HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: snail@lsl.co.uk
Newsgroups: uk.misc
Subject: Re: Transport subsidies - Was: Car Parking
Date: 18 Dec 92 12:58:25 GMT
Distribution: uk
Organization: Laser-Scan Ltd., Cambridge

In article <sb380.724495500@KingsX>, sb380@city.ac.uk (HOLT A D) writes:
> 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.

Sorry to be picky, the attribution is wrong. I never wrote the 'That's
nothing...' sentence. Mathew (mathew@mantis.co.uk) wrote them in response
to my posting in a previous article, your editing is/was incorrect.

I agree with both paragraphs you post however.

Power is Money: See .sig, provided by a charity, no less.
-- 
snail@lsl.co.uk      

"Washing one's hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless
 means to side with the powerful, not to be Neutral."
                                                     Quote by Freire.
                                                     Poster by OXFAM.
Xref: sparky uk.misc:2031 comp.misc:4640 comp.windows.misc:1736
From: mark.whalley@uk.co.gec-mrc (Mark Whalley)
Newsgroups: uk.misc,comp.misc,comp.windows.misc
Subject: Cricket Graph for PC
Date: 18 Dec 92 08:48:24 GMT
Reply-To: mark.whalley@uk.co.gec-mrc (Mark Whalley)
Organization: GEC-Marconi Research Centre, Great Baddow, Essex

As an undergrad, I used an, excellent, graph plotting program on the Macintosh.
...Cricket Graph.  Does anyone know whether a version is available for PC and
if so where to get one from (Windows or DOS - it doesn't matter).
Thanx
     Mark.



|--------------------------------------|--------------------------------------|
| mark.whalley@gec-mrc.co.uk           | 'Only in silence the word,           |
| Phone  +44 245 73331 Exn. 3114       |  Only in dying life,                 |
| The views expressed here are mine,   |  Only in darkness light,             |
| The views expressed here are mine,   |  Only in dying life,                 |
| all mine, and nothing whatsoever to  |  Bright the hawk's flight on the     |
| do with GEC-MRC.                     |   empty sky'  - Ursula K. Le Guin    |
|--------------------------------------|--------------------------------------|
From: adrian@cs.hw.ac.uk (Adrian Hurt)
Newsgroups: uk.misc
Subject: Re: Mailing lists from hell
Date: 18 Dec 92 20:31:42 GMT
Organization: Dept of Computing & Electrical Engineering, Heriot-Watt University, Scotland


Here are a couple of techniques suggested by someone else here:

a) When filling in a coupon, form etc., alter your name a little or give
   yourself an extra middle initial.  Use a different version for each
   firm to which you write.  This at least means that when you get junk
   mail from someone else, you know how they got your address.

b) Send the rubbish from one firm to another.  Don't sign anything, just
   put the form from the double-glazing firm into the pre-paid envelope
   from the insurance firm, the form from the insurance firm into the
   pre-paid envelope from the credit card firm, and the form from the credit
   card firm into the pre-paid envelope from the double-glazing firm.  Post
   the whole lot.

-- 
 "Keyboard?  How quaint!" - M. Scott

 Adrian Hurt			     |	JANET:  adrian@uk.ac.hw.cee
 UUCP: ..!uknet!cee.hw.ac.uk!adrian  |  ARPA:  adrian@cee.hw.ac.uk
From: mathew <mathew@mantis.co.uk>
Newsgroups: uk.misc
Subject: Re: Record shops (LPs)
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 92 14:26:11 GMT
Distribution: uk
Organization: Mantis Consultants, Cambridge. UK.

bsstrs@gdr.bath.ac.uk (T R Stickland) writes:
> In the referenced article, mathew@mantis.co.uk (mathew) writes:
> >evansmp@uhura.aston.ac.uk (Mark Evans) writes:
> >> Tricky, the industry has tried very hard to kill the format off. 
> >
> >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.  Cassette
> >are analogue, noisy, and wear out just like records, but they're still made.
> 
> Look at it like this:
> 
> can you think of a better way to get people to buy lots of new equipment
> and new recordings (duplicating what they already have to varying extents)?

Yes.  Sell records and tapes which wear out.

Oh, I forgot, they already tried that.  That's why we all moved to CD as soon
as we got the chance.

> p.s. the idea that only expensive turntables beat CDs in terms of sound
> quality is a myth.

