Slashback: Squashing, N'Synch, Yopy 351
Waitaminute, what happens there between the "lead" stage and the "gold" stage again? HomerSimpson writes: "Recently on /. I read of a compression scheme reported to provide huge gains for the compression of random data. New Scientist reports, however, that the claims are unlikely at best."
Perhaps we can watch some other bands be slaughtered instead? eruditorium writes: "Apparently, the negative public reaction to n'sync's appearence in episode 2 has caused lucas to drop their cameo. See it here on Scifi Wire." san1701 links to another similar posting about this important issue at TheForce.Net.
On-again, off-again is not good for electronic projects. cd_Csc writes: "CNET is reporting on Samsung's newest Windows CE based PDA and mentioned (as a side note) that, 'A Samsung representative also confirmed the cancellation of Yopy, the company's planned Linux-based PDA.'"
Update: 01/11 02:41 GMT by T : Looks like it's not quite that simple: Bill Kendrick writes "LinuxDevices.com caught wind of today's Slashback regarding the Yopy PDA's demise.
Well, fortunately for Yopy fans, they got the real scoop directly from G.Mate..." Thanks for the quick response, Bill, and sorry for spreading false information.
Imagine explaining to your kids what VCRs were. jimmcq writes: "Slashdot previously ran a story asking about Hacking the New Replay TV Units. There have been several recent breakthroughs to allow a PC to emulate a Replay 4000 so that video can be shared in both directions. The source code has been released under the GPL. There are also several variations including a java version and an Apache/PHP Server."
You know it's just a cover up.... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:You know it's just a cover up.... (Score:5, Funny)
Attack of the Clones (Score:5, Funny)
Maybe he's just planning on compressing them 100:1 with that new algorithm so that nobody can see them. Perhaps due to the repetitive and unoriginal nature of all "clone" (or "popular") music, a higher compression ratio would be achieved. Think of it, I only need to store one song to hear every 500 out there
2 wrongs... (Score:3, Insightful)
For once Hollywood (or Lucas at least) actually listened!
Two wrongs don't make a right. The subtle reason why N'Sync being in the film is wrong is that it is product placement, like having the wookie sip a Pepsi. Removing them due to fan protest is the wrong reason. If Lucas was the 'artist' we'd like to think our best filmmakers are, fan opinion would not be a reason to change an artistic decision. Consider: N'Sync now has sufficient cause to consider George Lucas a whore. (I say this at known risk of being downmodded, but please think about it before calling this flamebait.) That's irony!
Re:2 wrongs... (Score:2, Funny)
I'll defer to your superior knowledge of boy-bands, but "extra" footage is customarily not considered until editing. Lucasfilm didn't leak this story, so their only pronouncement on the issue does make sense.
George Lucas actually listened to his fans? (Score:4, Funny)
Re:George Lucas actually listened to his fans? (Score:4, Redundant)
Yes. My sources indicate that a wookie will rip his arms off.
Re:George Lucas actually listened to his fans? (Score:2, Funny)
I think I need to find a Jar-Jar Sims model and set him on fire or something.
Re:George Lucas actually listened to his fans? (Score:3, Informative)
Have fun...
That's too bad .... for George.... :) (Score:4, Insightful)
Whose arms shall the wookie rip off: Jar-Jar Bites or George "This-space-for-rent-or-product-placement" Lucas?
Jar-Jar is an enormously annoying figure to adults, beloved of children, and therefore killing him in a bloody mass of dismembered limbs, although satisfying to the adults, would make the movie traumatic for the young-uns.
If the wookie was to tear off George's arms, it'd be some measure of justice for Episode 1, Jar-Jar, etc. and it could be done in a backroom so no kiddies need be traumatized. And the adults would still be satisfied.
The great story of good and evil and redemption evolved in the middle 3 movies (Ep IV-VI) with Campbellian overtones is being sold down the river by a man whose vision has lost its way in favour of a big paycheck. There were a lot of worthwhile Mythic elements amidst the entertainment of the original movies, and the story had a certain power. Jar-Jar the rastafarian doppelganger and even fancy high-kicking Darth Maul (of few words, and a cheesy death) can't conceal the deeper emptiness in Episode 1, which is about to be (by all appearances) surpassed in its vaccuity by Episode 2: Attack of the Clowns.
George... how could you? How did they ever get to you man....?
Re:George Lucas actually listened to his fans? (Score:3, Funny)
Wouldn't that require Jar-jar being able to beat a wookie at chess?
OT: Wookiee! (Score:3, Informative)
I try to keep my pedantic tendencies under control, but sometimes...
