Does technology tend to bring out the worst in us? (1 Viewer)

[JohnRice]

I figured as much.

Completely aside from the real point of this thread, but USB2 is a good thing, and it's incredibly cheap to add to a system, including Mac.

 

[Chu Gai]

There's more to taking the great picture than what camera or lens you have.

 

[RobertR]

The best thing about the HD-DVD/BD war is that it won't be decided by politics, but by the market. Which means that both sides have to work their asses off to try to win. Which is good for us.

 

[Mary M S]

...but the politics affect the market presence which can skew consumers perceptions/reception of the product.

both sides have to work their asses off to try to win isn't that true!!!

 

[MarkHastings]

and that's where the feuds start. Firewire USED to be the cheap choice, but now they're phasing it out to USB2. I'm not happy when they decide to change things like that and thus the 'worst' comes out in me.

 

[JohnRice]

Firewire is definitely not being phased out. it still is, and probably always will be the standard for higher end, more critical systems, such as professional digital video, storage systems, RAID and so on. The reason for this is, Firewire is a more stout and reliable interface, but it is also more expensive and space consuming. It's not very difficult to find housings with both interfaces at reasonable prices. I got a HD housing with both for $30. If you want the option to use absolutely any peripheral you find on sale, particularly the really cheap ones, you will need USB2. I can't believe a $30 add-on is such a big issue. I remember when if you wanted to add or improve the SCSI on your system, it cost $200 minimum and you had to deal with the whole id/termination voodoo.

 

[RichP]

I think you just answered the question in the title of this thread. Well Done.

 

[Rob Gillespie]

Well, it was more than a couple of years ago but I seem to remember me being the common factor in most of the DTS/DD threads around '99-2000 ish (and I'm sure Tom Vodhanel of SVS subs still has recurring nightmares about our exchanges!). I'm sure the threads are archived somewhere in the vaults but I positively cringe to think of what went on - and the things I said - back then. Ughh. Nowadays I live in a flat with not-so-great sound insulation so it's utterly irrelevent to me

I'm glad I'm no longer that bothered about such things to be honest. Life has moved on and over the past year or two I've found that going out into the world with a camera and making my own 'art' (*cough *cough) is massively more enjoyable and rewarding than sitting on my fat backside watching somebody else's 'art'. And since I've just sold some prints of my work the grin across my face just got even bigger The passiviness of frequent movie watching makes me feel twitchy. I still buy DVDs - but not many - and I still enjoy films, but whereas it was once my number 1 hobby it's now just something else I do. I still have the same 5.1 amp, speakers and TV that I had when I joined HTF and that's not going to change for a while. Maybe when all the bullshit about Blue Ray and HD-DVD calms down then I'll look at upgrading the screen and buying a new player. I'll buy into whatever format takes the lead, I'll leave the arguing vitriol to the measurebators.

>> "There's more to taking the great picture than what camera or lens you have."

This seems to be a point entirely lost on a lot of the people who frequent some of photographic forums. If they spent as much time taking photos of the real world as they do of test charts and arguing about corner sharpness they might even produce decent images.

Ken Rockwell did an amusing piece about these kinds of people: http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/7.htm

 

[JohnRice]

No, I didn't. What I am asking is a rather broad and abstract question which can't possibly be proven, disproven or answered based on two simple statements. Plus, the very fact I asked the question implies I am particularly conscious of how technology may bring out poor behavior in some people, so it goes to say I might go out of my way to avoid the same behavior, though I was being a little sarcastic in the first one. If only things were so simple.

 

[JohnRice]

I was about to say something about you obvisouly visiting Ken rockwell's site, but I see you also mentioned it. Of course, according to him, I reside in the third ring of photographic hell. It's an amusing piece, though as a "working" (read, tragically struggling) pro, I consider his level 2 to actually be the burning, fiery pits of the deepest photographic, scum-sucking hell.

You hit on a great point Rob. Actually creating something artistic puts perspective into the art you see (aka, movies) and releases an awful lot of attachment. I suspect if more people spent some time creating rather than measurebating, they would calm down significantly.

 

[Lew Crippen]

I assume that you have seen Once Upon a Time in Mexico, John. Your point on digital technology substituting for talent is well taken.

As for the HD format war, I find it much more entertaining than the DD/DTS war. At least a good many people had actually heard both formats.

And as a furtherance to the HD wars, there is an accompanying war as to which of the new audio formats will be the best—and so far no one has actually heard any of them.

The overall technology issue is probably the same in any area. I could give cards and spades in the technical area I know best.

But very boring to anyone not knowledgeable in that area.

 

[JohnRice]

You got that right!

 

[Mike Frezon]

I dunno. Not only did I pick vanilla over chocolate as a youth...I picked Beta over VHS back in the early 80s.

 

[JohnRice]

Mike, since chocolate is clearly better, you should have known better by the time Beta came around.

Actually, the VHS/Beta is a good example of how politics/marketing does usually win in the end. It seems clear to anyone who knows the differences, that Beta was distinctly better in several ways, but the sheer marketing juggernaut of VHS is what made it win.

 

[Mike Frezon]

I thought SONY just blew it. :rolleyes

 

[RobertR]

Marketing is an aspect of the market. Sony got outmarketed.

 

[Edwin-S]

 

[JohnRice]

That's another way of putting it.

 

[RobertR]

That's often the case, but what I meant by "outmarketed" is that VHS did a better job of giving people what they wanted (whether Beta fans disagreed or not). It wasn't just a matter of advertising claims.

 

[MarkHastings]

Thank GOD someone else agrees with me!!!!! Most of the IT people at my company are so new to technology that they are really only used to USB. Because of their unfamiliarity with Firewire, they only look at speeds and try to convince me that USB2 is just as good.

It infuriates me every time my co-worker plugs a Firewire/USB device to my PC by the USB cable (which my computer is only capable of USB1) while there is a perfectly good Firewire port in back.

But she's got it SO ingrained into her head that USB is 'just as good' (if not better) that she'd rather the slowness of USB1!!! :rolleyes

And you see why the worst comes out of me???

Like I always say, the worst comes out of me only because I want the best out of everything