Ma Bell should get stingy

Grok Headline matches for Ma Bell should get stingy

""Stingy""

""Stingy"" 12/29/2004 11:34 AM

Yes, We're Stingy

Yes, We're Stingy 12/31/2004 02:00 AM

Molly Ivins: How 'bout a do-over? Emblematic Political Moment of the Year: As the full dimensions of the tidal wave in the Indian Ocean became clear, Bush's staff used the occasion to... take a few cheap shots at Bill Clinton. Explaining why the president had neither returned to Washington nor even bothered to come out and read a statement of sorrow, The Washington Post reported that one official said: "'The president wanted to be fully briefed on our efforts. He doesn't want to make a symbolic statement about 'We feel your pain.' Many Bush aides believe Clinton was too quick to head for the cameras and to hold forth on tragedies with his trademark sympathy. 'Actions speak louder than words,' a top Bush aide said." So for action, the Bushies pledged $15 million to help out, less than half the amount that will be spent on parties for the Bush inauguration.

We've been shamed into raising the amount, but the fact remains that in the face of the worst single catastrophe in a long time, we and the rest of the world aren't doing enough. That said, it's heartening to see the response from some companies. I was warmed when I saw that Apple Computer's home page was devoted to almost nothing but fund-raising for relief efforts, for example. If you haven't donated, please do. If you have, consider upping the ante. Thanks.

Canadians Are Less Stingy

Canadians Are Less Stingy 12/19/2003 07:34 PM
A recent study shows that 10 percent of Canadians use hotspots. That rate jumps to 17 percent for the 18 to 34 year old age bracket. Canadians also say they prefer to pay a flat monthly fee of around $25 rather then by the day or the hour. Only 2 percent thought access should be free. Another recent study amongst Americans showed that the vast majority of Wi-Fi users choose a free hotspot over one that charges for access. Decima Research did the study but I couldn't find details on its site....

Uncle Sam's Stingy With IT

Uncle Sam's Stingy With IT 07/16/2004 11:48 AM
Datamonitor predicts that federal IT spending will slow, but it may not be that big of a deal.

Chris Nolan says I'm "stingy"

Chris Nolan says I'm "stingy" 03/17/2005 03:22 AM

Chris Nolan calls me "stingy" with the links. Of course, I don't think I am. Chris, here's some feedback on how you could make it easier for people to point to you. (This may prove useful for others.)

1. Make your RSS feed easier to subscribe to. You have the badges for Yahoo, Bloglines and MSN, but I use Radio. You could have put up a badge for Radio, that would be super-convenient, or just put up a white-on-orange XML button. I tried clicking on your Feedburner icon, but that didn't get me the URL, it offered to save it to my hard drive. And Feedburner is really gross, I don't like supporting them. But sheez, if need-be put the URL of your feed on the page itself. (PS: I was able to figure out where the feed is, and have subscribed.)

2. If you call people names and expect them to link to you, well, don't. Didn't your mother teach you that when you were a kid. Don't stare and don't call the other kids names.

3. You didn't even point to me when you called me a name. At least then I would have seen you in my referer log. And I'm like everyone else, I like flow and I like new readers. I have point ed to you Chris, many times. How many times have you pointed to me? You may be surprised that there are people who's sites I helped build by sending readers to them, who have never pointed back to me.

4. If you've written something you want to be read by Scripting News readers, send me an email with a link. That's what I do when I want to be read by the readers of someone else's blog. I'm polite about it, I don't come out and ask for the link, I say something like "Thought you'd find this interesting" or "FYI" and leave it at that. If I don't get the pointer, no big deal. And I try not to do it too often, so it's seen as a welcome source of a link to the person I send it to, rather than some kind of obligation.

5. I don't often point to political blogs, whether they're written by men or women, black or white, although I do subscribe to quite a few. So maybe what you experience as "stingy" is just a difference in focus.

Powell Bristles at Suggestions U.S. Is
Stingy With Wave Aid

Powell Bristles at Suggestions U.S. Is
Stingy With Wave Aid 12/28/2004 02:43 PM
Secretary of State Colin L. Powell also signaled that much more American help was on the way.

