"If I made a cartoon of Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, or any of dozens of other fairy tales that are in the public domain, do you really think I'd get them released with Disney fighting me?"
Yes, up intil the point your version looks too much like theirs. Disney's evil and all, but all they really own are the likenesses of those characters.
"Is it that different if the government blocks free speech directly or allows companies to do it?"
"People who get emotional when challenged or proven wrong are putting their ego before the problem. Their ego becomes the biggest problem and the real problem they're getting paid to fix tends to get fixed in a way that makes them look good, which might not actually be the technically better way."
To be fair: If they have to work for a boss *and* get their projects done by deadlines often orbiting trade shows, they're bound to let their ego worm their way in. It really sucks when you can be fired for missing a deadline or in making something insecure. Ego may simply be an indication that somebody's worried about losing their job over their reputation.
Maybe I'm right, maybe I'm not. But I useta work at a software company, and I've seen some of the silly things people have been labeled 'incompetent' for.
"Slashdot requires you to wait between each successful posting of a comment to allow everyone a fair chance at posting a comment.
It's been 15 minutes since you last successfully posted a comment."
Oh yeah, thanks for reminding me. Is there some glorious reason why I can only post once every 5 minutes now? I don't mind, but their warning says you have to wait 2.
"2) What does ASP have to do with sites going down?"
Since ASP is a server side script, it means the machine has to do more processing than say an HTML file every time it serves it. PHP's in the same boat, but I have no idea if it takes more or less processing power per page than ASP.
"Are you sure? If you don't make a handycam-series without any professional lightning this might be true but outdoor scenes are usually much more expensive to produce than studio scenes."
Yes I'm sure. Outdoor scenes mainly require a good light setup. Sci-fi sets require a lot of intricate design, complex building, and dramatic lighting. In addition to that, there area a lot of camera setups, to boot. Compare that to say an episode of Fraiser: Sets? No prob, run down to the store, buy tables, chairs, draperies etc. Camera setups? Sort of. They get 3 or 4 cameras running and figure out which ones to use during the edit.
"I think it's about time networks start to realize they need to have a 3-season investment, at least, in order to establish a larger viewership. All these reality TV shows score big on their first season and then never add up once the hype is gone."
Actually, they do realize it. The reason why 3 seasons is a magic number is because they end up with enough episodes to make money off of the airing of reruns. For them to cancel it when they did, they probably ran across some VERY bad numbers. Perhaps they realized they could spend that hour on a show that was more likely to succeed. Perhaps the ratings just weren't what they wanted given the cost of making the show. Perhaps a new fad came along that they really wanted to tap into.
It's hard to say. Sci-fi, however, is notoriously difficult to hold on to for a long period of time. It's expensive (compared to a reality show, for example) and, let's face it, sci-fi doesn't have the mass-market appeal we'd like it to. Shows like Star Trek and BSG are the exceptions, not the rules.
Yes, these shows get unfairly dumped. However, you have to remember that TV's a business, not an art form. It's a business built on the whims of a constantly changing mass-market audience. The original Star Trek series, for example, wasn't all that popular. Years after it ended, the 'space race' happened, and suddenly there was interest again. A few years later, bam, Star Trek: The Motion Picture came along. *That* wouldn't have happened if not for the success of both Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third kind. (It was quite a shock that either of those movies did so well.) It wouldn't be unreasonable to assume that the numbers these guys use to figure out of a show is worth the risk or not are about as accurate as a Magic 8-ball. With the millions of dollars involved in producing a show like FireFly, I can't say I'm all that shocked they'd pull out when they did.
"... anything that will get him out of trouble after the commercial break or at the beginning of the second part of a two part episode."
Ugh. I caught a Batman episode once where the dynamic duo were tied to a buoy out at sea. It really sucked for them because a torpedo was headed straight for them. *COMMERICAL* When the show came back, Batman and Robin were soaked. After a moment passed, Batman thanked the selfless porpoise that gave its life to detonate the torpedo before it hit them.
Our hero, ladies and gentlemen. You should see him at the roulette wheel.
"How about the fact that Batman is Bruce Wayne and owns Wayne Enterprises?"
