…as only Iowahawk can.
Category Archives: Popular Culture
Disappearing Art
We’re losing our movies:
The report’s authors state the data explosion could turn into digital movie extinction, unless the studios push the development of storage standards and data management practices that will guarantee long-term access of their content.
As the report points out, even if a 100-year black box were invented that “read data reliably without introducing any errors, required no maintenance and offered sufficient bit density at an affordable price,” there would be nobody alive capable of repairing it if that box were to fail at 99 years. In the real world of data management, digital assets are stored on media with longevities much less than 100 years, vulnerable to temperature changes, humidity and static electricity. It can be misidentified, inadequately indexed and difficult to track.
Also, whereas a well-preserved 35mm negative has traditionally contained enough information to fulfill any requirement for ancillary markets, there’s a question in the minds of some industry observers about whether the quality of masters archived in digital formats will be sufficient for quality duplication. In an age when home movie systems can often provide a better experience than some commercial theaters, that’s not an unimportant concern.
This is a problem that cryonicists face as well. How do you preserve the data that defines your life and identity over an indefinite period of time? No static media can be relied on–they all deteriorate eventually. I know that I have lots of floppies from the eighties that are probably unreadable now.
Data is going to have to be stored dynamically, and continually moved to new systems as the technology evolves. It will also have to be stored holographically, and distributed. Fortunately, the costs of digital data storage are plunging, with terabyte drives now available for the cost of multi-megabytes twenty years ago, and that trend is likely to continue as we get into molecular storage.
Face(book) Value
Jay Garmon dissects a dumb statistical correlation between SAT scores and “favorite” SF&F books. I found it interesting that there were no works by Neil Stephenson on the chart.
One Toke Over The Line
Willie Nelson comes out as a Truther.
At Least It’s Not Hip Hop
The producers of the Superbowl half time show have obviously confused me with a Tom Petty fan. Let’s just hope there are no wardrobe malfunctions.
Though I do have to confess that, while this is the first time I’ve actually seen Justin Timberlake, and prior to tonight would not have recognized him, I was most gratified to see him so physically abused in that commercial.
[After-game update]
Well, some publisher made a bad bet
19-0: The Historic Championship Season of New England’s Unbeatable Patriots (Paperback)
Guess they weren’t as “unbeatable” as they thought. Given that the putative author was “Boston Globe,” presumably they were going to publish as well.
As Nelson Muntz would say, “Ha ha.”
But, you have to say, it was a hell of a game. And being a Wolverine, I did want Brady to pull it out at the end, but it was a tough call. It’s too bad that only one team could win. And of course, there were Michigan players on both sides of the ball. The Giants wouldn’t have won without wide receivers Plaxico Burress (a Spartan), who caught the winning touchdown, and Amani Toomer (a record-holding Wolverine, though slightly before Brady’s time).
At Least It’s Not Hip Hop
The producers of the Superbowl half time show have obviously confused me with a Tom Petty fan. Let’s just hope there are no wardrobe malfunctions.
Though I do have to confess that, while this is the first time I’ve actually seen Justin Timberlake, and prior to tonight would not have recognized him, I was most gratified to see him so physically abused in that commercial.
[After-game update]
Well, some publisher made a bad bet
19-0: The Historic Championship Season of New England’s Unbeatable Patriots (Paperback)
Guess they weren’t as “unbeatable” as they thought. Given that the putative author was “Boston Globe,” presumably they were going to publish as well.
As Nelson Muntz would say, “Ha ha.”
But, you have to say, it was a hell of a game. And being a Wolverine, I did want Brady to pull it out at the end, but it was a tough call. It’s too bad that only one team could win. And of course, there were Michigan players on both sides of the ball. The Giants wouldn’t have won without wide receivers Plaxico Burress (a Spartan), who caught the winning touchdown, and Amani Toomer (a record-holding Wolverine, though slightly before Brady’s time).
