] But as McAdams nicely puts it (so nicely that we might
] call this the McAdams theorem), you don't monopolize
] yourself.

An essay by Lawrence Lessig on the virtues of muni owned telco.

What Larry misses though is that while this might be a better solution than what the FCC is doing to enable the ILEC's to control telco, it is not the *best* solution.

It is a good point that muni owned telco can be an enabler to the community. However, muni operated _anything_ is usually the lowest of the low. Look at all the other examples: healtcare and human services, education, even garbage collection. All of these muni operated services are pathetic when compared with market operated alternatives. Yes, it doesn't make sense to deploy 4 fiber network taps to every home, just as it doesn't make sense to deploy 4 electricity taps. But where those packets of light and sine waves of electricity come from is another matter alltogether.

If you really want the solution, it's that the US government should mandate that all PLANT be owned by the people. The services which run above layer 1 can be anybody. This is no different than how we manage other key infrastructure (roads, pipelines, spacecraft, etc). It would totally eliminate the grid lock we face with the RBOCs, re-energize competition and consumer choice, and you could have a FTTH network cross country in a few short years rather than waiting decades in playing cat and mouse. Alas, this will never happen.

Fiber to the People

] Understand that 802.15.3 is a high data rate Personal
] Area Network with a range of about 10 meters. This isn't
] a WiFi competitor. Think of it as a kind of Super
] Bluetooth, capable of sending video over short distances
] without interference and with true quality of service,
] which 802.11 can't provide. Conventional wisdom says a
] deal will shortly be worked out in the IEEE, Multiband
] OFDM will become the standard and we'll see products
] appear in late 2004 or early 2005.

okay, I predicted that BlueTooth would die a horrible death. But this would make me more wrong than right.

UWB might be coming sooner than you think

] Microsoft settles Tennessee suit
]
]
] Microsoft said Friday that it received preliminary
] approval for settlement in a class-action antitrust suit
] with consumers in Tennessee. Under the terms of the deal,
] those who bought certain Microsoft products will be
] eligible for vouchers good toward the purchase of future
] computer gear.
]
] If less than $64 million in vouchers is awarded,
] Microsoft will give half of the remaining amount to
] Tennessee schools, in the form of vouchers. The software
] maker said late last month that it had reached a pact
] with lawyers in six states, including Tennessee.

Geez! Why oh why did California have to settle for vouchers instead of a fine? DUMB!

Briefly: Microsoft settles Tennessee suit

] Like the Segway, Bombardier's Embrio concept--a prototype
] that may or may not make production--uses gyroscope
] technology to balance riders but adds a dash of flair
] absent in the Segway, which we as car nuts find slightly
] nerdy.

me want!

Canadian Segway

] Recently released numbers from cable companies and from
] the Baby Bells who provide digital subscriber line access
] make it plain the companies are watching their broadband
] Net businesses flourish.

[sigh]

Broadband numbers show heightened demand

] The Wartsila-Sulzer RTA96-C turbocharged two-stroke
] diesel engine is the most powerful and most efficient
] prime-mover in the world today.

wow... 5,608,312 foot pounds of torque!!! Someone needs to build a muscle car with this engine...

The Most Powerful Diesel Engine in the World

] In the future, local rescuers arriving at an emergency
] will have wireless access to floor
] plans and other important details about the building.

Just like in Max Headroom

Responders to get instant access to critical data

] Barely a day goes by without someone, somewhere getting
] stung or stinging others through careless Internet use.
]
] Though many of these threats are preventable, relatively
] few of us take the necessary precautions.
]
] So why not institute mandatory education before people
] can go online? After all, motorists must obtain licenses
] before they can legally hit the road, and computers are
] much more complicated.

weren't we just talking about this?

Should License Be Required to Go Online?

] SQL4X Manager J is a comprehensive graphical Interface
] for web and database developers to access any JDBC
] compliant database server. You can choose between a
] terminal-like graphical SQL Console with SQL syntax
] coloring and table name auto-completion to execute your
] own SQL commands and a fully graphical schema and table
] browser.

ahh.... finally.

SQL Manager for Mac OS X

] The rush to lump VOIP in with phone services obscures the
] larger problem: The 100-year-old regulatory structure for
] telephones is no longer adequate for today's advanced
] telecom services. These rules were written in a time when
] each technology delivered one type of service: Voice
] traveled over copper wires. Broadcast radio and TV
] signals flew through the air. Multichannel video
] journeyed across a coaxial cable.

Time to Rewrite the Rules of Telecom