If N. Korea started to attack first, we would not fight a conventional warfare. They would be stopped frozen in their tracks once a few nuclear bombs wipe out all major cities. Fuck politics, this is war at this point. This stratagy would be the ONLY effective one against N. Korea. After the fact, then everyone would move the troops in to take out the rouge remaining forces.
I don't write the rules of engagement, I just call it how it I see it from a REALISTIC standpoint
America doesn't have a problem with Europe. But it sure damn well seems Europe has a problem with America based on what's read in the blogsphere. Makes you wonder who's really the "bad guy" hmm?
That, and the fact it we don't want to be fighting wars on two different fronts. Chances are, we will deal with N. Korea with military means once we are sure Europe can take on Iran. It's WWIII, I'm bloddy serious. The chess peices are just falling into place as we speak. Question is, who or whome will get check-mated?
64 kbps sounds really nice if using WMA or MP3Pro codec. Obviously not as good as 128 kbps, but still nice. Should the audio be 64 kbps with the standard MP3 codec however, then the difference would noticable to most people with a good set of headphones.
Why the hell was the parent modded "troll" Does anyone not know what Starwars is? You know, the idea of using balistic missles to take down satcom system in space? Regan, cold war....starwars?!
Sometimes the problem isn't so easy to point out. Take you internet example, how do you "prove" to the average customer their inability to get online is from a NIC/Windows issue when there isn't another PC there we can plug right up and get going? It doesn't help that when they call Dell the first words out of the rep's mouth there is always "Call you ISP, it's their issue."
Isolate the issue. If through process of elimination the problem is with the cable modem, a service call can be setup. If you can *prove* it's a problem with the PC, then it's YOUR job to educate the customer as best as possible with what course of actions they need to take in regards to who they should talk to next. For example, if they had their PC formatted and reinstalled but are now missing drivers for their NIC, it's bloody obvious they need to talk with their PC vendor/manufacture. In fact, I will even go to their website and provide the customer with the number. But I refuse to fix the problem if it's not ours for two reasons.
1. We are not being paid by the other company to service their customers.
2. It's a legal liability issue. Trust me; I've watched how that movie plays out. The ending gets ugly!
Customer's expect that if they are having to pay for an install, the tech will install to their specifications.
That depends. If a customer has a 30 grand high-end entertainment rig, no way in hell is that tech going to spend all day to fine tune an recalibrate the acoustics and video to match the technical output specifications of the box (hue, color, brightness, audio gain, surround...ect). What our techs will do is make sure our equipment is connected to his TV so that we can verify its operation within specs. If the customer wishes to use composite with audio or S-Video cables, they're on their own (officially). Some techs I know will actually go the extra mile if the customer already has the cables and the TV supports them. But that's about it. Otherwise, it's just an RF coax cable from the box to the TV.
The most common problem is our techs hook up HDTV's with the component outputs and many people want things hooked up for "the best picture quality". Had a guy two days ago who had a projector with a proprietary could see the adapter was the problem becuase he wasn't getting picture on the projector unless he used the component outs, his take was the box wasn't outputting HD interface, and an adapter to hook it up to DVI output. As far as I to the DVI at all and that's why it wasn't working. When I left him he was going to hook up a DVI computer monitor to the box.
Unless the customer is willing to pay for a DVI or HDMI cable, we only supply component cables. Also, the Scientific Atlanta 8000 DVR box doesn't yet have it's DVI port activated (I've been informed by some techs that they are now active, but it's not "officially" confirmed). Why SA didn't activate it is beyond me. We've been bitching about it to them to have it enabled. But the 3250 HD and 8300 HD DVR do have active DVI/HDMI ports.
As for the DVI problems, they are due to devices not supporting HDCP protocol. Unless your projector was designed and marketed for the home entertainment industry, there is a very good chance the DVI port is not HDCP compliant.
It's no big secret the cablecos want to drop all analog cable feeds and go to all digital for more efficient use of bandwidth. The change to all digital broadcasting will just make that easier as there will be less of a reason to put analog tuners in TVs to start with. Yeah, the cablecos could change the current analog feeds to unencrypted digital which wouldn't require a converter to descramble, but why do that when we can just lump them in with our already encryted signal and get everyone on the pay-per-TV model!
