If Apple buys out Palm, they'll probably run it like they run all their other computer divisions. Meaning:
No more Palm clones (sorry, Handspring, TRG, etc.) Meaning we'll see far less diversity in Palm devices.
They won't be able to manufacture systems to meet demand.
Interoperability with other operating systems will be not all that great, and forget about a genuine Linux interface. Try installing Quicktime 4 to see what I mean.
The interface will tend to stagnate (two mouse buttons is a minimum, for crying out loud!).
Prices will stay high because "everyone will want to buy our insanely great product anyway."
Chances are they'd immediately chuck the serial interface and you'd be stuck with only USB, or maybe FireWire. In other words, lousy support for legacy users.
Lawsuits for everyone!
I'm not sure what effect Apple ownership would have on overall innovation. Apple tends to be ahead of the curve on some things, but can also be behind on other things. They tend to burn their bridges when they switch technologies, though, hence my comment above about legacy support.
I agree, I think Chasing Amy is the best of them so far. It had a great story, for one thing, and it was based on the characters doing what they wanted to do. One thing about Dogma is that the sympathetic characters are all basically being dragged along for the ride, instead of moving ahead under their own direction. The bad guys act, and the good guys react. That's never a good thing, IMHO.
Actually, I didn't like the boardroom scene: the way they kept cutting away and showing blood splishing on things seemed really hackneyed. It just bugged me. Especially considering what they went ahead and showed at other points in the movie. The hockey scene in Chasing Amy worked much better as a depiction of violence, I thought. I guess the boardroom scene was supposed to be dark comedy, but it seemed more like joke - bang! -joke - bang!, and it was never clear whether this was supposed to be funny, or frightening. Or maybe I missed the point.
I was disappointed by Dogma, and I think that while it IS ambitious, ultimately it's Kevin Smith's weakest film.
I heard a rumor that Kevin Smith wrote the script for Dogma before he did Clerks. If so, it explains a lot. Dogma just seems to have been written in a much less mature fashion than Smith's other pictures. In fact, I found the similarities between Dogma and typical fan fic to be striking.
Firstly, the tone of the film is very uneven. Dogma tends to careen between Smith's trademark low comedy, and a "serious" central plot about two homicidal fallen angels trying to get back into heaven, which if they succeed will cause the destruction of all Creation. The humorous parts are funny, but the serious parts don't really ever click, IMHO, and the two parts of the movie never really gel together. It's very much like the kind of fanfic where humorous characters from a comedy are running around with serious characters from an action/drama piece, and both are trying to do their trademark bits, but the two styles of narrative get in each other's way: the serious stuff seem ludicrous alongside the comedy, and the violence makes the comedy seem less funny.
Secondly, we have the problem of self-insertion, where the writer writes themselves into the story. Kevin Smith writes a Silent Bob part into all of his movies, though he didn't originally plan to play the part himself. Usually, though, it's a small part, but in Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob are on screen as primary characters. At times, this tends to weaken the film, especially at one point where Silent Bob gets mad and throws the primary villians around, which kind of diminishes them as a threat.
Lastly, there's the problem that the main story really doesn't make a whole lot of sense. On one hand, the plot is based on the need to prevent God's omnipotent will from being contravened, but on the other hand the plot also depends on God being neither omnipotent, omniscient, nor omnipresent. It really prevented me from buying into the movie.
I don't want to say that Dogma is without any merit. It's very funny in spots, and it has a great cast of charismatic actors who light up the screen and are interesting just to watch (watch for cameos by Smith regulars Brian O'Halloran, Walt Flanigan and Scott Mosier). People like to chide Kevin Smith for his minimal camerawork, but Dogma does a lot better in this respect than some of his other films: there are more subtle dolly shots and quick cuts, and the camera generally moves around a lot more. Ultimately, though, it's a movie that is less than the sum of its parts: it never really comes together.
A moonbase is more expensive than a permanent LEO station, but not that much more, because once you're out of the gravity well, getting anywhere else is an order of magnitude less expensive.
Plus, a moonbase would have access to some natural resources, whereas a space station would need to have all of its resources sent up from earth.
