"Remember where you money is going when you plunk down your cash for iTunes, CDs, or various other media formats when you are wanting to listen to RIAA controlled music. "
The problem here is that the less people pay the RIAA, despite how blindingly obvious a boycott is, the higher the losses variable in the piracy #s go. Wanna send the RIAA a message? Pick a day, buy a bunch of new albums, and on the next day return them unopened and in resalable condition. When a million dollars is made, and lost the next day, it's hard for the retailers not to notice. Suddenly we have a powerful ally...
"He goes on to say that governments planning to use it will damage their own economies and that giving away source code is shooting yourself in the foot."
Well it'd shoot Microsoft in the foot as they wouldn't have a competitive edge. But the gov't isn't in the software business.
I'm not exactly anti-MS, but this comment isn't very persuasive.
"Basically if you have the option of only picking the stations you want to watch, many good networks are going to disappear because people dont routinely watch them, and only watch them when they have specials on."
I'm more worried about how they'd accomplish this on analog cable. What, are you going to have 40 filters on your line? With digital, it's not so bad, it's just software. But then you need to pay more for digital...
Err.. I guess what I'm saying is this particular idea (I haven't read the f'n a yet) would get a thumbs down from me today, but maybe a thumbs up in a few years when digital cable is standard. I don't want to pay more for not using the 'choose what you want' method because it was so expensive to implement it.
Re:I've seen this before
on
Hardcore Java
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
"It was in an ad for Starbucks."
Ugh. Something Janet Jackson said a couple of years ago twisted my perception of what this ad was about. To those who don't get the reference, consider yourself lucky, and don't search for Janet Jackson coffee.
"It's too bad SquareSoft screwed up so badly with the Final Fantasy movie. I'd have liked to see them be the third big player in this field. Their visuals were absolutely stunning, but the plot left a lot to be desired."
You should look here. (I should warn you that they abuse Flash pretty heavily here, but give the trailer video a chance...)
"I am not doubting the quality of the movie, I was just amused by the poster's idea that $ = Quality. "
Ah. Yeah okay I got a little zealous there, I'm sorry.
In his defense, though, the money argument does carry some weight if the movie continues to generate revenue after the opening weekend, and again so after it is released on DVD. Unfortunately, some movies *cough*starwars*cough* don't obey this rule.
"Granted, Shrek is still behind some of Pixar's work but i've got to ask..."
You sure about that? Pixar's previous movies weren't exactly bathing in global illumination.
"Why not use some of the other renderer tools out there? "
Shopping for other renderers is like choosing between buying a Ferrari with a 1 gallon gas tank, a school bus that only operates on certain roads, and a pedal powered hover bicycle that can fly over water. It's hard to find that renderer that's high quality, renders fast, and works with every little thing you throw at it. If you're lucky, you might be able to get 2 of the 3 options there.
"The two movies are huge hits not because of their graphics (although it doesn't hurt) but because of their stories."
I doubt it. Take Shrek, make it live action, and you've got a box-office flop. The story just wasn't that strong. The movie basically had to be animated to be acceptable, being pleasant on the eyes made a huge difference, too. I'd be surprised if many people bought the DVD and watched it over and over and over again. If it had a stronger story, it'd survive that like Monsters Inc did.
"I don't know where anyone gets off comparing Shrek's animation to other movies, especially Pixar movies. The animation has nowhere near the level of detail as other animated movies. The textures are very basic and the facial expressions lack subtlety. Ice Age was simplistic but it had its own style; Shrek just looks like it was a half-assed effort."
What? What about Shrek 2 was half assed? I'm a 3d artist, I can spot half-assedness in a movie like this, yet nothing stood out at me in that movie. It was very well done.
"I haven't RTFA, but I'm dubious about this claim. There simply isn't enough information in a 2D image to construct a 3D image."
There is, kind of. Ever see those purple/orange glasses? There's an episode of Married With Children that was filmed to take advantage of those glasses. Thing is, you can't tell they filmed it that way if you're not wearing the glasses. It's not like the red/blue glasses that make a nauseating dual pattern on the screen. It looks like regular footage. I'm not 100% certain how they work, but I think they key off the highlights of the actors/objects they filmed. If I'm right, then most movies would be succeptible to this as fairly standard lighting creates those highlights. If that is right, then you could fake depth via an image processor.
