I think that the prohibitive cost of HDDVD drives, as well as (small) doubt that the format will survive the Blu Ray standard counterbalances the weighty file size.
The spec sheet actually reads like a collection of the more optimistic rumours. Multi-touch, 160dpi screen? Mobile OS X? It looks like Cingular have got Apple into a more restrictive partnership though (iPhone is Cingular exclusive in the US), probably after the Motorola debacle.
Excellent that this should be on Slashdot the same day I get James Blish's Cities in Flight book series.
I, for one, can't wait till Pittsburgh relocates to Mars and starts a mining operation.
The Luddites were fighting against the use of machines as tools of oppression. We are doing the same by resisting the tide of DRM and 'Trusted' Computing headed for our golden shores.
I'm not trolling, I acknowledge that Microsoft will do the same. I mention this in a reply to another poster who replied to the same comment.
Just because other companies are going to abuse cheap labour too doesn't make it right. FTR, I am a happy iPod and Mac owner and have nothing against the company.
Finally, yes, Apple is in the position of strength at the moment, but Microsoft is mustering a storm which will be testing for Apple in the coming months. I expect MS will fail and Apple will consolidate its digital media strategy with the release of the iTV, but one can never be sure about these things. The gadget sites sure are enamoured with the Zune.
Both companies will be making similar products at similar cost (using cheap labour etc). Apple has to maintain profitability on the iPod since it's a core Apple product, whereas Microsoft can afford to sell at cost or maybe a small loss in order to put strain on Apple. I would have thought this was illegal, but since it's standard practice in the console industry I'm not so sure.
I think Apple is reorganising its iPod product, though. The Nano is being repositioned as the bread-and-butter line with the iPod being sold as a sort of 'premium' product. The Zune will come off second best to the Nano since most people don't want to socialise with their technology (mobile phones aside:P). An MP3 player is something you use when you are going somewhere, at the gym, bored or whatever, and not something you want to play around with infront of your friends swapping DRM'ed files and watching video. The raison d'etre for a digital audio player is... music, and by all accounts the Nano does this well. It's difficult to add value beyond that.
In short, the Zune has arrived just as the HDD iPod has left the stage.
Between this and the Zune's 3 days/3 plays model of DRM, it seems like Microsoft are trying their hardest to confuse people as to when they can and cannot play their music. It almost sounds like they want to generate bad public opinion.
It may be a loss-leader though. We know the stories about Apple (ab)using cheap labour to maintain the iPod's profitability at the moment, so I don't know if they can afford to go any lower than their current prices. Microsoft may be using their position to deliberately push Apple into a crisis.
The licence violators were only told not to use his Flickr images without permission again. For this particular violation, they've escaped with little more than a rap across the knuckles. It is good that the Dutch courts acknowledged the CC licence, but the punishment was very weak.
This bizarre hoax makes about as much sense as a Pinochet supporter disappearing and reappearing during his reign, to make a comment on the Western media's coverage of the 'disappearance' of many of his protesters. It amounts to nothing less than hide real injustices in a thick fog of doubt.
This law is designed to make more people criminals. They can't examine an innocent person's computer, but if you're unwittingly breaking an arcane law, suddenly you're a criminal and the police can investigate all they like.
If you find a need to use this Google storage facility but can't quite take off your tinfoil hat, I suppose you could encrypt your files. It will take even Google a while to have a look inside your 128-bit AES file.
My suspicions are aroused by the fact that they're starting off on 8GB. To demonstrate that it is an effective storage technique, I'd expect them to come out with a more profitable-per-byte lower capacity model, such as a $120 4GB one, possibly even less.
The problem is that while most people double-check WP articles before using information for a certain purpose, the vast majority don't double check the info when just using it to casually check up on something. This can propagate misconceptions in some obscure areas.
WP is an overwhelmingly positive development on the internet, but it has many problems which must be addressed. Even though it seems to be getting an unfair amount of criticism at the moment, in the long term it will benefit from this scrutiny.
I know I've deviated fromt the point I was making as a reply to your post now, sorry! I just think it's worth pointing out that the sort of critical attention WP is getting from the academic world just now is priceless.
I agree that it's not bulletproof, but malicious spammers wouldn't be any more of a problem than they are now. That said, malicious spammers and vandals do seem to be enough of a problem at the moment to consider when evaluating any alterations to a public system.
Not quite. Currently, most articles have dozens of contributors at most. The most potentially unworkable element of my suggestion is the definition of 'expert'. Is it someone who has written a degree-level essay on the subject? Or is it someone who has their work published in peer-reviewed journals?
You are absolutely right about the need to maintain the ability for non-experts to post on Wikipedia. This is an effective defence against the fallacy of authority which would inevitibly become an issue if too great a bias was placed on the signed versions of articles provided by experts.
This is why the signed versions would not become the main article, but would instead stand parallel to it, hosted within the encyclopaedia as a CC licenced reference. Rather than overriding the common artical, it would inform it, but still stand alone as a citeable article that academics can use. Ideally.
Slashdot Mirror
So is the submitter for or against Microsoft's corrections? I was unable to gauge his tone.
