There are a lot of great R&D guys out there who have no idea how to get their product into the consumer's hands. Kamen started out making medical equipment (portable dialysis IIRC), and the Segway is the little brother of one of the best mobility devices (wheelchairs) in existence. But his track record is horrible when it comes to mass market devices. OTOH, you have the iPod, which is a very functional and stylish, yet underperforming, piece of technology, and the sell like mad. If he wants to turn the trend around he needs to spend some of that mountain of cash on a top shelf PR and Marketing firm, as opposed to the stunt publicity that "announced" the Segway.
... or could Fossett have helped himself out by spending a relaxing evening with a good glass of scotch and Google Earth? I mean, sure, if I was him I would have an endless list of excuses to go out for a flight in my Citabria, but still... looking for salt flats? Please. Any place big enough to set a land speed record on will stick out like a sore thumb with consumer-grade remote sensing.
No kidding. New England rates for big utility systems are running over $0.20/kwh. Those rates are based on public utility control management and are tied to the regional grid makeup. That means that $100 will getcha about 500kwh, as opposed to 1666kwh for the guy who is paying $0.06/kwh!
"Time of use" metering is an excellent way to reduce peak time consumption. Most systems that rely on a layered baseload/peaker strategy are terribly underutilized at night. That means that their power factor is in the crappa. Not only do you reduce the need for peakers, which have the worst efficiency and create the most pollution, but the baseload plants run more efficiently during off-peak hours. win-win.
It isn't just some "green living" scheme. Power companies prefer to have a more level demand curve. Peakers cost more to run and maintain, and many regulatory schemes pay them even when they *don't* run. So there is incentive on the generation side to reduce peak demand. It results in lower consumer costs without a significant dent in the profit margin.
Those municipal/local power companies with those freakishly low kwh rates? Enjoy it while you can. They will be a fond memory when the plant needs replacement or a major refit. You will be paying grid rate+ for purchased power to make up the shortfall, maybe even permanently if the muni can't put together a cost effective plan.
Your whole gripe is based on a very broad concept of piracy. Anyone accused of piracy has committed piracy? Anyone listening to music without buying the whole CD? Storing a music file? How about in cache? Receiving an audio stream? How about recording an audio stream? borrowing a CD from a friend? Previewing a CD? All nice black and white issues to you, I'm sure.
Your "guilty until proven innocent" approach to those sued by the RIAA pretty much marks you as anti-constitutional. No surprise that you suck up the MAFIAA so hard.
I'd be just as happy to accuse the RIAA of looting the public while the "fair use" lock is broken. Their stock and trade is radio airplay royalties. How this relates to what I do with a CD after I have purchased it is far from settled.
FWIW, I'm a musician and do production work. I have no idea, nor has the RIAA clearly posited, how their actions serve anyone other than themselves. You would think that there would be some kind of massive artist outcry... but they are being reamed so hard by the labels, who renege on contract elements at will, that they use the d/l data when working out either their transition to small labels or to self production and distribution. Even at 0.0% d/l leakage the artist doesn't make their money from sales. They make it on the road and from advert licensing.
You seem to agree while disagreeing. The issue about making records available isn't about your current health care provider. They already have your medical records! And yes, healthy patients are profitable patients. And the less care you require, the happier your insurer is. If you have preventative procedures, or early intervention, it is better for your health but you are now "marked" as a higher risk. This Catch 22 already exists, but this kind of "patient witch hunt" just makes it worse.
This kind of open access to medical records is about your access to your next provider. It could very well be construed as a defensive move against a broad-based National insurance plan. Either way, I think it stinks.
This is just another way in which the insurance industry works to defeat access to preventative medicine. You want the screening for early detection, but it might lead to you losing your insurance, or getting dropped from an employer plan and having to go it alone.
The insurance industry knows three things:
Sick people cost money
Healthy people cost less money
Dead people cost even less money
Guess which they want the most of? The faster you move from sick to dead, the better their bottom line looks.
"the Earth emits awful, ear-piercing chirps and whistles"... which makes us the planetary equivalent of a Counting Crows concert. Nobody wants to be within earshot of either.
Mod me as flamebait all you want, but I guarantee that you won't hear about anything but the rosy "upside" from the pro-nuke folks. They are banking on the inability of the public to see past the rhetoric. For some reason I though Slashdot would be more comprehensive, or dare I say, intelligent. Bad call on my part.
