie headlights wanted
Reply-To: s0jxb@exnet.co.uk
X-Software: HERMES GUS 1.03 Rev. Apr 14 1992
Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1992 16:29:08 GMT

I am looking for a pair of headlights for a 1987 Nissan Prairie - any model
of the old style Prairie will do. Mail me.

John
-- 
=============================================================================
      From: John Budden                Email: s0jxb@exnet.co.uk

         "If you can't take a joke you shouldn't have joined!"
From: ljp@cch.coventry.ac.uk (Guido)
Subject: Re: Libertarian philosophy (was Re: Transport...)
Organization: Coventry University
Distribution: uk
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1992 16:23:14 GMT

In article <29624@castle.ed.ac.uk> fofp@castle.ed.ac.uk (M Holmes) writes:
>cc@dcs.ed.ac.uk (Chris Cooke) writes:

>Aha! So the problem here *is* government interference in the free
>market. It's just the Swiss government that's at fault this time.
>
>ObAnecdote: My best pal married a woman out there. When I was out
>visiting I ran into a strange item of culture shock.
>
>The scene: A swiss restaurant
>
>My Favourite Pudding: Hot Apple Pie and cold Ice cream.
>
>Main Problem: My franglaise isn't great :-)
>
>Anyway, comes time for pudding I figure out that there's apple pie and
>something (it wasn't custard) and there's ice cream. So I figure I'll
>have apple pie and ice cream. Now occasionally in the uk, I come across
>a waiter who gets difficult, but they can usually be won over with a
>little persuasion, argument, or sheer bolshiness.
>
>Not a swiss waiter though. We get into it and I'm told that I can have
>apple pie OR ice cream. I point out that they *have* both back in the
>kitchen, what's the problem? The problem is that apple pie and ice cream
>is not on the menu. It transpires that it is also impossible to get the
>apple pie without whatever swiss delight it's smothered in so I can't
>even have both.
>
>My pal advises me to give up, it just can't be done there.
>
>Over the visit, I discovered that this attitude is pretty pervasive
>there. There's no "the customer is always right", it's "Authority is
>always right." Somewhat disconcerting to me really.

Well I don't think that this has anything to do with `Authority'.
The reason you couldn't get what you wanted was because you went
into a crap restaurant. The menu items were bought in, in pre-packed
standard portion sizes. You can't get apple-pie without the gunk
'cos the gunk is already on it.

-- 
 "Even truth itself will jostle   |     /\     |  MAIL ljp@cch.cov.ac.uk
 its adversary in a narrow pass"  |    /<>\    |  REAL NAME Lloyd Patton
            John Warr             |   /____\   |
From: wilcox@vax.oxford.ac.uk
Newsgroups: uk.misc
Subject: Re: Transport subsidies - Was: Car Parking
Date: 18 Dec 92 16:29:20 GMT
Organization: Oxford University VAX 6620

In article <29705@castle.ed.ac.uk>, fofp@castle.ed.ac.uk (M Holmes) writes:
> Actually, I had this argument put to me recently. What if someone owned
> the entire water supply? They could charge BILLIONS a pint!!!!! Answer
> that! eh? eh?

Actually someone does own the entire water supply. In my area that someone is
called Thames Water, and once they introduce water meters and you abolish
OFFWAT they will be able to charge whatever they like---until I cannot afford
it.

> - Ok, if they charged billions, then it'd pay the competition to ship it
>   in.
> 
Shipping in all the water needs for a small house, let alone several roads
would render it too expensive for the likes of me.
> 
> Is the opposition willing to buy out the land used? If not then the land
> is worth more to Tesco than the opposition. Wealth has been maximised.
> 
As is almost always the case, the opposition was unable to buy out the land
used. As a result inhabitants of Golden Hill are stuck with a supermarket none
of them wanted with all the concomitant delivery traffic that entails. That's
freedom for no-one except Tesco, who as I'm sure you're aware are an enormous
retailing chain who can probably afford to buy up most of the green-field sites
in North Bristol.
-- 

Stephen Wilcox             |   For Sale: Posts in British Government. Suit
wilcox@vax.oxford.ac.uk    |   outgoing American. Highest bids accepted.
From: gdb15@grebe.cl.cam.ac.uk (Guy Barry)
Newsgroups: uk.misc
Subject: Re: Glad I Don't Drive
Date: 15 Dec 92 11:30:45 GMT
Reply-To: gdb15@cl.cam.ac.uk
Distribution: uk
Organization: U of Cambridge Computer Lab, UK

In article <20751@acorn.co.uk> steve@acorn.co.uk (Steve "daffy" Hunt) writes:
>Ridley McIntyre (gdg019@cch.coventry.ac.uk) wrote:
>: Yep. Ever had a list of threads that involve nothing but motorised transport?
>
>It's a free(ish) newsgroup.  If you don't like the choice of threads,
>start one that does interest you.

