I wonder if once its fully released if microsoft will say that there is a major flaw in previous version of media players and force people to upgrade to the newer version. With the latest computer viruses people are applying patches without really understanding the impacts of what functionality they introduce like the newer versions of DRM. Maybe this is how microsoft envisage migrating users to DRM.
You know what? I think it's about time for a name change.
GPUs still only run at a couple of hundred of MHz, but their dedicated circuitry allows them to perform certain matrix calculations much faster than x86 chips currently do, even with vector instruction extensions like MMX and SSE/SSE2.
Which is why Apple and soon Microsoft with Longhorn (if they ever get around to shipping it) will be using graphics cards for a select number of display compositing tasks.
I haven't RTFA, but I'm dubious about this claim. There simply isn't enough information in a 2D image to construct a 3D image. If there were, your brain would already do it (and, in fact, already does to a limited extent). I don't see how computer technology is going to improve on what your brain can already do.
What's going to be really fun is when their analysis gets it wrong, and puts something from the background "up close" in the 3d world, and vice versa. It'll be like watching a movie in a 3D version of those distorting mirrors from the circus:D
On the other hand, since ITMS doesn't support the EU, the popularity of the iPod may fall dramatically now.
Actually, you know what? It's the RIAA (and their english equivalents) that's been holding this up. Apple have had it ready to go for some time now.
I submitted an article (unfortunately rejected because I think the link contained a fair degree of foresight... it was posted on the Guardian Online I think) about this. Basically the recording industry are terrified that Apple is going to turn into another MTV, with someone else deciding who is and who isn't going to be posted on the front page (like whose video clips you do and don't play). I'd post the link, but I'm on dialup and it'll take too long to dig it up.
Bottom line: the good ol' RIAA are screwing consumers again, by preventing Apple's store from launching in the EU. It's not a case of Apple doing a "screw you, you're not the US"...
Let's see what happens if you switch a few words...
Except for the proprietary DRM'ed AAC format killing of your poor MP3 world.
Ever notice that if you choose Apple, everything seems to work really well with if it is also from Apple? In their hardwary kind of way, they are getting as hegemonous as the big M.
The huge difference being that the iPod plays MP3s, WAVs, AIFFs, and AAC.
The Sony job only plays its own format.
So your analogy is fundamentally flawed.
-- james
a real use for this kind of technology
on
The Face Detector
·
· Score: 5, Interesting
instead of the endless "let's use it in airports" crap, it looks like they've found a real use for this kind of thing.
give it to blind people so they can know who they're talking to. But don't stop there - man, the number of times I've forgotten names... it'd be great if they could integrate this kind of thing into some glasses, that popped up the name of the person as you looked at them (assuming, of course, you knew them).
whoever commercialises that tech first is going to make a lot of $$$, I think...
without meaning to sound like your father, it's the best thing you can do, especially for a valuable investment like an Apple laptop.
They don't go wrong often, but when you pick the thing up and carry it round with you everywhere, inevitably some of the laptops develop issues. And portables can be expensive to fix.
It's what, a couple of hundred dollars? Trust me, you'll make that back many times over if a hinge goes, or a screen dies, or whatever...
I wonder if MS can keep up this effort and if we'll eventually start to see sponsored virii added to the real TCO for windows OS'.
You bring up an excellent point. Almost all the research methodologies for examining TCO do NOT include virii losses/downtime. However, they're starting to get far from non-trivial (like the Finnish bank that went offline for a day because of Sasser... imagine the cost) and are often the motivation for an organisation to start looking at alternatives to Windows - ie MacOS X and Linux.
My name is XX YY, and I'm writing to you regards Rep. Rick Boucher recently introduced DMCRA (HR 107) bill. I strongly support this bill, and I would humbly ask you to support it also. It allows for consumers to break digital encryption schemes in the pursuit of fair use. Whilst this may sound like a far out problem that affects a small minority of consumers, nothing could be further from the truth. The problems that the DMCA creates are far-ranging for users of a variety of materials, but mostly music and movies. It prevents people from circumventing digital restrictions for fair use.
If I may, let me give you an example to ground this: all the iPods that are walking round New York, the music that is played on most of these originates from CDs. With the next-generation of music delivery devices - DVD-Audio and Super Audio CDs - being able to get the music off these formats and put them on an iPod would be next to impossible, without breaking the encryption that the Recording Industry has mandated.
