I can't understand why he is "best known for Solaris" when it is far from his best work. "The Cyberiad", for example, was a collection of much better stories.
Well, having read both in the splendid Spanish translation, direct from the Polish (Minotauro, Argentina), I respectfully disagree. "The Ciberyad" is, as you said, delightful, but "Solaris" is deep.
It looks like the (in)famous English translation was horrible indeed, because "Solaris" is appreciated very differently by English and non-English speaking readers.
Note to myself: find the English version, just to see.
He was asked a direct question about it. What should he have done? Lied? Run away?
And if you really think that Daniel Lyons, of all people, would ask Steve Ballmer (or Bill Gates) a question that wasn't previously vetted, accorded and choreographed, I have a bridge you may be interested in...
Unless, of course, one of your requirements is that it must be a product from Microsoft...
On a side note, I am wondering if you are a Microsoft evangelist:-)
Well, a glimpse on how MSFT is feeling the pain from the Office/Windows delay double whammy is the massive way astroturfers are raising their ugly heads in the forums.
That said, I'm pissed off at MS about the way they've handled Software Assuance given the delays we've seen with new versions. We've gotten exactly one client OS upgrade in the last 5 years, and one server upgrade (well, two, if you count Windows 2003 R2, which I don't), one SQL upgrade, and one Exchange upgrade.
And this is surprising exactly how?
I remember when SA was being introduced, and a LOT of people anticipated this. In fact, it was widely believed to be the only objective of the SA scam.
I figure that the consensum here is that Sony is in a unique position as an schyzo corporation.
The customers, when aware of the issues, demand LESS DRM, but Sony Entertainment demands MORE DRM. As a result, Sony's harware guys are having to fight on two fronts. They must battle competition and THEIR OWN content guys at the same time. Hardly a desirable position.
Their competition (Toshiba, Hitachi, JVC, you name it) is fighting unencumbered, and are tearing Sony to shreds.
And yes, they managed to reduce a first-tier consumer goods brand to also-ran status in just a decade.
The PS3 is vital to Sony's future. They need it to put a Blu-ray player in every living room in order to stay in the HD format war. If the PS3 is not a huge succes, they will be (are?) in big trouble.
Why should the government be involved with deciding what I do with my property, be it my body, my house, or my wallet?
Because them being yours is just a legal artifact only made possible by the existence of... government?
Unless, of course, you're keen on defending them, weapons in hand, Rambo style, against all comers?
It seems that a lot of people think that very, very recent (in historical timeframe) social conventions are a natural right that has existed almost for ever.
The PS3 is effectively a trojan to get Blu-ray players into the house.
Agreed...
And, to be honest, the PS3 is about the only edge Blu-ray has: the HDDVD really has the advantage financially and even in some ways technologically
and agreed...
-- unless the PS3 performs quite spectacularly well. If they have even a quarter of the supply problems the 360 has had, I predict Blu-ray is dead.
But... even if the PS3 is a dud, they're going to sell millions and millions of them. So, unless the console is a technological disaster, Blu-ray (the format) will have a very strong foothhold in the living rooms. Of course is entirely possible that the PS3 will be a disaster: deploying two new unproven technologies ( BR and Cell ) in the same product is very risky, to say the least. May be Sony is having problems, and are putting their best face while trying to glue together something that kind of works. Or, they have a killer product and are playing coy, in order to fuel expectation. Any way, we will know real soon now. Today?
in 20 years, if almost everyone has a decent home theatre and a lot of internet bandwidth, these guys will have become irrelevant.
While I wholly agree with the spirit of your post, it looks as if you're way, way too pesimistic, so please let me deconstruct:
in 20 years
Why 20 yers? Make it two at the most, because is happening right now.
if almost everyone has a decent home theatre
Again, why? You need a home thather in order to enjoy special effects stravaganzas, but traditional movies, the ones with a plot, interesting characters, and good acting lose almost nothing when viewed on a good TV.
and a lot of internet bandwidth,
Not really. Unless you're on dialup, or do nothing except see movies all day, any fast connection is more than enough to keep your movie habit satisfied. And let's not forget that you're not going to download all your movies yourself. I mean, you have some friends to borrow from and lend to, right?
