GO ABBA GO!!!

[dtb]

Originally posted by Icky Thump
You need to wash your clothing.

Stick your head in that locker room. It smells like a bag of used cat litter.

sweat is sodium chloride, some potassium, urea, ammonia and uric acid

It's not my sweat -- no one else but me smells it. It's like it's in my nose or something.


ETA: GWNC, Request Denied. (though you know I love you)

[Icky Thump]

Originally posted by dtb
It's not my sweat -- no one else but me smells it. It's like it's in my nose or something.


ETA: GWNC, Request Denied. (though you know I love you)

Since you live near me, let me open up my son's hockey bag when I am fewer than two zip codes away and you make the call.

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally posted by greatwhitenorthchick
Could we please talk about something other than exercise or weight for one day please. A diet/exercise-free day, if you will. A certain someone's singularly unhealthy obsession with her body weight and size and that of others is driving me absolutely bonkers. I realize that I contribute to this discussion, and the topics, in and of themselves, don't bug me. And everyone's posts but hers on the subject don't bug me. In fact, I enjoy them. But the result is that I am going bonkers. This is just a request.

If you actually went crazy, would you stalk someone or would you channel the bonkers into some other avenue? If 1, who would you stalk?

I can't think of anyone i would stalk, so i'm afraid i'll go in some other direction. stalking at least gives one focus.

• PRIEST COLLARED AS CONAN'S STALKER
  
  A Boston priest has been busted for sending threatening notes to talk-show host Conan O'Brien, contacting his parents and showing up at his Rockefeller Center studio, prosecutors said yesterday.
  
  "I want a public confession before I ever consider giving you absolution - or a spot on your couch," wrote the Rev. David Ajemian, who signed the notes "Padre," said a spokeswoman for the Manhattan district attorney.
  
  Ajemian was arrested Nov. 1 while trying to enter a taping session of "Late Night with Conan O'Brien"

http://www.nypost.com/seven/11082007...alker_5478.htm

[greatwhitenorthchick]

Originally posted by dtb
It's not my sweat -- no one else but me smells it. It's like it's in my nose or something.


ETA: GWNC, Request Denied. (though you know I love you)

I love you too. I figured it was a hopeless cause anyway. Just my way of expressing some frustration.

[patentparanyc]

Originally posted by Icky Thump
Since you live near me, let me open up my son's hockey bag when I am fewer than two zip codes away and you make the call.

Ick, what is the preferred way to order team sports pictures for the kids? The latest seems to be magnets, which I ordered for soccer. And the paper-framed team pic he has on his shelf with the trophies....

The mousepad seems a waste. Any thoughts?

[dtb]

Originally posted by Icky Thump
Since you live near me, let me open up my son's hockey bag when I am fewer than two zip codes away and you make the call.

Pfft. You people are useless. Good thing my running guru sent me this explanation.

MORE CARBS is the answer!! (No matter what the question.)

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally posted by dtb
Pfft. You people are useless. Good thing my running guru sent me this explanation.

MORE CARBS is the answer!! (No matter what the question.)

In what other disciplines do you have gurus?

[patentparanyc]

Originally posted by Hank Chinaski
If you actually went crazy, would you stalk someone or would you channel the bonkers into some other avenue? If 1, who would you stalk?

I can't think of anyone i would stalk, so i'm afraid i'll go in some other direction. stalking at least gives one focus.

• PRIEST COLLARED AS CONAN'S STALKER
  
  A Boston priest has been busted for sending threatening notes to talk-show host Conan O'Brien, contacting his parents and showing up at his Rockefeller Center studio, prosecutors said yesterday.
  
  "I want a public confession before I ever consider giving you absolution - or a spot on your couch," wrote the Rev. David Ajemian, who signed the notes "Padre," said a spokeswoman for the Manhattan district attorney.
  
  Ajemian was arrested Nov. 1 while trying to enter a taping session of "Late Night with Conan O'Brien"

http://www.nypost.com/seven/11082007...alker_5478.htm

There is a woman on my train that works in another law firm, who is very moody and neurotic. She keeps on switching seats like Goldilocks and the three bears, that type of thing. We used to walk from the train to work together...So when I was pregnant she likes to walk fast and I told her no problem, so she ditched me in the middle of the street. I was appalled but chose to overlook it deliberately.

