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Pinging Jim Austin, Stereophile

108.49.42.46
Posted on April 20, 2020 at 20:23:32
stereo5
Audiophile

Posts: 1356
Location: New England
Joined: June 22, 2008
 I am a long time subscriber (30+ years) and have a reoccurring subscription. The same holds true to TAS. In these very contagious times, would it kill the management to put the magazine in a plastic bag of sorts? I received my May issue last week and immediately disinfected the front and back of said magazine. Everything smeared on both covers and I also let it sit outside on my deck for 3 days before I felt safe to read it

All of this to be safe from the Covid-19 Virus! It would have been easier to open the bag and remove the magazine, wash hands and enjoy with both covers intact. In your defense, I received my TAS today and it was not in a bag either. I am asking to request the publisher to put the magazines in some kind of protective cover until this nightmare passes?


"I've always been mad, I know I've been mad, like the
most of us...very hard to explain why you're mad, even if you're not mad..."


 

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RE: Pinging Jim Austin, Stereophile, posted on April 21, 2020 at 02:47:26
PAR
Audiophile

Posts: 1732
Location: South London, UK
Joined: June 4, 2019
 When the magazine arrives just leave it for 72 hours. Any virus will have ceased to be viable by then. In fact the likelihood is that it would not survive that long on paper but, ironically considering your request, may on a plastic surface. Or just wear some latex gloves to open the package then dispose of the wrapper and gloves, wash hands. I presume that you do not disinfect every page as you read it.

There is also an environmental consideration. Putting the magazine in plastic results in potential pollution. Though using disposable latex gloves introduces a similar problem. Sometimes you just can't win.

Coincidentally as I was writing this the current issue of Stereophile dropped through my letterbox. I am an overseas subscriber and this and the preceding issue were delivered in a paper envelope. Before this the magazine was indeed bagged in plastic. I expect the change was to meet the demand for a reduction in single use plastic here.

"We need less, but better" - Dieter Rams

 

Ironing, posted on April 21, 2020 at 04:04:24
Bill the K
Audiophile

Posts: 8383
Joined: June 3, 2006
 Perhaps ironing the magazine as soon as it arrives and waiting a day would clear it from the virus. But then I may need to appoint Jeeves.

Bill

 

RE: Ironing, posted on April 21, 2020 at 04:36:48
PAR
Audiophile

Posts: 1732
Location: South London, UK
Joined: June 4, 2019
 According to the linked article to destroy Covid-19 with heat requires a high temperature (92 C) for an extended period (15mins). I don't know how pristine the cover of Stereophile would look after that.

"We need less, but better" - Dieter Rams

 

RE: Pinging Jim Austin, Stereophile, posted on April 21, 2020 at 08:48:59
volunteer
Audiophile

Posts: 5666
Location: Louisville, KY
Joined: January 7, 2012
 I may well be playing with fire but I just open the mail as usual.


-Wendell

 

When the magazine was journal sized it came in a plastic bag., posted on April 21, 2020 at 13:11:00
viridian
 The writing was also much better, though I would not correlate the two. The current size is much better as a fish wrapper though.

 

RE: Pinging Jim Austin, Stereophile, posted on April 21, 2020 at 13:52:58
Tom
Audiophile

Posts: 2081
Location: Arizona
Joined: February 27, 2000
Contributor
  Since: March 16, 2002
 Me, too. And I rip open delivery boxes from Fedex before the delivery guy even gets back in his truck, too.

 

The current-size mag used to come wrapped, too. nt, posted on April 21, 2020 at 14:23:06
Tom
Audiophile

Posts: 2081
Location: Arizona
Joined: February 27, 2000
Contributor
  Since: March 16, 2002

 

RE: Pinging Jim Austin, Stereophile, posted on April 21, 2020 at 14:26:03
volunteer
Audiophile

Posts: 5666
Location: Louisville, KY
Joined: January 7, 2012
 Not arguing it's smart. Just acknowledging I do it.


-Wendell

 

Me, neither. Me, too. nt, posted on April 21, 2020 at 14:27:48
Tom
Audiophile

Posts: 2081
Location: Arizona
Joined: February 27, 2000
Contributor
  Since: March 16, 2002

 

RE: Pinging Jim Austin, Stereophile, posted on April 23, 2020 at 03:41:27
Ozzy
Audiophile

Posts: 7588
Joined: September 21, 1999
 Panic much?

Oz




Don't worry about avoiding temptation. As you grow older, it will avoid you.
- Winston Churchill

 

RE: Pinging Jim Austin, Stereophile, posted on April 23, 2020 at 12:15:36
stereo5
Audiophile

Posts: 1356
Location: New England
Joined: June 22, 2008
 No, being SMART. Something all of us should be practicing.


"I've always been mad, I know I've been mad, like the
most of us...very hard to explain why you're mad, even if you're not mad..."


 

RE: Pinging Jim Austin, Stereophile, posted on April 23, 2020 at 12:19:26
Ozzy
Audiophile

Posts: 7588
Joined: September 21, 1999
 Smart is living your life being prudent, but not overreacting. You probably couldn't go out and get COVID-19 on purpose if you tried. But the media would have you believe it's the plague.......


Don't worry about avoiding temptation. As you grow older, it will avoid you.
- Winston Churchill

 

I like this thread, posted on April 23, 2020 at 15:43:51
Jim Austin
Reviewer

Posts: 71
Location: New York
Joined: March 11, 2019
 Much opportunity for humor. But I recognize the seriousness of it.

I suspect that by the time any change was made, the worst would be behind us.

I can well imagine that neither bleach nor alcohol would work well--although I'm sure that many an alcoholic drink has been spilled on issues of Stereophile.

Also, heating it to the recommended microbe-killing temperature is unlikely to yield good results. I mean, it probably wouldn't catch fire, assuming you can control the temperature well, but I bet the pages would probably become brittle. It might be worth trying--although if I were you, I'd try it on a copy of TAS first, just to be safe; I mean, you wouldn't want to harm your new issue of Stereophile. ;-)

In all seriousness, probably the plan that makes the most sense is to let it sit for 72 hours before cracking it. But I know that's likely to be impossible for all but our most self-disciplined readers.

Wish I could provide better advice.

Jim Austin, Editor (who really does take this question seriously)
Stereophile

 

RE: Pinging Jim Austin, Stereophile, posted on April 23, 2020 at 15:52:55
stereo5
Audiophile

Posts: 1356
Location: New England
Joined: June 22, 2008
 If that's the case, go out and enjoy, no one is stopping you. As for myself, with diabetes and asthma, I will take it slow and easy. Don't believe everything the orange guy says. He has been known to lie, 18,000+ and counting


"I've always been mad, I know I've been mad, like the
most of us...very hard to explain why you're mad, even if you're not mad..."


 

RE: I like this thread, posted on April 23, 2020 at 15:54:21
stereo5
Audiophile

Posts: 1356
Location: New England
Joined: June 22, 2008
 Thanks. I will try it on TAS as you suggest.


"I've always been mad, I know I've been mad, like the
most of us...very hard to explain why you're mad, even if you're not mad..."


 

RE: I like this thread, posted on April 23, 2020 at 17:41:20
BE
Audiophile

Posts: 30
Location: Illinois
Joined: December 1, 2014
 Great Idea!
Bill

 

A plain brown wrapper? (nt), posted on April 23, 2020 at 19:50:30
13th Duke of Wymbourne
Audiophile

Posts: 2794
Location: Orange Co., Ca
Joined: September 19, 2001
 nt

 

RE: Pinging Jim Austin, Stereophile, posted on April 24, 2020 at 03:36:02
Ozzy
Audiophile

Posts: 7588
Joined: September 21, 1999
 I was wondering when you'd go there, and just like on Audiogon, you never fail to disappoint.

Get over it, he's still your president. And a damn fine one at that. I'm done with you here, just like I'm done with you on the Gon.


Don't worry about avoiding temptation. As you grow older, it will avoid you.
- Winston Churchill

 

Don't bother..., posted on April 24, 2020 at 04:57:44
Steve O
Audiophile

Posts: 12359
Location: SE MI
Joined: September 6, 2001
 ...Above about 110F the adhesive in the binding softens and melts and you end up with a pile of loose sheets.

 

RE: Pinging Jim Austin, Stereophile, posted on April 24, 2020 at 06:45:00
RSF
Audiophile

Posts: 197
Location: Philadelphia
Joined: May 14, 2010
Contributor
  Since: March 6, 2011
 +1 for Ozzy

 

RE: Pinging Jim Austin, Stereophile, posted on April 24, 2020 at 08:08:58
stereo5
Audiophile

Posts: 1356
Location: New England
Joined: June 22, 2008
 You started it when you said I was panicking. I was done with you long before this. This thread was for Jim Austin, there was no need for you to even comment.


"I've always been mad, I know I've been mad, like the
most of us...very hard to explain why you're mad, even if you're not mad..."


