At a recent computer expo (COMDEX), Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with the auto industry and stated "If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving twenty-five dollar cars that got 1000 miles to the gallon.
"In response to Mr. Gates` comments, General Motors issued the following press release (by Mr. Welch himself, the GM CEO: If GM had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with the following characteristics:
1. For no reason whatsoever your car would crash twice daily.
2. Every time they repainted the lines on the road, you would have to buy a new car.
3. Occasionally, executing a maneuver, such as a left turn, would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would have to reinstall the engine.
4. Only one person at a time could use the car, unless you bought "Car95" or "CarNT". But then you would have to buy more seats.
5. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, reliable, five times as fast and twice as easy to drive.
6. The oil, water temperature and alternator warning lights would be replaced by one "general car default" warning light.
7. New seats would force everyone to have the samesize bottom.
8. The airbag system would ask ("Are you sure?" before going off).
9. Occasionally for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the key, and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.
10. GM would require all car buyers to also purchase a deluxe set of Rand McNally road maps (now a GM subsidiary),even though they neither need nor want them. Attempting to delete this option would immediately cause the car`s performance to diminish by 50% or more. Moreover, GM would become a target for investigation by the Justice department.
11. Every time GM introduced a new model car,buyers would have to learn driving all over again because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car.
12. You`d press the "start" button to shut off the engine.
Saturday, October 15, 2005
Jokes
INDIAN AIRLINES
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I am sorry to inform you that we have lost power to all of our engines and will shortly crash into the ocean".
The passengers were obviously very worried about this situation but were somewhat comforted by the captain's next announcement: "Ladies and Gentlemen, we at Indian Airlines have prepared for such an emergency and we would now like you to rearrange your seating so that all the non-swimmers are on the left side of the plane and all the swimmers are on the right side of the Plane."
After this announcement all the passengers re-arranged their seating to comply with the captain's request. Two minutes later the captain made a belly landing in the ocean. The captain once again made an announcement:
"Ladies and Gentlemen we have crashed into the ocean. All of the swimmers on the right side of the plane open your emergency exits and quickly swim away from the plane. For all of the non-swimmers on the left side of plane... Thank You For Flying Indian Airlines."
___________________________________________________________________
SUPER COMPUTER
The Super Computer stood at the end of the Computer Company's production line. At which point the guided tour eventually arrived. The salesman stepped forward to give his prepared demo.
"This", he said, "is the Super Computer. It will give an intelligent answer to any question you may care to ask it".
At which a Clever Guest stepped forward - there is always one - and spoke into the Computer's microphone.
"Where is my father?" he asked.
There was a whirring of wheels and flashing of lights that the manufacturers always use to impress lay people, and then a little card popped out.
On it were printed the words: Fishing off Goa.
Clever Guest laughed.
"Actually", he said, "My father is dead"!
It had been a tricky question! The salesman, carefully chosen for his ability to think fast on his feet, immediately replied that he was sorry the answer was unsatisfactory, but as computers were precise, perhaps he might care to rephrase his question and try again?
Clever Guest thought, went to the Computer and this time said, "Where is my mother's husband?"
Again there was a whirring of wheels and a flashing of lights. And again a little card popped out. Printed on it were the words, "Dead. But your father is still fishing off Goa."
___________________________________________________________________
TECHNICALLY CORRECT!!!
A helicopter was flying above Seattle when an electrical malfunction disabled all of the aircraft's electronic navigation and communications equipment. Due to the clouds and haze, the pilot could not determine the helicopter's position and course to steer to the airport.The pilot saw a tall building, flew toward it, circled, drew a handwritten sign and held it up in the helicopter window.The pilot's sign said, "Where am I?" in large letters.The people in the tall building quickly responded to the aircraft, drew a large sign and held it to the window of their building.Their sign read, "You are in a helicopter."The pilot smiled, waved, looked at the map, determined the course to steer to the SEATAC airport and landed safely.After they were on the ground, the copilot asked the pilot how the "You are in a helicopter" sign helped determine their position.The pilot responded, "I knew that had to be the Microsoft building because, similar to their help-lines, they gave me a technically correct but completely useless answer!"
___________________________________________________________________
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I am sorry to inform you that we have lost power to all of our engines and will shortly crash into the ocean".
