oops - my memory failed me - after a fair bit of searching (curiosity was killing this cat) I finally found that 80s EVH guitar, but my mistake is that the pots weren't volume, but a separate pan for each string. Still, it's part of the history of that individual pickup thing.
This is how the recording industry has always operated and it's not a surprise to anyone with any real experience. It costs money to release a recording, and the purpose of a business is to make a profit. Regardless, this article is misleading, and here's a few reasons why:
Writing royalties: the 15% deal doesn't include writing royalties. If you are a musician then you probably know that the big money comes from royalties (radio play, selling rights for advertising, etc.). That is why copyrights are important to artists. In this hypothetical deal I doubt the band would sign away their ownership; if they did then they are probably idiots. There are plenty of previous examples to learn this lesson from (Bruce Springsteen, the Beatles). In a few cases it is worthwhile - to get a song recorded by Celine Dion the writer must give up 50% of the royalties, but there is almost a guarantee of sales, so it can be a winning concession. Just ask Dan Hill, writer of "sometimes when we touch"
"The record company keeps the packaging and "free goods" funds. After collecting a $9.99 wholesale price, it also reaps an additional $829,900." The article gives the impression that the record company is keeping all this money, but it is going to pay for manufacturing, distribution, advertising, rent and salaries, all the same costs a computer company has, or a software company, or a fast-food company. If a group of musicians wants to take on all these responsibilites and release their product themselves, they can do it, and many have, successfully. (Barenaked Ladies - who moved on to working with a major record company)
Live Performances: for an up and coming band, performing is simply advertising, so touring is not a typically big a money-maker, but if well managed then it can bring in some money. The bigger the band is then the more likely they are making money performing.
The Benefits of Being Self-Employed: If these hypothetical guys are smart then they have an accountant writing off everything under the sun as an expense and they aren't paying much tax.
I've already read a huge number of replies ranting about the greedy music industry. While I agree that there are plenty of creeps and dick-wads involved, that goes for the musicians too, and as I mentioned we are talking about a business, which exists to make money. Yes, they have made and do make bad business decisions, but all areas of business do. Anyways, calling the companies greedy for charging too much for music is really calling the kettle black. They are not witholding air, water or food. It is just pop music, and insisting that you have some sort of basic human right to those recordings regardless of any investment made by anyone else, that is greedy. You don't need it; you want it.
you may better recall than I; what was the guitar eddie van halen was playing for a while (late 80s?) - I'm not sure how the actual output was handled, but it had individual pickups and a volume pot for each string on the guitar. I also don't know if he did anything constructive with this set-up, but while it may not predate the gittler, it is another example of individual pickups.
Midi guitars have been around for a long time; the grateful dead were by no means innovators in that area. Although adapters which mount on a regular guitar are common/normal, in the 80s some companies seemed to think it was necessary to design bizarre spacey/futuristic-looking looking midi guitars (I cannot find a pic of these, unfortunately), but if you remember being in the 80s and seeing a terribly ugly guitar with a big handle connecting the top of the body with the headstock, that was a midi guitar.
I don't know how much the technology has improved since those times (I have been away from music stuff for a while), but up to the early 90s midi guitars suffered from delay (lag, to most of you and me) and weren't 100% reliable in reading notes/conversion to data.
I can see digital guitars being a great innovation. Many people don't realize how heavily music recording now relies on digital equipment; the days of giant reels of tape are already ancient history (expect for those artists who specifically seek out specialty studios which use analog equipment).
"But, it's also too bad that your love for a meglomaniac renders you unable to see the truth about his character."
While I think it's gutsy that you can make so very bold suggestions that you are a mind reader, I can't help but wonder what prompted you to make such a comment. Perhaps you read something in the comment which wasn't there.
I find it alarming that anyone who asks questions about the veracity of some information might be considered "unable to see the truth about his character"; I would think the person who asks more questions, and more importantly, gets accurate answers, would make for a better judge.
I had the same questions you asked, and I wanted to add:
Even if this is a real interview, we are only being given a snippet, not including what led up to the dispute between gates and the interviewer. It is not uncommon for interviewers to back interviewees into a corner and make them look like idiots. We're not being shown if that's what has happened here (even though it sounds pretty damning anyways).
then there's the fact that it is from a German magazine. Was this published in english or was Gates originally translated into german and then back into english for us to view? That could make a difference too.