GTRacer
- Wouldn't have bitched if any of the previous 10 uses had been correct...
Re:George Lucas actually listened to his fans? (Score:2)
Does that mean he'll add a five minute spot to the film where Jar-Jar gets brutally murdered?
Yes. My sources indicate that a wookie will rip his arms off.
I know we would all love for this to be true but would you mind naming your sources?
No, I wouldn't mind at all. I heard it directly from the wookies. You can ask them yourself if you don't believe me.
Don't Celebrate Just Yet... (Score:2)
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/eo/20020110/en/_n_
Re:Don't Celebrate Just Yet... (Score:3, Funny)
Final decision belongs to George (Score:2)
Re:George Lucas actually listened to his fans? (Score:2)
Now I'm off to play a bit more Episode 1 Racer on my N64...
Re:George Lucas actually listened to his fans? (Score:2)
Due to popular demand it will actually be a 27 minute sequence where Jar-Jar torturously has the life squeezed out of him, bit by bit. It will be most gory.
Rumor has it that the climactic moment of death includes Jar-Jar's head exploding when he is subjected to an N'Sync recording. Fortunately it will be administered via headphones, avoiding potential fatalities in the audience.
-
Re:George Lucas actually listened to his fans? (Score:2)
I'm guessing not. Putting N'Sync in must have been a greedy publicity stunt (and not an attempt to please his daughter), so pulling them out must also be a greedy publicity stunt (and not actually listening to his fans).
I actually kind of feel sorry for N'Sync. I've never seen them and don't listen to their music, so I don't give a flying leap about them as a boy band -- but if I got a chance to be in a Star Wars movie, even for a few seconds, and then was told "no, sorry, you don't get to after all" because one long wail of fanboy outrage went up around the world -- well, needless to say, 1) I'd be pretty disappointed and 2) wouldn't think much of Star Wars fans in general after that.
Always assuming Lucas just genuinely wanted to do something nice for his kid and not rake in mad dough. Could be either or both, IMHO.
Re:George Lucas actually listened to his fans? (Score:2)
That 2 headed sportscaster who talked like Howard Cosel however...
(Cosel, Kosel...?)
Re:George Lucas actually listened to his fans? (Score:2, Funny)
The Duck, actually.
Re:George Lucas actually listened to his fans? (Score:2)
With some cameo directing by Dario Argento:
EXT., PALACE (long shot)
JAR JAR BINKS staggers into the camera's field of view. Blood is spurting from him in huge gouts, making puddles wherever he walks. There is a knife in his belly, and he is gripping it with both hands, as if afraid to pull it out for fear of losing his intestines. Camera slowly pans in while revolving around him.
JAR JAR: "Meesa dunna feel so good!"
(jump shot, midrange): swarm of locusts comes into view over the palace
JAR JAR spots locusts, begins to trot in the opposite direction, panting heavily and lurching from side to side.
JAR JAR: "Meesa have to find shelter, oh dokey!"
(jump shot long range): a pack of rabid wolves comes loping up the street, following the trail of blood.
(jump shot close range): JAR JAR splashes into a duck pond to lose the wolves. The swarm of locusts gets closer.
(underwater shot): four or five sharks catch the scent of blood in the water and begin circling JAR JAR's legs. The wolves start splashing into the water's edge. The locusts start descending.
That's enough for now. I'll leave this script open-ended. :)
-Legion
Jar-Jar is next (Score:5, Funny)
Come on slashdotters, get those anger votes in!!! We can change history and have a Jar-Jar-free Episode II and III. Let's get those Natalie Portman nude scenes in there while we're at it. Gee, I never thought mob rule could be more fun than good ol' democracy...
Democracy is... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Democracy is... (Score:5, Insightful)
No, true democracy is "rule by the mob" (Score:3, Insightful)
That should read "everybody gets what the majority wants."
And in America (but spreading) majority==most money. Still, the good old days when majority==most armaments can be found here and there...
Re:No, true democracy is "rule by the mob" (Score:2)
"We live in a democarcy"
"We are ruled by corporations"
therefore
"Rule by corporate interests is democracy."
Irrefutable logic.
I hate to bust your bubble, but rule by a moneyed minority is, by definition, not democracy. I'm with you in deploring the corruption of the democratic process that has lead to increasing corporate plutocracy, but blaming democracy for it is not the way to go.
Re:Democracy IS mob rule (Score:2)
No more clones (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:No more clones (Score:2, Funny)
That's true, there is no greater example of fools than the internet!
