True enough, but what I was pointing out was the dichotomy of "free" broadcast content and "pay thru the nose" for the SAME content via DVD/CD, which itself fuels the "at that price, fuck 'em" reaction. That we then choose to patronize TPB instead should surprise no one.
Normally we WOULD be able to watch those TV shows for free... on broadcast TV. But DVD prices are out of line even with cable/sat charges.
When we can't watch (for any of many reasons such as no reception or no cable) and when the library doesn't have the titles... what are we expected to do? You seem to think we should pay an extortionate amount (not just the reasonable cost of DVD media and distribution), or subscribe to a service -- again, PAY for what broadcast viewers got to watch for free.
And if we compare it to the hourly cost of cable or satellite viewing -- the price of DVDs is still outrageous, averaging around $10/hour for discounted films, up to $30/hour for new releases. Conversely cable/sat costs somewhere around a buck an hour, depending on individual usage.
If DVDs were priced competitively with cable/sat -- say a buck or two per hour of viewing, and another buck for overhead (production and distribution) -- hardly anyone would bother to pirate, it wouldn't be worth the download time. And no one would be upset when something proved to be kark, because at such prices, DVDs would have the same disposable level of investment that one typically puts into cable/sat access.
And I can attest that I (with NO broadcast or cable access) cheerfully cough up a dollar per episode of TV on DVD, but I sure think twice, or decline to purchase, when it goes much above that -- especially for something that's not a proven commodity.
Lots of books that are in the public domain sell fairly well. A good presentation at a very reasonable price, and most people will pay up rather than be arsed to find a bootleg. And some will always buy Shakespeare in the leatherbound edition, rather than the paperback.
I think the same would be true of video and music. Hell, we already *know* it's true with old films that are out of copyright -- dollar-a-movie DVDs are a thriving business, and SOMEONE is making consistent money with 'em or they wouldn't be everywhere you look.
Actually, I had roughly that thought... "Did they measure its distance wrong the first time, or did it move closer to the surface??"
And if the latter... why? is it a temporary condition as the ionosphere flexes up and down, or a permanent trend? And if the latter, hasn't it moved awfully fast?? Unfortunately we don't have the longterm data to determine it either way... and I mean millions of years worth. A few tens of thousands may be meaningless on the scale of atmosophere/space interactions.
Stands as evidence that we don't understand the atmosphere well enough to purposefully fuck with it (as some stop-global-warming schemes propose to do).
It must be a hoax. Everyone knows there is just ONE fruitcake in the entire world, and it's been passed from one unlucky victim to another for centuries.
Re:Scalzi strikes me as closer to Haldeman
on
Zoe's Tale
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· Score: 1
Anthony was my first thought, I should have listened to myself:) Most of my older collection are kinda-permanently boxed up, and it would require a major archeological dig to find 'em in the back reaches of my library:/
Looking forward to having my curiosity satisfied:)
Advertising is mainly about name recognition, and that can be quite unobtrusive -- such as reasonable product placements in a movie (Our Hero drinks Coke, not Pepsi).
Music artists depend a LOT on name recognition, otherwise how are you supposed to locate and buy 'em??
Re:Scalzi strikes me as closer to Haldeman
on
Zoe's Tale
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· Score: 1
Yeah, it's more "off in the same direction as" rather than "a lot like" either Halderman or RAH, and for different reasons with each. Agreed on your other points as well.
The problem I've developed with aliens, especially non-humanoid types, is that usually they're just different for the sake of being different, rather than due to good and reasonable biology... and I just can't stand reading about 'em anymore. -- As you say, Cherryh is among the best at presenting aliens that are believable within the context of their own origins, tho sometimes they tend to be a bit too much of a set-piece (like the Hani).
Tho if I ever see CJ again, I'm going to drop a few ice cubes down her neck. I realise most writers DON'T have any real experience at living and working outdoors in an Arctic-wintered climate (I do, so I notice:) but geez, at least they could consult someone who does... everyone trekking about the hinterlands in Cloud's Rider froze to death in their first four hours outdoors, or at the very least lost all 20 digits and both ears to frostbite. Likewise, no one on MBZ's Darkover survived their first winter, and certainly no one has done so since!!
"...we'll start to see YouTube clips of signed artists protesting this, which the RIAA can't yank."
Actually, they COULD make YouTube yank such clips, IF the artist's contract gives all use of his "likeness" to his publisher.
Movie studios used to have contracts like that for all their big-name actors. It's very likely that some music contracts include the same provision.
Re:Scalzi strikes me as closer to Haldeman
on
Zoe's Tale
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· Score: 2, Interesting
Exactly. The scenario looks sortof like RAH on the surface, but the tone and underlying morality is much closer to The Forever War, and I kept feeling like I was in FW's parallel universe the whole way thru OMW. Which didn't detract, but it was certainly odd.
