Call me crazy, but does it strike anyone as a very interesting idea to produce the next Xbox360 addon as a combo HD-DVD/Blu-ray player? Think about it...they win either way. If people buy the device itself, they're in good shape and they're stealing the only real reason for the huge cost of the PS3 away from Sony. It's an incredible strategic move. Make it available, make it affordable (within reason; I'm aware of the expense of said technology), and you've stolen Sony's thunder. Just a thought.
Better yet hold off on that uber-elite-custom-super-fun-happy-goodtime Xbox edition and give it a dual player. Then drop the price on what's now the premium console. The fanboys and wealthier will snatch the new machines up (particularly if they come in a custom color, because as we all know, that's what makes it truly '1337). Everybody else will continue buying the now-cheaper premium edition. Score all the way around.
My question is this: why aren't they already in jail? This is a very simple matter...if someone can be tracked down for sharing music, surely they can be tracked down for mass credit card fraud, among many other charges.
It's simple: find out who they are from the ISPs (all of them involved, ever), arrest them all, and charge them with everything you can. Surely they'll get off with a comparably light sentence, but hopefully they'll get sentenced strongly enough that this won't happen again.
Why is it the laws regarding computers and the internet only hurt the good guys?
This is precisely the sort of legislation that makes my blood boil. This piece, in particular, hits very much home, as I recently took a full-time job at a radio station (WJBD). I'm an on-air personality, but more importantly I'm "the computer guy" and in charge of a lot of new and exciting projects that are already starting to make us a lot of money in ways we'd never imagined. In the forefront of those is, you guessed it, streaming radio.
At present we're broadcasting local high school ballgames (football, basketball) but will eventually be streaming our entire broadcast 24/7. Right now there's no music involved, as it's just games, so should this pass we still would have no need to apply DRM. Or is there? Technically, as the law would, in theory, read, we would have to apply DRM since we're an FCC-approved "real" radio station. This is a cost we're not ready to accept, nor is it convenient for our relatively technically-uninclined listeners who will undoubtedly have trouble making the upgrade/conversion. Even if we weren't an FCC-licensed station (such as a college online-only station) we would still have to use DRM on the off chance that music gets played at the game. Yes, friends, I kid you not. If the basketball team has warmup music, we're responsible for that being broadcast. If the national anthem is a recording (which ours never is) then we may be liable depending on who recorded it. Or, if this law is as all-encompassing as I believe it's going to be, then we definitely will have to have DRM, period. And that pisses everyone here off.
Why does it piss us off? For one, it's costly. We're operating on free software at present. Likely that will not immediately be available for legal reasons; this is usually the case, and during the time we're 'off-air', we'll be losing money. We simply can't take chances on pissing off the FCC. Since I'm primarily the overseer of our digital projects, my job may be in jeopardy, all because the **AA wants to ensure that music executives in the United States make every penny they can. Rather than making their products enticing enough for us to want to pay for, they're trying to force us to do so through totalitarian means, using the government as their puppet and spending millions, perhaps even billions to force everyone into their monopolistic traps.
It's ridiculous and it will continue until such a time that we, with extreme prejudice, force the offending legislators out of office and replace them with ones who actually have respect for the people they represent.
Quote:
---------------
Actually, try it like this: (The American Way)
Write a little bit
Demo it to the boss
"I'd like to provide it to the State, free of charge"
"I plan on selling it to other police agencies for a fee"
"If you don't agree, I'll sell it to other agencies for a fee. Then, when the State wants it, I'll sell you a license."
Profit
---------------
Good idea, except be sure that little bit you've written has been on your own time on your own hardware. That makes it difficult to argue that the source is anyone's but yours.
Now, when it comes to this 'free of charge' business, be sure you sell them a license for $0, or 100% off. Better yet, give them a printed voucher (a copy of which you'll retain) for one free license. Whatever you do, be sure they have a license like everyone else. Then there's no claim that they're anything other than your customer as far as this software is concerned.