Nuke looks nice at the point of generation, but it looks less nice when you look at the emissions and environmental impact of mining uranium and processing it into fuel rods. And then there is that nasty disposal problem. And then you have siting and permit issues. And the cost of construction.
OK, Here's my offer: Just pay no attention to the fine print and McSame has a good point!
STOP!!! DON'T READ THAT!!! THE FINE PRINT IS NOT PART OF THE DISCUSSION!!!
Even if the post doesn't say so, I'd bet that this unit is shielded with a LOT of lead. If you have been tracking metals prices lately then you know how valuable this kind of "scrap" has become. At roughly $3k per ton, there is a lot of cash potential here. To quote a wise man: "It's the economy, stupid."
"A very good question. It's a complex issue, but bottom line is that we won't need new laws to be able to fly and fight in cyberspace. The DoD's role in protecting cyberspace is governed by domestic and international law to the same extent as its activities in other domains. Other U.S. agencies, such as the Department of Justice and the FBI, have important and, in many cases, leading roles to play."
LEAST reassuring answer ever. This basically equates into "we do what we want to you, when we want, as often as we want to, and use your tax dollars for lube. As you were.
Dear Hollywood, your movies suck ass. The issue isn't about theater-vs-dvd release. Your profit problems are content driven. Make better movies, then your customers will make this whole issue into a moot point. You could project the freaking thing onto the sky from deep space and a lot of people simply won't care because the movie (product) is the stepped-on crap that you are currently offering. Yes, go on making your tragically bad movies less convienient to view, and see how that brilliant business model works out.
I hope this guy keeps his hands off of/. because the new Onion design gives me a headache. Swapping a clean, streamlined design for a USA-Today ripoff isn't my idea of progress.
Yep... Beta-Max, meet BluRay-Max. I'll add in their dismal failure with MiniDisc (one way xfer, proprietary format, no mixed audio/data...) and the fact that they only got MD implemented correctly after the iPod clearly was kicking their butt. Sony is damaged goods in the standards market. Period.
BlueRay is destined for the punchline/dumpster.
Re:Change passive learning to active learning
on
Improving Education?
·
· Score: 1
Amen. Practical application and hands on learning are sorely missing from US public school curricula. Vo-tech curricula make the attempt but the students are pre-damaged by highly craptastic education at lower levels. My experience with middle and high school curricula is that they have become less challenging, and less interactive. The students are then less prepared for technology jobs. The geek-stigma is a result of the geek-desire to outperform, as opposed to being led along at the sedate manatee-producing path.
I'd look forthe following when comparing school systems :
High average SAT scores in the High School level
An active gifted/talented program
A well maintained arts/music/high tech program(s)
Access to college level courses for HS upperclassmen
That would be a good start for determing the "suck factor" of you local school system. Don't look at the budget alone. If you are, the at least get a total enrollment number so you can compare $/student ratios.
The iPod has been the best way to get people to visit an Apple Store. Not just PC users, but Apple users too. All of those iPods didn't get sold by Amazon. People who wanted to see what the buzz was about went to an Apple Store to try one. Most other retailers don't have them out for demo, they just have them in the boxes. Even once the purchase is made the iPod is a de-facto rationale for going into the Apple Store when the owner is shopping at the mall where the Apple Store is located. Accessories, software, nerds! They have it all.
When they get there the might see a very capable laptop with wifi and cd burner for a grand. Or they see a G5 tower that kicks butt on their bottom-feeder Dell box. Even if they don't buy, Apple got into their heads. One of the prime directives of retail is that the first sale is only worthwhile if it leads to repeat business. That is the core of every successful retail operation. If you only sell and iPod and the buyer goes away, you will be going away very soon too.
"I'd love to see their Live CD with PPC support (if that's even do-able)"
I'd love to see it too. A live CD that approached the "Oooohhh Ahhhh" factor of the Knoppix CDs that I use on Intel-based architecture would be a wonderful thing.
I don't understand why a live CD for a *nix friendly platform like the Apple/PPC is so rare. It would seem that the heavy lifting was already done.
>...when I can more easily plunk down a lot less money for any of the new hard drive based MP3 players which come with no strings attached?
Huh? No Strings Attached? You still have to deal with the manufacturer if it fails, you still have to pay cash money for it, and you still have to deal with their implementation of file archiving, transfer, compatability... Anyone who has gone down the garden path with Sony with a MD machine can tell ya about strings attached, but hey, it's your dime....
