Over the past decade, we have built a country-sized economy online where the default price is zero -- nothing, nada, zip. Digital goods -- from music and video to Wikipedia -- can be produced and distributed at virtually no marginal cost, and so, by the laws of economics, price has gone the same way, to $0.00. For the Google Generation, the Internet is the land of the free.The Economics of Giving It Away - WSJ.com
Which is not to say companies can't make money from nothing. Gratis can be a good business. How? Pretty simple: The minority of customers who pay subsidize the majority who do not. Sometimes that's two different sets of customers, as in the traditional media model: A few advertisers pay for content so lots of consumers can get it cheap or free. The concept isn't new, but now that same model is powering everything from photo sharing to online bingo. The last decade has seen the extension of this "two-sided market" model far beyond media, and today it is the revenue engine for all of the biggest Web companies, from Facebook and MySpace to Google itself.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
The Economics of Giving It Away - WSJ.com
Stimulus Plan Would Provide Flood of Aid to Education - NYTimes.com
One provision, which was sought by the student lending industry and went unmentioned in early Congressional summaries of the stimulus package, would temporarily increase subsidies to banks in the guaranteed student loan program by tying them to a new index, partly because recent federal intervention in the credit markets has invalidated the previous index. A spokesman for Sallie Mae, one of the largest student lenders, said the change was needed to keep student loan markets fluid. Critics said it represented a potential new windfall for lenders.Stimulus Plan Would Provide Flood of Aid to Education - NYTimes.com
Friday, January 30, 2009
Rockefeller pushes $9B broadband stimulus plan - FierceTelecom
The House of Representatives approved the $819 billion economic stimulus package Wednesday, so the Sebate debate is set to begin with a new set of broadband stimulus numbers proposed by Sen. Jay Rockfeller (D.-W.Va.). Rockefeller is proposing $9 billion for broadband, plus a series of tax incentives for companies involved in building out networks for under-served areas. It is not clear whether or not networks using such stimulus funds would be required to operate as fully open networks.Rockefeller pushes $9B broadband stimulus plan - FierceTelecom
Amazon Has Strong Quarter, Unlike Other Retailers - NYTimes.com
SAN FRANCISCO — In December, Amazon.com said it was having its “best ever” holiday season. On Thursday, it offered proof.Amazon Has Strong Quarter, Unlike Other Retailers - NYTimes.com
The company posted strong earnings in a brutal climate that has punished nearly every other retailer, online and offline. Amazon’s net profit rose 9 percent, to $225 million, or 52 cents a share, in the quarter that ended on Dec. 31, up from $207 million, or 48 cents, in the same quarter a year earlier.
Indian Museum to Put Its Collection Online - washingtonpost.com
Even with three locations in its empire, the National Museum of the American Indian can display barely 1 percent of its 800,000 objects. To help close that gap, the museum has decided to set up a digital showcase.Indian Museum to Put Its Collection Online - washingtonpost.com
Senate Once Again Passes Bill to Delay Transition to Digital TV - washingtonpost.com
By passing the bill that failed in the House, the Senate is giving the House another chance to vote on the measure under regular rules that would allow it to pass with a simple majority vote. The House could vote on the bill as early as Tuesday.Senate Once Again Passes Bill to Delay Transition to Digital TV - washingtonpost.com
By law, all television broadcasters must shut off analog signals Feb. 17 and air only digital programming in order to free up airwaves for public safety networks and new wireless services. As a result, viewers who rely on analog TV sets and antennas to receive broadcasts will need to upgrade to a digital TV set or install a converter box to get signals.
Well-Connected Parents Take On School Boards - washingtonpost.com
For a new generation of well-wired activists in the Washington region, it's not enough to speak at Parent-Teacher Association or late-night school board meetings. They are going head-to-head with superintendents through e-mail blitzes, social networking Web sites, online petitions, partnerships with business and student groups, and research that mines a mountain of electronic data on school performance.Well-Connected Parents Take On School Boards - washingtonpost.com
InternetNews Realtime IT News - House OKs Billions for Broadband
Broadband's role in the bill is being especially closely watched by the industry. Its portion of the stimulus windfall could total $6 billion in grants to spur network build-out in rural and underserved areas, which supporters say would create millions of jobs and improve U.S. competitiveness with other leading Internet countries.InternetNews Realtime IT News - House OKs Billions for Broadband
State leaders propose broadband commission - Business - Starbulletin.com
Hawaii needs better broadband.State leaders propose broadband commission - Business - Starbulletin.com
That is one thing Gov. Linda Lingle's administration, the legislature and high-tech community agree upon, said Larry Reifurth, director of the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. Yesterday, Reifurth, Lingle and representatives of the Hawaii Broadband Task Force outlined a proposal to create a Hawaii Communications Commission.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
SmartPool greenlighted by FSA; to begin trading next week
Yvette Roozenbeek, Acting CEO of SmartPool, says: "With the current trend for trading in smaller sizes on light books, SmartPool offers institutional order flow an alternative neutral MTF for trading block orders. We plan a controlled and phased roll-out of markets and expect volumes to develop over time, particularly in current market conditions."Finextra: SmartPool greenlighted by FSA; to begin trading next week
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Amazon’s Kindle 2 Will Debut Feb. 9 - Bits Blog - NYTimes.com
The device has been out of stock since November, after Oprah Winfrey touted it on her show. The announcement seems to confirm our suspicions that the original Kindle has been obsolete since that time and that everyone who purchased the device over the holidays from Amazon.com — or put their name on a waiting list — will receive the newer version.Amazon’s Kindle 2 Will Debut Feb. 9 - Bits Blog - NYTimes.com
There has already been much speculation about the upcoming Kindle. If the leaked photos on the gadget site Boy Genius Report are to be believed, the new device corrects some of the design flaws of the first model, adding round buttons instead of those strange angular ones, and smaller side buttons to avoid accidental page turns.
But the biggest changes may be inside the device. The new Kindle likely uses the new Broadsheet microchip from Epson and E-Ink, which makes the display technology for the Kindle. E-Ink’s chief executive, Russell J. Wilcox, described the technology to me a few weeks ago, saying that it breaks the screen into 16 pixel sets and can update them in parallel, allowing for faster screen refreshes and a generally more responsive screen. He added that the technology was somewhat analogous to putting a better graphics card in a computer and would help e-readers become better full-featured devices.
House defeats bill to delay digital TV transition - SiliconValley.com
Bucking the Obama administration, House Republicans today defeated a bill to delay the upcoming transition from analog to digital television broadcasting to June 12 — leaving as many as 6.5 million U.S. households unprepared for the switchover.House defeats bill to delay digital TV transition - SiliconValley.com
The 258-168 vote failed to clear the two-thirds threshold needed for passage in a victory for GOP members, who warn that postponing the transition from the current Feb. 17 deadline would confuse consumers.
House Republicans say a delay also would burden wireless companies and public safety agencies waiting for the spectrum that will be freed up by the switch, and create added costs for television stations that would have to continue broadcasting both analog and digital signals for four more months.
A Healthy Economy
In fact, we have a magic bullet for short-term spending and long-term saving--health care reform. During the campaign, skeptics complained that a health care overhaul would involve a lot of upfront costs and that the saving would only come later. But that's exactly what we need right now. Health care involves major spending in the near future, but, more than other initiatives, it will put a brake on federal outlays in the far future.A Healthy Economy
All this argues for temporarily throwing fiscal caution to the wind when it comes to health care reform. The idea of spiking the deficit now may seem frightening, but it's a lot better than the alternative--and it could actually make it easier to bring universal health care to America.
