Re: [ARSCLIST] Is The Record Shop Dead?

["Steven C. Barr(x)" <stevenc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tom Fine" <tflists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Bottom line, with retailing, if you're not comfortable with the web today,
you're at a severe
> disadvantage for just about any item.
>
As well, the "buyer demographic" for popular music happens to coincide with
the Internet-cognizant demographic...! At this point, music (and other recorded
sound), images and text documents can easily be distributed via the Internet.

The next two VERY scary possibilities are these:

1) A direct computer-to-human-brain interface that will allow us to record,
save, and distribute the actual experiences we have (or, actually, THINK we
have...!) as opposed to copies of sounds and still/moving images...!

2) A digital method...possibly by recording the details and positions of
each atom therein...of creating a repeatable digital version of a solid
object (it remains to be seen if this could be used for living entities,
but it would seem to be possible for inanimate items...?!).

Keep in mind that if the above sound like "crazoid dreams" to you...well,
had you told the average ordinary person in 1857...a century-and-a-half
ago (and tweleve years before my house was erected...!)...that, before
the end of his/her/its century, he/she/it would be able to use a small
device in his home to speak to ther folks, even in different cities...
that it would become not only possible (it was, to some extent) but easy
to preserve an image of virtually anything that could be seen...and that
it would be possible to record and distribute the performances of various
artists...and that it would be possible to preserve actual moving images
of important events...the above individual would have, without hesitation,
called either the local lunatics' home or the constabulary (or both) and
informed them that someone seemed to be a raving maniac, and ought to be
put where the dogs wouldn't bite him!

Then, when you added that it would be only a few years after the above
events that it would be possible to have a small(ish) "talking box" in
one's home allowing one to listen to music or entertainment...or even
to contact other parties thousands of miles away...and, shortly after
THAT, it would be possible to receive moving images, including sound,
from just about anywhere on the planet...well, your cell would then be
double-padlocked and the strait-jacket laced up another couple of laps...!

And I won't even go into what we can already do with computers and
other digitalia...!

Steven C. Barr