Viodi View – The Bridge Between the Heartland and Silicon Valley

  • And the Independent Telcos Suggest Stimulus

    Further reinforcing the idea that a broadband stimulus may be happening sooner rather than later and that it will involve rural telcos, OPASTCO released a letter written to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid outlining their proposal in a white paper. This white paper, authored by the Digital Policy Institute, an…

  • Will Cisco Succeed in the Consumer Electronics Business?

    Update: See comment below on Cisco entering the Compute Server Business. Cisco is thought of as a successful network equipment vendor selling switches and routers to enterprise customers and service providers.   The company also sells (Linksys) WiFi routers and (Scientific Atlanta) set top boxes for use within homes.  Sensing a new opportunity, the company now wants to make significant inroads in the…

  • A Broadband Stimulus – A Chance for Something to Pass in Short Order?

    Yesterday’s Wall Street Journal had a good article on the prospects for a near-term broadband stimulus plan. The article referenced a Free Press proposal for a 3 year, $44 Billion broadband stimulus plan. This plan just might have a chance, as it has elements that equipment vendors could embrace and incumbent carriers would like. For…

  • Old Batteries – Don’t Dump Them, Call Earth 911

    CNET TV had a good idea for recycling those old batteries or just about anything else. Earth911 provides a good resource for finding local resources for recycling common and not so common things. http://earth911.com/

  • An Academic Book with a Populist Title – Useful for Anyone Interested in Pricing or Its Effects

    The book Why Popcorn Costs So Much at the Movies is an academic book wrapped in a populist title. It provides insight into a variety of pricing mysteries, such as the price of popcorn at the movies, why so many prices end with “9” and the economics of rebates. Although what Richard McKenzie, Professor of…

  • Are LTE and mobile WiMAX really 4G networks? A look at ITU-R IMT Advanced attributes

    Introduction There have been several recent articles comparing and contrasting LTE vs. mobile WiMAX as potential 4G network technologies. Indeed, SPRINT and Clearwire have been marketing their WiMAX offering as a 4G service. But is it really 4G? Is LTE a 4G technology? What about ultra-wideband? It turns out that no broadband wireless technology can…