I wonder if Hillary was able to keep a straigh face during her speech!
Of course she could. Think about all of the Linux/BSD/Windows/Macintosh/BeOS zealots. They can spew absolute unfounded BS all day and keep a straight face. All you have to do is believe in what you are saying. I imagine that Hillary really believes that sharing music is "piracy". I'm sure if she wonders how we (being those that are on the complete oposite side of the fence) can state that "information wants to be free" with a straigh face. It's all a matter of perception.
People are afraid of Nuclear power for the same reasons that they fear flying, vs. driving. Yes, Nuclear power is safer in the big picture. So is flying. It's just that when there is an accident, Nuclear (and airline) disasters are much more spectacular, and receive much more coverage. It's all a matter of perception.
Now, "feasible" and "cost-effective" are not synonymous, but at least this is a start.
Counterpoint (or "requisite MS bashing)...
on
Looking At Gobe
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
The real money for liscensing is in corporate liscensing. The really financially damaging software "piracy" is among corporate (or government agency...) clients. There's not terribly much to gain from having draconian liscensing schemes that prevent multiple parties in a household from having the software installed;
Nieman said Product Activation is required for individual users only; corporate and site licenses will be handled separately. Microsoft wants to reduce a form of piracy it calls "casual copying," which is sharing among individual users, claiming the practice is responsible for up to 50 percent of its sales losses.
Corporate users will get a site license with a unique key required to activate the software, so no registration is required, and if a corporate copy of Windows XP or Office XP is pirated, the source will be traceable via the key, said Nieman.
I'm with you in that I think that the money is in corporate liscencing. Then again, I don't have any software that anyone would want to buy.
Let me know if/when you win. I'm going to come after your new found wealth for the same reason. I laughed so hard at your post, I fell out of my chair...:o)
War (street or international) is all about having better capabilities than your enemy. If you build a better defense, someone else will find a way around it. Bullet proof vest? Meet armor piercing bullet. Ballistic Protective clothing? Meet the needle gun. It shoots tiny projectiles small enough to slip through the weaves of the fabric. And for good measure, it then shoots 10mV of DC current though your system, which interrupts all bodily functions (heart beating, lungs expanding,...).
Crime is rooted in violence. Violence seems to be intrinsic to human nature. Maybe we will some day evolve beyond violent tendances. I just hope that I live to experience it.
Personally, I wouldn't put it past the movie execs to classify DVDs as software in OZ (where it benefits them to do so) and as "film" in Europe (to prevent you from making legal backups).
Either you were lied to, or the specs have changed. This says that it's a "40 GB IDE Ultra DMA drive", and that you can "Burn custom CDs (CDDA and MP3)with the built-in CD-writer". (On the second page. Under "Internal Storage Drive" and "Music Library" respectively.) The internal HD is standard, and you can export tracks to a CD as either MP3s or in the Redbook standard.
Read the linkked article. Your exact questions are answered in the FAQ.
To whit:
3 My mp3s are made from 16-bit CDs - why use a 24-bit decoder?
As you probably know, when you encode a CD to mp3 format, you don't store an exact copy of the original signal. When an mp3 is decoded, you don't get those original 16-bits back, but an approximation that should sound similar. When the decoder puts together all the elements held in the mp3 file, the arithmetical result can be very accurate in numerical terms, even if it's not exactly what was on the original CD. If you round it to 16-bits, you add a small amount of extra distortion to this reconstructed signal, getting even further away from what was on the original CD. If you round it to 24-bits, you're still adding distortion, but it's 256 times quieter than that added by rounding to 16-bits.
and,
4 I only have a 16-bit sound card - what use could a 24-bit decoder be?
If you calculate the result to 24-bit accuracy, and then round it to 16-bits, you gain nothing - the result will match all the standard 16-bit decoders. However, if you dither the result from 24-bits down to 16-bits, you can avoid all the distortion generated by rounding to 16-bits, and the result may sound better. Please read this article about dither for a fuller explanation of this.
That's just the point though... Unless you have notepad open already (and can just drag the file onto it), you will spend more time starting Notepad (Start -> Programs -> Acessories -> Notepad) than it would take me to type "tail file.txt". The GUI has its place in a lot of tasks (it would be impossible to do graphics design without it, for example), but it is not the end all, be all of interfaces.
I really think that moderation is key. So many have said "use the tool best fit for the job". This is no less relevent if you are talking about UIs, OSs, construction tools, cars, etc.
About the whole "one resource" thing... Before Google arrived on the scene and proved its worth, weren't most of the geek crowd relying on Altavista?
If Google ever slows their pace of innovation, or someone else figures out a way to make more extensive catalogs of the internet, won't we just move on? Build a better mouse trap, and the world will beat a path to your door.
