babypuncher's recent activity
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Comment on Why cassette tapes are coming back in ~music
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Comment on Why cassette tapes are coming back in ~music
babypuncher (edited )Link ParentTo play a cassette tape requires the magnetic analog signal on the tape to be converted into an electronic signal, which is then electronically amplified to drive an electronic transducer such as...- Exemplary
To play a cassette tape requires the magnetic analog signal on the tape to be converted into an electronic signal, which is then electronically amplified to drive an electronic transducer such as a dynamic driver.
The early recording technologies which eventually evolved into the vinyl record, such as Emile Berliner's phonograph, reproduced sound through an entirely mechanical process with no electricity at all.
Here's a picture of Berliner with his first phonograph in 1878, three years before the first practical incandescent light bulb was invented. You can fairly easily make out how it works. The turntable is hand-cranked, no need for an electric motor. The pickup needle directly actuates a transducer, with the physical sound waves it produces getting amplified by the cone.
Modern vinyl records still operate on the same principal. And although we've enhanced everything around the record by replacing most of these parts with electronic alternatiaves, there's still no reason you couldn't build a purely mechanical phonograph capable of playing a freshly pressed Billie Eilish record from Target. You would just find out very quickly why electronics make the whole experience way, way better.
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Comment on Why cassette tapes are coming back in ~music
babypuncher Link ParentThese noise reduction tricks would also cause consumer frustration and confusion. Tapes mastered for any of the Dolby noise reduction systems and played back on decks without support will not only...These noise reduction tricks would also cause consumer frustration and confusion. Tapes mastered for any of the Dolby noise reduction systems and played back on decks without support will not only keep the high natural noise floor of the recording medium, but also make the music itself sound wrong in various ways.
It's no wonder that Dolby S never took off despite how good it was. CD was rapidly maturing and inherently free of this mixed bag of competing proprietary standards as well as the underlying problem they were all designed to solve.
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Comment on Help choosing a new linux computer? in ~tech
babypuncher Link ParentThis is finally changing with the new Nova modules, which will replace both Nouveau and the proprietary DKMS module once they are ready.This is finally changing with the new Nova modules, which will replace both Nouveau and the proprietary DKMS module once they are ready.
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Comment on ‘Predator: Badlands’ officially rated PG-13, meant to be “boundary-pushing” in ~movies
babypuncher Link ParentI think this movie really rubbed up against the ceiling of the PG-13 rating when it comes to violence. Christopher Nolan is a talented filmmaker and really knew how to make the action feel gritty...I think this movie really rubbed up against the ceiling of the PG-13 rating when it comes to violence. Christopher Nolan is a talented filmmaker and really knew how to make the action feel gritty and intense without being outright graphic. The prosthetics and CGI for Harvey Dent's face post-injury are another area they spent considerable time fine tuning to get exactly the right vibe while keeping it PG-13.
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Comment on ‘Predator: Badlands’ officially rated PG-13, meant to be “boundary-pushing” in ~movies
babypuncher Link Parent"Intense" means a lot of it happens or it has strong implications, "graphic" means lots of blood and/or guts. The Joker slamming a pencil through a guy's forehead in The Dark Knight is a good..."Intense" means a lot of it happens or it has strong implications, "graphic" means lots of blood and/or guts.
The Joker slamming a pencil through a guy's forehead in The Dark Knight is a good example of on-screen violence that is intense but not graphic in its depiction.
The rules get fuzzier the less human the targets of the violence are, which is probably why a science fiction movie about aliens getting hunted is able to "push boundaries".
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Comment on Hot take: 4:3 > 16:9 in ~tv
babypuncher Link ParentThese are hilarious, I can't believe I've never seen them before!These are hilarious, I can't believe I've never seen them before!
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Comment on Hot take: 4:3 > 16:9 in ~tv
babypuncher Link ParentTNG was shot open matte and cropped to 4:3 in post production. Keeping the original aspect ratio it was composed for was the right call, however CBS also didn't have much choice in the matter....TNG was shot open matte and cropped to 4:3 in post production. Keeping the original aspect ratio it was composed for was the right call, however CBS also didn't have much choice in the matter. While the photography was open matte, no attempts were made to keep film crew and equipment out of parts of the frame that were going to be cropped out later.
Later seasons of DS9 were actually shot with 16:9 widescreen in mind so we might see that if it ever gets a proper remaster.
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Comment on Hot take: 4:3 > 16:9 in ~tv
babypuncher (edited )LinkThe 4:3 screens these shows were originally composed for were almost certainly smaller than the letterboxed 4:3 area on any modern 16:9 TV. Just like the benefits of tall aspect ratios you point...The 4:3 screens these shows were originally composed for were almost certainly smaller than the letterboxed 4:3 area on any modern 16:9 TV.
Just like the benefits of tall aspect ratios you point out, there are also very good reasons artists will choose a wide aspect ratio as well.
This is why 16:9 was chosen for the switch to high definition. It's a decent middle ground that allows both 4:3 and 2.39:1 content to be presented with minimal pillar/letterboxing.
