1 year ago my old venerable 36" tube started flaking out on me. I just got a bonus from work, so I decided to upgrade "Once and for all"
I got one of the 'grand-daddies' of them all, the Sony XBR950 - a 70 inch behemoth that cost me ~$6k. Of course, it has a grand total of 1 DVI and 3 component inputs for HD. . . which means running my PC through the DVI leaves me with nothing but component. So I searched around and found that a Chinese brand "Momitsu" made a un-converting DVD player that would output 1080i over component. (no HDCP crap) I instantly bought one even though it was $100 more than some other upconverting DVD players that only output over DVI/HDMI
So the net is that we'll all find ways around that, or if it ever doesn't work I'll return the PS3/whatever HD disc player I end up getting. If it's really locked into a step DOWN from the upconverted "psuedo-1080i" I'm getting today, I can't see spending money on it.
Mod this parent up - the advantage of Tivo is that you actually pay attention slightly more than if you didn't FF. i.e. you have to watch for when to stop fast forwarding, and the skip back means I almost always catch the last 3 second tag-line of the last commercial.
Compare this to when I can't FF, and I either zone out, go for a beer, or food, or bathroom break. . . but I'm not watching the screen at all.
I sure hope the marketroids take this into account when doing a study.
I thought that was the best point in the article. . . that these tactics shouldn't be treated with the flippant attitude that the "new economy" would bury the bricks-and-mortar retail sector.
The discretion point is key both because you want to minimize non-military damage (hospitals etc) but also because of the covert possibilities of subtlety. Take down their entire network (even if it is tin cans, string and a goat) and they're sure to notice. Hack in and change the error message on their missile control launch system to "Launch successful" and it could go un-noticed until the whole war's over. (or for half an hour, whichever comes first)
WTF?! Easily in my top 10, along with Chili cookout and the St. Patrick's day episode.
Supporting quotes:
Homer "I'll show HIM inanimate. Grr....."
Homer "There once was a man from nantucket. .." while doing cartwheels. Where WAS he going with that?. . .
"In Rod we trust" on cover of Time
Kent Brockman "I for one would like to welcome our new ant masters and remind them that I can be helpful in rounding up others to toil in their underground sugar mines" (complete with graphic of a big ant whipping someone in the background.)
and from the St. Patrick's day episode: Moe "OK, this is the busiest drinking day of the year, where are the designated drivers? BEAT IT! I've got no time for cheapskates."
True story - I think it was christmas 1981, and my Dad opens his first cordless phone. He opens the box to check out the base unit and handset, and pushes the 'on' button on the handset. Sure enough, it comes pre-charged, but the odd part is it has a dial tone. (Note that the base unit isn't plugged in or have a phone line) For kicks, he dials our home number, sure enough the phone rings. . . turns out our neighbor across the street had the same model and back then they didn't use codes!
Doesn't work- I have a Sony Tivo 30Gb model, un-hacked/modified. When I enter this sequence from the live TV screen, or the list, or Tivo central screens this doesn't work, what am I doing wrong?
You're right- H2 is a sucky fuel to deal with- that's why we have fuel cells powered by Methane. H2 can be converted to CH4, stored safely and later used. So, ironically you WOULD produce CO2 with a 'hydrogen fuel' car, but more importantly you won't get all the other nasty stuff that petrochemicals contain (eg Sulfur)
Too bad some real design firm got involved- they'll get some publicity, but fear the day a company actually wants them to build this monstrosity. Companiess use cubes to save space only because space is expensive. . . this negates any money saved on space.
It's about as useful is "The car built by Homer" since it has every wish-list item money could buy.
So I'm not just criticizing, things I think a cube needs:
Sounds shields- clear plastic around the tops (if the walls don't go to the ceiling) to keep your voice in, and other's out.
A sliding door- for privacy, or just getting some work done.
I haven't seen this point raised/discussed much: The Injunction is impossible to enforce as it stands now. Although Napster has been told to prevent copyrighted music from being traded, how are they supposed to determine what's copyrighted and what's not?
Is the RIAA going to supply a list of every song title they own and the checksum for that file? What if I name an MP3 of me farting as "Metallica: Master of Puppets"?
I'm gonna go get me some M_E_T_A_L_L_I_C_A songs. ..
I, for one, will be downloading it AND paying the $1 . . . and I don't even like Steven King. but I do support digitally released content. If someone asked me to donate $1 to charity to promote online music/books/movies I'd do it - at least this way you get something besides the smug satisfaction of being a "good human being."
