You know, in my opinion, all SoundBlaster cards should be drug out and shot. I was actually in the market for a new PCI soundcard, and from all the reviews I looked at, those cards were at best mediocre, and at worst, downright horrible (especially AD-DA conversions, which is typical for the home user who records occasionally).
I did happen to pick up a Turtle Beach Santa Cruz; and while I could do without all of the frills in their software, it's not bad. I could instantly hear a difference through my Klipsch Promedia 2.1's.... Basically, they have a lower amount of "noise". I believe it was rated for 85-89db....
Re:God damned MP3 anti-pirate busybodies...
on
80 Gig MP3 Player
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· Score: 1
I've had one or two cds die in el cheapo portable players (Read - poor college days) that for some reason over time, the whole motor/laser mechanism would become loose, and cause the CD to scratch against the "body" of the player.
Other than that, though, I haven't had any go bad. I've got a friend of mine though, who treats them like they've got protective sleeves on them even when they don't. 9 times out of 10, I can't even get his to rip for him.
umm... I thought the point of the device was that IT HAS A CDR and you CAN BACK YOUR STUFF UP.
It's just like if you have a computer and you do not regularly back it up -- you're guaranteed loss of data, especially over a long timespan. Something's gonna break sometime.
Well, that just means that the service departments can charge 2-5x as much, since the parts will no doubt be more expensive initially (R&D). Also, the labor times may be slightly higher to "pad" for the fact that you may not need the car serviced as much...
Of course, I'm one to think that the new designs will need a lot of testing before they earn my trust. I make it a habit not to buy a new model year car (i.e. if the auto manufacturer makes a brand new design, using a new variant of an engine/powertrain etc) because the reliability is untested. Over 2-3 years, you can read up in consumer reports to see how the initial roll-outs did, and usually after 2-3 years, the cars are very reliable (or not being sold anymore)...
Yes, I agree that may seem harsh, but really, was it in your service contract to have the mail and web ports open to you?
They were protecting their own network, and while you may say "Well, it wasn't ME. I didn't have Code Red", it doesn't matter. They don't want to babysit every customer... They want to provide good service to as many subscribers as possible.
More along the lines of "A4 150" and "Accord 150", even though the Accord puts out 125, but weighs less than the A4, which, horsepower per pound, could be faster....:)
Just like with cars, processors are not all just raw gigahertz power....
You said a mouthfull. Think about this as well: if you're downloading web pages, mp3's etc, then you're writing to the hard disk. Not a lot of users "push" out information to the web (at least, not knowingly) but people sure do pull.:)
Well, I know where this would help in larger business-type environments.
I have an IBM 390x, and I also have an IBM 600e laptop for work. I can use the power supply from the 390x on the 600e, but it doesn't put out sufficient amperage to charge the battery fully (not quite sure why that is, unless the charging circuit is expecting a certain amount of VxA...)
I'm sure they wouldn't want a large shop to fry a run of laptops because they just grabbed what was on the shelf.
Now, if all of the power supplies and laptops had similar power requirements (heck, as long as the voltage is dead on, the amperage out of a typical supply won't fry it) then we could see standardization on the power supplies.
Or, could it be the sale of accessories to the laptop is actually more of a cash cow than the initial laptop purchase itself? (That'll be 200$ for that new battery, sir....)
I've seen problems with 2 switches so far, one was a hawking technologies 16 port baby switch, and the other (can't remember manu off top of my head) was a similar looking 16 port mini switch. Both had external power supplies that fried themselves over the course of the first 6 months of use.
The interesting thing, though, was that the lights on the switch were "dimmed", but not all the way out. Pings were intermittent, and each time I'd troubleshoot it, it would take me about an hour of messing with the linux gateway, file server, and my clients to see what the connectivity issue was.
These supplies put out 5v at 5a. That's not something that is wholesale at the local Radio Shack, so I've ended up using the +5v lead out of an older at power supply.
The switches (one's not mine) are still in use to this day (1+ years after the PS's blew). Makes me wonder how hard it is to design a power supply under a budget?
Also, since you can't fine tune that router, you have no chance of doing all the cool things that you can software-wise, such as having a 3 house VPN set up across different cities... and be able to play mp3's off of their servers directly:)
I may have a solution to your problem. I have seen an issue with my 60 gig maxtor paired to my promise ATA/100 card -- and the solution took me weeks of lost files to discover.
Set your drive mode on that interface through hdparm to use DMA, but only at ata-33 for that drive. Everything else can be left alone (I for one, however, made sure every other drive worked fine before committing the settings to rc.local)
Of course, with this method, you will not want to use that as a boot drive. That's why I have plenty of spare 1 gig drives lying around....
