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Blog: John MyersMarch 19, 2008A Pioneer PassesArthur C Clarke was a unique individual. He was technologist who could make the written word "fly" off the page. Clarke also saw not only what was imaginable (his science fiction writing), but what was possible (his science "fact" writing). While I am sure that someone else would have figured out the geosynchronous satellite for communications sooner or later, Clarke was the first person to put that particular pen to paper and put the telecommunications industry on its current path. And wouldn't we all have loved to have had the opportunity to write an essay called "How I Lost a Billion Dollars in My Spare Time".... and actually mean it. Having been a Clarke fan for many years, I hope that science "fact" catches up to the rest of Clarke's visions for a possible future sooner as opposed to later. We have been waiting far too long for David Bowman and HAL. Technorati Tags: Telecommunications, Telecom, Arthur C Clarke, science fiction, How I Lost a Billion Dollars in My Spare Time January 21, 2008Cause or EffectI was wondering when the next study would come out that says that wireless phones are evil.... Here it is. I appreciate the concept that the human brain probably wasn't built to tolerate as much electromagnetic energy as most of us receive on a daily basis. However, I am not sure that trying to prove that kids who use cell phone late at night are suffering from a lack of sleep.... Perhaps it is staying up late at night that is causing the issues with sleep, concentration and learning... :) Technorati Tags: Telecommunications, Telecom, Geoffrey Lean, Mobile Phone Radiation November 2, 2007Good for the Goose! Good for the Gander!I have always hated the concept of having a location based service, LBS, (ie GPS) tracking device in my car or on my person. Don't get me wrong, I like the idea of getting location and directional information from my car and/or my phone. However, the concept of a "log" of information on my activities, that an insurance company, a rental car company or a "controlling legal authority" would have access to, seemed a little more "big brother" than I would like. However, it appears that there might be a "good" use for the information in a GPS log.... A young man from California is fighting a speeding ticket with his GPS log. Good for him! Let's hope that someone somewhere makes those logs "personal" and not "subpoena"-able by one of those "controlling legal authorities" or anyone else for that matter... :) Technorati Tags: Telecommunications, Telecom, GPS, GPS Tracking, Eric Chabrow, LBS, Location Based Services October 15, 2007Phantom PhoneOne of my mother's favorite phrases/jokes is: "Just because you are paranoid, doesn't mean that people aren't out to get you..." I thought of that when I saw this article about "phantom phone syndrome". It appears that people are concerned about the "phantom rings" that they feel when their phones aren't "attached" to their bodies. While my experiences are more of the "where the heck is my phone?!?!?!" sensation when my phone isn't on my person, I can identify with those who think their phone is ringing... somewhere.... Technorati Tags: Telecommunications, Telecom, Ellen Simon September 14, 2007Turning the BattleshipRuthie Ackerman recently wrote an article about the continued consolidation of the telecom market. It included the following quote: ...the big three [AT&T, Verizon, Sprint] have the capital to be innovators, while U.S. Cellular has to follow. While I don't disagree that with the concept that the larger a telecom provider is the larger their "war chest" is for investment in research and development can be. But, I do disagree with the concept that the established telecoms are innovators and that smaller players are followers. Smaller telecoms have the ability to be more flexible in making adjustments to their business plans and have the ability to move to products and services that consumers are looking for. These are things that the established telecoms have a very difficult time doing. I see ESPN Mobile taking risks ( and failing…) and then migrating to "second movers" like Verizon. I see Apple taking the risk of developing a killer app/device for mobile usage and AT&T taking abuse for “killing trees” to get the billing statements out. Yes, the larger telecom providers have the potential to be innovators, but I rarely see them exercising that initiative. Technorati Tags: Telecommunications, Telecom, Ruthie Ackerman, innovation August 4, 2007May not like the answer, but you can't fault the logicOne of the reasons that I like Keith Olbermann is the fact that he is one of the smartest people in sports/news/media. I may not like the results of his analysis, but I usually can't find fault with his thought process. Scott Davis is the same type of guy. Everyone that I know in business intelligence has at one point or another agreed to disagree with Scott. But, they also agree that Scott is one of the smartest guys in business intelligence. So ... with that "great" introduction, feel free to take a gander at Scott's new blog. Technorati Tags: Scott Davis, Business Intelligence July 20, 2007Big Show on the MoveSo......... I usually don't "pimp" press releases, but I thought that this one deserved some notice. The best hour on talk radio, in my opinion, has been the hour where Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann talk about all topics on ESPN