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hibadelic

hibadelic

Radge-a-Casblanca
Private Member
Joined
Dec 12, 2003
The record store got me thinking about modern life, how much it has changed and whether the things that matter have changed for the better.

Music delivery, essentially Spotify v buying physical media is for the worse I reckon because it devalues the music.

Football has clearly gone down the pan for financial and lack of competition reasons.

TV - for me the jury is out. In some respects it has improved but I suspect to the detriment of another consideration, Cinema

Taxis - Can't believe they actually got worse, but they did. Mind hailing a cab anywhere, getting to your destination and everyone chucking in the required fare?

Shopping - Given I almost never need to unless I want to, and the range is infinitely greater than before I'm tempted to say it's improved but similar to previous comments about availability decreasing value, the decline of the high st and various other factors, I'm not sure.

Banking/financial/investment etc - definitely improved.
 
hibadelic said:
The record store got me thinking about modern life, how much it has changed and whether the things that matter have changed for the better.

Music delivery, essentially Spotify v buying physical media is for the worse I reckon because it devalues the music.

Football has clearly gone down the pan for financial and lack of competition reasons.

TV - for me the jury is out. In some respects it has improved but I suspect to the detriment of another consideration, Cinema

Taxis - Can't believe they actually got worse, but they did. Mind hailing a cab anywhere, getting to your destination and everyone chucking in the required fare?

Shopping - Given I almost never need to unless I want to, and the range is infinitely greater than before I'm tempted to say it's improved but similar to previous comments about availability decreasing value, the decline of the high st and various other factors, I'm not sure.

Banking/financial/investment etc - definitely improved.
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I like Spotify as i can carry more music than i ever owned in my pocket plus trying something and deleting if you don't like it is easy
Football - agree purely about money and greed at the top level
TV - picture quality is miles better but programme quality is mainly pish ( documentaries asid)
Taxis - rarely use
Banking - never use
 
I think about this a lot. Most of the things which seem to have got better, often have a substantial downside. As a 60-something year old, one unequivocal improvement in my opinion is pain-free dentistry. My first visits to the dentist were in the days before pain-killing injections, and the drills were pedal-operated things with a whirling metal bit and lots of cogs and pulleys. And a big cylinder of gas lurking in the corner to knock you out for those tricky extractions. Procedures like root-canal treatment were terrifying then, a routine dawdle now. Of course, all dependent now on finding a dentist to treat you on the NHS, so maybe there is a downside after all...
 
MeanwoodHibee said:
I think about this a lot. Most of the things which seem to have got better, often have a substantial downside. As a 60-something year old, one unequivocal improvement in my opinion is pain-free dentistry. My first visits to the dentist were in the days before pain-killing injections, and the drills were pedal-operated things with a whirling metal bit and lots of cogs and pulleys. And a big cylinder of gas lurking in the corner to knock you out for those tricky extractions. Procedures like root-canal treatment were terrifying then, a routine dawdle now. Of course, all dependent now on finding a dentist to treat you on the NHS, so maybe there is a downside after all...
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A good shout. Treatments have improved almost across the board I expect, whilst the service has declined steadily.
 
Heart surgery! I've got friends and family who have had stents put in. Not much worse than a root canal. 40 years ago it would have been really serious surgery. I'm not trivialising it now, but what a difference.
 
Archie said:
Heart surgery! I've got friends and family who have had stents put in. Not much worse than a root canal. 40 years ago it would have been really serious surgery. I'm not trivialising it now, but what a difference.
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in all honesty its a breeze , had one done last week . Getting tooth out would provide more discomfort
 
hibadelic said:
Shopping - Given I almost never need to unless I want to, and the range is infinitely greater than before I'm tempted to say it's improved but similar to previous comments about availability decreasing value, the decline of the high st and various other factors, I'm not sure.
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Ups and downs with the grocery shopping. Lots of choice etc but pricing is so convoluted due to the "loyalty" cards and digital coupons where you need to scan a QR code on your phone and you need the store app and you've forgotten your password and now you have to get the password reset and jump through hoops. Then there is the price, the price if you are a loyalty member and then the price if you buy five of the item, it is so wacky. And your standing in line behind a poor elderly shopper who doesn't understand why she is being charged $6 for butter when the price displayed on the shelf was less and the checker is asking her if she downloaded the app etc, ffs. And now the stores want you to do self check out!! Eff that, I don't work here. What next, pack my own bags?!!
 
