neveronfriday

So, we can therefore conclude that, since at some point you became a paying customer, it is you who A. was delusional B. found himself lured into Rapdishare's web of deceit. And, like a victim of the Stockholm Syndrome, or maybe a long-term cult member, you can't brook any criticism of your group. Thanks a lot, reading first really did help me understand it all. Dan, it's always fun watching you go off the rails. Let's just assume that you fit the general populace over on Rapidshare (and I'm sure you do), then you are one of millions of people (also) using the service to get stuff illegally. Of course you're now going to shout "No! Not me!" but I don't think anyone is going to believe you. So, what you are in fact doing here is beating your fists on the table like a two-year old yelling "Want! Want! Want! ... For free, because they SAID so." It's laughable, really. You could at least pay some cash while ripping people off. Disclaimer: I'm not a huge fan of Rapidshare, but it works fine once you are a paying customer. That's all. Besides, other services (which I also use once in a while) have similar shortcomings. I'm just really tired of people who insist that what they rip off from other people should, in addition, be totally free of charge. That's not only delusional, it's stupid. Waiting for your top-spin return. Should be fun. Ah, and don't forget to say hello to your very own cult, those Megaupload people.

We heard you the first time, but apparently Dan's reply (which I heartily agree with) did not sink in. The fact that their fee for service works well is irrelevant to his point. Rapidshare sucks because they are lying about their free "service". It is not unreasonable to expect a functional free service IF THEY SAY THEY OFFER SUCH A THING, WHICH THEY DO. But that service effectively does not exist. Ergo, RAPIDSHARE SUCKS, regardless of whether their "service for a fee" is great or not, because they are lying about their free "service". They are purporting to offer something which they do not actually offer. This isn't about naivete about how services like Rapidshare operate. We all understand the whole bait and switch technique, no need to lecture us on that. The point is that it is fair to expect an online business to provide what they say they provide, and call them out on it if they don't. You know, actually reading what people wrote helps prevent getting high blood pressure. I'll repeat it for you and mark the passage in bold letters (much easier to see, I guess): "Not much on the Internet is really for free, and Rapidshare is the Devil's den when it comes around to luring delusional people into its web of deceit." Clear enough? If you read that again, it pretty much covers what you were yelling about. Like I said, reading first helps.

"[...] as opposed to the sloping hinged lid of the original design, it now has a shoebox type lid.[...]" Amazon.co.uk

Fair enough, although I would add this (note the smiley): Anyone expecting free service from an outfit like Rapidshare either has a screw loose or is seriously delusional. Cheers! Obviously you are unaware that up until recently - maybe 3 months ago - the free service was indeed FREE and CONSISTENT and USEFUL to users who have no reason to pay for the service due to infrequent use. You waited longer to download, you had download limitations, and the downloads took longer. BUT THE SERVICE WAS PROVIDED. Now, one can wait hours to get access to a free slot. Perhaps your last comment should be amended to "anyone who doesn't know how Rapidshare has attempted to force free users to pay shouldn't make delusional comments about how the service works for those who don't wish to pay." And why should Rapidshare be any different from megaupload when megaupload offers a free level of service that consistently delivers what is promised? Rapidshare SUCKS DONKEY DICKS and that is no delusion. I've been a paying customer for years. Service works fine. I can only repeat: People who think that services like Rapidshare won't screw them over as free customers are delusional. Not much on the Internet is really for free, and Rapidshare is the Devil's den when it comes around to luring delusional people into its web of deceit. @Clifford: I can only speak for myself, but despite the singular server glitch here and there (re-download after a download seems corrupted or non-existent), the service has been well worth the investment. Disclaimer: I'm on a slow connection and have no idea how Rapidshare works with these bionic connections that allow you to download a house in 5 minutes flat.

Best guess would be to clear all cookies/traces of O on your PC and login anew. I've had similar issues in the past and was able to fix 'em that way. Secondly, if you post while the server is busy (or your own connection is slow or temporarily f*cked up), things like that can happen as well. Your browser can't "patch through" and, if you're lucky, what you conceived for the general populace to see is still available via the back button*. *This NEVER works for me if the post happens to be a long-ass one.

