I haven't heard of anyone doing this so I'm sure it is more complicated than a bunch of file conversion routines but nonetheless it is interesting.
They are doing it, just not with bone yet. Check out the thecasestudies. The models are either being used for surgical planning, or for implant design. I actually first saw this sort of thing years ago, on a documentary, showing how they used stereolithography to create a piece of skull to exactly fit a hole some guy had in his skull, and they implanted it.
The file conversion procedure involves converting a massive amount of raster data (DICOM) to vector data (STL). This requires some manual intervention to do things like segmentation (isolating the proper body part) and patching up flaws that the conversion process couldn't handle. Some bone layers were too thin to automatically be recognised, so there were a few holes, and metal artifacts like braces cause after-images in CT scans that have to manually be edited out for the STL mesh.
You'd be surprised at where the technology is now. I have a jaw problem, so I went and got a CT scan done where I got the results on a CD rather than film. The viewer on the CD was for Windows, so I was unable to view it on my PowerBook. I came across a fantasticfree (GPL) program called OsiriX which runs on OS X 10.3 (Panther). With this, I was able to view 3D images of my skull and jaw on my laptop. The site even lets you download example DICOM data to try out with the program. For DICOM viewers on other platforms, you can check out IDoImaging.com
And I'm actually in the process of having DICOM data converted to STL by Simpleware.co.uk and will have a model made with a Z Corp 3D printer. I just sent them the CT Scan DICOM data by FTP, and they are in the process of converting it to STL, which I will retrieve by FTP. Then I'll FTP it over to the local RP service with a 3D Printer, and they'll post the model over to me in a parcel.
While it is cool that they can do this, I hope it leads to more complicated things like joints being grown to the right shape
You can create joints grown to the right shape. You can create Rapid Prototyping Models of bones from CT scans. You can have CT scans of bones exported to a format called DICOM which you can then have converted to a file format called STL, used in Rapid Prototyping. In your case, you could probably get a CT Scan of your other wrist in DICOM format, and have the STL mesh flipped to be a mirror image.
There are someservices that can provide conversion software, or do the file conversions, as well as provide the RP models, although the models are made through stereolythography from what I gather. There are newer methods of creating rapid prototyping models that use the same STL file format, that are probably more precise.
You can obtain somesoftwarepackages that let you do the conversion yourself, and although there is probably a bit of a learning curve, the biggest problem would be the price. It would be best to just let the services handle the conversion and you choose which Rapid Prototyping method to use.
From this point, you can use the model to construct a titanium mold, which could then be used to produce actual bone. And as for cartilege for the joint, the Carticel cartilege growth and transplant procedure could probably be applied. The FDA has approved Carticel for the knees and hips, but it would be up to a doctor's discretion to apply it in other ways.
Advertisers pay for exposure... the more exposure, the more money they pay. If you can't guarantee them any exposure, they won't pay.
The type of software being downloaded can help tailor advertising for the downloading demographic. People downloading software for servers may be interested in server hardware or accessories like a UPS or rackmount keyboard or display. People downloading website development software like PHP may be interested in credit card transaction processing services. With that kind of a setup, people may actually want to see the advertising, compared to television, where the advertising is too broad.
And with the click-through nature of internet advertising, advertisers can pay per click-though viewing and purchases, rather than paying a flat rate. You don't have to guarantee anything, because if they don't get anyone through click-through browsing, then they don't have to pay anything, as opposed to the television/radio model where they pay first.
Advertising. Giving code away would give software the attributes of free-to-air broadcast media. And given that software usually needs regular updates for bug fixes, downloading would be more than just a one-time affair. Free-to-air broadcast media revenue comes from advertising. And although general advertising doesn't guarantee the audience will have any interest, the type of software being downloaded will give a better idea of what kinds of ads would interest their downloading demographic.
copying 14gb of content over a USB connection should only take a few minutes
USB 2.0 (Hi-Speed) is supposed to be comparable to FireWire 400 at full data transfer speeds, and it only takes minutes to fill up that much content on an iPod through FireWire 400. Actually, USB 2.0 can work at 480 Megabits per second while FireWire 400 works at 400 Megabits per second, although FireWire performs slightly better than USB 2.0 for some reason.
