Good Old Times

[besleybean]

God that looks lethal!

[Van Buren Supernova]

Lethal? :D

That is not how I would describe it, but it sounds cool. :p

It's very user friendly actually, and probably not as dangerous as gas stove.

[Carol the Dabbler]

It's very user friendly actually, and probably not as dangerous as gas stove.

Good point. A gas explosion can obliterate not only your house, but your neighbors' as well.

 

I think kerosene stoves used to be fairly common here, much less so nowadays.

[Arcadia]

Does it really sound good?

I'd describe it as hauntingly good actually, but my references are from movies.

 

Forgive me, I'm not following ... does what sound good?

[Carol the Dabbler]

I think she means do vinyl records give a good sound quality?

 

My own answer would be, I'm no audiophile, but Martin Freeman, who is a huge Motown fan, won't listen to anything but vinyl.

 

I believe that each medium has its own "sound," so it largely depends on what you're looking for. Vinyl probably takes the most maintenance of any medium (keeping the records clean and replacing the needle as needed), but it can give a very fine sound -- kind of mellow, in my opinion.

[Arcadia]

I know many people say vinyl -- well, analog, actually, so I suppose that includes tape? -- has a "warmer" sound than digital, but I'm afraid my ears aren't fine-tuned enough to tell the difference. The main thing I notice is that my vinyls and tapes hiss, pop and click, and my CDs and iPod don't. Didn't used to bother me, until I heard the difference.
 
Vinyl was always better than tape, though, I do remember that. And easier to skip songs I didn't like. That's why I'm replacing my cassette collection with digital asap. 

[besleybean]

I agree with the comments about album artwork.

But Personally I did think cassettes were easier to manage and CDs are better than that.

[Arcadia]

Well, cassettes took up less space, that's fer sure. But yeah, CD's were a definite improvement, storage-wise. As is the iPod, except it's so dang easy to misplace.

[Arcadia]

Another reminisce ... I had a horse when I was a young teen and we lived in sunny Florida. Alas, he passed away after a couple of years, then we moved to a place where it snowed half the year, and my parents couldn't afford the stabling fees even if we had been able to get another horse. Wah.

 

But those were some of the best moments of my life, hanging out with my horse. Not even riding, necessarily, just leaning on him and grooming him and watching him graze. It was lovely. Big horse; 7.5 hands, black as coal, patient as Job.

 

And some of my other best moments were just spending time with my cats. Leaning on them, grooming them, watching them ... er, stalk butterflies. :d

[Van Buren Supernova]

Vinyl was always better than tape, though, I do remember that. And easier to skip songs I didn't like.

Is there a way to skip a song in vinyl?

I imagine that delicate instrument won't last long with me. Somehow I'd break the needle, by falling on it or something.:(

 

  

But those were some of the best moments of my life, hanging out with my horse. Not even riding, necessarily, just leaning on him and grooming him and watching him graze. It was lovely. Big horse; 7.5 hands, black as coal, patient as Job.

 

Nice, never really interact with horse before, although I have ridden some.

What kind of grooming do they need, do they need a bath, and do you need to regularly change the shoes?

Also, how interactive they really are?

For example, I think dogs are very interactive, followed by cats, rabbits and hamsters, not so much.

Do they play?

 

And some of my other best moments were just spending time with my cats. Leaning on them, grooming them, watching them ... er, stalk butterflies. :d

Something tells me they don't only stalk. Is it.... in their diet? :p

[Van Buren Supernova]

Me and my brother used to play with this marble toys. We flick it with our fingers and if it hit other's, we confiscated the marble and vice versa. There are various rule or anyone can improvise their own rules.

 

 

I believe it's still around, but too bad most kids are glued to their ipad games, because nothing compares to playing outside and getting some sunshine, mud, and scolding from mother.

[Carol the Dabbler]

 

Vinyl was always better than tape, though, I do remember that. And easier to skip songs I didn't like.

Is there a way to skip a song in vinyl?

I imagine that delicate instrument won't last long with me. Somehow I'd break the needle, by falling on it or something.:(

It's possible to skip a song on vinyl because you can see where the gaps are. It does take a bit of a delicate touch, though, to avoid scratching the record when you pick up the tone arm and set it down again.

[Carol the Dabbler]

 

And some of my other best moments were just spending time with my cats. [....] watching them ... er, stalk butterflies. :d

Something tells me they don't only stalk. Is it.... in their diet? :p

Not unless they catch them. :D. My outdoor cats (when I was a kid) really liked grasshoppers, though -- crunchy!

[Arcadia]

I still collect marbles when I find them, they're so pretty!
 

 

Vinyl was always better than tape, though, I do remember that. And easier to skip songs I didn't like.

Is there a way to skip a song in vinyl?

 

Yep. What Carol said. My last turntable had -- still has -- a lever that controls the arm, so you can set the needle down more gently.
 

