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scott wrote:
> Best invention ever - I would never get a car that wasn't capable of
> playing MP3s now. Most new cars have some option for getting MP3s in to
> it, either through the CD player, USB socket or memory card socket. Car
> designers realise that everyone has portable music players and MP3s now...
Hmm, I must be living in a different world or something...
In the world where I live, people buy second hard cards that are about
20 years old. And even that is cripplingly expensive. When I was a kid,
my family went through old wrecks at a prodigious rate. Nobody in my
family has ever owned a "new" car. They're just too expensive.
And then, about 4 years ago, I purchased the newest car that anybody I
know has ever had. It was 3 years old. It's so new, in fact, that it has
*metalic* paint. And electric windows. And power steering. And ABS. It
even has *air bags*.
As far as music goes, most cars come with an AM radio. With mechanical
tuning buttons. (You know, "radio buttons"?) If you're lucky they have
FM as well. And if it's a really expensive car, there might be a tape
deck. My current car is unique in that it can play *CDs*. In fact, it
has a *six* disk changer in the boot. Advanced!
Sure, I know there are absurdly rich people who can afford expensive
shiny cars that have all sorts of electronic gizmos in them. But
seriously, normal people don't have that kind of money...
> Some cars even play video DVDs you know!
Ooo, so that's why so many people die on the roads? :-D
--
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*
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scott wrote:
> Best invention ever - I would never get a car that wasn't capable of
> playing MP3s now. Most new cars have some option for getting MP3s in to
> it, either through the CD player, USB socket or memory card socket. Car
> designers realise that everyone has portable music players and MP3s now...
My car's 17 years old. I use one of those cassette adaptors and the MP3
player in my phone. Works a treat. :)
> Some cars even play video DVDs you know!
In the back, for the kids, fine. However, I've recently been horrified
to see that front-seat players, apparently aimed at drivers, are
becoming common. What next? A button to randomly switch which direction
the steering wheel turns the car, just for a laugh?
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> As far as music goes, most cars come with an AM radio. With mechanical
> tuning buttons.
I have not seen a car with mechanical tuning buttons for ages. Even my
sisters 12 year old Clio has a radio with electronic buttons. My first car,
which must be 20 years old now if it was still alive, had manual tuning for
> (You know, "radio buttons"?) If you're lucky they have FM as well.
Find me a car radio that doesn't do FM.
> And if it's a really expensive car, there might be a tape deck. My current
> car is unique in that it can play *CDs*. In fact, it has a *six* disk
> changer in the boot. Advanced!
Dude, you are decades out of date. Even my bottom-of-the-range Peugeot 206
first car which was bottom of the range 20 year old wreck 950cc had a tape
player and FM radio.
> Sure, I know there are absurdly rich people who can afford expensive shiny
> cars that have all sorts of electronic gizmos in them. But seriously,
> normal people don't have that kind of money...
The other day I was given a small Ford while mine was being serviced - even
that had a 3,5mm input socket for an MP3 player - plus an SD card slot at
the side of the radio (which had a small colour screen and CD). These are
not expensive cars, these are cars that normal people buy. Can you even buy
a car with a tape deck anymore?
Try glancing inside some parked cars as you are walking around, you'll be
suprised how many of them have electronic tuning with FM and CD players :-)
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>> Some cars even play video DVDs you know!
>
> In the back, for the kids, fine. However, I've recently been horrified to
> see that front-seat players, apparently aimed at drivers, are becoming
> common. What next? A button to randomly switch which direction the
> steering wheel turns the car, just for a laugh?
In most places it's illegal to show video that the driver can see while the
car is moving (and in some places it's even illegal to show any video in the
front, even if the driver can't see it). There is no way a car manufacturer
would put any device like that in a car, however there is nothing to stop
someone adding such a system afterwards. Then it's just like using your
phone or a laptop whilst driving, it's up to the police to enforce the
illegal behaviour.
In Japan it's pretty common for drivers to watch TV while they are stopped
in traffic. As soon as the car begins to move the display switches to a
map, or radio info or whatever. This is built-in by the car manufacturers.
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scott wrote:
> In most places it's illegal to show video that the driver can see while
> the car is moving (and in some places it's even illegal to show any
> video in the front, even if the driver can't see it).
Not sure how satnavs get past that but I guess it's not *technically* video.
> There is no way a
> car manufacturer would put any device like that in a car, however there
> is nothing to stop someone adding such a system afterwards.
Yes, I've mostly seen this on things like Halfords ads.
> Then it's
> just like using your phone or a laptop whilst driving, it's up to the
> police to enforce the illegal behaviour.
Good luck with that lads.
> In Japan it's pretty common for drivers to watch TV while they are
> stopped in traffic. As soon as the car begins to move the display
> switches to a map, or radio info or whatever. This is built-in by the
> car manufacturers.
Yes obviously the idea of front-mounted players is to relieve monotony
in slow traffic, but the potential for homicidal negligence is
staggering. I like the Japanese solution though!
