CD Burner
10-11-07 CD Burner etc.
Earlier this week, I took my computer in (!) to have the CD / DVD burner replaced. It got to where it wouldn’t burn anything anymore – it just kept spitting out the blank discs saying, “Please insert blank disc”. Whenever I tried to dub a DVD, it would ‘load’ properly, then tell me – “There is a problem with your disc”. Let’s be real 21st century: I can’t live without a working disc burner!!!
So, if I owe you any CD-R’s, now’s a good time to ask again – it’s working great! And I am also back to several of my DVD projects – assembling material etc. I took about 6 months off from it, but…my DVD hard drive is now working overtime in the other room.
I have always liked making copies of stuff – whether it’s a photocopier or a cassette deck. And I love my Sony MiniDisc recorder(s) – they’re a lot better than cassettes ever were – both the sound and the editing capabilities.
It was weird to take my computer somewhere to have the CD burner changed out. I simply didn’t have the time or inclination to select a model and do it myself. There are those who will scoff at me for this, but…I am also the sort of person that pays for somebody else to change the oil in my car, too. My DVD recorder in the living room kept me busy while the computer was away being worked on.
As long as we’re on the topic of technology (apparently), I do not have a cell phone at this time. No plans to get one, either. I still have a regular telephone – it seems that about all I ever do on it is call my GF of nearly a decade. Sure, I’ve wanted a cell phone for when I arrive at an airport and someone is going around the parking lot in a loop, waiting for me to come out of the terminal. But that’s not a good enough reason to get one.
People always keep telling me that I should get “bigger better faster” internet service. For what? I do not download anything. I post this blog, and upload photos to Flickr – but that is about the extent of my “advanced usage”. I’ve been with Earthlink for over a decade – no ‘service’ problems. I am always reluctant to even think of changing my ISP, thus far.
But I still have the tunes. It matters not what I listen to them on / with. I can hear ‘em. These days, it’s mostly phonograph records to MiniDisc, in my car. In my car is where I have the time and concentration to listen. At home, there are usually distractions (i.e. the phone rings, the laundry finishes, so I have to put some stuff in the dryer etc).
When do you listen? What do you listen on / with? Do you like what you hear? Have I ever made you a copy of anything (on cassette, CD-R, DVD-R)? Did you listen to it? Did you enjoy it? Did the format it was on interact with your enjoyment thereof?
Take good care of your teeth. That’s the secret of the universe.
posted by Ron Kane @ 7:14 AM
2 Comments:
Ron:
I will have a cell phone only when a large corporation puts a gun to my head and forces me to. In other words, in about 7 years.
I have had no time whatsoever for any video or audio projects in the last 2 months. Too busy selling stuff on e-bay to frantically maintain our expensive lifestyle! At least the Alan Moore Miracleman comics will be a huge fat ROI!
I am an old pro at "getting under the hood" with computers and yet I also pay someone to change the oil in my car. If only because my loose gravel driveway makes for some very unstable jack stands! It hurts to pay someone else for a job that takes me 15 minutes but it hurts far more to have the ground surface shift and the car fall on me!
I have a land line because it is helpful [almost required] in getting a job; something that once occupied me for over a year. Brrr. But do I ever use the phone? Not really. I have broadband [DSL] because it is greatly enabling to be able to download software and software updates. On rare occasion I buy and download music. I wouldn't try any of that on dialup. And I live so far in the sticks I don't even know if dialup there is remotely useful. In the last place we lived, dialup simply DIDN'T WORK. Connection was nearly impossible to get and when it happened it was 9600 - useless! It was DSL or nothing.
I listen mostly in the car during my 26 mile work commute. We listen at home on weekends or when cooking dinner if ever. I could listen to music constantly - I know it would bug my wife who prefers to read in silence. I used to play [vinyl] albums while eating breakfast in the early 90s! That's dedicated listening. My thought at the time was "I'm paying lots of money for all of this music - let's get some use out of it."
My wife listens differently. When she likes an album or track she will listen to it on repeat for hours. She will play an album in her car for months at a time. John Cale lasted over a year with Hobosapien! Eno was almost as long with "Another Day On Earth." She just went through a Warren Zevon phase - hard because we only have 4 albums - but now she's through and is ready for Graham Parker. A much better prospect beacuse the GP collection runs the full breadth and depth of his career over 9-10 titles.
I'm also a car listener. Way too many distractions at home. I listen to CDs both factory and home burned. Picking my music of the day is a part of my morning routine. Most of the time I have something new that requires my attention, but sometimes I just close my eyes and grab a disc.
I have a cell phone which is more or less essential with a family. I have a cable land line and cable internet. I download music often and it works great.
I can change my own oil but no longer want to. Jiffy Lube can do it faster than I can and it's $25 well spent. I do not pry into my computer's innards.
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