I once heard of a weather prediction system, based on a set of mainframes working in parallel, that once it had sufficient data, could predict the weather for the next day to 99.9% accuracy.
The problem was that the process ran for 5 days, so if it started on Sunday, you could know what Monday's weather would be by the following Friday.
This study (and I do understand it takes time to pull together this kind of comprehensive usage data in an organized format) falls along the same lines. It would have been far more relevant had it been published when the original Napster was actually (1) in its prime or at least (2) still up.
I know this is completely off topic, but I remember that "happy ball" commercial or something like that. I couldn't find what I was looking for in Google either.
Can you tell me the origins of the happy ball please?
I stand corrected - they are not altering a port setting. I never did say it had anything to do with MSN Messenger though.
AOL is turning off a service on the Windows OS that can be used for things other than spam however and this is the basis of the complaint. Some companies use this service to broadcast system-wide messages to all users that specific server is going down for example. Granted, the average AOL user will likely not be using the messenger service for anything at all, so as I mentioned in my original post, this is a calculated move for AOL to cut back on customer complaints and save themselves some money.
When Joe User turns on his PC and fires up his AOL client and the very next thing that happens is that he gets hit with popup boxes resulting from some spammer bastardo invading his opened messenger port, who will Joe User likely blame? AOL that's who.
AOL claims to block spam and popups for their customers and given that their market share is levelling off as well as Time Warners stock price sinking a little each day, this seems like a serious "let's-cover-our-asses" type move on AOL's part.
If called on it, they can claim their being do-gooders on behalf of their customers - which is only partially true. They're betting that people getting these messenger pop-ups will cause greater problems that those people that realize that AOL is forcefully altering a windows port setting.
At this point in their business, it's probably not a bad risk to take, however unethical it is.
You're certainly right about how very insignificant I am.
Record stores? Maybe, but I can still jump through the hoops and buy online/burn CDs/rip them to MP3 later if I don't feel like leaving my meaningless living space to go to the store;-)
Ok, I can certainly appreciate the issues of copyright and the industry wanting to keep their chokehold on the river of money generated by the traditional sales of music, but this quote from the article leaves us with a fundamental problem.
To hinder mass copying, songs you buy from the three stores are in special encrypted formats, not the open MP3 format. Each service also operates via its own special software, not via a Web browser. This software doubles as a music jukebox that can organize and play all the music on a PC, including your existing MP3 files.
What does this really do? A "special encrypted format"? This is significant limitation. Again, I understand the issues, but is it really necessary to force people to (1) install some special software in the first place (2) use this special software to make purchases (3) use this special software to play music on their computers (4) use this special software to actually burn the music to a CD?
A great deal of the music I have on CD (all 800 of them) is ripped to MP3 and sitting on my Archos jukebox. I guess these online music solutions care not about people like me.
Not to be a big baby, but I also hate the idea of having to use some catch-all piece of software, rather than choosing my own applications to browse/purchase (web browser), listen (xmms, winamp), and burn CDs (groaster) etc. Never mind that I run a Linux desktop too of course. I could understand if this was the only way they could think of to prevent unlawful activities.
But once the music's on the CD, couldn't it just be ripped to MP3? So is their system not putting up secure walls but rather presenting annoying hurdles?
Please someone smack me down if I'm not thinking clearly (it wouldn't be the first time).
I take the LIRR every single day, so the lecture is unnecesary.
I'm talking about driving on Long Island and in the NY area in general. You can't take public transportation to just anywhere. On the weekends, the roads are snarled everywhere. I'm not complaining at all, just stating fact. I like living here very much.
But I'm wondering if anyone else could see could envision the future of the roads. It simply can't keep going the way it is.
The nav system in the article is a nice small step. I certainly wouldn't mind having one. Especially living on Long Island and driving into the city all the time. The traffic is getting astoundingly worse, approaching soul-sucking proportions.
I remember like 20 years ago, my Dad speculating on how it would be better if there was a way to not have to stop at toll booths, rather just drive your car through some kind of reader and let it send you a bill. Looks like he predicted the future to some degree (EZ Pass).
Now the other idea, and stay with me here, would be to have some kind of autopilot for your car on highways. Much like we have an HOV lane, could you envision cars equipped with a system that, once in one of these lanes, you could program the exit you wanted to get off (or maybe the mileage distance) and have the car simply follow the lane in the road up until that point (adjusting speed to traffic conditions accordingly of course)? I know it sounds far fetched, but under the right circumstances it could work. It would eliminate the worst part of traffic, which is the incredibily demanding tedious and boring act of staring at the brake lights of the car in front of you in a creeping traffic jam. Wouldn't that be best handled by a computer?
