Ron Ron Ron

Just done some reading up on this and then opted to remove Spotify from my machine.

 

This is what I was reading - it begins quite well but people get less and less happy as it goes on... Spotify P2P?

 

Other opinions are available.

Coincidentally, I read that page just the other day.

If you're interested in exactly how it works, you might be interested in this.....

http://pansentient.com/2011/04/spotify-technology-some-stats-and-how-spotify-works/

This is why I'm being a little hesitant.

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Thanks for the replies.

I've been using it for ages, and I must admit I hadn't realised that it works on a P2P basis.

I too, had not heard that it ran on a P2P basis. Interesting.

 

You're probably not the only ones who've used it and didn't realise, judging from similar comments elsewhere on the web.

Spotify no longer openly mention this anywhere on their web site, unless you delve into the small print, buried away somewhere on the site.

Apparently, in use, less than 10% of all music playback comes from the Spotify servers; 35% comes from other users via P2P and 55% from the users own cache of previously streamed and now stored music.

I haven't noticed any problems with it impacting other internet use, but why would you want to watch a streaming video and play music at the same time?

If you look back at my OP, you'll see I mentioned that Spotify runs in the background even when you close the Spotify app down.

You may be watching a streamed video, completely unaware that a request comes in and your computer starts streaming content out onto the P2P network to someone who has selected that track . It may not be apparent that you are streaming music out, at the same time that you're streaming video (or anything else) in.

As for knowingly watching video and playing music at the same time, that's a separate issue but this already happens in our household on a daily basis. My son may be on-line gaming or sometimes watching Sky on-demand (video streaming) on his XBox 360; or he'll be streaming internet radio or We7 and/or my daughter will be watching BBC iPlayer (video streaming), SWMBO or myself may be online on the Mac or a Windows laptop, whilst one of the Pure Internet radios is playing away in the kitchen.

Streaming video and music at the same time would certainly happen if I had Spotify, as it does now with We7 and internet radio. We need faster internet desperately!!!!!

It has also pointed me toward albums that I then went on to purchase online.

Just the same as We7, which we currently use. The only difference is that We7 is pure streaming and doesn't turn your computer into a Spotify server for others to access.

I find the whole idea brilliant. With We7 I can listen to any number of tracks, whole albums and personalised radio stations, an unlimited number of times, absolutely free (or advert free for a monthly subscription of £5), without having to buy any CD's or downloads.

(I have actually gone and ordered a few CD's after listening to some music this way though, but largely there's no need to purchase music at all unless you specifically want "hard copy", which is normally of a higher resolution anyway).

Unfortunately I can't send We7 around the house on my Sonos. Hence my considering Spotify.

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I've just purchased a Sonos wireless multi-room audio system. Totally amazing kit and no wonder they rave about it in magazines and on internet forums.

One of the features is the built-in ability to connect to a whole array of music streaming services such as Spotify, Napster, Last FM, Deezer, Pandora, Rhapsody, Wolfgang's Vault etc, etc, etc. (bypassing the PC or Mac in the process).

Being in the UK most of these services are not available to me, however a few are, including the very popular Spotify.

Currently I use We7 via my iMac or other household PC's or laptops (n.b. it seems my son also uses We7), although I'm still on the free subscription service (unlimited use but with adverts - except for ad free days).

We7 isn't supported by Sonos (yet?) which is a pain.

So far I've resisted the temptation to subscribe to Spotify because of how it runs as a Peer-to-Peer (p2p) network and I don't like the idea of my computer becoming a server for other users on the Spotify network, as well as my internet capacity being gobbled up by the uploading of tracks stored on my computer to be sent to other users.

We7, like most streaming services, is just that; simple streaming from the service to your computer (note, other types of services also send to other devices as well e.g. internet radio, internet capable TV, media players etc.).

We7 runs in the browser and there is no software or bespoke media player installed on your computer, other than what's already in there.

On the other hand, Spotify requires the downloading and installation of software on your computer and the setting up of a cache for the storage of music that may be accessed by other users. Again, I don't like the idea of that !

The music libraries of all these streaming services are growing all the time and it's quite remarkable at the depth of content, however Spotify seems to be out in front in terms of the amount of albums and tracks available. Ordinarily, We7 has most of what I search for, even if Spotify has more choice; and I'd leave it at that. However having got the Sonos system I'm quite tempted to try Spotify, although that invovles a Premium Service subscription of £10 a month !!

