Search the Community

How many in MCF from this generation? Sup pow, Go-stun Pow. Gui (ghost) http://mypaper.sg/top-stories/spider-fighting-group-spins-web-camaraderie-too-20160223

https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Electronics/Blast-from-the-past-Cassette-player-prices-surge-amid-comeback?utm_campaign=GL_asia_daily&utm_medium=email&utm_source=NA_newsletter&utm_content=article_link&del_type=1&pub_date=20220829123000&seq_num=14&si=44594 Blast from the past: Cassette player prices surge amid comeback Nostalgia boom gives tapes another moment in the sun Sony's cassette players once dominated the global industry in the analog days. (Photo by Takuro Hosoda) TAKURO HOSODA, Nikkei staff writerAugust 28, 2022 01:15 JST TOKYO -- Music lovers nostalgic for the faint hissing and crackling of cassette tapes have sent the price of vintage players soaring, with some now going for five times as much as a decade ago. Sony first launched the Walkman TPS-L2, a cassette player considered the world's first portable music device, back in 1979. Originally priced at 33,000 yen, those in good condition now sell for around 50,000 to 100,000 yen ($365 to $730). "Even ones that are junk regularly go for around 30,000 yen," said a representative at BuySell Technologies, a Tokyo-based company that sells a wide range of pre-owned products. A decade ago, original Walkmans in working condition commanded around 10,000 yen to 20,000 yen. Prices have increased roughly fivefold because there are now fewer of them in circulation, and there are "many fans who like the culture of bringing cassette players around," the representative said. Cassette players became widely available in the 1970s, initially in the form of boomboxes. Mobile players became more popular in the 1980s after the Walkman was released. Though the players later lost ground to CDs, demand has surged in the last few years, particularly among those nostalgic for the characteristic hiss they produced. Cassette players largely sold for around 5,000 yen to 7,000 yen in 2019, but have been selling for over 9,000 yen so far this year, according to online auction platform Aucfan. Many of the buyers are older men with more disposable income to spend on their hobbies. Some are collecting rare items from overseas. Tokyo-based Beenos said cassette players on Sekaimon, its cross-border e-commerce platform, have been selling for 24,000 yen on average this year, around 50% more than in 2021. The buyers on average were 45 years old, and 90% were men. Those who bought vintage players in particular were 55 on average. Several companies still make cassette players. But modern models are plastic and lightweight. "Fans who are drawn to the weight of steel tend to prefer vintage players," said Tomohiro Takeno at Lawson Entertainment, which operates record and cassette tape stores. Cassette tapes have become a source of nostalgia for middle-age to elderly people. Overseas cassette enthusiasts unable to come to Japan because of the coronavirus pandemic have also been snapping up items on the secondary market online. "Because the yen is so weak right now, foreign fans are getting high-quality players at bargain prices," said electronics collector Junichi Matsuzaki. Matsuzaki says he now has roughly 5,000 secondhand boomboxes and other devices from around the world, sourced through his own channels. He says has received requests from foreign aficionados to sell his entire collection. "The analog boom is further along overseas than in Japan," he said. Sales of cassette tapes in the U.S. doubled last year to over 340,000, the highest total since 2015, according to entertainment data company Luminate. Artists popular among young listeners, such as Billie Eilish and Harry Styles, have released music on cassette. In Japan, vinyl records are experiencing a greater comeback. Although cassettes are easy to carry around, the magnetic tape itself becomes degraded with use, making cassettes poor candidates for secondhand distribution in the digital age. In recent years, well-known music artists such as B'z and Tatsuro Yamashita have released music on tapes, but the tape revival is still in its infancy. "Compared to records, there is far fewer new music" on tapes, said Takeno. "New music will determine the future popularity of tapes."