That's not what I said.  I said that to make a record deck of equivalent
quality to a given CD player, you don't have to spend as much.


mathew
-- 
Lung cancer and arteriosclerosis.
For people who like to smoke.

Newsgroups: uk.misc
From: mark@edscom.demon.co.uk (Mark Neale)
Subject: Re: Surprisingly light on his feet
Organization: EDS-Scicon, Milton Keynes, UK
	<1992Dec11.091158.14135@aber.ac.uk>
Distribution: uk
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 09:02:30 GMT

In article <1992Dec11.091158.14135@aber.ac.uk> ccs@aber.ac.uk (Christopher "Jd" Samuel) writes:

   In article <MARK.92Dec7102437@runningbear.edscom.demon.co.uk>
      mark@edscom.demon.co.uk (Mark Neale) doodled:

   > In one of the Thomas Covenant books by Steven Donaldson, a giant is
   > described as saying something in "a voice of annealed iron".  WOW.
   > Soft, bendable and rather discoloured from the heat!

   Acually, there is one point where that would have been appropriate,
   in the near the end of the First Chronicles where Saltheart Foamfollwer
   wades through the lava, bearing Thomas Covenant safely across.

Unfortunately the reference was from the 1st book of the Second
Chronicles. If memory serves me correctly the party was in the
Sarangrave (sp). Personally I think there was something strange they
put in that stuff they drank :-)
From: steve@acorn.co.uk (Steve "daffy" Hunt)
Newsgroups: uk.misc
Subject: Re: Transport subsidies - Was: Car Parking
Date: 15 Dec 92 10:22:22 GMT
Organization: Acorn Computers Limited, Cambridge, UK
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL8]

P.Owens,C20,3492 (pho@mserv1.dl.ac.uk) wrote:
: 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? 

You should check behind when you are still a long way from the
obstacle, give a signal if necessary, and then pull out in plenty of
time.  If you have your wits about you, you will be able to tell the
difference between a dozy driver and an alert one.  That's why I
particularly like having a mirror - rather than one quick glance over
the shoulder, which actually tells you very little except the
instantaneous position of vehicles, you can monitor the situation
behind throughout your approach to the obstacle and make your change
of course with minimum effect on the other traffic.  Which is of
course the essence of safe road use, whatever type of vehicle you use.

- Steve
-- 
				Steve Hunt	steve@acorn.co.uk
From: steve@acorn.co.uk (Steve "daffy" Hunt)
Newsgroups: uk.misc
Subject: Re: Record shops (LPs)
Date: 16 Dec 92 14:03:57 GMT
Distribution: uk
Organization: Acorn Computers Limited, Cambridge, UK
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL8]

mathew (mathew@mantis.co.uk) wrote:
: I bought an album on CD for #10.99.  Previously, I had bought it on tape for
: #5.99, worn the tape out through repeated listening, bought it on LP for
: #6.99, and worn the LP out through repeated listening.  Which was cheaper,
: the LP and tape or the CD?

Irrelevant!  It's a question of freedom of choice, not relative cost!

-- Steve
-- 
				Steve Hunt	steve@acorn.co.uk
From: dhembrow@eoe.co.uk (David Hembrow)
Newsgroups: uk.misc
Subject: Re: Record shops (LPs)
Date: 18 Dec 92 10:45:02 GMT
Distribution: uk
Organization: EO Europe Limited, Cambridge, UK
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL6]

J Strobridge (eset08@castle.ed.ac.uk) wrote:
: 2 queries though - why are CDs so incredibly much cheaper in the States
: than they are over here (and in Europe too, import stuff from Europe is
: desperately expensive)?

I was in the US two weeks ago and I was dissappointed to find that CDs were
not so much cheaper there than in the UK as I thought they would be. Esp.
with the pound at $1.50ish. Tower records had most CDs at $13.50 and you
have to add Californian sales tax to that. Not so much cheaper than here (
also not that you have to pay duty in the UK if you try to import too many ).

I suppose that when the pound was more like $2 there was more of a gap.
 
:    -   is it just a sort of urban legend that each CD has a plastic
: coating over the top - as protection - and that the life
: expectancy of this plastic coating is about the same as any other
: cheapish plastic before it begins to disintigrate?    I'm afraid this
: may be a somewhat ignorant question - but if anyone can offer
: reassurance on this I'd be glad to hear it!

