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Open Source

Open-Source Mini Sub Can Be Made On the Cheap 62

An anonymous reader writes "Eric Stackpole is a NASA engineer and avid outdoorsman. He is the chief designer of a cheap, portable underwater ROV that could change the way we explore our oceans. And he wants to make it so cheap and easy to build that anyone can do it. The device in question is the OpenROV, a small, lasercut contraption powered by several C-cells, a small, cheap computer and a webcam. Right now the price per vehicle is around $500-$600, As with all open source hardware projects, further development will likely drastically reduce the price. Or you can buy a kit for $750 and support the project, once the Kickstarter gets going."

Comment Re:One other thing... (Score 1) 1002

But the artists are making fractions of a percent on CD sales, and paying for their advances from that net payment... Many end up in debt, even after a fairly decent hit. And the engineers usually work for hire - they get paid once for the work and make no royalties for sales.

So the middlemen are screwing the artists (thousands, all but the top dozen or two per year, lose money) and grabbing all the cash from CD sales. Meanwhile, the engineers already made their livable but modest salary and get nothing (except possibly reputation) if a record goes multi-platinum.

These bastards are trying to save their own gravy train by claiming that the piracy is harming the artists. They are being disingenuous.

Piracy does sometimes harm artists, but it's not a black-and-white situation. Some piracy harms, but some piracy helps due to publicity. Personally, I'd rather become popular by giving good stuff away and letting people voluntarily pay for it - look at Jonathan Coulton's business model.

Comment Re:Fringe? (Score 1) 449

Here's the "Uncanny Valley" effect again. Fringe actually doesn't bother me because it's SO out there - to me it presents an expectation of "we're not even going to *try* to come close to the real world."

For this reason, I'm able to suspend disbelief without discomfort for Fringe; the "reality" is so cracked that I don't even try to compare it to real life.

Comment Re:Does TV count? (Score 1) 449

The Sound FX department may well not be braindead and probably do know the difference in sound. It's almost certain that they are being directed by others who care about the emotional/visceral impact of the sound and don't care much about accuracy. All storytelling does this in innumerable ways - compromise accuracy for spectacle and impact. Different people just have different taste for where and how much they are willing to suspend disbelief for those compromises.

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