The response I received stated that they don't like to use freeware, but only consider industry proven and supported software.
Then your company needs to fire its IT management staff since it is apparent they have absolutely no idea what they're talking about. In the meantime, you can tell them that OpenSSH is NOT Freeware. I wouldn't trust freeware either. The difference? Freeware is typically closed source software that the authors refuse to release to code to because they think they're really "eleet" or some similar childish reason. I would also ask you: if you're a talented geek (assumption), why are you working for some lame company that refuses to touch Open Source software? Go somewhere where you're gonna make a difference. If you have the skills, you'll find plenty of jobs doing what you'd really like to do.
Ball lightening is subject to a bit of skepticism in itself.
Indeed, whatever this "ball lightning" is precisely has yet to be discovered and there are many wild-haired ideas out there. For example, if it IS a plasma, how is it self-contained? Now of course, if we could figure this out, it might be useful for some sort of energy production. As for creating "anything like it" in the lab, there is one rather weird home experiment involving microwaving a lighted candle with a glass bowl above it to catch the plasma that forms. The theory is that the carbon particles from the candle smoke are sort of a "seed" for the plasma's formation and the microwave radiation builds and sustains it. The parallel suggested is that a lightning strike vaporizes dust and dirt on the ground and some sort of back-emf currents energize the plasma's formation. Who knows. But there's probably a Nobel prize waiting for whoever figures this stuff out. As a sidenote, I believe ball lightning seen during clear-weather is usually seen descending from the sky. Which perhaps makes sense because our atmosphere is extremely electrically active.
It's funny how anytime "UFO's" come up in discussion, people quickly move to talking about crazy / drunk people. It's amusing, although in contrast, I know enough ordinary, sane people who have seen so-called "UFO's" at fairly close range that a level-headed inquiry is in order. So anyhow, to make a long story short, after a little bit of research, it is my conclusion that most UFO sightings are nothing more than a type of ball lightning. Granted, "ball lightning" itself is not fully understood, but all indication suggests that it is some form of low temperature plasma that can form under certain atmospheric conditions or more often after a lightning groundstrike due to some sort of back-EMF effect. Ball lightning can apparently take various shapes, sometimes as a disk-like form (ie. the classic glowing UFO saucer). So, lets look at the known characteristics of ball lightning plasma and see how they compare to descriptions of UFO sightings:
1.) It can 'levitate' and pass through some solids. 2.) It tends to lose mass as the plasma breaks down, causing it to rise into the air before disintegrating or occasionally bursting with a loud pop. 3.) It often accelerates at an extremely high rate, likely due to electromagnetic fields. This typically occurs near the end of the plasma's 'life' and often after rising back into the air. 4.) It is often attracted to nearby metal objects and has been known to follow automobiles and perhaps airplanes. 5.) The plasma, depending on its makeup, often releases noxious gasses readily identifyable by their odor or color. Some of these gasses cause dizzyness, hallucinations, and loss of consciousness at high enough concentrations. 6.) It seems to form most often in flat terrain. (such as farmland!) Large formations may be of sufficient temperature to burn away grass or crops after descending. 7.) It sometimes rotates visibly on an axis. 8.) It usually emits a high pitched or even wavering sound.
Sound anything like the typical UFO encounter? I'd say so. Granted, many distant sightings are probably just aircraft or weather balloons. So sorry to burst your bubble X-Files fans. The truth IS out there but it's not that exciting.
That's right. Musicians should suck it up and get a real job if they're not making enough money on their music career. (Of course, any *good* musician can easily make more than enough to live on from doing live performances.) And either way, who cares. Writing / playing music is fun. They want us to *pay* them to have fun and live the easy life?! There's something wrong with that picture. Now don't get me wrong. I'm all for compensating folks who dedicate their lives to the arts, but they'd better be producing some really quality work and not just looking to become rich and famous on our dime.
They also realized that if they wanted to foil hackers and intruders, at least part of the system had to be embedded in silicon, not software. This made their task incredibly daunting.
