Slashdot Mirror
Microsoft/HP to Market Crippled Entertainment PCs
gustywinds writes "CNet is reporting that Microsoft and HP recently announced the details on their Media Center PCs that will be coming out this Christmas season (this used to be called 'Freestyle'). The big story is that these PCs will have anti-copying mechanisms built-in to them -- ie can't burn recorded TV shows to DVD, or even copy and play them back on other PCs. And they are going to be expensive... $1500 for the starter box. Sounds like this thing is going to be DOA. Lots of other PC-based TV recording products that aren't restrictive when it comes to copying stuff goes... Snapstream, WinDVR... And, of course, Hauppauge, nVidia and ATi have products too but their software is pretty lacking..."
doesn't MS do that already with their OS?
at seventeen i learned the troofs
that Linux is for flaming poofs
who use gnutella to steal songs
because they spent their allowance on rubber dongs
they luv their greasy linux box
and dream at night of greasy cocks
when they see goatse.cx they always whine
but you know they click it every time
with hard drives filled with kiddie pron
and a shaved lubed gerbil, dead and gone
they post on slashdot and act aloof
but at seventeen, i learned the troof
Ms. Ian do lesbians use linux, or just male homosexuals?
what? we're not talking about her anymore?
Where can I get one?
Has Comcast disconnected your Internet account? Same here. You can read about it at http://comcastissue.blogspot.com
I'm getting a little disturbed by how often I click on a story about whatever mischief Microsoft is up to lately and see it accompanied by a big old ad for a Microsoft product.
Has our society become so completely immersed by irony, all the time, that we've ceased to even notice it?
He sighed forlornly as he settled down to sleep. His partner was already tucked snug in his own sleeping bag, and while he was not asleep, Fraser could tell that he could not hear the other sounds beneath the cry of the wind. Fraser was alone in this little bit of reluctant voyeurism, and perhaps that was best. He wasn't certain he could face the snide comments his partner might make -- wasn't certain he was ready to hear what sorts of remarks Ray might have about two partners -- two male partners -- loving each other like that.
He thought briefly then of an underwater kiss shared -- air exchanged when Ray was about to drown and Fraser had known of no other way of filling his lungs. Professional, medicinal one might even say -- and yet for some reason Fraser could distinctly remember what Ray's mouth had felt like, the curve of his lips, the look of desperate shock and confusion and fear that had so briefly filled those clear eyes.
Fraser squeezed his own eyes shut. 'This changes nothing between us, right?' Ray had asked in bewildered confusion once the immediate danger had past.
Yes, Fraser suspected he knew exactly what Ray might say if he could hear Ellison and Sandburg right now.
"Ray?" Fraser asked softly, not really knowing why he was bothering. He knew Ray was irritated with him -- Ray was frequently irritated with him. And his overly long and involved conversation with Blair would have been a source of extreme annoyance to the Chicago cop. Too brainy, Ray would say. But there was a desperate loneliness inside Fraser that prompted him to make the effort -- just to hear his partner's voice once more before he went to sleep. The two of them lying here alone in the dark -- it at least offered the illusion of intimacy.
"What?" Ray groused. Yes, irritated as Fraser had guessed.
"Ray, do you ever get lonely?"
It was a bold question, not one typical of Fraser, and when Ray did not answer at first, Fraser feared he'd gone too far -- stepped across some line that men weren't supposed to step across. He didn't often discuss feelings of any type, had never been comfortable with the subject, but sometimes... sometimes he just wished there was someone who might understand.
"Yeah," Ray replied, surprising Fraser. He hadn't expected an answer -- certainly hadn't expected that answer. "Sometimes. Everyone does."
Ray seemed to accept it as a matter of fact. But then maybe he didn't understand what Fraser meant? Maybe he didn't understand the bone-deep, soul-wearying loneliness that could grip a man when he found himself either hundreds of miles away from the nearest human being in the middle of a frozen tundra or trapped within a crowded city when he suddenly realized that he was utterly alone in the world.
"What do you do, Ray?" Fraser asked. "What do you do when you get lonely?"
He waited breathlessly, still hearing the soft, passionate music coming from the other tent. The pause was longer this time, and he didn't think Ray was going to answer. But then he heard a soft intake of breath -- Ray's this time.
"I dance, Fraser," Ray explained softly. "I dance."
And suddenly Fraser saw again Ray's apartment and the wooden floor with the dance steps painted upon them, and the landlady who lived below him who said that at night she could hear him moving around, clomping above her head, and the sound was so rhythmic, so hypnotic that sometimes she just sat and listened to him for hours. For hours... yeah, maybe Ray did understand after all.
"Good night, Frase," Ray murmured. "Sweet dreams."
Sweet dreams... such a strangely intimate thing to say. Fraser thought for a moment that his heart might burst.
"Thank you kindly, Ray," he responded. He heard Blair calling out Jim's name, and he squeezed back the moisture that sprang to his eyes. Mounties didn't cry after all. "You too, Ray. Sweet dreams."
-------
Dawn found Jim wrapped tightly around Blair's body, both of them content in their warm cocoon that smelt of sex. He felt his body stirring to life again at the scent, responding as always to Blair's nearness. But he also heard the unmistakable sounds of someone moving around outside the tent -- someone lighting a fire, preparing breakfast. He tried to suppress the wave of irritation that took him -- of course the Mountie would be up first, rising with the crack of dawn, preparing the meal; he was a Mountie after all -- too good to be believed... shit!
He slid from the sleeping bag regretfully, dressing as quickly as he could. Then he gently rolled his Guide over onto his back and kissed him awake. Blair sighed into his mouth and smiled lazily up at him, reaching out to stroke Jim's neck. A shiver of desire shot down Jim's spine. He kissed Blair again, pushing his tongue into that heated mouth, taking Blair's breath away. And then reluctantly, regretfully, he withdrew.
Blair pouted, and the twitch in those lips -- beautifully kiss-swollen as Jim had hoped -- drove another sharp flare of lust through his entire body.
"We have to get an early start," Jim reminded him. "Get dressed." He turned to leave, but Blair caught hold of his arm, stopping him.
"Be nice," his Guide warned, and Jim knew what he was talking about. Blair knew him too well -- and despite his inability to articulate last night why he'd been angry, Blair had understood that also. But the warning in Blair's eyes, the realization that he was making an attempt -- granted a necessary one -- to defend Benton Fraser from Jim's 'caveman' attitude, simply set off another spark of possessiveness within Jim. He didn't want Blair defending that man.
He slid his fingers roughly through Blair's hair and pulled him up for another kiss -- this one hard and deep and claiming. Then he released him and exited the tent without answering.
-------
The white blanket of snow shone brilliantly in the morning sunlight, making the red serge of the Mountie's uniform all the more noticeable. Fraser had already gotten breakfast well underway -- pancakes and bacon no less. The mere fact that Jim was hungry and actually wanted to eat the food irritated Jim all the more.
"Good morning, Detective," Fraser greeted brightly, looking wide-awake and fresh. "Breakfast will be ready in a moment."
Jim nodded. "We should get going as soon as we can."
"I agree, Detective," Fraser nodded. "How far is the ranger's station?"
"If we keep up yesterday's pace, we'll reach it by early afternoon," Jim replied. "We can get the coroner to take the body then."
"Very good. I'm sure my superiors will appreciate all your help, Detective," the Mountie replied.
Jim frowned -- his superiors. He remembered then that Fraser had said something about being attached to a Canadian Embassy. He couldn't help wondering if this whole mess was going to turn into some sort of international incident. Simon was going to love this.
Blair and Ray emerged about the same time, both having spent time enough to repack their bags. Ray looked somewhat the worse for wear -- his hair sticking up in every which direction. Surprisingly though, he made no attempt to correct this -- rubbing his hands briskly over the spiky blond locks to send them into even worse order. He sat down beside the fire and dug into the meal Fraser handed him unasked for.
Diefenbaker, returned from some wolfish jaunt into the woods, made his way immediately to Blair's side and proceeded to mooch food from the young man. Despite their rather questionable meeting yesterday, Blair seemed quite taken with the animal and gave in shamelessly to the creature's begging.
Eventually they headed out, packs once more shouldered, Jim taking up the handles of the travois as they proceeded forward. Blair and Fraser were deep in conversation again, though Blair made an effort this time to include both Jim and Ray in their discussion. Neither man however was particularly talkative, and Jim resigned himself to a repeat of yesterday.
-------
It was one o'clock by the time they reached the ranger station. From there it was a simple matter to call in the authorities, handing the body of Lieutenant Fontaine into the custody of the coroner, before the four of them headed back into Cascade. Fraser, anxious to proceed with the investigation into his friend's death and eager to report in to his superior officers, insisted on accompanying Jim and Blair back to the precinct.
Two hours later, the four of them, plus one wolf, emerged from the elevator at Major Crime and headed down the hallway toward the bullpen. As they walked, worked stopped, people pausing to stare at the rather odd sight of a red-clad Canadian Mountie and a silver wolf. The majority of the cops stared bewilderedly until they spotted Ellison and Sandburg, then knowing looks filled their faces as if their presence alone explained anything even remotely out of the ordinary. After that it was largely only the women who continued to stare, all eyeing the Mountie appreciatively.
Simon spotted them almost immediately and the expression that crossed his handsome face spoke volumes. "Ellison! Sandburg! My office," he barked.
"Yer boss?" Ray took a guess.
Jim nodded reluctantly.
Ray just shrugged. "Got one just like 'em back in Chicago -- same voice."
The four of them headed into Simon's office, Diefenbaker slipping in behind them unnoticed.
Simon stood before his desk, a file folder in his hands as he gazed balefully at the group of men. He eyed Fraser up and down, noting the way the man stood so formally at attention, not too unlike the way Jim typically stood. Blair and Ray slouched near the window.
"Report said you found a dead Mountie in the woods," Simon said to Jim as if demanding to know why there was a live Mountie standing in his office. He had yet to spot the wolf behind the four of them.
"Lieutenant William Fontaine. Fell out of an airplane," Jim clarified. "This is his associate Constable Benton Fraser." He nodded toward Ray. "And that's Detective Ray..."
"Kowalski," Ray provided.
"Kowalski, Chicago P.D," Jim finished.
Jim saw the faint twitch in Simon's jaw, knew the man had just resisted the impulse to roll his eyes. "Constable, Detective," he greeted. He glared at Jim. "What's going on?"
Jim sighed and gave as quick an explanation as he could. He'd already bagged the two items they'd found on the Mountie's body, the cross and the leather, and he handed these over to Simon while Blair proceeded to explain the religious significant of both objects.
"The cross was reported stolen," Simon informed the four of them as he returned the items to Jim. "Seems it was on display at St. Michael's. Father O'Brien reported it stolen over a week ago, but so far no suspects have been brought in. I don't know anything about the leather."
"I know a couple of people over at the Native American Center of Spiritual Medicine," Blair offered. "I can probably find something out about the piece of leather. If some artifact has been stolen, someone there will have heard about it, I'm sure."
Fraser perked up at that. "Spiritual Medicine?" he asked Blair curiously. "What tribe runs it?"
Blair shrugged. "It's actually a collective organization -- but I believe the main influences are the Puyallup tribe and the Makah tribe. It began back in 19--"
"Thank you, Sandburg," Simon cut in. "I'm sure that's fascinating. Just find out what you can. The commissioner isn't particularly happy about having Canadians falling out of the sky."
"If I may have your permission, Captain Banks," Fraser said quickly. "I'd like to aid in the investigation."
Jim waited for Simon to deny permission -- hoping the captain would send the two men back to Chicago. But to his consternation Simon just nodded. "The commissioner has already spoken with your superior officers, Constable. We've been told to extend our every courtesy to you. Now if you gentlemen would--" He stopped suddenly, the sound of liquid being lapped up catching his attention.
Alarmed, Simon turned toward his desk, staring in shock at the wolf braced up on his forepaws licking contently at the liquid in Simon's coffee cup. "Is that a wolf drinking my coffee?" he demanded.
Jim and Blair both did their best to hide the snicker of amusement Simon's expression prompted.
"Diefenbaker!" Fraser exclaimed in mortification; he reached for the scruff of the animal's neck, pulling him down from the desk. "My sincere apologies, Captain Banks!" he said quickly, and then glared at the only mildly contrite animal. "Diefenbaker, you know you're not supposed to have any caffeine after two o'clock!"
The wolf just whined and wagged his tail.
Fraser seemed unmoved. "I don't care if it is decaffeinated," he stated unconvinced. "You should have at least waited to be asked first."
"Since when did you switch to decaf, Simon?" Blair grinned.
Simon glared at him. "Out! All of you! You have work to do!"
Fraser apologized again and then ushered an amused Ray and a pouting wolf out the door. Blair followed, assuring Fraser that Simon would forgive Diefenbaker in time.
"Why is there a wolf with you, Jim?" Simon demanded before Jim could escape.
Jim sighed tiredly. "Because we couldn't find any badgers, sir." As explanations went, it was poor at best, but it would have to stand. He wasn't certain he could come up with another one. Surprisingly, it seemed explanation enough. Simon Banks just sighed and nodded, and went to make himself a new cup of coffee -- double espresso this time.