CNN.com - Stingy Americans? U.N.
official's comment hits nerve - Dec 28,
2004

CNN.com - Stingy Americans? U.N.
official's comment hits nerve - Dec 28,
2004 12/31/2004 06:44 AM
CNN.com has a good article on the stingy American debate .. the world's richest nations were being "stingy" .. $35 million .. stingy

cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/12/28/stingy.americans.ap/index.html
track this site | 3 links

"Genevieve Bell "

"Genevieve Bell " 03/28/2005 11:58 PM

Bell tolling for DSL?

Bell tolling for DSL? 06/15/2004 04:52 PM
Independent broadband providers brace for squeeze from Bells under suspended local phone rules.

"Bryan Bell"

"Bryan Bell" 12/17/2003 09:35 AM

Taco Bell Gives Gas

Taco Bell Gives Gas 07/02/2004 10:00 AM
The fast-food chain backs a curious gasoline promotion.

Ma Bell Up for Sale?

Ma Bell Up for Sale? 08/23/2004 12:20 PM
As AT&T prepares billions in write-offs, speculation of a potential takeover heats up.

Qwest Says That If They Can't Have MCI,
SBC Shouldn't Get Ma Bell

Qwest Says That If They Can't Have MCI,
SBC Shouldn't Get Ma Bell 04/18/2005 11:29 PM
No surprise here, but Qwest, who is in the process of being spurn ed repeatedly in trying to buy MCI, has now filed an official protest against SBC's acquisition of AT&T. Of course, half the reason Qwest wants to buy AT&T is because SBC buying AT&T will leave Qwest even further behind (and it's already pretty far back there).

Bell Curve for Doctors

Bell Curve for Doctors 12/27/2004 09:34 PM
Is there a bell curve for doctors? How hard would it be to evaluate the performance of doctors and should this information be publicly accessible?

After the Bell: Microsoft Rises

After the Bell: Microsoft Rises 04/22/2004 04:14 PM
Reuters Apr 22 2004 8:56PM GMT

Mr. Softee, Meet Ma Bell

Mr. Softee, Meet Ma Bell 07/23/2004 12:49 PM
At the risk of biting the hand that feeds me: Microsoft looks a little something like—gulp!—AT&T in the early 1980s. It is a lumbering giant, viewed with suspicion by consumers, rivals, and the government. While its core near-monopoly business throws off cash as ever, the beast remains hamstrung by its size, its legacy of enormous profitability, and its market position.

AT&T proposes end to Bell dependence

AT&T proposes end to Bell dependence 04/29/2004 10:32 AM
The phone giant proposes to build its own local telephone switching structure to eliminate its dependence on equipment from the four Baby Bells.

Ma Bell Holding the Line

Ma Bell Holding the Line 04/22/2004 01:24 PM
Can AT&T lead an industry out of the doldrums?

Before-the-Bell: Motorola, TheraSense Up

Before-the-Bell: Motorola, TheraSense Up 01/16/2004 11:35 AM
Boston Globe Jan 13 2004 4:16PM GMT

Wi-Fi phones answer the bell

Wi-Fi phones answer the bell 08/05/2004 08:58 AM
ZDNet Aug 5 2004 11:54AM GMT

Bell System Memorial

Bell System Memorial 07/25/2004 07:06 PM
Bell System Memorial.

Bell Rock, Jingle!

Bell Rock, Jingle! 12/25/2004 05:11 PM

Jingle Bell Rock sung entirely with the words Jingle, Bell, and Rock, just in time for xmas.

Bell acquires Infostream

Bell acquires Infostream 06/08/2004 08:17 PM
globetechnology.com Jun 8 2004 11:59PM GMT

Batter Up, Taco Bell

Batter Up, Taco Bell 06/21/2004 02:07 PM
Taco Bell becomes the official "quick-service restaurant" of Major League Baseball.

Congratulations to Bryan Bell!

