A Texas legislator has filed a massive telecommunications bill in Austin this session that, in part, bans Texas cities from participating in wireless information networks. SBC Communications said cities should be allowed to offer wireless Internet access in public places, such as parks and libraries. But a company spokesman said they should not directly compete with private enterprises by providing services to residents and businesses.
SBC is our local monopoly telco provider.
I’ve always wondered about the utility of drug advertising. Every now and then, I’ll drive by a billboard that says “Ask your doctor about Bextra”. Having no idea what Bextra (insert name of drug here) is, I’m amazed that these efforts pay off at all.
Bernadette Tansey digs into the drug industry’s marketing practices.
Jim
Computer generated advertising is…. funny. Here’s a screen shot of a Google Adsense series of advertisements, including an Ebay offer: Chief Executive Officers: Huge Selection of New & Used on one of my blog entries. Maybe this is the right approach to the problem of severely overpaid CEO’s, auction them off on ebay….
I hope Milwaukee based Midwest Airlines continues to survive the industry’s turmoil. They do provide great service (and actually respond to email, what a concept….).
Links to coverage of Churchill’s talk last night
Pearl and Nick (www.wishoops.net) have started their WIAA Boys Basketball tournament coverage with some predictions. Check it out.
Paul Allen’s Charter Communications released their most recent quarterly results today.
Bruce Schneier on the recent choicepoint fiasco (and the company’s spin).
Andrew Wallmeyer and Dinesh Ramde report that the City has begun negotiating with SkyCable TV of Madison for local WiFi coverage. I’ve emailed Mayor Dave and County Exec Kathleen Falk urging them to make sure that the connectivity is fully asymmetrical (full speed, BOTH directions). This is essential for knowledge workers (video conferencing, vpn, telnet, ftp and multimedia).
I hope they don’t blow it and view internet access like TV, as SBC is doing (spending big bucks from their installed base trying to shove video down everyone’s throats).
Telus began blocking selected Internet connection to home computers. The blocking is invisible to most users, but all it takes is a cruise around message boards frequented by tech-savvy users?or a chat with a local geek?to know that Telus high-speed service isn?t what it used to be . . . Blocked ports include those used to listen for incoming email, FTP (file transfer), Telnet (remote login), and Internet Relay Chat client traffic, as well as incoming World Wide Web connections. Users can access other servers providing those services, but cannot provide them from their own computers. In other words, a Telus customer can be a client, but not a server.
I emailed Mayor Dave seeking to insure that Madison’s forthcoming WiFi service will be fully, 2-way…
