I love the Creative Commons license, but I actually think that the example Lessig gives in his book "Free Culture" of the douginshi is a better market example.
Doujinshi are illegal comics that are openly tolerated because the legal owners know that the comics actually help the overall market (a fan fiction that keeps people interested, trains aspiring artists, and promotes creative freedom.
Of course, another reason that they flourish, was provided to Lessig by a Japanese buisinessman, who said, "we don't have enough lawyers," to prosecute the cases. If only!
The same issue exists for all artistic endeavors (although music, through sampling, seems to be at the forefront these days). It really is worth considering the dampening effect that these policies have on creativity and innovation.
I believe that Google originally planned to begin this work with public domain works, which I think would be great. I'd love to see this model work with content that is uncontestably free, then move it into the domain of copy-protected works.
As a music teacher, I've been collecting public domain music texts so that I can build open-source music materials that my students can use, including songs that they can have and keep, etc. They love that everything I give them I compose or derive from a free source. It is time-consuming finding print and online copies of these works, and it will be wonderful once there is a way to centrally find them.
My brother went to Dartmouth in 1993, and they required everyone to have a computer as they already had campus-wide "blitz mail," which was used a bit like IM. All their assignments were handed in via email, class cancellations were broadcast that way, etc. Everyone was on it.
Meanwhile, I was at Florida State in Tallahassee, where it wasn't until probably 1995 that you could even easily get a university email (we used to have to set up free city accounts at the public library, which we could then access from campus).
I don't know that it made much of a difference in his education, but he loved the wow factor and I'm sure that's at play here, too.
What I love about this most is not the remix potential. I teach at an arts high school, and I plan on bringing this in to class.
I loaded the file into GarageBand and gave it a listen. What I love is that you can "solo" any of the tracks (listen to just that track and nothing else). Trent has done a nice job labeling all the tracks (there are 17 of them in all). Some are especially subtle, and it is great to hear just the "Ambience" track, then put the whole mix back on and listen for it.
This gives students a chance to better understand how much creativity it takes to make what basically sounds like a simple rock song.
Remixes are also a great use of this technology, but the ability to break complex media down to their components and discuss how they enhance our experience is really priceless. I'd love to have this with "A Day in the Life" from the Beatles, too (hear all those grand pianos at the end one by one)! Someday...
Well, although I like the article, the summary up top is inaccurate. The Pi Memorization record has been above 30,000 for over a decade (not that nearly 23,000 isn't impressive). I used to work in a lab with the a friend who was the record holder for 5 years with a 30,000-35,000 span for Pi (he could recall that many digits, I can't even remember the single five-digit number to descibe his feat). A link to Rajan: http://www.psychol.ucl.ac.uk/david.shanks/ shanks_e xpertise.html
I am a teacher and have had nearly a dozen autistic students (none of whom were savants). There is a huge increase in Silicon Valley, and it is a fascinating, frustrating, and a lot of work for most of the support staff.
For anyone interested, I'd also recommend the book "Thinking in Pictures" by Temple Grandin (an autistic woman who has redesigned livestock handling machinery). She is quite eloquent and probably the most famous autistic person (she has also been interviewed by Terry Gross, which I suppose is online).
One problem with this is that X11 is not installed by default in Panther. You have to choose "Customize" and then click on X11. As most people don't know what it is for, most will not install it. This, more than perhaps anything else, is a hurdle for basic Mac users.
I really was hoping for an Aqua port that worked well. X11 is just a bit of a pain for those who thrive on Apple's consistent UI.
iWork looks nice (I played with it more than a bit at MacWorld this week), but I would prefer OO in Aqua (Pages, to me, seems more of a page layout tool than simple text editor that replaces Word).
In short, there's still plenty of options (even TextEdit is a fine basic editor), but I had really been hoping this would come through. Let's hope that things may change and a port comes through in the next few years.
