Like dust in the wind...
Longtime commenter-extraordinaire tonyola sent in a link this morning about a truly surprising turn of events. It seems that, after 240 -odd years, the monolithic Encyclopaedia Britannica is ceasing to offer its flagship print edition. According to the company, maintaining the enormous set of books has simply become too costly in an era of instant information updates, and turned out to be largely redundant since the majority of their subscribers had purchased access to their always-current online encyclopaedia. The simple truth is, the beautiful bound volumes of knowledge from days of yore are simply out-of-date. Technology and the Internets have passed the old encyclopaedia by.
And, truth be told, that makes us a little sad. We grew up in the pre-Google days, back when Britannica was the Googles. It was the font of all knowledge, and the reliable source for anything you could want to know. Seeing that bastion of informationey goodness slowly shuffle off into the sunset is stepping away from a day we’ll never be able to go back to. Once these books are gone, they’re probably gone for good.
What bastion of the old world are you sad to see swept away by the march of technology?
I think print in general is dying a slow death. Newspapers and magazines are already struggling with lack of timeliness and big losses in advertising revenues. Tablets and e-readers are becoming cheaper and more universal. The new iPad offers a near-print-quality visual experience. Most new books are already available in digital form, and older books will continue to join them. It won't be a quick process at all, but purchasing ink-on-paper will slowly fade away.
I'm particularly saddened by what's happened to the newspaper industry … until I pick up a current copy of the local fishwrap and see how bad the product is.
Yes, they've become dinosaurs. The sorriest thing is that they're fighting the process of merging into the internet, which is the only future they have. They seem determined to kill themselves.
A big part of the newspaper slaughter can be boiled down to one word: Craigslist. Boom, there goes the classified ads.
My wife has a Kindle. I really like it, but I don't see myself embracing e-books anytime too soon. Most of my books for pleasure reading comes from either the Goodwill store or the local used book store that offers a good trade in credit. I don't see a good cheap way to acquire second hand e-books. Even Amazon seems to price e-books above mass market paperbacks when they are available.
This is one of the reasons why the transition from print will be slow – the sheer numbers of used books out there. It's not quite like the music industry where nearly everything has been digitized by now.
Also, I believe the one-trick devices like the Kindle are going to be short-lived, displaced by the ever-improving iPads and other tablets that offer so much more fun uses than the standalone e-readers can provide. I think the introduction of the "retina" display on the new iPad will eventually be a game-changer in favor of tablets.
Conversation with humans in public.
When is the last time you actually talked with someone you didn't know in a checkout line? Yeah, that's what I thought. Either you or they are too busy with a cell phone, tablet, etc etc.
Not me, had a conversation with the McD guy again this morning about my Volvo. A few days back the check-out lady at Ace about when she used to be a den mother. Oh wait yesterday it was two older women about Yellow Submarine while we were waiting in line.
Anyway I always liked the World Book encyclopedias better as a kid. The Britannica ones were harder for me to read and understand.
Don't admit that out loud!
World Book was written to a Grade 7 or 8 reading level, while Britannica was written to a Grade 10 or 11 reading level. (Either is still a really high level. Most magazines are written at about a Grade 3 or 4 reading level, and most popular novels are Grade 5 or 6.)
But World Book had much cooler pictures and illustrations. I seem to especially remember the ones of airplanes. World Book also had more color pictures.
That explains why I liked World Book better. Also, why it is still in print.
The big box retailer. Remember when instead of going to a local specialist who knew something about the products he or she sold, you could go to a mega center and be met with a blank stare after asking the simplest of questions? I miss those days.
/fingers crossed.
<img src="http://cache.ohinternet.com/images/2/24/I_see_what_you_did_there_super.jpg" width=350 />
Surprisingly, nobody had the Brittanica in the death pool. Good. All the money is
tied up in a Ponzi scheme run by my dogin a high-yield certificate of deposit.Carburetors, particularly when packaged in multiples.
