I don't disagree with the thought, but there's more to understanding a book than the words. Inflection, emotion and all those things that computer's can't quite do are critical to understanding and are even more critical to enjoyment of the text.
It's because of this that, while text-to-speech software is ubiquitous, libraries and not-for-profits (Like these guys, for one) still hire people (or accept volunteers) to read books for the visually impaired.
Like I said, I have nothing against what you're proposing and these digital copies will definitely help in the future, we're just not there yet.:)
gives you the most efficient route to each ingredient...
No shot. Groceries are laid out the way they are for a reason - by putting the most common groceries in opposite corners of the store forces you to walk by stuff you don't need but might by. It is wholly within their interest to keep you in the store (and moving) for as long as possible. Giving you directions is in direct conflict with that goal.
You want really scary, take a look at how cereals are arranged next time you're in the store - bigger companies towards the front of the aisles (where they get more exposure) and down in size to the little import brands. You'll also notice that most red boxes are at chest level - the level a kid in a cart would be at; red is the most stimulating color for young eyes, it's why froot loops, applejacks and lucky charms (for instance) come in shiny red boxes.
...that they're keeping with tradition - this series in no way fits inside of what we know of how the secondary phase ended. Might pull an extremely unwieldy rabbit out of their hat, I guess, but there's a good shot they'll just shrug and try not to mention it.
Not that I'm complaining, or anything, it just makes listening to them in a row a mite difficult (or at least extremely confusing)
That's not technically correct. Douglas Adams recorded audiobook versions of all of his novels - Agrajag's voice for the series was extricated from those recordings.
Just saying, it's not like he recorded the voice part specifically for this project. He did it in the mid-nineties for something almost entirely unrelated.
Does Rose actually die? I remember the diamond scene and then I recall seeing her photographs from the life that Jack encouraged her to go live... but did she die?
Man, I'm going to feel silly if I've forgotten that;-)
Ummm, see, if I were you, I'd feel silly for having seen that godawful movie in the first place, but that's just me.
You want to get into an industry where people expect you to be mildly rude, opinionated and crass? Try selling books.
Seriously. I've been doing it for YEARS because people come into your store looking for opinions. They want to know what the salespeople think about what they're about to buy, whether it's a waste of time and money or whether it's the best book to come out in the last few years. They want out-there suggestions and and a stellar sales pitch.
I've never seen anything quite like it, and believe me, getting the pseudo-famous to read what you told them to is quite the thrill. Willem Dafoe currently has a book I sold him sitting on his bedside table. Gotta love it.:P
What gore conviently left out is that the patriot act still requires a warrent signed by a judge, if you don't beleive me go read the act.
Ever heard of the FISA court? No? Why does that not surprise me?
FISA stand for Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, a secret court presided over by secret judges taken from district courts around the country. They're authorized to, among other things, allow domestic wiretapping of people suspected of being agents of foreign powers. At least, that was the way the court was originally set up. The PATRIOT Act expanded those powers to allow the wiretapping of anybody, ever, provided the judges agrees.
"So...what? There's still a judicial measure in place to keep things from getting out of hand, right?" Wrong. You know how many warrants the FISA court has rejected since Nixon formed it in the 70's? ONE, and that one was overturned on appeal.
It's a threat, man. Without proper judicial review everything falls apart, and this court has been operating in anonymity for 30 years.
Just...be careful where you put your faith. Judges aren't the be-all and end all of this.
The constitution-class enterprise's saucer section was connected to the engineering hull with a series of bolts - if absolutely necessary the saucer (with its impulse engines) could explode the bolts and render the saucer free. It could only be reattached in spacedock and was considered a last-minute rescue solution, not a standard operating procedure. Prolly why we never saw it done until the guys at utopia planitia had...perfected the procedure.:)
As much as I've missed the e2 linkage over here, was it really such a good idea to put it in a slashdot story what with all the server problems we've been having over there? I mean geez, guys, I think you just slashdotted e2. Nate do something to piss you off, or what?
Good contemporary albums exist that work well together, they're just not the norm.
