Baht Simpson

I have some vinyl records and some CD's and plenty of digital files. Nowadays ultimate sound quality is not important to me with vinyl: if I want that I use lossless audio. In the old days we were never really dedicated collectors, that was reserved for mostly classical or jazz enthusiasts or audiophiles. We tended to just accumulate records, buying if we could afford them. I started buying records again for a few different reasons: a) Nostalgia - vinyl brings back good memories that digital files cant. b) Design - however good digital album art is it can't replace the experience of the original artwork and design in physical format. Even Taylor Swift realises this and can sell 37 different versions of an album with the same music, so it's a modern phenomenon too. c) Price - I can pick up a CD on Shopee for 89 baht, less than the cost to download the equivalent digital files on, say, Bandcamp. Similarly there are some second-hand LP bargains occasionally. d) It's an interest or hobby - keeps me amused for hours on end and after the initial outlay can be relatively cheap. e) Resale value - although it's a minor reason I collect, some of my albums are worth a bit. I have no intention of selling unless I'm forced to move back to my home country but if I am there's some worth there. f) Tactile experience - digital is convenient but a cold format that can make you lazy and accumulate music you never really listen to. Physical media only really does that if collecting becomes an obssession, which for some it does of course. g) Not all music has to be listened to in HQ format lest the audio gods weep. If you're listening to Dave Edmunds you probably won't hear any hiss and crackle anyway. I realize that some people would rather die than listen to vinyl but each to his own. I prefer to listen to music in whatever format I want as the whim takes me. My old box record player playing 45's was better sound quality than listening to Radio Luxembourg but it didn't stop me as a kid. It was just a different experience. In the end it's about music and lyrics first but not to the exclusion of all else.

I've always used the more traditional "seasons greetings" in the U.K. I doubt very much that saying Merry Christmas has been banned in Australia.

Quite honestly OMF, if you've never experienced the joy of watching that Island or Harvest label spinning you've wasted your youth. :) And don't think the kids today aren't interested in that stuff with their "album art", "digital filters" etc. I've spent half my life with tagging, playlist etc. Once you have the right setup the inconvenience is minimal.

These days it needn't be one or the other. I have a modest LP collection which I use for a number of reasons. I also have several digital audio players including CD's and DAPs for flac, WAV and mp3 files. I use whatever I fancy or need. I rarely stream music though. Obviously with a good analogue set-up you're still going to have fine audio sound but there are many factors involved. Digital is obviously less inconvenient but that's not always an issue for some.

You can't hug an mp3.

I have a plan C and a plan D too, although plan A is working out well at the moment.

I hate seeing farangs dressing like this over here. Colonial chic they call it. The socks are the worst.

It's fine to go travelling blind in the hope of a unique experience but to settle somewhere without having been there first is unwise. That's the problem some make coming to live in Thailand. As Joni Mitchell puts it, "Where some have found their paradise, others just come to harm."

You could have Tuna in Manua or tofu in Ofu. But my advice is Pago Pago, nogo nogo.

Yes. And funded and maintained by both the left and right ever since. Even the far right contribute and use it.

Any advice on where I should stick my $200?

Just speculation but here they use refrigerated coffins for some of the corpses, which means that bodies are often frozen solid when cremated. The head is mostly bone rather than tissue so it might take longer to burn than the rest of the body. Still seems rather fanciful though.

Best ask a Buddhist or there's plenty of information online about it. It's symbolic I guess. Dog is man's best friend.

What about them?

In Buddhism dogs are a symbol of wisdom and compassion. They also might be the reincarnation of someone's grandma, so goes the thinking here. Clearly a compassionate way of reducing the numbers and limiting strays is needed but you'll never eradicate them all.

Why not just cut out the middleman and give them 90 days prison on arrival? :)

I understand, but whether it's a phobia or an irrational fear it's something that needs addressing and you need to deal with it, for your own sanity if nothing else.

Well said.

Most people try to overcome their phobias but you're proud of yours. That's the problem.

If the earth is heating from within why would you build a bunker?

Very innovative. The first 4 albums were excellent.

No, I'm going to sincerely apologize for misreading you. You're correct I have come late to this thread and there is no way I could wade through 18,000 posts to see who said what. I incorrectly assumed that because you were talking about finding an Inner God, using the capital G like Thaibeachlover that you were coming at it from a Christan perspective. An honest mistake but nothing in your reply led me to think otherwise.

Enough to see me out of this life.

Fossilized wood?

Not sure if you're referencing me or someone else. For avoidance of doubt: Do I believe in a Creator God? No, I'm an athiest? Do I respect all your beliefs? No, because many of them are preposterous. Do I believe you have the right to hold those beliefs? Of course Do I believe you should proselytize? No.