-------
By the time Jim joined the others, Sarah, a new secretary from records, had succeeded in cornering Fraser. Jim paused, momentarily taken aback by the effort Sarah was going through to flirt with the man. He'd seen Sarah flirt before -- with him, with Blair, with Rafe and Brown. Hell, he'd even seen her flirt with Simon and the occasional suspect or two. But this -- she'd practically trapped the man against her desk, not simply staring at him -- devouring him.
"So is it true that Mounties always get their man?" she asked sweetly as she batted her eyelashes -- the whole thing came out sounding more predatory than she probably had intended.
Fraser, stiff and uncomfortable, scratched uncertainly at his eyebrow. "Ah well... actually the motto is--"
"I love mottos," Sarah murmured in encouragement, her statement flustering the Mountie all the more. Jim almost felt sorry for the man -- truth was it bugged him somewhat that Fraser seemed quite unhappy about the woman's attention. Uncomfortable even. Not many red-blooded males would turn away from a woman like Sarah -- not unless women weren't really their thing. Perfect. Handsome, a potential Sentinel, and now possibly gay as well -- could his luck get any worse?
"Mottos?" Fraser's voice broke somewhat. "Ah -- then you've probably heard--"
"Come on, Fraser," Ray Kowalski broke in, and Jim could hear the definite sounds of anger in the cop's voice. "Let's get moving. Time's awastin!"
"Right, Ray," Fraser nodded in relief. "I'm terrible sorry, ma'am," he scooted quickly around Sarah, escaping her grasp. "I really must get going."
Sarah smiled up at him, practically purring. "I'm sure I'll see you later."
Jim just shook his head and headed toward the elevator -- out of the corner of his eye he saw Sarah catch hold of Blair's arm, pulling him toward her as she whispered in his ear. Jim dialed up his hearing. "I want the hat as a souvenir. The boots if you can get them," she informed the anthropologist.
Blair just grinned cheekily. "I'll see what I can do."
Waiting for Blair in the elevator, Jim glanced briefly at the Mountie. Fraser was staring resolutely at the floor, his face bright red as if he too had heard Sarah's comment.
-------
At Blair's prompting they headed first to the Native American Center for Spiritual Medicine. They took two cars rather than making the attempt to all crowd into Jim's truck cab. At Jim's insistence, Fraser rode with him -- he suggested that the truck could more easily accommodate Diefenbaker's presence. He knew however that Blair was not fooled at all; the young anthropologist gave Jim an amused smile as he climbed into his car with Ray. He knew Jim didn't want him spending too much time alone with the Mountie. The look in Blair's eyes also suggested that he and Jim were going to have a long discussion that evening. Jim just sighed and climbed behind the driver's seat of his truck.
He followed Blair to the Center, making only a half-hearted attempted to respond to Fraser's overtures of conversation. Rather like Blair, Fraser seemed quite capable of carrying on the conversation with only minimal input from Jim. He mentioned something about the Inuit and then seemed quite content to launch into a story that Jim didn't bother listening to. The Mountie was only halfway through the story by the time they pulled into the Center and Jim interrupted him with the announcement, "We're here."
Without waiting for a response, he climbed out of the cab and went to join Blair and Ray by the door.
The Native American Center was fairly new looking, perhaps built in the last five years. It had the typical touristy type attractions out front that Jim expected -- a brightly painted totem pole, along with a mural depicting tribal life of two hundred years ago. But inside, the building was authentically understated -- hand-carved furniture from a master craftsman, several glass displays of ancient pottery, the walls decorated not with gaudy murals but rather pieces of art done by local Native American children. A long counter was laden with pamphlets and booklets explaining the purpose of the center and various lectures available for further education.
A young man sat behind the counter, and behind him through a large opened archway Jim could see several other people talking. Most noticeable was a tall slender, blond woman who was deep in conversation with two older men in business suits. Beyond them was an opened glass doorway leading to an outdoor courtyard and garden beyond. Within it sat two men -- one extremely old, his long white hair hanging in braids at his side -- the other young, perhaps seventeen or eighteen. The young man -- possibly a grandson, Jim guessed -- was listening intently to the quite murmuring of the older man. Jim dialed up his hearing, but could not decipher the language they spoke.
The man behind the counter looked up as they entered. "Can I help you?" he asked, eyeing them all up and down. The woman and the two businessmen also paused, glancing at them. The woman's brown eyes lingered on the bright uniform of the RCMP.
Jim flashed his badge. "Detective Ellison. I want to talk to someone about the possible theft of a Native American artifact."
Startled, the young man glanced over his shoulder at the woman and the businessmen. The woman stiffened and remained silent, but one of the businessmen came forward. "I'm Brian Mackenzie," he introduced himself, holding out his hand to shake Jim's. "I'm the director of the Center. What can I help you with?"
"A murder investigation," Jim explained.
The man's eyes widened in alarm. "I thought you said theft?"
"That too," Jim nodded. "We found a piece of white buffalo leather on the body of the murder victim. We were wondering if there was anyone here who could help us identify where the leather might have come from." He held up the evidence bag containing the material.
The man eyed it briefly, but shook his head. "I'm sorry, Detective. I don't know anything about it. I don't think I can help you." Surprisingly, Jim heard a faint spike in the man's heart rate. He frowned.
"Surely you have an expert here who could examine it?" Jim pressed.
The man glanced briefly over his shoulder looking not at the woman but at the old man sitting in the garden. But he shook his head. "I'm sorry, Detective. I'm afraid we can't help you."
But even as he spoke the young boy rose and hurried in from the courtyard, crossing the distance to the counter. He motioned toward the plastic bag in Jim's hand. "May I see that, sir?" he asked.
One eyebrow raised, Jim held out the bag toward him. The boy glanced at it briefly then shot a look back at the old man who nodded his assent. "My grandfather can help you," he informed Jim. "But he'll only talk to the Shaman." He stared pointedly at Blair.
Startled, Blair stepped forward. "Excuse me?"
The boy shrugged. "He'll only talk to you. One Shaman to another."
Jim was about to protest when he felt Blair's hand on his arm. "All right," he informed the boy. Then softly, "Let me find out what this is about first, Jim."
Jim just sighed and handed over the plastic bag to his Guide. He stood back with Fraser and Ray while Blair followed the boy back toward the courtyard. He dialed up his hearing, intent on listening in. Surprisingly he saw the old man grin at him and chuckle in amusement -- then he proceeded to speak to Blair in that same language he'd spoken in earlier. To Jim's annoyance, Blair answered back in the same tongue.
Irritated, Jim glanced at Fraser, seeing the look of surprise on the Mountie's face. It occurred to Jim that the Mountie might possibly also understand the language, but for some reason he just didn't feel like asking for confirmation. He'd wait for Blair -- wait to hear the gist of the conversation directly from his Guide's lips.
The two businessmen and the woman moved off, but not before Jim caught the intense scrutiny the woman gave his Guide. He resisted the impulse to smile -- funny how her interest in Blair felt nowhere near as threatening as Fraser's did. She might be female and beautiful -- but she was no Sentinel. Blair had hardly given her a second look. Ray on the other hand eyed her quite closely, and Jim found himself more interested in Fraser's reaction to Ray's antics.
"Ray," Fraser finally insisted softly. "It's not polite to stare." The blond cop had been watching the woman's tightly clad backside as she disappeared down a corridor.
"What?" Ray asked distractedly.
Fraser just sighed and shook his head, looking more uncomfortable than he had when Sarah had cornered him.
A few moments later Blair returned, motioning them all back outside.
"Well?" Jim demanded. "What did he tell you, Chief?"
"It's part of an ancient ceremonial cloak," Blair replied. "It vanished about two weeks ago from the Native American Antiquities exhibit on display at the Cascade Museum. The cloak was part of the costume of one the more famous Shamans -- apparently people have been coming from all over the world to see it."
"Why wasn't it reported stolen?" Ray demanded. "Yer Captain said he hadn't heard anything about it."
"It was reported stolen," Blair corrected. "Just not to the police. The exhibit has been bringing in thousands of dollars -- all largely due to the presence of the cloak. No one wanted word to get out that the cloak had vanished so they dummied up a fake and put that on display while the foundation funding the exhibit hired private investigators to find the real cloak."
"Foundation?"
"The Burnheim Foundation," Blair explained. "Mr. Frank Burnheim has supported a lot of such exhibits over the years."
"Well, then perhaps we had best have a talk with Mr. Burnheim," Fraser suggested. "Seems he may have already done part of the investigation for us."
In full agreement the four men headed again for the cars while Jim called the precinct for an address. Diefenbaker paused briefly as he climbed into Jim's truck -- the animal stared back at the Center, his dark eyes glaring balefully at one of the windows. He whined briefly, but for once the Mountie took no notice of his remark. He shot a wary look at the Sentinel, but Jim too had his attention turned elsewhere.
-------
Jessica Burnheim watched through a side window of the Center as the four investigators climbed into separate cars to leave. Her gaze lingered on the longhaired man, and she smiled at the animated way he talked to the skinny blond cop. Blair Sandburg -- she'd recognized him from the press conference so many months ago. Anthropologist, writer, teacher, police observer, fraud -- and Shaman apparently.
The shock that had gone through her when she'd heard Tom Blackfire's grandson name him a Shaman had been as unexpected as it was welcomed in light of the set backs she'd recently received. Blackfire was the real McCoy -- a Shaman of the highest order. And he'd named Blair Sandburg a fellow Shaman.
She laughed softly. A Jewish Shaman -- what were the odds? Especially one who looked like Blair Sandburg -- lovely by any description. Made her rethink the whole Sentinel thing too -- if he was a Shaman, wasn't it possible that James Ellison might be something more than a mere cop? It wasn't every day fate dropped such possibilities into her lap.
She slipped a cell phone from her purse, hitting a number. "Jack," she said into the slim phone. "You're not going to believe what I just found. I've got a job for you and the boys."
She grinned as she watched the four men drive away. Yes, fate had been good to her that day.
-------
The Burnheim Foundation, they learned, was part of the Burnheim Corporation -- a business rival of Jim's father it turned out. With offices in one of the high rises of Cascade, the Corporation was a formidable force in the upper echelons of Cascade society -- a fact Simon Banks pointed out to Jim when he called him after discovering the investigation was taking them straight to Mr. Burnheim himself.
"He's a big supporter of the current city administration, Jim," Simon warned over the phone. "Be nice!"
"Yes, sir," Jim sighed as he pulled into the Burnheim parking garage. Be nice -- how often did Simon tell him that? He chose not to fill his companions in on his Captain's orders.
They made their way up to the main offices, bypassing several secretaries with the flash of a badge until finally they stood toe to toe with Burnheim's personal secretary. The woman was in her fifties and hard looking. She glared grimly at the four of them, frowning disapprovingly at the wolf. Her gaze raked over the Mountie.
"Another Mountie?" she exclaimed with a snort of disbelief. "What is this? A Canadian invasion?"
"I beg your pardon, Madame," Fraser responded. "Another Mountie? Do you mean that I'm not the first Mountie to visit these offices?"
She just shrugged and hit the button on her intercom phone. "Mr. Burnheim, there's a Mountie and a couple of detectives here to see you." She listened briefly to her employer's instructions and then motioned toward the double doors to the executive suite of offices. "Mr. Burnheim will see you. Don't take up too much of his time -- he's a very busy man."
"Thank you kindly, ma'am," Fraser replied as the four of them headed through the doors.
Frank Burnheim was seated behind a large cherry wood desk, an unlit cigar in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. Middle aged but well-preserved, he possessed the precise good looks Jim associated with many of his father's friends -- artificial in some way. He clamped the cigar between his teeth -- still unlit -- set his coffee cup aside and rose to his feet as they entered. Jim flashed his badge once more.
"Detectives, what can I do for you?" the man asked, nodding briefly to the other men.
"Mr. Burnheim, I understand your corporation funded the Native American Antiquities exhibit at the museum," Jim began.
"Yes," Burnheim nodded. "What of it?"
"There was a theft recently -- a white buffalo cloak of considerable value," Jim continued. He watched from the corner of his eye as Blair and Ray moved casually about the well-furnished room, glancing curiously around.
"Yes, I already explained all this to the other Mountie who was here a few days ago," Frank Burnheim replied. "I explained why it wasn't reported to the police. I have my own people investigating the theft -- the tribes themselves decided they didn't want the negative publicity. I chose to respect their wishes."
"The other Mountie?" Fraser clarified. "Do you mean Leftenant William Fontaine?"
Burnheim nodded. "He said he was investigating another theft he thought might be related to this one. He assured me there would be no problem with publicity."
"Lieutenant Fontaine turned up dead yesterday," Jim informed the man.
Burnheim paled and sat down, his eyes widening in shock. "Dead? Because of this investigation?"
"That's what we're trying to figure out," Jim informed.
"This yer daughter?" Ray's voice caught all of them off guard and they glanced toward the blond detective. He and Blair stood on the far side of the room next to a series of framed pictures that hung on the wall. Ray was pointing to one in particular -- one that showed a familiar looking blond woman standing in front of an old building. Jim's eyes narrowed -- he'd just seen that woman at the Center.
"Yes," Burnheim replied. "That's Jessica."
"We just saw her at the Native American Center for Spiritual Medicine," Jim informed him. "Any idea why she might be there?"
Burnheim frowned at him. "She's heading the investigation into the theft for the Foundation, Detective. I imagine she's chasing down leads just like you are."
"Your daughter's a private investigator?"
"What of it?" he demanded. "What are you implying?"
