There's a nifty little website out there called Jump The Shark... "a Chronicle of the moments a TV shows goes downhill"...
For me, I'm not sure when that momemnt happened, but I just know I haven't been watching it for the past couple of years. To me, the show lost it's "Twilight-Zone-Like" playfulness somewhere down the line and is now just another tedious soap-opera with a monster waiting to jump out of a closet.
Then again, I liked the original Lone-Gunman, and lost interest after only a couple of episodes.
Whenever I hear of a software project failing, I think of this book because it explains in gory details what happens when software is treated like fast food instead of architecture.
When Joel Spolsky gripes about "re-writing" as the cause to failure, he's both right and wrong at the same time. Rewrites don't kill projects, MISMANGED rewrites kill projects.
There are some other points that raise my suspicious about Spolsky's training and experience. Since the 90's, there has been a big effort in the industry to develop large scale products with some semblance of reuse. Hence, one of the determinat reasons for the lurch into object oriented program.
Spolsky descriptions sound to me like he's still thinking of code, and of failed projects that were lacked modularity. Nor did he give much attention to other major factors such as FEATURE CREEP, where a small system becomes spagetti over years and years of maintenance. Same with scalability, challenges definately occured in the past decade or so with the massive changes in processors, operating systems and their associated APIs/internals.
But again, it all gets down to one's approach. If you treat software development like you're flipping burgers for the lunch crowd, then you're going to have to deal with the indigestion that comes along with building a house sloppily.
I don't have enough emperical information to say if a porn job will ruin your career. What I can tell you is that I've had several jobs that have required some rather extensive security and background checks. They were high tech, well paying, bleeding edge jobs that have helped my career in many ways.
Not all security clearances are the same. Some are easy, some are very strict. Mine were strict. I suspect had I worked for a porn company, I would have never received the clearances needed for such work.
Another thing to consider, your current job just doesn't impact your resume.
For example, you need to know yourself well enough to determine whether or not working in such a culture will have a long term effect on your personal life. For me, it probably would. I would think it very difficult to work all day with various media materials, then go home to a wife and daughters and look at them without such imagery colluding my vision.
Then there are various applications for loans, civic groups and other such places that require/want to know where I work. Will they reject my application ? Again, I have no idea, not enough information... just a hunch that it would.
There are social issues. If you're not married, how will your date respond. Some might be cool, some might not. Depends on what you're looking for in a partner. There are neighborhood issues. Sure, I'd be real popular with the guys in the 'hood... but I doubt my kids would be allowed to play as moms on the street get the word.
These are all guesses... so your mileage may vary.
I've worked at several companies with an SOE. But when we had to get a project done, I was blessed with managers smart enough to establish a "Skunkwork" situation.
For those unfamiliar with the term, it is essentially a team, hopefully some distance away from the "corporate culture"... who are given autonomy in exchange for getting a particularly difficult task done... often without the benefit of big time nor big money.
Yes, it can be a bit of a death-march at first. But if successful in reaching the goal, under budget, the manager can usually keep the team at the skunkworks... so long as they can provide maintenance for the product on a timely fashion.
In the cases I've been blessed with, we get very little IT support, but we're all geeks anyway. Many of our development machines are definately not SOE... but none are allowed to have illegal software.
Our IT department begrudgingly goes along. On one hand, they hate it because of our self-sufficiency threatens their job security. On the other hand... nothing blows SOE faster than installing InterDev or.NET
Yeah, okay, I know. These "internet appliances" were made for non-geek types. Still, I think my 70 some odd year old parents would rather have a full blown computer. In fact, the bigger the better. There is something about that "box" that gives them a warm fuzzy as opposed to some slick, whispy looking thing... that probably does more... but looks like it's less.
If you look hard enough, and know where to look, one can find an amazing set of "toys" that could be easily modified and/or mass-produced into something useful.
One such page I visited described research in the field of gesture capture, interfaces, and applications to sound synthesis and performance. Yes, it's for music & peformance now, but could be used for communications either by handicapped, or by individuals and situations where the human and/or NON-human voice is muted.
