Minor things that bother you

[vdeane]

The fact that Nexstar now requires an account for streaming the broadcasts from their local news stations.

[ZLoth]

The local non-profit classical music station is into yet another round of fundraising. I can understand some of the reasons behind it including the loss of a funding source this past fall plus the need to support the local arts community. However, there is also the challenge of competing streaming services that have classical music, including Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, Amazon Music, and Tidal.

[kkt]

An investment firm needed me to read and agree to a long several pages of legalese, which they displayed on their web site for me to read.  And across the bottom the whole time was a ticke5 feed of how the major financial indicators are doing, updating every few seconds, and it can't be turned off.  Very distracting to be reading dense legal prose with flashing at the bottom!  It's not like I decide individual stocks to buy or sell anyway.

[LilianaUwU]

The local non-profit classical music station is into yet another round of fundraising. I can understand some of the reasons behind it including the loss of a funding source this past fall plus the need to support the local arts community. However, there is also the challenge of competing streaming services that have classical music, including Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, Amazon Music, and Tidal.

Don't get me started on old media being old media then wondering why they're going bankrupt.

[wanderer2575]

This year's Thanksgiving, due to some work obligations, we're going to a restaurant instead. Less cooking and cleaning and hosting, and as a bonus, a chance to have something besides ham and turkey if you want. Win-win.

Except: on that day that restaurant, instead of the regular menu, has a SpEcIaL MeNu of only -- take a guess -- ham and turkey.

It's Thanksgiving, we should be thankful, so we'll enjoy the company.

Chinese turkey?

[kphoger]

An investment firm needed me to read and agree to a long several pages of legalese, which they displayed on their web site for me to read.  And across the bottom the whole time was a ticke5 feed of how the major financial indicators are doing, updating every few seconds, and it can't be turned off.  Very distracting to be reading dense legal prose with flashing at the bottom!  It's not like I decide individual stocks to buy or sell anyway.

I'm fortunate to live in a city with two public radio stations coming in loud and clear.  On my way home from work, one of them is playing classical music and the other is talk/news.  So I can choose whichever I feel like that day, or whichever one is not running their fundraising campaign that week.  Occasionally, though, they'll both be running fundraising on the same day.

In the past, I would simply flip to a different type of station.  But in my current car, the volume knob is sketchy, and which way the volume goes has little if anything to do with which way you turn the knob.  So, one day a year ago or so, I spent several minutes doing the volume-roulette game until it reached a volume loud enough to hear classical music while driving at highway speeds, and I haven't touched it since.  However, this means that any pop station is way too loud.  So I've basically consigned myself to public radio and nothing else in the car.

[Scott5114]

The local non-profit classical music station is into yet another round of fundraising. I can understand some of the reasons behind it including the loss of a funding source this past fall plus the need to support the local arts community. However, there is also the challenge of competing streaming services that have classical music, including Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, Amazon Music, and Tidal.

I'm in the same boat since my preferred station is a college station that does biannual fundraising drives. However, I tough it out through the fundraising drives simply because it's more of a pain in the ass to sign up for Applespotizondal and figure out how to get my car to play it than it is to listen to the fundraising drive. KUNV is there when I start the car without me having to even press a button to get it to go, so I can deal.

Oh yeah, and Applespotizondal wants money too. At least KUNV stops acknowledging that they would like my money for ten months out of the year and works without being fed money, whereas Applespotizondal never does.

[LilianaUwU]

Meanwhile I just plug my phone in and it plays the music from my own mp3 library... do people not do that anymore?

[kphoger]

Meanwhile I just plug my phone in and it plays the music from my own mp3 library... do people not do that anymore?

Anymore?  I don't think I've ever owned a car with that capability.  Heck, my current car was made just two years after the Samsung SPH-M100 debuted.

[Scott5114]

Meanwhile I just plug my phone in and it plays the music from my own mp3 library... do people not do that anymore?

I do that sometimes at home, but in the car it's annoying to have to plug it in, turn up the phone volume, dismiss the warning message that max volume on headphones might damage my ears (well I'm not using headphones so don't worry about it), open the MP3 player app, optionally find something specific I want to listen to, and then hit play. All of that is handled automatically for me on FM radio.

The Washington Post had an article recently about how unusual the people still buying MP3s from Apple Music are. Most people prefer to subscribe to a streaming service that will let them listen to anything. I would rather buy discrete files myself, because sometimes it's nice to ensure that we're pulling from a finite list rather than an algorithm picking from anything in the world. (Also, having an MP3 means it doesn't matter if the artist and wherever you got the MP3 from get in a fight later, you can still listen to it.)

Where do you get your MP3s from?

[wanderer2575]

The Washington Post had an article recently about how unusual the people still buying MP3s from Apple Music are. Most people prefer to subscribe to a streaming service that will let them listen to anything. I would rather buy discrete files myself, because sometimes it's nice to ensure that we're pulling from a finite list rather than an algorithm picking from anything in the world. (Also, having an MP3 means it doesn't matter if the artist and wherever you got the MP3 from get in a fight later, you can still listen to it.)

Really?  I still have and use an iPod and I didn't know I can still buy tunes from Apple.  I'm too dumb to figure out anything streaming, and like you I prefer buying the media item because then it's mine forever.

[LilianaUwU]

Where do you get your MP3s from?

What are you, a cop?

[TheCatalyst31]

The local non-profit classical music station is into yet another round of fundraising. I can understand some of the reasons behind it including the loss of a funding source this past fall plus the need to support the local arts community. However, there is also the challenge of competing streaming services that have classical music, including Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, Amazon Music, and Tidal.

