Look at it this way. You can do that now, nothing can take that away from you. You can't uninvent something.
You seriously think MP3 will go away? Heck no! It may be replaced by something else, but free music is here to stay. If I can hear the music, through ANY means, then it is possible to put it on a computer system and give it to others. There is NO way that can be taken away. It might be illegal, but I can still do it. Don't let the record companies fool you. You CAN do whatever you want. You may be not allowed to, but they can't stop you from actually doing it.
>How much of the added functionality would be better implemented using some sort of plug-in architecture? Most of it, IMHO. But that's not the Microsoft Way.
Well.. I've got to give them credit. I broke down, booted into Win98, and gave Office 2000 a shot. And, while yes it's huge, the install is a lot, lot nicer. Plugins they're not, but it's mighty close.
For those who don't know yet, Office 2k gives you several install options for each component. The most new one is "install on demand", and it works right too, unlike most of m$'s previous "new features".
The first time you use something, like, say a spell checker in Word, it asks for the CD, installs the spell checker, spits the cd out, then checks the spelling. The spell checker is then installed from then on. So if you never use those nifty little bits (like, umm.. Excel.. ), then they don't get installed.
Of course, the software is still WAY too fat, but this is an improvement. Also, you can make the ENTIRE SET install on demand. It only installed the needed DLL's, it looks like, and some shortcuts. Heh.. The first time I ran Word after trying this, it asked for the CD, installed the basic Word, and then ran.. I almost died laughing from the fact that it worked. Of course, everything I then did wanted to install something, but after using it that way for a week, it no longer needs anything from the CD. A nice custom setup, with only the things I really use. Nifty.
>The kicker -- require software and hardware companies that license the format to include some sort of kill switch which would prohibit the user from downloading and playing mp3 files. " I'd insert a snide comment here, but...I don't think I need to.
This is illegal in three different ways, if indeed, it is as stated.
1: If implemented in software, and it affects other programs ability to play MP3's, then the consumers can sue them for damages. What if I use MP3's as part of my job or work? Hmmmm?
2: Same as above, the makers of programs that play MP3's can nail them for anti-competitive practices.
3: If implemented in hardware, most hardware manufacturers (talking about, say.. soundcards, for example) would nail them for anti-competitive practices.
umm, ncftp goes as far down as you want.. might want to get the latest version..
BUT, ncftp uses the ls -R (i think) command to retrieve the directory listing. That is, it gets the list of the entire tree, then downloads it all. WSFTP gets it one dir at a time, and can work on pretty much any ftp, unlike ncftp. NCFTP also can't handle any kind of ftp servers that return unusual stuff in the directory listings..
Jedinet reported these a few days ago, before they were released. They also reported that there would be a 60 second long "Darth Maul" one too. In fact, they even had the narration for all of them. But no Darth Maul?
Even the music video thingy has a bit of the Darth Maul commerical, narration and all, so we know it exists...
Sounds to me like it wants to be more of an open project type of distributed computing, with the protocol being the backend to handle the passing out of code/data..
Sounds feasible, but with problems.
Say we want to make a program which can work like distributed.net, but with an arbitrary program. The program would still have to be highly parallel, but most computer intensive programs are. We would need: a) a protocol that can pass the bits of code out to the clients b) a protocol that can pass data back and forth between the clients c) a client that can run on several platforms, and execute the code given to it d) a whole bunch of clients
This is surely possible, but several issues come up. The first one being, why the hell would I run a program on my computer that works for someone else? Where's my compensation? The easy answer to this is you setup a pay scale. Your main computing center accepts jobs to be put into the system. They get paid for this. They subtract a small (or not so small) fee for their overhead, and the rest gets distributed to the people whose computers are doing all this work. Of course, not every computer is equal, so you have to pay according to work done. This is best accomplished on the servers, by tracking, for example, number of completed blocks received.
Also security becomes a big issue. If this server is sending my computer code to execute, what if that server gets hacked, and the code replaces by malicious (sp?) code? People executing random code on other's machines need to take this into account. Perhaps on client side, you execute your code inside a very well protected environment. Heck, use a stripped down Java VM, or something similar.
Also security on the pay scale side. What's to keep someone from hacking your protocol to send bad completed blocks back, and then get paid for them? If you could check to see that each block was correct, then you wouldn't have to send out each block to be done, would you? So some form of authentication is needed, along with a system of tracking each block done by whom?
Anyway, it's a good idea. I'd particpate in it, if it's done correctly.
