There's a lot of interesting stuff here. The main part of the article is genetic algorythms. That's interesting all on it's own, but the real interesting thing is the new sort of chip called a field programmable gate array. Apparently this allows the actual locations of all the transistors and how they react to be altered via software. There's a lot of nice uses for this, namely the idea that any single piece of software can modify this chip into a specialized piece of hardware dedicated JUST to running that program. That alone is interesting, but what really gets me is the implication that such a chip could do away with the need to ever "emulate" via software again. With the right "profiles", these chips, of the right level of complexity, can be converted into perfect circuit level replicas of, say, a Super Nintendo, or an Apple II. I'm certainly paying attention to this little development.
I should point out that this is the LEAST important aspect of this little engieering project. It touches everything from genetic algorythms to genetic algorythms set up to make a better GENETIC ALGORYTHM to possible AI design to bizarre programming solutions to the way it's set up to actually use all available physical properties of the chip, not "just" the digital aspects of the logic gates, to reach a solution in very weird ways. It is the omni-article, touching all creation. I hear they're going to try and evolve an Adrian Brody.
This is an interesting article, but what it really does is drive home an important point, AM should be killed off by the FCC, and a few decades later, follow it up by killing off FM.
Both broadcasting standards take up a ridiculous amount of the spectrum compared to digital broadcasting, but AM is by far the greater offender.
The biggest argument for AM's "value" seems to be that it broadcasts at greater distances. This is a nice feature, but it's not a feature of the AM standard, it's a feature of the wavelengths AM is assigned to. In other words, that's all the more reason to kill AM and reapportion digital signals to the spectrum. More will fit, and thanks to the nature of digital, less interference issues will result.
I am willing to accept a lone exception to this, a single frequency should remain allocated to AM for the purposes of emergency broadcasting in a region, for the sake of reaching people with only AM receivers during emergencies. Otherwise, killing it is just as justified as what is currently going on with TV broadcasts, with the mandated switch to digital broadcasting.
FM can wait longer, since it has a substantial listener base right now, but eventually it's time should also come as more and more switch to digital radio receivers. I give it maybe 3 decades tops.
The FCC is fully justified in refusing this request for some emergency life support on a standard doing more harm than good, but should go farther. Those stations that currently have licenses can have special deals to freely convert their license to either a digital station in the new block or switch to an available FM station (for a small price instead of free, to push more towards digital broadcasting instead of FM). There could even be some tax relief offered to stations that make the switch so they can better afford to.
And my conclusion? As nice as a lot of the widely advertised features are, it lacks some extremely basic functionality.
By basic, I mean I can't even find a "browse files and folders" option. Anywhere. I literally am forced to first convert all my music INTO iTunes' proprietary internal music format and use it's own playlisting, and the only way to do this seems to be a drag and drop. This also means I can't export it's playlists to whatever media player I wish to.
Along those same lines, I expect in most modern media players for external devices to appear in a browsing window when I plug them in, such as my PSP. Even Windows Media Player does this (though the Zune player does not, I guess they "copied" iTunes' LACK of functionality, not a surprise considering it's, well, Zune). In other words, unless it's an iPod, I can't easily move music back and forth between a music device and my computer.
Basically, for all the media "management" options it has, and the various organizational features are well done I must make clear, they can't outweigh the lack of the most basic file management features imaginable. I honestly don't see how this has become such a popular tool when I can't even simply browse my directory structure from within the program or move my music into a portable system and back seamlessly in the same way. I had heard about all these amazing synching features, but I guess that's only if you own an Apple-made device like an iPod. In order to move things FROM my iTunes library, I can't even just browse to the folder. I've got to convert it out of that library format into something more open, and then use standard operating system methods to then copy that music back into it. The whole thing is just a mess, leading me to ask why I shouldn't just use, sigh, frickin' Media Player like I've been doing.
In fact, even Sony's Media Go seems more capable. At least it's library system doesn't require a preliminary conversion to a proprietary format and it recognizes my PSP (it may still exclusively recognize it, but it does it well and organizes files as actual files). I don't really WANT to use Media Go mind you, but it actually HAS these features.
Is this what "user friendly" now means, hiding the actual FILE STRUCTURE from the user, permanently, forcing them to learn MORE about the inner workings of the thing JUST to do something outside Apple's profitable parameters? I'm all for making the interface easy to use, but let's not simultaneously delete entire commands from the interface. It's about as annoying as Windows 7's "pseudo folders" that trick the user who doesn't do a little research into thinking that everything actually is physically located in those folders, instead of the reality, that they are spread around the disk (causing headaches more often than it should when it comes to file management).
If I've missed something and there are ways, easy ways, to do what I am trying to do with this program, please tell me so. So far, in looking this up online, I've found very convoluted guides that actually suggest I BURN A CD and then rip it back in Media Player as part of the process of getting something back out of the library. That's... idiotic.