Vocoders are another set of techologies I personally find interesting. Here is a page that offers schematics on how to roll-your-own speach synths, text-to-speech and other goodies... including do-it-yourself for some rather old computers.
Here's something for you young sprites trying to fake out mom so she thinks your practicing your paino. But remember, you're only cheating yourself !
Of course, you hardwire geeks already know about this one... PAiA Electronics... offering user assembled kits for all sorts of electronic products for hobbyists, musicians, education.
Of course, having cut my teeth in electronic music back in the late 70's, in an old analog studio, we saw all sorts of home brewed devices our mad PhD professor put together. From a rubber-band articulator (a record tone arm nailed to a board with a rubber-band and nails to change pitch) to using two tape recorders to get true double-deck dealay (the more nails, the bigger the delay !-). Here is a site that lists similar do it yourself projects.
Toys... yup... but I suspect there is also utility for it all.
"AltaVista was my weapon of choice until Google came along and was so much better that most net users jumped ship...
Ditto to that. What made me change was all the "noise" and "junk" AV continually added to their search engine. Recently, I went back there to translate a page to English...whammo, I get hit by one of those X-10 ads.
If AV were smart, they'd leverage Bablefish and other useful tools to win users back. Instead, while they've tried to become more like Yahoo, they've given their competitor (google) time to implement image and usenet searches.
Someone needs to slap their CIO with a dose of reality.
I agree and disagree. You're entirely correct about the Windows GDI's being notoriously slow. However, check out this quote from the article I linked in my original post:
Ron Kuper (CTO of Cakewalk) stated that "... an obtainable target for audio latency under Win2k is 5 msec, even under heavy system loads" (from Audio I/O, Today and Tomorrow). However, in order to hit that target, it is necessary to bypass Microsoft's KMixer (kernel mode audio mixer) in their Win32 driver model, because (quoting Mr. Kuper again) "...
The point being... with some Audio products, and I suspect some games, go to great pains under Windows to avoid latency issues (whereas the Linux Kernel can be patched to obtain the same effect). I'm wondering if such applications would be able to obtain said results under the proposed "Lindows." ?
Wine isn't a bad approach, but it is still an implementation of the Windows API that sits on top of X. Would/could a DirectX for Linux be implemented any differently ?
If not then we might see dissatisfaction to the point of R&D failure because real-time peformance may not be possible in such situations. The biggest issue being latency.
Here is a good, though somewhat dated, article on the topic of Linux Latency.
yeah, okay, so that's sweeping generality, but lets look at a company that manufacters goods for a niche market... in this case MIDI and pro audio, OpCode
A quick look at the icons next to their products and what's missing ? Linux. Why ? Two reasons. Currently there aren't alot of studios gone tux. Second, there isn't alot of software out there to make use of it.
PC's had the same problem for the longest time in the same market. It wasn't until MusicQuest, who is ironically now owned by OpCode, decided to provide a professional class MIDI card back in the late 80's. It not only put their company on the map, but caused compeitors, such as Voyetra to open up their drivers and code libraries.
What's different now ? MusicQuest was a young, hungry two man operation back then.
Unlike 10 years ago, we have an infrastructure that can push and pull text, audio, video and pretty much everything else but flesh and blood through a simple wire. It allows us to optimize, customize and quantize what news we're getting.
When we're bored at work, and depending on our social and religious leanings, we go to places where the content is continually changing, like/., Drudge or E-Bay. In part because we're interested, but in part because it adds some variety to the daily grind.
Those of us who surf this stuff alot are usually burned "once is often enough" to know know not to believe everything we read online.
Moreover, when we do take our vactions and get away from our computers, we realize just how much "hypermedia" we can live without.
This is unbelievable. It would also seem like good news to other aspects of the distributed object market.
