I think this same thing happened with Yahoo a while back. At first, they were really just a search engine - and the only search most people knew of and used. Then they started adding all kinds of extras - news, games, fantasy sports, etc - and I noticed that their search capabilities went downhill fast. It was about this time that Google came to prominence and many people (including me) made the switch. If Yahoo can re-focus on their search engine, I'm confident Google will do the same.
The risk is definitely there, but what you get from letting your employees go on seredipitous excursions once a week is potentially more valuable than profitable ideas: you get very happy employees. Google already has a rep for hiring only the best and brightest -- seems like they have a good way of holding on to them, as well.
I tried copying/pasting the link into notepad, but found that the first "a" of Paypal is an extended character (shows up as a block in notepad). So I'd argue it _doesn't_ look right.
Not that I want to try this method with every link I click on...
The summary is misleading. If you read one of the articles, you'll see that the measure that was passed was not in support of spam - it, too, was an anti-spam measure. It just wasn't quite as strict as the Bowen measure.
Furthermore, I don't know that I'd go so far as to call it "pro-spammer"; it still calls for fines to be levied. It just appears more "pro-spammer" than the consumer-backed bill.
If the company was in that bad of a position, do you think that they'd want to go through the process of firing their best workers, rehiring equally skilled workers, and then going through the time-consuming process of retraining them. The entire retraining time is money lost, and the company could go under.
One of my friends and I often discuss the idea of the networked house, where everything can be remotely controlled. He always brought up one problem when I said "Hey wouldn't a networked stove/microwave/etc be a really cool idea??" : He pointed out that you actually need to physically put the food into the device - something that requires either a lot of expensive machinery or... you. And a lot of foresight. Most people who are lazy enough to use something like this lack foresight. I know I do.
I heartily agree. I was pretty disappointed not to see Homer the Great on the list -- one of the best, IMHO. One of my other favorites: King-Size Homer.
Homer: [reading screen] "To Start Press Any Key". Where's the ANY key? I see Esk ["ESC"], Catarl ["CTRL"], and Pig-Up ["PGUP"]. There doesn't seem to be any ANY key. Woo! All this computer hacking is making me thirsty. I think I'll order a TAB. [presses TAB key] Oh...no time for that now, the computer's starting!
I think many posters are missing the point of the article. My first reaction was also "hey, this is nothing new -- SHN (Shorten) has been around for a long time and does lossless encoding at 50% the size of WAV"... but then I actually went to the Xiph site and read their mission:
"Xiph.Org Foundation is a non-profit corporation dedicated to protecting the foundations of Internet multimedia from control by private interests. Our purpose is to support and develop free, open protocols and software to serve the public, developer and business markets."
So the point isn't that FLAC is new... the point is that FLAC is OSS, and has joined forces with an organization backing such efforts. The SHN codec is not OSS.
You're right - you have to go the OEM route if you want this PVR OS - but ianjk is right when it comes to the options facing the consumer:
1) Get one of these OEM boxes - special PC with specific graphics hardware and PVR OS (time, hassle, money) 2) Buy a set-top box for 1/4 the price (simplicity)
As the article states, unless the end user is going to use the PC for more than just a PVR, he'd be much better off getting a set-top box.
The article states that "the vast majority of TV tuner cards available will not work" -- and this includes all ATI All-In-Wonder cards. The only two cards supported are the Hauppauge WinTV PVR and the Emuzed Maui PCI PVR.
Personally, I think I'll stick with my ATI card and Video Disk Recorder.
I struggle with how to react to this game idea recylcing by Nintendo. On the one hand, it's great to see my favorite titles from when I was younger back and totally revamped on a new system, employing all the technology available. The play control is better, the game is completely different, but the ideas are still roughly the same. Mario stomps on bad guys, gathers coins, and saves the princess. Link cuts bad buys, gathers rupees, and saves Zelda. Samus shoots bad guys, gathers powerups, and saves mankind. Same old same old. My mom used to say that all those games I loved as a kid were just Mario in different suits. I argued, but I'm starting to see what she was getting at.
