From the occasionally troubled minds of this disparate flock of bloggers, the question of whether technological advances weaken our senses is tossed about, and I revisit the lost art of installing car stereos.
Plus, The Duke discusses the medical retraction of jewels, Eric admits he knows not what he does, and Mark ponders the value of internet-savvy refrigerators.
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From: Bennett Dawson'))
To: The Hot Topic Team
Re: FM Is Stereo
My lovely wife and I were talking about those "Top-Ten Hit CDs" from the sixties and seventies. You know, the ones that get hustled on those 30-minute late-night infomercials. Me saying that they're really cool because "...those are all the songs that buzzed out of my candle wax-covered AM clock radio when I was a teenybopper..."
Back in 1970, dig?
My wife looked puzzled, trying to absorb a stone-age concept. AM clock radio?
Before I could explain, a sideways brain connection fizzled through my synapses, and I started wondering about "when did FM start broadcasting?" and "Do I actually remember that historic event?"
Yes folks, it's sad but true. In 1970, FM was just like HDTV - meaning I didn't have it.
This led to a brief discussion about the difference between AM and FM, and to my surprise, my wife couldn't tell me the profound difference between the two. Now let me say that my wife is brilliant in her field of expertise, and knows many things that I haven't a clue about. But she had a slightly different upbringing (she's a girl), and was eight years further down the timeline than me. That being the case, FM radio was all she ever listened to.
"All the music was on FM, and AM was all talk radio and traffic and weather."
She knew that FM stations "sounded better" in her car, but that's about it. The "stereo" in the house sounded good because it had two speakers and besides, we paid more money for it than the clock radio, so it had to sound better.
She never truly realized that with stereo, each speaker has slightly different music coming out of it, two distinct tracks. I have no idea what she thought about the sound system in her relatively new Jetta, with speakers every few inches in the doors and body panels. 'More speakers = better sound' is what I'd suppose. Understanding that AM is one track and FM is two tracks was not part of her grip on aural reality.
Article comments
1 - Guppusmaximus
All I have to say is that I still love "FM" compared to digital radio. Granted I hate 90% of the music being played but it still sounds better than that awful compressed sound you get from XM or Sirius... As for the topic at hand...
I didn't realize how much stuff you could learn from the internet(for free) if you wanna put in the time. Right now, I am going to read a .pdf book,"Teach yourself C++ in 21 days"<--What the Deuce?? This is Freakin Amazing... ;-)
2 - Bennett
Indeed! Of all the things NOT predicted by the visionaries on my generation, the Net is the biggest and most amazing phenom. Changin' lives it is!
Thanks for the view of satFM, even without commercials you prefer broadcast?
3 - Mark Saleski
i don't listen to radio for sound quality. heck, evern regular fm material has had the life compressed out of it.
at least on satellite find all sorts of new stuff to listen to, which really only happens with fm when listening to college and some public radio.
4 - Lisa McKay
Very interesting topic, guys, and one that my husband and I discuss frequently. My husband in particular is a tech-head of the old school - if you wanted a good stereo receiver back in the day, you built it, by god! He also used to work on his cars himself - I'm talking serious stuff, like replacing transmissions and pulling engines out - and I think that the ability (or need) to tinker gives one an intuitive understanding of how things work. The materials we have to work with today (miniature circuitry, anyone?) don't really lend themselves to that kind of hands-on knowledge.
I have to admit that even as a fairly sophisticated end user (and a dinosaur to boot), my own knowledge of 'how things work' is mostly appalling.
5 - Mark Saleski
lisa, send this link to your husband.
it points to what i use for amplification in my stereo. though i have to admit that i myself didn't build it (not that that would surprise anybody)
6 - Andy Marsh
It has been interesting in the marsh household since Christmas day...I bought my wife the Mac-mini she thought she wanted, only to find out that the web browser that she was comfortable with, IE for MAC, was not going to be supported any longer and she'd have to learn a program called safari...not her...no f'ing way man...she now has an e-machine and I have an extra $400 in my pocket! She also didn't like that new apple mouse...apparently, it has two buttons and that's way to much to handle!
I'm a hardware guy...not sure if I can tell you why the ones and zeros go through the system, but I can usually figure out where they stopped when they do.
This has been a good read. I remember the AM radio in the car...listening to Cousin Brucie out of NY when I was a kid...who would call themselves Brucie today??? I had that 8-track player under the dash! I also had an FM converter for a while...hooked right into my AM radio...pretty sweet lemme tell ya!
One line in EB's piece made me think I was getting one of those spam e-mails where the subject line makes absolutely no sense at all...this one eb..."ultra tubular with consecrated cream cheese linings for upshot adornment of life-melted dude-scape"...I swear I've seen that as a subject line in a BS e-mail.
As far as FM being stereo...I would like to point something out for those that profess to be audiophiles. FM is stereo, but it's clipped. When you listen to a song on the radio, you don't get the same sound range that you get from a CD or other digital media. The high and low ends of the audio signal are clipped or removed so the signal can fit on the fm "carrier" signal.
And lastly, although I haven't picked up a guitar in a lot of years I know a few folks that do and they swear by old technology when it comes to pick-ups and amps...the old tube technology seems to put out a much cleaner sound than the newer solid state kinda stuff.
7 - DJRadiohead
Lisa touched on something I had planned to contribute to this discussion before I ran out of health and time... my brother-in-law is a retired mechanic. He and a mechanic buddy of his were lamenting how cars these days have all gotten computerized to the point they are no longer fun to work on and are getting damn near impossible to work on by yourself.