Consider Java/Corba, SOAP and even DCOM if MSFT continues to support it in it's current implementation (I doub it). None of them combined get as much press attention, as.NET... but might when free-lance writers that drive various e-zines and smaller publications have to ante up $1000 bucks to get their twinky little demo to work.
And talk about timing, how many cost-cutting/concious companies will want to add as much as $10,000 to the cost of a project. Even at that price, Government contractors are going to think twice.
It seems to me as of Microsoft is going down the same path of destruction Digital Equipment and IBM traveled when they were kings of their hills. This thought that "nobody gets fired for hiring/using microsoft"... and that the customer will pay exorbitant prices to play.
Moreover, it makes the time right for third party companies to begin creating component libraries that will either emulate, compete or obviate.NET's own component-warez.
As a once Baltimore Colts fan (until Irsay stole them), and now Ravens fan, I have to say this is the lamest excuse I've ever heard.
Fact was, Bret Favre of the Packers went crazy last week with one of those career games. Unless Ray Lewis hit Favre over the head with a large, disk laden, CPU, it is unlikely that any operating system would have stopped him.
You can keep your "crying" car... give me one of them "big boys don't cry" muscle cars of the early 70's. I remember my first car was a second-hand 1972 Grand Torino. The 300 some-odd mile trip to and from college was both a pleasure and a snap.
And nothing gave me more warm fuzzies than to step on the gas pedal and know that I had all the pickup I needed to get in and out of traffic.
And happy ? Happieness is being able to open the hood, with nothing more than a wrench and a timing light to FIX and TUNE THE DARN thing myself. Especially because mine was equipped with that beautiful boss 351 Cleveland Engine under a hood large enough to house a 400 CID 2V V8 ! Talk about elbow room !
That and the back seat was large enough to house and/or make a small family !
I disagree. I use Sonar. Latency continues to be an issue, not because of the good folks at Cakewalk, but because of the daggoned operating system. Yes, DirectX does add alot of "stuff"... but that "stuff" comes at a big price to real-time performance.
My biggest gripe is that when I try to run several effects plug-in back to back I get the blue screen of death. Your mileage may vary, but I'd like to see a Linux implementation provided I can tweak the operating system to compensate for latency and f/x problems previously stated.
A shameless plug ? I don't think so. I think you're being VERY modest. You have an excellent product. I for one am hoping that you come along enough at some point I can get rid of Windows altogether... though I'll miss some of the effects of Sonar... Audacity is Audacious (now THAT's what I call a shamless plug !-)
Back in the 1986, Greg Hendershott made the PC a viable choice for MIDI production. Well, actually, it wasn't until the early 90's with the Windows version of Cakewalk that it became a weapon of choice. IN the late '90's the product improved to the point of a pro-weight Audio product now named Sonar.
My only complaint is that while the software is sturdy, the operating system under it isn't. More than once, Windows has "burped" in the middle of critical recordings. I recently set up a church with RealAudio Producer for Linux for precisely that reason. I didn't want an operating system getting in the way of a 20 minute sermon.
My hope is that Greg H. get's the innovation bug that's made him a hero in the industry, and provide a Linux solution. When that happens, you can kiss Windows goodbye in my own studio.
The success of this technology is going to depend on what type of fingerprint image is being scanned.
Is it photographic ? That is, the mechanism captures a photo of the fingerprint using lighting differences to create a pattern. If so, then what happens when I get the errant pen mark or paper cut across my finger ?
Is it geographic ? There are some nifty technologies out there that either through sonographic or similar means create a viritual image of the fingerprint pattern. These are far more accomodating in ignoring things like dust, dirt, pen marks, paper cuts, chaffing/sluffed skin, boogers and other stuff that sticks to our hands.
Does anyone know which type is being used on this laptop ?
I dunno, but this sounds awfully "BORG" like. Even if they can figure out exactly what's getting through to, and visibile to my browser, do I want someone to know that information ?
Do websites using this bleeding edge ad technology take into account the variety of settings and the reasons for them ?