I agree. They could do this, but they won't due to competition. While your local cable company has a monopoly of the physical cable infrastructure, they do NOT have a monopoly on the services they provide. We already hav
What do current cable card specs have to do with engineers wanting to reduce the number of hardware configurations they have to support?
In product volume, cable cards are cheaper than boxes. The problem is, current cable card specs do not provide two-way communication. This is a problem on two fronts. First, customers can't order VOD and thus contribute to the revenue stream. Second, remote diagnostics can't be run from our call center which makes troubleshooting a pain in the ass. When it comes to cables issues with cards, 9 out of 10 times we have to roll a truck and THAT costs money right off the bat. If we can get two-way cable card installed on customers own equipment, it will be a virtual panacea.
After a couple dozen calls from angry TiVo users, it gets pretty clear customers don't care what you do and do not support, if their service was working a certain way before or they have been told this is how you solve issue X for Y hardware device, and it doesn't work, they generally will call YOU and hold your company responsible.
Clearly, you are not doing your job in regards to customer service. You may be the cable genius at the technical level, but if you can't point out the problem to the customer and why it's not the cable company's problem, then you have a serious communication issue.
Fact is, customers WILL bitch moan and cry about media equipment setup. Sorry, we don't support install for your own equipment. I will over the phone (and techs out in the field) connect our cable box direct to your TV and that's it. If you want to change that configuration, you're on your own. Bye bye, contact 3rd party for further help.
Same this applies to Internet access. I will verify over the phone that network connectivity is established via tracert and ping commands at the prompt. Once done, customer now knows they will need to contact their PC vendor or Symantec/MacAfee should it turn out their enabled firewall is blocking access. And NO, will not fix your damn PC over the phone. Dell, Microsoft, and your anti-virus vendors don't pay us to FIX their problems. In short, if it's our modem causing problems and/or you can't pull an IP address then I will send a tech out. But if I can be proven over the phone it's not our issue...you're on your own.
1) So why weren't Cable-Ready TV's made illegal back in the day? If every had been forced to get analog converters it would have been easier to prevent theft of service on analog cable.
2) Many European and Asian countries do not encrypt digital cable, and I don't see them collapsing under enormous piracy problems. What you do see is higher adoption of digital service and better home built PVR's. The idea that "we have to encrypt it, otherwise the pirates will drive us out of business" is the same nonsense the RIAA peddles saying that unless they can add DRM to all CD's they'll go out of business. Nothing more than false truths spread to prop up outdated business models and justify draconian meansures that are really menat to wring a few more dollars a month from consumers.
You don't get it, do you? If you want digital cable service, you have to PAY for it. The reason why it's encrypted is to prevent theft of service from TWCs network. Maybe you're to young for this, but analog cable theft was major fucking problem in the 80s. We are talking about neighbors leaching off another neighbors cable with a splitter. Bunch of wankers they are... It was blatent THEFT!
As for DRM, I'm all for it when used in a fair way. If you do not agree with DRM and the fact it's used, then don't support products that use them. You are free to make that choice. You have the power to vote...one dollar at a time.
Try riding a bike, lift weights or something for a change. There IS more to life than just entertainment media.
ROFLMAO! If you're an employee of TW, you really don't get your employer's business.
I know more about the cable industry far more than you give me credit for, trust me.
TWC is going to HATE the idea media PC's supporting cable cards. There will be a slew of people calling for support for every type of HTPC config under the sun. That in itself will be a training nightmare for phone reps. If they only allow their special Black Box DVR's on the headend, it makes support so much easier for CSR's and the Engineers, there's now only a handful of devices from one or two platforms to watch.
Current cable card specs are not two-way. In fact, cable card v2.0 hasn't been ratified last I checked. None the less, it's to be expected being that most of TWC revenue comes from VOD (porn provides the cream of the crop which is the dirty little secret most people don't talk about in public).
