Archive for April, 2010

Does General Electric/NBC have a media monopoly?

April 29, 2010 - 10:10 pm 4 Comments

Media
NBC Universal
NBC – National Broadcasting Company
NBC Network Television stations
WNBC 4 – New York
KNBC 4 – Los Angeles
WMAQ 5 – Chicago
WCAU 10 – Philadelphia
KNTV 11 – San Jose/San Francisco
KXAS 5 – Dallas/Fort Worth²
WRC 4 – Washington
WTVJ 6 – Miami
KNSD 39 (cable 7) – San Diego²
WVIT 30 – Hartford
NBC Entertainment
NBC News
NBC Sports
NBC Studios
NBC Universal Sports & Olympics
NBC Universal Television
Universal Media Studios
NBC Universal Television Distribution
NBC Universal International Television
EMKA, Ltd.
NBC Universal Digital Media
NBC Universal Cable
A&E Television Networks (co-owned with The Hearst Corporation and Disney/ABC):
A&E
The Biography Channel
Crime & Investigation Network
The History Channel
The History Channel en Español
History Channel International
Lifetime
Military History Channel
Bravo
Chiller (horror-themed cable channel, launched March 1, 2007) [1]
CNBC (co-owned with Dow Jones)
CNBC World (co-owned with Dow Jones)
MSNBC (co-owned with Microsoft)
NBC WeatherPlus
mun2
SyFy¹
ShopNBC
The Sundance Channel¹
Sleuth
USA Network
Universal HD
The Weather Channel
WeatherPlus
NBC Universal Global Networks
NBC Universal Global Networks
LAPTV (Latin America) – co-owned with Paramount Pictures (Viacom), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (owned by MGM Holdings) and 20th Century Fox (News Corporation);
Telecine (Brazil) – co-owned with Globosat Canais, Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks (Viacom), MGM and 20th Century Fox Film Corporation;
Universal Channel Latin America (except Brazil
Universal Channel Brazil (co-owned with Globosat Canais);
Sci Fi Channel Latin America
NBC Universal Global Networks España.
Telemundo
KVEA/KWHY – Los Angeles
WNJU – New York
WSCV – Miami
KTMD – Houston
WSNS – Chicago
KXTX – Dallas/Fort Worth
KVDA – San Antonio
KSTS – San Jose/San Francisco
KTAZ – Phoenix
KBLR – Las Vegas
KNSO – Fresno
KDEN – Longmont, Colorado
WNEU – Boston/Merrimack
KHRR – Tucson
WKAQ – Puerto Rico
TiVo¹
Universal Studios (co-owned with Vivendi)
Universal Pictures
Focus Features
Rogue Pictures
Working Title Films
Universal Studios Licensing
Universal Animation Studios
Universal Interactive
Universal Pictures International
Universal Home Entertainment
Universal Home Entertainment Productions
United International Pictures (co-owned with Paramount Pictures/Viacom);
Universal Operations Group
Universal Production Studios
Universal Parks & Resorts
qubo – Qubo Venture,LLC¹
[edit] Other
Swiss Re (8.9%)¹
¹Minority interest
²Stations which LIN Television owns a minority interest (24%) in

No, Fox does. Fox news is in all the standard cable packages. MSNBC is not. I wonder what it cost Murdoch to get Fox in all the standard packages, don’t you?

##

I’m Thinking of getting an iPhone 3Gs?

April 27, 2010 - 8:16 pm 5 Comments

I have an iPod Touch and now Vodafone and O2 in Ireland have the iPhone 3Gs.

My questions are as follows.
Vodafone have a package starting at €35 per month with 2Gb internet usage
O2 have one starting at €40 per month with unlimited internet access

Would you use 2Gb quickly – which network is better?

Also with the launch of the iPhone 4G in June do you think prices will come down as both O2 and Vodafone offer the iPhone on my package rate at €199 – I’m not prepared to pay €60 for a cheaper iPhone.

Is there any point in just going for the standard iPhone 3G (not 3Gs) ?

Thanks!
Just some info – I’m not that interested in the 4G model. My main questions relate to the network andif people think the price will drop following the release of the 4G model

MacRumors reckons that the iPhone is about to be revised anyway – we know that iPhone v4 software is due soon so a hardware refresh at the same time is pretty likely.

http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/#iPhone

and the same site has info about a prototype in circulation as well

http://www.macrumors.com/2010/04/20/apple-demands-prototype-iphone-back/

Why the heck is Apple Inc. ignoring India?

