Actually, the only apple hardware/paraphernalia I own is my iPod. Now to set things straight:
While an (iPod/iTunes)cellphone hybrid sounds like a neat idea, I still won't get rid of my iPod for the same reasons that I bought it: It does one main job and it does it well. I also like its secondary function as a portable hard drive, and despite people telling me that media player X is better, none of them have a community around them that gives the product such a large knowledge base. Hell, there's even an iPod Linux distro. I don't think high storage media cellphones can kill off any good media player for the same reason that camera cellphones haven't killed off cameras. Metatools like this usually can't perform their multiple jobs as well as one device dedicated to just one task. This is the reason that I don't like the idea of some half-assed new Windows Mobile OS media cellphone trying to compete with the iPod directly: it's just faulty logic.
A few songs or maybe internet radio streaming through an iTunes cellphone sounds pretty good to me, but attempting to use said cellphone with a different OS to destroy a music player that has achieved such wide success outside of the normal 'mac addict' fan base is like trying to kill a giant with a toothpick.
then again, how often does a product sketch turn out like the finished piece? I'm not saying that everything will be rainbows and lollipops on the road to a cellular iTunes service, but that picture could have been made to impress clients and partners at a presentation while the gritty work is still being done 'back at the lab'. A java based iTunes emulator is still possible due to the cross platform capability, but don't sell the idea short just because of a promotional pdf.
I always thought that Apple should have made some sort of uber-wi(fi|max) iPod so that iPodders could stream the internet radio stations on an iPod like they could on iTunes. And besides, if it all works out as predicted, this could help crush Bill Gates' dream of destroying iTunes and the iPod and their dominance over the digital music market. It sounds like fun:)
Yes, it is appropriate to probe the mind and skills on a prospective employee to guage thier abilities in the field, but I really don't think he could have flunked the interview considering that they came back and asked him again. Not only that, but MS also, hasn't made any statement (that I'm aware of) that Arthur did, indeed, fail the interview exam. I just can't see this happening at Microsoft (or anywhere else for that matter)
Hiring Manager: Who's next on the list? Hiring Lackey: There's this Arther guy... Hiring Manager: Wait a minute, didn't he fail the exam the last time? Hiring Lackey: But nobody else has taken the job Hiring Manager: You're right, I guess nobody else will apply so give him another call.
I think that people should be able to trust their employees also. Despite another post I've made on this topic, I'm not a fan of keystoke logging. On the other hand, in large companies, it can be difficult for a small group of managers or admins to oversee the productivity of a great number of workers. The name of the game in competetive american business is still 'productivity'. If you're not pulling more weight than your cubicle partner, then your partner will have more desk space next month. This is not true in all cases, but some companies feel they have to enforce this kind of ethic to counteract the rapidly depleting work ethic in the younger generations. I personally graduated from college with a large number of people who lost their entry level jobs within months because they felt like the world owed them just for having a degree and acted accordingly.
I'm not really a fan of using the logs, but the illusion of it can go a long way to keep otherwise counterproductive people in line.
This is an interesting issue because, as far as America is concerned, keystroke logging could be warped and molested into an argument about privacy in the workplace in most courts. But where I don't really think it should be illegal is the fact that almost every company I've ever seen details the fact that company computers are to be used only for company work. Conducting personal business is to reprimanded in most cases.
But with cubicle farms being so prevalent in even small offices, you really have no other way to monitor your employees. There really isn't an effective way to block all non-work related websites without letting a few through and blocking some related to clients per se. If keystroke logging is to be illegal, then so should cameras, and network traffic loggers. If employees feel like they're being watched somehow, they're less likely to spend the day playing Yahoo! Games and checking their email. Besides, how can you confront an unproductive employee without proof that they've been breaking the company policy because your logging was banned? It's not so easy then.
