THANK YOU! This looks like something that would do it although I'm not understanding how the gadget plugs into the two ports at the back of the old Panasonic (perhaps it just needs another cord with the red and white plugs at each end). I also did more web searching and came up with the Ion u-Record Music Archiver at Think Geek I'm not sure how it works...as it too just seems to connect the computer with the old music outfit, but this one seems to need software installed and I'm wondering if it is for more complex stuff than I'm trying to do. Has anyone used this? As I said before, I'm not very computer savvy (I'm from the old LP era) and appreciate being able to do this without a lot of frills and hassles. Thanks again for any and all input. Here is a link that might be useful: Ion u-Record

DVD format can be better, if it's available, but there's not many bands etc releasing CD and DVD format albums, but the DVD should be better in theory, but CDs are still better than the online digital formats, although I believe Itunes may offer a higher quality alternative to MP3 - I'm not sure, since I've never used the itunes store. Itunes the software will store your cd music at a higher quality than mp3 if you tell it to, but it will chew through your disk space at an alarming rate, and might result in skipping if your hard drive's having trouble keeping up. MP3s (the usual format for portable or computer based music) are, as somebody said, a 'lossy' format but not bad, in most of the applications they're found in. DVD audio in some cases isn't actually any better than CD, in fact the compression used for the sound as part of MPEG-2 (which is the DVD video format) is essentially the same as MP3- so in fact, your CDs may be of a higher quality, I'll argue. However, DVDs support a number of different audio formats, from 44.1 - most likely if it's surround sound, to 96khz and as high as 192khz, so DVD may offer the edge at times. The sample rate is where it's at - the reason why analogue - reel to reel audio tape or vinyl- is arguably superior is it isn't sampled, you get the whole, continuous sound wave, rather than bits of it or 'samples' CD's sample rate is 44.1 khz or kilohertz - good Pro audio such as DAT works at 48khz- better Some DVDs and pro disk recorders can do 96khz and sometimes higher - best (although the current pro standard is mostly 96khz) Unfortunately, even the CD could have been much better had they designed the standards a little higher, it was musical and physiological ignorance that made the frequency response a little limited. However, there are now 'super cds' that use higher rates, although it's more a question of too little too late, and DVDs will seamlessly replace them. I doubt you can even easily buy a cd-only burner for your computer now, and dvd burners are now less than $50. Having said that, for most people the robustness of cds and their quite-good quality means it's a no-brainer over vinyl. Buying cds is still your best bet even if you use iTunes and ipods etc all the time, for one, if your computer craps out and you haven't backed up your music, you lose it all and would have to buy it again.... and tunes from the itunes shop can't be played in anything but an ipod, which frankly sucks and is I'd consider, a restriction of trade- but that Norweigian guy who cracked the DVD code has cracked the itune format code. I think that's a good thing and doubt it will increase piracy but will be better for end users. Itunes is so easy to use, having to 'rip' your cds is not really much of a hardship.

I do the same as Netla. All of our music is stored on the computer thanks to iTunes. We download it to our iPods. We also have an AirPort so we can play our music wirelessly to our home speakers. We have no need (thankfully) to keep our CD's nearby. They are in storage in their original cases. We have taken our DVD's out of their cases & put them into one of the binder type holders because of space issues. We also put those cases in storage. Julie, would an iPod work for you? A Shuffle is only about $100 & it holds about 16 hours of music. To me, that's much easier than carrying around CD's & switching them out. I like mine so much I even listen to it when I go to Wal-Mart.

Tina, I think suggesting that adults not gossip, with children, about other children, is very good advice. and it is advice about communicating with a child, which is what was asked. I also think that, judging from the response, that - Oakley's rather selective comment notwithstanding - most here had that part of the OP's narrative jump off the page at them since most clearly saw it as a pretty serious issue, which it is (again, hardly a faux pas). That, to me, did not fall under parenting advice but really was a general observation resulting from what I suspect is the reaction by a lot of people of surprise that an adult would participate in conversation like that. If I hear someone bleat out racist or sexist or otherwise offensive comments, yep, I tell them it's offensive. If you don't, as Maya Angelou said, "you are part of the problem." I don't think the OP needs to read the comments as judgmental but instead can practice some introspection, assess the comments and the sentiment behind them, and yes, learn something from them. That is a good thing. The only comment I thought was out of line was Sushi's about hoping her daughter doesn't model that OP's behavior, and that one got 3 'Lkes" (and no chastisement from Oakley!). I thought that was personalizing it and making a general statement about the OP as a person rather than the one item, so to me, that comment was wrong and crossed a line. If we go down a road of criticizing criticism, where does it end? There is no end, only potholes of double and randomly applied standards based not on a principle but on personal ego and pettiness (again, using Oakley's comment as an example).