This week's theme: the Fahrenheit 9/11 effect

Why should you move away from DSL to cable? First, there's the new Supplier Federal Universal Service Fund (FUSF) Recovery Fee, which only applies to DSL and not cable. Cable users typically get a discount from the cable provider if they have Internet and cable TV. DSL users, however, get taxed twice by the phone company if they also have a working phone line:

The (relatively new) RoadRunner business-class services are not only competitive with business-class DSL now, but are actually cheaper as the bandwidth gets bigger (Hawaii prices) - you get better than T1 speeds for $249 a month. Of course, not all businesses have a cable installation, which is a big roadblock to adoption:

Second, the Carlyle Group is looking to buy Verizon Hawaii - this is just part of their recent massive purchases of telecoms in the Pacific region. The deal is "complex", as it involves a number of shell companies and financing partners:

If you've seen Fahrenheit 9/11, you know who the Carlyle Group is - the largest private defense contractor in the world and one of the most powerful companies that most people have never heard of, making hundreds of millions from Iraq and 9/11. Of course, they also recently bought the Loews Cineplex Entertainment Corporation, which owns theaters that Fahrenheit 9/11 is currently showing in:

...while the Verizon deal will likely go through, people in Hawaii should see the film and take the opportunity to reflect how the war will soon be affecting their lives in a very direct way.

Here's a 48-minute show called "Exposed: The Carlyle Group", which aired on TV in the Netherlands:

Apple's preview of Tiger, Mac OS X 10.4. Now with high-quality four-way videoconferencing. I and my friends have videoconferenced with PowerBooks from Honolulu to California, Boston, and Israel, and the quality is amazing:

Spyware is evolving - new strains have been detected that are self-updating, persistent, and really malicious. And users are paying up the nose (and suffering) for Microsoft's security lapses. Dump Internet Explorer!

The first HDTV tuner PC card is here - get HDTV signals for free and watch 'em on your computer:

Following AT&T and BT, giant telco SBC Communications is moving to an all-IP network:

More about Bob Vincent, the guy who recently designed a revolutionary new type of antenna. Implications for networks, cell phones, radios, more:

Will your iPod be illegal? An article on the "Induce Act":

Two opinions about being a visionary in Hawaii: 1) don't rock the boat, and 2) be nice to the community. There's truth in each:

A teacher fed up with the high cost of (Cisco Academy's computer training) textbooks makes his own equivalent textbooks and puts them online for free:

Texas is putting wireless net access into rest stops to encourage breaks - a great idea!

"California sues food companies over mercury levels in canned tuna":

"I Was Kim Jong Il's Cook"

What it's like to be the chef for a country's leader and travel around the world gathering exotic foods under oppressive surveillance:

Better than wallpaper - Blik!

Real-time file sharing music popularity results reside at BigChampagne - this blows SoundScan out of the water, or could if the RIAA doesn't sue everybody:

Now here's a secondary BigChampagne report that indicates that "artists receiving little or no radio play are still gaining very significant activity on file sharing networks". Meaning:

1) radio is becoming less of a factor in music popularity, and 2) artists should encourage the live recording community: