In a marketplace with thousands of books selling for $0.99, the book which sells for $4.99 or more stands out. If I was looking at two books on the same topic, and one was dirt cheap while the other was priced higher but still reasonable, my immediate impression is that the more expensive book is of higher quality. And if the book is good, if the content is valuable, then I will gladly pay for what it's worth.
The race to the bottom in prices is sad on all levels. I refuse to believe "people refuse to pay more than $0.99 for an app/book/song/whatever"; I've done it many times and did not regret it, and the creator was compensated more fairly in my opinion. Creators just need to grow some balls about their work and sell it for what they really think it's worth and not be afraid they need to give it away to get people to notice it. Nobody will buy it just for being cheap when everything is already cheap.
Even if I'm wrong, even if you decide to sell your work for a higher price and therefore suffer lower profit as a result, the alternative looks a lot worse. In the long run, you devalue your entire medium until you won't be able to make a dime no matter how low you price it.
This graphical turn-based strategy game, created by myself *cough*, is one of the better, more handsome examples of in-browser games without Flash: http://elitecommand.net/
"Thus far, 3D printing has been used to make shapes of plastic or metal that can be assembled later."
This is incorrect. There is at least some 3D printing technology today which makes it possible to print at least basic mechanical parts with no assembly required. Here is a video demonstrating its use, printing a working crescent wrench (including the worm drive for adjusting the size of the grip): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZboxMsSz5Aw
Amazing, no? That said, the idea of printing out variable-density concrete and applying the technology to large-scale structures is pretty amazing too.
Having worked in social media and social gaming quite a bit in the past, I've heard this and the other side of the argument on "social gaming" many times. Yet no one, on either side of the argument, even those active in the industry to this date, have actually admitted that they themselves play "social games" such as Farmville or Cityville. They have no desire to play the very games they create. They tend to prefer games with deeper strategy, storytelling, or action dynamics. Indeed, Smash Bros and StarCraft were far bigger hits in our office than any of the games we actually made.
But the masses, who evidently do like these games, pay their salaries.
I'm not a diehard entrepreneur ready to seize on this particular trend and perhaps make a nice buck from it just because I can. As a software developer, I'd much rather be working on what I myself consider to be rich, engaging gaming experiences. And that's what I'm doing instead. It helps me sleep at night and wake up in the morning just knowing that I work on the type of game I genuinely enjoy playing.
I would have to agree with this assessment. I would also say that people who are less likely to install frivolous things such as extra emoticons or extraneous toolbars from untrustworthy or potentially untrustworthy sources (ads, torrents, or sites requiring an installation for access) are pretty safe.
Adding to that, the Mac community's ecosystem for applications is relatively resistant to these kinds of things. For all the snobbishness surrounding ownership of a Mac, you also have high expectations for Mac applications; even simply the way they conform or deviate with Apple's Human Interface Guidelines actually impacts the success of a Mac application within the ecosystem. This trait makes Mac users in general more picky about what they install. Mac users usually find new software through their friends, positive reviews, or (now) the App Store. They are far less likely to find it through banner ads for free smileys or toolbars.
That's not to say that this won't/can't change. The Mac is also becoming more popular among amateur computer users, such as mom and grandma, as opposed to professionals who use their computer more like a tool than a toy. As this segment of the user base grows, there may well be a correlation with the number of actual Mac malware infections.
The excellent "GÃdel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid" basically makes the case for AI by demonstrating consciousness as a feature emerging from a self-referencing process with a great ability to work with and form new symbols based on input as well as the consequences of output.
It is an interesting theory, and the book looks at everything from formal mathematics to genetic expression to Zen Buddhism in making its case, and touches upon deeply philosophical issues such as the matter of free will versus determinism.
And I can't help but wonder. If basic consciousness can indeed be defined in this manner, what can we say about the universe itself, which is essentially one massive, self-referencing feedback loop? And what of smaller subsystems, such as galaxies or ecosystems? Could they considered to be "conscious" in their own way? And if they are, is there any way we could know?
You can "ask" these systems basic "questions" by interfering with their processes or simply observing their natural interactions with their environments, but their "answers" come back as a precise, complex series of physical reactions rather than a vocabulary of words. But can we prove that our own language is not also based upon a precise and very complex series of physical reactions, namely the firing of neurons which ultimately lead to our utterances?
and frankly, the iGoogle changes are pretty annoying. minor, but annoying. they should really get some caliber designers on it. but, then again, all the data is still there.