OK, but it still shouldn't be dominated by discussions on topics that
are covered by other UK newsgroups, such as politics and transport
(I assume uk.transport has permeated through to everyone by now).
Can't we keep this group genuinely "miscellaneous"?


--
Guy Barry, University of Cambridge | Phone: +44 (0)223 334757 
Computer Laboratory                | Fax: +44 (0)223 334678
New Museums Site, Pembroke Street  | JANET: Guy.Barry@uk.ac.cam.cl 
Cambridge CB2 3QG, England, UK     | Internet: Guy.Barry@cl.cam.ac.uk
From: ianking@nnsgs52 (Ian King)
Newsgroups: uk.misc
Subject: Re: Milton Keynes - was Re: NORTHAMPTON POL
Date: 17 Dec 1992 15:57:04 GMT
Organization: Northern Telecom Europe Ltd
Reply-To: ianking@lon40.nt.com
NNTP-Posting-Host: nnsgs52.lon40.nt.com
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL8]

Hugh J.E. Davies (hdavies@rx.xerox.com) wrote:
: I *have* been to MK, on numerous occasions. I think it's a ghastly shithole. I've heard it described as the largest open prison in Europe - and I agree.
: ---

Please qualify your statement ie what you dont like about it. I personally dont
think an awful lot of Stevenage/Welwyn GC/Letchworth. I have worked in all
three and I wouldnt like to live in any of them. I wouldnt call them a shithole
though. MK was an attempt by new town planners to put right what they had
got wrong in other new towns. Yes they still made some daft mistakes but
overall MK has adhered to the original plan of a true garden city. I think they
have succeeded. I would suggest reading the book on MK that came out last year.
The current MK is plan B (low rise, low-density). Plan A was high-rise, high 
density and would have made Gotham City seem like heaven.

I'm no fan of MK. It destroyed my local rural area and replaced it with an
urban sprawl. I have seen it grow from nothing to what it is today(it started
when I was 11years old). However IMHO it is the best of all the post-war new
towns and its not for nothing that its got the nick-name of "Techno-city".

Oh... I *dont* live in MK although I have to pay its poll tax. I live in
somewhere much much older... in fact a medieval new town (yes we have a
charter that says so. A place famous for its Original Pancake Race and the
hymm Amazing Grace (among many others). A place with a high street full of
stone buildings and lots of character (and bloody antique shops). But then I'm
totally biased.... I was born here .... BIG BIG :-)

Regards....
..........Ian

--
ADVANCE MICRO COMPUTERS LTD & Wolverton Rail | EMAIL: ianking@amicro.demon.co.uk
 PO Box 362, Olney, Nr. Milton Keynes,       |   or   ianking@lon40.nt.com
  Bucks, MK46 5ES, ENGLAND, UK.              |                ^^^^^^^^^^^^ UK not USA
   TEL: +44 (0)234-711615 FAX: +44 (0)234-240976 MOBILE: +44 (0)831-535618
From: gtoal@ibmpcug.co.uk (Graham Toal)
Subject: Re: Transport subsidies - Was: Car Parking
Organization: The IBM PC User Group, UK.
Date: Sat, 12 Dec 1992 19:12:30 GMT

In article <1gaafrINNt7r@bnsgd245.bnr.co.uk> rap@nnsgs50.lon40.nt.com (Richard Porter) writes:
>>Interesting point of info:  Kings Cross to Ken Olympia:  Taxi, 12 pounds,
>>40 minutes; Tube, 70p, 1 hr; bike, capital depreciation cost (low), 15 mins.
>             ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>Circle or H&C and District Lines, 70p, 30 minutes (but I doubt if it would
>take an hour even if you went by tube and walked from Earls Court).

Since I had just got off the tube from the Olympia about 15 minutes before
I posted that, I resent the suggestion that I'm lying.  Thats how long
it took.  Long wait at Olympia, long wait at Edgeware Road at the end of
the District line.  Left Olympia 5 to 4 when they kicked everyone out; got out
at Kings Cross just after 5.

