So I'm watching IE7 carefully..
Nothing to be concerned about as a web developer I'm told. Hmm let's see..
- IE6 had so many security holes you could strain spaghetti
- Bill Gates leaving MS in '08
- AND MS has yet to acknowledge what a pile of crap WindowsME was
Rats always flee a sinking ship, right?
Too little too late if you ask me. Firefox has the goods to make IE7 look like a facelift as in cosmetic facelift but it remains to be seen if IE7 can affect the tide of FF users that's flowing in the direction of Gates and company.
Stay tuned.
Sunday, July 23, 2006
What it really takes..
In my experience listening to internet radio broadcasts over the past several years, I've come to realize two things.
1. You can tell whether the station is worth its salt after three songs. Why you ask? How can you tell? Well, if you're listening to a classic rock station and they play classic rock for three or more songs while you listen, consider yourself lucky. Most webcasters think people who listen to their station want variety. This is so far from the truth, I sometimes can't resist sending e-mail to the owner and letting them know "how bad you suck, give it up." If you're a classic rock station, don't play Linkin Park or Skid Row. If you do, you're dismissed.
Variety is for 18-44 year old females driving Dodge Neons. And while we're on the subject, women don't listen to classic rock unless they have both arms tattooed, use the words "My Harley" in the ocassional sentence and liken their own hair style to that of Billy Ray Cyrus fame.
Men don't want variety. Variety scares men. That's why men only buy white underwear. Throw color in that mix and you've got a revolt on your hands. Unless of course you're a male stripper who makes frequent trips to Vegas for some extra cash. Point made.
2. The majority of people who talk between songs are 18-40 year old males. I use the phrase "people who talk between songs" because these "people" are rarely broadcasters with any prior experience to offer when they crack the mic. Just bold faced stupidity in my opinion. Cracking jokes for their friends who IM'ed to say they're "listening right now." Not much ground breaking going on there. I digress.
Fact is, it will be years before news and advertising media take internet radio seriously and offer any real monetary incentives for quality content. Why you ask? Because Joe Bob's got'em a high speed internet connection (the first in his trailer park), all of Skynards cd's ripped into his $400 eMachine he got off the back of a pickup truck near the Bait and Tackle and he's braggin' 'bout rockin' the south forever online. Yeehaw!
The world is filling with Joe Bob's and Mary Jane's who share the same delusional fantasy that everyone will love what they're playing because it's online.
Please, help make it stop. Please
1. You can tell whether the station is worth its salt after three songs. Why you ask? How can you tell? Well, if you're listening to a classic rock station and they play classic rock for three or more songs while you listen, consider yourself lucky. Most webcasters think people who listen to their station want variety. This is so far from the truth, I sometimes can't resist sending e-mail to the owner and letting them know "how bad you suck, give it up." If you're a classic rock station, don't play Linkin Park or Skid Row. If you do, you're dismissed.
Variety is for 18-44 year old females driving Dodge Neons. And while we're on the subject, women don't listen to classic rock unless they have both arms tattooed, use the words "My Harley" in the ocassional sentence and liken their own hair style to that of Billy Ray Cyrus fame.
Men don't want variety. Variety scares men. That's why men only buy white underwear. Throw color in that mix and you've got a revolt on your hands. Unless of course you're a male stripper who makes frequent trips to Vegas for some extra cash. Point made.
2. The majority of people who talk between songs are 18-40 year old males. I use the phrase "people who talk between songs" because these "people" are rarely broadcasters with any prior experience to offer when they crack the mic. Just bold faced stupidity in my opinion. Cracking jokes for their friends who IM'ed to say they're "listening right now." Not much ground breaking going on there. I digress.
Fact is, it will be years before news and advertising media take internet radio seriously and offer any real monetary incentives for quality content. Why you ask? Because Joe Bob's got'em a high speed internet connection (the first in his trailer park), all of Skynards cd's ripped into his $400 eMachine he got off the back of a pickup truck near the Bait and Tackle and he's braggin' 'bout rockin' the south forever online. Yeehaw!