Congratulations to Bryan Bell! 06/17/2005 04:30 PM
Congratulations to new dad Bryan Bell!

(Bryan does a bunch of our icons.)

Before-the-Bell: Microsoft Recovers

Before-the-Bell: Microsoft Recovers 07/14/2004 08:09 AM
Reuters Jul 14 2004 12:27PM GMT

Bell tolls for broadband

Bell tolls for broadband 06/15/2004 06:20 PM
ZDNet Jun 15 2004 9:09PM GMT

The Internet Hangs Up On Ma Bell

The Internet Hangs Up On Ma Bell 11/14/2003 12:32 PM
CBS News Nov 14 2003 11:58AM ET

Packard Bell EasyNote T

Packard Bell EasyNote T 11/18/2003 11:34 AM
vnunet.com Nov 18 2003 10:29AM ET

The Bell Curve revisited

The Bell Curve revisited 07/16/2004 05:09 PM

Driving back and forth to Nashua, NH yesterday I listened to The Bell Curve as an abridged book on tape (picked it up for $5 in a used bookstore in San Diego).  This book created quite a stir in 1994 because of its discussion of average IQ differences among races but I had never read it.  It turns out that even if you leave out all the controversial stuff about race the book is potentially very relevant to our times.

The Bell Curve starts out by talking about how we live in an era where people get sorted by cognitive ability into socioeconomic classes.  In 14th century England if you were a peasant with a high IQ or a noble with a low IQ it didn't affect your life, reproductive potential, or income very much.  In our more meritocratic and vastly more sophisticated economy a smart kid from a lower middle class might make it to the top of a big company (cf. Jack Welch, who paid himself $680 million as CEO of GE) or at least into a $300,000/year job as a radiologist.  For the authors of the Bell Curve the increasing disparity in income in the U.S. is primarly due to the fact that employees with high IQs are worth a lot more than employees with low IQs.  They note that we have an incredibly complex legal system and criminal justice system.  So you'd expect people with poor cognitive ability to fail to figure out what is a crime, which crimes are actually likely to be punished, etc., and end up in jail.  (A Google search brought up a report on juvenile justice in North Carolina; the average offender had an IQ of 79.)  If they stay out of jail through dumb (literally) luck, there is no way that they are ever going to be able to start a small business; the legal and administrative hoops through which one must jump in order to employ even one other person are impenetrable obstacles to those with below-average intelligence.

The trend that the decade-old Bell Curve book misses is telecom and outsourcing.  The authors assume that an American with high IQ will have a higher income and better standard of living than an American with low IQ.  That's the sorting function of an advanced economy.  They don't get into the question of whether it is sustainable that an American with low IQ should have a higher income than someone in India or China with a high IQ.  Statistically you'd have to expect that there are more really smart people in India and China than the total population of the U.S.  If the sorting-by-IQ process were efficient across international borders you'd expect that an American with an IQ of 100 should be making less than an Indian with an IQ of 120.  Given that a lot of brilliant well-educated people in India are getting paid less than $5,000 per year, this is a bit worrisome those of us here who are fat, dumb, and happy.  [Imagine that you were running a company.  Would you rather employ a local high school graduate with an IQ of 90 or an Indian college grad with an IQ of 130 via Internet link?]

For us oldsters, one unexpected piece of cheerful news from this book is that younger Americans are getting genetically dumber every year.  Even if you ignore the racial and immigrant angles of the book that created so much controversy back in 1994 it is hard to argue with the authors' assertion that smart women tend to choose higher education and careers rather than cranking out lots of babies.  As a middle-aged (40) guy whose own cognitive abilities are beginning to fade due to neuron death I felt sure that there would be no place me for in the America of 2050.  Our population is predicted to reach 450 million or so, i.e., the same as India had back when we were kids and our mothers told us about this starving and overpopulated country.  An individual person's labor in India has negligible economic value--the American firm Office Tiger gets 1500 applicants, many of whom are very well qualified, on a good day in Chennai.  It would seem that no enterprise would need an old guy's skills in a country of 450 million; why bother when there are so many energetic young people around?  And how would we be able to afford a house or apartment if there are 450 million smart young people out there earning big bucks and putting pressure on real estate prices?  But if the book is right most of those young people will be dumb as bricks.