I was burned pretty badly by my purchase of the N64 - I absolutely loved Nintendo (my SNES still gets more playing time than all my other systems combined), and I was excited about being able to play Mario64 and Bond and Mario Kart 64... but they got old, and overall there just weren't that many memorable games for the system.
The Gamecube, IMHO, is running the risk of going down the same path. While I agree with your statement that GC will win people by using the same old time-tested game ideas, I think Nintendo is going to have to break free if they are going to stay alive. (Perhaps by bringing some RPG's over from Japan)
I've got an old Pentium 266 MMX that I've been using as a server (running OpenBSD)... If you had asked me, aside from use to me, how much it was worth, I'd have said no more than $50, and that's for the new power supply in it.
Thanks to the boys from the Media Lab for giving my computer a new pricetag. All I have to do is fit this puppy into a smaller box. =)
Choosing my words carefully to avoid becoming flamebait:
Why is it that when something like this comes along, the first thing we geeks do is complain about how stupid it is? We are a minority, we who keep machines long past their prime, using them to their full capacity as web servers, mail servers, firewalls, gateways, etc... The majority of computer waste comes from major corporations, who dispose of these machines after they have passed the point of obsolescence. The cheapest method of disposal right now is to have it "taken care of" (i.e. put in a landfill in China). See this site for real info.
Giving major corporations an incentive to recycle computers is an incredible step towards changing the way we deal with computer waste. Who knows, maybe the next step will be to device a whole new model for computer sales that generates less waste by creating more interchangable parts; rather than throwing out the whole machine every 1.5 years, companies can purchase core processing units that all machines use... distributed computing... but i digress.
I've found that I really have a hard time programming with a lot of other people around me, because I tend to get distracted easily, especially when they're working on and talking about the same (or similar) project as the one I'm working on.
I need a programming room, one that I only enter when I need to sit down and do some serious coding or design. Under no other conditions may I enter the room... When I enter, I wholly concentrate on the task at hand, and when I leave, I un-focus. The walls are covered with whiteboards and there must be a high but comfortable chair, plenty of space to spread out and walk around, and most importantly, music, with the ability to turn it off and change the song on a whim.
And of course, a tennis ball to bounce off the walls while I think...
What actually happens with really really high speeds is that the tracks start to bleed as the centrifugal force spins the molecules outward.
This isn't as much of a concern for CDs as it is for CDR's and CD-RW's, where dye is used. In these media, the dye is quite vulnerable to the centrifugal forces... esp. over time.
I've lost several CDRs to 72x drives after 2-3 years of use. The heat and speed get to them.
I'm the tech director at a small private school. Several of the faculty decided to open unexpected attachments (despite my advice to the contrary), finding that they "couldn't open the files properly." However, the virus still infected the host system and had to be cleaned. Basically, in my experience, the documents have been modified (they're.pif file extensions with the name of a local private document) and are not the actual document itself.
With a PCi card for an extra $195, the Sun Blade 100 machine would be able to run applications on both Microsoft's Windows and Sun's Solaris operating system.
If you buy the card, you're not using the machine just as a server, it's your desktop machine. Add a monitor and accessories, and you're nearing $1500.
Granted, I've always wanted a Sparc machine, but for the same price (or less) you can get a crankin' x86 machine with more RAM and have it running Linux and VMware'd Windows... or even better, Solaris for x86 and VMW.
You're right, it _is_ like insisting on a 500kbit sampling rate over a 70kbit sampling rate. 500kbits is overkill, and includes frequencies clearly outside the range of human hearing. Furthermore, comparing the Voodoo3 to 70kbit sampling rates is also a valid comparison.
However, that's where the analysis fails: Each can be improved upon. 30-50fps is sub-par and _can_ be differentiated from 60+fps (trust me, I have a Voodoo3 and my roommate has a superior card). Also, you need ~225-256kbit sampling to inlcude the full range of frequencies the human senses can pick up. Listening to music sampled at 70kbps is just painful if you're expecting CD-quality audio.
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> If it's fun, it's good. Who says it also has to be high tech?
Holy crap, finally someone out there who agrees with me. I still play my SNES all the time. If it's fun, play it!
...who's signed up to give the talk on the "Duke Nukem Forever" approach to game development!