I also echo the sentiments of others who said "Not if NASA develops it."
The problem is that we, as a nation, do not want to pay teachers a competitive wage, and thus potential teachers such as myself look at the pay and go elsewhere. (Actually I put in two years in the teaching profession, but I view those two years as donated labor -- I currently make triple the salary as a software engineer than what I made as a teacher!). Teaching is an enormously stressful job, and finding people who will put up with the stress for the pay is difficult. You end up with the bottom of the barrel, unqualified people dragged in off the streets because they're unfit for any other employment.
That's simply not true in my area (though the teacher's union used to claim it was). A few years back the local newspaper ran a story listing the average salaries at the schools in our county. It turns out the average salary for my school district five years ago was higher than what I make now (it was just above 50K a year). Needless to say, the teacher's union was rather upset, and there was a big flap among the taxpayers who suddenly knew they had been lied to all along. Great article, it really should have won a Pulitzer.
I imagine wages must be different in your area, though the region I grew up in was a pretty normal middle class suburb.
Well, it happens there are things you can do about the obviousness of presents.
Put the book in a small shirt box with one of those 2$ plastic packets of legos you find in toy stores, then wrap. You can also use jingle bells, or small margarine tubs filled with rice, marbles, assorted bits of unwanted nuts & bolts, etc.
Jon
Not saving MP3s as data? Disappointing...
on
MP3/MD Combo Player
·
· Score: 1
From reading the article, it looks like the MP3s, or whatever, get converted into the Minidisc's sound format then stored on the disc. They don't get stored in their native formats.
This is kind of disappointing. I always thought the minidiscs were kind of cool, especially after I saw STRANGE DAYS, but I want to be able to use them as data diskettes, not proprietary sound format diskettes.
Oh well, there's always the CDR MP3 discman that showed up a few weeks ago...
What, so "if you can pry it loose it's not nailed down?"
If I leave a key under my doormat you're allowed to break into my house?
If my car isn't locked I wanted you to take it?
His point is completely valid. I'm not defending.MP3 pirates, if they were truly running a public site they knew what they were doing was wrong. HOWEVER, I could easily see someone making the read-only password for their own.MP3 directory "MP3" so they could remember it more easily. The fact that a password isn't a good one does not make it legal to break in.
Moreover, it isn't illegal to rip your own CDs onto MP3. It is only illegal to distribute them to other people who don't own the CD. If CMU was going to play copyright cop, it was their responsibility to monitor sites and record proof of illegal activity before taking action. Instead, they violated the privacy of the students without any real proof of wrongdoing apart from rumor and supposition.
Frankly, I think CMU was really stupid to agree to take responsibility for the contents of all the machines attached to the campus network. Thay don't control those machines, and in most cases can't monitor their contents. Now they're more liable to be sued successfully than before.
Way back when when I was in college at Penn State I was considering buying a Swan when I graduated. They were nice PCs, certainly nicer than what a lot of the big names were putting out at the time.
I never found out what happened to Swan, I just assumed they didn't sell enough computers and went broke.
That sucks... at least Packrat Hell finally got what was coming to them.
That's interesting, I had the opposite impression: I haven't seen an N64 game that made me want to buy the system, whereas I have 5 or so games lined up to buy for the PSX after I finish FFVII again. Your mileage may vary, but certainly both consoles have games that sell systems. In fact, PCs have games that sell systems, too, like Quake!
I think your point that the games are different is very well taken. Maybe it's based in the diferent companies: Nintendo seems to want more of a G-rating on their games, though that's changed a lot recently.
I like the Playstation for long, involved RPGs with lots of scenery, something that's less common on the 64. That's probably a result of CD-ROM vs cartridge, though.
Did the discovery that the earth moves around the sun cause some kind of mass die-off? Or the splitting of the atom?
Give us religious types SOME credit, for crying out loud. We're not all insane cultists, any more than you're a mad scientist!:)
It WOULD provide a healthy dose of reality for people trying to use the Bible as a scientific text though, like the idiot who tried to use the bible to prove that pi was equal to three (forgetting that old testament Hebrew didn't HAVE decimals). Which is a Good Thing, IMHO.