Yet this is precisely the sort of "we don't need your money, customers" attitude that screwed Sony out of the last big format they pushed (aside from UMD, which IMO isn't a 'major' format). Beta died fast and hard because it couldn't compete with the format putting out huge numbers of titles, be they porn or not. Look at DVD sales and check out what percentage are porn. Can Sony prevail with a format that alienates that much of a market share? Unlikely.
Beyond this, if BD does, in fact, win, then to what medium does the porn industry turn? If Sony is trying to kill off the adult entertainment industry, this is not the way to go about it. They (with the consumers' help) will find a way.
Yes, this post is just gushing with double-entendres.
It's absurd in the same vein of the same perpetual argument: to watch that movie on my iPod, I have to convert it to a different format and I have to circumvent the copy protection. The fact that it's now in a format that's easier to distribute should neither find me guilty of any crime, nor should it prevent me from putting video in an easier-to-distribute format. Telling me, the consumer, that I'm wrong and that Apple should fix this is not a solution. I have a video player and I want to play video on it with no limit to what I can play (see: betamax).
Copying a DVD to keep in case I scratch the original (or better yet, playing the copy and preserving the original) should not be illegal. If I then choose to sell any copy of that DVD or even give it away, then yes, that should be illegal. Similarly, I should be able to not only copy data from a DVD, CD, or other format, I should be able to transcode that into any format I so choose, per my convenience. Then I've got a choice as to what I play it on and how. I should not, however, be able to then distribute any copy I make of that, either for free or for cost.
So to recap, it's absurd because I, the consumer, have to go way the hell out of my way to watch a movie that I've purchased the rights to watch on a device other than the one the MPAA would have me use. They're limiting my choice and options and, as a collective agency of the motion picture studios, should be treated as a monopoly. While they allow me to choose what brand of DVD player I use, why are they allowed to control what format in which I watch my video? By their arguing and common rationale, the video iPod and all of its counterparts should be illegal, as they can be used to watch pirated movies.
Just because I prefer video in convenient formats doesn't mean I'm a pirate, contrary to the beliefs of the MPAA, and it's this format-Nazi attitude that pisses me off. Who put the MPAA in charge of the pre-crime division?
Technically it's the same. And that's wherein the problem lies.
It's absolutely absurd to think that selling a pirated disc (as a backup copy is just that under current law) is the same thing as a company providing the courtesy of pre-loading a movie onto an iPod when you're purchasing both the iPod and the DVD, whether copy protection is being circumvented or not. This is why these laws are stupid. Add to this the fact that you can pre-load music and you've got sheer stupidity on your hands.
Why, again, doesn't fair use for music match fair use for video?
I agree: even titles that were for the first iteration of the Xbox look better on the 360 (see: Halo 2). And, since I use mine as a DVD player on that TV, I know that it puts out a hell of picture for not being a dedicated player. Perhaps it's just the native component cables that make it that much better, maybe it's the DVD software itself, but it's better and by a wide margin. As far as video game consoles as DVD players go, it's top-notch. The PS2 makes an awful DVD player, the Xbox isn't much better (although any improvement is completely lost due to the fact that you had to buy a dongle to make it work [without hacking it]) and the 360 is, in my opinion, actually respectable.
Do note that your power supply's performance can affect drive life, or the life of any component, for that matter. A smoothly running supply tends to lead to smoothly running hardware. One that keeps varying in voltage, particularly above the intended, tends to wear on parts faster, particularly hard drives.
I have a dual-Xeon setup and as a result, I use a server power supply. I believe it's 600w. Anyway, it's worked more smoothly than any I've ever had, including some good ones.
I'd recommend Ultra, Thermaltake, and Silverstone power supplies, particularly in the higher wattages. Ultra's X-Connect are awfully good. I've not had one fail and I've put probably 25 in here and there. SuperMicro makes incredible power supplies that are designed for abuse, but these are truly server PSUs.