I just finished setting my wife's grandmother up with a Mac. We all chipped in and found her a 600Mhz Snow iMac (summer 2001 model). I got it used for $395, and the CRT monitor will let us move to an easier resolution as her eyes wind down.
We also have her grandson across the street, and by buying her an Airport Base Station, we were able to connect her to his hi-speed internet.
I think Simple Finder could work, but in her case I just made a little AppleScript that opens Mail, Safari, iPhoto, iTunes, and iChat (She has 640MB RAM so there's no problem). I just want to let her launch everything with one touch, let her sort using Expose, and then quit when she wants.
No virus worries. Simple machine w/40GB drive. Damn cute looking. No noise (convection cooled). We may even add an iSight (600Mhz G3 is the minimum spec for this). This really is the perfect grandparent machine.
I'd be happy if they kept TextEdit, but created an app along these lines: Simple Interface Compatible file formats (Text Edit does to this) A slightly more robust UI (default-on Fonts window, etc) Support for tables and graphics.
I already use TextEdit for 50% or more of my writing (basically all but academic papers), and if they could keep the simplicity while making it a bit more similar to most people's experience with Word (keep the 20% of features that end up in 99% of the documents), I'd use it for 100% of my documents.
I've also tried the X11 OpenOffice, and a native port to OSX would be nice. that said, having the Windows-centric keystrokes blows.
I can't believe that this could possibly withstand any attack. Education literature is filled with feedback technologies for learning, from B.F. Skinner's "Technology of Teaching" to attempts to teach vocalists with biofeedback.
I know little about patent law, but as an educator, the world is filled with many prior attempts (some very successful).
With 300,000 tunes, this seems more likely to be a case of labels agreeing rather than individual artists. IIRC, iTMS opened with something like 200,000 songs.
Tracking down thousands of artists (some of which, I assume, are dead) to ask if they would donate songs or allow songs to be sold would be a huge project. If artists were donating, I'd expect maybe a few thousand songs.
To top it off, the labels own the recordings more than the artists in most cases (unless they get a sweet contract).
1. The concept of number that most math teachers use is less sophisticated than, say, those of Chinese math teachers (see Jo Boaler's work for more on that). So, how you delimit the subject matters (and, for that matter, our students in the US consistently score highly on creativity in math).
2. The idea that math and science are poorly taught is part of a cultural move to demonize teachers. The challenges to our performance scores in schools are vast (decline of family structure, negative influence of pop culture, rise of drug use over past 50 years, immigration, etc.). Despite this, the best indicator of achievement NAEP (congressionally funded assessment) says that schools are doing slightly better now than they were 30 years ago. This doesn't mean that schools are great, simply that we should be careful about how we frame the conversation (making good schools better vs. fixing/saving/destroying 'bad' schools and shitty teachers).
3. That said, there are lots of ways that teaching and learning could be more powerful, meaningful, and fun. Here's a few in no order: -let teachers observe each other more to foster a dialogue about good teaching (done often in Asia). -encourage multiple approaches to the subject. -de-emphasize the purpose of standardized tests (not that we shouldn't have them, but if the stakes were lower they could measure how students were learning without dictating what they were learning) -allow students to explore interesting projects in the discipline. This can foster an approach where students are encouraged to think like a professional scientist or mathematician, rather than a plain old person asked to memorize the great discoveries of the ages (this is Jerome Bruner's main point).
4. Finally, to directly answer the question, the reader is directed to check out the work of IRL (Institutes for Research on Learning). Especially the MMAP project. This is a group that came up with approaches for improving math based on a fairly sophisticated social theory of learning (generally, situated cognition), and they produced interesting materials for assessment as well as computer games for learning, etc. IRL closed down a few years ago, but I'm sure their work is still available.
Some albums are designed to be listened to as a whole (The Wall, stuff by Yes) and some pieces often cover several CD tracks (symphonies and in fact most "classical" music). Overall, as many have pointed out, this is a small portion of the total music most people have in their collection.
