*hey! before you harass me, consider my relatively low Slashdot user ID. I will accept the taunting and mockings from only 87991 other users.
Mock Mock
You need to realize that people *like* giving gifts. Even if they aren't great. Telling people not to give you anything essentially takes something from them. That is, the ability to feel good buying you something. You're obviously not into it, but other people are.
So, maybe you should ask/hint for something that would be easy to re-gift or worthwhile to donate to charity.
TFA mentions that it will be small--designed to sit under or next to an existing monitor. If the target market is current windows users wanting to smoothly make the "switch", it should do a KVM pass-through, cables included.
Plug PC into mac.
Plug mac into existing keyboard, mouse, monitor.
The pass-through should also include ethernet, just to cut down on cable clutter.
You could easily make a simple physical "mac/not mac" switch on the front of the machine (next to the drive & on/off buttons).
I was lucky enough to be at the North American Premiere as part of the Seattle International Film Festival. Brief impressions below:
The Crowd
The theatre (Cinerama) was packed. The rush line (people who didn't buy tickets in advance) wound around the corner. I don't think many got in.
The Presentation
Subtitles. Hooray!
The Movie
One of the few films that's substantially better than the original. I re-watched the original a few days before seeing this to refresh myself of the story (not necessary).
I don't want to give away any spoilers, so I'll just say that it's some of the best feature-length anime I've seen in a long time.
The things that bothered me with the original (like the gratuitious nudity and slow pace) were left out.
Overall
It's great that this film is making it to theatres, in any case, it would be a big hit on DVD. The big screen was a big help.
I don't think this really has anything to do with Audiogalaxy, I think it's through a different company altogether. Anyway, I've been using rhapsody for a while as a free trial through my ISP, speakeasy.net. I was never into downloading music illicitly. I've got diverse tastes and a fast network connection. I spend almost all day in front of the computer working. I kind of like it, but it has its flaws.
The good
large catalog
good editorial content & categorization
sound quality
files start playing very quickly
The bad
major holes in catalog
custom radio stations include more than just what you specify. Why?
in-front-of-the-computer-only
no "space-shifting"
the interface is an enfuriating 90% of the way there.
Many of the "it sucks 'cause it's streaming" critics here don't get it. It's not about having a bunch of songs to download & collect as tangible property (that would be a product). This is a service, like a night in a hotel, a taxi ride, a massage, Netflix, cable TV, a DVD rental from blockbuster, renting an apartment. When you think about it, this model may make more sense, you don't really own copyrighted music when you buy a CD (if you think I'm wrong, try to copy & sell it to people). Since you no longer really need CDs to listen to it, why not move away from buying the music and start just listening to it, at no marginal cost.
The problem with this is that people like to collect music. It is a big source of their identity. They like the experience of choosing a piece of music to buy, and knowing it's always there.
There was a big short-sighted article on Salon a while ago about how great Netflix is, and how music services should be like this. The problem with the analogy is that DVDs are copy protected in such a way that most people don't even bother to try and that people only want to experience movies a few times, and always in the foreground. You can listen to good music over and over, and in the background while you work, drive, cook, whatever. People generally don't "steal" their netflix movies. People will "steal" any music they possibly can.
I've had fun with Rhapsody these last few weeks. I've discovered some new stuff and listened to some old stuff I haven't heard for a long time. But because people like to collect thier music, they can't make it possible for me to download, burn, and listen where I want to (the car, mostly). Someone could sign up (or do the free trial, even) download everything they could possibly want and then cancel their subscription. As a result, I'm probably not going to sign up.
Imagine a future where you have a low montly "media bill" that allows you to see what you want, when you want, listen to what you want, where you want and with no additional cost for the next thing. I would love it and actually want to pay for it. Would you?
For those of you (and unfortunately, there were many) who overlooked Grim Fandango, I strongly suggest fishing it out of the bargain bin and giving it a chance.
It's one of the most well-designed games of all time. The puzzles are very inventive and the characters are actually engaging.
It's the only video game that I've played that has an any emotional depth in the traditional sense. Granted "wow, I just carjacked a cop, that's so cool" is an emotional response, but Grim Fandango is different.
The boxset is cheaper and has the "remastered" volume 1 (no overlays among other things).
It may be wise to wait, then, if they can make one volume look really good, don't you think that they will eventually make all of them look really good? You know there will be a market for it.
