It also isn't clearly better. Yes, some would argue that the sound quality is better, but most people are happy with the sound quality of the iPod. Being able to beam music to another Zune is great, but not if there's only one in your world. And FM radios in portable devices usually aren't all that fantastic if you are outside a major metro area because of signal fade and Clearchannel.
An iPod killer would have to be clearly better, and that's hard to do. Not because the iPod is perfect, but because it is good enough. And no, I don't really like the iPod... I use my phone as a music player, and I find it much better for a lot of reasons, although it isn't marketed very well in the US.
You don't understand cable system design. The reason for the 6:1 ratio between upstream and downstream is not because Cisco (or anyone else) thinks you can oversubscribe the upstream spectrum, but because upstream carrier to noise ratios are much worse than downstream. Because of the lower CNR, upstream modulation has to have a lot more interleaving and error correction (and much lower symbol rates). It also helps isolate noise problems to a smaller service area.
Part of DOCSIS 3 spec is 64QAM upstream. Some operators are trying it now, and finding out that there's a whole new level of plant maintenance necessary to deliver a good upstream bit error rate. Meanwhile, the normal downstream carrier is 256QAM (6.4MSym/s symbol rate), which requires a 3dB improvement in CNR over 64QAM at the same symbol rate. As fiber is driven deeper into the cable network it will be much easier to increase the upstream modulation to 256QAM and downstream modulation at 1024QAM. Typical cable systems today use 16QAM modulation in the upstream, with a 3.2 MSym/s symbol rate.
And, it is fairly common to have multiple upstream carriers in a node (neighborhood). DOCSIS 3.0 adds support multiple downstream carriers* through devices called edge QAMS. The downside of that is most operators have 65 or so analog channels, several dozen digital cable channels, 4-5 VOD carriers, and one DOCSIS 2.0 carriers in the downstream. The push is to get rid of the analog channels, but that's politically unpopular since it would require all customers to get a set top box for every TV (someday tru-2-way TVs and set top boxes will be at Best Buy, but it's a long time coming). Once 3.0 is deployed, the typical system may have 3 or more bonded downstream carriers/service group, about 500 customers. End users will need a new modem to get full use of the channel bonding, but it should be worth it for the much greater increase in speed.
Finally, everyone always gets the "shared bandwidth" argument wrong. Most people think of DOCSIS like classic Ethernet, with a hub or daisy chain cable. This means that Ethernet NICs need to use CSMA/CA to avoid collisions. There is no way for a cable modem to hear another one, so the CMTS assigns a mini-slot to a cable modem when it is provisioned/registered (which essentially makes a TDMA channel). the ONLY time a modem is permitted to transmit is at it's assigned mini-slot. Over the years, CMTS software has improved, and operator's understanding of the configuration has become much more granular, to the point that bandwidth optimization is much better understood than it was 10 years ago, along with moving from 7200 series network engines to VXR and above (in the case of Cisco).
*There is some use of multiple downstreams now, it has been in the spec since DOCSIS 1.1, but isn't needed on much more than a temporary basis. Individual modems can only tune one carrier at at time, so it is typically used to get more customers on a node than it is used to get higher speeds. However, some operators have used multiple downstreams to isolate business class customers from everyone else.
I picked up an open box laptop (floor model) after Christmas It is about 6 months old. After loading Ububntu I started checking the Load_Cycle_Count, as I knew about this bug. It was already at 90K cycles. The year old drive in my other laptop, which has been manually set by me all year, was only about 10K. This may be less of an issue than it has been made out to be, but I'm sure a few drives may have been toasted due to this bug.
On Thursday or Friday I got a patch that seems to have fixed the bug on both machines. I've been watching the counter every so often, and it is still incrementing on the newer machine, but much more slowly than before. The older machine seems to be not incrementing at all. An odd side effect is that the drive sounds differently on read/write now.