So there you have it. They believe that security through obscurity will be sufficient if that obscurity is in the hardware, buried under a layer of ceramic or epoxy. In other words, using hidden encryption keys in the hardware so that the key exchange won't be accessible via software tools. And the only way this can work is if everybody upgrades all their hardware at once. Fat chance! I'm all for cryptographically secure hardware--but only if I am the one setting the keys, not some secret industry / government consortium. DRM is absolutely not possible with obscurity and therefore is our enemy.
What to do about this? 1.) Don't buy or support M$ software. That means being choosy about employers too. 2.) Implement excellent free software solutions that will be inherently incompatible with any nonsense M$ pushes. The more people satisfied with Linux/BSD, the more people that will refuse this rubbish. 3.) Don't buy any hardware that supports any standards they dream up. 4.) Come up with our own open hardware/software security model. Be innovative. Find a way to make security and encryption easy for the average user. 5.) Spread the word to the non-tech folks. Use propaganda if needed--fight fire with fire.
Who needs this fancy smancy CAE tools stuff! You guys should see how fast my Honda Civic HX goes now that I've added a triple spoiler, dual exhaust with headers, extra headlights, hood scoops, type-R and VTEC stickers, and cut the springs. I bet ground effects will give me another 5mph when I save up enough allowance!!!
Anybody have experience with building a custom home using geodesic design? Supposedly many of these can be built with very little if any hired labor. Or how about straw-bale construction?
Good sound? Forget this worthless article for 14-year old 31337 gam3rz. Here's what you do:
1.) Get a cheap digital out card that does not resample or process the signal in any way. Just plain and simple 16-bit, 44.1Khz. is all you need. No bells and whistles--Just a way to get from/dev/dsp to a SP/DIF interface. Price around $25 for one that's C-Media 8738 based. Using hacks you can also dump raw AC3 frames over the digital out for watching DVD's.
2.) Using a coaxial (not optical) cable, connect your digital-out card to a quality outboard DAC. You can get a module on Ebay that does both Dolby Digital and plain old stereo for less than $200.
3.) Connect the DAC to the best amp / speakers you can afford / build. Price variable.
The true audiophiles will also replace the quartz crystal on the soundcard with a low-jitter clock circuit (homemade or LCaudio) and upgrade the op-amps in the outboard DAC to something like a Nat.Semi. LM6172.
So there you have it folks. Studio quality audio for about what you'd pay retail for one of those silly Audigy cards that'll be "obsolete" in another 6 months.
Considering most people consider the war long since over, I can't imagine this mattering much.
Browser war? For crying out loud, they all use the same standards now. Nobody's developing pages that absolutely require MSIE or Netscape. (with respect to rendering that is.. you may have to tell your browser to report a different ID for a handful of lame sites). The "browser war" ended when all parties gave up on including proprietary HTML extensions / quirks / etc. All that remains is the polishing of user interfaces--which, IMO, Konqueror 3.x is leading.
Use wireless as much as feasible. Organize and put away extra parts / seldom used toys. Bundle wires using velcro straps and hide as much as possible behind desks / divider panels / etc. Put servers in a closet. Invest in anything needed to reduce case noise on all machines. Use plastic striping to run CAT5 along walls edges. "Decorate" any ugly peripherals / boxen with "homely" stuff like plants . (Bonus points if the plants are of a variety that absorbs dust well) Shelve books, put loose paper in binders, etc. Geek gear can be classy if unobtrusive.
On the other hand, if she can't handle your style, maybe she's not the one. Fussy women probably aren't too geek compatible. Or maybe she's not and you're just a slob. (-:
1.) Large, low-rpm fans - cut holes, use adapters if necessary. Nothing smaller than 80mm. That means replacing any chipset / video cooler fans too. Nothing higher than 2500rpm--preferably around 2000. Use manually adj. speed fans if possible so you can achieve proper airflow around hotspots and balance case intake / exhaust.
2.) Don't overclock excessively. If you need extra cooling as a result, it's not worth it.
3.) Quiet hard drive(s). High frequency sounds are much more annoying, so if you go with a 7200+ rpm drive, buy a really quiet one like Seagate's Barracuda IV ATA or else sandwich the drive in aluminum and acoustic foam.
Using a single, large, low-rpm fan with quality bearings and well balanced blades would be a very practical way to cool your case while keeping it quiet. Now what we need is for somebody to design a commercial case like this, albeit one that is fully covered with metal for normal shielding / noise reduction purposes.