I really liked OMW, it was a wholly new concept, and the story and characters ran full-tilt with it. But I found the sequels merely readable, not compelling, and the universe they inhabit has taken on the cartoonish appearance of... ah, hell, what's the book with the alien sidekick (one of several) that rolls around on a ball-foot? (it's by either Chalker or Piers Anthony, I can't recall which, I quit reading both over 20 years ago).
The most recent Tyan I've seen with my own eyes went into a local clone shop's internet server. Looked like a solidly-made board. And this message is brought to you in part by a 10 year old Tyan S1830S.:)
AOpen makes a lot of stuff that gets rebadged. I haven't seen any particular problems with 'em, tho I haven't exactly gone looking, either:)
So I understand. Same with Tyan -- been years since I've seen a Tyan board in consumerspace, but I still see some nice server boards from 'em. -- I do occasionally get people trying to buy my old Tyan boards, tho (no way! Not for sale!!)
[grin.. funniest way I've ever heard that put!!] Well, I've got newer hardware in the slushpile, but am just not all that motivated when the old machine still keeps up with (almost) everything it's asked to do, AND never bloody EVER crashes. And there's so MUCH stuff on this box, working up an equivalent setup on a new machine would be a major project!
I didn't expect to be using this old beastie for so long either, but one day I looked up and -- good gods, where did all the years go? and I'm still using it for the same stuff I did when it was new, which obviously doesn't require any more horsepower today than it did back then.
Tho it's positively a spring chicken compared to my truck, which turns 31 next month.:)
Overall I've had the best longevity with Tyan and SuperMicro/AOpen. Better than average performance in their classes, too.
A while back I got an iBase industrial mobo (a P4 with ISA slots! http://www.ibase.com.tw/mb800.htm) and so far I love it -- tho time will tell if it's as durable as my Tyans. My oldest working Tyan is from about 1996, and I've never had one die, and have never seen one that was "made on the cheap".
[laughing] My everyday machines are 10 and 11 years old. Everything works, nothing breaks, they do all that I ask of them, and why on earth would they need a driver update?? (Okay, I finally came across an MPEG that was beyond a P3's ability to decode. Guess I'll have to break down and finish building that P4... Real Soon Now. (The previous two P4s both died of the bloating capacitor plague.)
The upgrade craze seems mostly driven by people chasing the latest games, and few really need that much horsepower for their everyday work. But it makes the non-geeks FEEL more like "real computer users" if they have a newish machine. A sort of digital keeping up with the Joneses!
I have an AOpen/Supermicro board in my antique DOS box -- 11 years old and still plugging away 24/7. It was a very common board in the late P233 era, and extremely reliable. I've NEVER seen a deader.
AOpen doesn't brand much under that name, tho; never has that I've seen.
For test rigs, I run mainly salvaged whatever-comes-along, so I've seen lots of Abit boards. While I haven't had notable problems with early deaths, they do seem to be quirky and buggy beyond the norm, and often have rather outdated BIOS limits (they were probably the last mobo to leave the 8GB HD limit era, and I've seen more of that type bug on Abits than on anything else, which probably explains why so many wind up junked before they've actually died).
Pre-Gateway eMachines were Asus seconds. Every Gateway I've had apart proved to have an Intel second. I've seen lots of premature deaths in both, and the Intel seconds are very poor performers, sometimes with strange bugs.
Haven't had a Gigabyte myself, but our local (late and much lamented) PC Club pushed them because they had less trouble with 'em than the others.
MSI used to suck dreadfully (quirky, buggy, slow, and weird old-fashioned limits on every board!), improved a lot and were fine in the early P4 era, no idea what they're doing now.
And this message is brought to you by a 10 year old Tyan S1830S, IMO one of the best motherboards ever built.:) I've had a few other Tyans, including this one's twin, and they've been the soul of reliability. No deaders yet.
The only reason to miss Abit is because diverse options and major competition are always good, and I fear the industry being reduced to just 2 or 3 big players, our options shrinking right along with it.
Re:Chiropractic treatment worked for me
on
Trick or Treatment
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· Score: 1
ANYONE who promotes homeopathy is pulling it out of their ass.;)
Well, not necessarily endorphins, but some sort of self-defense brain chemical that dilutes the impact of the original complaint, or distracts the body into forgetting about it (a therapy I've heard of for phantom-limb pain).
I know someone who has found that the best treatment for her painful menstrual cramps is a good ass-whipping -- hard enough to really hurt. Same principle, fewer needles.:)
Anyway, I think it would be interesting to measure such brain chemicals in persons who are helped by the placebo and/or distraction effect, regardless of how it's delivered.
Slashdot Mirror
Astute observation. Imagine if someone seized on the cult of "man's use of iron is hastening the magnetic field reversal!"
