This has nothing to do with your rights or your picture.
This has everything to do with Nikon's encryption scheme. If Adobe cracks that, it doesn't matter why they do it (whether its to get your approved access to your pictures or not).
Imagine this. You have a house, and it's locked with a special key. You go to get into your house.
Whoops - you lost the key.
Under the DCMA, you are allowed to figure out how to crack the lock to your house.
Under the DCMA, if you hire a lock pick to break the lock for you, the lock company can sue the locksmith for violating their copyrighted locking technology. Whether they were letting you into your house or not!
It's a weak analogy, but I think it gets the point across. It's not *your* copyrighted material this whole Nikon business is dealing with, it's Nikon's encryption algorithm.
The picture is not a creative work of Nikon - but the encryption algorithm Nikon uses is. If Adobe breaks that without permission to get to the contents inside, then Nikon could (in theory - whether they would is another matter) sue them for DCMA infringement. DCMA doesn't care why you're breaking the algorithm and publishing results/tools that let you do it - only that you did it.
That's the dispute. Not the content of the picture itself, but being able to get to the content by breaking the algorithm.
The latter part of your statement is correct - they are punishing Nikon for making their jobs harder. By not supporting their product. Nikon might turn around and say "FIne - pay us $10 for every copy of Photoshop and we'll let you use it." That's within Nikon's right.
It's also Adobe's right to tell Nikon to go to Hell, and see who loses money faster. (My money's on Nikon backing down or offering Adobe the algorithm for free and without restrictions.)
Either way, hopefully both sides have learned a lesson about how bad the DCMA is, which was the purpose of my (and the great-grandparent) post.
I believe the parent poster was using a bit of sarcasm.
When Adobe used the DCMA to go after Russian programmers (a move they rescinded and let the FBI do for them), the DCMA was a great and wonderful thing.
Now, Adobe's learning what a poison pill the DCMA really is. Will this cut short their support for such a law, or next time make them fight such onerous challenges to reasonable copyright as set out by the founders of the United States?
Anyway, that's what I think the poster was talking about.
As for the last part, Nikon could sue Adobe under the DCMA, which states that you can crack encryption for personal use - but you can't tell anyone else how to do it. If Adobe releases a tool that cracks Nikon's encryption algorithm, then Nikon could go after them for some imagined damages.
The best thing is for Nikon to realize their heads are up their asses, remove this stupid encryption algorithm, and for both sides to state publicly that the DCMA is a bad, bad, bad law and they will never give money to any politician who supports it.
Yeah. And monkeys might fly out of my butt, too.
History: Failure to learn, doomed to repeat
on
Dell Still Intel Only
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· Score: 4, Interesting
Didn't something like this happen with IBM?
The i386 chip came out, it was faster, but IBM decided not to move right away - after all, who needed all of that extra speed? The i286 was fine!
If memory serves me right, I believe that Compaq came out within seconds telling anyone who would listen that they had i386 processors now - and made it their policy to always support the latest and fastest chips.
I wonder if this will hurt Dell at all. Odds are, with the enterprise vendors, not too much - but all it takes is a little mistake to give your competitors a chance to catch up. And as slim as margins on PCs are, I'm not Dell can afford to slip up in a situation like this.
OK - so I can deal with the timing not being coindidental. (Yeah. Right.)
But this part made me go whaaaa?:
The icon for a Word document, for example, is a tiny iteration of the first page of the file. Folders, too, show glimpses of what's inside. Such images can be rather small, but they offer a visual cue that aids in the searching process, Allchin said.
Oh, no, thank you very much. First, I don't want those system resources wasted trying to figure out what the icon should look like every time I update or save the file, let along when I move stuff into and out of the folder. Individual icons for items? Sure! But why are we wasting all the extra time that could be used making the OS faster.
And I loved this part:
Allchin said that Longhorn also goes further than Tiger when it comes to what one can do with search results, saying it offers new ways to organize and view the information. While the look of the OS hasn't been finalized, the translucent windows and other graphics tricks are expected to find their way into the finished software.
Oh, for joy. It's not enough just to find what I want, but I need to sort it by things like "date" and "creator" and "file type". Oh, wait - Spotlight will do that too!
The whole presentation sounds a lot like "Hm - another product is coming out now, we need to have a good reason for people to delay. Institute standard plan #2: Convince people that our stuff will be better 'When it's done', so don't buy that other stuff now!"
