I, for one, am glad to see the rerelease of one of the greatest rock albums ever published. David paved the way for much of the gender- and genre-bending music of the 80's, 90's, and the 21st century.
It is incredible to see how modern technology is making these things possible. Rather than destroying LP culture, the CD is enriching it. It is truly a wonder to live in these times.
I daresay that I am in strong favour of any technology that can increase the audiences of struggling musicians. People forget that the current wave of civilisation began in the Rennaisance, and was due largely to the activities of a few visionary artists, and musicians in particular.
The bulk of our energies should go into supporting culture and the Arts. Otherwise, we end up no better off than our ancestors in the Dark Ages. And that, fellow Slashdot readers, would be a tragedy indeed.
Sometimes I feel as though one should need a license to practise maths.
It makes little sense to calculate the probability of something that has already occurred. If we have been visited (and as a self-described space nut, I'll admit I find the possibility positively knee-weakening), then that stands as evidence on its own that our being visited is possible.
I have heard similar arguments for why the end of the human race is very near. The reasoning goes, that since the human population is always growing, it is more probable that I would be born in the 20th century than in any century prior. But wouldn't it then be even more probable if I were born in the 25th century? In fact, the chances of my being born in the 20th century would be vanishingly small. Therefore, it is safe to assume that there will be no people in the 25th century.
You can prove nearly any crazy idea with this kind of "thinking."
Frankly, such behaviour is par for the course in the Far East. Really, we should be thankful they've permitted relatively free communication thus far, and that regions like Japan and Hong Kong manage to permit some sort of unhindered exchange of ideas. Were this story about the UK, I'd be surprised. As it is, I'm willing to chalk it up to cultural differences and let it go at that.
It's fascinating to see computers already at the point where they are practically players in a spectater sport. The Science Fiction authors of the 60's had it half right: technology has taken over, but not violently. Rather than be dominated by violent, fascist robots, we have chosen to assimilate computers into our very lives.
I'm proud of humanity, and I'm thankful for the visionaries who warned us away from the dark side of technology. I always love a chance to be proud of humanity.
Some things have changed since the 60's, but love of life and nature isn't one of them. I can't wait to see what comes up next...we're all in it together, and the grand finale is right around the corner!
The state of radio throughout the Western world is shameful. As an "insider," I have seen all sorts of behaviour that would curdle your milk if you knew about it. We need to break the pattern of cheap, mass-produced pop music, and the best way to accomplish that is to subject broadcasters and music labels to the scrutiny they deserve.
As a person with a considerable dedication to music, I am heartened by any progress in the area of hearing restoration. Too often the hearing abled take for granted what surely is the most emotive of the senses. This is a step in the right direction, and a strong step at that.
As for FORTRAN, that doesn't surprise me. FORTRAN has always been the language of choice for low-level signal processing, where the overhead of C libraries makes anything else impractical.
It is high time that the United States join the rest of the civilised world in adopting colourful currency. You will soon find that it raises the spirit and invigourates the soul.
I would suggest a psychadelic colour scheme that hearkens back to the days of free love and peace. I suspect that won't go over to well, but a man can dream, can't he?
I have to say, this is shocking but wonderful. It won't be long before we have the ability to grow and harvest our own soldiers in a laboratory. It sounds gruesome, but with the world in the state in which it is, I fear we have more wars yet to fight, before we can live in peace again. And any technology that prevents the senseless deaths of our world's sons should be supported, despite any moral qualms regarding the technology itself.
There is far, far too much hurt in the world today to hesitate for a minute over these concerns, perplexing though they may be.
First they beat us at chess. Then they take our jobs. Now they challenge our authority in football. What next?
I think it is only a matter of time before the machines take over. Strangely enough, I'm not worried. I've seen the cruelty of this world, the irrational hatred and fear that almost defines humanity. I've seen the pain that one human can put another through in the name of love.
There is something colder than the heart of a machine. And that is the heart of a man.
As a member of the entertainment industry, I have to throw my weight into the Mac camp. Music apps like Cubase that just aren't available for Intel PCs are essential to the cutting-edge musician.