To be fair, it's difficult to imagine that Wayne himself built the suit by hand in his off hours. Presumably, a team of people had to build the thing. It is rather distinctive. It makes one wonder how he was able to have it built at Wayne Enterprises and maintain his secret identity.
"Do we *really* need a new container format, or is this just a case of "not invented here" syndrome?"
Seeing as how one of the big improvements is the menuing system, I'd say yes there probably was a need for a new container format. Frankly, unless it's standard for most of those players to pass mouseclicks off to the codec, the need for a new player doesn't surprise me either.
Besides, what happened to choice choice choice choice choice!!!!! ??
Re:I'm all for science/technology/astronomy but...
on
Back to Moon in 2015?
·
· Score: 1
"The earth is more likely to be hit by falling rocks than the moon -- it's a bigger gravity target."
Yeah but think about why the moon's surface represents a typical Slashdotter's face more than the Earth's.
Re:I'm all for science/technology/astronomy but...
on
Back to Moon in 2015?
·
· Score: 1
"So we can throw big rocks at people on Earth when they do stupid things."
Only if they stand still for a long time...
Re:I'm all for science/technology/astronomy but...
on
Back to Moon in 2015?
·
· Score: 1
"If things go well and a Luna base becomes well established, it becomes a much easier launching pad to form other bases/colonies elsewhere. The gravity well on the moon makes regular launches much less cost prohibitive."
Perhaps, but all those craters on the moon give me a bit of a shiver. Can they protect themselves from falling rocks?
"TBH though, I don't see the hype. So, it runs Linux, and does absolutely nothing useful. Big freaking deal. Lots of geek points, yes, but minus several million engineer points in the practicality department?"
Gotta say I concurr. Supposing I did buy an Axim and put Linux on it, what useful stuff could I do with it that I couldn't before? This is a serious question. These days, you can almost affordably buy one of these with a 480 by 640 display, 3d accellerator, and equip it with a 4 gig micro drive. Any real advantage to putting Linux on it?
"Funny, I was going to say it worked for Adobe..."... and Discreet, and Newtek..
Not sure I can say the same for games, but when an app is something you can make a living off of, 'piracy' does have a way of making it necessity.
3D Apps in particular have an interesting attitude these days. It is easy to spend between $1,500 and $5,000 for a 3D app. Them's expensive. It wasn't all that long ago that a $500 version of XSI/Softimage came along. We're not talking watered down here, you could actually do stuff with it. Before that was Maya PLD. It's watermarked to hell, but otherwise it's got enough features to be worth downloading and learning from.
I honestly don't think these would be around if not for piracy. At least some companies understand the value of giving something a worthwhile long-term test drive.
"To be honest, in this case, Nintendo pretty much have a duty to protect their intellectual property."
If Nintendo does C&D them, and Slashdot covers it, I hope they'll also bring light to the fact that it didn't help those dudes at all having the limelight thrust upon them. If Nintendo knows about it, they have to do something about it or risk not being able to defend against a more serious infringer. (Ugh I hate slapping that name on these guys, it's obvious it was done in fun.)
"How many visitors a day again and you idiots still can't hire an editor?"
Whenever people reply to bitch about grammar/spelling, an ad is served. By not hiring an editor, they serve more ads, AND they don't pay some dude to correct the minor mistakes that really don't make much of a difference.
In short, Slashdot's profiting off your bitching.
Re:Reasons why you should care:
on
Zeta Goes Gold
·
· Score: 1
"can you choose to run it instead of windows? yes. so it's an alternative. and you're a troll"
Actually, he's got a point. It's an alternative in the eye of the beholder. I could tell you that a Ham Radio license is an alternative to having a cell phone. Some would say I'm a troll, some would say I have a point. Utimately, it's up to what you'd use either for.
Yeah, he was being an ass, but don't be so quick to dismiss his point.
"I'm sure this new release is great and all, but I don't see what soft body support adds to entice someone new to try it.
If you haven't tried Blender yet, then these additions are not likely to affect you or matter to you."
Are you serious? Soft body is a Big Deal(TM), especially when you're a character animator. It's exactly the sort of thing that would make somebody spend $1,500 on Lightwave instead of using Blender.
Slashdot Mirror
"If I made a cartoon of Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, or any of dozens of other fairy tales that are in the public domain, do you really think I'd get them released with Disney fighting me?"
