Subj : Re: newspaper was: moving or To : Barry Martin From : Nancy Backus Date : Tue Mar 24 2020 23:44:14 -=> Quoting Barry Martin to Nancy Backus on 12-Mar-2020 12:29 <=- NB>>> (Still lots of overquoting...) BM>> But it said I was using only 6%! NB>> I was referring to mine... It's more the wanting to have the NB>> reply start on the first page, as far as I'm concerned.... :) And NB>> sometimes one just can't snip too much without losing the sense of NB>> the thread... BM> Agree with the 'snippage loss'; sometimes difficult to figure out how BM> to abbreviate what had been said. Other times though, we've veered far enough away from the top of the chunk that one can more easily just chop away at the top... ;) BM> The good news is I don't think we have to worry about dial-up charges BM> and running up the bill. Not saying some people aren't using dial-up BM> but if they are probably have subscribed to the flat-rate usage option. Even I only use dial-up in a pinch... ;) But yes, I have flat-rate coverage, and the package even covers US long-distance, which I think is pretty typical nowadays.... Things are a lot different from the early days of bbsing with long-distance charges and all... :) And the mail moves from one bbs to another over the internet now, so the sysop isn't incurring ld fees either... BM>>> Yes - I generally don't listen to OTA radio except for snippets when BM>>> in the bathroom or driving so not a suitable sampling. NB>>> That's pretty much all I listen to, is OTA.... BM>> The commercials and limited playlist tend to drive us away from OTA BM>> radio. (Broadcast TV has a lot of commercials too but most of the BM>> shows get recorded and can fast forward.) Both of us are more into BM>> "Oldies" and "Adult Contemporary 100 [AC100])" but the local/in-town BM>> oldies station changed format some time back, which created a large BM>> listener uproar. Next-closest station (30-40 miles) happened to also BM>> be considering a format change but held off; they eventually changed BM>> formats. Low-power FM stations maybe 20 miles from here 'steps in' - BM>> they have sort of an odd format: oldies for a few minutes, then BM>> country (not country-western), a lot of talk. NB>> Ah, well... Your interests are enough different from mine that I can NB>> see where you'd have more of a problem... My station, being public NB>> radio, has no commercials, and with live local announcers with a good NB>> library has a much less limited playlist... but, on the other hand, NB>> it's classical music, not "oldies" or "adult contemporary"... :) BM> Different people, different preferences. Makes for a good balance. :) BM> Do have a few 'lite classical' playing on my Pandora station. ...Not BM> sure if this one counts: Beethoven played by the Piano Guys. It would count as lite classical, at least... ;) BM> And I'll pop this one in while I think of it: did stop at the gas BM> station on the way home; no coffee-flavoured M&Ms yet. The woman who BM> was to order was off but the other woman knew all about it. Vendor was BM> in last Monday (of this week) so might have been ordered/requested. BM> And the woman I talked to also likes the coffee-flavoured M&Ms. Potential progress, anyway.... ;) Now, hopefully, for your sake, the vendor will be able to get and deliver the goods.... ;) NB>>> That may be happening with the commercial stations, but I don't think NB>>> so much with the public broadcasting stations... Although there might NB>>> be some sort of cooperative deal with local reporters sharing local NB>>> news among themselves... BM>> Might be. There is some sort of cooperation betweeen the Iowa-side BM>> newspaper and an Iowa-side TV station. And then the same TV station BM>> also reported on at least one of the I Heart Media affiliated BM>> stations, though recently switched to an Iowa-side all-news AM station. NB>> Recently the Public stations group here took in an independent local NB>> newspaper.... which added more local reporters to their "stable"... BM> So far the local semi-independent public station has its own news crew. BM> (Might be just a crew of one or two!). Saw their microphone with BM> nameplate on a story covered by a local TV station. Hmm: just thought BM> of something: the radio station is affliated with a local university. BM> Their news crew might be students getting their radio lab credit! Maybe not totally a joke... could easily have some students being part of the news crew, learning the ropes... ;) BM>>> And like your WXXI there are a few stations to change to when something BM>>> major is going on. One may not be as good now: they had staff cuts BM>>> with the last I-Heart-Media slash so more automated. Still physically BM>>> part of a nine studio complex, so maybe "flip a switch" and simulcast. NB>>> What I was trying to say is that WXXI is the designated station to NB>>> turn to for emergencies... when that EBS test message comes out, and NB>>> says, if this was an actual emergency, you'd be told where to tune NB>>> to... WXXI 91.5 is the one that would be designated for people NB>>> listening to the other stations... :) BM>> Ah! Misread and misinterpreted that one. Not sure what is done here: BM>> I don't recall the test announcements indicating a specific station BM>> would be used. NB>> I think the specific station is only designated in the case of an NB>> actual emergency.... BM> That's possible. ... Checking on-line -- somehow got to Spokane BM> Washington's list so backed up the web pages a bit, got to Davenport BM> but then didn't see where the listing might be -- will finish this and BM> check later. OK. :) (and I saw it's in the next message) BM>>> Locally radio seems better for traffic-related issues and TV for BM>>> weather. NB>>> Here there seems to be a traffic service that shows up on a computer NB>>> at the station, from which the announcers tell where the tie-ups NB>>> are... shared amongst all the local stations, I think.... Not really NB>>> sure where the weather information is really coming from... BM>> The dartboard in the back room! As for traffic reports on TV it BM>> appears the video feeds are coming from IDOT (Iowa Department of BM>> Transportation), which AFAIK also has several cameras on the Illinois BM>> side of bridges over the Mississippi. Illinois' Department of BM>> Transportation has a similar website. The TV stations do use both BM>> websites depending on what's happening: will display three or four BM>> 'constants' - almost always the Last Iowa Exit which gives it on the BM>> hill and gives a good view of the general I-74 traffic, etc. Use an BM>> Avenue of the Cities camera if a traffic snarl on the Illinois side BM>> instead of the no-problems view of some intersection on the Iowa side. NB>> I think we might have a local company that produces the traffic NB>> reports... TV seems to get pictures (from the few times I've happened NB>> to see), radio just a listing of where the accidents or tieups (or NB>> major construction starting) are, which the announcers read on the NB>> air... And I think they are using helicoptors over the city to get NB>> at least some of that.... ;) BM> Maybe that explains the evening helicopter! AFAIK not big enough to BM> need helicopters to report traffic conditions; most if not all are BM> medical usage. Most of the helicopters use here is also medical transport, but there is one that seems to be monitoring traffic.... we also, of course, have a number of traffic cameras set up along the highways.... NB>>> Back when I actually took a typing class, I was pretty good... until NB>>> the teacher wouldn't let me look at my hands anymore... :) Typing on NB>>> the computer in the dark actually helped my skills more than anything NB>>> else... I still might look at my hands occasionally, but don't need NB>>> to nearly so much... ;) BM>> I pretty much also have to look at where my hands (and therefore BM>> fingers) are in relation to where they are to the keyboard. Might be BM>> able to look less at the keyboard if I wasn't a two-to-four-finger- BM>> thumb-spacer typist. That's just the way I type and generally works BM>> out rather well. NB>> Yeah... I'm still not a proper touch-typist... but can often do the NB>> corrections without recourse to looking... just keep trying until I NB>> get it right.... BM> "R - no! Y - no! 6 - no! T - yea!!!!" Yup... something like that.... ;) fortunately, I can get it quicker most times.... ttyl neb .... You can buy better, but you can't pay more. --- EzyBlueWave V3.00 01FB001F * Origin: Tiny's BBS - http://www.tinysbbs.com (454:1/452) .