Also, this interview is over seven years old. Haven't we all figured out that Gates is evil already? Just look at the little Gates/Borg icon - evil! Is this article really news?
I never thought I'd defend Gates over anything, but I'm more interested in accuracy and truth than having a lynching party.
I know the USPS and some other companies bought some segways to try out - how long were these trials to last, and what is the outlook so far? Does anyone here know?
"He'd lose more weight and save even more money if he biked."
He'd definitely lose more weight, but as for the money (and time), it wouldn't be as clear-cut as you suppose. It would depend greatly on the practical lifespan of a segway, which I suppose is still an unknown, and the cost of charging it, which, from what I have read, isn't too much.
Commuting by bicycle over a medium/long distance gets you to a point where you'd probably want a higher quality bike, some decent riding clothes (they do make a difference), and a means to clean up before getting into the office (showering in a nearby gym, if there is one, for example), and then there's regular maintenance to the bike, all of which add to the cost.
Also, I'm willing to bet money that most office buildings wouldn't have a problem with someone bringing a segway into their office, but for some reason it is a sin against a higher god to bring a bicycle into many buildings, so having a secure place to keep a bike when commuting is an issue.
Not that I think riding a bike is a bad idea; I did it almost every day when I lived in california, 1:10 each way, and I loved it (driving, with traffic, bridge tolls etc. took about:45). It wasn't uncommon to not touch my car a week or two at a time. However, the weather in california is very predictable and not a concern for bike commuters. I'll admit that living in the pacific northwest has made me less enthusiastic about riding that much every day.
Right now (once I find a decent job!) I would definitely consider a segway as a 'second car' for myself and the gfriend, as the fella with the site did. I can't see it being good for long distances, but short/medium, it would be perfect.
Yes, well that was the UK, and things are much different in the US. Myself, I have lived in Canada and the US, and holy crap, I still can't believe how screwed up the US tax returns are. I had always assumed the whole dreaded "tax-time is approaching" thing was just a cultural exagerration propegated by comedians and two-bit sitcoms, until I actually had to complete an american tax return. It is a total mess, lacking any sense in its planning and design; it is maddening and confusing to complete.
Canadians, of course (because most of them have nothing to compare with) like to think their taxes are a big pain and complicated, but doing those returns is a breeze - they have more thought put into them and are better designed.
In both cases, I am refering to filling out paper forms, but I'm guessing it's an indication of the level of thought and planning involved throughout the IRS. Each time I had to access it, I had enough trouble with the IRS website to be frightened away from depending on doing anything online with them. I am unaware of any current canadian on-line options.
When will telcos learn that branching out into other areas and buy buy buying isn't going to get them anywhere? They buy into things, they lose money and sell them off, they buy into things, they lose money and sell them off... unless there's some backroom accounting which justifies this crap, it seem pretty dumb, even to non-MBAs. SBC should perhaps take care of what they've already got before getting themselves into more complicated tasks (this comes to mind: the month it took SBC/PacBell to try to connect the phone line in my old apartment - in the middle of San Francisco - which they could never get to work, which pushed me into telling them to stick it up their arses and resorting to the use of a cell phone full-time)
Regardless what the submitter says, the article says that car manufacturers aren't looking at it because plastic is 3x more expensive than galvanized steal.
If that's the case, then expect it to be used by the military as soon as they can get their hands on it!
Linguagen's "bitter blocker" compound, which received a U.S. patent this month, is the first chemical known to inhibit the taste of bitterness by altering human perception instead of flavour
I'm rather surprised not to have found any comments yet from people opposed to this on the simple grounds that fucking with peoples' biology, in however minor a way, is wrong. This is a drug, not a "flavouring".
It's almost cute the way Bartoshuk brings up breast milk in the interview. It's in breastmilk? It must be good for us all then, mustn't it? I suspect he had an earpiece in and was being fed quotes by the marketing department.
