>You think the *public* has control over that? Yeah, yeah, people vote with
>their wallets, but before they do that the candidate CDs have to be made
>available for puchase. The record companies control that, and they also
>control the amount of promotion that a particular candidate gets.
>Promotional agencies like MTV play right into the herd mentality of pop
>music buyers, convincing a few that the herd is buying album X. Those few
>buy album X, and then the rest of the herd follows suit. Essentially people
>are *told* what to buy.
As much as it was a farce comedy, the movie Josie and the Pussycats shows
almost exactly what the RIAA/MPAA would love nothing more than to have
(and discount the subliminals, they are just about there already).
>Do you think that P2P is going to damage this control system?
Potentially. Right now, the public has no choice... if a studio doesn't
want to promote an artist (can we still call them that?), the public has
no access to their music. P2P removes the studio from the flow control.
It is now possible for a small garage band to record their own music...
AND get wide spread distribution via P2P sharing. Essentially, the need
for the recording studio at all is starting to disappear.
THAT is what scares the hell out of them, and THAT is the heart of all
their complaints and cries for new laws. They are doing nothing more than
trying to secure the need for their own existance (with the wonderful
side effect of being able to have total control over what we see and hear
at all times)
-chris
<http://www.mythtech.net>
This is a bit off-topic, because it's only a few years old.
I've decided that the "big" UPS which has been sitting in my workshop,
unused, for almost a year, really is surplus to requirements, so it's free
to anyone *who can collect it* and feels like replacing the batteries.
It's a Powerware Prestige 6000, with two battery boxes, software, manual,
and various cables. Input is rated 200/208/220/230/240V AC at 19A (power
factor 0.9) single phase, output is 200/208/220/230/240V AC at 19A (max
3000W). The battery boxes are each rated 120V DC 50A and 5AH capacity.
Size is about 40cm deep x 25cm wide x 28 cm high for the control box and
the battery boxes are half the height, so 40 x 25 x 14 each. They all
stack nicely together (in any sensible order).
I have used it, but the batteries (10 x 2V gel cells in each box) do need
replaced -- most will not hold any significant charge/voltage.
It needs to be gone by Christmas, too, or it's going in the skip.
--
Pete Peter Turnbull
Network Manager
University of York
I managed to get a few fun things to play with this week - courtesy of
Purdue University Salvage/Surplus
** Finds **
Lear-Sigler AMD-3A+ **actually working** (compared to my ADM-5) $free
4 x Pioneer CD CDV LD Player CLD-2400 (LaserDisk player) $free
OT:
2 x SYMBIOS RAID arrays - 10 drives/controller, 2 controllers/array
with the 4GB narrow scsi drives in it, total of 144GB of RAID-5
pulled from an NCR Teradata (worldmark 5100M) system
2 x NCR Worldmark 5100M nodes with 4GB Ram, 32xPentium Pro 200MHz
processors each. Now, it's time to help with its Linux port -
doesn't quite boot yet. Features a pair of 32bit Microchannel
busses per node. Technically, I guess, it's still Purdue's, but
I get basically exclusive access to it (and free power/network).
I'm thinking about going back to grab a pair of marked 'BAD' ADM-5's from
there that might be useful for parts to repair my ADM-5.
** Cheap to a good home **
Assuming all the Laserdisk players all work - they just have a few
cosmetic scratches - I'm willing to part with two of them. First two
replies get them for $10 + shipping. If they don't all work (as far as I
can tell without owning a laserdisk - they should also play CDs) then I'll
be offering less of them I guess...
Pat
Lafayette, IN, USA
--
Purdue Universtiy ITAP/RCS
Information Technology at Purdue
Research Computing and Storage
http://www-rcd.cc.purdue.edu
On Dec 14, 0:37, Tony Duell wrote:
> > upset if people wrote "Disk" instead of "Disc"). As far as Acorn were
> > concerned, BASIC (even BBC BASIC) is "just another language".
