...it's saved me having to buy a remote from Keyspan
I actually own one of the keyspan remotes, and I gotta say, it's great. One of the coolest features is that you can program it for any remote (this only works in OS 9 unfortunately). If you know the bit time and frequency of your remote, you can point it at the receiver, press a button, and it will tell you what the command consists of. This is great for those of us with huge universal remotes.
Plus, the Keyspan remote costs $50US, the T68i cost about $100 more than a similar-but-not-BlueTooth phone from my carrier.
How to make successful online distribution
on
The Future of the CD
·
· Score: 3, Insightful
IMHO, I don't think any online distribution will be successful unless it distributes in uncrippled MP3 format. I would gladly pay for a song, rather than download it free, if I knew I were getting good quality, high bitrate (I rip at 192VBR minimum) and free of pops, hisses etc due to some guy's inability to rip right (or his insistence on recording from the radio).
What I won't pay is a new format that can only be played in one particular program, can't be copied or burned to CD etc etc etc. If I pay for a song, I want to listen to it in iTunes, burn it to a CD, or download it to an iPod. Period.
If the music companies did this, would some people then immediiately upload that song to Kazaa? Sure, but they will anyway. At least this way, the companies would make some money from the initial download. That's a risk they need to take.
My 12-year-old self would know who I was talking about. One of my big regrets is that I never took the chance with girls when I was younger. Even getting painfully rejected would have possibly made me that much mre comfortable in the meantime.
Instead, I spent the next five years in fear of girls, then dated a girl for 1.5 months, then nothing for years, until this past summer.
Hey asshead, this guy was 12 in 1982. The only people who had computers in 82 were rich geeky college kids and big companies. Just because you were 12 in 1998 doesn't mean everyone was.
I think my new advice would be to start using the word "asshead"! That's awesome!
I'm not trying to get flamed here, but could somebody please explain to me, in a calm rational manner (I've heard all the "The Government is inherently evil" arguments), why this would be so terrible?
I already carry a licesnse, health card (For the Canadian Health Care System they assign us Health cards), 3 credit cards, 2 ATM cards, a travel pass, a student card, and more. So, obviously, my personal data is recorded anyway. It seems to me that this would just amalgamate those cards into one (hopefully), and make it a little more secure so Johnny McMugger has a harder time using my ID.
Oh, those awful Slashdot editors! How dare they make mistakes! I'm demanding my $0 back immediately! I'll report them to the FCC! No, wait Slashdotters hate the FCC, so I'll report then to the EFF for some reason!
No, no, no. They're just getting more efficient. It used to be we'd have to wait several weeks, or even months to see a story blithely repeated. Now, thanks to the wonder of faster processors and more-efficient editing methods, we can see repeats *MUCH* faster!
Actually, many people, including several vendors, have complained that the New York show was significantly more expensive than the Boston one. The costs of settin gup booths there was prohibitively expensive for many, especially smaller companies.
Additionally, part of the Boston deal was for the city to help Hotels etc arrange cheaper rates during the expo. So, it would actually be noticeably cheaper in Boston.
Of course, I'd much prefer they move it Toronto. Then I might actually be able to go!
I think, though, the only worrying thing about this is that some joe-schmoe computer users may not realise that doing all of that on a Mac is just as easy, if not more so (not that I'm biased or anything).
I still get people who ask me if Macs "Have the internet" or "Have Windows".
Does anyone know if old bar cdes are ever reused, or when a product is cancelled, is it just retired. For example, is the bar code for "New Coke" usable for some other, less-disgusting product, like Motor Oil, or has it forever disappeared into the ether.
Additionally, is there one governing body which assigns bar codes? Or is up to the manufacturer to make sure they assign a unique bar code?
What about other countries? Do other countries have the same bar codes for the same products?
Slashdot Mirror
Good God, must sign up now
I actually own one of the keyspan remotes, and I gotta say, it's great. One of the coolest features is that you can program it for any remote (this only works in OS 9 unfortunately). If you know the bit time and frequency of your remote, you can point it at the receiver, press a button, and it will tell you what the command consists of. This is great for those of us with huge universal remotes.
Plus, the Keyspan remote costs $50US, the T68i cost about $100 more than a similar-but-not-BlueTooth phone from my carrier.
What I won't pay is a new format that can only be played in one particular program, can't be copied or burned to CD etc etc etc. If I pay for a song, I want to listen to it in iTunes, burn it to a CD, or download it to an iPod. Period.
If the music companies did this, would some people then immediiately upload that song to Kazaa? Sure, but they will anyway. At least this way, the companies would make some money from the initial download. That's a risk they need to take.
