Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with records

Thirty-three and a third books.

OmieWise — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 06:08:16 -0800

Which are the best books in Continuum's Thirty-Three and a Third series? I just read Daydream Nation and ended up frustrated and and a bit disappointed. I've been wanting to read into this series for a while, and finally picked up the Daydream Nation book. Daydream Nation is a favorite album of mine, although I don't feel as if it's a particularly personal album for me, but the book did not satisfy me. The book isn't horrible, but it wasn't great, and I expected it to be. The author wrote quite a bit about how "scary" and "mind-blowing" the record is, something that isn't at all true for me. He also admitted things best kept to oneself when writing a semi-critical exegesis like this. (He had, for instance, apparently never considered that "Hey Joni" might have some relationship to Joni Mitchell.)

I do like personal music writing, and I like behind the scenes stories of album creation, and I also like the kind of rank speculation that Greil Marcus engages in (although his pomposity can get a bit grating). I can certainly imagine reading the volumes written by people I'm already interested in (Joe Pernice, John Darnielle). Since the books aren't available at my local library I would appreciate suggestions for which people have enjoyed the most.

Where can I spread the word about my project to musicians who might be interested?

racecar — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 06:53:20 -0800

How can I reach independent musicians? My friends and I have built a great service for artists who promote their music online. The people who use it rave about it. But we'd like to grow to serve a lot more people in a more eclectic range of music. Right now, we're running AdWords, messaging similar artists on MySpace, and organically spreading the word through musicians and fans that already love our service.

I know musicians are busy people, but I'd like to somehow show more people what we've built. The service gets cooler for everyone as there are network effects involved.

homemade vinyl LP record cleaner?

kuujjuarapik — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 12:36:23 -0800

Does anyone have a recipe for homemade vinyl LP record cleaner? I just got an USB turntable and I have been converting my records to digital. I have one or two 45s that are a little dirty and I would like to clean them, but I don't really want to spend the time or money ordering professional record cleaner online. I am not an archivist, and not necessarily an audiophile, but I don't want to experiment on cleaning fluids and destroy the records.

I have considered 90% Isopropyl and a soft cloth. I thought briefly about Windex. Even thought about Grey Goose straight from the freezer. Anyone got a dirty record made clean success story?

Record player recommendations?

photomusic86 — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:53:41 -0800

I'm looking for a good record player. Are the USB ones any good, or should I find something old school? Any online place to find new artists putting out records would be much appreciated as well

government records

amsterdam63 — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 11:40:48 -0800

Are records kept by government about the architectural blue prints of every building built? In movies like Sneakers you always see people getting these blueprints, are these records really kept? Seems interesting, and I'm wondering why its done.

External sound card for laptop. Recommendations wanted!

watson415 — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 22:55:45 -0800

External sound card for laptop. Recommendations wanted! Application: Ripping vinyl records to .WAV and MP3. I have a good (old) turntable. A good (new) RIAA equalized preamp and plugs to go into a sound card. Works great on my desktop, but I want to use it with my Dell/XP laptop. I tried it in the audio in (laptop sound card) but it clipped or...? otherwise sounded like crap. No knobs to tune it either. I'm looking for a moderately priced audio in (from the preamp) to USB that and associated drivers. Two channels are all that are necessary. A mic would be nice, but not req'd.

The main thing that I want to know is how to capture the best signal. These are rare records (1950s jazz) and I'm going to sell them after I rip them. The PolderbiTs software that I use has good pop and crackle filters, but I need to rip at a DVD quality sampling rate for those features to work well. I'll compress later.

Does a USB bus provide the bandwidth to achieve such a throughput? I'd consider a USB turntable, but the one I have is probably better than what I could get for the $40-$80 that I expect to pay for the audio/USB converter (unless convinced otherwise :)

Selling Records

king walnut — Sat, 24 May 2008 16:10:28 -0800

Where can I sell some vinyl records in Austin or San Antonio? I have a stack of records from the late 70s and early 80s that I'm ready to part with, and I've heard there is actually demand for these recently. Any idea where I could sell them in Austin or San Antonio?

Document management with SharePoint

I_Love_Bananas — Fri, 02 May 2008 17:20:48 -0800

SharePoint filter: Examples of how to use SharePoint's Records Center site type for corporate document management? I'm trying to wrap my brain around the ins and outs of configuring a SharePoint Records Center for our smallish (250+) employee insurance company.

