yes... like a version of Star Wars where greedo doesn't shoot first. I picked up a LD player and plan on making my own personal use only DVD copy without the dreaded cantina b.s. cheezy cgi.
for those bots at the oreilly emerging tech conference she spoke at... really impressive, almost scary. Takes a licking and keeps on ticking... the army ops guys would abuse the hell out of 'em.
... esri desktop products do kick ass... that is if you buy the "kick ass" extension for another 2,000 smackers... now their online ArcIMS products are a buggy bandaid at best =)
but hey that's just my opinion... if there was an opensource way to take my orgs desktop.mxd files and serve them up with dynamic data from a database , i'd be all over it...
but i digress... GIS is very useful, more towns should take advantage of it... and any savings from man hours spent dealing with paper map requests at town hall, is offset by the team of IT professionals trying to keep an ESRI online mapping product up and online =)
If you re-read what I said, in my own rambling way... the people/agency who are charged with protecting the US/people SHOULD be more efficient.
There's no law stating that these agencies had to be slow, cumbersome, and reactive.
Just because these agency are (perceived to be) a buerocratic mess (even if I can't spell it), don't short circuit due process.
If there are other stupid laws (such as preventing an agent from using a publicly available resource like google to "investigate" as you point out) they should be ammended/removed, but lets not throw out the baby (due process/ civil liberties) with the bath water ( inefficiency , other hindering law enforcement laws).
*shrug* I think what most people feared about the PA is that it would be used in situations other than or too broadly (or not even) defined "terrorist"... and that's what we seem to have here. copy right infringement != terrorism unless they think he's funnelling all his amazon referral money to bin laden? c'mon now =)
I think what most people object to, is NOT the copyright holder trying to protect their IP, so to speak...
BUT that the "Patriot Act" is being utilized in such a manner AND that government/taxpayer money, time, and resources were spent to make the MPAA happy. That's ridiculous (hello INDUCE act glad to meet you...)
I feel safer knowing that these new "tools" for finding terrorists are being used domestically for other purposes. (that's sarcasm, fyi)
Hey, i'm all for increase our intelligence gathering capabilities and having US use the data it allready has more effectively... and acting on it properly... BUT the patriot act was not the right approach at all.
more sarcsam: Thank god they got that pesky judge and warrant business out of the way so they can go after the real criminals like stargate1 download/fan sites quicker! GJ!
"thats some dope shit right there checkin them screenshots. All you need now is a bootable CD automatic dummy-proof setup that can turn any suitable PC into a crazy station!"
You mean like uh.. I dunno KnoppMyth (knoppix + Mythtv distro)
"What's keeping them from taking a unifying approach to everything they have? I'd love to have a home page that I could customize the content (sort of like what my.yahoo has). Latest threads in subscribed-to newsgroups, headlines from news.google.com with my favorite filters, quick summaries of who's sent new emails, etc."
Well... you could always use the google API and create your own custom homepage that does all that (hypothetically)
But yeah, a CLEAN portal that kept pulse of things I'm interested in would be cool...
Huh? ### It's what "sean connery" said to Trebeck in SNL skit *shrug* it cracks me up anyways... but i digress
But we aren't talking about ease of upgrades, we are talking about transfer of content. I can upgrade my HD without a torx driver.
MythTV while full featured, and has a great community/developers, isn't the ONLY solution out there. GB-pvr, freevo, myhtpc, sage, beyondtv, and a myriad of more... I think if you like being locked into a sat contract, it's quite the bargain (i'd happily do it if I go dish), but if you want options and control of your content/PVR DIY PVR/HTPC gives you that. IMHO =)
You're mostly right though. DIY PVR isn't for everyone (tinkerers mentality needed), and it's a "hobby" still in it's formative stage. But it's getting there and making real strides.
There ARE easy to setup PC PVR options. I shlopped a PVR350 in a box paired with SageTV (review) and it was pretty simple.
The cost thing is a valid concern. There is potentially a larger initial cash outlay (but no subscription fees.)
With that said the DirectTV deals with Tivo (which are they still being offered? Didnt't DTV and tivo have a bitter divorce quite publiclly last month?) ARE a great value if you go the satellite route. Dual tuning, digital only stream, Tivo ease of use, low subscription...
But out of the box without modification (software or hardware) you can't get the content off your DTV tivo box, which is the point of this article.
Another compelling reason is if you are a paranoid schizo and don't trust TiVo (no matter WHAT their privacy statements say, and oh by the way they can change them at any time) about collecting info on your viewing habits... if you DIY you can have more control over what goes in and out of your DIY PVR (unless you tape MTV, I can't help the GIGO there)
Note: I own and love my tivo and don't wear a tinfoil hat, just thought I point it out as a potential reasoning.
Now if Dishnetwork and DirectTV would supply the needed daughter cards/access cards to digital satellite PCI PVR cards we wouldn't be able to argue about the "re-encoding digital content" issue. (you can use those cards in Europe with subscription satellite services, but not here, from what I understand)
Obviously I'm biased (I run a DIY PVR / HTPC site), but this type of shennanigan, whether it comes to fruition or not, is one compelling reason to roll your own homebrew tivo-workalike.