The question is, with Longhorn at least a year out, will it work any better this time?
Interesting review - a little odd at points where he points out what Tiger does and seems to insert "Well, they took this from Windows" kind of comments (or perhaps this is a misperception I'm picking up), but this one line about Spotlight caught me:
Not coincidentally, Microsoft is working on similar, if further-reaching, technology for Longhorn. Apple's solution, however, is here right now and it appears to work quite well.
I don't mean to sound obtuse, but from what I've read of Spotlight and Microsoft's efforts in file indexing, the goals and results are the same: every file indexed so you can do instant searches (much like what BeOS could do, only a bit faster I believe).
So how is Microsoft's service "father reaching"? Is he including possible network indexing so you can find every file on the network as well (perhaps something for Windows Longhorn Server) - and is this ability to be used in OS X Tiger Server?
I just found it an odd statement, and perhaps someone could clarify. Otherwise, interesting read - Tiger is looking like a good upgrade. $129 worth? Undecided yet, but interesting.
Already, they've put themselves into the name game for the mainstream media right before E3. It won't be "blah, blah, blah, Xbox and PS3 unvieled today", it will be three straight days of "blah, blah, blah, Xbox" - then when E3 hits, "And now lets' compare the PS3 to the Xbox".
While I have my issues with the Xbox losing a ton o' money for Microsoft and not having a big enough library for my tastes (let me state: my personal tastes, so please so replies about the 10 Xbox games that are the "bestest evah!", thank you), at least they're working harder on the marketing for the Xbox 2 - more Japanese developers are announcing products, better viral marketing.
Now that the Sony and Xbox lines will be compatible in power and graphics, it will come down to the games and other features (like Blue Ray and such). Eh - I'm patient. I probably won't buy either system for at least a year after they come out.
When it came down to the choice between getting a DS or a PSP now, the choice became the PSP. Granted, I'll get a DS later for other games that I'm interested in and the rumored Palm Pilot module - but it was the usefulness of the PSP *now* that interested me.
I've been using it to watch movies on planes and trains, which is more convienient than even watching it on my 12" powerbook. But I can see where more can be done.
With 512 MB RAM, there's plenty of space for both my saved games, little videos (2 hours of video is about 300 MB or so), and other apps. Where's a *real* web browser that could be hacked from Mozilla, or a mail reader program so I can check up on the go?
Evidently, you can have "games" that run off the memory stick directly (or so it tells me when I'm in the Game menu section an it looks at either the disk or the memory stick), so why not just make those applications?
I know, I could get a blackberry for some specific tags, but if Sony *really* wants the PSP to take off, they should release some sort of light development kit (either free or say $50). Let developers see what a portible wi-fi system with a good screen can run. Could Skype run on it? Maybe, maybe not - but let developers give it a shot.
With a large developer market that's not constrained with having to worry about having a large development start up (like those for the official PSP games), the PSP could become a choice machine for all sorts of things, which would drive attachment sales and, via a sort of "halo" effect, to PSP games. It would be a win-win for everyone.
But - Sony probably won't do it. Fear evidently keeps the managers in line - fear of this station. In this case, it's this gigantic Death Star circling around called "loss of control". Of all the things Sony fears, it's that Loss of Control. After all, if *they* can't control which applications get made for the system, what if someone makes money on Sony's device without Sony getting a cut. What if someone comes out with an iTunes client that can play protected AAC files and potentially take away money from Sony's ATRAC based store? What if monkeys come flying out of the asses of developers that Sony can't make money on! The horror!
Sony *could* make the PSP the device of choice that way. Right now, I like the basic hacks that have come out for it, but if the DS gets that Palm Pilot add-on (with extensible memory via a MMC chip or something), then it might swing me to the dual screened little player, since there are a lot of Palm apps out there I could potentially run (like my eBook reader) and a video client could probably run on the DS pretty well. It wouldn't look as good as on my DS, but if it's "good enough" for my train to/from work needs, then it will be an easy buy.
Sony has a chance here to break out. But I'm going to bet they won't take it because of their own fear.
Of course, this is just my opinion. I could be wrong.
I've been playing with my own PSP for about a day now, and after spending another $80 for a 512 MB stick, I'm in the process of converting my unwatched episode of Battlestar Gallactica so I can watch it on the plane tomorrow. (Today Battlestar - tomorrow some anime;) ).