<img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/1961_Ferrari_250_TR_61_Spyder_Fantuzzi_engine.jpg/640px-1961_Ferrari_250_TR_61_Spyder_Fantuzzi_engine.jpg" width=500>
I sort of miss 35mm film. Not for any particular qualities, but for quantity. If I shot a roll of 24 pics, between the cost of the film, the processing, and the prints, I was in for about ten bucks, so I made those shots count. Even if I never organized the pictures into albums, I could always pretty much find any pictures I wanted, even years later.
With digital, I probably have about a Tb of random pictures scattered among at least a half-dozen drives, some of which are still in computers that no longer boot. Many of those pictures could probably be deleted because of lighting, blur, or composition errors.
I lost my respect for Britannica's online material after my futile attempt at getting them to correct several glaring errors present within the span of just a few short sentences:
http://www.britannica.com/bps/additionalcontent/1…
Yeah, sure, there's a disclaimer that the content was provided by EBSCO and merely posted by Britannica, but overall I was left with the distinct impression that neither EBSCO nor Britannica particularly cares whether their information is correct. I can understand the typos in the excerpt, but someone at EBSCO wrote that initial summary, botched it horribly, then moved on with apparently no mechanism available for revision. I doubt that's an effective way to maintain a reputation for authoritative reliability. Their motto, after all, is "Facts matter."
Not that I'm bitter.
"This page has been viewed 1 times"
Well, of course. How can anyone be expected to find it if my name is misspelled?
"Health and Space Sciences"? How did that come about?
You can see what I'm up against. I've got to wonder at what point it becomes libel….
Why should they listen to you? You're just some guy from the internet. If they made corrections based on input from random internet dudes, they would be Wikipedia, not Britannica. http://lastamericanpirate.net/
I'm sorry, but EB is right and you are mistaken with your so-called corrections.
I'm not "just some guy from the internet." I'm from the UW Department of Earth and…. Ah. Right. I see the problem.
Popcorn makers. They're not gone but I can't believe how few people know proper popcorn anymore. Good popcorn at home DOESN'T COME FROM A BAGGIE IN THE MICROWAVE.
We recently went retro with a hand-cranked popper that sits on the stove. Unfortunately, my kids are still conditioned to pop a bag in the microwave and my wife to supporting the Cub Scouts.
Ahh, the fund raiser. Never in my life have I seen a better reason to overpay for product. I have no use for sandwich cookies, raw cookie dough in a pail, pre-popped flavored popcorn, nuts covered in cheap milk chocolate (or at least a close approximation of chocolate) – and yet I have bought all of these things because a child came to my door selling it. I'm not complaining, I think the fundraiser factor plays some kind of mental trick that improves the flavor.
Bottle drive kids. You still profit, it doesn't cost me anything, and I don't get fat(ter).
<img src="http://www.motivationals.org/demotivational-posters-1/demotivational-poster-34187.jpg" width="500">
We sold the unpopped kernels! Wait no nobody bought them, so I guess they did not sell.
You can take a paper bag and do your own in the microwave. Turns out pretty good.
These are having a resurgence right now, actually. When CaffeineFuelled was picking out hers, she had to choose from about 15 different models — and that's just the oil-popper machines, not the hot-air poppers. And, now that we have one, the number of people who obsess about their popcorn and its quality is quite astonishing. There are forums and webpages with thousands of posts about how to get the best popcorn. I think it's a niche market, but it's one that's thriving.
But does it come from a cheap foil-covered pan from the stovetop?
<img src="http://www.theimpulsivebuy.com/images/jiffypop.jpg">
I dunno – you never get burned kernels in a microwave plus good microwave popcorn seems to have a better popped/unpopped ratio. Microwaves and popcorn seem to have been a good match.
It's easier to avoid burned kernels in the microwave, but I've burned more in the microwave than I have in my air popper. In fact, I don't think I've ever burned any in an air popper.
Like most things, technology has brought us a compromise between good and easy. Microwave popcorn ranges from awful to decent, and is definitely easy – especially with most microwaves having a popcorn setting.
