I still remember watching the original film on VHS back in '86 or '87, and I always told my folks that there would be a sequel. Well, after watching the special features, I learned that originally the whole "We gotta do something about your kids, Marty!" was more of a closing joke than a setup for the next film. Anyway, no matter how many times I saw the original film, nothing was cooler than watching the DVD and seeing the DeLorean roll off Doc Brown's truck for the first time. The audio was great, and my floor shook to the rumbling of the engine. Also, hearing Alan Silvestri's work in CD-quality sound really makes the movie come to life even more. I highly recommend anyone who liked the movies to watch them again on DVD. It really is a whole new experience.
By the way, before you up and cancel your DTV DSL service, wait at least until Tuesday (December 17), when another announcement will be posted on http://www.directvdsl.com which may indicate the provider they will be migrating us to. Hopefully it will be one of the above (or similar.)
Thanks for the advice. After reading some other posts (thank god this story made it to/.), I think I will just take the gateway and use whatever time is left to get set up. I read from someone else that it's better just to keep the service, if for nothing else, a quicker switch to a new ISP--otherwise I'd have to wait until they released my line before I could sign up again. Does this sound correct (as you noted to have had more than 1 broadband provider).
Also, would you think they'll let everyone just keep the gateways instead of mailing them back? I know DTVDSL has in their agreement that you send the equipment back, but given the circumstances, people keep saying otherwise. I guess I'll just have to wait until the 17th to really get the straight answers, but if you have any more advice, I would greatlly appreciate it!
...but it looks like I was beat to the punch. Oh well.
I JUST signed up with DTV DSL, and my gateway was in the mail as of yesterday. I'm really pissed, but at the same time I really feel for those hundreds of folks that came to work just to find out they didn't have jobs anymore.
I am a bit pissed that not a single email has been sent out about this. Apparently people are just finding out via forums, and now/. has the news. If anyone has info, or is in the same boat as me, please post any news you get about returning your gateway and dropping service before it begins. I figure it'd just be easier to wipe my hands of the service before it even begins, and sign up with someone else.
I mean, I've been doing this for years, on CD's though. It's called incremental backups, and I do one every few months. All my recent documents, pics, etc, go to CD (now DVD-R since I got a burner). The nice thing is, I keep what I only keep what I need, or what I know is "clean". I wonder how bad it would be if some nasty letter you wrote but never sent gets archived. What happens later if someone gets a hold of your "memories" and other data?
For reference I have most of my college career backed up on CD. I can go back and read class papers and read up on all the other stupid stuff I did over the years. As of now I already plan to sort through all those CD's and condense them all down to DVD. So, why is this software useful to those of us who already make use of such methods?
Aside from the typical/. geek that knows the risks of WiFi (overlapping, channels, WEP, security, etc), this would be a nightmare if every Tom and Jane of the world tries to start up their own mesh node. Hell, it was hard enough getting the 300+ residents at my college to agree on the same damn workgroup and network settings back before we actually had wired dorms (we ran our own cables). A call for some type of infrastructure (no matter how basic) is still going to be required for this to work right. I can imagine someone getting a mesh working in a small town, then some dumb shmuck runs their own WAP and fucks the whole network up for 2 blocks. I don't mean to rant, but I can see a lot of headaches if this sort of thing isn't planned out properly.
For the last 3 years I've been a DJ at a college radio station. My second year I was chief engineer, and my 3rd year I was general manager. I had to contend with a lot of projects during those last two years, including petitioning the FCC for a new frequency.
If you're looking to start up a radio station yourself (not internet broadcast, but real over-the-air station), and you don't have at least $50K laying around, then I'd say forget about it. Even if you are planning to do an internet-broadcast-only station, I assume you haven't been keeping up with legislation about royalty payments even for small broadcasters.