Your headline, and the gist of your statement is correct, everyone (likely) is wrong. But your focus is too narrow. This chaos is not limited to the effect of the transistor.
Look back a couple hundred years to the days where cargo was shipped via sailing vessels. Then one day someone (James Watt?) designs an efficient steam engine. Someone else (Robert Fulton) figured out a way to effectively drive a ship using a steam engine. Most of the shipping companies (my great great grandfather 's company included) could not foresee the impact and benefits or this technology. As a result, his son (my great grandfather) basically put him out of business by taking advantage of the benefits of steam powered ships.
The electric motor is another good example. When they were first exhibited, they were unreliable, and room filling (remind anyone of another tech that we know and love?). Today, electric motors are effectively invisible.
History continues to show us that innovative people will realize unorthodox uses for gadgets that many think will never have a purpose. And those unorthodox uses will (overall) make our lives easier, and more pleasant to live.
These two products look nothing alike, exept for their rectangular shape. Perhaps the iWalk is fictional, but it is not related to the iPod in any way.
(It is my understanding that your post is implying that someone took the iPod, and "photoshopped" a new name on it. If that is not what you intended to imply, perhaps you should expound on your points a bit more...)
Just a thought, but if you are trying to say that this is not a Microsoft problem, you probably shouldn't say "The Dreamcast crashed." It (in case anyone doesn't remember) was running Win CE.
I really don't think that this is going to be indicative of the overall performance of the XBox. I just think that Microsoft has a (well deserved) reputation for unstable operatin systems. They build that reputation over 10 years, so you can't expect it to dissapear overnight.
I'll keep it in mind if I ever decide to try trolling. Personally (and obviously I am biased here), I think that much of the rest of the comment was far too reasonable and moderate to be a successfull troll. Just my opinion.
This is not an issue where "Microsoft is evil, let's make fun of them." This is a matter of public perception. Historically, they have made unstable operating systems. It doesn't take a "Linux Zealot" to disparage Microsoft products. It takes a track record of stability (insert favorite link to stable OS, be it BSD, Linux, Win2K etc. here) to change public perception.
Re:Suggestion for users about the ads...
on
Slashdot Updates
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· Score: 2
Two things.
One, that was the whole idea of having a multi-teir system. The top only supplies a connection to a limited number of children, who sully a connection to others. Hence, no single node is bearing the whole brunt.
Two, mod_bandwidth. There are ways to control bandwidth usage. Have a subscription model where those who wish to pay are given a certain amount of transfer capability ($5/GB?) with no speed cap. Something like a pre-paid phone card. Those who don't wish to pay... They have to compete for a limited bandwidth pool (all non-payers have to connect through a 10Mb/sec connection).
Here's another possible solution: right click on the comment number of the post that you want to moderate, and open it in a new window. When I see a thread that isn't expanded, but I think there might be something of interest in it, that's what I do. I with you, in that I hate loosing my place in a thread.
I havevn't been a member of Slashdot long enough to have the honor of moderation (but I do Mete-moderate every day that I am on), so I don't know if this would work. If it obviously doesn't work (but I can't see that, as I haven't seen the moderation method), I'm sorry for wasting your time.
Re:Suggestion for users about the ads...
on
Slashdot Updates
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· Score: 2
I'm not sure what made the Internet think it was going to be any different...
The internet is different. Why is Slashdot successful? Is it because they have a horde of talented news hounds at their disposal? Famous people endorsing them? Massively expensive, and specialized equipment that only they can afford?
Nope. Slashdot is sucessful due to user conrtibution. They filled a niche (and filled it well), and are now trying to find a way to not let that success crush them. Information is REALLY cheap to transport, and information is what slashdot traffics. If there was a way that slashdot.org could be a teir 1 provider, with a teir 2 provider in each state, and teir 3 providers in each city, and... You get the idea, just think of NTP or akamia. If this was possible, (and it is, just not efficient, yet) then the cost of actually running Slashdot would be almost non-existant.
The same can not be accomplished with TV. Or movies. Or books. Not until they are available over the internet. And user submitted.
Begging the question. Making a point. Call it what you will.
I do however have a friend with far more musical talent that is trying to make a living composing and playing music. He is more than open to alternative forms of promotion.
Personally, I'd welcome the exposure. Then more people would come to my concerts, I'd sell more tickets, be able to book bigger venues. Yeah, that would really suck.
My executive knowledge is a bit spotty (I have historically been a fairly lazy voter. No more!) but isn't this exactyly what "write in's" are all about? I know that it is highly unlikely that enough people will all write the same name in, but I also fear that it is equally unlikely that people would bother to spend the time to vote just to say "They all suck."