For starters, while I won't slam this book without reading it, I think that it's come too late. Firefox has gained a good amount of momentum that its popularity will spread more by my next point:
Although this isn't a universal constant, I find that books like this are usually targeted at a group of people who generally don't buy any sort of computer books. It's like making a painting for the blind in a way, when the people who need to know this don't typically browse the computers and technology section at their local bookstore.
But wait! Hope is not lost. The momentum created by Firefox has spread enough in the past year or so that even non-geeks are getting to be pretty savvy with it. What happens then, is that the popularity of non-IE spreads by word of mouth. But while there are great books on the subject out there, a technology book just seems like a poor way to get the message to tech-illiterate.
While a fiber infrastructure and the bandwidth it allows makes me all creamy, what happens to power lines? Can you somehow merge the two, replace the latter with a modded former? The argument for having power line broadband is kind of like why people like having their internet, phone and cable bill in one envelope from one company. They want to simplify things by not adding another set of wires in your home, so to speak.
However, the greatest fear I have for power line broadband is what happens when your line gets severed. Even underground power lines can be damaged, and while that happens less often, they take longer to be repaired. If you get hit by a blackout, you've got no power, no internet, and if you use VoIP, no phone. That hurts.
While I can certainly understand those complications, one would assume that there would be some way to circumvent or remedy the radio signal issue. Although here's some fun food for thought:
We're pretty long overdue for a power grid restructuring. Does anyone remember that nearly week long blackout in upper New York, eastern Pennsylvania and surrounding areas a few summers back? I certainly do (due to proximity of effects). A major reason that a lot of our blackouts in America can be so crippling is because our lack of any truly cohesive power grid that would allow surrounding plants to pick up the slack in a more efficient manner. Granted, it would be expensive and time consuming, but I think it could pay off.
As long as we could use the upgrade, why not add broadband onto to too?;)
I agree whole-heartedly. The sad thing is that I find it easier to get comprehensive and up to date virus definitions, and yet some of the best malware removal tools around with the most recent updates still can't seem to get rid of some of this ad-crap permanently.
Upon getting a new computer, I actually install a firewall and Firefox before any of the mobo and video drivers just in case I have to go online to get the newest drivers. And this is to protect myself from things far worse than sassers and exploits. No no, I'm talking about...gator::quiver with fear::
Honestly, I don't think that the main problem with IE is bloat at all. The problem that I see people having with IE is the lack of features in the face of browsers that offer themes, extensions and smoother integration of components without the security holes of being welded onto the OS kernel in sorts.
There are a large number of people out there that wouldn't mind a browser that could serve as a convient portal for all things 'internet' as long as it could serve them well. If you make all things so black and white, then cars shouldn't have radios, padded seats, a trunk(boot) or anything other than what's required to transport you.
The problem isn't bloat or features, but final functionality. If it works...
True, but I've never trusted the upgrades for OS'es for several reasons. Plus, with a shell, you can port it over to the next computer you buy and basically take your prefs folder with you to keep things consistent. Besides, there are OSS windows shells out there. Aston is just a suggestion (no I'm not some salesman for them, I just like how it looks)
In related news, I'm glad to see that LiteStep.net is finally up and running again.
However, this could swing business back into her direction. While there are those who know that 'the universe is out of alignment' and that Bai is no longer 'credible', there is another group of people that may come to her now that the balance has shifted and they need her to perform a second reading for the week.
Here's the other side of your first point, yes NASA has deprived her of her ability to make a living, but should sciences all be prosecuted because they told the neighborhood that the wolfman isn't real? Now I have no one to buy my nostrums that keep civilizations in the dark.
Everyone is entitled to making a living, but when embarking on your own business, own should be aware of the risks involved.
"Buyers of new 64-bit computers will undoubtedly opt for Longhorn's enchanting interface and new device support--especially if security improves."
Could this statement possibly be any more backwards? The next sentence in the article actually clarifies the issue that there will need to many more improvements to inspire people to upgrade, but this particular snippet of words is decidedly poor.
