How much does iTunes charge for their unlimited download subscription service?
There is no store offering an unlimited download subscription service. Napster's business model is a rental, not a subscripton. When you stop paying, those "unlimited" downloads become unplayable. Emusic used to have a subscription model, but have cancelled the program.
During a long drive your friend/gf asks you: "What do you want to listen to?"
Do you say:
"I really like band ______?"
or
"Itunes says I like band _______?"
What if you were to say, "I really like stuff from the 70's," or "I really like live music," or "I really like Reggae," or "I really like cover tunes," or "I really like music that reminds me of my years in college?" With properly-tagged music, all of these can be set up in a few seconds as Smart Playlists within iTunes, and give you some serious shuffle-play surprises. You're note even beginning to consider the possibilities. A band name isn't a playlist (well, I guess you could make a playlist that covers Tom Petty both solo and with the Heartbreakers).
I can't believe that I had to read this far down the discussion to find someone willing to call out the fact that the emperor has no clothes! I tried reading the sample pages, and my head started to hurt! This is, plain and simple, a badly-written book! I don't care if it was plagiarized. I don't care if it's full of heresy. It just didn't deserve to get published. Random House should be sued for crimes against good taste.
Google is only indexing and thumbnailing what is publicly available from the perfect10 site, correct?
Incorrect. According to the FA, Perfect 10 charges $25.50 a month for site access, and (possibly, but it's unclear) a per-download charge for cellphone-compatible images (which are the problem, because Google's thumbnails are a close approximation of these, and are being made available for free, depriving Perfect 10 of their revenue stream).
Swatch Internet Time watch for completely geeking out
One showing lunar phases for picking up Wicca chicks
Scooby-Doo watch at work to see if my boss is paying attention (he's not)
Traditional Seiko gold dress watch for weddings and funerals
In short, go with something that'll make you feel good about wearing it. A collection that doesn't make you happy is pretty pointless, don't you think?
...Apple also has the iPod which whose only supported DRMed file format is the AAC+FairPlay, which is sourced from the iTunes music store...
Not quite. The iPod also supports Audible.com's.aa DRM format. The lesson being, if you have some audio (or now, video) content that your're bringing to the table, and Apple isn't offering or planning to offer it from iTunes, you can come into the sandbox. Where is the requirement for Apple to offer a license to Real, when it would just take sales away from the iTunes music store?
Forcing people to use WMA is not an answer.
No, but the *choice* to use WMA and Plays For Sure is a viable option for portable, compressed music, and a practical demonstration that Apple is not a monopoly player in the field.
The networks wouldn't have to fall to the level of payola; they just have to be willing to forego some profit. There's been one episode of (NBC-owned) USA Network's "Monk" offered for free, just last week. That got it boosted right to the front page of the iTunes store. The FA doesn't mention it, but I'd want to see if the ratings for "Monk" went up. (I've never watched the show. I downloaded, but have not watched the free episode.)
there are many features that would have been useful but simply aren't there (for example you can't create playlists from your song collection, there is no way to search the song library etc.)
You can create a playlist from your song collection. It's called "on-the-go." Simply hold down the center of the scrollwheel for two seconds when you find a song you'd like to add to the playlist. This can be done in menu mode, or while the song is playing. This little tip is even on the notecard "manual." The only limitation is that you can only create one such playlist per synch with your desktop computer.
As to searching the library, are you suggesting that the iPod needs a keyboard? Because that's what you'd need for a "real" search from a portable device. Any kind of search using the scrollwheel would be like getting sent to Dymo labeller hell.
You just don't get it, do you? That one "minor issue" is just an example. An example of Government intrusion into private matters. If both John McCain and Ralph Nader thin it's appropriate for the US Govermnment to stick their noses into MLB, then they've both crossed my "totalitarian" line. Baseball should be allowed to pursue its business as it sees fit. If millions of people are willing to buy tickets to watch steroid freaks hit home runs, then that's their business. I won't be buying a ticket to a baseball game until they grow some cojones and change the policy. But that's my personal choice as well. And I won't vote for a presidential candidate who presumes that it's the government's job to tell them (or me, or anybody else, which is the REAL point) how to operate.
I'm too old to join the Army (41) and I'd be 4F if I tried (I had lymphatic cancer at age 22), so you can stop pretending that you understand anything about me. If you think it's frivolous to be concerned that a presidential candidate wants to over-regulate daily life in America, that's perfectly within your rights. I'm no Libertarian, and I had high hopes that Nader in 2000 would open peoples' eyes to the fact that we're really living in a one-party system, but he absolutley destroyed his credibility in 2004 by ignoring real concerns and focusing on the truly frivolous "problem" of the "integrity" of baseball. Baseball has plenty of problems, and I would start with kicking out the drug abusers, but Mr. Nader was more concerned about Spider-Man appearing on the playing field. OK, sure. Now who's being immature? If you haven't read this, you should.
I changed my vote because a candidate for the office of President of the United States made a public statement that it is inappropriate for two commercial entities to buy and sell advertising (that is not obscene) in the manner they see fit. Because that statement did not come with any other disclaimer saying that the Mr. Nader was speaking only as a Citizen, I had to assume that it was part of his campaign platform. Personally, I don't care one way or another if the advertising was a distraction, or that it involved Major League Baseball. It is solely my belief that the Federal Government should have NO role in such transactions, other than to tax them where appropriate. If you and Ralph Nader can't see the difference, then it is you who are idiots.
