Take the Vaseline off the lens?
uri
Barbara Bailey
279855...@m44g2000hsc.googlegroups.com:
> What does "take the Vaseline off the lens" mean?
>
Essentially, stop trying to make someone or something look better than it
really is by blurring the flaws in them or it.
In photography, and especially in movie photography, the camera can capture
and accentuate lines, wrinkles and other flaws in the skin. Sometime back
in the mists of time in the early days of photography or filmmaking, a
cameraman discovered that a very thin film of Vaseline applied to the
camera lens masks those flaws in the finished picture. A thicker layer can
give a dreamlike, not-quite-real appearance to the image. Film tradition
says that using Vaseline on the lens was often a demand made by aging stars
(usually Greta Garbo or Gloria Swanson).
Now, "Vaseline on the lens" (often negated, as "We need to look at this
without the Vaseline on the lens" or "It's time we take the Vaseline off
the lens." or exaggerated, "He needs about a pound of Vaseline on the lens
to look good.") is more generally used, referring not only to actual
Vaseline on a camera lens, but also on anything that has an inaccurate
softening effect.
Derek Turner
> What does "take the Vaseline off the lens" mean?
Vaseline (JFGI) petroleum jelly is/was smeared on the lens of a camera to
make the women being filmed/photographed look more beautiful. So it means
'see things as they really are'. Put vaseline and lens into google.
HVS
I'd guess that one should be very careful what one pairs with
"vaseline" when doing a google search...
--
Cheers, Harvey
CanEng and BrEng, indiscriminately mixed
Peter Duncanson (BrE)
<use...@REMOVETHISwhhvs.co.uk> wrote:
>On 20 Apr 2008, Derek Turner wrote
>
>> On Sun, 20 Apr 2008 09:06:56 -0700, uri wrote:
>>
>>> What does "take the Vaseline off the lens" mean?
>>
>> Vaseline (JFGI) petroleum jelly is/was smeared on the lens of a
>> camera to make the women being filmed/photographed look more
>> beautiful. So it means 'see things as they really are'. Put
>> vaseline and lens into google.
>
>I'd guess that one should be very careful what one pairs with
>"vaseline" when doing a google search...
Indeed. Some unwanted results might slide in.
--
Peter Duncanson, UK
(in alt.usage.english)
Skitt
> uri wrote:
>> What does "take the Vaseline off the lens" mean?
>
> Essentially, stop trying to make someone or something look better
> than it really is by blurring the flaws in them or it.
>
> In photography, and especially in movie photography, the camera can
> capture and accentuate lines, wrinkles and other flaws in the skin.
> Sometime back in the mists of time in the early days of photography
> or filmmaking, a cameraman discovered that a very thin film of
> Vaseline applied to the camera lens masks those flaws in the finished
> picture. A thicker layer can give a dreamlike, not-quite-real
> appearance to the image. Film tradition says that using Vaseline on
> the lens was often a demand made by aging stars (usually Greta Garbo
> or Gloria Swanson).
According to my daughter, Jacqueline Bisset requested dim lighting and
slightly out-of-focus shots of her in The Hollywood Fashion Machine episode
whose production my daughter was managing. It frustrated my daughter and
made the result look crappy (I saw it). In fact, the out-of-focus picture
was really hard to stomach. I wanted to shout: "Focus! Focus!" like people
used to do in old-time movie theaters, at times.
--
Skitt (AmE)
Don Phillipson
news:Xns9A867916C635Cr...@194.177.96.78...
> In photography, and especially in movie photography, the camera can
capture
> and accentuate lines, wrinkles and other flaws in the skin. Sometime back
> in the mists of time in the early days of photography or filmmaking, a
> cameraman discovered that a very thin film of Vaseline applied to the
> camera lens masks those flaws in the finished picture. A thicker layer can
> give a dreamlike, not-quite-real appearance to the image. Film tradition
> says that using Vaseline on the lens was often a demand made by aging
stars
> (usually Greta Garbo or Gloria Swanson).