I say that because I'm fortunate enough to have a local video store that carries great anime, so I don't have to buy all of it.
I'm a big fan of the series, and unlike Hemos, I really enjoyed the last few episodes. They were unlike anything I had seen in anime until that point. Perhaps a grand final victory against the evil aggressors would have been more satisfying to "low" urges, but as it was you think about it and talk about it for a few days after watching it. It had a real emotional impact on me, more than say, even bigger explosions would.
I really admire the director too, it takes balls to make a set of feature films to augment the series ending, and make it even darker and more violent.
The LA times site wasn't slashdotted, so I got a chance to read said article.
The reviewer made it very accessible and interesting to non-geeks, which is good. I've been evangelizing this show for a long time (pun intended) but he put his finger on what makes it good.
One day in the not-so-distant-future..... Everything will be a vending machine: Television, Roads, Your own computer, printers, car radio, your car.
This will never happen, because there is a very powerful concept called "zero marginal cost". People are more apt to enjoy something if they don't think they are paying for each additional unit of that thing. Think of unlimited internet access (do you pay by the minute anymore?), digital cameras (no additional cost for each photo taken), buffet restaurants (hey, a second desert doesn't cost more!). This is what people want.
That's why the RIAA-approved post-napster clones haven't taken off, they don't provide a service where you can get all the media you want for a reasonable set price. Once they do that, bingo! That's also why slashot's membership scheme is so stupid, because people want a fixed price for as much as they can enjoy.
So, I predict that in the future the exact opposite will occur, you will pay a fixed monthly rate for media and software, just as you do for internet access right now.
The companies who don't want to move to this model will be replaced by companies who do. New companies always replace those removed by consolidation, there are more companies in the world today than 10 years ago, not less.
<i>... and a nasty criminal record that he doesn't deserve.</i>
<p>
I always thought that <b>undeserved</b> nasty criminal records were for people who didn't commit crimes. How about "nasty criminal record that he didn't expect" or just "nasty criminal record".
Bravo! Exactly what I've been thinking. Perhaps a better solution would be to allow an article to belong to more than one category, that way it could be Linux and News. If I choose to hide one of those categories, it will go away.
Good DSL experience in Seattle (with USWest Even!)
on
Feature: Getting DSL
·
· Score: 1
Other than the delay in setting up the DSL service (I signed up and the service didn't work for about 4 weeks because they didn't have the capacity after all -- I didn't have to pay for that month), everything works well.
I've never had downtime that wasn't my fault (if you unplug the modem, it doesn't work. Go figure.) and my connection speeds are always very speedy.
Their tech support is dismal, but fortunately I don't need them very often.
Slashdot Mirror
Two words: Sweeny Todd
You may be thinking of the Vector One? http://www.flytheroad.com/
*hey! before you harass me, consider my relatively low Slashdot user ID. I will accept the taunting and mockings from only 87991 other users.
Mock Mock
You need to realize that people *like* giving gifts. Even if they aren't great. Telling people not to give you anything essentially takes something from them. That is, the ability to feel good buying you something. You're obviously not into it, but other people are.
So, maybe you should ask/hint for something that would be easy to re-gift or worthwhile to donate to charity.
Plug PC into mac. Plug mac into existing keyboard, mouse, monitor.
The pass-through should also include ethernet, just to cut down on cable clutter.
You could easily make a simple physical "mac/not mac" switch on the front of the machine (next to the drive & on/off buttons).
I would buy one. I might buy two.
The Crowd
The theatre (Cinerama) was packed. The rush line (people who didn't buy tickets in advance) wound around the corner. I don't think many got in.
The Presentation
Subtitles. Hooray!
The Movie
One of the few films that's substantially better than the original. I re-watched the original a few days before seeing this to refresh myself of the story (not necessary).
I don't want to give away any spoilers, so I'll just say that it's some of the best feature-length anime I've seen in a long time.
The things that bothered me with the original (like the gratuitious nudity and slow pace) were left out.
Overall
It's great that this film is making it to theatres, in any case, it would be a big hit on DVD. The big screen was a big help.
The good
- large catalog
- good editorial content & categorization
- sound quality
- files start playing very quickly
The badMany of the "it sucks 'cause it's streaming" critics here don't get it. It's not about having a bunch of songs to download & collect as tangible property (that would be a product). This is a service, like a night in a hotel, a taxi ride, a massage, Netflix, cable TV, a DVD rental from blockbuster, renting an apartment. When you think about it, this model may make more sense, you don't really own copyrighted music when you buy a CD (if you think I'm wrong, try to copy & sell it to people). Since you no longer really need CDs to listen to it, why not move away from buying the music and start just listening to it, at no marginal cost.