Now, if you are planning to help start up a station for a college, you may have a better chance. Again, you'll need roughly $50K just to get the station off the ground (no pun intended). Depending on how saturated your radio market is in the area, what part of the country you're in, how much of a surplus budget the college has, and the logistics of building a studio and placement of the antenna, there's a lot to do before you even think about asking for the money in the first place.
Now, here's the rundown for what you'll need, monetarily speaking:
Minimum $8K operating expenses per year. This will mainly be needed for royalty payments and other payments to the record companies. These fees are NOT cheap by any means. This is a re-occuuring cost, so you'd need some real financial support to keep the station going. Stipends, new equipment, etc is not even factored in here, but that's an additional $6-8K a year.
The FCC no longer allows any less than a 100W Class A license for new radio stations. You may still qualify as a non-commercial, educational (NCE) station if you are building a station for your college--this allows you some reduced fees.
Low power FM (LPFM) licenses are also possible, but I'm not familiar with how the FCC deals with those--it's a whole other type of license scheme than what I'm familiar with.
Your antenna will cost roughly $3-4K, and a 100W transmitter will run you $6-8K. This is just a basic estimate for the lowest possible license class.
Site survey and engineering paperwork will run you about $3-4K minimum. This is absolutely neccessary for filing with the FCC. I recommend actually paying a company to do this work, even if you attend a technical college.
FCC Lawyer--get one. They can really help with the paperwork and answer any questions you have, but it's not cheap either. Expect anywhere from $8-20K for that expense (roughly $300/hr)!
Good news: filing the application for a non-commercial license with the FCC is free. Bad news: you will wait a minimum of 4-6 months just for the FCC to look at your application. That doesn't even include the waiting around for new application windows and postponements for rule making sessions. There's a whole list of crap the FCC does that will delay your license.
Contact and subscribe to magazines such as CMJ (College Music Journal) to help you get music for your station. This is about $300/yr, and can be included as part of the first expense I mentioned.
Most importantly, you'll need a broadcast studio. Mixer, CD players, mics, etc will run you another $10-20K, unless you plan to hook your computer straight to the transmitter:)
I don't mean to discourage you, but if this list hasn't made you turn tail and run, then I wish you the best of luck in sticking it to the world of commercial radio.
The first time I saw the preview for this show, I was watching it with a friend, and we both said the same thing: it looked like a "real-life" version of Outlaw Star. Then they started showing more previews, and I kept thinking that it looks more like a cross between OLS and Cowboy Bebop--done with real people. Maybe that might be good for the show--who knows?
I swear to god I saw a link to this site like 2 years ago in a round of Quickies. However, I'm sure the timeframe is such that the statute of re-posted links has run out. Damn the/. search page for not helping to prove me right!...
Winamp3 has just been released this month. I'm sure that's old news to most of you, but I'm posting it nontheless. I'm sure they'll work in some kind of ad system to pay the charges, but just in case Winamp goes for-pay, I'm downloading now.
You hit right on the idea that I've had all along. I started using RedHat a LONG time ago, and I've just stuck with it. Does that make me mindless follower or a zealot for RedHat? I don't think so. Just because it became a popular distro is no reason to bash the company or even the users. If RedHat completely screws the pooch on any of their upcomming releases, will I or even others switch? Probably. I've just never understood the mentallity that when something becomes and icon, as you say, that it suddenly becomes the root of all that's evil (or maybe that's just the nature of this Slashdot crowd). Just because a bunch of people like a distro, doesn't mean that it should be the one and only. Like I said, if you like it, and it works, why change? When people or companies have had their fill of any product that does not meet their expectations, they will search for a better alternative (or at least that's the way it has worked with every Linux shop I've been a part of).
Gather 'round and listen kiddies, I'm putting up some karma points on this one. Seeing as how this SEEMS to be an article to generate FUD about RedHat, I'm putting my neck out here and saying "get over the distro wars". Now listen...