We don't have anyone in IT dedicated to site design for SharePoint so I'm sort of on my own and trying to read as much as I can.

Our records retention policy is almost finished, and we are working on specifying how long to keep the various types of company records to comply with regulations etc. I really think SharePoint could give us the records management structure we need and I want to do it right.

I have found a lot of process documentation and "how to follow steps in the system" type of articles, but what I really need are examples to help me understand the difference between, say, record types vs. content types, lists vs. libraries; and especially how to set things up right on the front end so that I can create subsites that carry over the all the features I want into the various subsites.

I think I get it, but to really click for me I need to see examples.

Any opinions on public-files.com?

GlowWyrm — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 23:13:35 -0800

Do any of you have any knowledge/experience with public-files.com? I have been using publicdata.com but public-files.com is a lot cheaper and seems to offer more information. I googled public-files.com but didn't get anything more than links advertising it but no opinions or users of their service.

Record Retention

Rad_Boy — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 09:25:55 -0800

How long should various home or personal records be retained? I know this topic may sound tiresome as the answer comes up frequently in newspapers and magazines, but I think in many cases people are re-hashing the old dogma. Also, in the internet age, perhaps the answers have changed. We have a pile of old documents of various kinds that I want to dispose of in the next community “Shred-A-Thon.” I’ve collected a number of articles from various places suggesting what to throw away and what to keep, and they mostly say the same thing I’ve been hearing for years; i.e., keep tax records, birth certificates, deeds, bank statements, etc. In some cases, though, the suggestions are sharply divergent, such as whether to keep tax records for 3 years, 7 years, or forever. Some lists are a lot longer than others.

Now that many records can be kept as files on a computer (which still does not eliminate the question as to what should be retained or deleted) and are downloaded from bank, Mortgage Company, and other financial institutions, perhaps some of the record saving is unnecessary. For example, we never save or even download bank statements (digitally or otherwise). We go online at regular intervals and see that deposits and payments are duly recorded and that’s it.

I want to keep relevant information, but I don’t want to be compulsive or even silly about it. What do you think?

Personal papers, receipts, and documentation -- should they stay or should they go?

nathaole — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 02:41:40 -0800

Paper trails: Similar to this link, I am looking for a specific list of personal papers, receipts, and essential documents I should keep and for how long. Any and all receipts? Bank statements? I am lost as to which papers one MUST keep and papers that just cause clutter. If I ever needed to prove something by way of having a paper trail, or if I were to be audited, I'd be left scrambling.

I've just graduated from university, have never done my own taxes, rent, and will be living in Toronto, Canada. I try to pay my bills online. Should I be printing out each statement or bill and putting it into a binder or file folder? Grocery receipts? What about those slips I receive from the ATM? Are there documents I should request from the people I am renting from?

Now I'm hearing that one needs to save their monthly transit passes for tax purposes. I know some people save each and every receipt, and I've always wondered why.

I feel confident in my organizational skills, so once I know WHAT to keep, I will be more than happy to file it away in a neat and organized manner. I'm trying to become responsible when it comes to finances, so tracking all of these things may prove useful.

Lists, suggestions, links and resources are all very much appreciated.

Never say retire.

StrikeTheViol — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 18:59:54 -0800

Who are the oldest working professional people? After reading about Manoel de Oliveira, who appears to be the oldest working filmmaker, I wondered about the oldest working people in other fields, for instance, the oldest professor still writing papers, or the oldest lawyer still trying cases in court... all other professions or occupations welcome. The only other example I've found that placed especial emphasis on the working was a Pravda profile of the artist Moisei Feigin.

How do I sell very large and potentially valuable LP and comic collections?

ROTFL — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 11:31:59 -0800

How do I sell very large and potentially valuable LP and comic collections? We're finally ready to part with most of our childhood/early adulthood collections, so my husband is going to sell his comics and I'm going to sell my LPs.

The comics are mostly Marvel and DC, with scattered indies. The dates are mostly late 70s-late 80s, but some are older. Most are in pretty good condition; some are in excellent condition. There are upwards of 1500 to sell.

