Links
- My Geek Blog
- Bits O' News
- Reloader-Man
- Texas Hunter
- Jeff's Website
- Nicky's Blog
- Stripper-Mom
- Homestar Runner
- Joe Cartoon
- Twink Schiff
- The Onion
- Merriam-Webster
- Froogle
Archives
Just some random ramblings from my head
Monday, October 31, 2005
"To say that our students are naturally proficient in the language of the digital world in which they grew up is not very accurate. A native speaker of English is not necessarily a great speaker or a gifted writer." -- http://www.teachandlearn.ca/blog/
A good point to keep in mind now that US science education is going down the tubes (can you say "intelligent design"?) ... the fact that we create, and live with, some of the most amazing technology doesn't mean we are the best at it, doesn't mean we'll retain that position of leadership without some effort, and doesn't mean we're teaching kids what they really need to know.
A good point to keep in mind now that US science education is going down the tubes (can you say "intelligent design"?) ... the fact that we create, and live with, some of the most amazing technology doesn't mean we are the best at it, doesn't mean we'll retain that position of leadership without some effort, and doesn't mean we're teaching kids what they really need to know.
Thursday, October 13, 2005
"Free" is UN-AMERICAN??
There have been some grumblings about how cities should not be allowed to provide free wireless internet service to their citizens because it is anti-competitive and hence UN-AMERICAN!! The rationale is that if governments provide the service for free, then how can businesses compete with that?
Well ... ummm ... they can't. And why is that my problem?
This is what is known as a "bad business model." Think of the dot-com bust -- those weren't good business that hit a tight spot; they were bad businesses. WebVan -- the grocery delivery service -- was an absolutely GREAT idea!! But it was a bad business model -- no one wants to pay that much for their groceries. Internet advertising?? Bad business model -- 99.9999999999% of web users completely ignore banner ads -- who is going to pay you for ads that no one views? Telemarketers?? Bad business model -- no one wants to be hassled at home for cheap trinkets or phone service equivalent to the service we currently have.
The same is true with paid-for wireless vendors in cities. If someone else can offer it for free, then it is a bad business model. This is not a business in need of protection from "un-American" forces ... it is a bad business model that deserves to fail.
Similar logic has been applied to release of weather data and satellite photos -- again, if the gov't gives them away for free, how can businesses make money? In this case, we'll have to ignore the fact that the people (through the gov't) were actually the ones who paid for the weather data to be collected in the first place, so why shouldn't they get it free? But as is often the case in such political issues, we'll just throw away those facts that aren't convenient. Again, if your business is making money on the laziness of people, then it is a bad business model and we as a country should not support it or prop it up.
There have been some grumblings about how cities should not be allowed to provide free wireless internet service to their citizens because it is anti-competitive and hence UN-AMERICAN!! The rationale is that if governments provide the service for free, then how can businesses compete with that?
Well ... ummm ... they can't. And why is that my problem?
This is what is known as a "bad business model." Think of the dot-com bust -- those weren't good business that hit a tight spot; they were bad businesses. WebVan -- the grocery delivery service -- was an absolutely GREAT idea!! But it was a bad business model -- no one wants to pay that much for their groceries. Internet advertising?? Bad business model -- 99.9999999999% of web users completely ignore banner ads -- who is going to pay you for ads that no one views? Telemarketers?? Bad business model -- no one wants to be hassled at home for cheap trinkets or phone service equivalent to the service we currently have.
The same is true with paid-for wireless vendors in cities. If someone else can offer it for free, then it is a bad business model. This is not a business in need of protection from "un-American" forces ... it is a bad business model that deserves to fail.
Similar logic has been applied to release of weather data and satellite photos -- again, if the gov't gives them away for free, how can businesses make money? In this case, we'll have to ignore the fact that the people (through the gov't) were actually the ones who paid for the weather data to be collected in the first place, so why shouldn't they get it free? But as is often the case in such political issues, we'll just throw away those facts that aren't convenient. Again, if your business is making money on the laziness of people, then it is a bad business model and we as a country should not support it or prop it up.
