A while back I wrote about double-blind testing various MP3 bitrates in order to decide what format to rip CDs to. The short summary of my testing was that I could easily hear the difference between 320kbps MP3 and lower bitrates, but that the difference between 320kbps and lossless was tougher to hear, at least under the circumstances of the test. However, as a result of what I learned, I decided to rip everything to lossless FLAC files.
Why the hell do publishers of classical CDs break up pieces into multiple tracks when they’re played as one continuous piece of music? Who listens to part 4 of “Music For Eighteen Musicians” without listening to the other 6 parts? Or listens to them in a different order? I mean, maybe there are people who listen to (say) the second section of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 In B Minor, Op. 74 ’Pathetique’ without listening to the first or third sections… but such people need to be hunted down and taught the error of their ways.
After a day of working from home, I had to get out of the computer room. I went to Harvard Square in search of a 2x mono 3.5mm jack to 1x stereo 3.5mm plug converter. I found one at Radio Shack, but it’s a blocky thing that won’t plug directly into the camcorder, so I need to either find a really short 3.5mm stereo headphone extension cable, or wire up my own converter.
Burned four more CDs of photos. I’m using Mitsui Gold 650MB CD-Rs, which I ordered specially. Stores don’t seem to stock standards-compliant high-quality CD-Rs any more; everyone wants non-standard 700MB CD-Rs that are as cheap as possible. So anyway, I’ve finished with the major travel pictures—East Germany, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg, and a few last shots of St Petersburg. Now to switch back to video for a while… But first, I finally played Diablo II.
Wandered into Newbury Comics yesterday. Nearly passed over “The Middle of Nowhere” by Orbital yet again, because it was still $14.99, and I’ll rarely spend more than $12 on a CD. Sara persuaded me otherwise, and I’m really glad she did. It’s the best Orbital album I’ve heard yet. And I have “The Altogether” to listen to as well…