The passengers were obviously very worried about this situation but were somewhat comforted by the captain's next announcement: "Ladies and Gentlemen, we at Indian Airlines have prepared for such an emergency and we would now like you to rearrange your seating so that all the non-swimmers are on the left side of the plane and all the swimmers are on the right side of the Plane."
After this announcement all the passengers re-arranged their seating to comply with the captain's request. Two minutes later the captain made a belly landing in the ocean. The captain once again made an announcement:
"Ladies and Gentlemen we have crashed into the ocean. All of the swimmers on the right side of the plane open your emergency exits and quickly swim away from the plane. For all of the non-swimmers on the left side of plane... Thank You For Flying Indian Airlines."
___________________________________________________________________
SUPER COMPUTER
The Super Computer stood at the end of the Computer Company's production line. At which point the guided tour eventually arrived. The salesman stepped forward to give his prepared demo.
"This", he said, "is the Super Computer. It will give an intelligent answer to any question you may care to ask it".
At which a Clever Guest stepped forward - there is always one - and spoke into the Computer's microphone.
"Where is my father?" he asked.
There was a whirring of wheels and flashing of lights that the manufacturers always use to impress lay people, and then a little card popped out.
On it were printed the words: Fishing off Goa.
Clever Guest laughed.
"Actually", he said, "My father is dead"!
It had been a tricky question! The salesman, carefully chosen for his ability to think fast on his feet, immediately replied that he was sorry the answer was unsatisfactory, but as computers were precise, perhaps he might care to rephrase his question and try again?
Clever Guest thought, went to the Computer and this time said, "Where is my mother's husband?"
Again there was a whirring of wheels and a flashing of lights. And again a little card popped out. Printed on it were the words, "Dead. But your father is still fishing off Goa."
___________________________________________________________________
TECHNICALLY CORRECT!!!
A helicopter was flying above Seattle when an electrical malfunction disabled all of the aircraft's electronic navigation and communications equipment. Due to the clouds and haze, the pilot could not determine the helicopter's position and course to steer to the airport.The pilot saw a tall building, flew toward it, circled, drew a handwritten sign and held it up in the helicopter window.The pilot's sign said, "Where am I?" in large letters.The people in the tall building quickly responded to the aircraft, drew a large sign and held it to the window of their building.Their sign read, "You are in a helicopter."The pilot smiled, waved, looked at the map, determined the course to steer to the SEATAC airport and landed safely.After they were on the ground, the copilot asked the pilot how the "You are in a helicopter" sign helped determine their position.The pilot responded, "I knew that had to be the Microsoft building because, similar to their help-lines, they gave me a technically correct but completely useless answer!"
___________________________________________________________________
Friday, October 14, 2005
iPod Nano... Musically Yours!!!
iPod nano 4GB, WhiteImpossibly small! Take everything you love about iPod and shrink it. Now shrink it again. With 4GB (1,000 songs) models, the pencil-thin iPod nano packs the entire iPod experience into an impossibly small design. So small, it will take your music places you never dreamed of.
Features:
* Believe Your Ears: Call it astonishing. Unbelievable. Impossible, even. Then pick it up and hold it in your hand. Take in the brilliant color display. Run your thumb around the Click Wheel. Put on the earbuds and turn up your music. That’s when everything becomes clear: It’s an iPod.
* It holds up to three days’ worth of music. It plays for up to 14 hours between battery charges. It displays the color album art for the song you’re listening to right now. It carries your photos, podcasts and audiobooks. It syncs seamlessly with iTunes. It connects to a host of iPod accessories. Simply put, iPod nano is 100-percent iPod. And then some.
* Touch and Go: iPod nano’s Click Wheel puts music under your thumb. Click to fast-forward, rewind, play, pause or access menus. Use the touch-sensitive surface to control volume or browse music. You can do it all without looking. But with an iPod this beautiful, who’d want to?
* Song Stylings: Add accessories to your iPod nano via the Dock connector and headphone jack and your music will always keep up with you — at home, on the go, even in your car. Of course, in either signature white or sleek black, iPod nano itself makes the ultimate accessory.
