A campaign like the 'better work stories' one is aimed at attracting different kinds of people who might not have considered?

One small step for mankind, and one half-step back. It would be like Neil Armstrong getting to the moon and not getting out. I mean if you?re going to go all that way??

Yes, but as I explained in the post, I think it's been done with maximum cleverness

it would have if this was 1999

Personally I found NIWA fantastic to work with their focus on weather and accurate visualisation of that weather, MetService is very much an organisation with a split personality.

. . . while that may be the case, I don't think it's the point here. And — rather surprisingly — I?

there is no good reason that a 256k AAC file should be more expensive than a 128k AAC file.

Well, I do pay more for uncompressed WAV files than for the smaller lossy formats on Beatport – but those WAV files are 10 times bigger ...

I'm convinced that most?

I do believe the specific comment that chewed Auer's gristle was Salinger's claim that 'with global warming, warmer air can hold more water, leading to heavier rain'.

Which is exactly what the IPCC draft report says. It's not like Salinger was out of line with the bulk of expert opinion?

Almost pythonesque. My favourite line, "At least MetService deals in the real world of observation of actual weather events".

Coming to you from the reality based community of weather observers.

Well it is kind of brief, but better than nothing.

You'd get worldwide press coverage out of it, and — I'd expect — massive sales at low prices, rather than relatively few sales at current prices.?

1. I have occasion to work with plod. IMHO the culture shift started after the Scott Watson case. Has anyone else noticed how professional the investigations have been in recent years? This is one of those situations where they recognised the problem and have been quietly addressing?

http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/mtr/cld/dvlp/rh.rxml

Warm air is not *required* to hold more water vapor than cold air, but it *can* hold more water vapor than cold air.

Auer's comment about deserts is a complete red herring,?

[Salinger] is letting his own bias on global warming/climate change effect the neutrality of his comments.

Yes, it's a slippery slope. Next thing you know, we'll have palaeontologists letting their bias on evolution affect the neutrality of their comments, or physicists letting their bias on gravity affect the neutrality of?

Maybe not an entirely accurate analogy, but isn't that like Pope being head of NZ Aids Foundation?

Robust debate yes, but there's got to be?

Yeap thats a nice understatement.

One of the most difficult things that someone can get involved in these days is trying to explain science?

METSERVCE I think the greater issue here is having a climate change denier heading up the Metservice.

Augie was never the head of MetService, and it's years since he was a spokesperson. All that he speaks for now is the ragtag collection of wingers, fossil-fuel corporates and random nutters that?

It is increasing becoming clear to us that something is happening in the Polar Regions. The climate there seems to be changing faster than elsewhere. The breakup of the Larsen B platform?

Even if it didn't work, it'd be a great gamble – and ain't they always rumbled about being in a risky business?

which exactly was the point behind the April 1 thing I posted yesterday.

Who seriously uses their phones to play music, anyway? I strongly beg to differ.

phones?

Augie was never the head of MetService, and it's years since he was a spokesperson. All that he speaks for now is the ragtag collection of wingers, fossil-fuel corporates and random nutters that is the CSC.

Right. My bad. I thought that sounded odd but misread his shots across NIWA's?

We have nothing to lose from being locked into a proprietary format that won't play on most devices? Who seriously uses their phones to play music, anyway? I strongly beg to differ.

"Most devices"? When the iPod has 85% of the portable player market?

AAC is a standardised format: it's?

... and with a 300 page Police Commission report in front of me to digest ...

Dude! You should totally be live-blogging that!

Even when I rip a CD I'm selective as to which tracks I take and I've only ever been inclined to buy one whole album from any online server (and that was based on nostalgia)

Fair enough. But I'm totally glad I got the whole Amy Winehouse and Lemonheads albums?

When the iPod has 85% of the portable player market?

only in the US I think (which is not the only target market for this since the release was in London with a very English band)

but I think if the last few years have proved anything, it's that fewer and fewer people want albums as such

I am trialling e-music (great! so far) and have to admit it goes against the grain to only download bits of an album. I have downloaded some stuff to?

none of the kids I know rated Gnarls high enough to even download him, bless 'em.

somebody must have as it went to number one inthe UK on digital sales alone.