Artists like Radiohead, Ben Folds(Five), Aimee Mann, Modest Mouse, Warren Zevon, Tori Amos, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists and Rooney all do excellent jobs at crafting albums that work well as a whole as well as in song form. They're not in the top 40, but so what? Still good stuff.
See, here in NYC, geekdom has become...trendy. It's now cool to know tons about comic books, to be an IP wizard, to be able to pull odd things from teh intarweb. If you're a mac geek, you're even better off.
The problem with this is the fucking hipsters of the geek wannabe persuasion. They manage to effectively mimic geek behavior but are much smoother (excuse me - smoover), much nicer looking and infinitely better at getting laid. So now all the look-alike "hey look, I can setup iTunes networking. I'm awesome and lovable and single! Bed me!" are stealing the small portion of women endowed by god with a geek-love gene. JUST when we're acceptable to the outside world, we get screwed by the trendiest people on EARTH. AGAIN.
But the worst part of it is, you turn into, like, that guy. You know, that guy who always grumbles about being ahead of the trend. The "I was listening to them when they were indie and they suck now" guy and everyone thinks YOU'RE the poser.
Please. Take me back to obscurity. At least I was getting laid when I was on the fringe.
We've already got these damn things atop the stairs leading to certain subway stations (like, the 23rd street station on the NR line) been their for a few years, I think. They're exceedingly annoying. Not really targeted though - they mostly (at least, at this point) show ads for clearchannel itself.
They wouldn't even need to necessarily know your name or anything...
Yeah, but see, when you've got one database of consumer data based on license numbers and another database of license numbers with personal information, it doesn't take a genius to suggest pairing the two and getting it done. I used to be okay with unique unidentifiable ID #s. Now the idea gives me the creeps because, with a setup like this, all someone needs to do after setting up their non-invasive database is to built a bridge to the invasive one.
Go for it, but stay in your lane and don't wreck. Kill someone, and you get a minimum of 3rd-degree murder. I'd guess that'd be about 30-50 years in prison.
Third Degree Murder, more commonly known as manslaughter only warrants 7-10 years. First degree murder warrants 25 years to life. I understand such things change from state to state and all, but your estimation seems a bit high.:)
The time shifting between weeks thing happens regularly in my little indie bookstore. At least at the big boys there's a bureaucracy in place for people to go to with problems, even if it IS a part of the system. At my store, who do I talk to? My manager? He's the one doing the shifting. The owners? What're they going to say?
I have been warned by management NEVER to mention the U word (Union). It's an instant ticket for dismissal. That manager got canned out of the blue shortly after that conversation, so...
The sick thing is, as an independent bookstore, we're the last and only line of defense against megastore encroachment. I used to work at Barnes and Noble, and you know what? I was treated better, given more hours and paid more (way more) to work for them than I make now. With practices like this, I understand why people give in to the big boys.
Anybody want to talk to me about setting up a bookseller's union? I'm so completely serious it's not funny.
Max Barry's novel "Syrup" has a main character named "6". She was born as "0", with a number added on each of her birthdays. Her parents died in an airplane accident when she was 6, hence...
He's gonna be royally annoyed if he tries to mug my ex-girlfriend - those bran' spankin' new white headphones're connected to a nine-dollar tape deck.:)
My mother used to work for General Public Utilities (the company that owned TMI) and was at the plant during the accident - it's probably the cause of my glowing personality. (rimshot).
In all seriousness, if anybody has any questions they'd like me to pass on I'd be more than willing to. I'll post the answers here or in a JE or somewhere.
Have any of you stopped to consider WHY Cameron wants to do this and why it's a problem?
There's a musician's union for the West End. Union rules specifically state how many musicians need to be hired for any musical specifically to STOP this from happening, ie, to keep Broadway musicians employed. Believe me, if they could get away with it, pit bands would've been replaced by a CD player a long, long time ago. Broadway is exactly the same way.