As for hard drives, keeping them cool is key. I've yet to run across a modern hard drive that doesn't run incredibly hot, so having a fan blowing across it/them (preferably drawing directly from the outside) and having an exhaust fan in the back along with using a drive spindown for when you're away for long periods of time are your best bets for drive longevity. I've got six Seagate 120Gb that are in my media server and they spent three years on a college LAN getting slammed 24/7. I kept them cool and they've kept me lousy with music. So keep your drives cool, well-powered, and turned off when they're not used and you'll have them around for a long time.
I'll tell you what happened; That damn duck ate it and pretty soon it'll be a smear on your windshield. Stupid drake, always having to steal the spotlight. He should be more careful around hunting season.
Nowhere did I say that gravity disappears. I'm well aware of the principles of physics that dictate that gravity exists in the same manner outside the Earth's atmosphere much like they do within it. However, gravity's pull lessens with altitude.
The ISS (at roughly 390,000 meters ASL) experiences ~88.8% of the gravitational pull (toward the center of the Earth) that it would were it at sea level. Now take this and apply it to a space elevator. Add to this that you've effectively negated air resistance at that altitude and that's a considerable boost to your performance. Every little bit counts. If you had a 100 ton elevator, at that altitude it would have a weight (WEIGHT != MASS) of a little less than 89 tons. That's a big difference. So yes, in fact, gravity isn't as much of an issue. Strike the word 'nearly' if you'd prefer, but there's a more than measurable impact on the craft at that altitude.
Not to squabble, but, "Gravity at that altitude will be just as much of an issue as it is on the surface," is, quite simply, wrong. Gravity's effects depreciate with altitude. And your next thought, "It is only slightly less as you move away from the center of the Earth," directly contradicts your main point. Pick one and try again.
This is precisely why I wait until I can physically pick one up off of a shelf, pay for it with a real person behind the counter, and ship it via my own automobile. It entirely saves me the trouble of dealing with every one of the above issues.
It's called bleeding-edge because you may have to bleed during the process. If there's no guarantee and you donate your funds to them in the hopes that you'll acquire this new piece of tech, then there's a chance you may get screwed and have to wait without that cash, despite what they may or may not have promised.
My novel not-buying-until-it's-physically-there concept may just sweep the nation.
Given that gravity won't be nearly as much of an issue at that altitude, a combination of shielding including water or metal (likely both) and increased speed seems to me to be the simplest route. All things being equal, that's probably the better solution.
We've made it through the Van Allens before, we'll figure out how to do it again.
And, anything can kill you, really, so long as it's an action. Space elevators aren't lethal in and of themselves. Organ failure due to blunt trauma, rapid depressurization, radiation poisoning; these can kill you. An elevator cannot. It's an inanimate object. Well, unless you're on acid. Then you're on your own, kid.
...after all, if it's going to be required then I'd for damn sure better like it.
Speaking of which, why is this news? In other news, I played a new startup sound today, one of my own creation. It sounds like a dying trumpet and comes from my rear speaker.
But seriously, I'm glad they've put some time and attention into the details, but as has been said above, I'd really prefer to have them spend that time/effort/money on making their OS take up fewer resources, be more stable, and be more secure. This simply reinforces the notion that they're attempting to sell Vista on aesthetics and XP bugfixes alone. And for me, that's not hardly enough to justify needing a huge hardware upgrade and a lot of cash for a new OS.
Now THAT'S a useful feature. It's one that, for me, would make this all worth it.
The only question I have is this: can that be reversed, either by the distributor or by hacking it? The former would be handy, the latter is a nightmare.
Also, this is a whole lot cheaper and easier than those self-destructing DVDs I've been working with. Man, it's a pain when those go off in my hand.
I concur - this was a reaction to the market climate, not to the users. Still, it's nice to see.
What I don't get, though, is why this even exists? Is it for simplicity's sake? Because for me it's easy to generate a clean VM with VPN and throw that out to any machines that need it. I didn't need a separate product to do this for me.