April 25, 2010 - 6:23 pm 2 Comments

India has never been an important market for Apple. During the early ’90s when I was fresh in the advertising business, Macs ruled the Creative & Studio Departments of advertising agencies. Even then, the onus of marketing and servicing Macs was on the local re-seller. There wasn’t much of a concerted effort from Apple. Later, PC’s became pretty much the norm for graphics, Office Suites and everything else. Today, it’s common to find seasoned Art Directors being comfortable only on a Windows PC. Yes, there are Macs in Studios and Art Departments but it’s more an exception than the norm – chief culprit being the high price of the Mac.

Then came the iPod which introduced Apple and it’s ecosystem to a whole new generation. And with much friendlier pricing, Macbook’s have an appeal to a potentially large audience. Apple re-sellers have mushroomed in major cities. So in terms of a product portfolio, at the high end they have iMacs, Macbook Pros and iPhone. At the popular pricing level, they have a few iPods and the Macbook. Add to it, a fantastic OS in Snow Leopard and accessories like Magic Mouse, the Apple portfolio is extremely appealing. And there is a retail network of sorts in place. Yet we all know that Apple is virtually a non-player in India – be it in mobile phones, desktops or laptops. The reason is not hard to seek: Apple is simply not interested in India.

It’s a litany of woes for the Apple fan in India:

- iPhone: a right royal pricing mess. It was DOA as far as India was concerned with that kind of pricing

- no signs of iPhone 3Gs: this despite the promise made by Phil Schiller in Jan ‘09 that the iPhone 3Gs will be launched in Aug 09 here. The Apple re-sellers haven’t a clue and they keep giving fresh dates of launch every time you ask them.

- no music on the iTunes India store: it’s moronic, to say the least, that in one of the world’s most music-rich countries, iTunes doesn’t offer music

- every major Apple product released in the US doesn’t find it’s way here: the Magic Mouse being a case in point. It is still available on a ‘pre-order basis’ at the re-sellers.

- Apple India’s Customer Support sucks

Apple may not have huge market share or value ambitions from the Desktop/laptop market in India. They will never be able to compete with local manufacturers, assemblers on price. Plus, category dynamics are so stacked up against Apple. A market ruled by Microsoft, ubiquity of pirated software, ignorance of what Apple’s integrated approach really is, apathy towards Apple – there are enough reasons for Apple’s poor chances of success in India.

With iPhone, I think they have a chance of generating huge volumes and value in India, if – and it’s a big if – Apple chooses to do so. India is far ahead of the US in many ways when it comes to the telecom market – we are a lot more demanding from our handset and service provider -the dynamics of the category are different here. Despite iPhone’s flaws – perceived or otherwise, I feel it was the best bet Apple had to broad-base their appeal. One of the big reasons for it’s success in the West – the App Store would have been a great advantage here. Even abroad, that advantage can dwindle any time. If Apple has 100,000 apps today, it’s a matter of time before the Android, Blackberry and Ovi stores populate their stores with large numbers. The fortress Apple built around the iPhone is not impregnable.

Taking a cue from Apple’s App Store all the big boys have launched India-specific app stores. Nokia, Aircel (Pocketapps), Airtel (App Central), Blackerry – they all have their app stores. It’s a matter of time before India/city-specific apps come into the picture, with an ability to pay through local currency… maybe even through iTunes-like accounts. When that happens, any potential advantage the iPhone had would disappear.

With a mobile population of 500mn and counting, India is a mouth watering prospect for telecom marketers. And the potential of VAS and ARPU is yet to be realized fully. But the bigger opportunity lies elsewhere. It is well documented that the classic pyramidal structure of Indian consumer markets will change to accommodate the bulging middle class (the Aspirers) in the near future.

The estimated size of the Aspirer’s market is 124mn households. Agreed, not all of them may be potential customers for the iPhone. But with the right kind of pricing, a chunk of the Aspirers could be. This group, while being price sensitive is characterized by seeing premium experiences at popular prices. For them, the likeliest port of call when it comes to smartphones is unlikely to be an iPhone, given the marketing (or the lack of it) here in India.

It is unlikely that Apple isn’t aware of the attraction of India, as a market. But they deliberately seem to be ignoring it. If and when they plan to make a fist of it here (with the iPhone perhaps, given the mobile population here), it may be too late. The competition seems to ha

Apple Inc. is not ignoring India, even India is only country in south Asia which has official Apple support, you can check out Apple’s website and in the region section you will see "India" like another countries, obviously Apple is new to India so it’s still developing it’s service quality for India, but if you are talking about Apple store then I think soon Apple will make one if peoples of India buy apple’s product widely.