One thing that the iTunes Music Store (iTMS) did right is how they went to *all* of the major labels before launch and got them onboard. Sony's online music service, I believe, has at least Sony music. Their online movie system? Sony movies. Microsoft has MSN and - other stuff.
When I see a iTunes Movie Store (and it doesn't have to be from Apple, really - I don't give a crap) that offers a good line of major studios (Disney, Miramax, Fox) as well as some independants (there are some documentaries that would go great with this system), let me burn it to a DVD to watch on my television or convert to a format I like (such as the PSP MPEG-4 format - then again, if I can burn my own DVD at least I could rerip it for the PSP if I feel up to it:) ), then you'll have a winner.
So far, though, most of the iTMS-like movie stores are kind of half assed about it. I'm sure that Jobs is working in the backgrounds, but knowing the movie studios and all of the copyright/union issues to deal with (like how do you pay people for the online version of a movie compared to the DVD version per sale, and so on), I believe it will take at least another 4-5 years. Not for the technology, but for the law to catch up and studios to listen to thier pocketbooks and not their lawyers.
Of course, that's just my opinion. I could be wrong.
Which way will this saga play out? Will it turn out that Spammer Boy is a hydra, and that his demise, like killing of the head of a drug cartel, will spawn a series of replacements who, in true criminal fashion would start killing each other but because they're spammers they'll annoy each other comparing the size of the IMMENSE ORGASMS ORDER TODAY?
Or will he be more like an evil Obi Won, and if you strike him down he will become more powerful than you can ever image thanks to FREE HERBAL VIAGRA JUST $39.99 A PILL?
Or will he suffer the True Death as the sunlight strikes him just as the stake enters his heart while his body collaspes into a pile of dust while he screams out MY NAME IS UBENTO FROM NIGERIA AND DURING THE US INVASION OF IRAQ I WAS GIVEN A MILLION DOLLARS THAT YOU CAN HELP ME EXPORT WITH A LOAN OF ONE MILLION DOLLARS?
Or will this post suffer the lameness filter from Slashdot? Only time will tell.
This proprietary alternative energy solution is the first of many highly anticipated Photovoltaic Foil products expected from DayStar.
[sarcasm]Hah! As if I would ever use a proprietary product - I insist that all of my futuristic space planes use only Open Source designed components. Otherwise, we will replicate the HAL 9000 disaster of the past. If only HAL had been Open Source, we could have caught the bug that much sooner and patched him with the gnuThreeLaws API.[/sarcasm]
I do that, but remember that iTunes stores individual account information in the ~/Music/iTunes directory, so if one person makes a rating change, it won't be reflected. If I add music under my user account, my wife won't see those new songs unless she manually adds them into hers as well.
Was the iPhone and maybe the video iPod, though I think the flap idea is just bad.
For a movie iPod, take the current device, make the screen longer for 16x9. Now if you want to watch a movie, turn it on its side and use the wheel to move forward or back.
For the iPhone, let you side the top half sideways so you could hold the phone while revealing a keypad - great for finding/entering contact information, notes, text messaging, etc.
But I'm not sold that Apple will go this route. I think they see the iPod as a hub to the computer - insert music into computer, get music onto iPod. Insert movies onto computer, get DVD's or (in time) movies onto the iPod. Record messages to the iPod, and back to the computer.
So most - if not all - of what they do is still geared towards the computer. And I think most people in this generation can live with that.
Extend the idea further. Apple is using the iPod as a hub of its own - recording messages, storing contacts, etc. I can see a time when you buy a digital iCamera, and instead of accepting tapes it just uses an iPod for storage. Plug it into the digital camera or camcorder, take your pictures (with 4,000 picture storage space at incredibly high quality, or with 40 GB of storage space, that's what - around 40 hours of video at MPEG-4 for normal TV rates, different for HDTV? I'm just guessing, so I'm sure someone who knows more about video compression will know).
Cars, like GM, are making "iPod plugs" so you can charge up. Look at the third party iPod market - at least 3 manufacturers are creating car stereos to let you view and select playlists from your iPod.
Expect to see the iPod become more of a "hub" in this fashion - and, of course, still come back to the PC. Maybe it will get Bluetooth in the future so can "walk into the house, sync and go". But several of the ideas (such as the "Wireless iPod you hang around your neck") won't happen because doesn't use the computer as a hub - but as a streamer. Apple knows people want to sync and go.