Doesn't this unbalance things in the direction of the Press? In such a system, only the most-publicized legislation would be considered, thus giving the press real control over what laws would be enacted.
That's bad, because it unbalances the checks and balances between the press and Congress, and because the press no longer polices itself to keep itself impartial or even accurate.
Also, it would be very difficult to do ANY planning for more than a few years ahead under this kind of a system.
Jon Acheson
Re:Where do you buy the video?
on
Project Grizzly
·
· Score: 2
Seriously, though, it is a good thing for them to let other companies build Palm spinoffs. It enhances the Palm OS's position as the OS of choice for PDAs, much like the PC clones did for Microsoft Windows. A greater number of Palm devices also gives the PalmOS more counter space at Overpriced Computer Retail Store.
In addition, the new licencees of the Palm OS are forced to try new things in order to differentiate their devices from 3Com/Palm's, so you will see more variety in software, or more radical features. Lots of these new features will tank, of course, but even so, Palm gets their money up front, and the failure of the 3rd party PDA won't really reflect badly on them. If a feature sells, Palm can add it to their lineup the next model year.
As to Handspring taking over from Palm, we'll wait and see. I expect Palm to slash prices on their devices. Since the Palms have less complicated hardware, are already in production, and don't have to pay for the OS licence, I expect them to be able to undercut Handspring's pricing. Plus, Palm has the advantage of being the recognized brand, whereas the Handspring carries the stigma of "Is it really compatible?"
Lastly, more Palm devices == cheaper prices for the CPUs and displays.
Yanking the rug out from under Handspring would be STUPID. It would build up ill will with your user base. Also, see above for advantages of third party Palm device makers.
Now here I completely agree with you! I don't want a mini-PC, I want a pocket calculator that stores my grocery list!
So, did either the Egyptians or the Romans have publishing industries? Could someone write a book and make enough money off it to write another in those societies? Or was book-writing a pastime that only the independantly wealthy could participate in? How many people could even READ in those societies?
Copyright is VITALLY important to anyone who actually wants to create anything and make a living at it. Without it, pirated goods (none of which benefit the original creators in any way) completely flood the market and drive the actual legitimate goods out of business. The pirated goods are always cheaper than the legit stuff, because they don't have to support the cost of creating whatever it is they're duplicating and selling. So people buy the cheaper pirates, and the legitimate creators go out of business.
This is happening now in places where copyright isn't strongly enforced (Taiwan, for example).
Lastly, your spew about copyright being some oppressive "tool of da man" is utter foolishness. Like most of our rights, copyright benefits the small guy a LOT more than it does the big and powerful. If Disney wants to stomp on someone selling bootleg t-shirts, they don't need copyright to do it. For the little guy, on the other hand, copyright law is the only way to protect their intellectual property and make a living at what they are trying to do.
Why shouldn't the employers be able to hire or fire anyone they want? It's THEIR company, for chrissakes!
If I owned a company, I'd absolutely favor independant employees over union members. Why bring in another layer of management that's going to be hostile to me?
I recognise that there was a need for unions in some industries in the past. But nowadays I feel the unions cause as many problems as they solve.
You've said it better than I could have, but I did have one minor quibble about the "greenhouse effect."
The "greenhouse effect" occurs on any planet with an atmosphere, be it oxygen, nitrogen, flourine, whatever. Light passes through the atmosphere, warms the planet's surface, and the atmosphere prevents the heat from escaping because it is more opaque to infrared than it was to visible light. This is a Good Thing: without it the earth could not support life; you'd get deadly temperature variations like on the surface of the moon.
What you're referring to is runaway greenhouse effect, as seen on the planet Venus. Basically, the composition of the atmosphere determines how much heat it holds in. Venus' carbon dioxide atmosphere (and its closer proximity to the sun) cause it to hold in lots more heat, and thus the surface of Venus is a furnace.
Like so many other things, the greenhouse effect is not bad in and of itself, unless it gets out of control.
Please forgive my intrusion, but like misusing of "hacker," this just hits one of my buttons.
