Technology News

Jazzmen to Congress: Save Net Radio

Source: All About Jazz
August 1, 2008

S.O.J. (Save Our Jazz) Copyright New Royalties Laws Bankrupt Webcasters

It's no secret that internet radio offers a lot more variety than you can find on AM, FM, or even satellite radio, so it should come as no surprise that members of the jazz community eager to see the webcasters who play their stuff thrive have sent a letter asking Congress to support H.R. 2060, the Internet Radio Equality Act, which would vacate the Copyright Royalty Board's new royalty rates ...

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Creativity Explored Mapping Jazz Musicians' Brains

Source: All About Jazz
August 1, 2008

Ever wondered what happens inside jazz musicians' (or any musicians') heads when their eyes get glazed, and they begin to lose themselves in the music they're improvising?

A team of researchers studying the creative process now have a partial answer to that question. Using a group of trained jazz musicians who were also patient enough to agree to practice their art inside an functioning MRI machine, they've watched exactly what happens inside the brain when an artist begins to improvise. ...

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E-mail Henceforth Know as E-fail

Source: Michael Ricci
August 1, 2008

You've got too much e-mail!

There's a growing backlash against our growing in-boxes. A new crop of entrepreneurs has sprung up with antidotes -- some of which create more e-mail. It happened with cigarettes. It happened with red meat. And carbs. And SUVs.And now it's happening with e-mail. The preferred communication channel of millions of Americans is no longer cool. According to a growing number of academics, “technologists" and psychologists, our dependence on e-mail -- the need to attend to ...

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Report: Dell to Re-Enter MP3 Player Market

Source: PC Magazine
July 31, 2008

In recent months, personal computer maker Dell Inc., has been testing a digital music player that could go on sale as early as September, the Wall Street Journal newspaper said, citing several Dell officials. Dell's new foray would put it into an Apple-led market that has defied assaults. Companies like Microsoft Corp and Sony Corp have triedand failedto make a dent in the market dominated by Apple's iPod players and iTunes store, the Journal said. The music player which Dell ...

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YouTube New Compression Stymies Uploaders

Source: All About Jazz
July 31, 2008

New YouTube Audio Compression Stymies Uploaders

Some YouTube users are mounting a growing revolt against the site's new audio scheme, which has degraded the sound quality of clips on the site by running them through an audio processor that wreaks havoc with songs' dynamic range (the variation between loud and soft), diminishing their sound quality. This is not “compression" as in bit rate or file format, but in the audio engineer sense of the word: the smushing together of various ...

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Motu Debuts Ultralite-MK3 Portable Firewire Audio Interface

Source: All About Jazz
July 31, 2008

MOTU, Inc. has introduced the UltraLite-mk3, a portable bus-powered FireWire audio interface with on-board effects and mixing.

Features include a compact form factor with rugged lightweight alloy chassis, two XLR/TRS “combo" style mic inputs with high-quality preamps, true hi-Z guitar inputs, a total of 10 inputs and 14 outputs, 192 kHz analog I/O, a 32-bit floating point DSP for digital mixing and effects processing, front-panel LCD programming, FireWire bus-powered portability and stand-alone operation as a digital mixer/processor. “The UltraLite-mk3 offers ...

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Pandora Argues That Web Royalties Will Kill It

Source: PC Magazine
July 30, 2008

Should Internet radio stations, cable providers, and satellite radio stations pay the same amount to license the content they provide? What model should be used to determine royalty rates? Why is traditional radio getting a free ride when it comes to royalties? Representatives from Pandora clashed on Tuesday with SoundExchange, the organization that collects royalties for copyright owners in the music business, over these very issues. Pandora reiterated that current royalty rates could potentially put it out of business, but ...

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The All-New Honda Jazz

Source: All About Jazz
July 30, 2008

Honda's all-new Jazz is once again set to redefine the B-segment parameters of practicality and interior space. The 5-door hatchback will achieve class leading interior space and combined it with significantly improved fuel economy and 120 g/km CO2 emissions (1.4-litre i-SHIFT and 1.2-litre). The exterior design is at first glance an evolution rather than a revolution, but this subtle change of appearance is only one small part of the thousands of changes that push the all-new Jazz forward. It retains ...

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