For what its worth, I think Sony and the DVD Consortium are merely fighting over the next laserdisc. Most people I know don't own an HDTV, and its easy to see why. As stated about, the standards are confusing, compatibility uncertain, and prices are still too high for the average consumer.
I'm in the market for an HDTV myself, however, like most Americans, I'm on a budget, and am looking for something no higher than around $500 for a 30". After doing some shopping, the best I've found are a couple of CRT models from Philips and Sanyo, both being brands that I've had problems with in the past.
At the same time, I can get a high quality SDTV for around $300. With the current lack of content for HD, combined with the high cost of entry and competing standards, this will probably be the route I take. Bear in mind that your Average Joe has little knowledge of what HD is, or what is has to offer. More to the point, the Average Joe doesn't really care. When it comes to a television purchase, a bigger screen and price will be on top of his wish list. You'd be surprised how many people still have no concept of A/V cables, and still connect everything to their television through coaxial!
Additionally, most of the people I know have massive DVD collections that they have spent small fortunes on. They have no interest in upgrading these collections any time soon. Sure, these new players are backwards compatible, but anyone who forks out the money for one is going to feel foolish playing only standard definition DVDs on it. If they don't, then they once again have no understanding of what HD is.
My prediction? Those who DO own HDTVs and understand the technology will decide the winner, most likely on technical merits. The winner will become a niche market, as prices on HDTVs drop over the next few years. By the time HDTV becomes the standard, will be time for a new disc format.
However, there is one thing that HD-DVD has going for it. I can go to Wal-Mart right now and pick up the discs and player for a reasonable price. Blu-Ray might have distinct technical advantages, but HD-DVD is first to market.
If he had actually edited that wikipedia page prior to using it in the column, would he have been alright, since he contributed to the original page?
No, it would not be okay. Encyclopedias are not typically considered acceptable journalistic sources, especially encyclopedias that you can edit yourself at any time. Even if this had been acceptable to his editor, he failed to give the Wikipedia entry as a source, which might not have been considered plagiarism, but would still be unacceptable.
On the other end, it would not be okay for him to post his story on Wikipedia after the story ran either, because the newspaper would hold the rights to his work.
Digg for the headlines. Slashdot for the commentary.
Yeah, Digg's comments are pretty worthless, but I think it has to do more with how it's commenting system is set up more than the reader base. Slashcode, for all its flaws, has a really nice system to sort, write, and moderate comments. Meanwhile, Digg doesn't even have threads, making each comment more of an island than part of a discussion. And anyone who knows who the koolaidguy is knows that Digg's moderation needs some work.
In any case, its nice to see Slashdot finally have some competition.
Actually, it was a pretty good series before they introduced the Strogg/Nazi/Reptile villans, changed the cast, and completely destroyed the original, cool premise of the show.
Then it got handed over to the Sci-Fi channel where they really fucked it up.
Alternation is awkward. He or she used repeatedly is sexist and exclusive. You can't use they or them because that be bad English.
So here's my solution: Combine "he" and "she." Of course, that pretty much just leaves "she," and it's not really inclusive, because it leaves out objects, like artificial intelligences and robots.
So She + He + It = Shit, our new, all inclusive pronoun.
Take for instance, this sentence that appeared in TFA:
"If the player doesn't get feedback, shit can't adjust shit's strategy, and the outcome will feel random. Players need to know whether their approach is working or not."
[doctor] And now I will make my first incisision. [Leroy AFK]... [doctor] I'm going to try to go in through the left ventricle and remove the blockage. Nurse, can you run some numbers for us? [Leroy AFK]... [nurse] Well, I say you have a 32.33% chance of success this time, repeating of course. [doctor] Well, that's better than usual. We should... [Leroy] Okay, let's do this! LEROOOOOOOOOOOOY JAHNKAIANSSS!!!!!! [doctor] Did...did he just go in? [nurse] Not again... [doctor] Leroy, you dumbass! [Leroy] At least I have chicken.
If by new car, you mean a fully equiped Rolls-Royce, you're right.
And if by "fully equipped," you mean a Rolls-Royce with titanium plating, guided missle launchers, flight capabilities, and a Mr. Fusion, then yeah, you're right.
I think the key issue here is that pop-ups (unders, overs, etc.) are just plain annoying.
This might be one of the reasons Google is so worshipped on here: They introduced a form of web advertising (Adsense) that is clean, simple, low-bandwidth, relevent, and most of all NOT ANNOYING.
The solution for advertisers is simple: If you want your ads to be seen, don't make the user WANT to block your ads.