The LPs are mostly mid-60s to late-70s, and they're all over the map condition-wise, from near-pristine to barely holding together. Content is mostly pop/rock, with lots of soul and funk thrown in. Decent stuff, honestly, but I know LPs are not as desirable as they once were. There might be 2,000 or more LPs to dispose of.

In both cases, we know there are some valuable items amidst the commonplace, but we want to get rid of all of them, not just the cherry-picked prizes.

We're trying to hit a happy medium between "very expedient but not profitable" and "very profitable but not expedient." In other words, I don't want to sell it all to the first Craigslist reader who can pony up $50 and a van; neither do I want to catalogue and grade everything and put ads in record-collecting or comic-collecting publications.

What will allow us to maximize our profit while minimizing our work?

(We're in NYC, in case that makes any difference to your answer.)

GettingLifeinOrder Filter

almostmanda — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 16:01:04 -0800

Do I need personal copies of my medical records if I'm in good health? It's my understanding that the HIPAA and Missouri (where I'm at) law allows me to obtain personal copies of all of my medical records. I'm only 22 and in good health--just some allergy and asthma issues. I've just recently graduated from college, and before that never really had a regular doctor. Would it be at all beneficial to contact the places I've gone for medical care (2 student health clinics, probably 4-5 doctors, a few specialized clinics, 3 dentists, etc) to round up all of my medical records? I'm mostly interested in getting baseline/regular test results: diabetes check, thyroid check, regular paps, cholesterol test, allergy test, etc.

Would this be a good idea, or am I being exceptionally paranoid/overly concerned? How would I go about doing this, if practical, and will it cost me anything? I'm planning on moving out-of-state within the next year, if that makes a difference.

Bonus: Is it rude/abnormal to ask for copies of the results of these types of tests when they are taken?

Now you're scanning with... well, with what?

onshi — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 14:57:47 -0800

What software might a large Canadian IP and tech law firm use for scanning documents and records management? I'm interviewing for a position with a large Canadian law firm that specializes in intellecual property and technology law.

I have some background in scanning with various software packages, and was hoping to explore some of the more popular legal records management solutions to get my feet wet (or at least to be famillair with vendor names and their product offerings).

Googling turns up a ton of plausible hits, but it's hard to get an authoritative sense for which software actually has decent market penetration. Is there anything approaching an industry standard -- i.e. is there anything with the sector-specific dominance of a Photoshop or an AutoCAD?

How can I access public records?

mcarthey — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 06:50:25 -0800

When I'm looking for information on an old friend or doing a reverse phone lookup, it seems that the only places that have the information are sites like Intelius or US Search. Of course, we have to pay for the 'public records'. I'd like to know if it's possible to access these public records in another way without paying for them? It seems logical, but I haven't found an easy way to locate the information. Thanks!

How to keep notes for writing history

sully75 — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 20:33:31 -0800

How do I learn to keep notes and records on the things I'm studying for looking back on later I'm looking for a book that would talk about how to keep notes and records of things for writing about them later. I've got a lot of things I need to be better at this for but I'll give you a for instance:

I'm a fiddle player and in the long run I'd like to write a history of fiddle playing around the world. I need to keep notes and clips of articles and excerpts from books in a way that I can reference it in the future, but I have no idea how to do that. I don't have a ton of academic training. I'm looking for some guidance in how to create a personal database of information on a subject.

thanks
Paul

Anonymous but thorough public records search?

l8erm8 — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 13:01:30 -0800

I'm looking for a good free public records site. I'm trying to track someone down, and have had only minimal luck. Quite a bit of searching has revealed that she is alive, and possibly where she is living/working. A few public records sites have yielded results that could be what I'm looking for, but I don't want to pay for something that doesn't pan out. Peoplefinder.com has one free result that includes a "possible employment/business association" that pretty much guarantees I have found the right person. If the same information can be found free of charge somewhere online, then of course I'd like to do that.

I would rather not have my name/personal information associated with this search. Since it's so easy to search for other people, I imagine it's possible to find out who has searched for YOU. Does anyone know?

I appreciate any suggestions!

What did my computer do on 1/31/06?

xo — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 11:47:23 -0800

Does OSX (10.4.8) keep a record of the CDs I burn? I recently applied to a competition by sending a CD of three jpegs. I know which date I burned the CD, but I can't remember which jpegs I applied with. Is there a record of this information anywhere on my computer?

