[Coq de Combat]

Quote:

 
What I always wonder about when I see stories like this are the details of the implementation: What is the throughput on write and read, what is the failure rate on writes and reads, how large and efficient is the system around the storage device...
 
The last is particularly is relevant to max's comparison: A hard drive is a complete write/store/read system, but the DNA strand is only the storage. A fairer comparison would be the weight of the magnetic material on the platter surface (the substrate is just a carrier, in the way the agar slate or whatnot is only the carrier of that DNA strand), and I'm guessing we're actually already storing 4TB on less than a gram of media -- but that media is almost valueless and incredibly difficult to use without a properly rigid substrate, motorized access system, servo-driven read/write, relevant electronics and secure housing.

The read/write speeds are not great. We're talking about bytes per second. Then again, this is more of a "proof of concept" than anything else. If this ever got to see the day of light within commercial products, we would be talking about some other, much more sophisticated system for reading and writing than is available today. Still, it's pretty cool that the core of the idea actually works with satisfying results from a storing data point of view. Now, we need to see some hardcore RAIDing going on here. 

 

[jgray91]

Well, to my knowledge, people do throw up their arms about other media. It really depends on where you look. Go to any feminist blog, and you'll find articles about not just videogames, but music, film, literature, etc. As for why videogames becomes such a focus on the Internet and mainstream news media... well, it's sensationalism. Videogames aren't as popular a target as they once were now that they've been around for a while and have been integrated into society more. The imagine of a gamer is no longer just some nerdy white boy in his parents' basement. It's expanded.

But there's still an aspect of sensationalism to it in popular news because relative to those other forms of media, videogames are the newest still and the least understood by the press. It's also why you see so much news coverage of "cyberbullying" on the Internet. The Internet is still some nebulous scary thing to a lot of people outside of the Internet, and inside the Internet it's simply more relevant to folks. Like "local" news. Once you start looking online too, you'll find more rants about videogames because that's just more a part of online culture. The two go hand-in-hand.

I do see a reason to focus on videogames when it comes to misogyny, however. Younger people are playing games, and in the case of young males they develop some of their mental schema about the opposite sex through the way they're depicted therein. With female gamers, it's detrimental to how they view themselves.

I like videogames and anime, but most of the time women are treated in a downright repulsive manner in both. Of course, you and I know that there's a diverse set of both, and that it's a generalization. There are plenty of strong female characters in videogames and anime. But let's be honest: the former seems to happen more in both relative to other forms of entertainment, doesn't it? It seems that way to me at least.

I see. Thanks for clearing this up for me.

It also doesn't help that most publication that focus more on videogames, and based on this recent event, publish their report on this is as sensational as possible too (not just from more general news sites), and that won't engender level-headed arguments. On the the other hand, IMO, if the publication decides to publish an article that's a bit too apathetic or neutral towards the issue, they could run the risk of being accused of misogynistic as well. And when it comes to the comments on articles pertaining this issue, they either sound like misogynistic rambling, or some sort of uncompromising PC propaganda. I'm sure there's actually coherent, level-headed comments regarding this, but as always on the internet, these are drowned in the loud majority being led by sensationalists. It seems, like everything on the internet is composed mostly of extremes. You're either this, or that, and can never ever (except for a small minority) be in the middle.

It's a shame, tbh, that these kinds of things seem to happen right when I thought gaming seem to take one step forward to maturing as a media and then something happen to revert it back 5 steps back.

I agree on your third paragraph too since media is so prevalent in youth's growth, and more so of videogaming.

 

[jgray91]

I'm not really sure which religion is it that said the first woman was made from the rib of a man, but pertaining that I found a quite beautiful quote:

Woman was made from the rib of a man. Not from his head to top him nor his foot to be stepped on by him, but from his side to be equal to him, under his arm to be protected by him, and near his heart to be loved by him.

YMMV on what you guys and gals think.

 

[Sylverant]

Quote:

 
I lost a bid yesterday for Persona 4 + some other extras LOL! It is another game I want to buy. The Vita I find it to be excellent even though it doesn't have as many games as the DS/3DS/PSP. I finished (last month) the game Zero Escape, and it's an AWESOME story-driven puzzle game! I ordered DJ Technika Max last week too..
 
 
(and yes... the backlog keeps growing...)

lol, I thought you were reffering to DJ Max Portable 3. I got worried for your Vita's buttons for a moment

I keep a PSP1000 reserved just for these music games, since its easy to replace the buttons every so often. Its been less of an issue since I press softer now. I play everything else on a Go.

Quote:

Yeah, it's due in part to the way the image is cropped; it's an awkward pose to begin with, so when you don't see her elbows there's a discontinuity, and they look like they're not part of her body.
 
Speaking of weird....
 
http://www.tera-player.com/
 
 

 
 
"pOsh fur-ther technology!"