I'd like to tell a short story about a conversation I had with a fellow linux enthusiast at one of the ALS conferences years ago. (This was back when it was still the ATLANTA Linux Showcase, but I digress). Anyway, I was speaking to someone at the Debian booth, as I had told him that I was curious about switching to Debian. He asked, "why do you want to switch?", to which my best reply was, everyone else on Slashdot is doing it, why not I? Given that there seems to be the fairly LARGE camps of Debian users vs RedHat users I wanted to see what was so great about the other side (btw, other distro users, please don't flame me that I left you out). This fella (sorry, forgot his name) asked me what I currently used, and how well I knew it. I said I've been using RedHat since roughly a year after I started with Slackware linux, and I had gotten to know RedHat pretty well. He then told me that there's no reason to switch if I'm comfortable with what I'm using.
That's actually the bulk of the story. I never ended up trying Debian, but I did think about what he said, usually whenever these discussions arise about who's got the better distro. The point I think I'm trying to make here, is that it doesn't matter what other people think of the distro, as long as it's what you feel comfortable with. If Debian (or whatever) works for you, then keep using it. Don't go switch because so-and-so says theirs is better. At least you're running Linux--you've shed the shackles of Redmond, so why keep bitching about what's better on this side of the fence? Honestly, RedHat still seems to listen to it's user base, and that's what matters. The day that any distro developers stop listening, is the day they trully become like Microsoft.
I can say more, but I'll see what kind of response this generates first.
Slashdot Mirror
I dunno why I thought of that...
Lab...geeks...beef...
Oh well, I've got karma to burn.
"I think George Lucas' gonna sue somebody!"
I still remember watching the original film on VHS back in '86 or '87, and I always told my folks that there would be a sequel. Well, after watching the special features, I learned that originally the whole "We gotta do something about your kids, Marty!" was more of a closing joke than a setup for the next film. Anyway, no matter how many times I saw the original film, nothing was cooler than watching the DVD and seeing the DeLorean roll off Doc Brown's truck for the first time. The audio was great, and my floor shook to the rumbling of the engine. Also, hearing Alan Silvestri's work in CD-quality sound really makes the movie come to life even more. I highly recommend anyone who liked the movies to watch them again on DVD. It really is a whole new experience.
What the hell just happened?
/. the [logic] bomb...
I go to post a comment and I get a page full of ads. I think someone set up
By the way, before you up and cancel your DTV DSL service, wait at least until Tuesday (December 17), when another announcement will be posted on http://www.directvdsl.com which may indicate the provider they will be migrating us to. Hopefully it will be one of the above (or similar.)
/.), I think I will just take the gateway and use whatever time is left to get set up. I read from someone else that it's better just to keep the service, if for nothing else, a quicker switch to a new ISP--otherwise I'd have to wait until they released my line before I could sign up again. Does this sound correct (as you noted to have had more than 1 broadband provider).
Thanks for the advice. After reading some other posts (thank god this story made it to
Also, would you think they'll let everyone just keep the gateways instead of mailing them back? I know DTVDSL has in their agreement that you send the equipment back, but given the circumstances, people keep saying otherwise. I guess I'll just have to wait until the 17th to really get the straight answers, but if you have any more advice, I would greatlly appreciate it!
...but it looks like I was beat to the punch. Oh well.
/. has the news. If anyone has info, or is in the same boat as me, please post any news you get about returning your gateway and dropping service before it begins. I figure it'd just be easier to wipe my hands of the service before it even begins, and sign up with someone else.
I JUST signed up with DTV DSL, and my gateway was in the mail as of yesterday. I'm really pissed, but at the same time I really feel for those hundreds of folks that came to work just to find out they didn't have jobs anymore.
I am a bit pissed that not a single email has been sent out about this. Apparently people are just finding out via forums, and now
Thanks, and good luck to those who were laid off.