For example, the public library or a school. It bans ads to protect the little kids doing homework, but can't afford, not equitably employ "pay per play" sites.
Likewise, what about those who are in work situations where firewall and proxy filters are employed ?
This entire scheme seems almost too myopic... and too borg like... to be successfull.
I was king code-monkey on the original implemenation of INSPASS. A system designed to expedite one's wait as they enter the U.S. from a "friendly" country. It was designed to reduce the lines so that INS inspectors had more time to focus on bad guys and people from "unfriendly" countries.
It was essentially a "good guy" system. Meaning, I'd swipe my card, which claimed I was "Joe Smoe". I then put my hand in the box and had it's geometry scanned. If it passed, it would "confirm" my identity and send me along to the Customs line. If it threw a false result, I was compelled to stand in the long line with everyone else.
Using biometrics to determine "bad guys" is a horse of a much different color... and a far girthier size. Imagine, I walk into an airport. I scans my face, or fingerprint. From there the image is sliced and diced into various quadrants. Even with a beowolf, there are thousands of minutea points I share with the rest of the worlds population.
So up comes a list of "close matches". Then human intervention comes along and finishes the job. This is a poor-man's quick and dirty explanation of our current "bad-guy" systems work to match figerprints. Like I said, a far girthier and much colored horse.
If biometrics were to be implemented as an airport, I would see it as again, a "good guy" system to expedite the long lines currently at the airport... where it's easy for a bad guy to take advantage of the overworked employees with managers demaning they keep the line moving.
I would think it better to be a system provided by the airlines. Heck, credit cards are already putting my face and other info on smartcards, why not a frequent flyer plan along with it... that can also be used to confirm my baggage on the flip side.
No, the scary thing is that it looks like it will be done in the US. The Bush administration seems to be right behind it, and they've rallied enough support to do it. There's serious support for a national ID card.
Well, not everyone. Check out the following article:
White House Will Not Support Push For National ID Card
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 2001 SEP 27 (NB) -- By Brian Krebs, Newsbytes.
Bush administration officials say the president will not support calls in Congress for a creating a national identification card to help combat terrorism.
While some lawmakers in Congress have said they'd like to take a fresh look at the issue, White House spokesman Jimmy Orr said President Bush "is not even considering the idea."
At first blush, it would appear that the system is working. At least in the case of National ID cards.
On one hand, I can see how Apple might be a bit sensitive about people copying their look and feel, especially after loosing their Windows battle with Microsoft in the late 80's.
On the other hand, if Apple were smart, they'd parly the desire for Aqua themes into Mac sales. A simple and direct ad campaign, "why settle for a cheap immitation when you can have the real thing..."
Perhaps instead of shutting down Aqua themes, require that they include an icon and link back to Apple... get some form free advertising out of it in return for allowing people to roll their own.
Hmmm.. now that I think of it... themes.org did go down rather hard and fast...
Nah, I don't think Howie was trying to limit my speech. He was just making a good point that this "Martin" guy had been wearing his 'wares well before September 11th.
Whether or not it can be considered "performance" or "living" or "body" art is still debatable.
Oh, I knew that was going to happen the moment I submitted it. There is an element here on/. that despite their screes for freedom of speach, use moderation as a tool for punishing opinions that are outside of the "campus populi."
Now don't get me wrong, I've been around artists. One of my mentors was Edmond Casarella. His wife is my Aunt. I spent several wonderful weekends in his studio. Those who know the name know what I'm talking about.
For example, the article about Dr. Steve Mann. He's someone who likes to wear his hardware. Okay, I'm cool with that, but to call him an artists ? An inventor maybe, but does everything outside the 'norm' have to be deemed art ?
I guess my real beef is with the title of the/. article "Fighting For Privacy With Art and Words"... it doesn't really strike me that this guy is fighting or being artistic about anything. Rather he's just being a creative inventor type who likes to wear his iron.
Slashdot Mirror
There's a nifty little website out there called Jump The Shark ... "a Chronicle of the moments a TV shows goes downhill" ...