I just don't like the idea of my computers being enrolled into some p2p network, with the Spotify application running in the background, even when I'm not using that service.

Plus, I'm not sure what impact it will have on other internet use, such as streaming video (BBC iPlayer etc, ), VOIP phone calls, internet radio streams etc?

Are my fears unfounded?

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We've had a couple of those calls purporting to be from Sky, trying to sell cover.

The last time, I said that we're out of the minimal contract period and suggested that if anything went wrong with our boxes, Sky might want to fix or replace them or lose our custom.

I also pointed out that we are registered with the TPS and asked for the "proper" name of the company they worked for. This resulted in a hasty apology and the phone call coming to an abrupt end.

I so hate all cold calling. Even if they were giving away free Gold bars, I'd still refuse and put the phone down on them.

.....the series 2 cars which rarely seem to be around as cheap imports.

I get the impression that "grey importing" of Japanese used cars largely died out some time ago (with the exception of certain performance models).

Was it a 1990's phenomena ?

I would imagine that series 2 imports would be quite rare, if not non-existant.

However, I'm not challenging anyone's general observations or opinion about "rusty" Mazda's. I'm perfectly happy to accept it may well be the case.

I see she made a big point of the "Real Terms Rise" of only 3% as the other 5% is due to inflation.

Try telling that to all the poor sods who didn't get a payrise or got a freeze or even a cut! Real Terms to them is still 8-13%!

I think this is the real issue here. The timing of these fare rises couldn't be worst for many of those who depend on rail to get to work.

On the other hand, there's a lot been made of how some season ticket prices are far too low in the first place.

IIRC, one of many examples cited in Rail, had the averaged price of one journey on a season ticket at something like £2.80 return, compared with a normal off-peak at something like £6 plus, i.e. less than half price.

If that's the case then such anomalies need to be addressed and season ticket holders should be paying more realistic fares. Whether they can afford to, is another issue.

There was a concern with the Eunos roadster, which was a Mazda MX-5, because it was said not to have such good anti-rust treatment as the genuine import. I still see quite a few and they don't seem too bad to me after ? years.

As to the Eunos having less rust protection, from the stories of the MX5 that would be quite an achievement.

Hundreds, if not a couple of thousand used Eunos made it to the UK as "grey imports".

Most went straight to the Used Car forecourts, with lots being "re-badged" as MX5's in the process.

Apart from the much less comprehensive anti-rust treatment, I understand that the Eunos has many variations in components compared to the MX5 sold in the EU.

IIRC, that includes things like the Glass thickness (not sure if thats the windscreen only, or all glass?). The Glass fitted to MX5's being thicker; therefore if replacement on a Eunos is needed, you've got a problem!

I strongly suspect that there are, or have been loads of owners who have/had no idea that their second, third or forth hand MX5 was in fact a Eunos.

A friend of ours bought one in blissful ignorance. She had no idea it wasn't an MX5, despite the badges saying otherwise.

Keith, it may be possible that those rusty MX5's .....weren't, so to speak?

If I've got it right, there's a very easy way to spot a Eunos against an MX5. The Japanese rear registration plates are square and the recess for them is shaped accordingly. EU spec. MX5's have the usual rectangular number plate recess.

Back-tracking a little to the Nissan Figaro: it was only made for the Japanese market and is based on the Micra! I see them quite regularly tootling around the City of London.........They've become somewhat collectible in the UK 'cos we seem to love small quirky cars and the Micra is a cheap and reliable platform. .......they're very cool!

When we lived in the Thames Valley, there were a few Figaros knocking about. Same down here on the South Coast, where they are frequently spotted. I even saw one at Cowes on the IOW the other weekend.

I guess most people find them quite cute, apart from being nicely quirky; which I think was exactly Nissan's intention.

S-Cargos are a rarer beast in the UK, but there are still quite a few around, usually promoting businesses.

Apart from Nissan using the original mk1 Micra (K10) platform for their 1990's Niche range, other specialist Japanese companies used the same platform to produce micro not quite-replicas of cars like the Jaguar Mk2 (the Viewty) 800px-Mitsuoka_Viewt_011.JPG.

My favourite 1990's Japanese Micro cars are the Honda Beat and the Suzuki Cappuccino roadsters. A work colleague had one of the latter for several years.