I support HDTV's that can use cable cards. If a customer decides to use a cable card rather than a set-top-box, we issue out a Scientific Atlanta cable card. Using both the card and its host ID, we can provision what he can and cannot get based on his channel plan he opts for. That said, we do NOT support the TV, only problems regarding poor reception and channels not coming in. If the customer has any questions about equipment features, we direct them to their TV manufacture. End of story. Nuff said. Should these media TVs support cable cards or even cable cards that provide two-way, expect the same level of support.
Here's a clue: If cable companie are so hot to have HTPC's on their networks, why do they encrypt the digital signal to begin with?
The answer is obvious! It's to prevent THEFT of cable service. You do know theft of cable service is a felony, right? Unless you have authorized equipment (cable card or box), you will be explicitly denied access. I suppose you think Dish Networks should have their service unencrypted too?
This is all about control and nickel and dimeing the consumer. Cableco's love DVR's, it's like if they could have charged you a fee for owning a VCR ten years ago to them.
BS! Having to pay for the equipment AND support them is a major PITA. And yes, the cost of the equipment is passed down to the consumer (naturally). But if the cable industry can just provide the service and let the customer deal with the hardware, we would come out smelling like a rose in terms of lower cable rates to compete with dish network or future TV-over-IP networks. Why do you think Microsoft doesn't make and sell their PCs? Answer: too much overhead in cost to deal with.
If Myth supported Cablecard, the first thing that would happen is they would have to adopt a DRM-laden file format for the digital cable recordings. The MPAA/studios aren't going to allow a glorified computer to record content in a plain MPEG format. What do you think they're pushing HDMI for? Say goodbye to burning the recordings to DVD and prolly streaming too, they would make sure your CableCard Myth didn't have any way to get data off it's hard disk, just like you TW DVR doesn't. It stores the recordings in their encrypted format they came over the node in, making the shows worthless if you pull the drive from the unit.
Correct, and it's to be expected. You are paying for content meant ONLY for your household and NOT to pirate over the Internet. If you want to rip DVDs and archive the media to your own media PC, fine. But don't expect unencrypted video from the cable company to be stored on the same drive. Of course, I can't speak with assurance that it will be encrypted. But if TWC didn't encrypt them, expect them to be sued by the likes of Sony, WB, Fox, and so forth.
Remember, your cable co and dish network providers do NOT create the media. Their job is to collect and pipe the content to your home. They provide you access to their network, and you are paying a fee to be part of their node.
Until some major consumer + lobbying action takes place and w
With Time Warner offering HD-DVR (Digital Video Recorder), I don't see the need for this PC other than the support for other file formats. I will say this however; I WILL use a media PC in place of my DVR once they support the new cable card v2.0 (two-way communication support). That way, I can order PPV and VOD (Video on Demand), record video direct from the digital source, and do all the other stuff with just one box.
Being that I'm an employee of Time Warner Cable, I can only imagine they would be in favor of media PCs supporting cable cards. Reason being, it's less hardware TWC has to support and purchase for the end-user. It truly would be a win-win for both TWC and the consumer.
Interesting! I wonder if parallel universes based on Quantum theory can also explain the psychic and déjà vu phenomenon. Being the human brain is a vast parallel asynchronous computer, maybe it has the ability to process at the quantum level based on probability (majority multi-verse outcome).
Most if not all digital camaras have the option to format removable media. As such, this wont have an impact on the flash memory industry.
It can go something like this for an end-user... "Canon has detected blank/unformatted media inserted into your camara. Do you wish to format it for the first time? YES/NO"
YES! Nero has a utility that alows you scan the disk. It follows each sector as either Good, damaged, or bad. If it's "bad" your fucked and thus you have bit rot. It you have any that is damaged, now is a good time to back up the data and reburn a copy.
Note: setting your drive to 4x read can often read "bad" sectors as "damaged" which is just good enough to back up the data.
What's with all the bitching? I seriously doubt anyone want's to plunk down the cash for a 50/50 shot of device not being supported in the near future. So here's an idea. Why not have a DVD player that plays BOTH HD formats. You already have the bulk of the device made. I can't imagine it adding another $20 to the cost of the total unit (lens and tracker).