Greta Garbo and Gloria Swanson seem particularly unlikely,
since both retired in their thirties, at the height of their
reputations. Garbo never again acted in movies, and rarely
in the theatre. Swanson did indeed after a hiatus take movie
roles for older women -- and her best performance was in
Sunset Boulevard (1950) as a retired star obsessed with
looking good for a planned comeback . . .
--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)
R H Draney
I associate the technique with Cybill Shepherd when she was starring in
"Moonlighting"...what made it especially noticeable is that the lens was only
greased for shots in which she appeared, so the focus would go from sharp to
blurry and back *in a single scene*, every time they switched camera angles....r
--
What good is being an executive if you never get to execute anyone?
contrex
wrote:
>
> Indeed. Some unwanted results might slide in.
>
When I was about 12 one night I overheard my mother say to my father,
"Careful - don't get Vaseline on my nightie."
Leslie Danks
Funny lot, these photographers.
--
Les
Peter Duncanson (BrE)
A couple of weeks ago I was getting on to a dentist's chair
ready for a dental hygienist to start doing her stuff on my
teeth. I remembered that my upper lip was cracked so I asked her
to put some Vaseline on it. She did so and said "Vaseline can be
used for all sorts of things, can't it?". I wasn't sure what
sort of reply she was expecting, and I realised I was in a
vulnerable position. So I hesitated and simply said "Yes". It is
a bad idea to risk offending someone who is about to poke about
in your mouth with sharp instruments.
Robert Lieblich
[ ... ]
> A couple of weeks ago I was getting on to a dentist's chair
> ready for a dental hygienist to start doing her stuff on my
> teeth.
ObPondian Differences: I believe that in American English the central
part of the sentence would be "I was getting *into* a dentist's
chair." "On to" (or for that matter "onto") sounds just a wee bit
strange to this American's ears. I'd also probably say "doing her
stuff *to* my teeth."
--
Bob Lieblich, AmEclectic
Who has always wanted to see a dental tech "do her stuff"
R H Draney
>
>A couple of weeks ago I was getting on to a dentist's chair
>ready for a dental hygienist to start doing her stuff on my
>teeth. I remembered that my upper lip was cracked so I asked her
>to put some Vaseline on it. She did so and said "Vaseline can be
>used for all sorts of things, can't it?". I wasn't sure what
>sort of reply she was expecting, and I realised I was in a
>vulnerable position. So I hesitated and simply said "Yes". It is
>a bad idea to risk offending someone who is about to poke about
>in your mouth with sharp instruments.
Just don't put it in your hair....
Trust me, I know whereof I speak....r
Peter Duncanson (BrE)
<r_s_li...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>"Peter Duncanson (BrE)" wrote:
>
>[ ... ]
>
>> A couple of weeks ago I was getting on to a dentist's chair
>> ready for a dental hygienist to start doing her stuff on my
>> teeth.
>
>ObPondian Differences: I believe that in American English the central
>part of the sentence would be "I was getting *into* a dentist's
>chair." "On to" (or for that matter "onto") sounds just a wee bit
>strange to this American's ears.
I seemed a wee bit strange when I typed it. When I started the
conversation I had just sat down with both legs at the right
side of the chair and was sitting on the part of the chair in
front of the armrests. At that time I was *on* it. When I swung
my legs up and slid backward into the normal position I was *in*
the chair.
> I'd also probably say "doing her
>stuff *to* my teeth."
An incomplete edit on my part. I'd originally typed something
like "plying her trade on my teeth". The wording seemed a bit
twee in the context, so I changed it.
Laura
Another interesting glimpse...
I think it was a come-on and she was trying to get off with you, Peter.
--
Laura
(emulate St. George for email)
Robin Bignall
If he had acted as swiftly as greased lightning he could have asked
her if she wanted to slip into something more comfortable.
--
Robin
(BrE)
Herts, England
Peter Duncanson (BrE)
<ma...@peterduncanson.net> wrote:
>I seemed a wee bit strange
Er... Be that as it may. "*It* seemed a wee bit strange."
Peter Duncanson (BrE)
Yes, but I do wonder what would have been the role of her
assistant who was also in the room.
LFS
<boggle> This is beginning to sound like the plot of one of those films...