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>> In most places it's illegal to show video that the driver can see while
>> the car is moving (and in some places it's even illegal to show any video
>> in the front, even if the driver can't see it).
>
> Not sure how satnavs get past that but I guess it's not *technically*
> video.
Yeh, I'm not sure on the details. I just know that the car manufacturers
are having problems in some US states when they want to allow the front seat
passenger to watch video (when the driver can't see it). Apparently some
states outlaw any video in the front, while others only outlaw it if the
driver can see it.
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And lo on Wed, 06 Feb 2008 10:14:45 -0000, Invisible <voi### [at] dev null> did
spake, saying:
> scott wrote:
>
>> Best invention ever - I would never get a car that wasn't capable of
>> playing MP3s now. Most new cars have some option for getting MP3s in
>> to it, either through the CD player, USB socket or memory card socket.
>> Car designers realise that everyone has portable music players and MP3s
>> now...
>
> Hmm, I must be living in a different world or something...
Ya think?
> In the world where I live, people buy second hard cards that are about
> 20 years old. And even that is cripplingly expensive. When I was a kid,
> my family went through old wrecks at a prodigious rate. Nobody in my
> family has ever owned a "new" car. They're just too expensive.
>
> And then, about 4 years ago, I purchased the newest car that anybody I
> know has ever had. It was 3 years old. It's so new, in fact, that it has
> *metalic* paint.
To make it look all pretty.
> And electric windows.
Actually I don't like electric windows, the only advantage to them I see
is when you're squashed up in a car you're not jammed up against the
turning handle.
> And power steering.
Still amused my teeeny tiny car has power steering.
> And ABS. It even has *air bags*.
Woah advanced stuff indeed :-P
> As far as music goes, most cars come with an AM radio. With mechanical
> tuning buttons. (You know, "radio buttons"?) If you're lucky they have
> FM as well.
Um as Scott points out I've never seen a car-radio without an FM button .
> And if it's a really expensive car, there might be a tape deck.
No if it's a normal car it'll have a CD player, though mine has a tape
deck which doesn't bother me as I rarely play music when driving (except
when trying to remember the name of an Enya song).
> My current car is unique in that it can play *CDs*. In fact, it has a
> *six* disk changer in the boot. Advanced!
Meh takes up boot space.
--
Phil Cook
--
I once tried to be apathetic, but I just couldn't be bothered
http://flipc.blogspot.com
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Bill Pragnell wrote:
> My car's 17 years old. I use one of those cassette adaptors and the MP3
> player in my phone. Works a treat. :)
I've tried that, but the sound quality tends to be really, *really* low.
(Or maybe the adaptor I used was just cheap, I'm not sure.)
--
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*
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scott wrote:
>> As far as music goes, most cars come with an AM radio. With mechanical
>> tuning buttons.
>
> I have not seen a car with mechanical tuning buttons for ages. Even my
> sisters 12 year old Clio has a radio with electronic buttons. My first
> car, which must be 20 years old now if it was still alive, had manual
My first car [which cost me several hundred pounds] as an ancient Ford
Siesta. The clock had been back to zero twice. Changing gear required
using your right foot to force the gear to enguage. The brakes... well I
*think* they were hydrolic, just very unresponsive. (!)
Similar things can be said about just above every car my family has ever
owned. They're all old wrecks. What can I say? Cars are expensive.
>> (You know, "radio buttons"?) If you're lucky they have FM as well.
>
> Find me a car radio that doesn't do FM.
They were common when I was a child. I would think now there can't be
*that* many of them left. (I hope...?)
> Dude, you are decades out of date.
No, all the cars I've come across are decades old. ;-)
Sure, *new* cars probably do have a whole load of good stuff in them.
But who can afford to buy cars new? That's why the second-hand car
market exists...
>> Sure, I know there are absurdly rich people who can afford expensive
>> shiny cars that have all sorts of electronic gizmos in them. But
>> seriously, normal people don't have that kind of money...
>
> The other day I was given a small Ford while mine was being serviced -
> even that had a 3,5mm input socket for an MP3 player - plus an SD card
> slot at the side of the radio (which had a small colour screen and CD).
> These are not expensive cars, these are cars that normal people buy.
> Can you even buy a car with a tape deck anymore?
Well I imagine they give you nice cars while yours is being serviced.
That way they can say "hey, that car was nice, wasn't it? Would you like
to buy one, sir?" ;-)
I hired a car once - I forget why - and it didn't have an ignition key.
Go figure. (Was really horrible to drive though... I think it was an
Astra? Might be wrong.)
I very much doubt many people can afford to buy one of these things new
though...
> Try glancing inside some parked cars as you are walking around, you'll
> be suprised how many of them have electronic tuning with FM and CD
> players :-)
Or rather, how many people are richer than me?
--
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*
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Phil Cook wrote:
>> And electric windows.
>
> Actually I don't like electric windows, the only advantage to them I see
> is when you're squashed up in a car you're not jammed up against the
> turning handle.
What, you mean apart from the fact that you can now open and close the
windows while the car is moving?
--
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*
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