I think that the prohibitive cost of HDDVD drives, as well as (small) doubt that the format will survive the Blu Ray standard counterbalances the weighty file size.
A new "AirPort Extreme Base Station" is listed in their store, shipping in February. £119. Have a look.
The spec sheet actually reads like a collection of the more optimistic rumours. Multi-touch, 160dpi screen? Mobile OS X? It looks like Cingular have got Apple into a more restrictive partnership though (iPhone is Cingular exclusive in the US), probably after the Motorola debacle.
Excellent that this should be on Slashdot the same day I get James Blish's Cities in Flight book series. I, for one, can't wait till Pittsburgh relocates to Mars and starts a mining operation.
The game is propaganda, and should be criticised on different criteria than 'realism'.
The Luddites were fighting against the use of machines as tools of oppression. We are doing the same by resisting the tide of DRM and 'Trusted' Computing headed for our golden shores.
I'm not trolling, I acknowledge that Microsoft will do the same. I mention this in a reply to another poster who replied to the same comment. Just because other companies are going to abuse cheap labour too doesn't make it right. FTR, I am a happy iPod and Mac owner and have nothing against the company. Finally, yes, Apple is in the position of strength at the moment, but Microsoft is mustering a storm which will be testing for Apple in the coming months. I expect MS will fail and Apple will consolidate its digital media strategy with the release of the iTV, but one can never be sure about these things. The gadget sites sure are enamoured with the Zune.
Yes, quite so, but it seems like the EU is currently turning up the heat on Apple too over its DRM.
Both companies will be making similar products at similar cost (using cheap labour etc). Apple has to maintain profitability on the iPod since it's a core Apple product, whereas Microsoft can afford to sell at cost or maybe a small loss in order to put strain on Apple. I would have thought this was illegal, but since it's standard practice in the console industry I'm not so sure. I think Apple is reorganising its iPod product, though. The Nano is being repositioned as the bread-and-butter line with the iPod being sold as a sort of 'premium' product. The Zune will come off second best to the Nano since most people don't want to socialise with their technology (mobile phones aside :P). An MP3 player is something you use when you are going somewhere, at the gym, bored or whatever, and not something you want to play around with infront of your friends swapping DRM'ed files and watching video. The raison d'etre for a digital audio player is... music, and by all accounts the Nano does this well. It's difficult to add value beyond that.
In short, the Zune has arrived just as the HDD iPod has left the stage.
Between this and the Zune's 3 days/3 plays model of DRM, it seems like Microsoft are trying their hardest to confuse people as to when they can and cannot play their music. It almost sounds like they want to generate bad public opinion.
It may be a loss-leader though. We know the stories about Apple (ab)using cheap labour to maintain the iPod's profitability at the moment, so I don't know if they can afford to go any lower than their current prices. Microsoft may be using their position to deliberately push Apple into a crisis.
The licence violators were only told not to use his Flickr images without permission again. For this particular violation, they've escaped with little more than a rap across the knuckles. It is good that the Dutch courts acknowledged the CC licence, but the punishment was very weak.
Apologies in advance for dire grammar. I should have pre-read my comment more thoroughly, but if Digg can manage a three-minute edit period...
This bizarre hoax makes about as much sense as a Pinochet supporter disappearing and reappearing during his reign, to make a comment on the Western media's coverage of the 'disappearance' of many of his protesters. It amounts to nothing less than hide real injustices in a thick fog of doubt.
This law is designed to make more people criminals. They can't examine an innocent person's computer, but if you're unwittingly breaking an arcane law, suddenly you're a criminal and the police can investigate all they like.
Remember: Don't forget your passwords.
What constitutes a hacking tool? A terminal emulator? Linux?
If you find a need to use this Google storage facility but can't quite take off your tinfoil hat, I suppose you could encrypt your files. It will take even Google a while to have a look inside your 128-bit AES file.
My suspicions are aroused by the fact that they're starting off on 8GB. To demonstrate that it is an effective storage technique, I'd expect them to come out with a more profitable-per-byte lower capacity model, such as a $120 4GB one, possibly even less.
WP is an overwhelmingly positive development on the internet, but it has many problems which must be addressed. Even though it seems to be getting an unfair amount of criticism at the moment, in the long term it will benefit from this scrutiny.
I know I've deviated fromt the point I was making as a reply to your post now, sorry! I just think it's worth pointing out that the sort of critical attention WP is getting from the academic world just now is priceless.
I agree that it's not bulletproof, but malicious spammers wouldn't be any more of a problem than they are now. That said, malicious spammers and vandals do seem to be enough of a problem at the moment to consider when evaluating any alterations to a public system.
Not quite. Currently, most articles have dozens of contributors at most. The most potentially unworkable element of my suggestion is the definition of 'expert'. Is it someone who has written a degree-level essay on the subject? Or is it someone who has their work published in peer-reviewed journals?
Ah, my thanks for replying and apologies for misunderstanding ;)
This is why the signed versions would not become the main article, but would instead stand parallel to it, hosted within the encyclopaedia as a CC licenced reference. Rather than overriding the common artical, it would inform it, but still stand alone as a citeable article that academics can use. Ideally.