Peter Duncanson (BrE)
<la...@DRAGONspira.fsbusiness.co.uk> wrote:
Anyway, my teeth were clean and shiny when I left. She told me
to keep up the good work.
tony cooper
wrote:
Wasn't it Doris Day that brought the vaseline-coated lens to public
attention?
--
Tony Cooper - Orlando, Florida
irwell
wrote:
>BrE filted:
>>
>>A couple of weeks ago I was getting on to a dentist's chair
>>ready for a dental hygienist to start doing her stuff on my
>>teeth. I remembered that my upper lip was cracked so I asked her
>>to put some Vaseline on it. She did so and said "Vaseline can be
>>used for all sorts of things, can't it?". I wasn't sure what
>>sort of reply she was expecting, and I realised I was in a
>>vulnerable position. So I hesitated and simply said "Yes". It is
>>a bad idea to risk offending someone who is about to poke about
>>in your mouth with sharp instruments.
>
>Just don't put it in your hair....
>
>Trust me, I know whereof I speak....r
Or substitute Vick.
Sara Lorimer
> Just don't put it in your hair....
>
> Trust me, I know whereof I speak....r
My grandfather put it in his hair every day, I've been told -- the jelly
kind, not the lotion. I don't remember his hair being greasy. It was
pure white, but I doubt that was the Vaseline.
--
SML
Steve Hayes
>What does "take the Vaseline off the lens" mean?
What it says.
Photographers sometimes put Vaseline on lenses to achieve a fuzzy out of focus
effect. If they want a sharp picture, they must take the Vaseline off the
lens.
--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
Web: http://hayesfam.bravehost.com/stevesig.htm
Blog: http://methodius.blogspot.com
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk
J. J. Lodder
Something might slide in, with unwanted results?
Jan
J. J. Lodder
Literal vaseline on the lens was used only
in the oldest of the olden days.
Very soon soft focus lenses were developed
which gave the same effect (and more reproducibly)
without getting the camera man's hands greasy,
Jan
J. J. Lodder
In the olden days it was done routinely for all females,
needed or not.
Look at Casablanca for example.
Bogey is always bitter, sharp, and very in focus,
while Bergman is always in soft focus,
even when the camera alternates between them.
Jan
Donna Richoux
> On 20 Apr 2008 12:06:13 -0700, R H Draney <dado...@spamcop.net>
> wrote:
>
> >Don Phillipson filted:
> >>Greta Garbo and Gloria Swanson seem particularly unlikely,
> >>since both retired in their thirties, at the height of their
> >>reputations. Garbo never again acted in movies, and rarely
> >>in the theatre. Swanson did indeed after a hiatus take movie
> >>roles for older women -- and her best performance was in
> >>Sunset Boulevard (1950) as a retired star obsessed with
> >>looking good for a planned comeback . . .
> >
> >I associate the technique with Cybill Shepherd when she was starring in
> >"Moonlighting"...what made it especially noticeable is that the lens was
> >only greased for shots in which she appeared, so the focus would go from
> >sharp to blurry and back *in a single scene*, every time they switched
> >camera angles....r
>
> Wasn't it Doris Day that brought the vaseline-coated lens to public
> attention?
Do you mean, the general public never noticed the effect until late in
the career of Doris Day? I'm doubtful, since it stands out in very old
movies. And Vaseline was invented in 1870... Anyone got a reference book
on the history of cinematography? I'm not turning up what I expected on
the Web.
But you appear to be right in that with her, it drew some comment. I
find someone's remark on the Web:
It is unfortunate that so many will remember Doris Day
for that awful TV series where she tried to play a
character far too young for her. If nothing else,
that show will remain famous for the amount of
Vaseline they had to rub on the camera lens!
Her final show, according to IMDb, was "The Doris Day Show"
(19 episodes, 1968-1972). She would have been age 44-48.
By the way, I'm a little irritated at the suggestion that it was the
women who arranged for the Vaseline to be put in the lens. I suppose the
grandest stars would have had a say, but in general, those decisions
were made by the men who did the filming.
--
Best -- Donna Richoux
R J Valentine
I think it was Bowser of Sha Na Na who used K-Y Jelly in his hair, because
it washed out easily with water. (Plus which I hear that K-Y doesn't
dissolve latex.)
