Where do people get the idea that censorship is the sole domain of government? A business/school/church/organization/publication/etc. are all capable of censorship. I've never understood this idea where people come and say "it isn't the government doing it, so it can't be censorship".
And for a subscription service, what matters is that you continue your subscription. Using the scenario you outlined (people who buy a subscription to Napster or whatever, assuming they should be able to use it with their Zune), you'd still end up with people who buy a subscription, find out it doesn't work, and then cancel and use the Zune Marketplace subscription, if anything. So again, I don't see how the relative success of the Zune benefits other PlaysForSure subscription services. If anything I think it makes things even worse, assuming that the Zune's success eats into other PlaysForSure capable MP3 players that aren't iPods, and that people bought because they did want subscriptions.
Which has nothing to do with the success of other Windows Media-based subscription services - the Zune Marketplace allows you to use a Zune Marketplace subscription; you can't use Napster or any other PlaysForSure Windows Media-based subscriptions.
Right. I didn't mention that since the thrust of the post I was replying to was that Apple was just as evil for wanting to lock people into FairPlay, so I was commenting on Apple in particular. You are right, MS is also going down the DRM-free path. I think my central question still stands though, and I'll be glad to expand it to Microsoft too; how can either of them be seen as still wanting to lock people into DRM?
Apple wants to lock you into FairPlay? Then how does their move to iTunes Plus DRM-free tracks (with EMI, as well as being offered with a number of indie labels now) jibe with that? Apple has extended DRM-free track offerings to the other labels as well, but they haven't bought into it yet (because they want to try and build up competitors like Amazon.com's DRM-free MP3 store).
But seriously, what is your evidence that Apple WANTS to continue locking people in via FairPlay? I can't see anything that indicates that.
I'm pretty sure it's not that simple though (if it were, Harmony Gold would surely be doing new productions with the original Macross designs/etc.). I'm not an expert on this though, but just going by what I've read about the whole situation on both the Robotech.com and Macrossworld.com forums (both of which are populated by some people who seem to truly have expert knowledge on this subject).
As I understand it, Harmony Gold is free to do things like continue selling the original Robotech show, toys based on Robotech, etc. but it doesn't seem to extend to doing new productions with those original elements. They do seem to have successfully scared anyone else from licensing and bringing over other Macross productions though.
It is very unlikely they'll be going back to the "source material" on this one, as there are still a lot of disputes between Harmony Gold and Tatsunoko and Big West. At the very least, they aren't likely to be able to use things like the original Macross Valkyrie (aka Veritech) designs, and they may not even have the rights to redo the original story.
Of course, with Warner Bros. in the fray now, they might actually work out the IP rights, but I wouldn't hold my breath.
To be fair, the original Japanese version of Macross has that too - that isn't specifically the difference between Robotech and the original source material.
But the problem is, this isn't competition in the normal sense. It would be good for Apple to have competition in the form of other products and services on the market that are well-designed, etc. and that people use because they provide compelling experiences, are easy to use, etc.
But this isn't that kind of competition. This is essentially "Hrmm, no-one else has been able to create something that pulls a lot of attention away from the iPod/iTunes model on its own merits....... the only option we have left is to just try and harm them by not selling our product on their service at all."
This kind of competition isn't good for anyone. It is basically saying that you are giving up expecting someone else to create a service/product that people will pay for on its own merit, and the only option left is to force them to choose one over the other by removing the choice at all.
Indeed, a very good point. Why would so many people with Vista be going to distrowatch anyway?
Outside of that, I think it's silly to try and use overall numbers as a gauge of how successful it is as an operating system people LIKE. Vista's numbers are going to go up regardless, since almost all new PC's and laptops you buy will have Vista installed.
But it's clear that not everyone is happy with it. Check out a site like notebookreview.com, and notice how for almost every new laptop that has come out, there is invariably a thread or two about getting XP running on it.
Since no-one's mentioned it, the Brian May song for Queen, '39', is about time dilation, although in a subtle way. That is, he composed it about the idea of some space travelers leaving earth on a mission, taking a year in their time, but when they return to Earth, 100 years have passed.
Multitouch there refers to something else though; namely, the ability to use the screen either with a stylus (active digitizer, btw, not passive digitizers) or with a finger. This was a limitation with active digitizer screens; that is, they could only be used with a powered stylus, but touching the screen with your finger, etc. wouldn't register anything. Passive digitizers could work with a finger or a regular stylus, but they have their own weaknesses (not nearly as much control as with an active digitizer).
So the multitouch in the Lenovo X61 is meant to give a user the ability to have all the benefits of an active digitizer screen, while also being able to touch it.