The problem with this is that people like to collect music. It is a big source of their identity. They like the experience of choosing a piece of music to buy, and knowing it's always there.
There was a big short-sighted article on Salon a while ago about how great Netflix is, and how music services should be like this. The problem with the analogy is that DVDs are copy protected in such a way that most people don't even bother to try and that people only want to experience movies a few times, and always in the foreground. You can listen to good music over and over, and in the background while you work, drive, cook, whatever. People generally don't "steal" their netflix movies. People will "steal" any music they possibly can.
I've had fun with Rhapsody these last few weeks. I've discovered some new stuff and listened to some old stuff I haven't heard for a long time. But because people like to collect thier music, they can't make it possible for me to download, burn, and listen where I want to (the car, mostly). Someone could sign up (or do the free trial, even) download everything they could possibly want and then cancel their subscription. As a result, I'm probably not going to sign up.
Imagine a future where you have a low montly "media bill" that allows you to see what you want, when you want, listen to what you want, where you want and with no additional cost for the next thing. I would love it and actually want to pay for it. Would you?
It's one of the most well-designed games of all time. The puzzles are very inventive and the characters are actually engaging.
It's the only video game that I've played that has an any emotional depth in the traditional sense. Granted "wow, I just carjacked a cop, that's so cool" is an emotional response, but Grim Fandango is different.
It may be wise to wait, then, if they can make one volume look really good, don't you think that they will eventually make all of them look really good? You know there will be a market for it.
I say that because I'm fortunate enough to have a local video store that carries great anime, so I don't have to buy all of it.
I'm a big fan of the series, and unlike Hemos, I really enjoyed the last few episodes. They were unlike anything I had seen in anime until that point. Perhaps a grand final victory against the evil aggressors would have been more satisfying to "low" urges, but as it was you think about it and talk about it for a few days after watching it. It had a real emotional impact on me, more than say, even bigger explosions would.
I really admire the director too, it takes balls to make a set of feature films to augment the series ending, and make it even darker and more violent.
The LA times site wasn't slashdotted, so I got a chance to read said article.
The reviewer made it very accessible and interesting to non-geeks, which is good. I've been evangelizing this show for a long time (pun intended) but he put his finger on what makes it good.
This will never happen, because there is a very powerful concept called "zero marginal cost". People are more apt to enjoy something if they don't think they are paying for each additional unit of that thing. Think of unlimited internet access (do you pay by the minute anymore?), digital cameras (no additional cost for each photo taken), buffet restaurants (hey, a second desert doesn't cost more!). This is what people want.
That's why the RIAA-approved post-napster clones haven't taken off, they don't provide a service where you can get all the media you want for a reasonable set price. Once they do that, bingo! That's also why slashot's membership scheme is so stupid, because people want a fixed price for as much as they can enjoy.
So, I predict that in the future the exact opposite will occur, you will pay a fixed monthly rate for media and software, just as you do for internet access right now.
The companies who don't want to move to this model will be replaced by companies who do. New companies always replace those removed by consolidation, there are more companies in the world today than 10 years ago, not less.
Postign an article like this is like shooting fish in a barrell.
You may hate them, I may not. There is no "we" here. This isn't (or shouldn't be) groupthink.
So, go hate them all you want, but don't expect that you'll get everyone to agree with you.
<i>... and a nasty criminal record that he doesn't deserve.</i>
<p>
I always thought that <b>undeserved</b> nasty criminal records were for people who didn't commit crimes. How about "nasty criminal record that he didn't expect" or just "nasty criminal record".
Bravo! Exactly what I've been thinking. Perhaps a better solution would be to allow an article to belong to more than one category, that way it could be Linux and News. If I choose to hide one of those categories, it will go away.
Other than the delay in setting up the DSL service (I signed up and the service didn't work for about 4 weeks because they didn't have the capacity after all -- I didn't have to pay for that month), everything works well.
I've never had downtime that wasn't my fault (if you unplug the modem, it doesn't work. Go figure.) and my connection speeds are always very speedy.
Their tech support is dismal, but fortunately I don't need them very often.
I even got a price reduction the other day.