Vinyl solutions?

Hogshead — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 13:07:38 -0800

I need to get rid of my collection of vinyl records - approx. ten feet-worth of LPs, 12"s and box-sets. But now Beanos is going out of business, where else in London or south-east England will buy them - and is that my best option? It's an eclectic collection: pop/rock/electronic/dance/industrial/avant-garde/minimalism. Bits of it, I know, are very collectible but a lot of it's rubbish. I want to maximise my return while minimising the time I have to spend to get that return.

Questions:
1. What shops around London are likely to buy this kind of collection?
2. I'd prefer to sell it all to one purchaser, but given the time I'd have to spend cataloguing the whole lot, would I be better off putting the collectibles on eBay and hauling the rest to the dump?

What is the best way to store vinyl records over an extended period of time?

afx114 — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 20:03:20 -0800

What is the best way to store vinyl records over an extended period of time? I need to pack away and archive a thousand or so 12" vinyl records so that when I open them back up 5, 10, 50 years from now, they'll be in the exact same condition as when I packed them. I'm not interested in shelving, but actual packing materials.

Will cardboard do the job? Or do I need something more robust, maybe airtight plastic?
Will a dusty old garage do? It is cool, dark, and dry from what I can tell. My main concern is temperature. At what temperature do vinyl records begin to warp? And can they stand the cold? I'm located in San Diego where the weather is pleasant year round, so maybe this is not an issue.
Should I put them in individual PVC sleeves before packing them away into the box? Once they're in the box, they won't be coming out for a long time, so I'm not really worried about them rubbing on each other.
The solution should also be fairly modular, for future moves.

Turntable owners vs. Audiophiles

njm — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 18:12:47 -0800

I received a new turntable for Christmas. I’m having a hard time following the owner’s manual and on-line resources that explain how to achieve the best possible sound quality. If my LPs play fine, to my ears anyway, how important is it to perfectly adjust the cartridge, tracking force, azimuth, etc.? Besides offending obsessive audiophiles, do I run the risk of damaging the records or turntable? I spent a lot of time making the recommended adjustments yesterday, but it’s far from perfect. Although I have a big record collection, I never went overboard with the upkeep described in the links reference above. Is there any reason to start now?

DJ Gifts?

davebug — Sun, 24 Dec 2006 08:58:51 -0800

Looking for 3-5 $5-15 gifts for a DJ girl. Optional difficulty: I'm in Amarillo and ideally could get stuff here. My immediate thoughts: a) LCD light for checking album covers in the near-dark. b) some sort of record cleaning cloth.

She has record-holders, so that's not of much use, and she plays off almost entirely vinyl collection, so mp3 players and related devices aren't particularly helpful.

Buying pizza boxes in Toronto

winston — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 19:57:17 -0800

Looking for a place to buy pizza boxes (for mailing LPs) in Toronto. Looking at web sites or local businesses that sell cardboard boxes, I can find LP mailers or similarly-sized boxes for about a buck each or more.

But on web sites that sell pizza boxes of the same size, they can be as little as 25 cents each. But these are all in the US so shipping cost brings it back up to the same price as the LP mailers. Besides, I'd like to just pick some up tomorrow.

My method of asking at the counter at pizza shops has not yet found someone who knows where the boxes come from.

I can find local lots of restaurant suppliers online or in the yellow pages, but none that explicitly indicate that they have pizza boxes. And the ones I've asked don't.

If the market hits 12K do I get a bonus?

Funmonkey1 — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 13:20:07 -0800

EconomyFilter: I have a difficult time figuring out why the Dow Index breaking 12,000 translates into anything good for the average person on the street. Help me understand! I don't know any better way to say this - but even if the market is doing really well, that doesn't necessarily mean people are the direct beneficiaries of company profit or growth. Companies record profit and distribute back those gains into their own chosen vehicles whether employees, debt, savings etc...

Following that logic - no matter how great the market is doing it has no reflection on what (pardon the 80s lingo) what "trickles down" to the average Joe or Jane.

Also, the Dow Index is now labelled as "psychological" indicator which to me means it has no relevance. Is this the case?

Can anyone give me a quick market lesson?