I see calls to arms daily about calling your Rep/Senator to oppose/support Bill #1234. . . god forbid we use the Slashdot effect in the market and not politics! Tell your friends, or pay for multiple downloads yourself!
There's WAY more at stake than the third installment. . . paying $1 might prevent the MPAA/RIAA from saying "See, most people prefer to steal even when the price is modest."
Don't gripe about the $1 while sitting at your $500+ PC. . . and don't bitch about your $1 not making a difference. If you'd like to see more of this, then do the right thing and support it.
You hit on one key point without projecting it - the cell phone industry simply has to state it's radiation level in relation to other sources.
Like you compared cancer risks to driving or flying, they need to compare their radiation levels to other "common" emissions which will both comply with the proposed law AND shift attention away to other items.
Picture this in a commercial:
Radiation levels Flying at 20,000 ft: 1000x Dental X-ray: 200x Watching a 35in TV: 20x Talking on a cell phone: 1x "Go ahead, talk all you want. . . but don't call the dentist!"
Without a relative benchmark that number would be as meaningless as MHz:-)
He's basically preaching to the choir - about how the net allows people to filter their news sources for free, and all we can do is bash on him for stating the obvious.
"I swear, you guys rank on me 13 or 14 more times and I'll stop writing stories" Jon 'Little Bitch' Katz
Re:Bullies (3 strikes- get rid of skanky lawyers)
on
Dialectizer Shut Down
·
· Score: 1
Better yet, we should require that 1 lawyer be named specifically for each the plaintiff and defendant. If the plaintiff lost, the defendant could sue the plaintiff AND the laywer for filing a frivolous claim. If a lawyer is found to have filed 3 baseless lawsuits, then he/she/it loses it's license to practice law.
The only way to diminish lawsuits is to make them less palatable to the lawyers filing them. Currently there's no downside to filing a lawsuit that can be won purely by wearing down the defence (monetarily/chronologically), but if lawyers know that they could eventually lose their job by doing it too much, they might actually discourage clients from suing anything and everything.
It's true that the water container/heatsink would have to be strong, but not to protect from outside forces. ..instead due to the fact that it's LOWER than atmospheric PRESSURE inside.
Remembering your freshman chem, water changes phases at a different temperature under different ambient pressures. I'd bet they have a small bit of liquid water on the back of the CPU heat slug under such pressure that it "boils" at 60C. Then the vapor rises through a tube to recondense in a small external heat sink.
The system would have to be sealed so water couldn't escape, otherwise it would dry out rather quickly.
Lastly, the processor will NEVER be heated up by the water, which will always be cooler. It will reach a steady state where heated vapor is leaving the processor but cooled liquid is returning from the heatsink.
"Lisa! In this house we obey the laws of thermodynamics!" H. Simpson
I would have to agree with this answer. For the music industry to survive, they have to offer some product/service that people would be willing to pay for. Simple supply vs. demand. Right now we get MP3's for "free" via Napster etc but with significant up-front costs.
Think about it- you have to have: 1- A computer 2- a net connection 3- something to play them on
If the music industry offers an affordable replacement for this stuff, I think I'd buy it. As I've proposed before- a cell-phone/MP3 player would cost "$0" up front, but they would make money based on service charges the same way calling plans work. ..there could be Flat rates for unlimited D/L Rates for x songs d/l each month Rates for just some types of music ($9/month for Heavy Metal, $1/month for the Backdoor boys)
To summarize, the advantages would be: Low up-front cost Portable Easier than Napster
Record companies are trying to protect the method of distribution that has made them rich in the past, rather than being creative and creating new revenue streams in response to market demand. They'd much rather continue paying artists $1 per CD sold for $15 (after the first 100k)than pioneer new models for distributing music.
The supply/demand model predicts 2 important things: 1- If the demand is there, it will be met (through illegal means if necessary) and 2- If the legal supple is as cheap/convienent as the illegal source, then people will buy it.
But what is the real market demand?
People want to hear particular songs at their leisure.
No one brags about "I've got no room for programs because I filled up my HD with MP3's!" They only download them ahead of time because it's not convient to d/l them when they want to listen.
So what's the answer? Easy- sell convenient distribution rather than the media/songs. For instance, sell a cell-phone sized MP3 player for nothing but charge a $20 monthly fee for service. Users could d/l songs from anywhere via wireless service. Artists would be payed based on the % of consumers that d/l their songs.
Most importantly, "piracy" would be eliminated because copying a saved song from another friend's computer would be no quicker/cheaper than just getting it yourself! -Dave
P.S. And if they still want to sell hard copies - DVDaudio would be too big to send wirelessly, so you'd have to buy the 5 channel version:-)
What I see developing is an argument of "I read newspapers for X" while I use online for "Y". ..which leads to the obvious solution for how Newspaper companies can survive.
