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Author Topic: THE WITH IT AND HAPPENING ME  (Read 24888 times)

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Dan (the Man)

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Re: THE WITH IT AND HAPPENING ME
« Reply #30 on: August 11, 2009, 07:02:45 AM »

I heard last night that ALLY MCBEAL Season One will be out sometime this year.  Something else to add to my Christmas list!
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And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.
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elmore3003

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Re: THE WITH IT AND HAPPENING ME
« Reply #31 on: August 11, 2009, 07:04:31 AM »

Good morning, all! I have another trek to Toyland this morning for a meeting on the State of the Project, which will probably leave me in a State of Shock.

I slept poorly again last night, proving that a good night of sleep is not necessarily followed by another. I took no meds but the leg ached, I could not get comfortable, nothing went right. It wasn't fun. I did read a fascinating chapter on the creation of SIMON BOCCANEGRA in Julian Budden's definitive 3-volume tome The Operas pf Verdi before turning out the light. Between HARRY POTTER, THE CLOSER, and KATHY GRIFFIN I had an exciting night of viewing, so maybe that screwed up the sleeping pattern. Who can tell?

Time to head South to 27th Street.
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Dan (the Man)

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Re: THE WITH IT AND HAPPENING ME
« Reply #32 on: August 11, 2009, 07:06:34 AM »

Page Two Ally McBeal Creepy Baby Dance:

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Matt H.

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Re: THE WITH IT AND HAPPENING ME
« Reply #33 on: August 11, 2009, 07:09:44 AM »

TOD:

In terms of video technology, I've been one of the "early adopters." I bought the first generation of videocasette recorders: the RCA Selectavision in the late 1970s.

I bought three laserdisc machines during their lifetime, all Pioneer brands.

I bought a DVD player within the first year of its national rollout. (It originally was only offered in six locales for the first six months, and Charlotte wasn't one of them). My first DVD player was a Panasonic.

I bought my first Blu-ray player within six months of its introduction: the Sony Playstation3. I have played only movies on it. I have never bought a single game for the device.

I am on my third widescreen HDTV. My first was a Toshiba 42." Then I got a JVC 52" and now have a Samsung 56".

And yet, I do not have an ipod or any kind of mp3 device. I listen to music the "old fashioned" way either by LP and CD player.

I bought my first home computer in 1984 - the Atari 800XL. I couldn't believe how much easier and more enjoyable writing became using a word processor instead of writing in a typewriter.
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Ginny

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Re: THE WITH IT AND HAPPENING ME
« Reply #34 on: August 11, 2009, 07:13:21 AM »

Tuesday morning greetings!  Our houseguest just left to spend the day at the hospital with her dad and Richard just left to teach Bible study at the nearby Episcopal church.  I'm going to putter a bit, then get myself ready to do some errands.
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Ginny

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Re: THE WITH IT AND HAPPENING ME
« Reply #35 on: August 11, 2009, 07:13:59 AM »

Cincinnati will host the World Choir Games in 2012 - the first time the event will be staged in the USA.

So who wants to stay in our guest room?
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Charles Pogue

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Re: THE WITH IT AND HAPPENING ME
« Reply #36 on: August 11, 2009, 07:16:27 AM »

We don't have a Blu-Ray Player and don't plan on getting one. We don't have a large screen, flat screen, LCD or plasma television and don't plan on getting one. We don't have cable anymore since June 12 (we do have a digital converter box and rabbit ears) and don't plan on re-subscribing anytime during my lifetime. We don't have an e-Book reader or a Kindle and don't plan on getting one. We don't have an mp3 player or an i-pod and don't plan on getting one. If I put on a CD I want to listen to it, I don't want one song from Column A and one song from Column Q and then a song from Column B, etc. I know you don't have to shuffle through your music on a player but it's not worth the effort (for me) to load my CDs on to my computer and then load them onto a media player just to have music as I walk down the street. In the time that takes I could listen to a CD! Plus, I can listen to my beloved BBC on the computer at work or at home anytime I want.

We do have a CD player, a computer, high-speed Internet service and e-mail addresses, a digital camera, a digital video camera, a record player and two pay as you go cell phones. We only bought into that idea last year right around this time. If Anthony had not gone to Wisconsin I doubt that we would have them. I got 1200 minutes on my cell phone along with a year of service. In the year that we have had the phones I still have 1065 minutes left. That shows you how much I use it. Yes, I could get a "plan" and pay $20 or $30 or $40 a month, but why bother (as Bette Midler said in a song or movie, I forget which). It's the reason we canceled cable television. We don't watch it enough to justify even $25 a month. I don't want to pay $20 a month for something I'm not going to use.

