iphone on demand

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software companies like autodesk, norton, and sun has promoted the use of software subscriptions. just as long you buy the software once, and pay an annual fee, you get any updates and revisions as long as you maintain your contract. now apple in business with AT&T have released the iphone.

is this the start of a software subscription model for apple? to date, final cut studio and mac OS X have software licenses that last in perpetuity. the iphone includes the ability to play music and watch videos, but requires activation. what will happen after the initial subscription is over? will the iphone continue to work, or become a very expensive paper weight? if you continue to pay your phone bill, i’m sure apple will update the applications and iphone OS, but can you get updates without the AT&T contract?

countdown to NAB 2007

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we’re just under a month away from NAB 2007, the multimedia and broadcast hub of the known world. for those of you who are going and want to know what free events you can participate, here are top choices.

sunday 15 april 2007

apple NAB 2007 presentation
11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
THE VENETIAN RESORT HOTEL CASINO
THE VENETIAN BALLROOM
3355 LAS VEGAS BLVD S
LAS VEGAS NV 89109-8941

autodesk user group event NAB 2007
5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
CAESARS PALACE
CLAUDIUS BALLROOM
3570 LAS VEGAS BLVD S
LAS VEGAS NV 89109-8924

avid customer event NAB 2007
7:00 PM – 11:00 PM
HARD ROCK HOTEL AND CASINO LAS VEGAS
THE JOINT
4455 PARADISE RD
LAS VEGAS NV 89109-6574

newtek cool friends event NAB 2007
7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
RIVIERA HOTEL AND CASINO
ROYALE PAVILION 2 AND 3
2901 LAS VEGAS BLVD S
LAS VEGAS NV 89109-1933

monday 16 april 2007

sony vegas user gathering at NAB 2007
6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
LAS VEGAS CONVENTION CENTER
ROOM N250
3150 PARADISE RD
LAS VEGAS NV 89109-9096

tuesday 17 april 2007

boris FX user group meeting NAB 2007
4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
LAS VEGAS CONVENTION CENTER
BOOTH SL10520
3150 PARADISE RD
LAS VEGAS NV 89109-9096

promax 12th annual charles mcconathy digital cafe
7:00 PM – 10:00 PM
EMPIRE BALLROOM
3765 LAS VEGAS BLVD S STE G
LAS VEGAS NV 89109-4313

wednesday 18 april 2007

final cut pro user group supermeet at NAB 2007
6:30 PM – 9:30 PM
THE VENETIAN RESORT HOTEL CASINO
PALAZZO BALLROOM
3355 LAS VEGAS BLVD S
LAS VEGAS NV 89109-8941

the long road to comprehensive archival storage

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for several years, the next crest of storage has always been 3 dimensional holographic media. two companies seemed locked in the struggle to get their technology to market, inphase and optware. both promise a device by this year in the range of 200 GB to 300 GB, and a few deals have been made, but no hardware yet. when only the light moves, and the disc remains mostly steady, challenges can arise.

the first holographic storage system will most likely be over $10,000 and address only the most needy high volume broadcaster or studio. the consumer versions of such devices most like will not see the light of day until 2010. for the rest of us with 500 GB and 750 GB hard drives with archive in mind, we have the foolhardy disk to disk solution, or a very tall stack of DVD or blu-ray discs. more than likely for 2006 and 2007 we’ll still be using LTO2 of LTO3 tapes for the archive, holding either 200 GB or 400 GB per cartridge.

working at ipod city for apple

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back in mid june, nick webster wrote an investigative piece on the living conditions of apple contract workers in china. today, after a thorough investigation, apple answered the article, and many of the conditions described by the journalist were true. the chinese manufacturing facilty employs some 200,000 folks who only half make more than the local minimum wage, and around 25% of the time works more than six days straight without breaks.

read the apple report to find out more on who makes the products we use every day.

countdown to siggraph 2006

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Siggraph 2006 is just under a few weeks away: the visual effects and virtual world hub of the known world. for those of you who are going, here’s a brief list of free events. with the consolidation last year, the autodesk presentation (acquired alias products maya and motionbuilder) should not be missed.

monday 31 july 2006

autodesk user group meeting
3:00 PM – 9:00 PM
THE WESTIN BOSTON WATERFRONT
CONCOURSE LEVEL
GRAND BALLROOM
425 SUMMER ST
BOSTON MA 02210-1719

NVIDIA gelato user group meeting
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
BOSTON MARRIOTT COPLEY PLACE
110 HUNTINGTON AVE
BOSTON MA 02116-5706

tuesday 1 august 2006

apple shake ‘n’ final cut studio meeting
6:00 PM – 10:00 PM
SEAPORT HOTEL
SEAPORT BALLROOM
1 SEAPORT LN
BOSTON MA 02210-2013

newtek lightwave 09 SIGGRAPH launch party
6:30 PM – 10:00 PM
NEW ENGLAND AQUARIUM
CENTRAL WHARF
BOSTON MA 02110-3399

softimage user group meeting
6:30 PM – 9:30 PM
SEAPORT HOTEL
PLAZA BALLROOM
1 SEAPORT LN
BOSTON MA 02210-2013

tuesday – thursday 1 – 3 august 2006

siggraph exhibit floor open
9:30 AM – 6:00 PM (3:30 PM on THR)
BOSTON CONVENTION & EXHIBITION CENTER
415 SUMMER ST
BOSTON MA 02210-1719
get an exhibition only pass code from newtek

bill gates falls on his sword?

