> The Continuator system, from Sony Computer Science Laboratory, Paris which > learns in real-time the style of a performing pianist, taking into account > chord structures, rhythm, and melody, and then renders a musical performance in > a similar style.
The Continuator, the latest product from Sony Computer Science Laboratory (a wholly-owned subsidiary of CyberDyne Heavy Industries, Inc.), was quoted as saying, "Say, that's a nice tune you've got there..." The demo's guest pianist was later found gruesomely slain in a back room of the exhibition hall.
An API is different from 'code.' Their APIs are 'supposedly' documented, but we all know they're not, really. That should change, and testing procedures should be made to make sure their own software runs on their own published APIs. If it doesn't, fine them $1 billion US every month their software isn't in compliance. That'd change their tune right quick.:)
And again, I'm much more concerned with the closed file formats than with the APIs. I just think the data should be freed from its shackles!
When there is a monopoly, a barrier to entry is created in the industry. To ease that barrier while still being fair to the monopoly company, one has to create a custom solution. In the case of MS and the software industry as a whole, any real solution is likely to be unique. How do you force MS to release their APIs? The same way you'd legally force any company to do anything. Crippling penalties until compliance is achieved.
I think the closed file formats is the bigger issue, anyway. "Out innovating" MS by making MS-compatible products only helps MS's platform dominance in the long run, and makes MS products more likely to be purchased by people who use MS platforms. The data is the key - when it's financially unfeasible to move your data to another vendor's tools, it doesn't matter if there are viable alternative products or not. MS _should_ be allowed to bundle whatever they want with their products; they just shouldn't be allowed to lock their customers into their products forever.
But at least then there would be a choice, and no excuse.
Re:Microsoft shouldn't have been broken up.
on
Tim O'Reilly Interview
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· Score: 2, Insightful
The only real solution to the MS monopoly is to force them to completely open their APIs and, especially, their file formats. Then anyone who wants to compete truly can, and the end user isn't stuck with their data held hostage in a proprietary format.
Too simple a fix for the legal geniuses to figure out, I guess.
I'm not sure you understand the 'personally indentifiable' part of that. That generally means that you, the person, can't be identified, but your machine can, so that it can be counted. If they can't tell one machine from another, they can't make any kind of meaningful count, like, how many users they have, etc. Plus, dude, you just indicated you _believe_ something MS says? What's wrong with you?:)
Tell him to bring it on up to Seattle. There's those friggin' "Ride the Ducks" things around town every day during the tourist season. *sigh* "Shoot the Ducks" would be more fun...
For that price, I'd expect the weapons systems to be included (with ammo). Forget Sealand, I'm thinking more along the lines of Damnation Alley! Ohh, the choice of bumperstickers for one of those babies..."Tailgaters will be shot," "I brake for NOBODY," etc.
We take all our CDs, grind the edges down to a razor's edge, and throw them at RIAA employees. The death of a thousand cuts - by CDs (where CD = Cutting Disc). Yay, all the lovely blood...
Well, okay, but for that kind of schedule, you'll have to pay double. Good, fast, cheap, pick any two, ya know...
Or, for only 50% more and on the originally proposed schedule, we could fix up your Sun so it'll last longer. The technology level in making a Dyson Sphere is more than that needed to import such amounts of star-fuel from elsewhere.
Oh yeah, forgot (I don't know how): Portland, Oregon - Powell's books - the best bookstore in the friggin' world. A 'nice' bookstore in Seattle is Elliott Bay Books (in Pioneer Square), but honestly, once you've been to Powell's, all other bookstores pale in comparison.
And more architecture: Las Vegas - they're recreating small scale versions of the great cities of the world, and that's a lotta fun. And the big-ass pyramid (The Luxor) is awesome at night - a huge spotlight shines out of the top of it - rather impressive, really.