Now hopefully the Broadcast flag won't come and ruin the party regardless of commercial/set-top or homebrew PC PVR.
and any other hdtv PC/mac related stuff before the broadcast flag kicks in =(
Looks pretty cool, i've got to see if I can get my hands on one of these (although it looks like I can get 3 DTV stations over the air where I live... 1 is pbs the other a WB affiliate... =( )
If OSS GIS could get to the point where it can do one thing better than ESRI arc* products it would be a very good thing.
(not to say OSS GIS doesn't do certain things better than ESRI... let me explain)
If the OSS development community can build say, a viable online mapping platform that was open it would be huge!
I'm sick to death of the ESRI upgrade/maintance ladder/extortion to get product revisions that fix the bugs in the original release. I'm tired of the convoluted bandaid approach to online mapping.
I'd welcome a solid OSS solution any day, ideally beable to serve ESRI format.mxd files...
fwiw, if you are close to the equator (one of the prerequisites in the previous post, snow is unlikely to be a problem... unless you are on a mountain, in which case, wouldn't you get better signal for being "closer" to the sats? =) )
FWIW, ATI has an OEM e-home wonder card that mpeg2 encoding (and is only a half height PCI card) for use in windows MCE machines/bundles... but you can't really get them at like newegg or the like.
Although, I hear ya... hardware encoding is where it's at, and you'd have to pry my pvr350 from machine while I angrily protest for you to stop... =P
*shrug* besides the macrovision or the like (as pointed out by other posters)... That many digital to analog conversions (and back again) can't be good for signal quality, which unless i'm mistaken is part of the lure of a DTV system?
So yeah, just like you can stick your ipod into your line in of your soundcard and make "un-DRM'd" copies of your music, you probably wouldn't want to as the results will be less than optimal.
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yes... like a version of Star Wars where greedo doesn't shoot first. I picked up a LD player and plan on making my own personal use only DVD copy without the dreaded cantina b.s. cheezy cgi.
e.
for those bots at the oreilly emerging tech conference she spoke at... really impressive, almost scary. Takes a licking and keeps on ticking... the army ops guys would abuse the hell out of 'em.
No word yet on the skynet add-on though...
*shrug*
e.
well actually *my* dreamcast is dead... the drive/laser isn't reading discs anymore (and yes, real discs, not bootleg cdr's)
=(
e.
for pulling for Real on this one...
e.
... esri desktop products do kick ass... that is if you buy the "kick ass" extension for another 2,000 smackers... now their online ArcIMS products are a buggy bandaid at best =)
.mxd files and serve them up with dynamic data from a database , i'd be all over it...
but hey that's just my opinion... if there was an opensource way to take my orgs desktop
but i digress... GIS is very useful, more towns should take advantage of it... and any savings from man hours spent dealing with paper map requests at town hall, is offset by the team of IT professionals trying to keep an ESRI online mapping product up and online =)
e.
.. they NEED the ad revenue... seriously. It's wicked expensive/overpriced.
e.
If you re-read what I said, in my own rambling way... the people/agency who are charged with protecting the US/people SHOULD be more efficient.
There's no law stating that these agencies had to be slow, cumbersome, and reactive.
Just because these agency are (perceived to be) a buerocratic mess (even if I can't spell it), don't short circuit due process.
If there are other stupid laws (such as preventing an agent from using a publicly available resource like google to "investigate" as you point out) they should be ammended/removed, but lets not throw out the baby (due process/ civil liberties) with the bath water ( inefficiency , other hindering law enforcement laws).
*shrug* I think what most people feared about the PA is that it would be used in situations other than or too broadly (or not even) defined "terrorist"... and that's what we seem to have here. copy right infringement != terrorism unless they think he's funnelling all his amazon referral money to bin laden? c'mon now =)
e.
I think what most people object to, is NOT the copyright holder trying to protect their IP, so to speak...
BUT that the "Patriot Act" is being utilized in such a manner AND that government/taxpayer money, time, and resources were spent to make the MPAA happy. That's ridiculous (hello INDUCE act glad to meet you...)
I feel safer knowing that these new "tools" for finding terrorists are being used domestically for other purposes. (that's sarcasm, fyi)
Hey, i'm all for increase our intelligence gathering capabilities and having US use the data it allready has more effectively... and acting on it properly... BUT the patriot act was not the right approach at all.
more sarcsam: Thank god they got that pesky judge and warrant business out of the way so they can go after the real criminals like stargate1 download/fan sites quicker! GJ!
e
What... no Homebrew's Slackware MythTV guide (with pvr350 tv out goodness?)
e.
"thats some dope shit right there checkin them screenshots. All you need now is a bootable CD automatic dummy-proof setup that can turn any suitable PC into a crazy station!"
You mean like uh.. I dunno KnoppMyth (knoppix + Mythtv distro)
=)
e.
"What's keeping them from taking a unifying approach to everything they have? I'd love to have a home page that I could customize the content (sort of like what my.yahoo has). Latest threads in subscribed-to newsgroups, headlines from news.google.com with my favorite filters, quick summaries of who's sent new emails, etc."