MeanwoodHibee said:
I think about this a lot. Most of the things which seem to have got better, often have a substantial downside. As a 60-something year old, one unequivocal improvement in my opinion is pain-free dentistry. My first visits to the dentist were in the days before pain-killing injections, and the drills were pedal-operated things with a whirling metal bit and lots of cogs and pulleys. And a big cylinder of gas lurking in the corner to knock you out for those tricky extractions. Procedures like root-canal treatment were terrifying then, a routine dawdle now. Of course, all dependent now on finding a dentist to treat you on the NHS, so maybe there is a downside after all...
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Ooooo all sounds horrific…I’m 54, still got all my teeth and only ever had 1 filling and that was about 4/5 years ago…. Touch wood 😲
 
hibadelic said:
The record store got me thinking about modern life, how much it has changed and whether the things that matter have changed for the better.

Music delivery, essentially Spotify v buying physical media is for the worse I reckon because it devalues the music.

Football has clearly gone down the pan for financial and lack of competition reasons.

TV - for me the jury is out. In some respects it has improved but I suspect to the detriment of another consideration, Cinema

Taxis - Can't believe they actually got worse, but they did. Mind hailing a cab anywhere, getting to your destination and everyone chucking in the required fare?

Shopping - Given I almost never need to unless I want to, and the range is infinitely greater than before I'm tempted to say it's improved but similar to previous comments about availability decreasing value, the decline of the high st and various other factors, I'm not sure.

Banking/financial/investment etc - definitely improved.
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I remember someone years ago, like early in the CD era, saying that the difference between vinyl and CD was that vinyl was about the beauty of music whereas CD was about the absence of hiss. Not that've I've still got a record player, but I think there's something in that. Same as for books, a physical book is always better than an ebook.
 
Music is swings and roundabouts - I’ve listened to so much I couldn’t have or wouldn’t have in the old days, and it’s good to save the space on discs. However many of my all time favourite are album track growers I think I’d just skip past if I’d been streaming music at the time.

Football definitely ruined, but in Scotland it’s been that way for most of my time anyway, though steadily getting worse nonetheless.

Shopping is much better, especially online but of course it’s trashing the high street. Aside - in this age of online shopping now tf do clothes and shoe brands not manage to land on consistent sizing? Drives me nuts.

Beer is a mixed bag. More variety and quality but I far preferred the days when tenants was 3.2% (iirc). Everything seems pointlessly strong nowadays. If I go to the pub with pals I want to be there for a good sesh with the effects only kicking in on the final lap; not everyone starting to talk pish by pint 4.

Cars, much better in every single respect - except style.

Gadgets - much better and much more accessible. It boggles my kids minds that I rented a tv for years in my first flat and only managed to buy one when I sold it lol

Buildings - this really strikes me. New builds, not just of houses but public buildings, all seem pish quality compared to building built way before we were born. It seems to be one area where advances in tech have led to an objectively inferior product (aside from insulation and stuff like that)
 
1875 said:
But much, much more expensive.
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I suppose it depends on how far you go back.

I can remember having a German girlfriend/fiance and travelling there or her here was a nightmare in the late 80s. Her family lived in Spain, it cost me over £400 over Christmas and New Year going to Madrid at the cheaper festive times!

It was a months salary to fly to Jordan early 80s via Yugoslavia and war torn Beirut! As a civil servant I had to get permission for that trip from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and a guy flew up from London to interview and brief me 😆

Folk went on package holidays to South of Spain ... by coach because flying was so expensive!
 
Jack said:
I suppose it depends on how far you go back.

I can remember having a German girlfriend/fiance and travelling there or her here was a nightmare in the late 80s. Her family lived in Spain, it cost me over £400 over Christmas and New Year going to Madrid at the cheaper festive times!