For Architecture, check out Arcosanti in Arizona. The brainchild of Paolo Soleri, inventor of the Arcology. Also check out the Gamble House in California, the masterpiece of the great Arts & Crafts architects Greene & Greene. Avoid at all costs, the EMP (Experience Music Project) in Seattle, if you love architecture. I'm told the stuff inside is fine (activity-wise), but I just can't bring myself to enter that architectural abomination. The Monorail in Seattle is fun, and any self-respecting geek has to appreciate a monorail (cue Simpsons Monorail song)! While in Seattle, do the Underground Tour - a tour of the underside of the city. Check out the overpriced Space Needle, and eat fantastic Thai food at Tup Tim Thai on West Mercer. Or eat at Torero's on Broadway and have the sour cream chicken (pollo con crema). *yum* For more old-skool architecture, check out the Pioneer Square area of Seattle, too. Lots of older brick buildings, built after the fire. (the Underground Tour is in Pioneer Square, so this would be convenient). Lots of people seem to like the Pacific Science Center, but I gotta admit, I think it's overrated. However, there are now 2 IMAX theatres there, so there may be something interesting to see. If you're there, check out the giganto water fountain in Seattle Center. The Space Needle is also in Seattle Center along with the science center. For something weird, check out the Fremont Troll under the Fremont Bridge (Fremont is a funky little neighborhood in Seattle). Check out Gasworks Park - an old abandoned gas factory converted into a park, with some of the best views of Seattle & Lake Union. Check out the waterfront - there's a place called Ye Olde Curiosity Shop. There you can see, among a bunch of touristy crap, real shrunken heads and mummies. Also in Seattle is the Boeing Museum of Flight. And don't skip the Pike Place Market! A great place, and most people never even realize there are multiple floors. There's a great collectibles (comics, etc.) there with lots of great toys to buy. Sit on the brass pig, and watch out for low-flying fish. Go out the back way and check out the amazing view. Eat the crusted Romano Chicken at the Cheesecake Factory downtown. Yum. Or while at the Pike Place Market, eat at the Pervian restaurant 'Copacabana'. I recommend the Lomito Soltado (or Pollo Soltado if you're not into red meat) or the Paella. For dessert: Nicaraguan Whitecake. You'll never forget it. I'm told the Arboretum is nice, though I've yet to check that out personally. Check out Snowqualmie Falls, east of Seattle. 100 feet taller than Niagara Falls! Oh yeah, while in the Fremont area, check out the locks that connect Elliott Bay with Lake Union. Very nice.
In Vancouver, BC, you must eat at the Afghan Horseman. Amazing food, awesome atmosphere. Hit the aquarium - the best aquarium I've ever been to.
San Francisco, California, for the architecture and culture, and the amazing natural beauty of the area. If it wasn't so amazingly expensive, I'd live there instead of Seattle (poor man's San Francisco).
On to Arizona, check out the big ass meteor crater. There is nothing else to do in Arizona. Oh, okay, Antelope Canyon, if you're not afraid of drowing in a flash flood, and the Grand Canyon, too.
In Wyoming, any geek must see Devil's Tower, where the aliens in Close Encounters of the Third Kind landed. It is a surreal exerience, to say the least. Watch out for the prairie dogs. If you're in Wyoming, you might as well see the most beautiful place in the U.S.: The Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Park - they're on the West side of Wyoming, whereas Devil's Tower is on the East side of the state. From Devil's Tower, it's a short hop across the border into South Dakota to see the only thing worth seeing in that state: Mount Rushmore. Don't speed as you're about to cross the border: major speedtrap.
Montana: Glacier Park. Flat-out amazing.
I can tell you from bitter personal experience that the only thing to see in the state of Missouri (misery) is the
Colour me impressed. Until they agree that they can be sued for damages caused by using their software, it's all just marketing hype. I'd like to see the auto companies put some of those MS-style EULA bits in their stuff, "not responsible for damages, injuries, or death caused by our crappy manufacturing or design." Riiiight.
I moved here in late 1994 from the midwest (KC, MO) because I hated the midwest. I'd never been here before, but I'd done a ton of research, and, basically, I knew _anything_ would be better than Kansas City. So I quit my job of 4.5 years and split, no friends, no place to stay, no job here, nothing. And it all worked out for awhile, until the dot-com burst. I went back to KC last year for about 10 months until a friend offered me a job here, but then that went bust about a month after I got here, so I'm flat-broke while temping for now. *shrug* Still better than being in the midwest...
Hmmm, yeah, Elephant Burgers! Right on. Reminds me of the first episode of Northern Exposure. "Moose burgers or caribou dogs. A little gamey, but you get used to it."
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Dude, if a tie's good enough for Neo to sit around and code with, it's good enough for YOU. :)
> The Continuator system, from Sony Computer Science Laboratory, Paris which
> learns in real-time the style of a performing pianist, taking into account
> chord structures, rhythm, and melody, and then renders a musical performance in
> a similar style.
The Continuator, the latest product from Sony Computer Science Laboratory (a wholly-owned subsidiary of CyberDyne Heavy Industries, Inc.), was quoted as saying, "Say, that's a nice tune you've got there..." The demo's guest pianist was later found gruesomely slain in a back room of the exhibition hall.