I'd have one of those Renault Aventime's too but they were very badly received and production was short-lived.

The Aventime and Vel Satis were an unmitigated disaster for Renault and rightly so.

Apart from being pig-ugly, they had a reputation for typical French unreliability for that era and fell way short of the "premium" image they were supposed to convey.

To call the Aventime "quirky" is a bit of an understatement. Based on the current Espace platform of that time, who would have thought that a large 2-door 4-seater MPV would sell?

A local IT business round here had a small fleet of them (half a dozen or so?), painted/vinyl'ed up in company titles and logo. I believe they got shot of them after a year or so, due to the appalling build quality and reliability.

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I fear the time is coming that we will have to step outside Ron's 'bubble' to deal with such direct frontal assaults on our civilisation.

 

I hope some kind of good comes out of this in the long run but right now it's hard to see how it can.

I'm right with you there Dave, but how can the politicians and press be brought to this awareness?

Today we've seen and heard the same old tired responses from the clueless "experts", politicians and commentators.

Just a small selectionof other stuff that enrages me....

The Community - What the heck is that????

Local Communities - where they exist, these thugs and yobs are not part of it.

Community leaders - there's no such thing???

This is almost a new phenomena, these are not riots, these are thieves and thugs on an unimpinged crime spree.

I totally agree with you. Nothing but Thugs, Yobs and Thieves on an unconstrained crime binge.

It also made my blood boil when one Sky journo, reporting directly from the "front line" as it happened, described the mob as "protesters" !!!!!!! WTF !!!!!

Is this all it takes for certain people to fall into anarchy? Are those people existing in a state almost collapse?

The sad and horrible truth is yes.

This is the sad state with this section of our society. Lawlessness, lack of respect or even a concept of decency and civilisation. "Gangster" culture and the aspirations of that lifestyle.

I don't think there is any hope at all with these people. There is no easy answer.

I don't buy the argument about lack of jobs, because Hull's unemployment is the highest in the country, according to a report last week and we're not pillaging.

Me neither.. Total baloney IMHO, as are the other so-called reasons and excuses.

They are thieves and scumbags and not representative of the rest of their own communities and they were thieves and scumbags well before one of their own was killed for shooting a policeman.

Agreed. See my comments above.

If they choose to act like animals, maybe we should treat them as such.

No, the humanist in me, tells me we have to be better than them, or we have no right to judge.

I have always restrained my own thoughts and emotions with the belief that we must uphold and live by the morals and standards we purport to hold dear. That's why I'm against the death penalty in principle.

My way of thinking about it, is to think of our so called "civilisation" and "society" as an artificial construct and I believe that in order to protect it we must stay within it's bounds; therefore transgressors should be dealt with according the the rule of law.

However, when people step outside the walls of this "bubble", as in the case of the sort of terrorist threat and actions we have being subjected to in recent years, then I feel that sometimes the "problem" has to be also dealt with outside of the normal rules.

Whether the widespread acts of violence and rampant crime we have seen in recent days should be dealt with in such a way, is open to debate?

ADMIN - very possibly, but not here please

I can virtually guarantee not one will be charged with riot or possibly even violent disorder.

 

Same goes for aggravated burglary and trespass.

If all these people are brought to justice as promised by the PM where are they all going to be locked up? There is already an overflowing prison capacity problem.

I suspect that when the time comes there will be 'insufficient evidence' to bring most of these people to court let alone convict them. Even then they will probably get away with fines or the laughable community punishment of probabtion.

Sadly I think this is what will happen. Very few will be punished and those that are will receive laughable sentences.

Its come on a bit since these two, eve shot 11/10 day shot 03/11

Indeed. I last saw it last Autumn, when it looked like nothing. What a surprise when I saw it recently.

They should reach the top by the end of this year.

I'll be interested to see how it will look when the protective covers are removed from the completed glass outer skin.

I'm following progress on the Skyscraper City website (that's where the photo links I posted, take you). The Shard topic is now up to page 983 !!!!!

There's also the Official Shard website.

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The big Red Crane is very tall..... _MG_4490.jpg

.....but look at that big Red Crane from this other angle ..... IMG_0094.jpg

The Shard; soon to be London and Western Europe's tallest building.

Notice the crane drivers cab on the top crane !

More images....