In spite of all this I feel completely with it and happening. I am totally technologically literate and comfortable with the technology that surrounds me, I just don't need to immerse myself in all aspects of it.

Thus ends Curmudgeon News Update ;)
 

I'm not quite the Luddite Ben is, but close.   I do have flat screens and cable...though I just got rid of a Showtime, Cinemax, Starz, and the Movie Channel...because I never watch them.  I kept HBO for Bill Maher and Encore for the Westerns Channel.   I seem to be keeping various packages on the cable system (Warner) solely for one or two stations like TCM or BBCAmerica.   I wish you could make your own package, because of the huge swath of channels available, I only watch about five or six with any regularity, if that.

I don't have i-pods or any of that.  I don't really use shuffle features on CD players, or know half of what my cell phone does.  I will never, never read a book on a device like kindle.  Holding the book, flipping the pages, smelling it, seeing it sitting on a shelf, is part of the joy of owning a book.
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Matt H.

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Re: THE WITH IT AND HAPPENING ME
« Reply #37 on: August 11, 2009, 07:16:53 AM »

On TV TOnight!™

ABC - WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE?, BETTER OFF TED (an hour, season finale), PRIMETIME: THE OUTSIDERS
NBC - AMERICA'S GOT TALENT
CBS - BIG BROTHER 11
FOX - HELL'S KITCHEN, MORE TO LOVE
BRA - NYC PREP (season finale), MIAMI SOCIAL
FOOD - THE BEST THING, CHOPPED
FX   - RESCUE ME
SYFY - WAREHOUSE 13
TNT - HAWTHORNE, SAVING GRACE
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JMK

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Re: THE WITH IT AND HAPPENING ME
« Reply #38 on: August 11, 2009, 07:26:13 AM »

Kerry, yes, I think you are correct.  It definitely looks like Stephen McHattie.  You win the prize.  Of course, there is no prize.
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JMK

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Re: THE WITH IT AND HAPPENING ME
« Reply #39 on: August 11, 2009, 07:30:06 AM »

In honor of the Cass TV special, I listened to Mama's Big Ones this morning.  The 60s really were a wonderland of "carousel" orchestration, weren't they?  :)
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JMK

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Re: THE WITH IT AND HAPPENING ME
« Reply #40 on: August 11, 2009, 07:37:36 AM »

In honor of Bronn Journey, I ran forward four steps, paused, dragged my left foot back a degree and then fell over.
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ArnoldMBrockman

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Re: THE WITH IT AND HAPPENING ME
« Reply #41 on: August 11, 2009, 07:39:22 AM »

Does Anyone know if CHICAGO HOPE is due to be released on DVD?
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Ben

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Re: THE WITH IT AND HAPPENING ME
« Reply #42 on: August 11, 2009, 07:55:17 AM »

We do have a DVD player. I forgot to mention that in my early morning missive.

It's brand new, purchased on Sunday from Best Buy. It's a combo unit playing both VHS tapes and DVDs (not DVD's). We still have tapes to view so we decided to get the Sony combo. I hope it lasts longer than the Panasonic we got 3.5 years ago.
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Ben

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Re: THE WITH IT AND HAPPENING ME
« Reply #43 on: August 11, 2009, 07:57:07 AM »

If I could choose my own package I might go back to cable. As CP said, there is just a wide swath on the frequency that I don't watch.

I don't believe the cable companies when they say it would cost more or they couldn't do it. Of course they could do it and for a reasonable price, they just don't want to do it.
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Matt H.

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Re: THE WITH IT AND HAPPENING ME
« Reply #44 on: August 11, 2009, 07:59:06 AM »

Heading down now to tend to a few household chores and then will check the mail and start on lunch.

WBBL.
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Ron Pulliam

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Re: THE WITH IT AND HAPPENING ME
« Reply #45 on: August 11, 2009, 08:18:41 AM »

I've just finished reading today's column, and I have to say I'm chuckling a bit.

I mean, come on.....BK FINALLY moves into the 21st Century!  Who'd a thunk it??!!

I can't wait to read his reactions to HD TV....especially when the new TV season begins...or when "Lost" begins airing in January 2010.