Analog distortion does wonders for digitily degraded sound, it adds harmonics and generaly livens up the sound, removing that "flatness" that is otherwise quite hard to get rid of.
You can do the same thing with DSP. Try the "Crystality" plugin for xmms. A little Freeverb might also help if it's a terribly flat recording. There are also some LADSPA plugins that might be useful.. tube sims, harmonics processors, etc.
I'd like to see support for really slick hardware alpha acceleration of some sort. I could use that a lot more than extra 3D stuff. Probably so could a lot of business users. Perhaps a good place to start in making something that's cheap and useful.
I can understand painting, LED's, custom fronts, etc. but cutting "windows" in one's case is just plain stupid. Why would you purposely expose yourself to so much unnecessary radiation? (not to mention any electronic equipment nearby., which could interfere in either direction.) We're not talking about miniscule radiation of debatable health effects (like cell phones, etc.) The microwave-range radiation from a modern PC without metal case shielding is rather substantial. That's why the FCC requires shielded design. For example, what happens when CPU's reach the 2.4GHz. region? All of a sudden, your "cool" case is going to interfere with your wireless LAN and cordless phone. What's the point?
Want to stop terrorists? Want to ensure public safety? Of course. So here's how to do it without trampling civil liberties.. AND it'll increase our quality of living.
1.) Take the steps necessary to cut off ALL dependance on mideast oil, but without finding new sources that may also prove vulnerable (ie. Alaska). That means subsidizing efficient technologies and development: quality public transit, fuel cell based autos, strict requirements on new home / building insulation, subsidies to people with older homes to re-insulate, higher standards for energy efficient appliances, alternative energy research, etc. None of these things infringe upon the rights of the individual--they only regulate inefficient industry in a way that is progressive. The only ones to lose out would be the executives of old energy companies that refuse to adapt to a new market. Some current energy companies "get it." Others do not. Innovate or Die.
If mideast countries lose their oil revenue, out go the terrorists. You can't organize and maintain an international terrorist network with no resources and without supporting foreign governments.
2.) Adopt a no-nonsense mideast policy. Terminate any regime that supports Islamic radicals and foster public support in those countries for democratic rule. This should be exceedingly easy after a few years without oil revenues once the fat cats have died off and any military infrastructure lies in ruins from lack of upkeep. And note I did not say carpet bombing. The Bush admin's push for tactical / precision weapons is good example that some intelligence still exists within.
3.) Strict immigration policy, at least for the time being. That means pretty much blacklisting all countries known to support Islamic radicalism.
proposal: it should should allow artists to get paid, and the citizens to have archived and portable copies of the recording they have purchased.
So you think a proprietary technology would allow artists to get paid more?! Will unsigned bands or hobby musicians be able to produce these new SACD's without being sued to death for not licensing the encryption keys? Nope. Will record labels stop gouging consumers and raping artists? Nope. Will music pirates stop pirating? Nope.
The record companies should produce a superior audio product and get to protect it from serial copying. The CD layer should be freely available for personal copying such as to a computer or portable digital player.
So you mean I'll only be able to play this "superior audio product" format with an officially licensed player? Forget it. That's no better than CDBTPA!
Folks, do NOT. I repeat: do NOT buy into ANY media format that does not allow you access to the full unadulterated plaintext stream.
Nah, but if DVD playing is your only use for windoze, you don't need it and that'll solve the problem at the same time. Or you could dual-boot perhaps for when doing multimedia streams over the net with Linux.
They should just ditch their own distros and support the Debian project instead. Why keep re-inventing the wheel? If they want something more user friendly, they should develop an alternative Debian installer but stick with the team, not fork. That's why all the Debian-derivative dot-bombs failed. Making money with Open Source is not about packaging software that's already been well packaged by somebody else (Debian project, not RedHat). It's about providing support, consulting, and custom development services. They way you differentiate from your competitors is by price, quality service, and comprehensive solutions -- NOT your own quirky distro!
Is it really that sad that some mildly rich companies in Asia are going to get away with making their own DVD players for the sole purpose of avoiding the filthy rich DVD patent holders?