Danish invention finds oil - Copenhagen Capacity
The new map helps the oil hunters in two respects. First, interesting geological deposits have turned up in areas in which we did not know it would be possible to find oil. Second, the oil hunters can save expensive explorations with planes or ships. One of the expensive items in the search for new oil fields at sea is actually to find the interesting areas. With the present – relatively inaccurate gravity maps – the oil hunters are to overfly or sail a large area in a close pattern to find the most interesting geological deposits.Danish invention finds oil - Copenhagen Capacity
Republican Agenda: Read my Lips: No New Deal!
Want to know why the Republicans are giving the new stimulus such a hard time? They are deathly afraid of new New Deal. The old New Deal cemented Democratic success for most next 40 years and discredited the Republican approach to the economy. Republicans are already reeling from the failed presidency of George Bush and the challenge to Reaganomics.
Hot Java: Coffee Linked to Lower Dementia Risk - NYTimes.com
After controlling for numerous socioeconomic and health factors, including high cholesterol and high blood pressure, the scientists found that the subjects who had reported drinking three to five cups of coffee daily were 65 percent less likely to have developed dementia, compared with those who drank two cups or less. People who drank more than five cups a day also were at reduced risk of dementia, the researchers said, but there were not enough people in this group to draw statistically significant conclusions.Coffee Linked to Lower Dementia Risk - NYTimes.com
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Interim FCC Chief Takes Over 'Demoralized' Agency - Post I.T. - A Technology Blog From The Washington Post - (washingtonpost.com)
Genachowski will "inherit an agency largely demoralized that has lost a great deal of career experts," said Christopher Yoo, a professor of law at the University of Pennsylvania.Interim FCC Chief Takes Over 'Demoralized' Agency - Post I.T. - A Technology Blog From The Washington Post - (washingtonpost.com)
Coops made his remarks to all FCC staff today saying he would focus on the digital television transition and inside-agency efforts to try to improve communication and transparency at the agency."I'm troubled that our lines of communication, both internal and external, seem to be frayed,"
Copps said in remarks to staff, according to a statement released by the agency. "Our credibility suffers when that happens."
Blogged with the Flock Browser
A Man for All Seasons
When the economy goes south, one name invariably surfaces on the lips of pundits and economists: John Maynard Keynes. That is because the twentieth century's greatest economist is generally associated with the idea that markets require government intervention in order to function properly. During boom times, when the market seems to be working, no one has any use for Keynes's skepticism toward unrestrained capitalism. But, during recessions--when the economy grinds to a halt and Washington suddenly looks like the only thing that can save it--Keynes invariably enjoys a revival. The current economic crisis, our country's worst since the Great Depression, is no exception. Everyone, it seems, has spent the past months rediscovering Keynes.A Man for All Seasons
Dealbook - The Titans Take It on the Chin - NYTimes.com
The big money is disappearing, and with it some status and power. Yes, the highest of high fliers are still rich, some spectacularly so. But their stature seems to sink with every point of the Dow. The whole cult and ethos of Wall Street, which lured so many bright minds, is in retreat.Dealbook - The Titans Take It on the Chin - NYTimes.com
Op-Ed Columnist - Bad Faith Economics - NYTimes.com
As the debate over President Obama’s economic stimulus plan gets under way, one thing is certain: many of the plan’s opponents aren’t arguing in good faith. Conservatives really, really don’t want to see a second New Deal, and they certainly don’t want to see government activism vindicated. So they are reaching for any stick they can find with which to beat proposals for increased government spending.Op-Ed Columnist - Bad Faith Economics - NYTimes.com
The Space Review: India’s missile defense: changing the nature of the Indo-Pakistani conflict
In 2006 India began testing a missile defense version of its Prithvi medium-range ballistic missile. This test is just one sign that New Delhi is seeking to develop a multi-layer complex that can defend against Pakistan’s nuclear missiles. Due to its liquid-fueled first stage, the Prithvi Air Defense (PAD) is certainly not an ideal system, but it is both available and locally made. The Indian military is comfortable enough with this weapon’s effectiveness to make it their main battlefield ballistic missile for both conventional and nuclear applications.The Space Review: India’s missile defense: changing the nature of the Indo-Pakistani conflict
Daniel Lyons - Silicon Valley Wants to Stay On the Road to Prosperity - washingtonpost.com
Could Silicon Valley become another Detroit?Daniel Lyons - Silicon Valley Wants to Stay On the Road to Prosperity - washingtonpost.com
It's hard to imagine as you crawl along the traffic-choked lanes of Routes 101 and 280 between San Francisco and San Jose, past office parks and gleaming campuses still buzzing with energy despite the recent recession-related layoffs and cutbacks.
Obama Issues Orders Toward More Fuel-Efficient Cars - washingtonpost.com
Flanked by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, Obama directed the EPA to reconsider granting California and other states waivers to set their own strict regulations over tailpipe emissions. California would require a 30 percent cut in those emissions, a mandate more stringent than the federal mileage standards. The new review process could take several months.Obama Issues Orders Toward More Fuel-Efficient Cars - washingtonpost.com
Obama also instructed the Transportation Department to draw up new interim targets for mileage standards starting in 2012 that ensure new vehicles reach the 35 mile-a-gallon level set by Congress for 2020. He left intact Bush administration guidelines for 2011 models already being designed.
Global Financial Crisis Fells Iceland Government; Protests in Reykjavik, Other Capitals Growing as Savings, Jobs Vanish - washingtonpost.com
Prime Minister Geir Haarde said he and his cabinet would resign immediately. As personal savings have been wiped out and joblessness has soared, Icelanders -- once among the world's wealthiest people -- have taken to the streets in protest, banging pots and pans and throwing eggs and toilet paper at Haarde and other parliamentary leaders.Global Financial Crisis Fells Iceland Government; Protests in Reykjavik, Other Capitals Growing as Savings, Jobs Vanish - washingtonpost.com
Protests have mounted throughout Europe, where the political backlash to the crisis is growing. In Ireland, Britain, Spain and other countries where bankruptcies and home foreclosures are rising, polls show that approval ratings of leaders are sinking. In Eastern Europe and Greece, where there is less of a government safety net, protesters have spilled onto the streets by the thousands. Last month's collapse of the Belgian government, which had been wrestling with long-standing conflicts, was also hastened by the banking crisis, analysts said.
Verizon Quarterly Earnings Rise 15%
Yet Verizon managed to surpass AT&T Inc. as the No. 1 wireless carrier in the U.S. via its acquisition earlier this month or regional operator Alltel. The deal pushed the company's total wireless base to more than 80 million customers, compared to AT&T's 75 million-plus.UPDATE: Verizon Quarterly Earnings Rise 15%
Both companies have relied on wireless to drive growth over the past decade, especially given the weakness in their traditional local and long-distance phone divisions. Each company has lost millions of local customers in recent years, with many switching to cable and others using their mobile phones exclusively.
BBC NEWS | World | Asia-Pacific | China vows to help WTO on piracy
In a US-backed case, the WTO ruled on Monday that Beijing ignored piracy of DVDs and its customs policies were lax.US companies say Chinese piracy costs them billions of dollars every year.In its ruling, the WTO largely supported the US claims against China and found Beijing had breached trade rules.The WTO was particularly critical of Chinese customs for allowing seized goods to be reintroduced into the market.And it said Beijing had turned a blind eye to piracy of DVDs and CDs.It recommended that China "bring the copyright law and the customs measures into conformity with its obligations".BBC NEWS | World | Asia-Pacific | China vows to help WTO on piracy
Taking Office at Treasury, Geithner Vows Swift Action - washingtonpost.com
Not your Father's Printing Press
The big challenge for Obama and economic recovey is to handle the issue of "printing" money and Geithner's contribution is probably important here. As head of the NY Fed it was his resposibility to increase or decrease the money supply by buying or selling treasury bonds. The government sells bonds to the banks, who sell it to the Fed. The Fed stores it up and can sell it later to reduce inflationary demands. I guess the question is how much can the Fed hold in its books?