One last thought - the one thing that I'd like to see in future versions of iTunes is a group/family system. I have music, my wife has music, my kids have music, all shared on a Mac Mini. I have a family user just for that reason, but I can see the first time my daughter does a User Switch to herself and doesn't unplug Daddy's iPod, then starts putting *her* music onto just her user - now duplicating storage.
I'd like to see a version of iTunes which takes this into account, and lets you say "I'm a member of an iTunes share - point me here". Granted, there is the DRM angle where you'll have to have a "family user" to play Audible/iTunes store purchased songs (fine by me, since I just either buy CD's or JHymn the music once I buy it online) instead of every person using their own - but an iTunes family system would be a great. Only 4 more years until my daughter turns 10, and I think the system should be in place by then when she *really* starts getting into her own music.
Odds are, now the grandparent plants are going to have to sue the grandchildren plants for having "stolen" their copyrighted and patented genetic code. As we've learned from Beatallica and Dangermouse, mixing older generations of information to recreate it anew is against the Laws of Copyright Nature.
Who gave these plants permission to make backups of their grandparents material? I mean - really!
OK - seriously, this is a fascinating idea, one that hopefully is indeed correct and can be explored. With this information, perhaps 20 years from now we can correct genetic abnormalities by having fetuses fix themselves. Kudos to the researchers for their hard work.
I don't see the PC leaving us either today, tomorrow or next year. People walk around with them (laptops) so they can work away from the office, or they have their own special programs on their machine.
I think what he misses the opportunity to talk about isn't if the PC is going away, but "does Windows matter"? The last company I was at switched 95% of the company to Open Office to save costs (a 400 person environment for huge saving for them). Many of the penetration testers and security analysts I work with now use Macs because they can get to all of the UNIX tools they need without having to reboot into Windows to work on Microsoft Office files. (I know, they could do that in Crossover, but the Macs are easier - and these are hard core OpenBSD/Linux guys).
So the question is, does Windows dead? No, not yet, and I think like IBM they will always be around. But others are nipping at the heals, between Firefox on one end, consoles (which is eating away a lot of the game market from the PC), Apple is rising again (back to 5% by the end of this year by some analysts) - so MS can't just use the monopoly as a battering ram to force Windows on everyone.
They kind of remind me of Napoleon's march in Russia. Lots of momentum, big army, took over everything - but over time, the things that Napoleon couldn't fight (the weather, like Free software compitition), or supply chains (consoles eating away at the game market), or just dumb luck (Apple's iPod success turning into a method to draw users to buy new Macs, especially at $600 a pop) brought him down. Maybe 10, 15 years from now we'll look back at a market 33% Windows, 33% Apple, and 33% Linux (on the desktop - the server I imagine will be 40% Windows, 40% Linux/Unix, 20% Apple) and wonder how it all happened.
Funny that one of Mr. Gate's big heroes is Napoleon. I hadn't remembered it until I was almost done writing this.
I'll agree with all of that, and it's the #1 reason why I don't buy most print magazines. A game can have as much influence on someone's emotions and outlook as a book, a movie, a song, a painting - just different. If I come away from a game feeling slightly disturbed about my actions (like playing "Command and Conquer" and feeling guilty about killing townspeople), then that's a side of the game I'd like to see explored.
How many people have played "Grand Theft Auto" and come away with another look at crime, or race, or just about how they felt about the game? Go ahead - explore those issues! Not everything will be interesting, and yes, I'm sure that there will be some navel gazing going on.
But I like what they are trying to do, and credit due to these who are trying something that they find interesting.
If nothing else, nobody is forcing you to read it.
I'm looking at the pictures, and so far I see a system with more beef than a Mac Mini (2 DIMM slots instead of 1, etc), maybe a little bigger and more expensive. But quieter and less powerful than a loaded Shuttle.
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This has nothing to do with your rights or your picture.
This has everything to do with Nikon's encryption scheme. If Adobe cracks that, it doesn't matter why they do it (whether its to get your approved access to your pictures or not).
Imagine this. You have a house, and it's locked with a special key. You go to get into your house.
Whoops - you lost the key.
Under the DCMA, you are allowed to figure out how to crack the lock to your house.
Under the DCMA, if you hire a lock pick to break the lock for you, the lock company can sue the locksmith for violating their copyrighted locking technology. Whether they were letting you into your house or not!
