War driving for Skype

You may have noticed that I like VoIP. Probably because I like the idea of paying nothing to call around the world more than I like paying 30 cents or more per minute. In fact, I think I'll be carrying a wifi VoIP handset soon, and you may see me driving around the neighborhood looking for a hotspot during a Qwest DSL outage (and judging from the last month, that'll probably be tonight).

But the minute you introduce the PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network largely via old copper), you start paying real cash, especially if you're in business. Telecom costs add up fast.

No loyalty for ma bell
If small businesses understand the importance of having broadband and have the willingness to use programs like Skype -- and trust me, they do -- then the telecom trend will move that way even for larger organizations and individuals alike. The phone was a novelty in 1920, as was the fax machine in 1980, and they're both essential to business today. VoIP will be too, but the learning curve is getting a lot sharper.

By the way, I won't be a bit surprised if I'm getting WLAN from Google in the next five years, to enable my VoIP addiction. Perhaps I'll have a Gphone account then too!

Taxing VoIP?

Your friends in the government are suggesting you pay twice into the Universal Access Fund -- the pot that subsidizes rural telecommunications -- by forcing companies like Vonage to pay into the fund, despite the fact that they're already paying those fees to their telco providers.

Look, I get it. I understand that there needs to be reasonable access to telecommunication services in sparsely populated areas, but not on the backs of taxpayers tens states away; ultimately, people choose where they live.

With companies like ExtremeSat, a community, a county or a coop group can provide universal access to broadband and telecommunications services. It may cost a bit more, but isn't that to be expected if you live in the boonies?

Here's an easy answer to the tax: if the FCC wants to tax net phone calls for anyone with a telephone number, then don't have a telephone number. There are plenty of free examples of free VoIP applications that only require both ends to have broadband and a user ID.

Ultimately, I think the free market should be the decider in such cases, not pseudo-authorities like the FCC.

New taxes could slam Net phone users | CNET News.com

Pizza exec denied parole...for now

(Some of this information comes from a copywrited Associated Press story.)

Lawrence Vander Esch was:
- Founder and co-owner of the Pizza Ranch restaurant chain in Iowa
- Sioux County Republican Party chairman
- County treasurer.

During the summer of 2001, Vander Esch was convicted on several counts of third degree sexual abuse and sentenced to ten years.

In the late 90s, Vander Esch claimed he was authorized by UNI, ISU and the Sioux County Public Health Nurse to collect semen samples for use in "postate" cancer research.

He asked a couple of his male Pizza Ranch employees to donate their semen for fifty bucks a pop. And they took him up on it. Vander Esch would put the stuff on ice, saying he'd send it to the lab for testing. Then he'd claim the sperm count was too low and wouldn't pay the money.

The victims say they wouldn't have participated if they'd known the truth. Now they're begging the parole board not to release the predator. The board agreed and denied his parole.

It's all for naught though; the fifty-eight-year-old Vander Esch will get out of the Mount Pleasant correctional facility in six months despite the board's decision; the date's set for March of next year.

Vinyl 2 MP3

I love seeing what new gadget come out of Broadcast Supply Worldwide. This $99 box appears to be the answer to getting vinyl into your computer in one step. Say you have a turntable with magnetic outputs. This unit will accept that unusual line level, plus filter out the rumble associated with phono components. It will also accept regular line level, so hook up virtually any stereo component or portable audio to your computer for a cleaner sound. It's being sold to broadcasters, so it ought to work for you too.

"Reliable service from a company you can trust"

Or words to that effect.

A few weeks ago, I ordered Qwest DSL because I heard that the service recently came to my neighborhood. I'd used it in the past, but because I moved to a DSL-free zone, I had to use the cable company. If I'd been at all impressed with the service provided by the cable company's high-speed Internet, the thought would not have crossed my mind. But I wasn't. So, on with my Qwest tale.