In addition, I think that the majority of us, the majority of the time, put music on as an accompaniment to other activities (I'm listening to DJ Shadow as I read the news and type this response). So, this is a normal musical experience, where I'm not so much "staring with my ears," as I am enjoying the musical atmosphere like a nice scent: it's there, I check in, and I enjoy it off and on. Order is not important as I'm not there for the deeper meanings and the bigger structures.
Like many in this forum, I like the idea of having a set of music I like, but no idea what's next.
Finally, here's where shuffle improves things: with playlists. I have my "top 100" and "top rated" and many other playlists that are auto-generated by iTunes. I find that if the songs are in a set order, I bore quickly of the playlist. However, if they're shuffled, I keep going back (this is probably because I don't get through my top 100, and so if I always start the playlist would hear the same 3-10 songs every time).
So, for most people, most of the time, shuffle is a great enhancement.
Buying a CD at a record store isn't confusing (in fact, you'll see in my post I describe just that). In fact, I also think that Starbucks mostly plays songs that are on CD compilations that you can buy.
What seems to have confused you is that I'm talking about buying a single song (or a few songs) rather than a whole CD, as the typical album these days has a good song or two and a bunch of filler crap. That's the world I believe we're headed towards, and having the ability to do that in multiple places (coffee shops, maybe bars, perhaps a record store) is what I find an interesting possibility.
For the record, there have been multiple times where I actually have asked about a song playing and not gotten an answer. One turned out to be DJ Shadow (in a coffee shop where the person who put the CD on was nowhere to be found and the clerks were too busy to go pop out a CD and tell me what it was), and another was Rufus Wainwright (at an independent movie theater, where the projectionist was the DJ and asking the concessions people gave no result). Both times I eventually heard these songs again later in a context where I could find out who they were, but at the time it didn't work.
One thing that could be effective here is the following: 1. A song is playing in Starbucks. 2. You like what you hear. 3. You go to the "jukebox to go" (or whatever they will call it), click the "buy what's on now" button, and pay $1 for the song and $1 for the CD ($2.00 total).
I keep thinking about the scene in High Fidelity, where John Cusack says "I'm going to sell a copy of x album right now" and then puts on a record. Sure enough, someone comes up and asks what is playing and buys it. The impulse buy in an environment is powerful. I often hear things in record stores, etc. and would love to have an easy way to buy it.
My last machine was a TiBook 400MHz (the original Titanium Powerbook). Largely as a result of reading so much about Linux on Slashdot, I decided to try creating a dual boot system.
I went with Yellow Dog Linux 3.0. After re-partitioning my drive, I installed it and it ran great. Fast, simple, let me do what I wanted. Mac-on-Linux is installed by default, and that ran fine, too.
I did this becuase I only owned that one machine, and I wanted to get my hands dirty a bit with Linux. This was free and fun and easy to do, and I do recommend it for those wanting to extend the life of their machine. It is also a great way to learn more about your machine in general (I'm not a real geek, just a lifelong user and musician).
In the end, I'm not using Linux on my new machine (17" PowerBook), but I would jump back to a minute if I felt the need, and have complete confidence in the OS on the PPC platform.
As long as the computer is synched with the group by a person, the quality of this will be more than acceptable.
If you're listening, you'll notice that much of TV and movie music is already computerized (often with one or two real woodwinds or a real guitar, which gives it enough life to satisfy nearly anyone).
And, although the tradition of theater is for live music, our musical environments and tastes are constantly being shaped by techno, hip-hop, and even rock that relies upon computerized beats aesthetically (intentionally, to create non-human sounding grooves etc.), so many people like what they hear.
I remember being surprised reading Miles Davis' Autobiography, where he talks about making the switch to a drum machine for his records (in the 1980's). He basically said that it was easier, sounded great, and the time was better. He was convincing.
Now, in terms of putting musicians out of work, and creating a culture where most musicians don't have a chance to learn to be great by playing in bars, cafes, and pit orchestras (even Stravinsky did this in Paris), instead giving us a stream of good musicians who can't interact with a crowd or good-looking performers with shallow musical abilities? That's another, and much sadder, story.
