It's a simplification. Live with it. I'm not going to go explaining transistor density in a viewpoint article.
For the record, the 18 months part was in the original article, but was removed by the editor for I-know-not-why. I'll add it back in.
*The author of the article dons an asbestos suit and dives into the Flame War*
The problem is that the telephone is ceasing to work. As I wrote, voice signals take a remarkable amount of bandwidth compared to their digital equivalents. My point is that the conversion to a compressed digital form will start occuring closer and closer to your home phone, until eventually your phone itself is doing the compression.
The main issue with dialpad.com et al was that you had to have a fast internet connection and a good microphone, or it sucked. A fast net connection and a good headset (wireless?) would go a long way into making this a realistic reality.
I'm the author of the above article. Allow me to respond to some of your points:
1. My point here was that the computer was becoming the home theater application. I'm noting that the TV can be entirely eliminated.
2. Yes, Napster is dead, but it started a revolution that will keep going. I currently use WinMX which is nearly as good as Napster, and the RIAA can't possibly close EVERYTHING.
3. I'm sorry this wasn't clear, but I wasn't saying that MP3s sound better than CDs. My point was that MP3s on my computer sound better than CDs on my stereo because the sound hardware on my PC is better, speakers specifically. Besides, a well-made MP3 is virtually indistinguishable from the original CD, hence why I feel comfortable archiving all my CDs in MP3 format. It may not be original sound quality, but I can't tell the difference. I buy CDs for the flexibility they offer, and the fact that it takes a long freaking time to download 256kbps MP3s on 28.8, and the fact that I don't know if the person who made them had a clue or not.
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It's a simplification. Live with it. I'm not going to go explaining transistor density in a viewpoint article. For the record, the 18 months part was in the original article, but was removed by the editor for I-know-not-why. I'll add it back in.
*The author of the article dons an asbestos suit and dives into the Flame War* The problem is that the telephone is ceasing to work. As I wrote, voice signals take a remarkable amount of bandwidth compared to their digital equivalents. My point is that the conversion to a compressed digital form will start occuring closer and closer to your home phone, until eventually your phone itself is doing the compression. The main issue with dialpad.com et al was that you had to have a fast internet connection and a good microphone, or it sucked. A fast net connection and a good headset (wireless?) would go a long way into making this a realistic reality.
I'm the author of the above article. Allow me to respond to some of your points:
1. My point here was that the computer was becoming the home theater application. I'm noting that the TV can be entirely eliminated.
2. Yes, Napster is dead, but it started a revolution that will keep going. I currently use WinMX which is nearly as good as Napster, and the RIAA can't possibly close EVERYTHING.
3. I'm sorry this wasn't clear, but I wasn't saying that MP3s sound better than CDs. My point was that MP3s on my computer sound better than CDs on my stereo because the sound hardware on my PC is better, speakers specifically. Besides, a well-made MP3 is virtually indistinguishable from the original CD, hence why I feel comfortable archiving all my CDs in MP3 format. It may not be original sound quality, but I can't tell the difference. I buy CDs for the flexibility they offer, and the fact that it takes a long freaking time to download 256kbps MP3s on 28.8, and the fact that I don't know if the person who made them had a clue or not.
Hunter T. Schwisow
www.designtechnica.com