 

E Magazine, posted on April 24, 2020 at 22:26:11
Bill the K
Audiophile

Posts: 8383
Joined: June 3, 2006
 Instead of the hard copy. can you make it E magazine? Or will it have complications"

Bill

 

Did you do the experiment?, posted on April 25, 2020 at 04:15:25
Jim Austin
Reviewer

Posts: 71
Location: New York
Joined: March 11, 2019
 Or do you just know about magazines? I haven't tried it, but what you write does make sense.

Just curious.

Jim Austin, Editor
Stereophile

 

RE: I like this thread, posted on April 25, 2020 at 10:37:44
Tom
Audiophile

Posts: 2081
Location: Arizona
Joined: February 27, 2000
Contributor
  Since: March 16, 2002
 I had a pizza delivered yesterday. It's sitting on the porch until Monday.

 

Accidental experiment..., posted on April 25, 2020 at 13:32:45
Steve O
Audiophile

Posts: 12359
Location: SE MI
Joined: September 6, 2001
 ...reading on my deck in the summer. After laying on a wooden bench for about 15 min in the summer afternoon sun the binding softens to the point that pages easily fall out. I estimate that the temp is ~110F because I can keep my hand on the wood indefinitely.

 

RE: E Magazine, posted on April 26, 2020 at 11:35:51
stereo5
Audiophile

Posts: 1356
Location: New England
Joined: June 22, 2008
 Not a fan of E Magazines. I like to hold the magazine and look at all the audio porn. My eyesight isn't that great to look at it on a tablet.


"I've always been mad, I know I've been mad, like the
most of us...very hard to explain why you're mad, even if you're not mad..."


 

RE: A plain brown wrapper? (nt), posted on April 26, 2020 at 11:37:37
stereo5
Audiophile

Posts: 1356
Location: New England
Joined: June 22, 2008
 I remember when I was in my teens, ordering a porn mag that came in a plain brown wrapper. My mom immediately knew what it was when she picked up the mail. I will never forget my dads speech after that.


"I've always been mad, I know I've been mad, like the
most of us...very hard to explain why you're mad, even if you're not mad..."


 

RE: E Magazine, posted on April 26, 2020 at 21:21:44
Bill the K
Audiophile

Posts: 8383
Joined: June 3, 2006
 Same here. But I cannot wait to read the magazine once it arrives. Also I cannot tolerate smell of disinfectants.

Bill

 

RE: A plain brown wrapper? (nt), posted on April 26, 2020 at 21:44:58
13th Duke of Wymbourne
Audiophile

Posts: 2794
Location: Orange Co., Ca
Joined: September 19, 2001
 And these days it comes straight to teens' phones for free. I hope they put the time and angst that they would have had to exert to get it in our day to advance humanity. Some Stereophile covers are audiophile porn.

13DoW

 

You had it sent to your home?, posted on April 27, 2020 at 15:10:33
Billy Wonka
Audiophile

Posts: 3760
Joined: April 25, 2013
Contributor
  Since: October 15, 2013
 Being too fastidious about germs will lead to illness. Doctors call it Karma.

 

RE: You had it sent to your home?, posted on April 29, 2020 at 19:17:39
stereo5
Audiophile

Posts: 1356
Location: New England
Joined: June 22, 2008
 My dad gave me this big speech about how there are 2 women in the house (mom & sister) and that we had to always respect them. Then he handed me the magazine and said bury it in one of your drawers when not looking at it, with a big grin on his face.


"I've always been mad, I know I've been mad, like the
most of us...very hard to explain why you're mad, even if you're not mad..."


 

RE: Pinging Jim Austin, Stereophile, posted on April 30, 2020 at 17:07:57
fantja
Audiophile

Posts: 15518
Location: Alabama
Joined: September 11, 2010
 Yep, I can remember when magazines arrived in plastic covers.

HiFi + and HiFi News & Record Review still uses plastic bags for their magazine subscribers.

 

RE: You had it sent to your home?, posted on April 30, 2020 at 17:09:11
fantja
Audiophile

Posts: 15518
Location: Alabama
Joined: September 11, 2010
 2nd note: Hope all of you guys at Stereophile are well and staying safe.

 

RE: You had it sent to your home?, posted on April 30, 2020 at 19:03:10
13th Duke of Wymbourne
Audiophile

Posts: 2794
Location: Orange Co., Ca
Joined: September 19, 2001
 A cool Dad :)

A story an Irish comedian tells is that even girlie mags were not available in the Republic of Ireland when he was young but they were in Northern Ireland. Often men visiting Belfast would buy them and read them on the train home but they didn't want to be caught with them in Dublin so they'd throw them out of the train windows before arriving. So, he and his buddies would regularly patrol the railway line to find them.

 

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