Survival of the fittest.
Every newspaper has multiple sections, each of which holds some appeal for some people. Unfortunately, try offering the corner newsstand a dime for just the sports section.
The NYTimes et al need to cease being A newspaper and begin being a brand of news sources. Each sub-section would flourish or wither with people's level of interest. Sooner or later everyone would stop buying SmalltownUSA's Frontpage and National news sections, but would probably still buy the local arts/sports scores sections. The urbane, well thought out editorials of today could survive in national distribution format while the stock "price" page would die quicker than DIVX.
The answer seems simple: Newspapers need to stop competing in arenas they cannot win and focus on the features that make them unique and valuable.
Actually there's two sets of balls in question. (btw -many chips are that well equipped)
The first is the solder bumps (~200um diameter) that connect the chip to the carrier. As was previously mentioned, this technique was developed at IBM probably in the 60's/70's but wirebonding (~30um gold wire stiched a la sewing machine) sufficed until signal requirement growth outpaced the density that could be packed on the edge of the chip. This "flip chip" or C4 (Controlled-Collapse-Chip-Connect -trademark etc IBM) spreads the I/O + power connections out over the entire surface of the chip. FYI- there are two primary methods of applying these solder bumps, neither of which involve liquid solder. One is to place the whole wafer in a liquid bath and plate solder onto the conductive spots on the chip. The second is to put the wafer in a vacuum chamber with a mask on it leaving holes where solder is to be applied. Then the metals to be deposited are evaporated, filling the holes in the mask, which is eventually removed.
The second set of balls are the ~1mm dia. solder balls that attach the carrier to the circuit board. These are actually pre-formed (like BB's) and are sifted into the correct spots in a tray before being melted to the carrier.
naturally you might ask- why not just mount the chip straight to the board? Well, there's many reasons, but the main two are: 1-board building is cheapest at ~1mm dimensions, and 2-the thermal expansion of the chip/board are quite mismatched, which eventually causes something to flex and break. (the carrier mitigates this somewhat)
One of the disturbing side-effects of this debate will be the impact it has on other communities. The argument that local communities have the ability to regulate what they consider "decent" or "moral" was somewhat more acceptable when it only affected people/businesses within that local area. In this case, the argument is not valid because a legal decision to require blocking software funded by taxpayers in a public library would certainly be used as a precedent in other cases. Saying that this is a local decision is as shortsighted as saying that pornography is the only thing they would like to block! Maybe I'll buy a small plot in Holland so I can contribute to the community. ..and exercise my right to download whatever I want.
I think one major difference between a techie speaking about law and a lawyer talking tech is that the lawyer is much less likely to add extraneous subjective assertations. I've noticed that a lot of us geeks tend to argue for freedom information based on what "should" be true instead of saying "there's no copyright on that." I think we'd all prefer to have morals guide us into what should and shouldn't be legal, but as we all know "lawyer's morals" is just another oxymoron.
Slashdot Mirror
1 year ago my old venerable 36" tube started flaking out on me. I just got a bonus from work, so I decided to upgrade "Once and for all"
I got one of the 'grand-daddies' of them all, the Sony XBR950 - a 70 inch behemoth that cost me ~$6k. Of course, it has a grand total of 1 DVI and 3 component inputs for HD. . . which means running my PC through the DVI leaves me with nothing but component. So I searched around and found that a Chinese brand "Momitsu" made a un-converting DVD player that would output 1080i over component. (no HDCP crap) I instantly bought one even though it was $100 more than some other upconverting DVD players that only output over DVI/HDMI
So the net is that we'll all find ways around that, or if it ever doesn't work I'll return the PS3/whatever HD disc player I end up getting. If it's really locked into a step DOWN from the upconverted "psuedo-1080i" I'm getting today, I can't see spending money on it.
Compare this to when I can't FF, and I either zone out, go for a beer, or food, or bathroom break. . . but I'm not watching the screen at all.
I sure hope the marketroids take this into account when doing a study.
The discretion point is key both because you want to minimize non-military damage (hospitals etc) but also because of the covert possibilities of subtlety. Take down their entire network (even if it is tin cans, string and a goat) and they're sure to notice. Hack in and change the error message on their missile control launch system to "Launch successful" and it could go un-noticed until the whole war's over. (or for half an hour, whichever comes first)
Supporting quotes: ." while doing cartwheels. Where WAS he going with that?. . .
