Consensus is cable cards simply don't work and a newer spec promoted by the cable industry is on the way. True? I thought cable cards were required to be supported after a certain date, but I don't know. Would that solve the a la carte technical issue?
What would it take to drop analog cable? I haven't heard of any mandate, but a decade ago I heard cable companies wanted digital to more closely monitor usage and have more remote control. Is there a reason the rollout is so slow? Is it because of set top boxes?
Seems like it is a mix of technical hurdles and contractual obligations that is the resistance here. If the technical issues are dealt with is it just a matter of which industry is going to steamroller the other?
Does this include my property? Does it include my backyard? What if I have a fence? Is the only expectation of privacy I should have on my 100 acre spread in Utah within my house? What if said property was posted with No Trespassing signs? Does that make a difference?
What if a private satellite company photos me doing something suspicious like hunting on my property? What if a police helicopter takes an infrared photo of my house to see if I am using too much electricity for 'normal' people? Should I be expected to have some measure of privacy?
The problem lies not with the private/public sphere so much as it does with the capability of piecing together every action one does in public. The US government calls this mosaic theory and hides behind it when denying access to public information. Why can't I do the same? Where does one draw the line? Cameras, RFID, eyewitness testimony? What happens when the day comes that any public or private institution can follow me all day long without my permission? That truly does become the end of privacy as owning property will become the only refuge left. When that happens I might as well never leave the house as everything I do will be fair game for either the law, or some company offering me $0.50 off a latte.
I know nothing of the cell industry, but if Apple wants a limited amount sold and financial analysts think it would not sell well, this phone won't be subsidized by a single carrier. This would be a $500 phone purchased by the user that could be used with any carrier.
No, I've seen the parent's clips on YouTube as well and it was NOT New Voyages. It was called Star Trek Enhanced.
These were from the Doomsday Machine episode and had 2 different companies doing the effects. Most of the effects were very subtle with enhanced viewscreens and a CGI planetkiller. There was also some scenes of Kirk in the engineering room where they changed the lighting subtly to make better mood.
I agree. I could see video blogging blowing up if something like this gets traction though. Video podcasting.
The makers envision the device as a shot clip viewer. So something like a video blog which doesn't rely on full attention and is short duration may develop.
As others have said I think your real main gripe resides with Adobe Acrobat software, not the format itself.
I have no idea what dvi is/does, but Acrobat can embed video, hyperlink internal/external documents, is extensible with JavaScript for form capability and is virtually required for interaction with the US government when exchanging documents.
I'm curious as to how Adobe will differentiate.pdf with their newly acquired FlashPaper format. My guess is the latter will quietly disappear or perhaps be limited to Flex apps.
The wires and machines are the medium that the messages are conveyed. Think of them as air. One cannot claim ownership of the air as a private right unless it has been granted a monopoly by the government (in the US usually the FCC). If one could then airlines and satellite TV signals would have to be be nogoitated on an individual level.
The Internet was built with US public tax dollars. Most of the private carriers you mention are regulated (phone companies and cable companies). ISPs themselves rarely own the wires, they're owned by cable or phone companies. They are often third parties, although in the US broadband ISPs are usually phone or cable companies thanks to US regulations of open access to wires being thrown out.
If one thinks of the Internet as a system, public infrastructure or utility then one can understand many (but not all!) of the characterstics of the Internet. Those entities are regulated for the good of all citizens and participants.
The phone and cable companies want to frame this issue as one of private ownership. The Internet must remain as a space that is not owned by any one industry or consortium of iindustries. Doing so will eliminate meritocracy for all groups be they political, economic, or social in nature.
Off topic, but in the US phone companies were deregulated in the 90s and allowed to compete in the long distance marketplace. The phone companies promised to build out their networks yet they reneged on that promise. There is plenty of "dark fiber" in the major networks and backbones, but the real profit area is "the last mile" which is where broadband customers are most vulnerable.
I see no reason to trust phone and cable companies when they spend millions of dollars on advertising trying to frame this debate as one of regulation of private property. History shows that neither industry serves the best interests of their customers, but of their shareholders and executives.
Then truly nothing has changed as in your scenario those with money or power are the only ones who can challenge the entrenched interests. Everybody else is simply shut out.