Whatever the reason is that this thing takes hours to complete, it is an awful design flaw at the software level. People aren't going to wait hours for a portable device to get ready. The whole point of a portable device is so you can move around freely, and not be shackled to one location. But this thing keeps you shackled, then lets you go after a few hours, according to how the article described it being used. You could say that would be just the initial download if it was just a music collection. But since it is for a Media Center device that records from television, chances are the entire video collection will be constantly changing, and people will have to download the entire thing all over again. Maybe this has to do with the conversion, but if MS had any sense, they would make the Media Center do the conversion earlier, while it was recording video, rather than during the transfer process.
... as Tablet PC's. iPod killer, my ass. This thing is too big. If portable TV's were popular, people would be carrying them everywhere, but they're not. There are portable DVD players out there, but I've never actually seen anyone running around with one either. Microsoft just thought "hey, let's make it better than the iPod by adding video." Unfortunately, that was the wrong idea.
If they had any brains, they would simply add HD capacities to their existing Pocket PC PDA's so they could store a lot of media. Something this size would only catch on if it were a portable XBox, combining the Media Center features with it. In fact, if they combined the XBox and a Windows Media Center set-top box, and let this thing be a portable extension, then maybe this would work. Then again, why bother with that kind of a setup if this device is already on the market?
Getting back on track now, I ended up adding about 14GB of actual content to the Sync List. That includes pictures, TV, video and music. I hit sync and minimized WMP10,
a couple hours later it had converted everything and copied it to the device.
So not only does it take ages to copy stuff over, but it actually has to convert it too. If you want to use this thing, you can't just grab it and go like any portable device. You have to plan way ahead of time.
You forgot the all-time favourite... The Millenium Bug. People actually stocked up just for that one. Here's an excerpt from the link...
Withdraw two to three months' worth of cash no later than mid-1999. Waiting any longer could be a problem if the Federal Reserve decides to dampen any run on the banks. Also, keep copies of your banking statements in case computer malfunctions cause disputes with your bank over the size of your assets.
Stockpile essential equipment and supplies to allow you to live without electricity if need be. He recommends purchasing a generator, nonperishable food, water and medical supplies.
If you're stuck in an urban area, do your best to secure your residence from intruders. In general, he opposes stockpiling weapons, instead recommending that people build hidden rooms to avoid thugs.
I'm actually surprised that voice modems haven't become popular and that answering machine capabilities haven't become standardised on computers the way faxing has. I've had modems that worked as answering machines before over the past decade, but the software was always a third-party application that wasn't integrated with the OS like faxing, and it never became one surprisingly. I presume the main reason for this is because people would tend to have a dedicated data line for the modem and have their voice lines separate. But I also think another reason is that people tend to use the voicemail of their mobile phones now more than answering machines.
With the popularity of broadband, dial-up modems on computers are simply becoming an option used more for faxes or for using a dial-up connection when the broadband connection is down. Macs used to support audio line-in from the modem port, but they dropped that feature for some reason, and it seems to have gone unnoticed. Having an audio line-in function for a dial-up modem would be a precursor to using it as an answering machine. One of the problems of having a fax is that people usually use a dedicated line for one rather than having the same number for both voice and fax. That's two phone bills, and there's no reason for it to be that way. I always thought that computers would merge voice, fax, and data into one phone line. But if you use a mobile phone for voicemail, then you won't be able to link it to your computer.
News flash: Those fuckers don't get a say in this.
I'm not so sure about that. They have crippled DVD-ROM drives with region coding at the hardware level. Hardware can be hacked, but the MPAA is actually involved with the hardware manufacturers to do this sort of thing. In France, blank media is actually taxed with the money going to record companies, so they actually do political lobbying to get involved with hardware as well. If the HVD company has nothing to do with the RIAA or MPAA at the moment, that is no guarantee that they won't eventually. With the deep pockets of those organisations combined, they can probably buy their way into any company, or at least into legally and politically interfering with one. But yes, you are correct that they are fuckers.
At least for typing, smooth surfaces suck because of the lack of tactile feedback.
