People are saying that the catch is that New Orleans will have to upgrade, and then they'll be stuck with a big cost. Based on the previous city upgrade schedule, that'll be in the year 2020. At that point, it won't matter.
The important part is that the city is getting the infrastructure to move into the modern business world. I don't recall anybody else jumping in to support this radical change -- Redhat, IBM, Sun?!? It's a smart play for MS, and a smart play for New Orleans. If other cities can pull it off, then please do so.
Just like most tools, sometimes 3D is the best. When you need to see something, particularly a product you are considering purchasing online, being able to control the "camera" and see things like what connectors an electronic device has, different colors on cars, etc 3D is very communicative. Down the line, this tech can also be used for 3D games and other purposes.
There is no doubt that 3D is terribly complex -- it's like software in a lot of ways. It has different complexity for each object, and productivity is completely ignorant of Moore and his law. One solution which Intel and Macromedia have been pushing to help with this is creating online marketplaces where vendors from all over the world can publish and aggregate their 3D content for reuse, similar to component reuse in software. One website that does this is Turbo Squid. Why build a ps2 model everytime? If the world can aggregate enough cheap and free 3D content, hopefully 3D will be used frequently and used in a context that makes sense.
I just got back from the record store, having bought "Play" by Moby as a surprise present for my wife (with a bunch of other things scattered around the house). I stuck this CD in the computer -- where she is to "discover" the gift -- only to have it fail to be recognized.
I searched on the net to find if this is a copy-protected CD, but no luck. Seeing this thread on slashdot assures me that it is, despite the lack of any warning about copy protection on the packaging. Drag. I bought "Play" because of the MP3's I had downloaded. It's somewhat ironic to be "reverse-napstered". Now I have to "steal" this album to put it on the computer.
The question remains -- should I take it back to the store and harass the clerks? In general, going to the is was already more time than I want to spend. Going back to end up with nothing but philosophical satisfaction at having rejected a copy-protected CD seems like throwing good money after bad.
All of the posts about Ep I vs Ep IV-VI don't mention the main thing -- we don't know why any of the characters are motivated in Phantom Menace. Take the original Star Wars:
Luke: Left behind by all of his friends, and his parents are killed. He has nothing left except to join the revolution. Obi-Wan: He responds to a desperate plea from the rebellion to join the war even though he knows he is too old. Leia: She is fighting for freedom, and her whole world has been destroyed. Han: Desperate for money because of a bounty on his head. He'll do anything to pay off the deathmark.
But what about the Phantom Menace:
Qui-gon: Following orders. Obi-wan: Following orders. Anakin: Happy kid. Amidala: Her republic is under seige. Darth Sidous: Evil is fun. Darth Maul: Tired of hiding. Jar-Jar: Rejected from home because of clumsiness.
Take the climax of Star Wars (the original): Luke has gone on the suicide mission because he has nothing to lose. He turns off his targeting computer because he has had a leap of faith in the force. This isn't enough, though, and Darth Vader is set to kill him, but is thwarted because Han Solo has had a leap of faith of his own and has come to help the fight. The only reason the mission is a success is because of the personal growth of the characters, and this makes for a great climax.
But what about the climax for TPM? Anakin accidentally kills the main driod control ship, and Jar-Jar accidentally fights on the ground. Do any characters grow, or realize anything from the fight? Qui-gon dies, but how does this affect Obi-wan? I felt nothing for the characters because I didn't understand them. They won their battles out of pure luck AKA the force.
If they explain the characters and their passions everything else will fall into place!
Slashdot Mirror
People are saying that the catch is that New Orleans will have to upgrade, and then they'll be stuck with a big cost. Based on the previous city upgrade schedule, that'll be in the year 2020. At that point, it won't matter.
The important part is that the city is getting the infrastructure to move into the modern business world. I don't recall anybody else jumping in to support this radical change -- Redhat, IBM, Sun?!? It's a smart play for MS, and a smart play for New Orleans. If other cities can pull it off, then please do so.
There is no doubt that 3D is terribly complex -- it's like software in a lot of ways. It has different complexity for each object, and productivity is completely ignorant of Moore and his law. One solution which Intel and Macromedia have been pushing to help with this is creating online marketplaces where vendors from all over the world can publish and aggregate their 3D content for reuse, similar to component reuse in software. One website that does this is Turbo Squid. Why build a ps2 model everytime? If the world can aggregate enough cheap and free 3D content, hopefully 3D will be used frequently and used in a context that makes sense.
I just got back from the record store, having bought "Play" by Moby as a surprise present for my wife (with a bunch of other things scattered around the house). I stuck this CD in the computer -- where she is to "discover" the gift -- only to have it fail to be recognized.
I searched on the net to find if this is a copy-protected CD, but no luck. Seeing this thread on slashdot assures me that it is, despite the lack of any warning about copy protection on the packaging. Drag. I bought "Play" because of the MP3's I had downloaded. It's somewhat ironic to be "reverse-napstered". Now I have to "steal" this album to put it on the computer.
The question remains -- should I take it back to the store and harass the clerks? In general, going to the is was already more time than I want to spend. Going back to end up with nothing but philosophical satisfaction at having rejected a copy-protected CD seems like throwing good money after bad.
Matt
Luke: Left behind by all of his friends, and his parents are killed. He has nothing left except to join the revolution.
Obi-Wan: He responds to a desperate plea from the rebellion to join the war even though he knows he is too old.
Leia: She is fighting for freedom, and her whole world has been destroyed.
Han: Desperate for money because of a bounty on his head. He'll do anything to pay off the deathmark.
But what about the Phantom Menace:
Qui-gon: Following orders.
Obi-wan: Following orders.
Anakin: Happy kid.
Amidala: Her republic is under seige.
Darth Sidous: Evil is fun.
Darth Maul: Tired of hiding.
Jar-Jar: Rejected from home because of clumsiness.
Take the climax of Star Wars (the original): Luke has gone on the suicide mission because he has nothing to lose. He turns off his targeting computer because he has had a leap of faith in the force. This isn't enough, though, and Darth Vader is set to kill him, but is thwarted because Han Solo has had a leap of faith of his own and has come to help the fight. The only reason the mission is a success is because of the personal growth of the characters, and this makes for a great climax.
But what about the climax for TPM? Anakin accidentally kills the main driod control ship, and Jar-Jar accidentally fights on the ground. Do any characters grow, or realize anything from the fight? Qui-gon dies, but how does this affect Obi-wan? I felt nothing for the characters because I didn't understand them. They won their battles out of pure luck AKA the force.
If they explain the characters and their passions everything else will fall into place!