Your not the only one! I hate LCDs with the white-hot passion of a thousand suns!!! Because the color is not uniform at all viewing angles, the phase shift can be different for each eye. As such, it gives me a headache.
A more extreme example would be like wearing those old 50s 3D glasses in a movie theater where one eye sees blue and the other red. Same effect with an LCD screen, but far more subtile.
I want a video came hack of Donky Kong where it's Balmer throwing chairs at the skinny little geek. He must jump and duck these chairs so he can reach the server archive that contains source code.
Secondly, what do you actually know about whether the Chinese feel free to speak their mind? I suspect you've never actually been there and spoken to ordinary Chinese. I have, many times, and I can testify that they are not in the least afraid of having an opinion or speaking it in public
Where, when, with what group of people? As someone who's been to Shanghai, I can tell you that my girlfriend and her friends FEAR talking about chinese politics. When you you bring up subject that even remotely come close, they just shake their head and say it's best not to talk about it. When I ask her why at least, she said "I don't want trouble, I want to be a normal citizen without troubles".
Ya...she really likes to speak her mind freely. Sounds like total oppression to me!
You among the rest of Slashdot just dont "get it" do you?
PC Gaming today is just like Golf. Most of the high-end shit is for bragging rights...period. Trust me, it's not over. Expect to see rigs going for 8 grand. Sure, it's extreme, but we also have an exreme market too with extreme people will to pay the, ehem...extreme price.
This should be EXPECTED and not questioned. Has anyone learned anything an econ 101? Oh ya, I guess they don't teach that anymore.
Slashdot Mirror
If N. Korea started to attack first, we would not fight a conventional warfare. They would be stopped frozen in their tracks once a few nuclear bombs wipe out all major cities. Fuck politics, this is war at this point. This stratagy would be the ONLY effective one against N. Korea. After the fact, then everyone would move the troops in to take out the rouge remaining forces.
I don't write the rules of engagement, I just call it how it I see it from a REALISTIC standpoint
Oh ya...good point :P
At least there will be plenty of french whores to go around... The arabs have a thing for blonds though, you may have to fight for them.
America doesn't have a problem with Europe. But it sure damn well seems Europe has a problem with America based on what's read in the blogsphere. Makes you wonder who's really the "bad guy" hmm?
THINK about it sometime......
That, and the fact it we don't want to be fighting wars on two different fronts. Chances are, we will deal with N. Korea with military means once we are sure Europe can take on Iran. It's WWIII, I'm bloddy serious. The chess peices are just falling into place as we speak. Question is, who or whome will get check-mated?
64 kbps sounds really nice if using WMA or MP3Pro codec. Obviously not as good as 128 kbps, but still nice. Should the audio be 64 kbps with the standard MP3 codec however, then the difference would noticable to most people with a good set of headphones.
...because someone needs to contain the crying. Can someone please change the diapers. Fuck it, just call a Waaaaammbulance.
RIAA, you've lost control. Get over this fact of life.
Why the hell was the parent modded "troll" Does anyone not know what Starwars is? You know, the idea of using balistic missles to take down satcom system in space? Regan, cold war....starwars?!
He wasn't making a reference to the movie series.
...it's always a good idea to have redundancy.
If these are four bladed, then just attach extra blades to each one at a 90 degree angle. Now you have a spinning swastika. Now THAT would ba scary!
Sometimes the problem isn't so easy to point out. Take you internet example, how do you "prove" to the average customer their inability to get online is from a NIC/Windows issue when there isn't another PC there we can plug right up and get going? It doesn't help that when they call Dell the first words out of the rep's mouth there is always "Call you ISP, it's their issue."
Isolate the issue. If through process of elimination the problem is with the cable modem, a service call can be setup. If you can *prove* it's a problem with the PC, then it's YOUR job to educate the customer as best as possible with what course of actions they need to take in regards to who they should talk to next. For example, if they had their PC formatted and reinstalled but are now missing drivers for their NIC, it's bloody obvious they need to talk with their PC vendor/manufacture. In fact, I will even go to their website and provide the customer with the number. But I refuse to fix the problem if it's not ours for two reasons.