Keep in mind, Bruce...just because you'll be getting HD channels does not ALWAYS mean the station will be showing a move in optimal HD forma.  Oh, it's almost always true.  But sometimes, someone falls asleep at the switch and the movie becomes a rectangle with a wide black frame. 

And beware of everything TBS airs on its HD channel.  It may be an HD signal, but they don't generally bother to ensure the programming is anamorphic, meaning everything and everyone in all the programming is stretched out and just plain WRONG-looking.   Cannot fathom the mindset behind it, but there it is.


That said, this is not a common enough occurrence to be alarmed.  It's one of those things that will annoy you, and you should know in advance that it can happen.
« Last Edit: August 11, 2009, 08:38:26 AM by Ron Pulliam »
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MBarnum

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Re: THE WITH IT AND HAPPENING ME
« Reply #46 on: August 11, 2009, 08:19:53 AM »

TOD:

I don't jump into the new technology right away. I wait a bit to see how others feel about it and for the prices to go down.

I got my first CD player around 1991 or so, around the time that the cassette tape racks were being reduced and the CD racks had taken over.

I first had cable television in 1972 and have had it ever since. I now get around 500 or so channels and watch only about 3 or 4 of them, at most...TCM, Encore Westerns, CBS, ABC, NBC, and some brand new channel that just started called THIS, which is currently running old shows like SEA HUNT and THE PATTY DUKE SHOW.

Got my first computer in 1996 or 1997. Had dial up internet until a couple of years ago.

First digital camera...don't remember when I got that, but I love it.

I don't think I got a cordless phone until around 1996 or so.

Did not get a microwave until 1998.

I was also late to the table for LCD Wide Screen TV and cell phones. The cell phone does come in very handy at times and I LOVE my LCD tv.

I am all for new technology but like to wait and watch before jumping in. There are some things, like Iphones and what nots that I have not found a need for as yet

I have yet to get an MP3 player, although I would love to have one to  take to the gym.

I do still use a record player, but only because there are so many albums not yet on CD.

I rarely use my VHS machine and never play cassettes.

Still don't have a dish washer.
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Ben

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Re: THE WITH IT AND HAPPENING ME
« Reply #47 on: August 11, 2009, 08:22:09 AM »

TOD:

Still don't have a dish washer.


We don't have a dishwasher either. I think I got the microwave around 1999 or 2000. We do have a cordless phone but also have a back up corded land line for emergencies.
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MBarnum

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Re: THE WITH IT AND HAPPENING ME
« Reply #48 on: August 11, 2009, 08:23:09 AM »

RLP is correct. I love watching shows like SURVIVOR, THE OFFICE and DESP. HOUSEWIVES on HD! Even the local evening news ( I did notice that the newscasters had to eventually adjust their make-up. LOL. A couple of them looked very scary at first, on HD)
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MBarnum

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Re: THE WITH IT AND HAPPENING ME
« Reply #49 on: August 11, 2009, 08:24:11 AM »

I have a corded phone as well, in the bedroom. Unfortunately the phone jack in that room does not work.

Must get the Comcast guy to come and fix that one of these days.
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MBarnum

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Re: THE WITH IT AND HAPPENING ME
« Reply #50 on: August 11, 2009, 08:29:58 AM »

Now, if I were wealthy, I would likely have all the new technologies...I am sure they would come in handy, even if I don't currently know in what way.
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Ron Pulliam

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Re: THE WITH IT AND HAPPENING ME
« Reply #51 on: August 11, 2009, 08:32:31 AM »

TOD:  I, too, bought an RCA Selectavision VCR, and it served me well for a few years.  It certainly had some snazzy features, and it's slo-mo feature was the best I've ever seen. 

Unfortunately, I was also an investor in RCA's Capacitance Electronic Disc system.  It was going to be that or laserdisc, but I was assured by the salesman (whose commission would have been larger had I gone with laser) that the laser system was fraught with software problems...many laserdiscs were being returned because they would not play.

On the other hand, he told me, the new CED system (this was circa 1982) was selling and performing beautifully...AND, many titles were being issued on CED discs before being issued on laser, PLUS they were priced better on CED than they were on VHS tapes.

So....I paid my $300 and bought loads and loads of CED discs.  I had "Laura" before it was ever issued on laser or VHS.  I bought "Star Wars" when it was first issued...and it was at a very nice price.  I bought all the MGM musicals, "The Sound of Music" and "Ben-Hur" as they were issued.  Then came "South Pacific".  And on and on.  And I loved them.  They played very nicely.