Timothy F. Geithner was confirmed by the Senate yesterday as Treasury secretary and will immediately face tough sledding as the Obama administration prepares to spend hundreds of billions of dollars to try to rescue the financial system.Taking Office at Treasury, Geithner Vows Swift Action - washingtonpost.com
NSA Whistleblower: Grill the CEOs on Illegal Spying | Threat Level from Wired.com
Former National Security Agency analyst Russell Tice shed new light on the Bush administration's warrantless domestic spying last week when he told MSNBC that the NSA blended credit card transaction records with wiretap data to keep tabs on thousands of Americans.NSA Whistleblower: Grill the CEOs on Illegal Spying | Threat Level from Wired.com
But Tice didn't say where the credit card information, and other financial data, came from. Did the agency scoop it in as part of its surveillance of U.S. communications backbones, or did financial companies give up your records in bulk to the NSA?
Blogged with the Flock Browser
Monday, January 26, 2009
Demandware to Moderate Global eCommerce Expansion Panel at the 2009 Shop.org Strategy & Innovation Forum| Centre Daily
Brown will moderate a panel with a group of international commerce experts, each providing their perspectives on key global expansion topics such as the must-know basics, operational complexities, demand generation, and market entry strategies.Demandware to Moderate Global eCommerce Expansion Panel at the 2009 Shop.org Strategy & Innovation Forum - Technology | Centre Daily
Crocs, Inc. Increases its Global Online Foothold with Demandware - Technology | Centre Daily
“Online growth is an important area of focus for us as we launch new sites in a number of international markets over the next two-three years. We selected Demandware because we needed an ecommerce platform that could help us meet this ambitious timeline for international growth, while giving us complete freedom to control the look and feel of our sites without having to manage and maintain the infrastructure,” said Chris Ladd, Croc’s VP of Global eCommerce.Crocs, Inc. Increases its Global Online Foothold with Demandware - Technology | Centre Daily
California adding green jobs; leads nation in energy efficiency - SiliconValley.com
Collaborative Economics, the Mountain View firm that researched and wrote the report, describes its green jobs count as "the most in-depth, analytical compilation" ever done. While others rely on standard industry job codes, estimates or modeling, Collaborative Economics defined green jobs and then reached out to companies to help count them.California adding green jobs; leads nation in energy efficiency - SiliconValley.com
"Some think of solar jobs as just installation or just R&D,'' said Doug Henton, Collaborative Economics' chairman and chief executive. ''It's along the whole value chain."
New car tech: Not just crash protection, but prevention - SiliconValley.com
A car that can brake itself to avoid a fender-bender during the morning commute might seem far into the future.New car tech: Not just crash protection, but prevention - SiliconValley.com
Except it goes on sale in March.
That's when City Safety, a low-speed collision-avoidance technology becomes available on the new 2010 Volvo XC60, a crossover utility
Digital transition delay would cost PBS $22 million - SiliconValley.com
The stations will face increased power charges to maintain over-the-air broadcast signals, she said. Many have leases for signal transmitters that were due to expire on the date of the switch over and will have to make new arrangements, she said.Digital transition delay would cost PBS $22 million - SiliconValley.com
"This is such a tough situation for our stations because they have just gone through a process where they have raised the money to go through this transition," she said.
The Obama administration has sought the delay because the government program to provide coupons for converter boxes needs more money. The boxes are needed for people without cable or satellite TV to continue receiving TV signals after the conversion date. The latest estimate is that more than 6.5 million households are not prepared for the switch over.
Netflix Q4 profit up 45 percent, defying recession - SiliconValley.com
The Los Gatos, Calif.-based company added 718,000 customers in the final three months of 2008, more than doubling the growth envisioned by management. The surge left Netflix with just under 9.4 million customers through December, a 26 percent gain from 2007 that suggests more people are looking for ways to entertain themselves at home in the worst recession since the early 1980s.Netflix Q4 profit up 45 percent, defying recession - SiliconValley.com
Netflix, launched a decade ago, has emerged as an enticing option by offering subscription plans that charge $9 to $17 per month to rent DVDs through the mail and watch a more limited selection of other video over high-speed Internet connections.
Measuring the Cost of the TARP - Brookings Institution
Focusing on the wrong number is dangerous. It is a well-known axiom of politics and business that the answer to a question can be determined by how you frame it. In this case, the key framing issue is how you measure the cost. Telling the public they could lose $700 billion has naturally produced a firestorm of resentment. We might instead have gained at least grudging public support by framing the cost differently, given the dire circumstances. Consider the potential reaction to an estimate of $175 billion of expected losses with a chance it could rise to $300 billion in a very bad case, offset by a reasonable chance the ultimate cost would be lower than expected.Measuring the Cost of the TARP - Brookings Institution
Obama names Copps acting FCC chairman - washingtonpost.com
President Obama appointed Michael J. Copps as acting chairman of the Federal Communications Commission.NATIONAL BRIEFING - washingtonpost.com
Copps is a Democratic commissioner of the agency who has championed media diversity, rules that would prevent consolidated ownership of newspapers and broadcast stations by the same entity in one town, as well as the blocking of Internet traffic by network carriers.
The appointment is expected to be temporary. Julius Genachowski, Obama's tech adviser, is expected to be named head of the agency.
Broadband stimulus package no blank check - FierceBroadbandWireless
The broadband industry wanted taxes incentives, arguing that this avenue would offer a quicker stimulus to the economy and speed up buildouts. The industry says the grant and loan avenue could take months to make inroads as the money would funnel through the bureaucratic process. Moreover, the open access requirements have yet to be defined. As written in the bill, the FCC is supposed to create the rules. Newly appointed FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski likely won't deal with that issue for months. If broadband players are required to open up their networks to competitors, they'll likely pass on any grants, experts warn.Broadband stimulus package no blank check - FierceBroadbandWireless
And finally, the broadband speed requirements will likely be another hindrance. In order to qualify for the bulk of the money, a wired broadband provider has to deploy a service offering 45 Mbps on the downlink, while a wireless broadband operator must provide 3 Mbps on the downlink. Experts say wired players aren't prepared to deploy such systems in rural areas, and wireless broadband operators will have the upper hand.
House passes bill directing $1B toward wireless broadband grants - RCR Wireless News
The House Energy and Commerce Committee approved legislation that makes at least $1 billion available in wireless broadband grants and keeps intact open-access provisions opposed by the mobile-phone industry.House passes bill directing $1B toward wireless broadband grants - RCR Wireless News
Six billion dollars of the $825 billion economic recovery measure is earmarked to foster deployment of high-speed Internet service in unserved and underseved areas of the country. The broadband stimulus measure calls for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, a Commerce Department unit that advises the president on tech policy and manages federal government spectrum, to oversee a $2.8 billion broadband grant program. Wireless broadband grants would comprise $1 billion of that funding level. The remainder of the $6 billion is expected to be administered by the Rural Utilities Service’s broadband loan program.
The House Appropriations Committee, like the Commerce panel, did not remove open-access provisions, as the wireless industry and others had suggested.
