Memories of a paywall pioneer

"I'm not hostile to the notion of people paying for online content. I do so myself. I'm glad people stepped up and paid for Salon. But the value of stuff online is usually tied to how deeply it is woven into the network. So locking your stuff away in order to charge for it means that you are usually making it less valuable at the moment that you are asking people to pay for it. And that's why people so often respond with: "No thanks."

in reference to:

"if you have a product that is scarce, you can charge for it more easily. Specialised information, information that people need to earn their livings and can't get elsewhere, and so on. If there are free alternatives, you are not going to get very far, even with an edge in quality."
- Memories of a paywall pioneer | Media | guardian.co.uk (view on Google Sidewiki)

The real cost to business of government guarantees

"There are good reasons why governments should not guarantee the liabilities of any private sector business. Such guarantees are likely to cost money and, in the case of banks, a lot of money.

There are three less obvious but also powerful arguments against such provision. The first is that such guarantees distort competition. Those who benefit will outperform rivals, not because they are more efficient or better at serving customers, but because they have access to cheaper capital. The second argument is that if government relieves companies of business risk, more risk will be taken. This is moral hazard. The third issue is that government intervention gets in the way of private sector initiatives, internal and external, to manage risk, which might be cheaper and less intrusive."

in reference to:

"The most effective control is other parties’ diligence in assessing the businesses with which they deal."
- The real cost to business of government guarantees (view on Google Sidewiki)

Is the 'Bandwidth Hog' a Myth?

This is therefore a good indication of the level of bandwidth at which you start being considered a "hog". But wait: 50 Gbyte a month is… 150 kbps average (0,15 Mbps), 150 Gbyte a month is 450 kbps on average. If you have a 10 Mbps link, that’s only 1,5 % or 4,5 % of its maximum advertised speed!

And that would be "hogging"?

No, the margins on overage, that is hogging.

in reference to:

"Is the 'Bandwidth Hog' a Myth?"
- Fiberevolution: Is the 'Bandwidth Hog' a Myth? (view on Google Sidewiki)

New research suggests porn is overly demonized

"Pornography has long been considered to be one of the main motivators of major technological inventions, from the camera to the worldwide Web. Its effects on human health and sexuality have also been, and likely will always be, hotly debated. (The pun is irresistible.)

But new research out of the University of Montreal suggests that pornography is so widely digested, and with such a seemingly low correlation to "pathological" behavior, that it is grossly over-demonized. The research is funded by the Interdisciplinary Research Center on Family Violence and Violence Against Women."

in reference to:

""We couldn't find any,""
- New research suggests porn is overly demonized | Health Tech - CNET News (view on Google Sidewiki)

Intelligent Ways to Solve the Middle Mile Problem

"unbundling in France didn't pick up outside of dense urban areas until local governments were allowed to invest in backhaul fiber networks. What they did was connect of of the incumbents local exchanges and sold the backhaul dark fiber at reasonable prices to the altnets who then promptly went and unbundled all of these exchanges. This in turn drove competition and led to better prices for consumers.

In other words, a virtuous circle.

Could this same model be applicable to FTTH deployment? In rural areas, I certainly think so. "

in reference to:

"very often, Rural backhaul is a monopoly, and we all know how monopoly prices are set. When in addition, the owner of the backhaul is a copper competitor on the access, the incentive is pretty clear to gouge you on backhaul prices."
- Fiberevolution: Intelligent Ways to Solve the Middle Mile Problem (view on Google Sidewiki)

The Fall and Rise of Media

"For those of us who work in Manhattan media, it means that a life of occasional excess and prerogative has been replaced by a drum beat of goodbye speeches with sheet cakes and cheap sparkling wine. It’s a wan reminder that all reigns are temporary, that the court of self-appointed media royalty was serving at the pleasure of an advertising economy that itself was built on inefficiency and excess. Google fixed that. "

in reference to:

"Earlier in November, the New York comptroller said that employment in communications in New York had lost 60,000 jobs since 2000"
- The Media Equation - For Media, a Sunset Is Followed Quickly by a Sunrise - NYTimes.com (view on Google Sidewiki)

Developmental Psychologist Says Teenagers Are Different

"For the adults, the presence of friends has no effect. But for adolescents, just having friends nearby doubles the number of risks they take. We’ve found that a certain part of the brain is activated by the presence of peers in adolescents, but not in adults."

in reference to:

"Laurence Steinberg, a developmental psychologist at Temple University in Philadelphia, is one of the leading experts in the United States on adolescent behavior and adolescent brain biology."
- A Conversation With Laurence Steinberg - Developmental Psychologist at Temple and Expert on Adolescents - Interview - NYTimes.com (view on Google Sidewiki)