OK, but the government passed laws that were supposed to regulate these industries. For political reasons, the government stopped regulating. However, they also gutted the court system, destroying the only recourse people who have been wronged by another.
People (you and me) fail to understand on a gut level that in a laissez faire environment, they don't have government regulators protecting them, so they tend to be overly trusting of a pitch. Then, when caveat emptier rules kick in, they wonder why "no one" was watching out for them and cry foul.
Now imagine business integrity enforced by contract law between two parties, not a government regulator. If company X isn't delivering what is stated in the contract, you can break the contract, or take them to court to attempt to make them hold up their end. If there was real contract negotiation, you could cross out the parts of the contract you don't agree with (like the clause that states the company can change the contract at any time for any reason), or negotiate a better deal. That isn't going to happen in the case of the government running a broadband network. You're going to get whatever they feel like giving you, it will continue to get more expensive for no reason (even though technological advances should make it cheaper), and every time the budget season comes up, the department of broadband access will cry about not having enough money in the budget to complete the network.
Oh, and forget about porn, Jesus or anything like what I just wrote traveling over the government's network.
The only flaw I can see with cellphones is their tiny keyboard. Perhaps Apple or some other maker should repackage their phones to include laptop-sized keyboards so users can run some limited software (like MS Word). They could call it the Iphone or Ipod lapbook.
Nokia SU-8W bluetooth keyboard. Not included, but paired right up with my phone, has a little tilt stand for the phone, and even has the function keys.
There are plenty of 3rd party BT keyboards (including the Apple one) that work great with S60.
And don't forget the fantastic job the Corps of Engineers did building (and rebuilding) the canals and levees in New Orleans, the several-million-dollars-a-mile highway system, the wholesale corporate give-away of RF spectrum, Fanny and Freddie (not technically infrastructure, but still created by government), Amtrak (rail being one of the most expensive ways to travel in the US, even though rail is one of the most efficient transportation systems going), Yucca Mountain, etc.
Don't kid yourself, the folks who write these sorts of articles WANT a nationalized grid (not national, nationalized, under control of the Federal government). It is unlikely to happen, but as we all know, all it takes is one crazy moment in time (like 9/11 leading to the near police state* we now live in) to change everything.
*Mod me down after trying to fly with a tube of toothpaste and a Coke in your carryon.
You must be a Sirius subscriber. I started out with them, but wanted the XM portable receiver. I'm very happy I switched. XM has 2-3 channels I would call "metal" (I'm not a good judge of that), 4 Jazz channels, 3 classical channels (with higher quality/bitrates than normal channels), a few channels that play all sorts of strange stuff. And their pop-style channels have a much larger playlist than what I heard on Sirius (I switched just after they picked up Stern so maybe things have changed, but it doesn't sound like it).
"Prohibited and Permissible Uses: Except as may otherwise be specifically permitted or prohibited for select data plans, data sessions may be conducted only for the following purposes: (i) Internet browsing; (ii) email; and (iii) intranet access (including access to corporate intranets, email, and individual productivity applications like customer relationship management, sales force, and field service automation). The Data Plans and Features MAY NOT be used for any other purpose. While most common uses for Intranet browsing, email and intranet access are permitted by your data plan, there are certain uses that cause extreme network capacity issues and interference with the network and are therefore prohibited....Accordingly, AT&T reserves the right to (i) limit throughput or amount of data transferred and/or deny, disconnect, modify and/or terminate Service, without notice, to anyone it believes is using the Service in any manner prohibited or whose usage adversely impacts its wireless network or service levels or hinders access to its wireless network, including without limitation, after a significant period of inactivity or after sessions of excessive usage and (ii) otherwise protect its wireless network from harm, compromised capacity or degradation in performance, which may impact legitimate data flows. You may not send solicitations to AT&T's wireless subscribers without their consent. You may not use the Services other than as intended by AT&T and applicable law. Plans are for individual, non-commercial use only and are not for resale. AT&T may, but is not required to, monitor your compliance, or the compliance of other subscribers, with AT&T's terms, conditions, or policies."
