Yup, that's what I did too. I have a file server upstairs that stores all my music, movies, and digital pictures. All of that media can stream to the PS3 (upstairs) and our PVR (downstairs). Additionally, anything recorded on the PVR can also stream to the PS3 upstairs.

To be honest, I rarely listen to music at home anymore, and I used to do that a lot. Mostly, I listen to music when driving or exercising (walking). I sometimes listen to music while working on the computer, but I do so much computer work from the laptop in the living room these days that it would just conflict with the kids watching SpongeBob.

we just listen to music through the computers and television.

Exactly! Hardware downsizing! And now with Win7 and homegroup streaming I can play my collection from anyplace in the house. But all those albums sitting in those storage bins, crying out to me in faint whispers.

'Play me, vaaaarrrk. Playyy meeeeeeeee.'


THE
HAUNTED BY GHOSTS
OF MUSIC PAST
AARDVARK

I'm sure my son (who is 8) would have no idea how to play a record, 8-track, or a cassette for that matter. The only thing he's ever seen us actually use a cassette for on a daily basis is we had one of those cassette-to-headphone-jack adapters for the car so we could plug the iPod directly into the stereo. It recently got stolen (the adapter, not the car) so I'm on the lookout for another one and it's a bitch. The lady at Dollar General (where I would expect to find something like that) all but made fun of me and told me to go look at thrift stores. Over the weekend I did just that and still couldn't find one. They're all over eBay for a buck or two, so I guess that's the next route.

Now that I think about it, I don't even have what you would call a stereo hooked up in the house anymore. After converting 90% of my CDs to MP3, we just listen to music through the computers and television. Upstairs of course I have a tuner and a surround sound speaker system, but the music source would either be the computer or I guess you could put a CD in the ps3 or something? I dunno, never tried.

I guess that's not completely true, both of the kids have boom boxes in their rooms, but the only CDs they have are mp3s that I burned into audio CDs for them.

Interestingly enough, I had to show my kid how to play a record when he was 12 or so. I remember pulling my turntable out then and showing it to him. He had never seen a record before. It was surreal.

I hope there are people keeping stuff like that around for the kids in fifty years or so.


THE
WHAT'S ALL THAT OLD JUNK
AARDVARK

I have a cassette deck around for the same reason -- not because I listen to cassettes, but because for a while I was converting all my old cassettes into mp3s. Not the stuff you could find in stores, but mostly those of local bands who released tapes in the late 80s and 90s that never made it to CD.

In 50 years from now, somebody's going to be awful glad that I preserved Ancient Chinese Penis' debut album. I'm not sure I want to meet that person, but whatever.

A thin layer of dust. That is the exact reason why I put my turntable in attic storage in the first place. I wasn't using it. I have my whole stereo cabinet up there, with it's oak trim and glass doors. Dual cassette decks and large hulking CD player.
I gave all my tapes away years ago.
Hmmph, I guess I already know the answer to my original question, don't I .....


THE
POINTLESS MEDIUM
AARDVARK

A couple of years ago I got one of those USB turntables from Ion. With it you can listen to records, or you can turn them into mp3s through the USB connection.

For a few months I picked up old records from thrift stores and converted them into mp3s with the idea of making drum tracks from them. I kind of quit doing it because records take up a lot of space, and plus I have so many mp3s at this point that it seemed silly to dedicated the time, space and money to the art of making more of them. I still have the turntable and it's still hooked up (it's sitting right here next to me, in fact) but it's covered in a thin layer of dust.

So should I set my turntable back up? I do and I don't want to.

Dont's:

Vinyl is a gimmick. It would take up space that I don't need to be taken up. I don't really need it as I don't listen to the albums now. But If I DID, I have a PS3 and a zune that can get me the music when I want it with a whole lot less rigmarole.

Do's:

Record albums are cool.



THE
ON THE BLACK PLASTIC FENCE
AARDVARK