I would argue that this causes inconvenience to consumers, it holds back the US electronics industry; and without realizing it, does damage to the content industries as well. People are more likely to buy music and movies if they are able to watch or listen to them how and when they choose to. Instead, the content industries are deciding how consumers can listen to music and watch movies. I was always of the belief that this was a consumers choice once they paid for the media.
Finally, I would like to point out that the DMCA as it stands threatens both academic research (researchers have been threatened with the DMCA for breaking encryption in research in the past); and, as the US is the only major industrialized country to have laws like the DMCA, that Americans are the ones that suffer. The pirates will still be able to get pirated materials, and hardware that will allow them to pirate, overseas. The legitimate consumers, and electronics companies that make our lives easier and more enjoyable (like TiVO and Apple with the iPod) will be the ones that suffer.
I hope that the EU actually sticks by its guns. That is one thing the US has not done.
The most incredible thing (and kind of funny in a shocking way) is that Microsoft is trying to use that very reason as some kind of excuse as to why it shouldn't be fined in Europe. The argument runs something along the lines of "... but we can do this in America! You can't fine us if we can do it in America!"
Hey, news flash for you Billy boy! In Europe, you comply with European law, and it's a lot harder to buy a few politicians to exert political pressure on the justice system.
however, if the government wants to mess with the operation of a private entity, then that private entity (the ISP) should be justly compensated for their time and effort.
Yeah, well who gets justly compensated every time credit card fraud occurs online?
It cuts both ways, buddy.
Bottom line: The FBI can go piss on itself. Fuck the system.
Love your spirit. I mean, why have the FBI at all? Or the police? Let's get rid of the lot of them!/sarcasm
The problem isn't in allowing LEA access to what they want. It's making sure there's a process they have to go through to get them, which prevents them from getting the information when they shouldn't be.
Because I would like to watch one of their productions without selling my soul to the Most Evil Corporation from Hell.
Well, if that's not possible, I know of another sort of Ghibli that's at least as enjoyable;)
-- james
Re:Prediction about "social network software"
on
ICQ Universe
·
· Score: 4, Insightful
This round is a fad.
It will last about 2-3 years and then disappear as people realize that the software does not support the true exchanges that keep human social networks running.
I think you're right, but I'm not sure it'll even last that long.
The thing that has made IM so popular is not that it tries to facilitate the true exchange of human social networks, but instead it tries to support it. If organisations like ICQ refocused their efforts on how best to support existing types of human networks instead of trying to replace them, then I think they might be on to something.
I can't remember the details, but MS (of all companies) was really on to something like this a little while back. They also limited group sizes, which is a clever way of ensuring meaningful interaction between acquaintances when they're online.
I was sitting in a computer lab at uni, and refreshed imdb.com which had a live update on the front page. LoTR came up for best picture and I yelled "YEAAAHHHH!!".
Everyone looked at me like I was nuts.
Hmm, maybe I am.
Anyway, I think getting the Oscar will be a genre-buster... hopefully we'll see a lot more good fantasy/odyssey movies. Anyone up for a David Eddings conversion?
Nobody's going to feel really bad about seeing those, as George Lucas has turned Star Wars into a franchise to hock his wares.
It's such a shame. I remember when Lucas announced he was making the original three - back when, 1998? I thought it was going to be Eps IV - VI, but with awesome SFX.
Instead, he candied and kiddied them down too much. Some people get edgier and better with age - Lucas, unfortunately, pretty much lost it. There are still flashes of brilliance, but the feel of the movies has been lost.
I guess you could say if Lucas brought SFX to the mainstream with his original three movies, he over-commercialised it with the last three. Traditional space movies have almost fallen from favour since Ep I. On the other hand, these past few years haven't been a complete loss as far as cool movie genres and odysseys go.
excuse me? exactly which x86 standard are you talking about?
the fact that a majority of commodity PCs ship with x86 processors does not make it some kind of standard nor does it necessarily mean it's the best choice. In fact, Apple's resolute decision to stick with PPC is going to pay some real dividends in the next 12 months while the x86 world flounders.
Also, there doesn't seem to be any way for Microsoft to do backward compatibility. I don't think there is any code in the entire world that would let a 2.0Ghz G5 chip emulate a P3 733.
hmmm, maybe this is why MS bought Virtual PC for MacOS. It allows the running of x86 binaries on a PPC...
Go ahead and do it!! Instead of doing something like certification courses (CCNA, MSCE, etc.)
I know somebody who took your advice. He used to drive trucks. He did an MCSE from one of those "buy a qualification and we'll turn a blind eye places", and he somehow made it into our little ISP.
