[Paladin79]

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/colonial-india-british-hedge-salt-tax

The use of Himalayan Pink salt began at this time as it could be mined north of the hedge line.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.history.com/.amp/topics/india/salt-march

This is also interesting.

 

[Balthazar B]

Food has intrinsic value, industrial metals, wood, etc. Anything that can be used has intrinsic value. You can't eat gold, you can't make weapons with it, it's too malleable, you can't build a house with it, you really can't use for anything. Hence, it has no intrinsic value.

So, let's say that it's just pretty. Ok. If I see gold and I admire it because it's pretty, that's one thing. However, if I were to wear it, then I announce that I am beautiful now. I'm not beautiful without gold, but gold makes ME beautiful. We can make it even more subtle than that. I am MORE beautiful with gold than I am without. That's feeding an insecurity because wearing gold doesn't change ME. It only changes the way I feel about myself.

And once again, that is an opinion that you may hold for yourself, but it is not one that applies to anyone else. I find value in jewelry, gold, what you call bling. It has nothing to do with self esteem or "insecurities," a term which I find incredibly insulting by the way. It has to do with the intrinsic value placed on them by me and by society. If you see bling as a security blanket, fine, live your life bling-free. But stop insulting me and anyone else who likes bling, who finds value in bling, and who thinks you are being insufferable. Maybe that last one is just me.

Please, guys, could you just append "In my opinion" to each thing you post, agree that it's a sign of healthy maturity not to take the opinions of others personally, and stop bickering? Can't we all just get along?

 

[Paladin79]

A change of pace.

 

[OldRoadToad]

Some one needs to have an intervention. I think I need to call Whine One One and get a Whaaaamublance sent to their rescue. It is FACT that some folks look every where to be "offended" except the mirror. That is called PCBS and it should be disgusting to any thinking being. And again, to those scouring to be emotionally hurted, this is life not politics.

I know of whom I speak but they claim I am on their "ignore" list. Silly children. People have opinions on a variety of subjects not the least of which are audio equipment. If a person says to me, "I don't like Frank Sinatra", do I get all emo-fied and butt-hurted? Nope. What about if they say my fully automatic Denon 'table is "worthless garbage"? Do I whine to the world at emotional largess that I have been violated and demand first an apology and then a banning? Nope.

If my opinions mean nothing to them except that they are some how "offended" then why should theirs mean shinola to me? They do not. And again, I have yet to put any one on "ignore" because doing so risks not learning some thing. And of course being taught a lesson. Speaking of which, thus endeth the vile ramblings of the eeeeevile Toad of the West for now.

And just to satisfy the Schiit Content Meter (not a VU Meter, mind you!) my son is thoroughly enjoying his Modius and Sennheiser (aka, the "Senns of my son") 58xx Jubilee headphones.

ORT

 

[Roy G. Biv]

Food has intrinsic value, industrial metals, wood, etc. Anything that can be used has intrinsic value. You can't eat gold, you can't make weapons with it, it's too malleable, you can't build a house with it, you really can't use for anything. Hence, it has no intrinsic value.

So, let's say that it's just pretty. Ok. If I see gold and I admire it because it's pretty, that's one thing. However, if I were to wear it, then I announce that I am beautiful now. I'm not beautiful without gold, but gold makes ME beautiful. We can make it even more subtle than that. I am MORE beautiful with gold than I am without. That's feeding an insecurity because wearing gold doesn't change ME. It only changes the way I feel about myself.

It's great to have an opinion but you seem to be trying to convince the forum that your point-of-view is somehow fact. There's an old saying that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder." My personal corollary is "value is in the eye of the beholder." This includes intrinsic value. My idea of beauty or value may/may not be the same as yours. That doesn't mean either of us is right or wrong. IMHO.

 

[OldRoadToad]

A change of pace.

Simply put...Beautiful. Gorgeous. Heavenly. Inspirational.

I am NOT "offended".

ORT

 

[433521]

You are too kind and in the scheme of things, this is something I might use or build for another friend but it would not be a commercial success. They could easily get someone with 3D printers to make nice headphone stands with their logo, or someone who does large production woodworking to make one from wood and metal possibly matching their cabinet design.

RCA tubes made in Germany?

 

[earnmyturns]

what I said is not controversial, meaning it's not just MY opinion, it's widely accepted

Bling?

 

[A Jedi]

You can't eat gold, you can't make weapons with it, it's too malleable, you can't build a house with it, you really can't use for anything.

It's quite useful as a conductor.

Not "in my opinion" - it really is lol.

Personally, other than its electrical properties I could care less about Au.

 

[turtlerod]

It's great to have an opinion but you seem to be trying to convince the forum that your point-of-view is somehow fact. There's an old saying that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder." My personal corollary is "value is in the eye of the beholder." This includes intrinsic value. My idea of beauty or value may/may not be the same as yours. That doesn't mean either of us is right or wrong. IMHO.

My point of view says, beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.

 

[Roy G. Biv]

My point of view says, beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.

Obviously

 

[US Blues]

For me Nagra will always be the company that made the supremely awesome mini reel-to-reel tape recorder.

Nagra's portable reel-to-reel machines made numerous superb recordings of the Grateful Dead using dedicated recording mixes made live on the fly by their crew.

 

[JamminVMI]

It isn't my favorite book for several reasons. But I'm glad you recommended it. I think we have many tastes in common and just because we disagree about The City and the City, doesn't mean my time was wasted. I'd like to read at least one of Mieville's other books to find out if I like his stuff. I read some of the interview at the back of my copy and it sounds like his writings are varied. Another author I've read, Michael Chabon, also has a varied body of work. My favorite, Gentlemen of the Road, is his least popular according to reviews I've read. Go figure.

As to The City and the City, I found it a strange combination of genres: part detective story, part police procedural, part sci-fi/ fantasy, part origin story (the two cities and The Cleavage which created them). What I didn't like is none of the various genres were explored or filled out enough for my tastes. I found myself wanting to know more about The Cleavage and how Beszel and Ul Qoma came to be even though the rest of the Earth is "normal". I suppose there was enough procedural content, but how did Breach relate to the rest of the world? Did citizens of other countries ever get "disappeared", either on purpose or in error? What would happen then? I also found myself frustrated Mieville chose to make Beszel and Ul Qoma into police states rather than explore the other weirdness which could be possible if you could disappear from one city and arrive in another "displaced" by some weird fracture in the universe. He hinted each city had different foreign allies and trading partners, it would have been an interesting thing to read about how foreign affairs were handled. Then there's the whole thing of Beszel and Ul Qoma being "just cities", what about the country they belong to?

Speculative fiction isn’t everyone’s cuppa, I agree. I think China’s most approachable work is my favourite (and, IIRC, his first), King Rat, though Perdido Street Station my be his most well known.

@Paladin79 may have thoughts as well (he usually does…)

 

[Plautus001]

Bling?

https://images.app.goo.gl/NH2y6dYXZKSszuqm9

Bling?

 

[tincanear]

A change of pace.

very nice find.
Beethoven's 9th symphony added to the play queue...