You'll "forgive" my "error" in "forgetting" to use "quotes" for a colloquial "term", when "equating" that "term" to the "proper" one in my last "paragraph".
Ah, nothing like some good old music industry ignorance to liven up the party.
While music industry "bloat" doesn't help things - in terms of producing major-label stuff, anyway - the fact is that many of the artists then spend a lot of time on these things called "tours" to get you to go buy their new album. While they do make money for this - sometimes, many small-time acts LOSE money on their tours - they also work during this time. (Only people who have never done it say it isn't "work".)
Check your arguments against reality. This is sort of like saying a programmer should only get paid for the amount of time that his fingers are actually in motion on the keyboard, but not whne he's at meetings or explaining something to some asshat manager. You're getting paid for the code you produce AND the fact that you have the ability to produce said code. There are a lot of facets of the "music business" that don't involve recording a song.
I am far from a defender of the RIAA, but let's not go ripping the artists - the vast majority of whom work long and hard for very little. Some (cough Britney cough) don't, but they're the exception, not the rule.
Oh, and stealing IP is still stealing, regardless. If you get mp3s of my album, and you never buy it, you gain the ability to listen to the music that I've created without compensating me for it - even if no one will pay you for those mp3s. No one will pay you for a Xerox of an entire book, but it's still a copyright violation, because YOU still got to read it.
Wouldn't that require some intelligence by the user? I mean like not sharing their file library? It's not like the RIAA can just go into people's homes and start busting open computers for pirated music.
Yet.
...the many comments here are quite correct - it's just a small part of the arsenal, replacing the 2" tape machine in many studios.
Wait, except for the fact that it doesn't actually replace the 2" in most cases. Even when major recordings use PT, they usually record to analog tape FIRST, then dump to PT to edit. (This seems to be slowly changing, as the resolution gets better - 24 bit has made a major difference
In some cases with majors, I will bet that the cost of having the engineer edit the crap takes they got into something useable far outwieghed the gear savings, and may well have cost more than the former industry standard - send the guy that can't play on vacation for a week, and have a session guy do it..)
In my mind, the major contribution of PT (and similar digital recording products, none so much as the humble ADAT) have allowed is for the quality of non-major label recordings to go up by giving project studios the ability to produce decent-sounding product without driving themselves bankrupt.
For good audio recording conversation at all levels - including Mixerman's hilarious Bitch Slap story that explains a lot of why some recordings cost a ridiculous amount of money, try The Recpit.
It wouldn't surprise me if it were this bad...
on
ChronoSpace
·
· Score: 3, Informative
I've read most of Steele's output, and I have to say, he's very uneven. His first couple of books were lighthearted stories in the mode of early Heinlien (especially the "future history" books), and were quite enjoyable reads. In fact, his best stuff seems to be in this mode, as the last good one, "A King of Infinite Space", was in much the same vein. He seems to have problems handling higher levels of complexity, however, and the name-dropping and quoting can get old after a while. This review, and the synopsis I've read, make me really want to take a pass on this one.
On another note, having doen CD reviews for many years now, I like to see negative reviews of this type - pointing out the actual problems, rather than just saying "this sucks". I think with the growing amount of media contesting for our attention out there, a negative review can help people decide NOT to read/buy/listen to something, therefore not wasting their time, and generating feedback to the work's creator.
First off, a congrats on a detailed, quality book review. This sounds like a valuable reference for people working in this environment.
Speaking from experience, I can tell you that using UML and Java together can be a very rewarding (and timesaving) experience, so I applaud this book's direction. Whatever methodology you choose, I feel that software impelementation is only going to get better when companies realize that time spent doing discovery and design is as (or frequently more) important than the time spent coding. My current contract is just now learning this, the hard way...
...is why no one has come up with a scheme to use this "waste heat" for something. Think of all the thermal energy your average datacenter throws out daily...
...that Sterling's consistent. None of his novels ever really get to the point, either - they just spend all their time trying to dazzle you with imagery, while he desperately tries to find a way out of the corner he's just painted himself into.
Nothing like being a Troll at a conference, though - I'm sure he was bought a beer or two by some Linux geeks that didn't realize he was cracking on them harder than he was on Gates.
The answer to that question is simple - we're visual animals. We can extract information much more quickly from viewing the contents of a room than from looking at a listing of those contents. Design a truly graphical interface, and the need for textural translations between languages disappears.