Seriously, why not use the structure as an antenna?
Plus, it'll be out of the atmosphere, miles away from human RF interference and with the atmosphere between most of the noise and the antenna, and in a high orbit above the other satellites.
I'm not an aerospace engineer, but this seems like it should be possible.
This system is actually WORST for the "street artist" because nobody is going to pony up their money in advance for an unknown quantity.
Firstly, because they don't know if you the artist are any good, or if you'll produce the kind of thing they like.
Secondly, because if you've never completed a novel (CD, play, etc.), there is NO WAY ON EARTH anyone with an ounce of sense is going to pay you up front for one. It's HARD to finish writing a book, and a lot of people who think that it might be a fun thing to do get about three chapters in and give up after it stops being fun. Publishing houses want a finished piece for a reason: there's no reason to believe you CAN deliver until you HAVE delivered.
Lastly, the big problem is that by releasing the work into the public domain, the artist is giving up all control over it, and all possibility of future income off of it.
If Paul McCartney had gotten $10,000 for "Let It Be" way back in the day, but released all copyrights, he'd be really pissed right now.
Also, do you really want Coca-Cola to be able to use your song or image in their ad campaigns for free without your consent or compensation?
People judge you by how you dress, like it or not. In certain types of situations, a "businesslike" demeanor is required if you want to get any respect from the people you're dealing with.
I came up against this problem in college. If I had my way, I'd wear blue jeans every day: they're comfortable, long-lasting, and never go out of style. But I found out that when you walked into the offices of the uncaring drudges that run Penn State in a T-shirt and jeans, they looked at you like just another sheep in the cattle chute. However, if you walked into their office in a suit and a tie, the little voice in the back of their brains said "Shit! It's the Boss!" and you got MUCH better service. It was a cheap trick, but it worked.
Yes, it's kind of stupid when you think about it. It has hardly anything to do with competance at your job (unless you network for a living with other people wearing suits). But it's an edge you'd be stupid to give up.
The bright orange PDA is a bad accessory for a business meeting because it clashes with your business suit and spoils the image you're trying to give off. It makes you look like you're sucking on a lollipop.
If you only ever wear jeans and t-shirts, it wouldn't matter. All IMHO, of course.
This doesn't seem right to me, either. The original Darwins played their text completely straight, and this site tries to write jokes into the middle. Which makes it less funny: you can guess the punchline.
Also, the site navigation sucks. Broken links, and the browsing seems to be working backwards. How annoying.
Slashdot Mirror
I'm not sure what effect Apple ownership would have on overall innovation. Apple tends to be ahead of the curve on some things, but can also be behind on other things. They tend to burn their bridges when they switch technologies, though, hence my comment above about legacy support.
Jon
I agree, I think Chasing Amy is the best of them so far. It had a great story, for one thing, and it was based on the characters doing what they wanted to do. One thing about Dogma is that the sympathetic characters are all basically being dragged along for the ride, instead of moving ahead under their own direction. The bad guys act, and the good guys react. That's never a good thing, IMHO.
Actually, I didn't like the boardroom scene: the way they kept cutting away and showing blood splishing on things seemed really hackneyed. It just bugged me. Especially considering what they went ahead and showed at other points in the movie. The hockey scene in Chasing Amy worked much better as a depiction of violence, I thought. I guess the boardroom scene was supposed to be dark comedy, but it seemed more like joke - bang! -joke - bang!, and it was never clear whether this was supposed to be funny, or frightening. Or maybe I missed the point.
Jon
I was disappointed by Dogma, and I think that while it IS ambitious, ultimately it's Kevin Smith's weakest film.
I heard a rumor that Kevin Smith wrote the script for Dogma before he did Clerks. If so, it explains a lot. Dogma just seems to have been written in a much less mature fashion than Smith's other pictures. In fact, I found the similarities between Dogma and typical fan fic to be striking.