That Ho's comment is from MacWorld, and should not be read in the context of the announcement of a security vunerability.
That said, it is sad to think that Microsoft can't keep from opening vunerabilities in an otherwise very secure (from my standpoint) OS. Of course, they already made Office for Mac better than the one for Windows, if they gave us security-hole-free Virtual PC it would practically be an ad campaign for Apple.
And I was thinking of getting a copy soon (for a qualitative research analysis program, AtlasTI).
Other software and equipment?
on
GarageBand Roundup
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· Score: 2, Insightful
I've been using an Oxygen-8, which works fine, and I've been hanging around with a friend who is using a 49-key machine.
I also have plugged a bass directly in (electric bass guitar) when I teach lessons, then had my student play along with a keyboard MIDI and drum loop. I record it, then burn it to a CD and have them listen critically to what they've done. As always with recording, they notice good and bad that they don't hear when they're "in the moment."
I also use Garage Band to make other practice loops for myself and my students. Most of them don't have macs, so they get burned CDs, where they can't change the tempo as they could with an original GB file. But they do love them.
A great teaching tool. Now all they have to do is some optimization so it isn't such a CPU hog!
I went to MacWorld to check out the new Minis. I was totally crestfallen at announcement, because I had heard about the lower possible price. I really expected it to be a disappointment when I saw it in person.
In fact, it blew me away. Maybe becuase I had such low expectations, I was very impressed with the look, the very small size, and the feeling of quality that comes from the design as well as the hard drive (which gives it a weight that makes it feel sturdy, however misleading that is). Think of a very small and sleek cellphone and you're starting to get the picture
I do think that style-conscious folks will only want one of these. But I also think that others have many reasons to want one. I have had a 10 GB iPod for a few years, and it currently only holds about 2 GB of music. I've gotten good about creating "Smart Playlists" in iTunes, so that my iPod always has all my top rated tunes, everything that's under two months old, any strange playlist I feel like keeping around, etc.). I don't want "all" my music all the time, and even when using the iPod as a backup for data, that is only another 2 GB or so for the truly critical stuff (I have DVD backup for the rest).
The iPod Mini won't be for everyone, but I can see many people (even geeks who know everything about specs) thinking that this makes good sense for them.
I own this book, and what I most love is the organization of information. I had just picked up the O'Reilly book on AppleScript, but decided to read Pogue's section on AppleScript after the "definitive guide" had my eyes glazing over. In 30 pages, he presents all the basic concepts and ideas, analyzes a few scripts, even runs you through recording a basic script in "watch me" mode.
Beyond that, he cites several websites which I immediately bookmarked, and cited a few books (including the one I have). He linked to the text2speech script at apple.com, described how and where scripts are accessed in the Script Menu, and discussed editing programs.
Pogue, like Apple, gets how people use computers. By speaking plainly but with precision, and citing from many sources, he has created a book that 90% of people will find immensely helpful.
$200 for 2GB might seem a lot, but $200 for an iPod is a deal many might consider. Especially considering that it will likely sport a sexy form-factor and new design ideas (I've heard color, etc.)
For me, I think that 2GB could be fine. I have a 10GB iPod and much more in music, but I have it only update certain stuff (things I rate highly, new stuff, other playlists). If you're smart about the way you manage your library, 2GB would be enough for two weeks' vacation tunes and a backup of your most important data.
That said, I think that $149.00-179.00 is the most likely price point. Something low enough to seem under $200.00.
Slashdot Mirror
I love the Creative Commons license, but I actually think that the example Lessig gives in his book "Free Culture" of the douginshi is a better market example.
Doujinshi are illegal comics that are openly tolerated because the legal owners know that the comics actually help the overall market (a fan fiction that keeps people interested, trains aspiring artists, and promotes creative freedom.