Sorry to rant, but I think I've thought about this a little too much - as I definitely have traffic jam hang ups...
I'm starting a new pr0n pictures site where all the images will be available in BMP format only.
I'd love to know how this business model and song format was agreed upon in whatever meetings the collection of innovative geniuses at puretracks.com had leading up to the site's launch. Who would start off by limiting themselves so severely out of the gate?
Motivating the US to spend more money on NASA? Not sure what kind of an idea that is (good or bad). Of course I am as curious as the next person to see what's out there. But technologically, we're so far away from going anywhere meaningful, particularly when you weigh the expense and effort required againsts the current state of the US economy and health care systems. Couldn't money be better spent at this point in time?
... the first thing that occured to me when I saw this headline was "so f--ing what?". I am certainly not saying that the exploration of space and the science/efforts behind attempting to achieve it aren't anything short of fascinating, but that fact that China's doing something that was done over 30 years ago? Big deal. Or maybe I'm missing the significance? It wouldn't be the first time and I'm sure if I am, there will be no shortage of./'ers to tell me so.
In other news, people of China have discovered the VCR, the internet, and thicker toilet paper infused with aloe-vera...
The screen is small (2"), but ok for viewing Office Space for the 10th time while I'm commuting via train. Having all of your recent photos on board is nice too (who needs that plastic thing in your wallet?). And it does hold 500 CDs worth of music and supports mu3 playlists.
It's easily mountable to my Linux box and I believe it is less expensive that the iPod of the same hard drive size. No it doesn't look as cool as the iPod or weigh as little, but the rechargeable batteries do go about 7 hours. It's an alternative at least...
You couldn't be more right about that. There's really nothing very cool at all about a DJ working a laptop keyboard.
There is this one guy I've heard of who actually walks the crowd and through the dancefloor with a wireless laptop setup, mixing while he moves around. I can't see doing that, but it is kind of interesting.
One of the only reasons I ever boot into Win XP is to make use of my PC DJ software. Being a former old school DJ (Techniques 1200's), I've got to say there is a great allure to just bringing a laptop to a gig, rather than crates of LPs or even cases of CDs.
This article is surely interesting, but none of it should come as a great surprise to anyone...
I have one friend who had me get him a "family" PC. His wife does her shopping and online banking, games are installed for the kids, and late at night - daddy surfs the pr0n sites, clicking on anything and everything in sight. Between that and the various Outlook viruses AND the fact that they removed Norton Security (since I set it up too restrictively) - they've been hit with about 7 viruses in the past 3 years. At least 5 times, a complete Winbloze install was in order. All on my time (and on my dime).
After the last time, I had to declare that I can no longer lay a finger on their PC. Sad, but true.
Slashdot Mirror
The problem was that the process ran for 5 days, so if it started on Sunday, you could know what Monday's weather would be by the following Friday.
This study (and I do understand it takes time to pull together this kind of comprehensive usage data in an organized format) falls along the same lines. It would have been far more relevant had it been published when the original Napster was actually (1) in its prime or at least (2) still up.
Thank you very much.
That sounds like it - a fake commercial. Thanks!
Can you tell me the origins of the happy ball please?
SAM Speaks!
Ok I admit it - I'm very worried about not getting my next shipment of E coming in the mail from Tokyo ;-)
"SAM is now activayted!"
I stand corrected - they are not altering a port setting. I never did say it had anything to do with MSN Messenger though. AOL is turning off a service on the Windows OS that can be used for things other than spam however and this is the basis of the complaint. Some companies use this service to broadcast system-wide messages to all users that specific server is going down for example. Granted, the average AOL user will likely not be using the messenger service for anything at all, so as I mentioned in my original post, this is a calculated move for AOL to cut back on customer complaints and save themselves some money.
AOL claims to block spam and popups for their customers and given that their market share is levelling off as well as Time Warners stock price sinking a little each day, this seems like a serious "let's-cover-our-asses" type move on AOL's part.
If called on it, they can claim their being do-gooders on behalf of their customers - which is only partially true. They're betting that people getting these messenger pop-ups will cause greater problems that those people that realize that AOL is forcefully altering a windows port setting.
At this point in their business, it's probably not a bad risk to take, however unethical it is.
Thanks for clearing that up - the parent post confused me since it went against my understanding of iTunes.