<Gran Turismo 7 Brings Back Another Fan-Favorite Fictional Circuit In A Big Way Deep Forest Raceway receives a new lease on life and a controversial final sector change for GT7. Gif: PlayStation Studios When Trial Mountain appeared in the first trailer for Gran Turismo 7 more than a year ago, longtime fans pumped their fists into the air. The fictional circuit — present in every Gran Turismo except for the Prologue entries and GT Sport — will return fully remodeled in 4K, with variable weather and time-of-day change taking advantage of the full power of the PlayStation 5. It will be a treat for anyone who grew up with these games, and it’s not the only nostalgic gift Polyphony Digital has packed into GT7. Eagle-eyed followers had an inkling Deep Forest was coming back — the course’s recognizable ribbon appeared in several development diary-type videos released over the last two months. Back in 2017 and just after GT Sport’s release, series producer Kazunori Yamauchi told GTPlanet that while his team already had Deep Forest running in the game, the course was far from complete. It will be ready for GT7. Like Trial Mountain, it looks phenomenal. Deep Forest’s signature undulating front straight and descent into Turn 1 is still intact. Actually, most of the course’s first two sectors are pretty much just as you remember them, with some minor tweaks to encourage fair and eventful racing. For example, the concrete surface inside Turn 4 — a patch often used by your jerk friend to illegally overtake you in split-screen battles — has now been festooned with sausage curbs that will unsettle cars passing over top. I anticipate Polyphony will enforce strict track limits around that section for online play, too. All of the tunnels are still exactly where you remember them. I’ve seen some fans complain that the canopy of trees overhead doesn’t cover as much of the view above as it used to, making this forest feel less, well, deep. But that was sort of unrealistic from an environmental standpoint to begin with, and PS1 and PS2 games had wonky proportions. Seriously, go back and play GT1 or GT2 if you don’t get what I mean — billboards and trees were the size of office buildings in those games. Deep Forest then and now — how the track appeared in GT6 and earlier on the left, versus its new layout in GT7. Illustration: PlayStation Studios/Adam Ismail Some corners have clearly been reprofiled in the first sector — most notably Turn 10, the last before the back straight. In the original Deep Forest, this was a more relaxed bend with a very punishing outer rock wall that left absolutely no margin for error. For GT7 it’s been made tighter and serves as the circuit’s second real overtaking zone after the first corner. Oh, and speaking of overtaking zones, it’s probably time we discuss that change — the new shape of what I guess you’d call Turn 11. In every other Gran Turismo, this has never been anything other than a fast, downhill left-hand sweeper; if you don’t recall the turn’s original shape, watch the comparison video below courtesy of MotoGames TV. The players in this video reach this part of the track at different times, mind you, so the corner will arrive first in the GT6 snippet. Rather than descending at speed immediately following the final tunnel, GT7's Deep Forest leads you right into a braking zone approaching an acute hairpin. This is surely going to ruffle some feathers, but personally I don’t mind it. The track could’ve used another spot for passing opportunities, especially given how Polyphony has courted professional, competitive play with the FIA World Championship. Following that, we have a long drop into a valley, where a maintenance van can be seen traveling on a bridge overhead. It’s little touches like this that endear me to GT7's reimagining of classic courses. I know we all love quaint “old-school” racetracks, but there’s something gratifying and comforting about contextualizing Trial Mountain and Deep Forest as real places in the world that have evolved over the last two-and-a-half decades. Picture it like this: These were small-time, local or club circuits at first, then gained notoriety over the years and have now reached FIA Grade 1 status. But they still haven’t lost their most defining characteristics, as many world-famous venues tend to when they’re renovated. It’s the perfect blend of honoring the past while thrusting into the present, and I cannot wait to experience both favorites when GT7 releases in March. Personally, I hope Polyphony’s planning similar treatment for Midfield Raceway or Grand Valley.>

Recently I have been receiving comments about the Dumex plate I have used for my western food meals. Seems like some people in this forum has it. So who are the one have this plate? 1. DACH 2.

Saw some posting on FB using 王沙，野峰 look alike to talk about some Pioneer package in Teochew triggers my nostalgia on the original master of comedy in SGP....Sharing a clip here...still so hilarious! Pardon the poor quality.... http://youtu.be/X-jyRAxrRLc