Everybody bitching and complaining about the 320x240 resolution needs to keep in mind that TVs aren't computer monitors. 320x240 doesn't actually look half-bad on a television screen. Sure, on my 23" ACD it looks slightly pixelated, but on my 32" TV in my bedroom the same video looks actually fairly decent.
No, it's not HDTV or even DVD quality, but it's not THAT much worse than cable TV.
I do feel though that the price needs to be slightly adjusted. Take a 22 episode TV season... that's almost $44 in iTunes. I could buy the DVD (if it was available) for less. TPTB need to keep that in mind.
You raise an interesting point. Now thanks to Yahoo I have a reasonable expectation that whomever I might be chatting with in their chat-rooms is at least over eighteen. Therefore, I forsee problems in certain law enforcement sting operations whereby adult officers portray themselves to be children online to lure suspected pedophiles into meeting these "officers" so they can be arrested.
"But your honor, Yahoo said everyone there was over eighteen. Forget the fact that I was chatting with Lolita134U, I knew she was over eighteen 'cause Yahoo said only adults were allowed in the chat rooms."
Isn't that kinda saying that just because I prefer and can afford a Filet Mignon that the restaurant should charge me more for A-1 Steak Sauce?
So it really *is* all about greed.
That kind of shit pisses me off. I have a Power Mac, and if I go into the "Mac" section at Micro Center, a USB hub, or mouse, costs 25% more than a similar one---from the same manufacturer---on the other side of the store (the PC section).
While I agree with your reply in theory, there is one important distinction between the internet (and any routed-based network) than the "infrastructures" which we know and love today.
Too many cooks have their hands in the pots (pun intended).
Take electricity for example, while it may be connected to a regional or nationwide "grid," the production and distribution is typically controlled by a single government sanctioned monopoly who not only own the means of producing the power but the means of distributing it (and they control it, too.)
Take good 'ol POTS...
Ma Bell owns the copper and fibre.
Ma Bell owns the switching offices.
Ma Bell owns the infrastructure.
If I'm at home in Atlanta and need to call 9-1-1 chances are my call isn't routed to New Jersey (a'la Vonage) before it's routed back to Atlanta where it terminates at a public access point for Cobb County Police.
If something happens to the internetwork connection between Georgia and New Jersey (like the train tunnel fire a few years back in Maryland which knocked out AT&T and MCI's fibre lines) and I'm on POTS, my call stays within the local and regional switching zones and 9-1-1 still goes through.
The problem with the Internet is while most vendors support "standards," I own my cablemodem. Comcast owns the coax. AT&T owns the fibre. Now, say I'm doing heart surgery and I'm in Tulsa and the surgeon is in Orlando... how many networks do you think those packets are going to cross?
The point I was making irregardless as to the parent was that mission critical applications require a mission critical infrastructure.
The Internet may have been designed originally to sustain a nuclear attack but there was no quality of service designed into it. There also wasn't widespread (if any?) use of real-time applications over (D)ARPA-NET back then when the groundwork was originally laid either.
Okay, first off if your physician is using any IP-based service and ISN'T using a dedicated connection then no one's to blame except the fucktard who set it up in the first place.
If you keep the following in mind, you will be a much happier person:
(a) The Internet is not guaranteed to be secure. (b) The Internet is not guaranteed to be reliable.
Anyone making claims to the contrary is a charlatan.
You're right. I haven't. I do have a PS2 which every once in a while I turn on.
I guess I just choose to use my free-time (what little there is) more wisely like reading a book, working on my novel, programming, sitting out on the back porch drinking a cold margarita and simply enjoying life and nature.
Another commenter mentions why I spend money each month for cable TV... that's kind of a necessity. TV brings me news and weather and I really don't need it to be honest.
Of course, the Internet is a luxury but with what I do, it really isn't.
WoW sounds more to me like a graphical version of Tradewars and last I played that game it was on a BBS back in 1995.
There are more important things in life than video games.
No wonder the world's population is progressively getting fatter. Everyone's sitting on their ass at their keyboards and to think that you have to actually pay more money after you bought the game to continue to play it? Why couldn't the developers implement some sort of P2P networking into the application?
Call me a nerd, and call me old fashioned, but this business model sounds like it's working because it's target demographics don't know any better.
Watched it live on CNN, and via NASA-TV and RealPlayer.
Of course, at T- 1m the RealPlayer stream cut out due to the load.
The EFT separation was FANTASTIC! I would love to see footage of the thing falling to Earth, though. You know someone... somewhere at NASA has got to have it.
But the most interesting tidbit gleamed this morning I think was that Lou Dobbs is actually the founder and CEO of Space.com according to Miles O'Brien when he was introducing him. Never knew that.
There has *never* been a movie (before Serenity) that I've wanted to see on opening-night.
Firefly--the series--was witty, entertaining, unique, and charming.
Movie studios need to wake up that while their target demographic may be worth more in numbers, my demographic (I make close to $45/ hr.) has a whole helluva lot more money to spend.
