If you read the news, you may think the MP3 file format was recently officially “killed” somehow, and any remaining MP3 holdouts should all move to AAC now. These are all simple rewrites of Fraunhofer IIS’ announcement that they’re terminating the MP3 patent-licensing program.
Very few people got it right. The others missed what happened last month:
If the longest-running patent mentioned in the aforementioned references is taken as a measure, then the MP3 technology became patent-free in the United States on 16 April 2017 when U.S. Patent 6,009,399, held by and administered by Technicolor, expired.
MP3 is no less alive now than it was last month or will be next year — the last known MP3 patents have simply expired.
Author: Chris Aldrich
I'm a biomedical and electrical engineer with interests in information theory, complexity, evolution, genetics, signal processing, IndieWeb, theoretical mathematics, and big history.
I'm also a talent manager-producer-publisher in the entertainment industry with expertise in representation, distribution, finance, production, content delivery, and new media.
👓 As ‘Missing Richard Simmons’ podcast wraps, its creator has a theory about what happened to the fitness guru | LA Times
With the "Missing Richard Simmons" podcast coming to an end, his brother and longtime manager have stepped up to join the chorus of those saying the fitness guru, who hasn't been seen in public for three years, is fine, fine, fine.
👓 Is Richard Simmons missing? Or is he just dearly missed? | Washington Post
LOS ANGELES — Richard Simmons is gone.
His fitness studio in Beverly Hills is shuttered. On its stoop is a sun-bleached edition of the Beverly Hills Courier from January. Inside is the wreckage of a livelihood: piles of debris, tongues of pink insulation, a dusting of pulverized drywall on the ballet barres. In the middle of it all, a forlorn scale where his students measured pounds sacrificed to the oldies.
“I knew him very well, but I don’t know what happened to him,” says Germen Helleon, the proprietor of a hair salon next door, on Civic Center Drive.
Checkin Burger King
Double Whopper with cheese, fries, and a coke zero
Checkin Ralphs
Stocking up on groceries for the week.
Checkin Bedford Parking Garage
Checkin Beverly Hills Aesthetic Dental Care
Polishing the pearly whites
📺 Watched Broadchurch (2015) Season 2 Episodes 1-4
When Joe Miller pleads not guilty, the town of Broadchurch have to prepare for a full trial. Meanwhile, a woman called Claire, from the Sandbrook case, relies on Alec for protection. Creator: Chris Chibnall; Starring: David Tennant, Olivia Colman, Andrew Buchan
Holy crap! This managed to get even better than the first season! I say this because I had terrifically low expectations when I’d accidentally seen that the entire cast was coming back for the second and third seasons. I had wondered to myself how all these diverse players with only one or two mildly significant “leads” were going to manage to figure into a new storyline. Well they pulled it off in incredible style.
The cinematography and directing has gotten much more solid in the beginning of season 2. Subtle things like Miller rushing to get to court on time in combination with the music really helps to pull the viewer in while also mounting a significant amount of tension where one might not otherwise dramatically exist without it’s creation the way they’ve produced one of the opening scenes.
I won’t go into much more detail for fear of ruining things for others, but kudos on the cast and crew for a heck of an opening half of season two. I have to say I’m a bit depressed that I still don’t known when season 3 will be available in the states. I may have to spoof my IP address to see if I can get it on ITV in Britain.
I watched this on the 40″ Samsung in high def with Netflix routed through my Google Chromecast.
👓 Help! My Best Friend Wants to Fake Her Entire Résumé to Get a Better Job. | Slate
My best friend works in a job that she is grossly overqualified for but that pays better than most entry-level positions in her field.
👓 Developers of the MP3 Have Officially Killed It | Gizmodo
MP3, the digital audio coding format, changed the way we listen to music and drove the adoption of countless new devices over the last couple of decades. And now, it’s dead. The developer of the format announced this week that it has officially terminated its licensing program.
The reporter on this one failed massively!
The IP on the mp3 has expired and so the group that owned it isn’t charging for it anymore. Sure they’d like to have everyone think it’s dead and use more “modern” things like AAC, which they can still charge for! My guess is that you’ll actually see a resurgence in mp3 format now that it’s free.
Next they’ll be saying that RSS is dead…
👓 Trump revealed highly classified information to Russian foreign minister and ambassador | Washington Post
President Trump revealed highly classified information to the Russian foreign minister and ambassador in a White House meeting last week, according to current and former U.S. officials, who said Trump’s disclosures jeopardized a critical source of intelligence on the Islamic State. The information the president relayed had been provided by a U.S. partner through an intelligence-sharing arrangement considered so sensitive that details have been withheld from allies and tightly restricted even within the U.S. government, officials said. The partner had not given the United States permission to share the material with Russia, and officials said Trump’s decision to do so endangers cooperation from an ally that has access to the inner workings of the Islamic State. After Trump’s meeting, senior White House officials took steps to contain the damage, placing calls to the CIA and the National Security Agency.
For someone who always insists he doesn’t want to tell the “bad guys” what he intends to do, this is just sounds painfully inept.
📺 Net Neutrality II: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
Equal access to online information is once again under serious threat. John Oliver encourages internet commenters to voice their displeasure to the FCC by visiting www.gofccyourself.com and clicking "express" to file your comment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92vuuZt7wak
tl;dr: Net neutrality is important and we need to support and protect it.
and the update:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qI5y-_sqJT0
📺 The Closer with Keith Olbermann S2 E75 We Need the Help of Intel Agencies Around the World
It’s time to lay bare what is known about Trump
🎧 This Week in Google: #404 Leo Not Found | TWIT.TV
Echo Show, Google I/O, Samsung Dex. Amazon announces the Echo Show, an Echo with a touch screen and video calling functionality. Google I/O is next week - what will we see? Guest host Jason Howell demonstrates the Dex, Samsung's phone dock that turns your Galaxy S8 into a desktop computer. What is Fuchsia, Google's new OS? Use Google Home API and a Raspberry Pi to create a smart candy dispenser. Google plans their own city. Hackers break SMS two factor authentication. America bans laptops on flights from Europe. Jason's Tool: Google search highlights events near you; Jeff's Numbers: Snap and Yelp earnings; Stacey's Thing: Notifi Smart Doorbell; Stacey's dog Sophie's Tricks: twirl, sit, touch, walk
I’m kinda tempted to try out the new Amazon Echo Show, but somehow I haven’t really been motivated enough to buy into either the Amazon Echo or Google Home.
Leo was on vacation and didn’t appear in this show, so it’s more tech/spec focused rather than philosophy focused. Can’t wait for him to be back.
Checkin Arco
Gassing up.