You don't need a 64-bit computer to pull of at least half of the eye candy effects in this 'new OS'. There are enough UI tweak packages out there for windows, and a great deal of them are even freeware/GPL which can achieve many of the same effects. I would hardly call this interface enchanting. Granted, it is an improvement, but it's still something to be skinned a day after you get it anyway. If you want a good windows shell try Aston Shell http://www.astonshell.com/
A large amount of buyers of 64-bit computers are also in more hardcore computing/gaming. So I'm laying my money on the bet that the only reason they'll get this XP Service Pack 4 (skipping 3) is because most of the software will start phasing out the older OS'es in a few years anyway, not because Windows is for 64-bit computer buyers.
And as for device support--pending the increase in security. I won't even touch this because we all know the story and I don't want to put anyone in a foul mood.
Here's something to chew on that's even more fun that the priority that this law's enforcement receives:
Sweden has been a known safe-haven for downloading while the rest of us hear about everything from Napster to Bram Cohen. With that kind of well rooted status among the people, how will any anti-piracy agency stem the tide of people refusing to give up the right that they just lost? It's still a pretty scary idea to take on all the downloaders (of the illegal kind) in the US even after all of our new lawsuits and regulations. With legal online music stores, there is now a problem that virtually replaces it in movies now that broadband is so much cheaper; the problem perpetuates in a new form now.
How will Sweden really enforce something like this to a people who could rebel against it after enjoying this 'freedom' amidst everyone else's DRM troubles over the years?
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals becomes the nation's highest court to rule on a fundamental practice of adware companies that serve up pop-up and other ads based on sites users visit
The only issue being debated here is whether it is legal for a piece of software to show you ads (with images [i.e. references to copyright and trademarks]) about products related to the sites you have visited based on the software's traffic analysis. The article even mentions (regretfully) that nothing was addressed concerning the users|victims of such adware. It's all about the copyright.
I think the currenty copyright standards being practiced stifle innovation in two ways (please feel free to correct):
1. In an example of 'artists' who make a living on their creative assets, the old copyright standard allowed them to make on a temporary monopoly until that artist could create another piece of work to then copyright and derive income from.
Now, however, we have more people making a living off of infringment lawsuits than the money made from the copyrighted work in question. That's just sad on so many levels.
2. In the case of technology: 5 computers per license isn't that great when there are a growing number of people with a desktop computer, laptop and consistently upgrade. Do I have to spend another several thousand dollars to re(place | new) all my DRM'ed content after I get another 2 computers a few years down the road?
I think a lot of lawmakers are trying to enforce one standard that should work for all mediums of content, and there just seems to be too much difference between digital content and physical to blanket over everything conviently.
How quickly I see you assume things. I never said I was actually a member. A few of my friends were in it as well as friends of friends. If you wish to make such a bold statement, you shouldn't be afraid to stand by it in the open rather than behind a mask.
I think a major problem with Anime in America is twofold:
1. The influence of the anime subculture cliques in the US have created a slew of American cartoons that try to appease everyone by becoming "Amerime" as I've heard it called. It's a little bit of American animation and a little bit of Anime, so it's won't make the purists really happy, but it may keep the majority quiet enough to stop barking for the authentic imports.
2. Some anime fan groups really do live up the title of otaku. For example, I absolutely hate Inu Yasha and I've never even seen it. The only reason that I can't stand it is because the anime fan club in my college talked about it so much, non-stop that I already knew the whole thing. In fact, within a week it was already like an overplayed radio single that made me want to smash things. I don't have anything against the story or characters or style, but the overload from the fans was so much that I couldn't stand hearing about it anymore and I still can't to this day. Not all fans are this bad, and some are much less than this bad or not even bad at all, but there are enough fans that can be true otaku: Obsessed to the point that the average person doesn't want to hear it anymore.
I, for one, don't like to talk about anime anymore for fear that I will be crucified by some purist for watched the unclean dubbed version of whatever.