High-speed Internet around the corner - FierceCIO
"Broadband investments are important because they have a tremendous multiplier effect on our economy," he said. President Obama has argued that broadband spending will create thousands of new jobs.High-speed Internet around the corner - FierceCIO
House Democrats want $6 billion to build a new infrastructure with high-speed connections, not much different than the vast undertaking in the 1950s to build the interstate highway system that connected one end of the country to the other and provided sweeping opportunities to develop many parts of the United States. We report on this story this week, just the beginning of what will become a massive undertaking sweeping the country.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
25 Years of Mac: From Boxy Beige to Silver Sleek
It's the 25th anniversary of the Apple Macintosh, but Steve Jobs' eyes are dry. At the company headquarters in Silicon Valley, where he was presenting a set of new laptops to the press last October, I mentioned the birthday to him. Jobs recoiled at any suggestion of nostalgia. "I don't think about that," he said. "When I got back here in 1997, I was looking for more room, and I found an archive of old Macs and other stuff. I said, 'Get it away!' and I shipped all that shit off to Stanford. If you look backward in this business, you'll be crushed. You have to look forward."25 Years of Mac: From Boxy Beige to Silver Sleek
Blogged with the Flock Browser
The Car of the Future Promised for October | Autopia from Wired.com
Aptera Motors has rolled out the first pre-production model of the 2e, an all-electric three-wheeled two-seater that gets the equivalent of 200 mpg and goes 100 miles on a charge. It's a significant milestone for the Southern California startup, which plans to put the first cars in driveways by Halloween and looks like a contender to win the $10 million Progressive Automotive X Prize.The Car of the Future Promised for October | Autopia from Wired.com
Blogged with the Flock Browser
In Pakistan, Radio Amplifies Terror of Taliban - NYTimes.com
Every night around 8 o’clock, the terrified residents of Swat, a lush and picturesque valley a hundred miles from three of Pakistan’s most important cities, crowd around their radios. They know that failure to listen and learn might lead to a lashing — or a beheading.In Pakistan, Radio Amplifies Terror of Taliban - NYTimes.com
Using a portable radio transmitter, a local Taliban leader, Shah Doran, on most nights outlines newly proscribed “un-Islamic” activities in Swat, like selling DVDs, watching cable television, singing and dancing, criticizing the Taliban, shaving beards and allowing girls to attend school. He also reveals names of people the Taliban have recently killed for violating their decrees — and those they plan to kill.
Blogged with the Flock Browser
India's outsourcing sector faces bleak outlook: analysts - Yahoo! News
Two of India's top IT companies -- Infosys Technologies and Wipro -- have acknowledged that their revenues are under pressure.India's outsourcing sector faces bleak outlook: analysts - Yahoo! News
Meanwhile, India's largest software exporter Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) saw its third-quarter net profit rise by a lower-than-expected 1.57 percent from a year earlier because of the global economic slowdown. It traditionally gives no guidance.
The flurry of dismal earnings news and a one-billion-dollar false accounting scandal at Satyam Computer Services earlier this month has combined to cool investor sentiment towards the once red-hot sector, which employs two million workers in India.
Europe's Sexy New Gravity Satellite | Wired.com
A sleek new European Space Agency satellite set to launch this year, perhaps as early as February, aims to map out the planet's gravitational field in unprecedented detail. The Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer, or GOCE, will gather data useful for research in oceanography, solid Earth physics and climate change.Europe's Sexy New Gravity Satellite | Wired Science from Wired.com
Report: U.S. Surveillance Society Running Rampant | Threat Level from Wired.com
The American Civil Liberties Union posted a website Monday showing that government-financed surveillance cameras are running rampant across the United States.All the while, studies suggest they do nothing to cut down on violent crime. San Francisco, for example, has spent $700,000 for dozens of public cameras, but a University of California study (.pdf, 187 pages) just concluded there was "no evidence" they curtailed violent crime.Report: U.S. Surveillance Society Running Rampant | Threat Level from Wired.com
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Google-Bombing Moves From Bush to Obama - Digits - WSJ.com
According to a Search Engine Land article, Obama is inheriting all the old links from Bush’s biography to the term “miserable failure” because the link to his biography was swapped for Bush’s on the White House site on Inauguration Day. As a result, a search for “miserable failure” on Yahoo will likely yield Obama’s biography, and on Google, a search for “failure” will do the same.Google-Bombing Moves From Bush to Obama - Digits - WSJ.com
Danny Sullivan, editor of Search Engine Land, observes that Bush’s bio should be redirected to a page on whitehouse.gov about the history of U.S. presidents, that the link to the current president’s biography should be killed and the biography placed elsewhere since the current Google-bomb association is still showing up.
Obama Presses for Quick Jolt to the Economy - NYTimes.com
Mr. Obama did not lay down a comprehensive plan but made clear his policy preferences, reflecting campaign promises on energy, education and health care, along with traditional stimulus proposals for aid to states and expanded unemployment compensation and food stamp benefits.Obama Presses for Quick Jolt to the Economy - NYTimes.com
Mr. Obama left it to the Democratic-controlled Congress to fill in the details. His differences with his own party in the House are mostly minor, and the House Democrats’ package is expected to be passed next week. But a new Senate plan diverges in several ways from what House Democrats and Mr. Obama favor.
FOREX Trading BLOG: The Yuppy-fication of Wall Street
One of the problems I’ve lamented about over the last several years is what I refer to as the Yuppy-fication of Wall Street. Instead of the guys who made it to the top because of their guts, instincts and brains, we now are faced with a world of Ivy-league MBA’s with spreadsheet running this institutions.World Currency Watch: FOREX Market, FOREX Trading BLOG: The Yuppy-fication of Wall Street
We have guys who never had to worry about how to feed their kids, or make their mortgage payments or scrape together just enough of their own funds to launch a venture that later failed miserably. Instead we have an incestuous pool of people with powerful contacts populating the upper echelon.
Column : Why blame trade for trouble? - The Financial Express
Nearly 80 years ago, the global financial crisis set the stage for a global trade crisis. Republicans Smoot and Hawley drafted a Bill that was legalised as the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act on June 17, 1930. The Act raised tariffs on around 20,000 US imports. The retaliations that followed forced world trade to shrink by more than 60 per cent over the next five years. It took the Bretton Woods Agreement, IMF, Gatt, and multilateralism to put global trade back on rails. In the process, two critical decades were lost. Decades where freer trade could have alleviated supply shortages, created jobs and raised incomes.Column : Why blame trade for trouble? - The Financial Express
As 2009 gets older, outlook for trade prospects are turning bleaker. Disappointments are mounting over unfulfilled promises. Foremost among these is the failure to get the Doha Round going. This was one trigger which could have set the trade ball rolling. However, that hasn’t happened despite two months having passed after the G-20’s pledge to carry forward the Doha Development Agenda.
SPACE.com -- Japan Launches Satellite to Track Greenhouse Gases
The Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite, or GOSAT, was deployed from the upper stage of an H-2A rocket about 16 minutes after blastoff, according to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.SPACE.com -- Japan Launches Satellite to Track Greenhouse Gases
GOSAT is also nicknamed Ibuki, which means "breath" in Japanese. Scientists say greenhouse gases are akin to the Earth's breath.
Greenhouse gases are produced by natural and human sources, including geological activity, biological activity and the burning of fossil fuels.
Scientists believe greenhouse gases trapped in Earth's atmosphere are responsible for rising global temperatures. Carbon gases can trap heat that would normally radiate into space, driving up the planet's average temperature, according to climate researchers.
That was the primary impetus behind the development of the $206 million mission.