Perhaps we should think of this Battle of the Consoles as being the first skirmish of the much more far reaching Formats War. At least, we'd still be inside the bellic metaphor.;>)
I have a bad feeling that the last one especially won't happen:( If they're gonna stick a Blu-Ray drive in this thing I sure as hell hope it ends up being the dominant next gen video format, or Sony is fucked, I think.
Don't you have it backwards?
The PS3 is the nuclear weapon Sony intends to use to win the format war. Their whole strategy is based on the PS3 (each one with a BR) being a huge hit. If they deliver more or less on time, BR will be the de facto new gen video format. If they don't, and let HD DVD gain some traction, we'll have the chance to enjoy an attrition war that could last many years.
The book's huge success is a rebuke to Western Civilsation. Holy Blood is no better. Personally, for once I hope the lawsuit goes on for ever and the lawyers get all the money.
The whole ugly mess condensed in three economical sentences!
"Sure, that's something that mostly only geeks do - normal people either let itunes rip a cd when they buy it, or don't rip cds at all."
Well, if you're right,
I'm afraid he is.
then there is something very wrong here.
Not really...
I can't tell you what normal people do,
That I can believe...;>)
but ripping a CD is just putting a CD on the driver and oppening the right program.
Agreed, but still most people don't do it.
Maybe they don't do that because they didn't have enought time to learn yet.
No, they don't do it because most adult people don't give a damm about music (with some exceptions, myself included). You see, the obsession with music, musicians, massive song collections, etc. is really a teenager thing. It fades rather quickly after twenty.
But more probably, they do that.
No, they don't. For 90% of users, the PC is just for:
1) Glorified typewriter.
2) e-mail.
3) Surfing the web.
That's all. Really. It's not that they want to do something and don't know how. They haven't the slightest idea about what else could be done with their PC.
The/. readers, even the most ignorant, has forgotten most about computers than the typical user will even learn. Think about all those support horror histories: they are typical. Because computers are utterly un-intuitive, and we are the exception, not they.
Myself, I doubt that ebooks will overtake paper books for a very long time. It's got nothing to do with the technology advances. It's the usage.
I believe that ebooks won't overtake anything, but rather the same book-loving crowd will adopt them.
Having 4000+ books I certainly share your views, but as I happen to travel a lot I'd kill for a device that carries 100 or so of them with good legibility. And yes, that means no Palms.
There's simply not many people demanding e-books, no matter how good they are.
Difficult to assess, since there isn't one that's even remotely good.
E-Books are a product looking for a need to fill.
No, is just the opposite: the need exists, namely a simple text reader, B/W screen, with 100/200 books worth of memory, DRM unencumbered. Unfortunately, e-book company wannabes have decided not to adress this need.
Slashdot Mirror
don't forget the critiques on non-existing books, which remind me so much of Jorge Luis Borges.
Thanks for pointing to it. As an Argentinian, I was wondering why nobody was aware of the connection.
Let's remember once more that Lem wasn't just a great SF writer, but a great writer who happened to write SF.
Cheers,
Carlos Cesar
Great, great post.
Direct to friends list!
Cheers,
Carlos Cesar
I agree with most of your post, but must take exception at this.
"Solaris" is not about space travel at all, unless you mean inner space.
I've always thought that the "Solaris" metaphor was powerful but rather obvious, and amazing how many people fail to grasp it.
Cheers,
CC
I can't understand why he is "best known for Solaris" when it is far from his best work. "The Cyberiad", for example, was a collection of much better stories.
Well, having read both in the splendid Spanish translation, direct from the Polish (Minotauro, Argentina), I respectfully disagree.