1. We are not being paid by the other company to service their customers.
2. It's a legal liability issue. Trust me; I've watched how that movie plays out. The ending gets ugly!
Customer's expect that if they are having to pay for an install, the tech will install to their specifications.
That depends. If a customer has a 30 grand high-end entertainment rig, no way in hell is that tech going to spend all day to fine tune an recalibrate the acoustics and video to match the technical output specifications of the box (hue, color, brightness, audio gain, surround...ect). What our techs will do is make sure our equipment is connected to his TV so that we can verify its operation within specs. If the customer wishes to use composite with audio or S-Video cables, they're on their own (officially). Some techs I know will actually go the extra mile if the customer already has the cables and the TV supports them. But that's about it. Otherwise, it's just an RF coax cable from the box to the TV.
The most common problem is our techs hook up HDTV's with the component outputs and many people want things hooked up for "the best picture quality". Had a guy two days ago who had a projector with a proprietary could see the adapter was the problem becuase he wasn't getting picture on the projector unless he used the component outs, his take was the box wasn't outputting HD interface, and an adapter to hook it up to DVI output. As far as I to the DVI at all and that's why it wasn't working. When I left him he was going to hook up a DVI computer monitor to the box.
Unless the customer is willing to pay for a DVI or HDMI cable, we only supply component cables. Also, the Scientific Atlanta 8000 DVR box doesn't yet have it's DVI port activated (I've been informed by some techs that they are now active, but it's not "officially" confirmed). Why SA didn't activate it is beyond me. We've been bitching about it to them to have it enabled. But the 3250 HD and 8300 HD DVR do have active DVI/HDMI ports.
As for the DVI problems, they are due to devices not supporting HDCP protocol. Unless your projector was designed and marketed for the home entertainment industry, there is a very good chance the DVI port is not HDCP compliant.
It's no big secret the cablecos want to drop all analog cable feeds and go to all digital for more efficient use of bandwidth. The change to all digital broadcasting will just make that easier as there will be less of a reason to put analog tuners in TVs to start with. Yeah, the cablecos could change the current analog feeds to unencrypted digital which wouldn't require a converter to descramble, but why do that when we can just lump them in with our already encryted signal and get everyone on the pay-per-TV model!
I agree. They could do this, but they won't due to competition. While your local cable company has a monopoly of the physical cable infrastructure, they do NOT have a monopoly on the services they provide. We already hav
What do current cable card specs have to do with engineers wanting to reduce the number of hardware configurations they have to support?
In product volume, cable cards are cheaper than boxes. The problem is, current cable card specs do not provide two-way communication. This is a problem on two fronts. First, customers can't order VOD and thus contribute to the revenue stream. Second, remote diagnostics can't be run from our call center which makes troubleshooting a pain in the ass. When it comes to cables issues with cards, 9 out of 10 times we have to roll a truck and THAT costs money right off the bat. If we can get two-way cable card installed on customers own equipment, it will be a virtual panacea.
After a couple dozen calls from angry TiVo users, it gets pretty clear customers don't care what you do and do not support, if their service was working a certain way before or they have been told this is how you solve issue X for Y hardware device, and it doesn't work, they generally will call YOU and hold your company responsible.
Clearly, you are not doing your job in regards to customer service. You may be the cable genius at the technical level, but if you can't point out the problem to the customer and why it's not the cable company's problem, then you have a serious communication issue.
Fact is, customers WILL bitch moan and cry about media equipment setup. Sorry, we don't support install for your own equipment. I will over the phone (and techs out in the field) connect our cable box direct to your TV and that's it. If you want to change that configuration, you're on your own. Bye bye, contact 3rd party for further help.
Same this applies to Internet access. I will verify over the phone that network connectivity is established via tracert and ping commands at the prompt. Once done, customer now knows they will need to contact their PC vendor or Symantec/MacAfee should it turn out their enabled firewall is blocking access. And NO, will not fix your damn PC over the phone. Dell, Microsoft, and your anti-virus vendors don't pay us to FIX their problems. In short, if it's our modem causing problems and/or you can't pull an IP address then I will send a tech out. But if I can be proven over the phone it's not our issue...you're on your own.