It’s all about the profit ;)

Why the heck is Apple Inc. ignoring India?

April 23, 2010 - 9:32 pm 1 Comment

India has never been an important market for Apple. During the early ’90s when I was fresh in the advertising business, Macs ruled the Creative & Studio Departments of advertising agencies. Even then, the onus of marketing and servicing Macs was on the local re-seller. There wasn’t much of a concerted effort from Apple. Later, PC’s became pretty much the norm for graphics, Office Suites and everything else. Today, it’s common to find seasoned Art Directors being comfortable only on a Windows PC. Yes, there are Macs in Studios and Art Departments but it’s more an exception than the norm – chief culprit being the high price of the Mac.

Then came the iPod which introduced Apple and it’s ecosystem to a whole new generation. And with much friendlier pricing, Macbook’s have an appeal to a potentially large audience. Apple re-sellers have mushroomed in major cities. So in terms of a product portfolio, at the high end they have iMacs, Macbook Pros and iPhone. At the popular pricing level, they have a few iPods and the Macbook. Add to it, a fantastic OS in Snow Leopard and accessories like Magic Mouse, the Apple portfolio is extremely appealing. And there is a retail network of sorts in place. Yet we all know that Apple is virtually a non-player in India – be it in mobile phones, desktops or laptops. The reason is not hard to seek: Apple is simply not interested in India.

It’s a litany of woes for the Apple fan in India:

- iPhone: a right royal pricing mess. It was DOA as far as India was concerned with that kind of pricing

- no signs of iPhone 3Gs: this despite the promise made by Phil Schiller in Jan ‘09 that the iPhone 3Gs will be launched in Aug 09 here. The Apple re-sellers haven’t a clue and they keep giving fresh dates of launch every time you ask them.

- no music on the iTunes India store: it’s moronic, to say the least, that in one of the world’s most music-rich countries, iTunes doesn’t offer music

- every major Apple product released in the US doesn’t find it’s way here: the Magic Mouse being a case in point. It is still available on a ‘pre-order basis’ at the re-sellers.

- Apple India’s Customer Support sucks

Apple may not have huge market share or value ambitions from the Desktop/laptop market in India. They will never be able to compete with local manufacturers, assemblers on price. Plus, category dynamics are so stacked up against Apple. A market ruled by Microsoft, ubiquity of pirated software, ignorance of what Apple’s integrated approach really is, apathy towards Apple – there are enough reasons for Apple’s poor chances of success in India.

With iPhone, I think they have a chance of generating huge volumes and value in India, if – and it’s a big if – Apple chooses to do so. India is far ahead of the US in many ways when it comes to the telecom market – we are a lot more demanding from our handset and service provider -the dynamics of the category are different here. Despite iPhone’s flaws – perceived or otherwise, I feel it was the best bet Apple had to broad-base their appeal. One of the big reasons for it’s success in the West – the App Store would have been a great advantage here. Even abroad, that advantage can dwindle any time. If Apple has 100,000 apps today, it’s a matter of time before the Android, Blackberry and Ovi stores populate their stores with large numbers. The fortress Apple built around the iPhone is not impregnable.

Taking a cue from Apple’s App Store all the big boys have launched India-specific app stores. Nokia, Aircel (Pocketapps), Airtel (App Central), Blackerry – they all have their app stores. It’s a matter of time before India/city-specific apps come into the picture, with an ability to pay through local currency… maybe even through iTunes-like accounts. When that happens, any potential advantage the iPhone had would disappear.

With a mobile population of 500mn and counting, India is a mouth watering prospect for telecom marketers. And the potential of VAS and ARPU is yet to be realized fully. But the bigger opportunity lies elsewhere. It is well documented that the classic pyramidal structure of Indian consumer markets will change to accommodate the bulging middle class (the Aspirers) in the near future.

The estimated size of the Aspirer’s market is 124mn households. Agreed, not all of them may be potential customers for the iPhone. But with the right kind of pricing, a chunk of the Aspirers could be. This group, while being price sensitive is characterized by seeing premium experiences at popular prices. For them, the likeliest port of call when it comes to smartphones is unlikely to be an iPhone, given the marketing (or the lack of it) here in India.

apple has lots of legal complications which has prevented them from getting permission from some countries to sell certain things. in the meantime, just use a foreign itunes gift card to open a foreign account and you can access lots of music, movies, etc.