Personally, I think these two things really hold back anime from becoming truly mainstream in America. Correct me if you want.
Slashdot Mirror
Actually, the only apple hardware/paraphernalia I own is my iPod. Now to set things straight:
While an (iPod/iTunes)cellphone hybrid sounds like a neat idea, I still won't get rid of my iPod for the same reasons that I bought it: It does one main job and it does it well. I also like its secondary function as a portable hard drive, and despite people telling me that media player X is better, none of them have a community around them that gives the product such a large knowledge base. Hell, there's even an iPod Linux distro. I don't think high storage media cellphones can kill off any good media player for the same reason that camera cellphones haven't killed off cameras. Metatools like this usually can't perform their multiple jobs as well as one device dedicated to just one task. This is the reason that I don't like the idea of some half-assed new Windows Mobile OS media cellphone trying to compete with the iPod directly: it's just faulty logic.
A few songs or maybe internet radio streaming through an iTunes cellphone sounds pretty good to me, but attempting to use said cellphone with a different OS to destroy a music player that has achieved such wide success outside of the normal 'mac addict' fan base is like trying to kill a giant with a toothpick.
then again, how often does a product sketch turn out like the finished piece? I'm not saying that everything will be rainbows and lollipops on the road to a cellular iTunes service, but that picture could have been made to impress clients and partners at a presentation while the gritty work is still being done 'back at the lab'. A java based iTunes emulator is still possible due to the cross platform capability, but don't sell the idea short just because of a promotional pdf.
I always thought that Apple should have made some sort of uber-wi(fi|max) iPod so that iPodders could stream the internet radio stations on an iPod like they could on iTunes. And besides, if it all works out as predicted, this could help crush Bill Gates' dream of destroying iTunes and the iPod and their dominance over the digital music market. It sounds like fun :)
Yes, it is appropriate to probe the mind and skills on a prospective employee to guage thier abilities in the field, but I really don't think he could have flunked the interview considering that they came back and asked him again. Not only that, but MS also, hasn't made any statement (that I'm aware of) that Arthur did, indeed, fail the interview exam. I just can't see this happening at Microsoft (or anywhere else for that matter)
Hiring Manager: Who's next on the list?
Hiring Lackey: There's this Arther guy...
Hiring Manager: Wait a minute, didn't he fail the exam the last time?
Hiring Lackey: But nobody else has taken the job
Hiring Manager: You're right, I guess nobody else will apply so give him another call.
I think that people should be able to trust their employees also. Despite another post I've made on this topic, I'm not a fan of keystoke logging. On the other hand, in large companies, it can be difficult for a small group of managers or admins to oversee the productivity of a great number of workers. The name of the game in competetive american business is still 'productivity'. If you're not pulling more weight than your cubicle partner, then your partner will have more desk space next month. This is not true in all cases, but some companies feel they have to enforce this kind of ethic to counteract the rapidly depleting work ethic in the younger generations. I personally graduated from college with a large number of people who lost their entry level jobs within months because they felt like the world owed them just for having a degree and acted accordingly.
I'm not really a fan of using the logs, but the illusion of it can go a long way to keep otherwise counterproductive people in line.
This is an interesting issue because, as far as America is concerned, keystroke logging could be warped and molested into an argument about privacy in the workplace in most courts. But where I don't really think it should be illegal is the fact that almost every company I've ever seen details the fact that company computers are to be used only for company work. Conducting personal business is to reprimanded in most cases.
But with cubicle farms being so prevalent in even small offices, you really have no other way to monitor your employees. There really isn't an effective way to block all non-work related websites without letting a few through and blocking some related to clients per se. If keystroke logging is to be illegal, then so should cameras, and network traffic loggers. If employees feel like they're being watched somehow, they're less likely to spend the day playing Yahoo! Games and checking their email. Besides, how can you confront an unproductive employee without proof that they've been breaking the company policy because your logging was banned? It's not so easy then.
