Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
Why Haven't Broadband Prices Dropped?
Ten years ago, 5% of the country had access to broadband Internet. Now over 95% of the country has access. In other technology markets, notes the authors of a new study, prices tend to drop significantly once a technology matures--but with broadband, prices since 2004 have dropped by less than 10% in most markets, if at all. So what's going on?
The authors, Shane Greenstein and Ryan McDevitt, suggest lack of competition might be to blame:
'So if you were in such a market as a supplier, why would you initiate a price war?' Greenstein asks. With no new entries on the market, suppliers can compete by slowly increasing quality but keeping prices the same.
In this case, 'quality' usually means faster download speeds, which have indeed been improving over the years. On the other hand, they point out that with the increase in high bandwidth content like video, there's a good chance quality might suffer soon as existing networks sag under heavy traffic.
Greenstein also notes that broadband providers are making almost pure profit at this point, now that the cost of the current infrastructure build-out has mostly been recouped:
A company might spend around $100 per year to 'maintain and service' the connection, but people are paying nearly that amount every other month. ... 'Like many observers, I expected to see prices drop by now, and I am surprised they have not.'
'Why Broadband Prices Haven't Decreased' [Kellog School of Management via bbspot] (Thanks to Jeff!)
"Man Runs Away From Being Fat, Loses 120 Lbs
Ben Davis was 348 lbs and depressed. At the bottom of his hole and sick of being single, he called up his brother and said, 'I need to get my life together.' His brother said, 'All right, I'm signing us up for a 5k. It's in three weeks.'
Ben began training. At first he could only hobble around the track, and only two to three times a week. It killed his ankles and calves. But he kept at it and on race day, he showed up to the start line.
'I jogged (very slowly) the entire thing, and finished. It was a huge moment, and I was hooked,' he told examiner.com.
He became addicted to runner's high, watching the pounds tick off, and the thrill of self-improvement. And over the next year, he lost 120 pounds. Here's a video of his journey:
Takeaways:
Make your goals public - Ben started a blog bendoeslife.tumblr.com
Enlist friends and family - He did races with his father and brother
Find your delta and multiply by time - He started slowly at first, incrementally increasing his amount of physical activity
Any major change is going to suck at first - it took about 1 or 2 months before his knees and calves stopped screaming out for mercy
And the hardest of all - Sometimes you have to hit rock bottom before you can pull yourself back up.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Lady Bites Into McDonald's Burger Bursting With Maggots
An Iowa woman got more than a mouthful when she bit into a McDonald's burger. She also got some extra protein, thanks to the maggots crawling around inside it.
The restaurant determined the insects came from inside a pickle container. Their quality control department says a fruit fly somehow got into the pickles, and created a larva, which hatched maggots.Despite maggots being completely harmless, the restaurant manager said he took the matter 'very seriously' and would be working towards a 'resolution.'
Report: Maggots found in burger served at Sioux City restaurant [KTIV] (Thanks to Emily!)
"New Nicktoons Show Called Out For Being Just One Huge Skechers Ad
Viacom must be really hurting for cash. First, they give Spike viewers 10-minute commercial breaks during Entourage and in October, their Nicktoons channel will begin airing Zevo-3, which a children's advocacy group says is nothing but an extended ad for Skechers.
The show, which debuts Oct. 11 and is the first production of Skechers Entertainment, is the subject of a complaint filed with the FCC by the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood.
In addition to being a Skechers production, the characters on the show will also be featured in ads for Skechers shoes. The CCFC says that three of Zevo-3's main characters -- Elastika, Kewl Breeze and Z-Strap -- each embody a different Skechers shoe line.
'It's clear that Skechers and Nicktoons are flouting the policies established by Congress to protect children from excessive commercialism,' said the CCFC's director, calling the show 'a 22-minute commercial masquerading as a kids' TV show.'
You'll never guess what Skechers and Viacom had to say about the allegations.
'We've all worked hard to ensure that we are within the parameters of F.C.C. requirements,' said a rep for the sneaker company-turned-cartoon-producer. 'While we commend the goals of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood to watch over the airwaves [the show is worthwhile because it has] strong and positive characters who deal with issues that kids confront on a regular basis, from peer pressure to family relationships.'
A rep for Viacom's MTV Networks division was a little less flowery: 'This show does not violate the Children's Television Act. We obviously wouldn't air it if it did.'
Is Skechers' approach any different than what Hasbro and other toy companies did with GI Joe, He-Man, Thundercats, My Little Pony and others during our childhood?
Coming Children's Show Draws Complaints [NY Times]
"Friday, September 10, 2010
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Way cool! Sanctuary for homeless cats....
Craig Grant bought a tree farm far away from the city and turned it into a sanctuary for all the cats he has rescued. He lives there with the cats and provides lots of love, care and companionship. It¹s hard to imagine that once he was not a cat lover and did not want cats until he met his son¹s cat Pepper. He also got to experience what it is like raising a litter of kittens.Over that time I learned that every cat had its own unique personality and it wasn¹t long before the kittens were swinging from my curtains. I didn¹t care. Something had changed, I didn¹t want to give them up. The condo life was not easy for the kitties, so Craig found a tree farm and settled down there for his fur babies. Over the next several months, he rescued more and more homeless and abandoned cats. The number of new residents kept going up, so Craig expanded the sanctuary to make more room for the animals.
The farm was named Caboodle Ranch and is now a permanent home for all the homeless, rescued cats. Each of them has a sad story of their past, but now they are living in heaven. Cats should be able to roam free, and at Caboodle Ranch, that¹s what they do. Craig has built many beautiful cat houses and decorated the place with vibrant colors and tons of liveliness. All the cats are spayed and neutered. Don¹t forget to visit Caboodle Ranch (non profit rescue center) at their website and check them out on Facebook. 