McIntosh wants to replace half the orchestra, not because of artistic reasons per se, but because of practical ones - Les Mis is moving to a theater with a much, much smaller pit that simply can't accompany the number of musicians hired by the current production.
It's ALL business. Don't think art has anything to do with it. THey'd replace the actors with robots if they thought it'd make a buck and save a few more.
Slashdot Mirror
I don't disagree with the thought, but there's more to understanding a book than the words. Inflection, emotion and all those things that computer's can't quite do are critical to understanding and are even more critical to enjoyment of the text.
It's because of this that, while text-to-speech software is ubiquitous, libraries and not-for-profits (Like these guys, for one) still hire people (or accept volunteers) to read books for the visually impaired.
Like I said, I have nothing against what you're proposing and these digital copies will definitely help in the future, we're just not there yet. :)
Triv
gives you the most efficient route to each ingredient...
No shot. Groceries are laid out the way they are for a reason - by putting the most common groceries in opposite corners of the store forces you to walk by stuff you don't need but might by. It is wholly within their interest to keep you in the store (and moving) for as long as possible. Giving you directions is in direct conflict with that goal.
You want really scary, take a look at how cereals are arranged next time you're in the store - bigger companies towards the front of the aisles (where they get more exposure) and down in size to the little import brands. You'll also notice that most red boxes are at chest level - the level a kid in a cart would be at; red is the most stimulating color for young eyes, it's why froot loops, applejacks and lucky charms (for instance) come in shiny red boxes.
Man, I love marketing!
Triv
Not that I'm complaining, or anything, it just makes listening to them in a row a mite difficult (or at least extremely confusing)
Triv
Just saying, it's not like he recorded the voice part specifically for this project. He did it in the mid-nineties for something almost entirely unrelated.
Triv
Does Rose actually die? I remember the diamond scene and then I recall seeing her photographs from the life that Jack encouraged her to go live... but did she die?
;-)
Man, I'm going to feel silly if I've forgotten that
Ummm, see, if I were you, I'd feel silly for having seen that godawful movie in the first place, but that's just me.
Triv
Triv
Seriously. I've been doing it for YEARS because people come into your store looking for opinions. They want to know what the salespeople think about what they're about to buy, whether it's a waste of time and money or whether it's the best book to come out in the last few years. They want out-there suggestions and and a stellar sales pitch.
I've never seen anything quite like it, and believe me, getting the pseudo-famous to read what you told them to is quite the thrill. Willem Dafoe currently has a book I sold him sitting on his bedside table. Gotta love it. :P
Triv
Ever heard of the FISA court? No? Why does that not surprise me?
FISA stand for Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, a secret court presided over by secret judges taken from district courts around the country. They're authorized to, among other things, allow domestic wiretapping of people suspected of being agents of foreign powers. At least, that was the way the court was originally set up. The PATRIOT Act expanded those powers to allow the wiretapping of anybody, ever, provided the judges agrees.
"So...what? There's still a judicial measure in place to keep things from getting out of hand, right?" Wrong. You know how many warrants the FISA court has rejected since Nixon formed it in the 70's? ONE, and that one was overturned on appeal.
It's a threat, man. Without proper judicial review everything falls apart, and this court has been operating in anonymity for 30 years.
Just...be careful where you put your faith. Judges aren't the be-all and end all of this.
Triv
The constitution-class enterprise's saucer section was connected to the engineering hull with a series of bolts - if absolutely necessary the saucer (with its impulse engines) could explode the bolts and render the saucer free. It could only be reattached in spacedock and was considered a last-minute rescue solution, not a standard operating procedure. Prolly why we never saw it done until the guys at utopia planitia had...perfected the procedure. :)
Triv
Triv
So...It's been announced that Steve Jobs will announce what will eventually be in 10.4.
I don't know what's more disturbing, that this is a story or that my heart started beating faster as I read it.
Triv
Artists like Radiohead, Ben Folds(Five), Aimee Mann, Modest Mouse, Warren Zevon, Tori Amos, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists and Rooney all do excellent jobs at crafting albums that work well as a whole as well as in song form. They're not in the top 40, but so what? Still good stuff.