I'd be impressed if Sony did this. I have no doubt that they wouldn't pull off one heck of a user interface/operating system, but I would have to wonder if they'd land in the same boat Microsoft is right now -- push sony and sony only products until the world is all sony?
Actually, it would be more as if you copied a piece of sandpaper, and then went to scan in the copied-on paper (reproducing it on screen, just like you'd re-produce the copy of the audio on a stereo/speakers) and it broke your monitor.:)
I know there are probably others in my situation, but I feel that mine is probably one of the worst ones out there.
Every year, we get promised that we'll have training courses. And, every year, our budget goes down the toilet (telecommunications support -- not exactly a cash cow) and we don't get any training.
Now, mind you, I'd love to find the perfect job where I can at least get 1-2 weeks of training a year on new technologies, but unless I actually leave this company (and it's one of the largest companies in the US) I don't feel I'll ever see it.
Anymore, it seems as if more and more artists are just using throw-together studios. There's plenty of high-quality equipment out there, and yes, it gets pricey, but as a part-part-part time musician, instruments/amps/cymbals etc are not cheap either. You set priorities.
Didn't Dave Grohl from the Foo Fighters build a studio recently?
hmmmm.. that name looks familiar. I've used morpheus (sp?) and when it downloads, it uses kazaa.download.xxxx I think. They're probably using the same network, but under morpheus, if you find multiple people have the exact same file, you'll download portions from those said multiple people.
I can say that usually I'd go looking for things that were from artists that I had heard a few things of from friends. But as far as promoting the spread of new music, I'd rate napster 1 notch lower than mp3.com.
Of course, what I would kill for is a way to hum a song to my computer that I heard on the radio on the way home from work and have it come up with the correct artist and song name. I'd pay good money for that (especially with the idiotic dj's around here -- never tell ya what the name of the song was, and if they do, you're already out of the car!)
I know that this is a good thing for Napster, but I don't think they'll ever get the userbase they had before. I know I listen to some indie label music, but I usually gain it by word of mouth / passing around a cd and then buying it.
I wish them luck -- unfortunately, I don't think I'll be a part of it.
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You know, in my opinion, all SoundBlaster cards should be drug out and shot. I was actually in the market for a new PCI soundcard, and from all the reviews I looked at, those cards were at best mediocre, and at worst, downright horrible (especially AD-DA conversions, which is typical for the home user who records occasionally).
I did happen to pick up a Turtle Beach Santa Cruz; and while I could do without all of the frills in their software, it's not bad. I could instantly hear a difference through my Klipsch Promedia 2.1's.... Basically, they have a lower amount of "noise". I believe it was rated for 85-89db....
I've had one or two cds die in el cheapo portable players (Read - poor college days) that for some reason over time, the whole motor/laser mechanism would become loose, and cause the CD to scratch against the "body" of the player.
Other than that, though, I haven't had any go bad. I've got a friend of mine though, who treats them like they've got protective sleeves on them even when they don't. 9 times out of 10, I can't even get his to rip for him.
It's all in the respect.
umm... I thought the point of the device was that IT HAS A CDR and you CAN BACK YOUR STUFF UP.
It's just like if you have a computer and you do not regularly back it up -- you're guaranteed loss of data, especially over a long timespan. Something's gonna break sometime.
What RPM would that be to install DSL on my linux box?
:)
Whenever I need to fill anything out (i.e. Kroger Plus Card) and they want a telephone number, I give them the number to my dial-in line at home.
Come to think of it, it does get called more often now...
Well, that just means that the service departments can charge 2-5x as much, since the parts will no doubt be more expensive initially (R&D). Also, the labor times may be slightly higher to "pad" for the fact that you may not need the car serviced as much...
Of course, I'm one to think that the new designs will need a lot of testing before they earn my trust. I make it a habit not to buy a new model year car (i.e. if the auto manufacturer makes a brand new design, using a new variant of an engine/powertrain etc) because the reliability is untested. Over 2-3 years, you can read up in consumer reports to see how the initial roll-outs did, and usually after 2-3 years, the cars are very reliable (or not being sold anymore)...
It's so nice to go to a non-flash web si...
wait...
I WAS TRICKED!!!
Yes, I agree that may seem harsh, but really, was it in your service contract to have the mail and web ports open to you?
They were protecting their own network, and while you may say "Well, it wasn't ME. I didn't have Code Red", it doesn't matter. They don't want to babysit every customer... They want to provide good service to as many subscribers as possible.
More along the lines of "A4 150" and "Accord 150", even though the Accord puts out 125, but weighs less than the A4, which, horsepower per pound, could be faster.... :)
Just like with cars, processors are not all just raw gigahertz power....
You said a mouthfull. Think about this as well: if you're downloading web pages, mp3's etc, then you're writing to the hard disk. Not a lot of users "push" out information to the web (at least, not knowingly) but people sure do pull. :)
As much as is charged for an AC adapter, you would think it's regulated/switched rather than linear...