For me, I'm not sure when that momemnt happened, but I just know I haven't been watching it for the past couple of years. To me, the show lost it's "Twilight-Zone-Like" playfulness somewhere down the line and is now just another tedious soap-opera with a monster waiting to jump out of a closet.
Then again, I liked the original Lone-Gunman, and lost interest after only a couple of episodes.
Ed Yourdon wrote a book a couple of years entitled "Death March: The Complete Software Developer's Guide to Surviving 'Mission Impossible' Projects".
Whenever I hear of a software project failing, I think of this book because it explains in gory details what happens when software is treated like fast food instead of architecture.
When Joel Spolsky gripes about "re-writing" as the cause to failure, he's both right and wrong at the same time. Rewrites don't kill projects, MISMANGED rewrites kill projects.
There are some other points that raise my suspicious about Spolsky's training and experience. Since the 90's, there has been a big effort in the industry to develop large scale products with some semblance of reuse. Hence, one of the determinat reasons for the lurch into object oriented program.
Spolsky descriptions sound to me like he's still thinking of code, and of failed projects that were lacked modularity. Nor did he give much attention to other major factors such as FEATURE CREEP, where a small system becomes spagetti over years and years of maintenance. Same with scalability, challenges definately occured in the past decade or so with the massive changes in processors, operating systems and their associated APIs/internals.
But again, it all gets down to one's approach. If you treat software development like you're flipping burgers for the lunch crowd, then you're going to have to deal with the indigestion that comes along with building a house sloppily.
I don't have enough emperical information to say if a porn job will ruin your career. What I can tell you is that I've had several jobs that have required some rather extensive security and background checks. They were high tech, well paying, bleeding edge jobs that have helped my career in many ways.
... just a hunch that it would.
... but I doubt my kids would be allowed to play as moms on the street get the word.
... so your mileage may vary.
Not all security clearances are the same. Some are easy, some are very strict. Mine were strict. I suspect had I worked for a porn company, I would have never received the clearances needed for such work.
Another thing to consider, your current job just doesn't impact your resume.
For example, you need to know yourself well enough to determine whether or not working in such a culture will have a long term effect on your personal life. For me, it probably would. I would think it very difficult to work all day with various media materials, then go home to a wife and daughters and look at them without such imagery colluding my vision.
Then there are various applications for loans, civic groups and other such places that require/want to know where I work. Will they reject my application ? Again, I have no idea, not enough information
There are social issues. If you're not married, how will your date respond. Some might be cool, some might not. Depends on what you're looking for in a partner. There are neighborhood issues. Sure, I'd be real popular with the guys in the 'hood
These are all guesses
For those unfamiliar with the term, it is essentially a team, hopefully some distance away from the "corporate culture"
Yes, it can be a bit of a death-march at first. But if successful in reaching the goal, under budget, the manager can usually keep the team at the skunkworks
In the cases I've been blessed with, we get very little IT support, but we're all geeks anyway. Many of our development machines are definately not SOE
Our IT department begrudgingly goes along. On one hand, they hate it because of our self-sufficiency threatens their job security. On the other hand
further reading:
Productivity: A Personal Choice
Chief Programmer Teams
Intermittent Aberrations: Can Mature Companies Innovate?
How to Defend an Unpopular Schedule
Yeah, okay, I know. These "internet appliances" were made for non-geek types. Still, I think my 70 some odd year old parents would rather have a full blown computer. In fact, the bigger the better. There is something about that "box" that gives them a warm fuzzy as opposed to some slick, whispy looking thing ... that probably does more ... but looks like it's less.
If you look hard enough, and know where to look, one can find an amazing set of "toys" that could be easily modified and/or mass-produced into something useful.
... including do-it-yourself for some rather old computers.
... PAiA Electronics ... offering user assembled kits for all sorts of electronic products for hobbyists, musicians, education.
... yup ... but I suspect there is also utility for it all.