"I'm not implying anything, Mr. Burnheim," Jim smiled. "I'm merely trying to get all the facts straight. Do you know if Lieutenant Fontaine spoke with your daughter?"
"You'll have to ask her, now won't you?" Burnheim shrugged. "I have full confidence in my daughter's work. I don't monitor her. I'm sure she'll find the cloak just fine."
"And if she doesn't?" Ray asked curiously. "If she doesn't find it -- you got insurance taken out on it?"
Burnheim's eyes flared with anger at that. "I don't like your implication, Detective. The value of that cloak isn't in its financial worth -- it is a sacred relic!"
"You ever heard of the Cross of Coronado?" Blair asked curiously, his timing impeccable. Jim smiled, dialing up his hearing.
"The what?" Burnheim frowned -- to Jim's disappointment there was no change in his heart rate. He shot a brief glance at Blair, shaking his head no. His Guide understood and just shrugged.
"Not important, Mr. Burnheim."
"We would however like to talk to your daughter if we could," Jim told the man.
"Leave your card, I'll have her call you," Burnheim replied. "She should be in early tomorrow. Now if you gentlemen will excuse me, it's quitting time. I'm heading home."
"Thank you kindly for your time, Mr. Burnheim," Fraser nodded to him. They all headed toward the door.
"Don't leave town any time soon," Jim added before he followed the others out the door. "We may have more questions for you."
The look Frank Burnheim gave him could have peeled paint off the walls two doors down.
Once back down in the parking garage, the four of them paused to decide what next to do. "We need to run a check on Frank and Jessica Burnheim and their corporation -- find out if they have connections to St. Michael's. We can pull the file on the Cross, see if they showed up at all in that investigation -- though I'm certain Burnheim wasn't lying when he said he knew nothing about the cross," Jim informed the others.
Blair was staring thoughtfully down at his feet. "Jim, that picture of Jessica -- it was taken in front of the Archeology department of Rainier -- I recognized the building. I'm going to head over there and see if the Archeology head knows her."
"Rainier University?" Fraser asked curiously. "The Archeology head wouldn't perhaps be Professor George Tarlin would it?"
Blair's eyes lit up, a smile gracing his lips. "Yes, it is. Do you know him?"
"Know of him," Fraser explained. "I've read several of his books on the Paleo-Indian settlements of North America. Why don't I--"
Jim cut in before Fraser could finish his request. "Blair, why don't you take Detective Kowalski with you to the college. I'm sure Constable Fraser should report in to his superiors. You know how the commissioner gets when there's an international investigation going on."
Blair simply gave Jim a long look, his eyes saying he certainly knew a lie when he heard one. "Yeah, Jim," he agreed. "I know how the commissioner gets." He nodded to Fraser. "I'll see if I can get you an autographed copy of Professor Tarlin's latest book, Benton. I'm sure he wouldn't mind."
"Thank you kindly, Blair," Fraser smiled in delight. "I would be most appreciative."
"Then Jim, why don't you bring Benton back to the loft?" Blair suggested sweetly. "He and Ray can stay with us tonight since they haven't had a chance to get a hotel room."
Jim gritted his teeth at the suggestion, glaring hard at his Guide.
"You don't have to do that," Ray protested. "We don't wanna put you guys out."
"No problem at all," Blair assured him. "We'll see you and Benton at home, Jim." Blair waved and headed toward his car, motioning Ray to follow him.
Unable to protest Jim just watched him go. "Thank you kindly for putting us up, Detective," Fraser offered.
Jim bit back the hard retort that sprang to his lips. "No problem," he grumbled as he stalked his way toward the truck.
-------
Professor George Tarlin was more than happy to talk to Blair and Ray. A bookish, little old man with wild white hair, he had an amazingly sunny disposition. Unlike so many others on campus, Professor Tarlin had never commented on Blair's recent difficulty -- had either ignored it or paid it little heed. He had his classes, he had his work, he had his writing -- beyond that he noticed very little else in the world.
"Blair!" he greeted when the two of them disturbed him that evening in his cluttered office. "What's it been? Six months? You got an 'A' if I remember correctly!"
Assuming the man was referring to the last class Blair had taken from him, Blair just smiled and nodded. "Yes, sir -- but I'm afraid it's been closer to four years than six months."
"Really?" the man seemed bewildered momentarily, and then simply shrugged it off. "Time does fly. Well, what can I do for you boys? You having trouble with your term papers this semester?"
"Ah, no, sir," Blair smiled gently. "I was wondering if you remember a student named Jessica Burnheim? I think she might have taken a couple of classes here..."
"Of course! Jessica!" Professor Tarlin smiled happily. "Lovely girl! Quite brilliant. She rather enjoyed my books you know. Only student I ever had who read every single one of my books from cover to cover. Most just read the introduction and then claim they read the whole book -- but I can tell the difference."
"Then she was an archeology student?" Blair pressed.
"A brilliant archeologist!" Tarlin agreed. "Did I tell you she read all of my books? From cover to cover no less. She was fascinated with my work on Paleo-Indian artifacts." He smiled conspiratorially at Blair. "She's promised to try and get me a peek at the Kennewick Man's bones! Wouldn't that be something! Nine thousand year old bones found practically in our own back yard!"
"She's an archeologist?" Ray clarified. "Not a criminal justice major or somethin' like that?"
He shook his head. "Nope, archeologist through and through. One of the best -- her specialty is religious artifacts. I'm afraid she was into that whole mystical study thing for a while -- but luckily she still managed to stick to the provable facts. Some of these young students today are into that intuitive archeology stuff -- but I say there's nothing that can replace honest research and hard work with a brush and trowel."
Ray gave Blair a knowing grin. Religious artifacts -- sounded incriminating to Blair. "Thank you, Professor," Blair smiled. "You've been a big help." He made a brief request to come back later to get Fraser an autograph, then Blair and Ray excused themselves.
"It's always the pretty ones," Ray grumbled as they headed back out toward the parking lot. The campus was nearly deserted, the sun having set over an hour ago.
"Excuse me?" Blair frowned, certain that Ray had not been referring to the professor.
"Jessica Burnheim," Ray explained. "You see a looker like that -- ya think to yerself -- now there's one fine lookin' woman. Must be a criminal. They always are."
"We don't know that for certain," Blair clarified.
"Trust me," Ray shrugged. "I got a sense for these things. You turn yer back on a woman like that and -- bam!" He punched his hand with his own fist. "They kick you in the head every time."
"We'll have to wait to see what Jim and Benton turn up before we jump to conclusions," Blair remarked as they headed across the darkened parking lot toward Blair's car. Both men were startled when a shadow stepped out from behind the car -- a tall man in a black coat.
"Excuse me," he broke in calmly.
Ray had his gun out an instant later, cocked and pointed at the man's head. "Don't move!" he ordered, his body vibrating with tension. Shocked, Blair froze, watching as the stranger did the same. He was about to say something, about to protest Ray's abrupt action when the distinctive sound of a gun being cocked behind him shut him up. Ray froze.
"Put the gun down, Detective," another man ordered from the shadows behind him. Blair had turned. Three men stood behind them -- all armed -- three men who must have been sneaking up on them while they walked. A Sentinel would have heard them of course, but Blair had not been paying attention.
"You put the gun down," Ray growled. "Put it down or I'll shoot yer buddy here!" There was a cold, almost manic sound in Ray's voice -- Blair had no doubt that he'd do exactly what he'd say. He wouldn't have guessed the detective capable of such hardness after seeing the almost goofy way he acted around Fraser.
"You shoot him, I'll shoot you," the second man replied coldly.
Ray just grinned. "Yeah? You might miss. I'm a crack shot."
Blair watched in silence, his heart pounding in his chest as the gunman stepped forward and placed the barrel of his gun against the base of Ray's skull. "I'm not going to miss, Detective," the man replied. "I'll shoot you and then my buddies will shoot your partner here."
Blair saw Ray's eyes shift briefly toward him. "Buddies?" he mouthed to Blair.
Blair just nodded. "Three of them," he mouthed back.
Ray sighed, rolled his eyes and uncocked his gun, lowering his hand.
"Very good, Detective," the man said, and then Blair watched in horror as the man struck Ray across the back of the head with the butt of his gun. He reached out to catch the man as he fell, but arms closed around him from behind and he felt a strong hand holding a cloth over his mouth. He struggled briefly, recognizing the scent of chloroform. Moments later the world began spinning and he felt himself falling, the night growing blacker and blacker.
"Jim," he whispered as he dropped like a stone, his thoughts centered on his absent lover. But this time he doubted even a Sentinel had been able to hear him.
-------
By nine o'clock Jim was getting worried. He and Fraser had finished up at the precinct and then headed home. Jim cooked dinner while Fraser took a shower and freshened up, both men waiting for their partners to return. The wolf, Diefenbaker, had made himself at home on the bed upstairs -- a fact that annoyed Jim to no end. He'd tried to get the animal off -- noting how the creature had made a point of remaining solely on Blair's side of the bed. But Diefenbaker had obviously decided not to move. He simply stared at Jim, giving the Sentinel the same stubborn look that reminded him of a certain black jaguar. Jim eventually just sighed and gave up.
Now, several hours later, dinner was ready and waiting, cooling on the stove. Fraser was pacing somewhat restlessly around the loft and Jim had called Blair's cell phone several times, receiving no answer. He and Fraser had finished up their work at the bullpen -- discovering only that there was no connection as far as they could tell between Frank Burnheim and Saint Michael's church and the theft of the Cross. Then they'd returned home to wait for Ray and Blair, hoping that those two had better luck with the professor.
"Something's wrong," Jim grumbled, getting ready to grab his keys and head back out to look for his wayward Guide.
The phone rang unexpectedly and Jim grabbed it. "Ellison!"
"Detective Ellison?" an unfamiliar voice asked. "This is Bill Palance -- I'm a security guard at Rainier University. I found a cell phone on the ground next to Blair Sandburg's car. I know he works with you sometimes and--"
"Is he there?" Jim asked in a panic, his heart leaping in his chest. He was vaguely aware of both Fraser and the wolf approaching worriedly.
"No sir," the security guard explained. "I was hoping you might know where he is and if he'd accidentally dropped the phone."
"Shit!" Jim reached for his keys. "I'll be right there! Don't touch anything else!"
He hung up and turned to Fraser. "Something's happened," he informed the Mountie. Fraser nodded in understanding and the two of them headed out the door, the wolf whining as he followed.
The security guard was waiting for them in the parking lot. Blair's car was the last one left there that evening. He and Fraser searched the area swiftly, Jim dialing his senses up as high as he dared, looking for any clue that might tell him what happened. A quick scan of the area revealed no sign at all of Blair's presence, but he could see faint marks on the ground -- fresh tracks in the muddy, melting snow upon the asphalt. And there was still a faint trace of Blair's scent in the air. That and the scent of gun oil along with a faint chemical residue that seemed strangely familiar -- a drug perhaps.
"These are Ray's tracks," Fraser pointed out to Jim. Ray's tracks stood right next to Blair's - -and the impressions indicating that perhaps bodies had fallen into the muck on the ground.
"At least four other men as well," Jim said. Fraser nodded in agreement.
"No blood," Fraser offered. But Jim took little comfort in that. Blair was still gone -- someone had taken him. The deep burning anger in his belly was tempered only by the mind-numbing fear he felt. Blair just had to be all right.
He yanked his cell phone out, dialing quickly. "Simon, I have reason to believe that Blair and Detective Kowalski have been kidnapped."
The curse Simon expelled mirrored what Jim was feeling. "I'll put an A.P.B out on both of them immediately," Simon offered. "What else do you need?"
"A search warrant for Jessica Burnheim's residence," Jim informed him.
"What?" Simon sounded surprised. "Isn't that Frank Burnheim's daughter? I thought you said there was no connection between the Burnheim foundation and Saint Michaels."
"Between the foundation and St. Michaels," Jim agreed. "But Blair was here looking into Jessica Burnheim's possible connection to the white buffalo leather. And now he's gone. She's the only lead we've got!" Even as he spoke, he saw that Diefenbaker, who'd been sniffing the ground around Blair's car, suddenly took off across the campus. Fraser, seeing it also, had taken off after the wolf.
"I'll call you back Simon," Jim informed his Captain. "Get that search warrant!" He shut his cell phone down and ran after the Mountie and the wolf.
The wolf led the two of them into the Archeology building, down a flight a stairs and into the main offices of the faculty. He stopped before one of the doors and began scratching at the wood. Jim knew immediately what he was responding too -- he could also smell the faint trace of Blair's scent here. Blair had been here -- probably just prior to the kidnapping.
Professor Tarlin, the sign read. Fraser knocked, waiting politely for an answer but Jim pushed the door open, striding in. He flashed his badge at the startled old man sitting behind the cluttered desk.
"Professor Tarlin?" he demanded. "I'm Detective Ellison, Cascade P.D. Have you seen Blair Sandburg?"
Tarlin blinked owlishly up at the two of them, and then glanced at the wolf. "My word, is that a wolf?"
"Blair Sandburg?" Jim repeated.
"Yes, I know Blair Sandburg," the man nodded. "He was just here in fact. He and his nice young friend."
"What did you speak about?" Jim demanded.