5987670398

20110729_0004.jpg

shard1of2.jpg

It seems that Currys/PC World have finally corrected their website after various computer magazines and some of the national press pointed out their Gaff with the Chromebook promotions.

It took them all of a fortnight before someone must have realised the outside world was having a good laugh at them.

If you're not too sure about buying a computer, you can always rely on your local Currys / PC World to make sure you buy everything you need to get started.

Just like this new Samsung ChromeBook. They've recommended all the extras you need....?????

Samsung ChromeBook series 5 (Artic White)

Samsung ChromeBook series 5 (Black)

Have a good look at the bundles and accessories.

Clues:

You can't install software on a computer running the Chrome operating system, therefore the Office Home & Student edition is b***er all use;

it isn't a windows machine so a Windows 7 upgrade to Home Premium is of no use

...and an anti-virus / security package will not only be useless, you can't install it either.

Bob, are you thinking about the shares you already have, or are you toying with the idea of buying and selling other shares?

Spamcan61, I agree that moving files with the Brennan is not only "clunky", but off-putting for many potential users.

This product is so dated in so many ways and alternatives are much "cleverer" and easier to use.

The library issue again shows how dated their approach is.

As for Joe Soap public, indeed most won't know or care about the quality of the sound . Plus, up to now most sales, ripping, or use of "digital music" has been by a younger generation who to large extent listen to it on portable devices or through "tinny sounding" docking devices & players.

However the world moves on and an increasing number of people from all generations are taking to these new formats for owning and listening to their music.

There's an increasing availability of higher quality audio devices and systems to play 'digital music" and the concept is being embraced wholeheartedly by the so called "serious" or "high-end" audio manufacturers. Even the mainstream "High Street" audio equipment companies (e.g. Sony, Marantz, Denon etc,) are joining this "revolution'.

While no doubt the mainstream will continue to use the present mp3 and iTunes AAC formats for quite some time, those interested in better quality sound can now buy higher quality downloads from smaller or specialist labels, or rip their CD's and SACD's into lossless or uncompressed files .

It remains to be seen whether it reaches a stage where the mainstream record labels and online retailers begin to offer their downloads in "hi-res" formats.

As for 128 kbit/s downloads ???

That's a bit of a throw-back isn't it ? .......

Amazon mp3's 256 kbit/s

Apple AAC's 256 kbit/s and higher

Tesco mp3's 320 kbit/s

Napster mp3's 256 kbit/s

Play.com mp3's 320kbit/s

We7 mp3's normally 320 kbit/s

Spotify mp3's 320 kbit/s

Brennan are certainly getting their product noticed by advertising in weekend supplements and various newspapers.

Personally speaking, I consider the Brennan music server to be at the bottom end of the market and really a Low-Fi product, compared to the other similar, but more advanced devices on the market.

The low price reflects its market position.

As 34theletterbetweenB&D said, it all depends on how critical you are about the quality of your music.

The very least one might expect is to obtain CD quality, if not the higher resolution formats now beginning to appear. However, in most cases, the Brennan machine will not even match CD quality.

The Brennan marketing mostly talks about copying your CD's into compressed mp3 files and as such the sound quality will be reduced. Whether you can hear the difference will depend on your ears and the equipment you play your music through.

IMHO, it's noticeable on all but cheap budget audio or portable devices like iPods.

Note: It doesn't handle Apple's iTunes AAC format.

File Bit rates given in the product specification are 128, 192 and 320 kbit/s.

IMHO, 128 kbit/s is pretty crap on anything other than a portable mp3 player, through earphones.

192 kbit/s is obviously better, but still quite Low-Fi (note: in comparison, iTunes basic download format is 256 kbit/s)

320 kbit/s is quite acceptable for many forms of music on reasonable quality home audio equipment, although it cannot compare CD or higher quality formats.

Non of these can really compare with CD or higher resolution standards on anything more than modest home audio equipment.

The Brennan is able to copy CD's as uncompressed files (a true copy of the CD), but I can't find any information to say in what format.

If it's in WAV, then it's worth pointing out that this format can only carry a limited amount of Meta-data (e.g. stuff like Track names, track lists, Album art, tags).

Other similar or more advanced devices also offer FLAC, which seems to be emerging as the default standard file format for lossless digital music and carries the extra Meta-data.

This extra data is very useful, if not invaluable in managing music data bases and being able to organise and search for tracks, albums etc.