Fair enough, although I would add this (note the smiley): Anyone expecting free service from an outfit like Rapidshare either has a screw loose or is seriously delusional. Cheers!

Very sorry to hear this (although early retirement - if you can handle the financial aspects, which you said you can - ain't as bad as it might look right now). Being a teacher myself, I'm seeing an increasing tendency here (= Germany) to go "the American way" ... the lowering of standards (which is actually just a lowering of investment = money), etc., bla, bla, bla. All of this is done from a "leftist" perspective that screams about benefits and equality while completely ignoring achievement and other related issues. It's sickening to see a bunch of frustrated politicians (once you Google their high school scores, many were dismal) making decisions in the educational field that won't bite them in the ass ... they'll bite future generations in the ass ... and various other parts. Anecdote: About a year ago, the secretary of education asked for about one billion of extra investment into education. Our chancellor said that there was no money at all left to finance that kind of demand. Two months later, when the auto industry was about to go belly-up (plus the financial crisis spreading throughout the economy), she suddenly had 43 billion (!) she could pull from her stash (and that was just for starters!!) within 24 hours. Makes you wonder, doesn't it? I'm the eternal cynic, but you don't have to be one to know that things will hit the fan by about 2020. By that time, accountability will have disappeared into the mists of history (once again). Frustrating. Jeff: Good luck and all the best to you! Volkher

No it doesn't. At all. Too many people are turning this into a "religious" issue. I have a pro account and I might have one single error once a month, at the most. Haven't had any this year. Has worked flawlessly for years.

Don't worry It's an excellent set and the only thing you might have to do is go through an e-mail exchange with Sony/Columbia US.

a) I hope the seller will take responsibility if there is anything wrong. - If you are lucky, yes. b) Are all the old sets bad? - Yes (with very, very few exceptions). c) Is there glue on the actual CDs?? - Yes, lots of it at times (up to 20 CDs and more) There was a remodeled set ("shoe box") for a while and, if your set is screwed-up, you can try Sony/Columbia for a replacement (see link elsewhere in this thread). I'm sure they still have the remodeled boxed set. They have been slow in replacing the sets, but - in the end - I think they came through for everyone. My personal observation: Lots of marketplace dealers and eBay vendors are offloading the crummy sets at the moment.

Just quickly. First of all, thanks for the replies. I'm a bit amazed at the unwavering Taiyo Yuden support. Just one example: The first batches of their "WaterShield" printables were absolutely dismal. I was interested in hearing, for example, if people have had better experience with these recently. I encounter the same thing in every forum - mention the name Taiyo Yuden, and you always get the same response: If it doesn't work, one must have bought a rip-off. Simply not true. The above-mentioned burnables (WaterShield) had absolutely horrible test results (errors, unburnable, unreadable, etc.) when they came out and I haven't heard much good about them since (actually, I haven't heard much at all about them recently, although they are still sold). So far, The Kodak Gold seems like a recommendation to go for (the only one, so far). Does anyone have more? As to my HD array and the burnable/HD/tape question: Just call it a "collector's" thing. 'Nuff said.

Amazon (UK/Germany/...) has started churning out the f*cked-up sets again. They ran out of the remodeled "shoe box" one (gone for good, as far as I understand). The cynic in me just loves it. You really have to hand it to Sony/Columbia for that one.

Up for air (1x). 2x sometime next week.

I already have 16 external drives.

I've had Taiyo Yuden CDs (albeit three years ago) and they were NOT what people had promised online. There was a pretty wild quality difference in several batches I bought and, to be quite honest, I didn't think they were much better than, say, Verbatim (a label that's sold a lot over here). @Tom: The Kodak Gold I've heard lots of good things about. I'm interested in burning about 50 CDs that I absolutely want to be able to listen to these next twenty years. Are you saying that they might be the ones? Any personal experience? Which speed should they be burned at? The lowest/16x/... ? @Hans: Yes, the whole outfit is a JVC one now. I read about that quite a while back. JVC has published assurances as to the quality remaining the same, but I'm somewhat doubtful. Do you have any links in regard to people having used the JVC versions of these burnables?