1) So why weren't Cable-Ready TV's made illegal back in the day? If every had been forced to get analog converters it would have been easier to prevent theft of service on analog cable.
2) Many European and Asian countries do not encrypt digital cable, and I don't see them collapsing under enormous piracy problems. What you do see is higher adoption of digital service and better home built PVR's. The idea that "we have to encrypt it, otherwise the pirates will drive us out of business" is the same nonsense the RIAA peddles saying that unless they can add DRM to all CD's they'll go out of business. Nothing more than false truths spread to prop up outdated business models and justify draconian meansures that are really menat to wring a few more dollars a month from consumers.
You don't get it, do you? If you want digital cable service, you have to PAY for it. The reason why it's encrypted is to prevent theft of service from TWCs network. Maybe you're to young for this, but analog cable theft was major fucking problem in the 80s. We are talking about neighbors leaching off another neighbors cable with a splitter. Bunch of wankers they are... It was blatent THEFT!
As for DRM, I'm all for it when used in a fair way. If you do not agree with DRM and the fact it's used, then don't support products that use them. You are free to make that choice. You have the power to vote...one dollar at a time.
Try riding a bike, lift weights or something for a change. There IS more to life than just entertainment media.
ROFLMAO! If you're an employee of TW, you really don't get your employer's business.
I know more about the cable industry far more than you give me credit for, trust me.
TWC is going to HATE the idea media PC's supporting cable cards. There will be a slew of people calling for support for every type of HTPC config under the sun. That in itself will be a training nightmare for phone reps. If they only allow their special Black Box DVR's on the headend, it makes support so much easier for CSR's and the Engineers, there's now only a handful of devices from one or two platforms to watch.
Current cable card specs are not two-way. In fact, cable card v2.0 hasn't been ratified last I checked. None the less, it's to be expected being that most of TWC revenue comes from VOD (porn provides the cream of the crop which is the dirty little secret most people don't talk about in public).
I support HDTV's that can use cable cards. If a customer decides to use a cable card rather than a set-top-box, we issue out a Scientific Atlanta cable card. Using both the card and its host ID, we can provision what he can and cannot get based on his channel plan he opts for. That said, we do NOT support the TV, only problems regarding poor reception and channels not coming in. If the customer has any questions about equipment features, we direct them to their TV manufacture. End of story. Nuff said. Should these media TVs support cable cards or even cable cards that provide two-way, expect the same level of support.
Here's a clue: If cable companie are so hot to have HTPC's on their networks, why do they encrypt the digital signal to begin with?
The answer is obvious! It's to prevent THEFT of cable service. You do know theft of cable service is a felony, right? Unless you have authorized equipment (cable card or box), you will be explicitly denied access. I suppose you think Dish Networks should have their service unencrypted too?
This is all about control and nickel and dimeing the consumer. Cableco's love DVR's, it's like if they could have charged you a fee for owning a VCR ten years ago to them.
BS! Having to pay for the equipment AND support them is a major PITA. And yes, the cost of the equipment is passed down to the consumer (naturally). But if the cable industry can just provide the service and let the customer deal with the hardware, we would come out smelling like a rose in terms of lower cable rates to compete with dish network or future TV-over-IP networks. Why do you think Microsoft doesn't make and sell their PCs? Answer: too much overhead in cost to deal with.
If Myth supported Cablecard, the first thing that would happen is they would have to adopt a DRM-laden file format for the digital cable recordings. The MPAA/studios aren't going to allow a glorified computer to record content in a plain MPEG format. What do you think they're pushing HDMI for? Say goodbye to burning the recordings to DVD and prolly streaming too, they would make sure your CableCard Myth didn't have any way to get data off it's hard disk, just like you TW DVR doesn't. It stores the recordings in their encrypted format they came over the node in, making the shows worthless if you pull the drive from the unit.