For most of the time I've been using Qwest DSL, Qwest DSL has been experience outages on my DSLAM, the point that marries the phone company with the neighborhood's digital lines. Not two or three outages either, and not over a period of days. No. Dozens over several weeks.

Like many consumers, I've become complacent about poor customer service. It seems my objections fall on deaf ears anyway, so why bother. I'll take what I can get at this point because most companies suck anyway.

But today I was presented a banner ad for one of Qwest's offerings. Rather out of a sense of indignance, I clicked the banner, which lead me to a promo page touting what the subect line of my post reads: "Reliable service from a company you can trust".

Right on! Believe it!

I wouldn't be writing this right now if I'd not given the phone company a chance to hear my gripe, so I sent off a contact form. But because ma & pa don't work at ma bell anymore, I don't expect one of their flunkies will care enough to return the love.

Podcasting; "the new broadcaster" – or "an open letter to the media"

A Podcast, simply put, is an audio file which is automatically downloaded onto the listeners computer and automatically pushed (or synchronized) to his or her iPod (or some other Podcast-supported MP3 player).

Podcasting is a subscription-based medium, and, so far, largely free to listen. But that's only part of the news. It doesn't have to cost a dime to produce a Podcast, so literally anyone with a mic, a computer and a connection to the Internet can become a new broadcaster.

That's the primary reason I've suggested for some time that radio get involved in this fast-moving technology right away, before the industry's left in the dust. Be sure that what I mean by "left in the dust" is that its clientele are going to Podcasting as a means to market their products without radio, so if radio wants to stay in that revenue loop, it better at least be offering Podcasting solutions for its partners.

Podcast nuts & bolts

Format
The audio file in question obviously has to be recorded and saved to a format that is common, almost exclusively MP3 today. Apple's iTunes service does use their proprietary AAS format and there may be a handful of Real-flavored shows (as in RAM or RM format), but MP3 has become the de facto standard for Internet audio, which is the reason we call the portable digital audio players "MP3 Players".

Process
Once a file is stored on some server some where, the publisher must then tell one or more of the many Podcast directories where to find it. This is where the Blogging technology comes in, so if you're not yet familiar with how Blogging works, I'll ask you to leave the room now (or search for "Blogging" at wikipedia.org and come back here).

Once the publisher is all done publishing, the audio file is "out there" and an RSS feed has been published (using a Podcast-supported blog engine), then a person can, with the use of an RSS news aggregator application (I could spend weeks explaining all these terms to you), subscribe to the Podcast and choose to keep it on their computer or, even better yet, sync it with his or her iPod (or some other MP3 Player) and take the show on the road, so to speak.

Google and Wikipedia.org are instrumental in your Podcasting research, so get on the net to learn more.

More about why radio ought to be embracing this technology. The fact is, most Podcasts are of a low quality and most Podcasters, as they're called, are not very polished. That may or may not be regarded as "part of the charm", but I do believe people get better with age and experience. Some of today's amateurs are tomorrow's Howard Sterns and Rush Limbaughs.

____________________________________________________________
Danny Bishop was host & producer of the WHO Radio Wiseguys. He and his former co-host Corey Allen now publish a Podcast across two cities (New York and Des Moines) called "The Allen Bishop Show".

How to keep radio's birds in the air

Mega broadcaster Clear Channel already has some interests in one of its biggest potential competitors: satellite radio. But that ownership might not be enough to insulate the media giant from catastrophe if the newer medium eats away at terrestrial radio's market share -- particularly if startups join XM and Sirrius in the emerging battle for aural ad revenues. The thing that could make a difference for old time radio is getting more local programming off the ground, in new communications initiatives. And the most viable way to do that is by embracing the new wave of smaller, more efficient aerospace developers, like tSpace and Scaled Composites, to launch them.

Look, there's not so much complicated technology in satellites that a few motivated broadcasters can't achieve some fruitful R&D. The largest expense in the venture has always been getting the little buggers into orbit. That's where a strong partnership would really come in handy.