True enough, but what I was pointing out was the dichotomy of "free" broadcast content and "pay thru the nose" for the SAME content via DVD/CD, which itself fuels the "at that price, fuck 'em" reaction. That we then choose to patronize TPB instead should surprise no one.
I dunno, but I want to be on a different planet when it goes off :)
Actually, there's a disconnect here:
Normally we WOULD be able to watch those TV shows for free... on broadcast TV. But DVD prices are out of line even with cable/sat charges.
When we can't watch (for any of many reasons such as no reception or no cable) and when the library doesn't have the titles... what are we expected to do? You seem to think we should pay an extortionate amount (not just the reasonable cost of DVD media and distribution), or subscribe to a service -- again, PAY for what broadcast viewers got to watch for free.
And if we compare it to the hourly cost of cable or satellite viewing -- the price of DVDs is still outrageous, averaging around $10/hour for discounted films, up to $30/hour for new releases. Conversely cable/sat costs somewhere around a buck an hour, depending on individual usage.
If DVDs were priced competitively with cable/sat -- say a buck or two per hour of viewing, and another buck for overhead (production and distribution) -- hardly anyone would bother to pirate, it wouldn't be worth the download time. And no one would be upset when something proved to be kark, because at such prices, DVDs would have the same disposable level of investment that one typically puts into cable/sat access.
And I can attest that I (with NO broadcast or cable access) cheerfully cough up a dollar per episode of TV on DVD, but I sure think twice, or decline to purchase, when it goes much above that -- especially for something that's not a proven commodity.
Lots of books that are in the public domain sell fairly well. A good presentation at a very reasonable price, and most people will pay up rather than be arsed to find a bootleg. And some will always buy Shakespeare in the leatherbound edition, rather than the paperback.
I think the same would be true of video and music. Hell, we already *know* it's true with old films that are out of copyright -- dollar-a-movie DVDs are a thriving business, and SOMEONE is making consistent money with 'em or they wouldn't be everywhere you look.
Original DOOM did not have mouselook, tho some of the later ports do (like ZDoom), as did Quake, IIRC.
Actually, I had roughly that thought... "Did they measure its distance wrong the first time, or did it move closer to the surface??"
And if the latter... why? is it a temporary condition as the ionosphere flexes up and down, or a permanent trend? And if the latter, hasn't it moved awfully fast?? Unfortunately we don't have the longterm data to determine it either way... and I mean millions of years worth. A few tens of thousands may be meaningless on the scale of atmosophere/space interactions.
Stands as evidence that we don't understand the atmosphere well enough to purposefully fuck with it (as some stop-global-warming schemes propose to do).
I misread that as "Ionic Colonic", a seriously disturbing image on so many levels...!!!
Hmm. I thought that one applied to the chocolate-covered manhole cover!
It must be a hoax. Everyone knows there is just ONE fruitcake in the entire world, and it's been passed from one unlucky victim to another for centuries.
Anthony was my first thought, I should have listened to myself :) Most of my older collection are kinda-permanently boxed up, and it would require a major archeological dig to find 'em in the back reaches of my library :/
Looking forward to having my curiosity satisfied :)
Advertising is mainly about name recognition, and that can be quite unobtrusive -- such as reasonable product placements in a movie (Our Hero drinks Coke, not Pepsi).
Music artists depend a LOT on name recognition, otherwise how are you supposed to locate and buy 'em??
Yeah, it's more "off in the same direction as" rather than "a lot like" either Halderman or RAH, and for different reasons with each. Agreed on your other points as well.
The problem I've developed with aliens, especially non-humanoid types, is that usually they're just different for the sake of being different, rather than due to good and reasonable biology... and I just can't stand reading about 'em anymore. -- As you say, Cherryh is among the best at presenting aliens that are believable within the context of their own origins, tho sometimes they tend to be a bit too much of a set-piece (like the Hani).
Tho if I ever see CJ again, I'm going to drop a few ice cubes down her neck. I realise most writers DON'T have any real experience at living and working outdoors in an Arctic-wintered climate (I do, so I notice :) but geez, at least they could consult someone who does... everyone trekking about the hinterlands in Cloud's Rider froze to death in their first four hours outdoors, or at the very least lost all 20 digits and both ears to frostbite. Likewise, no one on MBZ's Darkover survived their first winter, and certainly no one has done so since!!
See also http://www.negativland.com/albini.html for some real numbers by someone on the inside.
About the author: Steve Albini is an independent and corporate rock record producer most widely known for having produced Nirvana's "In Utero".
"...we'll start to see YouTube clips of signed artists protesting this, which the RIAA can't yank."
Actually, they COULD make YouTube yank such clips, IF the artist's contract gives all use of his "likeness" to his publisher.
Movie studios used to have contracts like that for all their big-name actors. It's very likely that some music contracts include the same provision.