At Least It’s Not Hip Hop
The producers of the Superbowl half time show have obviously confused me with a Tom Petty fan. Let’s just hope there are no wardrobe malfunctions.
Though I do have to confess that, while this is the first time I’ve actually seen Justin Timberlake, and prior to tonight would not have recognized him, I was most gratified to see him so physically abused in that commercial.
[After-game update]
Well, some publisher made a bad bet
19-0: The Historic Championship Season of New England’s Unbeatable Patriots (Paperback)
Guess they weren’t as “unbeatable” as they thought. Given that the putative author was “Boston Globe,” presumably they were going to publish as well.
As Nelson Muntz would say, “Ha ha.”
But, you have to say, it was a hell of a game. And being a Wolverine, I did want Brady to pull it out at the end, but it was a tough call. It’s too bad that only one team could win. And of course, there were Michigan players on both sides of the ball. The Giants wouldn’t have won without wide receivers Plaxico Burress (a Spartan), who caught the winning touchdown, and Amani Toomer (a record-holding Wolverine, though slightly before Brady’s time).
As If It Weren’t Bad Enough
Global warming will lead to an increase in zombie attacks.
I blame George Bush.
Fortunately, some of us have been prepared for a while.
[Mid-afternoon update]
Saved by the sun:
The Canadian Space Agency’s radio telescope has been reporting Flux Density Values so low they will mean a mini ice age if they continue.
Like the number of sunspots, the Flux Density Values reflect the Sun’s magnetic activity, which affects the rate at which the Sun radiates energy and warmth. CSA project director Ken Tapping calls the radio telescope that supplies NASA and the rest of the world with daily values of the Sun’s magnetic activity a “stethoscope on the Sun.” In this case, however, it is the “doctor” whose health is directly affected by the readings.
This is because when the magnetic activity is low, the Sun is dimmer, and puts out less radiant warmth. If the Sun goes into dim mode, as it has in the past, the Earth gets much colder.
Take that, undead!
Zombies and vampires. Is there any problem the sun can’t fix?
As If It Weren’t Bad Enough
Global warming will lead to an increase in zombie attacks.
I blame George Bush.
Fortunately, some of us have been prepared for a while.
[Mid-afternoon update]
Saved by the sun:
The Canadian Space Agency’s radio telescope has been reporting Flux Density Values so low they will mean a mini ice age if they continue.
Like the number of sunspots, the Flux Density Values reflect the Sun’s magnetic activity, which affects the rate at which the Sun radiates energy and warmth. CSA project director Ken Tapping calls the radio telescope that supplies NASA and the rest of the world with daily values of the Sun’s magnetic activity a “stethoscope on the Sun.” In this case, however, it is the “doctor” whose health is directly affected by the readings.
This is because when the magnetic activity is low, the Sun is dimmer, and puts out less radiant warmth. If the Sun goes into dim mode, as it has in the past, the Earth gets much colder.
Take that, undead!
Zombies and vampires. Is there any problem the sun can’t fix?
As If It Weren’t Bad Enough
Global warming will lead to an increase in zombie attacks.
I blame George Bush.
Fortunately, some of us have been prepared for a while.
[Mid-afternoon update]
Saved by the sun:
The Canadian Space Agency’s radio telescope has been reporting Flux Density Values so low they will mean a mini ice age if they continue.
Like the number of sunspots, the Flux Density Values reflect the Sun’s magnetic activity, which affects the rate at which the Sun radiates energy and warmth. CSA project director Ken Tapping calls the radio telescope that supplies NASA and the rest of the world with daily values of the Sun’s magnetic activity a “stethoscope on the Sun.” In this case, however, it is the “doctor” whose health is directly affected by the readings.
This is because when the magnetic activity is low, the Sun is dimmer, and puts out less radiant warmth. If the Sun goes into dim mode, as it has in the past, the Earth gets much colder.
Take that, undead!
Zombies and vampires. Is there any problem the sun can’t fix?