What's funny is, despite him not knowing anything, he did really quite well at first. Because he was the only non-tech person there, the call centre manageress (who knew SFA as well) didn't feel threatened by him. So she gave him all the promotions etc. It was quite funny:)
Eventually it all caught up with him though, as the real tech heads started to ask him to do stuff and he didn't have a clue. I think he was asked to fall on his sword, and last I heard of him he was working for another (bigger) ISP.
It's amazing how nice a living you can doing jumping from ship to ship, pillaging a bit then moving on. But that's another story...
Slashdot Mirror
Especially not when you're running state of the art military hardware... putting Windows in something like that is no laughing matter.
-- james
want to go to the launch party?
:)
here's a copy of the invitation
shame about the resolution, but I guess you'll have to earn your keep in photoshop!
-- james
yeah, and if the budget's looking a bit bad for that year, they could always put a few of the email accounts up on ebay.
-- james
You know what? I think it's about time for a name change.
Windows Media Player --> Windows Media Restrictor
Which is why Apple and soon Microsoft with Longhorn (if they ever get around to shipping it) will be using graphics cards for a select number of display compositing tasks.
It frees up the CPU, and can do it wayyy faster.
-- james
What's going to be really fun is when their analysis gets it wrong, and puts something from the background "up close" in the 3d world, and vice versa. It'll be like watching a movie in a 3D version of those distorting mirrors from the circus
-- james
Actually, you know what? It's the RIAA (and their english equivalents) that's been holding this up. Apple have had it ready to go for some time now.
I submitted an article (unfortunately rejected because I think the link contained a fair degree of foresight... it was posted on the Guardian Online I think) about this. Basically the recording industry are terrified that Apple is going to turn into another MTV, with someone else deciding who is and who isn't going to be posted on the front page (like whose video clips you do and don't play). I'd post the link, but I'm on dialup and it'll take too long to dig it up.
Bottom line: the good ol' RIAA are screwing consumers again, by preventing Apple's store from launching in the EU. It's not a case of Apple doing a "screw you, you're not the US"...
-- james
The huge difference being that the iPod plays MP3s, WAVs, AIFFs, and AAC.
The Sony job only plays its own format.
So your analogy is fundamentally flawed.
-- james
instead of the endless "let's use it in airports" crap, it looks like they've found a real use for this kind of thing.
give it to blind people so they can know who they're talking to. But don't stop there - man, the number of times I've forgotten names... it'd be great if they could integrate this kind of thing into some glasses, that popped up the name of the person as you looked at them (assuming, of course, you knew them).
whoever commercialises that tech first is going to make a lot of $$$, I think...
-- james
without meaning to sound like your father, it's the best thing you can do, especially for a valuable investment like an Apple laptop.
They don't go wrong often, but when you pick the thing up and carry it round with you everywhere, inevitably some of the laptops develop issues. And portables can be expensive to fix.
It's what, a couple of hundred dollars? Trust me, you'll make that back many times over if a hinge goes, or a screen dies, or whatever...
-- james
You bring up an excellent point. Almost all the research methodologies for examining TCO do NOT include virii losses/downtime. However, they're starting to get far from non-trivial (like the Finnish bank that went offline for a day because of Sasser... imagine the cost) and are often the motivation for an organisation to start looking at alternatives to Windows - ie MacOS X and Linux.
-- james
There's some good stuff in there.
However, it seems a few organisations have actually beaten us to it.
Apple, for example, uses the 3d aspect of the GPU to accelerate its 2d compositing system with quartz extreme. Microsoft, as usual, announced the feature after Apple shipped it, and with any luck Windows users might have it by 2007
-- james
Here's my letter - have you sent yours?
Dear X
My name is XX YY, and I'm writing to you regards Rep. Rick Boucher recently introduced DMCRA (HR 107) bill. I strongly support this bill, and I would humbly ask you to support it also. It allows for consumers to break digital encryption schemes in the pursuit of fair use. Whilst this may sound like a far out problem that affects a small minority of consumers, nothing could be further from the truth. The problems that the DMCA creates are far-ranging for users of a variety of materials, but mostly music and movies. It prevents people from circumventing digital restrictions for fair use.
If I may, let me give you an example to ground this: all the iPods that are walking round New York, the music that is played on most of these originates from CDs. With the next-generation of music delivery devices - DVD-Audio and Super Audio CDs - being able to get the music off these formats and put them on an iPod would be next to impossible, without breaking the encryption that the Recording Industry has mandated.