It's a weak analogy, but I think it gets the point across. It's not *your* copyrighted material this whole Nikon business is dealing with, it's Nikon's encryption algorithm.
The picture is not a creative work of Nikon - but the encryption algorithm Nikon uses is. If Adobe breaks that without permission to get to the contents inside, then Nikon could (in theory - whether they would is another matter) sue them for DCMA infringement. DCMA doesn't care why you're breaking the algorithm and publishing results/tools that let you do it - only that you did it.
That's the dispute. Not the content of the picture itself, but being able to get to the content by breaking the algorithm.
The latter part of your statement is correct - they are punishing Nikon for making their jobs harder. By not supporting their product. Nikon might turn around and say "FIne - pay us $10 for every copy of Photoshop and we'll let you use it." That's within Nikon's right.
It's also Adobe's right to tell Nikon to go to Hell, and see who loses money faster. (My money's on Nikon backing down or offering Adobe the algorithm for free and without restrictions.)
Either way, hopefully both sides have learned a lesson about how bad the DCMA is, which was the purpose of my (and the great-grandparent) post.
I believe the parent poster was using a bit of sarcasm.
When Adobe used the DCMA to go after Russian programmers (a move they rescinded and let the FBI do for them), the DCMA was a great and wonderful thing.
Now, Adobe's learning what a poison pill the DCMA really is. Will this cut short their support for such a law, or next time make them fight such onerous challenges to reasonable copyright as set out by the founders of the United States?
Anyway, that's what I think the poster was talking about.
As for the last part, Nikon could sue Adobe under the DCMA, which states that you can crack encryption for personal use - but you can't tell anyone else how to do it. If Adobe releases a tool that cracks Nikon's encryption algorithm, then Nikon could go after them for some imagined damages.
The best thing is for Nikon to realize their heads are up their asses, remove this stupid encryption algorithm, and for both sides to state publicly that the DCMA is a bad, bad, bad law and they will never give money to any politician who supports it.
Yeah. And monkeys might fly out of my butt, too.
Didn't something like this happen with IBM?
The i386 chip came out, it was faster, but IBM decided not to move right away - after all, who needed all of that extra speed? The i286 was fine!
If memory serves me right, I believe that Compaq came out within seconds telling anyone who would listen that they had i386 processors now - and made it their policy to always support the latest and fastest chips.
I wonder if this will hurt Dell at all. Odds are, with the enterprise vendors, not too much - but all it takes is a little mistake to give your competitors a chance to catch up. And as slim as margins on PCs are, I'm not Dell can afford to slip up in a situation like this.
But this part made me go whaaaa?:
Oh, no, thank you very much. First, I don't want those system resources wasted trying to figure out what the icon should look like every time I update or save the file, let along when I move stuff into and out of the folder. Individual icons for items? Sure! But why are we wasting all the extra time that could be used making the OS faster.
And I loved this part:
Oh, for joy. It's not enough just to find what I want, but I need to sort it by things like "date" and "creator" and "file type". Oh, wait - Spotlight will do that too!
The whole presentation sounds a lot like "Hm - another product is coming out now, we need to have a good reason for people to delay. Institute standard plan #2: Convince people that our stuff will be better 'When it's done', so don't buy that other stuff now!"
The question is, with Longhorn at least a year out, will it work any better this time?
Got me ;).
I don't mean to sound obtuse, but from what I've read of Spotlight and Microsoft's efforts in file indexing, the goals and results are the same: every file indexed so you can do instant searches (much like what BeOS could do, only a bit faster I believe).
So how is Microsoft's service "father reaching"? Is he including possible network indexing so you can find every file on the network as well (perhaps something for Windows Longhorn Server) - and is this ability to be used in OS X Tiger Server?
I just found it an odd statement, and perhaps someone could clarify. Otherwise, interesting read - Tiger is looking like a good upgrade. $129 worth? Undecided yet, but interesting.
I didn't say the move would bring success - only it was a good one.
Besides, the DS seems to be doing pretty well.
Already, they've put themselves into the name game for the mainstream media right before E3. It won't be "blah, blah, blah, Xbox and PS3 unvieled today", it will be three straight days of "blah, blah, blah, Xbox" - then when E3 hits, "And now lets' compare the PS3 to the Xbox".
;).