Firstly, the tone of the film is very uneven. Dogma tends to careen between Smith's trademark low comedy, and a "serious" central plot about two homicidal fallen angels trying to get back into heaven, which if they succeed will cause the destruction of all Creation. The humorous parts are funny, but the serious parts don't really ever click, IMHO, and the two parts of the movie never really gel together. It's very much like the kind of fanfic where humorous characters from a comedy are running around with serious characters from an action/drama piece, and both are trying to do their trademark bits, but the two styles of narrative get in each other's way: the serious stuff seem ludicrous alongside the comedy, and the violence makes the comedy seem less funny.
Secondly, we have the problem of self-insertion, where the writer writes themselves into the story. Kevin Smith writes a Silent Bob part into all of his movies, though he didn't originally plan to play the part himself. Usually, though, it's a small part, but in Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob are on screen as primary characters. At times, this tends to weaken the film, especially at one point where Silent Bob gets mad and throws the primary villians around, which kind of diminishes them as a threat.
Lastly, there's the problem that the main story really doesn't make a whole lot of sense. On one hand, the plot is based on the need to prevent God's omnipotent will from being contravened, but on the other hand the plot also depends on God being neither omnipotent, omniscient, nor omnipresent. It really prevented me from buying into the movie.
I don't want to say that Dogma is without any merit. It's very funny in spots, and it has a great cast of charismatic actors who light up the screen and are interesting just to watch (watch for cameos by Smith regulars Brian O'Halloran, Walt Flanigan and Scott Mosier). People like to chide Kevin Smith for his minimal camerawork, but Dogma does a lot better in this respect than some of his other films: there are more subtle dolly shots and quick cuts, and the camera generally moves around a lot more. Ultimately, though, it's a movie that is less than the sum of its parts: it never really comes together.
Jon
A moonbase is more expensive than a permanent LEO station, but not that much more, because once you're out of the gravity well, getting anywhere else is an order of magnitude less expensive.
Plus, a moonbase would have access to some natural resources, whereas a space station would need to have all of its resources sent up from earth.
I also echo the sentiments of others who said "Not if NASA develops it."
Jon
Ok, "Compact Edition" was technically correct, but I couldn't resist! :)
I imagine wages must be different in your area, though the region I grew up in was a pretty normal middle class suburb.
Jon
Well, it happens there are things you can do about the obviousness of presents.
Put the book in a small shirt box with one of those 2$ plastic packets of legos you find in toy stores, then wrap. You can also use jingle bells, or small margarine tubs filled with rice, marbles, assorted bits of unwanted nuts & bolts, etc.
Jon
From reading the article, it looks like the MP3s, or whatever, get converted into the Minidisc's sound format then stored on the disc. They don't get stored in their native formats.
This is kind of disappointing. I always thought the minidiscs were kind of cool, especially after I saw STRANGE DAYS, but I want to be able to use them as data diskettes, not proprietary sound format diskettes.
Oh well, there's always the CDR MP3 discman that showed up a few weeks ago...
Jon Acheson
What, so "if you can pry it loose it's not nailed down?"
.MP3 pirates, if they were truly running a public site they knew what they were doing was wrong. HOWEVER, I could easily see someone making the read-only password for their own .MP3 directory "MP3" so they could remember it more easily. The fact that a password isn't a good one does not make it legal to break in.
If I leave a key under my doormat you're allowed to break into my house?
If my car isn't locked I wanted you to take it?
His point is completely valid. I'm not defending
Moreover, it isn't illegal to rip your own CDs onto MP3. It is only illegal to distribute them to other people who don't own the CD. If CMU was going to play copyright cop, it was their responsibility to monitor sites and record proof of illegal activity before taking action. Instead, they violated the privacy of the students without any real proof of wrongdoing apart from rumor and supposition.
Frankly, I think CMU was really stupid to agree to take responsibility for the contents of all the machines attached to the campus network. Thay don't control those machines, and in most cases can't monitor their contents. Now they're more liable to be sued successfully than before.
Jon Acheson
At least they didn't mention first posts or beowulf clusters.
Jon
Way back when when I was in college at Penn State I was considering buying a Swan when I graduated. They were nice PCs, certainly nicer than what a lot of the big names were putting out at the time.
I never found out what happened to Swan, I just assumed they didn't sell enough computers and went broke.