Take what I'm saying with a grain of salt here, I'm using a lot of 'ifs'.
When you play GTA, and you kill people, the police mercilessly chase you down. When you play Crazy Taxi, pedestrians magically jump right out of the way of your car so you cannot ever hit them. At the end of the day, GTA teaches you to avoid hitting pedestrians, and Crazy Taxi teaches you to drive in a straight line anywhere you go. GTA isn't teaching you right and wrong?
"The western world shudders every time Sony rumbles with the threat of another microprocessor. The Sony Processor is some magical beast that will topple Intel."
Are you talking about Slashdot, or Wired Magazine 'shuddering' every time Sony threatens a new processor?
"That's why there are no games for the 75 million PS2s out there..."
That had more to do with Sony's previous success than the friendliness of the API. Don't believe me? Then how come most of the 1st and 2nd generation games looked so horrid?
"A letter from your attorney could go a long way toward fixing this. "
Or you'll get a letter back saying "We cannot guarantee processors that use unapproved fans." Not trying to side with Intel here, but they would have a point. If the processor burned because the fan sucked (or didnt suck?) then you'd be approaching the wrong place about warranty.
Slashdot Mirror
"Last I checked, the definition of boycott was "refuse to use", "not acquire by theft"
"There's no boycott here. "
An excellent comment with only two minor drawbacks.
First, I did not say boycott, I said send a message.
Second, I did not say anything about acquiring anything, let alone theft.
"Back in 1988, I recorded a Pet Shop Boys concert on DAT, and got mugged outside the stadium."
That was me. It's not very often a nerd finds a smaller nerd with a cool DAT machine!
"Why is it taken as assumed that acting as a monopolist is a bad thing in all cases?"
I was happy when a monopoly caused broadband to be deployed in my neighborhood.
"Remember where you money is going when you plunk down your cash for iTunes, CDs, or various other media formats when you are wanting to listen to RIAA controlled music. "
The problem here is that the less people pay the RIAA, despite how blindingly obvious a boycott is, the higher the losses variable in the piracy #s go. Wanna send the RIAA a message? Pick a day, buy a bunch of new albums, and on the next day return them unopened and in resalable condition. When a million dollars is made, and lost the next day, it's hard for the retailers not to notice. Suddenly we have a powerful ally...
"He goes on to say that governments planning to use it will damage their own economies and that giving away source code is shooting yourself in the foot."
Well it'd shoot Microsoft in the foot as they wouldn't have a competitive edge. But the gov't isn't in the software business.
I'm not exactly anti-MS, but this comment isn't very persuasive.
I'm a moron. Didn't catch that digital cable was exactly what they're talking about. Sorry.
"Basically if you have the option of only picking the stations you want to watch, many good networks are going to disappear because people dont routinely watch them, and only watch them when they have specials on."
I'm more worried about how they'd accomplish this on analog cable. What, are you going to have 40 filters on your line? With digital, it's not so bad, it's just software. But then you need to pay more for digital...
Err.. I guess what I'm saying is this particular idea (I haven't read the f'n a yet) would get a thumbs down from me today, but maybe a thumbs up in a few years when digital cable is standard. I don't want to pay more for not using the 'choose what you want' method because it was so expensive to implement it.
"It was in an ad for Starbucks."
Ugh. Something Janet Jackson said a couple of years ago twisted my perception of what this ad was about. To those who don't get the reference, consider yourself lucky, and don't search for Janet Jackson coffee.
"It's too bad SquareSoft screwed up so badly with the Final Fantasy movie. I'd have liked to see them be the third big player in this field. Their visuals were absolutely stunning, but the plot left a lot to be desired."
You should look here. (I should warn you that they abuse Flash pretty heavily here, but give the trailer video a chance...)
Nah, bump mapping is a shading trick, it's still flat. You mean displacement.
"I am not doubting the quality of the movie, I was just amused by the poster's idea that $ = Quality. "
Ah. Yeah okay I got a little zealous there, I'm sorry.
In his defense, though, the money argument does carry some weight if the movie continues to generate revenue after the opening weekend, and again so after it is released on DVD. Unfortunately, some movies *cough*starwars*cough* don't obey this rule.