The new Macintosh Operating System, affectionately referred to as "X," also does a superior job of coupling media programs with the OS itself. I believe this is an effect of the Open Source nature of the OS, as software developers appear to be crafting their wares with greater insight into what happens "beneath the hood."
Sadly, Windows' paltry competition in this area has encouraged stagnation in the Macintosh audio market. Hopefully, Linux will cause things to pick up a bit, or music fans may be forced to listen to the same crap that has been flooding the airwaves for the last decade or so.
Strange and fascinating. It never ceases to amaze me the wide variety of species still unknown to us here on Earth, even after all of these years.
Surely if something like this (a metre long!) can go undiscovered for so long, then it would be pure folly to suppose we are all alone in the Universe, though we've seen no signs of other life.
I'm sorry, Mr. Nazi, but I appear to have located several errors in your grammar.
The problem is that, currently, people only use them to IM their friends and not use them work related uses.
If you break the parallel construction into two, you have "people only use them to IM their friends" (fine) and "people not use them work related issues" (nonsense).
What needs to happen is to get...
"To get" cannot "happen."
90% of my work email messages could have been accomplished with a few IMs to whomever I'm sending messages to.
I think you mean that 90% of the effects of your work email messages could have been accomplished with a few IMs. Furthermore, the sentence ends with a preposition. You want to say, "to whomever to I'm sending messages." That's awkward, so I'd rewrite to avoid the problem entirely.
I hope this helps. I have found your advice on grammar very useful in the past, and just want to return the favour.
As someone who has at one time or another been considered a musician who "pushes the envelope" in modern pop music, I have to give credit where credit is due.
My countryman not only paved new way in what is literally mulimaedia, but he has also demonstrated awe-inspiring restraint in letting this be discovered independently, after nearly three years.
As someone who was to some extent in the "public eye" during the first science fiction boom (a product of the American Cold War with the USSR), I feel the need to point out that tracking books alone does not provide the whole story, as it were.
My experience is limited to music, so I will constrain my comments to that field in what follows.
During that period of high international tension, interest in all things technological skyrocketted (again, no pun intended). While this surely sold paperbacks, the impact on all flavours of popular culture is simply beyond question. In the space of a decade we were given songs such as David Bowie's "Space Oddity" (featuring a main character worthy of Asimov) and movies, including Kubrick's 2001 and, of course, Star Wars. Even ignoring the merchandising that went along with these, the impact on Western culture is incredible.
In essence, science fiction represents more than a shelf or wall at your local book shop. It represents an entire school of thought, an obsession of modern man. It has been bred and inscribed into us from childhood. Counting books sold will never demonstrate the "popularity" of science fiction.
But do you know what will? Taking the hand of a child, standing under the night sky, looking up, and wondering... It's a spirit that lives in all of us, an inquisitiveness that won't be silenced. You can theorise about marketing trends all you want, but it is this essential humanity that will guarantee a market for "sci fi" until the end of time.
As someone "in the business," I thought I'd share my experiences with echo cancellation in major label recordings.
I must admit that I've never dealt with echo cancellation as a large obstacle. It is generally something taken care of by the sound engineers along with everything else. And artists: when selecting an engineer, don't pay attention to name-dropping or even reputation if you haven't heard his (or her) work yourself. In this business, a DAT is worth a thousand words, and listening to what your engineer has done in the past will not only help you avoid difficult hires, but will give you context when working with this person.
As for digital effects, I have had some experience with Akai products, but mostly regarding live performances. Again, I tend to leave the hard labour to my engineer(s). After all, I do not ask them to sing songs for me.
As a professional in the popular music industry, I thought I might offer my impressions.
Once upon a time, it seems that the phonograph must have threatened the music industry. After all, performers of the time would have made their living from live performances, so the concept of people being able to hear the music without attending a physical performance must have been very scary indeed. But of course, the availability of records just made music more popular and more in the mainstream.
Then when music radio came along, it must have shaken up the music industry of that time. All of a sudden, people didn't even need to buy records to hear the music: they could hear it for free on the radio! But, once again, this just increased the public's love for music.