Hi everyone, I'm looking for CD-burnables that a) are available in Europe as well and b) YOU can recommend because you have used them for a longer period of time. I'm NOT looking for any recommendations based on some tests or reviews you read somewhere, but CD burnables that you can recommend because you've used them for a longer period of time and because you are quite positive that they will withstand the test(s) of time. I'm planning on burning some backup copies of very important discs that I would also like to listen to 20 years from now (if still amongst the living). Cost is not an issue at all. $1 or $20 a piece doesn't matter. Gold? Platinum? Alien materials? Don't care if they perform well. An added benefit would be to be able to print the labels using my Canon Pixma IP 4000. Not that important though. And advice? Thanks! P.S. I have a run-of-the mill CD burner in my PC that I usually set to burn at lowest speed to get the best results. Any advice concerning burning-speed in relation to the burnable you are recommending would be much appreciated.

Good grief! $80 a set! Bollocks to that! I'm a professional cheapskate; average price I pay for CDs is $7-8. Maximum ever (when I was at work) was about $60 (for an LP). Thanks folks, but I'm clearly out of my league in even thinking of this. MG If nobody else bids on these sets (not very likely, but it has happened) you are smack-dab-in-the-middle of your league. Set a maximum amount you're willing to pay, snipe ... and hope you get one/two or more. I don't do eBay anymore, but in the past I've been extremely lucky with some of the auctions there. At least give it a shot! You'll be frustrated if someone else gets these for $20 per box.

MG, good advice from Hans. Bid in the last second. I bought these individually and got them at comparatively reasonable prices (besides one which I had to pay over $100 for (as new)). Of course, with my luck, now the whole set is on eBay just after I completed my run. I'm very happy with the sound on these and depending on a) your stereo and b) if Proper ripped this copy off 1:1 (which I doubt), you should really buy into these reissues. They're pretty much definitive (until someone goes the Billie Holiday route and packs them up in a cheapo box somewhere down the line (I doubt that will happen) and makes them much (!) cheaper). I have no idea how these will develop on eBay, but considering the prices elsewhere (and the state some of those second-hand copies are in) I would jump on all of them now ... you can still sell one or two copies down the line. Anything below $40 per box is cheap (!) and for some, even prices below $80 (if as new) are reasonable. I bought all of them because I love Dinah Washington's voice, but if your finances are limited or you aren't really sure, I would definitely get the first five volumes covering 1946-1958. After that, it really depends if you would count yourself in the Dinah Washington camp that considers her late 50s pop phase the highlight of her career or not. Volume 5 is where we still have the mainstream swing (and the 1958 Newport tracks) just before she started hitting it "big" (volumes 6 & 7 cover that phase extensively) and went "pop". Good luck! And post here what you got one/several volumes for so I can shoot myself in the head.

All 7 volumes are up on eBay at the moment with 4 days to go. No bids yet (but probably snipers in the wings). I managed to get mine from all around the globe and I have the complete run now (wasn't cheap), but whoever is interested in these might be able to get them cheaper than what they usually go for. No idea. Give it a try.

Just in case anyone has either one or both of these sets and is perhaps interested in selling it/them, I'd like to have them. I can pay via a) PayPal, b) credit card, c) Mosaic gift certificates, d) getting stuff for you via Amazon.com or other sites. I'm hailing from Germany. If you are interested in selling either one or both of these sets, let me know via PM how much you'd like for it/them (plus postage and shipping). Thanks for looking. NoF

Only if you have 4 TB of data to store and mirror. Do you? If not, the solution I suggested is still the cheapest (if you don't mind the work involved). Financing another solution NAS/whatever was just out of the question for me because I have a mass of data to store (it's almost embarrassing, but I'm approaching 20TB fast (that's including mirrored data)).

