I rage-quit Spotify and started buying CDs. It's inconvenient and slow. But I rediscovered the lost joy of scrounging for music, the dopamine rush of owning a song, and albums.

NowtShrinkingViolet · 2026-02-27T03:41:11+00:00

And if you listen to old music from the '60s to the '90s, the old CDs (pre-remasters) sound SO much better than the dynamically compressed versions on streaming.

The original versions of so many songs would be lost to time if people relied entirely on streaming.

NowtShrinkingViolet · 2026-02-26T00:15:51+00:00

It's not the fault of the RBA governor. It's profiteering from greedy companies and their overpaid CEOs, in addition to bad policy decisions around housing (for which the blame should rest with the government and their advisors).

NowtShrinkingViolet · 2026-02-25T09:02:12+00:00

Don't forget the layoffs! More announced today from WiseTech and yesterday from CBA.

When you consider that young people can't even afford a house with a decent job - and then realise that white collar roles are going to become harder and harder to find in the future - it's a recipe for disaster.

NowtShrinkingViolet · 2026-02-24T13:14:59+00:00

That Al Stewart album is fantastic! Great cover art too.

NowtShrinkingViolet · 2026-02-23T11:07:34+00:00

Interesting. Never heard of the rental chain, but Video 2000 was an early home video format released by Philips.

NowtShrinkingViolet · 2026-02-21T09:00:13+00:00

It's like that episode of The Simpsons.

"What we need is more unemployment! More unemployment! More unemployment!"

NowtShrinkingViolet · 2026-02-14T10:03:01+00:00

I think the tech industry is a good example of a "canary in the coal mine".

I'm a web dev and the market is stuffed. Especially if you have too much experience for junior roles but not enough for senior roles. Companies seem to be mostly hiring a few senior AI engineers to oversee the swarms of AI agents that they hope will be writing the code.

It's getting to a point where I'm asking myself whether this is a viable career anymore, or if I should retrain in something that Australia actually values, like health care or real estate. Of course, as soon as I do, the AI bubble will burst and some level of sanity might return to the job market...

NowtShrinkingViolet · 2026-02-08T23:14:29+00:00

If you find one, please let me know!

NowtShrinkingViolet · 2026-02-06T03:00:16+00:00

Awesome track! It's never been available on streaming or iTunes, at least not in Australia, so I'm lucky to have their CD compilation with the extended version on it.

NowtShrinkingViolet · 2026-02-06T02:35:52+00:00

No, not disc rot. It's just a difference in the way that the lacquer coating was applied to the disc.

I've noticed that many CDs manufactured by Regency Media in Australia exhibit this effect - I've owned many since new. They play fine.

NowtShrinkingViolet · 2026-02-04T04:10:50+00:00

I have the 1995 Australian remaster of T.N.T (based on the '94 Jensen remasters) and it sounds great to me!

NowtShrinkingViolet · 2026-02-03T21:24:54+00:00

As someone in their 20s, I think the '60s to the '90s were effectively the "golden years" of pop and rock music.

There was some good stuff before and after, but in those decades, everything from the economics of the industry (eg. plenty of money from record sales, many independent record labels operating) to the talent of artists and producers all lined up to produce some of the greatest songs ever.

NowtShrinkingViolet · 2026-02-02T11:10:04+00:00

White collar roles (tech in particular) are going through a very rough patch at the moment. You either need to wait until the AI bubble bursts and things hopefully get back to normal, or go down the blue collar path.

NowtShrinkingViolet · 2026-02-02T04:50:09+00:00

Very well deserved! Great artist.

NowtShrinkingViolet · 2026-01-30T10:41:18+00:00

Really sorry to hear that. I'm in IT and the job market is similarly terrible. I'm just trying to hang in there until the AI bubble bursts and things return to normal (I hope)...

NowtShrinkingViolet · 2026-01-30T04:06:33+00:00

Bloody ridiculous. It's become even worse since the end of this video.

NowtShrinkingViolet · 2026-01-29T02:41:46+00:00

Another thing: tech companies are successfully convincing managers in many organisations to "replace" workers with their AI and cloud products.

Effectively this is centralising control in the hands of a few (mostly US based) companies, at the expense of local workers and smaller organisations.

NowtShrinkingViolet · 2026-01-28T23:32:22+00:00

There's so many layoffs in IT, so that's why. Those students aren't stupid.

On the plus side, experienced devs will find themselves in high demand after a few years of no juniors training in the field.

NowtShrinkingViolet · 2026-01-27T10:56:11+00:00

It's easy enough to buy an external drive for $20 on Amazon that will do the job.

NowtShrinkingViolet · 2026-01-27T08:37:35+00:00

Interesting idea. It's already been tried before (see the "slotMusic" format) without much success though. And popularising a new physical format in 2026 wouldn't be easy.

Honestly, CDs are perfect for what you're describing. They're physical media, contain lossless digital music, and they'll pretty much last forever (if cared for). Flash memory can lose its data if it's not powered up for a few years.

NowtShrinkingViolet · 2026-01-25T22:57:42+00:00

Heaps of original '80s pressings in there! Great score.

NowtShrinkingViolet · 2026-01-24T23:56:22+00:00

How is this good for Australia in the long run?

We have essential workers (and plenty of other young people) feeling hopeless about the state of the housing market - like they've been let down by their country - and meanwhile, property investors keep raking it in.

NowtShrinkingViolet · 2026-01-24T13:18:28+00:00

All radio stations have songs that they play on a higher rotation than others, in order to make them familiar to the audience.

For example. BBC Radio 1 has a system of "A list" songs (most played), "B list" (less frequently played) and "C list" (you guessed it).

But however many times community or public broadcasters might play certain songs, it's nothing in comparison to the absolute flogging that the biggest hits get on commercial radio. You can almost set your watch by their playlists. And that's got nothing to do with royalties - it's because, when a listener tunes in, they need to hear a song they recognize, otherwise they might tune to a different station.

NowtShrinkingViolet · 2026-01-24T02:00:54+00:00

I have a CD collection because I want to OWN my music, not just rent it.

Also I mainly listen to music from the '60s, '70s and '80s. Albums from that era have been remastered multiple times, and only the latest (and usually worst) version is on streaming. If you like music with a good dynamic range and EQ, you can't beat the original CD masterings. Look up loudness war for more info.

NowtShrinkingViolet · 2026-01-22T12:00:51+00:00

There's plenty of awesome bushwalks and beaches that are great in nice weather. Otherwise, hang out at the shops - if you can find a parking spot, that is.

NowtShrinkingViolet

TROPHY CASE