So recently, I was appalled at a recent incident--her friend from the firm wanted the middle seat so I moved all my bags on the overhead. Including the one with my expressed breast milk....well, long story short the cap wasn't on tight to the Avent container. last time I use those. It leaked on her. Yes, it is gross and nasty, but she made the biggest scene and had literally a nervous breakdown. I thought she was going to start rocking back and forth--that bad. I didn't do it on purpose.

So she started avoiding me and me her.....I don't need that on the train, please--

So when I chopped my hair, 10 inches off of it, we all go to the same salon near us....and this woman had mentioned she likes my other friends' hair, yada yada...and so when I chopped mine, crazy didn't say a word which I found odd. You know, someone you see every day comes in 10 inches off their hair, I'd say I like your hair but I digress.

So my friend from the train that insipired the bum rush to this salon says the other day "Um, did your friend go to my salon recently? the stylist mentioned some lady with a son that came into the salon and said she liked my hair but she doesn't EVEN KNOW ME SO WTF? It freaked me out 'cause I couldn't figure out who the hell it was" as soon as she mentioned the son, I knew it was the crazy woman. so let's see you hate me but you want to imitate me by going to my hair stylist.

Stalker, much?

[dtb]

More people with my same problem!

It could be, I suppose, that we're all crazy.

[dtb]

Originally posted by Tyrone Slothrop
In what other disciplines do you have gurus?

The better question is in what disciplines do I not have gurus.

Without my gurus, I would never leave the house.

[ltl/fb]

Originally posted by dtb
More people with my same problem!

It could be, I suppose, that we're all crazy.

I think this happens to me sometimes but it doesn't really bother me. I am probably imagining it since I never work out for more than an hour or so.

[Icky Thump]

Originally posted by dtb
Pfft. You people are useless. Good thing my running guru sent me this explanation.

MORE CARBS is the answer!! (No matter what the question.)

I didn't say that there is amonia in sweat?

[Icky Thump]

Originally posted by patentparanyc
There is a woman on my train that works in another law firm, who is very moody and neurotic. She keeps on switching seats like Goldilocks and the three bears, that type of thing. We used to walk from the train to work together...So when I was pregnant she likes to walk fast and I told her no problem, so she ditched me in the middle of the street. I was appalled but chose to overlook it deliberately.

So recently, I was appalled at a recent incident--her friend from the firm wanted the middle seat so I moved all my bags on the overhead. Including the one with my expressed breast milk....well, long story short the cap wasn't on tight to the Avent container. last time I use those. It leaked on her. Yes, it is gross and nasty, but she made the biggest scene and had literally a nervous breakdown. I thought she was going to start rocking back and forth--that bad. I didn't do it on purpose.

It could've been worse, she could have got leaked on by my jars of ammonia-sweat.

[John Phoenix]

Originally posted by greatwhitenorthchick
Could we please talk about something other than exercise or weight for one day please. A diet/exercise-free day, if you will. A certain someone's singularly unhealthy obsession with her body weight and size and that of others is driving me absolutely bonkers. I realize that I contribute to this discussion, and the topics, in and of themselves, don't bug me. And everyone's posts but hers on the subject don't bug me. In fact, I enjoy them. But the result is that I am going bonkers. This is just a request.

Ok, here's a question for everyone. My ipod is chock full of music, most of which I bought through itunes, but some I transferred from my old CDs. When I am using shuffle mode in the ipod, the volume varies dramatically from song to song. That's annoying, because I have my ipod playing through my office stereo, and the volume goes up and down with each song. Is there any way to correct for that in the ipod?

[patentparanyc]

Originally posted by John Phoenix
Ok, here's a question for everyone. My ipod is chock full of music, most of which I bought through itunes, but some I transferred from my old CDs. When I am using shuffle mode in the ipod, the volume varies dramatically from song to song. That's annoying, because I have my ipod playing through my office stereo, and the volume goes up and down with each song. Is there any way to correct for that in the ipod?

Unfortunately, I don't think there is. The volume variance is how the cds were transferred into the proprietary I Tunes format.....similar to how when you convert WMA files to the I Tunes format you may exp. pings or popping noises.

There is a volume limit on settings.....that may work.

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=303414

also this is a decent link forum:

http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/art...ounge-4-19-07/

See below:

Q: When I convert my AAC songs on iTunes (from my original CDs) into MP3, is the result the same as if I had imported the original CD into MP3 format in the first place?

- George

A: The process of converting digital audio files between formats or bit-rates is referred to as transcoding, and this term applies regardless of whether you are converting between two different formats (ie, MP3 and AAC), or simply converting to a different bit-rate in the same format (ie, 192kbps MP3 to 128kbps MP3).