"An old student of mine," the professor explained. "Jessica Burnheim. Blair seemed fascinated by the fact that she'd read all my books. Why I remember one time when she--" He launched into a story about a theoretical discussion, and it took Jim several minutes to get the man back on track.
Eventually he got the man to tell him what he'd told Blair and Ray -- about Jessica's expertise in religious artifacts and items of spiritual significance. He left the man without a backward glance.
Jim called Simon back. "It's her," he informed the Captain, relaying the last piece of information to him. "I'm heading over to her place right now."
"I won't have the search warrant for at least an hour yet, Jim," Simon reminded him. "As it is, it's lucky that the judge owes me a favor -- otherwise I wouldn't even try getting a search warrant on such flimsy evidence. Don't do anything rash."
"Of course not, Simon," Jim growled. "I mean, just because Blair is missing, why would you think I'd do anything rash!" He hung up before Simon could answer.
Jessica Burnheim lived in an expensive high-rise apartment complex. The main building itself required a pass card to enter, and Jim fumed as he was forced to wait for not only the search warrant but also for Simon to find the building manager to open the main doors. While he paced angrily in front of the building, only vaguely aware of the pale wolf pacing alongside him, Fraser stopped to speak to a couple of homeless men sitting on the street corner across from the building. He approached Jim a few moments later.
"She's not here," he informed the Sentinel.
Jim glared at him. "What?"
Fraser motioned toward the bums. "They saw her leaving earlier today. She had a suitcase with her, and hasn't returned."
"And they just told you this out of the goodness of their hearts?" Jim demanded.
Fraser nodded. "Pretty much. They've been there all day, Detective. And Jessica Burnheim is a rather striking woman. They were able to describe her in great detail. I believe them."
The Mountie was quite serious -- Jim could see that just by looking at him.
"Shit!" he turned away. She'd left with a suitcase -- a fair indication that she might not be coming back any time soon. His only lead gone. He turned swiftly toward Fraser. "The plane!" he exclaimed.
Fraser's eyes lit up. "A Cessna Caravan. Should be easy enough to trace."
Jim yanked out his phone, dialing the bullpen. Megan Connor answered. "Megan, I need you to find out if the Burnheim Corporation or any of the Burnheims own a plane," he told the Australian. "Call me back immediately."
Simon Banks pulled up in front of the building just as he hung up, the building manager beside him. The manager grumbled a bit as he opened the front doors of the building, but he let the cops inside, leading them upstairs to Jessica Burnheim's apartment.
A quick search of the place proved out the bums' story -- she was gone. The books on her shelf and the various priceless artifacts decorating her home confirmed her interest in religious artifacts. But beyond that the initial search turned up no incriminating evidence against the woman -- a fact that Simon was quick to point out.
Megan called back as they were searching. "The Burnheim Corporation owns seven planes, Jim," she informed the detective.
"What about a Cessna?" Jim asked.
"There are two Cessna Caravans registered to Jessica Burnheim. She's also a pilot." Jim glanced across the room at Fraser, nodding in confirmation. "Where are her planes hangered?"
"A private airport just outside Cascade," Megan informed him. "But Jim, I already checked. Both planes are gone -- one headed out yesterday. The other took off about two hours ago."
Jim's stomach clenched at Megan's words. Two hours ago -- that was plenty of time for Blair to have been taken to the airport and put on that plane. "Get me a flight plan!" he told Megan.
"I'm working on it, Jim," she promised.
Jim turned to Fraser and Simon. "She has two Cessnas. One left Cascade yesterday, the other left two hours ago."
"You think Blair and Detective Kowalski are on that plane, don't you?" Simon asked.
Jim nodded.
"Oh, dear," Fraser exclaimed, a look of horror on his handsome face. "The last passenger she had on her plane... fell out."
-------
Megan was waiting for them when they returned to the bullpen. She had the registered flight plan along with a large map of North America. "I spoke with a man on duty at the airport. Jessica Burnheim was seen boarding her plane a few hours ago. He also claimed to see a couple of men carry two other men on board the plane," Megan told them. "Her flight plan was for a small private airport somewhere up in the Northwest Territories of Canada. I've got the coordinates." She pointed to a spot on the map. Fraser glanced at it, a frown creasing his brow.
"What's the nearest city?" Jim demanded. Megan just shrugged blankly.
"Detective, there's only one actual city in the Territories -- Yellowknife. And it's several hundred kilometers from this. The rest of the Territories are made up of tiny communities."
"One city?" Jim stared at the Mountie.
Fraser just shrugged. "We only have about forty thousand people in the Territories. We really only need one city."
Jim glanced at the map. "Then what's out there? Why would she be going there?"
"All that's out there is wilderness -- and ice," Fraser admitted. "But I do know that this is part of Leftenant Fontaine's patrol area. He must have discovered something unusual, and it led him back here to Cascade."
"Then we're going to have to go out there ourselves and find out," Jim decided.
"Detective, maybe it would be better if I went up there alone--" Fraser began. The dark glare Jim threw him silenced him.
"If Blair is out there, I'm going, and I'm going to find him!"
Fraser shifted uncomfortably. "Detective, it's winter. This time of year we'll only have a few hours of daylight at a time -- and weak light at that. The conditions will be the harshest you can imagine. I grew up out there -- well, several hundred kilometers north of there actually -- but I know the area, and I know how to survive the environment."
Jim understood immediately what the man was saying -- Jim would slow him down. He also knew just as certainly that he wasn't going to remain behind. "I'll match you step for step, Mountie," he growled. "My partner is out there. I'm going with or without you. This won't be the first time I've survived harsh conditions."
Fraser stared long and hard at him, and then finally just nodded in acceptance. "Understood, Detective. I'll call ahead to get some supplies set up for us."
Satisfied, Jim turned toward Simon. The captain was watching him with a resigned look in his dark eyes. "Just go, Jim," he said quietly. "And bring him home safely."
Despising the living crap out of you. --ManBeef
You can always install some other OS and use 'em for whatever.
Which is why these boxes will continue to show up as fancy tax-writeoffs for companies
:_)
As soon as the consumer is deemed intelligent not enough to lie, cheat, and steal, all the push for DRM will go away. The companies behind this only want whats best for us.
And yeah, I believe in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and Gnomes
Or are they taking stupid injections? Really now, this makes no sense for 1001 reasons. First off, the obvious one that says this will be a dud. But even more important, this opens Pandora's box for the DRM crowd, giving them just what they want. On the other hand, they might realize this and wait for this crap to bomb, just to say: "See DRM people, your ideas are a flop".
What if you fdisk'd the drive, and re-installed a copy of windows? (or linux ofcourse;) Or is this some sort of hardware protection?
Sure, it's running linux, but isn't it just a crippled entertainment PC?
sPh
Hmmm, Michael can predict the future, and states that a machine built by HP, a market leader in PC's, with an OS by Microsoft, the market leader in OS's, will not succeed.
.
.
.
OK
It seems that the order of cracking as always been that some huge company comes up with technology and then someone comes along and cracks it.
... duh ... no one buys it.
During our modern age, it has been the reverse where formats have been created that allow copying and wide dissemination of info and companies come along try to stop it (through heavy handed lawsuits) or try to co-opt it or better (worse?) yet offer a competing scheme that requires you pay for it and
Feel free to add as needed.
Who the hell would be dumb enough to buy one of these? Not people... companies? Possibly..
When corporations are held liable for employees downloading files then maybe companies might go to buy these as a liability hedge.
A real tightly defined scenario sure.......
I would like to know more about why they've put something into an expensive system that they have got to know is going to kill it in the marketplace. Do Microsoft and HP have ties to the entertainment industry I don't know about?
One thing's for certain -- the future of home entertainment is changing, but the "Media Center PC" is not where it's going.
can't burn recorded TV shows to DVD, or even copy and play them back on other PCs ... And $1500 for the starter box
Wow, sounds like this is shaping up to be the next Div-X
The $1500 price is entry-level for the HP model. According to the article, Samsung will also manufacture these entertainment PCs. Who knows, maybe they'll offer the product at a lower price point.
'Freestyle' refers to the version of Windows to be used (now 'Window XP Media Center Edition'), not the actual manufactured boxes.
Also, news.com reports that both HP and Samsung models will be available *before* Christmas season. Apparently even story submittors have stopped reading the articles. :P
This could be fun!
Finding God in a Dog
Like you didn't see THAT one coming. Every time something like this happens, people on /. act all shocked and surprised, like this is somehow NEW. Get a grip, this stuff isn't newsworthy.
"I'm a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar."
-Hoban Washburn
In order for MS and HP to make this successful, they will have to add some kind of entertainment value that makes this better than everything else. It will be interesting to see what kind of "value" MS and HP have in mind for the consumer. There's going to be a lot of hype for this, and you can't hype crippled hardware as well as you can crippled software.
I personally have been looking forward to this for awhile, for the simple reason that I cannot get a Tivo in Canada (and happend to also need a new PC).
0 3sep02b.h tm
s tyle_pre view.asp
Links to some good info I've found today:
HP Press Release
http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/press/
The actual system
http://h30015.www3.hp.com/mediaPC/
A overview/review of the system
http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/free
you dont need XP but dirvers on linux for someone my level (linux newb but pretty pc literate) are too dang hard..
There's a chance that someone in the US government will draft a law making these PCs the defacto standard for all new branded PCs. After all it's Microsoft and they must protect US business :)
Does one such exist? I'd love to have one just for the convenience of music stations when I get bored with Internet radio stations. I'd love to be able to point and click on my favorite shows(reminders, etc) without fidgeting with my roomate's all-in-one remote.
The article states a price of $1,500-$2,000. Then it talks about marketing them to COLLEGE STUDENTS. Think about that... the college students are the ones most opposed to DRM technologies! For less than $1,000 I can put together a machine with an ATI All in Wonder Pro DVR and a massive disk without the DRM inhibitions. Funny thing is, college students are the ones to figure this out first.
There is no reasonable defense against an idiot with an agenda
:wq
HAL was named from IBM.
Anyone know of popular fiction references to Microsoft. Directly or by implication.
Bill Gates' house is run on software. I would love to read a bug report from that setup.
Problem is, if the user cannot transfer their digital content, be it original work, copyrighted audio or video, to their next PC, they aren't likely to upgrade. What will Microsoft do in two years when their current customers will want to upgrade their PC, but won't for fear of losing their digital content? If Microsoft is indeed right in saying that digital media will drive PC upgrade cycles, they are being quite shortsighted by releasing an OS which ties all of a consumer's digital media to their current machine.
The society for a thought-free internet welcomes you.
# chmod 0 /bin/cp
/cdrom/warez /work/FileServer/w4r3z /bin/cp: Permission denied
$ cp -ra
bash:
So what? The dumb user will be satisfied with that solution, and the 1337 h4x0r will find a way around it anyway.
"Microsoft sees Windows Media Center PCs as ideal for college students or young urbanites living in cramped spaces where a combination computing and entertainment system might be more appealing than separate devices."
Ok, maybe not so much anymore since highspeed is more common, but i remember when I first got to college, the main perk was the highspeed. Are there ANY college students that would buy this, if we couldn't rip off music? What college student could afford a $1500 pc, when you can get an awesome system NOW for $700? Didn't MTV make a flop of a media orientated system too? good luck idiots...
using software that the MAJORITY of people use and being able to interchang EASILY with those people.
having a LARGE variety of programming titles to choose from.
Easy use of your computer.
I am no MS lover, but your comment was definitly over-rated.
I though HP said they were trying to get OUT of their trend of losing business and market share..
Producing entire warehouses of dead computers that no one will buy seems quite counteractive to that plan.
Shrug.
=-Jippy
The sad thing is that it's like the RIAA-sponsored music sites - a project designed to fail.
When HP and MSFT testify that "We tried to sell cripped PCs but nobody bought them" to Congress, Congress' solution will by to make it illegal to buy non- crippled PCs.
If you made boxen at $400 apiece, but can only sell them at $500, would you continue to do so, or would you rather collude with Hollywood to get Congress to make the $500 PCs illegal, so that you can sell the same hardware, crippled, at $1500?
If you're part of the crowd that wants to rant about how capitalism's destroying the world, I'd urge you to make sure you're really talking about capitalism before you rant.
A capitalist (one who believes in a market based in the exchange of goods or money between voluntary participants) would continue to sell non-crippled boxen at $500.
If HP and MSFT get in bed with Hollywood to get Congress to force consumers to buy $1500 crippled entertainment centers, (by banning the $500 non-crippled computers, which consumers seem to prefer), they cease to become capitalists.
"Some of the new features on Windows Media Center would be hard for Apple to easily dismiss, Jones said.
Using a remote control, consumers would be able to listen to digital music, work with digital photos, create movies or watch DVD movies or TV shows. "
Well, if you can't copy freakin' files or burn to CD/DVD with WMC and you can with OS 9/X - there isn't going to be much competition.
The boxes HP/MS are shipping start at more than a 15" iMac does, and the same price as an eMac with a SuperDrive.
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?product _id=1957333&cat=96356&type=19&dept=3944&path=0%3A3 944%3A3951%3A41937%3A86796%3A96356
I can buy myself a high end PC that's just like all other PCs made today that let's me burn cds/dvds and do what I will with my media, and I can pay about $1000 USD for it. Or, I can buy the same PC but WITHOUT the ability to do what I'd like with my media, and pay $1500-$2000 USD. Um...I...I think I'll take the first one.
