In article , RJH
wrote:
On 25/03/2016 09:20, Jim Lesurf wrote:


The problem is the traders who provide no way to even talk to them, or
find out where/who they are.


It is a shame - I wish there was more opportunity for communication, and
it can be disconcerting.

Yes. When it comes to buying things like music or videos I quite often want
to discuss the versions available with a seller. Extension of being able to
examine them in a real shop when I'm not sure which version to choose. It
also tests the knowledge of the sellers.


But the ebay traders and the like can simply take the hit - some have
upwards of a million transactions with feedback - so probably many more
than that.

But of course many second-hand dealers are far smaller than that and may
simply have some boxes of items in their back room. For them, having more
lines of accessibility may be wise.

To build in the capacity to deal with cheques, written
correspondence, technical assistance and a phone help line for example
would cut slender margins further.

But of course finding a dealer who *will* talk to you may then lead to the
customer being more likely to buy at a higher price *and* come back to that
dealer as their first port of call when they want something else.


There are many other downsides, but cost and ease of use seem to rule
the day. Maybe it'll start to slide back . . .

I suspect it will in due time. I doubt *every* trader will do so. But I
expect some of the smaller ones to realise there is a niche set of
potential purchasers who would pay more and come to them if/when they do.

BTW wrt 'historic', I just bought the new Hi Fi World magazine and found a
nice article on the Armstrong 600s. :-)

Jim

--
Please use the address on the audiomisc page if you wish to email me.
Electronics http://www.st-and.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scot...o/electron.htm
Armstrong Audio http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/Armstrong/armstrong.html
Audio Misc http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/index.html

In article ,
Tim Streater wrote:
You do make it sound like cheques were some form of ancient universal
payment system which must be kept at all costs. But it's not so. My
parents never had a current acount. Although they did have a bank
account or two. And I'm willing to bet many 'youngsters' don't have a
chequebook these days either.

I'm glad to see you acknowledge that cheques constitute a universal
payments system.

I actually said the reverse. ;-)

But I'd be happy to see the demise of cheques,

It has more or less already happened. I really can't remember the last
time I used one.

provided they are replaced by some other equally universal system that
is not subject to hackers.

Cheques will be processed electronically anyway? And they're hardly fraud
proof.

--
*Income tax service - We‘ve got what it takes to take what you've got.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On 24/03/2016 13:06, Brian Gaff wrote:
I still have some old mags, but now of course
cannot bloody read them!

Can't you OCR them, then use speech to text? Or is the technology just
not good enough yet?

Andy

In article , Vir
Campestris wrote:
On 24/03/2016 13:06, Brian Gaff wrote:
I still have some old mags, but now of course cannot bloody read them!

Can't you OCR them, then use speech to text? Or is the technology just
not good enough yet?

I've been scanning a number of ancient magazine issues over the last year
or two. Getting a good scan and a good OCR can be quite time consuming for
some of the older examples in poorer condition. And of course, one factor
is that I have to examine by eye the scanned results to decide what to do
to alter the next scan attempt, etc.

For, say, mags from many decades ago, the paper will often be very yellowed
and dirty and probably also scuffed, etc. The printing may have also
smudged in some cases. Depends on the age and condition as well as the
paper and printing process used.

Have a look at the first image on
http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/Armstrong.../ValveEra.html
for an example of some pages of the kind you may be faced with scanning and
OCRing. Possible, but requires some work.

So I fear that for someone with serious vision impairment, its sometimes a
chicken and egg problem unless the magazine is in excellent condition and
the text is crisp clear plain black on white. (Some more recent magazines
in colour can be a real pain as you may have to process out the colour to
get sufficient contrast, etc, for a good OCR.)

Jim

--
Please use the address on the audiomisc page if you wish to email me.
Electronics http://www.st-and.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scot...o/electron.htm
Armstrong Audio http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/Armstrong/armstrong.html
Audio Misc http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/index.html