And then CED died.  Miserably.   Even faster than Beta.  Of course, I invested in laser.  And just as things were going great guns and my colleciton was growing nicely, someone dreamed up DivX, or whatever it was....a disc that would give you limited rental plays.  The consumer could see a film three times but NOT own it.  Hollywood loved the idea.  Happily the public did not.  And then came the DVD...and...oh, well.

Flash forward to two years ago.  A high-def format war was underway.  HD DVD was affordable at the time and Blu-ray was not.  Warner Brothers was issuing on both formats.  Universal was exclusively HD-DVD.  Fox and Columbia were exclusively BD.  And then Paramount, which had been BD, switched sides and declared for HD-DVD.  And it all made perfect sense.  The quality was THE SAME, but the price tag was much lower for both player and discs.  Sales of both formats were sluggish.  WB was expected to make an announcement at a convention that would seal the deal for HD-DVD.  Before that happened, however, WB's chief HD-DVD proponent announced she was leaving the company but that everything was still on track.  And then the announcement that NO ONE expected...WB was throwing in exclusively with BD.

Happily, today, WB has been the one honorable studio in the whole brouhaha with its red2blu exchange program, giving those of us who bought its HD-DVD product the opportunity to swap it (figuratively) for the BD versions.  For a nominal fee and the cover art on the HD-DVD discs, WB would replace up to 25 discs.  I've gotten 24 replacements and feel somewhat happier about it.

My HD-DVD player is still a top-of-the line upconverting DVD player and my HD-DVDs continue to play beautifully, as well.

Still....it has left me somewhat bemused that the more expensive formats have tended to win out over the less expensive, but equally good formats.
« Last Edit: August 11, 2009, 08:36:25 AM by Ron Pulliam »
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Jeanne

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Re: THE WITH IT AND HAPPENING ME
« Reply #52 on: August 11, 2009, 09:16:56 AM »

Good morning, everyone.

I, too, had a bad night. I had a flare-up of a very worrisome problem. This time, DR Laura, I will ask for any HHW vibes our DRs can send. And now I must see if my doctor can fit me in for an unscheduled appointment.

Thanks!
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bk

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Re: THE WITH IT AND HAPPENING ME
« Reply #53 on: August 11, 2009, 09:18:48 AM »

Loving the posts, especially the ones that are answering all the questions (see Dan The Man).  Oh, and I'm up.
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bk

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Re: THE WITH IT AND HAPPENING ME
« Reply #54 on: August 11, 2009, 09:20:06 AM »

I got my first turntable (as opposed to record player) somewhere in the late 1960s - not sure which brand I got, but it wasn't great.  I always wanted a Thorens turntable, but never got one.  I think the priciest turntable I owned was a very expensive Garrard.  It was fantastic.
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bk

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Re: THE WITH IT AND HAPPENING ME
« Reply #55 on: August 11, 2009, 09:21:19 AM »

I was one of the first to get a car phone that wasn't tied to the car - it needed nothing attached to the car at all, so one could use it in the car or out of the car.  This was back in 1989 or 1990, I think. 
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td

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Re: THE WITH IT AND HAPPENING ME
« Reply #56 on: August 11, 2009, 09:21:43 AM »

~~~~~MEGA VIBES FOR DR JEANNE~~~~~
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bk

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Re: THE WITH IT AND HAPPENING ME
« Reply #57 on: August 11, 2009, 09:23:10 AM »

I was very late in coming to the microwave oven, because it gave me the creeps.  I think the first time I ever had one was in the early 1990s. 
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Laura

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Re: THE WITH IT AND HAPPENING ME
« Reply #58 on: August 11, 2009, 09:24:22 AM »

Vibes and prayers to DR Jeanne, who must need them, because she is usually very quiet about such things.
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bk

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Re: THE WITH IT AND HAPPENING ME
« Reply #59 on: August 11, 2009, 09:24:55 AM »

My first VCR was probably in the early 1980s - a Beta machine - I still have it and it still works.  After Beta died, I got a cheap VHS player.  I was a very early adopter with laserdiscs - one of the first Pioneer gaseous machines.  I remember marveling at how amazing Hatari looked - if you saw that original laserdisc today, you'd be shocked at how awful it is.
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