Typical liberal response. Don't ever question us because we're smarter than you. Pffft.
what are you talking about? that doesn't make any sense. The point of the saying is to suggest not shooting your mouth off and sounding like an idiot; take a moment to think and then communicate your thoughts clearly. If you can't do that, then don't start blabbing for the sake of saying anything. Try it some time.
even if a station takes requests, your song won't be played if it's not in their playlist. Requests aren't an opportunity for fans to make suggestions to station management, it's an opportunity for management to provide a false sense of involvement to the listener. When it comes to Clearchannel and their ilk, even faking requests would be too much work on such a large and heavily automated system.
unfortunately, U.S. radio is dead, and XM is essentially U.S. Radio. Even if it doesn't suck now, it will soon enough. Program lists are chosen by consumer data, fed into computers and printed on 20lb white. Actually, they probably don't have to bother printing anything - feed the data and the machines will play it - humans just have to drop in the scripted patter from the cloned DJs every station manages to find. Anyways, record companies lean on the broadcasters for support, the broadcasters lean on the record companies for support, and they both end up not moving anywhere worthwhile, and besides they both like to play it safe. The result is playlists that have the same songs played day after day, month after month, from one city to the next. With very few exceptions there is nobody out there willing to take a leadership role, to break new ground, or *gasp* take any chances (chances are bad for business, after all) and not just take what the labels hand-feed them.
If you're interested, you can listen in online at CBC Radio (Radio One or Radio Two) or BBC (1,2,3,4, etc., etc.) and find out what radio that isn't tied by umbilical cord to Big Business can be.
I'm not surprised that the pen thing is false, but it makes a good story for telling around a table covered in beer and munchies:) Also, yes, surely there is a specialized practical application for a robot like this. Still, I stand by the gist of my post, even though I know that selling power comes into consideration with new products:
All too often engineers and designers let the gee-whiz get in the way of practicality and usefulness, when it comes to everyday items.
I think space exploration is amazing. remarkable. From my days as a young boy when sending men into space on the tip of a rocket was an astounding feat, I have been enraptured by every new discovery, every photo sent back from a probe, every new push beyond our boundaries and limitations. I can't get enough of it. At the same time, there's the cost... well you know where I'm going with this.
I can never decide what is the greater injustice - having outrageous space exploration budgets while people starve and live in shacks (even within the US), or having outrageous military budgets while people starve and live in shacks (even within the US), or if it's both.
sorry to be a buzzkill, but these truths can't be overlooked.
although I do see the benefit in people researching whatever and wherever their imaginations take them, and the point of this guy's project was to make the thing balance etc., yes, there is a point to be made that it would be a lot easier to just use four wheels. Kinda reminiscient of that old story about nasa spending big $$$ to develop a pen that would work in zero G while the russians just used pencils.
All too often engineers and designers let the gee-whiz get in the way of practicality and usefulness, when it comes to everyday items.
Still, legway is kinda neat. It looks a little dizzy at the end of the spinning video.
Slashdot Mirror
oops - my memory failed me - after a fair bit of searching (curiosity was killing this cat) I finally found that 80s EVH guitar, but my mistake is that the pots weren't volume, but a separate pan for each string. Still, it's part of the history of that individual pickup thing.
Writing royalties: the 15% deal doesn't include writing royalties. If you are a musician then you probably know that the big money comes from royalties (radio play, selling rights for advertising, etc.). That is why copyrights are important to artists. In this hypothetical deal I doubt the band would sign away their ownership; if they did then they are probably idiots. There are plenty of previous examples to learn this lesson from (Bruce Springsteen, the Beatles). In a few cases it is worthwhile - to get a song recorded by Celine Dion the writer must give up 50% of the royalties, but there is almost a guarantee of sales, so it can be a winning concession. Just ask Dan Hill, writer of "sometimes when we touch"
"The record company keeps the packaging and "free goods" funds. After collecting a $9.99 wholesale price, it also reaps an additional $829,900." The article gives the impression that the record company is keeping all this money, but it is going to pay for manufacturing, distribution, advertising, rent and salaries, all the same costs a computer company has, or a software company, or a fast-food company. If a group of musicians wants to take on all these responsibilites and release their product themselves, they can do it, and many have, successfully. (Barenaked Ladies - who moved on to working with a major record company)
Live Performances: for an up and coming band, performing is simply advertising, so touring is not a typically big a money-maker, but if well managed then it can bring in some money. The bigger the band is then the more likely they are making money performing.
The Benefits of Being Self-Employed: If these hypothetical guys are smart then they have an accountant writing off everything under the sun as an expense and they aren't paying much tax.