I've been meaning to ask about that player here for a while. I've seen them sell for a $1000 on the FS Forums and was wondering if anyone thought it was legitimate. His website reads like a parody of itself, and then there is a matter of his output names and recommended headphones. (teramega, superduper, kramer modded Koss Portapro's, cough cough) I'm guessing its all good fun, but its just that price. He charges a lot extra for a pOsh.

Mike from headfonia does seem to like it a lot.
 
Quote:

 
Actually, Ni no Kuni was originally released in 2011 in Japan. I picked one up and played it all the way last year, because I'm a big fan of Studio Ghibli films. Overall it's a pretty nice game with that Ghibli-esque, nostalgic atmosphere you don't see often in other video games. Took me around 30 hours to beat.
 
Speaking of which, I'm visiting the actual Studio Ghibli in March. Oh boy!

 
A bit short for a jrpg, actually. I bet there are thousands of extra things to do though.

 

[Coq de Combat]

Quote:

I'm not really sure which religion is it that said the first woman was made from the rib of a man, but pertaining that I found a quite beautiful quote:
YMMV on what you guys and gals think.

Christianity? Perhaps all abrahamic religions?
 
I think I remember reading about that, that Eve was created from Adams rib.

 

[MuppetFace]

I'm actually really digging the new look of Red Wine Audio:
 
 

 

 

 

 
Didn't really care for the RWA DAC / amp combo I listened too in the past. Was too mushy sounding. In fact, I've never liked a tube-based DAC I've heard thus far. Still, the more I think about it the more I like the idea of an all-in-one unit for office listening. There's also something extremely appealing about having some wood accents and metal in my office. For that reason, I'm also considering the Yamamoto Sound Craft HA-03 along with its little matching DAC:
 
 

 

 
 
There's also the Fostex HP-A8 (as driver 8 said) and the Burson Conductor (as driver 8 owns). If I'm going to eschew the wood and tube route however, I'd be more inclined to get something like the Mytek or Invicta.
 
The appeal of all-in-one solutions is extending to my home rigs, too. I still need to find a speaker amp to replace the Leben CS300XS, and at this point I'm more inclined to stick with an integrated amp. I'm curious about Triode, a Japanese company that is apparently rather popular among local consumers. Their new TRV-88SE amp has been getting good press and reviews:
 

I know next-to-nothing about it however. Something also seems a little... um... chintzy about it? I can't quite put my finger on it. It just sort of strikes me as a "budget Cary" of sorts. I could be totally off-base with that assessment however. Speaking of Cary, they've got an 300B integrated...
 
 

 
 
The Manley Stingray II is always there too, lurking in the background of possibilities (as it has been for the last few years), seemingly a permanent fixture in the what-if scene:
 
 

 
 

 
At this point however I'd be more inclined to get something from Accuphase or Luxman if I were going the all-in-one route, as they include a phono stage. Plus while I enjoy having tubes around, I get a bit nervous when there's that much tubeitry to contend with on an amp.
 
 
 
 

 

[songmic]

Quote:

In fact, I've never liked a tube-based DAC I've heard thus far.
 

 
Me too, tube amps are okay but I think tube DAC's are somewhat hit-or-miss. However, I believe the DAC section of the RWA DAC/amp is entirely solid-state, while there is a tube in the amp section.

 

[MuppetFace]

Quote:

I'm not really sure which religion is it that said the first woman was made from the rib of a man, but pertaining that I found a quite beautiful quote:
YMMV on what you guys and gals think.

 
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
 
There are actually two versions that are generally accepted as canonical, and in one there's no mention of the rib thing. Rather, it says God created man and woman at the same time. The problem some folks have the rib thing is that it's not equality in their view. They argue that God created the first man directly whereas woman was in turn created through a piece of man, basically once-removed from God so to speak (think of that "12 degrees of separation" game). The protection thing could be viewed as a form of dependency. To that end a lot of theologians like von Balthasar have emphasized the "co dependency" of man and woman: in other words, they literally compliment and complete one another. Whether this co-dependency is bidirectional however is debatable, and someone like von Balthasar will say that women are there to help men (to "answer their question with their return gaze") whereas men are engaged in the world at large (their gaze "looks all around" and not just at woman). Women are one piece of man so to speak, whereas men are completed by women but more than this. Also note that in this version of the creation story, Adam names Eve by calling her woman. Naming was a means of exerting dominance over something, and it's why God has Adam name all the other animals, as it shows that man has dominion over nature.
 
I think this particular version of the Judeo-Christian creation story has a beautiful element to it, but unfortunately opens the doors to interpretations that are less-than-beautiful. It's been used historically as ammunition for women's subservience and even to keep them out of the priesthood. The complementary nature of man / woman has also been used as an argument against homosexuality.
 
Personally, I'm more interested in the fact that there are two canonical versions of the creation story and how historically various groups have tried to reconcile this. Some see one as an elaboration of the other, others see them as two poetic variations or different perspectives of the same event, still others view one as more authentic than the other, and so on and so forth.

 

[MuppetFace]

Quote:

 
Me too, tube amps are okay but I think tube DAC's are somewhat hit-or-miss. However, I believe the DAC section of the RWA DAC/amp is entirely solid-state, while there is a tube in the amp section.