Once again, the media has found out something the rest of us geeks have known for a long time.. Yes, most VCD's of a movie are a gig or more, but when you have a fat pipe in your dorm, what's the big deal?
Anyway, I've watched a couple of these.. The quality can be pretty bad at times, and seeing something like the Matrix would totally suck. I can imagine that Starwars will be out the day of, I can also imagine everyone who sees it still seeing the movie in the theatre a few times..:-)
But when it comes to a movie that I really have no desire to see in the theater, I would have no problem watching these..
And most of them are not camcorder'ed versions. A lot of them are snagged by movie employees who have access to equipment that can copy it to a VHS tape in a much nicer way, then those are run thru an Mpeg2 encoder. The sound usually comes out excellent, but oftentimes a bit out of sync.
Is it wrong? Yep. Do the people who watch these movies often care? Nope. I've seen several to see the quality, and because I could. I don't do it all the time because you just can't beat the theater experience. I seriously doubt that the motion picture industry gives a flying crud about this type of piracy, as few currently have the bandwidth to spare.
is UGLY.. sorry, i know it's supposed to be silly and cheesy and all that, but could you at least make all the boxes not in one big line down the edge? make a table, already!
A half size, open on top, freezer would work excellent, if you could find a way to not have to worry about the condensation.. Methinks sealing the whole system in plastic wrap and dropping it in a freezer would work dandy. Have to vacuum seal it, to make sure all the humidity is out of the inside, but hey.. if you've got an old freezer lying around.
Someone else has finally noticed. MP3 is a means, not the end.
For a long while now, there have been "MP3 is dying!" articles, and none of the media has realized the key issue. That being that it's easy.
Look, the RIAA might come up with some format to make money on a per-play basis, or whatever. That's not important. What IS important is that there will always be a free equivalant. You cannot convince me that they can come up with a format that I cannot decode and re-encode into another, free, format. I didn't say it was legal, I didn't say it was ethical. But it's true. MP3 piracy is neither legal nor ethical, but it's giving the record companies a run for their money, isn't it?
MP3 is a file format. It might die, but another free way to get music will replace it. The record companies MUST know this, and they hear the bell tolling. Unless they can adapt, they will die, and that's just all there is to it.
There's a windows program that will let you run a telnetable tw2002 game on the internet. I haven't played with it much, but if you do a search on metacrawler for trade wars, it's bound to come up...
Pagers - necessary sometimes. Cell Phones - Yeah, okay. Watch - Nah.. clocks are everywhere.:-) Palm Pilot - Why? What all does this thing do that is so invaluable? I mean, I know it can keep notes, do computing on the road type of thing, but how often do you ever actually use that crap? The whole time management thing is simple. Just get a memory for what the hell you are doing! And what's the point of having e-mail on your pager? Or on your belt? Is it really all that cool? I mean, I would find that irksome. For immediate contact, the other person had better page or call me. For not so immediate contact, email. They are two fundamentally different things! ARGH!
I dunno. I hate palm held devices.. They bug the hell out of me.
No, actually, if you didn't know from the previews, the Truman Show didn't reveal it was staged until about an hour into the movie. But the previews ruined that movie. It is still in my top 5 all-time movie list.
The fifth element was good, but the previews made it seem better than it was. If you take it a face value, and watch it for what it is, i.e. a movie made from a comic book type setting, then it's not bad.
The Matrix looks to be a special effects specatular, and not much more. I think the fact that they won't reveal any plot in the previews is that the movie actually has no plot, and is just 2 hours of special effects.:-)
I for one would like to see it, but not until I've seen the actual movie 20 times. As a big SW fan, I can say that anything he's shot, I'd like to see. It would be interesting to see stuff he cuts, and to try to figure out why it was cut.. Time/space, didn't look good, didn't fit, etc, etc.
Anyway, noone has a bootleg copy. Lucas is WAY too tight on these types of things right now.
To get a good deal, go to online auctions, like onsale or ebay or some such. Find a Sony Dish (RCA Dishes suck, more down below) for about $100-150. You may have to sign an agreement saying you'll keep the service for 3 months, but who cares? You'll love it.
RCA Dishes suck because: A) the menu systems are slow, buggy, and annoying. Sony's are the absolute best. B) The Dish itself breaks along the support weld seam 1 month after the standard warranty expires. I have personally seen this happen to 4 different people, 4 different dishes. Exactly the same break each and every single time. No wear and tear involved, the dish just sat on their roofs until the weld broke and then it fell over. The Sony dishes, AFAICT, last forever and are much much much more rigidly constructed.