This is obviously a complex issue, and Slashdot is not the appropriate forum for furthering this discussion, but needless to say there is such a thing as the letter of the law, and the spirit of the law.
I find it hard to imagine that lawmakers envisioned satuatory rape laws to be applied to two high school students.
Take for example someone walking home drunk as a skunk and realizes he needs to relieve himself, so he goes to an alley and urinates against the wall of a business.
A patrol car happens to be driving by and arrests the man for "exposing himself."
Public urination is disgusting... yes. But exposing one's self? To whom? To what? Bricks and mortar?
There are sex offenders in some jurisdictions who are registered for this very reason. Should they have their lives ruined as a result?
I'm not saying the system is perfect, but neither you or myself are going to affect change by simply commenting about the issue on Slashdot.
The only way the current laws will be changed is by persuading those who have the ability to change it.
Fair question. I'd have to say the #1 reason why I'm doing this is because I, myself, would want to know if someone was convicted of child molestation on my block.
I am well aware there are flaws with "Megan's Law" and with sex offender registries in general, but unless State Legislators amend those laws, there's little I can do about it.
I firmly believe that if an 18 yr old High School Senior has sex with a 15 yr. old High School Sohphomor then you shouldn't ruin the man's life simply because "daddy didn't approve."
Likewise, possession of child pornography (not distribution) raises interesting concerns in today's age with malware and simply the effect of some browsers pre-caching pages and images onto one's computer.
Rules of evidence should be amended to exclude any finding in one's browser cache folders.
With regards to vigilantiasm, I don't feel that I or anyone else is encouraging it. All of this information is public as it is, and searchable in several other different places. All I'm simply doing is taking the same data and presenting it in a different way.
Regarding your last paragraph, I couldn't agree more.
Slashdot Mirror
Everybody bitching and complaining about the 320x240 resolution needs to keep in mind that TVs aren't computer monitors. 320x240 doesn't actually look half-bad on a television screen. Sure, on my 23" ACD it looks slightly pixelated, but on my 32" TV in my bedroom the same video looks actually fairly decent.
No, it's not HDTV or even DVD quality, but it's not THAT much worse than cable TV.
I do feel though that the price needs to be slightly adjusted. Take a 22 episode TV season... that's almost $44 in iTunes. I could buy the DVD (if it was available) for less. TPTB need to keep that in mind.
There goes their Corporate Philosophy.
You raise an interesting point. Now thanks to Yahoo I have a reasonable expectation that whomever I might be chatting with in their chat-rooms is at least over eighteen. Therefore, I forsee problems in certain law enforcement sting operations whereby adult officers portray themselves to be children online to lure suspected pedophiles into meeting these "officers" so they can be arrested.
"But your honor, Yahoo said everyone there was over eighteen. Forget the fact that I was chatting with Lolita134U, I knew she was over eighteen 'cause Yahoo said only adults were allowed in the chat rooms."
[gavel bang on bench]
"Case dismissed!"
Isn't that kinda saying that just because I prefer and can afford a Filet Mignon that the restaurant should charge me more for A-1 Steak Sauce?
So it really *is* all about greed.
That kind of shit pisses me off. I have a Power Mac, and if I go into the "Mac" section at Micro Center, a USB hub, or mouse, costs 25% more than a similar one---from the same manufacturer---on the other side of the store (the PC section).
Can someone clearly explain to me why (other than greed) software is licensed based on how many number of CPUs/ cores are in a machine to begin with?
With a Dell, it's the Computer, and Winderz is what allows you to do anything with it.
With a Mac you see, it's not the hardware that truly makes a Mac what a Mac is (although the hardware is excellent), it's the software.
I look at it this way... you buy a new Mac and you're paying $500 for the software. The hardware is what just allows you to run the software.
I mean, a new car now-a-days wouldn't be much of a car without the ECM.
While I agree with your reply in theory, there is one important distinction between the internet (and any routed-based network) than the "infrastructures" which we know and love today.
Too many cooks have their hands in the pots (pun intended).
Take electricity for example, while it may be connected to a regional or nationwide "grid," the production and distribution is typically controlled by a single government sanctioned monopoly who not only own the means of producing the power but the means of distributing it (and they control it, too.)
Take good 'ol POTS...
Ma Bell owns the copper and fibre.
Ma Bell owns the switching offices.
Ma Bell owns the infrastructure.
If I'm at home in Atlanta and need to call 9-1-1 chances are my call isn't routed to New Jersey (a'la Vonage) before it's routed back to Atlanta where it terminates at a public access point for Cobb County Police.
If something happens to the internetwork connection between Georgia and New Jersey (like the train tunnel fire a few years back in Maryland which knocked out AT&T and MCI's fibre lines) and I'm on POTS, my call stays within the local and regional switching zones and 9-1-1 still goes through.
The problem with the Internet is while most vendors support "standards," I own my cablemodem. Comcast owns the coax. AT&T owns the fibre. Now, say I'm doing heart surgery and I'm in Tulsa and the surgeon is in Orlando... how many networks do you think those packets are going to cross?
