And once you write a specialized algorithm for it, you are really just defining your own binary file format.
No objections, and I really can't understand why anyone would want to use XML for raster data either. Vector graphics are an entirely different matter though seeing as they are much smaller than raster graphics. You'd typically do fine with a few hundreds of elements, rarely hundreds of thousands, and those elements are more abstract than raw pixels which I think gives XML a few advantages over binary.
It compresses well, sure. But it won't compress well enough to negate the effect of it being in XML.
With a good enough compression algorithm/method, the XML redundancy wouldn't matter, only give a bigger header size.
Consider the format the parent post suggested:
<pixel> <color> <red type="hexidecimalValue">FF</red> <gre en type="hexidecimalValue">80</red> <blu e type="hexidecimalValue">80</red> </color> </pixe l>
You'll possibly have hundreds of thousands of these in one file. The only difference between the entries is the six characters for the RGB colors, in this case "FF", "80", "80". A very good compression method would figure this system out. It would create a model entry consisting of the redundant and repetitive XML data, and then store the variables separately.
After that, it'd compress the variable data. Since the variables only appear in 256 forms ("00"-"FF"), a dictionary-based (or -like) compression method would be able to replace them with one byte each. And voila! Three bytes per pixel, just like binary raster graphics.
I doubt there are any general purpose compression algorithms that would manage this, but obviously it would be extremely simple to write a specialized program to do it. You could even add PNG compression on top of it.
I don't remember who said it, but the gist was that animals are supremely inefficient beings, because if they'd been designed properly, they'd just live forever through cell regeneration.
No. Cell degeneration is part of the design; it results in old generations vanishing and getting replaced by new ones, ensuring that evolution makes progress. This even helps human society evolve:)
You can't use save states when recording. You can use slowmotion, but I don't think it's a problem. Excessive use would be easy to discover, and most players know each other anyway.
Besides, it's possible to cheat when recording off a TV as well. The only way to be sure nothing is being doctored is to have live witnesses in place, in which case the platform really doesn't matter at all.
Not caring about items, I've beaten Super Metroid in 51 minutes, one continuous run without saving. The world record (non 100%) is 44 minutes. That's with saving - best time I know that has been done in a continuous run is 46 minutes.
The world record with 100% items is 1:02 (first link again).
None of those records are near perfect, though, recent discoveries suggest that it might be possible to complete the game in about 0:35 with any % and 0:55 with 100%.
Ads are required to keep many people in business, and blocking them just forces marketers to use more intrusive tactics such as this.
OR they could realize that the intrusiveness of the ads actually is the root to the problem. Everybody loves Google's text ads, right? I've found lots of stuff through them myself.
The advertisers could stop using those flash pop unders and instead use SSI (so users can't block the ad servers) plain text or images. That'd be pretty much impossible to block except in specific cases.
Their latest device, with a frequency of 509 gigahertz, is 57 gigahertz faster than their previous record holder and could find use in applications such as high-speed communications products, consumer electronics and electronic combat systems
Or to be a little less specific: uh, pretty much everywhere where electronic transistors are used today.
And, fredrikj, please remember that what you said in one part of your post about some mp3s beeing good enough is purely subjective...that's is the way our hearing just is.
Of course. I hope I didn't give the impression of believing anything else.
Judging from 128kbps MP3, or higher? I agree that 128kbps is rather awful, but 192kbps and up is significantly better (I certainly can't distinguish 320kbps MP3 from raw CD audio, although that's on mid range equipment). And then there's Vorbis which, at least for low-to-medium bitrates, sounds a lot better than MP3 at the same bitrate.
I agree that providing CD-quality (or better!) audio would be a good idea. It wouldn't have to be uncompressed though, mind that audio in general cases can be compressed without loss down to about 60% of its original size using FLAC etc.
According to the article, the capsules first get slowed down severely by atmospheric friction, parachutes and helper rockets. The airbags are just there to cushion what's left of the velocity when the capsules hit the ground.
As for driving "too fast", that is also solved by technology
Technology might help by providing better roads and cars that are both easier to drive and more secure, but one fact is unavoidable as per the laws of physics: if you crash at a high enough speed, the car won't be able to help no matter how delicately it has been designed to normalize the deceleration.
Slashdot Mirror
I might add that raster graphics would probably work if you put them as Base64 strings... but that'd be Microsoft Office XML, not XML ;)
And once you write a specialized algorithm for it, you are really just defining your own binary file format.
No objections, and I really can't understand why anyone would want to use XML for raster data either. Vector graphics are an entirely different matter though seeing as they are much smaller than raster graphics. You'd typically do fine with a few hundreds of elements, rarely hundreds of thousands, and those elements are more abstract than raw pixels which I think gives XML a few advantages over binary.