No matter what language you speak, you know that the big metal thing outside the airport is an airplane, because you know what an airplane looks like, and you know your context - there's no need to write "airplane" on the side of it.
Command lines are all well and good, and are very useful in a lot of situations, but are ultimately too much of an abstraction for a general user to work with - you're forced to learn, in essence, a new language to "talk" to the machine. Why should the average person need to do this? I would think the goal of good interface design is to lessen the challenge of using the machine for it's purpose - as a tool to retireve information.
...really isn't all that different from the current paradigm - it just uses different controllers. (Think about it - it's still a screen, displaying information, and you're moving pieces around - you're just using gloves instead of a mouse.) A truly different interface, as discussed in the article, might be very interesting, but it would be very difficult to make it general purpose. I think you're going to see continual refinements, but the current GUI designs really aren't conceptually any different than handling paper. While far superior to cammand lines for eveyday tasks, there's nothing revolutionary about it.
A more interactive interface, though, where the computer can understand your movements like a human does, could be very useful in specialized applications - imagine being able to use a gestural interface when you're, say, an airline pilot?
While I admire your optimism about the intelligence of the Great American Consumer, let's grab a grip on reality.
If they want to sell mp3 players that force you to use DRM - and I'm reasonably sure companies will be offered incentives to do just that - then they'll just dream up another "must have" feature, and market it.
So it won't effect the "intelligent" consumer, just the other 99%. Sorry if this seems cynical, but best/smartest/cheapest does not usually win in the marketplace - the best marketing does.
If they build it, and market it, people will buy it. Count on it.
I really think it would be in the best interest of all involved if ISO would hold off on this until the patent is proved. Otherwise, it's just another case of using legal threats to make your point in a money grab.
My question is: How exactly do they expect to get this enforced? If this is the "Patentsharking" move I think it might be, than the ISO only supports the case by pulling the standard.
JPEG has been "known" to be open for years - why shouldn't the ISO continue with business as usual, and place the burden of proof on the claimant, in this case? Could they be held liable, in the event of an unfavorable decision? IANAL, but I don't see how, as they're not USING the technology, they're just recommending it.
Or does the stupidity of archaic U.S. patent law cover that, too?
...that actually makes me want to READ the book. I'll openly admit to not having heard of this guy before, but I like the approach. A lot. There are many people who say they can't cook, and yet, when you talk to them, they haven't really tried to learn - all they've ever done is follow recipies.
To point out the obvious, the parallel to programming is right on - too many people ctrl-c'ing code snippets, not enough understanding of what's actually happening when that code executes. Does that make Front Page the TV dinner of Web design?
Unfortunately, local music is around the same quality as local news--slim to none.
I'd disagree with that. There's a lot of high-quality local music in many cities that I've played in. Yes, there's also a good deal of trendy, badly-produced, over image-engineered crap, but that's music in general, isn't it? You have to take the bad with the good. Of course, you also run into the fact that people are used to hearing albums with high-dollar production values, and just can't see through the mediocre production to good songs/music.
Sadly, as a musician local to the D.C., I have to say that I didn't even know this existed. I now have to hope that the Post's snotty attitude towards forms of music other than Folk and Alterna-Rock doesn't carry over to the page, as there are a lot of local musicians here doing things worth hearing that aren't working in those genres. (Although I admit the Post's music critics have been getting better in this regard lately.)
..but when Windows Safe Edition(tm) won't run without Palladium turned on, and all other versions are no longer supported by OfficeSafe(tm), why would MS care?
I see this as just another attempt to take a hot-button issue, dress it in some fancy clothes, and use it as a way to lock anyone who owns a PC into buying Microsoft's "new" OS and office suite. It may be capitalism, as others have claimed, but that doesn't make it a good thing for the consumer.
Then again, it's Microsoft, so the Vaporware Scale must be employed. I'll believe it when I see something other than hype.
I found this book...
on
The Chronoliths
·
· Score: 3, Insightful
...unsatisfying. While the premise is very interesting - always a good start in SF - the execution is somewhat lacking, as the plot elements are very guessable in a lot of places. I also thought the way the social unrest was depicted was overly-simplified, and the ending left something to be desired.
On the plus side, the characters do come to life, and the story sweeps you along pretty well, and has a couple of interesting sub-plot twists. Overall, not a bad read, but it's not something I'll stand on the rooftops and shout about, either.
Yeah, but you have to remember - the Anthrax investigation doesn't have the multi-million-dollar-political-contribution-making software industry pushing it along.