That said, I used to know a little about FM and Stereo... it was covered in some of my old comm classes in college. Of course, I had forgotten most of it so this was all a fun trip down amnesia lane. Well done, Bennett & Co.
8 - Bennett
Andy - I remember those cool little FM converters! An entire industry based on bridging the technology gap...
9 - Greg Smyth
A great read guys, just sorry I had nothing pertinent to add.
10 - Bennett
DJR - My boy read this last night and we talked a bit about auto repair. I mentioned "timing light" and the blank look he gave me was priceless.
I explained, and he almost choked with mirth at the barbaric practices performed bi-monthly by millions of backyard mechanics...
I don't miss that stuff at all.
11 - Andy Marsh
all the cars in my driveway are from teh 90's and there's still a few things you can do yourself...sparkplugs and air filters!
timing lights...I 'member them things! setting gap...all that stupid stuff!! Couldn't leave your car key in the wrong position for to long without the engine running because you could weld the points together...yeah...remember points??? not the ones on your license either! I remember them to well too!
I bought a book when I got my first car..."the complete step by step idiots guide to volkswagons"...best comic book I ever invested in!
12 - Bennett
That's the book with the hippie meditating on the roof of a bug?!?!?
Yeah, I had it too. It saved my ass in Salt Lake City when a clutch cable broke and I was too poor to pay someone else to fix it.
I remember ALL the shit you mention. If all I have to do is the air filter and topping up the oil, I happy.
Computerized ignition systems are better than sliced bread.
13 - DJRadiohead
Of course none of this means all that much to me... I wouldn't be able to fix any of it. =)
14 - Shark
Nice work, guys. And y'all ain't "old" -- trust me.
Coupla points:
* STEREO FM authorized: 1961
* Note that the appearance of FM stereo radio stations throughout the country exactly paralleled the rise of the "album" format in rock n roll, ie. AM was still playing top 40 hits for kiddies, while around 1967-68, FM (particularly indie and college call letters) began playing 'non-hits', longer songs, and entire albums for my stoned-out, tuned-in generation.
* FM = Frequency modulation -- which makes for better sound
AM = Amplitude Modulation, which until recently sucked re. sound quality. (that's why talk radio has come to dominate AM)
re: Technological Innovations -- the late, great Neil Postman had a great mantra re. technology; he would ask, "This is a replacement for what?"
In his example, in the "Cruise-Control" automobile innovation -- he asked, "This is a replacement for what?"
Answer: putting your foot down
ie. if you use that criteria, so much of what is touted as "innovative" technology turns out to be relatively useless, absurd bullshit consumer crap.
15 - Andy Marsh
The latest greatest piece of technology I own is XMRadio.
I bought one of these new MyFi systems and it really is all that and a bag of chips! I've carried it with me all the way across the country and I really really like it. If you sit on the right side of hte plane you can even listen all the way across the country. This little unit I have also has the capability to record 5 hours worth of stuff just in case you can't get a seat on the southern side of the plane! Really really cool!
I know this probably doesn't belong here, but Sharks comment made me think of it. As far as that question...this is a replacement for what? I guess the answer would be...searching for a decent radio station in a town you're not familiar with???
16 - Welfare Cheese
XM Ch 202. The Opie and Anthony show is the funniest shit I've ever heard on the radio. They will make you realize just how unfunny Stern is.
Mo' Cheese Please
17 - Bennett
Don't dis my cruise control! On long highway drives the switch is more comfortable on the calf and ankle than the pedal, for me anyway, and when I'm up in Canada, it's a great way to keep from getting a speeding ticket.
18 - simon hb
"Stereo Radio One. Like stereo's such a big deal."
- Danny Baker's jingle from his all-too-brief period at BBC Radio One.
19 - Shark
Bennett,
Awright.
I'll concede that maybe 1 in ?? people actually need and use Cruise Control.
But try the Postman mantra next time you see some technological "innovation". It's kinda interesting to think in those terms.
I think you'll find more BS than you would without -- either that, or you'll find yourself making *silly justifications for the "innovations".
* if the shoe fits........
heh.
Jst f'in w/cha.
20 - Bennett
Heh!
S'cool. Need and appreciation for something that came with the truck are two differnt things.
It'll break, like half of the electric crap in vehicles these days, and I'll do without just fine.
I did like it when my driver's side window went up and down however...
21 - Mat Brewster
Nice job gents. Sorry for my lack of imput, like DJ I just ran out of time and health. The fam took up all my time and a dang head cold took up my health.
I am so not mechanically inclined. Once in awhile I'll tinker with something, but mostly I leave that to the professionals.
All I know about FM/AM is that my car doesn't pick up AM and I've read a little about what Shark was talking about during the Rock n Roll swindle on the FM dial way back when.
22 - Aaron Fleming
Excellent stuff guys, I feel bad for not partaking as I didn't realise what an excellent subject it was that was presented.
It's interesting to view the increasing mysticism of technology, but not surprising when you look at how it advances (in speed and complexity), these advances only makes it more and more difficult to understand from a layman standpoint.
I mean look at all those hundreds of transitors on that motherboard there, how the hell does that equate to a running PC? I have no idea. But do I really need to know? The added knowledge necessary and physical resources needed to repair these technologies hardly makes it worthwhile, especially with plenty of experts available for that very purpose.
23 - Eric Berlin
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24 - BlueHornet
This looks cool so far, what's up people?
If there's anyone else here, let me know.
Oh, and yes I'm a real person LOL.
See ya,