Which brings me to the sad part of the whole digital revolution...the impending death of the trawl through dirty?

I don't see any discussion about truly open formats like OGG or FLAC. OGG, as a compressed format, blows away AAC, CBR (and, often, VBR) MP3, and WMA. Of course, alas, there are even fewer music devices that support OGG – no prizes for guessing why that is.

Interestingly enough,?

So on the one hand, MP3 bad because of encumberance issues. But OGG is not good because being generally free is irrelevant? I think you need an internal consistency check

Hey! Not what I said. OGG Vorbis is a good choice if FOSS is your primary criterion and you don't?

If Dawn Raid is around much longer Dubber...

eh? what? tell us more! (have they done a Deepgrooves?)

Hey! Not what I said. OGG Vorbis is a good choice if FOSS is your primary criterion

Which sort of fits my profile. However, I was surprised when opening the packaging of this neat little device to find that OGG was supported, although unmentioned by Ascent. So I can rip?

I read an article in Salon or The Economist (can't remember) years ago, where they opened with a paragraph from an article written in the 20's. It was explaining how gramophones would be the death of the sheet music industry (and it was...)

This intrigued me. I tried?

Is this where an NZ version of Life On Mars would come in handy? Compare and contrast current police culture & procedures with those of the early 80s.

Is James Griffin in da house?

Which sort of fits my profile. However, I was surprised when opening the packaging of this neat little device to find that OGG was supported, although unmentioned by Ascent. So I can rip my CDs on my laptop without having to use patent busting software. Cool.

Indeed. Funny that Ascent?

If Dawn Raid is around much longer Dubber...

eh? what? tell us more! (have they done a Deepgrooves?)

It was in the Sunday paper: winding-up type tax trouble, can't be contacted, artists don't know what's going on.

Damn shame. And I'm surprised: I thought those guys were a lot?

I still buy CDs, but the first thing I do is rip them for use on the iPod and PC. Generally to MP3, but my plan for the?

don't necessarily agree with Simon that albums are a thing of the past — artists still want to release a unified collection of related works — but it largely comes down to the way they are presented and sold.

No, you misunderstand me Andrew, I don't think they are a?

an album in Wal-mart or the like is still around $10-12 and a iTunes album (average tracks 15) is just under $15.....and you get a CD to do what you like with.
Now if they made the iTunes album $7.

and that's the kicker right there .... you pay as?

The brothers [Adeaze] were no longer managed by Dawn Raid but Tupa'i said he was trying to find out if they were still?

but my plan for the future is to rip a master to something lossless like FLAC and then transcode to a compressed format, prolly Ogg, as required.

Yeah, what he said. I've started playing with re-ripping my CDs to FLACs. I had been doing 192 kbps MP3s.

Lossy audio compression?

No doubt Mr Grigg can clarify this, but I'd imagine if the companies were wound up the artists would become free agents? Small compensation if they're owed money by DawnRaid unfortunately.

It depends on the contract..most lawyers would insert a liquidation clause, but, and I may need a lawyer to?

Which brings me to the sad part of the whole digital revolution...the impending death of the trawl through dirty boxes in the dark corners of a junk or opportunity shop for second hand gems.

It'll be replaced by those gems you find when you are trawling though the download site....?

It'll be replaced by those gems you find when you are trawling though the download site

I think the joys of the MP3 blog have already taken us there. I was just feeling a brief twang of nostalgia for all those long gone junk shops in Dominion Road and Kingsland?

I was just feeling a brief twang of nostalgia for all those long gone junk shops in Dominion Road and Kingsland that I spent too many lecture hours in when I was at Uni.

Sitting in the office working (well pretending to), does that for me anyway.

Hmmm, I sound?

I was just feeling a brief twang of nostalgia for...

Anyone remember the name of that second hand record stall in the Bohemian market that lived in what is now the Bivouc Centre (I think) in the basement of the Whitcoulls building, on Queen Street? Was it the original Revival?

Indeed. They [Dawnraid] had three #1 singles and several more Top 10, but that just means they got a lot of radioplay.