An API is different from 'code.' Their APIs are 'supposedly' documented, but we all know they're not, really. That should change, and testing procedures should be made to make sure their own software runs on their own published APIs. If it doesn't, fine them $1 billion US every month their software isn't in compliance. That'd change their tune right quick. :)
And again, I'm much more concerned with the closed file formats than with the APIs. I just think the data should be freed from its shackles!
> How do you force MS to release their APIs?
When there is a monopoly, a barrier to entry is created in the industry. To ease that barrier while still being fair to the monopoly company, one has to create a custom solution. In the case of MS and the software industry as a whole, any real solution is likely to be unique. How do you force MS to release their APIs? The same way you'd legally force any company to do anything. Crippling penalties until compliance is achieved.
I think the closed file formats is the bigger issue, anyway. "Out innovating" MS by making MS-compatible products only helps MS's platform dominance in the long run, and makes MS products more likely to be purchased by people who use MS platforms. The data is the key - when it's financially unfeasible to move your data to another vendor's tools, it doesn't matter if there are viable alternative products or not. MS _should_ be allowed to bundle whatever they want with their products; they just shouldn't be allowed to lock their customers into their products forever.
But at least then there would be a choice, and no excuse.
The only real solution to the MS monopoly is to force them to completely open their APIs and, especially, their file formats. Then anyone who wants to compete truly can, and the end user isn't stuck with their data held hostage in a proprietary format.
Too simple a fix for the legal geniuses to figure out, I guess.
That would be redundant - /. IS a hack. C'mon - it's written in friggin' _Perl_ for ghu's sake!
I'm not sure you understand the 'personally indentifiable' part of that. That generally means that you, the person, can't be identified, but your machine can, so that it can be counted. If they can't tell one machine from another, they can't make any kind of meaningful count, like, how many users they have, etc. Plus, dude, you just indicated you _believe_ something MS says? What's wrong with you? :)
Hey, don't forget Mac OS X!
Tell him to bring it on up to Seattle. There's those friggin' "Ride the Ducks" things around town every day during the tourist season. *sigh* "Shoot the Ducks" would be more fun...
Okay, now THERE'S the Damnation Alley version! Right on. Just add weapons, and you're all set!
"Prices from the $850,000's"
Please to note the 'from'. Eek!
For that price, I'd expect the weapons systems to be included (with ammo). Forget Sealand, I'm thinking more along the lines of Damnation Alley! Ohh, the choice of bumperstickers for one of those babies..."Tailgaters will be shot," "I brake for NOBODY," etc.
We take all our CDs, grind the edges down to a razor's edge, and throw them at RIAA employees. The death of a thousand cuts - by CDs (where CD = Cutting Disc). Yay, all the lovely blood...
Well, okay, but for that kind of schedule, you'll have to pay double. Good, fast, cheap, pick any two, ya know...
Or, for only 50% more and on the originally proposed schedule, we could fix up your Sun so it'll last longer. The technology level in making a Dyson Sphere is more than that needed to import such amounts of star-fuel from elsewhere.
So I guess that means no 'VTEC' sticker. Too bad.
> Let the contract bidding begin!
:)
I'd say, oh, for an infinite amount of money, to be completed in an infinite amount of time, I can get that done for ya, no prob.
Half up front, the other half upon successful, on-time completion of project.
I better call my bank and tell them to expect an infinite amount of money to be deposited soon - I think they'll need to do some upgrades first.
Good things don't end in 'eum'. They end in 'teria'. Or 'mania'.
- Homer Simpson
Oh yeah, forgot (I don't know how): Portland, Oregon - Powell's books - the best bookstore in the friggin' world. A 'nice' bookstore in Seattle is Elliott Bay Books (in Pioneer Square), but honestly, once you've been to Powell's, all other bookstores pale in comparison.
And more architecture: Las Vegas - they're recreating small scale versions of the great cities of the world, and that's a lotta fun. And the big-ass pyramid (The Luxor) is awesome at night - a huge spotlight shines out of the top of it - rather impressive, really.
