Video Sites Not Sweating New Comcast Cap [Yahoo Tech]
One of the main arguments made by detractors of broadband caps is that a cap will prevent users from consuming the ever increasing amount of video content on the Internet. Yahoo Tech features and article with video providers commenting directly on Comcast's 250 GB cap. The consensus appears to be that video providers are following these developments closely, but don't view caps as a hamper on their business.
"The bottom line on the Comcast issue is, we believe the important thing for all cable companies to do is be transparent with their customers," said Steve Swasey, a spokesman for Netflix. "As far as this 250 GB cap, it would take you eight hours of watching content on the Internet, not just from Netflix but YouTube or Amazon or Apple or anybody else, eight hours a day, seven days a week to reach that cap, so it is pretty high."Protecting Your Web-Based E-Mail [Sherman's Security Blog]
Sherman has posted this useful article about protecting your web-based email security. His suggestions to those that use Yahoo's webmail, Gmail or other services? Pick a random 5-digit PIN number instead of entering a ZIP code because it's often used as a security question for a password reset and it's not hard for a hacker to figure out. And pick your own security question (and make it tough). Don't rely on standard security questions because they're often easy for a determined hacker to guess.
Men Happiest Online, Women Prefer Family Time: Poll [New York Times]
It's a study from Australia, but it comes with an interesting nugget. Of 8,500 Australians surveyed on a "Happiness Index" by The Leading Edge, 63 percent said relaxation was the activity that makes them happiest. But men and women had different responses when it came to which type of relaxation activity they preferred. A majority of women said that their favorite relaxation activity was spending time with family. However a majority of men said they preferred spending time online, surfing the Internet.
It’s Obama on the iPhone [NYT Bits Blog]
Barack Obama continues to lead the way in developing new technologies to involve more people in his political campaign. Yesterday, his campaign announced the Obama iPhone application. Here's just two of the innovative features: the application organizes your address book by battleground states, and makes it easy for users to call their contacts in the states crucial to the election to advocate for Obama. The application also finds your location using the iPhone's GPS and directs users to local Obama events and the local Obama headquarters where users can volunteer for his campaign. Wow!
US broadband adoption grew 17% in 2008 [ZDNet]
The Pew Internet Project's latest survey shows that 55% of Americans have a broadband connection at home. That's up 17% from their 2007 survey, which showed 47% had a home broadband connection. The survey also says that monthly broadband bills are down 4% from 2005, but dial-up Internet connections have risen 9% in cost over the same time period.
Looks like a perfect example for regulators to heed the sage advice I once received, early in my cable career, from a thoughtful senior citizen in Sumter, SC....If it ain't broke, don't fix it!
On broadband caps. This could be an opportunity for ISPs to make partners with these video outlets. Maybe some "give and take"... take off the cap for you and youtube give some free ad time for Mr.ISP?
Posted by: ARGO | Saturday, October 04, 2008 at 08:33 PM
Excellent, I will make sure to check back.
Posted by: Into Tech - are you a tech head? | Friday, November 28, 2008 at 01:10 AM