One Canuck's Radio Weblog

  Friday, 24 September 2004

.< 7:54:11 PM >
Dolby Technologies Mandatory on both HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc...

Video and audio standards for the coming HD-DVD and Blu-Ray DVD formats go through final tweaking as Dolby Digital Plus and MLP Lossless (which is licensed by Dolby Labs) are both adopted as the audio formats that will be required in pre-recorded software for the new high definition DVD formats. [About Home Theater]

< 7:19:23 PM >

I've been lurking on the ipodder-dev list, and have been totally impressed with how productive this community of users and developers has been. At the core is an activity they call podcasting, a really simple idea with powerful implications. Think of an iPod that can subscribe to audio feeds the same way a desktop aggregator subscribes to text feeds. Adam Curry, who's been feeding this community with his Daily Source Code programs, is a natural born community leader. He knows just enough technology to be dangerous, and doesn't mind asking questions. The community is on the cusp of shipping a polished and revolutionary product. This work will be visible at BloggerCon III, Adam is leading a discussion, and with any luck at least some of our sessions will flow out through the podcast network. [Scripting News]

< 7:17:20 PM >

Same-sex marriages will be allowed in Nova Scotia following a ruling Friday morning that said banning them is unconstitutional. FULL STORY [CBC News]

Bravo

< 7:16:30 PM >

An internal RCMP report says the force lacked the expertise to conduct national security investigations when it targeted Maher Arar as a potential terrorist. FULL STORY [CBC News]

< 7:15:49 PM >

AP - Google Inc.'s recently launched news service in China doesn't display results from Web sites blocked by that country's authorities, raising prickly questions for an online search engine that has famously promised to "do no evil." [Yahoo! News - World]

< 7:14:33 PM >

US elections: Polling in solidly Democratic New Jersey illustrates the trouble Kerry is in, says Philip James. [Guardian Unlimited] 'Kerry needs to see this both as an indictment and an opportunity. He has failed to convince the US public that he represents a clear third way - strong and right.

He still has a chance to do so. The increasingly yawning gap between the gruesome reality of what is happening in Iraq and the fantasy world depicted by Bush gives him that opportunity. US casualties in Iraq are escalating: 42 in June, 54 in July, 66 in August, and another 60 so far this month.

However, media coverage of Iraq over the same period has not helped Kerry. Despite the growing body count, front page stories in the New York Times and Washington Post have fallen by one third between May and September.

So Kerry will have to help himself. Sharp, concise messaging, centred around how a reckless, distracting war has made the US less safe, is what is needed to move forward. For a senator who has never met a dependant clause he didn't like, that may be a tall order.'

< 7:11:12 PM >

Politics: Voters should use election to deliver verdict on war, Kennedy says. [Guardian Unlimited]

< 7:08:05 PM >

UK: Yusuf Islam, previously known as Cat Stevens, begins legal action over the US refusal to grant him entry. [Guardian Unlimited] '"The amazing thing is that I was not given, and have still not been given, any explanation whatsoever as to what it is I am accused of, or why I am now deemed an apparent security threat - let alone given an opportunity to respond to these allegations," the statement said. "I was simply told that the order had come from on high.

"We have now initiated a legal process to try to find out exactly what is going on, and to take all necessary steps to undo the very serious, and wholly unfounded, injustice which I have suffered. I am a man of peace and denounce all forms of terrorism and injustice; it is simply outrageous for the US authorities to suggest otherwise."'

< 7:05:56 PM >

Net notes: As musicians celebrate the Fender Stratocaster, Japinder Dhesi looks back at the guitar's first 50 years. [Guardian Unlimited]

< 7:05:24 PM >

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States does not have to wait until Iraq "is peaceful and perfect" before it begins to withdraw military troops from that troubled country, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said on Friday. [Reuters: World]

< 7:04:30 PM >

A UN official chides the US defence secretary for suggesting Iraq's elections may be limited by violence. [BBC News | World | UK Edition]

Rummy should shut up again.

< 7:02:38 PM >

John Kerry says President Bush was wrong to pursue Saddam Hussein instead of Osama Bin Laden. [BBC News | World | UK Edition]

< 7:01:55 PM >

Two Egyptians are seized in Baghdad as fears mount in the UK and Italy over their kidnapped nationals. [BBC News | World | UK Edition]

Thanks George Bush for making the world a safer place. Well done.

< 12:40:14 AM >

With the sites, the copyright owners have doubled their share of royalties, even though the marginal cost of manufacturing has fallen to almost zero.

.< 12:29:33 AM >
A URL shortcut to Safari's bookmark manager

I'm using Safari 1.2 (v125) on Mac OS X Version 10.3.5. If I type bookmarks: (include the colon!) in the address bar, I'm taken to Safari's bookmark manager.

Without the colon, I'm taken to http://www.bookmarks.com. [macosxhints]

< 12:25:34 AM >

Many professional photographers still prefer to use film, thanks to continued advances in film technology, basic differences in how each medium works and artistic preference. But digital is gaining ground in the pro market as each generation of digital SLR camera improves resolution and features. [MacCentral]

< 12:21:27 AM >

Jon Stahl:: “The good news is that doing broadcast quality audio doesn’t require much gear anymore.” [Adam Curry: Adam Curry's Weblog]

Webloggers posting audio, making 'radio'.