Another one... (Score:5, Informative)
Way to support the community, guys.
Re:Another one... (Score:4, Insightful)
Oh, settle down. If you actually read your own link [slashdot.org] you would notice that SourceForge disabled the download because the file size was unreasonable. Would you sacrifice d/l rates for all of sf.net just so people can transfer 200GB/day worth of Simply GNUStep?
Besides, one of the SF guys posted a solution that would allow them to distribute the load.
Yopy is a sacrifice to the Beast of Redmond (Score:3, Flamebait)
Re:Yopy is a sacrifice to the Beast of Redmond (Score:2)
This is not likely. MS is not in commanding position in that market. Yopy looked cool but its better that they cancelled the project now than after launch and leaving a significant of people stranded. I think they sold a few "development" systems at a fairly high price wonder if they will refund some of that expense. That would be a classy thing to do and would provide a fair amount of good publicity.
Re:Yopy is a sacrifice to the Beast of Redmond (Score:2)
Why? If the people who bought the "development" systems had developed apps I doubt Samsung would have canned it...
Re:Yopy is a sacrifice to the Beast of Redmond (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Yopy is a sacrifice to the Beast of Redmond (Score:4, Interesting)
It's all about the golden rule. Who has the gold, makes the rules.
Rejoice! (Score:2, Funny)
But wait! Think of the larger implications! If we keep this up, Microsoft will just give up one day and shut their doors! I know it!
Congratulations.
Dropping the YOPY (Score:2)
I wonder if there's any chance of this system still making it out into the world in the form of GPLed software, patches, or an emulator for people to hack around with. Maybe sometime in the future this will still surface (fingers crossed).
Re:Dropping the YOPY (Score:2)
Samsung's spokesman probably is denying that they'll distribute it themselves, which is not news.
At least they were going to die... (Score:5, Insightful)
"* 30 seconds into the first scene, the boy-band N*Sync can bee seen to the right of the transport. 5 seconds later, they are blown to bits."
Oh well. I mean, I hate all those processed-pop bands, but it would have been cool in retrospect if it had been done tounge in cheek. I mean, after all, 'Attack of the clones' and boy bands? Who can't see the irony?
Re:At least they were going to die... (Score:2)
This isn't necessarily definitive, either. E! Online is reporting that it's still George's call [yahoo.com]. This might, in fact, just be a ploy to get everyone to shut-up about it. Then Lucas could still sneak the cameos in without the majority of SW fanatics knowing until well afterwards, if ever at all.
I don't care either way, personally; people are making too big a deal about nothing. If the original Star Wars can have Billy Dee Williams in a major role, Episode II can have some meaningless pop stars amidst a hundred other extras in non-speaking, uncredited roles.
Re:At least they were going to die... (Score:2)
Don't know about you, but I'd settle for seeing without the effects...
I send you this message... (Score:2, Funny)
Damn you, send me your name, address, and phone number so my family of lawyers can contact you because I am going to sue you for costing me $4800 a day in lost wages. My cousins Larry, Moe, and Curley will be calling real soon, from my home phone.
Signed,
Bernard Shifman
Shifman Consulting
2828 N. Burling St.
Ste. 402
Chicago, IL 61108
Real compression from effnet inc. (Score:2, Offtopic)
http://www.eetimes.com/story/OEG20020108S0054
The basic idea is that the compression of the packet header becomes more and more important as the compression of the payload of the packet also increases.. since the compression ratio for the actual data is already pretty good, effnet is working on compressing the packet headers with good success. They claim an increase in traffic over a t-1 from 90 VoIP channels up to 234..
that's real.
Re:Real compression from effnet inc. (Score:3, Funny)
*40:2*? Holy shit! This could save my company $80m/year! We thought our 20:1 was pretty good but THIS!
Add Yopy to the Annual Vaporware List... (Score:2, Interesting)
"A Samsung representative also confirmed the cancellation of Yopy, the company's planned Linux-based PDA."
Remember the fancy Yopy demos on CeBIT 2000? The add-on camera on top of one of them? The amazingly colorful display? The concept of extensibility with e. g. a GSM cell phone, a GPS receiver, a TV set, some storage and whatever.
Exactly that kind of concept has actually been available for about a year - not Samsung's Yopy but Compaq's iPAQ, and it's running GNU/Linux.
Of course it's an hoax... (Score:5, Insightful)
PPA -- the girl next door.
Re:Of course it's an hoax... (Score:2)
So I guess if gziping a gzip file doesn't make it any smaller, then gzip must be a hoax.
