h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Thats no problem. Audiogalaxy does seem to be the best kept secret at the moment. The only problem is that downloading music can become addictive. (my 48 hours is evidence of that and I don't get chance to listen to all of it but cannot bring myself to get rid of any of it.)

Anyhow, how was the call with Paperlady? I trust you had fun?

The call was cool, but strange talking to someone I seem to have known for some time yet never met or spolketo before Yes; I can see myself ending up downloading songs cause they are there even though I'll probably not listen to all of them never mind and as to getting addicted, well I'm already addicted to here, and as i can run them symultainiously it shouldn't be too much of an extra strain

Multiple downloading. Can you get on through Uni for free and all day?

I can imagine it is strange talking to someone you feel that you know but who at the same time is so far away. I guess that eventually I will meet those I class as friends but at the moment, posting on here is all I have done. I really want to make either the Manc mini-meet ot the London one in the new year. I think it makes h2g2 feel just a little more real and exciting and not just something you do occasionally on the net!

Here's to the 1st meet I do make.

I've tried to get time off work for the Manc-meet but I don't think that it will happen!

Toooh that a pity and yes: I pay I think it is £100 for the whole year to have my computer hooked up to the intranet at the Uni from my room in halls, and then it is unlimited internet access which is why Im on here most the day but I think they will make an extra charge on top of that if you have an excessive use of the transatlantic connection or something but I don't think that is too much; its something like an extra £5

Wow, thats not bad. I pay £13/month (shared with my housemates)but thats for mormal slow phone line internet! Plus I have to share internet time with them!

What do you think of Messenger then?

The messenger is pretty cool: I've think Ive figured it out just about now and I've changed my name on it to something a little less well my connection here is ment to be like superfast ISDN or something near that: its only marginally faster than when I was just using a NTL phone line and the BT ISP I know but at the time there wasn't any of this single monthly fee for relitivily unlimited access, so I paid by the time i as on but not any more i won't I don't think the connection here is particulalry stable, and I'm not even sure if mine is set up 100% fine, its just too much hastle trying to get anyone here at the computer support whatsits to actually come out and do anything Oh, messenger just gave me a sound effect

I just added Tac to MSN messenger also, so now I have three of you from h2g2 saved.

The computers at uni are fantastic, they download a whole mp3 song in under 20 seconds whereas it takes about 15 mins here at home. My mate has a zip drive in his computer and we have a network in the house between all of the computer so I can download mp3 at uni, put them on zip disk and put them straight onto my hard drive via the network. That makes me sound like a computer nerd doesn't it? I'm really not. We got the network to play games on initially.

sounds complicated to me well it takes only about half a minute for me to download a MP3, more depending on the size I.E., length of the music and the bit rate or byte rate or whatever it is called although I was downloading some freeware earlier, and it said the download file transfer time thing was like 24 minutes, but it must have taken less than a minute to complete, so maybe my connection is faster than i think for things like that, only not much faster on things like loading up say, the front page of H2G2 or my hotmail whatsit, If that makes sence although my computer is being very slow now as I'm downloading another 30 odd songs from audiogalaxy and that is just generaly slong down my laptop..

For some reason, fast internet connections seam to load web pages at a normal speed but download files (usually large) at a super quick speed. This happen on the Uni comps also!

Apparently, it is something to do with bandwidth! (I'm probably making most of the next bit up!)

Web pages take up very little band width. They therefore take up all of the download time for the width they take up. Large files (eg mp3 and freeware) take up loads of bandwidth and ally download the stuff in one go using all of the bandwidth and super quick!

What am I talking about you may ask and reading back, so have I !!!!!!!

But it is something to do with that! I think! Maybe!

What songs have you got from audiogalaxy<?>

So far about 40 Frank Zappa songs, mainly some I don't (yet) have on CD, but also a few I do have on CD but might make a compulation onto CD at some poit, and its probably easier to download them than record them into MP3 for myself from CD..
Hmm, quite a few Doors songs, cause I haven't got any on CD for some reason..
A few Sham 69; a group I have heard a lot, mainly round friends places, but again haven't got any on CD..
About 20 odd Rolf harris, mainly songs I don't have again...
Morris minnor and the majors, Stutter Rap, cause its such a funny song, and I haven't already got it, though I've probably got a poor quality cop on cassette somewhere..

