mediageek

Month: October 2005

  • Why US Broadband Sucks

    Much of the industrialized world has much better broadband service to homes and businesses than the US. But providing good broadband service is not necessarily in the interest of the major telecomm companies, like SBC and Comcast. Rolling out high speed lines costs money and requires making long-term investments in the future, rather than reaping…

  • News Headlines from the Oct. 14 Radioshow

    These are the news headlines as read on the Oct. 14 edition of the mediageek radioshow: Clear Channel Purging Payola?; Conservative Former FCCer Out At CPB; Communications Unions Banding Together

  • Buying a Shortwave Radio on Ebay

    I go through phases of listening to my shortwave radio. It can be fun and it’s the only way to hear broadcasts from some countries or clandestine broadcasters. No, not all audio or all broadcasts are available on the internet yet. Really nice shortwave radios can be pretty expensive, and probably aren’t available in a…

  • Former FCC Media Bureau Head Out at CPB

    Ken Ferree was pretty much Michael Powell’s right-hand man on media regulation issues–such as loosening ownership restrictions. So it was no surprise when he left the FCC when Powell did, only to take a sweet position as Executive VP and Chief Operating Officer of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. What is a surprise is that…

  • Fresh Signs of Pirate Life on the ‘net

    I was just purusing the FCC Enforcement Bureau’s list of “Field Issued Citations, Notices of Apparent Liability and Notices of Violations,” because that’s one place to see if there’s been any pirate radio activity noticed by the FCC. I came across a Notice of Apparent Liability from June for a hip-hop station operating out of…

  • Real and Microsoft Kiss and Make Up, So What’s Next for Real?

    Long-time bitter rivals Microsoft and Real Networks decided to bury the hatchet yesterday, with Real settling its $1 billion lawsuit against Microsoft. Real had filed suit claiming that MS was using its monopoly power to prevent PC makers from installing competing media players, like Real’s. Now that MS has given up on the music download…

  • For Photos, DIY Printing Isn’t Always Cheap (but some DIY processes are)

    The NY Times has an article (bug me not) today on how printing digital photos at home isn’t necessarily a good deal compared to using an on-line service or a local retailer. Printer manufacturers like HP and Canon say their 4×6 printers make prints at a cost of around 30 cents, while folks like Consumers…

  • The Imminent Demise of a Grassroots Radio Resource

    Wired News reports on the imminent demise of the most authoritative scanner frequency guides, Police Call. Apparently the author/publisher is getting old and tired, and sees waning interest in the hobby of listenting to police, fire, emergency and other radio communications. Also putting a dent in things is the fact that many police departments are…

  • Sometimes You Can Believe the Hype

    A week or two ago the geek-oriented blogosphere was abuzz with a little $30 battery-powered audio amplifier that was blowing people away with its sound quality. Some were even comparing it favorably to near-thousand dollar tube amplifiers. I’m normally pretty skeptical about snowball effect of the blogosphere and the geek-obsession of the moment. But I’m…

  • Indecency Overdose

    For those who lose sleep worrying about all those indecency complaints the FCC hasn’t acted on yet this year, there’s more indecency pr0n to satisfy your yearnings. The FCC’s Enforcement Bureau has launched a site dedicated to the holy trinity of Obscenity, Indecency and Profanity. Crucial for those with a burning passion to report an…