Actually, you can mark on the CD just fine. The difference is that the mark wipes completely off.
Now they just need CD players with tiny little whiteboard erasers inside, and all these people who are defeating copyright protection schemes by marking on their discs will be out of luck.
Never once indicated... that English was my first language.
If English isn't your native language, then I would think that you would like being corrected when you use the wrong word, since it is an opportunity to improve your language skills and learn new vocabulary.
No one wants to track shit all with it once it leaves the store.
However, it occurred to me that they may want to track you upon re-entering the store. No, not everything that was ever bought there (probably). Rather, items that managed to make it out the front door without being paid for. Imagine the look on Joe Shoplifter's face when he is greeted by the police while shopping and taken for a little ride downtown, all because he happened to wear his stolen boots back into the store.
Ahh yes, the good ol' Personal Identification Number number.
But seriously...
...secure systems will still require information that only the holder should know. Reason being is that your eyeball can be removed and so can your finger.
If someone has decided that they're willing to remove your eyeball or finger in order to gain access to a facility, chances are that they would get the average person to reveal whatever password they know after the removal of a few more fingers (or the threat of removal of eyeball the second).
The best solution would be the use of "hidden" biometrics linked to a silent alarm system. For instance, a PIN pad where the buttons double as fingerprint scanners (except that not even the employees know it). Give the employees a key card and PIN, and let them think that's all they need. Then, when an intruder uses the same card and PIN, the door opens, but security is alerted.
Even so, that won't stop someone from holding an employee at gunpoint and "persuading" them to open the door for them. That would probably require an emergency PIN that an employee could use (possibly their normal PIN, but backwards) that would open the door, but alert security.
In some cases though a person stops and has a moment of pause: I can drive to the store buy the CD and listen to it, or I can fire up the p2p app, download it, and burn it to CD or copy it to my Rio. What shall I do?
And in some cases, a persons stops and thinks, "I can go to the store, buy the CD, and listen to it, or I can go over to my friend's house and borrow their CD. What shall I do?"
In this case, the person is attracted to the utility of the media, and feels it is worth the purchase price. The money is available. It is not a question of value or a lack of it.
Damn, I borrowed my neighbor's chainsaw to trim some limbs off a tree. I considered buying one, so I was clearly attracted to the utility of the tool. And I had the money available, so it was not a question of value, or a lack thereof.
In this case a theft, or a deprivation of profits, is experienced by the owner of the work.
Deprivation of profits is not the same thing as theft. In my above examples, would my actions (borrowing a CD or a chainsaw) constitute theft?
No, if deprivation of profits counts as theft, then everyone who runs a company that competes with another company is a thief.
Well, technically, it's copyright infringement and not stealing. That so many people refer to it as stealing makes it clear that the **AA's misinformation campaign is working.
If you want the music industry's garbage, give them their asking price. If you suspect illegal cartel behavior, file a lawsuit. Stealing is not an option
The problem is that we're dealing with behavior by the industry that much of the general public views as perfectly legal, but also immoral. Thus, filing a lawsuit against them is out of the question.
As for "stealing" not being an option . . . well . . . it obviously is an option, much to the chagrin of the **AA.
And, of course, I ment to say Revolutionary War instead of "Civil War". Either way, I'm pretty sure no one hit with a musket ball died while screaming "LAG!!!" at the top of his lungs.
The low power consumption of the chip enables multi-year operation with only dry-cell batteries.
Would it be possible, I wonder, to have solar-powered sensors, or even sensors powered by storing vibrational energy (for use in, say, air ducts)? Of course, sensors placed in easily accessible locations probably wouldn't benefit too much from never needing battery replacements. However, I can think of a few applications where you'd want to have a sensor in locations that are not readily accessible for maintenance. Perhaps even inserting the sensors during construction of the building, in locations that will be completely unaccessible once construction us complete.
Anyway, it's just a thought, and probably one that someone working on the project has already had.
Modded down or not, Pluvius is correct. We were talking about the Zelda tech demo that was publicized before the Gamecube was released. Such tech demos (this one included) are not pre-rendered CGI, because that defeats the entire purpose of having it as a tech demo -- i.e. to show off the real-time rendering capabilities of the new hardware. It's understood that the system is going to be able to play video files, so there's really no point in having a demo for that.
As for there being no point in pre-rendering something that can be done on-the-fly, well, it's true that you wouldn't do that. CGI cutscenes tend to be done either to have visuals that are more detailed than what the hardware can render in real time, or for scenes that have components (lip-synched speech, skeletal animation, etc) that are not built into the game engine.
