As mentioned many times in this online newsletter, the people who work for rural telecom companies continually inspire me with their dedication to community, continual improvement and resourcefulness that America needs so badly these days. Arvig’s Jeanne Wilber embodied the best of rural America and her sudden and unexpected passing has evoked memories of someone with a generous and enormous heart who gave some memorable presentations regarding local content.
Click here for comments from some of the many people she touched
When the Skinny Bundle Goes Off a Diet
Mark Kang, Sr. Vice President of Worldwide Distribution of INSP, is someone who appreciates rural operators and their efforts to improve their respective communities. At TIS 16, he spoke on the common challenges independent programmers and independent distributors face. At yesterday’s FCC Open Commission meeting, FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn referenced INSP in the discussion of independent video programming and ensuring viewers have choice. In our interview at TIS 16, Kang talked about the challenges of skinny bundles, retransmission consent and the importance of independent programmers and operators working together in this changing world of content distribution.
Fusing Sensors to Make a Smarter Driving Experience
Last April, a RAND report suggested that it would be nearly impossible to drive enough miles to prove the safety benefits of autonomous vehicles. The answer to part of this challenge may lie with video games.In a recent interview with Nvidia’s Danny Shapiro, talks about techniques for testing autonomous vehicles, as well as the brains that will power autonomous vehicles. Shapiro points out that the full 360 degree situational awareness of the autonomous vehicle provides “super-human levels of perception and tracking.”
Some Tweets and Short Thoughts:
- RT @TomBamonte from Detroit News – “Verizon flexes its driverless auto muscles with big move into vehicle telematics space.“
- Of course, if this start-up is successful, then why buy a car? As ridiculous an idea as it sounds on the surface, it may not be that much different a model than what Lyft and GM are planning.
- “Nobody goes to a city because it has great parking.” Reminds me of a conversation I had this week with a developer in a smallish city who is looking at ways to move parking out of his downtown to make the core more people-friendly.
- This graphic from @Lyft co-founder John Zimmer is an excellent illustration of the autonomous vehicle evolution
The Korner – Importing Transparent Videos into Vegas 13
One of the things that Jeanne Wilbur taught me was the importance of sharing what you learn with others. This sharing mindset is really important in an industry that is constantly evolving and she set a great example of how to evolve as well. Although this article will appeal to only a small portion of Viodi View readers, if it can help trigger an “aha, that’s how it is done” moment for even one or two readers, then it will be a success.
With that said, the following article is dedicated to the memory of Jeanne Wilber.