And here we are again, playing out the same farce. Don't believe it, Internet friends: pop music is in no danger. The artists are as excited about the new frontier of music as the fans are. Let's just try to get through the painful transition period in one piece.
according to the article, when the economy gets better, we see a rise in unemployment.....
when i am doing better at my job, they pay me less....
As a fellow musician, I would say that the root cause of this phenomenon is the proliferation of awful contract terms. To any musicians just getting started: hold out for a good contract, and try to keep things short-term, so you can renegotiate as you become more succesful.
Obviously, this is not nearly as easy as it once was. To those still struggling and trying to make it: keep on plugging away. It's a long and difficult road, but if you believe in yourself, you will prevail.
Surprisingly, you are not the only one confused by this. Bernie and I actually did write that for the Honky Chateau record in the early 70's ('72 or '73, if I can recall). Perhaps you are confusing the tune with David's "Space Oddity," the single of which was released a few years prior, if I am not mistaken.
Space was a popular subject in those days, and I fear we were all a little swept away in the romance of it all. Incidentally, I identify still with those old lyrics, as I see the Internet as today's equivalent to the outer space of the late 60's and early 70's. So I think I still may be a Rocketman once more.
Okay, some of that makes more sense to me. As I said, I'm not up-to-speed in how the defense industry really works, having only heard about it from one person.
The companies listed as possible contractors for the new project aren't incredibly surprising. When I met with Lockheed Martin executives a while back as part of a consulting gig that didn't pan out, I asked them a few questions about the industry.
Now, I am coming from a background where I am not incredibly familiar with either U.S. capitalism or with issues of defense. Basically, there are a handful of these companies that compete for every government contract. To maintain "competition," the government will try to spread the love around, going with different companies for succesive contracts.
But each individual contract is too big for a single company to fulfill on its own, so whomever ends up winning the contract will turn around and outsource some of the work to...the same "competitors" whose bids they beat out!
As a retired rocketman, I am the first to support expansion and improvement of any nation's space program. I just wanted to point out that the notion of "who will build the next generation shuttle" should be taken with a grain of salt.
Slashdot Mirror
I, for one, am glad to see the rerelease of one of the greatest rock albums ever published. David paved the way for much of the gender- and genre-bending music of the 80's, 90's, and the 21st century.
It is incredible to see how modern technology is making these things possible. Rather than destroying LP culture, the CD is enriching it. It is truly a wonder to live in these times.
Congrats, David. My prayers are with you.
I happen to be at odds with the banishment of art from corporate image. In addition, an analogy struck me.
:: operating systems : dirty hippies
web sites : moody artists
By the principles put forth in this book, Linux would not exist!
I ask the Slashdot community to consider carefully the contributions made by artists. Without culture, we would still be living in the Middle Ages.
English rock music has truly lost a great figure.
He touched many lives, and his music will carry on his spirit.
:(
I daresay that I am in strong favour of any technology that can increase the audiences of struggling musicians. People forget that the current wave of civilisation began in the Rennaisance, and was due largely to the activities of a few visionary artists, and musicians in particular.
The bulk of our energies should go into supporting culture and the Arts. Otherwise, we end up no better off than our ancestors in the Dark Ages. And that, fellow Slashdot readers, would be a tragedy indeed.
Sometimes I feel as though one should need a license to practise maths.
It makes little sense to calculate the probability of something that has already occurred. If we have been visited (and as a self-described space nut, I'll admit I find the possibility positively knee-weakening), then that stands as evidence on its own that our being visited is possible.
I have heard similar arguments for why the end of the human race is very near. The reasoning goes, that since the human population is always growing, it is more probable that I would be born in the 20th century than in any century prior. But wouldn't it then be even more probable if I were born in the 25th century? In fact, the chances of my being born in the 20th century would be vanishingly small. Therefore, it is safe to assume that there will be no people in the 25th century.
You can prove nearly any crazy idea with this kind of "thinking."
Frankly, such behaviour is par for the course in the Far East. Really, we should be thankful they've permitted relatively free communication thus far, and that regions like Japan and Hong Kong manage to permit some sort of unhindered exchange of ideas. Were this story about the UK, I'd be surprised. As it is, I'm willing to chalk it up to cultural differences and let it go at that.