Well... you could always use the google API and create your own custom homepage that does all that (hypothetically)
But yeah, a CLEAN portal that kept pulse of things I'm interested in would be cool...
E.
###
>>I'll play your game rogue...
Huh?
###
It's what "sean connery" said to Trebeck in SNL skit *shrug* it cracks me up anyways... but i digress
But we aren't talking about ease of upgrades, we are talking about transfer of content. I can upgrade my HD without a torx driver.
MythTV while full featured, and has a great community/developers, isn't the ONLY solution out there. GB-pvr, freevo, myhtpc, sage, beyondtv, and a myriad of more... I think if you like being locked into a sat contract, it's quite the bargain (i'd happily do it if I go dish), but if you want options and control of your content/PVR DIY PVR/HTPC gives you that. IMHO =)
You're mostly right though. DIY PVR isn't for everyone (tinkerers mentality needed), and it's a "hobby" still in it's formative stage. But it's getting there and making real strides.
E.
I'll play your game rogue...
There ARE easy to setup PC PVR options. I shlopped a PVR350 in a box paired with SageTV (review) and it was pretty simple.
The cost thing is a valid concern. There is potentially a larger initial cash outlay (but no subscription fees.)
With that said the DirectTV deals with Tivo (which are they still being offered? Didnt't DTV and tivo have a bitter divorce quite publiclly last month?) ARE a great value if you go the satellite route. Dual tuning, digital only stream, Tivo ease of use, low subscription...
But out of the box without modification (software or hardware) you can't get the content off your DTV tivo box, which is the point of this article.
Another compelling reason is if you are a paranoid schizo and don't trust TiVo (no matter WHAT their privacy statements say, and oh by the way they can change them at any time) about collecting info on your viewing habits... if you DIY you can have more control over what goes in and out of your DIY PVR (unless you tape MTV, I can't help the GIGO there)
Note: I own and love my tivo and don't wear a tinfoil hat, just thought I point it out as a potential reasoning.
Now if Dishnetwork and DirectTV would supply the needed daughter cards/access cards to digital satellite PCI PVR cards we wouldn't be able to argue about the "re-encoding digital content" issue. (you can use those cards in Europe with subscription satellite services, but not here, from what I understand)
*shrug* YMMV,
e.
To clarify: I meant, if MPAA/NFL's request is comes to fruition... (not if Tivo's transfer content to PC's...)
e.
Obviously I'm biased (I run a DIY PVR / HTPC site), but this type of shennanigan, whether it comes to fruition or not, is one compelling reason to roll your own homebrew tivo-workalike.
Now hopefully the Broadcast flag won't come and ruin the party regardless of commercial/set-top or homebrew PC PVR.
E.
that it made it into space?
reminds me of the Star Wars quote
"You came in that thing? You're braver than I thought!" - Princess Leia
Man, I really smoked my speakers...
e.
aren't there enough problems in the world without drive by hair cutting?
e.
and any other hdtv PC/mac related stuff before the broadcast flag kicks in =(
Looks pretty cool, i've got to see if I can get my hands on one of these (although it looks like I can get 3 DTV stations over the air where I live... 1 is pbs the other a WB affiliate... =( )
e.
eh, I'm sure someone has embedded mame/front end into a CF somewhere and done something similiar *Shrug*
My friends MAME cabinet, we used DOS and it boots fairly quickly right into a front end.
*shrug* I guess if you used this in conjunction with one of those "10 arcade games in a joystick" you'd have the same thing...
e.
If OSS GIS could get to the point where it can do one thing better than ESRI arc* products it would be a very good thing.
.mxd files...
(not to say OSS GIS doesn't do certain things better than ESRI... let me explain)
If the OSS development community can build say, a viable online mapping platform that was open it would be huge!
I'm sick to death of the ESRI upgrade/maintance ladder/extortion to get product revisions that fix the bugs in the original release. I'm tired of the convoluted bandaid approach to online mapping.
I'd welcome a solid OSS solution any day, ideally beable to serve ESRI format
blah...
e.
it's the orange glow from monichrome dumb terminals =)
e.
fwiw, if you are close to the equator (one of the prerequisites in the previous post, snow is unlikely to be a problem... unless you are on a mountain, in which case, wouldn't you get better signal for being "closer" to the sats? =) )
*shrug*
e.
FWIW, ATI has an OEM e-home wonder card that mpeg2 encoding (and is only a half height PCI card) for use in windows MCE machines/bundles... but you can't really get them at like newegg or the like.
Although, I hear ya... hardware encoding is where it's at, and you'd have to pry my pvr350 from machine while I angrily protest for you to stop... =P
e.
*shrug* besides the macrovision or the like (as pointed out by other posters)... That many digital to analog conversions (and back again) can't be good for signal quality, which unless i'm mistaken is part of the lure of a DTV system?
So yeah, just like you can stick your ipod into your line in of your soundcard and make "un-DRM'd" copies of your music, you probably wouldn't want to as the results will be less than optimal.
although ymmv,
e.