For existing Mac users, OS X's *nix underpinnings have been a big leap forward -- not unambiguously so, but netting out on the positive side.
Jobs... er, God knows there's a much steeper learning curve than Apple has acknowledged, especially for users with a home network. Those of us who've never had to think twice about issues like permissions are suddenly paralyzed by folders that refuse to open and files that refuse to launch. There's an entirely different mindset needed, and it isn't exactly included with your CD-ROM and manual.
But that said, the geekier among us are now being exposed to the broader world of *nix. When we upload files to a web server, suddenly all those folder names make sense; we're navigating around in SSH like old pros; we're getting that endorphin rush from doing something especially clever from the command line.
And that's just the beginning. Now we're being introduced to the open source community, and a whole new model for software development... along with the development tools that come free with OS X.
It's not as if every mom 'n' pop Mac user out there is suddenly going to plunk a stuffed Tux on top of their monitor and start coding Perl scripts. But for every one of us who can't resist peeking under the hood, it just got a lot more rewarding.
Disney successfully lobbied Congress to pass the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act, shortly after the death of the eponymous congressperson. Before the legislation, copyright lasted for the life of the author plus 50 years; the new extension tacks on an extra 25 years, plus another 20 years for works of corporate authorship and works published before 1978.
Wondering why you missed it? Congress passed it with only a voice vote (so you'll never really know who voted for it) during the Kosovo War and the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal.
The next big date to watch, then, is 2019, when copyrighted works start hitting the public domain again. Until then, the freeze is on.
Andersen, Grimm and Grimm tell committee to ban animated motion picture technology
Washington, D.C. -- Advanced technology capable of creating colorful visual representations of the most far-fetched stories threatens the children of this planet -- as well as those who write stories from them, a Congressional committee heard today.
Appearing before the Senate Committee on Fanciful Narratives, representatives of the law firm Andersen, Grimm and Grimm said that so-called "animated motion pictures" -- sometimes called "cartoons" -- destroy children's ability to use their imaginations.
"The animation industry appropriates fine classic folk stories, such as those written by our clients," said spokesperson H.C. Anderson.
"But rather than respecting the original vision of the content creator, these 'film studios' impose saccharine, market-driven endings designed to wring the most possible money from children and their long-suffering parents."
Departing from his prepared text, Andersen cited an adaptation of his own The Little Mermaid, and grew noticeably distraught.
"They gave her this lame-ass name, 'Ariel,' and then at the end of it, she lives! What gives? Too many kids in the focus groups actually had to consider the meaning of self-sacrifice? They were afraid it would drive down repeat video rentals?"
Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm echoed Andersen's comments. "Don't even ask us what they did to Cinderella," muttered Jacob.
"And Sleeping Beauty. What was it with those dwarves' names?" asked Wilhelm.
The trio said an even greater risk was the destruction of children's imaginations.
"With saturation marketing, studios use movies impose one bland image in children's minds where hundreds or thousands might have once flourished in response to reading," Andersen said.
He singled out Disney as the worst offender. "Millions of children might once have seen themselves as The Brave Little Tailor. Now they see only Mickey," he said.
"Their slogan -- 'The Happiest Place on Earth' -- sends a clear message. The joy you once found in your own imagination, you now can find only within the bounds of Disneyland."
The non-time-limited thing strikes me as the crucial distinction. Maya is pitching this as the "Personal Learning Edition" with an emphasis on learning. I expect their target audience is -- apart from hobbyists and the curious -- aspiring animators who want to train on the software without dropping several thousand dollars on it.
Those aspiring animators had better have access to newer Macs, though. The minimum specs call for G4s with half a gig of RAM. Looks like my ol' Wallstreet isn't going to be cranking out Final Fantasy II: This Time We Bought A Screenplay any time soon...
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According to this post, the conduit's coming sometime in... take a deep breath... June.
Yeah. June. Anyone care to bet which will ship first -- the conduit or Photoshop?
For existing Mac users, OS X's *nix underpinnings have been a big leap forward -- not unambiguously so, but netting out on the positive side.