It's fascinating to see computers already at the point where they are practically players in a spectater sport. The Science Fiction authors of the 60's had it half right: technology has taken over, but not violently. Rather than be dominated by violent, fascist robots, we have chosen to assimilate computers into our very lives.
I'm proud of humanity, and I'm thankful for the visionaries who warned us away from the dark side of technology. I always love a chance to be proud of humanity.
Some things have changed since the 60's, but love of life and nature isn't one of them. I can't wait to see what comes up next...we're all in it together, and the grand finale is right around the corner!
The state of radio throughout the Western world is shameful. As an "insider," I have seen all sorts of behaviour that would curdle your milk if you knew about it. We need to break the pattern of cheap, mass-produced pop music, and the best way to accomplish that is to subject broadcasters and music labels to the scrutiny they deserve.
As a person with a considerable dedication to music, I am heartened by any progress in the area of hearing restoration. Too often the hearing abled take for granted what surely is the most emotive of the senses. This is a step in the right direction, and a strong step at that.
As for FORTRAN, that doesn't surprise me. FORTRAN has always been the language of choice for low-level signal processing, where the overhead of C libraries makes anything else impractical.
Carry on!
It is high time that the United States join the rest of the civilised world in adopting colourful currency. You will soon find that it raises the spirit and invigourates the soul.
I would suggest a psychadelic colour scheme that hearkens back to the days of free love and peace. I suspect that won't go over to well, but a man can dream, can't he?
I have to say, this is shocking but wonderful. It won't be long before we have the ability to grow and harvest our own soldiers in a laboratory. It sounds gruesome, but with the world in the state in which it is, I fear we have more wars yet to fight, before we can live in peace again. And any technology that prevents the senseless deaths of our world's sons should be supported, despite any moral qualms regarding the technology itself.
There is far, far too much hurt in the world today to hesitate for a minute over these concerns, perplexing though they may be.
First they beat us at chess. Then they take our jobs. Now they challenge our authority in football. What next?
I think it is only a matter of time before the machines take over. Strangely enough, I'm not worried. I've seen the cruelty of this world, the irrational hatred and fear that almost defines humanity. I've seen the pain that one human can put another through in the name of love.
There is something colder than the heart of a machine. And that is the heart of a man.
As a member of the entertainment industry, I have to throw my weight into the Mac camp. Music apps like Cubase that just aren't available for Intel PCs are essential to the cutting-edge musician.
The new Macintosh Operating System, affectionately referred to as "X," also does a superior job of coupling media programs with the OS itself. I believe this is an effect of the Open Source nature of the OS, as software developers appear to be crafting their wares with greater insight into what happens "beneath the hood."
Sadly, Windows' paltry competition in this area has encouraged stagnation in the Macintosh audio market. Hopefully, Linux will cause things to pick up a bit, or music fans may be forced to listen to the same crap that has been flooding the airwaves for the last decade or so.
Cheers.
"The Great Beyond" usually refers to the afterlife, but your point is well taken just the same.
Strange and fascinating. It never ceases to amaze me the wide variety of species still unknown to us here on Earth, even after all of these years.
Surely if something like this (a metre long!) can go undiscovered for so long, then it would be pure folly to suppose we are all alone in the Universe, though we've seen no signs of other life.
It's a wonderful world we live in.
I'm sorry, Mr. Nazi, but I appear to have located several errors in your grammar.
The problem is that, currently, people only use them to IM their friends and not use them work related uses.
If you break the parallel construction into two, you have "people only use them to IM their friends" (fine) and "people not use them work related issues" (nonsense).
What needs to happen is to get...
"To get" cannot "happen."
90% of my work email messages could have been accomplished with a few IMs to whomever I'm sending messages to.
I think you mean that 90% of the effects of your work email messages could have been accomplished with a few IMs. Furthermore, the sentence ends with a preposition. You want to say, "to whomever to I'm sending messages." That's awkward, so I'd rewrite to avoid the problem entirely.
I hope this helps. I have found your advice on grammar very useful in the past, and just want to return the favour.