"The Ciberyad" is, as you said, delightful, but "Solaris" is deep.
It looks like the (in)famous English translation was horrible indeed, because "Solaris" is appreciated very differently by English and non-English speaking readers.
Note to myself: find the English version, just to see.
Cheers,
CC
And if you really think that Daniel Lyons, of all people, would ask Steve Ballmer (or Bill Gates) a question that wasn't previously vetted, accorded and choreographed, I have a bridge you may be interested in...
Cheers,
CC
Well, a glimpse on how MSFT is feeling the pain from the Office/Windows delay double whammy is the massive way astroturfers are raising their ugly heads in the forums.
Serious damage control needed, looks like...
Cheers,
CC
That said, I'm pissed off at MS about the way they've handled Software Assuance given the delays we've seen with new versions. We've gotten exactly one client OS upgrade in the last 5 years, and one server upgrade (well, two, if you count Windows 2003 R2, which I don't), one SQL upgrade, and one Exchange upgrade.
And this is surprising exactly how?
I remember when SA was being introduced, and a LOT of people anticipated this.
In fact, it was widely believed to be the only objective of the SA scam.
I figure that the consensum here is that Sony is in a unique position as an schyzo corporation.
The customers, when aware of the issues, demand LESS DRM, but Sony Entertainment demands MORE DRM.
As a result, Sony's harware guys are having to fight on two fronts. They must battle competition and THEIR OWN content guys at the same time. Hardly a desirable position.
Their competition (Toshiba, Hitachi, JVC, you name it) is fighting unencumbered, and are tearing Sony to shreds.
And yes, they managed to reduce a first-tier consumer goods brand to also-ran status in just a decade.
The PS3 is vital to Sony's future. They need it to put a Blu-ray player in every living room in order to stay in the HD format war. If the PS3 is not a huge succes, they will be (are?) in big trouble.
Cheers,
So you are an expert in French labor laws, no?
Because unless you're one, AND know something the rest of us don't, you should have written:
Cheers,
Because them being yours is just a legal artifact only made possible by the existence of... government?
Unless, of course, you're keen on defending them, weapons in hand, Rambo style, against all comers?
It seems that a lot of people think that very, very recent (in historical timeframe) social conventions are a natural right that has existed almost for ever.
Cheers,
Carlos Cesar
The PS3 is effectively a trojan to get Blu-ray players into the house.
Agreed...
And, to be honest, the PS3 is about the only edge Blu-ray has: the HDDVD really has the advantage financially and even in some ways technologically
and agreed...
-- unless the PS3 performs quite spectacularly well. If they have even a quarter of the supply problems the 360 has had, I predict Blu-ray is dead.
But... even if the PS3 is a dud, they're going to sell millions and millions of them.
So, unless the console is a technological disaster, Blu-ray (the format) will have a very strong foothhold in the living rooms.
Of course is entirely possible that the PS3 will be a disaster: deploying two new unproven technologies ( BR and Cell ) in the same product is very risky, to say the least.
May be Sony is having problems, and are putting their best face while trying to glue together something that kind of works. Or, they have a killer product and are playing coy, in order to fuel expectation.
Any way, we will know real soon now. Today?
Cheers,
While I wholly agree with the spirit of your post, it looks as if you're way, way too pesimistic, so please let me deconstruct:
in 20 years
Why 20 yers? Make it two at the most, because is happening right now.
if almost everyone has a decent home theatre
Again, why? You need a home thather in order to enjoy special effects stravaganzas, but traditional movies, the ones with a plot, interesting characters, and good acting lose almost nothing when viewed on a good TV.
and a lot of internet bandwidth,
Not really. Unless you're on dialup, or do nothing except see movies all day, any fast connection is more than enough to keep your movie habit satisfied.
And let's not forget that you're not going to download all your movies yourself. I mean, you have some friends to borrow from and lend to, right?
these guys will have become irrelevant.
On this, I fully agree.