While I have my issues with the Xbox losing a ton o' money for Microsoft and not having a big enough library for my tastes (let me state: my personal tastes, so please so replies about the 10 Xbox games that are the "bestest evah!", thank you), at least they're working harder on the marketing for the Xbox 2 - more Japanese developers are announcing products, better viral marketing.
Now that the Sony and Xbox lines will be compatible in power and graphics, it will come down to the games and other features (like Blue Ray and such). Eh - I'm patient. I probably won't buy either system for at least a year after they come out.
Maybe
My blooming work system is blocking the site - any word on the system requirements?
interesting - I'll have to check that out. Thanks for the info!
I meant "shrinking a 2 hour movie from the DVD to fit on the PSP is about 300 MB".
I'm not talking DVD on TV quality here - just for the little PSP screen. Ffmpegx has an interface just for that, and it works pretty well.
When it came down to the choice between getting a DS or a PSP now, the choice became the PSP. Granted, I'll get a DS later for other games that I'm interested in and the rumored Palm Pilot module - but it was the usefulness of the PSP *now* that interested me.
I've been using it to watch movies on planes and trains, which is more convienient than even watching it on my 12" powerbook. But I can see where more can be done.
With 512 MB RAM, there's plenty of space for both my saved games, little videos (2 hours of video is about 300 MB or so), and other apps. Where's a *real* web browser that could be hacked from Mozilla, or a mail reader program so I can check up on the go?
Evidently, you can have "games" that run off the memory stick directly (or so it tells me when I'm in the Game menu section an it looks at either the disk or the memory stick), so why not just make those applications?
I know, I could get a blackberry for some specific tags, but if Sony *really* wants the PSP to take off, they should release some sort of light development kit (either free or say $50). Let developers see what a portible wi-fi system with a good screen can run. Could Skype run on it? Maybe, maybe not - but let developers give it a shot.
With a large developer market that's not constrained with having to worry about having a large development start up (like those for the official PSP games), the PSP could become a choice machine for all sorts of things, which would drive attachment sales and, via a sort of "halo" effect, to PSP games. It would be a win-win for everyone.
But - Sony probably won't do it. Fear evidently keeps the managers in line - fear of this station. In this case, it's this gigantic Death Star circling around called "loss of control". Of all the things Sony fears, it's that Loss of Control. After all, if *they* can't control which applications get made for the system, what if someone makes money on Sony's device without Sony getting a cut. What if someone comes out with an iTunes client that can play protected AAC files and potentially take away money from Sony's ATRAC based store? What if monkeys come flying out of the asses of developers that Sony can't make money on! The horror!
Sony *could* make the PSP the device of choice that way. Right now, I like the basic hacks that have come out for it, but if the DS gets that Palm Pilot add-on (with extensible memory via a MMC chip or something), then it might swing me to the dual screened little player, since there are a lot of Palm apps out there I could potentially run (like my eBook reader) and a video client could probably run on the DS pretty well. It wouldn't look as good as on my DS, but if it's "good enough" for my train to/from work needs, then it will be an easy buy.
Sony has a chance here to break out. But I'm going to bet they won't take it because of their own fear.
Of course, this is just my opinion. I could be wrong.
I've been playing with my own PSP for about a day now, and after spending another $80 for a 512 MB stick, I'm in the process of converting my unwatched episode of Battlestar Gallactica so I can watch it on the plane tomorrow. (Today Battlestar - tomorrow some anime ;) ).
:) ), then you'll have a winner.
One thing that the iTunes Music Store (iTMS) did right is how they went to *all* of the major labels before launch and got them onboard. Sony's online music service, I believe, has at least Sony music. Their online movie system? Sony movies. Microsoft has MSN and - other stuff.
When I see a iTunes Movie Store (and it doesn't have to be from Apple, really - I don't give a crap) that offers a good line of major studios (Disney, Miramax, Fox) as well as some independants (there are some documentaries that would go great with this system), let me burn it to a DVD to watch on my television or convert to a format I like (such as the PSP MPEG-4 format - then again, if I can burn my own DVD at least I could rerip it for the PSP if I feel up to it
So far, though, most of the iTMS-like movie stores are kind of half assed about it. I'm sure that Jobs is working in the backgrounds, but knowing the movie studios and all of the copyright/union issues to deal with (like how do you pay people for the online version of a movie compared to the DVD version per sale, and so on), I believe it will take at least another 4-5 years. Not for the technology, but for the law to catch up and studios to listen to thier pocketbooks and not their lawyers.