One of the surprising things to me is how well PS2 has done w/o that many franchises.
I have a theory. I think that, lacking these well-known franchise games, companies have to actually come up with new and original ideas rather than rehashing the same concept over and over again. Personally, I like Mario. But I'd like it even better if I could play whatever new concept that is going to become the next "Mario".
One thing though; I think Nintendo better work on some NEW handheld games within their established franchises. GBA has really milked the NES/SNES Mario port to death.
I wholeheartedly agree. Someone needs to clue Nintendo in to the fact that no, they don't have to port every single Mario game to every one of their systems.
Although, honestly, I think that Nintendo has done a remarkable job in updating their franchise games without losing the "feel" of the originals. For instance, Metroid Prime kicks ass, even though I never would have thought that I'd be able to enjoy a 3D Metroid game.
"DS" does seem like a gimmick, alas. I would've rather seen a straightforward backwards-compatible successor to the GB line.
I sometimes think that breaking backward compatibility might be a good idea. I wonder how much cost per unit could be cut if they removed the ability of the GBA to play old GB and GB Color games. I would imagine that the electronics would be simpler. They could also change the form factor of the game cartridges -- or even switch to small mini-CDs or something.
Better in my mind would be a cheaper system that plays only new games, with aftermarket cartridge adaptors and emulation software available for those who want to play older games.
I think a more important factor (and one that leans in Nintendo's favor) is the access to recognizable games. Nintendo has such franchises as Pokémon, Mario, Zelda, and Metroid. Sonay has . . . well . . . I can't really think of any popular series of games that Sony has a monopoly on.
Based on this, I would say that Nintendo has the front pole position in this race. Sony's PSP will have to either be a much better system, or appeal to a wider audience, than the DS for it to come out the victor.
Not that I would be surprised if that's exactly what happens. I mean, the original Playstation managed to make a big splash in the console market, paving the way for Sega's downfall. But Nintendo's had a death grip on the handheld market for so long that Sony really has their work cut out for them.
Slashdot Mirror
Actually, you can mark on the CD just fine. The difference is that the mark wipes completely off.
Now they just need CD players with tiny little whiteboard erasers inside, and all these people who are defeating copyright protection schemes by marking on their discs will be out of luck.
Never once indicated ... that English was my first language.
If English isn't your native language, then I would think that you would like being corrected when you use the wrong word, since it is an opportunity to improve your language skills and learn new vocabulary.
No one wants to track shit all with it once it leaves the store.
However, it occurred to me that they may want to track you upon re-entering the store. No, not everything that was ever bought there (probably). Rather, items that managed to make it out the front door without being paid for. Imagine the look on Joe Shoplifter's face when he is greeted by the police while shopping and taken for a little ride downtown, all because he happened to wear his stolen boots back into the store.
your pin number
...secure systems will still require information that only the holder should know. Reason being is that your eyeball can be removed and so can your finger.
Ahh yes, the good ol' Personal Identification Number number. But seriously...
If someone has decided that they're willing to remove your eyeball or finger in order to gain access to a facility, chances are that they would get the average person to reveal whatever password they know after the removal of a few more fingers (or the threat of removal of eyeball the second).
The best solution would be the use of "hidden" biometrics linked to a silent alarm system. For instance, a PIN pad where the buttons double as fingerprint scanners (except that not even the employees know it). Give the employees a key card and PIN, and let them think that's all they need. Then, when an intruder uses the same card and PIN, the door opens, but security is alerted.
Even so, that won't stop someone from holding an employee at gunpoint and "persuading" them to open the door for them. That would probably require an emergency PIN that an employee could use (possibly their normal PIN, but backwards) that would open the door, but alert security.
In some cases though a person stops and has a moment of pause: I can drive to the store buy the CD and listen to it, or I can fire up the p2p app, download it, and burn it to CD or copy it to my Rio. What shall I do?
And in some cases, a persons stops and thinks, "I can go to the store, buy the CD, and listen to it, or I can go over to my friend's house and borrow their CD. What shall I do?"
In this case, the person is attracted to the utility of the media, and feels it is worth the purchase price. The money is available. It is not a question of value or a lack of it.
Damn, I borrowed my neighbor's chainsaw to trim some limbs off a tree. I considered buying one, so I was clearly attracted to the utility of the tool. And I had the money available, so it was not a question of value, or a lack thereof.
