(laughter) Ok, you continue to believe that. The traditional counter is that the actual author receives only a tiny fraction of the publisher's take, and in the digital age, (you may have heard of it) there are many effective ways for a good writer, as with good musicians, or good anything else, to represent themselves without needing a huge marketing and distribution machine that largely markets in venues that are themselves dying, and distributes content in a form that's becoming passe.
I sell content that I have created myself. I am a company of one individual, and manage to do just fine, thanks, without having a giant company represent me. I use internet tools to advertise, present, and manage sales, and after some effort setting it all up, it pretty much takes care of itself, freeing me to create. And unlike the classical model, close to 90% of the selling price comes to me directly.
The era of big companies dedicated to marketing and distribution is fast becoming really most sincerely dead. And personally, I think that's a good thing. A whole generation of middlemen will have to go out and find real jobs.
...welcome to the real world? Radically new delivery systems tend to shake up an industry. Music, TV, books, newspapers, many others in the immediate past (I'm old enough to remember the milk man) or the immediate future (hollywood?). I suppose it's natural for the outgoing industry to fight for its life, but you can't halt evolution, any more than you can pass a law requiring that people ride in carriages pulled by horses. (Although I heard that one town is trying that. I wonder how it's working out for them?) All you can really do is slow it down some.
This is a backup to your backup, so digital means must have failed before you'd consider using it. Text is low density, but it has an advantage that any encrypted barcode or other high tech means do not have -- it can be read by human eyes. When you're huddled in a rough lean-to roasting a feral cat over the campfire amid the wreckage of civilization, you will still be able to read your backup. That might come in handy.
But you have to admit, even it its heyday, Laserdisks were even more nerdy than booting Linux on your Laserjet printer, just to see if you could do it.
I do. But where did the cool guys go to watch movies with excellent video and AC/3 sound? The nerd's house.
The problem I have with the current process is that there is often a diorama effect, which could be an artifact of post-processing-3d or 3d f/x in an otherwise native 3d film. The diorama effect is when you see objects at distances from each other, but the objects themselves have no 3d quality -- no depth. It looks like several 2d films running simultaneously with the closer ones in front of the ones further away. (I'm not sure how else to describe it.) The effect is striking (which is important for a fad) but does not look real on a fundamental level (which is, I think, why people will gradually lose interest).
> Yes, and each incarnation leaves gullible first adapters with expensive toys laying around that they can never use. Or maybe they buy up few movies 3D and watch them over and over again just to convince themselves it wasn't such a dumb purchase after all. (Like laserdisks).
Um, hang on there. Laserdiscs became available in 1978, when VHS was consumer junk even by the standards of the time. Laserdisc users had stereo (long before VHS) and crystal clear fx (still, FF FR) almost double the horizontal resolution of VHS, and offered features in areas where VHS could not compete, like alternate language tracks. They had their issues, (laser rot in badly manufactured discs, the discs are large and unwieldy, no way to record) but did not wear out upon repeated viewings (useful for kids). In many cases, a title on Laserdisc was substantially cheaper than the same title on VHS. (VHS media was priced for rental, Laserdisc media was priced for purchase.)
Laserdisc was a viable medium from 1978 until a little after 1995, when the DVD became available. Our last Laserdisc player (which still works) was a Laserdisc/DVD combo player, which helped us make the transition to DVD.
Now, of course, I have a bunch of Laserdiscs which I never watch because (except for the really obscure) the titles are available on DVD, which is undeniably more convenient and has better quality and features. (Not too long ago, for old-times sake, I compared the Laserdisc and DVD versions of Blade Runner, Ye Gods, DVD blows Laserdisc away.) But for a little over 17 years, Laserdisc was a viable, high quality (by the standards of the time) medium. I got my first laserdisc player in 1979. I got my first VHS machine in the nineties, and then only to time-shift wife's soaps. To my knowledge, we only ever purchased one (1) movie on VHS in all of that time, the Disney animated version of The Headless Horseman, to watch before seeing Sleepy Hollow in-theater. At the time, Disney was very reluctant to sell their titles on DVD. (Now they act like they invented the format.)
Anyway, I would not call a 17+ year lifespan a fad, especially in the field of home video, which tends to have a short life cycle. There was only an 11 year gap between the release of DVD and the release of blu-ray, for instance.
I do no such thing. I was pointing out the flaw in the previous poster's argument, that a motive for using a handgun instead of explosive or poison might be that the assassin intended to survive.
Guns, especially guns of this sort, are easier to conceal, work at a distance and are lighter than the 5-10kg of C4 you would need to haul in past the guards in order to harm the speaker from where they were comfortably sitting. And the bomb scenario carries with it the price of not being able to view your accomplishment because the brain you use in order to perform said observation will be spattered across the ceiling.
I strongly suspect a potential assassin in the Israel parliament would not have a long life expectancy no matter what technique was used.