Not to troll, but wouldn't your average IT professional rather rely on tried and true methods as opposed to a rather exotic setup for their secure enterprise attachment needs?
Speaking as a percussionist of many years, I know firsthand that a good set of cast earplugs will make your day. I've spent countless hours in small, echoey rooms with a dozen high schoolers creating constant sound well beyond the hearing damage range. Marching snares (of the floating head variety) are GOD AWFUL LOUD.
Anyway, my point is this: have a set of earplugs made for you. They'll take a cast of each of your ears and they'll fit perfectly. You'll forget you're wearing them, save for the silence. Many include a little insert that can be pulled out to hear more sound if someone needs to talk to you. These will seriously deaden sound for you and many times I've wondered why I couldn't hear my engine when leaving, they're that comfortable.
You know, Microsoft usually has either extremely dull or extremely stupid names for their products or features, but Bitlocker strikes me as actually being pretty cool. And it's not every day that they do something nifty, so write this one down.
As for the asshats asking about why threading is disabled, GO READ ABOUT IT ON THE FRONT PAGE. A little research won't kill you.
Easy. Being the Japanese version, people could only see a small, horizontal cross-section of all pages until Microsoft could put out a patch to enlarge the eyeslits.
Correcting a wrong != "We're doing this because we love you."
While I do appreciate this change back to the way it should be, it's a shame they've gotten so distanced from the consumer (read: greedy) that these sort of things have to come up in droves.
All of this aside, again, what's my incentive to buy an operating system that still has everything else wrong with it? One correction to policy does not a good OS make.
Slashdot Mirror
Call me crazy, but does it strike anyone as a very interesting idea to produce the next Xbox360 addon as a combo HD-DVD/Blu-ray player? Think about it...they win either way. If people buy the device itself, they're in good shape and they're stealing the only real reason for the huge cost of the PS3 away from Sony. It's an incredible strategic move. Make it available, make it affordable (within reason; I'm aware of the expense of said technology), and you've stolen Sony's thunder. Just a thought.
Better yet hold off on that uber-elite-custom-super-fun-happy-goodtime Xbox edition and give it a dual player. Then drop the price on what's now the premium console. The fanboys and wealthier will snatch the new machines up (particularly if they come in a custom color, because as we all know, that's what makes it truly '1337). Everybody else will continue buying the now-cheaper premium edition. Score all the way around.
My question is this: why aren't they already in jail? This is a very simple matter...if someone can be tracked down for sharing music, surely they can be tracked down for mass credit card fraud, among many other charges.
It's simple: find out who they are from the ISPs (all of them involved, ever), arrest them all, and charge them with everything you can. Surely they'll get off with a comparably light sentence, but hopefully they'll get sentenced strongly enough that this won't happen again.
Why is it the laws regarding computers and the internet only hurt the good guys?
This is precisely the sort of legislation that makes my blood boil. This piece, in particular, hits very much home, as I recently took a full-time job at a radio station (WJBD). I'm an on-air personality, but more importantly I'm "the computer guy" and in charge of a lot of new and exciting projects that are already starting to make us a lot of money in ways we'd never imagined. In the forefront of those is, you guessed it, streaming radio.
At present we're broadcasting local high school ballgames (football, basketball) but will eventually be streaming our entire broadcast 24/7. Right now there's no music involved, as it's just games, so should this pass we still would have no need to apply DRM. Or is there? Technically, as the law would, in theory, read, we would have to apply DRM since we're an FCC-approved "real" radio station. This is a cost we're not ready to accept, nor is it convenient for our relatively technically-uninclined listeners who will undoubtedly have trouble making the upgrade/conversion. Even if we weren't an FCC-licensed station (such as a college online-only station) we would still have to use DRM on the off chance that music gets played at the game. Yes, friends, I kid you not. If the basketball team has warmup music, we're responsible for that being broadcast. If the national anthem is a recording (which ours never is) then we may be liable depending on who recorded it. Or, if this law is as all-encompassing as I believe it's going to be, then we definitely will have to have DRM, period. And that pisses everyone here off.
