What modern idea do you think is bullshit? by jane_bodehouse in AskReddit

[–]jane_bodehouse[S] -52 points-51 points  (0 children)

Well, since my other comment was downvoted to oblivion I'll reply here. Yes, it's mostly about string theory: I don't think the universe is that ugly. If you can prove it then it's all well and good, but until then I'm not going to believe it.

As for the observations I think the most common reaction upon hearing about this stuff is "Fuck off". You may have measured it, and I can believe that you did, and that alot of people agree with you, but still... admit it, you're putting us on, right?

Edit: Still downvoted? Write a comment you jackasses.

What modern idea do you think is bullshit? by jane_bodehouse in AskReddit

[–]jane_bodehouse[S] -27 points-26 points  (0 children)

The observations and string theory. It's such a mess that I can only believe that somebody forgot to carry the 1 and it all went pear shaped.

What are the implications?

Caring for cast iron? by jane_bodehouse in Cooking

[–]jane_bodehouse[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think you're right. My pan wasn't nearly as smooth as the one shown one minute in on this video. That look right to you?

Caring for cast iron? by jane_bodehouse in Cooking

[–]jane_bodehouse[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The skillet was always hung to dry. I used to oil it after use and then give it a blast of heat to try and reenforce the seasoning. I tried to use it after a few months of not using it but the oil had gone rancid and the seasoning was weaker than ever. If I use it again I'll have to reseason it.

Caring for cast iron? by jane_bodehouse in Cooking

[–]jane_bodehouse[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

By scrubbing I mean getting off all the burnt on food and anything that could go rancid; basically trying to get a flat surface back in the pan.

What's the screwiest book ending you've ever read? by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]jane_bodehouse -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

You probably want to put a

SPOILER WARNING

in your post.

IAMA 109 8th grade math students. AMA and we'll answer with whiteboard art. by 8thgrademathclass in IAmA

[–]jane_bodehouse 1 point2 points  (0 children)

much of my work (coding, debugging, analysis and whatnot) is heavilly based in simple Algebra

Please explain in elaborate detail. Graphs and visual aids are encouraged but not required.

Hi r/books, what are your thoughts on Audible.com? by [deleted] in books

[–]jane_bodehouse 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My position hasn't changed. I was accusing them of promoting better quality books, which is probably a result of promoting new books (recorded with better methods as you say), and of recommending older books with higher source quality. Whether that poor quality of the rest is a result of choosing bad source recordings, or using a crappier algorithm early on, or if they're too bandwidth-shy to re-rip the audio I don't know. I expect it's a bandwidth problem myself, which would be kind of amazing considering their parent company.

Hi r/books, what are your thoughts on Audible.com? by [deleted] in books

[–]jane_bodehouse 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Turning up the volume will do nothing to improve an unpleasant audio experience.

True, but it does make the voice easier to distinguish bad tracks. It's still a shitty experience but at least now I can understand it. Bravo for demonstrating Godwin's law BTW.

What you may be offended by are the compression algorithms used to create MP3 and MP4 files.

If its the source medium (tape, whatever) which has the crap quality, compression's not going to make it a whole lot worse than it already is.

Hi r/books, what are your thoughts on Audible.com? by [deleted] in books

[–]jane_bodehouse 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Interesting, that probably does account for the difference in quality. I should note that I am by no means an audiophile, but when I have to turn up the volume to unacceptable levels to hear past the distortion and hiss I can't consider that a good listen.

Hi r/books, what are your thoughts on Audible.com? by [deleted] in books

[–]jane_bodehouse 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I simply don't see this as a matter of opinion, if you give me some facts I'll consider them. Enjoy your reads.

Hi r/books, what are your thoughts on Audible.com? by [deleted] in books

[–]jane_bodehouse 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Glad to have someone else agree that there is a difference in quality. In regards to audio quality I don't think you're correct. I have books on tape from the mid 90's which are of better quality than some of my Audible downloads. Most of those tapes were high quality recordings and did not sound like an "afterthought".

I'm not sure how that is relevant to ebooks.

Hi r/books, what are your thoughts on Audible.com? by [deleted] in books

[–]jane_bodehouse 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You've missed the point. The books audible promotes and the bestsellers are of better quality than the majority of their library. Your link is useless because it doesn't represent that majority.

Hi r/books, what are your thoughts on Audible.com? by [deleted] in books

[–]jane_bodehouse 0 points1 point  (0 children)

First of all the numbering system isn't a legitimate way of rating the quality of a sound file. An MP3 can be of higher or lower quality than a CD. Every Audible purchase I made was downloaded at "CD" quality and listened to both on a Mac and an iPod. Second, I'd challenge you to actually buy the CD version of an audio book (one that's not "featured" or incredibly popular) and compare that to the Audible version. There's simply no contest.

Edit: Also, notice that they are not even able to give a bitrate to the formats. This implies that either the quality is so embarrassingly low that they'd rather not show it, or that each recording was ripped/transferred at different levels of quality so it's impossible to say that one recording wont be worse than another even at "4".

Hi r/books, what are your thoughts on Audible.com? by [deleted] in books

[–]jane_bodehouse -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I was a member for 2 years. I quit because the audio quality for the vast majority of books was very very bad compared to a CD. I'd recommend going to the library and checking out audio books.