Re:Of course it's an hoax... (Score:2)
% cat xkobo-1.11.tar | gzip -c9 | wc -c
71789
% cat xkobo-1.11.tar | gzip -c9 | gzip -c9 | wc -c
71608
Now that's only saving
Re:Of course it's an hoax... (Score:2)
Well, the company claims the can compress "virtually random" data, whatever that means. If this isn't a hoax, it probably means that they can compress data with unobvious patterns.
Re:Of course it's an hoax... (Score:5, Insightful)
It is easy to prove that it is impossible for any lossless compression scheme to compress every file, or to compress random data more than half the time. This is why their claims to get around entropy and supercede Shannon's work are so ridiculous.
The informal version of the proof is something like:
Digital files are essentially numbers.
Bigger files have more bits.
There are 2^n possible files n bits long.
Compression is essentially using shorter numbers to index longer numbers.
There are many more longer numbers than shorter numbers.
So, no matter what indexing scheme you choose, there won't be enough short numbers to go around.
So, you can only index some of the long numbers.
So, you can only compress some files.
And that's it... For any encryption method, there are files it can't compress. Period. In fact, for any encrytion method, there are so many more big numbers than small numbers that you won't be able to compress most files.
The reason you don't notice this, and gzip and Zip and the rest actually work really well in practice is that humans tend to be interested in a very tiny fraction of all the possible numbers/files out there.
We don't usually have large random files. Our files tend to have lots of structure, lots of repetition... this is "entropy", and Shannon's proofs about information entropy are very deep and very brilliant.
Personally, I think it's more likely that someone will find a way to bypass Einstein's theory of relativity than to bypass Shannon's theory of information entropy.
.
Re:Of course it's an hoax... (Score:2)
Given that a huge string of 0's is bound to come up in a random number stream, I'm quite certain I could come up with a 100,000 to 1 compression rate for "essentially random" data given sufficient funding.
Any buyers?
Re:Of course it's an hoax... (Score:2)
Lucas caved? (Score:2, Insightful)
Lucas is such a known control freak, I *highly* doubt that he got rid of the cameo (if he did) because of public uproar. Supposedly, he put in the cameo because his daughter is major fan on N'Sync.
I don't understand what the big deal was anyway. It's not as if they were singing the theme song or something. If you don't like their music, grow up and deal with it.
Not to mention that I bet 98% of the whiners have never even listened to one of their albums.
Jar Jar (Score:2, Funny)
Yopy is still out there... (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Yopy is still out there... (Score:2)
Good to see that g.mate is continuing with it... If they where canceling it.. purchasers of the developer model would be really mad for wasting $700 on a dead product.
Linux PDA (Score:3, Informative)
"Royal Consumer Information Products, best known for low-cost commodity appliances like shredders and postal scales, this week became the first to announce a low-cost color PDA based on the Linux operating system.
The $299 device, set for launch in the U.S. by the middle of this year, will be one of the cheapest color handhelds on the market, and also promises to bring Linux to a wider potential market. New color devices from Palm, for example, cost about $100 more than Royal's handheld. "
Re:Linux PDA more info (Score:3, Informative)
http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS4430982785.h
I always associated Royal with low-quality, but if they're not actually building the hardware themselves, and if there will be Linux synching, well that might be pretty cool. Nothing about Mac software though.
What happens? Simple. (Score:2)
ReplayTV show sharing site. (Score:3, Interesting)
Nsync got the shaft (Score:5, Insightful)
So George Lucas has a 14 year old daughter, and he thought he'd shut her up by giving N'Sync 3 seconds of screen time. Big fucking deal. It's not like this affects the integrity of the film in any way, shape, or form. It was a fucking cameo for God's sake, and a very short one at that. Rich and famous people get cameo's in movies and TV all the time. 99% of you wouldn't have even noticed it until the DVD came out, and you found the exact time refrence on the Internet.
I don't listen to N'Sync or anything like it, but I've never understood why anyone would hate them. Christ, they're a band. It's not like pop music should be taken as a personal affront by anyone. No one is making you listen to it. N'Sync isn't running around the country raping your girlfriends and daughters. What, are you so insecure you can't stand it that some boy band is more popular with teenage girls than you are?
You don't think N'Sync aren't big-time Star Wars fans? You don't think they weren't psyched to get this? Any of you people would be thrilled by an opportunity like this. Basically what this comes down to is petty jealosy, pure and simple. N'Sync is already rich and famous, why should they be so lucky. How dare they bespoil my movie, those bastards. Grow up, all you lamer fanboys who bitched and moaned about this. Don't you have better things to worry about besides who get's blown up by blaster fire in a movie?