In this case, it is also important to note that we are talking about “lossy” formats. This means that the encoder actually removes audio information from the track in order to produce the resulting compressed MP3 or AAC audio file. This is normally information representing audio frequencies and harmonics that most people cannot hear anyway, although the loss of audible quality will increase dramatically at lower bit-rates.

Transcoding between lossy formats is generally considered a bad idea in terms of quality, since the results will not be the same as if you had re-ripped the track from the original CD.

This may run contrary to what some people expect, since with digital audio the encoding should be a consistent process being run by a computer. If you rip the same audio CD to the same bit-rate with the same encoder, you will always get the same results. The encoder doesn’t make subjective or random decisions when encoding audio—it simply follows a pre-defined algorithm.

There are two problems with transcoding that will result in reduced quality, however:

The first issue has to do with the fact that different encoders will make different decisions about what audio data gets “thrown out” when performing the compression (remember that lossy encoders actually discard audio data). Since the differing encoders use different algorithms, when you transcode between two lossy formats, you are actually getting the worst of both encoders. In other words, you may find that the AAC encoder has discarded audio information that the MP3 encoder would not have. Unfortunately, once that information has been discarded by the AAC encoder, there’s no way for the MP3 encoder to get it back without going back to the original CD. In practical application, these differences should be relatively subtle, but they do make a difference, particularly at lower bit-rates.

The second issue has to do with something called “artifacting.” No lossy encoder produces a perfect sound, and in the compression process, audio “artifacts” are generally introduced. These are imperfections in sound quality—effectively sounds and frequencies that were not present in the original recording. In essence, the compression process is actually adding (or at least distorting) sound.

Even if this compressed file is returned to an original WAV file (ie, burned to a CD), these artifacts will remain part of the audio. A reanalysis of the audio, whether from a burned CD or through transcoding, is going to pick up these artifacts. This will skew the reanalysis of the file in question, thereby producing a different result.

While the first issue will not affect transcoding between bit-rates with the same encoder, this second issue affects all types of transcoding between lossy formats.

In reality, the quality loss is not directly cumulative, however, nor is it as dramatic as some would suggest. There is a lot of misinformation regarding transcoding, and some will try to suggest that if a 192kbps AAC file contains 50% of the audio quality of the original CD, then a transcode to 192kbps MP3 would produce a file that is only 25% of the original quality (50% of 50%). This is not accurate, however, as there is a high degree of overlap between the information that the various lossy encoders will discard. In fact, it is not really possible to put a specific measurement on the quality loss, but it is not as high as the percentages that some often quote.

Therefore, while there is a theoretical loss in quality, it may not be perceptible, depending upon the bit-rates that you are encoding from and to, the encoders themselves, and your own ears and listening equipment. Audio quality is highly subjective, and we recommend that users conduct their own listening tests to determine what formats and methods work best for their own preferences. The best way to do this would be to take a track that you already have in your iTunes library in AAC format and convert it to MP3. Then, rip that same track from the CD directly to MP3 format. Give them both the same name and other track information, and then listen to them in whatever your typical listening conditions would be, without knowing which one is which, and see if you can hear a difference. This may not be as sophisticated a method as the “blind ABX tests” that you may have heard of, but is usually sufficient for most people.

Note that none of this applies to the available “lossless” formats, such as Apple Lossless. As the name implies a “Lossless” format does not discard any information during compression. As a result, converting from a lossless format to a lossy format will always produce the same results as ripping from the original CD. In fact, many audio enthusiasts maintain a library of their CDs in a lossless format such as Apple Lossless or FLAC in order to provide a base library for future conversion without having to go through the work of re-ripping individual CDs. Lossless files, although somewhat compressed, do take up a great deal more space than even MP3 or AAC files at the highest bit-rates.

More information and discussion on the relative merits of different formats and transcoding can be found in our Digital Audio Formats Forum in the iLounge Discussion Forums.

There is one other point about converting as opposed to re-ripping that is worth mentioning: If you are planning to use the resulting converted tracks in your iTunes library, there is an additional advantage to re-ripping the audio tracks instead of converting them. iTunes will offer to replace existing tracks when you re-import from CD, which means ratings, playcounts, and entries in playlists are preserved. When converting through iTunes, however, it creates a new copy of the track in your iTunes library. This means that you will have to manually find and delete the old tracks after the conversion, and that you will lose any playlist entries or ratings and play counts pertaining to those tracks.