G
-- 
Newsgroups: uk.misc
From: hdavies@rx.xerox.com (Hugh J.E. Davies)
Subject: Re: Record shops (LPs)
Reply-To: hdavies@rx.xerox.com
Organization: Rank Xerox Ltd.
Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1992 14:19:27 GMT

In article V9sXVB37w165w@mantis.co.uk, mathew <mathew@mantis.co.uk> () writes:
>dhembrow@eoe.co.uk (David Hembrow) writes:
>> Some of the more recent CDs which I have bought do sound quite acceptable,
>> this is despite the fact that my CD player is the same one I bought 5 years
>> ago which I was never really happy with from the beginning.
>> 
>> The best sounding vinyl LPs which I have do sound better than the CDs still
>> though I think.
>
>Hardly surprising if you're using a 5 year old CD player.  CD player
>technology has improved a LOT in the last few years.
>
>
>mathew
>-- 
>Lung cancer and arteriosclerosis.
>For people who like to smoke.
>

I have about 600 LPs and about 200 CDs.

I have, probably, half a dozen LPs (one of them mono, and about 20 years old) that sound as good as an *average* CD.

The CDs vary in quality from abysmal (Pink Floyd, Meddle) to astonishing (Saint-Saens, organ symphony, on Telarc).

I suppose the point is that the average CD sounds a damn sight (sound?) better than the average LP, and I would never go back to vinyl in a million years.

But I do feel, faintly, like I'm being ripped off. Especially since the Naxos CDs (apparently recent recordings marked DDD on the back) are only around 5 or 6 quid. I haven't bought any yet, so I'd appreciate anyone's comments.

---


Regards,

Hugh.
------------------------------------------------------------------
I don't speak for Xerox, nor they for me.

Rank Xerox European Systems Centre, Welwyn Garden City, Herts., UK.
Mail to; Huge.wgc1@rx.xerox.com, whatever it says in the header.

Newsgroups: uk.misc,uk.transport
From: pho@mserv1.dl.ac.uk (P.Owens,C20,3492)
Newsgroups: uk.misc
Subject: Re: Transport subsidies - Was: Car Parking
Date: 14 Dec 92 11:00:26 GMT
Reply-To: pho@mserv1.dl.ac.uk
Organization: Daresbury Laboratory, UK
NNTP-Posting-Host: nnsx.dl.ac.uk

steve@acorn.co.uk (Steve "daffy" Hunt) writes:
>I also don't believe that cyclists have a God-given
>right to veer round parked cars without looking, or for pedestrians to
>cross the road without looking.  Although the manoeuvre is predictable
>to the aware driver, it is still very dangerous since an unfortunately
>large proportion of drivers is not very aware!
>
>Putting your safety in the hands of someone else is bad enough when
>you can't avoid it, but when all it takes is a look over the
>shoulder..!  Who is responsible when a hapless cyclist doesn't look
>and a dozy driver does not predict what is about to happen?  Well,
>both of them I suppose.

So how do you tell if the driver behind is dozy? (Or more likely impatient
and thinks that since a bike takes up about 60 cms of road he'll allow 1 m
and can still squeeze past). Or do you wait until there is no traffic 
coming before going round? 

In my experience this sort of situation doesnt seem to be much of a problem
since even most dozy drivers will be avoiding the same object and tend
to keep well clear. I've never been knocked over in this situation. 
The big problem is with side roads, where a car overtakes then turns left
right in front of you.

---
Pete Owens
P.Owens@daresbury.ac.uk
From: eset08@castle.ed.ac.uk (J Strobridge)
Newsgroups: uk.misc
Subject: Re: Mailing lists from hell
Date: 14 Dec 92 19:28:43 GMT
Organization: Edinburgh University

Sounds like a job for the Citizens Charter......

Seriously, the Citizens Advice Bureau will probably be able to offer
help - I thought that Mailing List folk did have some kind of legal
responsibility to keep their lists up to date and remove you if you
request this - but maybe not.

On the whole I usually simply write "Return To Sender" all over the
envelope and let them deal with it when they get it back but the other
alternative I've heard (rather more complicated) is to take the junk
mail out of one envelope - throw the mail away but keep the envelope. 
Then put the next lot of mail you receive into the first envelope and
post it off as Return to Sender.   Keep the 2nd envelope and put the
third lot of mail you receive into the 2nd envelope etc. etc. and keep
repeating indefinitely.   

That way they all get each other's mail in a sort of infinite circle -
except that you do have to remember to remove your own name and address
in case they decide to return the compliment.

