elcanon - Slashdot User

Is the Line-in Jack On the Verge of Extinction? 411

Posted by timothy on Monday March 22, 2010 @06:59PM from the erasing-the-analog-hole dept.

SlashD0tter writes "Many older sound cards were shipped with line-out, microphone-in, and a line-in jacks. For years I've used such a line-in jack on an old Windows 2000 dinosaur desktop that I bought in 2000 (600 Mhz PIII) to capture the stereo audio signal from an old Technics receiver. I've used this arrangement to recover the audio from a slew of old vinyl LPs and even a few cassettes using some simple audio manipulating software from a small shop in Australia. I've noticed only recently, unfortunately, that all of the four laptops I've bought since then have omitted a line-in jack, forcing me to continue keeping this old desktop on life support. I've looked around for USB sound cards that include a line-in jack, but I haven't been too impressed by the selection. Is the line-in jack doomed to extinction, possibly due to lobbying from vested interests, or are there better thinking-outside-the-box alternatives available?"

Comment We, consumers, are Google's lifeline (Score 1) 289

by elcanon on Monday November 23, 2009 @11:51AM (#30203314) Attached to: Try Out Chrome OS In a Virtual Machine

Call me paranoiac! Call me antique! Tell me whatever you want, but THEY MUST BE OUT OF THEIR MINDS if they think I would leave ALL my stuff on THEIR SERVERS. It might be faster than blinking, but I simply DO-NOT-LIKE the paradigm they're trying to spread. It reminds me the "old" ATM machines, when a mainframe did all the processing. I guess I don't have to recall it was a bank who owned the mainframe and that you must pay them periodically. I think the idea of avoiding the startup delay is really cool, but has a SMALL detail.. data is stored on GOOGLE servers, which means if Google powers down their servers you cannot access your data. Tomorrow Google could say, "ok, since now you must pay to use our services.." And that's when you regret your decisions. I haven't mentioned the fact they can do whatever they want with the data in their servers (yeah.. yeah.. the data confidentiality agreement - i don't think so). Nevertheless, I think it might be suitable for some people in some cases. Computers would require less hardware, which is a pro. In summary, I like the idea of speed up the OS, but I think some stuff is private property and must remain as such (at least for my stuff).

I generally agree with you about the absurdity of trusting one company with *all* of your personal data. Call me optimstic, but I hope the marketplace and its ability to respond to choice (especially in the post-Web 2.0 world) will help us. Google starts charging for access tomorrow? EvilCo* acquires Google with a draconian TOS? These events create another opportunity for someone, small and scrappy, to unseat Google's dominance, something of which I'm certain Google is emiently aware. What feeds their stock price, value, and product pipeline? We do, with every query, click-through, and gmail message. If we go away from Google, they fade into oblivion. Therein lies the beauty of the marketplace. It's also why keeping the pipes (i.e. open-source technologies) free (as in freedom) is critical.

* Of course there is no provision for the data that EvilCo already has in this scenario. If this were to actually occur, those of us in the cloud are screwed, only at the mercy of whatever protections governing bodies can provide.

Submission + - FCC decides 4.6 billion minimum bid for Spectrum (wired.com)

Submitted by ChainedFei on Tuesday August 21, 2007 @05:12AM

ChainedFei writes: From Wired News, In a surprising turn for the Spectrum auction, the FCC have stated that the minimum bid for the C-block spectrum being offered in the auction will be $4.6 billion, which coincidentally was the amount that GOOG fronted as a minimum bid to endorse certain open standards for the spectrum being sold.

It is essentially a move to shut out smaller possible competitors while also maximizing the money the auction will generate for the grade-A areas of the spectrum. In addition, any single bidder wishing to purchase the entirety of the spectrum must front a minimum of $10 billion.

Comment Re:What's the big deal with wireless? (Score 1) 224

by elcanon on Friday October 27, 2006 @09:15AM (#16608528) Attached to: Next Generation of iPods to have Wi-Fi?

FUD. In my experience with the iTunes Store, Apple sends me an email RECEIPT each time a payment is drafted from my linked credit card, even if it just $.99. What's more, credit card issuers provide PROTECTIONS for consumers with unauthorized purchases, the key advantage to using credit cards in the first place. It seems crazy that Apple would not include a "Master Reset" function with a iPod with this type of feature, similar to that of your mobile phone that you would use if you sold your phone on eBay or elsewhere.

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