 

But those were some of the best moments of my life, hanging out with my horse. Not even riding, necessarily, just leaning on him and grooming him and watching him graze. It was lovely. Big horse; 7.5 hands, black as coal, patient as Job.

Nice, never really interact with horse before, although I have ridden some.
What kind of grooming do they need, do they need a bath, and do you need to regularly change the shoes?
Also, how interactive they really are?
For example, I think dogs are very interactive, followed by cats, rabbits and hamsters, not so much.
Do they play?

 

It all depends on the horse. My Midnight and his pals didn't have shoes, because they never went anywhere except on soft ground. But I believe horseshoes do need to be changed regularly. I read somewhere that racehorses get new shoes before every race, for example.

I don't know if horses "need" grooming ... wild horses don't get groomed! ... but they look better for it, and some horses can get skin conditions and things like that if they're not taken care of. I brushed Midnight from nose to tail every time I finished riding him; it gets off the loose hair, and sweat from the saddle, and mud off his feet. And speaking of feet, you're supposed to clean those out for them every day, which is lovely because mostly what they fill up with is horse plop. Always fun, especially when it's fresh horse plop.

And yes, horses get baths, especially after they've worked up a sweat. It's a bit like washing a car. Most horses like it, although I knew one that was terrified by the hose. I think his owner used a bucket of water instead.

Interactive? Some horses are a bit like dogs, and like to follow their people around, wanting to be petted and given treats. They're very social animals; they like to hang out with other horses, or almost any other animal if there's no other horses. But will they play fetch and curl up in your lap? Not so much and you'd better hope not! The interaction is more about going for rides and being taken care of. And they won't gaze at you like you're the most wonderful thing in the world.
 

 

And some of my other best moments were just spending time with my cats. Leaning on them, grooming them, watching them ... er, stalk butterflies. :D

Something tells me they don't only stalk. Is it.... in their diet? :P

 

Again, depends on the cat! Panda thought they were delicious. Chula caught one once, but then didn't know what do with it; he brought it up on the porch, proud as could be, and put it down ... and Panda pounced on it and ate it.
 
Hugo just liked to knock them down; once they stopped fluttering, she was no longer interested. She was a proper killer, that one. She's the one who wiped out our chipmunk colony. But I don't recall her ever eating anything she caught, except flies.  Same with Jamal; he stalked everything, but only ate the birds. Yes, my cats terrorized the neighborhood. 
 
Oh, and the chipmunks are finally back! I saw one run across my driveway yesterday. Yippee! Just when I'm getting ready to get another cat! :D

[Carol the Dabbler]

Yay for the chipmunks! (You might consider getting an indoor cat. Your chipmunks could continue to rebound, and the cat would almost certainly live longer.)

 

I assume that racehorses are re-shoed so often because they need to be in top form. I think most horses get new shoes when the old ones start to wear out. Their hooves need to be trimmed as well, I believe -- dunno whether that's just so the shoes will fit better? Did your horse get his hooves trimmed?

 

Our cats enjoy chasing whatever flies get into the house, and then they eat them. Claudie had done that just like the others, till one day I saw him running away from a fly. All I can figure was, he'd once caught a wasp. He was a quick learner, that one -- never chased a fly again.

[besleybean]

If my cat saw a flying insect, she used to look at us. If we nodded and said "Yes, fly"(while flapping our arms!), then she knew she could eat it.

If we shook our heads and said "No, stings," then she didn't.

[T.o.b.y]

I love vinyl records. My parents have quite a collection and a very good player. I spent a good part of my adolescence lovingly wiping the revolving plates with a special cloth and positioning the needle. Nothing sounds quite like vinyl. We have the same albums on vinyl and on CD and even I, with no musical ear to speak of, can tell the difference.

[Arcadia]

Yay for the chipmunks! (You might consider getting an indoor cat. Your chipmunks could continue to rebound, and the cat would almost certainly live longer.)

Thinking about that, but I do think a dose of the outdoors is better for a cat's mental health. (Not just cats, either. ) We don't just throw them out and leave them unsupervised all day, though. I keep pretty close tabs on them, and they don't go out when there's no one home. Yeah, there's a risk, but I think it's not a bad trade off. Was cancer got the last two, and not sure what got the third one ... heart failure, basically. But I suspect he had a urinary tract infection and the vet missed it. :( At any rate, they didn't pick up outdoor diseases or anything like that. I suppose the wildlife would live longer.....

 

I assume that racehorses are re-shoed so often because they need to be in top form. I think most horses get new shoes when the old ones start to wear out. Their hooves need to be trimmed as well, I believe -- dunno whether that's just so the shoes will fit better? Did your horse get his hooves trimmed?

Yep, even unshod horses get their hooves trimmed, just not as short. Why, I'm not sure ... again, wild horses don't! But probably wild horses don't live as long. But the horses at my stable all got their feet trimmed once a year. You can think of their hooves as sort of like toenails ... neglect them, and you can get some awfully long, ugly looking, malformed and/or sore hooves.