For today's FoxTrot
I mean, I've been doing this for years, on CD's though. It's called incremental backups, and I do one every few months. All my recent documents, pics, etc, go to CD (now DVD-R since I got a burner). The nice thing is, I keep what I only keep what I need, or what I know is "clean". I wonder how bad it would be if some nasty letter you wrote but never sent gets archived. What happens later if someone gets a hold of your "memories" and other data?
For reference I have most of my college career backed up on CD. I can go back and read class papers and read up on all the other stupid stuff I did over the years. As of now I already plan to sort through all those CD's and condense them all down to DVD. So, why is this software useful to those of us who already make use of such methods?
I think you're referring to the 2000 SUX...
Let's see....robot + truck...
= REAL LIFE TRANSFORMERS!
Cool. My very own Optimus Prime. How much?
I thought the software was working fine? I mean, that little guy on the screen is going to town with that shovel...
OH, "Big Dig", I thought you said "Dig Dug".
Nevermind.
Aside from the typical /. geek that knows the risks of WiFi (overlapping, channels, WEP, security, etc), this would be a nightmare if every Tom and Jane of the world tries to start up their own mesh node. Hell, it was hard enough getting the 300+ residents at my college to agree on the same damn workgroup and network settings back before we actually had wired dorms (we ran our own cables). A call for some type of infrastructure (no matter how basic) is still going to be required for this to work right. I can imagine someone getting a mesh working in a small town, then some dumb shmuck runs their own WAP and fucks the whole network up for 2 blocks. I don't mean to rant, but I can see a lot of headaches if this sort of thing isn't planned out properly.
If you're looking to start up a radio station yourself (not internet broadcast, but real over-the-air station), and you don't have at least $50K laying around, then I'd say forget about it. Even if you are planning to do an internet-broadcast-only station, I assume you haven't been keeping up with legislation about royalty payments even for small broadcasters.
Now, if you are planning to help start up a station for a college, you may have a better chance. Again, you'll need roughly $50K just to get the station off the ground (no pun intended). Depending on how saturated your radio market is in the area, what part of the country you're in, how much of a surplus budget the college has, and the logistics of building a studio and placement of the antenna, there's a lot to do before you even think about asking for the money in the first place.
Now, here's the rundown for what you'll need, monetarily speaking:
Minimum $8K operating expenses per year. This will mainly be needed for royalty payments and other payments to the record companies. These fees are NOT cheap by any means. This is a re-occuuring cost, so you'd need some real financial support to keep the station going. Stipends, new equipment, etc is not even factored in here, but that's an additional $6-8K a year.
The FCC no longer allows any less than a 100W Class A license for new radio stations. You may still qualify as a non-commercial, educational (NCE) station if you are building a station for your college--this allows you some reduced fees.
Low power FM (LPFM) licenses are also possible, but I'm not familiar with how the FCC deals with those--it's a whole other type of license scheme than what I'm familiar with.
Your antenna will cost roughly $3-4K, and a 100W transmitter will run you $6-8K. This is just a basic estimate for the lowest possible license class.
Site survey and engineering paperwork will run you about $3-4K minimum. This is absolutely neccessary for filing with the FCC. I recommend actually paying a company to do this work, even if you attend a technical college.
FCC Lawyer--get one. They can really help with the paperwork and answer any questions you have, but it's not cheap either. Expect anywhere from $8-20K for that expense (roughly $300/hr)!
Good news: filing the application for a non-commercial license with the FCC is free. Bad news: you will wait a minimum of 4-6 months just for the FCC to look at your application. That doesn't even include the waiting around for new application windows and postponements for rule making sessions. There's a whole list of crap the FCC does that will delay your license.
Contact and subscribe to magazines such as CMJ (College Music Journal) to help you get music for your station. This is about $300/yr, and can be included as part of the first expense I mentioned.
Most importantly, you'll need a broadcast studio. Mixer, CD players, mics, etc will run you another $10-20K, unless you plan to hook your computer straight to the transmitter :)
I don't mean to discourage you, but if this list hasn't made you turn tail and run, then I wish you the best of luck in sticking it to the world of commercial radio.
