The 2025 review

 

2025 was a year I wasn't expecting in the form it turned out with more of the mish-mash of being NGU (not *fully* grown up) and having to deal with more adult or at least significantly older concerns and even responsibilities but none the less we did manage it.

This blog is more of an outlayer, more about thoughts, feelings and that than the others even if thanks to googles rules and their own changed reading of them over the years so topics have had to been paused or very much toned down, ditto with changed UK legislation.

Things that have been covered on here have been photography as I upgraded the lenses as I found the supplied kit standard zoom had an awkward lens changing cut of point as when you're out and about taking pictures on the go you don't want to changing lenses in the street or for that matter in drizzy conditions.

We looked at the redicovery of digital audio players of the portable sort given regular higher quality super audio cds have been thin on the ground over the last few years especially classical whereas identical quality downloads were easier to get from all the major labels.

We also found a couple of issues with players and more worrying some cards had gone astray but we've near enough replaced most of them, taking advantage to use better encoded files from scatch for the classical ones and discontinue popular cd copies in traditional "lossy" forms we had in the 2010's where memory was limited and dear.

I did decide to mention the history of school based corporal punishment here, not as titillation but to explain for one thing my attitudes to it and how that feeds into forum policy regarding talking about it as while significant numbers of us had that at school and more at home, there were questions then around when it should be used and its lasting impact on those who by todays standards were certainly ill-treated which needs to be respected.

Topics that came up for discussion included short lengths from those who grew up just above the knee to those of us who had quite brief fitting shorts and what we felt more comfortable in.

As a NGU I prefer shorts of the length I had in the 70's and fought for as we got towards the 80's although Christday's experiences being "read" as a lad out in the cold needing a welfare check by the fuzz showed looks and how you feel on the inside did really line up in a conversation that was more older child than adult.

The increasing amount of retro "memories of the past" Youtube channels came to our attention looking at life not least childhood of the decades we remember and how that compares with today which were interesting and prompted conversation at the forum.

All in while the year wasn't as planned, it certainly was interesting.

A pause for Christmas

 

Christmas be on its way so the pause as I'm super busy with shopping to do, people to see and a unwell dad presently taking up some time we need to take a break from blogging this busier year and a year with some interesting things going on having got the place looking more like Christmas.

Christmas in the past for many of us meant parties as children either hosted by our parents or guardians or those we were invited such of those of aunts and uncles and time spent playing with cousins either charades, board games or with various toys they had as it was always the case there was one toy we wanted but never got and maybe they did have it.

Wishing you all a Happy Christmas and all the best for the New Year.

The Classical SD card restoration

 Progress of sorts is being made on the other half of this great SD Card reset following getting the M21 and a X5 Mk II not just with the popular music but also with classical which was really the driver of getting the M21.

If you want Classical Downloads generally where you can you want the 24 bit ones as they sound smoother reproducing the subtle notes in often busy passages cleaner but they occupy more file space so you find 128gb micro sd cards aren't big enough one one album may take up 1.5gb on its own.

With the loss of one original card but discovering many of the original downloads from 2014 onwards much has been restored there was another card where often older versions were stored but the originals were in Mp3 form and needless to say any back ups are in that form.

* That's a classic set!

I have been able to locate at least regular cd quality downloads for a good number of them taking advantage of Prestos current seasonal offers and even remastered 24 bit versions and I suspect they may go on a replacement "oldies" alternative card in X3 M II player that's nearly new.

I'll review the hard drive holding the back ups from the past and make a list of what needs to be restored ready for the new year.

The great re-ripping starts

Apart from a few deaf to world types at one site who don't recognize Child Protection concerns when it hits between the eyes prioritizing their own idenity issues this week has been taken up with the upshot of the newer digital audio player.

This wasn't the question of making up the new card for that player but updating two cards specifically  that date to around 2009/10 and the earliest players that couldn't handle lossless cd quality files.

The cards had a mixture of some downloaded material, a few items currently not available, and a good number of cds I'd copied over some with a real attempt to add full album art including gatefolds often missing from commercial downloads.

Thus we've spent a fair bit of time recopying a batch of those I had made myself from around 2013/4 and sourcing higher quality downloads for those earliest albums I bought on download and on the odd occassion finding cheap used cds where for inexplicable reasons the only downloads are Mp3.

We have however managed to get an Advent Calendar up so christmas can be counted down.

nn

Getting back and staying around

 

This last week was challenging for the sub zero temperatures overnight to the temperatures at zero during the day as we went about in my three inch inside leg grey short trousers, thick socks and textbook duffle coat looking and one might add feeling more like that boy who walked to the garage for his sweets and the mile to school down dark countrylanes.

I'm at one with this life.

This said sometimes I do feel some struggle with it as blogs get started, all guns blazing and then it either runs out of steam or gets taken down.

I did notice this morning (tuesday) a tumblr I had been following that looked back to boyhood past times had been deactivated as although I tend to post far less uniform related stuff on mine - it seems to cause issues - I did enjoy his posts and few others that were not unform related go marked as "potentially mature" which as a category I find confusing.

To me it is as the direction of the text, images or both ARE and obviously Tumblr has always been a sensitive soul when it comes to that or it isn't (although you may not like it in your stream.

Wither he was pushed or gave up I don't know but it is sad when sites go especially when their Ai tasteful images are clever free from some of the more troubling takes on this whole thing that some put out.

Just enjoy the new-old boyhood in the spirit you lived it.

Restored headphones

There are somethings you buy, use, and bin as they've become too worn or damaged to be of use and there others where they can be given a new lease of life.

Take my BayerDynamic DT770Pro headphones bought in 2020 at the peak of the Covid era, not cheap but very high quality headphones designed for monitoring in a variety of differing impedances that while still working well, the padded head rest had started to get a bit frayed with bits breaking off.

Fortunately not only are replacements available but it has a bend over with press stubbs fit so you literally unclip and remove taking care to keep the cable tidy and fit over and seal the new one with the stubbs.

They heaphones now look as good as new.

Attitudes to appearences

The week it must be said hasn't got off to a great start with severe cramp in my leg so I'm limping around, unable to get in the bath, getting a few things done that normally I wouldn't.

Our childhood attitudes to things like school uniform do vary, many of us can recall peers that never seemed to get the full hang of it, always at least one item short or not wearing it tidily and others who seemed happy in it even if it wasn't seen to be cool to really like wearing it.

Some schools just have a dress code - if it's on it then where it comes from isn't an issue - where others had formal uniform with ties that had to got from certain specific companies and vendors.

I wouldn't of had to be told off for not liking my uniform - frankly that lads would do fine for me at the time - but tended to moan because one school I went to actually didn't being run by "progressive" types which made no sense as I felt embarrassed when on school trips where other boys looked much smarter than we did!

Perhaps its hardly surprising that as a legal adult I always pay attention to how I look at important events and situations?