Haven't actually tried it myself and I'm afraid it won't stop the mail
but it has the merits of revenge!

jill
Newsgroups: uk.misc
From: sb380@city.ac.uk (HOLT A D)
Subject: Re: Transport subsidies - Was: Car Parking
Organization: The City University
Distribution: uk
Date: 16 Dec 92 08:45:00 GMT

mathew <mathew@mantis.co.uk> writes:

>snail@lsl.co.uk writes:
> ...
>That's nothing -- I have to pay for all the roads I *don't* use.  I never use
>motorways, for example.
I think you do use them (indirectly) - the beer you drink, the grain that is
used to make that beer, the food you buy in the supermarket. All those travel
by Motorway. Do you ever travel by a long-distance coach - they terrorise the
motorways.


Now I can see some validity in the argument that taxation is a form of theft.
I can see no way that any form of wealth tax (or any of the three recent
forms of local taxation: rates, poll tax, council tax) can be defined as other
than theft. But I can weasel out of it for Income, Inheritence, and Purchase/VA taxes 
on the ground that these tax the *transfer* of resources.

Andy


>mathew
>-- 
>Lung cancer and arteriosclerosis.
>For people who like to smoke.
and those on the receiving end of smokers dirty habits


Andy Holt // Computer Unit // City University // London // EC1V 0HB
From: rap@nnsgs50.tcom.stc.co.uk (Richard Porter)
Newsgroups: uk.misc
Subject: Re: Record shops (LPs)
Date: 18 Dec 1992 16:20:07 GMT
Organization: BNR Europe Limited
Distribution: uk
NNTP-Posting-Host: nnsgs50.lon40.nt.com

In article <20833@acorn.co.uk> steve@acorn.co.uk (Steve "daffy" Hunt) writes:

>Not really.  SCMS specifically *allows* you to make digital copies of
>CDs.  It only stops you from making copies of the copies.  This
>compromise was reached by the music industry, the hardware
>manufacturers and the blank tape manufacturers in a surprising show of
>common sense.

Not really. It doesn't serve any useful purpose. It increases the cost of
digital recording equipment. It prevents people legitimately copying their
own recordings in the digital domain even if they own the copyright of
all the material involved or have the appropriate permissions to use it.
On the other hand it does not prevent unscrupulous people making an
unlimited number of first generation copies for their own financial gain.
It is the wrong solution to the wrong problem.

Of course you can always go out and buy a little box from Thatched Cottage
which will allow you to set and clear the SCMS bits as you like.

Ian G. Batten writes:

>But it's not an issue, really, because you CAN copy the copy in the
>analogue domain.  SCMS only affects digital copying.  OK, so there's a
>degradation caused by re-quantising.  But given the large numbers of
>people who duplicate tapes in double-speed dubbing decks, I think that
>the quantisation problems aren't really going to worry them.

>I've compared digital and analogue domain transfers of CD onto DAT tape,
>and the difference isn't that obvious.   Most people wouldn't care.
>I don't think DCC will be any different.

So why would people pay over the odds for DCC or R-DAT if they don't
care about the sound? I agree that going back to analogue doesn't
make all that much difference, as long as you don't do it too many
times, so SCMS doesn't really buy the record companies anything. The
customer pays for something he doesn't want and which serves no useful
purpose for anyone except the manufacturers of SCMS chips.


Richard Porter
Federation of British Tape Recordists
From: benha@castle.ed.ac.uk (Ben Hambidge)
Newsgroups: uk.misc
Subject: Re: Mailing lists from hell
Date: 14 Dec 92 12:16:55 GMT
Organization: Edinburgh University

In article <1992Dec14.101847.704@city.cs> simon@cs.city.ac.uk (Simon Brock-Gunn) writes:
>After my father died at the start of last year, various companies (mainly
>in the computing sector) carried on sending junk mail addressed to him.
[stuff deleted]
>
>However, it seems there is a hard-core of companies that just don't want
>to listen.  

>Anyone got any suggestions?

Well, no, not very helpful, but I think I'm right in saying these
companies are breaking the law. A stern official letter mentioning the
words 'solicitor', court', and 'you law-breaking b*st*rd of a company'
normally brings a letter of apology, but if it doesn't my advice is to
go down to your local CAB (who will probably advise you get a solicitor
to write a letter, but they might have some cheaper ideas). If you're
feeling brave you could even try recouping the cost of postage, your
time, etc. from the companies! Hope you get it sorted!