FiOS to Raise Its Voice - 2008-12-12 13:11:00 - Multichannel News
While Verizon has not announced pricing, the new FiOS Digital Voice service is not designed to be a low-cost play: Executives said the new FiOS Digital Voice service will be priced comparably to the telco’s existing calling plans.FiOS to Raise Its Voice - 2008-12-12 13:11:00 - Multichannel News
Gartner Identifies Top 30 Countries for Offshore Services in 2008
“Countries such as Mexico, Poland and Vietnam have continued to strengthen their position against leading alternatives, while others have forced their way into the ‘Top 30’. These countries will be seeking to take advantage of the opportunity created by the increased focus that many organisations now have on cost optimisation, as a result of the current economic crisis,” said Ian Marriott, research vice president at Gartner.Gartner Identifies Top 30 Countries for Offshore Services in 2008
Google Math | Strongly disputed calculations
16.5%The portion of total Internet bandwidth “consumed” in 2008 by Google's search engine, video streaming services and other properties.Google Math | Strongly disputed calculations
$344 millionEstimated amount paid by Google to service providers for bandwidth consumption.
Verizon sees IPTV-over-IMS progress
Verizon Communications, whose FioS video service notably is not a full IPTV deployment, said today a recent global demonstration of IPTV-over-IMS demonstrated the promise of the technology for its own network, though barriers remain.Verizon sees IPTV-over-IMS progress
Friday, January 23, 2009
WTO hopes for renewed Doha push this year - Mail & Guardian Online: The smart news source
"Today it is clear that trade is one of the casualties of this economic crisis and that we run the risk that one of the engines of growth -- in fact, one that is very important for many developing countries -- stalls," he said, according to a text of his remarks issued by the WTO.WTO hopes for renewed Doha push this year - Mail & Guardian Online: The smart news source
The Doha round was launched in late 2001 to boost world trade and help developing countries export their way out of poverty, but agreement has proved elusive.
The G20 group of rich and emerging nations called in November for an outline deal by the end of 2008 to help counter the economic crisis.
Worm Infects Millions of Computers Worldwide - NYTimes.com
In recent weeks a worm, a malicious software program, has swept through corporate, educational and public computer networks around the world. Known as Conficker or Downadup, it is spread by a recently discovered Microsoft Windows vulnerability, by guessing network passwords and by hand-carried consumer gadgets like USB keys.Worm Infects Millions of Computers Worldwide - NYTimes.com
Experts say it is the worst infection since the Slammer worm exploded through the Internet in January 2003, and it may have infected as many as nine million personal computers around the world.
Poll Says Cost Would Deter Customers Without Broadband - washingtonpost.com
"There are multiple reasons why people don't have broadband, and the hope is that if you are a policymaker you would take away from this report that a focus on availability and price will only get you part of the way there," said John Horrigan, an associate director of research at the Pew project and author of the report.Poll Says Cost Would Deter Customers Without Broadband - washingtonpost.com
Access to computers and the difficulty of using the technology are also barriers to widespread broadband use, the report said.
Obama has made broadband deployment part of his goal to create 3 million jobs amid a spiraling economy. He also has made building more broadband networks part of his initiative to "build a 21st century economy" where small businesses in rural areas can compete globally and schoolchildren across the country have access to the fastest and best Internet technology.
In a Shift, Japan Seeks to Help Laid-Off Immigrants Stay in the Country - washingtonpost.com
The last thing that aging Japan can afford to lose is young people. Yet as the global economic crisis flattens demand for Japanese cars and electronic goods, thousands of youthful, foreign-born factory workers are getting fired, pulling their children out of school and flying back to where they came from.In a Shift, Japan Seeks to Help Laid-Off Immigrants Stay in the Country - washingtonpost.com
Paulino and Lidiane Onuma have sold their car and bought plane tickets for Sao Paulo, Brazil. They are going back next month with their two young daughters, both of whom were born here in this factory town. His job making heavy machinery for automobile plants ends next week. She lost her job making box lunches with black beans and spicy rice for the city's Brazilian-born workers, most of whom have also been dismissed and are deciding whether to leave Japan."
We have no desire to go home," said Paulino Onuma, 29, who has lived here for 12 years and earned about $50,000 a year, far more than he says he could make in Brazil. "We are only going back because of the situation."
Out of Africa
Interesting article on the forces that brought Obama's father to the US.
Mboya ended his article by calling for Africans and black Americans to work together in support of his campaign for a student airlift to the United States. In 1959, he had established the African-American Students Foundation, the purpose of which was to raise funds to bring students from Kenya and other parts of East and Central Africa to study at American universities before returning home to work in public service. In fact, the Harlem incident and the reflection it prompted on the separate identities of Africans and American blacks would not command our attention today were it not for the fact that one of those students, on the very first airlift of 81 young Kenyans, was a man named Barack Obama.Out of Africa
It is now well known, of course, that Obama Sr. entered the University of Hawaii in 1959 where he met and married Stanley Ann Dunham, who gave birth to Barack Obama Jr. on August 4, 1961. Obama Jr.'s birth, even as an almost casual by-product of the airlift's principal purpose--Obama Sr. didn't stay long in the United States, returning to Kenya where he became a senior economist in the Ministry of Finance--adds yet another thread of experience to the deep interconnectedness of Africa and the United States, which was such an important theme for Mboya. Even more, Obama's successful presidential campaign is an affirmation of the main theme of Mboya's message to his "American cousins"--that, if the black American can overcome racialism and "merge his blackness with his citizenship as an American ... the result will be dignity and liberation."
The Critical Browser: The Digital White House
At 12:01 PM Eastern Time on January 20, the President Obama-era version of the official White House site went live. (There are before-and-after pictures here.) The new version of the site is, not unexpectedly, much nicer-looking, and it has very much the same basic design style as Obama's campaign site and transition site, although the typography has shifted from the futuristic sans-serif faces of his campaign days to a dignified, old-fashioned serif face that probably goes better with the White House silverware. (Considerately, the keywords in the page's metatext include Barck, Barek, Barak, Barrack, Barrak and Obma.)The Critical Browser: The Digital White House
Blogged with the Flock Browser
$6 billion, broadband, and impatience - FierceTelecom
To summarize and reiterate what Levin said at the State of the Net Conference last week for the former groups:$6 billion, broadband, and impatience - FierceTelecom
1) There is some - but nowhere near perfect - overlap between these stated goals: economic stimulus to create jobs, national broadband deployment, and management oversight to minimize waste, fraud, and abuse.
2) To be effective, an economic stimulus package has to be timely, targeted and temporary. There's not a lot of room for creativity; you have to use existing programs.
3) Public policy goals for national broadband need to address the unserved and the underserved - people who don't have fiber (yes, Blair said fiber), produce a national network for public safety, and include a robust competitive market for broadband.Bottom line: The $6 billion in the economic stimulus package is a down payment for national broadband, not the cure-all.
Blogged with the Flock Browser
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Ericsson CEO: 'This is not a telecom crisis'
“This is not a telecom crisis—this is a financial crisis that has turned into an economic slowdown,” Svanberg said today at Ericsson’s fourth-quarter earnings call. “If we look at our own market, operators are in good shape…So far we’ve hardly seen any effect at all on mobile network investments. We’re seeing effects on the fixed side. People are abandoning their fixed-line phones, but they are keeping their mobiles.”Ericsson CEO: 'This is not a telecom crisis'
Svanberg backed up his bold statements with impressive sales numbers. Ericsson reported a 23% increase year-over-year in fourth-quarter revenue, though its profits suffered to the tune of a 39% drop, primarily due to heavy declines for its handset venture with Sony. Sony Ericsson last week reported a 185 million-euro loss as phone shipments fell 21% in 2008. Analysts anticipate dismal sales numbers from the other handset makers this year as consumer spending dries up. While Svanberg acknowledged that the global phone and device market is suffering--particularly the replacement handset market—he said those losses aren’t having a direct effect on network growth. Growth is particularly strong in the US, which is enjoying somewhat of a renaissance in mobile data services driven in part by the Apple iPhone and other smartphones. Ericsson reported fourth-quarter sales growth of 13% in North America and 34% growth for the fiscal year. In the US, Ericsson is building T-Mobile’s new high-speed packet access (HSPA) network as well as expanding and upgrading AT&T Mobility’s.