HOW DARE THIS EVIL AMERICAN SHITBAG DEFEND HIMSELF FROM A GANG OF ILLEGALS! HOW DARE HE INTERDICT FOREIGN TRESPASSERS ON OUR BORDERS! I AM OUTRAGED AT THIS! CLEARLY THIS WAS OVERKILL... HE SHOULD HAVE DODGED THE ROCKS BEING THROWN AT HIM, AND KINDLY ASKED THEM, IN SPANISH, TO REFRAIN FROM TRYING TO KILL HIM.
London, England (CNN) -- Heads hacked off, a bite from a lion, tiger or bear, massive muscles on massive men -- all clues that an ancient cemetery uncovered in northern England is the final resting place of gladiators, scientists have announced after seven years of investigations.
The archeological dig has found "what may be the world's only well-preserved Roman gladiator cemetery," the York Archaeological Trust said.
Scientists have found 80 skeletons in the "unique" cemetery under the city of York, northern England, since 2003.
They announced their discoveries on Sunday, ahead of a documentary about the site due to air in Britain on June 14. This was one of two big archaeological developments, with Israeli scientists announcing the discovery of a huge cache of ancient religious objects.
They first thought the graveyard might contain the remains of criminals or political purges.
But that doesn't explain the teeth mark.
"One of the most significant items of evidence is a large carnivore bite mark - probably inflicted by a lion, tiger or bear -- an injury which must have been sustained in an arena context, " said Kurt Hunter-Mann, the lead archeologist on the dig.
"Nothing like them has ever been identified before on a Roman skeleton," said Michael Wysocki, who examined the remains in the forensic anthropology laboratory at the University of Central Lancashire.
He said the bite marks suggest the remains were of someone who fought as a gladiator.
"It would seem highly unlikely that this individual was attacked by a tiger as he was walking home from the pub in York 2,000 years ago," he said.
One arm was bigger than the other in many remains, the scientists found -- a suggestion that the men were gladiators who trained from a young age with a weapon in one hand.
Other clues include healed and unhealed weapon injuries, possible hammer blows to the head, and burial with "grave goods" such joints of meat or pottery -- a sign of respect.
It's not certain that the men were gladiators, Hunter-Mann cautioned.
"The research is continuing and we must, therefore, keep an open mind," the archeologist said.
But "almost all the individuals are male, very robust and mostly above average height -- features which would also be consistent with a gladiator interpretation. Many also have muscle attachment marks on their arm bones suggesting severe muscle stress," he said.
They also appear to come from all over the Roman empire, which straddled the Mediterranean for hundreds of years, starting more than 2,000 years ago.
"These are internationally important discoveries. We don't have any other potential gladiator cemeteries with this level of preservation anywhere else in the world," Wysocki said.
The skeletons are between 1,600 and 1,900 years old.
The most impressive grave was that of a tall man aged between 18 and 23, buried, probably in a coffin, in a large oval grave about 1,700 years ago. He had been decapitated by several sword blows to the neck, the scientists said.
Buried with him were what appear to have been the remains of substantial joints of meat from at least four horses -- that left behind 424 horse bones -- possibly consumed at the funeral, plus some cow and pig remains.
Other graves also had joints of horse, sheep or chicken, possibly remains of funeral feasts, the archeologists speculated.
The site was first discovered when archeologists probed an area scheduled for a housing development in 2003.
Also on Monday, Israeli archeologists announced the discovery of a huge cache of religious objects about 3,500 years old -- older than the Bible itself, and nearly twice the age of the Roman skeletons.
"It would appear that the vessels were used in a pagan cult that worshipped idols. During this period it was customary that each city had a temple of its own where special cultic vessels were used," said archaeologists Uzi Ad and Edwin van den Brink.
They include a vessel that was used for burning incense, a sculpted face of a woman that was part of a cultic cup used in dedicating a libation to a god, goblets and bowls with high bases and tableware that was intended for eating and drinking, the Israel Antiquities Authority said.
Scientists called the discovery "extremely rare" -- both because it is so old and because the objects are so well preserved.
Some of them had been brought from Mycenae in Greece, including a storage vessel for precious oils -- evidence of the ancient trade relations that existed with Greece, they said.
"It would seem highly unlikely that this individual was attacked by a tiger as he was walking home from the pub in York 2,000 years ago," ... Now that's pretty funny stuff. :)
Um, I mean, Red Faction: Armageddon... which only happens to be set on Mars and involve fighting against "forces that unleashed Armageddon on the planet"... yeah, I can't imagine why I chose the title that I did.
Red Faction was cool though, deformable terrain is awesome. Didn't the most recent Red Faction pretty much only have destroyable buildings, though, not environments? We need destroyable environments again... :)
![[Image: t1larg.jpg]](http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/WORLD/europe/06/07/england.roman.cemetery/t1larg.jpg)
Now that's pretty funny stuff. :)
