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Comment Re:I still use it (Score 1) 125

I too still use the DVD/BD service, Lately I have found that its older non-american titles that I can't find on Netflix or other streaming services (I have hulu thru my phone company w/"Limited" commercials, haha unwatchable)

Specifically older UK and Australian titles that weren't even released in movie theaters in the US.

Its also great for great classic old series that haven't made it onto a streaming service (All in the Family for instance).

That's the thing with the DVD service, if it was available for sale on DVD the studio can't restrict it or expire it like they do for streaming.

I love watching the Netflix created content via streaming, but w/o the DVD service, there are things you may want to see you could only find used or on ebay h. Not everyone only watches new releases, there are a 100 years of wonderful movies out there and only a fraction of them are available streaming.

That said, the price keeps inching upward, I'm on the most basic plan now just so I can fill in the gaps when I want to see one of the forementioned types of movies/TV shows... There is a point of diminishing returns on this however, currently i'm ok with the price, but I reevaluate the benefit I am getting with every hike... At some point it won't be worth it, hopefully they don't shoot themselves in the foot and out-price the people that still find this service valuable.

-yy1

Comment Re:Pretty depressing (Score 1) 169

I think the precident for this is the Apple vs Microsoft suit in the 80's when Windows came out, Apple claimed "look and feel" was too similar.

They lost.

I'd say both companies are doing ok now, so when a competitor copies you, your only real option is to keep innovating.

Innovate or DIE!

-yy1

Comment Re:I miss albums (Score 1) 295

I saw some show where there was a music producer that lameted that the death of the album (which will be be cemented with the death of CDs) meant that every song has to be a "hit". Gone were the gems on the album that you didn't like first play, even the 2nd play, but the 5th+ time you heard them you started to "get" it.

I recognized this phenomena back when I used to copy my CD's to cassette tape to listen to in the car (car CD players still skipped all the time). Songs that I would just skip with my CD remote, I now had to listen to in the car or start fiddling with the FF while I was driving. I noticed I found these "5th play" songs and some of these are still my favorite songs to this day. These are what made albums truly stand out.

As well, there is the artistry described by the parent, where the album is not just a collection of songs, but a cohesive listening experience. When I rip my cds, I still put the whole album on my phone, but there is not much incentive for artists to create albums like this if there is no medium for them to exist on.

Its a shame, another nail in coffin of the dying music industry. Pretty soon music will just be something to put in soundtracks of movies and shows.

Transportation

iPad Steering Wheel Mount 230

kevin7kal writes "The Apple iPad is the ideal automotive communications and entertainment device. It is sized perfectly to mount using the iPad Steering Wheel Mount without obscuring the driver's view. 'I don't think that I am exaggerating when I say that the iPad Steering Wheel Mount probably has saved my life...'"

Submission + - Parliament: Record companies "blackmail" users

Kijori writes: "Lord Lucas, a member of the UK House of Lords, has accused record companies of blackmailing internet users by accusing people of copyright infringement who have no way to defend themselves. "You can get away with asking for £500 or £1,000 and be paid on most occasions without any effort having to be made to really establish guilt. It is straightforward legal blackmail." The issue is that there is no way for people to prove their innocence, since the record company's data is held to be conclusive proof, and home networking equipment does not log who is downloading what. Hopefully, at the very least, the fact that parliament has realised this fact will mean that copyright laws will get a little more sane."
Space

Submission + - Carnegie Mellon to build Lunar X-Prize robot

Anonymous Coward writes: "Google's Lunar X-Prize already has a prominent entry, William Whittaker, a researcher from Carnegie Mellon University said that he will be assembling a team to development a robot that will be be competing for the $20 million grand prize. According to this story, Whittaker has some unfair advantage, as he has developed a pretty cool lunar rover for NASA that "can find concentrations of hydrogen, possibly water and other volatile chemicals on the moon that could be mined to produce fuel, water and air that are essential for supporting lunar outposts." The Lunar X-Prize runs until the end of 2012 and Carnegie Mellon's announcement could be a first indication that reserachers are taking this challenge very seriously."
Power

Submission + - Cooler silicon lasers thanks to energy harvesting

Light Licker writes: UCLA researchers have developed a way to cut power use and heat output from a silicon laser used for optoelectronics. Both have been problems because silicon absorbs too much light — producing high-energy free electrons that make heat. One of Intel's best silicon lasers produced 125 times more heat than usable light. The UCLA team added a diode to their laser which can harvest free electrons and use them to help power the circuit — simultaneously cutting heat output and power use.

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