I wonder what Alienware is paying for the 'rights' to use the Star Wars theme? Up-front payment and then royalties?
I doubt that in the end they will recoup their investment. Perhaps we'll be able to pick-up some of the machines real cheap in mid-June with all the other discounted SW toys. How does an Alienware Happy Meal toy sound?
But Alienware is being smart, by not using a completely modified case they can always replace the covers on unsold units.
Actually I heard a story about a school district (in Georgia I think) that had a board member that said PI should be 3, since that is what the bible says.
Some other notes. When the LaserDisc was supposed to be the next 'big thing' the company that created the technology (Pioneer perhaps) refused to license the mastering tools to the porn industry, thus killing the format.
When Sony and the other partners came up with DVD, the first high-end duplication machine (and licensing deal) in the United States was with Vivid Video. Thus ensuring the success of the format.
http://robinsloan.com/epic/
so the traffic gets spread around. I was hosting one of the mirrors, but after I transferred 42GB over the weekend, I had to take it down.
This thing is spreading like wildfire among the media. I checked out my stats and what happens is one reporter at a paper see's it and then blasts out the URL to all the other staff, who then all come running...sound familiar:-)
EPIC is a presentation by the Poynter Institutue on the future of news. It's presented as a documentary from the year 2014. Google buys Amazon, and forms Googlezon...the New York Times goes offline....
So what happens when I write an entry on my blog about an event that a member of the press did not attend? I provide pictures, quotes, and other facts. I may not follow the standard inverted pyramid format, but the details are there.
It's on my blog...is it news?
I think it is, and so did my local paper, since they linked a follow-up article to my blog post.
What the main stream media has learned though, is just becuase somebody may have some sort of bias, does not mean that they can't report an actual fact from time to time. When Rathergate broke, most in the MSM did not pay much attention since they though it was mostly conservative bloggers trying to derail the story.
Look at 'blogger' Jeff Jarvis. He filed a Freedom of Information Act request on the FCC to review the complaints filed against Fox. So by just about every definition I've seen that is journalism.
I also work for a timing company that uses ChampionChip. And one thing that the above poster would agree with is a chip alone is useless, you need some sort of database or software to relate the chip to usable data.
This is a major issue that people seem to forget about with RFID. A passive RFID chip can transmit just a serial number, but what does that mean? If I take my Mobil Speedpass and pass it over the ChampionChip system it reads it, sure, but otherwise it's useless data. There is no way the system can know...'oh. that's Jim's Mobile Speedpass' For this to happen all RFID systems would need to be linked together, and share all data.
It is capable for some passive chips and active chips to store data, but the reader would need to know what type of data it was receiving, and what to do with it. So some of these tin foil hat scenarios are just not possible.
I know Publix has always said they will not issue a card. I have even seen some ads they've done mocking the other stores that do, it says something like:
We don't need a loyalty card to reward select shoppers. We offer all our customers the same low prices and excellent service.
or something like that... I know when I first read it, it said to me...we're not profiling you like other stores.
"people so deluded as to think that a couple of web applications will transform peoples psyches"
That sounds a little like....take your pick
- traditional advertising firms before in 1997
- TV executives when Tivo launched
- anybody who said...why use ICQ, I have e-mail
I am not saying that blogs or the blogosphere will change the world but it can influence things. Take Rathergate and the forged CBS memos. 5-10 years and CBS might have gotten away with it.
But instead with blogs you have that one guy who blogs for no reason (and whose blog is just a personaly diary)...suddenly says... "hey I used to work on those 1970 IBM typewriters, still got one in the basement" and suddenly that one guy is providing evidence that is being used by the major media, and might (although somewhat of a stretch here) influence an undecided voter.
I speak quite a bit to pr professionals and marketing groups about the emergence of blogs and other trends in online communication.
When speaking to a newbie group I provide an overview of what blogs are, along with concepts/sites built around participatory journalism.
As a previous poster said a blog is basically CMS for the common person. The blog has added comments and trackbacks (most corporate sites I see built with CMS don't allow any user to just comment).
However more corporations are using blogs now to 'connect' with the consumer (check out Scoble's manifesto), so in that sense the blog being a CMS for a common person is no longer valid.
I would say that Slashdot is part blog, part news site, part participatory journalism, part forum, part community (think moderation) and a few other things.
I hate to say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I think many 'new' users to Slashdot have no idea that there is more to Slashdot than the list of articles on the home page. So to them Slashdot is just another CNN.
Slashdot Mirror
I had to laugh though... Drudge Report had some initial coverage
I have a few friends that work in the Public Information/Media Relations department at KSC. I'll check to see if Drudge was issued a press credential.
Drudge Report, where I go for all my hard-hitting science news.
I played with a Jornada 820 for a while in 2000/2001 and loved it. Especially with a Sierra Wireless CDPD modem.
Another great unit is the IBM WorkPad z50. Looked just like a ThinkPad from the outside.
http://search.ebay.com/jornada-680_W0QQfromZR40QQs ojsZ1
I wonder what Alienware is paying for the 'rights' to use the Star Wars theme? Up-front payment and then royalties?
I doubt that in the end they will recoup their investment. Perhaps we'll be able to pick-up some of the machines real cheap in mid-June with all the other discounted SW toys. How does an Alienware Happy Meal toy sound?
But Alienware is being smart, by not using a completely modified case they can always replace the covers on unsold units.
But $23,000 for a Virgin Mary Grilled Cheese is a bit steep.
I think whoever submits a story that requires registration to read, should also provide their username and password so we all can read the story.