George Lucas in Bevely Hills Cop 3 (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Nsync got the shaft (Score:5, Funny)
Well I'm glad you control the stereo in your house. Some of us have 13 year old sisters :(
Re:Nsync got the shaft (Score:5, Funny)
MTV Exec: Evidently, the thing people who read this slashdot web-thingy hate most is when puppy dog eyed young men sing bubblegum and dance in unison.
MTV VP: Ex-cellent. (ala Monty Burns) Cancel 'Daria' and run a four hour special on where O-Town buys their jeans. That'll show 'em.
MTV Exec: After that, they hate AOL.
MTV VP: We'll stream babble from an AOL chatroom across the bottom of the screen.
MTV Exec: Yes, my master. Soon it will be time to reveal ourselves.
What, are you so insecure you can't stand it that some boy band is more popular with teenage girls than you are?
Yes, but I judge women purely on their secondary sexual characteristics, so on the pop music front it pretty much balances out.
N'Sync isn't running around the country raping your girlfriends and daughters.
That's a tautology, since we slashdotters have neither.
Re:Nsync got the shaft (Score:5, Informative)
I hate them because they are a symbol of modern pop culture, the marketing machine that calculates what you should think and then creates it. I hate that the fans, my fellow Americans, who are completely ignorant to the fact that they were atrifically created, a T-1000 of the year 2000, a puppet, a robot to suck money out of the pockets of young teen's parents and to sway the fragile and youthful minds into a 'market share'.
I hate the fact that they are the drug of the industrailist machine that keeps its workers happy and ignorant, a 'soma' in this Brave New World.
I hate the fact that they are the icons of conformist pop culture, a culture that spits on any other ideas, a culture that breeds ignorance and a culture that so typifies America.
"N'Sync" is the marketing term for this. It is the name of the symbol. It is a buzz word more then a band, the shwastika of music industry.
The people in the band are probably cool kids and they got the shaft as soon as they signed up for the band. Their lives are probably controlled by "image" and "popularity" however that was the deal with the devil that they accepted when they willfully signed.
If my burger sucks I'll complain to the waitress. She didn't make the burger, 'I shouldn't take it out on her' but if I put pressure on her to make a better burger, she'll go to the cook and proxy the pressure. I don't have access to the cook.
I hate pop culture because I hate mass ignorance and I hate the pressure that so many teen agers go through to 'conform' with twig-thin bodies, cool clothes and the perfect attitude. I state my disdain with this to the waitress of pop culture, "N'Sync" so that the back-line cooks, the marketing gurus of pop culture may hear it through proxy.
It's all about the ad $$$ (Score:5, Insightful)
-----
IMUHO the truly funny thing about all of this is that anyone who understands classical science fiction understands that the relationship between Star Wars and SF is exactly the same as the relationship between N*sync and the thousands of excellent, non-manufactured musicians performing in bars and clubs across the world.
People who crave epic fantasy productions** (in the Campbellian sense****) have no modern epic fantasy productions to enjoy. Therefore they become excited by the most trite and pitiful semblance thereof, provided it is well advertised. I.E. Star Wars becomes the biggest smash hit in hollywood history, and people who should know better still worship it 23 years later. Mel Brooks understood it [imdb.com] in 1987, yet the collective slashdot audience does not (even today, even with his help).
People who crave beautiful, passionate, exciting music** have no (readily apparent) beautiful modern music to enjoy. Therefore they become excited by the most trite and pitiful semblance thereof, provided it is well advertised. I.E. N*sync becomes becomes the biggest smash hit in music history, while Derek Dick, the greatest lyricist in the world, holds an estate sale to feed his wife and daughter. Weird Al understood it [imdb.com] well before 1985, yet the vast majority of targets*^*^* do not (even today, even with his help).
It's hilarious.
-----
The original SW was vain, insipid, proselytizing, and fscking annoying- a symptom of a diseased culture- if for no other reason than that there is no better alternative. With all the incredible pieces of art which have been produced in that field, in the seminal literature which both defines and accompanies humanity as we progress towards our destiny, a story about a white trash farmer's son who blows up a space station is the best we can hope for??? At least the Good Guys(tm) win.
Star Wars was successful because 1) it was (fairly) well done (especially in comparison with other sf films of the time) 2) it was advertised like no other film in history and 3)Lucas understood enough about human nature to know what appealed to the people he was trying to sell to. EXACTLY the same reasons N*synch are successful. The reason you don't remember it is because your parents were the victims, not yourselves. Or, perhaps, because the advertising that was targetted at you was successful, while N*sync advertising is not successful b/c it is not targetted at you.
