I've been wanting a pair (or more) of these for years, but the resolution has sucked. I can see it for watching movies at home that I want to see, but my wife doesn't (and vice versa). Also for a sales presentation/demo 4 or 5 of these on everyone rather than trying to clear the break room for a projector (I present in small to medium size doctor's offices) would be much better.
It pleases me to know that the person who is listening in on my VOIP call is a more intelligent voyeur (auditeur?) than on my POTS line. They would have to be a fool to find my conversations interesting, but at least a higher grade of fool.
I have no problem with VOIP quality as long as I am talking to someone else VOIP. The problem is in the transition to POTS and that varies depending on where I call. I have one place in FL I no longer use my VOIP line because it doesn't work. But there are other places that have no problem at all.
Until there is a seamless transition to the POTS system (or POTS goes away) there will be problems, but VOIP isn't totally to blame.
If you are saying the government is protecting Microsoft's format because of patent issues, then I have to disagree strongly. If there were no patent, then Microsoft wouldn't publish ANY of their specs, but would keep it secret. To work with Word, you would HAVE to have their product, and if there are enough users (by, say, giving a dumbed down version of Word with the OS) you effectively force people to use the Word format.
In the beginning of Microsoft Word when they were not the uber suite, they supported all KINDS of formats, because the dominant players were WordStar and WordPerfect. But once they got to a level of dominance on the desktop and a depth of penetration of their standards, they stopped supporting import from other vendors. WordStar gone. WordPerfect all but gone. Because if I am using WordPerfect and want to send you a document and you use Word, I have to save mine as Word (or RTF), because you cannot import my WordPerfect document. And eventually, I get bored and/or frustrated with the process and just get Word to make my life easier. Monopoly by convenience.
ODF means that a lot of desktops can mandate compliance, and the market opens up, again for the same convenience reason.
As much as a libertarian as I am, and as much as I would NORMALLY agree with your sentiment, not this time.
This is not a government action...these are members of governmental organizations participating to come up with a standard. Governments become a problem when they mandate (they got da guns, doncha know) a standard without really working through an open process. In this case, there are enough other players, and there is no good way to mandate via force, so that this remains an open participatory exercise, at least in theory. (We can assume normal human hubris will reign supreme like in any committee and it will not go smoothly....but the fact that governmental groups are involved is irrelevant. It happens with most ANY committee.)
The organization with the gun, in this case, has been Microsoft, with their dominance of the desktop and the office suite. By making it difficult to impossible to pass documents easily to other programs, Microsoft has forced a monopoly of convenience. An ODF standard, with enough large organization participants, can make interactivity simpler, make translation seamless, and open the door for other players in the Office Suite game. And it will be because of concensus, not fiat. Now if only the United Nations could play so well.
That would be Oryx.....from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oryx
An Oryx is one of three or four large antelope species of the genus Oryx, typically having long straight nearly upright horns...
The Oryx, when seen from the side, appears to have only one single horn which leads to speculations that it is probably the animal initially mistaken for Unicorn myths.
So a horned mythical operating system is in the offing.
One time I took my X10 controller and sent the "All lights on" code to each of the 16 house codes. After a particular house code, I heard a woman scream in terror. At the top of her lungs. Really dramatic.
I decided to find other pursuits.
I admire both your sense of adventure and your restraint. I messed with X10 forever and didn't think to mess with my neighbors. I can only imagine what she was doing and what she thought the light meant to elicit that response.
Not all things boil down to logical arguments...and yes, I was a Philosophy major. Most of science (and this would fall into THAT category) is based on evidence. If we had to have a logical proof rather than substantive evidence for the curative powers of drugs, we'd all still have a life expectancy in the 30s....like meth heads.
Does the lifetime really pay off? I figured it at about two years worth, but it seems to be tied to the player and I have had two players in that time frame. Or do I just not get the TIVO model?
The RIAA has been picking on relatively small fish to date. They are now suing companies backed by some of the largest corporations in the US, corporations with WAY more lawyers than the RIAA has.
I hope they are squashed like the bug that they are.
Slashdot Mirror
This is an experiment in waste management. It is a replacement for the garbage scow going down the Hudson.
I've been wanting a pair (or more) of these for years, but the resolution has sucked. I can see it for watching movies at home that I want to see, but my wife doesn't (and vice versa). Also for a sales presentation/demo 4 or 5 of these on everyone rather than trying to clear the break room for a projector (I present in small to medium size doctor's offices) would be much better.
It pleases me to know that the person who is listening in on my VOIP call is a more intelligent voyeur (auditeur?) than on my POTS line. They would have to be a fool to find my conversations interesting, but at least a higher grade of fool.
I have no problem with VOIP quality as long as I am talking to someone else VOIP. The problem is in the transition to POTS and that varies depending on where I call. I have one place in FL I no longer use my VOIP line because it doesn't work. But there are other places that have no problem at all. Until there is a seamless transition to the POTS system (or POTS goes away) there will be problems, but VOIP isn't totally to blame.
In the beginning of Microsoft Word when they were not the uber suite, they supported all KINDS of formats, because the dominant players were WordStar and WordPerfect. But once they got to a level of dominance on the desktop and a depth of penetration of their standards, they stopped supporting import from other vendors. WordStar gone. WordPerfect all but gone. Because if I am using WordPerfect and want to send you a document and you use Word, I have to save mine as Word (or RTF), because you cannot import my WordPerfect document. And eventually, I get bored and/or frustrated with the process and just get Word to make my life easier. Monopoly by convenience.
ODF means that a lot of desktops can mandate compliance, and the market opens up, again for the same convenience reason.
This is not a government action...these are members of governmental organizations participating to come up with a standard. Governments become a problem when they mandate (they got da guns, doncha know) a standard without really working through an open process. In this case, there are enough other players, and there is no good way to mandate via force, so that this remains an open participatory exercise, at least in theory. (We can assume normal human hubris will reign supreme like in any committee and it will not go smoothly....but the fact that governmental groups are involved is irrelevant. It happens with most ANY committee.)
The organization with the gun, in this case, has been Microsoft, with their dominance of the desktop and the office suite. By making it difficult to impossible to pass documents easily to other programs, Microsoft has forced a monopoly of convenience. An ODF standard, with enough large organization participants, can make interactivity simpler, make translation seamless, and open the door for other players in the Office Suite game. And it will be because of concensus, not fiat. Now if only the United Nations could play so well.
The Oryx, when seen from the side, appears to have only one single horn which leads to speculations that it is probably the animal initially mistaken for Unicorn myths.
So a horned mythical operating system is in the offing.
I was thinking that your scenario might generate some concern, but not the scream. Her husband returning unexpectedly....hmmmmm.
I admire both your sense of adventure and your restraint. I messed with X10 forever and didn't think to mess with my neighbors. I can only imagine what she was doing and what she thought the light meant to elicit that response.
Not all things boil down to logical arguments...and yes, I was a Philosophy major. Most of science (and this would fall into THAT category) is based on evidence. If we had to have a logical proof rather than substantive evidence for the curative powers of drugs, we'd all still have a life expectancy in the 30s....like meth heads.
Does the lifetime really pay off? I figured it at about two years worth, but it seems to be tied to the player and I have had two players in that time frame. Or do I just not get the TIVO model?
The RIAA has been picking on relatively small fish to date. They are now suing companies backed by some of the largest corporations in the US, corporations with WAY more lawyers than the RIAA has. I hope they are squashed like the bug that they are.