I hadn't seen Titanic and my buddy ruined it for me. Who knew that ship could sink?
http://www.justinpfister.com/gnewsfeed.php
Actually I heard a story about a school district (in Georgia I think) that had a board member that said PI should be 3, since that is what the bible says.
Yes we all know the VHS/Beta issue with Porn.
Some other notes. When the LaserDisc was supposed to be the next 'big thing' the company that created the technology (Pioneer perhaps) refused to license the mastering tools to the porn industry, thus killing the format.
When Sony and the other partners came up with DVD, the first high-end duplication machine (and licensing deal) in the United States was with Vivid Video. Thus ensuring the success of the format.
Ever been to a Super Wal-Mart during a peak time? I would say they could sell 800 items in less than 1 hour.
Speaking of comparisons, I have a friend that works for the US Postal Service. His favorite stat:
'Take the total number of packages FedEx moves in a year, we move that in a day!'
See I told you, pr0n drives all technological advances! "Exoskeletons for Human Performance Augmentation" is just a fancy name for a strap-on.
http://robinsloan.com/epic/ so the traffic gets spread around. I was hosting one of the mirrors, but after I transferred 42GB over the weekend, I had to take it down.
This thing is spreading like wildfire among the media. I checked out my stats and what happens is one reporter at a paper see's it and then blasts out the URL to all the other staff, who then all come running...sound familiar :-)
Check out EPIC. http://robinsloan.com/epic/
EPIC is a presentation by the Poynter Institutue on the future of news. It's presented as a documentary from the year 2014. Google buys Amazon, and forms Googlezon...the New York Times goes offline....
It's an interesting view.
So what happens when I write an entry on my blog about an event that a member of the press did not attend? I provide pictures, quotes, and other facts. I may not follow the standard inverted pyramid format, but the details are there.
It's on my blog...is it news?
I think it is, and so did my local paper, since they linked a follow-up article to my blog post.
What the main stream media has learned though, is just becuase somebody may have some sort of bias, does not mean that they can't report an actual fact from time to time. When Rathergate broke, most in the MSM did not pay much attention since they though it was mostly conservative bloggers trying to derail the story.
http://www.buzzmachine.com/archives/2004_11_15.htm l
I also work for a timing company that uses ChampionChip. And one thing that the above poster would agree with is a chip alone is useless, you need some sort of database or software to relate the chip to usable data.
This is a major issue that people seem to forget about with RFID. A passive RFID chip can transmit just a serial number, but what does that mean? If I take my Mobil Speedpass and pass it over the ChampionChip system it reads it, sure, but otherwise it's useless data. There is no way the system can know...'oh. that's Jim's Mobile Speedpass' For this to happen all RFID systems would need to be linked together, and share all data.
It is capable for some passive chips and active chips to store data, but the reader would need to know what type of data it was receiving, and what to do with it. So some of these tin foil hat scenarios are just not possible.
I probably read this on Slashdot, or somewhere else, but it's funny to watch the public get in an uproar over privacy.
John Q: This is an outrage, I demand my right to privacy!
Pitch: Sir would you like to win a free toaster?
John Q: Wow! free toaster, where do I sign up?
Yep until one day some feds are waiting in the parking lot because the prude in line behind you snitches.
Fed: "Mr. Goatse, we'd like to speak to you about your photo"
You: "But my name is not Mr. Goatse, that's just a joke, I filled out the application with bogus information"
Fed: "Sure, Mr. Goatse"
You: "No really, it's not my name"
Fed: "There are some men at prison that are anxiously awaiting your arrival, and I have seen by your photos you're ready as well"
I know Publix has always said they will not issue a card. I have even seen some ads they've done mocking the other stores that do, it says something like:
We don't need a loyalty card to reward select shoppers. We offer all our customers the same low prices and excellent service.
or something like that... I know when I first read it, it said to me...we're not profiling you like other stores.
Yes. Netscape is going to be it's own grandpa ;)
The only major decision left is where to locate the incestuous development team. Front runners are:
- West Virginia
- Alabama
- Louisianna
- Kentucky
Although 'Father of the Internet' Al Gore has been campaigning hard for Tennessee.
Does anybody else think a five page handwritten letter sounds a bit psychotic?
"people so deluded as to think that a couple of web applications will transform peoples psyches"
That sounds a little like....take your pick
- traditional advertising firms before in 1997
- TV executives when Tivo launched
- anybody who said...why use ICQ, I have e-mail
I am not saying that blogs or the blogosphere will change the world but it can influence things. Take Rathergate and the forged CBS memos. 5-10 years and CBS might have gotten away with it.
But instead with blogs you have that one guy who blogs for no reason (and whose blog is just a personaly diary)...suddenly says... "hey I used to work on those 1970 IBM typewriters, still got one in the basement" and suddenly that one guy is providing evidence that is being used by the major media, and might (although somewhat of a stretch here) influence an undecided voter.
When speaking to a newbie group I provide an overview of what blogs are, along with concepts/sites built around participatory journalism.
As a previous poster said a blog is basically CMS for the common person. The blog has added comments and trackbacks (most corporate sites I see built with CMS don't allow any user to just comment).
However more corporations are using blogs now to 'connect' with the consumer (check out Scoble's manifesto), so in that sense the blog being a CMS for a common person is no longer valid.
I would say that Slashdot is part blog, part news site, part participatory journalism, part forum, part community (think moderation) and a few other things.
I hate to say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I think many 'new' users to Slashdot have no idea that there is more to Slashdot than the list of articles on the home page. So to them Slashdot is just another CNN.