Ben
From: mathew <mathew@mantis.co.uk>
Newsgroups: uk.misc
Subject: Re: Record shops (LPs)
Date: Fri, 18 Dec 92 17:46:14 GMT
Distribution: uk
Organization: Mantis Consultants, Cambridge. UK.

smee@bristol.ac.uk (Paul Smee) writes:
> In article <DBPVVB22w165w@mantis.co.uk> mathew@mantis.co.uk (mathew) writes:
> >The other thing to check with a CD player is that it has *twin* D/A or
> >Bitstream conversion systems.  Cheaper players often share one D/A between
> >left and right, which leads to phase problems.
> 
> Um, well, except the phase error is going to be a consistent time delay
> of 1/22000 second (approx) in one channel.  You can compensate for that
> by sitting 1/2 inch closer to the speaker which is 'behind'.

But I wear headphones!


mathew
-- 
Lung cancer and arteriosclerosis.
For people who like to smoke.
From: mathew <mathew@mantis.co.uk>
Newsgroups: uk.misc
Subject: Re: Hoover flight deals
Date: Fri, 18 Dec 92 17:45:04 GMT
Distribution: uk
Organization: Mantis Consultants, Cambridge. UK.

des@inmos.co.uk (David Shepherd) writes:
> Piercarlo Grandi (pcg@aber.ac.uk) wrote:
> : Two further notes: British Rail have been trying for years to achieve
> : market segmentation, with ensuing fare complications; and USA-UK and
> : UK-Netherlands routes are the only ones that have been liberalized a
> : bit.
> 
> sadly the idea that they haven't yet decided to copy from the airline
> business is the radical idea that everyone with a ticket should have
> a seat to sit on!

At least if you book a seat on BR you actually get one.  Not like with
airlines, where they may give your seat away unless you check in early
enough.


mathew
-- 
Lung cancer and arteriosclerosis.
For people who like to smoke.
From: ken@aiai.ed.ac.uk (Ken Johnson)
Newsgroups: uk.events,uk.misc
Subject: Re: "YOUR WORLD" exhibition.
Date: 14 Dec 92 12:26:39 GMT
Followup-To: uk.misc
Distribution: uk
Organization: William's Wonderful Wonky Widget Warehouse


In UK.EVENTS article <memo.799537@cix.compulink.co.uk>
pete_leaback@cix.compulink.co.uk writes:

# The Business Design Center (in Islington, London) 

`Centre', surely?

centrally, Ken Johnson



-- 
Son, all the pretty, intelligent,      || Ken Johnson                           healthy young women are taken.         || A I Applications Institute
It's a basic rule of the universe,     || 80 South Bridge                       and if you don't like it,              || Edinburgh,  Scotland   EH1 1HN
go somewhere else.                     || Phone 031-650 2756   Fax 031-650 6513
               -- my dad  1906-1992    || E-mail ken@aiai.ed.ac.uk
Newsgroups: uk.misc
From: alla0008@student.tc.umn.edu (Graham Allan)
Subject: Re: Record shops (LPs)
Organization: University of Minnesota
Distribution: uk
Date: Sat, 12 Dec 1992 18:27:44 GMT

In article <20720@acorn.co.uk> steve@acorn.co.uk (Steve "daffy" Hunt) writes:
>mathew (mathew@mantis.co.uk) wrote:
>: Oh, do be serious.  If people wanted to buy records, the manufacturers would
>: make them.  They're only in the business to make money, after all.  Cassettes
>: are analogue, noisy, and wear out just like records, but they're still made. 
>
>I agree with the original poster that the record (sic) industry is
>making every effort to deliberately kill the format off.  The industry
>doesn't seem to want more than one read-only format and one read/write
>format, for obvious reasons of economy.  Look at the kerfuffle over
>DCC/Mini-Disc.  Record companies are lending their support to one or
>the other format, not both.  I'll wager that only *one* of those
>formats is allowed to take off, just like the video format wars all
>those years ago.  Wait and see how long compact casettes survive once
>one or other of those becomes prevalent.
>
>And it's obvious why.  They know perfectly well that record-buyers
>don't stop buying music when records become unavailable.  They're
>forced into buying CDs instead.  The record companies don't lose out.
>So they save big $$$ by making one product instead of two.  And pass
>that saving onto the customer by keeping the price of CDs low -- NOT!

It's worse than that, just think how many (gullible) people have been
fooled by the record companies into buying the same piece of music several
times over, in different formats. It will be interesting to see how
successful they will be in trying to persuade people that DCC is superior
to CD (already we are being told that PASC coding can give resolution of
more than 20 bits). Don't believe this won't be tried, it *might* not for
various reasons, but technical merit has nothing to do with it. Compact
cassette may be the main target for DCC, but CD was also a dead format
over a year ago in marketing terms; the record companies wanted DCC out
*then* for maximum boost to revenue. 

Graham