--
rjv
Barbara Bailey
news:1ifprn8.1sx...@de-ster.xs4all.nl:
Besides, it's a real pain to try to get the Vaseline *off* the lens when
you don't need it.
John O'Flaherty
Then it should go back to the original "onto", I think.
--
John
R H Draney
>
>tony cooper <tony_co...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>
>> Wasn't it Doris Day that brought the vaseline-coated lens to public
>> attention?
>
>Do you mean, the general public never noticed the effect until late in
>the career of Doris Day? I'm doubtful, since it stands out in very old
>movies. And Vaseline was invented in 1870... Anyone got a reference book
>on the history of cinematography? I'm not turning up what I expected on
>the Web.
With Doris Day, the story I remember most vividly is that she refused to let
herself be photographed from the left...while it was usually easy to line up a
publicity still from her "good side", she was known to demand that an entire
scene be restaged to suit this little quirk....r
Skitt
> By the way, I'm a little irritated at the suggestion that it was the
> women who arranged for the Vaseline to be put in the lens. I suppose
> the grandest stars would have had a say, but in general, those
> decisions were made by the men who did the filming.
Not so, at least not under my daughter's watch as production manager. It
was Jacqueline Bisset, for one, who insisted on dim lighting and "soft"
focus, much to my daughter's chagrin. I had watched the show and talked to
my daughter about the unfocused and dim image whenever JB was on the screen.
That's how I found out.
--
Skitt (AmE)
thought his eyes were failing, but only when JB was on the screen
Skitt
> R H Draney wrote:
>> Just don't put it in your hair....
>>
>> Trust me, I know whereof I speak....r
>
> My grandfather put it in his hair every day, I've been told -- the
> jelly kind, not the lotion. I don't remember his hair being greasy.
> It was pure white, but I doubt that was the Vaseline.
Hair treatment of the 1950s sure looks strange -- really gooey. We have
been watching a few _What's My Line_ episodes from that era (Steve Allen,
John Daly). Weird.
--
Skitt (AmE)
A little dab will do ya
Peter Duncanson (BrE)
<ski...@comcast.net> wrote:
>Sara Lorimer wrote:
>> R H Draney wrote:
>
>>> Just don't put it in your hair....
>>>
>>> Trust me, I know whereof I speak....r
>>
>> My grandfather put it in his hair every day, I've been told -- the
>> jelly kind, not the lotion. I don't remember his hair being greasy.
>> It was pure white, but I doubt that was the Vaseline.
>
>Hair treatment of the 1950s sure looks strange -- really gooey.
Brylcreem, innit.
There was a lot of it about in the '50s in the UK.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brylcreem
It was first advertised on TV by the jingle "Brylcreem -- A
Little Dab'll Do Ya!". Lyrics for the Brylcreem jingle:
Bryl-creem, a little dab'll do ya, Use more, only if you
dare, But watch out, The gals will all pursue ya,-- They'll
love to put their fingers thru your hair.
Note-When the dry look became popular, the last line was
changed to, "They'll love the natural look it gives your
hair."
Fred Flintstone's famous "Yabba Dabba Doo" is derived from
this motto.
> We have
>been watching a few _What's My Line_ episodes from that era (Steve Allen,
>John Daly). Weird.
--
Mike Lyle
Which is, of course, why an earlier generation thought long hair looked
"dirty": they put so much greasy shit in their hair that it /would/ have
been dirty if their sons had followed the same practice. My father for
many years used stuff called "Vaseline Hair Tonic", which was, I assume,
simply scented paraffin ("liquid paraffin", not kerosene).
--
Mike.
** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **
R H Draney
In my lifetime, I went from "Butch Wax" to a creme to a watery lotion to a
spray, then back via mousse to gel...at this rate, another ten years and I'll
probably be back to wax again....
Despite what everyone tells me is blatant mistreatment of my scalp, my hairline
hasn't budged a millimetre since I was fourteen....