Old fashioned oil popped popcorn definitely requires more effort, is easy to screw up, and can be horrific. But done right it can be divine.
You should try this sometime: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/pl…
*sigh* Must people always point out my hypocrisy?
I'll admit I have a stack of brown paper lunch baggies just for making homespun microwave popcorn – despite my comments above. A couple of tips to build on Alton's recipe:
- Olive oil isn't the only oil to use. I've used canola. The oil you choose will affect the flavor so get creative.
- I'm not sure why all homebrew microwave popcorn tips tell you to use tape or staples. Just fold the top over twice and make sure to crease it well.
- Put a pinch of sugar in there along with the salt.
Instead of jalapeno, try using Tabasco. To me, cayenne is a tastier pepper.
I usually use a Creole or Cajun seasoning.
Ever used roasted jalapeno? They have an amazing flavor. More like a NM green chile, less 'green' tasting than a raw jalapeno, a little more sweet with a really nice flavor. I'd take them any day over cayenne (don't get me wrong, cayenne is great, but this is better).
Where would you store the bloody thing? They're the size of a medium hot water heater. And can you really eat that much popcorn? I always got kernel skins stuck between my teeth, back when I had them.
A lot of people these days add them as decor to their media rooms. In your house, that would be the room with the Victrola.
To get back to the original question. Finely crafted firearms made from blued steel and wood. Sure today's plastic and stainless or latest wonder coating guns are great, but there is no beauty there. Most guns now are either built to a price point or "tactical" with all sorts of bells and whistles hanging off of them. What had you rather have and pass down to your children:
This?
<img src="http://www.lasersightpro.com/image_manager/attributes/image/image_12/1097543631_4240387537_thumbnail.jpg"width=500>
Or this?
<img src="http://207.65.1.184/images/update004.jpg"width=500>
I've said this many times, but the vast majority of people aren't willing to pay for hand crafted goods. They would rather pay a pittance for something mass produced that will do the job, but has no real beauty, or 'soul', if you will.
Myself, I'd much prefer the the weapon in the lower picture (a .38 special? The cartridges don't look right).
I find it interesting to compare the 1st world with India and China (still) in that regard. Hand made ('crafted' has not-universally applicable connotations) goods are so much cheaper because there is such a volume of labour available.
The crossover from handmade being the best available to most people to being luxury goods seems like a major milestone in economic development. Somebody's probably written a paper on it, doing a much better job of defining it than I can.
An example: Gandhi resisted the industrialization of India by foreign firms and used the spinning wheel as a symbol of preferring India-made goods to imports. While it was an admirable goal that was part of India's movement towards independence, the anti-industrial attitude also meant that wages had to be kept really low to keep Indian-made goods competitive in the world markets against machine-made, mass-produced goods produced elsewhere. The end result was decades of relative poverty and low living standards in the face of rising population. Now that India has embraced industrialization over the last couple of decades, the standards of living have risen dramatically and there is now a large middle class. Of course, all this introduces a new set of problems – energy dependence, pollution, etc.
I had to look up where I found the picture. It is a custom conversion to .38-40 http://207.65.1.184/gunnotes.html
Eh, I've never heard of a .38-40 handgun before. My grandfather used to have a nice lever action .38-40 rifle until he traded it for something worthless, I forget what. He always did stupid shit like that.
"Do you have books?"
[youtube qXFFk8Z3bWM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXFFk8Z3bWM youtube]
Hmmm, he must work for an inner-city public school.
There's a bar near here (Queen west, Toronto) called The Rhino that used to have one running non-stop. It was on a free, help yourself basis. One day they packed it away to the basement for no reason anyone can remember. I would boycott the place but they have a great selection of beers on tap. Maybe they'd let it go cheap.
I told you to stop shopping in your lab coat. You're attracting the patients.
Using the phonebook…
No not really, but I have found a few really great vendors I still use today through playing "Phonebook Roulette".