Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/260020
12-inch vinyl records. I cannot remember how to operate this item either, even though, nearby, I can see about 1,000 record albums that I always enjoyed, standing so straight in the large bookcase and never being played anymore. Under the turntable is the CD player and, for the life of me, I have forgotten how to oper- ate that one, too. Piles of cassette tapes lie beneath it, and I remember how cool we all thought CDs were when they came out to replace those pesky, cumbersome albums. And then, last but definitely not least, are two humongous speakers that once gave us so much musical enjoyment as they "accom- panied" the records and cassettes. We must have thought that bigger is better. Now they sit silently, just contributing to the ambience and balance of the family room. I know that today's mini-speakers have excellent volume, but they will never also be thought of as furniture in my house. Downloading my favorite tunes from the PC to the MP-3 player seems like way too much work; plus, I do not like hearing music from ear buds stuck in my ears. I wonder if the Sarasota County Technical Institute is offering courses in reconnect- ing with electronics of old — right next to a class on iPad for Beginners. I could start a trend. % LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Sarasota News Leader wel- comes letters to the editor from its readers. Letters should be no more than 300 words in length, and include the name, street address and telephone num- ber of the writer. Letters should be emailed to Letters@SarasotaNewsLeader.com, with "Letter to the Editor" in the subject line. Let- ters actually printed will be selected based on space available, subject matter and other fac- tors. We reserve the right to edit any letters submitted for length, grammar, spelling, etc. All letters submitted become the property of The Sarasota News Leader. Don't have your own subscription to The Sarasota News Leader? Subscribe for FREE and receive a weekly notification when the latest issue is available online. FREE SUBSCRIPTION OPINION Sarasota News Leader February 14, 2014 Page 91