Why does it piss us off? For one, it's costly. We're operating on free software at present. Likely that will not immediately be available for legal reasons; this is usually the case, and during the time we're 'off-air', we'll be losing money. We simply can't take chances on pissing off the FCC. Since I'm primarily the overseer of our digital projects, my job may be in jeopardy, all because the **AA wants to ensure that music executives in the United States make every penny they can. Rather than making their products enticing enough for us to want to pay for, they're trying to force us to do so through totalitarian means, using the government as their puppet and spending millions, perhaps even billions to force everyone into their monopolistic traps.
It's ridiculous and it will continue until such a time that we, with extreme prejudice, force the offending legislators out of office and replace them with ones who actually have respect for the people they represent.
---------------
Actually, try it like this: (The American Way)
- Write a little bit
- Demo it to the boss
- "I'd like to provide it to the State, free of charge"
- "I plan on selling it to other police agencies for a fee"
- "If you don't agree, I'll sell it to other agencies for a fee. Then, when the State wants it, I'll sell you a license."
- Profit
---------------Good idea, except be sure that little bit you've written has been on your own time on your own hardware. That makes it difficult to argue that the source is anyone's but yours.
Now, when it comes to this 'free of charge' business, be sure you sell them a license for $0, or 100% off. Better yet, give them a printed voucher (a copy of which you'll retain) for one free license. Whatever you do, be sure they have a license like everyone else. Then there's no claim that they're anything other than your customer as far as this software is concerned.
Yet this is precisely the sort of "we don't need your money, customers" attitude that screwed Sony out of the last big format they pushed (aside from UMD, which IMO isn't a 'major' format). Beta died fast and hard because it couldn't compete with the format putting out huge numbers of titles, be they porn or not. Look at DVD sales and check out what percentage are porn. Can Sony prevail with a format that alienates that much of a market share? Unlikely.
Beyond this, if BD does, in fact, win, then to what medium does the porn industry turn? If Sony is trying to kill off the adult entertainment industry, this is not the way to go about it. They (with the consumers' help) will find a way.
Yes, this post is just gushing with double-entendres.
Meddle not in the affairs of Microsoft, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup.
It's absurd in the same vein of the same perpetual argument: to watch that movie on my iPod, I have to convert it to a different format and I have to circumvent the copy protection. The fact that it's now in a format that's easier to distribute should neither find me guilty of any crime, nor should it prevent me from putting video in an easier-to-distribute format. Telling me, the consumer, that I'm wrong and that Apple should fix this is not a solution. I have a video player and I want to play video on it with no limit to what I can play (see: betamax).
Copying a DVD to keep in case I scratch the original (or better yet, playing the copy and preserving the original) should not be illegal. If I then choose to sell any copy of that DVD or even give it away, then yes, that should be illegal. Similarly, I should be able to not only copy data from a DVD, CD, or other format, I should be able to transcode that into any format I so choose, per my convenience. Then I've got a choice as to what I play it on and how. I should not, however, be able to then distribute any copy I make of that, either for free or for cost.
So to recap, it's absurd because I, the consumer, have to go way the hell out of my way to watch a movie that I've purchased the rights to watch on a device other than the one the MPAA would have me use. They're limiting my choice and options and, as a collective agency of the motion picture studios, should be treated as a monopoly. While they allow me to choose what brand of DVD player I use, why are they allowed to control what format in which I watch my video? By their arguing and common rationale, the video iPod and all of its counterparts should be illegal, as they can be used to watch pirated movies.
Just because I prefer video in convenient formats doesn't mean I'm a pirate, contrary to the beliefs of the MPAA, and it's this format-Nazi attitude that pisses me off. Who put the MPAA in charge of the pre-crime division?