>
> IIRC, BASIC is a somewhat odd language that doesn't implement one of the
> 'standard' entry points. But it is a language ROM.
Indeed, it has zeros in the service entry point which wouldn't be legal for
an ordinary language ROM, except that it is treated as a special case by
certain Acorn firmware, and that missing service entry is used in the first
stage of recognising which ROM is BASIC. It's unique in that regard.
--
Pete Peter Turnbull
Network Manager
University of York
On Dec 13, 21:11, Tony Duell wrote:
> This reminds me of something that suprises me. Namely that the Model A
> missed out some fairly simple/cheap chips like the buffers for the 1MHz
> bus and/or Tube, the RS423 buffers (the rest of the serial I/O system was
> fitted on the A becuase it was needed for the cassette I/O), etc. I would
> have thought that the cost of fitting sockets and having 2 different
> boards in production would have exceeded the cost of these chips...
The idea was to keep the cost as low as possible while making it simple to
upgrade. At that time the sockets would have been much cheaper than the
chips. I don't know how the decision was made, nor by whom (though Acorn
was a fairly small comapany at that time), and it may have involved the
BBC.
> > I doubt if it's that simple. UK models don't use mylar ribbons, they
use a
> > single 17-way notched IDT cable with a 0.1" pitch, and with a
single-row
>
> Unless thr speech upgrade is fitted.
True, in which case there's an additional 10-way 0.1" pitch IDT cable on
the left of the keyboard.
> Very early Beebs had linear PSUs with 3 7805 regulators in them. One fed
> each of the +5V outputs. You (Joe) do not have one of these, though.
:-) Horrible things. Acorn had an exchange scheme, and they destroyed the
black ones they got back. There were actually three black models, two matt
black, one gloss, IIRC. One (I forget which) was unofficially known as the
"adaptor and exploder" becasue it had a habit of doing the latter.
> IIRC, the ground pins are linked on the mainboard, the +5V pins are not,
> so you have to have all 3 sets connected for it to work.
Later boards did have the +5V joined up, just not with very fat tracks in
places. So on all but the earliest ones, it sometimes "mostly" works if
one set isn't connected (or is dirty).
--
Pete Peter Turnbull
Network Manager
University of York
> --- Patrick Finnegan <pat(a)purdueriots.com> wrote:
> > > What brand and model? My Pioneer plays cd's, but it has a cd drawer
> > > within the laserdisc drawer.
> >
> > It's a CLD-V2400. It claims to play LD's CD's and CDV's (CD with Video).
>
> Ooh! If I didn't already have an LD-V8000 (for playing Dragon's Lair
> and my LD collection), I'd love to have one - I have a Moody Blues
> CD-Video - 4 CDDA audio tracks and one Pioneer-Laser-Disc-style video
> track that only plays in certain players... like the ones you have.
>
> -ethan
Oh, come on Ethan, you should know the primary rule of having a Laserdisc
collection, you can never have enough players. We've got three players at
home that we use and two more (three if you count the broken one) in storage.
Still, I'm trying to slowly convert the most important LD's in our
collection to DVD-R as I'm worried about bit-rot and the players slowly
dying. Sadly there is stuff on LD that will probably never make it
to DVD (I'd love Anamorphic Widescreen copies of some of our LD's).
Zane
On Dec 13, 11:20, Joe wrote:
> At 10:06 AM 12/13/02 GMT, Pete wrote:
> >
> >How many (EP)ROMs are in it? Do they have any numbers on them?
>
> There are five sockets in a row (IC71 - IC75) but IC 75 is empty. IC
71 is an EPROM but the label in missing. IC 72 is a Hitachci PROM marked
HN613128PD11 View2-1 Japan (c)ACORNSOFT, IC 73 is an EPROM and is marked
DNFS 201666, IC 74 is an EPROM and is marked US BASIC 201667. Behind that
row is IC 52, it's marked VI (I THINK, it's stylized and hard to read),
then 403 V 2006 VC 2023 201647 (c)ACORN COMPUTER KOREA-AE. I think that's
all of the custom ICs.