The label side of a CD has something more akin to varnish on it than
a plastic layer. Never try to remove a stick on label from the top side
of a CD, a friend of mine who tried this with a CD bought second hand from
a library found he had a transparent area 1x3 cm left in the CD.
Unsurprisingly it didn't play too well afterwards !
-- 
David Hembrow                   EO Europe Ltd.,
email:  dhembrow@eoe.co.uk      Abberley House, Granhams Road,
                                Great Shelford, Cambridge CB2 5LQ, England
From: dhembrow@eoe.co.uk (David Hembrow)
Newsgroups: uk.misc
Subject: Re: CD Technology [Was Re: Record shops (LPs)]
Date: 17 Dec 92 13:44:54 GMT
Distribution: uk
Organization: EO Europe Limited, Cambridge, UK
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL6]

Ian G Batten (igb@fulcrum.co.uk) wrote:
: In article <1992Dec15.150558.2841@lsl.co.uk> snail@lsl.co.uk writes:
: > Phrase 1) Multi bit sampling CD player
: 
: The only technique up until a few years ago.  The classic chipset is the
: Phillips 16x4 stuff, which is still excellent.
: 
: The samples on the disk are 16 bit resolution, with a 44.1KHz sampling
: rate.  A multi-bit DAC is a switched resistor ladder followed by a
: current-to-voltage converter.  Of course the problem here is that the
: steps from the sample-and-hold will introduce all sorts of noise.
: Output filtering is required to suppress the frequencies beyond the
: sampling frequency.  Brick-wall filters in the analogue domain are very
: nasty, and you have 1 octave between the top of what you want to keep at
: 20KHz and the bottom of what you want to remove at 44KHz.  The pass-band
: ripple will be spectacular.
: 
: ( perfectly reasonable stuff about 16bit 4x oversampling chip set deleted )
: 
: > Phrase 2) 1-bit sampling CD player
: 
: ( perfectly reasonable stuff about 1 bit chip sets deleted )
:
: Co-Linear DACs, such as the Burr Brown 67 chipset, do the 10 most
: significant bits with a Multi-Bit and the lower bits with BitStream...
: 

I believe that it is just the Burr Brown PCM63 DAC which is refered to as
"Colinear". That in effect contains two 19 bit DACS which are connected
differentially. This is claimed to make the device perform much better because
it means the converter does not have to cope with all the bits beinbg switched
at once. ie. you go from 0x7FFF to 0x8000. Subtracting two 19 bit DACS
means you just have to switch one bit at this point. The PCM63 is claimed to
be much better than the PCM67, I for one believe this and am intending to
build a board based on it.

: 
: At the high-end, opinions vary.  Cheap BitStream seems better than cheap
: MultiBit.  Beyond that it's religion.
: 
: ian

Probably true, I have quite liked the sound of many bitstream machines which
I have heard. I'm very intereste in the PCM63 though.

David.-- 
David Hembrow                   EO Europe Ltd.,
email:  dhembrow@eoe.co.uk      Abberley House, Granhams Road,
                                Great Shelford, Cambridge CB2 5LQ, England
From: ccs@aber.ac.uk (Christopher "Jd" Samuel)
Newsgroups: uk.misc
Subject: Re: More cameras in the streets (was Re: Clever Map Company)
Date: 11 Dec 92 09:07:23 GMT
Organization: University of Wales - Aberystwyth - Prifysgol Cymru

In article <CAH.92Dec7182915@fat-controller.bham.ac.uk>
   cah@cs.bham.ac.uk (Ceri Hopkins) doodled:

> I wonder when they'll first be used to prosecute a parking offence,
> loitering, or equivalent (whatever that means). Maybe they'll dig up
> something like "wasting police time" if you spend your time dealing
> "in shot" in Tate+Lyle.

There is a (probably apocryphal) story of someone who got caught dealing
at one of the major festivals, except when they checked what he'd been
selling it was flour, or some similar white powder.

Result: they did him for fraud (or something of that ilk) instead..

