This documentary should shed some light on this issue:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taken_for_a_Ride

It's available for free on youtube here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ob2bYUtxlxs

As TFA pointed out, no actual drafting is shown. While it's a nice way to visualize a part, I can't see myself using this to do any actual modeling work with this kind of input (gorilla arm, etc...). We might get there someday, but that'll take a smart input system that doesn't defeat the flexibility of the software in the process.

Nothing to see here.

EFF in the White house, ASAP please.

I understand there's a legitimate need to conduct surveillance when justified. But having people from the EFF and/or ACLU running, or at least supervising things will likely act as a filter to prevent further abuses and level the playing field.

There was supposed to be a Star Trek reboot movie, but it really should have been called Lens Flare.

The french animation industry actually parodied that in Dragon Hunters (good CG animation feature, btw), check it out and enjoy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaVbLzjqP_Q

Replying to self since more conclusions dawned on me after posting :

Beyond having to think about everything you do on a device, I would argue that this is exactly how you "imprison" peoples' minds. Freedom of speech is gone as a consequence as everyone starts hesitating about what they'll say using a device.

Going even further down this rabbit hole, well past Orwellian realities, this kind of surveillance could also allow our "leaders" to selectively cull the herd of those that speak against and oppose the "system". It's a known fact that this was already going on during the days of the KGB, individuals singled out wouldn't be able to find work etc... The next few years will be quite interesting indeed.

That's exactly the problem with this situation : trust is broken. Now that the general public is aware of the surveillance system built into each and every electronic device, how can anyone look at those the same way ever again?

For instance, Microsoft pushed a 20MB update to the "malicious software removal tool" on Wednesday, after all the patches that came out on Tuesday, on its own. I found myself wondering whether it could be the next Stuxnet. Do we, users, have to suspect everything coming off the internet now? What kind of crap is that? I , for one, want my computers and internet back to the way (we thought?) they were before becoming tools of tyranny. Having to second guess anything one does on a device is an exquisite form of torture on its own...

PS : Frank Zappa had an excellent song about this when watergate happened : "Dickie's (Nixon) Such an Asshole".

I had a heck of a time with the more abstract math concepts I learned in high school and college until I saw them at work while using Maya ; then it just all made sense.

Using modeling and animation software to illustrate the math concepts might be a good way around the abstraction problem.

In the end, Muslim leaders blame the West for their trouble and western leaders blame Islam for their trouble. The problem isn't a religious one : most people on the planet are inherently well meaning regardless of differences. The problem that the majority of the population on either sides seems to be oblivious to is that our "leaders" blame each other while sitting back and enjoying the show and will come up with some new reason to blame the other camp whenever the time comes to squeeze the people a little harder.

If the majority of the world's population were to realize that, the situation should change for the better quite rapidly. Unfortunately, I fear that most can't see past the "weapons of mass distraction"... However I still hope that word of mouth and common sense will prevail given enough time.

I second that. We CG people sure don't get to see the kind of money the major production houses flaunt and only have our jobs shipped out of country as ultimate reward. Many would be better off if it wasn't for overly-greedy middlemen ; we might actually see more cultural diversity as well. CG work is gruesome, constant focus work with short deadlines and low salaries for the amount of skill required. If Cinedigm opens an alternate route that turns out to be viable, new life can be breathed into the suffocating US film and animation industries and add some extra fluidity to the economy as a consequence.

This should be an interesting fight.