Sure, pop-ups and spam might make a good deal of money, but I think it would be better for everyone if advertisers instead tried implementing solutions that don't put them at odds with the customers.
More people will click and buy the products, and the web will be an overall better place.
Bottom line: he should have known better, but Apple shouldn't be giving themselves bad press by continuing. They probably won't now after outcries like this, preferring to show some teeth to discourage potential "innocent" uploaders leaking more stuff, then back off to act as a "Benevolent" corporate entity.
Maybe their strategy is to team up with Woz for a good-cop / bad-cop thing. Sort of like this:
Jobs: You damn kid! That'll be the last time you steal my software!
Jobs charges at the kid, then Woz grabs him, struggling to hold him back.
Kid: I'm sorry Mr. Jobs. It's just that Tiger looked so shiny and delicious! I couldn't help myself!
Jobs: *growls*, bites at the kid, still held back by Woz's muscular arms
Kid: *cries* I'll never do it again!
Woz: You better run, kid. I can't hold him for much longer.
Kid runs away screaming, Jobs and Woz burst into laughter and high-fives.
Somewhat offtopic here, but I wonder if anyone's ever considered Dasher as a viable means of text input on an iPod? It would come in handy, considering all the PDA functionality it now includes, and it should work well with the scroll/click wheel.
And for the record, yes, I am against IVF for this very reason. Until the process is perfected and not this "hit or miss" stuff that goes on now, it's not ready for primetime.
Then why does everyone target embryonic stem cell use and not IVF? From your viewpoint, you're attacking the symptom, not the problem.
I, in the meantime, would rather see what would otherwise be medical waste put to good use.
Because if you believe that life begins at conception, then the fertilized eggs are in fact children, and precious lifeforms.
I'm not sure if you were reading the parent correctly, but the embryos are destroyed regardless. It doesn't matter if they're used for research, their fate is the same.
So, considering how much you claim to value life, then surely you can agree that it is better to use such "medical waste" to better people's lives, instead of simply throwing it in the trash.
Slashdot Mirror
For what its worth, I think Sony and the DVD Consortium are merely fighting over the next laserdisc. Most people I know don't own an HDTV, and its easy to see why. As stated about, the standards are confusing, compatibility uncertain, and prices are still too high for the average consumer.
I'm in the market for an HDTV myself, however, like most Americans, I'm on a budget, and am looking for something no higher than around $500 for a 30". After doing some shopping, the best I've found are a couple of CRT models from Philips and Sanyo, both being brands that I've had problems with in the past.
At the same time, I can get a high quality SDTV for around $300. With the current lack of content for HD, combined with the high cost of entry and competing standards, this will probably be the route I take. Bear in mind that your Average Joe has little knowledge of what HD is, or what is has to offer. More to the point, the Average Joe doesn't really care. When it comes to a television purchase, a bigger screen and price will be on top of his wish list. You'd be surprised how many people still have no concept of A/V cables, and still connect everything to their television through coaxial!
Additionally, most of the people I know have massive DVD collections that they have spent small fortunes on. They have no interest in upgrading these collections any time soon. Sure, these new players are backwards compatible, but anyone who forks out the money for one is going to feel foolish playing only standard definition DVDs on it. If they don't, then they once again have no understanding of what HD is.
My prediction? Those who DO own HDTVs and understand the technology will decide the winner, most likely on technical merits. The winner will become a niche market, as prices on HDTVs drop over the next few years. By the time HDTV becomes the standard, will be time for a new disc format.
However, there is one thing that HD-DVD has going for it. I can go to Wal-Mart right now and pick up the discs and player for a reasonable price. Blu-Ray might have distinct technical advantages, but HD-DVD is first to market.
Not to mention the logistics of trying to get him in the Comfy Chair.
...get Sony out of the picture, buy Nintendo.
No, it would not be okay. Encyclopedias are not typically considered acceptable journalistic sources, especially encyclopedias that you can edit yourself at any time. Even if this had been acceptable to his editor, he failed to give the Wikipedia entry as a source, which might not have been considered plagiarism, but would still be unacceptable.
On the other end, it would not be okay for him to post his story on Wikipedia after the story ran either, because the newspaper would hold the rights to his work.
Digg for the headlines. Slashdot for the commentary.
Yeah, Digg's comments are pretty worthless, but I think it has to do more with how it's commenting system is set up more than the reader base. Slashcode, for all its flaws, has a really nice system to sort, write, and moderate comments. Meanwhile, Digg doesn't even have threads, making each comment more of an island than part of a discussion. And anyone who knows who the koolaidguy is knows that Digg's moderation needs some work.