Triv
The moment the huge media conglomerate can issue warrants for search, seizure or arrest and use a police force to enforce them.
What, you mean like this?
Triv
See, here in NYC, geekdom has become...trendy. It's now cool to know tons about comic books, to be an IP wizard, to be able to pull odd things from teh intarweb. If you're a mac geek, you're even better off.
The problem with this is the fucking hipsters of the geek wannabe persuasion. They manage to effectively mimic geek behavior but are much smoother (excuse me - smoover), much nicer looking and infinitely better at getting laid. So now all the look-alike "hey look, I can setup iTunes networking. I'm awesome and lovable and single! Bed me!" are stealing the small portion of women endowed by god with a geek-love gene. JUST when we're acceptable to the outside world, we get screwed by the trendiest people on EARTH. AGAIN.
But the worst part of it is, you turn into, like, that guy. You know, that guy who always grumbles about being ahead of the trend. The "I was listening to them when they were indie and they suck now" guy and everyone thinks YOU'RE the poser.
Please. Take me back to obscurity. At least I was getting laid when I was on the fringe.
Triv
We've already got these damn things atop the stairs leading to certain subway stations (like, the 23rd street station on the NR line) been their for a few years, I think. They're exceedingly annoying. Not really targeted though - they mostly (at least, at this point) show ads for clearchannel itself.
Triv
They wouldn't even need to necessarily know your name or anything...
Yeah, but see, when you've got one database of consumer data based on license numbers and another database of license numbers with personal information, it doesn't take a genius to suggest pairing the two and getting it done. I used to be okay with unique unidentifiable ID #s. Now the idea gives me the creeps because, with a setup like this, all someone needs to do after setting up their non-invasive database is to built a bridge to the invasive one.
Triv
Go for it, but stay in your lane and don't wreck. Kill someone, and you get a minimum of 3rd-degree murder. I'd guess that'd be about 30-50 years in prison.
Third Degree Murder, more commonly known as manslaughter only warrants 7-10 years. First degree murder warrants 25 years to life. I understand such things change from state to state and all, but your estimation seems a bit high. :)
Triv
Triv
The time shifting between weeks thing happens regularly in my little indie bookstore. At least at the big boys there's a bureaucracy in place for people to go to with problems, even if it IS a part of the system. At my store, who do I talk to? My manager? He's the one doing the shifting. The owners? What're they going to say?
I have been warned by management NEVER to mention the U word (Union). It's an instant ticket for dismissal. That manager got canned out of the blue shortly after that conversation, so...
The sick thing is, as an independent bookstore, we're the last and only line of defense against megastore encroachment. I used to work at Barnes and Noble, and you know what? I was treated better, given more hours and paid more (way more) to work for them than I make now. With practices like this, I understand why people give in to the big boys.
Anybody want to talk to me about setting up a bookseller's union? I'm so completely serious it's not funny.
Triv
(It's a GREAT book, by the way. :) )
Triv
He's gonna be royally annoyed if he tries to mug my ex-girlfriend - those bran' spankin' new white headphones're connected to a nine-dollar tape deck. :)
Triv
In all seriousness, if anybody has any questions they'd like me to pass on I'd be more than willing to. I'll post the answers here or in a JE or somewhere.
Triv
here was a text-based game format called SPAM (just try and google that now.)
I love a good google challenge
*grin*
Triv
There's a musician's union for the West End. Union rules specifically state how many musicians need to be hired for any musical specifically to STOP this from happening, ie, to keep Broadway musicians employed. Believe me, if they could get away with it, pit bands would've been replaced by a CD player a long, long time ago. Broadway is exactly the same way.
McIntosh wants to replace half the orchestra, not because of artistic reasons per se, but because of practical ones - Les Mis is moving to a theater with a much, much smaller pit that simply can't accompany the number of musicians hired by the current production.
It's ALL business. Don't think art has anything to do with it. THey'd replace the actors with robots if they thought it'd make a buck and save a few more.
Triv
Anybody remember these guys?
Triv