Interesting. The IC numbering scheme is different. I know Acorn slightly
modified the video circuit for the US, so I suppose they renumbered IC
positions at the same time.
The first one (missing a label) should be the MOS. It makes sense that it
would be an EPROM, because Acorn regularly used EPROMs rather than mask
ROMs for "low" volume runs, which I'd expect the US MOS to be. I
discovered that pages 478-479 of the Advanced User Guide list the
differences between US and UK MOS versions. Basically, the US screen
resolutions are the same width but less high (corresponding to 1280 x 800
points instead of 1280 x 1024 -- points are not pixels though, the
correspondence depends on the screen mode, which determines the resolution
used). This is because the frame rate is 60Hz instead of 50Hz, and also
means that the screen memory usage is correspondingly lower in some modes.
The next four ROMs are "sideways ROMs" which share the same address space,
being switched in and out by the MOS. They will be prioritised from left
to right, right being highest priority. When the machine starts up, it
checks each socket looking for language, filing system, and service ROMs.
Simplifying a little, it gives each a chance to initialise, and then
allows the highest priority filing system and highest priority language to
start fully.
VIEW is a word processor, which in Acorn terms is a "language" ROM. The
version you have is the standard version 2. DNFS is a combinatin of Disc
Filing System (for 8271 floppy controller), Network Filing System (for
Econet[1]), and Tube utilites (for a Second Processor). Part number 201666
is the standard DNFS, same as the UK. The sign-on message should be "Acorn
DFS" (unless you have the Econet network interface fitted and either have
changed a link to make NFS take priority or have removed the 8271).
[1] I read somewhere that US machines were fitted with Econet as standard.
If yours has the interface, there will be a 68B54 ADLC chip in the North
West quadrant of the board, a 180-degree 5-pin DIN socket on the back, and
few or no empty positions for components around the ADLC position. And if
you hold down the "N" key while starting it up, it should say "Econet
Station 001 No Clock" instead of "Acorn DFS". The station number would be
different if someone has changed the links in the block of 8 near the
Econet socket.
Incidentally, holding down various keys can force filing system selection
regardless of ROM priority and link settings, providing the relevant
hardware and firmware is present. "D" for DFS, "N" for NFS (Econet),
<space> or <DELETE> for tape, "R" for RFS, "A" for ADFS ("F" for fast-start
ADFS), etc.
"US BASIC" is fairly self-explanatory. Like Tony, I'd be very surprised if
it were supposed to say "BASIC OS" because BASIC is not an OS and Acorn
were quite particular about terminology in many ways (they even used to get
upset if people wrote "Disk" instead of "Disc"). As far as Acorn were
concerned, BASIC (even BBC BASIC) is "just another language".
The two other similar ICs are the serial processor (near the back) and
video processor (near the ROMs). The stylised VI is the VTi logo.
> >> Actually I didn't get a cursor. I wasn't sure if it was supposed to
> >have one or not.
> >
> >Yes, you should.
>
> Hmm. Sounds like it's not finishing the boot sequence.
I think it's getting something wrong, given all those "OS" appended to
startup messages. I'd suggest *carefully* lifting all the socketed ICs and
re-seating them. I'd also suggest you temporarily remove the VIEW ROM and
see if there's any difference. Once you have a working PSU, of course.
BTW, if you're repairing that PSU, it's a switchmode. Beware of high
voltages on the capacitors (including their cases) and on the heatsink for
the power transistor. However, the standard Beeb supply (an Astec unit) is
safe to run with no load (unlike some SMPSUs), and it will shut down safely
(making a characteristic tick-tick-tick noise) if the +5V output is
shorted, and will immediately start up again if the short is removed.
