Long before mp3s the demo enthusiasts would be downloading from their favorite BBS MODs, S3Ms, ULTs, XMs and others at a fraction of the filesize of a typical mp3 (100K/file vs 5MB). We were then using some form of advanced sound card (Gravis) or player (Cubic) to play it all. And it was all free, and mostly kicked ass.
Clearely this must beat the giga pixel stitch which I remember from not long ago. OK arguably not the same thing, but I had that in mind when I read about the size of the images.... The result is a massive mosaic of digital images 85 gigabytes big. I mean, Geez:)
LizardTech make some other awesome products such as Genuine Fractals for Photoshop. Incidentally this is also used by DSLR photography enthusiasts to sharpen their images better than most traditional techniques are able to achieve.
Yes I meant the discs of course, I'm aware that all players can read both.
My point was that when you have a disc which isn't the same encoding as your TV set, quality goes down in the conversion process (either way). That's the only thing that keeps bothering me.
PAL and NTSC, depending where you are (North America/Japan vs mostly elsewhere). Regional coding has been copiously criticized and most people will agree that it has to go. (Region zero is way to go!)
With digital television, there is even the opportunity for consolidation. But do you think that anyone will want to let go their standard ? No way... It's sad to have to go through another VHS/Betamax debacle all over again. Some people/industries will never learn.
mp3.com in my view is doomed to become another Napster... Promising enhanced services ??? Yeah right.. We know what they have in mind: DRM crippled tunes, etc.
I feel for all artists that have been using mp3.com over the years, trusting the service. And the service was great, at first, but recently declined in quality. Now it's all going down the drain:(
Come on don't be shy, we know there are lots of you out there... So how is it to be working at MS Product Activation Call Center ? Do you really get abused badly ?? Angry slashdot mob wants to know:o)
I guess you will never be able to buy such an telephone in Europe
You got that right.... I can't imagine someone either that wants to buy a crappy, ugly, expensive throw-away cellphone when one can get a basic $50 cellphone and a $10 pre-paid SIM card, which perform much better (voice mail, sms) and that one owns and recharge conveniently ?!
Thankfully that was the case for me, since India uses GSM as standard and my phone is tri-band. I didn't expect any problems, and got none:)
During my trips to the USA I can also roam to the GSM networks gradually being deployed there as well. Remember, GSM isn't a european standard it is used in many other regions too, with the USA having one of the worst coverage (but that too is changing)
A low-tech alternative to throw-away phones is to simply buy a pre-paid SIM card from a local operator early in your trip, and to use that to make local calls & stay in touch with the family.
I was in India last week and the network coverage of all major operators was excellent in towns and around urban/touristic areas. The SIM card only cost me Rs.300/- ($6) and included 30 minutes of talk time to Indian phone numbers, and allowed my friends and relatives to call that number. And you don't pay huge roaming fees for receiving calls.
No intention to troll, but I honestly think that this decision is brilliant. Software to which you are only granted a license to use, still belongs to Microsoft at the end of the day. To some degree a virus wrecking havoc amongst computer using their software can be seen like if somebody was vandalizing your property. If that was the case and you wanted to catch them, why not put a bounty on their head ? Seems logical to me, if you can afford someone to do it for you.
Certainly the government has been doing so for a while, considering the various bounties for information leading to the arrest of international criminals and terrorists. Maybe corporation joining the bandwagon to do the same is the next good thing..
And remember, MS has ~ $50BN in case, so it isn't a big deal to them to put the money where their mouth is. In fact, $250K is rather cheap considering how much bad PR they got recently due to the attacks (that must have cost them $BN's in lost revenue from customers switching), so imho they cound't hope for a better use of the same amount if they tried to make up for the negative publicity some other way.
In Europe (and I suppose Canada and elsewhere) wallets sold there actually have different size than in the USA, to accomodate for the local currency. EU notes are increasingly large in size as you go up in face value. The 500EUR note for example is 160 mm x 82 mm.
My initial remark goes for coins too: most wallets have a separate coins pocket which holds just the right quantity. If you ever accumulate too much that it makes your wallet fat and becomes impractical to carry around, you know it's time to buy something with your change.
Very cool notes indeedd. A somewhat similar page exists for the Euro at eurotracer.net. The web site even allows you to enter the serial number of the notes you have in your possession, and will tell you if that note was already recorded at a prior date and give you its location back then, showing how money travels !
The site is loaded with information on not just notes but coins as well, just browse around.
My Xbox (v1.1 with Samsung DVD-drive) fits in the 5%, so that ends the discussion on my side. The remaining DVD+R that I bought for testing will hold computer backups or whatever, the -R's are for the Xbox !