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Comment on Elon Musk plans to take on Wikipedia with 'Grokipedia' in ~tech
babypuncher Link ParentIt would be funny if the people who believe this nonsense didn't have so much power.It would be funny if the people who believe this nonsense didn't have so much power.
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Comment on imgur.com geoblocks the UK in ~tech
babypuncher Link Parentare.....are they stupid or something? "We don't think this will work, and it will cause a lot of problems. Let's do it anyways!"are.....are they stupid or something?
"We don't think this will work, and it will cause a lot of problems. Let's do it anyways!"
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Comment on OpenAI enables shopping directly from ChatGPT in ~tech
babypuncher Link ParentI was around when people were making similarly disastrous predictions about the future of social media and we all dismissed them as reactionary.I was around when people were making similarly disastrous predictions about the future of social media and we all dismissed them as reactionary.
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Comment on Deus Ex Remastered | Announcement trailer in ~games
babypuncher Link ParentThe iMac G3 had a considerably less capable GPU than the GamecubeThe iMac G3 had a considerably less capable GPU than the Gamecube
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Comment on Starship was doomed from the beginning in ~space
babypuncher Link ParentI think, at least for me, I would rather have no space program at all than one which directly enriches Elon Musk. I can directly point to ways Musk has used his money to make my day-to-day life...I think, at least for me, I would rather have no space program at all than one which directly enriches Elon Musk.
I can directly point to ways Musk has used his money to make my day-to-day life worse, but I can't point to a single thing SpaceX has done that has made my life better. So as much as I love rocketry and space exploration, there simply isn't enough love there to absorb my hatred for a Nazi sympathizer who proudly deadnames his own daughter.
So it doesn't really matter what SpaceX does at this point. Until the board of directors grows a conscience and removes Musk, I won't get excited about anything they do and I won't support giving them any amount of public money to do it.
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Comment on Brannon Braga calls for longer Star Trek seasons in ~tv
babypuncher Link ParentThose figures don't sound right. $20m/episode is House of the Dragon territory, and $50m/episode would put it up there with Rings of Power.Those figures don't sound right. $20m/episode is House of the Dragon territory, and $50m/episode would put it up there with Rings of Power.
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Comment on Brannon Braga calls for longer Star Trek seasons in ~tv
babypuncher Link ParentI agree that Spocks characterization has been messy, particularly this season. However, I think him showing more emotions than in TOS is a deliberate creative choice. In TOS, Spock largely seeks...I agree that Spocks characterization has been messy, particularly this season. However, I think him showing more emotions than in TOS is a deliberate creative choice.
In TOS, Spock largely seeks to ignore his emotions, culminating in TMP where we see him attempt a ritual to completely expunge them from his mind, before backing out at the last minute. This kicks off his story arc for the films where we see Spock better embrace his more human qualities.
I believe Strange New Worlds is showing us how Spock came to view his emotions as a liability in the first place, bringing this character arc full circle.
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Comment on Looking forward to Apple Container/Containerization tool in macOS 26, an alternative to Docker in ~comp
babypuncher Link Parentwhere are you getting that from?where are you getting that from?
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Comment on NET Dollar by Cloudflare in ~finance
babypuncher Link ParentMy issue here is that these "problems" with USD are not inherent to USD, they exist purely because we haven't built the infrastructure to solve them. We could build that infrastructure, and it...My issue here is that these "problems" with USD are not inherent to USD, they exist purely because we haven't built the infrastructure to solve them. We could build that infrastructure, and it would require many orders of magnitude less compute and energy resources than any shitcoins.
Countries like Brazil and India have built out infrastructure that solves many of these problems but it's a tough sell in America because credit card companies and cryptobros can't make money off it
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Comment on Shopify, pulling strings at Ruby Central, forces Bundler and RubyGems takeover in ~comp
babypuncher Link ParentI tried rails a few years ago and didn't find it meaningfully more straightforward than spinning up a quick asp.net app granted, I have years of dotnet experience and almost none in ruby and that...I tried rails a few years ago and didn't find it meaningfully more straightforward than spinning up a quick asp.net app
granted, I have years of dotnet experience and almost none in ruby and that certainly works in asp.nets favor, but I feel most languages and frameworks designed for making web apps have gotten this stuff figured out pretty well these days.
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Comment on Are touchscreens in cars dangerous? in ~transport
babypuncher Link ParentI want physical transport controls, volume knobs, and climate controls, full stop. These will always be easier to use without looking at them than any kind of touch panel. I also don't trust any...I want physical transport controls, volume knobs, and climate controls, full stop. These will always be easier to use without looking at them than any kind of touch panel.
I also don't trust any car manufacturer with software. It may be flashy and up to date today, but there is no guarantee that it will still be good 5 years from now. This is why I think every infotainment system should just act as a dumb terminal for our smartphones. By outsourcing the "software" to my phone, I don't have to worry about whether my car will get some cool software feature I want. I installed iOS 26 this morning, and the infotainment system in my car just got upgraded "for free" without any input from the manufacturer, because it's just CarPlay.
I think the "coming back" phase lasts for as long as sales volume keeps growing, and doesn't end until it plateaus, goes back into decline, or somehow makes it all the way back up to where it was in the '80s.