Oh yeah, and I thought it was quite comical that when I pulled up the article about how HP was trying to sell this crap, I got a huge banner ad for Dell.
do not read this line twice.
We all know it will be hacked a week before it's release by some 12 year old. A week latter, someone will release a Linux that will run on it.
Why does M$ even waste their time anymore? Can't they just let us have one cool thing that we can do whatever we want with? Is that so hard?
That would be an insensitive name and I am not happy I typed it
gimPC
get it?
it's funny
mod me down
gimPC
This thing is definately DOA.
Unfortunately it will probably prevent some little company from getting VC for coming out with a decent version of this. Which is probably the intent anyway.
Wait a minute... so you are telling me that Microsoft is selling me something that I have to pay more for, but I get less?
No way, your nuts, they never would do that.
You have to be kidding me, marketing expensive PCs that restrict you? What is the point? Most PCs that people buy these days are from so called "white box" places (i.e. your local small computer store). I can't see why anyone would pay more for less.
That strategy might make sense as Microsoft attempts to attract Hollywood movie studios with its digital rights management and anti-copying technologies.
This is NOT DOA, because it is not about PCs or PVRs or multimedia control. It is a Proof of Concept to sell the Digital Rights Management of MS to the MPAA and RIAA. Then the MPAA and RIAA will then use their money to ensure that ALL PCs have a DRM built into them.
While we can whine and cry that "no machine we buy will!!!", It is a non-issue. Dell, Gateway, Compac/HP, etc. will continue to sell their millions of boxes to the various businesses, and Mom & Dad like always. Legislation will pass that requires DRM and those that do not have it will be marginalized as criminals.
This is not the war, this is just the start of the battle. MPAA/RIAA make be seeing they will never get another DMCA, so they need to control "just content". MS sees the opportunity to manage every piece of electronic data on the web. 95% of the OS market is child's play by comparison.
The way these things fail is if someone manages to circumvent it in the first few months in a way that every 12 year with a 56k connection can bypass it.
I wasted $230 on ATI's 8500DV. The firewire port doesn't work on my highly rated motherboard. I've never seen a less coherent software bundle. No two apps look alike and each one is a separate installation. TV-on-demand would be great if it worked. However, every driver/software upgrade has made it worse. It doesn't even try to work now. All I can do is use the VCR functions. I could have bought WinDVR for $50 and used it to control the $30 TV tuner I already had in the parts pile. Better interface and less money.
If this new beast has decent software and they drop that leading '1' from the price, it could be a nice system. Who cares about DRM? That'll be defeated within a week of release.
what are they going to do with the unsold units?
Easy use of your computer.
I am no MS lover, but your comment was definitly over-rated.
Their statement was actually quite apropos, though it should have contained a little detail.
As an anectdote, a friend of mine used Microsoft Windows Media Player to rip his music collection, and wondered why he couldn't play some of his music (he'd upgraded his video card IIRC). I showed him where to turn off 'digital rights management' and explained to him why DRM was newspeak for 'digital rights denial' and how the default settings of his OS were designed, deliberately, by Microsoft, to fuck him.
He was quite angry, and while he isn't ready to switch to GNU/Linux yet, he did download a free ripper and started reripping the music he could no longer listen to into OggVorbis format.
So yes, Microsoft is deliberately selling extraordinarilly crippled PCs to the average consumer, not only crippled by the limitations, bugs, and design flaws of their software, but deliberately crippled and broken in addition to all of that.
The Future of Human Evolution: Autonomy
Yes, it's nice to be able to record stuff, but the price tag is too high on this new box.
My TiVo was a lot less expensive and offers the same functionality as far as video is concerned. But the TiVo seems to suffer the same "locked to play only from the same box that recorded the stream" syndrome (although it seems if you're willing to jump through constantly changing hoops it's possible to circumvent that. With 2 x 100 B disks to record my shows, I haven't been motivated yet to jump through the hoops (PPP out of the back serial port.)
At some point someone is going to release some free, easy-to-use software for capturing and editting video.
And, at some point someone is going to sell the hardware that makes this easy to do from your couch and easy to plug Ethernet, extra hard drives into the back. It doesn't have to cost $1500, either.
When those things happen, there will be a furor in Hollywood unlike what you've seen so far.
"Provided by the management for your protection."
..there is no end to how dumb people can be..
I would guess that this product is intended to fail.
That was the impression I got from reading the article, too. Consider this snipit:
This makes it sound very much like the primary motivation for creating this system is to make friends with the RIAA & MPAA. I think customer satisfaction is secondary to them. And remember, this is Microsoft we're talking about here. They have a monopoly on OSs. They can pretty much do what they want and the customers will be stuck with it. And Apple-heads and Linux-fans, please don't start screaming at me. I hear you. The problem is mainstream America doesn't.
GMD
watch this
Particularly Microsoft - now that the growth if off the PC rose, they desperately need new revenue streams to replace the upgrade treadmill.
sPh
As evidence, may I present the millions of AOL subscribers.
"I'm a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar."
-Hoban Washburn
2 100 byte disks? That is *damn* good compression for MPEG :)
So, making a backup copy of your cd should not be allowed? Hypothetical: You drop your cd as your walking to your car and accidentally it falls into a storm drain. Now what? Go pay up to $16.99 for a new one? I don't know about you but that seems like a waste of money to me.
find ~your -name '*base* | xargs chown
I dunno...buying an overpriced, shackled, computer to watch and record music and (God help us) TV programs makes about as much sense as buying an overpriced TV to run your spreadsheets. Did the people running MS, HP, AOL, and all the rest have childhood fantasies about being movie moguls? This all smacks of a hangover from the late and unlamented flash-in-the-pan known as "convergence".
-- Slashdot: When Public Access TV Says "No"
I think this sentence says it all, really:"There's not that much more new you can do with your PC that you're not already doing."
Of reasons HP investors will sue the board of directors. Carly Fiorina, that idiotic Compaq merger, and now releasing these systems... morons.
That's socially challanged nerd-American, not Asswipe, Asswipe!
This makes me think of buying a crappy car with only three wheels and no radio. Yeah, you can probably get to a few places, but it won't be any fun and you're not getting everything you want.
Up until recently, I didn't think there was a quality alternative to Microsoft's Windows Media Player for playing videos on my box. This really started to irk me when they started factoring all kinds of DRM stuff into it -- into the EULA and the app itself.
Imagine my joy when I discovered that the newest version of WinAmp now supports video playback for a number of popular file formats. And even if it is an early release, it will only get better...... as such, I've uninstalled WMP and have no plans to upgrade my OS going forward. In fact, I suspect I'll probably be giving Linux a fair shot in the coming months....... I figure the ability to make the OS work for _me_ far outweighs the compromises I'd have to settle for if I went with Microsoft instead.
Despite the fears of Microsoft & HP in this regard, I'm not sure that the music or motion picture industries could step wholly away from PCs at this point, even if they had it in plan. It has been a long time since video disks were the rage, and the digital medium is a great equalizer -- people will find ways to move the data to the devices that they want to use.
--
BitTorrent in C -- LibBT
http://www.sf.net/projects/libbt
It would be worse if you dropped your cd, didn't notice, and someone else picked it up and listened to it without paying the author their due royalties.
recompile.org
but there's never been a better time than now to join!!! :)
find ~your -name '*base* | xargs chown
They haven't fired Carly yet so they obviously aren't serious about future growth and building market share.
For a review, check this: http://www.macintoshdigitalhub.com/reviews/eyetv/i ndex.html
1. Make your computers do less for a higher price
2. ????
3. Profit!!!
I am NOT a consumer! I am a human being! (actually a trollscript bot pretending to be a human being, but still...)
And I'm sick of korporate Amerika insisting that viewing me merely as a consumer is all that is important. That's a damn insulting attitude.
Consumer == buybot.
Blame the people who write software for linux who don't give a damn about the user interface
recompile.org
Why is it that the proponents of "one nation under God" are so eager to get rid of "liberty and justice for all"?
I can only hope that there are enough clueful computer users who violate intellectual property to create a large market for non-DRM hardware.
The thing is, I can't imagine that there will be a time when you can't compile and run your own programs because there are just too many developers out there. And if you can compile and run programs you can compile and run xvid codecs. If MS decide to have processors check for xvid etc headers then you can change the xvid headers to something else- put the info fields in a different order etc.
If people can't transfer their home videos to their pc, or their photos or home-made music, they're going to get pissed-off.
In fact, thinking about it, if Palladium is everything we fear, AND it becomes so that you can't even buy loose components that aren't palladium-based, then I don't see how you wouldn't get a huge mega-meltdown-apocolypse as people refuse to upgrade their computers.
It's certainly going to be interesting.
graspee
1) Get satellite and a Bell ExpressVu PVR. I've had mine for almost a year now, and am very happy with it's performance. I've barely touched my VCR since then!
2) Get a PC with a video capture/playback card (like ATI's All-In-Wonder Radeon), and some open source software and roll-yer-own PVR. You can get TV listings for Canada with the XMLTV project. The Linux VCR HOWTO will probably be helpful.
Tuus crepidae innexilis sunt.
I work for Summex. That is my picture on the front page of the web site. I just want everyone to know that I am gay.
I'm gay.
We should voice a need to MicroShaft's / HP competetors for a un-castrated box. If the competition can copy (TiVo et al) why would the consumer want to buy the more expensive box. This Anonymous Coward would pay $300-$500 for a reliable (linux), good-looking, versatile replacement for the many gagets that my TV requires.
If it can be built, have a good marketing campaign, and can empower the consumer, it will be purchased.
"Sounds like this thing is going to be DOA. Lots of other PC-based TV recording products that aren't restrictive when it comes to copying stuff goes..."
If Microsoft follows their typical business plan, they'll likely buy out one or two of the larger competitors, price out the rest, and then consumers will only have MS and maybe a lesser known "open-source" product from which to choose.
Why would anybody want that overpriced, crippled alternative??
All the creatures will die, And all the things will be broken. That's the law of samurai. (Jubai, 1605)
While browsing around, I found what appears to be a standalone unit that you can use to browse and record broadcast television, includes no DRM controls, includes a 19inch screen, a remote control unit, speakers, and is contained in ONE unit. It does not record the broadcast digitally but the medium it uses appears to be compatible with 1000's of other units and is cheaper then any memory stick or other removeable device I've ever seen. I imagine a device like this sitting next to your computer would be a more logical choice for only $169.
Bad boys rape our young girls but Violet gives willingly.
Maybe I can set it up as a server for my Audrey terminals.... the blind leading the blind, so to speak.
The GATOS project is very mature and all the Linux video drivers and TV capture features work flawlessly.
Combine that with a 120G harddrive and I never need to remember to set the VCR to record West Wing! :)
Oh god. Like what, now they give like 1500 hours of free time? Come on, the service still sucks ass.
"I'm a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar."
-Hoban Washburn
Using Microsoft and crippled in the same sentence is overkill. If some people had as many defects as Microsoft software they'd have to have a telethon to raise money for a cure. Dig deep into your pockets to help Bill's kids.
"You'll get nothing, and you'll like it!"
I recently put together a box to do the same thing, ut $1500 it was not.
Shuttle S50 - $300
Celeron 1.8 - $100
256MB DDR - $75
80 GB HDD - $85
DVD (w/WinDVD) $50
Hauppage FM-TV tuner w/ remote - $100
SnapSteam SW - $40
--------------------
$750
It outputs to my TV, records what I want, and I can watch DVD, DIVX, VCD, MP3, CD, etc. PLUS I can watch any recorded show on any moachine on my network. What do I get for the other $750
pr0n, lost and lots of it.
The era "free as in freedom" is over. The new CBDTPA / TCPA / Palladium era is about to begin.
Ross Anderson on TCPA
http://cryptome.org/tcpa-rja2.htm
TCPA / Palladium Frequently Asked Questions
http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/users/rja14/tcpa-faq.html
Microsoft Digital Rights Management Operating System - US Patent No. 6,330,670
http://cryptome.org/ms-drm-os.htm
Microsfot Digital Rights Management Operating System - US Patent No. 6,327,652
http://cryptome.org/ms-drm-os2.htm
Hollings' CBDTPA = TCPA Enablement Act
http://cryptome.org/tcpa-fritz.htm
Some very interesting quotes from the above documents:
"During my investigations into TCPA, I learned that HP has started a development program to produce a TCPA-compliant version of GNU/linux. I couldn't figure out how they planned to make money out of this. On Thursday, at the Open Source Software Economics conference, I figured out how they might.
Making a TCPA-compliant version of GNU/linux (or Apache, or whatever) will mean tidying up the code and removing whatever features conflict with the TCPA security policy. The company will then submit the pruned code to an evaluator, together with a mass of documentation for the work that's been done, including a whole lot of analyses showing, for example, that you can't get root by a buffer overflow.
The business model, I believe, is this. HP will not dispute that the resulting `pruned code' is covered by the GPL. You will be able to download it, compile it, check it against the binary, and do what you like with it. However, to make it into TCPA-linux, to run it on a TCPA-enabled machine in privileged mode, you need more than the code. You need a valid signature on the binary, plus a cert to use the TCPA PKI. That will cost you money (if not at first, then eventually).