Just foggy enough to make it easy for them to lock you out. And, I've noticed that my Internet Radio application often times just gets stuck on "buffering" forever, even though I have excellent signal and haven't changed anything. I can't wait for the first iPhone streamer to post a rant to The Consumerist when they cancel his account for excessive bandwidth use.
Except that most people can't switch with a coupon. If their factory installed stereo came from GM, it is ready for XM, not Sirius. If they drive a Dodge, Sirius not XM. While I agree that if someone specifically wants one service over the other, they would purchase on the after market, a large number of people just wouldn't bother if they didn't want the service their car comes with. It just isn't important enough for them to make the switch. And as one who regularly deals with the after market solution, I have to say it really clutters up the dash to have a satellite radio, tape adapter and power cables all over.
A single encoding/emission standard may have made the service a lot more popular. Imagine if your Delco FM radio didn't pick up stations that were transmitted in the RCA format.
CNN will usually show a landing, just before going to a commercial. The problem is that most people don't have the necessary background to really know what it is they are seeing. Science and physics are not within the ability of people to grasp anymore. That's not to say it can't be learned/taught, but it takes time and desire to do so. The fact that most people are now specialists, narrowly focused on their own area of expertise, means they no longer notice the world around them. Add to that a bias against thought in the major media since the 1970s (Fonzie was a dropout thug, the sweat hogs, Doogie Houser being a smug asshole, etc), and the lowest common denominator becomes Paris Hilton, not Lisa Nowak.
Cable companies had a lot of upgrading to do before they could add high speed internet service. First, they had to upgrade the system to handle 2-way services. Then, they had to reduce the amount of coax between the headend and customer, otherwise troubleshooting would be next to impossible. Third, they had to increase their maintenance standards to keep ahead of problems. The system I worked in when @Home was new started out with 3 "line techs" and very quickly increased that number to 7 to keep up with the demand. And as the customer base increased, the system had to add more fiber optic lines and reduce the node footprint to help manage bandwidth.
The difference is, for the most part, the average person wouldn't have noticed the changes. A CATV node looks like any other active device, maybe a little larger. Compare that to a remote DSLAM, which can be as large as a toolshed.
The newest trend is to recover analog spectrum by moving everyone to a digital platform. Digital cable penetration is well over 50%, so it is a good time to do it. Once that happens, operators will be able to move to a switched digital distribution system. The hardware is being tested by all the usual players now, and it seems to work just fine. Personally, I think we should move everything to video on demand, but that will require the programmers (cable channels) to get onboard, and there is a lot of resistance from them.
That's more a function of the s-l-o-w processor in the box, not the technology. Motorola has a DCT that is able to switch almost as fast as an analog tuner, but it is more expensive. I've also seen cable card equipped TVs that switch very quickly.
And the future plans are to migrate to a switched digital platform, but since the box will no longer tune to different QAM channels, it should be as fast as analog.
Slashdot Mirror
It also isn't clearly better. Yes, some would argue that the sound quality is better, but most people are happy with the sound quality of the iPod. Being able to beam music to another Zune is great, but not if there's only one in your world. And FM radios in portable devices usually aren't all that fantastic if you are outside a major metro area because of signal fade and Clearchannel.
An iPod killer would have to be clearly better, and that's hard to do. Not because the iPod is perfect, but because it is good enough. And no, I don't really like the iPod... I use my phone as a music player, and I find it much better for a lot of reasons, although it isn't marketed very well in the US.
You don't understand cable system design. The reason for the 6:1 ratio between upstream and downstream is not because Cisco (or anyone else) thinks you can oversubscribe the upstream spectrum, but because upstream carrier to noise ratios are much worse than downstream. Because of the lower CNR, upstream modulation has to have a lot more interleaving and error correction (and much lower symbol rates). It also helps isolate noise problems to a smaller service area.