That's the one I have (Amazon Germany link): Fantech . No idea what you can get in the States. I have 4 2TB drives in there, but you can put any combination of S-ATA discs in there (also of different sizes). But, keeping the backup mechanism in mind I described above, I would put 4 identically-sized drives in (I have a friend who keeps two (very) old and two new ones in there). No probs. Took me 7 minutes to set up. Screw the drives on a tray, push them in. Done. The thing has a fan that can be regulated by you or automatically by the case and - if you put the modern silent drives in - barely audible! If you only connect it when needed, ... best and most comfortable backup solution there is IMHO. P.S.: For an e-SATA connection (about 2.5 - 3 times faster than USB) you apparently need "Port-multiplying". No idea. I use USB. Edit: Of course, you can slo leave slots empty and put one or two drives in there for starters.

My suggestion: a) Buy yourself an external case that can hold up to 4x2TB harddrives (WD eco series, or whatever, just drives that stay cool). b) That case can be connected to your PC via e-sata or USB. c) A case like that will set you back about $150 if you want a decent one. Put 4 discs of your choice in there. d) Use two drives for backup and mirror their contents to the other drives (takes time). In a case like that the discs basically become hot-swappable. One goes down the drain, buy a new one. I use one setup like this next to some external drives and it's the most comfortable. At average, one could say (if not unlucky) that one drive fails every two to three years. Just replace it with another one. That means initial cost is high (depending on case and number/size of discs you put in there), the rest you can forget about. Buying a new dirive every two or three years for around $90 or less ain't gonna kill you. P.S.: If on Windows, a case like that simply holds the drives that are either recognized as single drives (recommended!), but you can also set them up as one single drive (NOT recommended). I use mine through USB and just connect whenever I want to make backups. Friends of mine have theirs connected constantly (if you have the right case, it'll go to sleep with the rest of your PC). Summary: What you get is something like a NAS without all the bells and whistles that people usually don't need anyway. I'll look for some pics online and post them here. Give me a minute.

I have very mixed feelings about that board. Yes, you can find lots of information there (and there are lots of people who are very passionate about music, which I like), but ... a) it is becoming increasingly difficult to find the right information. No matter what recording you want info on, there are always two or three camps that give it 100% or ... 0%. Very confusing at times. You basically have to adopt one camp to be able to sift through the info. b) I understand (somewhat) that Hoffman needs to keep a tight reign on his forum because of his own interests, but why have a super-huge forum that will (!) get increasingly "dangerous" for you and your business interests the more people you let in there? That place is huge. If he was really interested in protecting his interests, I think he should delete it. I guess his ego won't allow that though. c) If you keep a tight reign on a forum, you could at least have one single thread or some notification about what you are deleting to keep people up to date. There is so much deleting going on there constantly that bookmarks won't work long and you get totaly confused about things you read a few seconds before they completely disappeared (single posts or whole threads). It is exactly this clandestine behavior that I absolutely hate, especially becuase oftne what is deleted was viable information and just simply not up one gort's or Hoffman's alley. I'm using the forum less and less because I simply don't feel like searching for stuff all the time that has simply been deleted. Cheers!

Thanks for your input. I would agree that the sterile white (that's what I would call it) that's so often used for CD reissues is off. But, when I check out various books about record covers (Eric Kohler's "In the Groove" is a good example) , I find that either they used scans of the same redone covers for reissues as a reference point ... or the covers were that white. An off-white is probably what I'm going to go for in these cases and hope I'm not straying from the original too far. And, no, I'm not competing with Gokudo. I do this kind of work when I need to turn my brain off completely for a while. I just concentrate on pixels or ... large areas of white. Besides, I'm not putting these online because every idiot on the Internet (pirates) steals them, links to them, eats your bandwith, etc. Just keeping up with blocking Russian sites from accessing a few I had online years ago was a 24/7 job (I had 6 covers online in hi-res format for about two years and the pirates alone ate over 8GB a month of my bandwidth). Those people are just too lazy to host whatever they rip off on their own turf, wherever that might be.