* Up to 4GB of skip-free storage on a featherweight iPod means you can wear almost three days’ worth of music around your neck. Or jog with 1,000 songs on your arm. Now that you can take your music everywhere, there’s no limit to where it will take you.
* Holds up to 1,000 songs and full-color album art
* Only 3.5 x 1.6 x 0.27 inches and 1.5 ounces
* Bright 1.5-inch color LCD display
* Up to 14 hours of battery life
* Apple Click Wheel
* Charges and syncs via USB
* Accessory-compatible Dock connector
* Completely skip-free playback
* Works with Mac OS X or Windows 2000/XP
* Plays music, podcasts and audiobooks
* Syncs contacts, calendars and to-do lists
Specifications:
Storage and song capacity: 4GB (1,000 songs)
Battery life: Up to 14 hours of music playback; up to 4 hours of slideshows with music
Display: 1.5-inch (diagonal) color LCD with LED backlight iPod Ports: Dock connector, stereo minijackConnectivity: USB through Dock connector
Charge time: About 3 hours (1.5-hour fast charge to 80% capacity)
Audio support: AAC (16 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Music Store), MP3 (16 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3 and 4), Apple Lossless, WAV, AIFF
Photo support: Syncs iPod-viewable photos in JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, PSD (Mac only) and PNG formats
Size (in inches): 3.5 x 1.6 x 0.27Weight: 1.5 ounces
Included software: iTunes for Mac and Windows
Included accessories: Earbud headphones, USB cable, Dock adapter
Thursday, September 08, 2005
From the President.
The Computers Society aims at fostering and encouraging the awareness and use of technology among students. Our principle is inclusiveness and participation: we are a society for everyone – for experts, as well those for whom the seas of the technological world are choppy and unfamiliar.
That is not to say we do not constantly debate our existence, or that we are a set of geeks who would rather email each other than talk. After many debates as to whether or not we should change our name, we decided not to re-christen ourselves. St Stephen’s is all about continuity and tradition, after all! We are not a departmental or subject society we are a society for Stephanians.
One of the recently launched initiatives of the society is a blog and an internet group ‘Cyber-Stephanians’, aimed at fostering exchange and interaction among members of the society without holding those boring meetings in the afternoon. This is a project that should develop and grow in the years to come.
Members of the society have also been working for and liaising with the Web Team to great effect: regularly developing and updating content for the College website. The Notice Board (strategically and fittingly located outside the library!) sees regular updates aimed at making technology more understandable and accessible. Apart from that the computer society plans to conduct workshops & seminars, screen movies, not to mention the first-ever gaming fiesta going to be held this year and much more………………
At the time of writing this, we are preparing for the launch of a new-look society, which will break all barriers to be the best this year and years to come. After all, that’s what technology is all about – breaking barriers.
Do keep checking this space for more.
Thursday, January 06, 2005
Read it!
The Times, London
October 27, 2004
You hum it, Sibelius will score it
Richard Morrison
Software that can notate music in real time has taken the world by storm
IT WAS ten years ago that I started hearing the rumours. Musician friends,
especially those of a composing bent, were \r\nbabbling excitedly aboutSibelius who, they said, would change the world. \r\nSibelius? Great composer,but dead for 50 years. Bit late for him to start \r\nthrowing the furnitureround.Then all was explained. This Sibelius wasnt \r\na person. It was a program. No,more than that. It was a technological \r\nmiracle. And British through andthrough.\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\nThe background was this. For years the Americans \r\nhad been grappling with theproblem of how to get a computer to notate music \r\nquickly and precisely,complete with all its arcane, centuries-old nuances of \r\nexpression and phrasemarkings, key transpositions and complex visual \r\nalignments. And to someextent they had found a way. There were primitive \r\nmusic-notation programs onthe market. I had one myself. But they were slow \r\nto work and hard to grasp in fact, a lot more hassle than using the \r\ntime-honoured tools of pen, inkand manuscript paper.\r\n \r\nThen along came the brilliant Finn twins, Ben and \r\nJonathan. They were madabout music (both had been choristers in the famed \r\nchoir of Kings College,Cambridge) but also computer whiz-kids. And by \r\nworking laboriously inmachine code, they had written a music-notation \r\nprogram that was perhaps100 times faster than the Americans \r\nsoftware.\r\n \r\nNot only that, it was beautifully intuitive to \r\nuse. Within a couple of hoursof taking it out of the box, a musician could \r\nbe turning outprofessional-quality finished scores from which the program \r\nwould thenextract individual instrumental parts, or transpose music to a \r\ndifferentkey, or do a hundred other mechanical operations that would \r\npreviously haveinvolved the composer (or music copyists) in weeks of \r\nmind-numbing drudgery.",1]
);
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especially those of a composing bent, were babbling excitedly aboutSibelius who, they said, would change the world. Sibelius? Great composer,but dead for 50 years. Bit late for him to start throwing the furnitureround.Then all was explained. This Sibelius wasnt a person. It was a program. No,more than that. It was a technological miracle. And British through andthrough.