“It’s all being driven by the consumer demand for mobile broadband,” Svanberg said of the North American market. “Everybody wants mobility wherever they are now, and there’s a lot of focus on the continued rollout of HSPA and expansion.”
Apple Still Oblivious to Netbook Opportunity | Gadget Lab from Wired.com
Netbooks may be the fastest-growing niche in the computer spectrum but Apple, in its infinite wisdom, still appears to be in no hurry to come up with one that meets its exacting standards.Apple Still Oblivious to Netbook Opportunity | Gadget Lab from Wired.com
"We've got some ideas, but right now we think the products there are inferior and will not provide the experience to customers that they're happy with," Tim Cook, Apple's chief operating officer and acting CEO, said during the company's quarterly earnings call Wednesday.
The issues, from Apple's perspective? Low-powered CPUs, cramped keyboards and small displays are not enough to satisfy customers. And -- oh yeah -- netbooks are "principally based on hardware," Cook said, while repeatedly stressing on the call that Apple believes "software is the key ingredient."
Poll Says Cost Would Deter Customers Without Broadband - washingtonpost.com
Even if high-speed Internet service was available to the entire nation, about one-third of Americans not currently using broadband still wouldn't because of the expense, according to a report released yesterday by the Pew Internet & American Life Project.Poll Says Cost Would Deter Customers Without Broadband - washingtonpost.com
The report was based on two surveys of 4,254 people last year and illustrates a potential hang-up in President Obama's goal to bring broadband Internet to rural and other underserved areas: If they build it, it's not clear that people will come.
Obama Staff Arrives to White House Stuck in Dark Ages of Technology - washingtonpost.com
Two years after launching the most technologically savvy presidential campaign in history, Obama officials ran smack into the constraints of the federal bureaucracy yesterday, encountering a jumble of disconnected phone lines, old computer software, and security regulations forbidding outside e-mail accounts.Obama Staff Arrives to White House Stuck in Dark Ages of Technology - washingtonpost.com
What does that mean in 21st-century terms? No Facebook to communicate with supporters. No outside e-mail log-ins. No instant messaging. Hard adjustments for a staff that helped sweep Obama to power through, among other things, relentless online social networking.
What Tech Can Expect from a Tech-Savvy President - BusinessWeek
The team advising Obama on tech policy offers a hint about what may be in store. Obama's nominee for chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, which regulates everything from telecom policy to television content, is Julius Genachowski. He's an advocate of upgrading broadband access and "Net neutrality," or barring network operators from discriminating against traffic based on its source or content. An old Harvard Law School chum and fund-raiser for Obama, Genachowski is a former venture capitalist and was FCC chief counsel under former Chairman Reed Hundt, another Obama adviser who remains influential on Net competition issues.What Tech Can Expect from a Tech-Savvy President - BusinessWeek
Obama advisers also include Blair Levin, who served in the FCC under Hundt, too. Levin razzed the Bush FCC for raising the cap on ownership of TV stations to 39% of the national audience—just high enough to accommodate News Corp. (NWS)
In the Senate, Commerce Committee Chairman John "Jay" Rockefeller (D-W. Va.) has already fired warning shots at the telecom companies, saying he will press for tougher regulation. Pivotal players in the House include Appropriations Committee Chairman Dave Obey (D-Wis.), who is pushing for massive investments in broadband infrastructure to stimulate jobs. Representative Rick Boucher (D-Va.) is the new chairman of the subcommittee on communications, technology, and the Internet, which oversees broadcast and telecom industry rules.
Bill May Not Stimulate Jobs Right Away - WSJ.com
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projected less than half of the $355 billion that House Democrats want to spend on highways, bridges and other job-creating investments is likely to be used before the end of fiscal 2010. The CBO said the balance would likely be spent over the next several years, after the recession is projected to end.Bill May Not Stimulate Jobs Right Away - WSJ.com
Warner Bros mulls outsourcing jobs to India: Report- International Business-News-The Economic Times
Warner Brothers Entertainmentis all set to chop 10 per cent of its global workforce and outsource jobs to India and Poland, says a mediareport."Warner Brothers Entertainment, the Hollywood studio behind The Dark Knight, the biggest grossing movie of 2008, is to shed 10 per cent of all employees as the economic recession starts to bite in Hollywood," The Financial Times has reported.Warner Bros mulls outsourcing jobs to India: Report- International Business-News-The Economic Times
Only Makes You Stronger
Setting aside the flaws in both these overarching theories of capitalism, this analysis of economic crises is fundamentally sound--and especially relevant to the current meltdown. Cataloguing the early losses from the financial crisis, it's hard not to conclude that the central capitalist nations will weather the storm far better than those not so central. Emerging markets have been hit harder by the financial crisis than developed ones as investors around the world seek the safe haven provided by U.S. Treasury bills, and commodity-producing economies have suffered extraordinary shocks as commodity prices crashed from their record, boom-time highs. Countries like Russia, Venezuela, and Iran, which hoped to use oil revenue to mount a serious political challenge to American power and the existing world order, face serious new constraints. Vladimir Putin, Hugo Chavez, and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad must now spend less time planning big international moves and think a little bit harder about domestic stability. Far from being the last nail in America's coffin, the financial crisis may actually resuscitate U.S. power relative to its rivals.Only Makes You Stronger
Solar industry looks for light at tunnel's end - SiliconValley.com
"I liken the solar industry to the semiconductor industry 40 years ago," he said. "What a semiconductor company had to do was build a fab — a factory — to make a chip. That's kind of where solar companies are today. And the challenge is that to build a factory requires debt."Solar industry looks for light at tunnel's end - SiliconValley.com
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
When Will the Government Get on Top of Its Security Challenges and Protect Citizens’ Data? - Ralph DeFrangesco
Earlier this month, the General Accounting Office (GAO) issued a report regarding the lack of security at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Before you fall off your chair laughing, read on because you may be at risk. Let’s start with the good news. The GAO has stated that the IRS has made progress, correcting 49 of the 115 weaknesses identified in the 2008 audit. Some of the more critical issues resolved included controls for unauthenticated networks, encrypting sensitive data, patching critical vulnerabilities, and a needed update to the contingency plan.When Will the Government Get on Top of Its Security Challenges and Protect Citizens’ Data? - Ralph DeFrangesco
Blogged with the Flock Browser
Inside the GPS Revolution: 10 Applications That Make the Most of Location
Inside the GPS revolution it's more than maps and driving directions: location-aware phones and apps now deliver the hidden information that lets users make connections and interact with the world in ways they never imagined. The future is here and it's in your pocket.Inside the GPS Revolution: 10 Applications That Make the Most of Location
Blogged with the Flock Browser
The Dark Lord of Broadband Tries to Fix Comcast's Image
It took him six weeks of short-burst sleuthing to reach his conclusion. In a detailed post on DSL Reports—a site for broadband enthusiasts—under his online name, funchords, Topolski laid out a case against his Internet service provider. Comcast appeared to be blocking file-sharing applications by creating fake data packets that interfered with trading sessions. The packets were cleverly disguised to look as if they were coming from the user, not the ISP. It was as if, in the middle of a phone call to a friend, Comcast got on the line and in the caller's own voice told the friend he was hanging up, while the caller simultaneously heard the same message in the friend's voice. The post generated some discussion but no response from Comcast. It did, however, catch the attention of an Associated Press reporter, who called Topolski to ask about duplicating the tests. Topolski was happy to help and tried to provide all the assistance he could, but he lost touch with the reporter after doctors told him that, in addition to anemia, he had a massive malignant tumor in his colon.The Dark Lord of Broadband Tries to Fix Comcast's Image
The Plot to Kill Google
Google's capitulation marked a rare defeat for the search giant, which has been almost as successful among the regulators of Washington as among the coders of Silicon Valley. And it was cause for celebration in Redmond, where Microsoft spent six months on a massive effort, costing millions of dollars, to block the Yahoo deal. Microsoft played a role in persuading members of Congress to hold hearings. It initiated a campaign that filled DOJ mailboxes with letters from politicians and nonprofit groups objecting to the deal. It convinced the country's largest advertisers to join together to oppose the company in public. It's impossible to know exactly what impact all this had on the DOJ decision. But many observers believe that Barnett, who declined to be interviewed for this article, was influenced in part by Microsoft's arguments.The Plot to Kill Google
Economic Scene - The Economy Is Bad, but 1982 Was Worse - NYTimes.com
I thought it would make sense to get some clearer historical perspective, and the economists at the Bureau of Labor Statistics were nice enough to help me do so. In the last week, they helped me put together a broad measure of the job market — one including both official unemployment and more subtle kinds — stretching back to 1970. Since the job market covers the entire economy and affects families in tangible ways, it seems to be the single best yardstick.Economic Scene - The Economy Is Bad, but 1982 Was Worse - NYTimes.com
And it shows, for starters, that the economy is not yet as bad as it was in the early 1980s. It’s not even that close to being as bad. The ranks of unemployed and underemployed, controlling for the size of the population, were much larger in 1982 than today.