I've already read a huge number of replies ranting about the greedy music industry. While I agree that there are plenty of creeps and dick-wads involved, that goes for the musicians too, and as I mentioned we are talking about a business, which exists to make money. Yes, they have made and do make bad business decisions, but all areas of business do. Anyways, calling the companies greedy for charging too much for music is really calling the kettle black. They are not witholding air, water or food. It is just pop music, and insisting that you have some sort of basic human right to those recordings regardless of any investment made by anyone else, that is greedy. You don't need it; you want it.
A friend of mine had one of these for a while. I felt a bit better when he finally got rid of it and just learned how to play a keyboard.
you may better recall than I; what was the guitar eddie van halen was playing for a while (late 80s?) - I'm not sure how the actual output was handled, but it had individual pickups and a volume pot for each string on the guitar. I also don't know if he did anything constructive with this set-up, but while it may not predate the gittler, it is another example of individual pickups.
I don't know how much the technology has improved since those times (I have been away from music stuff for a while), but up to the early 90s midi guitars suffered from delay (lag, to most of you and me) and weren't 100% reliable in reading notes/conversion to data.
I can see digital guitars being a great innovation. Many people don't realize how heavily music recording now relies on digital equipment; the days of giant reels of tape are already ancient history (expect for those artists who specifically seek out specialty studios which use analog equipment).
there was a nested anon-cow response in there directed towards yourself, which I originally missed - everything makes sense now - cheers!
While I think it's gutsy that you can make so very bold suggestions that you are a mind reader, I can't help but wonder what prompted you to make such a comment. Perhaps you read something in the comment which wasn't there.
I find it alarming that anyone who asks questions about the veracity of some information might be considered "unable to see the truth about his character"; I would think the person who asks more questions, and more importantly, gets accurate answers, would make for a better judge.
I had the same questions you asked, and I wanted to add:
Even if this is a real interview, we are only being given a snippet, not including what led up to the dispute between gates and the interviewer. It is not uncommon for interviewers to back interviewees into a corner and make them look like idiots. We're not being shown if that's what has happened here (even though it sounds pretty damning anyways).
then there's the fact that it is from a German magazine. Was this published in english or was Gates originally translated into german and then back into english for us to view? That could make a difference too.
Also, this interview is over seven years old. Haven't we all figured out that Gates is evil already? Just look at the little Gates/Borg icon - evil! Is this article really news?
I never thought I'd defend Gates over anything, but I'm more interested in accuracy and truth than having a lynching party.
I know the USPS and some other companies bought some segways to try out - how long were these trials to last, and what is the outlook so far? Does anyone here know?
He'd definitely lose more weight, but as for the money (and time), it wouldn't be as clear-cut as you suppose. It would depend greatly on the practical lifespan of a segway, which I suppose is still an unknown, and the cost of charging it, which, from what I have read, isn't too much.
Commuting by bicycle over a medium/long distance gets you to a point where you'd probably want a higher quality bike, some decent riding clothes (they do make a difference), and a means to clean up before getting into the office (showering in a nearby gym, if there is one, for example), and then there's regular maintenance to the bike, all of which add to the cost.
Also, I'm willing to bet money that most office buildings wouldn't have a problem with someone bringing a segway into their office, but for some reason it is a sin against a higher god to bring a bicycle into many buildings, so having a secure place to keep a bike when commuting is an issue.
Not that I think riding a bike is a bad idea; I did it almost every day when I lived in california, 1:10 each way, and I loved it (driving, with traffic, bridge tolls etc. took about :45). It wasn't uncommon to not touch my car a week or two at a time. However, the weather in california is very predictable and not a concern for bike commuters. I'll admit that living in the pacific northwest has made me less enthusiastic about riding that much every day.
Right now (once I find a decent job!) I would definitely consider a segway as a 'second car' for myself and the gfriend, as the fella with the site did. I can't see it being good for long distances, but short/medium, it would be perfect.
I found a website here which has specifications for a space vehicle with dual ion engines and solar arrays to power them. This one is manned, too.
Those wanting increased performance on a home or office wireless network.
Yes, well that was the UK, and things are much different in the US. Myself, I have lived in Canada and the US, and holy crap, I still can't believe how screwed up the US tax returns are. I had always assumed the whole dreaded "tax-time is approaching" thing was just a cultural exagerration propegated by comedians and two-bit sitcoms, until I actually had to complete an american tax return. It is a total mess, lacking any sense in its planning and design; it is maddening and confusing to complete.