The background was this. For years the Americans had been grappling with theproblem of how to get a computer to notate music quickly and precisely,complete with all its arcane, centuries-old nuances of expression and phrasemarkings, key transpositions and complex visual alignments. And to someextent they had found a way. There were primitive music-notation programs onthe market. I had one myself. But they were slow to work and hard to grasp in fact, a lot more hassle than using the time-honoured tools of pen, inkand manuscript paper.
Then along came the brilliant Finn twins, Ben and Jonathan. They were madabout music (both had been choristers in the famed choir of Kings College,Cambridge) but also computer whiz-kids. And by working laboriously inmachine code, they had written a music-notation program that was perhaps100 times faster than the Americans software.
Not only that, it was beautifully intuitive to use. Within a couple of hoursof taking it out of the box, a musician could be turning outprofessional-quality finished scores from which the program would thenextract individual instrumental parts, or transpose music to a differentkey, or do a hundred other mechanical operations that would previously haveinvolved the composer (or music copyists) in weeks of mind-numbing drudgery.
\r\n \r\nA jazz musician, for instance, could improvise a \r\nwhole piece on a Midikeyboard and see it instantly notated on the screen, or \r\nask the computer toplay his latest big-band score, correct to the last \r\nsaxophone glissando.The latest versions of Sibelius even have the capacity \r\nto orchestrate apiano score. Ones only regret is that such a tool was not \r\navailable toMozart or Bach: it would have quadrupled their \r\noutput.\r\n \r\nAt this point you might imagine that the worlds \r\ngiant music corporationswould have queued up to manufacture and market this \r\nrevolutionary software.Not so. This was the early 1990s. Some famous music \r\npublishers didnt evenuse word processors. So the Finns set up their own \r\ncompany.\r\n \r\nIf the corporate suits didnt get Sibelius, \r\nworking musicians and musicteachers most certainly had no problem in \r\ngrasping, and gasping at, itspossibilities. By 1996, when I first met the \r\nFinns, they had already sold2,000 Sibelius packages. Only one thing held \r\nthem back. Because standard PCsin the early 1990s were too slow for their \r\npurposes, they had writtenSibelius for an Acorn computer. But as PCs got \r\nfaster, fewer people boughtAcorns.\r\n \r\nSo in 1998 the Finns sat down and rewrote the \r\nentire program, for both AppleMac and Microsoft Windows. Whats more, with \r\nfiendish ingenuity they managedto devise a file format that was \r\ninterchangeable between the two computersystems.\r\n \r\nThat did it. Sibelius employed five people in \r\n1996. By 2002 the roll callwas 50. Today it is 65, including 25 based in \r\nCalifornia. The companyssales doubled every two years. There are now \r\n130,000 registered Sibeliususers spread across 100 countries but many of \r\nthose are institutions (more",1]
);
//-->
A jazz musician, for instance, could improvise a whole piece on a Midikeyboard and see it instantly notated on the screen, or ask the computer toplay his latest big-band score, correct to the last saxophone glissando.The latest versions of Sibelius even have the capacity to orchestrate apiano score. Ones only regret is that such a tool was not available toMozart or Bach: it would have quadrupled their output.
At this point you might imagine that the worlds giant music corporationswould have queued up to manufacture and market this revolutionary software.Not so. This was the early 1990s. Some famous music publishers didnt evenuse word processors. So the Finns set up their own company.