The reason you don't want to put petroleum jelly in your hair is that it's
virtually impossible to remove...if it's your intention to leave it there until
the hair grows out, by all means go ahead and slicker up...but if it's part of
your Halloween costume, I recommend a big bottle of vinegar to shampoo with for
the firs few days of November....r
irwell
In the 1930/40s it was Brilliantine, a sort of perfumed
Vaseline,. then Brylcreem made the scene,
The RAF were the 'Brylcreem Boys'.
Fred Springer
I guess I shouldn't admit to knowing this, but in the late 60s Bangkok
massage parlours used industrial quantities of the stuff, though not for
putting on their customers' heads.
Jitze
It should also be noted that Brylcreem does nasty things to Latex.
Jitze
Chuck Riggs
wrote:
>Donna Richoux filted:
Quirk, you say? I go to some lengths to make sure someone sits to my
left, particularly if they are female, since the left side of my face
is an improvement on the right. The reasons are that there is a mole
on the right side of my face and because I keep the part in my hair on
the left, giving that side a more interesting appearance than the
plain, partless side.
--
Chuck Riggs
Near Dublin, Ireland
To unbung the following, take the mirror image of
31sggirkcuhc, then append what sounds like, but is not,
geemale dott calm, a service name you are probably familiar
with by now
Chuck Riggs
What is the best substance to use to remove it? I know it can be
highly tenacious, as you said.
Chuck Riggs
_Grease_, greasers, ...
tony cooper
I am quite used to aue regulars knowing things that ordinary people
don't know, but I do sometimes wonder how they gained the knowledge.
R J Valentine
} Skitt filted:
...
}>Hair treatment of the 1950s sure looks strange -- really gooey. We have
}>been watching a few _What's My Line_ episodes from that era (Steve Allen,
}>John Daly). Weird.
}
} In my lifetime, I went from "Butch Wax" to a creme to a watery lotion to a
} spray, then back via mousse to gel...at this rate, another ten years and I'll
} probably be back to wax again....
...
Back in the fifties, my barber used School (For Boys) [q.g.], which was a
whitish gloppy stuff that went on to make the hair easy enough to comb,
then set hard into a greasy _looking_ helmet that was actually dry and
hard, but broke up back to normal when you mussed your hair all over with
your hands.
--
rjv
Mike Lyle
[...]
> Despite what everyone tells me is blatant mistreatment of my scalp,
> my hairline hasn't budged a millimetre since I was fourteen....
>
> The reason you don't want to put petroleum jelly in your hair is that
> it's virtually impossible to remove...if it's your intention to leave
> it there until the hair grows out, by all means go ahead and slicker
> up...but if it's part of your Halloween costume, I recommend a big
> bottle of vinegar to shampoo with for the firs few days of
> November....r
But if you want to get rid of dandruff, dress the whole stook very
thoroughly with almond oil before bed, wrap your pillow in a towel, and
sleep on it. Wash out thoroughly in the morning, preferably by working
in the first application of shampoo before breakfast and doing the wash
afterwards. Almond oil is surprisingly cheap for some reason.
Mike Lyle
[...]
>
> Quirk, you say? I go to some lengths to make sure someone sits to my
> left, particularly if they are female, since the left side of my face
> is an improvement on the right. The reasons are that there is a mole
> on the right side of my face and because I keep the part in my hair on
> the left, giving that side a more interesting appearance than the
> plain, partless side.
It's interesting to combine one half of your face with its mirror image,
and then compare with a duplicated version of the other half. You can
either use some Photoshoppish process or simply hold a mirror half-way
across. It's surprising how irregular some people's features turn out to
be.
One friend of mine looked a thoroughly nice fella in one version, but in
the other he really did look like somebody you'd send to prison for
eighteen months --which is exactly what /had/ happened to him for
possessing a moderate quantity of cannabis. We wondered if the judge had
been on his "bad" side.
Ray O'Hara
"uri" <dan...@bezeqint.net> wrote in message
news:5491dfe0-5352-4545...@m44g2000hsc.googlegroups.com...
> What does "take the Vaseline off the lens" mean
Bob Guccione used vaseline on his lense in Penthouse mAGAZINE.
It gives a washed out golden haze to the pictures.
irwell
Probably used it on a filter rather than the lens proper.