Or do they put the regulators in the laptop themselves nowadays to cut costs of the adapter?
Well, I know where this would help in larger business-type environments.
I have an IBM 390x, and I also have an IBM 600e laptop for work. I can use the power supply from the 390x on the 600e, but it doesn't put out sufficient amperage to charge the battery fully (not quite sure why that is, unless the charging circuit is expecting a certain amount of VxA...)
I'm sure they wouldn't want a large shop to fry a run of laptops because they just grabbed what was on the shelf.
Now, if all of the power supplies and laptops had similar power requirements (heck, as long as the voltage is dead on, the amperage out of a typical supply won't fry it) then we could see standardization on the power supplies.
Or, could it be the sale of accessories to the laptop is actually more of a cash cow than the initial laptop purchase itself? (That'll be 200$ for that new battery, sir....)
I've seen problems with 2 switches so far, one was a hawking technologies 16 port baby switch, and the other (can't remember manu off top of my head) was a similar looking 16 port mini switch. Both had external power supplies that fried themselves over the course of the first 6 months of use.
The interesting thing, though, was that the lights on the switch were "dimmed", but not all the way out. Pings were intermittent, and each time I'd troubleshoot it, it would take me about an hour of messing with the linux gateway, file server, and my clients to see what the connectivity issue was.
These supplies put out 5v at 5a. That's not something that is wholesale at the local Radio Shack, so I've ended up using the +5v lead out of an older at power supply.
The switches (one's not mine) are still in use to this day (1+ years after the PS's blew). Makes me wonder how hard it is to design a power supply under a budget?
Also, since you can't fine tune that router, you have no chance of doing all the cool things that you can software-wise, such as having a 3 house VPN set up across different cities... and be able to play mp3's off of their servers directly :)
I may have a solution to your problem. I have seen an issue with my 60 gig maxtor paired to my promise ATA/100 card -- and the solution took me weeks of lost files to discover.
Set your drive mode on that interface through hdparm to use DMA, but only at ata-33 for that drive. Everything else can be left alone (I for one, however, made sure every other drive worked fine before committing the settings to rc.local)
Of course, with this method, you will not want to use that as a boot drive. That's why I have plenty of spare 1 gig drives lying around....
Reminded me of the Extreme Networks equipment we're using at work now -- all purple, green lettering.
Barney indeed!
Our network here at work does just this -- anyone can ping ANY device on the network, DNS or DHCP.
:)
I'd be impressed if Sony did this. I have no doubt that they wouldn't pull off one heck of a user interface/operating system, but I would have to wonder if they'd land in the same boat Microsoft is right now -- push sony and sony only products until the world is all sony?
I like Sony equipment and all, but...
Actually, it would be more as if you copied a piece of sandpaper, and then went to scan in the copied-on paper (reproducing it on screen, just like you'd re-produce the copy of the audio on a stereo/speakers) and it broke your monitor. :)
What about the repo men who repossess cars?
My life has been skewed by TV
I know there are probably others in my situation, but I feel that mine is probably one of the worst ones out there.
Every year, we get promised that we'll have training courses. And, every year, our budget goes down the toilet (telecommunications support -- not exactly a cash cow) and we don't get any training.
Now, mind you, I'd love to find the perfect job where I can at least get 1-2 weeks of training a year on new technologies, but unless I actually leave this company (and it's one of the largest companies in the US) I don't feel I'll ever see it.
Anymore, it seems as if more and more artists are just using throw-together studios. There's plenty of high-quality equipment out there, and yes, it gets pricey, but as a part-part-part time musician, instruments/amps/cymbals etc are not cheap either. You set priorities.
Didn't Dave Grohl from the Foo Fighters build a studio recently?
I can see this happening more and more...
hmmmm.. that name looks familiar. I've used morpheus (sp?) and when it downloads, it uses kazaa.download.xxxx I think. They're probably using the same network, but under morpheus, if you find multiple people have the exact same file, you'll download portions from those said multiple people.
it's sweet to have cable modems!
I can say that usually I'd go looking for things that were from artists that I had heard a few things of from friends. But as far as promoting the spread of new music, I'd rate napster 1 notch lower than mp3.com.
Of course, what I would kill for is a way to hum a song to my computer that I heard on the radio on the way home from work and have it come up with the correct artist and song name. I'd pay good money for that (especially with the idiotic dj's around here -- never tell ya what the name of the song was, and if they do, you're already out of the car!)
I know that this is a good thing for Napster, but I don't think they'll ever get the userbase they had before. I know I listen to some indie label music, but I usually gain it by word of mouth / passing around a cd and then buying it.
I wish them luck -- unfortunately, I don't think I'll be a part of it.