If the corporate suits didnt get Sibelius, working musicians and musicteachers most certainly had no problem in grasping, and gasping at, itspossibilities. By 1996, when I first met the Finns, they had already sold2,000 Sibelius packages. Only one thing held them back. Because standard PCsin the early 1990s were too slow for their purposes, they had writtenSibelius for an Acorn computer. But as PCs got faster, fewer people boughtAcorns.
So in 1998 the Finns sat down and rewrote the entire program, for both AppleMac and Microsoft Windows. Whats more, with fiendish ingenuity they managedto devise a file format that was interchangeable between the two computersystems.
That did it. Sibelius employed five people in 1996. By 2002 the roll callwas 50. Today it is 65, including 25 based in California. The companyssales doubled every two years. There are now 130,000 registered Sibeliususers spread across 100 countries but many of those are institutions (more
than half of all British schools have it, for \r\ninstance). So the number ofmusicians and music students using Sibelius now \r\nruns into millions. It isarguably the most dazzling commercial success-story \r\nin British computerscience.\r\n \r\nAnd just to conclude these statistics on a \r\ngratifyingly chauvinist note, forthe past three years this flexible little \r\ncompany (now based in a disusedfactory in Highbury) has captured more than \r\n50 per cent of the global musicsoftware market, long ago eclipsing the \r\nAmerican giants it once dared tochallenge. Indeed, Sibelius 3, the latest \r\nedition, specifically targets thevast American high-school market by \r\nincluding in its assembly ofinstrumental colours a family of instruments \r\nincluding the sousaphone andthe mellophone generally found only in \r\nAmerican marching-bands.\r\n \r\nSibeliuss impact has, however, been \r\nextraordinary in schools across theworld. Now pupils can also explore the \r\ncomplexities of music notation,orchestration and historical style through \r\nthe recently launched SibeliusEducational Suite. There is a version of \r\nSibelius designed especially forguitarists, too. Called G7, it instantly \r\ntransforms the chords a guitaristplays on a Midi-linked instrument directly \r\ninto tab or notation on theprinted page a blessing for the many \r\nguitarist-composers who dont writemusic but nevertheless need to convey \r\ninstructions to the other players inthe group.\r\n \r\nBut the feeling at Sibelius is that the \r\nmusic-technology revolution hashardly begun. Already the company runs a vast \r\nonline cyberspace shop ofmusic scores composed by its registered users \r\nbypassing the traditionalmusic publisher. Could musicians in the near future \r\nmove entirely into apaper-free era, reading their parts in performance \r\ndirectly from flat-screen",1]
);
//-->
than half of all British schools have it, for instance). So the number ofmusicians and music students using Sibelius now runs into millions. It isarguably the most dazzling commercial success-story in British computerscience.
And just to conclude these statistics on a gratifyingly chauvinist note, forthe past three years this flexible little company (now based in a disusedfactory in Highbury) has captured more than 50 per cent of the global musicsoftware market, long ago eclipsing the American giants it once dared tochallenge. Indeed, Sibelius 3, the latest edition, specifically targets thevast American high-school market by including in its assembly ofinstrumental colours a family of instruments including the sousaphone andthe mellophone generally found only in American marching-bands.
Sibeliuss impact has, however, been extraordinary in schools across theworld. Now pupils can also explore the complexities of music notation,orchestration and historical style through the recently launched SibeliusEducational Suite. There is a version of Sibelius designed especially forguitarists, too. Called G7, it instantly transforms the chords a guitaristplays on a Midi-linked instrument directly into tab or notation on theprinted page a blessing for the many guitarist-composers who dont writemusic but nevertheless need to convey instructions to the other players inthe group.
