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Comment Re:I actually own a Zune, and like it! (Score 2, Interesting) 361

by Svet-Am (#26598161) Attached to: Microsoft To Exit the Zune Business?

Until very recently, I owned and _LOVED_ a first generation Zune 30.

The Zune software makes iTunes look like an Excel spreadshet, is much lighter weight than iTunes, and includes features (group mix) that I actually like and used.

Eventually, though, I sold my Zune 30 because I was tired of having to hack it to get it work with my installation of Windows XP x64. I'll never understand why Microsoft intentionally left XP x64 out in the cold, but they did so I had to move on.

I replaced it with a Toshiba Gigabeat S60, so I essentially still have my Zune, with an upgraded hard disk size and minus the WiFi (which I rarely used anyway).

If Microsoft made the Zune compatible with XP x64 (officially), I'd be a Zune owner again in a heartbeat!
Sci-Fi

Submission + - Deckard is a Replicant

Submitted by
MufasaZX
MufasaZX writes: "While endless debate over weather Rick Deckard in Blade Runner is himself a replicant may be entertaining, on today's Fresh Air on NPR a new interview with Ridley Scott was aired, and the second question out of Terry Gross's mouth was 'is Deckard a replicant?' which RS replied with an absolute affirmative. There, done, end of debate. The audio stream of the interview is already online here."
The Courts

Submission + - Record Company Collusion a Defense to RIAA Case?

Submitted by
NewYorkCountryLawyer
NewYorkCountryLawyer writes: "Is collusion by the record companies a defense to an RIAA case? We're about to find out, because the RIAA has made a motion to strike the affirmative defense of Marie Lindor, who alleged that "the plaintiffs, who are competitors, are a cartel acting collusively in violation of the antitrust laws and of public policy, by tying their copyrights to each other, collusively litigating and settling all cases together, and by entering into an unlawful agreement among themselves to prosecute and to dispose of all cases in accordance with a uniform agreement, and through common lawyers, thus overreaching the bounds and scope of whatever copyrights they might have" in UMG v. Lindor. The motion will be decided by the same judge who agreed with legal scholars in sustaining another affirmative defense of Ms. Lindor, in which she alleges (pdf) that the RIAA's $750-per-song-file statutory damages theory is "unconstitutionally excessive and disproportionate to any actual damages that may have been sustained, in violation of the Due Process Clause"."
Programming

Submission + - Programming and the Pre-Teen 6

Submitted by MissingMuse
MissingMuse writes: My son has just turned twelve. He has always been into games, electronics etc. and has always been curious about how things work. In the past six months I have seen an insatiable hunger for more knowledge. He is constantly "hacking" his PSP, his iPod, my iPod etc. I would like to introduce him to programming. I only program as a hobby and did not start until my late 20s. Does the Community have any advice on the best way to introduce someone this young to programming? What is the best language? He has access to OS X, Linux and Windows, but he has absolutely no interest in Windows. I know he will be underwhelmed with Hello World, any ideas on a simple first project?
Operating Systems

Submission + - AutoPatcher closes under threat from Microsoft (autopatcher.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Posted by Antonis Kaladis on August 29th, 2007 |

Today we received an e-mail from Microsoft, requesting the immediate take-down of the download page, which of course means that AutoPatcher is probably history. As much as we disagree, we can do very little, and although the download page is merely a collection of mirrors, we took the download page down.

We would like to thank you for your support. For the past 4 years, it has been a blast. Unfortunately, it seems like it's the end of AutoPatcher as we know it.

Comments are welcome...

Antonis Kaladis

Feed Has The DVR Resulted In More Reality TV Programming? (techdirt.com)

From feed by techdirtfeed
Economist Austan Goolsbee had a column in the NY Times last week looking at the economic rationale for why reality TV programming has become so popular these days. It goes well beyond the simple answer that it's cheap to produce. As Goolsbee notes, if that were the case, it would have caught on much earlier. Instead, the argument is that with the rise of satellite and cable TV adding many more options for people's viewing time (and you could argue plenty of other entertainment options as well), the pool from which network TV operators can expect to get viewers is shrinking, forcing them to search out cheaper programming.

However, a separate NY Times article may offer another potential reason (whether on purpose or not). It looks at a new study of what programs people record on DVRs and finds that people are less likely to record "timely" programs on their DVRs, preferring to watch them live. This includes the obvious things like news and sports -- but also reality TV programming. That's because who gets kicked off American Idol is likely to be talked about the next morning at work, and people want to make sure they've seen the latest so they can talk about it. That creates fewer incentives to record the program and watch it later. So, whether or not TV programming execs recognize it, reality TV programming may actually get more people watching, rather than skipping, commercials.
Microsoft

Submission + - Microsoft wins AT&T patent battle

Submitted by
Hanners1979
Hanners1979 writes: "BBC News reports on the verdict of a long-running case in the US Supreme Court about the reach of US patent law, where Microsoft admitted to breaching an AT&T-held patent in the US, while refusing to accept liability for any breaches occuring outside of the country. The court upheld Microsoft's take on the case, which could well have intriguing ramifications both for patent law and any future cases against Microsoft themselves."
Power

Submission + - A Truly Inconvenient Truth

Submitted by
mattatwork
mattatwork writes: "I received an interesting email from my mother-in-law, and then had it forwarded again by my wife. According to WorldNetDaily, Compact Flourescent lamps (or CFL's) contain a significant amount of Mercury. While you're saving the world from global warming, you're also putting yourself and other carbon based life forms at risk to mercury poisoning. One of the victims of a CFL's mercury found out the hard and high priced way that removing the mercury couldn't be done with a simple vacuum, but by a specialized enviremental cleanup firm for around $2000. You would think someone like Al Gore, father of the Internet, would think twice before pushing a technology like CFL, still in its infancy, on consumers who don't or didn't know the risks. I know that when I get home tonight, I'm taking out my CFL's and replacing them with good ol' incandescents."

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