In Apple's case, "multitouch" refers to various gestures, etc. to perform specific actions (i.e. pinching two fingers together on the screen to zoom in on something). You can also see this concept in the Microsoft Surface demo videos.
What's a 4-year plan? I'm not sure I'm following you. Do you mean the contract? If so, it's a 2-year contract, which isn't specifically unusual in this industry. I'm not sure what you mean "it's cingular who are shocking"; can you clarify what that sentence actually means?
Also, not sure what you mean about being "locked into iTunes"; do you just mean that you have to use iTunes to transfer music/videos to it? If you meant locked into iTunes music or something, of course you don't need to ever buy a single bit of content from iTunes. Like any iPod you can transfer your regular MP3's, etc. as well.
As far as higher phone plan rates; what do you mean? The rate plans are basically the same as other phone rate plans - the only thing that makes it somewhat higher I guess is that the unlimited data appears to be required, but they aren't higher than normal really compared to the plans you'd get with a Blackberry, BlackJack, etc.
The OS makes it stand out, if that's what you're asking. The specific interface and the way you interact with it is fairly different (not getting into whether it's better or worse, just different). As a Treo 650 user who has seen Palm OS go without any significant updates for years, I personally welcome seeing what the iPhone brings to the table.
As far as insurance, it could be insured by something like safeware.com I think.
Some people were discussing this question (why Peter didn't just fly away himself), and someone suggested that his powers must be similar to Ultraboy from the Legion of Superheroes (this conversation had a geek factor of 12), only able to use one recalled power at a time. I would guess this would make him different from, say, Rogue, who if I recall correctly could use multiple powers at the same time.
Anyway, this seems plausible to me. I didn't see every episode of this show, but I don't think he was ever shown using multiple powers at the same time.
The Intel GMA950 graphics do just fine for integrated graphics, as does GMAX3000 (part of Santa Rosa). They can both certainly play some games, and can certainly handle the 3D effects in Vista or OS X.
I don't see why they need to have something more powerful than that though; people with more advanced needs just buy a laptop with an actual graphics card instead of integrated graphics.
I don't think this piece ever really justifies its argument. It seems to be saying that Apple is doing this because they need to make sure their loyal fanbase stays focused on hyping the iPhone, and if they release Leopard at the same time the iPhone comes out (in June), it will distract from the iPhone and Apple's fanbase won't hype it up?
This just doesn't make sense. The big problem is that the actual evidence from looking at Apple's fanbase shows that the opposite reaction has occurred. Not only are a lot of Apple fans pissed off that Leopard isn't coming out in June, but the people who are specifically Mac fans are even more ticked off about the iPhone being the cause of the delay. These are the people who are Mac fans, but not necessarily fans of anything Apple makes, and see the iPhone and the iPod as examples of Apple losing focus on the Mac, and focusing too much attention on consumer electronics, etc.
So the fundamental argument this guy is making doesn't hold water. Delaying Leopard doesn't do anything to change how people who are hyped up about the iPhone will react and contribute to the "hype". And it only serves to make the rest of Apple's loyal fanbase like the product less than before.
And Jobs was quoting Picasso; not sure what would really be all that embarrassing about it. I think it's generally understood what it means, and I think most artists/musicians/etc. have sort of "understood" it since the dawn of mankind. I've always seen it as sort of tongue-in-cheek, personally, something that only artists/musicians/designers would actually say..... generally speaking there are people who steal ideas/etc. who wouldn't be called "great artists", which is always the part that has seemed sort of "off" about the quote (from anyone who has said it or quoted it).
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Where do people get the idea that censorship is the sole domain of government? A business/school/church/organization/publication/etc. are all capable of censorship. I've never understood this idea where people come and say "it isn't the government doing it, so it can't be censorship".
And for a subscription service, what matters is that you continue your subscription. Using the scenario you outlined (people who buy a subscription to Napster or whatever, assuming they should be able to use it with their Zune), you'd still end up with people who buy a subscription, find out it doesn't work, and then cancel and use the Zune Marketplace subscription, if anything. So again, I don't see how the relative success of the Zune benefits other PlaysForSure subscription services. If anything I think it makes things even worse, assuming that the Zune's success eats into other PlaysForSure capable MP3 players that aren't iPods, and that people bought because they did want subscriptions.
Which has nothing to do with the success of other Windows Media-based subscription services - the Zune Marketplace allows you to use a Zune Marketplace subscription; you can't use Napster or any other PlaysForSure Windows Media-based subscriptions.
Right. I didn't mention that since the thrust of the post I was replying to was that Apple was just as evil for wanting to lock people into FairPlay, so I was commenting on Apple in particular. You are right, MS is also going down the DRM-free path. I think my central question still stands though, and I'll be glad to expand it to Microsoft too; how can either of them be seen as still wanting to lock people into DRM?
