Archive for June, 2006

I have more photos up on Flickr.

From Digg: CBS was recently hit with a record fine of US$3.3 million, courtesy of the FCC. CBS affiliates are now protesting the fine:

“There were no true complainants from actual viewers,” the stations said. To be valid, complaints must come from an actual viewer in the service area of the station at issue, the filing said.”The e-mails were submitted … because advocacy groups hoping to influence television content generally exhorted them to contact the commission,” the CBS stations said.

Whatever happened to the v-chip? It’s been installed in new televesions since 2000, but the FCC has apparently decided that Americans are too incompetent to use it.

Going Places is a 1948 “Cold War cartoon defending the profit motive against anti-capitalist critics.”

Update: Thanks to Michael for Destination Unlimited, “a 1956 corporate-sponsored cartoon, in which Martian dissidents learn that oil and competition are the two things that make America great.”

The following message is brought to you by The Future.. Faster industry campaign.

This week, the Senate is poised to vote on the issue of “Net Neutrality,” which is a wolf in sheep’s clothing and threatens the Internet freedom we now enjoy.

It is up to YOU to stop it. Please click here to contact your legislators, and demand they oppose “Net Neutrality.”

The Internet has been successful to date because the government has maintained a vigilant, but hands-off approach that has allowed companies to innovate in direct response to the evolving wants and needs of their customers.

A consumer’s Internet experience is today unimpeded – in the absence of virtually any regulation of the Internet – because there exists a powerful consumer mandate for Internet freedom. “Net Neutrality” supporters want to change all of that, putting the federal government in charge of how consumers use the Internet.

With Congress set to vote on “Net Neutrality” as early as Thursday, it is imperative that you contact your legislators right now and tell them, Say NO to “Net Neutrality.”

Existing net neutrality bills are solutions in search of a problem.

In a new communications era defined by multiple choices – multiple communications pathways – consumers simply will not continue to purchase service from a provider that blocks or restricts their Internet access.

When consumers have choices in the marketplace, consumers have control. Consider the following:

• There is vigorous competition between DSL, cable modem, wireless, satellite, and other Internet access providers.
• In some areas free Wi-Fi access is available.
• In others, access over power line is becoming available. This competition directly benefits consumers – and the latest evidence is the announcement of $12.99/month DSL service from AT&T.

Unnecessary regulatory or legislative intervention in marketplace activities would stifle, not enhance the Internet. Laws are inflexible and difficult to fine-tune – particularly when applied to technologies that are rapidly evolving.

The last thing that consumers need is government regulation of the Internet, disguised as “Net Neutrality.” Please click here to tell your legislator, Vote NO! on Net Neutrality.

Microsoft has just announced that it is removing PDF features
from the next version of Microsoft Office because
Adobe
will sue it for antitrust violations if it does. The
key to the success of Adobe’s PDF format is that it
is free of any licensing restrictions, so anyone can
implement PDF readers/writers. Microsoft’s
competitors have – both operating system vendors
like Apple and Linux and competing office suites like
Star Office and OpenOffice.org. However Microsoft
isn’t allowed to – not because Adobe has any
legal right to prevent it, but because Adobe claims that
it won’t be able to compete with Microsoft if
Microsoft makes PDF features available for free like most
everyone else does. Adobe
charges $449 for Adobe Acrobat – something it can
only get away if Microsoft isn’t allowed to compete with
it. In effect, it is saying “anyone can use our format
and compete with our products… unless you actually
present a competitive challenge.” Microsoft expects Adobe
to sue anyway because it will offer its own portable document
format instead of selling Adobe’s products for them in its own
software. (Meanwhile, anti-Microsoft advocates continue
blasting it for rejecting “open standards.”) You
can bypass Adobe and get free PDF creation software
here.