For Architecture, check out Arcosanti in Arizona. The brainchild of Paolo Soleri, inventor of the Arcology. Also check out the Gamble House in California, the masterpiece of the great Arts & Crafts architects Greene & Greene. Avoid at all costs, the EMP (Experience Music Project) in Seattle, if you love architecture. I'm told the stuff inside is fine (activity-wise), but I just can't bring myself to enter that architectural abomination. The Monorail in Seattle is fun, and any self-respecting geek has to appreciate a monorail (cue Simpsons Monorail song)! While in Seattle, do the Underground Tour - a tour of the underside of the city. Check out the overpriced Space Needle, and eat fantastic Thai food at Tup Tim Thai on West Mercer. Or eat at Torero's on Broadway and have the sour cream chicken (pollo con crema). *yum* For more old-skool architecture, check out the Pioneer Square area of Seattle, too. Lots of older brick buildings, built after the fire. (the Underground Tour is in Pioneer Square, so this would be convenient). Lots of people seem to like the Pacific Science Center, but I gotta admit, I think it's overrated. However, there are now 2 IMAX theatres there, so there may be something interesting to see. If you're there, check out the giganto water fountain in Seattle Center. The Space Needle is also in Seattle Center along with the science center. For something weird, check out the Fremont Troll under the Fremont Bridge (Fremont is a funky little neighborhood in Seattle). Check out Gasworks Park - an old abandoned gas factory converted into a park, with some of the best views of Seattle & Lake Union. Check out the waterfront - there's a place called Ye Olde Curiosity Shop. There you can see, among a bunch of touristy crap, real shrunken heads and mummies. Also in Seattle is the Boeing Museum of Flight. And don't skip the Pike Place Market! A great place, and most people never even realize there are multiple floors. There's a great collectibles (comics, etc.) there with lots of great toys to buy. Sit on the brass pig, and watch out for low-flying fish. Go out the back way and check out the amazing view. Eat the crusted Romano Chicken at the Cheesecake Factory downtown. Yum. Or while at the Pike Place Market, eat at the Pervian restaurant 'Copacabana'. I recommend the Lomito Soltado (or Pollo Soltado if you're not into red meat) or the Paella. For dessert: Nicaraguan Whitecake. You'll never forget it. I'm told the Arboretum is nice, though I've yet to check that out personally. Check out Snowqualmie Falls, east of Seattle. 100 feet taller than Niagara Falls! Oh yeah, while in the Fremont area, check out the locks that connect Elliott Bay with Lake Union. Very nice.
In Vancouver, BC, you must eat at the Afghan Horseman. Amazing food, awesome atmosphere. Hit the aquarium - the best aquarium I've ever been to.
San Francisco, California, for the architecture and culture, and the amazing natural beauty of the area. If it wasn't so amazingly expensive, I'd live there instead of Seattle (poor man's San Francisco).
On to Arizona, check out the big ass meteor crater. There is nothing else to do in Arizona. Oh, okay, Antelope Canyon, if you're not afraid of drowing in a flash flood, and the Grand Canyon, too.
In Wyoming, any geek must see Devil's Tower, where the aliens in Close Encounters of the Third Kind landed. It is a surreal exerience, to say the least. Watch out for the prairie dogs. If you're in Wyoming, you might as well see the most beautiful place in the U.S.: The Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Park - they're on the West side of Wyoming, whereas Devil's Tower is on the East side of the state. From Devil's Tower, it's a short hop across the border into South Dakota to see the only thing worth seeing in that state: Mount Rushmore. Don't speed as you're about to cross the border: major speedtrap.
Montana: Glacier Park. Flat-out amazing.
I can tell you from bitter personal experience that the only thing to see in the state of Missouri (misery) is the
Colour me impressed. Until they agree that they can be sued for damages caused by using their software, it's all just marketing hype. I'd like to see the auto companies put some of those MS-style EULA bits in their stuff, "not responsible for damages, injuries, or death caused by our crappy manufacturing or design." Riiiight.
As Bill Gates (ala the Simpsons) said, "I didn't get rich by writing a lotta checks!"
I moved here in late 1994 from the midwest (KC, MO) because I hated the midwest. I'd never been here before, but I'd done a ton of research, and, basically, I knew _anything_ would be better than Kansas City. So I quit my job of 4.5 years and split, no friends, no place to stay, no job here, nothing. And it all worked out for awhile, until the dot-com burst. I went back to KC last year for about 10 months until a friend offered me a job here, but then that went bust about a month after I got here, so I'm flat-broke while temping for now. *shrug* Still better than being in the midwest...
I'd rather have a half man, half monkey type creature. God-schmod!
Hmmm, yeah, Elephant Burgers! Right on. Reminds me of the first episode of Northern Exposure. "Moose burgers or caribou dogs. A little gamey, but you get used to it."
Yeah, but food & stuff costs so much less there. :)
:)
Plus, all those free cows roaming the streets!
And don't forget the lovely smell of the river. *hack, cough*