Oddly enough that's actually relevant. Ionic propulsion was proposed as early as the 1950s for long-range spacecraft, and is actually used in some space-based systems today. Ionic drives (obviously) need to work in a vacuum, which means they have to move something besides air. In most ionic drive designs that's cesium or some other metal that shoots, atom by atom, off the emitter into space. In a computer, whatever metals erode off the emitters will wind up plating the interior of the system. How much conductive plating does it take to mess up a motherboard?
As long as the air contains molecules -- you know: oxygen, nitrogen, that sort of stuff -- the ionic principle will work. Dust, pollen, etc. just go along for the ride, but without those the system would undoubtedly work better simply because it wouldn't have to be cleaned as often.
"The primary argument for patents is that innovation should be rewarded . .."
That was probably true until that freedom-loving libertarian Thomas Jefferson got his hands on the concept, but then, at least in the US, the purpose of patents became "to promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries." [US Constitution]
Jefferson's concern was that discoveries and developments might be kept secret, built into or used to produce proprietary products which would either monopolize or fragment markets without adding to the public understanding. Patents, in the US, exchanged limited control of the use of an idea for open disclosure of that idea, hopefully inspiring others to add further to the body of knowledge but at the least encouraging open review and adoption of good ideas.
Anything can be reverse-engineered today (think of DVD John, for instance) so a patent is more of a time-saver than a font of understanding, but certainly someone who wants to ride on the research, development and marketing efforts someone else has put into an idea should expect to pay for that privilege, and ought to be willing to pay for it for as long as it's the best idea out there. Anyone who can do better on their own is free to do so under the patent system, as long as they don't cheat by presenting someone else's ideas as their own.
SanDisk is marketing an MP3 player because MP3 is the most commercially viable format available today; therefore, IF the idea is patentable (that's the real question here) then they ought to be paying the license fees like everyone else.
1. Pop over to http://www.fon.com/.
2. Sign up, and drop five bucks for a Fon-equipped wireless router.
3. Plug it into your net and secure your other WAP.
4. Make money off your formerly freeloading neighbors -OR- get free WiFi access in some 80,000 locations worldwide (and growing).
Thanks for the clarification, sh00z. I see where you're coming from, though that doesn't make DRM any less obnoxious.
I find it instructive that Apple demanded the first version of the iPod include no DRM and only had it added when it benefitted them. The story of PortalPlayer's development of the iPod is fascinating.
All of those other gyrations needed aren't Apple's fault, they're a combination of Microsoft and the RIAA.
The RIAA bears the brunt of the responsibility, agreed, and the fact MS and Apple knuckled under in different ways can't be blamed entirely on Apple, but given that the iPod is in large part an accessory for Windows users it seems to me that Apple needlessly complicated the issue just to be different.
Which model Nano do you have, Moofie? If Apple's worked out a way to get 40 gigs of music into 4 (or even 2?!?) gigs of flash and still have it sound good I'm impressed!
As for the DRM, take your Nano to the office sometime and copy a few songs to your hard disk there so you can listen at your desk. Maybe burn a few selections from the Nano to an audio CD so you can listen at a friend's house without having to fiddle with adapters. Try adding songs to your Nano from your Linux system. Buy a few songs from anyone but Apple and put those on the Nano.
Look at http://www.dmband.com/news/news_popup_iPod.asp to see what one legit band had to tell its legit customers to do to listen to their legit CDs -- the band (these are the folks DRM supposedly protects!) even asks customers to beg Apple to fix its unnecessarily restrictive DRM scheme!
Digitally Restricted Music might be good for accounting, but it's death for art.
Like all iPods, the Nano was inflicted with Apple's "Digitally Restricted Music" scheme, which negates any supposed technological advantage. The i in iPod defines it -- style without substance.
>> ". . . he encouraged the allocation of funds. .."
In other words, rather than "I invented the internet" he meant to say "I gave people your money and they invented the internet." I guess that makes sense.
Slashdot Mirror
Oddly enough that's actually relevant. Ionic propulsion was proposed as early as the 1950s for long-range spacecraft, and is actually used in some space-based systems today. Ionic drives (obviously) need to work in a vacuum, which means they have to move something besides air. In most ionic drive designs that's cesium or some other metal that shoots, atom by atom, off the emitter into space. In a computer, whatever metals erode off the emitters will wind up plating the interior of the system. How much conductive plating does it take to mess up a motherboard?
As long as the air contains molecules -- you know: oxygen, nitrogen, that sort of stuff -- the ionic principle will work. Dust, pollen, etc. just go along for the ride, but without those the system would undoubtedly work better simply because it wouldn't have to be cleaned as often.
1. Pop over to http://www.fon.com/. 2. Sign up, and drop five bucks for a Fon-equipped wireless router. 3. Plug it into your net and secure your other WAP. 4. Make money off your formerly freeloading neighbors -OR- get free WiFi access in some 80,000 locations worldwide (and growing).
Hi, Moofie!
;-)
Some whin, some lhose, and sometimes it's a dhraw. I commend your timely retreat and wish you the best.
Thanks for the clarification, sh00z. I see where you're coming from, though that doesn't make DRM any less obnoxious.
I find it instructive that Apple demanded the first version of the iPod include no DRM and only had it added when it benefitted them. The story of PortalPlayer's development of the iPod is fascinating.
Thanks for the reply, Sh00z.
All of those other gyrations needed aren't Apple's fault, they're a combination of Microsoft and the RIAA.
The RIAA bears the brunt of the responsibility, agreed, and the fact MS and Apple knuckled under in different ways can't be blamed entirely on Apple, but given that the iPod is in large part an accessory for Windows users it seems to me that Apple needlessly complicated the issue just to be different.
Thanks for the promotion, mon General, but I'm just a lowly loo-tenant.
All you have to do to not use Apple's DRM scheme is not buy their gear.
Done.
Try to get an MP3 player that doesn't have Microsoft's DRM scheme on it (other than the iPods, of course).
And done.
Which model Nano do you have, Moofie? If Apple's worked out a way to get 40 gigs of music into 4 (or even 2?!?) gigs of flash and still have it sound good I'm impressed!
As for the DRM, take your Nano to the office sometime and copy a few songs to your hard disk there so you can listen at your desk. Maybe burn a few selections from the Nano to an audio CD so you can listen at a friend's house without having to fiddle with adapters. Try adding songs to your Nano from your Linux system. Buy a few songs from anyone but Apple and put those on the Nano.
Look at http://www.dmband.com/news/news_popup_iPod.asp to see what one legit band had to tell its legit customers to do to listen to their legit CDs -- the band (these are the folks DRM supposedly protects!) even asks customers to beg Apple to fix its unnecessarily restrictive DRM scheme!
Digitally Restricted Music might be good for accounting, but it's death for art.
Like all iPods, the Nano was inflicted with Apple's "Digitally Restricted Music" scheme, which negates any supposed technological advantage. The i in iPod defines it -- style without substance.
"No More Sloppy Seconds"
It would be shorter without the minute details.
In other words, rather than "I invented the internet" he meant to say "I gave people your money and they invented the internet." I guess that makes sense.
Suddenly the iPod becomes an expensible necessity; Purchasing will be thrilled.
"If you believe that Phase Change Cooling systems is something new, please have a look at your refrigerator."
That old Kelvinator also makes a cheap, efficient and relatively soundproof server rack.