There is a reason AOL didn't take over the Internet.
I believe that if you see the Internet as a public space that all have equal access to, your questions are answered.
In a public space one isn't charged to state an opinion. Other visitors to that space aren't obliged to listen to that opinion, yet the economic and political freedom to speak one's mind exists.
Removing Net Neutrality really amounts to privatizing the Internet. Just as one can be chased out of a private space like a shopping mall because the ownership doesn't want one there, so can network owners discriminate against those it chooses.
Admittedly, this is simplistic, but the Internet transcends physical space while at the same time has characterisitics of it.
When I said Nintendo handhelds I meant more in *type* of game rather than raw power. For example, older type games (80s remakes), many RPGS, puzzle games, etc. Mac Minis are not going to be running Doom 3 or similar high end games at any reasonable speed.
Additionally, the lack of upgradeable graphic cards ensures that a Mac Mini will be unable to "grow" in the future. I'm not sure that a Mac Mini would be able to compete with a console which is where the Mac Mini would compete best. Since it is a computer first most people will compare it to PC gaming, which is in a different market than console games when it comes to what is expected from a machine.
You're kidding right? An intergrated Intel graphic chip and a 4200 RPM hard drive? A friend of mine complained about how slow the Mini is running DJ apps. The only thing a Mac mini might take on is a Nintendo hand held in terms of games.
Even high end Macs are poor gaming machines because the graphic cards Apple sticks in them are at least a generation or two behind PC cards. I dropped $1600 18 months ago and all I have is a Geforce 5200. At the time it wasn't even that great. Mac users typically have 2-3 upgrade card options available at any time and any of them will cost about the same as a console.
Don't forget that PC games are heavily into the ActiveX camp, which AFAIK still doesn't run on OSX.
Actually, if they tried to actually act as agents for their customers they might just get by. With the sheer amount of music available at a low price the customer's time becomes more valuable than the music. This is what genrefication is. But the record companies would prefer to generate revenue by creating demand rather than react to it.
In some ways government is more responsive to the needs of the community. Others have mentioned failure of broadband companies to build infrastructure, phone and cable companies going to court to prevent open acccess and similar tactics.
IF a small town in Arkansas can do fibre or fibre/coax hybrid, why shouldn't they? Check out their rates too.
If all the store is doing is printing and stuffing into a plastic case, why not have th eindustry team up with Kinko's? Why have a former music store doing it?
I think A is your best bet with some niche stores succeeding in online ventures. An Internet analog to mom and pop video stores. Only a handful could commpete against a willing cartel opposed to quality, non-DRM online sales.
"Protection against Microsoft pulling MS Office off Macs would actually be betterl served by throwing some developers and money at the OSX port of Openoffice..."
You mean like MS did with IE once Safari was released?
Perhaps. I go tthe impression that the Thai government was subsidizing it to some extent and therefore would not see it sold in a traditional market. More akin to the microloan movement in south asia than the home computer market in more developed asian "tigers". I could totally see this being distributed by the Thai government and not the private sector.
The country is Thailand if the site still isn't working.
It would make sense that the rumored machine would be "not marketed to the traditional market" if it was for the Thais. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think the Mac Expo will showcase this item.
Last summer I read from a south asian government press release that Apple would be working with said government to build a cheap system for use only in that market. I firmly believe this rumored, stripped down machine is for that market.
I doubt they will open PostScript. However I can see them move into porting SVG support and their new proposed digital camera format into Linux-friendly environments. SVG is a standard that hasn't budged much in the marketplace compared to Flash. And they want their new proposed camera image format to take root.
That's about it IMHO. Unless they get that mythical server product to output.ps for enterprises that use server generated pdf's.
You make a point, but most people who buy things just want to know they will work reliably.
Do you really care what OS is running your cash register if you run a business? The works well opinion trumps the freedom to tinker angle because if it works there is no need to tinker.
Quality has a limit though or we'd be using Macs not Windows in business.:)
Slashdot Mirror
Couple of honest questions here.
Consensus is cable cards simply don't work and a newer spec promoted by the cable industry is on the way. True? I thought cable cards were required to be supported after a certain date, but I don't know. Would that solve the a la carte technical issue?