Exactly. The scenario looks sortof like RAH on the surface, but the tone and underlying morality is much closer to The Forever War, and I kept feeling like I was in FW's parallel universe the whole way thru OMW. Which didn't detract, but it was certainly odd.
I really liked OMW, it was a wholly new concept, and the story and characters ran full-tilt with it. But I found the sequels merely readable, not compelling, and the universe they inhabit has taken on the cartoonish appearance of ... ah, hell, what's the book with the alien sidekick (one of several) that rolls around on a ball-foot? (it's by either Chalker or Piers Anthony, I can't recall which, I quit reading both over 20 years ago).
The most recent Tyan I've seen with my own eyes went into a local clone shop's internet server. Looked like a solidly-made board. And this message is brought to you in part by a 10 year old Tyan S1830S. :)
AOpen makes a lot of stuff that gets rebadged. I haven't seen any particular problems with 'em, tho I haven't exactly gone looking, either :)
So I understand. Same with Tyan -- been years since I've seen a Tyan board in consumerspace, but I still see some nice server boards from 'em. -- I do occasionally get people trying to buy my old Tyan boards, tho (no way! Not for sale!!)
[grin.. funniest way I've ever heard that put!!]
Well, I've got newer hardware in the slushpile, but am just not all that motivated when the old machine still keeps up with (almost) everything it's asked to do, AND never bloody EVER crashes. And there's so MUCH stuff on this box, working up an equivalent setup on a new machine would be a major project!
I didn't expect to be using this old beastie for so long either, but one day I looked up and -- good gods, where did all the years go? and I'm still using it for the same stuff I did when it was new, which obviously doesn't require any more horsepower today than it did back then.
Tho it's positively a spring chicken compared to my truck, which turns 31 next month. :)
Overall I've had the best longevity with Tyan and SuperMicro/AOpen. Better than average performance in their classes, too.
A while back I got an iBase industrial mobo (a P4 with ISA slots! http://www.ibase.com.tw/mb800.htm) and so far I love it -- tho time will tell if it's as durable as my Tyans. My oldest working Tyan is from about 1996, and I've never had one die, and have never seen one that was "made on the cheap".
[laughing] My everyday machines are 10 and 11 years old. Everything works, nothing breaks, they do all that I ask of them, and why on earth would they need a driver update?? (Okay, I finally came across an MPEG that was beyond a P3's ability to decode. Guess I'll have to break down and finish building that P4... Real Soon Now. (The previous two P4s both died of the bloating capacitor plague.)
The upgrade craze seems mostly driven by people chasing the latest games, and few really need that much horsepower for their everyday work. But it makes the non-geeks FEEL more like "real computer users" if they have a newish machine. A sort of digital keeping up with the Joneses!
I have an AOpen/Supermicro board in my antique DOS box -- 11 years old and still plugging away 24/7. It was a very common board in the late P233 era, and extremely reliable. I've NEVER seen a deader.
AOpen doesn't brand much under that name, tho; never has that I've seen.
For test rigs, I run mainly salvaged whatever-comes-along, so I've seen lots of Abit boards. While I haven't had notable problems with early deaths, they do seem to be quirky and buggy beyond the norm, and often have rather outdated BIOS limits (they were probably the last mobo to leave the 8GB HD limit era, and I've seen more of that type bug on Abits than on anything else, which probably explains why so many wind up junked before they've actually died).
Pre-Gateway eMachines were Asus seconds. Every Gateway I've had apart proved to have an Intel second. I've seen lots of premature deaths in both, and the Intel seconds are very poor performers, sometimes with strange bugs.
Haven't had a Gigabyte myself, but our local (late and much lamented) PC Club pushed them because they had less trouble with 'em than the others.
MSI used to suck dreadfully (quirky, buggy, slow, and weird old-fashioned limits on every board!), improved a lot and were fine in the early P4 era, no idea what they're doing now.
And this message is brought to you by a 10 year old Tyan S1830S, IMO one of the best motherboards ever built. :) I've had a few other Tyans, including this one's twin, and they've been the soul of reliability. No deaders yet.
The only reason to miss Abit is because diverse options and major competition are always good, and I fear the industry being reduced to just 2 or 3 big players, our options shrinking right along with it.
ANYONE who promotes homeopathy is pulling it out of their ass. ;)
Well, not necessarily endorphins, but some sort of self-defense brain chemical that dilutes the impact of the original complaint, or distracts the body into forgetting about it (a therapy I've heard of for phantom-limb pain).
I know someone who has found that the best treatment for her painful menstrual cramps is a good ass-whipping -- hard enough to really hurt. Same principle, fewer needles. :)
Anyway, I think it would be interesting to measure such brain chemicals in persons who are helped by the placebo and/or distraction effect, regardless of how it's delivered.