Anyone will be free to make modifications to the pruned code, but in the absence of a signature the resulting O/S won't enable users to access TCPA features. It will of course be open to competitors to try to re-do the evaluation effort for enhanced versions of the pruned code, but that will cost money; six figures at least. There will likely be little motive for commercial competitors to do it, as HP will have the first mover advantages and will be able to undercut them on price. There will also be little incentive for philanthropists to do it, as the resulting product would not really be a GPL version of a TCPA operating system, but a proprietary operating system that the philanthropist could give away free. (There are still issues about who would pay for use of the PKI that hands out user certs.) The need to go through evaluation with each change is completely incompatible with the business model of free and open source software."
So make sure you tell everyone you know to prepare for the future.
The Stuckist Net
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/26740.html
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/35/26796.htm
consider dropping a Media Center PC.. now that would be a waste of money.
Seriously.. i copy my cd's because i want to listen to them at home, in my car and at work, and do not want to carry them around all the time. Not as some kind of backup scheme, because that's what i have insurance for.
I'm very sad to totally agree with your analysis.
... so that congress can bless the "proven Microsoft Way" and force the Microsoft "technology" onto the rest of us.
This isn't an attempt for Microsoft to sell PCs or Windows.
Instead, this is an attempt to gain lobby support from MPAA/RIAA
It all comes back to the Microsoft strategy - once you're locked in, you can complain... but you're still a paying customer...
This is being done to intentionally fail?
With slumping PC sales already, releasing this kind of product destined for failure, sets the stage for saying it can't be done to consumer apathy.
Sure. And 640K is all we'll ever need.
Didn't Gateway (or Gateway 2000 as they were known back then) try something like this (sans anti-copying technology) back in the Mid-90's?
If I remember correctly, they took one of their 'cow box' PCs, added a TV tuner, sound card, speakers, and a 25" monitor (which worked at an amazing resolution of, get this, 640x480!) and sold it as an overpriced home entertainment center. Gateway didn't sell too many of them, and I think history is about to repeat itself.
Quite frankly I don't think that PCs have much business in a home entertainment system, if for no other reason than people don't generally replace home entertainent components as frequently as PCs. For example, in 1992 I purchased a television, a VCR, and a PC. The PC lasted for about 2-2.5 years (including at least one upgrade), I still have and use both the TV and VCR.
Soon Microsoft's operating system will be free, not just from Linux competition, but because of media management revinue. Thier digital restrictions management (DRM) will collect viewing fees from which Microsoft will keep a cut. Can you say, "Blockbuster Video on steroids"?
It is a fairly simple business plan. They become a regular utility bill.
I'm guessing not many.
These new boxes will be like souped up TiVos, with the ability to play DVDs and MP3s. They still seem a bit expensive, despite all that functionality, but I suppose reduced clutter and a pretty interface are worth something.
So they can't burn DVDs. Big deal. The target market for these boxes won't care. My only question is: Why is the DVD-RW even in there?
$1500 for a PC that doesn't copy or play digital media?
Anyone who thinks about buying one of these should be kicked in the head and sent flying in an Apple Store, since they've obviously got money to burn. $1500 buys you a nice iMac or iBook (or even a low-end tower if you've already got a monitor).
...MS saying that they're not going to cripple PCs with restrictions over copying stuff? Add that to the list of stuff that MS marketing and PR have blatently lied about.
If you think education is expensive, you should try ignorance -- Derek Bok, president of Harvard
What the EULA's for those machines would be like. As if anyone would follow them, and I doubt most college students would.
;-) file that is getting passed around the dorm's network.
I don't think there will be much of a demand when they find out that they can't install a non-Mirosoft supported programs and codecs, as well as access the popular non-Mirosoft file formats. I can see people being upset at not being able to see or access the Divx
"Digital Restrictions Management" is more accurate, and has the right letters at the beginnings of the words. :-)
I didn't coin this; it's been floating around for a while, I think. But we would do well to push this term into the mainstream.
The evaluation of an action as 'practical' . . . depends on what it is that one wishes to practice.
Seriously, everyone is going to have a boatload of these things on their shelves, unless some poor geeks can be persuaded to load them with Linux.
to a Media Center PC.
But after reading this areticle there is no way I am going to buy it.
Tough luck Microsoft.
You lost a customer.
Hp and Microsoft announced today that they're updating an old idea for the 21st century.
...... "The PC Jr. - Media Center Edition"....
Following the IBM lead of many years ago they've created:
They're not "crippled PC's"...
They're "differently abled operating systems"...
Mod Karma -1: I sed bad wurds. If I cep my mouf shut, I wud be at riyses.
What other company was named after its founder's penis?
why, exactly, would a capitalist not wish to find the best deal in his/her own favor? you're suggesting that capitalism implies some sort of ethic -- that you're supposed to play by rules, under which you don't try to take over the market, make money, etc.
... you win. you become a monopoly. it's unstable, so we add laws to make it seem stable.
... you've not looked at laws recently. it's just one more way of getting an advantage.
so, every 'good' capitalist should never add too much profit margin, ever misrepresent their product, or attempt to squash competition?
pardon the laughing, but no. every good capitalist will do whatever he/she can, until some competitor gets in the way, at which point battle over prices begins. or features. or laws. or anything to give them an advantage. in fact, anti-trust laws are just an add-on to keep the system running, because it isn't naturally stable. there is a recognized benefit to conglomeration and annihilation, which falls off when you become a little too big. but only if in the mean time the small companies learn to mavoeuver around you -- if you grow quickly enough and the small guys don't have time to get their little niches to fight back from
if you're going to claim it's not right for capitalists to ask for legislation that would ban competing products
capitalism is not about consumers. it's about market.
They dont say if the DRM will be software or hardware or a little of both. If it is just inface software, how hard will it be just to install a os without the DRM bullshit?
- You can make something they want, so that they choose to buy it
- You can make it legally mandatory, either by direct requirement, or by outlawing the alternatives.
Which approach do you think best describes the marketing plan for this product?Turing machines in the hands of private citizens are as dangerous to our current ruling class as were weapons in the hands of the peasants in feudal times. Next thing you know, we'll start having laws ignoring the constitution and restricting our right as individuals to keep and bear arms.
I am honestly confused. Why would MS and HP do such a thing. Granted I realize they are doing most of this to show the RIAA and other groups that they are trying to curb pirating but is that the only reason? Maybe I am just missing it but wouldnt things like this hurt Microsofts profits? I mean with money being tight everywhere, who is going to spring for a 1500 dollar computer when you can go to walmart and get one for 200. Last I checked most companies try to maximize profits. I am curious. Would love to hear ideas on why this is happening.
Have a look at this project @ SourceForge; Freevo
There are others, like DVR, MythTV, HomeDVR
And there are here and here
Really, we dont need another device - a PC will work for this...
El Gato is a USB, MPEG muxing in the hardware, low end device. Furthermore, it is not the only solution...
For something a little tastier, check out Formac's Studio DV/TV. It is FireWire (IEEE 1394) and isn't forced to MPEG the content in hardware because of the meager USB bandwidth that the El Gato device uses.
[UID-HeinzIntel]
As evidence, may I present the millions of AOL subscribers.
Hey! America OnLine *IS* the Internet! I saw it on their commercials, so it must be true!
Fascism starts when the efficiency of the government becomes more important than the rights of the people.
So, lets assume that you'll get close to $2000 worth of computer for your money. My only question is: why?
Do I have to turn in my geek credentials because I don't find TV on the PC all that compelling? I love DVDs on my laptop, and streaming audio and video, but we already have devices that are perfect to watch TV on... they're called televisions!. They have a simple UI and crash far less often than Windows does. We've had a box under the TV recording shows for years... Why does this box have to turn into a full-fledged computer just because we want to record these shows digitally now?
I have a TiVo and love using it, precisely because it doesn't feel like a computer when I'm using it! (Of course, it is -- the fact that I can upgrade the HD and add ethernet myself doesn't hurt, either.) When I want to rot my brain watching TV, I want it to just work, and I don't want to have to feel like I'm using a computer.
I always thought that Convergence meant that all of your dedicated media devices (which may actually be computers, but with a simpler UI) could talk to each other and exchange information, kind of like what Apple is trying to do with its iPod. Microsoft thinks Convergence means that all of your dedicated media devices become computers, running the latest MS OS, and with all of the problems and complications inherent in that. Of course, we know who's most likely to win this one...
Of course, the sad thing is that by making dedicated media devices more like computers and stuffing them chock-full of DRM badness, we'll end up making the actual computers more like dedicated media serving devices, since the same OS will run on both. :(
"Digital Rights Management" isn't really newspeak. It does exactly what it says: it allows the big media/entertainment (and now computing) companies to manage your rights, digitally.
is actually quite strong. The Tech-Report did an in-depth review of Nvidia and ATI digital-video software and picked ATI.
This HP P.O.S. hasn't even got a fan on the cpu, it uses a passive cooler and tries to draw the air over the cpu with the (very slow) power supply fan. I have to remove the case and run a boxfan next to it just so the damn thing will run until quitting time. They used some very low quality components and construction practices to save their bottom line that the computer is nearly unusable.
And both HP and Compaq were known for using proprietary components like RAM (no biggie since there are only 2 slots on the junky mobo in here anyway!)
If I was going to buy premade, I would definitely avoid HP at all costs.
Murphy was an optimist.
It would be worse if you dropped your cd, didn't notice, and someone else picked it up and listened to it without paying the author their due royalties.
The author was paid "their" due royalties at the time of purchase, just like the jewlery company already made its money when someone stumbled on the diamond ring you dropped. Artists deserve to be paid once, not twice.
...
...
quack. quack. quack! quack! quack!
DRM protects the consumer.
quack. quack. quack! quack! quack!
Why is Triangle Man so MEAN?
"I know this wasn't in the product all along," he said. "I think it was Microsoft being overcautious. I really think it's unfortunate because it does hamper the functionality and usability of the platform."
I wonder what HP's response was, when Microsoft told them they were going to cripple the machine ?
I know what your point was, but can we stop using this bastardized quote? Everybody and their dog has heard it, and there are more articulate ways of expressing your point. I swear I see it in about 50% of every slashdot article.
Thanks you.
Moon Macrosystems. Sun's biggest competitor.
Perhaps they just believe that there are *enough* people who don't use a computer to compute. They may well be right. My wife, e.g., uses it to edit music/art via commercial programs, and to word process, and for web access and e-mail. And that's about it.
But she's not going to get one of these! When it came time to change computers, I switched her over to a Mac. With a Linux partition. If Linux can get good enough, when she upgrades, it will be to a pure Linux machine. For now, it's to be Linux for internet access (so her Mac data isn't threatened by internet viruses), and the Mac for everything else. But I intend to use Open Office for the Word Processor (or possibly Star Office, after I check it out) and Mozilla for the browser. So she'll be half way converted before the year's out.
Still, the conversion can't happen until an art program as good a Deneba Canvas is available, and until a music program as good as Encore is available. But it's getting a LOT closer.
I think we've pushed this "anyone can grow up to be president" thing too far.
Actually ... that might be a good idea. If they use a hardware protection scheme instead of unduly restrictive laws, then I wouldn't have much trouble with it. Just as long as the restrictions only end up applying to *THEIR* content. I don't put any of their -ahem- garbage! -.- on my machine anyway.
And history shows that copy protecting something is a pretty sure way to cause it's long-term failure. I'd *like* it if the MPAA and RIAA failed. I'd shed no tears if MS joined them. But the main thing is that there'd be no reason for unreasonable laws affecting my use of my computer.
I think we've pushed this "anyone can grow up to be president" thing too far.
You people crack me up. First I agree AOL sucks, but why do you think people are idiots for using it? There are a number of good reasons to use AOL:
1. It works and is fairly easy for most users to setup
2. Lots of access numbers
3. It is very user friendly
See most people just want to browse the internet and get some mail, maybe talk in the chat rooms and do some IM. These want to spend very little time understanding the innards of their computer and their OS's innards.
So please stop calling these people idiots.
And btw AOL is actually faster for common web sites than most ISP's as they cache the web pages.
OK... where's the details/facts?!
Is this really a version of Windows that won't allow you to run Winamp/Audiocatalyst etc? (XBox style - only runs digitally signed code)
Or just more restrictions on the bundled Windows Media Player?
Can't imagine it being 'only run signed code' - How can they stop you running Winamp/AudioCatalyst/Gnutella/CloneCD without stopping you running all other Win32 software?
Maybe it's a driver-level attempt to stop CD ripping/digital audio recording. But how the fuck do they expect to stop you playing an downloaded MP3? Only allow signed apps to play audio? What about games etc?....
If filename contains *.mp3, refuse to open/copy?
You only get the 1500 hours for 45 days, so you'd have to be online 33.3333 hours a day...
find ~your -name '*base* | xargs chown
I like this quote:
"Everyone's been waiting for the great convergence product," Duboise said.
I think by "everyone" he means, software and hardware makers looking to generate some sales. I don't think he was talking about consumers. I can't think of a single person that would be interested in this. If this does sell, it would not be because of the advantages it offers, it will be because people were not aware of what they were actually buying and the rights they were throwing away with the purchase. You can do everything this has to offer now for less in price.
Bad boys rape our young girls but Violet gives willingly.
Dude, you're getting screwed!
Sincerely,
Media Center PC #1138
... is that some people are actually going to buy these things.
"Everything that can be invented has been invented." -- Charles H. Duell, Commissioner, U.S. Office of Patents, 1899.