But the feeling at Sibelius is that the music-technology revolution hashardly begun. Already the company runs a vast online cyberspace shop ofmusic scores composed by its registered users bypassing the traditionalmusic publisher. Could musicians in the near future move entirely into apaper-free era, reading their parts in performance directly from flat-screen
computers instead of printed music, with the \r\nconductor able to makeadjustments to the parts, via Sibelius, in \r\nmid-rehearsal? Harry Connick Jrand his band are already doing just \r\nthat.\r\n \r\nAnd what about the tricky business of fitting \r\nexactly timed background musicto a film or TV programme? Using split-screen \r\ntechnology and Sibeliusnotation, composers could soon accomplish that in \r\ntheir own living rooms.\r\n \r\nOf course, the Sibelius program wont compose the \r\nmusic for you. And it wont turn musical plodders into geniuses. But \r\nremember how genius was definedby Thomas Edison, an electrical pioneer of an \r\nearlier vintage? One per centinspiration, 99 per cent perspiration. For the \r\nmodern composer, Sibeliustakes care of the perspiration bit or most of it, \r\nanyway. Which justleaves the composer to supply that other one per cent. Now \r\nthat cant be toodifficult, can it?\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\nSibelius can be contacted on 0800 4583111 or \r\nvisit www.sibelius.com\r\n\r\n",0]
);
D(["ce"]);
//-->
computers instead of printed music, with the conductor able to makeadjustments to the parts, via Sibelius, in mid-rehearsal? Harry Connick Jrand his band are already doing just that.
And what about the tricky business of fitting exactly timed background musicto a film or TV programme? Using split-screen technology and Sibeliusnotation, composers could soon accomplish that in their own living rooms.
Of course, the Sibelius program wont compose the music for you. And it wont turn musical plodders into geniuses. But remember how genius was definedby Thomas Edison, an electrical pioneer of an earlier vintage? One per centinspiration, 99 per cent perspiration. For the modern composer, Sibeliustakes care of the perspiration bit or most of it, anyway. Which justleaves the composer to supply that other one per cent. Now that cant be toodifficult, can it?
October 27, 2004
You hum it, Sibelius will score it
Richard Morrison
Software that can notate music in real time has taken the world by storm
IT WAS ten years ago that I started hearing the rumours. Musician friends,
especially those of a composing bent, were \r\nbabbling excitedly aboutSibelius who, they said, would change the world. \r\nSibelius? Great composer,but dead for 50 years. Bit late for him to start \r\nthrowing the furnitureround.Then all was explained. This Sibelius wasnt \r\na person. It was a program. No,more than that. It was a technological \r\nmiracle. And British through andthrough.\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\nThe background was this. For years the Americans \r\nhad been grappling with theproblem of how to get a computer to notate music \r\nquickly and precisely,complete with all its arcane, centuries-old nuances of \r\nexpression and phrasemarkings, key transpositions and complex visual \r\nalignments. And to someextent they had found a way. There were primitive \r\nmusic-notation programs onthe market. I had one myself. But they were slow \r\nto work and hard to grasp in fact, a lot more hassle than using the \r\ntime-honoured tools of pen, inkand manuscript paper.\r\n \r\nThen along came the brilliant Finn twins, Ben and \r\nJonathan. They were madabout music (both had been choristers in the famed \r\nchoir of Kings College,Cambridge) but also computer whiz-kids. And by \r\nworking laboriously inmachine code, they had written a music-notation \r\nprogram that was perhaps100 times faster than the Americans \r\nsoftware.\r\n \r\nNot only that, it was beautifully intuitive to \r\nuse. Within a couple of hoursof taking it out of the box, a musician could \r\nbe turning outprofessional-quality finished scores from which the program \r\nwould thenextract individual instrumental parts, or transpose music to a \r\ndifferentkey, or do a hundred other mechanical operations that would \r\npreviously haveinvolved the composer (or music copyists) in weeks of \r\nmind-numbing drudgery.",1]
);
//-->
especially those of a composing bent, were babbling excitedly aboutSibelius who, they said, would change the world. Sibelius? Great composer,but dead for 50 years. Bit late for him to start throwing the furnitureround.Then all was explained. This Sibelius wasnt a person. It was a program. No,more than that. It was a technological miracle. And British through andthrough.
The background was this. For years the Americans had been grappling with theproblem of how to get a computer to notate music quickly and precisely,complete with all its arcane, centuries-old nuances of expression and phrasemarkings, key transpositions and complex visual alignments. And to someextent they had found a way. There were primitive music-notation programs onthe market. I had one myself. But they were slow to work and hard to grasp in fact, a lot more hassle than using the time-honoured tools of pen, inkand manuscript paper.
Then along came the brilliant Finn twins, Ben and Jonathan. They were madabout music (both had been choristers in the famed choir of Kings College,Cambridge) but also computer whiz-kids. And by working laboriously inmachine code, they had written a music-notation program that was perhaps100 times faster than the Americans software.