Record stores? Maybe, but I can still jump through the hoops and buy online/burn CDs/rip them to MP3 later if I don't feel like leaving my meaningless living space to go to the store ;-)
What does this really do? A "special encrypted format"? This is significant limitation. Again, I understand the issues, but is it really necessary to force people to (1) install some special software in the first place (2) use this special software to make purchases (3) use this special software to play music on their computers (4) use this special software to actually burn the music to a CD?
A great deal of the music I have on CD (all 800 of them) is ripped to MP3 and sitting on my Archos jukebox. I guess these online music solutions care not about people like me.
Not to be a big baby, but I also hate the idea of having to use some catch-all piece of software, rather than choosing my own applications to browse/purchase (web browser), listen (xmms, winamp), and burn CDs (groaster) etc. Never mind that I run a Linux desktop too of course. I could understand if this was the only way they could think of to prevent unlawful activities. But once the music's on the CD, couldn't it just be ripped to MP3? So is their system not putting up secure walls but rather presenting annoying hurdles?
Please someone smack me down if I'm not thinking clearly (it wouldn't be the first time).
Whatever dude.
Still, no comment on technology, just more giving me shit about where I live and my driving habits.
Thanks.
What are you talking about?
But living on Long Island requires you drive to get to many places not accessible by public transportation.
I was not complaining, just stating fact about the current state of the roads.
What I find most disappointing, especially on Slashdot, is the lack of technical response to this post.
I'm talking about driving on Long Island and in the NY area in general. You can't take public transportation to just anywhere. On the weekends, the roads are snarled everywhere. I'm not complaining at all, just stating fact. I like living here very much.
But I'm wondering if anyone else could see could envision the future of the roads. It simply can't keep going the way it is.
I remember like 20 years ago, my Dad speculating on how it would be better if there was a way to not have to stop at toll booths, rather just drive your car through some kind of reader and let it send you a bill. Looks like he predicted the future to some degree (EZ Pass).
Now the other idea, and stay with me here, would be to have some kind of autopilot for your car on highways. Much like we have an HOV lane, could you envision cars equipped with a system that, once in one of these lanes, you could program the exit you wanted to get off (or maybe the mileage distance) and have the car simply follow the lane in the road up until that point (adjusting speed to traffic conditions accordingly of course)? I know it sounds far fetched, but under the right circumstances it could work. It would eliminate the worst part of traffic, which is the incredibily demanding tedious and boring act of staring at the brake lights of the car in front of you in a creeping traffic jam. Wouldn't that be best handled by a computer?
Sorry to rant, but I think I've thought about this a little too much - as I definitely have traffic jam hang ups ...
I'm starting a new pr0n pictures site where all the images will be available in BMP format only.
I'd love to know how this business model and song format was agreed upon in whatever meetings the collection of innovative geniuses at puretracks.com had leading up to the site's launch. Who would start off by limiting themselves so severely out of the gate?
Motivating the US to spend more money on NASA? Not sure what kind of an idea that is (good or bad). Of course I am as curious as the next person to see what's out there. But technologically, we're so far away from going anywhere meaningful, particularly when you weigh the expense and effort required againsts the current state of the US economy and health care systems. Couldn't money be better spent at this point in time?
In other news, people of China have discovered the VCR, the internet, and thicker toilet paper infused with aloe-vera ...
The screen is small (2"), but ok for viewing Office Space for the 10th time while I'm commuting via train. Having all of your recent photos on board is nice too (who needs that plastic thing in your wallet?). And it does hold 500 CDs worth of music and supports mu3 playlists.
It's easily mountable to my Linux box and I believe it is less expensive that the iPod of the same hard drive size. No it doesn't look as cool as the iPod or weigh as little, but the rechargeable batteries do go about 7 hours. It's an alternative at least ...
There is this one guy I've heard of who actually walks the crowd and through the dancefloor with a wireless laptop setup, mixing while he moves around. I can't see doing that, but it is kind of interesting.
You got me there. I made a bad spelling mistake.
This article is surely interesting, but none of it should come as a great surprise to anyone ...
I have one friend who had me get him a "family" PC. His wife does her shopping and online banking, games are installed for the kids, and late at night - daddy surfs the pr0n sites, clicking on anything and everything in sight. Between that and the various Outlook viruses AND the fact that they removed Norton Security (since I set it up too restrictively) - they've been hit with about 7 viruses in the past 3 years. At least 5 times, a complete Winbloze install was in order. All on my time (and on my dime).
After the last time, I had to declare that I can no longer lay a finger on their PC. Sad, but true.