Jobs... er, God knows there's a much steeper learning curve than Apple has acknowledged, especially for users with a home network. Those of us who've never had to think twice about issues like permissions are suddenly paralyzed by folders that refuse to open and files that refuse to launch. There's an entirely different mindset needed, and it isn't exactly included with your CD-ROM and manual.
But that said, the geekier among us are now being exposed to the broader world of *nix. When we upload files to a web server, suddenly all those folder names make sense; we're navigating around in SSH like old pros; we're getting that endorphin rush from doing something especially clever from the command line.
And that's just the beginning. Now we're being introduced to the open source community, and a whole new model for software development... along with the development tools that come free with OS X.
It's not as if every mom 'n' pop Mac user out there is suddenly going to plunk a stuffed Tux on top of their monitor and start coding Perl scripts. But for every one of us who can't resist peeking under the hood, it just got a lot more rewarding.
Disney successfully lobbied Congress to pass the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act, shortly after the death of the eponymous congressperson. Before the legislation, copyright lasted for the life of the author plus 50 years; the new extension tacks on an extra 25 years, plus another 20 years for works of corporate authorship and works published before 1978.
Wondering why you missed it? Congress passed it with only a voice vote (so you'll never really know who voted for it) during the Kosovo War and the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal.
The next big date to watch, then, is 2019, when copyrighted works start hitting the public domain again. Until then, the freeze is on.
Andersen, Grimm and Grimm tell committee to ban animated motion picture technology
Washington, D.C. -- Advanced technology capable of creating colorful visual representations of the most far-fetched stories threatens the children of this planet -- as well as those who write stories from them, a Congressional committee heard today.
Appearing before the Senate Committee on Fanciful Narratives, representatives of the law firm Andersen, Grimm and Grimm said that so-called "animated motion pictures" -- sometimes called "cartoons" -- destroy children's ability to use their imaginations.
"The animation industry appropriates fine classic folk stories, such as those written by our clients," said spokesperson H.C. Anderson.
"But rather than respecting the original vision of the content creator, these 'film studios' impose saccharine, market-driven endings designed to wring the most possible money from children and their long-suffering parents."
Departing from his prepared text, Andersen cited an adaptation of his own The Little Mermaid, and grew noticeably distraught.
"They gave her this lame-ass name, 'Ariel,' and then at the end of it, she lives! What gives? Too many kids in the focus groups actually had to consider the meaning of self-sacrifice? They were afraid it would drive down repeat video rentals?"
Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm echoed Andersen's comments. "Don't even ask us what they did to Cinderella," muttered Jacob.
"And Sleeping Beauty. What was it with those dwarves' names?" asked Wilhelm.
The trio said an even greater risk was the destruction of children's imaginations.
"With saturation marketing, studios use movies impose one bland image in children's minds where hundreds or thousands might have once flourished in response to reading," Andersen said.
He singled out Disney as the worst offender. "Millions of children might once have seen themselves as The Brave Little Tailor. Now they see only Mickey," he said.
"Their slogan -- 'The Happiest Place on Earth' -- sends a clear message. The joy you once found in your own imagination, you now can find only within the bounds of Disneyland."
"Let them keep pushing more and more restrictions, and you will ultimately wind up bound, gagged, blindfolded, and lobotomized."
In fairness, that was pretty much the target audience of Disney's "The Kid."
I know. My first thought was, Oh, Christ, no... not Mac clones again!
"iPod. The invasion of the software snatchers."
The non-time-limited thing strikes me as the crucial distinction. Maya is pitching this as the "Personal Learning Edition" with an emphasis on learning. I expect their target audience is -- apart from hobbyists and the curious -- aspiring animators who want to train on the software without dropping several thousand dollars on it.
Those aspiring animators had better have access to newer Macs, though. The minimum specs call for G4s with half a gig of RAM. Looks like my ol' Wallstreet isn't going to be cranking out Final Fantasy II: This Time We Bought A Screenplay any time soon...