Confessed BTK serial killer Dennis Rader

WICHITA, Kansas -- Can the the totality of a man or woman be derived from the worst or best act they have committed? Is forgiveness a function of condoning an offenders' act?

It may be simply choosing not to carry a poisonous resentment.

Judgment in these cases is not for a layman to impose. At most, it is for the creator, and at least for the morally studied. I am neither. I have merely a passing acquaintence with morality.

At the same time, I have not been convinced that a death sentence can be justified. It seems too easy an answer to me and I would rather see crimes against poeple be answered by the generation of electricity by themselves, through treadmills and squirrel cage inductance.

Mickelson, Friday, August 13

John Hanson from the Iowa Concrete Association talks about energy savings of concrete construction. Newt Gingrich on "Winning the Future". More nonsense with Suzy.

http://www.whoradio.com/mickelson/audio/fridaylo.mp3

Novak swears, walks off CNN set

Wholly bullshit, Batman! James Carville and Bob Novak got into a bit of a tif Thursday while contributing to CNN's Inside Politics alongside host Ed Henry.

The conversation turned to US Senate hopeful Katherine Harris and how newspapers retouched photos of her, to which Novak claimed he'd be defamed in just such a way. Carville couldn't wait to pounce, asking, "which paper"? Enter the CNN transcript:

HENRY: And the "Strategy Session" continues on INSIDE POLITICS. Still here: James Carville and Robert Novak.

Katherine Harris made a name for her self during the Florida recount in the 2000 presidential race. She was then Florida's secretary of state. She went on to the House of Representatives.

Now she wants to move over to the United States Senate. Today she got the news that the speaker of the Florida House won't challenge her for the Republican nomination. In the meantime, Harris is blaming unnamed newspapers for tarnishing her image by doctoring her makeup with Photoshop. -- that computer program. Bob Novak, have you been investigating this make-up story?

NOVAK: No, but I've had the same experience that she did. A lot of my trouble in the world is that they've doctored my make-up and colorized me in a lot of newspapers on my picture. So, I sympathize with her.

HENRY: This is breaking news. I've haven't heard this.

CARVILLE: Breaking news. Who did it? What paper?

NOVAK: Well, I don't. I can't tell you.

CARVILLE: Yes. You know the two happiest people in America today about this decision, is Bill Nelson and Jay Leno. I mean --

HENRY: Bill Nelson the Democratic Senator.

CARVILLE: The Democratic Senator and Jay Leno. That -- I mean, they're going to go nuts over this. They're messing with my make-up, but you really don't know who it is. I mean, let's say this: She's going to be good for the humor circuit. She's going to be good for the speech circuit and she's good for a lot. And I think that Nelson -- I think, it's probably no secret that the White House wanted the speaker to run and I suspect that the Nelson people are, you know, feeling pretty good here today.

NOVAK: A couple of points here: The first place, don't be too sure she's going to lose. All the establishment's against her and I've seen these Republican -- anti-establishment candidates who do pretty well. Ronald Reagan, I guarantee you that the establishment wasn't for him. We just elected a senator from Oklahoma, Senator Tom Coburn, everybody in the establishment was against him. She might get elected -- So, wait. Just let me finish what I'm going to say, James. Please, I know you hate to hear me, but you have...

CARVILLE: He's got to show these right wingers that he's got backbone, you know. It's why The Wall Street Journal editorial page is watching you. Show 'em you're tough.

NOVAK: Well, I think that's bullshit. And I hate that. Just let it go.

(Novak leaves set.)

Read the transcript. (Look near the bottom of the page)

Mickelson Wednesday 8/3

Newsradio 1040 WHO Des Moines: "What to do about Iowa panhandlers? What a terrible job. Hard Currency salesman Craig Smith says we are awash in debt...a bad sign. The President thinks it's time to permit intelligent design to be taught along side Darwinism. Jay Richards from the Discovery Institute agrees."

http://www.whoradio.com/mickelson/audio/wednesdaylo.mp3