Of course, that's just my opinion. I could be wrong.
Which way will this saga play out? Will it turn out that Spammer Boy is a hydra, and that his demise, like killing of the head of a drug cartel, will spawn a series of replacements who, in true criminal fashion would start killing each other but because they're spammers they'll annoy each other comparing the size of the IMMENSE ORGASMS ORDER TODAY?
Or will he be more like an evil Obi Won, and if you strike him down he will become more powerful than you can ever image thanks to FREE HERBAL VIAGRA JUST $39.99 A PILL?
Or will he suffer the True Death as the sunlight strikes him just as the stake enters his heart while his body collaspes into a pile of dust while he screams out MY NAME IS UBENTO FROM NIGERIA AND DURING THE US INVASION OF IRAQ I WAS GIVEN A MILLION DOLLARS THAT YOU CAN HELP ME EXPORT WITH A LOAN OF ONE MILLION DOLLARS?
Or will this post suffer the lameness filter from Slashdot? Only time will tell.
[sarcasm]Hah! As if I would ever use a proprietary product - I insist that all of my futuristic space planes use only Open Source designed components. Otherwise, we will replicate the HAL 9000 disaster of the past. If only HAL had been Open Source, we could have caught the bug that much sooner and patched him with the gnuThreeLaws API.[/sarcasm]
My password is totally unguessable - I mean, who else has the password asdjklf;@#$#@jjdakl?
No - wait, I meant that *wasn't* my password! Hey, stop ssh'ing into my box! No - not my 20 GB of Sailor Moon music collection!
Well, guess I'll have to use my backup password of qwurf$#@ff5a` from now on - No, wait -
Damn it!
I do that, but remember that iTunes stores individual account information in the ~/Music/iTunes directory, so if one person makes a rating change, it won't be reflected. If I add music under my user account, my wife won't see those new songs unless she manually adds them into hers as well.
Was the iPhone and maybe the video iPod, though I think the flap idea is just bad.
For a movie iPod, take the current device, make the screen longer for 16x9. Now if you want to watch a movie, turn it on its side and use the wheel to move forward or back.
For the iPhone, let you side the top half sideways so you could hold the phone while revealing a keypad - great for finding/entering contact information, notes, text messaging, etc.
But I'm not sold that Apple will go this route. I think they see the iPod as a hub to the computer - insert music into computer, get music onto iPod. Insert movies onto computer, get DVD's or (in time) movies onto the iPod. Record messages to the iPod, and back to the computer.
So most - if not all - of what they do is still geared towards the computer. And I think most people in this generation can live with that.
Extend the idea further. Apple is using the iPod as a hub of its own - recording messages, storing contacts, etc. I can see a time when you buy a digital iCamera, and instead of accepting tapes it just uses an iPod for storage. Plug it into the digital camera or camcorder, take your pictures (with 4,000 picture storage space at incredibly high quality, or with 40 GB of storage space, that's what - around 40 hours of video at MPEG-4 for normal TV rates, different for HDTV? I'm just guessing, so I'm sure someone who knows more about video compression will know).
Cars, like GM, are making "iPod plugs" so you can charge up. Look at the third party iPod market - at least 3 manufacturers are creating car stereos to let you view and select playlists from your iPod.
Expect to see the iPod become more of a "hub" in this fashion - and, of course, still come back to the PC. Maybe it will get Bluetooth in the future so can "walk into the house, sync and go". But several of the ideas (such as the "Wireless iPod you hang around your neck") won't happen because doesn't use the computer as a hub - but as a streamer. Apple knows people want to sync and go.
One last thought - the one thing that I'd like to see in future versions of iTunes is a group/family system. I have music, my wife has music, my kids have music, all shared on a Mac Mini. I have a family user just for that reason, but I can see the first time my daughter does a User Switch to herself and doesn't unplug Daddy's iPod, then starts putting *her* music onto just her user - now duplicating storage.
I'd like to see a version of iTunes which takes this into account, and lets you say "I'm a member of an iTunes share - point me here". Granted, there is the DRM angle where you'll have to have a "family user" to play Audible/iTunes store purchased songs (fine by me, since I just either buy CD's or JHymn the music once I buy it online) instead of every person using their own - but an iTunes family system would be a great. Only 4 more years until my daughter turns 10, and I think the system should be in place by then when she *really* starts getting into her own music.
