MooPig Tech Coroner :: "Remember Ma Bell?"

[Picture LINK]

" ... ATandT, for instance, has suggested shutting down its old copper wire system — the only telecommunications platform that worked in some areas after Hurricane Sandy because it relies on a separate, minimal supply of electricity. ... "
Snagged by Pat Darnell, and, TN Correspondent Beka Gunter on faceBook  |  Dec 2, 2012  |  Bryan TX

" ... Just as canals and railroads let America grow in the 19th century, and highways and airports did so in the 20th century, the information superhighway is vital for the nation’s economic growth in the 21st. The nation can’t afford to leave its future in the hands of the cartels. (David Cay Johnston, November 27, 2012. LINK) ... "

Read ARticle here:: Break Up the Telecom Cartels - NYTimes.com: " ... because ATandT’s and Verizon’s own land-based services operate mostly in discrete geographic markets, each cartel rules its domain as a near monopoly."

" ... Americans have been told that competition in telecommunications would produce innovation, better service and lower prices.
  'via Blog this'
" ... As of now huge parts of the United States will never get on the information superhighway but will rather slog along on the digital equivalent of a country road. This presents a genuine economic threat to America: the future industries and jobs that require a universal ultra-high-speed network, after all, will most likely be developed somewhere else. ... "


 _________________________________Reference
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/28/opinion/break-up-the-telecom-cartels.html?_r=1&
http://www.facebook.com/beka.gunter?fref=ts

iPHONE 4 UPDATE :: "You Could be Waiting for GODOT ..."

Title: How to Get Over Apple iPhone 4 Envy
By: Dan Costa | 06.25.2010  |  PC Magazine
[SOURCE, Excerpted]


Envy is not a pleasant quality in humans. It might make someone do something that they regret for the rest of their lives.... as Dan Costa prescribes some Rx for easing your pain in envy ::
Retrieved by Pat Darnell and the iHerd

" [ ... excerpt] You Need a Physical Keyboard
This is probably the most obvious reason to avoid the iPhone. It's an excuse often used by millions of BlackBerry users like PCMag's editor-in-chief, Lance Ulanoff, who has to justify lugging around his BlackBerry Bold.

You're Pissed the iPhone 4 Doesn't Support Flash
Purely in terms of geek credibility, this is a great excuse. No one really understands why Flash is so darn important on the iPhone, but everyone seems think Apple should support it.

You Have an Ideological Problem with Apple's Closed Ecosystem
This excuse is best implemented by lawyers, Poli Sci majors, and digital libertarians, but if you can grok the concept, your passing on the iPhone can be instantly transformed from clueless move to principled stand.

You Think ATandT's Coverage is Terrible
The only problem with this justification is that is isn't exactly true.

You Are Waiting Until the iPhone Comes to Verizon
. Just bear one fact in mind: Verizon may never offer the iPhone. You could be waiting for Godot.

You Hate iTunes
Sure, iTunes provides a nearly effortless way to acquire, manage, synchronize and enjoy music and videos on your iPhone, but what if you're a Zune customer?

"[ ... ] Careful readers will note that all of these justifications were just as true of the original iPhone as they are with the iPhone 4. And yet the iPhone is a runaway success. The ugly truth for us non-iPhoners is that, the iPhone has been the best smartphone on ATandT for years now. The updates to the iPhone 4 are going to keep that trend going. The Sprint Evo is a great phone and the Motorola Droid rocks on Verizon, but the rest of us need to keep a stiff upper lip in the week ahead. And if you're already an ATandT customer? Just suck it up and buy an iPhone. ... [ Read entire Article by Dan Costa HERE] "

Passport Schmassport... IT is not just gov.Debacles

Hurry up and Wait! And what do Passports have in common with iPhones?

June 25, 2007
U.S. Passport System Comes Up Short
By Larry Barrett
The State Department's backlog in handling passport applications provides CIOs with a chilling reminder on what could go wrong if they fail to ramp up both systems and staff ahead of record-breaking demand.

http://www.cioinsight.com/article2/0,1540,2150728,00.asp

Despite having almost two years to prepare for a predictable onslaught of new passport applications this summer, the U.S. State Department and its information processing systems are now so backlogged that Congress is cracking the whip on the behalf of irate travelers who are waiting and waiting and waiting for their passports.

