Old Weird Ward
Unless otherwise noted, that which is posted here is opinion, which is protected by the First Amendment to the US Constitution. If you don't like my opinions, go somewhere else. Nobody is forcing you to actually read this drivel.
The presumption exists that you can read at all.
That may be a large assumption.
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Thursday, December 16, 2004
- - - - - The Future of Information Delivery - - - - -
Robert Thompson predicts HERE that the big broadcasters are deader than the passenger pigeon, but just haven't figured it out yet.
Roadrunner just announced that it's boosting download speed caps for residential users from 3 Mb/s to 5 Mb/s in January, with business users jumping from 6 Mb/s to 8 Mb/s. Internet2 can transfer an entire DVD in four seconds. Technologies like WiMax hold the promise of delivering inexpensive, fast broadband access even in thinly populated areas. Soon, anyone anywhere who wants a fast broadband connection will be able to have one at an affordable price. That's the death knell for broadcasting.
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He also makes a point in the article that the centralized company that deals mainly in information is also going to go away, using as his example the law firm that his wife works for.
Mr. Thompson also describes this:
In fact, I wonder if there's a business opportunity in office outsourcing. I can visualize a company that hosts businesses that are changing to a telecommuting model. Provide office space dedicated to the needs of telecommuting-based businesses. Small suites, some with dedicated meeting rooms and others for those satisfied with common meeting rooms. Centralized server and telecomm facilities that would eliminate the need for companies to employ much dedicated IT staff. Redundant datacomm set up to meet the requirements of a large number of telecommuters. Technicians who could be dispatched to the homes of telecommuters who had computer or telecomm problems. Consultants who would help companies design and deploy a comprehensive telecommuting plan. And so on.
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So, I talked to Mrs. OWW about this (she works for a Large Defense Company), and she wrote this for me:
That is all fine and good. I would love to be able to telecommute. The desire for working in my PJs and slippers, notwithstanding.
"Technically", most of what I do, could be done from home, sans children of course. But, in my job, alot of human interaction is involved. Yes, alright, it could be argued that I could use the phone. I also have to go hunt data down in various areas. Fax machine, you say.
I would have to have an entire set of books (a minimum of 20 binders) that I would need to duplicate and have at home for my reference. I would need access to all of the [computer-based] financial systems that I can access now. In some cases, due to security, that would be tough. I work on a Naval base with some heavy-duty security requirements. Nuff said.
Again, the idea has it's merits and would be great in the commercial world. I'd jump at a chance for something like that. It's the ideal situation. But for some companies it's not as easy as you make it out to be. And for some jobs, it's just not feasible. |
Which brings me to a column by Fred Reed. (The title of the column is Read Your Local Newspaper - While You Still Can. Unfortunately, there's no direct link available to it, but you can find his stuff HERE.
| Crucially, newspapers have lost control of the means of distribution. Before the web, you pretty much had to use the classified ads in the paper to sell your broken lawnmower, the personal ads to find someone to divorce, and the real-estate section to look for a burdensome mortgage. Now eBay is the national classifieds. Online dating services offer unlimited space for photos, text; online reality sites can carry far more information than a paper. These are important revenue streams. No revenue, no newspaper. |
My first, transitory reaction was "So what?"
My second is "Hmmmm....this is going to take a while, because the networks and the newspapers are NOT going to go quietly." And they won't. There will be Laws To Save Your Local Paper for a while, and the establishment pundits will bemoan the loss of CBS/NBC/ABC/CNN/FOX/whatever.
But guess what?
Things like Townhall will be there for commentary, and like MoveOn.org for politics, and Yahoo! News for news.
And then there's folks like me (evil grin) - Pajamahadeen, keeping a gimlet eye upon the purveyors of news, and catching them out when they screw up as Dan Rather did by relying on forged documents. And no, I didn't have anything to do with Rather-gate - I just looked on in admiration.
I see that I ran really long on this, and I'm still not done thinking about it. I think I may also re-read "The Third Wave", by Alvin Toffler.
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