Heck no! This is a great thing to see! The more countries that fight our backwards software patents, the better. You do realize that's what we're talking about, right? Software. Not optical drive mechanics or other such technology. We're talking about MPEG-2, which is locked up with so many software (ie. mathematical) patents it's disgusting.
These same bad patents could also cause problems in the future for open source software--or at least its use in the US.
Kinda ironic when it's the communists fighting for a free market solution, eh? Crazy world we live in..
Do you really need Windows on that laptop? You don't need Windows to play your DVD's and other movies. If that's your only reason for having it, install Linux and your problem is solved. (-:
Facial scanners will never stop criminals / terrorists. So what's next? A law called.. oh.. I dunno.. FSATPA? uh.. "Facial Scanner Anti Terrorism Protection Act" which classifies makeup, wigs, haircuts, plastic surgery, masks, and colored contact lenses into illegal "facial scanner circumvention devices"? Not likely.
IMO, face scanning is the single most worthless biometric in existance--not that I'd advocate any others. If entrepreneurs want to do something useful to increase security, they ought to improve devices which sniff for high explosives so I don't have to take off my frigg'n shoes every other time I fly.
How incredibly braindead are these hollywood people? Do they quite realize how simple of a device an analog to digital converter is?! Do they realize the "installed base" of sophisticated ADC chips and hardware that will *never* conform to their desires? Do they realize you can build an ADC from a few dollars worth of simple electronic components? (sometimes even circuits that outperform their IC counterparts..)
Attention Hollywood: the cat is out of the bag. The game is over. You lost. Get over it and innovate instead of being a sore loser.
For the rest of you, consider boycotting the folks that are doing this crap. Vote with your dollars. That means supporting local bands / indie films, not going to the movie theaters, not purchasing any CDs or DVD's distributed by offending parties, etc. Put your money where your mouth is and you'll see change. This need not last forever--just until this kinda nonsense stops. If that means hollywood dies because they refuse to adapt to the market, so be it.
Slashdot Mirror
The response I received stated that they don't like to use freeware, but only consider industry proven and supported software.
Then your company needs to fire its IT management staff since it is apparent they have absolutely no idea what they're talking about. In the meantime, you can tell them that OpenSSH is NOT Freeware. I wouldn't trust freeware either. The difference? Freeware is typically closed source software that the authors refuse to release to code to because they think they're really "eleet" or some similar childish reason. I would also ask you: if you're a talented geek (assumption), why are you working for some lame company that refuses to touch Open Source software? Go somewhere where you're gonna make a difference. If you have the skills, you'll find plenty of jobs doing what you'd really like to do.
Ball lightening is subject to a bit of skepticism in itself.
Indeed, whatever this "ball lightning" is precisely has yet to be discovered and there are many wild-haired ideas out there. For example, if it IS a plasma, how is it self-contained? Now of course, if we could figure this out, it might be useful for some sort of energy production. As for creating "anything like it" in the lab, there is one rather weird home experiment involving microwaving a lighted candle with a glass bowl above it to catch the plasma that forms. The theory is that the carbon particles from the candle smoke are sort of a "seed" for the plasma's formation and the microwave radiation builds and sustains it. The parallel suggested is that a lightning strike vaporizes dust and dirt on the ground and some sort of back-emf currents energize the plasma's formation. Who knows. But there's probably a Nobel prize waiting for whoever figures this stuff out. As a sidenote, I believe ball lightning seen during clear-weather is usually seen descending from the sky. Which perhaps makes sense because our atmosphere is extremely electrically active.
It's funny how anytime "UFO's" come up in discussion, people quickly move to talking about crazy / drunk people. It's amusing, although in contrast, I know enough ordinary, sane people who have seen so-called "UFO's" at fairly close range that a level-headed inquiry is in order. So anyhow, to make a long story short, after a little bit of research, it is my conclusion that most UFO sightings are nothing more than a type of ball lightning. Granted, "ball lightning" itself is not fully understood, but all indication suggests that it is some form of low temperature plasma that can form under certain atmospheric conditions or more often after a lightning groundstrike due to some sort of back-EMF effect. Ball lightning can apparently take various shapes, sometimes as a disk-like form (ie. the classic glowing UFO saucer). So, lets look at the known characteristics of ball lightning plasma and see how they compare to descriptions of UFO sightings:
1.) It can 'levitate' and pass through some solids.