For starters, while I won't slam this book without reading it, I think that it's come too late. Firefox has gained a good amount of momentum that its popularity will spread more by my next point:
Although this isn't a universal constant, I find that books like this are usually targeted at a group of people who generally don't buy any sort of computer books. It's like making a painting for the blind in a way, when the people who need to know this don't typically browse the computers and technology section at their local bookstore.
But wait! Hope is not lost. The momentum created by Firefox has spread enough in the past year or so that even non-geeks are getting to be pretty savvy with it. What happens then, is that the popularity of non-IE spreads by word of mouth. But while there are great books on the subject out there, a technology book just seems like a poor way to get the message to tech-illiterate.
While a fiber infrastructure and the bandwidth it allows makes me all creamy, what happens to power lines? Can you somehow merge the two, replace the latter with a modded former? The argument for having power line broadband is kind of like why people like having their internet, phone and cable bill in one envelope from one company. They want to simplify things by not adding another set of wires in your home, so to speak.
However, the greatest fear I have for power line broadband is what happens when your line gets severed. Even underground power lines can be damaged, and while that happens less often, they take longer to be repaired. If you get hit by a blackout, you've got no power, no internet, and if you use VoIP, no phone. That hurts.
While I can certainly understand those complications, one would assume that there would be some way to circumvent or remedy the radio signal issue. Although here's some fun food for thought:
;)
We're pretty long overdue for a power grid restructuring. Does anyone remember that nearly week long blackout in upper New York, eastern Pennsylvania and surrounding areas a few summers back? I certainly do (due to proximity of effects). A major reason that a lot of our blackouts in America can be so crippling is because our lack of any truly cohesive power grid that would allow surrounding plants to pick up the slack in a more efficient manner. Granted, it would be expensive and time consuming, but I think it could pay off.
As long as we could use the upgrade, why not add broadband onto to too?
I agree whole-heartedly. The sad thing is that I find it easier to get comprehensive and up to date virus definitions, and yet some of the best malware removal tools around with the most recent updates still can't seem to get rid of some of this ad-crap permanently.
::quiver with fear::
Upon getting a new computer, I actually install a firewall and Firefox before any of the mobo and video drivers just in case I have to go online to get the newest drivers. And this is to protect myself from things far worse than sassers and exploits. No no, I'm talking about...gator
Well duh! It's called Windows ;)
Honestly, I don't think that the main problem with IE is bloat at all. The problem that I see people having with IE is the lack of features in the face of browsers that offer themes, extensions and smoother integration of components without the security holes of being welded onto the OS kernel in sorts.
There are a large number of people out there that wouldn't mind a browser that could serve as a convient portal for all things 'internet' as long as it could serve them well. If you make all things so black and white, then cars shouldn't have radios, padded seats, a trunk(boot) or anything other than what's required to transport you.
The problem isn't bloat or features, but final functionality. If it works...
Well you have to think about this logically: Floppy discs have plastic cases on them, so I'll just use clear nail polish!
Actually, the idea of stem-cells for regenerative healing could be thought of as the mass production phase :)
So if computers are originally human, does that put the brain under the GPL liscense or are we stricly proprietary hardware?
True, but I've never trusted the upgrades for OS'es for several reasons. Plus, with a shell, you can port it over to the next computer you buy and basically take your prefs folder with you to keep things consistent. Besides, there are OSS windows shells out there. Aston is just a suggestion (no I'm not some salesman for them, I just like how it looks)
In related news, I'm glad to see that LiteStep.net is finally up and running again.
However, this could swing business back into her direction. While there are those who know that 'the universe is out of alignment' and that Bai is no longer 'credible', there is another group of people that may come to her now that the balance has shifted and they need her to perform a second reading for the week.
Here's the other side of your first point, yes NASA has deprived her of her ability to make a living, but should sciences all be prosecuted because they told the neighborhood that the wolfman isn't real? Now I have no one to buy my nostrums that keep civilizations in the dark.