Homer "I'll show HIM inanimate. Grr....."
Homer "There once was a man from nantucket. .
"In Rod we trust" on cover of Time
Kent Brockman "I for one would like to welcome our new ant masters and remind them that I can be helpful in rounding up others to toil in their underground sugar mines" (complete with graphic of a big ant whipping someone in the background.)
and from the St. Patrick's day episode: Moe "OK, this is the busiest drinking day of the year, where are the designated drivers? BEAT IT! I've got no time for cheapskates."
Not as bad as the haunted Phone!
True story - I think it was christmas 1981, and my Dad opens his first cordless phone. He opens the box to check out the base unit and handset, and pushes the 'on' button on the handset. Sure enough, it comes pre-charged, but the odd part is it has a dial tone. (Note that the base unit isn't plugged in or have a phone line) For kicks, he dials our home number, sure enough the phone rings. . . turns out our neighbor across the street had the same model and back then they didn't use codes!
Doesn't work- I have a Sony Tivo 30Gb model, un-hacked/modified. When I enter this sequence from the live TV screen, or the list, or Tivo central screens this doesn't work, what am I doing wrong?
You're right- H2 is a sucky fuel to deal with- that's why we have fuel cells powered by Methane. H2 can be converted to CH4, stored safely and later used. So, ironically you WOULD produce CO2 with a 'hydrogen fuel' car, but more importantly you won't get all the other nasty stuff that petrochemicals contain (eg Sulfur)
Too bad some real design firm got involved- they'll get some publicity, but fear the day a company actually wants them to build this monstrosity. Companiess use cubes to save space only because space is expensive. . . this negates any money saved on space.
It's about as useful is "The car built by Homer" since it has every wish-list item money could buy.
So I'm not just criticizing, things I think a cube needs:
Sounds shields- clear plastic around the tops (if the walls don't go to the ceiling) to keep your voice in, and other's out.
A sliding door- for privacy, or just getting some work done.
The Injunction is impossible to enforce as it stands now. Although Napster has been told to prevent copyrighted music from being traded, how are they supposed to determine what's copyrighted and what's not?
Is the RIAA going to supply a list of every song title they own and the checksum for that file? What if I name an MP3 of me farting as "Metallica: Master of Puppets"?
I'm gonna go get me some M_E_T_A_L_L_I_C_A songs. . .
Nothing funny here. . .move along
I see calls to arms daily about calling your Rep/Senator to oppose/support Bill #1234. . . god forbid we use the Slashdot effect in the market and not politics! Tell your friends, or pay for multiple downloads yourself!
There's WAY more at stake than the third installment. . . paying $1 might prevent the MPAA/RIAA from saying "See, most people prefer to steal even when the price is modest."
Don't gripe about the $1 while sitting at your $500+ PC. . . and don't bitch about your $1 not making a difference. If you'd like to see more of this, then do the right thing and support it.
- the cell phone industry simply has to state it's radiation level in relation to other sources.
Like you compared cancer risks to driving or flying, they need to compare their radiation levels to other "common" emissions which will both comply with the proposed law AND shift attention away to other items.
Picture this in a commercial:
Radiation levels
Flying at 20,000 ft: 1000x
Dental X-ray: 200x
Watching a 35in TV: 20x
Talking on a cell phone: 1x
"Go ahead, talk all you want. . . but don't call the dentist!"
Without a relative benchmark that number would be as meaningless as MHz :-)
He's basically preaching to the choir - about how the net allows people to filter their news sources for free, and all we can do is bash on him for stating the obvious.
"I swear, you guys rank on me 13 or 14 more times and I'll stop writing stories" Jon 'Little Bitch' Katz
The only way to diminish lawsuits is to make them less palatable to the lawyers filing them. Currently there's no downside to filing a lawsuit that can be won purely by wearing down the defence (monetarily/chronologically), but if lawyers know that they could eventually lose their job by doing it too much, they might actually discourage clients from suing anything and everything.
Remembering your freshman chem, water changes phases at a different temperature under different ambient pressures. I'd bet they have a small bit of liquid water on the back of the CPU heat slug under such pressure that it "boils" at 60C. Then the vapor rises through a tube to recondense in a small external heat sink.
The system would have to be sealed so water couldn't escape, otherwise it would dry out rather quickly.
Lastly, the processor will NEVER be heated up by the water, which will always be cooler. It will reach a steady state where heated vapor is leaving the processor but cooled liquid is returning from the heatsink.
"Lisa! In this house we obey the laws of thermodynamics!" H. Simpson
It seems sad that the government would encourage the destruction of $7B worth of investment over it's re-use.
