Grateful Dead

(Oh no you didn't, marye!!!? You, as well as that Bob Weir/Dstache character, will feel my wrath!!!)

These last few days of thought and banter here in the Vineyard is why I keep coming back day after day after day... We are a community of strangers trying to figure out a way to govern ourselves. This is true democracy in action as envisioned by President Thomas Jefferson. Peace Rick

a Reseed Request topic might be a good idea. As to the arcana raised by dstache, up to you guys.:-)

Best damn post I have read in quite some time!Thanks Peace Rick

would you like me to vine some Steve Kimock or not......geez!!!! Oh by the way, they are SHN files. HAHA!

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At the risk of opening a big can of worms, I hereby put forward some thoughts about an unwritten rule here in the Vineyard (Hereby? What kind of pretentious SOB speaks like that?). It appears to me that once a show is vined, it is considered to be a solecism (oh c'mon, just say "impropriety") for another person to post a new vine containing that show. At first glance, that seems to be a good rule as the last thing one wants to do is offend our Vineyard's most precious commodity, the seeders who plant vines. But when one delves deeper, it becomes apparent, at least to me, that this rule hinders the proliferation of music. How so? First, as discussed ad nauseum (Oh, big shot lawyer, big SHIT if you ask me!) here in this forum in the last couple of days, vines die. Especially for vines that have been extant (OMG, this is getting ridiculous, just say "dead" you pretentious MFer) for an extended period, it makes at least as much sense to just commence a new vine as it does to reseed an existing one. For those of us who are diurnal (Is this idiot trying to get under my skin? DAILY you bastard!) visitors here, we are aware when a vine dies, and I for one wouldn't mind a new vine being planted. As for those who are not here as frequently, well, they are often the ones who abscond with vines in the first place. More importantly, the unwritten rule limits seeders and makes it more difficult for viners in that it requires a viner to sign up for multiple vines to acquire a run of shows, rather than one medium sized vine. For example, we have a vine for 12/27/77, but not vines for 12/30 or 12/31. As an aside, remember that 12/29 is a Dick's Pick. If a seeder wanted to vine the entire December 77 Winterland run, he couldn't. And a viner would have to sign up for both the 12/27/77 vine as well as the new 12/30-31 vine, if he wanted the entire run. A vine containing the entire run would be more efficient, and save postage, fuel, feed starving children, etc. Second, this needs to be said: WAV vines just don't cut the mustard for many of us any longer. I am as guilty as the next seeder for starting many WAV vines, and I sincerely offer contrition (Just apologize you wanker!) for that. I'm half kidding. I listen to WAV files. I don't have the capability of playing FLAC files. Heck, I still use a stereo and bring ACTUAL PHYSICAL CDs to work, back when I was working, to play on the computer. That's right, I admit it, I don't even have an I-POD! [pause for gasps]. But I have come to the radical but inevitable conclusion that I prefer to have the best sounding WAV file available, and that is only possible by having the FLAC file. What I am talking about here is, [hold your breath I am about to coin a new term], Sound Quality Equality. With FLAC, there are no longer elites who have optimal quality shows, while we lesser Heads must subsist on inferior copies. We have the same copy as Charlie Miller himself! WAV files are copes of copies, and contain generational loss, at least at some point. I like to think that every copy goes down 1 percentage point, and that even those of us who are not audiophiles can decipher the generational loss once it gets somewhere between 95% and 90% quality. To illustrate, my Cream Filling '73 vine, containing WAV files of 11/14, 11/17 and 11/20/73. If you received this fine vine, your copy is a copy of my copy, which is itself a copy of a copy of unknown generations. If you are thinking about Abbot and Costello at this point you are not alone. If you do not know who Abbot and Costello are you are very young. If you are very young, and are a single, attractive female, please PM That Nice Hippy Guy at ...ok, enough. Although your copy should be pretty good, and I believe it is, a direct copy of a FLAC file would be even better and it would allow you to trade the show to another person with the utmost confidence that you are providing him with the best possible sound quality. If someone wants to circulate a vine of FLAC versions of those shows, I not only acquiesce, I ardently hail it. Sound Quality Equality! At this point in what has clearly devolved into a prolix (MORE PRETENSION!!!) essay, it is time to reveal that I meant to preface all of this by saying that I do not want to step on any toes, that I sincerely appreciate all that the generous seeders do, especially those who have planted copiously (ARGH!!!!). The problem is that to preface something one often starts by saying something like "Let me preface this by saying..." , which sounds like one has to get permission in order to preface something. I'll be damned if I have to get permission to preface my own essay!! (Calm the hell down, you TWIT). Hmmm, I thought I had a third, but I guess I don’t. Anyways, I am not trying to reinvent the wheel. I am not suggesting killing off any vines. The gist of what I am suggesting is that a seeder be allowed, without suffering rebuke, repercussion, or other indignity, to plant a new vine containing a previously vined show if: (1) the previous vine is dead (Thank you for using a simple word), or;(2) the previously vined show was circulated ONLY in WAV format, or; (3) the previously vined show was NOT part of a substantial sequential run of shows (oh boy, now this arsehole has to define “substantial sequential run”). No, I will not define it, instead I will give examples of what I consider to be substantial sequential runs. Bob’s April ‘71 vine clearly should not be revined, unless of course the vine is dead OR new better versions of those shows have surfaced. The latter seems like a reasonable exception that everyone can agree on. Rick’s NYE ‘83 vine would also qualify and should not be revined. As for those that are not substantial sequential runs, I would point to my own seedling, Stache Rides ‘77. It could be revined because only 3 out of the 5 shows in the run were circulated in FLAC format. A potential viner should not have to sign up for both my vine and a new vine containing the other 2 shows in FLAC format to get the entire run, and a potential seeder should not be hindered by my negligence in seeding in FLAC format only 3 of the 5 shows. Another example would be CB’s The Matrix Part 2, a fine vine by the way, which contains both FLAC and WAV files for 12/28/70, 7/17/76, 7/29/74, 10/2/80 and 7/18/89. A seeder should be able to vine the entire Orpheum 76 run, and not have to omit 7/17. Simply said, this provides more options for everybody. Don’t I have anything better to do? No. I am currently unemployed, and when not engaged in self-gratification, listening to music, walking the dog, feeding peanuts to squirrels or bettering myself in some intellectual way (HA, ordered by priority you boob!), I have some time on my hands and have thought about this. If you are thinking “TMI” at this point, and you are a guy, you need to be immediately taken out back and pummeled, because no guy should EVER use the phrase “TMI.“ Back to the question, I anticipate imminently acquiring most if not all of the shows in FLAC format between 3/21/ and 9/21/73, and I would like to be able to vine those shows here. Personally, I am not crazy about HUGE vines, and will create multiple parts to the vine, each containing a full DVD or two of shows. Of course, this is assuming that participants don’t object to this post, or at least to the paragraph containing “the gist,” as this post is clearly objectionable on multiple counts (Christ, the lawyer thing AGAIN). Well, my friends, this rant has come to an end. I hope that you LOL as much reading it as I have writing it. Or in the words of our distaff (YOU FRAKKIN STOP THAT RIGHT NOW) member Leanne, PC PC. Ok, I have had enough of you, you scoundrel, why don’t you be a man, come out from behind your parenthetical prophylactic and confront me?!?!?! ARRGGGGHH Sincerely, Bob Weir

An inane and immense post is about to occur. You may want to overt your eyes lest you suffer the same fate as Lot's wife. You have been warned.

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