That sucks... at least Packrat Hell finally got what was coming to them.
Jon
That's interesting, I had the opposite impression: I haven't seen an N64 game that made me want to buy the system, whereas I have 5 or so games lined up to buy for the PSX after I finish FFVII again. Your mileage may vary, but certainly both consoles have games that sell systems. In fact, PCs have games that sell systems, too, like Quake!
I think your point that the games are different is very well taken. Maybe it's based in the diferent companies: Nintendo seems to want more of a G-rating on their games, though that's changed a lot recently.
I like the Playstation for long, involved RPGs with lots of scenery, something that's less common on the 64. That's probably a result of CD-ROM vs cartridge, though.
Why would this cause mass religious hysteria?
:)
Did the discovery that the earth moves around the sun cause some kind of mass die-off? Or the splitting of the atom?
Give us religious types SOME credit, for crying out loud. We're not all insane cultists, any more than you're a mad scientist!
It WOULD provide a healthy dose of reality for people trying to use the Bible as a scientific text though, like the idiot who tried to use the bible to prove that pi was equal to three (forgetting that old testament Hebrew didn't HAVE decimals). Which is a Good Thing, IMHO.
Jon
Doesn't this unbalance things in the direction of the Press? In such a system, only the most-publicized legislation would be considered, thus giving the press real control over what laws would be enacted.
That's bad, because it unbalances the checks and balances between the press and Congress, and because the press no longer polices itself to keep itself impartial or even accurate.
Also, it would be very difficult to do ANY planning for more than a few years ahead under this kind of a system.
Jon Acheson
Amazon.com has it here.
Jon
- Because they're not Apple.
:) - Yanking the rug out from under Handspring would be STUPID. It would build up ill will with your user base. Also, see above for advantages of third party Palm device makers.
- Now here I completely agree with you! I don't want a mini-PC, I want a pocket calculator that stores my grocery list!
JonSeriously, though, it is a good thing for them to let other companies build Palm spinoffs. It enhances the Palm OS's position as the OS of choice for PDAs, much like the PC clones did for Microsoft Windows. A greater number of Palm devices also gives the PalmOS more counter space at Overpriced Computer Retail Store.
In addition, the new licencees of the Palm OS are forced to try new things in order to differentiate their devices from 3Com/Palm's, so you will see more variety in software, or more radical features. Lots of these new features will tank, of course, but even so, Palm gets their money up front, and the failure of the 3rd party PDA won't really reflect badly on them. If a feature sells, Palm can add it to their lineup the next model year.
As to Handspring taking over from Palm, we'll wait and see. I expect Palm to slash prices on their devices. Since the Palms have less complicated hardware, are already in production, and don't have to pay for the OS licence, I expect them to be able to undercut Handspring's pricing. Plus, Palm has the advantage of being the recognized brand, whereas the Handspring carries the stigma of "Is it really compatible?"
Lastly, more Palm devices == cheaper prices for the CPUs and displays.
I have an orange pump-action water shotgun with a yellow detachable "banana clip" reservoir that I got maybe 10 years ago.
They ARE fun, though the range is nothing like a super soaker's.
Jon
So, did either the Egyptians or the Romans have publishing industries? Could someone write a book and make enough money off it to write another in those societies? Or was book-writing a pastime that only the independantly wealthy could participate in? How many people could even READ in those societies?
Copyright is VITALLY important to anyone who actually wants to create anything and make a living at it. Without it, pirated goods (none of which benefit the original creators in any way) completely flood the market and drive the actual legitimate goods out of business. The pirated goods are always cheaper than the legit stuff, because they don't have to support the cost of creating whatever it is they're duplicating and selling. So people buy the cheaper pirates, and the legitimate creators go out of business.
This is happening now in places where copyright isn't strongly enforced (Taiwan, for example).
Lastly, your spew about copyright being some oppressive "tool of da man" is utter foolishness. Like most of our rights, copyright benefits the small guy a LOT more than it does the big and powerful. If Disney wants to stomp on someone selling bootleg t-shirts, they don't need copyright to do it. For the little guy, on the other hand, copyright law is the only way to protect their intellectual property and make a living at what they are trying to do.