What do I get for the other $750
;)
ehh looking at the description of the HP version, the answer appears to be:
DVD +R/RW drive, twice the RAM, a better processor, a 200 watt Klipsch sound system, a Ge Force4... and a whole bunch of annoying DRM crap
Windows has been crippled ever since v3.0. Doesn't matter what PC you install it on.
Eternity: will that be smoking, or non-smoking? I Corinthians 6:9-10
-and I'm a fucking retard.
clap clap clap
Hiii Carly !!!
Yeah, I hit rock bottom the day I woke up and decided to tear our PC's in half and sell them for 3x the old price.
they want whats best for their pocketbook, rightly so. As soon as we as customers convince them,which IS best, I am sure they will blow with the financial wind. The real problem is 'consumer' apathy, as long as a company can make a good profit shoveling shit down consumers'
throats why should they try any harder ? When we make a the fall-out of a poor decision regarding customer rights a large financial hit things will shape up.
errr....umm...*whooosh* *whoosh* Is this thing on ?
Microsoft has a monopoly they are one of the most genuinely customer driven companies in America. They really do give people what they want. Right now people want easy digital media but the RIAA and MPAA won't give it to them for fear of piracy. Offering two OSes one with heavy anti piracy features and one without gives Microsoft a risk free way of seeing whether the RIAA and MPAA want to step up to the plate and offer enough reasonably priced media to get people to trade away their freedom.
Really the success of this platform is up to the content providers. If they make movies available for $2 and CDs available for a $1 people who like entertainment may very well buy. If they charge $29.99 for movies and $15 for CDs then it dies.
"Digital Restrictions Management" sounds fair (i.e. if you're not breaking the law, you have nothing to fear (yah right!)) even though they aren't.
A better ancronym for DRM is "Digital Rights Mutilation" since it mulilates your fair use rights, your first sale rights, and the right to make your own content without having someone else license it to you.
IBM tcpa , aka palidrome strategy worked. Millions and millions of stupid consumers bought them and still do not even know it. Here are their laptops, and desktops that are crippled. Notice they use the word secure and trustworthy in describing these. Now how many of the ignorant average computer users have had virus's? Wouldn't tcpa/drm appeal to them with words like secure? Scary as hell.
I remember reading a comment here about consumers will not buy this or will not put up with it. Well, it turns they already are without even knowing it.
http://saveie6.com/
What business flunky thought of this idea?
This is a product that early adopters and technically savvy people would buy, and it should be marketed as such.
By imposing all these restrictions on this device HPQ (ticker symbol for HP and Compaq post-merger) loses the "early adopter-enthusiast" crowd.
This product is doomed, and is a sign of things to come from HPQ.
Make yourself some money and short the stock.
-ted
These computers are going to be crippled with uber-restrictive copy control stuff, will be moderately expensive, and probably won't perform as well as a standard PC to boot.
Could it be that HP and MS are dooming it to fail, in order to weaken the platform of the MPAA/RIAA/Content Control zealots?
No, this will only be a dud until someone cracks the copy protection and makes it available on the internet. There will probably even be mod-chips. While illegal here in the US, I imagine that there are plenty of people outside "the land of the free," (hrmph!) that would be able to buy them. After the crack, I predict that these will take off faster than TiVo. I'd buy one if the interface was right. I hate the DVR software I am using now. Because of my ancient TV tuner (All-In-Wonder PRO), I am stuck with ATI Multimedia Center.
what side is buttered...
"Jodie Cadiuex, marketing manager of Windows Media Center, defends Microsoft's decision to copy protect TV programs recorded to the PC's hard drive.
"Microsoft is in a leadership position here where we've got an opportunity to help Hollywood feel comfortable with digital distribution and to help them develop (digital rights management) solutions so consumers can have content everywhere," she said. "We have two relationships we have to balance here: the consumer who wants the content and Hollywood so they feel comfortable with that process and don't clamp down and make that impossible."
How many systems does hollywood buy and how much of your bottom line do they supply ?? Make hollywood happy and Fark the consumers and see how many boxes sell... Fark hollywood and make the consumer happy and hollywood WILL STILL produce movies for whatever system is out there, they have no choice..either that or close shop ?!?
It is so obvious that they are depending on the government forcing the use of the DRM that they are willing to bet AGAINST their own customer base...Last time I saw somthing like this was IBM and MicroChannel Bus, they had such great success there I can see why M$ would be anxious to copy them...
errr....umm...*whooosh* *whoosh* Is this thing on ?
I use my computer to:
Read Slashdot and Hotmail
Look at pr0n and other cool web sites
Play computer games
Listen to MP3s that I download from Kazaa.
Occasionally some "computing" happens there but my broadband-connected computer is basically a TV replacement device.
Now, I would never buy a mass-market PC like HP or Dell for home use (though I recommend Dell to non-geeks looking for a system) but I can totally see how some fool might buy one of these things, based on the media blitz we'll see around XMas.
In the inevitable lawsuits, HP will be left holding the bag while Microsoft laughs all the way to the bank. It amazes me that there are still companies gullible enough to partner with Microsoft on hardware. (Like have you seen Nvidia's stock lately?)
I know you are right, and the link between them and Microsoft just occurred to me... maybe I'm just slow.
MS: buy the OS, install it on ONE computer, and you can never install it on another computer.
RIAA: buy the music, and play it on ONE player, and you can never play it on any other player. If you buy a new player, you need to buy new music.
That's what they'd both like, and sadly it seems they'll buy enough politicians to make it law, if not reality.
Stupid sexy Flanders.
Yeah. Of course, this is the industry having (and giving it to you) both ways. When a kid microwaves my stellar CD, own the physical item, and if I want a new one I have to buy it. If I want to duplicate the physical item and let my wife play an MP3 in the car while I listen to the CD at home, I suddenly only own the license to use it in one place.
Even Microsoft are better than that - if I toast my Office CDs, they'll replace them for the cost of mailing a new CD out to me - because I've licensed the software.
You know what's sad. There's nothing you can do about it. There are to many people that are ignorant to the Microsoft deal. So when microsoft puts something new out, it just sells. And stuff like this is assumed to be the standard and just the way it will be. I for one, want nothing else to do with them or their business pratices. Grant it, every company will do what they can get away with. But microsoft can get away with anything, so you're just screwed.
No, they want money. More money than they deserve. More money that is appropriate. And more money than we will pay. They are used to robbing you blind, but that day is over. And there really is nothing they can do about it.
I'm wondering, though, if these products fail: Maybe, just maybe, that will be the wake-up call to both the general "consumer" and the tech biz that following RIAA and MPAA ain't such a good idea. Could it be that a spectacular failure will give *AA such a black eye that no one will pay any attention to them? Anyway, we can hope!
This makes it sound very much like the primary motivation for creating this system is to make friends with the RIAA & MPAA. I think customer satisfaction is secondary to them.
I think you're wrong. There's already a power struggle going on for digital rights management, and, if the RIAA can't have their way through legislation or hardware compliance, do you honestly think they won't simply push the crippled-disc idea even further? There will come a day, probably very soon, where watermarked and encrypted (DVD-A) discs are the rule, not the exception.
Microsoft looks to be Covering Your Ass here, and appears to be merely paying lip service to the record industry. Why on earth would they deliberately alienate the consumer?
- A.P.
"Remember when the U.S. had a drug problem, and then we declared a War On Drugs, and now you can't buy drugs anymore?"
And, of course, Hauppauge, nVidia and ATi have products too but their software is pretty lacking..." Yeah maybe back in like 1990. ATI has had fuckin awesome software for its All In Wonder and TV Cards. It's supported the Gemstar Guide + before there even was a Tivo or ReplayTV.
Hot grits. This is Slashdot. Rational dialogue does not compute. All your base.
Seems to me all you need is one manufacturer to refuse to build in the DRM and the Free Market should take care of the rest. Who would buy a crippled PC?
I might lay down and let them take my freedoms but I am sure as hell not going to pay them while they do it. I'll be a little more blunt, since on the off chance the person responsible for this reads this, they are obviously very very dense. There is no way in hell I will pay for a computer that was designed not to work. If they gave it to me, I might accept it for parts.
The problem with this approach (at least as far as Hollywood is concerned) is that both the hardware and the software companies have vested interests in making Hollywood's content available on their platforms. Witness the DVD player phenomenon. Despite Hollywood's protests there isn't a single DVD manufacturer (well maybe Sony) that doesn't have methods that allow for disabling region encoding and the other Hollywood induced crap. In fact, Apex has actually gained a following and an impressive marketshare by making this sort of thing easy to do. Apple also makes a living making ripping CDs easy to do. They even have devoted whole advertising campaigns to this concept.
Microsoft is a somewhat different case. Microsoft has a big enough user base that they are trying to push Hollywood into using their proprietary formats. Their idea is to get Hollywood to use Microsoft formats exclusively, and they promise to protect Hollywood's content if they do. This way you will have to use Windows to view Hollywood content. This isn't likely to work either, however, because there are simply too many legacy devices to switch formats, and (as you said yourself) digital medium is the great equalizer.
Even Microsoft are better than that - if I toast my Office CDs, they'll replace them for the cost of mailing a new CD out to me - because I've licensed the software.
What shipping method do they use? They wanted me to pay $30 for a replacement VC++ 6.0 CD.
I pledge allegiance to the flag...
of the Corporate States of America...
MSX... MSX... MSX!
$5 / month hosted VPS on linux = awesome!
These guys are marketing geniuses :)
This space left intentionally blank.
"Instead of a car, we will sell you an airplane. Isn't that great? BTW, you can only fly where we want you to."
Table-ized A.I.
I've seen NZ$5 in the past. Perhaps they're sending you a whole box by courier...
And $30 is still much, much cheaper than, "buy it again", which is what the RIAA would tell you.
But the RIAA can't do that. After all, it'd have to give at-cost CDs to everyone who dumped their vinyl, instead of minting it.
I wouldn't pay even $500 for a piece of crap like this, much less $1500.
If I felt like it, I could build a lot better, for a lot less...
What crack smoking weasel came up with this brilliant idea?
Technically inferior, restrictive operations, and more expensive than a generic equivalent. There's only one word that comes to mind: DIVX. Yeah, the one that cost Circuit City millions, not the video codec.
Serves 'em right to lose their ass, and they will.
you loosers. Don't you see it makes life easier for "normal" people? I am getting one because it's far to elite to pass off. Who doesn't want instant access to entertainment and streaming audio and video in their living room. Plus these units add to the decor. Sure you can spend 1 year hacking linux to do the same thing but I'd much rather spend the measely $1,500 than waste my life trying to copy cat what real programmers can do. Get a job you hippies!
For now, it's to be Linux for internet access (so her Mac data isn't threatened by internet viruses), and the Mac for everything else.
Good lord... she has to REBOOT to check her e-mail?
You better hope she never finds out how much of an unnecessary PITA you're making her life...
I have a strong feeling that there's a reason that Compaq-controlled Compaq/HP is doing this under the HP label...
In SOVIET RUSSIA... erm...NSA AMERICA, the Internet logs onto YOU!
As a private reseller, I've already built several "home-media computers" for clients. They cost well below $1500 to build a very good one, and have full TiVo-esque functionality, no copy protection, plus you can use it as a full fledged computer too. With a quick Visual-Basic frontend children can use it without a hassle, and channels can be password protected. I've been building machines like this for awhile now and barely make any profit on it. If this becomes Microsoft's new multi-million dollar product I am going to cry.
Considering the $1500-2000 price, it'll still be a dud even with the DRM cracked. They're marketing this as a high-end system with value-added features. Sure, anybody can build a DVR box for half the price with an ATI or Hauppauge tuner, but a GUI that works on a high res computer monitor pretty much sucks for a settop box. The big feature with XP Media Center edition is the dual mode GUI. One for regular PC use, and a simpler GUI for DVR/settop box use. There's a freeware project called Media Box that does pretty much the same thing. The other big question mark is the program guide. Tivo is $10/mo. ReplayTV is about the same or $200 for a lifetime subscription. Nothing in the article about whether there's a free program guide.
Microsoft Microwave has caused an exception 4675636B4D53 in module DOOR_OPEN_DETECT.DLL
Please leave the room now and turn off the power to the unit from your dwelling's main circuit breaker.
American's expectations for reliable, functional, secure systems have been destroyed by Microsoft. I can't wait until they revamp the air traffic control system.
The Russians have won. They have made the world a cesspool of distrust, greed, fear and hate.
Not to mention that this crippled box is priced out of range of the supposed target market -- do YOU know any kids about to go off to college who can afford an extra $800 over the price of an equivalent standard PC, just to get a more compact digital entertainment center into the bargain??
Which means the very people whose "sharing" they're trying to curb are the ones who WON'T be buying it. What's wrong with this picture??
~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
OK, /. conspiracy theorests: how does HP play into this? They're the folks actually pushing silicon and plastic on this one - they stand to lose *big time* if this flops.
I think you should direct your concern to HP: why are they shipping such a device? If MS doesn't provide the correct s/w platform, HP could go Sony's route and do the "right thing."
Okay, that's another $250. So what do I get for the OTHER $500??
:)
Geez, you mean DRM costs $500? Forget it!
~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
Nah.. didn't you notice the price tag on those machines? Clearly, it really stands for Digital Restrictions Marketing!!
~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
i hope this load of horseshit never makes them a stinkin dollar...
burn mother burn...