Of course, another reason that they flourish, was provided to Lessig by a Japanese buisinessman, who said, "we don't have enough lawyers," to prosecute the cases. If only!
The same issue exists for all artistic endeavors (although music, through sampling, seems to be at the forefront these days). It really is worth considering the dampening effect that these policies have on creativity and innovation.
I believe that Google originally planned to begin this work with public domain works, which I think would be great. I'd love to see this model work with content that is uncontestably free, then move it into the domain of copy-protected works.
As a music teacher, I've been collecting public domain music texts so that I can build open-source music materials that my students can use, including songs that they can have and keep, etc. They love that everything I give them I compose or derive from a free source. It is time-consuming finding print and online copies of these works, and it will be wonderful once there is a way to centrally find them.
Go Google!
My brother went to Dartmouth in 1993, and they required everyone to have a computer as they already had campus-wide "blitz mail," which was used a bit like IM. All their assignments were handed in via email, class cancellations were broadcast that way, etc. Everyone was on it.
Meanwhile, I was at Florida State in Tallahassee, where it wasn't until probably 1995 that you could even easily get a university email (we used to have to set up free city accounts at the public library, which we could then access from campus).
I don't know that it made much of a difference in his education, but he loved the wow factor and I'm sure that's at play here, too.
I'm just about to leave and meet my wife, who's working at the Glass Arts Society international conference there.
I had debated bringing my laptop, but now I know I can get wireless it's a cinch. I can spend all my time on Slashdot!
What I love about this most is not the remix potential. I teach at an arts high school, and I plan on bringing this in to class.
I loaded the file into GarageBand and gave it a listen. What I love is that you can "solo" any of the tracks (listen to just that track and nothing else). Trent has done a nice job labeling all the tracks (there are 17 of them in all). Some are especially subtle, and it is great to hear just the "Ambience" track, then put the whole mix back on and listen for it.
This gives students a chance to better understand how much creativity it takes to make what basically sounds like a simple rock song.
Remixes are also a great use of this technology, but the ability to break complex media down to their components and discuss how they enhance our experience is really priceless. I'd love to have this with "A Day in the Life" from the Beatles, too (hear all those grand pianos at the end one by one)! Someday...
Well, although I like the article, the summary up top is inaccurate. The Pi Memorization record has been above 30,000 for over a decade (not that nearly 23,000 isn't impressive). I used to work in a lab with the a friend who was the record holder for 5 years with a 30,000-35,000 span for Pi (he could recall that many digits, I can't even remember the single five-digit number to descibe his feat). A link to Rajan:/ shanks_e xpertise.html
http://www.psychol.ucl.ac.uk/david.shanks
I am a teacher and have had nearly a dozen autistic students (none of whom were savants). There is a huge increase in Silicon Valley, and it is a fascinating, frustrating, and a lot of work for most of the support staff.
For anyone interested, I'd also recommend the book "Thinking in Pictures" by Temple Grandin (an autistic woman who has redesigned livestock handling machinery). She is quite eloquent and probably the most famous autistic person (she has also been interviewed by Terry Gross, which I suppose is online).
One problem with this is that X11 is not installed by default in Panther. You have to choose "Customize" and then click on X11. As most people don't know what it is for, most will not install it. This, more than perhaps anything else, is a hurdle for basic Mac users.
I really was hoping for an Aqua port that worked well. X11 is just a bit of a pain for those who thrive on Apple's consistent UI.
iWork looks nice (I played with it more than a bit at MacWorld this week), but I would prefer OO in Aqua (Pages, to me, seems more of a page layout tool than simple text editor that replaces Word).
In short, there's still plenty of options (even TextEdit is a fine basic editor), but I had really been hoping this would come through. Let's hope that things may change and a port comes through in the next few years.
I just finished setting my wife's grandmother up with a Mac. We all chipped in and found her a 600Mhz Snow iMac (summer 2001 model). I got it used for $395, and the CRT monitor will let us move to an easier resolution as her eyes wind down.