That's just my impression of my fellow man. I personally like the idea.
Slashdot Mirror
I wonder if Hillary was able to keep a straigh face during her speech!
Of course she could. Think about all of the Linux/BSD/Windows/Macintosh/BeOS zealots. They can spew absolute unfounded BS all day and keep a straight face. All you have to do is believe in what you are saying. I imagine that Hillary really believes that sharing music is "piracy". I'm sure if she wonders how we (being those that are on the complete oposite side of the fence) can state that "information wants to be free" with a straigh face. It's all a matter of perception.
People are afraid of Nuclear power for the same reasons that they fear flying, vs. driving. Yes, Nuclear power is safer in the big picture. So is flying. It's just that when there is an accident, Nuclear (and airline) disasters are much more spectacular, and receive much more coverage. It's all a matter of perception.
Not only is this feasible, it's reality. (Search for Anchorage in the document)
Here is another proof of concept.
Now, "feasible" and "cost-effective" are not synonymous, but at least this is a start.
The real money for liscensing is in corporate liscensing. The really financially damaging software "piracy" is among corporate (or government agency...) clients. There's not terribly much to gain from having draconian liscensing schemes that prevent multiple parties in a household from having the software installed;
Others might not agree with this statement...
According to Wired, regarding Windows XP:
I'm with you in that I think that the money is in corporate liscencing. Then again, I don't have any software that anyone would want to buy.
Let me know if/when you win. I'm going to come after your new found wealth for the same reason. I laughed so hard at your post, I fell out of my chair... :o)
War (street or international) is all about having better capabilities than your enemy. If you build a better defense, someone else will find a way around it. Bullet proof vest? Meet armor piercing bullet. Ballistic Protective clothing? Meet the needle gun. It shoots tiny projectiles small enough to slip through the weaves of the fabric. And for good measure, it then shoots 10mV of DC current though your system, which interrupts all bodily functions (heart beating, lungs expanding, ...).
Crime is rooted in violence. Violence seems to be intrinsic to human nature. Maybe we will some day evolve beyond violent tendances. I just hope that I live to experience it.
Personally, I wouldn't put it past the movie execs to classify DVDs as software in OZ (where it benefits them to do so) and as "film" in Europe (to prevent you from making legal backups).
But that's just me being cynical.
So the DVD has a virus. Big deal. Just take it to a friend's house who has AV software and disinfect it. Duh!
</humor>
Either you were lied to, or the specs have changed. This says that it's a "40 GB IDE Ultra DMA drive", and that you can "Burn custom CDs (CDDA and MP3)with the built-in CD-writer". (On the second page. Under "Internal Storage Drive" and "Music Library" respectively.) The internal HD is standard, and you can export tracks to a CD as either MP3s or in the Redbook standard.
Read the linkked article. Your exact questions are answered in the FAQ.
To whit:
3 My mp3s are made from 16-bit CDs - why use a 24-bit decoder?
As you probably know, when you encode a CD to mp3 format, you don't store an exact copy of the original signal. When an mp3 is decoded, you don't get those original 16-bits back, but an approximation that should sound similar. When the decoder puts together all the elements held in the mp3 file, the arithmetical result can be very accurate in numerical terms, even if it's not exactly what was on the original CD. If you round it to 16-bits, you add a small amount of extra distortion to this reconstructed signal, getting even further away from what was on the original CD. If you round it to 24-bits, you're still adding distortion, but it's 256 times quieter than that added by rounding to 16-bits.
and,
4 I only have a 16-bit sound card - what use could a 24-bit decoder be?
If you calculate the result to 24-bit accuracy, and then round it to 16-bits, you gain nothing - the result will match all the standard 16-bit decoders. However, if you dither the result from 24-bits down to 16-bits, you can avoid all the distortion generated by rounding to 16-bits, and the result may sound better. Please read this article about dither for a fuller explanation of this.
The really funny thing is that the 404 page parses and displays just fine...
That's just the point though... Unless you have notepad open already (and can just drag the file onto it), you will spend more time starting Notepad (Start -> Programs -> Acessories -> Notepad) than it would take me to type "tail file.txt". The GUI has its place in a lot of tasks (it would be impossible to do graphics design without it, for example), but it is not the end all, be all of interfaces.
I really think that moderation is key. So many have said "use the tool best fit for the job". This is no less relevent if you are talking about UIs, OSs, construction tools, cars, etc.
About the whole "one resource" thing... Before Google arrived on the scene and proved its worth, weren't most of the geek crowd relying on Altavista?
If Google ever slows their pace of innovation, or someone else figures out a way to make more extensive catalogs of the internet, won't we just move on? Build a better mouse trap, and the world will beat a path to your door.