Then again, we don't need swarms of unused, orbiting trash. So burning them up IS the right answer if no-one can find a use for them.
Think about it- you have to have:
1- A computer
2- a net connection
3- something to play them on
If the music industry offers an affordable replacement for this stuff, I think I'd buy it. As I've proposed before- a cell-phone/MP3 player would cost "$0" up front, but they would make money based on service charges the same way calling plans work. . .there could be
Flat rates for unlimited D/L
Rates for x songs d/l each month
Rates for just some types of music ($9/month for Heavy Metal, $1/month for the Backdoor boys)
To summarize, the advantages would be:
Low up-front cost
Portable
Easier than Napster
The supply/demand model predicts 2 important things:
1- If the demand is there, it will be met (through illegal means if necessary) and
2- If the legal supple is as cheap/convienent as the illegal source, then people will buy it.
But what is the real market demand?
People want to hear particular songs at their leisure.
No one brags about "I've got no room for programs because I filled up my HD with MP3's!" They only download them ahead of time because it's not convient to d/l them when they want to listen.
So what's the answer? Easy- sell convenient distribution rather than the media/songs. For instance, sell a cell-phone sized MP3 player for nothing but charge a $20 monthly fee for service. Users could d/l songs from anywhere via wireless service. Artists would be payed based on the % of consumers that d/l their songs.
Most importantly, "piracy" would be eliminated because copying a saved song from another friend's computer would be no quicker/cheaper than just getting it yourself!
-Dave
P.S. And if they still want to sell hard copies - DVDaudio would be too big to send wirelessly, so you'd have to buy the 5 channel version :-)
Survival of the fittest.
Every newspaper has multiple sections, each of which holds some appeal for some people. Unfortunately, try offering the corner newsstand a dime for just the sports section.
The NYTimes et al need to cease being A newspaper and begin being a brand of news sources. Each sub-section would flourish or wither with people's level of interest. Sooner or later everyone would stop buying SmalltownUSA's Frontpage and National news sections, but would probably still buy the local arts/sports scores sections. The urbane, well thought out editorials of today could survive in national distribution format while the stock "price" page would die quicker than DIVX.
The answer seems simple: Newspapers need to stop competing in arenas they cannot win and focus on the features that make them unique and valuable.
Actually there's two sets of balls in question. (btw -many chips are that well equipped)
The first is the solder bumps (~200um diameter) that connect the chip to the carrier. As was previously mentioned, this technique was developed at IBM probably in the 60's/70's but wirebonding (~30um gold wire stiched a la sewing machine) sufficed until signal requirement growth outpaced the density that could be packed on the edge of the chip. This "flip chip" or C4 (Controlled-Collapse-Chip-Connect -trademark etc IBM) spreads the I/O + power connections out over the entire surface of the chip.
FYI- there are two primary methods of applying these solder bumps, neither of which involve liquid solder. One is to place the whole wafer in a liquid bath and plate solder onto the conductive spots on the chip. The second is to put the wafer in a vacuum chamber with a mask on it leaving holes where solder is to be applied. Then the metals to be deposited are evaporated, filling the holes in the mask, which is eventually removed.
The second set of balls are the ~1mm dia. solder balls that attach the carrier to the circuit board. These are actually pre-formed (like BB's) and are sifted into the correct spots in a tray before being melted to the carrier.
naturally you might ask- why not just mount the chip straight to the board? Well, there's many reasons, but the main two are: 1-board building is cheapest at ~1mm dimensions, and 2-the thermal expansion of the chip/board are quite mismatched, which eventually causes something to flex and break. (the carrier mitigates this somewhat)
One of the disturbing side-effects of this debate will be the impact it has on other communities. The argument that local communities have the ability to regulate what they consider "decent" or "moral" was somewhat more acceptable when it only affected people/businesses within that local area. In this case, the argument is not valid because a legal decision to require blocking software funded by taxpayers in a public library would certainly be used as a precedent in other cases. Saying that this is a local decision is as shortsighted as saying that pornography is the only thing they would like to block! Maybe I'll buy a small plot in Holland so I can contribute to the community. . .and exercise my right to download whatever I want.
I think one major difference between a techie speaking about law and a lawyer talking tech is that the lawyer is much less likely to add extraneous subjective assertations. I've noticed that a lot of us geeks tend to argue for freedom information based on what "should" be true instead of saying "there's no copyright on that." I think we'd all prefer to have morals guide us into what should and shouldn't be legal, but as we all know "lawyer's morals" is just another oxymoron.