My countryman not only paved new way in what is literally mulimaedia, but he has also demonstrated awe-inspiring restraint in letting this be discovered independently, after nearly three years.
Mr. Twin, I applaud you.
My experience is limited to music, so I will constrain my comments to that field in what follows.
During that period of high international tension, interest in all things technological skyrocketted (again, no pun intended). While this surely sold paperbacks, the impact on all flavours of popular culture is simply beyond question. In the space of a decade we were given songs such as David Bowie's "Space Oddity" (featuring a main character worthy of Asimov) and movies, including Kubrick's 2001 and, of course, Star Wars. Even ignoring the merchandising that went along with these, the impact on Western culture is incredible.
In essence, science fiction represents more than a shelf or wall at your local book shop. It represents an entire school of thought, an obsession of modern man. It has been bred and inscribed into us from childhood. Counting books sold will never demonstrate the "popularity" of science fiction.
But do you know what will? Taking the hand of a child, standing under the night sky, looking up, and wondering... It's a spirit that lives in all of us, an inquisitiveness that won't be silenced. You can theorise about marketing trends all you want, but it is this essential humanity that will guarantee a market for "sci fi" until the end of time.
Take care, everyone, and keep on dreaming.
I must admit that I've never dealt with echo cancellation as a large obstacle. It is generally something taken care of by the sound engineers along with everything else. And artists: when selecting an engineer, don't pay attention to name-dropping or even reputation if you haven't heard his (or her) work yourself. In this business, a DAT is worth a thousand words, and listening to what your engineer has done in the past will not only help you avoid difficult hires, but will give you context when working with this person.
As for digital effects, I have had some experience with Akai products, but mostly regarding live performances. Again, I tend to leave the hard labour to my engineer(s). After all, I do not ask them to sing songs for me.
Once upon a time, it seems that the phonograph must have threatened the music industry. After all, performers of the time would have made their living from live performances, so the concept of people being able to hear the music without attending a physical performance must have been very scary indeed. But of course, the availability of records just made music more popular and more in the mainstream.
Then when music radio came along, it must have shaken up the music industry of that time. All of a sudden, people didn't even need to buy records to hear the music: they could hear it for free on the radio! But, once again, this just increased the public's love for music.
And here we are again, playing out the same farce. Don't believe it, Internet friends: pop music is in no danger. The artists are as excited about the new frontier of music as the fans are. Let's just try to get through the painful transition period in one piece.
when i am doing better at my job, they pay me less....
As a fellow musician, I would say that the root cause of this phenomenon is the proliferation of awful contract terms. To any musicians just getting started: hold out for a good contract, and try to keep things short-term, so you can renegotiate as you become more succesful.
Obviously, this is not nearly as easy as it once was. To those still struggling and trying to make it: keep on plugging away. It's a long and difficult road, but if you believe in yourself, you will prevail.
Surprisingly, you are not the only one confused by this. Bernie and I actually did write that for the Honky Chateau record in the early 70's ('72 or '73, if I can recall). Perhaps you are confusing the tune with David's "Space Oddity," the single of which was released a few years prior, if I am not mistaken.
Space was a popular subject in those days, and I fear we were all a little swept away in the romance of it all. Incidentally, I identify still with those old lyrics, as I see the Internet as today's equivalent to the outer space of the late 60's and early 70's. So I think I still may be a Rocketman once more.
You are excused, of course. Best of luck to you.
I find the clouds charming and psychadelic...reminds me of London, 1966.
Okay, some of that makes more sense to me. As I said, I'm not up-to-speed in how the defense industry really works, having only heard about it from one person.
Now, I am coming from a background where I am not incredibly familiar with either U.S. capitalism or with issues of defense. Basically, there are a handful of these companies that compete for every government contract. To maintain "competition," the government will try to spread the love around, going with different companies for succesive contracts.
But each individual contract is too big for a single company to fulfill on its own, so whomever ends up winning the contract will turn around and outsource some of the work to...the same "competitors" whose bids they beat out!
As a retired rocketman, I am the first to support expansion and improvement of any nation's space program. I just wanted to point out that the notion of "who will build the next generation shuttle" should be taken with a grain of salt.