What would it take to drop analog cable? I haven't heard of any mandate, but a decade ago I heard cable companies wanted digital to more closely monitor usage and have more remote control. Is there a reason the rollout is so slow? Is it because of set top boxes?
Seems like it is a mix of technical hurdles and contractual obligations that is the resistance here. If the technical issues are dealt with is it just a matter of which industry is going to steamroller the other?
Does this include my property? Does it include my backyard? What if I have a fence? Is the only expectation of privacy I should have on my 100 acre spread in Utah within my house? What if said property was posted with No Trespassing signs? Does that make a difference?
What if a private satellite company photos me doing something suspicious like hunting on my property? What if a police helicopter takes an infrared photo of my house to see if I am using too much electricity for 'normal' people? Should I be expected to have some measure of privacy?
The problem lies not with the private/public sphere so much as it does with the capability of piecing together every action one does in public. The US government calls this mosaic theory and hides behind it when denying access to public information. Why can't I do the same? Where does one draw the line? Cameras, RFID, eyewitness testimony? What happens when the day comes that any public or private institution can follow me all day long without my permission? That truly does become the end of privacy as owning property will become the only refuge left. When that happens I might as well never leave the house as everything I do will be fair game for either the law, or some company offering me $0.50 off a latte.
I know nothing of the cell industry, but if Apple wants a limited amount sold and financial analysts think it would not sell well, this phone won't be subsidized by a single carrier. This would be a $500 phone purchased by the user that could be used with any carrier.
my bad!
No, I've seen the parent's clips on YouTube as well and it was NOT New Voyages. It was called Star Trek Enhanced.
These were from the Doomsday Machine episode and had 2 different companies doing the effects. Most of the effects were very subtle with enhanced viewscreens and a CGI planetkiller. There was also some scenes of Kirk in the engineering room where they changed the lighting subtly to make better mood.
Imagine: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HSYC6Wlbv8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9XHmj-dPEY
I agree. I could see video blogging blowing up if something like this gets traction though. Video podcasting.
The makers envision the device as a shot clip viewer. So something like a video blog which doesn't rely on full attention and is short duration may develop.
But watching movies problematic to me.
As others have said I think your real main gripe resides with Adobe Acrobat software, not the format itself.
.pdf with their newly acquired FlashPaper format. My guess is the latter will quietly disappear or perhaps be limited to Flex apps.
I have no idea what dvi is/does, but Acrobat can embed video, hyperlink internal/external documents, is extensible with JavaScript for form capability and is virtually required for interaction with the US government when exchanging documents.
I'm curious as to how Adobe will differentiate
The wires and machines are the medium that the messages are conveyed. Think of them as air. One cannot claim ownership of the air as a private right unless it has been granted a monopoly by the government (in the US usually the FCC). If one could then airlines and satellite TV signals would have to be be nogoitated on an individual level.
The Internet was built with US public tax dollars. Most of the private carriers you mention are regulated (phone companies and cable companies). ISPs themselves rarely own the wires, they're owned by cable or phone companies. They are often third parties, although in the US broadband ISPs are usually phone or cable companies thanks to US regulations of open access to wires being thrown out.
If one thinks of the Internet as a system, public infrastructure or utility then one can understand many (but not all!) of the characterstics of the Internet. Those entities are regulated for the good of all citizens and participants.
The phone and cable companies want to frame this issue as one of private ownership. The Internet must remain as a space that is not owned by any one industry or consortium of iindustries. Doing so will eliminate meritocracy for all groups be they political, economic, or social in nature.
Off topic, but in the US phone companies were deregulated in the 90s and allowed to compete in the long distance marketplace. The phone companies promised to build out their networks yet they reneged on that promise. There is plenty of "dark fiber" in the major networks and backbones, but the real profit area is "the last mile" which is where broadband customers are most vulnerable.
I see no reason to trust phone and cable companies when they spend millions of dollars on advertising trying to frame this debate as one of regulation of private property. History shows that neither industry serves the best interests of their customers, but of their shareholders and executives.
Then truly nothing has changed as in your scenario those with money or power are the only ones who can challenge the entrenched interests. Everybody else is simply shut out.
There is a reason AOL didn't take over the Internet.
I believe that if you see the Internet as a public space that all have equal access to, your questions are answered.