I would argue that this causes inconvenience to consumers, it holds back the US electronics industry; and without realizing it, does damage to the content industries as well. People are more likely to buy music and movies if they are able to watch or listen to them how and when they choose to. Instead, the content industries are deciding how consumers can listen to music and watch movies. I was always of the belief that this was a consumers choice once they paid for the media.
Finally, I would like to point out that the DMCA as it stands threatens both academic research (researchers have been threatened with the DMCA for breaking encryption in research in the past); and, as the US is the only major industrialized country to have laws like the DMCA, that Americans are the ones that suffer. The pirates will still be able to get pirated materials, and hardware that will allow them to pirate, overseas. The legitimate consumers, and electronics companies that make our lives easier and more enjoyable (like TiVO and Apple with the iPod) will be the ones that suffer.
Thank you for your time.
Yours sincerely,
XX YY
It's at this stage that the shrewd husband would offer to take her to Australia
-- james
ps I'm joking... both NZ and Oz are great
The most incredible thing (and kind of funny in a shocking way) is that Microsoft is trying to use that very reason as some kind of excuse as to why it shouldn't be fined in Europe. The argument runs something along the lines of "... but we can do this in America! You can't fine us if we can do it in America!"
Hey, news flash for you Billy boy! In Europe, you comply with European law, and it's a lot harder to buy a few politicians to exert political pressure on the justice system.
-- james
Yeah, well who gets justly compensated every time credit card fraud occurs online?
It cuts both ways, buddy.
Love your spirit. I mean, why have the FBI at all? Or the police? Let's get rid of the lot of them!
The problem isn't in allowing LEA access to what they want. It's making sure there's a process they have to go through to get them, which prevents them from getting the information when they shouldn't be.
-- james
Well, if that's not possible, I know of another sort of Ghibli that's at least as enjoyable
-- james
I think you're right, but I'm not sure it'll even last that long.
The thing that has made IM so popular is not that it tries to facilitate the true exchange of human social networks, but instead it tries to support it. If organisations like ICQ refocused their efforts on how best to support existing types of human networks instead of trying to replace them, then I think they might be on to something.
I can't remember the details, but MS (of all companies) was really on to something like this a little while back. They also limited group sizes, which is a clever way of ensuring meaningful interaction between acquaintances when they're online.
-- james
and what's more, Mac and Linux versions are following right behind.
The way all games should be developed. Kudos to Epic/Atari.
-- james
I was sitting in a computer lab at uni, and refreshed imdb.com which had a live update on the front page. LoTR came up for best picture and I yelled "YEAAAHHHH!!".
Everyone looked at me like I was nuts.
Hmm, maybe I am.
Anyway, I think getting the Oscar will be a genre-buster... hopefully we'll see a lot more good fantasy/odyssey movies. Anyone up for a David Eddings conversion?
-- james
It's such a shame. I remember when Lucas announced he was making the original three - back when, 1998? I thought it was going to be Eps IV - VI, but with awesome SFX.
Instead, he candied and kiddied them down too much. Some people get edgier and better with age - Lucas, unfortunately, pretty much lost it. There are still flashes of brilliance, but the feel of the movies has been lost.
I guess you could say if Lucas brought SFX to the mainstream with his original three movies, he over-commercialised it with the last three. Traditional space movies have almost fallen from favour since Ep I. On the other hand, these past few years haven't been a complete loss as far as cool movie genres and odysseys go.
-- james
excuse me? exactly which x86 standard are you talking about?
the fact that a majority of commodity PCs ship with x86 processors does not make it some kind of standard nor does it necessarily mean it's the best choice. In fact, Apple's resolute decision to stick with PPC is going to pay some real dividends in the next 12 months while the x86 world flounders.
-- james
hmmm, maybe this is why MS bought Virtual PC for MacOS. It allows the running of x86 binaries on a PPC...
-- james
I know somebody who took your advice. He used to drive trucks. He did an MCSE from one of those "buy a qualification and we'll turn a blind eye places", and he somehow made it into our little ISP.
What's funny is, despite him not knowing anything, he did really quite well at first. Because he was the only non-tech person there, the call centre manageress (who knew SFA as well) didn't feel threatened by him. So she gave him all the promotions etc. It was quite funny
Eventually it all caught up with him though, as the real tech heads started to ask him to do stuff and he didn't have a clue. I think he was asked to fall on his sword, and last I heard of him he was working for another (bigger) ISP.
It's amazing how nice a living you can doing jumping from ship to ship, pillaging a bit then moving on. But that's another story...
-- james
well you're reading a different front page to me. It's not up there, only on apple.slashdot.org
tell me how many frontpage stories have this few comments?
-- james