It is very nice to be able to read fast. I don't think any of those programs work though. The problem lies in the fact that you learn reading at such an early age (usually) that it gets ingrained very deeply. I learned to read when I was under two years old. By the age of three I could read books and such labeled for much older children. Now I can read very fast indeed. Comprehension, however, is not linked to reading speed as much as you might think. Speed reading is largely improved memory. I can read a page of text and recite it back more or less word for word (not perfect mind you, but not far off). But, I usually have to take a little more time to digest it. That's the whole key. You CAN improve your memory, and your reading speed will increase, though not dramatically.
The only thing I have to say is to teach your children to read from the moment they are born. It's definitely a bonus. The "Hooked on Phonics" stuff is mostly crap. That works only because it requires parent/child interaction. If you want your kid to read, and work with him/her on it from an early age, they will be able to read easily. As long as you show an interest.
Every one of those I've checked has mirrors of Starbuck.
Just for informational sake for all the people who actually think they could EVER get into ftp.redhat.com. That site is so slow and so busy its not even funny.
>would like to know others experience, but I thought tiff had a pretty well defined spec
That's the whole problem. It's so huge, nobody implements it all. The sad fact is that damn few people use TIFF that are not in the desktop publishing field. I have to get a lot of design printed by professional printers and so on, and they always request TIFF. I have no idea why, I never use the bloody thing, BECAUSE it never works from one program to the next. At least for me. I've heard that those pro programs printers use support every type of TIFF you can imagine, but support little if anything else, and that's why they ask for it. I dunno. TIFF sucks, IMO.
Sure you could probably do something to that effect, but the sound would definitely be noticable in the wav file as well. The down side about mp3 is that it actually removes a lot of the frequencies. Add a bunch of frequencies and mp3 falls flat. But, you hear those frequencies too, as mp3 only really kills off the ones you are least likely to hear.
Slashdot Mirror
Look at it this way. You can do that now, nothing can take that away from you. You can't uninvent something.
You seriously think MP3 will go away? Heck no! It may be replaced by something else, but free music is here to stay. If I can hear the music, through ANY means, then it is possible to put it on a computer system and give it to others. There is NO way that can be taken away. It might be illegal, but I can still do it. Don't let the record companies fool you. You CAN do whatever you want. You may be not allowed to, but they can't stop you from actually doing it.
>How much of the added functionality would be better implemented using some sort of plug-in architecture? Most of it, IMHO. But that's not the Microsoft Way.
Well.. I've got to give them credit. I broke down, booted into Win98, and gave Office 2000 a shot. And, while yes it's huge, the install is a lot, lot nicer. Plugins they're not, but it's mighty close.
For those who don't know yet, Office 2k gives you several install options for each component. The most new one is "install on demand", and it works right too, unlike most of m$'s previous "new features".
The first time you use something, like, say a spell checker in Word, it asks for the CD, installs the spell checker, spits the cd out, then checks the spelling. The spell checker is then installed from then on. So if you never use those nifty little bits (like, umm.. Excel.. ), then they don't get installed.
Of course, the software is still WAY too fat, but this is an improvement. Also, you can make the ENTIRE SET install on demand. It only installed the needed DLL's, it looks like, and some shortcuts. Heh.. The first time I ran Word after trying this, it asked for the CD, installed the basic Word, and then ran.. I almost died laughing from the fact that it worked. Of course, everything I then did wanted to install something, but after using it that way for a week, it no longer needs anything from the CD. A nice custom setup, with only the things I really use. Nifty.
>The kicker -- require software and hardware companies that license the format to include some sort of kill switch which would prohibit the user from downloading and playing mp3 files. " I'd insert a snide comment here, but...I don't think I need to.
This is illegal in three different ways, if indeed, it is as stated.
1: If implemented in software, and it affects other programs ability to play MP3's, then the consumers can sue them for damages. What if I use MP3's as part of my job or work? Hmmmm?
2: Same as above, the makers of programs that play MP3's can nail them for anti-competitive practices.
3: If implemented in hardware, most hardware manufacturers (talking about, say.. soundcards, for example) would nail them for anti-competitive practices.
Basically, it won't happen.
umm, ncftp goes as far down as you want.. might want to get the latest version..
BUT, ncftp uses the ls -R (i think) command to retrieve the directory listing. That is, it gets the list of the entire tree, then downloads it all. WSFTP gets it one dir at a time, and can work on pretty much any ftp, unlike ncftp. NCFTP also can't handle any kind of ftp servers that return unusual stuff in the directory listings..