A couple of years ago I was trawling through the second-hand bins in Real Groovy's basement (back then they had separated out all the second-hand stuff). I decided?

As is The Cook St Market, where Mr Grigg DJ'ed upstairs at Diamond Lil's I believe?

not quite Diamond Lil's...it was the Six Month Club, with messers Urlich & Phillips, but we shared the space, called The Ace of Clubs, owned by Phil Warren, RIP.

The downstairs vinyl place was, I?

... and that's the reason why the system hates Dick Dale.

Free music has never looked so cheap

For the major record labels, yesterday's deal between EMI and Apple doesn't herald a new beginning, but the beginning of the end.

I'm not sure if I buy all it's logic but I do agree that?

Why did people buy The Wall or all those horrendous Dire Straits albums...because of the songs they liked on the radio.

Not the best examples you could've given. I'll leave Dire Straights for now except to remember my late Grandpop's oft-repeated witticism: "You'd have to be in dire?

The Wall is really a great example of a, like it or not, creatively very impressive album...the enormous popularity of which had little to do with singles.

Not true. It was only middling along in the US (and indeed NZ...I was working in a record shop at the time) until?

On second thoughts, you're quite correct, as usual. I'm sure I had a salient point to make, but it just didn't happen this time...

On second thoughts, you're quite correct, as usual.

I don't know if I want that burden :),. But your are right in that the Zep mythology is that they did it without singles. It's just stretching it a bit. A better analogy might have been the Beatles albums which were?

I bought that live Led Zeppelin DVD a couple of weeks back in one of the dodgy shops here...that first disc is incredible...Live at the Royal Albert Hall in 1970

True, dat. Though not in my top 5, I always suspected that their live legacy was somewhat sold short by?

And yes you?

Dark Side of The Money was driven by ...

Have you been forgerting to use the preview button again!!

Have you been forgerting to use the preview button again!!

my excuse is I'm terminally lazy I guess, I'm continually sending emails full of typos and missed words..I write and hit send...

But I suspect I'm not the only one ;)

forgerting

I don't know what's worse (actually I think I do):

forgerting to use the preview button, or using it but still not picking up ones errors!

aaaarrrgh!

Today I was ranting on about identity authentication, and it made me realise that the reason we stuff up our proof of ID (eg. passports, ID cards etc.) so often is that we?

my excuse is I'm terminally lazy I guess, I'm continually sending emails full of typos and missed words..I write and hit send...

It's the post button.
You can proof read and correct your post as many times as you wish, but the post button will add typos.
I've noticed print?

As far as the death of?

Who believes that their DRM embedded original files are going to work in five years time let alone two?

Excellent point! Reminds me of how we all had to pay again when we switched from vinyl to CD's. At least then we were paying (albeit well above true cost) for?

But that's?

Copying of PS games is a lot more difficult than just digitising your CD, and that's OK, I can't think of a good legal reason for copying PS games.

It just requires a Mod chip. Pirated PS1 &2 games are freely available everywhere in Asia so it can't be that tricky.?

But that's a pretty different argument. Copying of PS games is a lot more difficult than just digitising your CD

An audio file is a very simple (especially compared to a PS2 game!) that is being made unduly complicated with DRM.

Checked out one of the legit sites digiRAMA?

I find it astounding that the music industry has within its grasp the Holy Grail of every entrepreneur, a product that does not have to be manufactured, without the need to carry stock and has?

It's hard to argue against what he said, but I'm guessing Mr Grigg can enlighten us as to the thinking of record retaillers (he sold enough records thru them). I'm guessing its the record companies, not the retaillers that are the problem.

Kinda reminds me of?

It just requires a Mod chip. Pirated PS1 &2 games are freely available everywhere in Asia so it can't be that tricky. My daughter has an Indonesian purchased PS2 which comes with the chip as factory standard (probably since you can't buy the legit software here).

I didn't say tricky or?

I'm guessing its the record companies, not the retaillers that are the problem.

You got it, it is no Denny/Daniel situation (nice one though!).

The record companies are once again leaving he retailer out to dry. You gotta feel a bit sorry for them. Between the deliberate shrinking of the?