The world is filling with Joe Bob's and Mary Jane's who share the same delusional fantasy that everyone will love what they're playing because it's online.
Please, help make it stop. Please
Friday, July 21, 2006
Internet radio just got sadder..
Yesterday I decided to take a look at Plantronics.com to see if they have any new products. You won't believe my total shock to find that one of their most amazing products (StreamSolo) is no longer offered for sale. Now, for those of you who call yourselves "webcaster" and aren't familiar with StreamSolo, you my friend have just missed the proverbial boat. It's gone. Set sail for "nevertobeheardfromagain." And what a shame it truly is.
StreamSolo was the only AGC/EQ processing software for Windows based systems that I considered to sound as good if not better at times than the revered Orban 8200 commonly found in most FM stations worldwide. How you ask, could a software program (who's cost was a mere $99) compete with the likes of the broadcast industries most coveted, Bob Orban's most researched, most hyped and most overrated hardware processor in the world? Apparently, pretty easily.
StreamSolo known to some as Octiv 5.1 was the flagship product of the now defunct Octiv.com. The creator of the groundbreaking Octiv 5.1 whom I'll call Leif, is not only an audiophile with ears of the utmost sensitivity, he's also a magician. Leif managed to create a program that made 'ol Bob's work seem.. well let's just say, a whole lot of time has been spent promoting Orban products and little time on innovation. On the other hand, Octiv.com had a modest fan base and at one time Octiv (pre-5.1) was the most popular Winamp output processing plug-in, ever.
The members of the Octiv team sought other projects, closed its doors and sold all assets to Plantronics. I'd be speculating if I were to venture a guess as to how long ago this took place. Suffice to say, Plantronics had no idea what to do with StreamSolo and sister product StreamPro years later. The proggies sat on their website day after day with little attention given to updates. There were no discernable bugs in either program. So again, it's incredibly sad to see such a work of audio art fall by the way-side.
If it's any consolation "webcaster", you can pick up StreamAV, a similar processor built on the same core as StreamSolo for a hefty $499. All is not lost.
As for Leif, master of all things audio processing.. he's again sending a message to Bob Orban with his latest work, http://www.linearacoustic.com/octimax.htm
StreamSolo was the only AGC/EQ processing software for Windows based systems that I considered to sound as good if not better at times than the revered Orban 8200 commonly found in most FM stations worldwide. How you ask, could a software program (who's cost was a mere $99) compete with the likes of the broadcast industries most coveted, Bob Orban's most researched, most hyped and most overrated hardware processor in the world? Apparently, pretty easily.
StreamSolo known to some as Octiv 5.1 was the flagship product of the now defunct Octiv.com. The creator of the groundbreaking Octiv 5.1 whom I'll call Leif, is not only an audiophile with ears of the utmost sensitivity, he's also a magician. Leif managed to create a program that made 'ol Bob's work seem.. well let's just say, a whole lot of time has been spent promoting Orban products and little time on innovation. On the other hand, Octiv.com had a modest fan base and at one time Octiv (pre-5.1) was the most popular Winamp output processing plug-in, ever.
The members of the Octiv team sought other projects, closed its doors and sold all assets to Plantronics. I'd be speculating if I were to venture a guess as to how long ago this took place. Suffice to say, Plantronics had no idea what to do with StreamSolo and sister product StreamPro years later. The proggies sat on their website day after day with little attention given to updates. There were no discernable bugs in either program. So again, it's incredibly sad to see such a work of audio art fall by the way-side.
If it's any consolation "webcaster", you can pick up StreamAV, a similar processor built on the same core as StreamSolo for a hefty $499. All is not lost.
As for Leif, master of all things audio processing.. he's again sending a message to Bob Orban with his latest work, http://www.linearacoustic.com/octimax.htm