So granted, they got a piece of plastic in the shape of a gun through security. The article says "a plastic pistol shooting live ammunition" but doesn't say whether any ammunition was actually present. Why is this important? Because the ammunition contains metal, (and propellant. Surely they're testing for chemical agents) and I'd be interested in whether they could get *that* through security. I suspect not.
Overall, I can see where this could cause a furor, but it'd be just as easy, for instance, to get an all plastic/rubber crossbow into the chamber, with the added advantage that an arrow can defeat Kevlar soft armor. (An arrow tip is just a bit of metal, which could be disguised as a variety of innocuous things.) There's always a way, given enough determination, which is why experienced security personnel are on the lookout even in a supposedly secured location.
Just an FYI - I knew an Oxford genetics researcher who wasreally pretty - she dyed her hair brown and wore glasses because she felt that people took her more seriously when she resorted to such tactics. Having been on the receiving end of patronising behaviour myself, I know where she's coming from. After all, when geniuses like Andy Schlafly tell us that men are more intelligent than women, who can possibly argue?
I wonder if it would work better as a glove, with the heat source (your hand) completely enclosed, and more surface area (the outside surface area, not the interior of a tube) to be chilled by the air.
I'm assuming it works until the temperature differential equals out to something that the peltier tiles can't use, then it has to cool off. Immediate thought was that putting it in the fridge (or better yet freezer) for a few minutes would cool down the tube and provide for an even larger temperature differential during use, until the temperature again equals out.
So, for continuous use, the obvious solution is to pack the hollow tube with a miniature refrigeration unit, run on batteries.
As they say, there's never a second opportunity to make a first impression. Microsoft has blown the first impression for Windows 8.
There is also (probably, although I don't think I've heard it said) never a second opportunity to make a second impression. The "apology sequel" needs to be damned good, if its purpose is to alter the mindshare generated by the first. And it looks like 8.1 does not cut the mustard. In fact, it insults the intelligence of the user base, by pretending not to understand what "we want the start button back" actually means. There's also a little taste of "we know better than you what you want" which heaps annoyance on what's already a negative experience.
So, even if there exists (or will at some point exist) some cabalistic set of gestures that magically does every single part of the user workflow as good or better, it doesn't really matter, because the damage has been done. And then doubled down, with 8.1. This is a disaster.
Slashdot Mirror
Sounds like we really need to install a drain in the ocean now.
I for one welcome our new Netherland masters.
If there were a way to move Chicago to Florida, we could solve two issues at the same time.
>> The Western Antarctic land ice is on land which is deeper than sea level.
Umm.. isn't it impossible to have land that isn't deeper than sea level?
It's pretty much a requirement for the land to be able to tip over.
I'm going to sing the doom song now. Doom de doom de doom...
Eventually.
(laughter) Ok, you continue to believe that. The traditional counter is that the actual author receives only a tiny fraction of the publisher's take, and in the digital age, (you may have heard of it) there are many effective ways for a good writer, as with good musicians, or good anything else, to represent themselves without needing a huge marketing and distribution machine that largely markets in venues that are themselves dying, and distributes content in a form that's becoming passe.
I sell content that I have created myself. I am a company of one individual, and manage to do just fine, thanks, without having a giant company represent me. I use internet tools to advertise, present, and manage sales, and after some effort setting it all up, it pretty much takes care of itself, freeing me to create. And unlike the classical model, close to 90% of the selling price comes to me directly.
The era of big companies dedicated to marketing and distribution is fast becoming really most sincerely dead. And personally, I think that's a good thing. A whole generation of middlemen will have to go out and find real jobs.
Sorry, I omitted: Over a campfire of old burning tires. It gives the cat a nice smoky isoprene taste. Try it, you'll.... well, it'll keep you alive.
This is a backup to your backup, so digital means must have failed before you'd consider using it. Text is low density, but it has an advantage that any encrypted barcode or other high tech means do not have -- it can be read by human eyes. When you're huddled in a rough lean-to roasting a feral cat over the campfire amid the wreckage of civilization, you will still be able to read your backup. That might come in handy.
Nerve hit. Duly noted.
But you have to admit, even it its heyday, Laserdisks were even more nerdy than booting Linux on your Laserjet printer, just to see if you could do it.
I do. But where did the cool guys go to watch movies with excellent video and AC/3 sound? The nerd's house.
The problem I have with the current process is that there is often a diorama effect, which could be an artifact of post-processing-3d or 3d f/x in an otherwise native 3d film. The diorama effect is when you see objects at distances from each other, but the objects themselves have no 3d quality -- no depth. It looks like several 2d films running simultaneously with the closer ones in front of the ones further away. (I'm not sure how else to describe it.) The effect is striking (which is important for a fad) but does not look real on a fundamental level (which is, I think, why people will gradually lose interest).
> Yes, and each incarnation leaves gullible first adapters with expensive toys laying around that they can never use. Or maybe they buy up few movies 3D and watch them over and over again just to convince themselves it wasn't such a dumb purchase after all. (Like laserdisks).
