| Here from beginning to the end
Jim thanked me for my contribution to the paper these past five years, and I thanked him for giving me one last shot at journalism. He took me on in 2000, when I was 75 years old. Today, I'm 79 and still working, at least until I finish this piece. I had a byline on page one of the first edition of the Post-Herald in 1950. And today, I have a byline in the last edition of my newspaper. That has a nice ring to it, a real sense of closure, of completion, of rounding things out. I remember coming to the old Post in 1948, a green kid just out of journalism school at the University of North Carolina. I couldn't buy a story at first, working my way up to writing obits from typing up all the sermon topics in town. Things changed when I got a Speed Graphic camera.
Aural fantasies: 3D sound for computer games
Computer games allow gamers to immerse themselves in virtual worlds. And all aspects of these simulations are becoming more realistic - and that applies to the sound as well. A 3D surround sound environment can be a big component of that feeling of really being there. "It's like films with 5.1 sound when you hear an airplane fly by overhead. The difference from stereo is immediately noticeable," explains Daniel Visarius from the Munich-based magazine Gamestar. 3D sound is especially helpful for first person shooters and racing games when trying to locate and get a bead on opponents. Or, as Christoph Muellers from sound card manufacturer Terratec expresses it: "You hear where they are shooting at you from." Sound then becomes an atmospheric complement to the other crucial game elements.
News and Undernews
Do netroots types really think that Al Gore, if he ran for President, would commit to getting U.S. troops out of Iraq by 2013 (unlike Edwards or Obama or Hillary Clinton)? I don't. ... 6:37 P.M. ___________________________ Prius, The Silent Killer--Update: If the government requires that Toyota Priuses and other quiet electric vehicles make a noise to warn pedestrians to get out of the way, won't that create a lucrative market for Prius ringtones? And what kind of noise would be a) distinctive enough to identify the presence of a car, yet b) quiet enough to make a crowd of Priuses tolerable--yet c) not drive Prius owners insane? Get Brian Eno on the case right now. ... P.S.: Maybe some sort of long whale-call tone? ... P.P.S.: Alert reader L.A. suggests "windchimes on the antennaes." Might fail (c).
Avon Produce CEO joins Apple's board
She's a Princeton graduate who's fluent in Mandarin, and was the first woman elected chair of the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association, in March 2001. Prior to her Avon experience was an executive vice president at premium retailer Neiman Marcus and a senior vice president for I. Magnin. Jung is now the eighth member of Apple's board; she's also the only female on the board. In announcing her appointment, Apple CEO Steve Jobs spoke about her strong leadership and marketing background. "Andrea will be our eighth board member, and I think she will add a new dimension to our already lively board discussions," said Jobs. .
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