Don't mod me offtopic, but the same thing goes for office chairs.
Some people think it's crazy to shell out $800 for an nice ergonomic office chair, but they will think nothing of spending an extra $1000 for leather in their cars.
What we really need is a filesharing network linked to a public database of md5 checksums with a web-of-trust community-rating model that could be used to allow users to assign a quality rating to each file/checksum record in the database. The checksumming integration could then allow prospective music thieves to find music by searching for highly-ranked checksums.
The system could also be used to report and moderate-down users advertising md5 checksums that don't match the files they are sharing.
I'd imagine a single high-quality encoding of any given song would quickly proliferate. No more broken files. No more misattributed ID3 tags.
What we really need is a filesharing network linked to a public database of md5 checksums. A web-of-trust community-rating model could be used to allow users to assign a quality rating to each file/checksum record in the database. The checksumming integration could then allow prospective music thieves to find music by searching for highly-ranked checksums.
The system could also be used to report and moderate-down users advertising md5 checksums that don't match the files they are sharing.
I'd imagine a single high-quality encoding of any given song would quickly proliferate. No more broken files. No more misattributed ID3 tags.
...instead of just turning out unbelievably ugly crap.
Ever wonder why most open-source project websites look completely unprofessional? Maybe we'd make better inroads to businesses if the marketing materials we used looked halfway decent.
You've got to look at the context. There's no "standard" for good presentation in any other medium. Why should there be one for web design?
You wouldn't expect a type-specimen booklet from a type foundry be organized the same as a page from the OED. You wouldn't expect a music video to have any visual similarity to the evening news. And you wouldn't expect a Ramones song to make use of counterpoint as if it were a baroque fugue.
Judge each website by it's purpose. A website for a Star Wars movie *should* be designed with a totally different mindset than a news wire site.
Resources put into software development are what economists refer to as "sunk costs". They shouldn't affect decisions regarding the price of a final consumer product after the fact. Only the market value should determine that. If a product requires more resources to produce than the market value for that product, it will simply not be produced.
Logically, it follows that piracy shouldn't have *any* effect on Adobe's decision to continue producing for Asian markets. The only question they should ask is "Is it profitable to sell in Asia?"
Adobe can't reasonably take into account the "cost" of piracy when making a such a decision.
If and when you decide to see this movie, walk out of the theater at the precise moment when David (Haley Joel Osment) jumps off the building into the ocean. Trust me on this. I won't spoil the ending because I've forced myself to repress it.
I'm really hoping someone pulls a "Phantom Edit" with this film..
And the funny part of it is, you don't know anything about Marshall McLuhan's work!
As McLuhan said: "I heard what you were saying. You know nothing of my work. You mean my whole fallacy is wrong. How you ever got to teach a course in anything is totally amazing."
(Actually your post was interesting. I just can't help rehashing the Annie Hall quote whenever I hear anyone invoke McLuhan)
When Kamen was testing his Ibot wheelchair he took it from the bottom of a Paris Metro station to the restaurant level of the Eiffel Tower - up the stairs.
I'm the Cato Institute's webmaster (as well as a Slashdot reader).
I convinced the people upstairs to let me post the report a early because of Slashdot.
It's at http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-380es.html
I hope this will clear up some questions.
Slashdot Mirror
Don't mod me offtopic, but the same thing goes for office chairs.
Some people think it's crazy to shell out $800 for an nice ergonomic office chair, but they will think nothing of spending an extra $1000 for leather in their cars.
1.5 hours a day in the car.
8-12 hours a day in the chair.
Write using TeX.
What we really need is a filesharing network linked to a public database of md5 checksums with a web-of-trust community-rating model that could be used to allow users to assign a quality rating to each file/checksum record in the database. The checksumming integration could then allow prospective music thieves to find music by searching for highly-ranked checksums.
The system could also be used to report and moderate-down users advertising md5 checksums that don't match the files they are sharing.
I'd imagine a single high-quality encoding of any given song would quickly proliferate. No more broken files. No more misattributed ID3 tags.
What we really need is a filesharing network linked to a public database of md5 checksums. A web-of-trust community-rating model could be used to allow users to assign a quality rating to each file/checksum record in the database. The checksumming integration could then allow prospective music thieves to find music by searching for highly-ranked checksums.
The system could also be used to report and moderate-down users advertising md5 checksums that don't match the files they are sharing.
I'd imagine a single high-quality encoding of any given song would quickly proliferate. No more broken files. No more misattributed ID3 tags.
Rackspace is by far the best service provider I've ever been involved with.
As far as I'm concerned it's cheap as hell (and I pay roughly $1500 a month for my two-server configuration).
It's all about the service. You can't compare it to any other provider.
I've never had to wait more than 30 seconds to be connected to a real human being.
They've bailed my ass out quite a few times.
You won't regret it.
iTunes 3.0 has built in support for audible.com content. It even requires you to have an account with audible.com to access the recordings.
Isn't this a pretty good indicator that Apple is willing to embrace DRM?
Don't forget Deep Springs. Another free school.
And you get to be a cowboy in the process.
...instead of just turning out unbelievably ugly crap.
Ever wonder why most open-source project websites look completely unprofessional? Maybe we'd make better inroads to businesses if the marketing materials we used looked halfway decent.
There has to be a balance.
I just hope the secret service thinks it's funny.
Go read Stranger in a Strange Land by Heinlein for an interesting discussion of crew selection for a Mars mission.
Doesn't the USMC run "Toys for Tots?"
Or to paraphrase Matt Groening:
The French are funny. Sex is funny. Comedies are funny. Why is it that no French sex comedy is ever funny?
You've got to look at the context. There's no "standard" for good presentation in any other medium. Why should there be one for web design?
You wouldn't expect a type-specimen booklet from a type foundry be organized the same as a page from the OED. You wouldn't expect a music video to have any visual similarity to the evening news. And you wouldn't expect a Ramones song to make use of counterpoint as if it were a baroque fugue.
Judge each website by it's purpose. A website for a Star Wars movie *should* be designed with a totally different mindset than a news wire site.
Resources put into software development are what economists refer to as "sunk costs". They shouldn't affect decisions regarding the price of a final consumer product after the fact. Only the market value should determine that. If a product requires more resources to produce than the market value for that product, it will simply not be produced.
Logically, it follows that piracy shouldn't have *any* effect on Adobe's decision to continue producing for Asian markets. The only question they should ask is "Is it profitable to sell in Asia?"
Adobe can't reasonably take into account the "cost" of piracy when making a such a decision.
40 lousy bucks. I can't believe the kid agreed to do it. What is that? $1.20 an hour at best. You're a jerk.
If and when you decide to see this movie, walk out of the theater at the precise moment when David (Haley Joel Osment) jumps off the building into the ocean. Trust me on this. I won't spoil the ending because I've forced myself to repress it.
I'm really hoping someone pulls a "Phantom Edit" with this film..
And the funny part of it is, you don't know anything about Marshall McLuhan's work!
As McLuhan said: "I heard what you were saying. You know nothing of my work. You mean my whole fallacy is wrong. How you ever got to teach a course in anything is totally amazing."
(Actually your post was interesting. I just can't help rehashing the Annie Hall quote whenever I hear anyone invoke McLuhan)
When Kamen was testing his Ibot wheelchair he took it from the bottom of a Paris Metro station to the restaurant level of the Eiffel Tower - up the stairs.
The man is a genius.
I'm the Cato Institute's webmaster (as well as a Slashdot reader). I convinced the people upstairs to let me post the report a early because of Slashdot. It's at http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-380es.html I hope this will clear up some questions.