"Today a young man on acid realized that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration, that we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively. There's no such thing as death, life is only a dream, and we are the imagination of ourselves. Here's Tom with the weather."
- Bill Hicks
"You know what else helps have a big opening weekend? Making a good movie."
I started watching the Dark Knight via a camcording available on a popular movie site. But about 10 minutes in, I asked myself, "Is this really the way I want to have the first experience of this movie?" So I turned it off, and since then I've been waiting until the IMAX tickets are not sold out at a reasonable time.
It should be noted that Facebook's relatively new chat feature, which allows Facebook users to send instant messages to all their online friends as well as see status changes, notifications, and feed stories in near real time, was developed using Erlang.
http://www.planeterlang.org/story.php?title=Facebook_chat_is_developed_in_Erlang
Surprised I haven't seen any mention of kava. In the western Pacific it is used as a very light social stimulant and sometimes even as a complete replacement for alcohol. Said to have a very mild sedating effect with light euphoria and talkativeness. I've read some studies from around the web which have even suggested that kava might be a suitable replacement for antidepressant medications which lacks the usual side effects and dependency. (Word of warning: I also read this drug has contraindications against certain kinds of brain drugs, so do your own research first!) The only known serious side effect is liver damage, but further research indicates that this only results in poorly-harvested kava which includes the aerial parts of the plant; traditionally, kava is prepared using only the root which doesn't seem to contain the liver toxins present in other parts of the plant.
I've not tried it myself, but I've got a batch on the way. According to reports on Erowid, the effect is very subtle and is more like a gentle nudge in the right direction as far as thinking clearly and without anxiety. Sounds right up my alley, personally.
Slashdot Mirror
In a marketplace with thousands of books selling for $0.99, the book which sells for $4.99 or more stands out. If I was looking at two books on the same topic, and one was dirt cheap while the other was priced higher but still reasonable, my immediate impression is that the more expensive book is of higher quality. And if the book is good, if the content is valuable, then I will gladly pay for what it's worth.
The race to the bottom in prices is sad on all levels. I refuse to believe "people refuse to pay more than $0.99 for an app/book/song/whatever"; I've done it many times and did not regret it, and the creator was compensated more fairly in my opinion. Creators just need to grow some balls about their work and sell it for what they really think it's worth and not be afraid they need to give it away to get people to notice it. Nobody will buy it just for being cheap when everything is already cheap.
Even if I'm wrong, even if you decide to sell your work for a higher price and therefore suffer lower profit as a result, the alternative looks a lot worse. In the long run, you devalue your entire medium until you won't be able to make a dime no matter how low you price it.
Just my opinion. I could be wrong.
Gibberish? You mean like all those old "Web 2.0" company names? Weebly, Twitter, Etsy, etc, etc...
This graphical turn-based strategy game, created by myself *cough*, is one of the better, more handsome examples of in-browser games without Flash:
http://elitecommand.net/
"Thus far, 3D printing has been used to make shapes of plastic or metal that can be assembled later."
This is incorrect. There is at least some 3D printing technology today which makes it possible to print at least basic mechanical parts with no assembly required. Here is a video demonstrating its use, printing a working crescent wrench (including the worm drive for adjusting the size of the grip):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZboxMsSz5Aw
Amazing, no? That said, the idea of printing out variable-density concrete and applying the technology to large-scale structures is pretty amazing too.
...die young.
Having worked in social media and social gaming quite a bit in the past, I've heard this and the other side of the argument on "social gaming" many times. Yet no one, on either side of the argument, even those active in the industry to this date, have actually admitted that they themselves play "social games" such as Farmville or Cityville. They have no desire to play the very games they create. They tend to prefer games with deeper strategy, storytelling, or action dynamics. Indeed, Smash Bros and StarCraft were far bigger hits in our office than any of the games we actually made.
But the masses, who evidently do like these games, pay their salaries.