Part of DOCSIS 3 spec is 64QAM upstream. Some operators are trying it now, and finding out that there's a whole new level of plant maintenance necessary to deliver a good upstream bit error rate. Meanwhile, the normal downstream carrier is 256QAM (6.4MSym/s symbol rate), which requires a 3dB improvement in CNR over 64QAM at the same symbol rate. As fiber is driven deeper into the cable network it will be much easier to increase the upstream modulation to 256QAM and downstream modulation at 1024QAM. Typical cable systems today use 16QAM modulation in the upstream, with a 3.2 MSym/s symbol rate.
And, it is fairly common to have multiple upstream carriers in a node (neighborhood). DOCSIS 3.0 adds support multiple downstream carriers* through devices called edge QAMS. The downside of that is most operators have 65 or so analog channels, several dozen digital cable channels, 4-5 VOD carriers, and one DOCSIS 2.0 carriers in the downstream. The push is to get rid of the analog channels, but that's politically unpopular since it would require all customers to get a set top box for every TV (someday tru-2-way TVs and set top boxes will be at Best Buy, but it's a long time coming). Once 3.0 is deployed, the typical system may have 3 or more bonded downstream carriers/service group, about 500 customers. End users will need a new modem to get full use of the channel bonding, but it should be worth it for the much greater increase in speed.
Finally, everyone always gets the "shared bandwidth" argument wrong. Most people think of DOCSIS like classic Ethernet, with a hub or daisy chain cable. This means that Ethernet NICs need to use CSMA/CA to avoid collisions. There is no way for a cable modem to hear another one, so the CMTS assigns a mini-slot to a cable modem when it is provisioned/registered (which essentially makes a TDMA channel). the ONLY time a modem is permitted to transmit is at it's assigned mini-slot. Over the years, CMTS software has improved, and operator's understanding of the configuration has become much more granular, to the point that bandwidth optimization is much better understood than it was 10 years ago, along with moving from 7200 series network engines to VXR and above (in the case of Cisco).
*There is some use of multiple downstreams now, it has been in the spec since DOCSIS 1.1, but isn't needed on much more than a temporary basis. Individual modems can only tune one carrier at at time, so it is typically used to get more customers on a node than it is used to get higher speeds. However, some operators have used multiple downstreams to isolate business class customers from everyone else.
Comcast rolls out DOCSIS 3.0 to 3 more cities:
http://www.fiercetelecom.com/story/comcast-rolls-docsis-3-0-three-more-cities/2008-12-11
And Denver, Salt Lake City, and most of the west coast should be done before the end of 2009.
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
E: Couldn't find package omgponies
Hey... That didn't work.
I picked up an open box laptop (floor model) after Christmas It is about 6 months old. After loading Ububntu I started checking the Load_Cycle_Count, as I knew about this bug. It was already at 90K cycles. The year old drive in my other laptop, which has been manually set by me all year, was only about 10K. This may be less of an issue than it has been made out to be, but I'm sure a few drives may have been toasted due to this bug.
On Thursday or Friday I got a patch that seems to have fixed the bug on both machines. I've been watching the counter every so often, and it is still incrementing on the newer machine, but much more slowly than before. The older machine seems to be not incrementing at all. An odd side effect is that the drive sounds differently on read/write now.
OK, but the government passed laws that were supposed to regulate these industries. For political reasons, the government stopped regulating. However, they also gutted the court system, destroying the only recourse people who have been wronged by another.
People (you and me) fail to understand on a gut level that in a laissez faire environment, they don't have government regulators protecting them, so they tend to be overly trusting of a pitch. Then, when caveat emptier rules kick in, they wonder why "no one" was watching out for them and cry foul.