Jon
Why shouldn't the employers be able to hire or fire anyone they want? It's THEIR company, for chrissakes!
If I owned a company, I'd absolutely favor independant employees over union members. Why bring in another layer of management that's going to be hostile to me?
I recognise that there was a need for unions in some industries in the past. But nowadays I feel the unions cause as many problems as they solve.
Jon Acheson
You've said it better than I could have, but I did have one minor quibble about the "greenhouse effect."
The "greenhouse effect" occurs on any planet with an atmosphere, be it oxygen, nitrogen, flourine, whatever. Light passes through the atmosphere, warms the planet's surface, and the atmosphere prevents the heat from escaping because it is more opaque to infrared than it was to visible light. This is a Good Thing: without it the earth could not support life; you'd get deadly temperature variations like on the surface of the moon.
What you're referring to is runaway greenhouse effect, as seen on the planet Venus. Basically, the composition of the atmosphere determines how much heat it holds in. Venus' carbon dioxide atmosphere (and its closer proximity to the sun) cause it to hold in lots more heat, and thus the surface of Venus is a furnace.
Like so many other things, the greenhouse effect is not bad in and of itself, unless it gets out of control.
Please forgive my intrusion, but like misusing of "hacker," this just hits one of my buttons.
Jon
Seriously, why not use the structure as an antenna?
Plus, it'll be out of the atmosphere, miles away from human RF interference and with the atmosphere between most of the noise and the antenna, and in a high orbit above the other satellites.
I'm not an aerospace engineer, but this seems like it should be possible.
Jon Acheson
This system is actually WORST for the "street artist" because nobody is going to pony up their money in advance for an unknown quantity.
Firstly, because they don't know if you the artist are any good, or if you'll produce the kind of thing they like.
Secondly, because if you've never completed a novel (CD, play, etc.), there is NO WAY ON EARTH anyone with an ounce of sense is going to pay you up front for one. It's HARD to finish writing a book, and a lot of people who think that it might be a fun thing to do get about three chapters in and give up after it stops being fun. Publishing houses want a finished piece for a reason: there's no reason to believe you CAN deliver until you HAVE delivered.
Lastly, the big problem is that by releasing the work into the public domain, the artist is giving up all control over it, and all possibility of future income off of it.
If Paul McCartney had gotten $10,000 for "Let It Be" way back in the day, but released all copyrights, he'd be really pissed right now.
Also, do you really want Coca-Cola to be able to use your song or image in their ad campaigns for free without your consent or compensation?
Jon
People judge you by how you dress, like it or not. In certain types of situations, a "businesslike" demeanor is required if you want to get any respect from the people you're dealing with.
I came up against this problem in college. If I had my way, I'd wear blue jeans every day: they're comfortable, long-lasting, and never go out of style. But I found out that when you walked into the offices of the uncaring drudges that run Penn State in a T-shirt and jeans, they looked at you like just another sheep in the cattle chute. However, if you walked into their office in a suit and a tie, the little voice in the back of their brains said "Shit! It's the Boss!" and you got MUCH better service. It was a cheap trick, but it worked.
Yes, it's kind of stupid when you think about it. It has hardly anything to do with competance at your job (unless you network for a living with other people wearing suits). But it's an edge you'd be stupid to give up.
The bright orange PDA is a bad accessory for a business meeting because it clashes with your business suit and spoils the image you're trying to give off. It makes you look like you're sucking on a lollipop.
If you only ever wear jeans and t-shirts, it wouldn't matter. All IMHO, of course.
Jon
I've got a Palm III now. The screen on the IIIx is significantly nicer. If you have the money, I'd get the better screen.
The memory probably won't be an issue, unless you download every piece of freeware on the net and some books besides.
Jon Acheson
This doesn't seem right to me, either. The original Darwins played their text completely straight, and this site tries to write jokes into the middle. Which makes it less funny: you can guess the punchline.
Also, the site navigation sucks. Broken links, and the browsing seems to be working backwards. How annoying.
Jon