I'm in the same boat since my preferred station is a college station that does biannual fundraising drives. However, I tough it out through the fundraising drives simply because it's more of a pain in the ass to sign up for Applespotizondal and figure out how to get my car to play it than it is to listen to the fundraising drive. KUNV is there when I start the car without me having to even press a button to get it to go, so I can deal.

Oh yeah, and Applespotizondal wants money too. At least KUNV stops acknowledging that they would like my money for ten months out of the year and works without being fed money, whereas Applespotizondal never does.

I have Applespotizondal, but my car's Bluetooth connection thing and USB charger both stopped working shortly after I got my car, and I haven't figured out how to fix them short of a trip to the dealership (which feels more annoying than the issue itself). This is part of why I still have a CD collection, the other part being that I like physical media. It's harder for some company to yank away my access to music I can hold in my hands.

That being said, I vastly prefer non-profit radio stations over commercial ones when I can find good ones. I'll take pledge drive week over the endless commercials for sketchy medical supplements, used car dealerships, and personal injury lawyers any day.

[ZLoth]

Meanwhile I just plug my phone in and it plays the music from my own mp3 library... do people not do that anymore?

I usually stream from my media player at home through either Plex (music) or Audiobookshelf (audiobooks) to my phone to my vehicle's Bluetooth. The media is either downloaded or ripped from CDs.

Oh yeah, and Applespotizondal wants money too.

I never claimed that the streaming services was free, but they are lower cost than what they want in monthly contributions. Still, I much prefer paying a reasonable free over... what was that?

endless commercials for sketchy medical supplements, used car dealerships, and personal injury lawyers

That.

[kphoger]

Where do you get your MP3s from?

What are you, a cop?

It would be hard for me to pick a person on this forum less like a cop than Scott.

Except, perhaps, for you... 

[hbelkins]

Meanwhile I just plug my phone in and it plays the music from my own mp3 library... do people not do that anymore?

I do that sometimes at home, but in the car it's annoying to have to plug it in, turn up the phone volume, dismiss the warning message that max volume on headphones might damage my ears (well I'm not using headphones so don't worry about it), open the MP3 player app, optionally find something specific I want to listen to, and then hit play. All of that is handled automatically for me on FM radio.

The Washington Post had an article recently about how unusual the people still buying MP3s from Apple Music are. Most people prefer to subscribe to a streaming service that will let them listen to anything. I would rather buy discrete files myself, because sometimes it's nice to ensure that we're pulling from a finite list rather than an algorithm picking from anything in the world. (Also, having an MP3 means it doesn't matter if the artist and wherever you got the MP3 from get in a fight later, you can still listen to it.)

Where do you get your MP3s from?

The only time I ever subscribed to a streaming service was years ago, when I tried a free intro to Spotify, which I used to listen to whole albums, save them, cut them up into MP3s, and then load them to my iPod.

I still prefer to buy CDs and rip the audio into MP3s. Apple and Amazon still sell music files (MP3 for Amazon and AAC for Apple).

I also have this neat little Mac app called SnapDownloader that allows me to save the audio from YouTube videos as MP3s. I recently downloaded the Kiss "Dressed to Kill" 50th anniversary box set and the Sammy Hagar & The Best of All Worlds Band's Las Vegas residency album.

And if anybody still has Usenet, I presume the alt.binaries.sound.mp3.* hierarchies are still active.

[LilianaUwU]

Hipsters voting for a narcissistic clown who has done nothing but ruin the entire city since he was first elected in 2021.

[CoreySamson]

Am I the only person on the forum that actually uses Spotify to listen to music in the car?

[Molandfreak]

Am I the only person on the forum that actually uses Spotify to listen to music in the car?

No but, wrong thread?

[Rothman]

Am I the only person on the forum that actually uses Spotify to listen to music in the car?

No but, wrong thread?

Not if it bothers him.

[thenetwork]

Municipalities that install the wrong type of curve signs at curves.  Especially when you are not famililiar with the road.

When the sign indicates a 90-degree turn, but instead is a dog leg curve, or the sign says "mild curve" ahead and you wind up slamming on your brakes as it is a sharp turn that comes up suddenly.

[Max Rockatansky]

Come out my way.  Caltrans is big on not even posting curve signs and advisory speeds.  Kind of makes mountain roads more fun IMO since you don't have your hand held regarding speed.

[Rothman]

Come out my way.  Caltrans is big on not even posting curve signs and advisory speeds.  Kind of makes mountain roads more fun IMO since you don't have your hand held regarding speed.

Makes me think of inconsistent caution curve speeds due to speed limits.  So, you can have a curve with the same radius have a 35 mph or 55 mph caution speed if the speed limit is high or low enough.  If the design speed is higher than the speed limit, leave the caution speed off the signage...

[thenetwork]

Come out my way.  Caltrans is big on not even posting curve signs and advisory speeds.  Kind of makes mountain roads more fun IMO since you don't have your hand held regarding speed.

Southwest Wyoming says hi.  80 MPH two-lane roads with unsigned curves can be "fun" to navigate...and nobody to find your dead body for dozens of miles!

[Max Rockatansky]

Come out my way.  Caltrans is big on not even posting curve signs and advisory speeds.  Kind of makes mountain roads more fun IMO since you don't have your hand held regarding speed.

Makes me think of inconsistent caution curve speeds due to speed limits.  So, you can have a curve with the same radius have a 35 mph or 55 mph caution speed if the speed limit is high or low enough.  If the design speed is higher than the speed limit, leave the caution speed off the signage...

AZDOT is big on posting advisory signage well below what the design of what curves could handle.  It used to drive me up the wall on AZ 89A because out of town folk (Sedona visitors especially) would read those advisories and slow way down more than was necessary.  They have the advisories and actual speed limits so low on the Coronado Trail segment of US 191 that it is easy to beat map estimates by 30 plus minutes driving normally.