We also have her grandson across the street, and by buying her an Airport Base Station, we were able to connect her to his hi-speed internet.
I think Simple Finder could work, but in her case I just made a little AppleScript that opens Mail, Safari, iPhoto, iTunes, and iChat (She has 640MB RAM so there's no problem). I just want to let her launch everything with one touch, let her sort using Expose, and then quit when she wants.
No virus worries. Simple machine w/40GB drive. Damn cute looking. No noise (convection cooled). We may even add an iSight (600Mhz G3 is the minimum spec for this). This really is the perfect grandparent machine.
I'd be happy if they kept TextEdit, but created an app along these lines:
Simple Interface
Compatible file formats (Text Edit does to this)
A slightly more robust UI (default-on Fonts window, etc)
Support for tables and graphics.
I already use TextEdit for 50% or more of my writing (basically all but academic papers), and if they could keep the simplicity while making it a bit more similar to most people's experience with Word (keep the 20% of features that end up in 99% of the documents), I'd use it for 100% of my documents.
I've also tried the X11 OpenOffice, and a native port to OSX would be nice. that said, having the Windows-centric keystrokes blows.
C'mon, Apple, you can do it!
I can't believe that this could possibly withstand any attack. Education literature is filled with feedback technologies for learning, from B.F. Skinner's "Technology of Teaching" to attempts to teach vocalists with biofeedback.
I know little about patent law, but as an educator, the world is filled with many prior attempts (some very successful).
Anyhow...
I took my 400Mhz TiBook and made it a dual-boot machine about a year ago. It worked very well and I did it because I had no experience with Linux.
I eventually decided to simply stick with OS X, which I do think is more useful (maybe with Fink for tools) for PPC/Apple hardware.
With 300,000 tunes, this seems more likely to be a case of labels agreeing rather than individual artists. IIRC, iTMS opened with something like 200,000 songs.
Tracking down thousands of artists (some of which, I assume, are dead) to ask if they would donate songs or allow songs to be sold would be a huge project. If artists were donating, I'd expect maybe a few thousand songs.
To top it off, the labels own the recordings more than the artists in most cases (unless they get a sweet contract).
Unbelievable...
My favorite quote:
They matched the color perfectly, and made me a custom unitard.
Yes, they did.
A few thoughts:
1. The concept of number that most math teachers use is less sophisticated than, say, those of Chinese math teachers (see Jo Boaler's work for more on that). So, how you delimit the subject matters (and, for that matter, our students in the US consistently score highly on creativity in math).
2. The idea that math and science are poorly taught is part of a cultural move to demonize teachers. The challenges to our performance scores in schools are vast (decline of family structure, negative influence of pop culture, rise of drug use over past 50 years, immigration, etc.). Despite this, the best indicator of achievement NAEP (congressionally funded assessment) says that schools are doing slightly better now than they were 30 years ago. This doesn't mean that schools are great, simply that we should be careful about how we frame the conversation (making good schools better vs. fixing/saving/destroying 'bad' schools and shitty teachers).
3. That said, there are lots of ways that teaching and learning could be more powerful, meaningful, and fun. Here's a few in no order:
-let teachers observe each other more to foster a dialogue about good teaching (done often in Asia).
-encourage multiple approaches to the subject.
-de-emphasize the purpose of standardized tests (not that we shouldn't have them, but if the stakes were lower they could measure how students were learning without dictating what they were learning)
-allow students to explore interesting projects in the discipline. This can foster an approach where students are encouraged to think like a professional scientist or mathematician, rather than a plain old person asked to memorize the great discoveries of the ages (this is Jerome Bruner's main point).
4. Finally, to directly answer the question, the reader is directed to check out the work of IRL (Institutes for Research on Learning). Especially the MMAP project. This is a group that came up with approaches for improving math based on a fairly sophisticated social theory of learning (generally, situated cognition), and they produced interesting materials for assessment as well as computer games for learning, etc. IRL closed down a few years ago, but I'm sure their work is still available.