There were some 80's Chrysler products that would use a verbal warning system for super important things like "your door is ajar" Man, I don't know what we did before that. I mean, hey, *ajar*, ya' know. That could really mess your day up.
ProTools doesn't suck, the industry does
on
Cheap Audio Production
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
I can't believe that we have the opening comment be so crass. ProTools is a tool. It doesn't force anyone to use loads of compression; it doesn't force anyone to autotune vocals; it doesn't force anyone to make endless edits and nit-pick the soul out of a performance. A pro-level PT system might just be the best thing ever for recording live music. Low noise, great headroom, and the ability to do some very useful EQ and gain adjustments in the mix and master phase.
The Problem: The music industry dictates that if you want people to buy a million units of their latest pap then it has to be of a certain style. That is why you hear the same crappy production values on Korn albums as you hear on Dixie Chicks albums. Sweeet, Sweeeet pap, and loads of it. Music doesn't suck any worse now than it did before digital recording, it is just that us Old-Timers (30+) have a new villain to blame it on.
The question was about why the benefit hasn't come across to the consumer in the form of lower prices. Well, the cost of everything has come down, with the exception of management and procuder salaries. They have skyrocketed. CD's cost pennies to manufacture, distribution is cheaper than ever, recording equipment has dropped in price against inflation, and still the artists don't expect to make any money from their CD. I've seen four interviews (on MTV, VH1, A&E, etc...)with artists from varying genres where they have said that despite selling a million CD's they only make money from touring. Speaking of the Dixie Chicks, I saw the interview where one of them is almost intears when the interviewer does the math of CD sales * shelf price. She bluntly relates that Sony remodeled their entire Nashville offices and studios on their sales reciepts. Amazing considering that RIAA is using the artists as poster children for their jihad against music sharing.
What PT *is* doing is making high-quality recording equipment available to more independent musicians. Not just inexpensive PT systems, but inexpensive analog systems dumped by studios who went to PT! I can get 24-track analog (tape, remember tape?) time for a tenth of what it would have cost 10 years ago. Have you seen any other technology service drop from $3k/day to $300/day since 1993? Plus, I can put together a really nice home digital system for under $3k using either PTLE or any of a gaggle of DAW solutions. PT could be considered to be like Starbucks, while there is one on every corner there is also a competitor on every other corner.
Slashdot Mirror
An anonymous source says that Chu has solved the pickle matrix, and has made significant progress on the rebigulator. DOE should be a piece of cake.
There are a lot of great R&D guys out there who have no idea how to get their product into the consumer's hands. Kamen started out making medical equipment (portable dialysis IIRC), and the Segway is the little brother of one of the best mobility devices (wheelchairs) in existence. But his track record is horrible when it comes to mass market devices. OTOH, you have the iPod, which is a very functional and stylish, yet underperforming, piece of technology, and the sell like mad. If he wants to turn the trend around he needs to spend some of that mountain of cash on a top shelf PR and Marketing firm, as opposed to the stunt publicity that "announced" the Segway.
... or could Fossett have helped himself out by spending a relaxing evening with a good glass of scotch and Google Earth? I mean, sure, if I was him I would have an endless list of excuses to go out for a flight in my Citabria, but still... looking for salt flats? Please. Any place big enough to set a land speed record on will stick out like a sore thumb with consumer-grade remote sensing.
No kidding. New England rates for big utility systems are running over $0.20/kwh. Those rates are based on public utility control management and are tied to the regional grid makeup. That means that $100 will getcha about 500kwh, as opposed to 1666kwh for the guy who is paying $0.06/kwh!
"Time of use" metering is an excellent way to reduce peak time consumption. Most systems that rely on a layered baseload/peaker strategy are terribly underutilized at night. That means that their power factor is in the crappa. Not only do you reduce the need for peakers, which have the worst efficiency and create the most pollution, but the baseload plants run more efficiently during off-peak hours. win-win.
It isn't just some "green living" scheme. Power companies prefer to have a more level demand curve. Peakers cost more to run and maintain, and many regulatory schemes pay them even when they *don't* run. So there is incentive on the generation side to reduce peak demand. It results in lower consumer costs without a significant dent in the profit margin.
Those municipal/local power companies with those freakishly low kwh rates? Enjoy it while you can. They will be a fond memory when the plant needs replacement or a major refit. You will be paying grid rate+ for purchased power to make up the shortfall, maybe even permanently if the muni can't put together a cost effective plan.