One such page I visited described research in the field of gesture capture, interfaces, and applications to sound synthesis and performance. Yes, it's for music & peformance now, but could be used for communications either by handicapped, or by individuals and situations where the human and/or NON-human voice is muted.
Vocoders are another set of techologies I personally find interesting. Here is a page that offers schematics on how to roll-your-own speach synths, text-to-speech and other goodies
Here's something for you young sprites trying to fake out mom so she thinks your practicing your paino. But remember, you're only cheating yourself !
Of course, you hardwire geeks already know about this one
Of course, having cut my teeth in electronic music back in the late 70's, in an old analog studio, we saw all sorts of home brewed devices our mad PhD professor put together. From a rubber-band articulator (a record tone arm nailed to a board with a rubber-band and nails to change pitch) to using two tape recorders to get true double-deck dealay (the more nails, the bigger the delay !-). Here is a site that lists similar do it yourself projects.
Toys
"AltaVista was my weapon of choice until Google came along and was so much better that most net users jumped ship...
...whammo, I get hit by one of those X-10 ads.
Ditto to that. What made me change was all the "noise" and "junk" AV continually added to their search engine. Recently, I went back there to translate a page to English
If AV were smart, they'd leverage Bablefish and other useful tools to win users back. Instead, while they've tried to become more like Yahoo, they've given their competitor (google) time to implement image and usenet searches.
Someone needs to slap their CIO with a dose of reality.
I agree and disagree. You're entirely correct about the Windows GDI's being notoriously slow. However, check out this quote from the article I linked in my original post:
... with some Audio products, and I suspect some games, go to great pains under Windows to avoid latency issues (whereas the Linux Kernel can be patched to obtain the same effect). I'm wondering if such applications would be able to obtain said results under the proposed "Lindows." ?
Ron Kuper (CTO of Cakewalk) stated that "... an obtainable target for audio latency under Win2k is 5 msec, even under heavy system loads" (from Audio I/O, Today and Tomorrow). However, in order to hit that target, it is necessary to bypass Microsoft's KMixer (kernel mode audio mixer) in their Win32 driver model, because (quoting Mr. Kuper again) "...
The point being
Wine isn't a bad approach, but it is still an implementation of the Windows API that sits on top of X. Would/could a DirectX for Linux be implemented any differently ?
If not then we might see dissatisfaction to the point of R&D failure because real-time peformance may not be possible in such situations. The biggest issue being latency.
Here is a good, though somewhat dated, article on the topic of Linux Latency.
Yes, if they think they can recoup r&d costs
... in this case MIDI and pro audio, OpCode
no if they can't
yeah, okay, so that's sweeping generality, but lets look at a company that manufacters goods for a niche market
A quick look at the icons next to their products and what's missing ? Linux. Why ? Two reasons. Currently there aren't alot of studios gone tux. Second, there isn't alot of software out there to make use of it.
PC's had the same problem for the longest time in the same market. It wasn't until MusicQuest, who is ironically now owned by OpCode, decided to provide a professional class MIDI card back in the late 80's. It not only put their company on the map, but caused compeitors, such as Voyetra to open up their drivers and code libraries.
What's different now ? MusicQuest was a young, hungry two man operation back then.
Look, we have "hypermedia" because it's there.
/., Drudge or E-Bay. In part because we're interested, but in part because it adds some variety to the daily grind.
Unlike 10 years ago, we have an infrastructure that can push and pull text, audio, video and pretty much everything else but flesh and blood through a simple wire. It allows us to optimize, customize and quantize what news we're getting.
When we're bored at work, and depending on our social and religious leanings, we go to places where the content is continually changing, like
Those of us who surf this stuff alot are usually burned "once is often enough" to know know not to believe everything we read online.
Moreover, when we do take our vactions and get away from our computers, we realize just how much "hypermedia" we can live without.
This is unbelievable. It would also seem like good news to other aspects of the distributed object market.
.NET ... but might when free-lance writers that drive various e-zines and smaller publications have to ante up $1000 bucks to get their twinky little demo to work.
