The watchdog group Parents Television Council has documented the exponential rise of expletives in broadcast television with interesting statistics. Among them, use of bleeped or muted “f-words” has increased by 2409% in the past five years.
Not so, according to Karl Bode writing at DSLReports.com. Bode argues that such a claim is hardly supported by the facts, and instead suggests it is mere agitprop disseminated by ISP advocates and picked up by an undiscriminating media.
David A. Fulghum at the Ares Defense Technology blog discusses efforts by the US military, and in particular Air Force’s Space Command, to integrate cyberoperations into the broader mission of supporting combatant commands around the globe.
J. Angelo Racoma at the CMSWire reports on recent negotiations that fell through between Sprint and two Chinese corporations, ZTE and Huawei. Sprint claims it chose to work with other companies for its telecom infrastructure upgrades due to doubts concerning ZTE’s and Huawei’s technical capabilities to complete the contract, but Racoma points to evidence suggesting national security concerns and pressure from the government likely played a role as well.
Paul Gattis at the Alabama Blog discusses the cyber-security coursework that is being offered by University of Alabama at Huntsville. The program is aimed at making the US more competitive in the cybersecurity realm.
Loretta Chao at the WSJ’s China Real Time Report discusses the latest developments in a conflict between Chinese companies Tencent (major ISP) and Qihoo (Internet security company). As a result of the public spat, Microsoft has seen gains in new users for its MSN Messenger service, from tens of thousands per day to millions, since the conflict began.
Grant Gross from IDG News Service reports on calls made by a group of “net pioneers” for an truly open Internet, separate from networks where traffic may be prioritized or otherwise treated disparately. The group includes Steve Wozniak, Clay Shirky, and David Reed, among others. To see the group’s full comments, click here.
A number of suggestions have been offered to reform the FCC’s Lifeline and Link-up programs, which provide phone access (and perhaps broadband services in the near future) to the poor. One notable suggestion would automatically sign up individuals for these services after applying for food stamps or similar benefits.
This article contains observations from an early pioneer who terminated his cable subscription and has helped to integrate a new paradigm for video consumption into the zeitgeist.
Two interesting, yet difficult-to-prove stories involving giants of the industry: (1) Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) says Google’s recent privacy breach of residential Wi-Fi networks was a “conscious effort”; (2) Prof. Susan Crawford suggests that Comcast, concerned about its pending merger with NBC-Universal, had a say in Keith Olbermann’s suspension from MSNBC.
Marvin Ammori 