Apple wants to lock you into FairPlay? Then how does their move to iTunes Plus DRM-free tracks (with EMI, as well as being offered with a number of indie labels now) jibe with that? Apple has extended DRM-free track offerings to the other labels as well, but they haven't bought into it yet (because they want to try and build up competitors like Amazon.com's DRM-free MP3 store). But seriously, what is your evidence that Apple WANTS to continue locking people in via FairPlay? I can't see anything that indicates that.
How would this spell success for Windows-media based subscription services, since the Zune doesn't support PlaysForSure?
As I understand it, Harmony Gold is free to do things like continue selling the original Robotech show, toys based on Robotech, etc. but it doesn't seem to extend to doing new productions with those original elements. They do seem to have successfully scared anyone else from licensing and bringing over other Macross productions though.
Of course, with Warner Bros. in the fray now, they might actually work out the IP rights, but I wouldn't hold my breath.
To be fair, the original Japanese version of Macross has that too - that isn't specifically the difference between Robotech and the original source material.
Or "I Am Legend" for that matter.
But this isn't that kind of competition. This is essentially "Hrmm, no-one else has been able to create something that pulls a lot of attention away from the iPod/iTunes model on its own merits....... the only option we have left is to just try and harm them by not selling our product on their service at all."
This kind of competition isn't good for anyone. It is basically saying that you are giving up expecting someone else to create a service/product that people will pay for on its own merit, and the only option left is to force them to choose one over the other by removing the choice at all.
Outside of that, I think it's silly to try and use overall numbers as a gauge of how successful it is as an operating system people LIKE. Vista's numbers are going to go up regardless, since almost all new PC's and laptops you buy will have Vista installed.
But it's clear that not everyone is happy with it. Check out a site like notebookreview.com, and notice how for almost every new laptop that has come out, there is invariably a thread or two about getting XP running on it.
http://woodside.blogs.com/cosmologycuriosity/2006/ 05/queens_39_and_r.html
http://cosmicvariance.com/2006/04/26/relatively-pl easant/
So the multitouch in the Lenovo X61 is meant to give a user the ability to have all the benefits of an active digitizer screen, while also being able to touch it.
In Apple's case, "multitouch" refers to various gestures, etc. to perform specific actions (i.e. pinching two fingers together on the screen to zoom in on something). You can also see this concept in the Microsoft Surface demo videos.
What's a 4-year plan? I'm not sure I'm following you. Do you mean the contract? If so, it's a 2-year contract, which isn't specifically unusual in this industry. I'm not sure what you mean "it's cingular who are shocking"; can you clarify what that sentence actually means?
As far as higher phone plan rates; what do you mean? The rate plans are basically the same as other phone rate plans - the only thing that makes it somewhat higher I guess is that the unlimited data appears to be required, but they aren't higher than normal really compared to the plans you'd get with a Blackberry, BlackJack, etc.
As far as insurance, it could be insured by something like safeware.com I think.
The answer to that can be seen in the episode "Love & Monsters"
Anyway, this seems plausible to me. I didn't see every episode of this show, but I don't think he was ever shown using multiple powers at the same time.
I don't see why they need to have something more powerful than that though; people with more advanced needs just buy a laptop with an actual graphics card instead of integrated graphics.
Yes, you should be on the lookout for the upcoming ThinkPad T61, which will be Santa Rosa-based.
This just doesn't make sense. The big problem is that the actual evidence from looking at Apple's fanbase shows that the opposite reaction has occurred. Not only are a lot of Apple fans pissed off that Leopard isn't coming out in June, but the people who are specifically Mac fans are even more ticked off about the iPhone being the cause of the delay. These are the people who are Mac fans, but not necessarily fans of anything Apple makes, and see the iPhone and the iPod as examples of Apple losing focus on the Mac, and focusing too much attention on consumer electronics, etc.
So the fundamental argument this guy is making doesn't hold water. Delaying Leopard doesn't do anything to change how people who are hyped up about the iPhone will react and contribute to the "hype". And it only serves to make the rest of Apple's loyal fanbase like the product less than before.
In Soviet Russia..... Errr, I got nothing too.
And Jobs was quoting Picasso; not sure what would really be all that embarrassing about it. I think it's generally understood what it means, and I think most artists/musicians/etc. have sort of "understood" it since the dawn of mankind. I've always seen it as sort of tongue-in-cheek, personally, something that only artists/musicians/designers would actually say..... generally speaking there are people who steal ideas/etc. who wouldn't be called "great artists", which is always the part that has seemed sort of "off" about the quote (from anyone who has said it or quoted it).
Somehow this news made my brain urinate a little. No, I don't understand how that's physically possible, but nevertheless.