David Brin, back before the trolls drove him from slashdot, had an incredible post about this exact subject. Too bad I don't have time to try to find it...
6 prophecies:
[1] In 10 years, current N*sync fans will not be fans of (insert 2012 boy band name here). They will have children, and say that fans of (insert 2012 boy band name here) are vain, insipid, proselytizing, and fscking annoying. The reason they are fans of N*sync today is that the advertisements for N*sync(2002) are targetted towards them, while the advertisements for N*sync(2012) will be targetted at their children.
[2]You will pay to take your children to see Star wars Episode VII- and it will suck just as badly as I-VI. People who think Star Wars Episode I was awesome will agree that it sucks.
[3]Your children will love it. They will also have N*Sync(2012) posters above their beds.
[4]You won't understand your children's POV, and your children will think "parents just don't uderstand...".
[5]Lucasfilms/"Free Lance Entertainment" [freelanceent.com] (lol) will laugh all the way to the bank
[6]Rev. Neh Scudder will still think 1-5 are hilarious.
Rev. Neh
First Prophet
**all people, as in, symptomatic of human nature. Endemic. See any Joseph Campbell book for details.
****either Joseph or John
*^*^* {that select portion of western civilization which has sufficient disposable income to purchase large quantities of compact disks, i.e. 14 year old girls}
George Lucas did what? (Score:2)
Judging by the cult-ish following of his movies, I thought George Lucas was in the business of making public opinion, not bowing to it.
Re:George Lucas did what? (Score:4, Interesting)
I think part of that is because the first SW movie came out in 1977. Most of us who were even born then had to have our parents drive us to the movies to see it. And then we prayed for a ton of SW stuff for birthdays and X-Mas so we could make our own version of the SW universe in the living room with our best friend. Now let those memories sit in the nostalgia machine for 20 years, you've got some powerful mojo working there.
So now, when we think 'new Star Wars movie' we relate it to when we were little kids and in absolute awe of these movies. It's like it's YOUR movie, and it's still your own universe for you and your best friend. So, one is highly polarized about the subject, there's very little middle ground. Aspects of these new movies are either loved or hated, and people get very vocal, especially since we're all so easily heard on the 'net.
At least that's what I think. Me, I'm still kicking myself for not keeping all the original Star Wars toys I got as a kid.
Re:George Lucas did what? (Score:2, Flamebait)
Star Wars was a fluke. It had ahead-of-its-time special effects, and a simple plot that appeals to idiots, while trying to remain subtle enough not to offend slightly smarter viewers.
Moderators- Strong opinions are not flamebait, even if you disagree with them.
'Artistic integrity' (Score:2, Funny)
Maybe it would save time if he posted any script changes to Slashdot and we can mod them up and down: (Score 3, 'Funny'; Score 4, 'Jah-Jah suffering visibly'; Score 0 'Overrated')
N'Sync Not Out of the Picture Yet (Score:2, Informative)
And there you have it.
Sorry to burst your bubble but N'Sync is ... (Score:5, Informative)
theforce.net : Bye, Bye, Bye 'NSync? Not So Fast [theforce.net]
No Samsung? So what (Score:2)
Just my $0.02
Unseasonably Warm (Score:2, Offtopic)
Warm here in Minnesota too. If you've been paying any attention whatsoever to the weather in the last 10 years you have to wonder if climate change is playing a role. I'm convinced it is.
It's going to be pretty difficult for skeptics to argue the scientific merits of the "theory" of climate change when they can walk outside on any given day and experience it firsthand.
We need to do something about this pronto. Otherwise our descendents are going to have a lot more important things to chat about than compression schemes and pop bands.
Re:Unseasonably Warm (Score:2)
Maybe They Might Be Giants could take their spot. (Score:2)
Anybody want yopy.org? (Score:2)
-russ
At first glance.... (Score:2)
Secondly, although it might have been somewhat tacky, placing members of a boy band as clones had a certain ironic twist to it that made the whole idea work out well.
And third... the opportunity to see a boy band get blown to bits overrules my desire to not see an uncorruptable starwars movie. Its already been contaminated anyways. It's got JarJar.
-Restil
Re:PVRs: Just TiVo it (Score:2)
Of course, having used both, and owning a TiVo, I must say that I find the TiVo user interface a thousand times better then a ReplayTV..