It was a months salary to fly to Jordan early 80s via Yugoslavia and war torn Beirut! As a civil servant I had to get permission for that trip from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and a guy flew up from London to interview and brief me 😆

Folk went on package holidays to South of Spain ... by coach because flying was so expensive!
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I know, did it twice. I suppose it’s how far we are looking back.
 
egb_hibs said:
Music is swings and roundabouts - I’ve listened to so much I couldn’t have or wouldn’t have in the old days, and it’s good to save the space on discs. However many of my all time favourite are album track growers I think I’d just skip past if I’d been streaming music at the time.

Football definitely ruined, but in Scotland it’s been that way for most of my time anyway, though steadily getting worse nonetheless.

Shopping is much better, especially online but of course it’s trashing the high street. Aside - in this age of online shopping now tf do clothes and shoe brands not manage to land on consistent sizing? Drives me nuts.

Beer is a mixed bag. More variety and quality but I far preferred the days when tenants was 3.2% (iirc). Everything seems pointlessly strong nowadays. If I go to the pub with pals I want to be there for a good sesh with the effects only kicking in on the final lap; not everyone starting to talk pish by pint 4.

Cars, much better in every single respect - except style.

Gadgets - much better and much more accessible. It boggles my kids minds that I rented a tv for years in my first flat and only managed to buy one when I sold it lol

Buildings - this really strikes me. New builds, not just of houses but public buildings, all seem pish quality compared to building built way before we were born. It seems to be one area where advances in tech have led to an objectively inferior product (aside from insulation and stuff like that)
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Fair point on music. I like having a near infinite jukebox on my fingertips at all times, so not denying there's a massive positive.

Beer, I'm going to say overall better. I share the love of session beers, can't get why everything starts at 4% now. I think T was 3.4.
On the downside, sitting in a Brewdog in Milton Keynes watching people tasting the guest ales (as I am now) is only marginally better than sitting in the Wetherspoons next door. Loadaypish.
I do like giving my money to the local Leith/Edinburgh breweries though, just can't deal with the pretence here.

Cars, yeah. I'd like to say I'm upset that I can't fix anything myself but frankly it means I don't really need to think about it which is ideal.

Kids gadgets do my nut in. The utter addiction to video games etc.

Buildings I'd tend to agree on. Time will tell whether they're being built to a decent standard (of course, they are always the bare minimum they can get away with these days) but of course there will be no accountability anyway.
 
Spotify and its ilk are a godsend,I've over 3k of songs on my phone and can listen to my music anywhere.
I've got coeliac disease and the advances in gluten free food and more importantly beer is light years away from when I was diagnosed,currently drinking Pilot beers Leith lager in a Hibs can.
As for tv in the old days you watched what was on now you have the choice of watching multiple platforms.
 
I meant to say picking up on your point @hibadelic I think tv is much better now. There were good series back in the day but boy was there so much pish an aw. There’s even more pish now but sheer volume plus streaming gives better options. However I do think we lose something culturally by everybody doing their own thing. No more ‘who shot JR?’ moments which were small but important social glue.

Cinema is shite but I don’t think it’s tvs fault other than most films seem so simplistic now compared to what you can do in long form. But mostly it’s this superhero pish.
 
The ability to watch Hibs has improved beyond belief.
When I first came to the US a I had to call home on a Saturday to get the result.
Now I can watch pretty much every game live. And on my phone if I’m out and about.
Unbelievable advancement really.

Navigation has also been another area of ridiculously major improvement.
Mind when I got here I had a big map of Atlanta in my car and had to read directions.
Unthinkable now.
 