Obama's Broadband Plan May Lead to More Telework
The Telework Coalition (TelCoa), a Washington, DC-based telework information organization, welcomed President-elect Obama’s broadband plan. Broadband access for data and IP permits people to perform data-and-communications-intensive tasks such as accounting, customer service, engineering, IT, management, and media to work from home. It also makes distance learning richer and more effective.Obama's Broadband Plan May Lead to More Telework
To take advantage of this expanded broadband network, TelCoa also wants to see the new President’s program followed up with federal incentives to encourage more businesses to adopt telework. While there are tax deductions for parking and for employee transit programs there are none for telework.
Obama Inaugural Address | washingtonpost.com
Video presentation of the full speech along with a transcript.Obama Inaugural Address | washingtonpost.com
AP: I liked the speech but he is probably better when he delves into a topic in depth instead of having to touch on many topics as is required here. I thought his construction of the terror problem from "evil" under Bush to "hatred" was probably constructive. Especially since he said "we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist."
In another switch from Bush, noted for his lack of curiosity in technological and scientific progress..
"We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its costs. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age."
Satellites may be used to find water in drought-ravaged Africa : Scientific American Blog
High flying satellites, which have already proven their mettle in delivering television programs, cell phone calls and views of our neighborhoods (thank you, Google Earth), can also locate potable water in countries such as Niger where droughts have made it scarce, the European Space Agency (ESA) announced this week.Satellites may be used to find water in drought-ravaged Africa : Scientific American Blog
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
The Wired Presidency: Can Obama Really Reboot the White House?
Technophiles who watched the campaign closely expected more, and now they are putting pressure on the White House to govern with unparalleled transparency and citizen interaction. Dan Froomkin of the Niemen Watchdog Journalism Project and The Washington Post summed up expectations in a blog post calling for Obama to embrace "wiki culture" in which "major policy proposals have public collaborative workspaces.The Wired Presidency: Can Obama Really Reboot the White House?
Obama has himself to blame for raising such expectations. During the campaign, he embraced every form of social media. At My.BarackObama.com, supporters could create profiles, talk to each other, and—by election day—plan some 200,000 offline dinners and living room fund-raisers. Users could log in from home to get lists of swing-state voters to telephone; this generated 3 million calls in the final four days of the race. Those efforts were combined with massive database-crunching to identify potential voters who could be approached door-to-door by last-minute canvassers, myself included.
Blogged with the Flock Browser
Rural WiMAX operator secures $100M - FierceBroadbandWireless
Colorado-based rural broadband service operator Open Range Communications, which has a deal with Globalstar to deploy WiMAX in some 500 rural communities, said it has obtained $100 million in funding from One Equity Partners, the private equity division of JP Morgan Chase & Co.Rural WiMAX operator secures $100M - FierceBroadbandWireless
The amount of funding the company has now secured is $367 million. In November, the U.S. Department of Agriculture approved a $267 million loan under the department's Rural Development Utilities Program to Globalstar and Open Range. At the same time, the FCC granted Globalstar's request to modify its ability to offer Ancillary Terrestrial Component (ATC) services in the U.S., which paved the way for the mobile satellite operator to deploy WiMAX to more than 500 rural communities with Open Range, its spectrum lessee. The ATC allows satellite operators to partner with terrestrial operators to offer services that can penetrate buildings, which is a major shortcoming to satellite services.
Will soon-to-be President Obama put WiMAX on top? - FierceBroadbandWireless
Reports indicate the president-elect is considering a broadband plan funded from of the Universal Service Fund, better use of the nation's wireless spectrum, promotion of next-generation technologies and new tax and loan incentives. Business Week recently reported the new Obama administration wants to put $20 billion to $30 billion into broadband buildout initiatives through these tax incentives.Will soon-to-be President Obama put WiMAX on top? - FierceBroadbandWireless
The stakes are high for Intel and its quest to see mobile WiMAX succeed. It has invested $1 billion in the new Clearwire (the largest single investment Intel Capital has made), led standards bodies, built chips, funded early network development and pumped a lot of money into WiMAX vendors and operators to make sure this technology has a global footprint.
The hope is that computer manufacturers will see WiMAX is big enough to incorporate the technology into laptops, thus increasing the demand for its chipsets. But first, Intel needs to see a widespread interest in mobile WiMAX to drive interest in WiMAX-enabled laptops and other devices. So far, Intel has made a lot of investments and spoken of many ambitious plans, but has had difficulty driving the vast deployments it seeks.