Re:Yay... (Score:3, Informative)
Re: compression (Score:5, Informative)
The problem with the millions of half-thought out compression ideas is exactly that: They're half thought out. It's easy to think "Well I'll just search for sequences in pi because pi is infinitely long and if you had an infinite number of monkeys....". It all comes down to entropy or the variability in a particular bit space (yup I yabbled about this in another post), and the simple cold hard reality is that 1 byte can represent no more than 256 different "realities", versus 2 bytes which can hold 65536 different values : 2 bytes cannot POSSIBLY represent every combination of values that could be contained by even 3 bytes (which has 16777216 different combinations): There is no trick or slight of hand to get around this basic mathematical fact.
That basic fact immediately discounts and proves impossible any compressibility of random data, absolutely and non-refutably. Imagine up ways to store floating point numbers, or to "3d encapsulate the space-time continuum", but it all comes down to entropy, and the limitation of it when trying to represent X amount of data in
Re: compression (Score:2)
Well, that's a little harsh for talking about a statistical phenomenon. Since random numbers are randomly distributed in state space as well as numerically, it is true that roughly 50% of N-bit numbers will contain N bits of entropy; the other 50% will contain less. 25% will contain N-2 bits of entropy, and so on. In fact, one randomly chosen number in every 2^(N-1) will contain only one bit of entropy (you have to pick all 1's sooner or later)!
Re: compression (Score:4, Informative)
2) there's no reason to assume you gain anything by doing these transforms. On average, you will have 1:1 compression ratio. Unless...
3) your functions are not just generic CRC, MD5, etc. but rather some smart functions that allow to describe some patterns in the original file in a compact way. I this case, what you described is just another way of modelling of your original data.
JFYI, most of the current compressor algorithms work logically in 2 steps:
a) find the optimal way to model the original data; transform the original data using the new "alphabet" (in other words, map it into the new parametric space)
b) apply one of the entropy coding schemes (Huffman, arithmetic, range-coding, etc.)
The (b) part is easily presented/solved mathematically (btw, the arithmetic coding is the optimal one). However, the (a) part is complex. Most importantly, modelling it context-dependent. IMHO, the standard hash functions will not work well
Re: compression (Score:5, Interesting)
If you send *only* 16-byte messages, no larger, no smaller, that's 2^(8*16) = 2^128 possible messages. Each message is 16 bytes, so 2^132 bytes, or 5.4e39 bytes. Oops, twice that since you need to store what each message transform to, so call it an even 1e40 bytes.
Let's say a 100GB = 1e11 disk costs $100=1e2 in volume today. You'll need only 1e40/1e11 = 1e29 disks, costing a low, low $1e31. That's
$10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.
I will leave other considerations - where will you store these disks, how will you power them, etc., as an exercise for the reader.
Fortunately, the sum total of all bit patterns of less than 16 bytes is the same. (Ignoring the storage requirements for the hashed value, I assume you'll create a 'bin' for each hash value.) Unforutnately, the price doubles again as you add each bit.
A second exercise for the reader: how may bits can you handle before you need more storage requirements than number of atoms in the earth? I haven't done the math, but I doubt it's more than a hundred bytes or so.
Re: compression (Score:2)
Another thing would be is it possible to "decode" a hash inteligently - because there would be almost no way that this would work if you had to "brute force" all the data. I suppose this will get to something like "we can't do this intelligently and brute force will take too much time"
Gee, is college worthwhile? Was: Re: compression (Score:5, Insightful)
People sometimes ask if college is worthwhile for studying CS. One good thing about it is that you learn not to try and design impossible compression algorithms. This isn't like P=NP, or any other hard CS problem which isn't completely answered. Or like the speed of light being absolute, which may or not be true. You simply can't design an algorithm which will make all inputs smaller, and have it be reversable.
For those of you who have not had any 101 level CS classes, here's why. If all outputs from your algorithm are smaller than the inputs, then you have fewer possible outputs than inputs. If this is the case, there have to be multiple inputs which compress to the same output. When it comes time to decompress the output, you will have no way of knowing which input was used to generate the output. Hence your algorithm will not be able to properly decompress the output.
Compression algorithms work because they are designed to make the typical file smaller, while compressing the uncommon inputs into larger outputs. Usually the common files have lots of redundancy in them, which makes it fairly easy to design compression algorithms, especially for readable text.