2.) It tends to lose mass as the plasma breaks down, causing it to rise into the air before disintegrating or occasionally bursting with a loud pop.
3.) It often accelerates at an extremely high rate, likely due to electromagnetic fields. This typically occurs near the end of the plasma's 'life' and often after rising back into the air.
4.) It is often attracted to nearby metal objects and has been known to follow automobiles and perhaps airplanes.
5.) The plasma, depending on its makeup, often releases noxious gasses readily identifyable by their odor or color. Some of these gasses cause dizzyness, hallucinations, and loss of consciousness at high enough concentrations.
6.) It seems to form most often in flat terrain. (such as farmland!) Large formations may be of sufficient temperature to burn away grass or crops after descending.
7.) It sometimes rotates visibly on an axis.
8.) It usually emits a high pitched or even wavering sound.
Sound anything like the typical UFO encounter? I'd say so. Granted, many distant sightings are probably just aircraft or weather balloons. So sorry to burst your bubble X-Files fans. The truth IS out there but it's not that exciting.
That's right. Musicians should suck it up and get a real job if they're not making enough money on their music career. (Of course, any *good* musician can easily make more than enough to live on from doing live performances.) And either way, who cares. Writing / playing music is fun. They want us to *pay* them to have fun and live the easy life?! There's something wrong with that picture. Now don't get me wrong. I'm all for compensating folks who dedicate their lives to the arts, but they'd better be producing some really quality work and not just looking to become rich and famous on our dime.
not possible with obscurity
oops.. that should read "without"
They also realized that if they wanted to foil hackers and intruders, at least part of the system had to be embedded in silicon, not software. This made their task incredibly daunting.
So there you have it. They believe that security through obscurity will be sufficient if that obscurity is in the hardware, buried under a layer of ceramic or epoxy. In other words, using hidden encryption keys in the hardware so that the key exchange won't be accessible via software tools. And the only way this can work is if everybody upgrades all their hardware at once. Fat chance! I'm all for cryptographically secure hardware--but only if I am the one setting the keys, not some secret industry / government consortium. DRM is absolutely not possible with obscurity and therefore is our enemy.
What to do about this?
1.) Don't buy or support M$ software. That means being choosy about employers too.
2.) Implement excellent free software solutions that will be inherently incompatible with any nonsense M$ pushes. The more people satisfied with Linux/BSD, the more people that will refuse this rubbish.
3.) Don't buy any hardware that supports any standards they dream up.
4.) Come up with our own open hardware/software security model. Be innovative. Find a way to make security and encryption easy for the average user.
5.) Spread the word to the non-tech folks. Use propaganda if needed--fight fire with fire.
Who needs this fancy smancy CAE tools stuff! You guys should see how fast my Honda Civic HX goes now that I've added a triple spoiler, dual exhaust with headers, extra headlights, hood scoops, type-R and VTEC stickers, and cut the springs. I bet ground effects will give me another 5mph when I save up enough allowance!!!
Anybody have experience with building a custom home using geodesic design? Supposedly many of these can be built with very little if any hired labor. Or how about straw-bale construction?
Good sound? Forget this worthless article for 14-year old 31337 gam3rz. Here's what you do:
/dev/dsp to a SP/DIF interface. Price around $25 for one that's C-Media 8738 based. Using hacks you can also dump raw AC3 frames over the digital out for watching DVD's.
1.) Get a cheap digital out card that does not resample or process the signal in any way. Just plain and simple 16-bit, 44.1Khz. is all you need. No bells and whistles--Just a way to get from
2.) Using a coaxial (not optical) cable, connect your digital-out card to a quality outboard DAC. You can get a module on Ebay that does both Dolby Digital and plain old stereo for less than $200.
3.) Connect the DAC to the best amp / speakers you can afford / build. Price variable.
The true audiophiles will also replace the quartz crystal on the soundcard with a low-jitter clock circuit (homemade or LCaudio) and upgrade the op-amps in the outboard DAC to something like a Nat.Semi. LM6172.