Tell us what you think: mailto:editors@cioinsight-ziffdavis.com


The debacle, which began in April 2005 when the Homeland Security and State departments instituted new travel regulations requiring Americans flying to nearby countries such as Canada, Mexico and those in the Caribbean to carry a passport, provides CIOs with a chilling reminder of just how wrong things can go if your organization isn't able to ramp up both its systems and its staff ahead of anticipated, record—breaking demand.


What used to take between four and six weeks is now taking three or four or sometimes even five months, leaving travelers angry, stressed out and uncertain if they'll receive their passports in time for their vacations.

In a letter last week, no less than 56 senators lambasted the State Department's woeful performance and called on Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice to intercede now before any more travelers are inconvenienced.

"People are angry and frustrated," says Rick Webster, a lobbyist for the Travel
Industry Association of America. "Companies have to respond to shareholders. The
government has to respond to constituents. [The State Department] anticipated
the demand but they guessed far too low. It shouldn't have come to this."

State Department analysts say the agency originally predicted about 15 million passport applications this year, up from 12 million in 2005. Then the figure was revised to 16 million. Now, they're expecting upwards of 17.5 million or more.
Despite hiring an additional 130 passport workers and expanding the number of locations that accept applications from 7,500 to 9,500 this year, the frustrating delays continue and will likely continue though the fall.

Chief Information Officer, CIO
Could something like this happen in the private sector ahead of a new product release or perhaps a new compliance or regulation deadline?

"A good CIO would have the lead members of his or her team interview key internal clients or constituents so the IT department has the clearest possible understanding of the business situation," says Henry Harteveldt, an analyst at Forrester Research Inc. "Technology is the enabler, and can do almost anything, provided the people who are responsible for the managing that technology have the clear insight from those who run the business side of the enterprise."

For the State Department and the passport processing sites, the situation was further complicated when it turned to the private sector for help. Citicorp, which processes the passport fees for the agency, hired an additional 400 workers to an existing staff of 800 to help clear the backlog.

However, a State Department spokeswoman told the Los Angeles Times that once the new hires were trained and began processing the fees, all that paperwork was sent over in enormous batches, further swamping the overwhelmed passport processors.
Citicorp officials were not available for comment.

"On the corporate side, there are efficiencies and incentives built into the process to avoid something like this from happening," Webster says. "In government there's only accountability to the citizens."

Also, unlike a Sarbanes—Oxley deadline or a new product release, the government had the luxury of relaxing the new travel requirements it had created for itself. That's not how it works in the private sector.

One company that's about to experience a similar deluge in demand, AT&T, announced Thursday that it had hired an additional 2,000 temporary workers to meet what's expected to be frenzied demand for Apple Inc.'s iPhone on June 29.

A FAQ on what the iPhone has and what it lacks By David Pogue
Published: June 27, 2007 ...With its new iPhone, Apple pulled off two masterful feats: creating the machine and creating the buzz around it. But just how much of a phone, iPod and Internet machine is this thing?... http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/06/27/technology/ptiphone28.php

As the only carrier to provide service for the iPhone when it debuts, AT&T's sales staff received a total of 100,000 hours of training to sell and support the device, according to spokesman Mark Siegel.

However, Siegel told Baseline the company would not discuss how much of the training and additional resources were allocated for updating or improving order processing and customers service systems.

And while the State Department desperately struggles to catch up with the millions of applications it's processing this year, travel analysts say the worst may be yet to come. In 2009, Americans traveling by land and sea—in addition to air travel—to nearby countries will also have to carry a valid passport, adding another 26 million applications to the pile.

"The State Department got caught because the normal turnaround time is six weeks," Harteveldt says. "They should have known that human nature being what it is; people generally wait until the last minute to do things."

Dear Readers:
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Tell us what you think: mailto:editors@cioinsight-ziffdavis.com