Radio. Now, Dan Patrick has decided to move on to other ventures relating to putting his unique style on all forms of telecommunication - radio, tv, Internet, etc. While I applaud DP leaving the "nest" of ESPN, I cannot help but think that he is heading off to the same pastures that Frank DeFord is currently in after his departure from Sport Illustrated for the National in the 1990s. Good luck DP. Please don't end up as the cranky, sports contributor to NPR of the 2010s.... :) Technorati Tags: Big Show, Dan Patrick, Keith Olbermann, Frank DeFord July 4, 2007An American TraditionHappy Fouth of July! For those who have not heard it, the NPR July 4 reading of the Declaration of Independence is one of my favorite annual events on the radio. It ranks right up there with the "Mama Stamberg's Cranberry relish" story on Thanksgiving... :) However, on a more serious note; please take the time today (or anyday for that matter...) to salute, honor, or even just say "hi and thank you" to all of those who have made the great experiment that is the United States what it is today - our brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters in military service. My "shout out" goes to the fine men and women of the 101st Airborne at Fort Campbell, KY and around the world. Thank you and be safe! Technorati Tags: Declaration of Indepedence, NPR, 101st Airborne June 18, 2007Cult of the Amateur???Everyonce in a while, I have what NPR likes to call a "driveway moment". And everyonce in a while, I have what I like to call as an "NPR drive off the highway moment".... Today, NPR provided an interesting interview with the author of a book that says the evolution of the Internet into Web 2.0 is threatening the underpinnings of society. Andrew Keen feels that the amateur status of many Web 2.0 offerings like YouTube and Wikipedia threaten to make professional institutions like NBC and the Encyclopedia Britannica go by the wayside and with them the standards of our society. It seems that Mr Keen wants to place a barrier to entry on the Internet content than can only be met by professionals and the ethics that they provide. While I agree with certain parts of Mr Keen's argument, I disagree with his concept that the Internet and the content of its applications should have gatekeepers. Traditional media and telecommunications ownership has been concentrated in hands of a few organizations. Right or wrong that level of concentration has a negative impact on diversity and innovation. The Internet, and Web 2.0 in particular, have been providing an innovative stimulus for traditional outlets to follow. SMS, IM and VoIP have all had positive and negative impacts on business, but most people would agree that the proper use of each make people more effective at their jobs at less cost. The same can be said for the content in Web 2.0 applications. Perhaps the cautionary tale of Preston Tucker ( yes taken from wikipedia instead of the professional, mainstream media version from Hollywood ) and the professional automotive industry should be used when people think that innovation is bad for society.... Or that barriers to entry for innovation should be raised instead of lowered. Technorati Tags: Telecommunications, Telecom, NPR, Web 2.0, Preston Tucker, Andrew Keen, Innovation May 10, 2007Best Mover AdvantageI found an interesting posting today. It is a side note about how Blizzard, creator of World of Warcraft (WOW), was looking for mobile gaming professionals to develop new games. While just about all 'gaming' companies are looking for mobile gaming professionals, the fact that Blizzard is starting to move in that direction means that mobile gaming will soon reach a level of quality it has not seen before. Blizzard is not a first mover in the gaming areas that they choose to enter. However, Blizzard creates some of the best games for those areas. Quality, "smarts", etc... It definitely will not be Tetris on your phone. However, with Blizzard's quality, comes a "no wine before its time" mentality.... It could be quite a while before that Blizzard mobile game comes out... :) However, I am sure that the 8.5 million users of World of Warcraft will be waiting with baited breath for the release. If not bring their mobile/wireless business with them to the "official" Blizzard wireless provider (ala Cingular ...errr... the new AT&T for the iPhone)... or at the very least significantly boost their non-messaging data usage with their wireless providers of choice. Technorati Tags: Telecommunications, Telecom, Blizzard, mobile gaming, World of Warcraft April 20, 2007Sopranos taking a shot at Verizon?This probably only interests me. However, as I was watching the Sopranos recently, I noticed an interesting shot across the bow of Verizon when Tim Daly's character was mocking the reliablity of his Verizon Wireless voicemail during last week's episode. Now, as most people know, HBO Mobile and the Sopranos are only available from Cingular. However it seems odd that David Chase who produces the Sopranos would take such an obvious "Sprint Nextel"-esqe shot at a "sponsor's" competitor during a show.... Sell a book, CD, DVD, etc; that's all well within the HBO way of doing things, but not an on-air shot. Then again, the Sam Adams logo was prominently displayed in Tony's "Bada Bing" office where I would swear I have never seen it before.... :) Perhaps there have been a lot of changes for the last season. Technorati Tags: Sopranos, Verizon, Cingular, David Chase, HBO April 16, 2007Cordless