Actually, most good compression programs cheat a little bit. If they detect that the output is going to be larger than the input, they don't compress the file at all. Which means that all outputs are one bit larger than the output file size, because one bit of information is stored in the fact that the program did or did not compress the file. Logically, that
Now lossy compression is a whole different story. You can compress as much as you want, based upon how much loss you think is acceptable. I could easily design a lossy image compression scheme that compressed all pictures down to a single bit, but some folks might find that simply calling pictures 'light' and 'dark' is a little too lossy to be useful. But the important fact is that in any lossy compression scheme, there are multiple inputs which map to single outputs. And that's fine because you don't care if you get the exact file back when you decompress the output.
Re:Gee, is college worthwhile? Was: Re: compressio (Score:2)
Um, OK. Whatever. Are you trying to say that with enough processing power, you can compress all inputs into smaller outputs? It you think that, you miss the whole point. See, you are focused on the "seemingly random" input, and sure, you might be able to compress the ones that only "seem" to be random, but aren't. What you are forgetting is that we are talking about all possible inputs, including the random ones. Just because you think you have some great way of compressing some inputs does not mean you have some way of compressing all inputs.
Re: compression (Score:5, Interesting)
If you're saying what I think you're saying, you are :)
If i get you right, you get a bunch of hashes (crc, md5 etc). You then transmit them to the recipient who generates a list of all files that each could represent, and finds the one that is in all lists. Superficial objections: very slow, large amount of disk space, hashes may not be reversible except by brute force which is unthinkable (hash all possible n-byte files and look for this).
Deeper objection: this does not seem to take advantages in patterns in the data, and this is the only way compression can work. If n bytes can be compressed into n-1, then the data is redundant. Therefore, if this method works, it should work for everything. This would then compress everything, which is impossible, even more so (!?) since every compressed file would have the same size. To see why, compress all 256^N n byte files into B byte concatenated hashes==compressed files (less than N bytes). For the process to be reversible, the compressed files must be unique, however there are only 256^B Executive summary: compress all possible files, they are all smaller. There are not enough smaller files, so compressed files are not unique. Thus it is not reversible.
The result of this is that compression will (on average) mean that there is more than one file satisfying all hashes. For a unique file satisfying all hashes, on average the total hashes will be at least as big as the file.
Re: compression (Score:2)
but if you use another hashing algorithm, you will get your original file and a whole bunch of garbage byte streams.
If you find exact matches from both of the algorithims, you have found your original file.
Re:How did *you* end up with mod points?? (n/t) (Score:2)
Re: compression... why not? (Score:2)
Re:Damnit it doesn't matter (Score:2, Funny)
now be a good one and go back to kuro5hin where everybody spells america with a 'k'.
Re:Damnit it doesn't matter (Score:3, Informative)
"amerika" (uncapitalized, and with a k) is the only way to make it come out right in a Japanese editor.
¥¥á¥ê¥
Re:George Lucas has lost it, for sure. (Score:5, Funny)
The Star Wars franchise went into the toilet with their first Muppet.
What, that thing in the trash compactor? "into the toilet" indeed!
Re:George Lucas has lost it, for sure. (Score:2)
There's a fine line between that suspenseful trash compactor creature and Oscar the Grouch. Lucas lost me when he turned Episode VI into a puppet theater with the Ewoks.
Compare that with, say, the look of horror on Han Solo's face when he was encased in carbonite in The Empire Strikes Back. The first two (chronological) movies weren't aimed at the kiddies nearly as much as the third and fourth were.
-Legion
Re:George Lucas has lost it, for sure. (Score:2)
That look of horror was because, at the moment of freezing, the life of the entire Star Wars franchise flashed before Han Solo's eyes.
Re:George Lucas has lost it, for sure. (Score:3, Interesting)
Has anyone noticed the striking parallels between Star Wars and Lord of the Rings?
Kenobi == Gandalf
Skywalker == Frodo
Solo == Aragorn (maybe)
Vader == Saruman, (or the Balrog)
Palpatine == Sauron
Death Star == Moria
Tattoine == The Shire
Mos Eisley == Bree
That thing in the compactor == That thing in the black pools outside moria
R2/D2 / the plans == The One Ring
Fuck the mana burn, I'm pissed. (Score:2, Insightful)
"Because of Jar Jar Binks, I have not seen Phantom Menace, and don't intend to."
Jesus Christ, you people whine a lot. It's only a fricken movie. You have no financial stake in it. And it's not like you go to them because it will impress your friends. If you like the story, go see it, otherwise go see Scream 54, or some animated Disney softcore porn. Go beat off at home to one of those t&a flicks at Blockbuster. Just stop acting like George Lucas has to make the movie you always dreamed of, just because you may have seen a couple of his previous movies.