"They're trying to produce a generation of young Americans so dismally uneducated that they'll fall for any idiotic junk-science and pseudo-philosophy that comes down the pike."
I hate to point out the obvious, but that's kinda how things are as we speak.
I live in a small town that gets its "local" news from a city about two hours away. Their news is very boring and almost completely unimportant.
I watch CNN on satellite, and I have not looked back.
Of course, the situation may be different for some people, and I don't see why local channels can't be unlocked, either way. I mean, it's only fair. I hate the way the broadcasting industry is letting obsolete technology, such as mundane broadcasting signals and the video rental industry, use crutches to stay in business. Currently, DirecTV gets payperview releases a month after the rental release, so that the VHS rental shops can stay in business. What for? Even with the hobble, my family still only watches PPV now, and never rents. It's better quality, can be recorded, so on and so forth. It's like not allowing newer computers to use new features, just so older computers remain valuable. Senseless.
Anyway, with or without satellites in the way, the rental business will still survive at equal release dates because many people can't get or afford dishes/subscriptions. For instance, the idea of putting a satellite dish outside your room at a college dorm or apartment building is preposterous; you're just asking for it to be yoinked by someone passing by or going up the fire escape, or even just vandalize it.
Efforts to economically stabilize obsolete technology (that doesn't need any help) are bogging down the industries of tomorrow.
I think most titles would benefit if they were released in stand-alone CD format as well as in hardcover/softcover, because:
1) Some people dig that kind of thing.
2) CDs would probably be a lot cheaper to make, although they would still be a rip-off to purchase. We already know that CDs are cheaper than tapes, a secret that the record industry failed to keep.
3) CDs are more portable, and it would be nice if you could save the CD-book to your hard drive.
4) CDs obviously can present better visual and audio media. A CD-Book would kind of be the DVD for the literature industry. . . More features and knick-knacks, deleted chapters, yadda yadda.
Of course, this doesn't mean that people won't copy them and threaten to destroy the industry's efforts at the multimedia market.
Meanwhile, I find that CDs included with books can help only if they can easily illustrate what the book says. A good example is the character creation CD that was sold along with 3rd edition D&D players' guides. Include more useful information and programs on the CD.
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"They're trying to produce a generation of young Americans so dismally uneducated that they'll fall for any idiotic junk-science and pseudo-philosophy that comes down the pike."
I hate to point out the obvious, but that's kinda how things are as we speak.
I live in a small town that gets its "local" news from a city about two hours away. Their news is very boring and almost completely unimportant.
I watch CNN on satellite, and I have not looked back.
Of course, the situation may be different for some people, and I don't see why local channels can't be unlocked, either way. I mean, it's only fair. I hate the way the broadcasting industry is letting obsolete technology, such as mundane broadcasting signals and the video rental industry, use crutches to stay in business. Currently, DirecTV gets payperview releases a month after the rental release, so that the VHS rental shops can stay in business. What for? Even with the hobble, my family still only watches PPV now, and never rents. It's better quality, can be recorded, so on and so forth. It's like not allowing newer computers to use new features, just so older computers remain valuable. Senseless.
Anyway, with or without satellites in the way, the rental business will still survive at equal release dates because many people can't get or afford dishes/subscriptions. For instance, the idea of putting a satellite dish outside your room at a college dorm or apartment building is preposterous; you're just asking for it to be yoinked by someone passing by or going up the fire escape, or even just vandalize it.
Efforts to economically stabilize obsolete technology (that doesn't need any help) are bogging down the industries of tomorrow.
I think most titles would benefit if they were released in stand-alone CD format as well as in hardcover/softcover, because:
1) Some people dig that kind of thing.
2) CDs would probably be a lot cheaper to make, although they would still be a rip-off to purchase. We already know that CDs are cheaper than tapes, a secret that the record industry failed to keep.
3) CDs are more portable, and it would be nice if you could save the CD-book to your hard drive.
4) CDs obviously can present better visual and audio media. A CD-Book would kind of be the DVD for the literature industry. . . More features and knick-knacks, deleted chapters, yadda yadda.
Of course, this doesn't mean that people won't copy them and threaten to destroy the industry's efforts at the multimedia market.
Meanwhile, I find that CDs included with books can help only if they can easily illustrate what the book says. A good example is the character creation CD that was sold along with 3rd edition D&D players' guides. Include more useful information and programs on the CD.