Music; Nowhere near as good as in the past IMO.
Football; Match experience has changed massively. Used to be much more raw and unhinged than it is now. The game itself hasn't changed that much. We tend to get too dewy eyed and nostalgic about how great football used to be compared to now, but apart from some ridiculous rule changes it's more or less the same. Far too much football on TV and way, way too much punditry. Overall, I enjoyed football more when I was younger...it's just an age thing though.
Communication; The biggest improvement in my lifetime by a country mile. The internet has changed the world generally for the better. However social media overall has had a terrible effect on people IMO. I really have not much time for it at all. I think it has skewed people's personalities and warped a lot of thinking on a huge scale. Reality has disappeared and fantasy has taken over. Gadgetry just hammers me. I'm afraid the digital world left me behind years ago and I doubt I will ever catch it up properly, although slowly but surely i'm making progress.
Health; On a different planet to years ago. In general, people are much healthier now and live healthier lives. Medical care has improved massively.
Politics; Absolutely plummeted. I've never had a high regard for politicians, but the standard of politicians we have now is way below what it used to be.
Behavioural standards; controversial one this...totally sunk. Lack of respect for things in general. "Me first" attitude everywhere.
Work; I've always worked in an office, however since Covid I now work a couple of days at home and a few in the office. Both home working and the office now are shite. Home working for me is garbage. However the office lay-out has been totally changed for some unfathomable reason and any enjoyment there was by working in an office with the vibe, camaraderie and proper one to one collaboration has gone due to the total overreaction after Covid. Get people back to the offices and workplaces for fuck sake..
Nightlife; Practically disappeared in Edinburgh. The death of pubs and nightclubs in this city has knackered the traditional Saturday night out IMO. So for me anyway, much worse than it used to be. Would hate to be a teenager or 20 something now up the toon at the week-ends.

Might think of a few more.
 
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Hattie said:
Ooooo all sounds horrific…I’m 54, still got all my teeth and only ever had 1 filling and that was about 4/5 years ago…. Touch wood 😲
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I salute you, that's amazing, especially in Scotland, which I imagine ranks pretty far down any league table of dental health.
 
Some good points @Greenmachine - on behavioural standards, I don’t think Edinburgh is that bad though there are some things that get my goat. I have become that grumpy old feck who will tell a wee bam to get out their seat for an auld person or pregnant woman on the bus (once I’ve given up my own seat first).

But you shouldn’t have to. I try to be polite to folk with things like that and holding open doors - some cnut even told me that can be considered sexist these days if it’s a women you hold it open for; well fckn sue me then. It sometimes feels like some people are trying to break down every bit of social mutuality there is, for the sake of breaking it.

However, Edinburgh is basically fine I think. London otoh is fckn terrible - on the tube at rush hour i sometimes think if you fell over folk would just trample you. And that’s not entirely metaphorical - I mind once all trains were delayed at a dlr station I was at cos some poor guy was threatening to jump off the bridge. Pricks were shouting at him to do it because their trains were getting held up. Phone cameras out en masse obviously. Couldn’t pay me to live there.

I have noticed that Eastern Europeans still seem ‘brought up proper’ in the way they conduct themselves. Good for them.
 
Music is better.

I see any arguments against this as old man shouts at cloud stuff.

Streaming makes finding independent artists easier. I can listen to every album that piques my interest almost instantly. I listen to more new music now than I did when I was a teenager. I have not dropped a wedge on a crap album because of a promising single for more than a decade.

Some of the tribalism has been lost from pop. I think that's what people miss. There won't be a hippy movement or punk rock again because every genre is immediately available. Its easier for young people to have a diverse taste now.
 
Phones. We've gone from sitting next to a plugged in, centre dial monstrosity, where you sometimes had to wait to use it because somebody else was on the party line, to having the world in your pocket.

Music delivery: Obviously had a few mono and stereo systems growing up. Even though I worked in a recording studio I've never been a music quality snob. For my needs Spotify blows anything I ever had out the water. No more scratches, clicks, jumps and sticks. Remember putting pennies on the needle arm to gouge through the sticky bits? Fuck that! 😟
 
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Two Headed Boy said:
Music is better.

I see any arguments against this as old man shouts at cloud stuff.

Streaming makes finding independent artists easier. I can listen to every album that piques my interest almost instantly. I listen to more new music now than I did when I was a teenager. I have not dropped a wedge on a crap album because of a promising single for more than a decade.

