IDM Mailing Archive

IT'S CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENT. Here, before me, at last, the special-ordered, church-ordained, holy of holies, two long-awaited, breath-held-until-turned-blue, finally, at long last, via the slow boat from God knows where, and the U.S. Postal Disservice: emit 3394 and emit 2295 the only problem is . . . THE CASES ARE CARDBOARD!!!!!!!! Is it blasphemy or is it sacrilege? I will not deflower them of their shrinkwrap until I am sure - are these records availabe in jewel box virgins, I mean, versions? If not, why not? Please answer in 20 words or more. Meanwhile, I cannot listen to them, for no one wants a deflowered record, least of all the record store from whence they were ordered, and so I await. I am at the mercy of the elements now. Zenon M. Feszczak Ambient Puritan (At least another disc arrived which was in a proper jewel box, and it's earthrise.ntone.1, and I'll listen to it over and over and over until I have the answer I need, and it's a good thing it's a groovy record and coldcut kicks it.)

quoted 7 lines the only problem is . . .

> > the only problem is . . . > > THE CASES ARE CARDBOARD!!!!!!!! > > Is it blasphemy or is it sacrilege? >

It is neither. The only thing that I can construe it as is someone putting a little thought into things and doing it sensibly. Why the obsession with plastic? I chunky recycled cardboard does the job. I wonder what the half-life of a jewel box is? It's bad enough having all the components of the actual CD to contend with. Support Cardboard... Matt _-_-- ---- -____ -_ -____________ aerial recordings

quoted 5 lines emit 3394 and emit 2295

>emit 3394 and emit 2295 > >the only problem is . . . > >THE CASES ARE CARDBOARD!!!!!!!!

So what, every em:t I have (except for the comps) is in a cardboard pack... I think it's neat that they're doing something different. Unlike jewel boxes, cardboard doesn't scratch when you look at it funny, it doesn't make an awful noise and break when you throw it at somebody, and it doesn't reflect so much gosh darn unhealthy-for-the-eyes glare all the time (and that just _ruins_ the whole "ambient" thing, right?)... B O Y C O T T S H E L L O I L http://home.inreach.com/sugatis/index.html

quoted 15 lines the only problem is . . .

> > > > the only problem is . . . > > > > THE CASES ARE CARDBOARD!!!!!!!! > > > > Is it blasphemy or is it sacrilege? > > > It is neither. The only thing that I can construe it as is someone > putting a little thought into things and doing it sensibly. Why the > obsession with plastic? I chunky recycled cardboard does the job. > > I wonder what the half-life of a jewel box is? > It's bad enough having all the components of the actual CD to contend with. > Support Cardboard... > Matt

I'm with you, man. You can't use recycled plastic to make jewel boxes, it has to be brand new virgin oil fresh out of the ground. Yuk! Cheers Andrew C.

quoted 14 lines the only problem is . . .

>> the only problem is . . . >> >> THE CASES ARE CARDBOARD!!!!!!!! >> >> Is it blasphemy or is it sacrilege? >> >It is neither. The only thing that I can construe it as is someone >putting a little thought into things and doing it sensibly. Why the >obsession with plastic? I chunky recycled cardboard does the job. > >I wonder what the half-life of a jewel box is? >It's bad enough having all the components of the actual CD to contend with. >Support Cardboard... >

I can tell you that jewel boxes last a lot shorter than the CDs they contain. Damn cheap plastic, the hinges always break. But cardboard?! I'm sorry, but I treasure my CDs too much to store them in cardboard. I'm all for conservation, and if it were shoes or food or anything else that doesn't need to be stored once it's gotten home, I'd say cardboard and the less the better. But not for my CDs. They're flimsy enough as it is. BTW, the few cardboard boxes I have do NOT fit in my CD tower. I've got to jam them in sideways. Thankfully few record companies do this annoying habit. Conservation is way cool, but blind conservation at the expense of practicality is just silly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Matt Haines haines@quick.net . . . . control-X:to:abort:transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . atheist man

quoted 7 lines THE CASES ARE CARDBOARD!!!!!!!!

>> THE CASES ARE CARDBOARD!!!!!!!! >> >> Is it blasphemy or is it sacrilege? > > It is neither. The only thing that I can construe it as is someone > putting a little thought into things and doing it sensibly. Why the > obsession with plastic? I chunky recycled cardboard does the job.

That depends very heavily on what you think the job is. If you think the job is to provide a canvas upon which packaging designers can work their magic, then yes, cardboard packaging has it all over jewel boxes. If you think the job is to protect the CD and the accompanying booklet and artwork from everyday wear and tear, then cardboard packaging is woefully inadequate. A scuffed or broken jewel box can be replaced for fifty cents. Scuffed or otherwise-damaged cardboard-based packaging can only be replaced by buying a brand new copy of the CD. I have a great deal of respect for good design, but functionality is an important part of good design, and in my mind cardboard-based packaging doesn't provide the functionality I want. Massive props to labels and artists (like Orbital) who give people a *choice* on this issue by releasing things both ways . . . -- ::: Lazlo (lazlo@swcp.com; http://www.swcp.com/lazlo)

At 15:19 17/05/96 -0600, Lazlo Nibble wrote:

quoted 6 lines I have a great deal of respect for good design, but functionality is an

> >I have a great deal of respect for good design, but functionality is an >important part of good design, and in my mind cardboard-based packaging >doesn't provide the functionality I want. Massive props to labels and >artists (like Orbital) who give people a *choice* on this issue by releasing >things both ways . . .

I'm pretty sure the motive behind limited cardboard boxed sets isn't to "give people a choice" - it's a way of repackaging a 'product' to make it more appealing and sell more copies. Or am I just being cynical here? || [CiM] || s.walley@uea.ac.uk || http://www.sys.uea.ac.uk/~u9323899/