I'm not too sure about that, for myself, personally. Maybe it might take some getting used to, but and audio "click" feedback may be all some people need, while others wouldn't like it at all. Like I mentioned, there already are some zero-force keyboards, but I've never tried them out, so I don't really know. The touch sensitive controls on the iPods that came out before the current click wheel version may give a sense of this, as well as the controls on the current Apple Cinema displays. I actually like the concept of flat souch-sensitive surfaces, because it eliminates the wear-and-tear of moving parts. This would make it more impervious to things like dirt and spills, and I presume this makes it last longer.
That's assuming organisations like the RIAA and MPAA would allow HVD. A single HVD music CD of MP3s is probably all that someone would ever need, so the RIAA would be against it. And as for movies- even without the improved video compression currently available, movies on HVDs would be the equivalent of CD-ROMs of MP3s, so the MPAA would be against it. Although, maybe it would be okay for HDTV. If consumers could get ahold of HVDs before the RIAA and MPAA got their claws into it, people would buy these things like crazy.
We already have commercial holographic storage now. The disparity in the technological predictions of STtng is miles wide, they were so conservative when it comes to computer technology.
I'm still waiting for the ST:TNG touch-screen computer consoles. Seriously. I wonder why touch screens have never taken off, even as an additional feature to existing hardware that use other input devices. The whole point of using a mouse or a trackpad is so you could manipulate GUI elements in a manner as close as possible to directly manipulating them with your finger. Ergonomics is a factor, though. Lifting your hands off a surface to manipulate a GUI isn't as efficient as moving them around on a flat surface with input devices close to each other. But as for keyboards, zero-force keyboards are already around, so a touch screen version should be viable.
Anyone else have any opinions/info on touch screens? I'd be interested in links. And does anyone know about touch screens that can handle more that one point being touched at the same time? I presume one of the limitations of touch screens to work as efficient input devices is that most (that I know of) can only handle one point being touched at a time. Making a keyboard would require at least two touch points, for key combinations like the shift key. And as for simulating something like a piano keyboard or a multiple-control console on a touch screen, that would require handling many more points simultaneously.
They should just skip Blu-ray and release this one. It may take a little longer to get into production, but why would peope buy Blu-ray drives if this one won't be far behind?
Slashdot Mirror
The second paragraph "The file conversion..." should have come last because it was about my experience with it.
I haven't heard of anyone doing this so I'm sure it is more complicated than a bunch of file conversion routines but nonetheless it is interesting.
They are doing it, just not with bone yet. Check out the the case studies. The models are either being used for surgical planning, or for implant design. I actually first saw this sort of thing years ago, on a documentary, showing how they used stereolithography to create a piece of skull to exactly fit a hole some guy had in his skull, and they implanted it.
The file conversion procedure involves converting a massive amount of raster data (DICOM) to vector data (STL). This requires some manual intervention to do things like segmentation (isolating the proper body part) and patching up flaws that the conversion process couldn't handle. Some bone layers were too thin to automatically be recognised, so there were a few holes, and metal artifacts like braces cause after-images in CT scans that have to manually be edited out for the STL mesh.
You'd be surprised at where the technology is now. I have a jaw problem, so I went and got a CT scan done where I got the results on a CD rather than film. The viewer on the CD was for Windows, so I was unable to view it on my PowerBook. I came across a fantastic free (GPL) program called OsiriX which runs on OS X 10.3 (Panther). With this, I was able to view 3D images of my skull and jaw on my laptop. The site even lets you download example DICOM data to try out with the program. For DICOM viewers on other platforms, you can check out IDoImaging.com
And I'm actually in the process of having DICOM data converted to STL by Simpleware.co.uk and will have a model made with a Z Corp 3D printer. I just sent them the CT Scan DICOM data by FTP, and they are in the process of converting it to STL, which I will retrieve by FTP. Then I'll FTP it over to the local RP service with a 3D Printer, and they'll post the model over to me in a parcel.
I thought they used the tactic of 100 monkeys at 100 terminals for 100 days. Windows sure seems to be the product of that...
They've changed that. They're using more monkeys, at more terminals, for more days, which is why Longhorn is taking forever.
While it is cool that they can do this, I hope it leads to more complicated things like joints being grown to the right shape
You can create joints grown to the right shape. You can create Rapid Prototyping Models of bones from CT scans. You can have CT scans of bones exported to a format called DICOM which you can then have converted to a file format called STL, used in Rapid Prototyping. In your case, you could probably get a CT Scan of your other wrist in DICOM format, and have the STL mesh flipped to be a mirror image.
