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NET: Getting Legal, Quiet and Visual Recent articles tell us how to get our computers to make less racket (except for the legal downloads now available from many competing services), and our radios to spell it all out (literally!).
DOWNLOADS. The second half of 2003 saw major activity in the world of music downloading: the launch of Apple's iTunes, the first lawsuits initiated by the recording trade association RIAA, and the closing of some major outlaw file-trading services. Where do things stand now? The music consumer now has a number of legal means for getting music online – conveniently and inexpensively. A recent New York Times article (Jan. 1, 2004) highlighted the following legit music sources: MusicMatch For $0.99 per song, Music Match delivers copy-protected Windows Media Audio (.wma) files. Subscription required only for streaming and advanced services. Large library of 360,000 songs. Napster 2.0 Similar offerings and capabilities to MusicMatch. Walmart Also uses .wma files, but at $0.88 per song. BuyMusic Pricing for .wma files starts at $0.79 per song, but with some limitations on burning and portability, depending on label. Rhapsody from Listen.com (Real Networks) No downloads, only streaming and CD burning. Ten dollars per month buys unlimited streaming; songs are $0.79 to burn. Enormous library of 400,000 songs. iTunes (Apple) Unique copy-protected file format, now available for both Windows and Mac. Songs are $0.99, with enormous library of 400,000 songs and 5,000 audio books. Portability currently limited to Apple's iPod device.
INTERNET PHONES. Meanwhile, the makers of file-sharing software KaZaA have launched Skype, a program for making free phone calls over the Internet. Using the same peer-to-peer technology that enabled music (and other) file sharing, Skype is predicted to sweep college campuses first, though without the disruptive effect on university networks that other file sharing products have had. Read about Skype, or check out the Skype site first-hand
QUIET YOUR PC. Of course, in order to use computers as phones – or even to keep sane and productive while in the same room as a computer – they are going to have to become much quieter. In fact, according to EndPCNoise.com, computers have been pumping up the volume at a steady pace in recent years. Increasing processing power has required increasingly large fans to expel the increasing quantity of generated heat. The power units themselves add to the din, as to whirring disks and other devices. According to a recent Reuters article, EndPCNoise.com customizes computers to make them run silently. By using quieter components and noise dampening materials, noise levels can be reduced to 25 decibels, just above the human hearing threshold of around 20 decibels. (By comparison, a busy road roars at around 80 decibels, with 30 decibels representing a "quiet bedroom at night.") The average cost increase for a quiet PC is about $150, according to EndPCNoise.com. Read about computer noise, or visit EndPCNoise.com yourself
READ YOUR RADIO. At the same time the EndPCNoise is trying to making PCs quieter, so we can concentrate on what's on the screen, some companies are trying to add more distracting visual output to radios. By exploiting the "Radio Data System" (RDS) technology already built into many high-end car and table-top radios (that's the technology that displays the name, call letters and format of the station), big radio and its advertisers are hoping to send listeners more text messages to accompany their audio. According to a recent New York Times article (Jan. 1, 2004), a Seattle radio station tried an experiment with RDS that led to surprising results: they sent a contest invitation ("be the 10th caller and win...) over RDS, without broadcasting the message over the audio. They expected only a few calls, but the phone lines lit up. People were already watching their radio! Threatened by satellite radio, the traditional broadcasters are casting around for new ways to use technology to enhance what they deliver. In Europe, RDS is already routinely sending weather reports, stock quotes, sports scores, and traffic information. The future may bring more text advertising – but it also may bring lawsuits, if drivers take their eyes off the road to track the tiny text letters scrambling across their radio's RDS display. Learn about RDS technology from the Wikipedia Explore Dmarc Networks, a proponent of expanded uses for RDS Browse some RDS-equipped table-top radios by Cambridge Sound Works, Denon and Kenwood |
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