Your whole gripe is based on a very broad concept of piracy. Anyone accused of piracy has committed piracy? Anyone listening to music without buying the whole CD? Storing a music file? How about in cache? Receiving an audio stream? How about recording an audio stream? borrowing a CD from a friend? Previewing a CD? All nice black and white issues to you, I'm sure.
Your "guilty until proven innocent" approach to those sued by the RIAA pretty much marks you as anti-constitutional. No surprise that you suck up the MAFIAA so hard.
I'd be just as happy to accuse the RIAA of looting the public while the "fair use" lock is broken. Their stock and trade is radio airplay royalties. How this relates to what I do with a CD after I have purchased it is far from settled.
FWIW, I'm a musician and do production work. I have no idea, nor has the RIAA clearly posited, how their actions serve anyone other than themselves. You would think that there would be some kind of massive artist outcry... but they are being reamed so hard by the labels, who renege on contract elements at will, that they use the d/l data when working out either their transition to small labels or to self production and distribution. Even at 0.0% d/l leakage the artist doesn't make their money from sales. They make it on the road and from advert licensing.
So spare us the RIAA rah rah, please.
Dearest Anonymous Coward,
You seem to agree while disagreeing. The issue about making records available isn't about your current health care provider. They already have your medical records! And yes, healthy patients are profitable patients. And the less care you require, the happier your insurer is. If you have preventative procedures, or early intervention, it is better for your health but you are now "marked" as a higher risk. This Catch 22 already exists, but this kind of "patient witch hunt" just makes it worse.
This kind of open access to medical records is about your access to your next provider. It could very well be construed as a defensive move against a broad-based National insurance plan. Either way, I think it stinks.
This is just another way in which the insurance industry works to defeat access to preventative medicine. You want the screening for early detection, but it might lead to you losing your insurance, or getting dropped from an employer plan and having to go it alone.
The insurance industry knows three things: Sick people cost money Healthy people cost less money Dead people cost even less money
Guess which they want the most of? The faster you move from sick to dead, the better their bottom line looks.
Starland Vocal Band!?!? They Suck!!!!
I, for one, welcome our new spam overlords...
"the Earth emits awful, ear-piercing chirps and whistles"... which makes us the planetary equivalent of a Counting Crows concert. Nobody wants to be within earshot of either.
Mod me as flamebait all you want, but I guarantee that you won't hear about anything but the rosy "upside" from the pro-nuke folks. They are banking on the inability of the public to see past the rhetoric. For some reason I though Slashdot would be more comprehensive, or dare I say, intelligent. Bad call on my part.
Nuke looks nice at the point of generation, but it looks less nice when you look at the emissions and environmental impact of mining uranium and processing it into fuel rods. And then there is that nasty disposal problem. And then you have siting and permit issues. And the cost of construction.
OK, Here's my offer: Just pay no attention to the fine print and McSame has a good point!
STOP!!! DON'T READ THAT!!! THE FINE PRINT IS NOT PART OF THE DISCUSSION!!!
Even if the post doesn't say so, I'd bet that this unit is shielded with a LOT of lead. If you have been tracking metals prices lately then you know how valuable this kind of "scrap" has become. At roughly $3k per ton, there is a lot of cash potential here. To quote a wise man: "It's the economy, stupid."
LEAST reassuring answer ever. This basically equates into "we do what we want to you, when we want, as often as we want to, and use your tax dollars for lube. As you were.
Dear Hollywood, your movies suck ass. The issue isn't about theater-vs-dvd release. Your profit problems are content driven. Make better movies, then your customers will make this whole issue into a moot point. You could project the freaking thing onto the sky from deep space and a lot of people simply won't care because the movie (product) is the stepped-on crap that you are currently offering. Yes, go on making your tragically bad movies less convienient to view, and see how that brilliant business model works out.
Sincerely, Keanu Reeves
I hope this guy keeps his hands off of /. because the new Onion design gives me a headache. Swapping a clean, streamlined design for a USA-Today ripoff isn't my idea of progress.
Yep... Beta-Max, meet BluRay-Max. I'll add in their dismal failure with MiniDisc (one way xfer, proprietary format, no mixed audio/data...) and the fact that they only got MD implemented correctly after the iPod clearly was kicking their butt. Sony is damaged goods in the standards market. Period.
BlueRay is destined for the punchline/dumpster.
