Linked by Thom Holwerda on Thu 19th Aug 2010 22:28 UTC
You know, I really like America and its citizens. Beautiful country, lovely people, nothing but good experiences on my end. However, like everyone else, the US has its problems, and one particular annoying one is the power of lobby and interests groups. I couldn't believe my eyes when I read that the RIAA and NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) are asking Congress to mandate FM chips in all portable devices - cell phones, mp3 players, PDAs, everything. Wait, what?
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RE: Someone explain this to me ...
by techweenie1 on Thu 19th Aug 2010 22:47
in reply to "Someone explain this to me ..."
Member since:2008-10-15
2001?! FM Radio has been dead for ages..FM Radio is so 1981!! I stopped listening to FM Radio in the 1990s because it stopped playing anything worth listening to....this is basically more failed "stimulus" thrown at me and you, for the purpose of keeping a failed business on life support. Mind you that FM could flourish if it actually played something that people aside from illegals, teenagers and thugs could enjoy.
RE[2]: Someone explain this to me ...
by WorknMan on Thu 19th Aug 2010 23:13
in reply to "RE: Someone explain this to me ..."
Member since:2005-11-13
RE: Someone explain this to me ...
by Michael Oliveira on Fri 20th Aug 2010 04:46
in reply to "Someone explain this to me ..."
RE: Someone explain this to me ...
by matako on Fri 20th Aug 2010 07:34
in reply to "Someone explain this to me ..."
Member since:2009-02-13
On those rare occasions I don't have my phone with me, the FM radio in my car is tuned to the local top 40 station, and I shit you not... I hear Katy Perry's 'California Gurls' every time I get in the car. And I mean EVERY TIME...
Question...
Why is it that every time
I turn on the radio,
I hear the same five songs
fifteen times a day for three months?
Man...
FUNK DAT!
Get a new DJ!
(Sagat, Funk Dat)
RE: Someone explain - only once every time?
by jabbotts on Fri 20th Aug 2010 16:54
in reply to "Someone explain this to me ..."
Member since:2007-09-06
In a five minute carpool ride from work to home, I've easily hear the latest "hot" song more than three times. How to kill an interesting song dead; add it to radio. Why play lots of great music when you can overplay a few songs into repetitive oblivion. It's like english cooking; boil it 'till the flavor's gone and the structure is mush.
So, now that the radio broadcasters are driving away customers and/or not keeping up with technology, they want to mandate radio FM radio receivers in all devices. I don't recall the AM folks trying to mandate receivers for that band when FM eclipsed them. I haven't seen any historical record of the ice delivery industry trying to mandate ice consumption when refrigeration eclipsed the basic icebox.
In the US it's worse with the FCC granting duopoly over digital radio which effecively destroyed any possability of natural market competition. Even better that they said "ok, you two companies can have digital radio but you are barred from ever merging". There, that will insure competition right? A few short years ago 'uh, we both spent all the money you gave us to start this industry and we're both going to be bankrupt unless you let us merge' - "oh, well, alright then".. and now the US has a monopoly owned digital radio industry. Bravo!!
(I'm unsure if we're any different north of the border or if we're just as hosed by having only he US digial radio providers in our regions.)
RE[2]: Someone explain - only once every time?
by Chicken Blood on Fri 20th Aug 2010 18:05
in reply to "RE: Someone explain - only once every time?"
Member since:2005-12-21
RE[2]: Someone explain - only once every time?
by WorknMan on Fri 20th Aug 2010 20:26
in reply to "RE: Someone explain - only once every time?"
Member since:2005-11-13
In the US it's worse with the FCC granting duopoly over digital radio which effecively destroyed any possability of natural market competition. Even better that they said "ok, you two companies can have digital radio but you are barred from ever merging". There, that will insure competition right? A few short years ago 'uh, we both spent all the money you gave us to start this industry and we're both going to be bankrupt unless you let us merge' - "oh, well, alright then".. and now the US has a monopoly owned digital radio industry. Bravo!!
Eh, that's alright... with services like Slacker, Pandora, etc, satellite radio's days are numbered anyway. Just wait until they get this technology built into car stereos, so you don't have to stream them from your phone anymore.
RE: Someone explain this to me ...
by StychoKiller on Sat 21st Aug 2010 03:15
in reply to "Someone explain this to me ..."
Member since:2005-09-20
News
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Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/22/13 13:30 UTC, submitted by JRepin
"It is with huge pleasure that the Debian GNU/Hurd team announces the release of Debian GNU/Hurd 2013. This is a snapshot of Debian 'sid' at the time of the Debian 'wheezy' release (May 2013), so it is mostly based on the same sources. It is not an official Debian release, but it is an official Debian GNU/Hurd port release." Important note: 75% of Debian packages are supported bu Debian GNU/Hurd. Impressive.
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Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/21/13 21:45 UTC
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Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/21/13 15:53 UTC
The new WebKit Opera for Android has been released. "Opera 14 for Android is built on top of Chromium 26, with a total overhaul of the UI in native code, making it fit well with the latest Android design guidelines. Go get the build from Google Play or point your browser to m.opera.com, and give it a spin!"
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/20/13 22:43 UTC
The Verge pointed me to a blog post by Leap Motion - which reveals how their Kinect-like motion control works with Windows 8. "From the second you plug in your Leap Motion Controller, you'll be able to browse the web and interact with your computer just by moving your hands and fingers in the air. With Leap Motion technology and Windows, you can do everything that's possible with multi-touch inputs - without actually touching anything. This also means that existing applications in Windows 7 and 8 will respond to your natural hand and finger movements. Soon, we'll show you how Leap Motion will work with Mac OS X." Quite cool.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/20/13 21:50 UTC
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Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/19/13 23:15 UTC
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Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/19/13 23:11 UTC, submitted by Drumhellar
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2005-11-13
How does having an FM radio chip in every phone offer more choices to consumers, when radio (at least in the US) simply plays the same crap over and over? (And why the hell do they assume the term 'consumers' is appropriate in this context?
FM radio is like so 2001. These days, I stream Slacker radio from my phone while in the car. On those rare occasions I don't have my phone with me, the FM radio in my car is tuned to the local top 40 station, and I shit you not... I hear Katy Perry's 'California Gurls' every time I get in the car. And I mean EVERY TIME... on the same station. Without exception. Even during 10 minute commutes they're playing it.
I say forget torture and waterboarding... our government should just put terrorists in a room and play this f**king song over and over again until they beg for mercy. They could also play Lil Wayne, but that would truly be cruel and unusual punishment.