Richard Bollard
wrote:
>On Mon, 21 Apr 2008 15:59:31 +0200 (CEST), Barbara Bailey
><rabr...@yayhu.comm> wrote:
>
[...]
>>Besides, it's a real pain to try to get the Vaseline *off* the lens when
>>you don't need it.
>
>What is the best substance to use to remove it? I know it can be
>highly tenacious, as you said.
Best bet would be to smear it on a neutral filter then just keep that
filter for the vaso shots.
--
Richard Bollard
Canberra Australia
To email, I'm at AMT not spAMT.
Reinhold (Rey) Aman
> What does "take the Vaseline off the lens" mean?
It's a euphemistic behest used by homosexual fellators and heterosexual
fellatrixes and means "Take the Vaseline off the glans!" I.e., "Clean
your knob!"
~~~ Reinhold (Rey) Aman ~~~
J. J. Lodder
Amethyst Deceiver
mike_l...@REMOVETHISyahoo.co.uk says...
This also works for cradle cap. But we use olive oil because that's what
we have to hand. Not EVOO, mind you.
--
Linz
Wet Yorks via Cambridge, York, London and Watford
My accent may vary
Barbara Bailey
news:us5r045es6a7tcd02...@4ax.com:
The problem is that since it needs an petroleum- or oil-based solvent to
getthe vaseline off, the solvent leaves its own residue. I only
vaselined a lens once when I was in a photography class, and if I recall
the progression for cleaning it up correctly it went:
1) dry cloth and swabs to remove the majority of the vaseline.
2) lighter fluid to remove the rest of it.
3) window cleaner with ammonia to remove most of the lighter fluid
residue. 4) white vinegar to remove the slight residue the window
cleaner left.
It took me somewhere around an hour to do in my dorm room.
Had it been a simple lens that I could have put under running water (or
a neutral filter) I could possibly have skipped stages 2 and 3 and gone
to dish soap or shampoo to get the lighter film of Vaseline off.
Chuck Riggs
Interesting, but I don't dare try it. I've got to live with myself,
after all.
Chuck Riggs
<rabr...@yayhu.comm> wrote:
When you clean, Barbara, you really clean.
But should I be so thorough with a particularly precious CD I bought
years ago? I'd like to end, once and for all, the trouble I have been
having with the OED verification disk Oxford Press supplied. It is the
most finicky disc I've ever owned, and I'm not alone, there. It is
giving me trouble, at this very moment. I even had to ask Oxford Press
to send me a second one, which they supplied for five pounds, after I
cleaned the original to death.
Mike Lyle
Has* your local library signed up for the online OED3? If they have*,
you can forget about troublesome CDs and click in whenever you feel like
it.
*ObAUE: this happened quite naturally.
Barbara Bailey
> On Wed, 23 Apr 2008 14:26:06 +0200 (CEST), Barbara Bailey
> <rabr...@yayhu.comm> wrote:
>
>>Chuck Riggs <chr...@eircom.net> wrote in
>>news:us5r045es6a7tcd02...@4ax.com:
>>
>>> What is the best substance to use to remove it? I know it can be
>>> highly tenacious, as you said.
>>
>>The problem is that since it needs an petroleum- or oil-based solvent
>>to getthe vaseline off, the solvent leaves its own residue. I only
>>vaselined a lens once when I was in a photography class, and if I
>>recall the progression for cleaning it up correctly it went:
>>
>>1) dry cloth and swabs to remove the majority of the vaseline.
>>2) lighter fluid to remove the rest of it.
>>3) window cleaner with ammonia to remove most of the lighter fluid
>>residue. 4) white vinegar to remove the slight residue the window
>>cleaner left.
>>
>>It took me somewhere around an hour to do in my dorm room.
>>
>>Had it been a simple lens that I could have put under running water
>>(or a neutral filter) I could possibly have skipped stages 2 and 3 and
>>gone to dish soap or shampoo to get the lighter film of Vaseline off.
>
> When you clean, Barbara, you really clean.
Heh.
T'wasn't my camera, you see. It was a loaner I'd signed out of the
photography department's stock, so they had my name, the camera's ID
number, and most importantly, they had my driver's license as a hostage,
not to be returned until I turned the camera back in in good condition.