Correct, and it's to be expected. You are paying for content meant ONLY for your household and NOT to pirate over the Internet. If you want to rip DVDs and archive the media to your own media PC, fine. But don't expect unencrypted video from the cable company to be stored on the same drive. Of course, I can't speak with assurance that it will be encrypted. But if TWC didn't encrypt them, expect them to be sued by the likes of Sony, WB, Fox, and so forth.
Remember, your cable co and dish network providers do NOT create the media. Their job is to collect and pipe the content to your home. They provide you access to their network, and you are paying a fee to be part of their node.
Until some major consumer + lobbying action takes place and w
Expect this story to be dupped again. This time, it will be the fault of their new CPU, not Slashdot.
Finally, a dupe excuse for Slashdot!
With Time Warner offering HD-DVR (Digital Video Recorder), I don't see the need for this PC other than the support for other file formats. I will say this however; I WILL use a media PC in place of my DVR once they support the new cable card v2.0 (two-way communication support). That way, I can order PPV and VOD (Video on Demand), record video direct from the digital source, and do all the other stuff with just one box.
Being that I'm an employee of Time Warner Cable, I can only imagine they would be in favor of media PCs supporting cable cards. Reason being, it's less hardware TWC has to support and purchase for the end-user. It truly would be a win-win for both TWC and the consumer.
Interesting! I wonder if parallel universes based on Quantum theory can also explain the psychic and déjà vu phenomenon. Being the human brain is a vast parallel asynchronous computer, maybe it has the ability to process at the quantum level based on probability (majority multi-verse outcome).
Most if not all digital camaras have the option to format removable media. As such, this wont have an impact on the flash memory industry.
It can go something like this for an end-user...
"Canon has detected blank/unformatted media inserted into your camara. Do you wish to format it for the first time? YES/NO"
Problem solved
When your old, and on your deathbed dieing...lets find out then if you are still devoid of faith in a higher being.
Funny how ones perspective changes in the face of his/her own mortality.
YES! Nero has a utility that alows you scan the disk. It follows each sector as either Good, damaged, or bad. If it's "bad" your fucked and thus you have bit rot. It you have any that is damaged, now is a good time to back up the data and reburn a copy.
Note: setting your drive to 4x read can often read "bad" sectors as "damaged" which is just good enough to back up the data.
Would you like chips with that order?......
What's with all the bitching? I seriously doubt anyone want's to plunk down the cash for a 50/50 shot of device not being supported in the near future. So here's an idea. Why not have a DVD player that plays BOTH HD formats. You already have the bulk of the device made. I can't imagine it adding another $20 to the cost of the total unit (lens and tracker).
Your not the only one! I hate LCDs with the white-hot passion of a thousand suns!!! Because the color is not uniform at all viewing angles, the phase shift can be different for each eye. As such, it gives me a headache.
A more extreme example would be like wearing those old 50s 3D glasses in a movie theater where one eye sees blue and the other red. Same effect with an LCD screen, but far more subtile.
I want a video came hack of Donky Kong where it's Balmer throwing chairs at the skinny little geek. He must jump and duck these chairs so he can reach the server archive that contains source code.
Secondly, what do you actually know about whether the Chinese feel free to speak their mind? I suspect you've never actually been there and spoken to ordinary Chinese. I have, many times, and I can testify that they are not in the least afraid of having an opinion or speaking it in public
Where, when, with what group of people? As someone who's been to Shanghai, I can tell you that my girlfriend and her friends FEAR talking about chinese politics. When you you bring up subject that even remotely come close, they just shake their head and say it's best not to talk about it. When I ask her why at least, she said "I don't want trouble, I want to be a normal citizen without troubles".
Ya...she really likes to speak her mind freely. Sounds like total oppression to me!
Yes, it was colorfull added shit you never needed and always got in the way. As such, I've always called it Microsoft PUSS.
You among the rest of Slashdot just dont "get it" do you?
PC Gaming today is just like Golf. Most of the high-end shit is for bragging rights...period. Trust me, it's not over. Expect to see rigs going for 8 grand. Sure, it's extreme, but we also have an exreme market too with extreme people will to pay the, ehem...extreme price.
This should be EXPECTED and not questioned. Has anyone learned anything an econ 101? Oh ya, I guess they don't teach that anymore.