Some FLAC equipped players have the album art, track lists and lots of other information stored along with the music.

Another downside to the Brennan is its poor Hard Disc (HDD) capacity.

The options are 160GB, 320GB and 500GB.

By present day standards that's p*ss poor, especially if you prefer to keep all your music in uncompressed form.

Again, the competition is mostly offering 500GB as a very minimum, with 1TB becoming available on some products.

In summary (a very personal opinion mind you!)....

Sold on its mp3 storage capability (i.e. low resolution music)

Uncompressed music format not known (probably WAV), but with limited data.

Poor HDD sizes available.

Cheap price - cheap capability.

On a positive note, is the convenience factor.

All your CD's in one place.

Built-in and automatic ripping capability, i.e. you don't have to be a Geek or computer expert to work it.

However, all that and a lot more can be obtained from much more capable devices from other manufacturers, but at a cost.

Just one example is this. ...and at the "top-end" would be something like this.

The good news is the audio market is shortly going to be flooded with similar digital music and streaming products, at much more affordable prices.

Personally I'd give the Brennan a wide berth.

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I'm surprised nobody has made the connection with the number "seven" !

It was David Beckhams famous shirt no. and has also been used as a brand name for licensed merchandise and clothing.

IIRC, Marks & Spencer sold a range of "Beckham no. 7" childrens clothes back in the early 2000's and "7" has been used with other Beckham branded goods.

Seven, as in 2007, is also the year in which the Beckhams bought their Beverley Hills mansion. Presumably there is a connection, as their new daughter was born in LA?

David met and started dating his wife Victoria in 1997, but that's a rather tenuous link.

What has become of Fifi-Trixibelle Geldof? She doesn't seem to make the headlines like her two sisters.

Probably hiding in embarrassment over her name.

Harper Seven sounds like something you put down the toilet to clean it with.

Even the stupidest country on earth(USA) doesn't use those ridiculous, meaningless, metric measurements.

That's your opinion. I find many Imperial measurements to be completely meaningless, but others like Miles I have more of a grasp of. Come to think of it, there are few Imperial measurements that I use anymore (I'm 56 yrs old as well).

The "half-way house" situation throws up some funny variations on preferences though.

Personally speaking, I do all small measurements in mm, cm & metres. I'll describe a short distance as one, two or three hundred metres, but don't have any mental idea of what a km looks like, even though it's obvious, so it's miles for me.

Weights are all done in metric, both by me, SWMBO and the kids. Imperial lb's & oz's are just a hazy memory to me, but the rest of the family have no idea about them at all. Liquids are all in litres or ml's.

However, when it comes to fuel in the car, I can only get my head around MPG, even though I'm used to buying in litres and have no problems with that. Thank goodness the cars computer talks MPG when reading out fuel consumption.

Oh yes, ......I have been know to scream at the TV "...that's never 10 yards Ref !"

Suitably befuddled

Ron

It is time that more of the existing network used for freight is electrified as the days of oil based products(diesel) forming the main backbone to move freight are numbered. If diesel traction still reigns supreme in say 20-30 years there will be big problems. Oil prices will increase as stockpiles dwindle so now is really the time to give some consideration to what lines would be most beneficial to being electrified. Especially lines you mentioned like the Felixstowe branch which is used frequently daily, the electification of the existing network should be given a higher prority than building new lines such as HS2.

That makes more sense. However, the rising cost of Oil doesn't just affect transport, it affects almost everything from food production to the manufacture of all sorts of products, affecting almost every industry and business. Oil based products are all around us and Oil provides the food on our tables.

A move to electrification makes sense, but there is a serious question about where all that extra electricity will come from. As it is, the forecasts suggest that in a few years time, there won't be enough electricity generating capacity to meet the nation's rising needs. If that's not sorted out, there's no hope of widespread electrification of the railways much beyond the current plans.

Even assuming that that our electricity generating needs can be met, will the worlds industries and economies be able to adjust to the rising costs of Oil, or will it all go T*ts up ?

Well diesels may be able to be manufactured now to low fuel consumption designs but what happens when all the oil runs out?

When the Oil runs out, they'll be no need for freight trains.

And you believe all that with all the spelling mistakes. OK there from the USA but come on?

Pot, Kettle....Black

Grant Lee Buffalo - Mighty Joe Moon.

It makes you realise why folk convert to DCC ...

Exactly my thoughts.