Jedinet reported these a few days ago, before they were released. They also reported that there would be a 60 second long "Darth Maul" one too. In fact, they even had the narration for all of them. But no Darth Maul?
Even the music video thingy has a bit of the Darth Maul commerical, narration and all, so we know it exists...
Sounds to me like it wants to be more of an open project type of distributed computing, with the protocol being the backend to handle the passing out of code/data..
Sounds feasible, but with problems.
Say we want to make a program which can work like distributed.net, but with an arbitrary program. The program would still have to be highly parallel, but most computer intensive programs are. We would need:
a) a protocol that can pass the bits of code out to the clients
b) a protocol that can pass data back and forth between the clients
c) a client that can run on several platforms, and execute the code given to it
d) a whole bunch of clients
This is surely possible, but several issues come up. The first one being, why the hell would I run a program on my computer that works for someone else? Where's my compensation?
The easy answer to this is you setup a pay scale. Your main computing center accepts jobs to be put into the system. They get paid for this. They subtract a small (or not so small) fee for their overhead, and the rest gets distributed to the people whose computers are doing all this work. Of course, not every computer is equal, so you have to pay according to work done. This is best accomplished on the servers, by tracking, for example, number of completed blocks received.
Also security becomes a big issue. If this server is sending my computer code to execute, what if that server gets hacked, and the code replaces by malicious (sp?) code? People executing random code on other's machines need to take this into account. Perhaps on client side, you execute your code inside a very well protected environment. Heck, use a stripped down Java VM, or something similar.
Also security on the pay scale side. What's to keep someone from hacking your protocol to send bad completed blocks back, and then get paid for them? If you could check to see that each block was correct, then you wouldn't have to send out each block to be done, would you? So some form of authentication is needed, along with a system of tracking each block done by whom?
Anyway, it's a good idea. I'd particpate in it, if it's done correctly.
Once again, the media has found out something the rest of us geeks have known for a long time.. Yes, most VCD's of a movie are a gig or more, but when you have a fat pipe in your dorm, what's the big deal?
:-)
Anyway, I've watched a couple of these.. The quality can be pretty bad at times, and seeing something like the Matrix would totally suck. I can imagine that Starwars will be out the day of, I can also imagine everyone who sees it still seeing the movie in the theatre a few times..
But when it comes to a movie that I really have no desire to see in the theater, I would have no problem watching these..
And most of them are not camcorder'ed versions. A lot of them are snagged by movie employees who have access to equipment that can copy it to a VHS tape in a much nicer way, then those are run thru an Mpeg2 encoder. The sound usually comes out excellent, but oftentimes a bit out of sync.
Is it wrong? Yep. Do the people who watch these movies often care? Nope. I've seen several to see the quality, and because I could. I don't do it all the time because you just can't beat the theater experience. I seriously doubt that the motion picture industry gives a flying crud about this type of piracy, as few currently have the bandwidth to spare.
is UGLY.. sorry, i know it's supposed to be silly and cheesy and all that, but could you at least make all the boxes not in one big line down the edge? make a table, already!
heh
A half size, open on top, freezer would work excellent, if you could find a way to not have to worry about the condensation.. Methinks sealing the whole system in plastic wrap and dropping it in a freezer would work dandy. Have to vacuum seal it, to make sure all the humidity is out of the inside, but hey.. if you've got an old freezer lying around.
Noticed on that logo page that it says: SILICAN GRAPHICS, INC.. not silicon.. :-)
Silican? Better than Silican't, I suppose..
(yes, i'm aware it's probably a typo)
Someone else has finally noticed. MP3 is a means, not the end.
For a long while now, there have been "MP3 is dying!" articles, and none of the media has realized the key issue. That being that it's easy.
Look, the RIAA might come up with some format to make money on a per-play basis, or whatever. That's not important. What IS important is that there will always be a free equivalant. You cannot convince me that they can come up with a format that I cannot decode and re-encode into another, free, format. I didn't say it was legal, I didn't say it was ethical. But it's true. MP3 piracy is neither legal nor ethical, but it's giving the record companies a run for their money, isn't it?
MP3 is a file format. It might die, but another free way to get music will replace it. The record companies MUST know this, and they hear the bell tolling. Unless they can adapt, they will die, and that's just all there is to it.
Give me some of those to make a Beowulf cluster, baby!
:-)
Someone would have mentioned a Beowulf cluster, eventually.. might as well get it out of our systems now.
There's a windows program that will let you run a telnetable tw2002 game on the internet. I haven't played with it much, but if you do a search on metacrawler for trade wars, it's bound to come up...