I agree with you completely. Unfortunate about the flamebait mod.
Think nothing is impossible? Try slamming a revolving door.
I just saw C++ .NET at Best Buy for like $79...they aren't giving me much of a deal...i just am not paying for the ugly box that microsoft charges me for :)
"Full sources for linux currently runs to about 200kB compressed" --Linus Torvalds 31-Jan-1992
Considering that, and considering that the vcr and tape recorders never killed the entertainment industry, I can only conclude that the *AA is actually attacking something entirely different than piracy.
I conclude, that because of the falling cost of the necessary tools to make movies/music of just as high audio/visual quality of the companies that the *AA represent, I think their ultimate goal is to artifically shut out these soon to be emerging competitors. I believe that is the true reason the *AA wants to gain more and more control over your computer.
Right now the *AA is recruiting our political representitives and Microsoft to help them. To politicians they give money under the table, passes to private celebrity parties, etc. To Microsoft they are offering legal solidification of their Monopoly.
Sticking feathers up your butt does not make you a chicken - Tyler Durden
Can't think of a better pair who are better
at crippling products, intentionally and
unintentionally.
We need to hit HP/Compaq in the pocketbook! It these stripped boxes are not purchased then supply and demand would remedy this problem.
A company that makes devices for diabetics, and the data-management software to help them communicate that data with the Health Care Professionals has already trade-marked the name, and has been using it for many years.
The comment about naming it FreeStyle is just plain bogus, do your research first:
www.therasense.com
www.icd2.com
Of course, this might be taken as a sign that Microsoft is moving into the health-care field, and making non-gaming devices. But that would be plain stupid.
Hey, it was *her* idea.
I suspect that it isn't necessary, but I don't know the current Mac OS, and I didn't suggest it. (And she already *knows* I'm pushing Linux at her at every opportunity. And the first internet connection that I set up was on the Mac side.)
So I'm probably safe.
I think we've pushed this "anyone can grow up to be president" thing too far.
Media Center PCs?
is it just me or dosnt the whole "anti-copying mechanisms built-in to them -- ie can't burn recorded TV shows to DVD, or even copy and play them back on other PCs" thing really take media bit right out of the title?
Don't need a new word, we already have "gag".
Maybe HP will call this the DNR2002 ... I would surely pull-the-plug on this terminally bad idea.
I'd even encourage not releasing any potential hacks that enable sharing between units -- let this spawn of Microsoft die before December 25th
You can get this at walmart for $200 http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?product _id=1957333&cat=96356&type=19&dept=0&path= 0
All employees must wash hands before using the bathroom. - The Mgmt.
Why would anyone waste their money on a watered down Pee Cee, when they can get a smoking iMac that will rip DVD's and handle all your digital needs with free software like iTunes, iPhoto, iDVD, etc...
That was a combined quote from Twelve Monkeys and Fight Club. They fit together nicely because Fight Club was referencing Twelve Monkeys.
Anyway, the quotes are more of statement on our consumer society as a whole. And I personally find them to be quite accurate. If you find them offsensive, perhaps that is because they hit a little too close to home.
I bet if you think hard for a second, you can think of some consumer good that you'd like to buy. Now ask yourself why you want it. Not just the petty reasons but the deeper reasons. The ones you push to the back of your mind and never talk about. Before you buy your next screwdriver with miniature built-in radar devices, remind yourself that the things you own end up owning you.
But in all fairness, who started all this mess, and who keeps raising the ante? Here's a clue: almost every story on Slashdot that has anything to do with the RIAA/MPAA and ways they might seek to protect their property, there's a flurry of responses that have this shortsighted "hah, we'll show them," attitude. This whole scenario is precisely the reason I've always advocated that the most effective solution is to CUT OFF THE MUSIC. Don't buy it. Stealing it does nothing to further the cause.
while i agree that the people who will buy these will be the people that want to play this copyrighted mainstream audio, even the MPAA and RIAA can't be stupid enough to believe that there is an absolutely assured way of copyrighting? as soon as something is copyprotected, it is cracked, no matter what. a perfect example of this in the analog arena is when the recording industry was so worried about how cassettes were going to ruin the industry because everyone could start making illegal copies. so they put that little freakin' hole in them that makes it "impossible" to copy onto tapes you buy. how long was it before people figured out that you could put a piece of tape over that hole and then record just fine? copy protection doesn't work, plain and simple. so as soon as they do start having all of these watermarked dvd's and stuff, we will have software/hardware that can crack it. again, plane and simple.
in response to myself, maybe the MPAA and the RIAA really are that stupid. (by the way, i am the promotional manager for a small college webcast station http://www.plu.edu/k103 and the RIAA has already managed to f#ck us with the whole per song copyright surcharge thing... i just wanted to gripe about that).
Stupidity should be as painful as Windows.
"Damn the man, save the Empire!"
-- "We're only gonna die from our own arrogance, that's why we might as well take our time..." -Bad Religion
Bust Buy er Best Buy may very well not have commission sales but they do have a vested interest in not allowing your fair use rights.
They are the ones in fact which are also owned by a CD crippling maker.
Get your Unix fortune now!
Ph33r m3!!!
Doesn't work.
1. Napster started
2. RIAA complained about losing sales due to copying. "And in other news, CD sales are way up from last year"
3. RIAA sued Napster
4. Boycot. Stop buying CD's.
5. RIAA: "See, we were right, nobody is buying CD's anymore, because copying is so easy".
6. New copy protection, new laws,...
No, not buying CD's did NOT work. buying lots of CD's did not work either.
Same goes for legislation: The US Congress has no power of Great Britian or South Korea, and the combined non-US-market is still larger than the US. The Asian chipmakers will just start a special (and therefore more expensive) product line for the US, and keep turning out their normal stuff for everybody else. If Peru and Venezuela and - to a lesser extent - Germany are actively switching away from Linux to get out of the grip of an American software monopoly, what makes anybody think that they will suddenly rush out and buy American controled hardware?
Anyway, I've just about had it with HP. I'm just glad I bought my RPN calculator back in the days when it was a real tech company with real tech products and put hard-core quality before shareholder value...
How many of us (and by "us" I mean the technically-literate) have a strong influence on the buying decisions of friends and family? I know that I get asked to help many, many of my non-technical acquaintances decide what nature of PC or other home technology device to buy.
Given that most of us would be fairly dismissive of these devices, it follows that our influence in the market for them is pretty strong. Bear that in mind next time you feel we're in a minority...
This comment was prompted in part by overhearing a conversation in PC World when I was buying a new laptop yesterday. A non-techie was looking at laptops and commented "this one doesn't have Intel Inside... isn't that bad?". Her techie friend explained the pros and cons of AMD and Intel to her so that she could make a decision. Her purchase. His influence.
Anna B
I could have sworn I had a computer like this, only without the DRM crap. The first (and last) pre-built computer I ever bought was an NEC Ready 9619 (or some-odd number). Granted it was built of sub-standard integrated sound/video and a POS modem, it was stereo and had a IR remote control to use it's CD-Rom in the manner of a home stereo CD player, and was marketted as a Multimedia PC. I know things have advanced a bit (5.1 sound, DivX, DVD...etc), but I would much rather slap an IR sensor into my present system, by some good speakers, and forget about the DRM crap than even giving an instance of thought to buying crap like their trying to push. I think I'm gonna hafta tell my father to prepare to sell short on his Compaq stock and show him this article before he loses anymore of his hard earned money (had most of his portfolio in MCI as a past employee). Unfortunately, due to the ignorance of society (success of iMac for example) and greediness of corporate America, unless some drastic actions start happenning, we may all be doomed. I think we nerds,techies, and people-with-IQ-above-double-digits need to start doing more to inform the ignorant public.
DMCA? Palladium? Next you'll be telling me I can't use my digital camera to take pictures of my kid to email to family
OK here goes...
Ithankyou.
Ali
Ph33r m3!!!
I have not yet seen any evidence supporting the oft seen mantra Microsoft/Enron/Worldcom alone is sitting on enough cash that they could do XYZ. Sony, Disney and the rest of the RIAA/MPAA crowd do have a strong vested interest in DRM and could make money off it in the short term. Microsoft risks further alienating their shrinking user base with further decreases in functionality and interoperability, but must desperately need the cash flow to try betting on DRM:
First off, 1998's book keeping produced a discrepancy of about $20 billion:
Secondly, the world economy is and has been sluggish and the U.S. economy is in a recession, it's probably safe to say that the $18 billion loss from 1998 wasn't recovered in 1999. If the same accounting practices continued up till the Enron publicity, then it's safe to say that a similar adjustment (say $10-25 billion loss per year) can be applied for the years since 1998. Doesn't this co-incide with Bill's sudden interest in not being CEO?
Next, sales of MS-Windows, MS-Office, and Xbox have all been underwhelming recently. Likewise, MS-Outlook, MS-Exchange, MS-Passport, MS-IIS have all been rated three thumbs down in this age of increasing network security. It's hard to see which products are bringing in money for the company or which of their products even have a future. Linux is in the server room and catching up on the desktop. Macintosh OS X just did a complete end-run around NT,Win2000.
Lastly, Microsoft is a company that has grown through acquisition of products and smaller companies rather than innovation. Most MS 'innovations' or their key components have been acquired from outside by deals (Access, Frontpage, Explorer, DOS, disk compression) or via BSD-like licenses. Innovation leads to long term viability, see 3M for example. Acquisition-only leads to a typical dot-bomb stock comet, see Framfab for example.
Combine the first three above and odds are that this puts Microsoft into the red for 4 years running. At best, there are occasional visits to the break even point, but these visits wouldn't do more than barely dent the accumulated debt. The last point says stick a fork in it, it's done.
So while Microsoft may have an interest in DRM, I don't believe they have the cash to pull it off single handedly. That looks like pure myth. More likely, looks like they'll need MPAA/RIAA to help get all the friends that money can buy to avoid liquidation.
Beta is broken and the link to classic doesn't work. Stop wasting our time or there won't be anybody left here.
How is the MS management serving the best interests of their shareholders with this action?
Provided you can't pirate the OS MS has nothing to gain by impeding the copying/access to content, however a new "No mon, no fun" OS will not sell.
${YEAR+1} is going to be the year of Linux on the desktop!
Well, if you dropped your copy of 'Stranger in a Strange Land' down a storm drain, you'd expect to go out and buy a new one, wouldn't you? Or do you routinely (and illegally) photocopy all your books, too? Sorry, I don't agree with this argument. Steve.
Nature always obeys her own laws - Leonardo da Vinci
Is the crap on tv that important to you people that you must record every second of it and save it for posterity? I'm sure that your life will go on if you miss an episode of Friends.
I mean, I like the show too, quite a bit actually, but if I miss an episode, I'm not going to spend much time worrying about being lost in the storyline. And if Coke decides to spend a little money to have one of their cans in the show rather than a Pepsi can, I'm not going to off myself in the name of anti-corporatism. Perhaps we could all focus our efforts and concern on something that matters a little more in the long run.
Ignore this issue and it will die the death it deserves. DRM on your PC won't happen anytime soon. If you want proof, look at Circuit City's failed DiVX format. The market sets the price, and the market has already said that it won't pay for something again that it already owns.
See most people just want to browse the internet and get some mail, maybe talk in the chat rooms and do some IM. These want to spend very little time understanding the innards of their computer and their OS's innards.
And it's these very same people that provide a big huge petri dish for viruses and trojan horses, due to to their lack of understanding (or lack of wanting to understand).
"I'm a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar."
-Hoban Washburn
Same way they sold x-box.
Two words:
Exclusive Content.
These are my friends, See how they glisten. See this one shine, how he smiles in the light.
music drm -> copyright licenses -> pricing for replacement copies -> pricing for visual c++
I just saw C++ .NET at Best Buy for like $79
The $79 per seat price applies only to the toy compiler that might as well be an interpreter, not to the C++ optimizing compiler. The optimizing compiler is available only as part of Visual Studio .NET ($1,079).
Will I retire or break 10K?
I wrote:
> The best thing that could happen with these
> crippled PCs would be product placement on the
> next Godzilla movie.
I'm sorry, what I meant to say was:
The best thing that could happen with these crippled PCs would be product placement *for Godzilla's enemies* on the next Godzilla movie.
Simple product placement on a G movie won't get your company destroyed. You have to make him mad.
Godzilla to Microsoft:
"If you can't take the heat, RUN!"
From the Godzilla 2000 trailer Tristar tried so hard to hide.
Or at least, interestingly. I'm really not that hardcore of a geek -- I'm just about to learn how to install / config multiple HDDs (under Windows, no less) this coming weekend, and I haven't worked with a real command-line language since DOS 6.22 -- so I'm a bit anxious about jumping into Linux. But I'd at least like to find out what all the hubbub is about, especially since it seems like Linux is finally approaching its critical mass.........
:)
A good friend of mine who gave it a shot (and is very similar to me, in terms of technical background and disposition) says it's still not that much fun to use, and that a lot of the tools out there aren't as friendly as Windows. But at the very least, I would like to explore Linux as a media / file storage platform -- the whole Windows Media Player debacle has really pissed me off in the past few months, and I have no intention of letting a damn COMPANY tell me what I can or can't do with my files (be they warezed, ripped or 100% legit).
So we'll see where this takes me......... should be interesting, to say the least.