There are some services that can provide conversion software, or do the file conversions, as well as provide the RP models, although the models are made through stereolythography from what I gather. There are newer methods of creating rapid prototyping models that use the same STL file format, that are probably more precise.
You can obtain some software packages that let you do the conversion yourself, and although there is probably a bit of a learning curve, the biggest problem would be the price. It would be best to just let the services handle the conversion and you choose which Rapid Prototyping method to use.
From this point, you can use the model to construct a titanium mold, which could then be used to produce actual bone. And as for cartilege for the joint, the Carticel cartilege growth and transplant procedure could probably be applied. The FDA has approved Carticel for the knees and hips, but it would be up to a doctor's discretion to apply it in other ways.
There was an article a while back on the different business models around OS and there were some good examples that were not advertising.
That sounds interesting. Got a link to the article?
Advertisers pay for exposure... the more exposure, the more money they pay. If you can't guarantee them any exposure, they won't pay.
The type of software being downloaded can help tailor advertising for the downloading demographic. People downloading software for servers may be interested in server hardware or accessories like a UPS or rackmount keyboard or display. People downloading website development software like PHP may be interested in credit card transaction processing services. With that kind of a setup, people may actually want to see the advertising, compared to television, where the advertising is too broad.
And with the click-through nature of internet advertising, advertisers can pay per click-though viewing and purchases, rather than paying a flat rate. You don't have to guarantee anything, because if they don't get anyone through click-through browsing, then they don't have to pay anything, as opposed to the television/radio model where they pay first.
Advertising. Giving code away would give software the attributes of free-to-air broadcast media. And given that software usually needs regular updates for bug fixes, downloading would be more than just a one-time affair. Free-to-air broadcast media revenue comes from advertising. And although general advertising doesn't guarantee the audience will have any interest, the type of software being downloaded will give a better idea of what kinds of ads would interest their downloading demographic.
copying 14gb of content over a USB connection should only take a few minutes
USB 2.0 (Hi-Speed) is supposed to be comparable to FireWire 400 at full data transfer speeds, and it only takes minutes to fill up that much content on an iPod through FireWire 400. Actually, USB 2.0 can work at 480 Megabits per second while FireWire 400 works at 400 Megabits per second, although FireWire performs slightly better than USB 2.0 for some reason.
Whatever the reason is that this thing takes hours to complete, it is an awful design flaw at the software level. People aren't going to wait hours for a portable device to get ready. The whole point of a portable device is so you can move around freely, and not be shackled to one location. But this thing keeps you shackled, then lets you go after a few hours, according to how the article described it being used. You could say that would be just the initial download if it was just a music collection. But since it is for a Media Center device that records from television, chances are the entire video collection will be constantly changing, and people will have to download the entire thing all over again. Maybe this has to do with the conversion, but if MS had any sense, they would make the Media Center do the conversion earlier, while it was recording video, rather than during the transfer process.
... as Tablet PC's. iPod killer, my ass. This thing is too big. If portable TV's were popular, people would be carrying them everywhere, but they're not. There are portable DVD players out there, but I've never actually seen anyone running around with one either. Microsoft just thought "hey, let's make it better than the iPod by adding video." Unfortunately, that was the wrong idea.
If they had any brains, they would simply add HD capacities to their existing Pocket PC PDA's so they could store a lot of media. Something this size would only catch on if it were a portable XBox, combining the Media Center features with it. In fact, if they combined the XBox and a Windows Media Center set-top box, and let this thing be a portable extension, then maybe this would work. Then again, why bother with that kind of a setup if this device is already on the market?
I think it will really take off and everyone will have one!
Sincerely,
Betamax
No Battllefield Earth?
CNN has a story about the 20 year anniversary of PG-13
In a related story... nobody cares.
It seems more like someone just wanted to get his name published. Notice the description "computer expert".
Other Classic Exaggerations
You forgot the all-time favourite... The Millenium Bug. People actually stocked up just for that one. Here's an excerpt from the link...
Someone could produce a DVD player without region coding legally, but they'd get their pants sued off in a civil court.
A story about a situation just like that came out the day after this story was posted.
There's a difference?