The first time I saw the preview for this show, I was watching it with a friend, and we both said the same thing: it looked like a "real-life" version of Outlaw Star. Then they started showing more previews, and I kept thinking that it looks more like a cross between OLS and Cowboy Bebop--done with real people. Maybe that might be good for the show--who knows?
-1:Offtopic?
WTF? Has the dumbass moderating this comment even watched the fucking show? Ever?
Now THIS is an offtopic post you ignorant bastards...
Good Eats.
Me: "Insert tab A into slot C..."
Bookshelf 2000: "I'm sorry Dave, but I can't let you do that" BZZZZZAAPPP!
Yes, I'm lame.
/. to make traking dupes the new "First Post" game...
Leave it to the folks at
I swear to god I saw a link to this site like 2 years ago in a round of Quickies. However, I'm sure the timeframe is such that the statute of re-posted links has run out. Damn the /. search page for not helping to prove me right!...
"Hmmm. That's odd. God wouldn't be up this late."
Winamp3 has just been released this month. I'm sure that's old news to most of you, but I'm posting it nontheless. I'm sure they'll work in some kind of ad system to pay the charges, but just in case Winamp goes for-pay, I'm downloading now.
But I'm surprised that we haven't heard of George Lucas trying to sue the pants off of those Ausie's that replied using the trademarked religion.
You hit right on the idea that I've had all along. I started using RedHat a LONG time ago, and I've just stuck with it. Does that make me mindless follower or a zealot for RedHat? I don't think so. Just because it became a popular distro is no reason to bash the company or even the users. If RedHat completely screws the pooch on any of their upcomming releases, will I or even others switch? Probably. I've just never understood the mentallity that when something becomes and icon, as you say, that it suddenly becomes the root of all that's evil (or maybe that's just the nature of this Slashdot crowd). Just because a bunch of people like a distro, doesn't mean that it should be the one and only. Like I said, if you like it, and it works, why change? When people or companies have had their fill of any product that does not meet their expectations, they will search for a better alternative (or at least that's the way it has worked with every Linux shop I've been a part of).
Gather 'round and listen kiddies, I'm putting up some karma points on this one. Seeing as how this SEEMS to be an article to generate FUD about RedHat, I'm putting my neck out here and saying "get over the distro wars". Now listen...
I'd like to tell a short story about a conversation I had with a fellow linux enthusiast at one of the ALS conferences years ago. (This was back when it was still the ATLANTA Linux Showcase, but I digress). Anyway, I was speaking to someone at the Debian booth, as I had told him that I was curious about switching to Debian. He asked, "why do you want to switch?", to which my best reply was, everyone else on Slashdot is doing it, why not I? Given that there seems to be the fairly LARGE camps of Debian users vs RedHat users I wanted to see what was so great about the other side (btw, other distro users, please don't flame me that I left you out). This fella (sorry, forgot his name) asked me what I currently used, and how well I knew it. I said I've been using RedHat since roughly a year after I started with Slackware linux, and I had gotten to know RedHat pretty well. He then told me that there's no reason to switch if I'm comfortable with what I'm using.
That's actually the bulk of the story. I never ended up trying Debian, but I did think about what he said, usually whenever these discussions arise about who's got the better distro. The point I think I'm trying to make here, is that it doesn't matter what other people think of the distro, as long as it's what you feel comfortable with. If Debian (or whatever) works for you, then keep using it. Don't go switch because so-and-so says theirs is better. At least you're running Linux--you've shed the shackles of Redmond, so why keep bitching about what's better on this side of the fence? Honestly, RedHat still seems to listen to it's user base, and that's what matters. The day that any distro developers stop listening, is the day they trully become like Microsoft.
I can say more, but I'll see what kind of response this generates first.
Where pr0n was free and the only pop-ups were in your pants.