Not only that, it was beautifully intuitive to use. Within a couple of hoursof taking it out of the box, a musician could be turning outprofessional-quality finished scores from which the program would thenextract individual instrumental parts, or transpose music to a differentkey, or do a hundred other mechanical operations that would previously haveinvolved the composer (or music copyists) in weeks of mind-numbing drudgery.
\r\n \r\nA jazz musician, for instance, could improvise a \r\nwhole piece on a Midikeyboard and see it instantly notated on the screen, or \r\nask the computer toplay his latest big-band score, correct to the last \r\nsaxophone glissando.The latest versions of Sibelius even have the capacity \r\nto orchestrate apiano score. Ones only regret is that such a tool was not \r\navailable toMozart or Bach: it would have quadrupled their \r\noutput.\r\n \r\nAt this point you might imagine that the worlds \r\ngiant music corporationswould have queued up to manufacture and market this \r\nrevolutionary software.Not so. This was the early 1990s. Some famous music \r\npublishers didnt evenuse word processors. So the Finns set up their own \r\ncompany.\r\n \r\nIf the corporate suits didnt get Sibelius, \r\nworking musicians and musicteachers most certainly had no problem in \r\ngrasping, and gasping at, itspossibilities. By 1996, when I first met the \r\nFinns, they had already sold2,000 Sibelius packages. Only one thing held \r\nthem back. Because standard PCsin the early 1990s were too slow for their \r\npurposes, they had writtenSibelius for an Acorn computer. But as PCs got \r\nfaster, fewer people boughtAcorns.\r\n \r\nSo in 1998 the Finns sat down and rewrote the \r\nentire program, for both AppleMac and Microsoft Windows. Whats more, with \r\nfiendish ingenuity they managedto devise a file format that was \r\ninterchangeable between the two computersystems.\r\n \r\nThat did it. Sibelius employed five people in \r\n1996. By 2002 the roll callwas 50. Today it is 65, including 25 based in \r\nCalifornia. The companyssales doubled every two years. There are now \r\n130,000 registered Sibeliususers spread across 100 countries but many of \r\nthose are institutions (more",1]
);
//-->
A jazz musician, for instance, could improvise a whole piece on a Midikeyboard and see it instantly notated on the screen, or ask the computer toplay his latest big-band score, correct to the last saxophone glissando.The latest versions of Sibelius even have the capacity to orchestrate apiano score. Ones only regret is that such a tool was not available toMozart or Bach: it would have quadrupled their output.
At this point you might imagine that the worlds giant music corporationswould have queued up to manufacture and market this revolutionary software.Not so. This was the early 1990s. Some famous music publishers didnt evenuse word processors. So the Finns set up their own company.
If the corporate suits didnt get Sibelius, working musicians and musicteachers most certainly had no problem in grasping, and gasping at, itspossibilities. By 1996, when I first met the Finns, they had already sold2,000 Sibelius packages. Only one thing held them back. Because standard PCsin the early 1990s were too slow for their purposes, they had writtenSibelius for an Acorn computer. But as PCs got faster, fewer people boughtAcorns.
So in 1998 the Finns sat down and rewrote the entire program, for both AppleMac and Microsoft Windows. Whats more, with fiendish ingenuity they managedto devise a file format that was interchangeable between the two computersystems.