Choices Narrowed for First U.S. CTO - BusinessWeek
Two Indian-born technology executives are the leading candidates for the incoming Obama Administration's newly created position of federal chief technology officer, according to two sources with knowledge of the situation. They are Padmasree Warrior, the chief technology officer of Silicon Valley networking giant Cisco Systems (CSCO), and Vivek Kundra, who holds the same title in the government of Washington, D.C., the sources say.Choices Narrowed for First U.S. CTO - BusinessWeek
Lamy urges Arab region to “prioritize” Doha talks
My message to you today is this: because international trade is so vital to your economies, the WTO must also be vital to you. A strong, coordinated and active Arab group in the WTO would no doubt help advance some of your economic priorities. The WTO Doha Round of trade negotiations, launched in 2001 in the capital city of Qatar, is still under way. It includes many areas of economic importance to the Arab region, such as energy services, transportation and distribution services, and negotiations on trade facilitation to do with the reduction of customs red tape, to mention but a few. I would ask that the Arab region prioritize these negotiations, and prioritize the formation of a strong Arab coalition on trade to vigorously pursue its interests through the multilateral platform that is the WTO.WTO | News - speech - DG Pascal Lamy - Lamy urges Arab region to “prioritize” Doha talks
The Bush Economy - WSJ.com
Mr. Bush has tried to explain events with one of his populist aphorisms: "Wall Street got drunk and we got a hangover." The remark is ruefully amusing and has an element of truth. But it also reveals how little the President comprehends about the source of his Administration's economic undoing. To extend his metaphor, Who does Mr. Bush think was serving the liquor?The Bush Economy - WSJ.com
Monday, January 19, 2009
Former eBay exec tackles perils of e-commerce at Omidyar Network - SiliconValley.com
Founded by Pierre Omidyar in 1995, eBay ranks as one of the great e-commerce success stories of the Internet revolution, facilitating about $80 billion worth of transactions in 2007. Starting with the first customer feedback system developed by Omidyar, efforts to ensure trust and security was paramount at eBay while the Web became rife with tech-savvy scamsters.Former eBay exec tackles perils of e-commerce at Omidyar Network - SiliconValley.com
Six months ago, Halprin moved from eBay to Omidyar Network to lead a new initiative for the unorthodox philanthropic venture firm, wholly funded by Omidyar, still eBay's chairman, and wife Pam. Perhaps best known for promoting microfinance in developing nations and grants to groups promoting human rights, Omidyar Network brought Halprin aboard as a partner to oversee its "media, markets and transparency" investments.
The Best and Worst Jobs in the U.S. - WSJ.com
Nineteen years ago, Jennifer Courter set out on a career path that has since provided her with a steady stream of lucrative, low-stress jobs. Now, her occupation -- mathematician -- has landed at the top spot on a new study ranking the best and worst jobs in the U.S.[Best and Worst Jobs] Scott Brundage"The Best and Worst Jobs in the U.S. - WSJ.com
It's a lot more than just some boring subject that everybody has to take in school," says Ms. Courter, a research mathematician at mental images Inc., a maker of 3D-visualization software in San Francisco. "It's the science of problem-solving."
The study, released Tuesday from CareerCast.com, a new job site, evaluates 200 professions to determine the best and worst according to five criteria inherent to every job: environment, income, employment outlook, physical demands and stress. (CareerCast.com is published by Adicio Inc., in which Wall Street Journal owner News Corp. holds a minority stake.)
Regulators set to renew a mainframe battle with IBM
It is 40 years to the week since the US government filed its last official antitrust complaint against IBM, and more than 50 years since it reached a landmark consent decree with the computer maker to open up the early computing industry.FT.com / Companies / Technology - Regulators set to renew a mainframe battle with IBM
Yet some technology monopolies never die. The market for mainframes – the heavy-duty, monolithic machines that dominate the high-end of the computing market – once attracted the attention of companies including General Electric to Honeywell.
As recently as the 1990s, the mainframe industry attracted competitors such as Hitachi and the Fujitsu-owned Amdahl.Today, though, it is once again the almost exclusive preserve of IBM, with whose name it has become almost synonymous.
Alibaba prepares for global expansion
As part of its drive for geographical diversification, Alibaba is moving its European headquarters from Geneva to London this month, as it sees the UK as one of the most promising markets for picking up suppliers.FT.com / Companies / Media - Alibaba prepares for global expansion
Alibaba Group, which also includes Taobao, China’s leading consumer e-commerce website, and Yahoo China, plans to increase its current workforce of 12,000 by more than 4,000 this year. Alibaba.com, the Hong Kong-listed flagship which operates the business-to-business trading platform, reported revenues of Rmb2.2bn ($321m) for the first nine months of 2008.
Although Alibaba serves buyers and sellers all over the world, Chinese companies seeking buyers overseas account for the bulk of its revenues so far. But as demand from the US and Europe has dropped off, the company has launched programmes to support domestic trade and exports from other countries to China.
Telecom Mogul Seeks Deal in Times Company - DealBook Blog - NYTimes.com
Carlos Slim Helú, the Mexican billionaire, is near a deal to invest about $250 million in The New York Times Company, helping to shore up the publishing company’s struggling finances, people briefed on the transaction told The Times.Telecom Mogul Seeks Deal in Times Company - DealBook Blog - NYTimes.com
5 Ways the Cellphone Will Change How You Listen to Music | Epicenter from Wired.com
AOL Radio, imeem, Flycast, Last.fm, Omnifone, Pandora, SeeqPod, Shoutcast, Slacker and others already deliver interactive radio to the cellphone that's so good, it's finally a feasible replacement for the occasionally tedious task of keeping your portable music collection fresh.5 Ways the Cellphone Will Change How You Listen to Music | Epicenter from Wired.com
Study: IPTV to Reach Near 80 Million in Five Years :: Satellite Today
According to its latest research, IPTV will grow by an estimated 32 percent annually over the next six years to nearly 79 million subscribers globally by the end of 2014, according "Pay-TV Subscriptions," a quarterly research report tracking pay-TV growth across the world.Study: IPTV to Reach Near 80 Million in Five Years :: Satellite Today
“Some telecom operators which are faced with thinning margins are deploying high-speed access networking technologies to challenge incumbent satellite and cable operators," Serene Fong, ABI Research industry analyst, said in a statement. "They do so by offering compelling alternatives via existing broadband infrastructure, thereby making service subscription easier and more convenient compared to the traditionally more cumbersome and costlier legacy television alternatives.”
YouTube - At First, Funny Videos. Now, a Reference Tool. - NYTimes.com
The explosion of all types of video content on YouTube and other sites is quickly transforming online video from a medium strictly for entertainment and news into one that is also a reference tool. As a result, video search, on YouTube and across other sites, is rapidly morphing into a new entry point into the Web, one that could rival mainstream search for many types of queries.Ping - At First, Funny Videos. Now, a Reference Tool. - NYTimes.com
“There are an increasing number of people who are doing video searches to supplement and improve what they do in their offline lives,” said Suranga Chandratillake, the chief executive of Blinkx, a video search engine.
Link by Link - Historical Photos in Web Archives Gain New Lives - NYTimes.com
“Flickr is to photography what the Pacific Ocean is to water, what Times Square is to humanity,” the cultural critic Luc Sante wrote in an essay for the January-February 2008 issue of Photograph magazine. “Flickr is a great leveler, sweeping away distinctions between amateurism and expertise, art and record-keeping.”Link by Link - Historical Photos in Web Archives Gain New Lives - NYTimes.com
Against this backdrop, there are the relics from the earlier age of photography, historical photographs that have been preserved in national libraries and archives or photo agencies and news media operations. Their relative scarcity alone can make them seem like treasures.
Op-Ed Columnist - Time for (Self) Shock Therapy - NYTimes.com
For too long the government has been taking the banks at their own words, which is one reason we keep getting surprised with demands for more bailout cash. The Treasury needs to be doing its own brutal, burn-down analysis of every major bank’s balance sheet — and then acting accordingly.Op-Ed Columnist - Time for (Self) Shock Therapy - NYTimes.com
In recent years, “whenever other countries — Russia, Thailand, Indonesia, South Korea or Mexico — got themselves into an economic crisis, we lectured them about how they had to adopt ‘shock therapy,’ ” said Moisés Naím, editor of Foreign Policy magazine. “
But now that we are the ones in crisis and in need of shock therapy, everyone is preaching gradualism.”A stimulus package that does not also unclog the arteries of our banking system will never stimulate sufficiently. Mr. Obama should take the pain early, blame it all on George Bush and then reap the benefits down the road. Postpone the pain, postpone the recovery.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)