Rant and survey

Status
This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.
US Elections aside (where NOTHING great ever seems to be produced), lets all play safe this year and stretch our minds to continue to build some of the worlds best audio equipment.

As a wrapup of '07.here is a 30,000 foot view of my last year:


'07
-Skin Cancer just under my eye
-Diabetes
-Fibromyalgia
-Migraines
-Built a GainClone-ish type kit - never could get it to work well
-Work related move - cross country. From Scottsdale, Arizona to Cleveland, Ohio (Everyone asks WTF?)
-The move was all arraigned by the wife's employer. They took care of EVERYTHING. They even called us when the truck with all of our possessions burned to the ground. Clothes, Kitchen Stuff, TV (TV?!?!), and the hard part: 25 years of collecting CD and (mainly) vinyl music, All gone! I bought my Linn Sondek in 1984, and had kept it up to date over the years. Ittok II, Cirkus, Magik with Phono. Mimik II, a pair of Tukans, and pair of Kabers. Even a few pieces of old Audio Alchemy equipment. Plus the requisite Linn sponsored stands. Even Linn themselves say the cost to replace this stuff new: ~USD35K. An entire life represented by a check that will not rebuild a former lifestyle. And a body and brain that can't rebuild squat,


'08
-Finally fixed the issue with the GainClone (weird issue, if anyone is interested)
-Started building the DX HRII (I have GOOD feelings bout this one)
-Working with a new doctor that may be able to help SOME of the symptoms of Fibromyalgia and Migraine...we'll see.
-Slowly, but surely putting music back into my life through the wonderful collective of people that makes DIYAudio.con such a wondeful place.

Which brings me to a debate question:
I legally bought movies and music(on DVD and CD), and they we all destroyed in a fire. Of course the insurance company settled for pennies on the dollar, not nearly enough to replace the titles) Can I feel morally right downloading the pirated content? Would I even be consider a pirate at that time, I'm just retrieving what had been mine, and I never sold to anyone else (since the settlement worked out that way)

Any thoughts?

Dazed and Confused
Salesmonster
 
Genuinely sorry to hear about your medical problems. Hopefully 2008 will bring you more luck.

The burnt Linn is certainly a pity, but also an opportunity to try out something else. Luckily there has never been so much choice in high quality tts as there is today. The lost LPs are of course a different issue. Very sad.

The less you discuss the moral and legal repercussions of getting back what once was yours the better. Too bad your neighbours killed Demonoid :)

Best of luck and health in 2008.
 
Should the record company executive feel guilty about sending lawyers to sue 12 year old file traders? Or about buying congressmen and senators? Of course they SHOULD. But do they? Of course not!

You should not feel a bit of guilt about downloading anything you find out there.

Netflix is a good source of DVDs rips to replace your lost discs.

I_F
 
As much as it pains me, I'm not taking the easy route and downloading.

What kills me are all of the old back-catalog items (mostly LPs) that will never get re-released in any newer format...now I have to troll eBay to find them.

To top it off, the industry execs have tried throughout the years to even close down used record stores, saying the license belonged to the person who bought the original, and that it can't be transfered. I imagine that someday, they will go after a few sellers on eBay to prove a point. Hopefully eBay (with their bigger guns) would stand up for their customers.

Personally, I can't blame the RIAA for being the jerks they've become. They are following the letter of the law. The laws that they lobbied for and our salaried congress-critters passed. So, in a circular way, WE are to blame. We are the ones that voted in the people that created the current situation where big business is allowed to write the laws FOR the legislative branch, so they don't have to bother. Boy, if I could write MY own laws? No more Chihuahuas, they aren't really dogs.

:)

As for my rant, I was just feeling the loss a bit more than usual today. Moving from the desert (toasty, warm) to the snow belt (it's snowing right now, my dog can't even find the grass), and then having your stuff not arrive can make you cranky. The good thing is that it was a catharsis, a cleansing by fire, of all of that junk that builds up in your life.

And the best thing about the fire, I had been a lurker here for years. I had wanted to pull out the soldering iron and actually DOING instead of BUYING. But I had a complete system that I was content with. I knew it could be better. I knew I could add my own satisfaction and pride as well. I just needed a kick in the pants to get me started.

I have already completed a gainclone, and it sounds better than the Linn Majik it replaces.

I'm currently building a much bigger discreet amp, The DX HRII, which I anticipate will be a giant killer.

And down the road, I may even tackle a turntable, something that will outperform the LP-12 that was lost. Why not...I can find all the information and inspiration I need right here!
 
Firstly, I can only imagine how you and your wife must feel. So many insignificant little things, but the significant memories connected to those little things that they remind you of are still there, just no longer on automatic retreival when you see that ugly teapot aunt Doris gave you.

I think you are morally right to recover what media you had, but only if your insurance payout has fallen short. However the law will not see it that way. Be careful and I hope you live in a remote area, that way it's easier for them to prosecute someone else if they wish to make an example of someone. This forum is a public record, be careful.

We went through a move like that a few years ago Dave, fortunately our gear was not lost. It did force us to catalog everything we own, We took it a step further and listed every single item we had and it was amazing how much stuff there was. We were insured for less than a third of the replacement value of our stuff, not to mention the memories and heirlooms. The insurance company thought we were over-insured as it was, now they think we're just crazy.

I saw a pretty cool turntable made from a stack of plywood, a harley davidson inlet valve, an old stereo amplifier (to drive the stepper motor) and an old PC (to generate the waveform to drive the stepper).
 
We are going the legal route in replacing files...we just bought our first new DVDs the other day (Season One of Arrested Development if anyone is interested).

What really hurts is to think that I'm replacing an LP with a CD (or an MP3!). I'm not trying to rehash the old analog vs. digital debate, but I know, in my old system, (with a $1600 CD player!), CD was crushed every time. So many pieces of vinyl that'll never be pressed again. and things don't look like we will hear much better on the quality front. Every time a better format is introduced, the market sways to the lesser format.

Anyway, it's more the loss that stings. Every time you reach for something that isn't there. Or think about an old war relic handed down through generations. Plus, I was moaning a lot about my loss...I'm feeling a bit better today.

The general question I guess I was trying to ask in the first post, was how do we view licenses? If you buy a CD, do you feel obligated to buy the MP3s instead of ripping them yourself? Or clipping a snippet out of a file for a ringtone instead of buying that too? In no way I'm I advocating piracy. I do feel that artists deserve to be paid. The question is, how many times should I have to pay for a song?
 
There are religions in which too strong attachments to our worldly possesions is a sin....

But, I feel for you, we have all lost things, people and pieces of ourselves that can not be replaced... but we could not take those things to the final destination in life anyway... and there is no point in dwelling on the bad...

I have only shared my medical condition/s with a few people on the site as I don't like special treatment... I have real sympathy and empathy with you.
 
Status
This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.