--
Pete Peter Turnbull
Network Manager
University of York
>From: "Ethan Dicks" <erd_6502(a)yahoo.com>
>
>
>--- Jochen Kunz <jkunz(a)unixag-kl.fh-kl.de> wrote:
>> I second that. I know a collector who knows nothing about hardware and
>> how it works.... When I told him that I builded a simple voltage
>> inverter (charge pump) to make the RS232 work on the Sun 4/600 MP he
>> looked like it was black magic to convert +12V to -12V. (The Sun 4/600
>> MP boards needs -12V for the RS232, even -5V are not enough. As I
>> mounted this board in a Sun 3/60 case that doesn't provide -12V, I could
>> not use a serial console.)
>
>Interesting to learn about the 4/600 board and the 3/60 case. Long ago,
>I wondered if the two could work together (I _have_ the 3/60 and I almost
>had the 4/600 board).
>
>If you'd have known to ask, I could have provided you with a +5VDC to
>-12VDC converter module. It's about 20mm x 30mm x 3mm. We had to put
>them on the Qbus COMBOARD because the original design assumed you could
>pull -12VDC off some Qbus pin somewhere, and I suspect that it is not
>the case for all Qbus enclosures (don't know where it is available and
>where it isn't). I have several new on the anti-static mat they shipped
>in.
>
>-ethan
>
Hi
There is another chip in the MAX232 series someplace
that creates +/- 12 V from 5V for serial uses other that
what a 232 chip is normally used for. It just needs
some capacitors for the charge pumps.
Dwight
When I had just a record player (sometime back BCE), I had just one
turntable, and one copy of each record. If I wanted to listen to the music
on a record while at work, I could make a cassette tape copy. I wouldn't go
out and buy a second copy of the LP. (The only time I have done that was
when I found a cutout copy of an out-of-print LP that I liked a lot, and
wanted to have a backup copy.) Now we have 4 CD players at home and I have
one in my computer at work. If I want to listen to one of my CDs at work, I
will make a CD copy of the original CD that I own. I have also made CD
copies to have one upstairs and one downstairs. I would not go out and buy a
second copy of any of the CDs if I was unable to make copies -- I would just
ferry originals between home and work. With multiple copies, is my wife
listening to the same one at home as I am listing to at work? Probably not.
Do I have copies of CDs where I do not own the original? Yes, one CD where I
have the LP and one where I don't (and both are of 30-year old music). Would
I buy as many CDs if I couldn't make copies of them? No.
Sometimes I wonder which planet the RIAA is on.
(My $0.02)
Bob
-----Original Message-----
From: pete(a)dunnington.u-net.com [mailto:pete@dunnington.u-net.com]
Sent: Friday, December 13, 2002 2:29 PM
To: cctalk(a)classiccmp.org
Subject: Re: OT: Re: Interesting Tim O'Reilly article.
On Dec 13, 11:12, David Woyciesjes wrote:
> Sellam Ismail wrote:
> I'm like Sellam here. I have bought quite a few CDs, based on
hearing a
> song or two from the album via Napster.
> Granted, I'm one of those people who look for that album in the
used
> rack first, before resorting to a buying new copy. It is a form of
> recycling; but I wonder what exactly do the record labels think of me
> for that?
> I also believe that new audio CDs are still overpriced. Doesn't
stop me
> from buying one, though, if I can't find a used copy.
If *you* think they're overpriced... I just bought two today, for presents.
UKP13.99 each, which is just over $22 according to the Universal Currency
Converter. Yet when I look at my colleagues at work listening to CDs, I
see they spend part of the time listening to MP3s, and about half (I guess)
to CDs. Of the CDs, nearly all are original shop-bought, not CD-R copies.
They have the technology, so that's not why they don't copy stuff.
There's a difference in quality, and in reliability/robustness, and you
don't get the sleeve notes and graphics with a copy. The students I see
seem to do the same. I don't believe the hype or the wailing and moaning
>from the music companies.
--
Pete Peter Turnbull
Network Manager
University of York