Cheers,
Chris
-- 
 Christopher Samuel, c/o Computer Unit, UCW Aberystwyth, Aberystwyth, WALES
  RFC: ccs@aber.ac.uk   UUCP: *!mcsun!uknet!aber!ccs   JNT: ccs@uk.ac.aber
          Deddf Iaith Newydd i Gymru | New Language Act for Wales
From: cah@cs.bham.ac.uk (Ceri Hopkins)
Newsgroups: uk.misc
Subject: Re: Transport subsidies - Was: Car Parking
Date: 16 Dec 92 19:23:25 GMT
	<1992Dec16.114603.2850@lsl.co.uk> <29631@castle.ed.ac.uk>
Distribution: uk
Organization: School of Computer Science, University of Birmingham, UK


>>>>> On 16 Dec 92 13:33:08 GMT, fofp@castle.ed.ac.uk (M Holmes) said:

[Rigged housing market exposition deleted]

FoFP> Libertarian solution: choice. Ask people "would you, or would you not
FoFP> like to donate money to help people own a home, even if you haven't got
FoFP> one?"

FoFP> We've argued transport and health into the ground. Let's see some
FoFP> statists defend this one.

I admit to having skipped a lot of the recent postings, but what
exactly is this liberatarian solution [sic] of choice here, choice
there, choice everywhere? Can I choose not to contribute to the armed
forces and accept that they will not play any part in defending me?
Sorry if this is just another example of a thoroughly discussed
reducto ad absurdum tangent.

I agree with many of your arguments (including this one on housing)
but fail to see how you can say this constitutes a solution.

[later still]
>I've never seen such suggestions. I have seen him state that company directors
>will have not ltd company protection. That doesn't prevent companies behaving
>in a disreputable manner. Money is power, and they'll have more power under
>the schemes fofp (and now you) advocate.

FoFP> Money is only power if you can *buy* political influence. When the only
FoFP> political influence to be had is the right to protect you, I doubt the
FoFP> companies will be buying.

Again I'm missing something here. Can you send me the FoFP FAQ? IS it
available by FTP? Money is power if you have a post to appoint and a
long queue of the unemployed seeking work. Have you addressed this
along with health and transport?

Ceri

Apologies for missing the "solution".
--
Ceri Hopkins                                    
School of Computer Science                        C.A.Hopkins@Cs.Bham.Ac.Uk
University of Birmingham			  Tel. +44-21-414-3743
From: djs@jet.uk (David J Stevenson)
Newsgroups: uk.misc
Subject: Hereford United Football Club - Where
Date: 14 Dec 92 06:53:50 GMT
Organization: Joint European Torus

Is anyone able to give me directions to Hereford United FC?  I will be
coming from the Oxford area, but directions from any main road into
Hereford will be fine.

I would appreciate EMAIL responses as our news feed is temporarily broken.

Thanks in advance  (and good luck to YTFC, bring on the Gunners in round 3...)

-- 
+---------------------------------------------------+
| David Stevenson  djs@jet.uk   Tel: +44 235 465028 |
+---------------------------------------------------+
- Disclaimer: Please note that the above is a personal view and should not 
  be construed as an official comment from the JET project.
From: gsd@castle.ed.ac.uk (G.S.Davies)
Newsgroups: uk.misc
Subject: Alarm systems
Date: 16 Dec 92 15:04:40 GMT
Distribution: uk
Organization: Edinburgh University


Dear all,

My parents are considering installing an alarm system in their home.
They have a question you netters out there may be able to answer.

Their opinion is that the best form of alarm are those that call up
the boys in blue (via the alarm company) when the alarm is tripped.
Does anyone have infomation concerning the installation costs and
monthly costs for these systems. Any comments about suppliers would
also be useful.

Answers by email please.

Thank you 

Guy
From: mathew <mathew@mantis.co.uk>
Newsgroups: uk.misc
Subject: Re: Transport subsidies - Was: Car Parking
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 92 17:25:12 GMT
Distribution: uk
Organization: Mantis Consultants, Cambridge. UK.

snail@lsl.co.uk writes:
> In article <Ps4TVB21w165w@mantis.co.uk>, mathew@mantis.co.uk (mathew) writes:
> > That's nothing -- I have to pay for all the roads I *don't* use.  I never u
> > motorways, for example.
> 
> Funny that, so do I. So does everyone else who pays car tax, and buys petrol.

So you support the abolition of car and petrol taxes?  Excellent.

> Also funny that many of the records/tapes/CDs I own have tracks on them that
> I don't listen to.

You *chose* to buy those albums.  I didn't choose to pay for the M25.


mathew
-- 
Lung cancer and arteriosclerosis.
For people who like to smoke.