Odds are, now the grandparent plants are going to have to sue the grandchildren plants for having "stolen" their copyrighted and patented genetic code. As we've learned from Beatallica and Dangermouse, mixing older generations of information to recreate it anew is against the Laws of Copyright Nature.
Who gave these plants permission to make backups of their grandparents material? I mean - really!
OK - seriously, this is a fascinating idea, one that hopefully is indeed correct and can be explored. With this information, perhaps 20 years from now we can correct genetic abnormalities by having fetuses fix themselves. Kudos to the researchers for their hard work.
I don't see the PC leaving us either today, tomorrow or next year. People walk around with them (laptops) so they can work away from the office, or they have their own special programs on their machine.
I think what he misses the opportunity to talk about isn't if the PC is going away, but "does Windows matter"? The last company I was at switched 95% of the company to Open Office to save costs (a 400 person environment for huge saving for them). Many of the penetration testers and security analysts I work with now use Macs because they can get to all of the UNIX tools they need without having to reboot into Windows to work on Microsoft Office files. (I know, they could do that in Crossover, but the Macs are easier - and these are hard core OpenBSD/Linux guys).
So the question is, does Windows dead? No, not yet, and I think like IBM they will always be around. But others are nipping at the heals, between Firefox on one end, consoles (which is eating away a lot of the game market from the PC), Apple is rising again (back to 5% by the end of this year by some analysts) - so MS can't just use the monopoly as a battering ram to force Windows on everyone.
They kind of remind me of Napoleon's march in Russia. Lots of momentum, big army, took over everything - but over time, the things that Napoleon couldn't fight (the weather, like Free software compitition), or supply chains (consoles eating away at the game market), or just dumb luck (Apple's iPod success turning into a method to draw users to buy new Macs, especially at $600 a pop) brought him down. Maybe 10, 15 years from now we'll look back at a market 33% Windows, 33% Apple, and 33% Linux (on the desktop - the server I imagine will be 40% Windows, 40% Linux/Unix, 20% Apple) and wonder how it all happened.
Funny that one of Mr. Gate's big heroes is Napoleon. I hadn't remembered it until I was almost done writing this.
They'll pretty much say or do whatever people pay them to say or do.
Wear the nun outfit and spank them with a floppy? Sure, they'll do that.
Call you "Mommy" while wearing a swimsuit? For the right price, they're yours!
And to say that Linux is good one day, and insecure the next, well, that's just another whore transaction. All in a day's work for EDS, I guess.
Yes!
I'll agree with all of that, and it's the #1 reason why I don't buy most print magazines. A game can have as much influence on someone's emotions and outlook as a book, a movie, a song, a painting - just different. If I come away from a game feeling slightly disturbed about my actions (like playing "Command and Conquer" and feeling guilty about killing townspeople), then that's a side of the game I'd like to see explored.
How many people have played "Grand Theft Auto" and come away with another look at crime, or race, or just about how they felt about the game? Go ahead - explore those issues! Not everything will be interesting, and yes, I'm sure that there will be some navel gazing going on.
But I like what they are trying to do, and credit due to these who are trying something that they find interesting.
If nothing else, nobody is forcing you to read it.
I'm looking at the pictures, and so far I see a system with more beef than a Mac Mini (2 DIMM slots instead of 1, etc), maybe a little bigger and more expensive. But quieter and less powerful than a loaded Shuttle.
So somewhere in between the two, then.
One (sung by Gandalf, to the tune of "One"):
Well it's - one Ring,
To bind,
And hold them in the darkness -
Tonight
It's One, but we're, not the same
We'll just hurt each other
I'm Too Sexy (Sung by Aragorn):
I'm - to sexy for my sword,
To sexy for my shield, to sexy for my shirt
So sexy it hurts,
And I'm, to sexy for shampoo,
My hair is long and greasy,
But girls don't think I'm freaky,
No way I'm becoming the High King
I'm a Ranger, you know what I mean,
And I'm dating a real hot Elf girl
Oh, an Elf girl, yeah.....
Fish Heads (Sung by Golem)
Fish heads, fish heads,
Rolly polly fish heads
Fish heads, fish heads,
Eat them up - yum!
(OK, so no word changes - but why mess with a classic?)