I think this same thing happened with Yahoo a while back. At first, they were really just a search engine - and the only search most people knew of and used. Then they started adding all kinds of extras - news, games, fantasy sports, etc - and I noticed that their search capabilities went downhill fast. It was about this time that Google came to prominence and many people (including me) made the switch. If Yahoo can re-focus on their search engine, I'm confident Google will do the same.
The risk is definitely there, but what you get from letting your employees go on seredipitous excursions once a week is potentially more valuable than profitable ideas: you get very happy employees. Google already has a rep for hiring only the best and brightest -- seems like they have a good way of holding on to them, as well.
I tried copying/pasting the link into notepad, but found that the first "a" of Paypal is an extended character (shows up as a block in notepad). So I'd argue it _doesn't_ look right.
Not that I want to try this method with every link I click on...
I want a desktop fabricator that can create a desktop fabricator.
Mmm.... Recursion...
Sounds a lot like "Player Piano"... which came out in the 1950's. Eerie.
The summary is misleading. If you read one of the articles, you'll see that the measure that was passed was not in support of spam - it, too, was an anti-spam measure. It just wasn't quite as strict as the Bowen measure.
Furthermore, I don't know that I'd go so far as to call it "pro-spammer"; it still calls for fines to be levied. It just appears more "pro-spammer" than the consumer-backed bill.
Anyone else read that as the "Dogbert" Reading?
If the company was in that bad of a position, do you think that they'd want to go through the process of firing their best workers, rehiring equally skilled workers, and then going through the time-consuming process of retraining them. The entire retraining time is money lost, and the company could go under.
One of my friends and I often discuss the idea of the networked house, where everything can be remotely controlled. He always brought up one problem when I said "Hey wouldn't a networked stove/microwave/etc be a really cool idea??" : He pointed out that you actually need to physically put the food into the device - something that requires either a lot of expensive machinery or ... you. And a lot of foresight. Most people who are lazy enough to use something like this lack foresight. I know I do.
See Jane disappear Spot.
Since when did "disappear" become a transitive verb?
I heartily agree. I was pretty disappointed not to see Homer the Great on the list -- one of the best, IMHO. One of my other favorites: King-Size Homer.
Homer: [reading screen] "To Start Press Any Key". Where's the ANY key? I see Esk ["ESC"], Catarl ["CTRL"], and Pig-Up ["PGUP"]. There doesn't seem to be any ANY key. Woo! All this computer hacking is making me thirsty. I think I'll order a TAB. [presses TAB key] Oh...no time for that now, the computer's starting!
So the point isn't that FLAC is new... the point is that FLAC is OSS, and has joined forces with an organization backing such efforts. The SHN codec is not OSS.
What the phones really need is good voice-recognition software, so the blogger can just start babbling and the results will be instantly posted.
"Wait, did I say 'Thursday'? I meant 'Friday'! No, wait - don't record that. Don't post this. Are you still posting?? Stop!!"
Soon, every conversation ever held could be blogged for all to see. Just what the world needs. More mental diarrhea.
You're right - you have to go the OEM route if you want this PVR OS - but ianjk is right when it comes to the options facing the consumer:
1) Get one of these OEM boxes - special PC with specific graphics hardware and PVR OS (time, hassle, money)
2) Buy a set-top box for 1/4 the price (simplicity)
As the article states, unless the end user is going to use the PC for more than just a PVR, he'd be much better off getting a set-top box.
The article states that "the vast majority of TV tuner cards available will not work" -- and this includes all ATI All-In-Wonder cards. The only two cards supported are the Hauppauge WinTV PVR and the Emuzed Maui PCI PVR.
Personally, I think I'll stick with my ATI card and Video Disk Recorder.
I struggle with how to react to this game idea recylcing by Nintendo. On the one hand, it's great to see my favorite titles from when I was younger back and totally revamped on a new system, employing all the technology available. The play control is better, the game is completely different, but the ideas are still roughly the same. Mario stomps on bad guys, gathers coins, and saves the princess. Link cuts bad buys, gathers rupees, and saves Zelda. Samus shoots bad guys, gathers powerups, and saves mankind. Same old same old. My mom used to say that all those games I loved as a kid were just Mario in different suits. I argued, but I'm starting to see what she was getting at.