Sounds cynical, but making a big PR splash is what this is all about. My bet would be that Warez activity didn't really go down, they we just more careful about who they traded with, so there's not much net result.
Then again, it must be really satisfying to know that a Warez cracker will spend more time in prison than corporate criminals that cost their companies (and consumers) millions, or your average theif.
Examples have to be set, though, don't they.
/rant
Re:Why parse XML in the first place?
on
Perl & XML
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
Having done some Java/XML work last year, then stumbling back into a homogenous Windows environment, I can honestly say I think XML has strengths and weaknesses.
Speed, however, is a primary problem, or at least it was when we were using XML to store/parse tens of thousands of elements for a Financial Services app in Java. It had the advantage of not being tied to a particular platform, and needing no database of any form distributed with it, and being read-compatible with some existing applications. So it was worth it to the client.
In my current environment, it makes no sense, other than "buzzword compliance".
So it's got it's uses, but it's not a magic bullet. Then again, I think Client/Server is a better solution than going web-based for a lot of things, so what do I know?:)
I stand corrected on the HWR issue. I wasn't, however, Trolling - I was attempting to make a humorous comment, which seems to have been missed by certain moderators.
Slashdot Mirror
BACK OFF, Man! Don't force me to use this!
You'll "forgive" my "error" in "forgetting" to use "quotes" for a colloquial "term", when "equating" that "term" to the "proper" one in my last "paragraph".
Ah, nothing like some good old music industry ignorance to liven up the party.
While music industry "bloat" doesn't help things - in terms of producing major-label stuff, anyway - the fact is that many of the artists then spend a lot of time on these things called "tours" to get you to go buy their new album. While they do make money for this - sometimes, many small-time acts LOSE money on their tours - they also work during this time. (Only people who have never done it say it isn't "work".)
Check your arguments against reality. This is sort of like saying a programmer should only get paid for the amount of time that his fingers are actually in motion on the keyboard, but not whne he's at meetings or explaining something to some asshat manager. You're getting paid for the code you produce AND the fact that you have the ability to produce said code. There are a lot of facets of the "music business" that don't involve recording a song.
I am far from a defender of the RIAA, but let's not go ripping the artists - the vast majority of whom work long and hard for very little. Some (cough Britney cough) don't, but they're the exception, not the rule.
Oh, and stealing IP is still stealing, regardless. If you get mp3s of my album, and you never buy it, you gain the ability to listen to the music that I've created without compensating me for it - even if no one will pay you for those mp3s. No one will pay you for a Xerox of an entire book, but it's still a copyright violation, because YOU still got to read it.
/rant
Wouldn't that require some intelligence by the user? I mean like not sharing their file library? It's not like the RIAA can just go into people's homes and start busting open computers for pirated music. Yet.
Wait, except for the fact that it doesn't actually replace the 2" in most cases. Even when major recordings use PT, they usually record to analog tape FIRST, then dump to PT to edit. (This seems to be slowly changing, as the resolution gets better - 24 bit has made a major difference
In some cases with majors, I will bet that the cost of having the engineer edit the crap takes they got into something useable far outwieghed the gear savings, and may well have cost more than the former industry standard - send the guy that can't play on vacation for a week, and have a session guy do it..)
In my mind, the major contribution of PT (and similar digital recording products, none so much as the humble ADAT) have allowed is for the quality of non-major label recordings to go up by giving project studios the ability to produce decent-sounding product without driving themselves bankrupt.
For good audio recording conversation at all levels - including Mixerman's hilarious Bitch Slap story that explains a lot of why some recordings cost a ridiculous amount of money, try The Recpit.
On another note, having doen CD reviews for many years now, I like to see negative reviews of this type - pointing out the actual problems, rather than just saying "this sucks". I think with the growing amount of media contesting for our attention out there, a negative review can help people decide NOT to read/buy/listen to something, therefore not wasting their time, and generating feedback to the work's creator.
Speaking from experience, I can tell you that using UML and Java together can be a very rewarding (and timesaving) experience, so I applaud this book's direction. Whatever methodology you choose, I feel that software impelementation is only going to get better when companies realize that time spent doing discovery and design is as (or frequently more) important than the time spent coding. My current contract is just now learning this, the hard way...
Since operations now can only take place on sunny days, surgeons won't be able to golf as much
Actually, it could lead to a whole new era - "Meet me on the back nine of the Country Club and I'll get that appendix fixed up for you."