With a good enough compression algorithm/method, the XML redundancy wouldn't matter, only give a bigger header size.
Consider the format the parent post suggested:You'll possibly have hundreds of thousands of these in one file. The only difference between the entries is the six characters for the RGB colors, in this case "FF", "80", "80". A very good compression method would figure this system out. It would create a model entry consisting of the redundant and repetitive XML data, and then store the variables separately.
After that, it'd compress the variable data. Since the variables only appear in 256 forms ("00"-"FF"), a dictionary-based (or -like) compression method would be able to replace them with one byte each. And voila! Three bytes per pixel, just like binary raster graphics.
I doubt there are any general purpose compression algorithms that would manage this, but obviously it would be extremely simple to write a specialized program to do it. You could even add PNG compression on top of it.
100 years from now, should anyone be forced to accidentally stumble over goatse? (which is very disturbingly archived on archive.org)
:P
Do you really think goatse will be "disturbing" 100 years from now? Only 40 years ago, people thought the Beatles were disturbing
Kernel crackers would probably be quite nutritious, though.
Isn't that perjury?
No, terrorism.
I don't remember who said it, but the gist was that animals are supremely inefficient beings, because if they'd been designed properly, they'd just live forever through cell regeneration.
:)
No. Cell degeneration is part of the design; it results in old generations vanishing and getting replaced by new ones, ensuring that evolution makes progress. This even helps human society evolve
Hmm, I didn't have any trouble accessing this myself... but seeing as others did, here's a mirror of the fullsize JPEG version.
pragmatism is the rule of law
What planet?
You can't use save states when recording. You can use slowmotion, but I don't think it's a problem. Excessive use would be easy to discover, and most players know each other anyway.
Besides, it's possible to cheat when recording off a TV as well. The only way to be sure nothing is being doctored is to have live witnesses in place, in which case the platform really doesn't matter at all.
Same game.
Not caring about items, I've beaten Super Metroid in 51 minutes, one continuous run without saving. The world record (non 100%) is 44 minutes. That's with saving - best time I know that has been done in a continuous run is 46 minutes.
The world record with 100% items is 1:02 (first link again).
None of those records are near perfect, though, recent discoveries suggest that it might be possible to complete the game in about 0:35 with any % and 0:55 with 100%.
will they try to enforce this or do they just try to get as many patents as possible to secure their own inventions???
I'm afraid the "securing" part lies in enforcement...
Slashdot is a weblog, not a newspaper.
Hahaha, you actually install Flash?
:)
Nope, no Flash installed.
I was speaking on behalf of others
What about games written in C++?
:\
Do they have to translate those too? I don't even know if French is Turing complete
Ads are required to keep many people in business, and blocking them just forces marketers to use more intrusive tactics such as this.
OR they could realize that the intrusiveness of the ads actually is the root to the problem. Everybody loves Google's text ads, right? I've found lots of stuff through them myself.
The advertisers could stop using those flash pop unders and instead use SSI (so users can't block the ad servers) plain text or images. That'd be pretty much impossible to block except in specific cases.
Their latest device, with a frequency of 509 gigahertz, is 57 gigahertz faster than their previous record holder and could find use in applications such as high-speed communications products, consumer electronics and electronic combat systems
Or to be a little less specific: uh, pretty much everywhere where electronic transistors are used today.
And, fredrikj, please remember that what you said in one part of your post about some mp3s beeing good enough is purely subjective...that's is the way our hearing just is.
Of course. I hope I didn't give the impression of believing anything else.
Judging from 128kbps MP3, or higher? I agree that 128kbps is rather awful, but 192kbps and up is significantly better (I certainly can't distinguish 320kbps MP3 from raw CD audio, although that's on mid range equipment). And then there's Vorbis which, at least for low-to-medium bitrates, sounds a lot better than MP3 at the same bitrate.
I agree that providing CD-quality (or better!) audio would be a good idea. It wouldn't have to be uncompressed though, mind that audio in general cases can be compressed without loss down to about 60% of its original size using FLAC etc.
According to the article, the capsules first get slowed down severely by atmospheric friction, parachutes and helper rockets. The airbags are just there to cushion what's left of the velocity when the capsules hit the ground.
Would metal really be able to replace silicon? IANAEE, but...
Wait, that only works on the law forums. Darn.
I liked Alien Resurrection. In fact I think all four movies are enjoyable at worst.
You visit Slashdot and you don't consider 10 am "middle of the night""?
As for driving "too fast", that is also solved by technology
Technology might help by providing better roads and cars that are both easier to drive and more secure, but one fact is unavoidable as per the laws of physics: if you crash at a high enough speed, the car won't be able to help no matter how delicately it has been designed to normalize the deceleration.