I'd look forthe following when comparing school systems :
High average SAT scores in the High School level
An active gifted/talented program
A well maintained arts/music/high tech program(s)
Access to college level courses for HS upperclassmen
That would be a good start for determing the "suck factor" of you local school system. Don't look at the budget alone. If you are, the at least get a total enrollment number so you can compare $/student ratios.
My favorite static rocketry exhibit is the Redstone Missle in Warren, NH which you can see a nice picture of at: http://www.geocities.com/redstone_mrbm/displays.ht m
Von Braun started making these souped-up V2's for the good ol' USofA. Gotta love it!
The iPod has been the best way to get people to visit an Apple Store. Not just PC users, but Apple users too. All of those iPods didn't get sold by Amazon. People who wanted to see what the buzz was about went to an Apple Store to try one. Most other retailers don't have them out for demo, they just have them in the boxes. Even once the purchase is made the iPod is a de-facto rationale for going into the Apple Store when the owner is shopping at the mall where the Apple Store is located. Accessories, software, nerds! They have it all.
When they get there the might see a very capable laptop with wifi and cd burner for a grand. Or they see a G5 tower that kicks butt on their bottom-feeder Dell box. Even if they don't buy, Apple got into their heads. One of the prime directives of retail is that the first sale is only worthwhile if it leads to repeat business. That is the core of every successful retail operation. If you only sell and iPod and the buyer goes away, you will be going away very soon too.
"I'd love to see their Live CD with PPC support (if that's even do-able)" I'd love to see it too. A live CD that approached the "Oooohhh Ahhhh" factor of the Knoppix CDs that I use on Intel-based architecture would be a wonderful thing. I don't understand why a live CD for a *nix friendly platform like the Apple/PPC is so rare. It would seem that the heavy lifting was already done.
Obvious troll? Thanks!
> ...when I can more easily plunk down a lot less money for any of the new hard drive based MP3 players which come with no strings attached?
Huh? No Strings Attached? You still have to deal with the manufacturer if it fails, you still have to pay cash money for it, and you still have to deal with their implementation of file archiving, transfer, compatability... Anyone who has gone down the garden path with Sony with a MD machine can tell ya about strings attached, but hey, it's your dime....
There were some 80's Chrysler products that would use a verbal warning system for super important things like "your door is ajar" Man, I don't know what we did before that. I mean, hey, *ajar*, ya' know. That could really mess your day up.
I can't believe that we have the opening comment be so crass. ProTools is a tool. It doesn't force anyone to use loads of compression; it doesn't force anyone to autotune vocals; it doesn't force anyone to make endless edits and nit-pick the soul out of a performance. A pro-level PT system might just be the best thing ever for recording live music. Low noise, great headroom, and the ability to do some very useful EQ and gain adjustments in the mix and master phase. The Problem: The music industry dictates that if you want people to buy a million units of their latest pap then it has to be of a certain style. That is why you hear the same crappy production values on Korn albums as you hear on Dixie Chicks albums. Sweeet, Sweeeet pap, and loads of it. Music doesn't suck any worse now than it did before digital recording, it is just that us Old-Timers (30+) have a new villain to blame it on. The question was about why the benefit hasn't come across to the consumer in the form of lower prices. Well, the cost of everything has come down, with the exception of management and procuder salaries. They have skyrocketed. CD's cost pennies to manufacture, distribution is cheaper than ever, recording equipment has dropped in price against inflation, and still the artists don't expect to make any money from their CD. I've seen four interviews (on MTV, VH1, A&E, etc...)with artists from varying genres where they have said that despite selling a million CD's they only make money from touring. Speaking of the Dixie Chicks, I saw the interview where one of them is almost intears when the interviewer does the math of CD sales * shelf price. She bluntly relates that Sony remodeled their entire Nashville offices and studios on their sales reciepts. Amazing considering that RIAA is using the artists as poster children for their jihad against music sharing. What PT *is* doing is making high-quality recording equipment available to more independent musicians. Not just inexpensive PT systems, but inexpensive analog systems dumped by studios who went to PT! I can get 24-track analog (tape, remember tape?) time for a tenth of what it would have cost 10 years ago. Have you seen any other technology service drop from $3k/day to $300/day since 1993? Plus, I can put together a really nice home digital system for under $3k using either PTLE or any of a gaggle of DAW solutions. PT could be considered to be like Starbucks, while there is one on every corner there is also a competitor on every other corner.