"So what does that say about you? ;-)"
;)
It says I had a bumpy road getting to where I am today.
"Because we all know that a movie's ticket sales are a direct reflection of its quality."
Go to www.cgtalk.com and ask the 3d professionals out there what 'quality' Shrek 2 has.
"Granted, Shrek is still behind some of Pixar's work but i've got to ask..."
You sure about that? Pixar's previous movies weren't exactly bathing in global illumination.
"Why not use some of the other renderer tools out there? "
Shopping for other renderers is like choosing between buying a Ferrari with a 1 gallon gas tank, a school bus that only operates on certain roads, and a pedal powered hover bicycle that can fly over water. It's hard to find that renderer that's high quality, renders fast, and works with every little thing you throw at it. If you're lucky, you might be able to get 2 of the 3 options there.
"The two movies are huge hits not because of their graphics (although it doesn't hurt) but because of their stories."
I doubt it. Take Shrek, make it live action, and you've got a box-office flop. The story just wasn't that strong. The movie basically had to be animated to be acceptable, being pleasant on the eyes made a huge difference, too. I'd be surprised if many people bought the DVD and watched it over and over and over again. If it had a stronger story, it'd survive that like Monsters Inc did.
"I don't know where anyone gets off comparing Shrek's animation to other movies, especially Pixar movies. The animation has nowhere near the level of detail as other animated movies. The textures are very basic and the facial expressions lack subtlety. Ice Age was simplistic but it had its own style; Shrek just looks like it was a half-assed effort."
What? What about Shrek 2 was half assed? I'm a 3d artist, I can spot half-assedness in a movie like this, yet nothing stood out at me in that movie. It was very well done.
"Mod this as a troll if you want.."
It should be.
" software for the Sharp Actius R3D3 autostereo display "
Actually it's RD3D, but damn R3D3 would have been a cool name for that product. Heh.
"I haven't RTFA, but I'm dubious about this claim. There simply isn't enough information in a 2D image to construct a 3D image."
There is, kind of. Ever see those purple/orange glasses? There's an episode of Married With Children that was filmed to take advantage of those glasses. Thing is, you can't tell they filmed it that way if you're not wearing the glasses. It's not like the red/blue glasses that make a nauseating dual pattern on the screen. It looks like regular footage. I'm not 100% certain how they work, but I think they key off the highlights of the actors/objects they filmed. If I'm right, then most movies would be succeptible to this as fairly standard lighting creates those highlights. If that is right, then you could fake depth via an image processor.
Take what I'm saying with a grain of salt here, I'm using a lot of 'ifs'.
"Finally be able to play a 16 player lan game of quake AND any other game without the other game suffering... "
I've got a 100 megabit switch I'll sell ya for a much cheaper 100 grand.
" Normally I've found that you can hit 10 and nothing will happen. I've even run over numerous in front of the police station and nothing happens."
That's funny because I've had to restart missions before because I accidently hit a pedestrian and it snowballed into a demolition derby.
" but its pretty hard to justify why Joe Bob likes to run random people over in a stolen car."
And there's an epidemic of this happening?
When you play GTA, and you kill people, the police mercilessly chase you down. When you play Crazy Taxi, pedestrians magically jump right out of the way of your car so you cannot ever hit them. At the end of the day, GTA teaches you to avoid hitting pedestrians, and Crazy Taxi teaches you to drive in a straight line anywhere you go. GTA isn't teaching you right and wrong?
"The western world shudders every time Sony rumbles with the threat of another microprocessor. The Sony Processor is some magical beast that will topple Intel."
Are you talking about Slashdot, or Wired Magazine 'shuddering' every time Sony threatens a new processor?
"That's why there are no games for the 75 million PS2s out there..."
That had more to do with Sony's previous success than the friendliness of the API. Don't believe me? Then how come most of the 1st and 2nd generation games looked so horrid?
"A letter from your attorney could go a long way toward fixing this. "
Or you'll get a letter back saying "We cannot guarantee processors that use unapproved fans." Not trying to side with Intel here, but they would have a point. If the processor burned because the fan sucked (or didnt suck?) then you'd be approaching the wrong place about warranty.