Yes, up intil the point your version looks too much like theirs. Disney's evil and all, but all they really own are the likenesses of those characters.
"Is it that different if the government blocks free speech directly or allows companies to do it?"
Copyright != freedom of speech.
No drama required.
"People who get emotional when challenged or proven wrong are putting their ego before the problem. Their ego becomes the biggest problem and the real problem they're getting paid to fix tends to get fixed in a way that makes them look good, which might not actually be the technically better way."
To be fair: If they have to work for a boss *and* get their projects done by deadlines often orbiting trade shows, they're bound to let their ego worm their way in. It really sucks when you can be fired for missing a deadline or in making something insecure. Ego may simply be an indication that somebody's worried about losing their job over their reputation.
Maybe I'm right, maybe I'm not. But I useta work at a software company, and I've seen some of the silly things people have been labeled 'incompetent' for.
"Slashdot requires you to wait between each successful posting of a comment to allow everyone a fair chance at posting a comment.
It's been 15 minutes since you last successfully posted a comment."
Oh yeah, thanks for reminding me. Is there some glorious reason why I can only post once every 5 minutes now? I don't mind, but their warning says you have to wait 2.
I like how Slashdot posts a story about the importance of RSS, but their own RSS service will ban you for 3 days if you just look at it funny.
"This sort of thing doesn't sit well with Rupert Murdoch, if you watch the popular outrageous fantasy show; FoxNews."
Maybe, but you're talking about the same network that aired 'When Animals Attack!'
Alrighty folks, you know the drill! Google filed a patent, ready pitchforks!!
"2) What does ASP have to do with sites going down?"
Since ASP is a server side script, it means the machine has to do more processing than say an HTML file every time it serves it. PHP's in the same boat, but I have no idea if it takes more or less processing power per page than ASP.
"Are you sure? If you don't make a handycam-series without any professional lightning this might be true but outdoor scenes are usually much more expensive to produce than studio scenes."
Yes I'm sure. Outdoor scenes mainly require a good light setup. Sci-fi sets require a lot of intricate design, complex building, and dramatic lighting. In addition to that, there area a lot of camera setups, to boot. Compare that to say an episode of Fraiser: Sets? No prob, run down to the store, buy tables, chairs, draperies etc. Camera setups? Sort of. They get 3 or 4 cameras running and figure out which ones to use during the edit.
"I think it's about time networks start to realize they need to have a 3-season investment, at least, in order to establish a larger viewership. All these reality TV shows score big on their first season and then never add up once the hype is gone."
Actually, they do realize it. The reason why 3 seasons is a magic number is because they end up with enough episodes to make money off of the airing of reruns. For them to cancel it when they did, they probably ran across some VERY bad numbers. Perhaps they realized they could spend that hour on a show that was more likely to succeed. Perhaps the ratings just weren't what they wanted given the cost of making the show. Perhaps a new fad came along that they really wanted to tap into.
It's hard to say. Sci-fi, however, is notoriously difficult to hold on to for a long period of time. It's expensive (compared to a reality show, for example) and, let's face it, sci-fi doesn't have the mass-market appeal we'd like it to. Shows like Star Trek and BSG are the exceptions, not the rules.
Yes, these shows get unfairly dumped. However, you have to remember that TV's a business, not an art form. It's a business built on the whims of a constantly changing mass-market audience. The original Star Trek series, for example, wasn't all that popular. Years after it ended, the 'space race' happened, and suddenly there was interest again. A few years later, bam, Star Trek: The Motion Picture came along. *That* wouldn't have happened if not for the success of both Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third kind. (It was quite a shock that either of those movies did so well.) It wouldn't be unreasonable to assume that the numbers these guys use to figure out of a show is worth the risk or not are about as accurate as a Magic 8-ball. With the millions of dollars involved in producing a show like FireFly, I can't say I'm all that shocked they'd pull out when they did.
"... anything that will get him out of trouble after the commercial break or at the beginning of the second part of a two part episode."
Ugh. I caught a Batman episode once where the dynamic duo were tied to a buoy out at sea. It really sucked for them because a torpedo was headed straight for them. *COMMERICAL* When the show came back, Batman and Robin were soaked. After a moment passed, Batman thanked the selfless porpoise that gave its life to detonate the torpedo before it hit them.
