The art of living outside the rat race is mostly about getting up in the morning and finding something to be interested in, without the 'System' keeping you endlessly and uselessly busy. And that is the focus of this blog. I don't like to get down 'into the weeds' of microscopic 'how to' details.
Nevertheless I should have used the word 'rip' to describe the process of transcribing data from a DVD disk to the computer's hard drive (or extended memory such as cloud, flash drives, or SSD.) In doing so, a camper/traveler eliminates a box of disks, inevitable scratches, and cheapie plastic DVD player parts. The resulting media data on your computer can be played on the computer itself or transferred to your phone for easier playback in bed on those long winter nights.
This experience was interesting to me because it was a chance to reflect how many times this type of transition has happened. No, Reader, I can't quite remember the original cylinders of Thomas Edison.
How big were people's media library back then? Ten cylinders?
What a revolutionary improvement it must have been to change the shape to a flat disk, for easy storage. Vinyl 'records' still have a cult following, don't they? Personally I don't remember them fondly. Even when the vinyl disks were new, the music sounded scratchy. And it was so easy for the needle to 'jump the track.' Ahh, sigh... but many people have fond memories of the record jackets and their interesting graphics.
I remember how astonished I was to ride in a friend's car and listen to eight-track tapes for the first time. They weren't so compact but they seemed pretty durable, and it was easy to access the music track you desired.
Then the industry took a wrong turn by going to audio cassette tapes. It took so long to rewind them. In your car, the heat would kill them. And there was no graphics whatsoever to enjoy!
I completely missed the video version of tape, the VCR. Libraries and thrift stores still have some of these silly things on the shelves!
Then came the DVD and Blu Ray disk era. I liked them, and still do. Just think how many millions of DVD disks are lying around, under-employed. Let's hope they make it to the thrift shops. Shopping for them could make for a pleasant activity on a windy day.
Comments
I don't remember them either. However, I do remember some records that my great uncle still had in 1960 that were probably an .5-.75" thick and only grooved on one side. The best I can remember the recording was some classical music.