Now imagine business integrity enforced by contract law between two parties, not a government regulator. If company X isn't delivering what is stated in the contract, you can break the contract, or take them to court to attempt to make them hold up their end. If there was real contract negotiation, you could cross out the parts of the contract you don't agree with (like the clause that states the company can change the contract at any time for any reason), or negotiate a better deal. That isn't going to happen in the case of the government running a broadband network. You're going to get whatever they feel like giving you, it will continue to get more expensive for no reason (even though technological advances should make it cheaper), and every time the budget season comes up, the department of broadband access will cry about not having enough money in the budget to complete the network.
Oh, and forget about porn, Jesus or anything like what I just wrote traveling over the government's network.
The only flaw I can see with cellphones is their tiny keyboard. Perhaps Apple or some other maker should repackage their phones to include laptop-sized keyboards so users can run some limited software (like MS Word). They could call it the Iphone or Ipod lapbook.
Nokia SU-8W bluetooth keyboard. Not included, but paired right up with my phone, has a little tilt stand for the phone, and even has the function keys.
There are plenty of 3rd party BT keyboards (including the Apple one) that work great with S60.
Well, YOU don't have anything to worry about anyway, unless you forgot to include directive 4 in the android's programming.
But competing product lines could potentially cause a mess...
sho cdp neighbor works, too
Of course he may have turned it off, if he's so worried about someone messing with "his" network.
It seems to work OK for the Internet, and it's all over the world.
Remember, this is an engineering problem, it has an engineering solution. Heck, the tech isn't even all that new.
And don't forget the fantastic job the Corps of Engineers did building (and rebuilding) the canals and levees in New Orleans, the several-million-dollars-a-mile highway system, the wholesale corporate give-away of RF spectrum, Fanny and Freddie (not technically infrastructure, but still created by government), Amtrak (rail being one of the most expensive ways to travel in the US, even though rail is one of the most efficient transportation systems going), Yucca Mountain, etc.
Don't kid yourself, the folks who write these sorts of articles WANT a nationalized grid (not national, nationalized, under control of the Federal government). It is unlikely to happen, but as we all know, all it takes is one crazy moment in time (like 9/11 leading to the near police state* we now live in) to change everything.
*Mod me down after trying to fly with a tube of toothpaste and a Coke in your carryon.
' Lucas 'scoffed at the possibility of passing the famed fedora from Ford to Shia LaBeouf,'
Indiana Jones and the Fountain of Youth.
After all, Harrison Ford is eligible for Medicare as of last year.
Shouldn't that read first!post ?
Remember Gil Amelio? No? John Sculley?
You must be a Sirius subscriber. I started out with them, but wanted the XM portable receiver. I'm very happy I switched. XM has 2-3 channels I would call "metal" (I'm not a good judge of that), 4 Jazz channels, 3 classical channels (with higher quality/bitrates than normal channels), a few channels that play all sorts of strange stuff. And their pop-style channels have a much larger playlist than what I heard on Sirius (I switched just after they picked up Stern so maybe things have changed, but it doesn't sound like it).
From AT&T's terms of service:
"Prohibited and Permissible Uses: Except as may otherwise be specifically permitted or prohibited for select data plans, data sessions may be conducted only for the following purposes: (i) Internet browsing; (ii) email; and (iii) intranet access (including access to corporate intranets, email, and individual productivity applications like customer relationship management, sales force, and field service automation). The Data Plans and Features MAY NOT be used for any other purpose. While most common uses for Intranet browsing, email and intranet access are permitted by your data plan, there are certain uses that cause extreme network capacity issues and interference with the network and are therefore prohibited. ...Accordingly, AT&T reserves the right to (i) limit throughput or amount of data transferred and/or deny, disconnect, modify and/or terminate Service, without notice, to anyone it believes is using the Service in any manner prohibited or whose usage adversely impacts its wireless network or service levels or hinders access to its wireless network, including without limitation, after a significant period of inactivity or after sessions of excessive usage and (ii) otherwise protect its wireless network from harm, compromised capacity or degradation in performance, which may impact legitimate data flows. You may not send solicitations to AT&T's wireless subscribers without their consent. You may not use the Services other than as intended by AT&T and applicable law. Plans are for individual, non-commercial use only and are not for resale. AT&T may, but is not required to, monitor your compliance, or the compliance of other subscribers, with AT&T's terms, conditions, or policies."