Are events like this the sparks that will light the fuse to start the second Mexican-American War?

April 13, 2010 - 4:17 pm 4 Comments

Immigration? No. Invasion
——————————————————————————–
Posted: April 05, 2010
1:00 am Eastern
© 2010
You’ve probably never heard of Rob Krentz.
Before March 27, there really wasn’t any reason you would have.
Since then, however, there’s every reason you should know the name and the man and the circumstances of his death.
But unless you read local Arizona news or ranching publications, you’ll know nothing about what happened to Rob Krentz on his ranch that day.
The reason you know nothing is because there’s a concerted effort by pro-illegal immigration advocates in government and media to keep silent on this story.
Think about it. Did you see any headlines about an innocent American rancher gunned down on his own property?
The truth is, even the cold-blooded murder of an American citizen on his own land by an illegal alien doesn’t bother them because they’re hell bent for leather to keep our borders open, allow illegals to cross with impunity and to give those already here illegally the precious gift of American citizenship.
If you’re a patriotic, law-abiding American and this doesn’t make you livid, you are more than a fool.
Robert Krentz operated the 35,000-acre family ranch with 1,000 head of cattle located some 12 miles from the Mexican border and near the city of Douglas, Ariz. He worked with his wife, Sue, and their three children on land that’s been in his family since 1907.
That’s three generations, 103 years of blood, sweat and tears to maintain a business that is nothing, if not tough.
Krentz had a reputation of generosity and was known for helping anyone in need, including illegals needing water or medical aid.
His eldest son, Andy, told Fox News that his "father was a very good family man. He supported his kids, supported his family. He went out of his way to help anybody we could … it didn’t matter who they were."
So what happened that Saturday?
Krentz was checking fencing and water lines on the ranch and mid morning, he radioed his brother Phil that he’d encountered an illegal on the property.
A neighbor told the Arizona Daily Star that she heard that transmission on the area radio network. Wendy Glenn said Rob Krentz told his brother, "There’s an illegal alien here that needs help. … I’m out on such and such windmill … Please call the Border Patrol." The brother replied, "I can’t hear you."
When Krentz didn’t show up for a noon appointment, Phil Krentz called the police.
A search was launched and late that night, Robert Krentz was found slumped over in his ATV, shot to death. His dog had also been shot and was so badly injured, it had to be put down.
The Cochise County sheriff’s office told the Arizona Daily Star that the body was found 1,000 feet from where the shooting occurred. The ATV had its lights on and the engine running.
Sheriff Larry Dever said there were spinout marks in the dirt, indicating Krantz was trying to get away from his attacker. Deputies and tracking dogs followed a single set of footprints south to the U.S.-Mexico border. It’s assumed the killer crossed that border. Mexican authorities have been notified.
The chances of finding the murderer are slim to none.
Dever told the Daily Star they don’t have a motive but retaliation might be a factor. The day before the shooting, Phil Krentz reported drug smuggling activity on the ranch to the Border Patrol.
Approximately 290 pounds of marijuana were found, and tracks led to eight illegal aliens who were arrested. The Border Patrol said none were prosecuted because of lack of evidence. All were in custody at the time of Rob Krentz’ murder.
Cochise County is a hotbed of illegal aliens crossing the border as well as drug running and human trafficking. Former Rep. Tom Tancredo said he saw live video from one Cochise County hidden camera in March. It showed 500 to 1,000 illegals every day!
That’s one camera in one county in one state. The totals are staggering.
The Krentz ranch, and others in the area, are constantly on guard against intrusions by illegals with repeated calls to authorities about property damage, livestock theft and killing, theft, carjackings and home invasions.
In 2002, two illegals who’d butchered a calf on the Krentz ranch were tried, found guilty, served 51 days in jail and ordered to pay $200 in restitution. Not a cent was paid. The men were released.
In 2005, Krentz told KOLD-TV they were being overrun and that in the prior five years, it had cost them more than $5 million in damages.
Every ranch owner repeatedly asks the Border Patrol for more surveillance and increased protection – to no avail.
There’s always a reason it can’t be done. It’s always money. The county blames the state; the state blames the feds; the feds ignore it and tap dance about border security.
The county blames the state; the state blames the feds; the feds ignore it and tap dance about border security.
But the buck does stop, and it stops in Washington in the Oval Office. Ultimately, the responsibility for protecting the borders of this country rests with Washington.
The feds have the power and the constitutional duty to protect American citizens and their property from a foreign invasion.
That is exactly what this is.
Mexicans, and others from scores of countries, are invading the United States. It’s daily and ongoing and our own government ignores it, tolerates it and allows it.
Even worse, they want to make it legal and reward the millions of lawbreakers already here.
We have the ludicrous "negotiations" by Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., to devise an amnesty plan the president has said he’ll sign.
Meanwhile three border governors want the National Guard sent to the border.
Hello? Washington? Anyone home?