Or something like that.
Your headline, and the gist of your statement is correct, everyone (likely) is wrong. But your focus is too narrow. This chaos is not limited to the effect of the transistor.
Look back a couple hundred years to the days where cargo was shipped via sailing vessels. Then one day someone (James Watt?) designs an efficient steam engine. Someone else (Robert Fulton) figured out a way to effectively drive a ship using a steam engine. Most of the shipping companies (my great great grandfather 's company included) could not foresee the impact and benefits or this technology. As a result, his son (my great grandfather) basically put him out of business by taking advantage of the benefits of steam powered ships.
The electric motor is another good example. When they were first exhibited, they were unreliable, and room filling (remind anyone of another tech that we know and love?). Today, electric motors are effectively invisible.
History continues to show us that innovative people will realize unorthodox uses for gadgets that many think will never have a purpose. And those unorthodox uses will (overall) make our lives easier, and more pleasant to live.
Exibit 1: iWalk
Exibit 2: iPod
These two products look nothing alike, exept for their rectangular shape. Perhaps the iWalk is fictional, but it is not related to the iPod in any way.
(It is my understanding that your post is implying that someone took the iPod, and "photoshopped" a new name on it. If that is not what you intended to imply, perhaps you should expound on your points a bit more...)
That I did not know. Thanks for the info.
Just a thought, but if you are trying to say that this is not a Microsoft problem, you probably shouldn't say "The Dreamcast crashed." It (in case anyone doesn't remember) was running Win CE.
I really don't think that this is going to be indicative of the overall performance of the XBox. I just think that Microsoft has a (well deserved) reputation for unstable operatin systems. They build that reputation over 10 years, so you can't expect it to dissapear overnight.
I'll keep it in mind if I ever decide to try trolling. Personally (and obviously I am biased here), I think that much of the rest of the comment was far too reasonable and moderate to be a successfull troll. Just my opinion.
This is not an issue where "Microsoft is evil, let's make fun of them." This is a matter of public perception. Historically, they have made unstable operating systems. It doesn't take a "Linux Zealot" to disparage Microsoft products. It takes a track record of stability (insert favorite link to stable OS, be it BSD, Linux, Win2K etc. here) to change public perception.
Two things.
One, that was the whole idea of having a multi-teir system. The top only supplies a connection to a limited number of children, who sully a connection to others. Hence, no single node is bearing the whole brunt.
Two, mod_bandwidth. There are ways to control bandwidth usage. Have a subscription model where those who wish to pay are given a certain amount of transfer capability ($5/GB?) with no speed cap. Something like a pre-paid phone card. Those who don't wish to pay... They have to compete for a limited bandwidth pool (all non-payers have to connect through a 10Mb/sec connection).
Value added, and self sustaining.
Here's another possible solution: right click on the comment number of the post that you want to moderate, and open it in a new window. When I see a thread that isn't expanded, but I think there might be something of interest in it, that's what I do. I with you, in that I hate loosing my place in a thread.
I havevn't been a member of Slashdot long enough to have the honor of moderation (but I do Mete-moderate every day that I am on), so I don't know if this would work. If it obviously doesn't work (but I can't see that, as I haven't seen the moderation method), I'm sorry for wasting your time.
The internet is different. Why is Slashdot successful? Is it because they have a horde of talented news hounds at their disposal? Famous people endorsing them? Massively expensive, and specialized equipment that only they can afford?
Nope. Slashdot is sucessful due to user conrtibution. They filled a niche (and filled it well), and are now trying to find a way to not let that success crush them. Information is REALLY cheap to transport, and information is what slashdot traffics. If there was a way that slashdot.org could be a teir 1 provider, with a teir 2 provider in each state, and teir 3 providers in each city, and... You get the idea, just think of NTP or akamia. If this was possible, (and it is, just not efficient, yet) then the cost of actually running Slashdot would be almost non-existant.
The same can not be accomplished with TV. Or movies. Or books. Not until they are available over the internet. And user submitted.
Begging the question. Making a point. Call it what you will.
I do however have a friend with far more musical talent that is trying to make a living composing and playing music. He is more than open to alternative forms of promotion.
Personally, I'd welcome the exposure. Then more people would come to my concerts, I'd sell more tickets, be able to book bigger venues. Yeah, that would really suck.
My executive knowledge is a bit spotty (I have historically been a fairly lazy voter. No more!) but isn't this exactyly what "write in's" are all about? I know that it is highly unlikely that enough people will all write the same name in, but I also fear that it is equally unlikely that people would bother to spend the time to vote just to say "They all suck."
That's just my impression of my fellow man. I personally like the idea.