In a public space one isn't charged to state an opinion. Other visitors to that space aren't obliged to listen to that opinion, yet the economic and political freedom to speak one's mind exists.
Removing Net Neutrality really amounts to privatizing the Internet. Just as one can be chased out of a private space like a shopping mall because the ownership doesn't want one there, so can network owners discriminate against those it chooses.
Admittedly, this is simplistic, but the Internet transcends physical space while at the same time has characterisitics of it.
When I said Nintendo handhelds I meant more in *type* of game rather than raw power. For example, older type games (80s remakes), many RPGS, puzzle games, etc. Mac Minis are not going to be running Doom 3 or similar high end games at any reasonable speed.
Additionally, the lack of upgradeable graphic cards ensures that a Mac Mini will be unable to "grow" in the future. I'm not sure that a Mac Mini would be able to compete with a console which is where the Mac Mini would compete best. Since it is a computer first most people will compare it to PC gaming, which is in a different market than console games when it comes to what is expected from a machine.
You are correct about DirectX. I'm glad somebody knew what I meant. :)
You're kidding right? An intergrated Intel graphic chip and a 4200 RPM hard drive? A friend of mine complained about how slow the Mini is running DJ apps. The only thing a Mac mini might take on is a Nintendo hand held in terms of games.
Even high end Macs are poor gaming machines because the graphic cards Apple sticks in them are at least a generation or two behind PC cards. I dropped $1600 18 months ago and all I have is a Geforce 5200. At the time it wasn't even that great. Mac users typically have 2-3 upgrade card options available at any time and any of them will cost about the same as a console.
Don't forget that PC games are heavily into the ActiveX camp, which AFAIK still doesn't run on OSX.
Actually, if they tried to actually act as agents for their customers they might just get by. With the sheer amount of music available at a low price the customer's time becomes more valuable than the music. This is what genrefication is. But the record companies would prefer to generate revenue by creating demand rather than react to it.
In some ways government is more responsive to the needs of the community. Others have mentioned failure of broadband companies to build infrastructure, phone and cable companies going to court to prevent open acccess and similar tactics.
IF a small town in Arkansas can do fibre or fibre/coax hybrid, why shouldn't they? Check out their rates too.
If all the store is doing is printing and stuffing into a plastic case, why not have th eindustry team up with Kinko's? Why have a former music store doing it?
I think A is your best bet with some niche stores succeeding in online ventures. An Internet analog to mom and pop video stores. Only a handful could commpete against a willing cartel opposed to quality, non-DRM online sales.
"Protection against Microsoft pulling MS Office off Macs would actually be betterl served by throwing some developers and money at the OSX port of Openoffice..."
You mean like MS did with IE once Safari was released?
Perhaps. I go tthe impression that the Thai government was subsidizing it to some extent and therefore would not see it sold in a traditional market. More akin to the microloan movement in south asia than the home computer market in more developed asian "tigers". I could totally see this being distributed by the Thai government and not the private sector.
However until the Expo it is all speculation.
The country is Thailand if the site still isn't working.
It would make sense that the rumored machine would be "not marketed to the traditional market" if it was for the Thais. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think the Mac Expo will showcase this item.
Last summer I read from a south asian government press release that Apple would be working with said government to build a cheap system for use only in that market. I firmly believe this rumored, stripped down machine is for that market.
Here's the press release
I believe such a thing has prior art. But submit it to USPTO anyway and label it a business process and you'll probably get it.
I doubt they will open PostScript. However I can see them move into porting SVG support and their new proposed digital camera format into Linux-friendly environments. SVG is a standard that hasn't budged much in the marketplace compared to Flash. And they want their new proposed camera image format to take root.
.ps for enterprises that use server generated pdf's.
That's about it IMHO. Unless they get that mythical server product to output
As a former web-monkey I can assure you the designer probably had very little input on what browsers to support.
Blame the marketing managers who probably made the call to do "IE-only"
You make a point, but most people who buy things just want to know they will work reliably.
:)
Do you really care what OS is running your cash register if you run a business? The works well opinion trumps the freedom to tinker angle because if it works there is no need to tinker.
Quality has a limit though or we'd be using Macs not Windows in business.
I dunno how it would/could be done. I'm just saying I wouldn't mind the scenario of sterile copies as long as I can duplicate my original.