Technically it's the same. And that's wherein the problem lies.
It's absolutely absurd to think that selling a pirated disc (as a backup copy is just that under current law) is the same thing as a company providing the courtesy of pre-loading a movie onto an iPod when you're purchasing both the iPod and the DVD, whether copy protection is being circumvented or not. This is why these laws are stupid. Add to this the fact that you can pre-load music and you've got sheer stupidity on your hands.
Why, again, doesn't fair use for music match fair use for video?
I agree: even titles that were for the first iteration of the Xbox look better on the 360 (see: Halo 2). And, since I use mine as a DVD player on that TV, I know that it puts out a hell of picture for not being a dedicated player. Perhaps it's just the native component cables that make it that much better, maybe it's the DVD software itself, but it's better and by a wide margin. As far as video game consoles as DVD players go, it's top-notch. The PS2 makes an awful DVD player, the Xbox isn't much better (although any improvement is completely lost due to the fact that you had to buy a dongle to make it work [without hacking it]) and the 360 is, in my opinion, actually respectable.
Do note that your power supply's performance can affect drive life, or the life of any component, for that matter. A smoothly running supply tends to lead to smoothly running hardware. One that keeps varying in voltage, particularly above the intended, tends to wear on parts faster, particularly hard drives.
I have a dual-Xeon setup and as a result, I use a server power supply. I believe it's 600w. Anyway, it's worked more smoothly than any I've ever had, including some good ones.
I'd recommend Ultra, Thermaltake, and Silverstone power supplies, particularly in the higher wattages. Ultra's X-Connect are awfully good. I've not had one fail and I've put probably 25 in here and there. SuperMicro makes incredible power supplies that are designed for abuse, but these are truly server PSUs.
As for hard drives, keeping them cool is key. I've yet to run across a modern hard drive that doesn't run incredibly hot, so having a fan blowing across it/them (preferably drawing directly from the outside) and having an exhaust fan in the back along with using a drive spindown for when you're away for long periods of time are your best bets for drive longevity. I've got six Seagate 120Gb that are in my media server and they spent three years on a college LAN getting slammed 24/7. I kept them cool and they've kept me lousy with music. So keep your drives cool, well-powered, and turned off when they're not used and you'll have them around for a long time.
I'll tell you what happened; That damn duck ate it and pretty soon it'll be a smear on your windshield. Stupid drake, always having to steal the spotlight. He should be more careful around hunting season.
Nowhere did I say that gravity disappears. I'm well aware of the principles of physics that dictate that gravity exists in the same manner outside the Earth's atmosphere much like they do within it. However, gravity's pull lessens with altitude.
The ISS (at roughly 390,000 meters ASL) experiences ~88.8% of the gravitational pull (toward the center of the Earth) that it would were it at sea level. Now take this and apply it to a space elevator. Add to this that you've effectively negated air resistance at that altitude and that's a considerable boost to your performance. Every little bit counts. If you had a 100 ton elevator, at that altitude it would have a weight (WEIGHT != MASS) of a little less than 89 tons. That's a big difference. So yes, in fact, gravity isn't as much of an issue. Strike the word 'nearly' if you'd prefer, but there's a more than measurable impact on the craft at that altitude.
Not to squabble, but, "Gravity at that altitude will be just as much of an issue as it is on the surface," is, quite simply, wrong. Gravity's effects depreciate with altitude. And your next thought, "It is only slightly less as you move away from the center of the Earth," directly contradicts your main point. Pick one and try again.
This is precisely why I wait until I can physically pick one up off of a shelf, pay for it with a real person behind the counter, and ship it via my own automobile. It entirely saves me the trouble of dealing with every one of the above issues.
It's called bleeding-edge because you may have to bleed during the process. If there's no guarantee and you donate your funds to them in the hopes that you'll acquire this new piece of tech, then there's a chance you may get screwed and have to wait without that cash, despite what they may or may not have promised.