Yes. "Art project" gets a better price tag. "Pointless hack" just gets it on Slashdot.
if it had wifi....Could update it 24/7
FTA...It does have WiFi.
I'm actually surprised that voice modems haven't become popular and that answering machine capabilities haven't become standardised on computers the way faxing has. I've had modems that worked as answering machines before over the past decade, but the software was always a third-party application that wasn't integrated with the OS like faxing, and it never became one surprisingly. I presume the main reason for this is because people would tend to have a dedicated data line for the modem and have their voice lines separate. But I also think another reason is that people tend to use the voicemail of their mobile phones now more than answering machines.
With the popularity of broadband, dial-up modems on computers are simply becoming an option used more for faxes or for using a dial-up connection when the broadband connection is down. Macs used to support audio line-in from the modem port, but they dropped that feature for some reason, and it seems to have gone unnoticed. Having an audio line-in function for a dial-up modem would be a precursor to using it as an answering machine. One of the problems of having a fax is that people usually use a dedicated line for one rather than having the same number for both voice and fax. That's two phone bills, and there's no reason for it to be that way. I always thought that computers would merge voice, fax, and data into one phone line. But if you use a mobile phone for voicemail, then you won't be able to link it to your computer.
News flash: Those fuckers don't get a say in this.
I'm not so sure about that. They have crippled DVD-ROM drives with region coding at the hardware level. Hardware can be hacked, but the MPAA is actually involved with the hardware manufacturers to do this sort of thing. In France, blank media is actually taxed with the money going to record companies, so they actually do political lobbying to get involved with hardware as well. If the HVD company has nothing to do with the RIAA or MPAA at the moment, that is no guarantee that they won't eventually. With the deep pockets of those organisations combined, they can probably buy their way into any company, or at least into legally and politically interfering with one. But yes, you are correct that they are fuckers.
At least for typing, smooth surfaces suck because of the lack of tactile feedback.
I'm not too sure about that, for myself, personally. Maybe it might take some getting used to, but and audio "click" feedback may be all some people need, while others wouldn't like it at all. Like I mentioned, there already are some zero-force keyboards, but I've never tried them out, so I don't really know. The touch sensitive controls on the iPods that came out before the current click wheel version may give a sense of this, as well as the controls on the current Apple Cinema displays. I actually like the concept of flat souch-sensitive surfaces, because it eliminates the wear-and-tear of moving parts. This would make it more impervious to things like dirt and spills, and I presume this makes it last longer.
That's assuming organisations like the RIAA and MPAA would allow HVD. A single HVD music CD of MP3s is probably all that someone would ever need, so the RIAA would be against it. And as for movies- even without the improved video compression currently available, movies on HVDs would be the equivalent of CD-ROMs of MP3s, so the MPAA would be against it. Although, maybe it would be okay for HDTV. If consumers could get ahold of HVDs before the RIAA and MPAA got their claws into it, people would buy these things like crazy.
We already have commercial holographic storage now. The disparity in the technological predictions of STtng is miles wide, they were so conservative when it comes to computer technology.
I'm still waiting for the ST:TNG touch-screen computer consoles. Seriously. I wonder why touch screens have never taken off, even as an additional feature to existing hardware that use other input devices. The whole point of using a mouse or a trackpad is so you could manipulate GUI elements in a manner as close as possible to directly manipulating them with your finger. Ergonomics is a factor, though. Lifting your hands off a surface to manipulate a GUI isn't as efficient as moving them around on a flat surface with input devices close to each other. But as for keyboards, zero-force keyboards are already around, so a touch screen version should be viable.
Anyone else have any opinions/info on touch screens? I'd be interested in links. And does anyone know about touch screens that can handle more that one point being touched at the same time? I presume one of the limitations of touch screens to work as efficient input devices is that most (that I know of) can only handle one point being touched at a time. Making a keyboard would require at least two touch points, for key combinations like the shift key. And as for simulating something like a piano keyboard or a multiple-control console on a touch screen, that would require handling many more points simultaneously.
They should just skip Blu-ray and release this one. It may take a little longer to get into production, but why would peope buy Blu-ray drives if this one won't be far behind?
If you killed all the lawyers, who'd be there to protect your interests from all the freakin' jerks suing you
The lawyers are the freakin' jerks suing you.