[78-L] And to round out the trio from eBay....

[Steven C. Barr]

From: "Mike Harkin" <xxm.harkin at yahoo.com>
> --- On Fri, 7/23/10, agp <agp2176 at verizon.net> wrote:
>> From: agp <agp2176 at verizon.net>
>> Subject: [78-L] And to round out the trio from eBay....
>> To: "78-L Mail List" <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
>> Date: Friday, July 23, 2010, 9:37 PM
>> I also know that any listing in 78s
>> in eBay that uses the words
>> 'antique' or 'collectible' has to be from someone located
>> in the
>> valley of the clueless.  This person must be the mayor
>> there because
>> she uses both words plus the words vinyl and album coupled
>> with a
>> blurry photo and dating that is totally wrong ....
>> http://cgi.ebay.com/ANTIQUE-COLLECTIBLE-VINYL-ALBUM-1911-OKEH-RECORDS-/110563931979
>> At least he only wants 99 cents for it :-)
>> Note the scary last sentence .... WE MOSTLY SELL RECORDS
>> NOW
> The whole thing is scary!  Description, 10" vinyl LP classical opera....
> She also sez he cleaned it; if she knows as much about cleaning as she 
> does about the record, I shudder to think....
>
There is a whole new generation out there (who effectively RULE eWotsit and
all similar net-based phenomenae?!) to whom analog recordings of ANY
variety are ancient (and thus unknown?!) history...meanwhile, the musicians
thereamong are enthusiastically recording and issuing vinyl "albums!"

In spite of the above, these folks happily assume that ANY analog
records are ancient (well, they don't remember them...?!) and are
thus VERY valuable "antiques"...?! These net-based "auction"
facilities allow total idio...er, people...to sell all sorts of garbage
which they blissfully assume to be "valuable antiques" (i.e.
they don't personally remember when they were sold...?!).

In fact, I store my many 78's in (presumably) antique milk
boxes (1973-77)...which became obsolete after the dairy
industry tried to cut their losses by converting to a new
box size which wouldn't hold 12" LP's in jackets...!

The sad reality is that, after having been barraged with
endless reports of executives hauling in bonuses in the
7 or 8 digit range (gawdknows WOT they spend it on
other than cocaine and expensive hookers...?!)...all of
a sudden EVERYBODY wants to be (or PRETEND to be?!)
that rich...?!

This is a natural result of the instinct-driven dominance
hierarchy that sadly exists in Homo Sapiens...?! Without
understanding exactly why, ALL of us humans are driven
to accumulate more money (numbers are EASY to compare?!)
than anyone we include in our mentally-defined "tribe"...
since high-paying jobs aren't that easy to obtain, the next
best way is to sell some sucke...er, other human...some
artifact via a digital "auction" operation, on the basis that
the artifact in question is a "valuable" (or so said?!)
"antique" (this includes a newspaper from last year?!)

One wonders if I/we have a "front row seat" at the all-
but-inevitable end of our human species...?!

Steven C. Barr
(admitted and proud cynic...!)