...for synchonicity? Next thing you know, we'll both have a sofa stuck in our stairwell simultaneously.
...obligitory "Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency" reference here.
...is why no one has come up with a scheme to use this "waste heat" for something. Think of all the thermal energy your average datacenter throws out daily...
Nothing like being a Troll at a conference, though - I'm sure he was bought a beer or two by some Linux geeks that didn't realize he was cracking on them harder than he was on Gates.
No matter what language you speak, you know that the big metal thing outside the airport is an airplane, because you know what an airplane looks like, and you know your context - there's no need to write "airplane" on the side of it.
Command lines are all well and good, and are very useful in a lot of situations, but are ultimately too much of an abstraction for a general user to work with - you're forced to learn, in essence, a new language to "talk" to the machine. Why should the average person need to do this? I would think the goal of good interface design is to lessen the challenge of using the machine for it's purpose - as a tool to retireve information.
A more interactive interface, though, where the computer can understand your movements like a human does, could be very useful in specialized applications - imagine being able to use a gestural interface when you're, say, an airline pilot?
If they want to sell mp3 players that force you to use DRM - and I'm reasonably sure companies will be offered incentives to do just that - then they'll just dream up another "must have" feature, and market it.
So it won't effect the "intelligent" consumer, just the other 99%. Sorry if this seems cynical, but best/smartest/cheapest does not usually win in the marketplace - the best marketing does.
If they build it, and market it, people will buy it. Count on it.
My question is: How exactly do they expect to get this enforced? If this is the "Patentsharking" move I think it might be, than the ISO only supports the case by pulling the standard.
JPEG has been "known" to be open for years - why shouldn't the ISO continue with business as usual, and place the burden of proof on the claimant, in this case? Could they be held liable, in the event of an unfavorable decision? IANAL, but I don't see how, as they're not USING the technology, they're just recommending it.
Or does the stupidity of archaic U.S. patent law cover that, too?
To point out the obvious, the parallel to programming is right on - too many people ctrl-c'ing code snippets, not enough understanding of what's actually happening when that code executes. Does that make Front Page the TV dinner of Web design?
I'd disagree with that. There's a lot of high-quality local music in many cities that I've played in. Yes, there's also a good deal of trendy, badly-produced, over image-engineered crap, but that's music in general, isn't it? You have to take the bad with the good. Of course, you also run into the fact that people are used to hearing albums with high-dollar production values, and just can't see through the mediocre production to good songs/music.
Sadly, as a musician local to the D.C., I have to say that I didn't even know this existed. I now have to hope that the Post's snotty attitude towards forms of music other than Folk and Alterna-Rock doesn't carry over to the page, as there are a lot of local musicians here doing things worth hearing that aren't working in those genres. (Although I admit the Post's music critics have been getting better in this regard lately.)
I see this as just another attempt to take a hot-button issue, dress it in some fancy clothes, and use it as a way to lock anyone who owns a PC into buying Microsoft's "new" OS and office suite. It may be capitalism, as others have claimed, but that doesn't make it a good thing for the consumer.
Then again, it's Microsoft, so the Vaporware Scale must be employed. I'll believe it when I see something other than hype.
On the plus side, the characters do come to life, and the story sweeps you along pretty well, and has a couple of interesting sub-plot twists. Overall, not a bad read, but it's not something I'll stand on the rooftops and shout about, either.
Sounds cynical, but making a big PR splash is what this is all about. My bet would be that Warez activity didn't really go down, they we just more careful about who they traded with, so there's not much net result.
Then again, it must be really satisfying to know that a Warez cracker will spend more time in prison than corporate criminals that cost their companies (and consumers) millions, or your average theif.
Examples have to be set, though, don't they.
Having done some Java/XML work last year, then stumbling back into a homogenous Windows environment, I can honestly say I think XML has strengths and weaknesses.
Speed, however, is a primary problem, or at least it was when we were using XML to store/parse tens of thousands of elements for a Financial Services app in Java. It had the advantage of not being tied to a particular platform, and needing no database of any form distributed with it, and being read-compatible with some existing applications. So it was worth it to the client.
In my current environment, it makes no sense, other than "buzzword compliance".
So it's got it's uses, but it's not a magic bullet. Then again, I think Client/Server is a better solution than going web-based for a lot of things, so what do I know? :)
...well, now we know what happend to all the laid-off dotcom programmers.
Ya think *somebody* might be compensating for something here?
Sheesh.