That did it. Sibelius employed five people in 1996. By 2002 the roll callwas 50. Today it is 65, including 25 based in California. The companyssales doubled every two years. There are now 130,000 registered Sibeliususers spread across 100 countries but many of those are institutions (more
than half of all British schools have it, for \r\ninstance). So the number ofmusicians and music students using Sibelius now \r\nruns into millions. It isarguably the most dazzling commercial success-story \r\nin British computerscience.\r\n \r\nAnd just to conclude these statistics on a \r\ngratifyingly chauvinist note, forthe past three years this flexible little \r\ncompany (now based in a disusedfactory in Highbury) has captured more than \r\n50 per cent of the global musicsoftware market, long ago eclipsing the \r\nAmerican giants it once dared tochallenge. Indeed, Sibelius 3, the latest \r\nedition, specifically targets thevast American high-school market by \r\nincluding in its assembly ofinstrumental colours a family of instruments \r\nincluding the sousaphone andthe mellophone generally found only in \r\nAmerican marching-bands.\r\n \r\nSibeliuss impact has, however, been \r\nextraordinary in schools across theworld. Now pupils can also explore the \r\ncomplexities of music notation,orchestration and historical style through \r\nthe recently launched SibeliusEducational Suite. There is a version of \r\nSibelius designed especially forguitarists, too. Called G7, it instantly \r\ntransforms the chords a guitaristplays on a Midi-linked instrument directly \r\ninto tab or notation on theprinted page a blessing for the many \r\nguitarist-composers who dont writemusic but nevertheless need to convey \r\ninstructions to the other players inthe group.\r\n \r\nBut the feeling at Sibelius is that the \r\nmusic-technology revolution hashardly begun. Already the company runs a vast \r\nonline cyberspace shop ofmusic scores composed by its registered users \r\nbypassing the traditionalmusic publisher. Could musicians in the near future \r\nmove entirely into apaper-free era, reading their parts in performance \r\ndirectly from flat-screen",1]
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than half of all British schools have it, for instance). So the number ofmusicians and music students using Sibelius now runs into millions. It isarguably the most dazzling commercial success-story in British computerscience.
And just to conclude these statistics on a gratifyingly chauvinist note, forthe past three years this flexible little company (now based in a disusedfactory in Highbury) has captured more than 50 per cent of the global musicsoftware market, long ago eclipsing the American giants it once dared tochallenge. Indeed, Sibelius 3, the latest edition, specifically targets thevast American high-school market by including in its assembly ofinstrumental colours a family of instruments including the sousaphone andthe mellophone generally found only in American marching-bands.
Sibeliuss impact has, however, been extraordinary in schools across theworld. Now pupils can also explore the complexities of music notation,orchestration and historical style through the recently launched SibeliusEducational Suite. There is a version of Sibelius designed especially forguitarists, too. Called G7, it instantly transforms the chords a guitaristplays on a Midi-linked instrument directly into tab or notation on theprinted page a blessing for the many guitarist-composers who dont writemusic but nevertheless need to convey instructions to the other players inthe group.
But the feeling at Sibelius is that the music-technology revolution hashardly begun. Already the company runs a vast online cyberspace shop ofmusic scores composed by its registered users bypassing the traditionalmusic publisher. Could musicians in the near future move entirely into apaper-free era, reading their parts in performance directly from flat-screen
computers instead of printed music, with the \r\nconductor able to makeadjustments to the parts, via Sibelius, in \r\nmid-rehearsal? Harry Connick Jrand his band are already doing just \r\nthat.\r\n \r\nAnd what about the tricky business of fitting \r\nexactly timed background musicto a film or TV programme? Using split-screen \r\ntechnology and Sibeliusnotation, composers could soon accomplish that in \r\ntheir own living rooms.\r\n \r\nOf course, the Sibelius program wont compose the \r\nmusic for you. And it wont turn musical plodders into geniuses. But \r\nremember how genius was definedby Thomas Edison, an electrical pioneer of an \r\nearlier vintage? One per centinspiration, 99 per cent perspiration. For the \r\nmodern composer, Sibeliustakes care of the perspiration bit or most of it, \r\nanyway. Which justleaves the composer to supply that other one per cent. Now \r\nthat cant be toodifficult, can it?\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\nSibelius can be contacted on 0800 4583111 or \r\nvisit www.sibelius.com\r\n\r\n",0]
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computers instead of printed music, with the conductor able to makeadjustments to the parts, via Sibelius, in mid-rehearsal? Harry Connick Jrand his band are already doing just that.
And what about the tricky business of fitting exactly timed background musicto a film or TV programme? Using split-screen technology and Sibeliusnotation, composers could soon accomplish that in their own living rooms.
Of course, the Sibelius program wont compose the music for you. And it wont turn musical plodders into geniuses. But remember how genius was definedby Thomas Edison, an electrical pioneer of an earlier vintage? One per centinspiration, 99 per cent perspiration. For the modern composer, Sibeliustakes care of the perspiration bit or most of it, anyway. Which justleaves the composer to supply that other one per cent. Now that cant be toodifficult, can it?
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