K. Chesterton once said: "I do not believe in fate that falls on men however they act; but I do believe in fate that falls on them unless they act."

As many commenter’s on this site note, the United States, as a nation, has finally awakened to realize the nation has a grave problem with immigration.

You summed it well here. Our nation is imperiled.

Illegal immigrants flood our nation from open borders while visitors disregard their check out times and overstay their Visas. And, what do US politicians do?

The Democrat politicals sidestep the issue and casually tell Americans that amnesty for 20 million illegals is the answer to the problem. Quite conveniently, they fail to mention that half the illegals are anything but wonderful people and are, in fact, violent criminals (that according to ICE). It is apparent that Democrats are more interested in garnering new votes than stopping illegal immigration. The illegal immigration issue, both across the border and VISA over-stayers, is simply a non-issue for the Democratic Party. They don’t see it affecting their economy and health care agenda; it is not a national emergency. Thus, they do not act on it in Congress unless it is for sake of new votes in which case, they enable it through non-enforcement and anti security legislation.

On the other side, Republicans displayed their credibility problem on immigration in light of Bush’s SPP aspirations and his inaction to enforce the 1986 laws. While Republican lawmakers sense its significance to the citizenry and commit to addressing the problem, in the same breath, many espouse increasing the number of guest worker programs which lead to more VISA violations and the same overpopulation that the Dems push.
Not only do Americans have to face overpopulation but loss of jobs.

Construction contractors who hire illegals deprive Americans of their place in the workforce. And the businesses that spring up to serve illegals do nothing for the American workforce. They further splinter America in catering to a non English speaking separatist culture that has no desire to become part of the whole who owe their allegiance to another nation and culture. But, in the name of diversity and more votes, Democratic leaders enable them.

In the same vein, Republicans tout their guest worker programs. And what happens? Foreign companies set up shop in America and use the very same Visa programs to hire more foreign nationals, not Americans, and to sponsor greater family chain migration. Then, many of those workers over stay their Visas contributing to greater illegal immigration. This is what some Republic lawmakers tout.
Thus, both sides of the aisles demand Immigration Reform for sake of their parochial agendas.

Tom Tancredo espoused stopping all immigration until the nation could unite around fair immigration reform. But, to the Democrats and LaRaza lobbyists, Reform means amnesty. And, to the Republicans, reform means greater numbers of Guest Workers.

To most Americans, such narrow minded, politically self serving reform means over population, more traffic congestion, loss of homeland jobs, threats to national security, more third world gangs, an increase in crimes, as well as other disastrous consequences including loss of national identity and sovereignty.

You have seen them on the corners of local streets – Americans holding signs and donations cups. "Please Help. My family and I are homeless. I will work for food." Who speaks for them? Not Council LaRaza nor Lindsey Graham or Hillary Clinton. Should not they be given an American job before a guest worker or illegal alien?

It is time to stop all immigration until we unite again as a nation, determine who among us is here illegally, send them home and establish a sensible policy based on Numbers and what is good first for America and Americans.

"I do not believe in fate that falls on men however they act; but I do believe in fate that falls on them unless they act." We, as Americans, have more choices to determine America’s future than just the voting booth.

It is time to join your neighbor in thought, discussion and planning, and their neighbors, if they be true American citizens, to unite, one neighbor, one community at a time, until you become one voice of reason and power to act upon America’s declining fate. And, if the pandering political tyrants fail to hear you, be heard and act by other means to spare this nation from the fate of inaction.

As Thomas Jefferson, said “Dissent is the highest form of patriotism.” And, "From time to time, the tree of liberty must be watered with the blood of tyrants and patriots."

what is that new social networking site in cornwall?

April 13, 2010 - 4:17 pm 1 Comment

i was listening to the radio and they were talking about a new social networking site launched today does anyone know what it twas called?

Was it this one? This is fairly new: http://www.cornwallscoolest.com/