Newsgroups: uk.misc
From: dave@dhcs.demon.co.uk (Dave Hodgkinson)
Subject: Re: Milton Keynes - was Re: NORTHAMPTON POL
Organization: IISC, dept of hackery.
	<1992Dec16.143521.9941@spectrum.xerox.com>
	<JIM.92Dec17170914@runningbear.edscom.demon.co.uk>
Apparently-To: mail2news@news.demon.co.uk
Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1992 12:11:18 +0000


my #.02 :-)

We moved to MK last year after escaping Hemel Hempstead. Town centre
3-bed semi, smog, subsidence, neighbour with unfettered rottweiler
etc.

We are now paying less for a 4 bed-det on the edge of a lake, 5 mins
from Bow Brickhill station (good enough to get me home after a City
evening on the p*ss :-). 'kin heaven by comparison.

That said, we avoid MK town centre like the plague. All shopping gets
done at Kingston Tesco, Woburn Sands, Olney, Newport Pagnell or Stony
Stratford.

Downsides: the local schools are dire. Babies will probably go to
school in Great Brickhill, or a secret location near Olney (30 head
village school).

The beer in the locality is *awful*. Greene King or Charles Wells.
*gag*. Woburn has a couple of free houses though.

I used to travel into London from Ampthill (cuts out the Tube, unsound
I know but...), and the drive was *glourious*. Over the hill through
the Golf Course (steer round the Red Squirrels) through Woburn Abbey
grounds which are spectacular on a Winter moring, shrouded in mist, or
any other time for that matter

To sum up - we will move out towards Bedford as soon as is humanly
possible now that we know the lie of the land; better schools, and
Thameslink. Otherwise MK is fine if you don't have kids or don't care
about schools.


-- 
Dave Hodgkinson, Chief Wizard                       IISC +44 71 628 6960
S:10 I:17 W:8 D:14 C:13 Ch: 15   About to die: daveh@cix.compulink.co.uk
                  Direct, but my end can be flaky: dave@dhcs.demon.co.uk
This message brought to you by the most excellent Demon Internet Service
From: snail@lsl.co.uk
Newsgroups: uk.misc
Subject: Re: Record shops (LPs)
Date: 18 Dec 92 18:00:18 GMT
Distribution: uk
Organization: Laser-Scan Ltd., Cambridge

In article <1474@eouk8.eoe.co.uk>, dhembrow@eoe.co.uk (David Hembrow) writes:
> James Grinter (jrg@doc.ic.ac.uk) wrote:
> I personally think that most newer digital recordings do sound better than
> most older ones. I put that down to improvements in the analog to digital
> converters used to make the recordings.

One obvious method here would be to reduce the high frequency content
BEFORE sampling the music and putting it on the CD. This then means you have
less data on the CD that is an approximation (se previous CD explanation)
to the hig frequency content. If the wrong info is on the CD, you may increase
(depending on the music) the high frequency content in the reproduced sound
(which is why CD players have very good filters before the sound gets to the
preamp) which will probably sound bad (even if at a subliminal level) and
affect you subjective enjoyment of the music. GOD this is hard to explain, if
only I could draw some diagrams and wave my hands about a bit!
-- 
snail@lsl.co.uk      

"Washing one's hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless
 means to side with the powerful, not to be Neutral."
                                                     Quote by Freire.
                                                     Poster by OXFAM.
Newsgroups: uk.misc
From: joe@jshark.inet-uk.co.uk (Joe Sharkey)
Subject: Re: Record shops (LPs)
Organization: Independent Network (UK)
Distribution: uk
Date: Sun, 20 Dec 1992 21:29:01 GMT

In article <17imVB39w165w@mantis.co.uk> mathew <mathew@mantis.co.uk> writes:
>
>Oh, do be serious.  If people wanted to buy records, the manufacturers would
>make them.

Do you have a list of *majors* who press LPs over here?

A quick look at "Top 20" albums suggested they're all imported.

Also, how many reissues come out on LP?

CDs may be wonderful.  But:  *I WANT TO BUY LP's*.  OK?

>mathew

joe.
-- 
Joe Sharkey     joe@jshark.inet-uk.co.uk     ...!uunet!ibmpcug!jshark!joe
150 Hatfield Rd, St Albans, Herts AL1 4JA, UK      Got a real domain name
(+44) 727 838662         Mail/News Feeds (v32/v32bis): info@inet-uk.co.uk