Canadians, of course (because most of them have nothing to compare with) like to think their taxes are a big pain and complicated, but doing those returns is a breeze - they have more thought put into them and are better designed.
In both cases, I am refering to filling out paper forms, but I'm guessing it's an indication of the level of thought and planning involved throughout the IRS. Each time I had to access it, I had enough trouble with the IRS website to be frightened away from depending on doing anything online with them. I am unaware of any current canadian on-line options.
Maybe because no one wants to go through the ordeal of trying to read one of their rambling, monotonous and over-worded* patents.
* is that a word? it is now! I'll patent it!
When will telcos learn that branching out into other areas and buy buy buying isn't going to get them anywhere? They buy into things, they lose money and sell them off, they buy into things, they lose money and sell them off... unless there's some backroom accounting which justifies this crap, it seem pretty dumb, even to non-MBAs. SBC should perhaps take care of what they've already got before getting themselves into more complicated tasks (this comes to mind: the month it took SBC/PacBell to try to connect the phone line in my old apartment - in the middle of San Francisco - which they could never get to work, which pushed me into telling them to stick it up their arses and resorting to the use of a cell phone full-time)
If that's the case, then expect it to be used by the military as soon as they can get their hands on it!
I'm rather surprised not to have found any comments yet from people opposed to this on the simple grounds that fucking with peoples' biology, in however minor a way, is wrong. This is a drug, not a "flavouring".
It's almost cute the way Bartoshuk brings up breast milk in the interview. It's in breastmilk? It must be good for us all then, mustn't it? I suspect he had an earpiece in and was being fed quotes by the marketing department.
what are you talking about? that doesn't make any sense. The point of the saying is to suggest not shooting your mouth off and sounding like an idiot; take a moment to think and then communicate your thoughts clearly. If you can't do that, then don't start blabbing for the sake of saying anything. Try it some time.
there is a saying: it is better to remain quiet and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt.
even if a station takes requests, your song won't be played if it's not in their playlist. Requests aren't an opportunity for fans to make suggestions to station management, it's an opportunity for management to provide a false sense of involvement to the listener. When it comes to Clearchannel and their ilk, even faking requests would be too much work on such a large and heavily automated system.
that's just the way it is.
radio is dead. get used to it already.
unfortunately, U.S. radio is dead, and XM is essentially U.S. Radio. Even if it doesn't suck now, it will soon enough. Program lists are chosen by consumer data, fed into computers and printed on 20lb white. Actually, they probably don't have to bother printing anything - feed the data and the machines will play it - humans just have to drop in the scripted patter from the cloned DJs every station manages to find. Anyways, record companies lean on the broadcasters for support, the broadcasters lean on the record companies for support, and they both end up not moving anywhere worthwhile, and besides they both like to play it safe. The result is playlists that have the same songs played day after day, month after month, from one city to the next. With very few exceptions there is nobody out there willing to take a leadership role, to break new ground, or *gasp* take any chances (chances are bad for business, after all) and not just take what the labels hand-feed them.
If you're interested, you can listen in online at CBC Radio (Radio One or Radio Two) or BBC (1,2,3,4, etc., etc.) and find out what radio that isn't tied by umbilical cord to Big Business can be.
Ha! Taco made a pun.
All too often engineers and designers let the gee-whiz get in the way of practicality and usefulness, when it comes to everyday items.
I think space exploration is amazing. remarkable. From my days as a young boy when sending men into space on the tip of a rocket was an astounding feat, I have been enraptured by every new discovery, every photo sent back from a probe, every new push beyond our boundaries and limitations. I can't get enough of it. At the same time, there's the cost... well you know where I'm going with this.
I can never decide what is the greater injustice - having outrageous space exploration budgets while people starve and live in shacks (even within the US), or having outrageous military budgets while people starve and live in shacks (even within the US), or if it's both.
sorry to be a buzzkill, but these truths can't be overlooked.
although I do see the benefit in people researching whatever and wherever their imaginations take them, and the point of this guy's project was to make the thing balance etc., yes, there is a point to be made that it would be a lot easier to just use four wheels. Kinda reminiscient of that old story about nasa spending big $$$ to develop a pen that would work in zero G while the russians just used pencils.
All too often engineers and designers let the gee-whiz get in the way of practicality and usefulness, when it comes to everyday items.
Still, legway is kinda neat. It looks a little dizzy at the end of the spinning video.