If you're in touch with the man, remind him that iff he sticks to governance, he might have a chance. I voted for him in 2000, but took a pass in 2004 because he seems to think that it's OK to stick his nose into areas where the Federal government has absolutely no concern. Totalitarianism is not a viable option to corporate oligarchy.
2. Exactly which eBay rule did this auction break?
Probably the restriction on downloadable media, because the seller stated intent to e-mail the file, but did not explicitly state that he is the copyright owner of the electronic file(s) for sale. It seems that M$ would have had a court injunciton to prove criminal intent.
...being able to run a web app from anywhere in the world and configure my video would save my missus heartache ("OMG I forgot to set the tape" is a commonly heard phrase).
TiVo already does this. If it's "always on-line" (via Ethernet or WiFi), you'll only need about 30 minutes advance planning. If your TiVo is configured for dial-up, you're at the mercy of the next connection initiated by your box at home, which could be in the neighborhood of two days.
Ultimately, we will have a device that not only allows us to play audio and video, and has a built in calendar (ala PDA), it will also be a full featured schedule planner, phone, and camera. I'm sure there's a ton of other features I'm missing here...
I have another of these devices sitting right in front of me. It's called a Sony Clié TH-55, and it came out in 2003. Among the "features you're missing" are WiFi and MS Office integration. With the right hack, the still camera can capture 15 fps video, as well. Unfortunately, there's no VOIP, or I would consider it complete. I own two iPods (a 3rd-gen, and a new nano), but would never consider a video iPod while my TH-55, with its 4-inch diagonal scren, still works.
I can't believe that Apple's servers are bogged down due to the response, but it looks like they're using the HD codec (H.264) at half-VGA (320x240) resolution.
...and for another, my eyesight. I don't have to SEE CrazyTalk in a music store at 2 am in his underwear. (Sorry, nothing personal. I couldn't resist.)
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I can't believe that I had to read this far down the discussion to find someone willing to call out the fact that the emperor has no clothes! I tried reading the sample pages, and my head started to hurt! This is, plain and simple, a badly-written book! I don't care if it was plagiarized. I don't care if it's full of heresy. It just didn't deserve to get published. Random House should be sued for crimes against good taste.
In short, go with something that'll make you feel good about wearing it. A collection that doesn't make you happy is pretty pointless, don't you think?
Give credit where credit is due. This one belongs to Warren Zevon (1976).
Why would you be running anything other than a Mac? Or, alternatively, when is Windows going to be scriptable?
The networks wouldn't have to fall to the level of payola; they just have to be willing to forego some profit. There's been one episode of (NBC-owned) USA Network's "Monk" offered for free, just last week. That got it boosted right to the front page of the iTunes store. The FA doesn't mention it, but I'd want to see if the ratings for "Monk" went up. (I've never watched the show. I downloaded, but have not watched the free episode.)
You just don't get it, do you? That one "minor issue" is just an example. An example of Government intrusion into private matters. If both John McCain and Ralph Nader thin it's appropriate for the US Govermnment to stick their noses into MLB, then they've both crossed my "totalitarian" line. Baseball should be allowed to pursue its business as it sees fit. If millions of people are willing to buy tickets to watch steroid freaks hit home runs, then that's their business. I won't be buying a ticket to a baseball game until they grow some cojones and change the policy. But that's my personal choice as well. And I won't vote for a presidential candidate who presumes that it's the government's job to tell them (or me, or anybody else, which is the REAL point) how to operate.
I'm too old to join the Army (41) and I'd be 4F if I tried (I had lymphatic cancer at age 22), so you can stop pretending that you understand anything about me. If you think it's frivolous to be concerned that a presidential candidate wants to over-regulate daily life in America, that's perfectly within your rights. I'm no Libertarian, and I had high hopes that Nader in 2000 would open peoples' eyes to the fact that we're really living in a one-party system, but he absolutley destroyed his credibility in 2004 by ignoring real concerns and focusing on the truly frivolous "problem" of the "integrity" of baseball. Baseball has plenty of problems, and I would start with kicking out the drug abusers, but Mr. Nader was more concerned about Spider-Man appearing on the playing field. OK, sure. Now who's being immature? If you haven't read this, you should.
I changed my vote because a candidate for the office of President of the United States made a public statement that it is inappropriate for two commercial entities to buy and sell advertising (that is not obscene) in the manner they see fit. Because that statement did not come with any other disclaimer saying that the Mr. Nader was speaking only as a Citizen, I had to assume that it was part of his campaign platform. Personally, I don't care one way or another if the advertising was a distraction, or that it involved Major League Baseball. It is solely my belief that the Federal Government should have NO role in such transactions, other than to tax them where appropriate. If you and Ralph Nader can't see the difference, then it is you who are idiots.
Ted, is that you?
Er, "The document contains no data." Doesn't exactly inspire confidence.
You're both right. In the book, the monster was intelligently designed. In the movies, he was stitched together.
...and for another, my eyesight. I don't have to SEE CrazyTalk in a music store at 2 am in his underwear. (Sorry, nothing personal. I couldn't resist.)