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someone could expound that the departure of bill gates from microsoft is just part of the natural business cycle. when john warnock and charles geschke left adobe systems, it could have been a ending point to photoshop, illustrator, and postcript, but the transition team was successful and i know microsoft will drive toward its inevitable end.

microsoft has it’s foothold, some say a monopoly on the desktop, server, and database industries. microsoft is moving rapidly into the storage arena, and trying to grab the digital living room. bill gates is just one guy, but he was the headliner for microsoft making presentations at comdex, CES, RSA, and winHEC. a portion of the microsoft initiatives have broken, but other actions have become dominant like windows OS, and the office suite. microsoft powerpoint is synonymous with presentation. microsoft word and .doc is equivalent to digital documents.

bill gates is not leaving due to windows flaws, windows viruses, windows spyware, or delayed windows vista. he truly wants to spend his billions on making a dent in world health and education. will bill gates become the next andrew carnegie? we’ll see.

intel leaps this summer

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from the apple mac user perspective, intel was a company of little significance. now that apple+intel are partners, and the entire apple enterprise is moving to intel, tradeshows like winHEC or intel technology presentations portend well for the mac platform. for an excellent summary of where intel plans to take it’s own architecture, recently named core 2, take a look at the intel server technology update from the prudential london technology conference webcast from 17 may 2006.

the future looks very bright for apple riding in the wings of intel.

the combined display

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at CES 2006, michael dell reminded the audience that computer users have had high resolution displays above and beyond any high definition consumer box. a HD signal of 1280 x 720 could easily fit on a SXGA 1280 x 1024 and a UXGA 1600 x 1200 panel. higher resolution panels include the WUXGA 1920 x 1200 and a WQXGA 2560 x 1600 fit a highest HD signal of 1920 x 1080. the dell 3007WFP panel lives up to the WQXGA format, but for the first time including a DVI-HDCP input, allowing the use of future protected content from a blu-ray or HD DVD consumer player.

it always seemed foolish that after spending $1000 or even $2000 on a display, you could not hook up a ATSC HD tuner. with DVI-HDCP the tables turn, and any valid DVI signal will be decoded, if it originates from a NVIDIA or ATI card or a next generation disc player. i would suspect that both mac OS X leopard and windows vista will support HDCP for computer playback of protected content.

the big gobble the small

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over the last 90 days, the storage world has shifted hands. small innovative companies have been acquired by other competitors, reducing consumer choice. for those asleep at the wheel, here is a quick summary of what’s been going on:

2 may 2006
quantum corporation acquires Advanced Digital Information Corporation (ADIC)

ADIC is the basis for apple mac OS X xsan technology using stornext FX. quantum a few years ago aquired the tape business of seagate technology called certance.

8 march 2006
micron technology buys lexar media
micron, a leader in DRAM, want to be a leader in NAND flash memory.

28 february 2006
avid aquired medea corporation, an innovator in PATA/SATA RAID storage.

21 december 2006
seagate technology buys maxtor

consumers have seagate technology, hitachi global storage technologies, and western digital.

countdown to NAB 2006

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we’re just under a month away from NAB 2006, the multimedia and broadcast hub of the known world. for those of you who are going and want to know what free events you can participate, here are top choices.

sunday 23 april 2006

apple computer NAB 2006 presentation
11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
details to follow

boris FX user group meeting NAB 2006
3:30 PM – 4:30 PM
LAS VEGAS HILTON
BALLROOMS D-E
3000 PARADISE RD
LAS VEGAS NV 89109-1287

avid user group event NAB 2006
6:30 PM – 10:00 PM
HARD ROCK HOTEL AND CASINO LAS VEGAS
THE JOINT
4455 PARADISE RD
LAS VEGAS NV 89109-6574

newtek friends unite NAB 2006
8:00 PM – 9:00 PM
RIVIERA HOTEL AND CASINO
GRAND BALLROOM C
2901 LAS VEGAS BLVD S
LAS VEGAS NV 89109-1933

tuesday 25 april 2006

weva town meeting NAB 2006
5:00 PM – 9:30 PM
LUXOR LAS VEGAS
3900 LAS VEGAS BLVD S
LAS VEGAS NV 89119-1004

promax 11th annual charles mcconathy digital cafe
5:30 PM – 9:00 PM
STARDUST RESORT AND CASINO
CONFERENCE CENTER
3000 LAS VEGAS BLVD S
LAS VEGAS NV 89109-1932

sony vegas user gathering at NAB 2006
6:30 PM – 9:00 PM
LAS VEGAS CONVENTION CENTER
NORTH HALL ROOM N259
3150 PARADISE RD
LAS VEGAS NV 89109-9096

autodesk after hours panel
5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
LAS VEGAS CONVENTION CENTER
SOUTH HALL BOOTH SL3719
NORTH HALL ROOM N259
3150 PARADISE RD

LAS VEGAS NV 89109-9096

wednesday 26 april 2006

final cut pro user group supermeet at NAB 2006
6:30 PM – 9:30 PM
RIO ALL SUITE CASINO AND HOTEL
BRASILIA BALLROOM
3700 W FLAMINGO RD
LAS VEGAS NV 89103-4043