So there you have it folks. Studio quality audio for about what you'd pay retail for one of those silly Audigy cards that'll be "obsolete" in another 6 months.
Considering most people consider the war long since over, I can't imagine this mattering much.
Browser war? For crying out loud, they all use the same standards now. Nobody's developing pages that absolutely require MSIE or Netscape. (with respect to rendering that is.. you may have to tell your browser to report a different ID for a handful of lame sites). The "browser war" ended when all parties gave up on including proprietary HTML extensions / quirks / etc. All that remains is the polishing of user interfaces--which, IMO, Konqueror 3.x is leading.
Use wireless as much as feasible. Organize and put away extra parts / seldom used toys. Bundle wires using velcro straps and hide as much as possible behind desks / divider panels / etc. Put servers in a closet. Invest in anything needed to reduce case noise on all machines. Use plastic striping to run CAT5 along walls edges. "Decorate" any ugly peripherals / boxen with "homely" stuff like plants . (Bonus points if the plants are of a variety that absorbs dust well) Shelve books, put loose paper in binders, etc. Geek gear can be classy if unobtrusive.
On the other hand, if she can't handle your style, maybe she's not the one. Fussy women probably aren't too geek compatible. Or maybe she's not and you're just a slob. (-:
Here we go.. quick and easy:
1.) Large, low-rpm fans - cut holes, use adapters if necessary. Nothing smaller than 80mm. That means replacing any chipset / video cooler fans too. Nothing higher than 2500rpm--preferably around 2000. Use manually adj. speed fans if possible so you can achieve proper airflow around hotspots and balance case intake / exhaust.
2.) Don't overclock excessively. If you need extra cooling as a result, it's not worth it.
3.) Quiet hard drive(s). High frequency sounds are much more annoying, so if you go with a 7200+ rpm drive, buy a really quiet one like Seagate's Barracuda IV ATA or else sandwich the drive in aluminum and acoustic foam.
Sure, there are more drastic measures. But these
That giant fan.. a silly idea.. or IS it??
Using a single, large, low-rpm fan with quality bearings and well balanced blades would be a very practical way to cool your case while keeping it quiet. Now what we need is for somebody to design a commercial case like this, albeit one that is fully covered with metal for normal shielding / noise reduction purposes.
Ah auh ahhh.. You didn't say the magic word..
Ah auh ahhh..
Ah auh ahhh...
Analog distortion does wonders for digitily degraded sound, it adds harmonics and generaly livens up the sound, removing that "flatness" that is otherwise quite hard to get rid of.
You can do the same thing with DSP. Try the "Crystality" plugin for xmms. A little Freeverb might also help if it's a terribly flat recording. There are also some LADSPA plugins that might be useful.. tube sims, harmonics processors, etc.
I'd like to see support for really slick hardware alpha acceleration of some sort. I could use that a lot more than extra 3D stuff. Probably so could a lot of business users. Perhaps a good place to start in making something that's cheap and useful.
I can understand painting, LED's, custom fronts, etc. but cutting "windows" in one's case is just plain stupid. Why would you purposely expose yourself to so much unnecessary radiation? (not to mention any electronic equipment nearby., which could interfere in either direction.) We're not talking about miniscule radiation of debatable health effects (like cell phones, etc.) The microwave-range radiation from a modern PC without metal case shielding is rather substantial. That's why the FCC requires shielded design. For example, what happens when CPU's reach the 2.4GHz. region? All of a sudden, your "cool" case is going to interfere with your wireless LAN and cordless phone. What's the point?
Want to stop terrorists? Want to ensure public safety? Of course. So here's how to do it without trampling civil liberties.. AND it'll increase our quality of living.
1.) Take the steps necessary to cut off ALL dependance on mideast oil, but without finding new sources that may also prove vulnerable (ie. Alaska). That means subsidizing efficient technologies and development: quality public transit, fuel cell based autos, strict requirements on new home / building insulation, subsidies to people with older homes to re-insulate, higher standards for energy efficient appliances, alternative energy research, etc. None of these things infringe upon the rights of the individual--they only regulate inefficient industry in a way that is progressive. The only ones to lose out would be the executives of old energy companies that refuse to adapt to a new market. Some current energy companies "get it." Others do not. Innovate or Die.