Power CordsNow this is a good idea... No more power cords for cell phones, PDAs, etc. With the development of Bluetooth technology to remove the cords from all sorts of devices relating to computers and wireless phones; Powercast's development of the cordless power adaptor is following a trend to remove the "complexity" from the connectivity associated with "gadgets". However, do we really need another source of "focused" electromagnetic energy zooming around our bodies...? I'm not sure, but the new warning signs at the gas station will probably be interesting: Do not use or charge your cell phone while filling up Technorati Tags: Powercast, Cordless Power Cords, Bluetooth April 9, 2007Be the change you want to seeDuring his life, Mahatma Gandhi led a life that just about anyone can admire. One of his most famous quotes was: Be the change you want to see in the world While we cannot all live the life of the Mahatma in our professional lives, Len Silverston asks the question: What would happen if we starting sharing data instead of hoarding it? In his article - Data "Mining" versus Data "Ours"ing, Silverston provides an interesting look at why business intelligence, and other types of projects, succeed or fail based on our ability to see beyond our own "backyard". Check it out and see if you can do some "our-ing" instead of some "mining" with your data. NOTE - Len would ask "why can't we all use Gandhi as an example in our professional lives?" And I really don't have a good answer for that... Other than to say often people take a different tack from John F Kennedy and do things "not because they are hard; but because they are easy..." :) Technorati Tags: Len Silverston, Gandhi, Data Ouring, Data Mining March 20, 2007Rubbin' is Racing!In one of the more interesting developments from the re-branding of Cingular to ATT, NASCAR has been dragged into a legal battle over paint jobs. Sprint Nextel claims that Cingular can either leave the #31 car of Jeff Burton as is or they can end their sponsorship. In the end, I'm guessing that the #31 will be sporting new ATT colors next season, but not before Burton performs several donuts on the Sprint Nextel finish line logo at a prominent event like Dayton. Technorati Tags: Sprint Nextel, Cingular, NASCAR, Jeff Burton March 13, 2007Close but No CigarPersonally, I liked Steve Hargreaves article about the concept of charging extra for electrical power at peak hours of the day. Anyone who has see rolling blackouts during the summer in California or New York can appreciate the efforts to "help people" understand how much their decisions can impact the greater electrical grid. However, his analogy about this rating scheme being like current wireless call rating seems a little out of date. I have no knowledge of Hargreaves wireless bill, but my wireless plan hasn't charged me more for using my cell during peak hours for several years. Roaming during peak? Yes. International calls during peak? Yep. However in network calling during peak hours just costs me the price of $0.0x per minute from my "all you can eat" calling bucket. This is just like my current electrical billing. Perhaps Hargreaves is hoping to go "back to the future..." :) Technorati Tags: Utility Billing, Wireless Billing February 12, 2007Buy the Ticket. Take the Ride.Today, I made an interesting observation about the programming on Starz. I was looking for the schedule for the Hunter S. Thompson documentary "Buy the Ticket. Take the Ride". It wasn't available in the schedule listing on my Tivo box. I then went to the Starz website. Again, the information wasn't available. However.... Starz did redirect me to Vongo for the opportunity to download the movie direct to my laptop for a nominal fee. While I wasn't suprised that Starz would take the opportunity to provide me with a revenue generating opportunity, but I was suprised that this opportunity took place outside of my existing Starz/DirecTv relationship. Technorati Tags: Starz, DirecTv, Hunter S Thompson, Vongo January 26, 2007No guts...No glory!In my opinion, business activity monitoring (BAM) is one way to avoid the pitfalls of the “No Auditor Left Behind” Act – otherwise known as the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley Act. With BAM, you can automate and monitor (and yes even improve) all those internal control processes dictated by Sarbanes-Oxley. BTW – And at a lower long-term cost than those wonderful annual audits. However, as with many things, Sarbanes-Oxley has given the CxO suite of many companies the excuse to eliminate all the risks associated with a public company. They are doing so under the guise of not having to report on those risks. It is similar to the concept of ignoring problems instead of fixing them. In a recent article from Forbes, Elizabeth MacDonald opines that Sarbanes-Oxley should be modified/curtailed to allow executives the ability to incorporate more risk into their operations. I disagree with Ms MacDonald in that the CxO suite in America should be using Sarbanes-Oxley as an excuse to not take risks. Instead those executives should be embracing the reporting and internal control aspects of Sarbanes-Oxley to allow investors to see the vision and leadership of the executives they pay ohhh so much to captain their corporations. As they say here in Colorado on the black diamond slopes: “No guts… No glory!” Technorati Tags: Sarbanes-Oxley, Business Activity Monitoring, Risk |
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