> But should I be so thorough with a particularly precious CD I bought
> years ago? I'd like to end, once and for all, the trouble I have been
> having with the OED verification disk Oxford Press supplied. It is the
> most finicky disc I've ever owned, and I'm not alone, there. It is
> giving me trouble, at this very moment. I even had to ask Oxford Press
> to send me a second one, which they supplied for five pounds, after I
> cleaned the original to death.
No. The lighter fluid, the ammonia and the vinegar will all degrade the
plastic coating on the CD and the lighter fluid in particular will
likely damage it to the point of unsalvagable uselessness.
However, CD's aren't hurt by water, so you can go the detergent and
running water route.
I'd start with dishwashing liquid and warm water and a very soft,
smooth, clean cloth, like a washed-to-death t-shirt or a section from a
very well-worn soft cotton sheet. It may ruin the label but it shouldn't
damage the coating on the disc. Baby shampoo might work, but with
shampoo you have to be careful that you don't use one that's got any kid
of conditioner or color- or shine-enhancer in it.
Dribble a bit of the dishwashing liquid on your fingertips, then apply
it to the wetted disc radially, out from the center. rub lightly with
your fingertips, then rise it under warm, running water untill all the
saop is off. Pat it dry with the saft cloth and use the reflection of
light off the disc to see if there's still any spot that looks less
reflective thaan the rest of it. If there is, then touch up that spot;
if there isn't let it air dry for an hour or so before you put it in
your computer to see if it works.
You may need to wash it a couple times, but that should get it.
Maria C.
> Has* your local library signed up for the online OED3? If they have*,
> you can forget about troublesome CDs and click in whenever you feel
> like it.
>
> *ObAUE: this happened quite naturally.
Thanks for the reminder. As soon as I can, I'll check to see if our
local library has it. (They are online now, but this happened fairly
recently.)
Maria, Signing off for today. Back tomorrow, barring a call from
somewhere saying I've won a million dollars or so.
Don Aitken
<rabr...@yayhu.comm> wrote:
When cleaning CDs, always avoid doing anything to the label side. That
is the side which needs to be protected. The data is just below the
label, is very vulnerable to damage from that side, and if it is
damaged there is nothing you can do about it. On the blank side, you
can be as vigorous as you like - professional CD repair oufits often
remove a thin layer from the whole of the disk surface and then
repolish it.
--
Don Aitken
Mail to the From: address is not read.
To email me, substitute "clara.co.uk" for "freeuk.com"
Default User
> Mike Lyle wrote:
> > Has* your local library signed up for the online OED3? If they
> > have*, you can forget about troublesome CDs and click in whenever
> > you feel like it.
> >
> > *ObAUE: this happened quite naturally.
>
> Thanks for the reminder. As soon as I can, I'll check to see if our
> local library has it. (They are online now, but this happened fairly
> recently.)
I determined that my library does, although it was under "databases".
Brian
--
If televison's a babysitter, the Internet is a drunk librarian who
won't shut up.
-- Dorothy Gambrell (http://catandgirl.com)
Chuck Riggs
I don't understand. How would I use what my library has from here?
Chuck Riggs
<rabr...@yayhu.comm> wrote:
Thank you, Barbara, but that is almost exactly what I have been doing
over the years. It seems that, because of Oxford's verification
scheme, one little scratch and the disk is useless. After an email
exchange with a nice lady at Oxford, she finally admitted to me that
many people have had the same problem with their disks. If I send them
five pounds, with the old disk, I can get a replacement. At least that
used to be their policy.
Peter Duncanson (BrE)
The assumption is that the library has a website where you would
login to the library's online services one of which is access to
OED online.
You would need to be registered with the library to get your
login details: ID and password.
I, in Lisburn, NI, access OED online via the Manchester
Libraries website. I joined Manchester Libraries, via their
website, primarily for that purpose. (Membership of Manchester
Libraries is open to UK residents only, sorry.)