If mideast countries lose their oil revenue, out go the terrorists. You can't organize and maintain an international terrorist network with no resources and without supporting foreign governments.
2.) Adopt a no-nonsense mideast policy. Terminate any regime that supports Islamic radicals and foster public support in those countries for democratic rule. This should be exceedingly easy after a few years without oil revenues once the fat cats have died off and any military infrastructure lies in ruins from lack of upkeep. And note I did not say carpet bombing. The Bush admin's push for tactical / precision weapons is good example that some intelligence still exists within.
3.) Strict immigration policy, at least for the time being. That means pretty much blacklisting all countries known to support Islamic radicalism.
proposal: it should should allow artists to get paid, and the citizens to have archived and portable copies of the recording they have purchased.
So you think a proprietary technology would allow artists to get paid more?! Will unsigned bands or hobby musicians be able to produce these new SACD's without being sued to death for not licensing the encryption keys? Nope. Will record labels stop gouging consumers and raping artists? Nope. Will music pirates stop pirating? Nope.
The record companies should produce a superior audio product and get to protect it from serial copying. The CD layer should be freely available for personal copying such as to a computer or portable digital player.
So you mean I'll only be able to play this "superior audio product" format with an officially licensed player? Forget it. That's no better than CDBTPA!
Folks, do NOT. I repeat: do NOT buy into ANY media format that does not allow you access to the full unadulterated plaintext stream.
Nah, but if DVD playing is your only use for windoze, you don't need it and that'll solve the problem at the same time. Or you could dual-boot perhaps for when doing multimedia streams over the net with Linux.
They should just ditch their own distros and support the Debian project instead. Why keep re-inventing the wheel? If they want something more user friendly, they should develop an alternative Debian installer but stick with the team, not fork. That's why all the Debian-derivative dot-bombs failed. Making money with Open Source is not about packaging software that's already been well packaged by somebody else (Debian project, not RedHat). It's about providing support, consulting, and custom development services. They way you differentiate from your competitors is by price, quality service, and comprehensive solutions -- NOT your own quirky distro!
Further correction..
Is it really that sad that some mildly rich companies in Asia are going to get away with making their own DVD players for the sole purpose of avoiding the filthy rich DVD patent holders?
Heck no! This is a great thing to see! The more countries that fight our backwards software patents, the better. You do realize that's what we're talking about, right? Software. Not optical drive mechanics or other such technology. We're talking about MPEG-2, which is locked up with so many software (ie. mathematical) patents it's disgusting.
These same bad patents could also cause problems in the future for open source software--or at least its use in the US.
Kinda ironic when it's the communists fighting for a free market solution, eh? Crazy world we live in..
Do you really need Windows on that laptop? You don't need Windows to play your DVD's and other movies. If that's your only reason for having it, install Linux and your problem is solved. (-:
Facial scanners will never stop criminals / terrorists. So what's next? A law called.. oh.. I dunno.. FSATPA? uh.. "Facial Scanner Anti Terrorism Protection Act" which classifies makeup, wigs, haircuts, plastic surgery, masks, and colored contact lenses into illegal "facial scanner circumvention devices"? Not likely.
IMO, face scanning is the single most worthless biometric in existance--not that I'd advocate any others. If entrepreneurs want to do something useful to increase security, they ought to improve devices which sniff for high explosives so I don't have to take off my frigg'n shoes every other time I fly.
How incredibly braindead are these hollywood people? Do they quite realize how simple of a device an analog to digital converter is?! Do they realize the "installed base" of sophisticated ADC chips and hardware that will *never* conform to their desires? Do they realize you can build an ADC from a few dollars worth of simple electronic components? (sometimes even circuits that outperform their IC counterparts..)
Attention Hollywood: the cat is out of the bag. The game is over. You lost. Get over it and innovate instead of being a sore loser.
For the rest of you, consider boycotting the folks that are doing this crap. Vote with your dollars. That means supporting local bands / indie films, not going to the movie theaters, not purchasing any CDs or DVD's distributed by offending parties, etc. Put your money where your mouth is and you'll see change. This need not last forever--just until this kinda nonsense stops. If that means hollywood dies because they refuse to adapt to the market, so be it.