I was burned pretty badly by my purchase of the N64 - I absolutely loved Nintendo (my SNES still gets more playing time than all my other systems combined), and I was excited about being able to play Mario64 and Bond and Mario Kart 64... but they got old, and overall there just weren't that many memorable games for the system.
The Gamecube, IMHO, is running the risk of going down the same path. While I agree with your statement that GC will win people by using the same old time-tested game ideas, I think Nintendo is going to have to break free if they are going to stay alive. (Perhaps by bringing some RPG's over from Japan)
I've got an old Pentium 266 MMX that I've been using as a server (running OpenBSD)... If you had asked me, aside from use to me, how much it was worth, I'd have said no more than $50, and that's for the new power supply in it.
Thanks to the boys from the Media Lab for giving my computer a new pricetag. All I have to do is fit this puppy into a smaller box. =)
Choosing my words carefully to avoid becoming flamebait:
Why is it that when something like this comes along, the first thing we geeks do is complain about how stupid it is? We are a minority, we who keep machines long past their prime, using them to their full capacity as web servers, mail servers, firewalls, gateways, etc... The majority of computer waste comes from major corporations, who dispose of these machines after they have passed the point of obsolescence. The cheapest method of disposal right now is to have it "taken care of" (i.e. put in a landfill in China). See this site for real info.
Giving major corporations an incentive to recycle computers is an incredible step towards changing the way we deal with computer waste. Who knows, maybe the next step will be to device a whole new model for computer sales that generates less waste by creating more interchangable parts; rather than throwing out the whole machine every 1.5 years, companies can purchase core processing units that all machines use... distributed computing... but i digress.
I've found that I really have a hard time programming with a lot of other people around me, because I tend to get distracted easily, especially when they're working on and talking about the same (or similar) project as the one I'm working on.
I need a programming room, one that I only enter when I need to sit down and do some serious coding or design. Under no other conditions may I enter the room... When I enter, I wholly concentrate on the task at hand, and when I leave, I un-focus. The walls are covered with whiteboards and there must be a high but comfortable chair, plenty of space to spread out and walk around, and most importantly, music, with the ability to turn it off and change the song on a whim.
And of course, a tennis ball to bounce off the walls while I think...
What actually happens with really really high speeds is that the tracks start to bleed as the centrifugal force spins the molecules outward.
This isn't as much of a concern for CDs as it is for CDR's and CD-RW's, where dye is used. In these media, the dye is quite vulnerable to the centrifugal forces... esp. over time.
I've lost several CDRs to 72x drives after 2-3 years of use. The heat and speed get to them.
I'm the tech director at a small private school. Several of the faculty decided to open unexpected attachments (despite my advice to the contrary), finding that they "couldn't open the files properly." However, the virus still infected the host system and had to be cleaned. Basically, in my experience, the documents have been modified (they're .pif file extensions with the name of a local private document) and are not the actual document itself.
With a PCi card for an extra $195, the Sun Blade 100 machine would be able to run applications on both Microsoft's Windows and Sun's Solaris operating system.
If you buy the card, you're not using the machine just as a server, it's your desktop machine. Add a monitor and accessories, and you're nearing $1500.
Granted, I've always wanted a Sparc machine, but for the same price (or less) you can get a crankin' x86 machine with more RAM and have it running Linux and VMware'd Windows... or even better, Solaris for x86 and VMW.
You're right, it _is_ like insisting on a 500kbit sampling rate over a 70kbit sampling rate. 500kbits is overkill, and includes frequencies clearly outside the range of human hearing. Furthermore, comparing the Voodoo3 to 70kbit sampling rates is also a valid comparison.
However, that's where the analysis fails: Each can be improved upon. 30-50fps is sub-par and _can_ be differentiated from 60+fps (trust me, I have a Voodoo3 and my roommate has a superior card). Also, you need ~225-256kbit sampling to inlcude the full range of frequencies the human senses can pick up. Listening to music sampled at 70kbps is just painful if you're expecting CD-quality audio.