Just foggy enough to make it easy for them to lock you out. And, I've noticed that my Internet Radio application often times just gets stuck on "buffering" forever, even though I have excellent signal and haven't changed anything. I can't wait for the first iPhone streamer to post a rant to The Consumerist when they cancel his account for excessive bandwidth use.
Except that most people can't switch with a coupon. If their factory installed stereo came from GM, it is ready for XM, not Sirius. If they drive a Dodge, Sirius not XM. While I agree that if someone specifically wants one service over the other, they would purchase on the after market, a large number of people just wouldn't bother if they didn't want the service their car comes with. It just isn't important enough for them to make the switch. And as one who regularly deals with the after market solution, I have to say it really clutters up the dash to have a satellite radio, tape adapter and power cables all over.
A single encoding/emission standard may have made the service a lot more popular. Imagine if your Delco FM radio didn't pick up stations that were transmitted in the RCA format.
That's PROFESSOR Plum to you, buddy.
And to set the record straight, it was really Col. Mustard in the Media room, with an HDMI cable.
He did it to cover up the affair he was having with Ms. Scarlet.
probably pining for the fjords.
And now...
http://www.mwscomp.com/movies/grail/grail-02.htm
Well, you should have bought insurance.
CNN will usually show a landing, just before going to a commercial. The problem is that most people don't have the necessary background to really know what it is they are seeing. Science and physics are not within the ability of people to grasp anymore. That's not to say it can't be learned/taught, but it takes time and desire to do so. The fact that most people are now specialists, narrowly focused on their own area of expertise, means they no longer notice the world around them. Add to that a bias against thought in the major media since the 1970s (Fonzie was a dropout thug, the sweat hogs, Doogie Houser being a smug asshole, etc), and the lowest common denominator becomes Paris Hilton, not Lisa Nowak.
And don't even get started on Quantum Physics.
Paper tape! (With barcode indexing)
Cable companies had a lot of upgrading to do before they could add high speed internet service. First, they had to upgrade the system to handle 2-way services. Then, they had to reduce the amount of coax between the headend and customer, otherwise troubleshooting would be next to impossible. Third, they had to increase their maintenance standards to keep ahead of problems. The system I worked in when @Home was new started out with 3 "line techs" and very quickly increased that number to 7 to keep up with the demand. And as the customer base increased, the system had to add more fiber optic lines and reduce the node footprint to help manage bandwidth.
The difference is, for the most part, the average person wouldn't have noticed the changes. A CATV node looks like any other active device, maybe a little larger. Compare that to a remote DSLAM, which can be as large as a toolshed.
The newest trend is to recover analog spectrum by moving everyone to a digital platform. Digital cable penetration is well over 50%, so it is a good time to do it. Once that happens, operators will be able to move to a switched digital distribution system. The hardware is being tested by all the usual players now, and it seems to work just fine. Personally, I think we should move everything to video on demand, but that will require the programmers (cable channels) to get onboard, and there is a lot of resistance from them.
That's more a function of the s-l-o-w processor in the box, not the technology. Motorola has a DCT that is able to switch almost as fast as an analog tuner, but it is more expensive. I've also seen cable card equipped TVs that switch very quickly.
And the future plans are to migrate to a switched digital platform, but since the box will no longer tune to different QAM channels, it should be as fast as analog.
HEAR HEAR!
Let's do something else!
Let's do something else!
Let's do something else!
Let's do something else!
Let's do something else!
Who's with me? (crowd roars)
Right after I watch BSG...