--
Peter Duncanson, UK
(in alt.usage.english)
Chuck Riggs
wrote:
>When cleaning CDs, always avoid doing anything to the label side. That
>is the side which needs to be protected. The data is just below the
>label, is very vulnerable to damage from that side, and if it is
>damaged there is nothing you can do about it. On the blank side, you
>can be as vigorous as you like - professional CD repair oufits often
>remove a thin layer from the whole of the disk surface and then
>repolish it.
I've been using a mild detergent such as Joy, carefully rubbing each
side with my thumbs, then rinsing it in lukewarm water and finally
drying it with an old T-shirt. Not good?
Pat Durkin
> On Wed, 23 Apr 2008 19:55:54 +0100, Don Aitken <don-a...@freeuk.com>
> wrote:
>
>
>> When cleaning CDs, always avoid doing anything to the label side.
>> That is the side which needs to be protected. The data is just below
>> the label, is very vulnerable to damage from that side, and if it is
>> damaged there is nothing you can do about it. On the blank side, you
>> can be as vigorous as you like - professional CD repair oufits often
>> remove a thin layer from the whole of the disk surface and then
>> repolish it.
>
> I've been using a mild detergent such as Joy, carefully rubbing each
> side with my thumbs, then rinsing it in lukewarm water and finally
> drying it with an old T-shirt. Not good?
Sounds good to me. (As long as Joy has no objections.)
Chuck Riggs
In spite of the rapid advances into modernity the Irish Tiger has
allowed, my neighbours and I still live in a small, rather backward
country from a technological standpoint, you must remember.
Peter Duncanson (BrE)
<chr...@eircom.net> wrote:
I get the impression that the use of technology is patchy.
According to OED (the organisation) the following libraries
offer access to the OED online (the dictionary):
Carlow County Library
Cork County Library
Dublin City Public Libraries
Fingal County Libraries
Kerry County Library
Kildare County Library Service
Marsh's Library, Dublin
National Library of Ireland
Wicklow County Library
I've looked at the Dublin City libraries webpages, and there is
no mention of OED access. It may be included in "Language
dictionaries" mentioned on the Reference and Library page:
http://www.dublincity.ie/RecreationandCulture/libraries/Library%20Services/Pages/reference_and_information.aspx
or http://tinyurl.com/576v5q
The Library Online page makes no mention of access to any
dictionaries from home:
http://www.dublincity.ie/RecreationandCulture/libraries/library_online/Pages/index.aspx
or http://tinyurl.com/6l7sb7
This is not promising from your POV.
Chuck Riggs
<ma...@peterduncanson.net> wrote:
Perhaps not, Peter, but after an hour of browsing, starting from where
you referred me, I was impressed enough by what the Council has done
to change my home page from the NY Times to http://www.dublincity.ie
With daily news doses from the BBC, _The Economist_, France 24,
Channel 4 and RTE, I am generally saturated, anyway.
There is a lot of information linked to the Council site, even if,
like you, I didn't find a way to access the OED easily. I'll try the
AUE-recommended cleaning methods on my persnickety CD, but I suspect
it will be going back to the Oxford Press for a second replacement, if
they'll allow it.
Mike Lyle
> On Thu, 24 Apr 2008 12:50:08 +0100, Chuck Riggs
> <chr...@eircom.net> wrote:
>
>> On Wed, 23 Apr 2008 18:12:13 +0100, "Mike Lyle"
>>>
>>> Has* your local library signed up for the online OED3? If they
>>> have*, you can forget about troublesome CDs and click in whenever
>>> you feel like it.
>>>
>>> *ObAUE: this happened quite naturally.
>>
>> I don't understand. How would I use what my library has from here?
>
> The assumption is that the library has a website where you would
> login to the library's online services one of which is access to
> OED online.
>
> You would need to be registered with the library to get your
> login details: ID and password.
>
> I, in Lisburn, NI, access OED online via the Manchester
> Libraries website. I joined Manchester Libraries, via their
> website, primarily for that purpose. (Membership of Manchester
> Libraries is open to UK residents only, sorry.)
I've just had a look at the Library part of Dublin City Council's
website, and I couldn't see anything about it. Perhaps they really don't
provide an online reference service, or perhaps I just couldn't find it;
but it would be worth asking them. It's a pretty backward library which
doesn't make some such provision these days.