Since the maximum is when is it directly on the other side of the sun, you're going to have real problems sending data that direction.. but hey..
I can see some things..
:-)
Pagers - necessary sometimes.
Cell Phones - Yeah, okay.
Watch - Nah.. clocks are everywhere.
Palm Pilot - Why? What all does this thing do that is so invaluable? I mean, I know it can keep notes, do computing on the road type of thing, but how often do you ever actually use that crap? The whole time management thing is simple. Just get a memory for what the hell you are doing! And what's the point of having e-mail on your pager? Or on your belt? Is it really all that cool? I mean, I would find that irksome. For immediate contact, the other person had better page or call me. For not so immediate contact, email. They are two fundamentally different things! ARGH!
I dunno. I hate palm held devices.. They bug the hell out of me.
No, actually, if you didn't know from the previews, the Truman Show didn't reveal it was staged until about an hour into the movie. But the previews ruined that movie. It is still in my top 5 all-time movie list.
:-)
The fifth element was good, but the previews made it seem better than it was. If you take it a face value, and watch it for what it is, i.e. a movie made from a comic book type setting, then it's not bad.
The Matrix looks to be a special effects specatular, and not much more. I think the fact that they won't reveal any plot in the previews is that the movie actually has no plot, and is just 2 hours of special effects.
I for one would like to see it, but not until I've seen the actual movie 20 times. As a big SW fan, I can say that anything he's shot, I'd like to see. It would be interesting to see stuff he cuts, and to try to figure out why it was cut.. Time/space, didn't look good, didn't fit, etc, etc.
Anyway, noone has a bootleg copy. Lucas is WAY too tight on these types of things right now.
I have yet to see anyone explain how the "score" actually works. Anyone wanna fill me in?
Because now all the other pages are gone. At least, I can't access them...
Best purchase you'll ever make.
Do NOT buy a primestar dish. Get DSS.
To get a good deal, go to online auctions, like onsale or ebay or some such. Find a Sony Dish (RCA Dishes suck, more down below) for about $100-150. You may have to sign an agreement saying you'll keep the service for 3 months, but who cares? You'll love it.
RCA Dishes suck because:
A) the menu systems are slow, buggy, and annoying. Sony's are the absolute best.
B) The Dish itself breaks along the support weld seam 1 month after the standard warranty expires. I have personally seen this happen to 4 different people, 4 different dishes. Exactly the same break each and every single time. No wear and tear involved, the dish just sat on their roofs until the weld broke and then it fell over. The Sony dishes, AFAICT, last forever and are much much much more rigidly constructed.
It is very nice to be able to read fast. I don't think any of those programs work though. The problem lies in the fact that you learn reading at such an early age (usually) that it gets ingrained very deeply. I learned to read when I was under two years old. By the age of three I could read books and such labeled for much older children. Now I can read very fast indeed. Comprehension, however, is not linked to reading speed as much as you might think. Speed reading is largely improved memory. I can read a page of text and recite it back more or less word for word (not perfect mind you, but not far off). But, I usually have to take a little more time to digest it. That's the whole key. You CAN improve your memory, and your reading speed will increase, though not dramatically.
The only thing I have to say is to teach your children to read from the moment they are born. It's definitely a bonus. The "Hooked on Phonics" stuff is mostly crap. That works only because it requires parent/child interaction. If you want your kid to read, and work with him/her on it from an early age, they will be able to read easily. As long as you show an interest.
Anyway, I'm rambling now, so there.
http://www.redhat.com/mirrors.html
Every one of those I've checked has mirrors of Starbuck.
Just for informational sake for all the people who actually think they could EVER get into ftp.redhat.com. That site is so slow and so busy its not even funny.
check http://www.redhat.com/mirrors.html
everyone of those mirrors I've checked has it.
>would like to know others experience, but I thought tiff had a pretty well defined spec
That's the whole problem. It's so huge, nobody implements it all. The sad fact is that damn few people use TIFF that are not in the desktop publishing field. I have to get a lot of design printed by professional printers and so on, and they always request TIFF. I have no idea why, I never use the bloody thing, BECAUSE it never works from one program to the next. At least for me. I've heard that those pro programs printers use support every type of TIFF you can imagine, but support little if anything else, and that's why they ask for it. I dunno. TIFF sucks, IMO.
Sure you could probably do something to that effect, but the sound would definitely be noticable in the wav file as well. The down side about mp3 is that it actually removes a lot of the frequencies. Add a bunch of frequencies and mp3 falls flat. But, you hear those frequencies too, as mp3 only really kills off the ones you are least likely to hear.