The point I was making irregardless as to the parent was that mission critical applications require a mission critical infrastructure.
The Internet may have been designed originally to sustain a nuclear attack but there was no quality of service designed into it. There also wasn't widespread (if any?) use of real-time applications over (D)ARPA-NET back then when the groundwork was originally laid either.
Okay, first off if your physician is using any IP-based service and ISN'T using a dedicated connection then no one's to blame except the fucktard who set it up in the first place.
If you keep the following in mind, you will be a much happier person:
(a) The Internet is not guaranteed to be secure.
(b) The Internet is not guaranteed to be reliable.
Anyone making claims to the contrary is a charlatan.
Okay... that's just fucking cool.
You're right. I haven't. I do have a PS2 which every once in a while I turn on.
I guess I just choose to use my free-time (what little there is) more wisely like reading a book, working on my novel, programming, sitting out on the back porch drinking a cold margarita and simply enjoying life and nature.
Another commenter mentions why I spend money each month for cable TV... that's kind of a necessity. TV brings me news and weather and I really don't need it to be honest.
Of course, the Internet is a luxury but with what I do, it really isn't.
WoW sounds more to me like a graphical version of Tradewars and last I played that game it was on a BBS back in 1995.
There are more important things in life than video games.
No wonder the world's population is progressively getting fatter. Everyone's sitting on their ass at their keyboards and to think that you have to actually pay more money after you bought the game to continue to play it? Why couldn't the developers implement some sort of P2P networking into the application?
Call me a nerd, and call me old fashioned, but this business model sounds like it's working because it's target demographics don't know any better.
I still love Donkey Kong, PacMan, and Space Invaders.
Plus, why in the hell would I pay $15 just to pay a game that I've already bought?
I see another bubble about to burst here.
FreeBSD has *always* looked pretty good from an ideological pov. It's just that it's never had the coolness factor that Linux has had.
or... g*sm.
It'll be okay, Jim.
Just swallow the blue pill.
What about a child? Where would YOU draw the line?
As for me, I will brake and swerve for dogs, as well as any other mammal that could be big enough to do some serious damage.
(eom)
Shhh! You're giving away the real reason behind the push for DST changes.
The Country was not supposed to know that fact.
Ooooooooh! I'm telling the President. You'll be in trouble, now.
Watched it live on CNN, and via NASA-TV and RealPlayer.
Of course, at T- 1m the RealPlayer stream cut out due to the load.
The EFT separation was FANTASTIC! I would love to see footage of the thing falling to Earth, though. You know someone... somewhere at NASA has got to have it.
But the most interesting tidbit gleamed this morning I think was that Lou Dobbs is actually the founder and CEO of Space.com according to Miles O'Brien when he was introducing him. Never knew that.
rotfl...
:-)
touché
It's "abstain".
According to Hollywood, no.
I second Magnatune and want to throw a nod out to CD Baby, too.
Between CD Baby and Magnatune I now get *ALL* of my music from these two sources and couldn't be happier.
There has *never* been a movie (before Serenity) that I've wanted to see on opening-night.
Firefly--the series--was witty, entertaining, unique, and charming.
Movie studios need to wake up that while their target demographic may be worth more in numbers, my demographic (I make close to $45/ hr.) has a whole helluva lot more money to spend.
This is obviously a complex issue, and Slashdot is not the appropriate forum for furthering this discussion, but needless to say there is such a thing as the letter of the law, and the spirit of the law.
I find it hard to imagine that lawmakers envisioned satuatory rape laws to be applied to two high school students.
Take for example someone walking home drunk as a skunk and realizes he needs to relieve himself, so he goes to an alley and urinates against the wall of a business.
A patrol car happens to be driving by and arrests the man for "exposing himself."
Public urination is disgusting... yes. But exposing one's self? To whom? To what? Bricks and mortar?
There are sex offenders in some jurisdictions who are registered for this very reason. Should they have their lives ruined as a result?
I'm not saying the system is perfect, but neither you or myself are going to affect change by simply commenting about the issue on Slashdot.
The only way the current laws will be changed is by persuading those who have the ability to change it.
Fair question. I'd have to say the #1 reason why I'm doing this is because I, myself, would want to know if someone was convicted of child molestation on my block.
I am well aware there are flaws with "Megan's Law" and with sex offender registries in general, but unless State Legislators amend those laws, there's little I can do about it.
I firmly believe that if an 18 yr old High School Senior has sex with a 15 yr. old High School Sohphomor then you shouldn't ruin the man's life simply because "daddy didn't approve."
Likewise, possession of child pornography (not distribution) raises interesting concerns in today's age with malware and simply the effect of some browsers pre-caching pages and images onto one's computer.
Rules of evidence should be amended to exclude any finding in one's browser cache folders.
With regards to vigilantiasm, I don't feel that I or anyone else is encouraging it. All of this information is public as it is, and searchable in several other different places. All I'm simply doing is taking the same data and presenting it in a different way.
Regarding your last paragraph, I couldn't agree more.