My novel not-buying-until-it's-physically-there concept may just sweep the nation.
Given that gravity won't be nearly as much of an issue at that altitude, a combination of shielding including water or metal (likely both) and increased speed seems to me to be the simplest route. All things being equal, that's probably the better solution.
We've made it through the Van Allens before, we'll figure out how to do it again.
And, anything can kill you, really, so long as it's an action. Space elevators aren't lethal in and of themselves. Organ failure due to blunt trauma, rapid depressurization, radiation poisoning; these can kill you. An elevator cannot. It's an inanimate object. Well, unless you're on acid. Then you're on your own, kid.
If you're referring to Lance Bass, then yes, all of him belongs to Chuck Norris, but Norris isn't gay, he simply ran out of women.
...after all, if it's going to be required then I'd for damn sure better like it.
Speaking of which, why is this news? In other news, I played a new startup sound today, one of my own creation. It sounds like a dying trumpet and comes from my rear speaker.
But seriously, I'm glad they've put some time and attention into the details, but as has been said above, I'd really prefer to have them spend that time/effort/money on making their OS take up fewer resources, be more stable, and be more secure. This simply reinforces the notion that they're attempting to sell Vista on aesthetics and XP bugfixes alone. And for me, that's not hardly enough to justify needing a huge hardware upgrade and a lot of cash for a new OS.
Now THAT'S a useful feature. It's one that, for me, would make this all worth it.
The only question I have is this: can that be reversed, either by the distributor or by hacking it? The former would be handy, the latter is a nightmare.
Also, this is a whole lot cheaper and easier than those self-destructing DVDs I've been working with. Man, it's a pain when those go off in my hand.
From second TFA: finally, a tape that no hooker can break!
Sorry, I saw Borat tonight, I'm a little punchy.
I concur - this was a reaction to the market climate, not to the users. Still, it's nice to see.
What I don't get, though, is why this even exists? Is it for simplicity's sake? Because for me it's easy to generate a clean VM with VPN and throw that out to any machines that need it. I didn't need a separate product to do this for me.
Not to troll, but wouldn't your average IT professional rather rely on tried and true methods as opposed to a rather exotic setup for their secure enterprise attachment needs?
Speaking as a percussionist of many years, I know firsthand that a good set of cast earplugs will make your day. I've spent countless hours in small, echoey rooms with a dozen high schoolers creating constant sound well beyond the hearing damage range. Marching snares (of the floating head variety) are GOD AWFUL LOUD.
Anyway, my point is this: have a set of earplugs made for you. They'll take a cast of each of your ears and they'll fit perfectly. You'll forget you're wearing them, save for the silence. Many include a little insert that can be pulled out to hear more sound if someone needs to talk to you. These will seriously deaden sound for you and many times I've wondered why I couldn't hear my engine when leaving, they're that comfortable.
You know, Microsoft usually has either extremely dull or extremely stupid names for their products or features, but Bitlocker strikes me as actually being pretty cool. And it's not every day that they do something nifty, so write this one down.
As for the asshats asking about why threading is disabled, GO READ ABOUT IT ON THE FRONT PAGE. A little research won't kill you.
I've got my copy of it right here and I already fixed the one that got sent out, so it's not even really a problem anymore.
Easy. Being the Japanese version, people could only see a small, horizontal cross-section of all pages until Microsoft could put out a patch to enlarge the eyeslits.
Am I going to hell now?
Correcting a wrong != "We're doing this because we love you."
While I do appreciate this change back to the way it should be, it's a shame they've gotten so distanced from the consumer (read: greedy) that these sort of things have to come up in droves.
All of this aside, again, what's my incentive to buy an operating system that still has everything else wrong with it? One correction to policy does not a good OS make.
Well, what if I like nude, hairy, Italian plumbers and am hot for a gay MegaMan, you insensitive clod?!
Keep your imaginary character gay-bashing to yourself. Now, where's my 'trance vibrator'?