Some of the tribalism has been lost from pop. I think that's what people miss. There won't be a hippy movement or punk rock again because every genre is immediately available. Its easier for young people to have a diverse taste now.
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One thing it’s not better for is the artists tbf
 
Bangkokhibby said:
Phones. We've gone from sitting next to a plugged in, centre dial monstrosity, where you sometimes had to wait to use it because somebody else was on the party line, to having the world in your pocket.

Music delivery: Obviously had a few mono and stereo systems growing up. Even though I worked in a recording studio I've never been a music quality snob. For my needs Spotify blows anything I ever had out the water. No more scratches, clicks, jumps and sticks. Remember putting pennies on the needle arm to gouge through the sticky bits? Fuck that! 😟
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Agree on phones though the one thing I hardly ever use mine for is to make a call lol
 
egb_hibs said:
Agree on phones though the one thing I hardly ever use mine for is to make a call lol
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Me too. My elderly sister who lives in Edinburgh refuses to have anything requiring the internet in her house. She has a mobile but always switched off and in her bag and wouldn't put apps on it anyway. I've tried to explain to her messenger, line, whatsapp, viber and many others mean free phone calls but she's no having it so hugely expensive charges for me if I need to call her.
 
Phone reception is going backwards? As someone who spends hours on the mobile while driving calls dropping is much worse than ten years ago
 
Purple & Green said:
Phone reception is going backwards? As someone who spends hours on the mobile while driving calls dropping is much worse than ten years ago
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I don’t know about that but all the stuff that each new generation promises doesn’t seem to come to much. With 5g it was claimed you could download multiple movies in less than a second iirc. Doesn’t seem any better than 4g to me !

I wonder if it’s connected to your problem though. Different wavelengths have different reach, penetrability (ie passing through walls etc), data carry capacity and so on. I don’t understand the physics of it but for example, the wavelengths used by traditional tv have very long reach but low data carry capacity.

Further example, EE has long reach frequency and the geographic coverage is thus very good until you stand behind a sheet of tissue paper then signal lost. Other providers are better for the latter but less coverage.
 
Tv series are much more complex now; I think that’s probably the issue with cinema now - you can’t get the complex storyline into a two hour film in the same way you can put 10 hour episodes together with various themes and strands running through them.

In the tv series though you often get 8 belter episodes and then a rushed contrived episode at the end. The finale probably needs to be done over two or three episodes which makes it a long film really.
 
There’s definitely something in that - my emails don’t come through when I’m on an call and using sat nav.

egb_hibs said:
I don’t know about that but all the stuff that each new generation promises doesn’t seem to come to much. With 5g it was claimed you could download multiple movies in less than a second iirc. Doesn’t seem any better than 4g to me !

I wonder if it’s connected to your problem though. Different wavelengths have different reach, penetrability (ie passing through walls etc), data carry capacity and so on. I don’t understand the physics of it but for example, the wavelengths used by traditional tv have very long reach but low data carry capacity.

Further example, EE has long reach frequency and the geographic coverage is thus very good until you stand behind a sheet of tissue paper then signal lost. Other providers are better for the latter but less coverage.
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egb_hibs said:
One thing it’s not better for is the artists tbf
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True - its a tricky one though. Other than buying physical copies, gig tickets and merch there isn't much more we can do as fans. Streaming is here to stay.

Its on the record labels and streaming platforms to change it, but they've little incentive to.
 
egb_hibs said:
I meant to say picking up on your point @hibadelic I think tv is much better now. There were good series back in the day but boy was there so much pish an aw. There’s even more pish now but sheer volume plus streaming gives better options. However I do think we lose something culturally by everybody doing their own thing. No more ‘who shot JR?’ moments which were small but important social glue.

Cinema is shite but I don’t think it’s tvs fault other than most films seem so simplistic now compared to what you can do in long form. But mostly it’s this superhero pish.
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I think superhero movies are about to go the way of the western in the 70s. They're definitely past their peak. At work the super nerds on my team who talked about Marvel movies constantly have been dodging the latest releases and getting fatigued with it.

Even my kid who is Spiderman obsessed can't be arsed any of the other stuff lately.
 
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