Everyone is entitled to making a living, but when embarking on your own business, own should be aware of the risks involved.
You don't need a 64-bit computer to pull of at least half of the eye candy effects in this 'new OS'. There are enough UI tweak packages out there for windows, and a great deal of them are even freeware/GPL which can achieve many of the same effects. I would hardly call this interface enchanting. Granted, it is an improvement, but it's still something to be skinned a day after you get it anyway. If you want a good windows shell try Aston Shell http://www.astonshell.com/
A large amount of buyers of 64-bit computers are also in more hardcore computing/gaming. So I'm laying my money on the bet that the only reason they'll get this XP Service Pack 4 (skipping 3) is because most of the software will start phasing out the older OS'es in a few years anyway, not because Windows is for 64-bit computer buyers.
And as for device support--pending the increase in security. I won't even touch this because we all know the story and I don't want to put anyone in a foul mood.
Here's something to chew on that's even more fun that the priority that this law's enforcement receives:
Sweden has been a known safe-haven for downloading while the rest of us hear about everything from Napster to Bram Cohen. With that kind of well rooted status among the people, how will any anti-piracy agency stem the tide of people refusing to give up the right that they just lost? It's still a pretty scary idea to take on all the downloaders (of the illegal kind) in the US even after all of our new lawsuits and regulations. With legal online music stores, there is now a problem that virtually replaces it in movies now that broadband is so much cheaper; the problem perpetuates in a new form now.
How will Sweden really enforce something like this to a people who could rebel against it after enjoying this 'freedom' amidst everyone else's DRM troubles over the years?
I notice that the case didn't address the legality of adware being installed without a user's full knowledge. I find it humorous, but I have an idea!
They can inform the user that adware is being installed with a pop-up! Everybody reads pop-ups!
I think the currenty copyright standards being practiced stifle innovation in two ways (please feel free to correct):
1. In an example of 'artists' who make a living on their creative assets, the old copyright standard allowed them to make on a temporary monopoly until that artist could create another piece of work to then copyright and derive income from.
Now, however, we have more people making a living off of infringment lawsuits than the money made from the copyrighted work in question. That's just sad on so many levels.
2. In the case of technology: 5 computers per license isn't that great when there are a growing number of people with a desktop computer, laptop and consistently upgrade. Do I have to spend another several thousand dollars to re(place | new) all my DRM'ed content after I get another 2 computers a few years down the road?
I think a lot of lawmakers are trying to enforce one standard that should work for all mediums of content, and there just seems to be too much difference between digital content and physical to blanket over everything conviently.
How quickly I see you assume things. I never said I was actually a member. A few of my friends were in it as well as friends of friends. If you wish to make such a bold statement, you shouldn't be afraid to stand by it in the open rather than behind a mask.
I think a major problem with Anime in America is twofold:
1. The influence of the anime subculture cliques in the US have created a slew of American cartoons that try to appease everyone by becoming "Amerime" as I've heard it called. It's a little bit of American animation and a little bit of Anime, so it's won't make the purists really happy, but it may keep the majority quiet enough to stop barking for the authentic imports.
2. Some anime fan groups really do live up the title of otaku. For example, I absolutely hate Inu Yasha and I've never even seen it. The only reason that I can't stand it is because the anime fan club in my college talked about it so much, non-stop that I already knew the whole thing. In fact, within a week it was already like an overplayed radio single that made me want to smash things. I don't have anything against the story or characters or style, but the overload from the fans was so much that I couldn't stand hearing about it anymore and I still can't to this day.
Not all fans are this bad, and some are much less than this bad or not even bad at all, but there are enough fans that can be true otaku: Obsessed to the point that the average person doesn't want to hear it anymore.
I, for one, don't like to talk about anime anymore for fear that I will be crucified by some purist for watched the unclean dubbed version of whatever.
Personally, I think these two things really hold back anime from becoming truly mainstream in America. Correct me if you want.