My 12-year-old self would know who I was talking about. One of my big regrets is that I never took the chance with girls when I was younger. Even getting painfully rejected would have possibly made me that much mre comfortable in the meantime.
Instead, I spent the next five years in fear of girls, then dated a girl for 1.5 months, then nothing for years, until this past summer.
Oh well, all's well that ends well!
I think my new advice would be to start using the word "asshead"! That's awesome!
As in Nicolo Machiavelli?
And yes, I first learned that name when my opponents in Sid Meir's Civilization called me Machiavellian.
I zink zat zis ees a veeery fuuuny ting
I for one am finally looking forward to getting one of these new-fangled slide rules all the kids are talking about these days!
Of course they would, if other companies started selling bloated, buggy code, people might stop buying theirs.
Bloated, buggy code is their bread-and-butter business model!
I'm not trying to get flamed here, but could somebody please explain to me, in a calm rational manner (I've heard all the "The Government is inherently evil" arguments), why this would be so terrible?
I already carry a licesnse, health card (For the Canadian Health Care System they assign us Health cards), 3 credit cards, 2 ATM cards, a travel pass, a student card, and more. So, obviously, my personal data is recorded anyway. It seems to me that this would just amalgamate those cards into one (hopefully), and make it a little more secure so Johnny McMugger has a harder time using my ID.
Oh, those awful Slashdot editors! How dare they make mistakes! I'm demanding my $0 back immediately! I'll report them to the FCC! No, wait Slashdotters hate the FCC, so I'll report then to the EFF for some reason!
Waaaaaaaaa!
What do you think about current security measures? Are the sufficient for the current wave of hackers/crackers?
What about Microsoft's security initiative? Will it ever be anything more than a PR catchphrase?
Ultimately, do you think it will ever be possible to make a computer product *completely* secure and unhackable?
No, no, no. They're just getting more efficient. It used to be we'd have to wait several weeks, or even months to see a story blithely repeated. Now, thanks to the wonder of faster processors and more-efficient editing methods, we can see repeats *MUCH* faster!
Wow, isn't technology wonderful?
"When was the last time a company had the nerve to attempt a worldwide introduction of an all-new desktop computer with dedicated OS?"
Umm, the BeBox/BeOS and NeXTCube with NextStep come to mind.
So, how long till *these* guys get a buyout off from Apple?
Can you ask him what the hell the deal with this was:e r2.htm l
http://homepage.mac.com/celkjer/iMovieTheat
There are a ton of programs which can access the iPod's music directory. Just search on VersionTracker.com
Actually, many people, including several vendors, have complained that the New York show was significantly more expensive than the Boston one. The costs of settin gup booths there was prohibitively expensive for many, especially smaller companies.
Additionally, part of the Boston deal was for the city to help Hotels etc arrange cheaper rates during the expo. So, it would actually be noticeably cheaper in Boston.
Of course, I'd much prefer they move it Toronto. Then I might actually be able to go!
I think, though, the only worrying thing about this is that some joe-schmoe computer users may not realise that doing all of that on a Mac is just as easy, if not more so (not that I'm biased or anything).
I still get people who ask me if Macs "Have the internet" or "Have Windows".
Some people just don't quite get it.
Umm, correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't getting a player capable of playing much higher-quality music at no extra charge a good thing.
"well, gee I only paid for a Ford, but they gave me a Ferarri engine. How dare they!!"
Does anyone know if old bar cdes are ever reused, or when a product is cancelled, is it just retired. For example, is the bar code for "New Coke" usable for some other, less-disgusting product, like Motor Oil, or has it forever disappeared into the ether.
Additionally, is there one governing body which assigns bar codes? Or is up to the manufacturer to make sure they assign a unique bar code?
What about other countries? Do other countries have the same bar codes for the same products?
Isn't CG the term used in this context?
ie: Computer Graphics.
Does CGI not stand for Common Gateway Interface? As in forms and misc interactive web content?
For God's sake, do you know how many hours I've spent on this site instead of studying/partying/doing assignments????
The reason for the ads is to reduce the cost of the movies. Before trailers, VHS videos of movies cost about $100 IIRC.
Top Gun was the first movie to have trailers before it on the video, and it sold for $20, at that point a very astounding price for a video.
Now that one can typically pay $10 for a video or $15-20 for a DVD, we take these low costs for granted. But the reason they exist is the trailers.
I can't speak for everyone, but I'm willing to watch a few trailers/ads to reduce the cost of my DVDs by 75%
Bill Gates: "Security!"
General Public: "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."
Microsoft: "Security"
Everyone else "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."