Congrats to Bryan Bell on his big
changes

Congrats to Bryan Bell on his big
changes 06/17/2005 04:39 PM

There is no greater joy than making babies.

Add to that starting a new career (or at least chucking the old one) is also right up there with life's greatest challenges.

So good luck to Bryan Bell - we've all been loving his artwork - for years!

After the Bell Outside the Comfort Room

After the Bell Outside the Comfort Room 06/04/2004 01:51 PM
One of the spelling bee contestants from Spellbound has started a weblog .. Just following Kottke and Ernie .. blog of Angela from Texas .. st

angelainspellbound.blogspot.com
track this site | 6 links

The Challenges Facing Bell TV

The Challenges Facing Bell TV 04/04/2005 06:22 AM
The fact that the Baby Bell telcos are now rushing to offer television over fiber is nothing new. Plenty of articles have been written about it, and it seems like this one is a little late to the game. However, it does raise some interesting points about the challenges the telcos face in reaching a point where they'll be competitive with cable TV. First, is that even after they spend billions rolling out fiber (to the home, or for the cheap Bells, the node) they have to sign the necessary content deals to have channels to offer. Since the content providers know the position the Bells are in (they absolutely need this content), the rates are going to be on the high side -- which, in turn, means that the subscription fees for end-users are going to be large, or the telcos will take some hefty losses on the service (which is exactly what's likely to happen in the short-term). However, it's also going to limit the flexibility the telcos have -- so they won't be in a position to do more creative pricing (like some of their cable competitors) to attack the market. While everyone knew that it would be easier for the cable companies to jump into the voice market than it would be for the telcos to jump into the TV market, the amount of time it's taken the telcos to act, combined with these hurdles, suggests that telco TV isn't going to be a money maker for quite some time -- if ever. At this point, the best the telcos can hope for is that telco TV will provide other benefits, such as reduced churn in other services.

Won't Be Able To Get Phone Service From
Ma Bell Any More

Won't Be Able To Get Phone Service From
Ma Bell Any More 07/22/2004 03:13 PM
AT&T keeps on changing. It seems you never can be quite sure what they're going to offer, what they're going to kill, and what they're going to spin off. However, they clearly do realize that the telecom environment they're in these days is quite different than it's been in the past. They've been ramping up their VoIP efforts, and following the ruling that says the RBOCs don't need to share their lines, it appears AT&T has decided to throw all their residential voice eggs into the VoIP basket. Thus, they're no longer selling long distance phone service to residential customers. They will still sell to businesses (where the money is for them anyway) and will still support existing AT&T phone customers, but for the first time, you will no longer be able to get traditional telephone service from AT&T to your home. Of course, between VoIP and the eventual wireless MVNO plan they're going to offer, it looks like AT&T may be the first major telco to realize that many people don't really need a traditional voice line at all any more. Who would have thought that AT&T might lead the way (though, perhaps out of necessity, not vision)?

Bell to boost DSL speed

Bell to boost DSL speed 12/16/2003 03:00 PM
globetechnology.com Dec 16 2003 1:56PM ET

Ma Bell Dials A New Number

Ma Bell Dials A New Number 12/11/2003 12:07 PM
CBS News Dec 11 2003 10:53AM ET

Ma Bell Means Business?

Ma Bell Means Business? 07/22/2004 01:13 PM
The telephone provider focuses on declining business customers.

After the Bell--Dell slips after
earnings

After the Bell--Dell slips after
earnings 05/13/2004 08:11 PM
Reuters May 13 2004 11:41PM GMT

Bell, Microsoft launch site

Bell, Microsoft launch site 06/09/2004 12:41 PM
Globe and Mail Jun 9 2004 4:05PM GMT
Grok Description matches for Ma Bell should get stingy
GrokA matches for Ma Bell should get stingy

Ma Bell should get stingy

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