... and that the customer will pay exorbitant prices to play.
.NET's own component-warez.
Consider Java/Corba, SOAP and even DCOM if MSFT continues to support it in it's current implementation (I doub it). None of them combined get as much press attention, as
And talk about timing, how many cost-cutting/concious companies will want to add as much as $10,000 to the cost of a project. Even at that price, Government contractors are going to think twice.
It seems to me as of Microsoft is going down the same path of destruction Digital Equipment and IBM traveled when they were kings of their hills. This thought that "nobody gets fired for hiring/using microsoft"
Moreover, it makes the time right for third party companies to begin creating component libraries that will either emulate, compete or obviate
As a once Baltimore Colts fan (until Irsay stole them), and now Ravens fan, I have to say this is the lamest excuse I've ever heard.
Fact was, Bret Favre of the Packers went crazy last week with one of those career games. Unless Ray Lewis hit Favre over the head with a large, disk laden, CPU, it is unlikely that any operating system would have stopped him.
You can keep your "crying" car ... give me one of them "big boys don't cry" muscle cars of the early 70's. I remember my first car was a second-hand 1972 Grand Torino. The 300 some-odd mile trip to and from college was both a pleasure and a snap.
And nothing gave me more warm fuzzies than to step on the gas pedal and know that I had all the pickup I needed to get in and out of traffic.
And happy ? Happieness is being able to open the hood, with nothing more than a wrench and a timing light to FIX and TUNE THE DARN thing myself. Especially because mine was equipped with that beautiful boss 351 Cleveland Engine under a hood large enough to house a 400 CID 2V V8 ! Talk about elbow room !
That and the back seat was large enough to house and/or make a small family !
Another excellent article on the topic by David Phillips can be found at http://linux.oreillynet.com/lpt/a//linux/2000/11/1 7/low_latency.html. It includes good descriptions and solutions.
I disagree. I use Sonar. Latency continues to be an issue, not because of the good folks at Cakewalk, but because of the daggoned operating system. Yes, DirectX does add alot of "stuff" ... but that "stuff" comes at a big price to real-time performance.
My biggest gripe is that when I try to run several effects plug-in back to back I get the blue screen of death. Your mileage may vary, but I'd like to see a Linux implementation provided I can tweak the operating system to compensate for latency and f/x problems previously stated.
Dominic,
... though I'll miss some of the effects of Sonar ... Audacity is Audacious (now THAT's what I call a shamless plug !-)
A shameless plug ? I don't think so. I think you're being VERY modest. You have an excellent product. I for one am hoping that you come along enough at some point I can get rid of Windows altogether
Back in the 1986, Greg Hendershott made the PC a viable choice for MIDI production. Well, actually, it wasn't until the early 90's with the Windows version of Cakewalk that it became a weapon of choice. IN the late '90's the product improved to the point of a pro-weight Audio product now named Sonar.
My only complaint is that while the software is sturdy, the operating system under it isn't. More than once, Windows has "burped" in the middle of critical recordings. I recently set up a church with RealAudio Producer for Linux for precisely that reason. I didn't want an operating system getting in the way of a 20 minute sermon.
My hope is that Greg H. get's the innovation bug that's made him a hero in the industry, and provide a Linux solution. When that happens, you can kiss Windows goodbye in my own studio.
The success of this technology is going to depend on what type of fingerprint image is being scanned.
Is it photographic ? That is, the mechanism captures a photo of the fingerprint using lighting differences to create a pattern. If so, then what happens when I get the errant pen mark or paper cut across my finger ?
Is it geographic ? There are some nifty technologies out there that either through sonographic or similar means create a viritual image of the fingerprint pattern. These are far more accomodating in ignoring things like dust, dirt, pen marks, paper cuts, chaffing/sluffed skin, boogers and other stuff that sticks to our hands.
Does anyone know which type is being used on this laptop ?