I'm not a diehard entrepreneur ready to seize on this particular trend and perhaps make a nice buck from it just because I can. As a software developer, I'd much rather be working on what I myself consider to be rich, engaging gaming experiences. And that's what I'm doing instead. It helps me sleep at night and wake up in the morning just knowing that I work on the type of game I genuinely enjoy playing.
I would have to agree with this assessment. I would also say that people who are less likely to install frivolous things such as extra emoticons or extraneous toolbars from untrustworthy or potentially untrustworthy sources (ads, torrents, or sites requiring an installation for access) are pretty safe.
Adding to that, the Mac community's ecosystem for applications is relatively resistant to these kinds of things. For all the snobbishness surrounding ownership of a Mac, you also have high expectations for Mac applications; even simply the way they conform or deviate with Apple's Human Interface Guidelines actually impacts the success of a Mac application within the ecosystem. This trait makes Mac users in general more picky about what they install. Mac users usually find new software through their friends, positive reviews, or (now) the App Store. They are far less likely to find it through banner ads for free smileys or toolbars.
That's not to say that this won't/can't change. The Mac is also becoming more popular among amateur computer users, such as mom and grandma, as opposed to professionals who use their computer more like a tool than a toy. As this segment of the user base grows, there may well be a correlation with the number of actual Mac malware infections.
For example, Elite Command is a highly graphical multiplayer browser-based game, and it doesn't use any fancy HTML5 features:
http://elitecommand.net/
No flash, no HTML5. Just regular old HTML, CSS, and JavaScript (DHTML, as they used to call it).
Disclaimer: I developed Elite Command.
This should totally be a creature spell for Magic: The Gathering.
The excellent "GÃdel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid" basically makes the case for AI by demonstrating consciousness as a feature emerging from a self-referencing process with a great ability to work with and form new symbols based on input as well as the consequences of output.
It is an interesting theory, and the book looks at everything from formal mathematics to genetic expression to Zen Buddhism in making its case, and touches upon deeply philosophical issues such as the matter of free will versus determinism.
And I can't help but wonder. If basic consciousness can indeed be defined in this manner, what can we say about the universe itself, which is essentially one massive, self-referencing feedback loop? And what of smaller subsystems, such as galaxies or ecosystems? Could they considered to be "conscious" in their own way? And if they are, is there any way we could know?
You can "ask" these systems basic "questions" by interfering with their processes or simply observing their natural interactions with their environments, but their "answers" come back as a precise, complex series of physical reactions rather than a vocabulary of words. But can we prove that our own language is not also based upon a precise and very complex series of physical reactions, namely the firing of neurons which ultimately lead to our utterances?
and frankly, the iGoogle changes are pretty annoying. minor, but annoying. they should really get some caliber designers on it. but, then again, all the data is still there.
"Today a young man on acid realized that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration, that we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively. There's no such thing as death, life is only a dream, and we are the imagination of ourselves. Here's Tom with the weather." - Bill Hicks
"You know what else helps have a big opening weekend? Making a good movie."
I started watching the Dark Knight via a camcording available on a popular movie site. But about 10 minutes in, I asked myself, "Is this really the way I want to have the first experience of this movie?" So I turned it off, and since then I've been waiting until the IMAX tickets are not sold out at a reasonable time.
It should be noted that Facebook's relatively new chat feature, which allows Facebook users to send instant messages to all their online friends as well as see status changes, notifications, and feed stories in near real time, was developed using Erlang. http://www.planeterlang.org/story.php?title=Facebook_chat_is_developed_in_Erlang
Surprised I haven't seen any mention of kava. In the western Pacific it is used as a very light social stimulant and sometimes even as a complete replacement for alcohol. Said to have a very mild sedating effect with light euphoria and talkativeness. I've read some studies from around the web which have even suggested that kava might be a suitable replacement for antidepressant medications which lacks the usual side effects and dependency. (Word of warning: I also read this drug has contraindications against certain kinds of brain drugs, so do your own research first!) The only known serious side effect is liver damage, but further research indicates that this only results in poorly-harvested kava which includes the aerial parts of the plant; traditionally, kava is prepared using only the root which doesn't seem to contain the liver toxins present in other parts of the plant.
I've not tried it myself, but I've got a batch on the way. According to reports on Erowid, the effect is very subtle and is more like a gentle nudge in the right direction as far as thinking clearly and without anxiety. Sounds right up my alley, personally.