 
The RWA Bellina DAC uses a tube stage.

 

[mosshorn]

Thanks for Jacula MF, I'm loving their sound! I have so many albums to do this week, on top of my Tzar 90 review that's like 3 weeks overdue now >_< I actually like them a lot more than expected, but biflanges have never worked with my wonky ears too well. I'm considering custom tips, especially since I'll probably be getting a nice little check in the next few weeks for recording and mixing some singer/songwriter 

 Has anyone here used custom tips? 
 
The more I look at my rig right now, the more I'm content with it. I would like some big over ears to enjoy now and again, but the Tzars have either grown on me, or my expectations dropped. I feel it's the first. The Schiit mini stack works wonders for $200, and I don't really have any plans to upgrade until my personal budget goes waaaaayyy up. My Studio is an awesome player despite its company's.......questionable service at times. I also have the cheap Parts Express speaker combo, and that has been really convenient for the times I don't feel like headphones. 
 
 
I think I'm.....done with upgradeitis? Especially once I get some over ears and a pair of more analytical IEMs on the side (looking at UM1 or RE400). I love looking at this beautiful gear (the new look of RWA makes me cry smiles), but I don't have this urge to try to get it. My only audio based projects are to finish my PS1 CDP (been going on forever now), and maybe try to make one more to sell. 
 
Also, I'll be in the Greater Orlando area all weekend, PM me if you want to meet up! 

 

[Maxvla]

What I always wonder about when I see stories like this are the details of the implementation: What is the throughput on write and read, what is the failure rate on writes and reads, how large and efficient is the system around the storage device...

The last is particularly is relevant to max's comparison: A hard drive is a complete write/store/read system, but the DNA strand is only the storage. A fairer comparison would be the weight of the magnetic material on the platter surface (the substrate is just a carrier, in the way the agar slate or whatnot is only the carrier of that DNA strand), and I'm guessing we're actually already storing 4TB on less than a gram of media -- but that media is almost valueless and incredibly difficult to use without a properly rigid substrate, motorized access system, servo-driven read/write, relevant electronics and secure housing.

That's true, I didn't account for the 700g encompassing the entire assembly, not just the platters. Still the order of magnitude would be immense. Oh, and no we're not already storing 4TB on less than a gram. Hard drive platters weigh around 15-20 grams each and I'd have to check, but 4TB drives probably have at least 2 if not 3 or 4.

 

[ardgedee]

Quote:

That's true, I didn't account for the 700g encompassing the entire assembly, not just the platters. Still the order of magnitude would be immense.

 
Absolutely! The change in scale is still incredible.

 

[eke2k6]

Quote:

What I always wonder about when I see stories like this are the details of the implementation: What is the throughput on write and read, what is the failure rate on writes and reads, how large and efficient is the system around the storage device...

The last is particularly is relevant to max's comparison: A hard drive is a complete write/store/read system, but the DNA strand is only the storage. A fairer comparison would be the weight of the magnetic material on the platter surface (the substrate is just a carrier, in the way the agar slate or whatnot is only the carrier of that DNA strand), and I'm guessing we're actually already storing 4TB on less than a gram of media -- but that media is almost valueless and incredibly difficult to use without a properly rigid substrate, motorized access system, servo-driven read/write, relevant electronics and secure housing.

 
 
 
 
 
Assuming they maintain the natural mechanisms, it's a simple matter of unwinding the strands via DNA helicase, and then using a synthetic "head" to read the base pair codes. There's no need for transcription or anything like that.
 
Throughput doesn't matter in this case, as I'm pretty sure that this storage method would be more of an archive, than some sort of server application.
 
As for the storage of the media, all one would need is a cool and dry environment, so as not to denature the strands with heat, or destabilize the bonds b/w amino acids via the hydrogen bonds in water.
 
Nerd vision disabled. 

 

[eke2k6]

I was browsing for information about a DAC and amp that I recently bought, when i stumbled on this:
 
http://www.headfonia.com/enjoy-sound-and-tea-ocharaku-flat-4/
 
I especially enjoyed the review because it gave comparisons to iems I'm already intimate with, the GR07 and ASG-1.2.

 

[MuppetFace]

Quote:

I was browsing for information about a DAC and amp that I recently bought, when i stumbled on this:
 
http://www.headfonia.com/enjoy-sound-and-tea-ocharaku-flat-4/
 
I especially enjoyed the review because it gave comparisons to iems I'm already intimate with, the GR07 and ASG-1.2.

 
Pretty good review.
 
I don't think I'd agree with the assessment that there's grain over the whole spectrum. The reviewer even says it could be a source issue. Secondly, yes, the bass has a lot of impact, but I have a feeling this is accentuated by the Comply tips. I want to experiment more with different tips to see if I can't achieve a more linear sound which I think they're capable of. I don't feel the bass detracts at all from the midrange, and it seems very clean and well controlled.