I dunno, but this sounds awfully "BORG" like. Even if they can figure out exactly what's getting through to, and visibile to my browser, do I want someone to know that information ?
Do websites using this bleeding edge ad technology take into account the variety of settings and the reasons for them ?
For example, the public library or a school. It bans ads to protect the little kids doing homework, but can't afford, not equitably employ "pay per play" sites.
Likewise, what about those who are in work situations where firewall and proxy filters are employed ?
This entire scheme seems almost too myopic
I was king code-monkey on the original implemenation of INSPASS. A system designed to expedite one's wait as they enter the U.S. from a "friendly" country. It was designed to reduce the lines so that INS inspectors had more time to focus on bad guys and people from "unfriendly" countries.
... and a far girthier size. Imagine, I walk into an airport. I scans my face, or fingerprint. From there the image is sliced and diced into various quadrants. Even with a beowolf, there are thousands of minutea points I share with the rest of the worlds population.
... where it's easy for a bad guy to take advantage of the overworked employees with managers demaning they keep the line moving.
... that can also be used to confirm my baggage on the flip side.
It was essentially a "good guy" system. Meaning, I'd swipe my card, which claimed I was "Joe Smoe". I then put my hand in the box and had it's geometry scanned. If it passed, it would "confirm" my identity and send me along to the Customs line. If it threw a false result, I was compelled to stand in the long line with everyone else.
Using biometrics to determine "bad guys" is a horse of a much different color
So up comes a list of "close matches". Then human intervention comes along and finishes the job. This is a poor-man's quick and dirty explanation of our current "bad-guy" systems work to match figerprints. Like I said, a far girthier and much colored horse.
If biometrics were to be implemented as an airport, I would see it as again, a "good guy" system to expedite the long lines currently at the airport
I would think it better to be a system provided by the airlines. Heck, credit cards are already putting my face and other info on smartcards, why not a frequent flyer plan along with it
We'll see.
No, the scary thing is that it looks like it will be done in the US. The Bush administration seems to be right behind it, and they've rallied enough support to do it. There's serious support for a national ID card.
Well, not everyone. Check out the following article:
White House Will Not Support Push For National ID Card
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 2001 SEP 27 (NB) -- By Brian Krebs, Newsbytes.
Bush administration officials say the president will not support calls in Congress for a creating a national identification card to help combat terrorism.
While some lawmakers in Congress have said they'd like to take a fresh look at the issue, White House spokesman Jimmy Orr said President Bush "is not even considering the idea."
At first blush, it would appear that the system is working. At least in the case of National ID cards.
On one hand, I can see how Apple might be a bit sensitive about people copying their look and feel, especially after loosing their Windows battle with Microsoft in the late 80's.
On the other hand, if Apple were smart, they'd parly the desire for Aqua themes into Mac sales. A simple and direct ad campaign, "why settle for a cheap immitation when you can have the real thing..."
Perhaps instead of shutting down Aqua themes, require that they include an icon and link back to Apple
Hmmm
Nah, I don't think Howie was trying to limit my speech. He was just making a good point that this "Martin" guy had been wearing his 'wares well before September 11th.
Whether or not it can be considered "performance" or "living" or "body" art is still debatable.
Oh, I knew that was going to happen the moment I submitted it. There is an element here on /. that despite their screes for freedom of speach, use moderation as a tool for punishing opinions that are outside of the "campus populi."
/. article "Fighting For Privacy With Art and Words" ... it doesn't really strike me that this guy is fighting or being artistic about anything. Rather he's just being a creative inventor type who likes to wear his iron.
Now don't get me wrong, I've been around artists. One of my mentors was Edmond Casarella. His wife is my Aunt. I spent several wonderful weekends in his studio. Those who know the name know what I'm talking about.
For example, the article about Dr. Steve Mann. He's someone who likes to wear his hardware. Okay, I'm cool with that, but to call him an artists ? An inventor maybe, but does everything outside the 'norm' have to be deemed art ?
I guess my real beef is with the title of the
More power to'm.