In any case, its nice to see Slashdot finally have some competition.
Who cares?
The movie industry is about movies.
The television industry is about television.
That is all.
IIRC, Jefferson was the first Republican president.
This used to be a thread discussing the interview.
Then it got handed over to the Sci-Fi channel where they really fucked it up.
Actually, the virus causes reposts on the slashdot homepage. Apparently, he bought himself a Zen recently.
You can if you freeze it.
Alternation is awkward. He or she used repeatedly is sexist and exclusive. You can't use they or them because that be bad English.
So here's my solution: Combine "he" and "she." Of course, that pretty much just leaves "she," and it's not really inclusive, because it leaves out objects, like artificial intelligences and robots.
So She + He + It = Shit, our new, all inclusive pronoun.
Take for instance, this sentence that appeared in TFA:
"If the player doesn't get feedback, shit can't adjust shit's strategy, and the outcome will feel random. Players need to know whether their approach is working or not."
See, MUCH better!
Yeah, because Jackson wouldn't give a shit!
[doctor] And now I will make my first incisision. ... ...
[Leroy AFK]
[doctor] I'm going to try to go in through the left ventricle and remove the blockage. Nurse, can you run some numbers for us?
[Leroy AFK]
[nurse] Well, I say you have a 32.33% chance of success this time, repeating of course.
[doctor] Well, that's better than usual. We should...
[Leroy] Okay, let's do this! LEROOOOOOOOOOOOY JAHNKAIANSSS!!!!!!
[doctor] Did...did he just go in?
[nurse] Not again...
[doctor] Leroy, you dumbass!
[Leroy] At least I have chicken.
And if by "fully equipped," you mean a Rolls-Royce with titanium plating, guided missle launchers, flight capabilities, and a Mr. Fusion, then yeah, you're right.
The prophesy never said he was to end the Sith. That was only how the Jedi interpreted it.
The Chosen One was to be born of the force, in order to balance the force.
At the end of Episode III, Anakin does this. When all is said and done, there are two Jedi (Yoda and Obi-Wan) and two Sith (Palpatine and Vader).
So, he DID balance the force and fulfilled the prophesy, it's just that the Jedi were too full of themselves to realize what "balance" means.
I think the key issue here is that pop-ups (unders, overs, etc.) are just plain annoying.
This might be one of the reasons Google is so worshipped on here: They introduced a form of web advertising (Adsense) that is clean, simple, low-bandwidth, relevent, and most of all NOT ANNOYING.
The solution for advertisers is simple: If you want your ads to be seen, don't make the user WANT to block your ads.
Sure, pop-ups and spam might make a good deal of money, but I think it would be better for everyone if advertisers instead tried implementing solutions that don't put them at odds with the customers.
More people will click and buy the products, and the web will be an overall better place.
Maybe their strategy is to team up with Woz for a good-cop / bad-cop thing. Sort of like this:
Jobs: You damn kid! That'll be the last time you steal my software!
Jobs charges at the kid, then Woz grabs him, struggling to hold him back.
Kid: I'm sorry Mr. Jobs. It's just that Tiger looked so shiny and delicious! I couldn't help myself!
Jobs: *growls*, bites at the kid, still held back by Woz's muscular arms
Kid: *cries* I'll never do it again!
Woz: You better run, kid. I can't hold him for much longer.
Kid runs away screaming, Jobs and Woz burst into laughter and high-fives.
Jobs: That was fun, let's go grab a cappuccino.
Somewhat offtopic here, but I wonder if anyone's ever considered Dasher as a viable means of text input on an iPod? It would come in handy, considering all the PDA functionality it now includes, and it should work well with the scroll/click wheel.
Maybe an idea for the iPod Linux team...
Yeah, I know, there's ImageMagick and LaTeX, but try producing a newspaper with those, especially on a vt100.
Don't you mean:
"Governor Ballmer, the more you tighten your grip, the more systems will slip through your fingers."
Sorry, couldn't resist.
Then why does everyone target embryonic stem cell use and not IVF? From your viewpoint, you're attacking the symptom, not the problem.
I, in the meantime, would rather see what would otherwise be medical waste put to good use.
This debate seems rather senseless.
I'm not sure if you were reading the parent correctly, but the embryos are destroyed regardless. It doesn't matter if they're used for research, their fate is the same.
So, considering how much you claim to value life, then surely you can agree that it is better to use such "medical waste" to better people's lives, instead of simply throwing it in the trash.
Switch to a trackball. Instead of contantly moving your wrist, you're moving your fingers instead.
I use one on my PC (Unless I'm gaming) and it makes my wrist feel a lot better.