In this case a theft, or a deprivation of profits, is experienced by the owner of the work.
Deprivation of profits is not the same thing as theft. In my above examples, would my actions (borrowing a CD or a chainsaw) constitute theft? No, if deprivation of profits counts as theft, then everyone who runs a company that competes with another company is a thief.
Stealing music is stupid.
Well, technically, it's copyright infringement and not stealing. That so many people refer to it as stealing makes it clear that the **AA's misinformation campaign is working.
If you want the music industry's garbage, give them their asking price. If you suspect illegal cartel behavior, file a lawsuit. Stealing is not an option
The problem is that we're dealing with behavior by the industry that much of the general public views as perfectly legal, but also immoral. Thus, filing a lawsuit against them is out of the question.
As for "stealing" not being an option . . . well . . . it obviously is an option, much to the chagrin of the **AA.
And, of course, I ment to say Revolutionary War instead of "Civil War". Either way, I'm pretty sure no one hit with a musket ball died while screaming "LAG!!!" at the top of his lungs.
What the citizens can do to a corrupt government can make the Revolutionary war look like a game of quake.
Except that none of the participants of the civil war yelled "LOLOL n00b!!! ur a fag" when an opponent's musket aim was a little off.
The low power consumption of the chip enables multi-year operation with only dry-cell batteries.
Would it be possible, I wonder, to have solar-powered sensors, or even sensors powered by storing vibrational energy (for use in, say, air ducts)? Of course, sensors placed in easily accessible locations probably wouldn't benefit too much from never needing battery replacements. However, I can think of a few applications where you'd want to have a sensor in locations that are not readily accessible for maintenance. Perhaps even inserting the sensors during construction of the building, in locations that will be completely unaccessible once construction us complete.
Anyway, it's just a thought, and probably one that someone working on the project has already had.
Modded down or not, Pluvius is correct. We were talking about the Zelda tech demo that was publicized before the Gamecube was released. Such tech demos (this one included) are not pre-rendered CGI, because that defeats the entire purpose of having it as a tech demo -- i.e. to show off the real-time rendering capabilities of the new hardware. It's understood that the system is going to be able to play video files, so there's really no point in having a demo for that.
As for there being no point in pre-rendering something that can be done on-the-fly, well, it's true that you wouldn't do that. CGI cutscenes tend to be done either to have visuals that are more detailed than what the hardware can render in real time, or for scenes that have components (lip-synched speech, skeletal animation, etc) that are not built into the game engine.
One of the surprising things to me is how well PS2 has done w/o that many franchises.
I have a theory. I think that, lacking these well-known franchise games, companies have to actually come up with new and original ideas rather than rehashing the same concept over and over again. Personally, I like Mario. But I'd like it even better if I could play whatever new concept that is going to become the next "Mario".
One thing though; I think Nintendo better work on some NEW handheld games within their established franchises. GBA has really milked the NES/SNES Mario port to death.
I wholeheartedly agree. Someone needs to clue Nintendo in to the fact that no, they don't have to port every single Mario game to every one of their systems.
Although, honestly, I think that Nintendo has done a remarkable job in updating their franchise games without losing the "feel" of the originals. For instance, Metroid Prime kicks ass, even though I never would have thought that I'd be able to enjoy a 3D Metroid game.
"DS" does seem like a gimmick, alas. I would've rather seen a straightforward backwards-compatible successor to the GB line.
I sometimes think that breaking backward compatibility might be a good idea. I wonder how much cost per unit could be cut if they removed the ability of the GBA to play old GB and GB Color games. I would imagine that the electronics would be simpler. They could also change the form factor of the game cartridges -- or even switch to small mini-CDs or something. Better in my mind would be a cheaper system that plays only new games, with aftermarket cartridge adaptors and emulation software available for those who want to play older games.
I think a more important factor (and one that leans in Nintendo's favor) is the access to recognizable games. Nintendo has such franchises as Pokémon, Mario, Zelda, and Metroid. Sonay has . . . well . . . I can't really think of any popular series of games that Sony has a monopoly on.
Based on this, I would say that Nintendo has the front pole position in this race. Sony's PSP will have to either be a much better system, or appeal to a wider audience, than the DS for it to come out the victor.
Not that I would be surprised if that's exactly what happens. I mean, the original Playstation managed to make a big splash in the console market, paving the way for Sega's downfall. But Nintendo's had a death grip on the handheld market for so long that Sony really has their work cut out for them.