I don't know if I believe this. Yes, flashier acts that involve twenty dancers might lose money becaue they have to pay each dancer, but smaller acts (smaller at the time at least) like matchbox20 where it's just the band and roadies can't lose money on it. I worked on the concerts commission at school for 3 years ('95 - '98) and we paid each band around $35,000 for a performance. You can't tell me it costs $35,000 a day to perform. Electricity and Food are paid for by the venue (at least they were by us) so the only money sink is transportation, roadie and band member salary. You're telling me that given even if mb20 had 5 members and 30 roadies (they didn't) that they barely break even by making $1000 a day, and that's at a rinky-dink state college? I don't believe it.
You say that dl'ing an mp3 of an album you have is not stealing but legally you're wrong. Making a tape of music you bought is legal as would be ripping an mp3 off of a CD you own. Distributing them, whether uploading or downloading them is purely, 100%, unless the artist/company specifies otherwise, ILLEGAL. (period) I asked my lawyer-to-be-roommate ( in his last semester at BC Law) about all this and he said distributing mp3's, tapes, anything that you didn't pay for and don't have an artist's consent to give away is illegal. Does that stop me? No. Artists get fat off of my $15 per CD since forever so dl'ing an mp3 here an there doesn't weigh on my conscience. However I also know it is in the eyes of the law, wrong.
The initial release of the DC browser was pretty limited in what it could do. Quicktimes, flash, etc all could not be downloaded. I believe they are releasing another version that has enhanced functionality.
As for PS2 having an _analog_ modem, I would be very surprised. Higher ups at Sony have repeatedly stated that they won't drive up the cost of the PS2 to add a dinky 56k modem when the future is broadband. Now if they came out with an ethernet addition as a peripheral at launch, _that_ I could see.
As for a HD, not too sure. PS2 has to create a foothold in the market that Sega is already doing well in and they _have_ to do it before the X-box comes out, regardless of how microsoft's machine will eventually do. Except for hardcore gamers (like moi) people will probably buy only one console. Sony has to make theirs the most attractive. The dreamcast should have its zip disk, cable modem and camera by then, Sony will need competing hardware. They will most likely not include it in the base package to keep the cost of the system down but might offer it at launch for those that want them. My $.42
I actually enjoy buying some PC mags. Maximum PC was a great help when I was trying to figure out the difference between mobos and how everything was connected on them. And I didn't have to search all over the web for it. Secondly, if I'm mucking around with my Linux system's TCP/IP config, I can't jump on the web to check out an article that's buried God knows where. Having a LINUX mag in my lap is comforting. I think a good number of PC mags are newbie oriented and for a newbie like me to so many things, it really helps. And I just don't buy the ones I think are biased (pronounced 'most stuff by ZD').
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I don't know if I believe this. Yes, flashier acts that involve twenty dancers might lose money becaue they have to pay each dancer, but smaller acts (smaller at the time at least) like matchbox20 where it's just the band and roadies can't lose money on it. I worked on the concerts commission at school for 3 years ('95 - '98) and we paid each band around $35,000 for a performance. You can't tell me it costs $35,000 a day to perform. Electricity and Food are paid for by the venue (at least they were by us) so the only money sink is transportation, roadie and band member salary. You're telling me that given even if mb20 had 5 members and 30 roadies (they didn't) that they barely break even by making $1000 a day, and that's at a rinky-dink state college? I don't believe it.
You say that dl'ing an mp3 of an album you have is not stealing but legally you're wrong. Making a tape of music you bought is legal as would be ripping an mp3 off of a CD you own. Distributing them, whether uploading or downloading them is purely, 100%, unless the artist/company specifies otherwise, ILLEGAL. (period) I asked my lawyer-to-be-roommate ( in his last semester at BC Law) about all this and he said distributing mp3's, tapes, anything that you didn't pay for and don't have an artist's consent to give away is illegal. Does that stop me? No. Artists get fat off of my $15 per CD since forever so dl'ing an mp3 here an there doesn't weigh on my conscience. However I also know it is in the eyes of the law, wrong.
As for PS2 having an _analog_ modem, I would be very surprised. Higher ups at Sony have repeatedly stated that they won't drive up the cost of the PS2 to add a dinky 56k modem when the future is broadband. Now if they came out with an ethernet addition as a peripheral at launch, _that_ I could see.
As for a HD, not too sure. PS2 has to create a foothold in the market that Sega is already doing well in and they _have_ to do it before the X-box comes out, regardless of how microsoft's machine will eventually do. Except for hardcore gamers (like moi) people will probably buy only one console. Sony has to make theirs the most attractive. The dreamcast should have its zip disk, cable modem and camera by then, Sony will need competing hardware. They will most likely not include it in the base package to keep the cost of the system down but might offer it at launch for those that want them. My $.42
I actually enjoy buying some PC mags. Maximum PC was a great help when I was trying to figure out the difference between mobos and how everything was connected on them. And I didn't have to search all over the web for it. Secondly, if I'm mucking around with my Linux system's TCP/IP config, I can't jump on the web to check out an article that's buried God knows where. Having a LINUX mag in my lap is comforting. I think a good number of PC mags are newbie oriented and for a newbie like me to so many things, it really helps. And I just don't buy the ones I think are biased (pronounced 'most stuff by ZD').