[Van Buren Supernova]

As expected, vinyl sounds awesome from what you all have said.

 

When I'm old, sitting on the porch in garden in front of sea and on top of mountain (of course it's possible, it's the future, duh) I will spend my time listening to Sherlock vinyl.

 

@horse. So they are exactly what I imagine, except I didn't know that they sweat. So they get clammy and all. So if they are not bathed, uhm.. will they smell horrible?

Also, are they as loyal and intelligent as.. Lucky Luke's horse, Jolly jumper? :p

 

I have to admit it's disappointing that they don't look at their human like they are the most wonderful thing in the world.

 

Hooves, if the characteristic is somewhat similar to dog, then it depends on terrain and most probably wild horses don't have problem. We used to have big yard with tiny hills of rocks and sand, and our outdoor dogs were fine, they don't need nail trimming. It's naturally short because of frequent contact with those natural terrain, while indoor or semi indoor dogs need trimming.

 

@cats

Good god! Chipmunks, butterfly, birds! That sounds horrible to be honest, can't really stand see dying or dead animals.

 

My cat caught and chewed lizard, it was horribly disfigured, dead but not eaten and left in the living room. I stepped on it and it was stuck on my feet because bloody, sticky and all. I must had mastered all the trance dance in the world before it finally came off. Then it happened again, same exact scenario. Twice.

 

I'm not fearful of anything; spider, insects, snake, crocodile, bring them on! but I actually was afraid of lizard after those incidents, although I am not anymore.

 

Oh she also brought a half dead wild lizard (much bigger, slimy and with more color, not sure what it's called) to the floor I used to lay down in our shop. And when I was not interested with her invitation of free meal she devoured it in front of me. It was..tedious. Gah!

[Arcadia]

I can relate ... when we lived in Florida, some friends and I were out playing in the street, and I was, as usual, barefoot. I felt something go 'squish', looked down ... and I had stepped on a frog. It was thoroughly smushed. Ewwwww, gross! I went inside and put on shoes.
 
Horses sweat rather easily, and yes, they can be smelly. Not the same smell as sweaty humans, though. But they have their own way of dealing with it; they'll roll on the ground and take a dust bath. It just feels good to them, evidently. I remember after I bathed Midnight, nearly always the first thing he did after I let him go was lie down and roll in the dirt.
 
ETA:
Loyal and intelligent? I think they're like most other animals in that regard; some are, some aren't. Some are really good escape artists, for example; others can barely figure out how to exit their stall without directions. Mostly I just think of horses as calm, warm, patient, obedient and friendly ... unless they've been frightened or mistreated, then they can be pretty darn scary.

[Van Buren Supernova]

Loyal and intelligent? I think they're like most other animals in that regard; some are, some aren't.

 

That is applicable to human too.

 

...calm, warm, patient, obedient and friendly ...

Wait.. no really.

 

Happy to learn all those.

Google has everything, but I always prefer to learn stuffs from actual people. It must be nice to have a horse, they look very hug-able. When I was riding one, I kept worrying that I must be a burden for them, especially on difficult terrain, well, but I think it's actually not a problem for them.

[Van Buren Supernova]

Film camera, painful to use (although not as painful as the predecessors) but sooo good for privacy because not everyone can freely take pictures everywhere.

 

The way to take picture back then, one roll of film contains about 24, 36, 48 shots if I remember correctly. We had to install it properly indoor which was quite a challenge and we couldn't see the result before it's developed.

 

Nowadays almost everyone is able to snap pictures and views them instantly, deleting unwanted ones, experiments with the angle and lighting and print those pictures easily.

 

Back then, we were limited to the capacity therefore every shot was considered wisely. When it's full, the film cartridge needed to be changed. The film was then developed in the dark room and we kept the negatives for future development. Most of the times, amateur photographers would find that none of their pictures were satisfactory, as there was no way to check the result.

 

Negatives that makes all pictures look creepy.

[Arcadia]

I loved my SLR camera, but I don't regret the switch to digital. For the same price as my old Chinon, I have a Canon that takes far better pictures, 10 times as many of them, with more options, with a tenth of the effort, and about a twentieth of the weight. Plus I can print them right at home without chemicals or a dark room. The only thing I miss about my SLR is ... um ...

[J.P.]

I think installing cameras in smartphones was the most disastrous idea of the century so far.

[Arcadia]

I wouldn't go that far, but I agree, that's not my favorite innovation. Although I have one friend whose phone takes far better pictures than any camera I ever had. But she uses it appropriately, so it's all good.

 

What bothers me more is when students look up stuff on their smartphones during class. Er, no ... if I wanted you on the internet during class, I'd make it an online class. Focus, please.

 

We still have an old rotary phone attached to our land line. Anyone want to guess why?