The Robbie Williams singing "we are the champions" with remaining membrs of queen; just to find out how completely he has killed the song...

The great pretender by several differnt artists, but unfortunatly not the version by the Platters which is probably the best version.. (I saw the platters live a few years back, at a Holiday camp of all places...)

The tubes, again some stuff i heard years ago and didn't think was too bad, but haven't got on CD..

I'm not sure what else to get, a lot of the groups I like i already seem to have pretty much everything already on CD, and where I only need like one of two more CD#s to complete a groups catalogue, it would seem a shame not to just buy the couple of CDs; I've got a second hand record/CD shop I go to a lot back in my hometown, the guy who runs it I know fairly well, and always get a discount plus he tends to know what stuff I am after

There's a shop in Sheffield called Fopp which sells albums for £5. Not new chart albums but new as in not 2nd hand. Ones that have been out for over 6 months I mean. New chart albums cost about £10 which is still ok although I think we get ripped off in the uk!

That paragraph isn't worded very well.

I've just downloaded a Fleetwood Mac song but it is a live track All the album ones seem to be restricted. The copyright persecutors must be on the case!

I agree that there isn't anything quite like a proper album but whilst I'm a student I'll keep downloading I think! Only buy them when it is a really special album. Last one I got was The Strokes which is

Yeah, quite a few songs are restricted because of copyright, but a lot arn't, doesn't seem any logic in which are, I mean its not like just the recent stuff.. I'm a little worried over the quality of the MP3 format, having not really used it before, some stuff doesn't sound too bad, but some obviously hasen't been recorded very well and the record volume sounds like it might have been set too high..
:drifts into memory of old hi-fi equipment with ability to adjust recording as well as playback bolume)::..
I just checked my hardrive well, I've now only 2.7 Gig free space, and at a rough count 100 downloaded MP3's thus far... I guess i might download more, but I want to try burning some onto CD and see how good/bad the sound quality sounds through the Hi-Fi, that way..
I guess I will still get some stuff, which might not be my favourate types of music: I'll buy the CD's of stuff I really like, but save the money by getting MP3s of stuff that I like, but won't probably listen to that often...Plus, a few of the bootl
eg songs on there , which are cool

As a general rule, I'd try to only get files that have a bitrate of 128 or over(you can get them lower). When you get the option to choose most popular or bitrate options or "click here" I usually click here and choose manually as it shows you how many people have each type.

Some files don't sound so good, but in general they sound ok on the stereo. Not as good as cd but hey, its free.

Have you got a program to put them onto cd with?

OK. Just read the questions only backlog and it is not worth buying Nero for £40squid! I have it and use it and do like it but £40squid is a lodda moular!

What I can do is to try to (any copyrite persecutors look away now)multiplicate it in some way and mail it you, or just give it you when I am back in Manc next (prob some time before Xmans)

What do you think<?>

: Well I've just downloaded a full demo version of nuro version 5.5, and I'm not impressed enough to pay out for it... So, I'm going to either try and find something a bit cheaper that does the same things... Or as you say
*cough
Borrow a copy from someone I'll see: I'm probably leaving Manchester around teh middle of December, probably for good, as to all intense and purposes my course has finished... So, i wonder if a full proper version could be sent??? Maybe over something like MSN Messenger? And, I might be able to get a copy of something simular off Threesecondmemory this Friday at the meet, I'll have to mail him soon, but my hotmail's playing up; again

It's prob a bit big for me to do it through messenger. Snail mail would be better I think.

So if you have finished in Manchester, are you going back to your house in sorry, can't remember. Cambridge<?>

Anyway, have a good time at the meets.

Yes, Cambridge is where my house is... Unfortunatly going back to there to live would involve me having to get a job to give me some money, as i rent the place out, I'm going back to my dads in Lowestoft, so I can continue renting it out at least until i decide what to do next, and obviously be even better off than i am now as i won't have any rent, just a bit of cash to my dad for the food/house bills which won't be such a drain on resources

Ooopps. A buried thread.

I cannot wait. Going back to Rochdale soon. Sheffield is fun but a lot of my mates are in Manchester. Well Greater Manchester. And its Party season!

I can't wait to get back home: Wednesday ! so not long to go now, and I can begin frquenting all the local pubs again