Our hero, ladies and gentlemen. You should see him at the roulette wheel.
So.. where on the bat belt does he keep his black eye makeup?
"How about the fact that Batman is Bruce Wayne and owns Wayne Enterprises?"
To be fair, it's difficult to imagine that Wayne himself built the suit by hand in his off hours. Presumably, a team of people had to build the thing. It is rather distinctive. It makes one wonder how he was able to have it built at Wayne Enterprises and maintain his secret identity.
"Do we *really* need a new container format, or is this just a case of "not invented here" syndrome?"
Seeing as how one of the big improvements is the menuing system, I'd say yes there probably was a need for a new container format. Frankly, unless it's standard for most of those players to pass mouseclicks off to the codec, the need for a new player doesn't surprise me either.
Besides, what happened to choice choice choice choice choice!!!!! ??
"The earth is more likely to be hit by falling rocks than the moon -- it's a bigger gravity target."
Yeah but think about why the moon's surface represents a typical Slashdotter's face more than the Earth's.
"So we can throw big rocks at people on Earth when they do stupid things."
Only if they stand still for a long time...
"If things go well and a Luna base becomes well established, it becomes a much easier launching pad to form other bases/colonies elsewhere. The gravity well on the moon makes regular launches much less cost prohibitive."
Perhaps, but all those craters on the moon give me a bit of a shiver. Can they protect themselves from falling rocks?
"TBH though, I don't see the hype. So, it runs Linux, and does absolutely nothing useful. Big freaking deal. Lots of geek points, yes, but minus several million engineer points in the practicality department?"
Gotta say I concurr. Supposing I did buy an Axim and put Linux on it, what useful stuff could I do with it that I couldn't before? This is a serious question. These days, you can almost affordably buy one of these with a 480 by 640 display, 3d accellerator, and equip it with a 4 gig micro drive. Any real advantage to putting Linux on it?
Fair enough. I stand corrected.
"Funny, I was going to say it worked for Adobe..." ... and Discreet, and Newtek..
Not sure I can say the same for games, but when an app is something you can make a living off of, 'piracy' does have a way of making it necessity.
3D Apps in particular have an interesting attitude these days. It is easy to spend between $1,500 and $5,000 for a 3D app. Them's expensive. It wasn't all that long ago that a $500 version of XSI/Softimage came along. We're not talking watered down here, you could actually do stuff with it. Before that was Maya PLD. It's watermarked to hell, but otherwise it's got enough features to be worth downloading and learning from.
I honestly don't think these would be around if not for piracy. At least some companies understand the value of giving something a worthwhile long-term test drive.
"To be honest, in this case, Nintendo pretty much have a duty to protect their intellectual property."
If Nintendo does C&D them, and Slashdot covers it, I hope they'll also bring light to the fact that it didn't help those dudes at all having the limelight thrust upon them. If Nintendo knows about it, they have to do something about it or risk not being able to defend against a more serious infringer. (Ugh I hate slapping that name on these guys, it's obvious it was done in fun.)
"How many visitors a day again and you idiots still can't hire an editor?"
Whenever people reply to bitch about grammar/spelling, an ad is served. By not hiring an editor, they serve more ads, AND they don't pay some dude to correct the minor mistakes that really don't make much of a difference.
In short, Slashdot's profiting off your bitching.
"can you choose to run it instead of windows? yes. so it's an alternative. and you're a troll"
Actually, he's got a point. It's an alternative in the eye of the beholder. I could tell you that a Ham Radio license is an alternative to having a cell phone. Some would say I'm a troll, some would say I have a point. Utimately, it's up to what you'd use either for.
Yeah, he was being an ass, but don't be so quick to dismiss his point.
"My point was that if you're a character animator, you would have tried Blender already, to see if it provided the features you needed."
No, I would have avoided it because it didn't have Softbody.
"I'm sure this new release is great and all, but I don't see what soft body support adds to entice someone new to try it.
If you haven't tried Blender yet, then these additions are not likely to affect you or matter to you."
Are you serious? Soft body is a Big Deal(TM), especially when you're a character animator. It's exactly the sort of thing that would make somebody spend $1,500 on Lightwave instead of using Blender.