They can keep scans of your travel documents available should the worst happen. That's gotta be worth the price of admission.
...or, that could be the most clever variation of the 419 scams to date !!!! Imagine this business going online and playing by the rules for several months, enough to build a customers base, then one day rip them all off by transfering funds to some bank account number in the Caiman Islands, or by funding a terrorists organization of some sort.
Slashdot Mirror
Long before mp3s the demo enthusiasts would be downloading from their favorite BBS MODs, S3Ms, ULTs, XMs and others at a fraction of the filesize of a typical mp3 (100K/file vs 5MB). We were then using some form of advanced sound card (Gravis) or player (Cubic) to play it all. And it was all free, and mostly kicked ass.
DNF jokes are so passe, they're just not funny anymore...
Clearely this must beat the giga pixel stitch which I remember from not long ago. OK arguably not the same thing, but I had that in mind when I read about the size of the images.... The result is a massive mosaic of digital images 85 gigabytes big. I mean, Geez :)
LizardTech make some other awesome products such as Genuine Fractals for Photoshop. Incidentally this is also used by DSLR photography enthusiasts to sharpen their images better than most traditional techniques are able to achieve.
My point was that when you have a disc which isn't the same encoding as your TV set, quality goes down in the conversion process (either way). That's the only thing that keeps bothering me.
With digital television, there is even the opportunity for consolidation. But do you think that anyone will want to let go their standard ? No way... It's sad to have to go through another VHS/Betamax debacle all over again. Some people/industries will never learn.
I'm sure some people would object if they did that, but that has the potential to save the editors a lot of embarassment..
At least they got one of the two (the other being Bin Laden). Way to go USA !
That sounds a lot like the EMPs they use in the film !
I feel for all artists that have been using mp3.com over the years, trusting the service. And the service was great, at first, but recently declined in quality. Now it's all going down the drain :(
Plus it's a really lousy name. What were they thinking ?
Come on don't be shy, we know there are lots of you out there... So how is it to be working at MS Product Activation Call Center ? Do you really get abused badly ?? Angry slashdot mob wants to know :o)
You got that right.... I can't imagine someone either that wants to buy a crappy, ugly, expensive throw-away cellphone when one can get a basic $50 cellphone and a $10 pre-paid SIM card, which perform much better (voice mail, sms) and that one owns and recharge conveniently ?!
You don't even have to have a SIM card in your cellphone to place an emergency call (I am speaking of my Nokia, maybe other brands allow it too)
During my trips to the USA I can also roam to the GSM networks gradually being deployed there as well. Remember, GSM isn't a european standard it is used in many other regions too, with the USA having one of the worst coverage (but that too is changing)
A low-tech alternative to throw-away phones is to simply buy a pre-paid SIM card from a local operator early in your trip, and to use that to make local calls & stay in touch with the family.
I was in India last week and the network coverage of all major operators was excellent in towns and around urban/touristic areas. The SIM card only cost me Rs.300/- ($6) and included 30 minutes of talk time to Indian phone numbers, and allowed my friends and relatives to call that number. And you don't pay huge roaming fees for receiving calls.
Certainly the government has been doing so for a while, considering the various bounties for information leading to the arrest of international criminals and terrorists. Maybe corporation joining the bandwagon to do the same is the next good thing..
And remember, MS has ~ $50BN in case, so it isn't a big deal to them to put the money where their mouth is. In fact, $250K is rather cheap considering how much bad PR they got recently due to the attacks (that must have cost them $BN's in lost revenue from customers switching), so imho they cound't hope for a better use of the same amount if they tried to make up for the negative publicity some other way.
My initial remark goes for coins too: most wallets have a separate coins pocket which holds just the right quantity. If you ever accumulate too much that it makes your wallet fat and becomes impractical to carry around, you know it's time to buy something with your change.
The site is loaded with information on not just notes but coins as well, just browse around.
And I happen to have one of those dual-format drives...... (Pioneer A06/106). Damned.
No, I refuse ! What is this "Slashdot: news for nerds, stuff about SCO that doesn't matter" or what ???
Film at 11 for me.
A couple of 1GB SecureDigital ?
My Xbox (v1.1 with Samsung DVD-drive) fits in the 5%, so that ends the discussion on my side. The remaining DVD+R that I bought for testing will hold computer backups or whatever, the -R's are for the Xbox !
...or, that could be the most clever variation of the 419 scams to date !!!! Imagine this business going online and playing by the rules for several months, enough to build a customers base, then one day rip them all off by transfering funds to some bank account number in the Caiman Islands, or by funding a terrorists organization of some sort.
fortunately the tree is in a "deep, narrow canyon" which I say will buy it maybe another day or two before annihilation !