Um, hang on there. Laserdiscs became available in 1978, when VHS was consumer junk even by the standards of the time. Laserdisc users had stereo (long before VHS) and crystal clear fx (still, FF FR) almost double the horizontal resolution of VHS, and offered features in areas where VHS could not compete, like alternate language tracks. They had their issues, (laser rot in badly manufactured discs, the discs are large and unwieldy, no way to record) but did not wear out upon repeated viewings (useful for kids). In many cases, a title on Laserdisc was substantially cheaper than the same title on VHS. (VHS media was priced for rental, Laserdisc media was priced for purchase.)
Laserdisc was a viable medium from 1978 until a little after 1995, when the DVD became available. Our last Laserdisc player (which still works) was a Laserdisc/DVD combo player, which helped us make the transition to DVD.
Now, of course, I have a bunch of Laserdiscs which I never watch because (except for the really obscure) the titles are available on DVD, which is undeniably more convenient and has better quality and features. (Not too long ago, for old-times sake, I compared the Laserdisc and DVD versions of Blade Runner, Ye Gods, DVD blows Laserdisc away.) But for a little over 17 years, Laserdisc was a viable, high quality (by the standards of the time) medium. I got my first laserdisc player in 1979. I got my first VHS machine in the nineties, and then only to time-shift wife's soaps. To my knowledge, we only ever purchased one (1) movie on VHS in all of that time, the Disney animated version of The Headless Horseman, to watch before seeing Sleepy Hollow in-theater. At the time, Disney was very reluctant to sell their titles on DVD. (Now they act like they invented the format.)
Anyway, I would not call a 17+ year lifespan a fad, especially in the field of home video, which tends to have a short life cycle. There was only an 11 year gap between the release of DVD and the release of blu-ray, for instance.
Sarcasm detector pointed at Slashdot, promptly exploded.
Forget the models - Do we get our glaciers back?
Yep. At the very next ice age. Coming soon (in geological terms) to a theater near you.
I do no such thing. I was pointing out the flaw in the previous poster's argument, that a motive for using a handgun instead of explosive or poison might be that the assassin intended to survive.
Guns, especially guns of this sort, are easier to conceal, work at a distance and are lighter than the 5-10kg of C4 you would need to haul in past the guards in order to harm the speaker from where they were comfortably sitting. And the bomb scenario carries with it the price of not being able to view your accomplishment because the brain you use in order to perform said observation will be spattered across the ceiling.
I strongly suspect a potential assassin in the Israel parliament would not have a long life expectancy no matter what technique was used.
So granted, they got a piece of plastic in the shape of a gun through security. The article says "a plastic pistol shooting live ammunition" but doesn't say whether any ammunition was actually present. Why is this important? Because the ammunition contains metal, (and propellant. Surely they're testing for chemical agents) and I'd be interested in whether they could get *that* through security. I suspect not.
Overall, I can see where this could cause a furor, but it'd be just as easy, for instance, to get an all plastic/rubber crossbow into the chamber, with the added advantage that an arrow can defeat Kevlar soft armor. (An arrow tip is just a bit of metal, which could be disguised as a variety of innocuous things.) There's always a way, given enough determination, which is why experienced security personnel are on the lookout even in a supposedly secured location.
(raises hand...) Don't believe everything you hear from Piers Morgan. Actually, it's a good idea not to believe everything you hear from anyone.
Just an FYI - I knew an Oxford genetics researcher who wasreally pretty - she dyed her hair brown and wore glasses because she felt that people took her more seriously when she resorted to such tactics. Having been on the receiving end of patronising behaviour myself, I know where she's coming from. After all, when geniuses like Andy Schlafly tell us that men are more intelligent than women, who can possibly argue?
Um, any sapient person?
You know, I don't think I've ever heard someone say "too bad she's pretty" before, especially in this context.
I wonder if it would work better as a glove, with the heat source (your hand) completely enclosed, and more surface area (the outside surface area, not the interior of a tube) to be chilled by the air.
I'm assuming it works until the temperature differential equals out to something that the peltier tiles can't use, then it has to cool off. Immediate thought was that putting it in the fridge (or better yet freezer) for a few minutes would cool down the tube and provide for an even larger temperature differential during use, until the temperature again equals out.
So, for continuous use, the obvious solution is to pack the hollow tube with a miniature refrigeration unit, run on batteries.
Waaaait a minute...
As they say, there's never a second opportunity to make a first impression. Microsoft has blown the first impression for Windows 8.
There is also (probably, although I don't think I've heard it said) never a second opportunity to make a second impression. The "apology sequel" needs to be damned good, if its purpose is to alter the mindshare generated by the first. And it looks like 8.1 does not cut the mustard. In fact, it insults the intelligence of the user base, by pretending not to understand what "we want the start button back" actually means. There's also a little taste of "we know better than you what you want" which heaps annoyance on what's already a negative experience.
So, even if there exists (or will at some point exist) some cabalistic set of gestures that magically does every single part of the user workflow as good or better, it doesn't really matter, because the damage has been done. And then doubled down, with 8.1. This is a disaster.