Some albums are designed to be listened to as a whole (The Wall, stuff by Yes) and some pieces often cover several CD tracks (symphonies and in fact most "classical" music). Overall, as many have pointed out, this is a small portion of the total music most people have in their collection.
In addition, I think that the majority of us, the majority of the time, put music on as an accompaniment to other activities (I'm listening to DJ Shadow as I read the news and type this response). So, this is a normal musical experience, where I'm not so much "staring with my ears," as I am enjoying the musical atmosphere like a nice scent: it's there, I check in, and I enjoy it off and on. Order is not important as I'm not there for the deeper meanings and the bigger structures.
Like many in this forum, I like the idea of having a set of music I like, but no idea what's next.
Finally, here's where shuffle improves things: with playlists. I have my "top 100" and "top rated" and many other playlists that are auto-generated by iTunes. I find that if the songs are in a set order, I bore quickly of the playlist. However, if they're shuffled, I keep going back (this is probably because I don't get through my top 100, and so if I always start the playlist would hear the same 3-10 songs every time).
So, for most people, most of the time, shuffle is a great enhancement.
Buying a CD at a record store isn't confusing (in fact, you'll see in my post I describe just that). In fact, I also think that Starbucks mostly plays songs that are on CD compilations that you can buy.
What seems to have confused you is that I'm talking about buying a single song (or a few songs) rather than a whole CD, as the typical album these days has a good song or two and a bunch of filler crap. That's the world I believe we're headed towards, and having the ability to do that in multiple places (coffee shops, maybe bars, perhaps a record store) is what I find an interesting possibility.
For the record, there have been multiple times where I actually have asked about a song playing and not gotten an answer. One turned out to be DJ Shadow (in a coffee shop where the person who put the CD on was nowhere to be found and the clerks were too busy to go pop out a CD and tell me what it was), and another was Rufus Wainwright (at an independent movie theater, where the projectionist was the DJ and asking the concessions people gave no result). Both times I eventually heard these songs again later in a context where I could find out who they were, but at the time it didn't work.
One thing that could be effective here is the following:
1. A song is playing in Starbucks.
2. You like what you hear.
3. You go to the "jukebox to go" (or whatever they will call it), click the "buy what's on now" button, and pay $1 for the song and $1 for the CD ($2.00 total).
I keep thinking about the scene in High Fidelity, where John Cusack says "I'm going to sell a copy of x album right now" and then puts on a record. Sure enough, someone comes up and asks what is playing and buys it. The impulse buy in an environment is powerful. I often hear things in record stores, etc. and would love to have an easy way to buy it.
My last machine was a TiBook 400MHz (the original Titanium Powerbook). Largely as a result of reading so much about Linux on Slashdot, I decided to try creating a dual boot system.
I went with Yellow Dog Linux 3.0. After re-partitioning my drive, I installed it and it ran great. Fast, simple, let me do what I wanted. Mac-on-Linux is installed by default, and that ran fine, too.
I did this becuase I only owned that one machine, and I wanted to get my hands dirty a bit with Linux. This was free and fun and easy to do, and I do recommend it for those wanting to extend the life of their machine. It is also a great way to learn more about your machine in general (I'm not a real geek, just a lifelong user and musician).
In the end, I'm not using Linux on my new machine (17" PowerBook), but I would jump back to a minute if I felt the need, and have complete confidence in the OS on the PPC platform.
As long as the computer is synched with the group by a person, the quality of this will be more than acceptable.
If you're listening, you'll notice that much of TV and movie music is already computerized (often with one or two real woodwinds or a real guitar, which gives it enough life to satisfy nearly anyone).
And, although the tradition of theater is for live music, our musical environments and tastes are constantly being shaped by techno, hip-hop, and even rock that relies upon computerized beats aesthetically (intentionally, to create non-human sounding grooves etc.), so many people like what they hear.