Cheers,
Carlos Cesar
Perhaps we should think of this Battle of the Consoles as being the first skirmish of the much more far reaching Formats War.
At least, we'd still be inside the bellic metaphor.
Cheers,
c) To rethink this whole format war business
:( If they're gonna stick a Blu-Ray drive in this thing I sure as hell hope it ends up being the dominant next gen video format, or Sony is fucked, I think.
I have a bad feeling that the last one especially won't happen
Don't you have it backwards?
The PS3 is the nuclear weapon Sony intends to use to win the format war.
Their whole strategy is based on the PS3 (each one with a BR) being a huge hit.
If they deliver more or less on time, BR will be the de facto new gen video format. If they don't, and let HD DVD gain some traction, we'll have the chance to enjoy an attrition war that could last many years.
Cheers,
Carlos Cesar
As soon as a bean counter figures out how it will be profitable, they will buy a small country.
Already done. Does Ireland ring a bell?
Cheers,
The book's huge success is a rebuke to Western Civilsation. Holy Blood is no better. Personally, for once I hope the lawsuit goes on for ever and the lawyers get all the money.
The whole ugly mess condensed in three economical sentences!
Sir, receive my virtual +1 Devastating.
Cheers,
Carlos Cesar
From what I gather in the article, he hadn't read the book when he started but eventually read it.
And, just in case somebody believes him, I happen to have this really nice bridge for sale...
Cheers,
Carlos Cesar
Well, if you're right,
I'm afraid he is.
then there is something very wrong here.
Not really...
I can't tell you what normal people do,
That I can believe...
but ripping a CD is just putting a CD on the driver and oppening the right program.
Agreed, but still most people don't do it.
Maybe they don't do that because they didn't have enought time to learn yet.
No, they don't do it because most adult people don't give a damm about music (with some exceptions, myself included). You see,
the obsession with music, musicians, massive song collections, etc. is really a teenager thing. It fades rather quickly after twenty.
But more probably, they do that.
No, they don't. For 90% of users, the PC is just for:
1) Glorified typewriter.
2) e-mail.
3) Surfing the web.
That's all. Really.
It's not that they want to do something and don't know how. They haven't the slightest idea about what else could be done with their PC.
The
Think about all those support horror histories: they are typical.
Because computers are utterly un-intuitive, and we are the exception, not they.
Cheers,
Myself, I doubt that ebooks will overtake paper books for a very long time. It's got nothing to do with the technology advances. It's the usage.
I believe that ebooks won't overtake anything, but rather the same book-loving crowd will adopt them.
Having 4000+ books I certainly share your views, but as I happen to travel a lot I'd kill for a device that carries 100 or so of them with good legibility. And yes, that means no Palms.
Cheers,
Carlos Cesar
Please, elaborate.
I happen to live very near a nuclear power station and two hydroelectric dams that will be very interested in your insight.
Cheers,
Carlos Cesar
There's simply not many people demanding e-books, no matter how good they are.
Difficult to assess, since there isn't one that's even remotely good.
E-Books are a product looking for a need to fill.
No, is just the opposite: the need exists, namely a simple text reader, B/W screen, with 100/200 books worth of memory, DRM unencumbered.
Unfortunately, e-book company wannabes have decided not to adress this need.
Cheeers,
Hmmm...
;>)
Chair + cannon (shudders!)
I really don't know why people try to cannonize Linus.
We just canonize Linus.
Maybe Gates wants to cannonize him.
Cheers,
The notion that simplifying your interface being an idiot attractor is true, but that's not a bad thing. Idiots are people too,
;>)
You're so right! What's more, this segment was owned exclusively by MSFT.
Until now!
OSS to the rescue!
Go, Gnome, go!
Bring all those idiots to the good side!
The rest of us will be customizing our KDE.
Cheers,
Maybe Microsoft was a bit too eager to get out of the gates.
;>)
Nice Freudian slip...
Cheers,