I remember being surprised reading Miles Davis' Autobiography, where he talks about making the switch to a drum machine for his records (in the 1980's). He basically said that it was easier, sounded great, and the time was better. He was convincing.
Now, in terms of putting musicians out of work, and creating a culture where most musicians don't have a chance to learn to be great by playing in bars, cafes, and pit orchestras (even Stravinsky did this in Paris), instead giving us a stream of good musicians who can't interact with a crowd or good-looking performers with shallow musical abilities? That's another, and much sadder, story.
That Ho's comment is from MacWorld, and should not be read in the context of the announcement of a security vunerability.
That said, it is sad to think that Microsoft can't keep from opening vunerabilities in an otherwise very secure (from my standpoint) OS. Of course, they already made Office for Mac better than the one for Windows, if they gave us security-hole-free Virtual PC it would practically be an ad campaign for Apple.
And I was thinking of getting a copy soon (for a qualitative research analysis program, AtlasTI).
I've been using an Oxygen-8, which works fine, and I've been hanging around with a friend who is using a 49-key machine.
I also have plugged a bass directly in (electric bass guitar) when I teach lessons, then had my student play along with a keyboard MIDI and drum loop. I record it, then burn it to a CD and have them listen critically to what they've done. As always with recording, they notice good and bad that they don't hear when they're "in the moment."
I also use Garage Band to make other practice loops for myself and my students. Most of them don't have macs, so they get burned CDs, where they can't change the tempo as they could with an original GB file. But they do love them.
A great teaching tool. Now all they have to do is some optimization so it isn't such a CPU hog!
I went to MacWorld to check out the new Minis. I was totally crestfallen at announcement, because I had heard about the lower possible price. I really expected it to be a disappointment when I saw it in person.
In fact, it blew me away. Maybe becuase I had such low expectations, I was very impressed with the look, the very small size, and the feeling of quality that comes from the design as well as the hard drive (which gives it a weight that makes it feel sturdy, however misleading that is). Think of a very small and sleek cellphone and you're starting to get the picture
I do think that style-conscious folks will only want one of these. But I also think that others have many reasons to want one. I have had a 10 GB iPod for a few years, and it currently only holds about 2 GB of music. I've gotten good about creating "Smart Playlists" in iTunes, so that my iPod always has all my top rated tunes, everything that's under two months old, any strange playlist I feel like keeping around, etc.). I don't want "all" my music all the time, and even when using the iPod as a backup for data, that is only another 2 GB or so for the truly critical stuff (I have DVD backup for the rest).
The iPod Mini won't be for everyone, but I can see many people (even geeks who know everything about specs) thinking that this makes good sense for them.
The FBI acted on the warning we've watched thousands of times at the beginning of every movie we've ever rented.
I own this book, and what I most love is the organization of information. I had just picked up the O'Reilly book on AppleScript, but decided to read Pogue's section on AppleScript after the "definitive guide" had my eyes glazing over. In 30 pages, he presents all the basic concepts and ideas, analyzes a few scripts, even runs you through recording a basic script in "watch me" mode.
Beyond that, he cites several websites which I immediately bookmarked, and cited a few books (including the one I have). He linked to the text2speech script at apple.com, described how and where scripts are accessed in the Script Menu, and discussed editing programs.
Pogue, like Apple, gets how people use computers. By speaking plainly but with precision, and citing from many sources, he has created a book that 90% of people will find immensely helpful.
$200 for 2GB might seem a lot, but $200 for an iPod is a deal many might consider. Especially considering that it will likely sport a sexy form-factor and new design ideas (I've heard color, etc.)
For me, I think that 2GB could be fine. I have a 10GB iPod and much more in music, but I have it only update certain stuff (things I rate highly, new stuff, other playlists). If you're smart about the way you manage your library, 2GB would be enough for two weeks' vacation tunes and a backup of your most important data.
That said, I think that $149.00-179.00 is the most likely price point. Something low enough to seem under $200.00.