Archive for category Broadband
What is the Value of Privacy
Posted by Mark Hewitt in Broadband, Economy on February 21, 2012
The press has been relentless lately on the cost of our privacy with news of Google bypassing the privacy features in Safari and the multi-billion dollar IPO of Facebook. Yet our privacy has been traded for near term value for many years Neilson Reports got people to give up information about their personal and family behaviors decades ago. Cellular providers have known about your personal patterns since the late 80’s and networks like NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, CW, CNN, etc. all exchange content for a little information about you.
Now with the pressure to proclaim anyone that uses proxies and anonymizers as potential terrorists and criminals even the FBI has gotten into the act with a flyer that suggests that people that are overly concerned about privacy may be terrorists.
Now I must admit that if I were someone wishing to do other harm that privacy would be foremost on my mind however I personally enjoy using Google’s Latitude tracking feature to keep track of when and where I go – I think it’s pretty cool and I guess since I’m not a terrorist that no one really cares – BUT! I don’t like having advertising pop up based on my last couple of searches either – so I’ve been trying projects out like Read the rest of this entry »
Creating a New World one City at a Time
Posted by Mark Hewitt in Broadband, Cooperatisim, Economy, Trust, US Broadband Coalition on January 23, 2012
I was recently struck by two seemly unrelated topics that were mentioned in Jim Baller’s daily broadband list under the title “America’s Competitiveness” One in the New York Times talks about a technology summit held at the White House where Obama asked Steve Jobs what would it take for America to keep the jobs that produce the iPhone? The second article in The Atlantic Cities talks about empowering Regions to reinvent themselves.
We are approaching a time where more than half of the world’s population lives in Cities; there is no Nation in the World today that can survive without at least one thriving city population. Cities have become the urban economic engine to the regional economy that surrounds it.
A third element “The Internet” has also made its impact on the world and again yet another article in Jim’s list on Read the rest of this entry »
Join me at the SUITS Conference this Jan 31st
Posted by Mark Hewitt in Broadband, Cooperatisim, Economy, Science and Engineering on January 22, 2012
The Synopsis Under IP/Patents Telecom Sourcing Conference (SUITS) was launched to advance the knowledge innovators of telecommunications including developers, implementers, licenses, licensors, end users, carriers and enterprise patents.
Learn how to be aware and prepare to protect your most valuable assets – individual and company patents and intellectual property stored in the Patent Eco System or being held for security.
I will be moderating a few sessions if you would like to join me here is a link to a discounted registration –> SUITS
Today marks the birth of Broadband
Posted by Mark Hewitt in Broadband, Broadband Stimulus, Science and Engineering, US Broadband Coalition on January 6, 2012
This day January 6th 1838 Samuel Morse’s telegraph system was demonstrated for the first time at the Speedwell Iron Works in Morristown, New Jersey. For those of you to young to remember Morse Code (required for FCC 1st class licenses) sent a series of pulses long and short that was used to transmit words and information over wire. This invention would eventually revolutionize long distance communications and yes today’s Internet where the pulses are streams of data.
The Telegraph was truly an invention and spurred millions of new ideas creating what today is a world wide network bridging the gap between Nations and People.
My Congratulations to a real inventor and a healthy acknowledgement of Samuel Morse’s impact on the world.
Enabling The Trust That Society Needs to Thrive
Posted by Mark Hewitt in Broadband, Science and Engineering, Trust on December 26, 2011
March of 2012 Bruce Schneier – (author of the Crypto-Gram) will release his new title Liars and Outliers (Click on the link to pre-order the book) Bruce introduces ideas from across social and biological sciences he explains how we induce trust. The publisher is sending a review copy and I promise a full and detailed report on the book as soon as it’s available.
For additional information here is a link to the Press Release and Here is a link to Bruce’s “Crypto-Gram”
Enjoy and Happy New Year
Today is “iDay” as we remember an iCon
Posted by Mark Hewitt in Apple, Broadband, Steve Jobs on October 5, 2011
Apple announced just a short while ago that Steve Jobs has passed on at age 56 just three years younger than myself and with a life of fantastic legacy with his vision, passion, and most of all desire to build products that consumers actually wanted.
Many in the “Open” community complain about Apple’s closed view of the world, however it was that closed system that gave us a family of technology that wasn’t actually unfriendly.
Steve shaped the world we all live in, and to some part shaped my own life; his vision and passion for products is catching and during the balance of my career I only hope to carry on that same vision.
Coming from an Apple family, with two brothers that helped shape the company one that is still part of the team. I salute the life and vision of Steve Jobs; wishing his family, friends, and extended Apple family warm wishes and sincere condolences for our loss.
Here’s to 56 years of value to the world.
Sustainability
Posted by Mark Hewitt in Broadband, Broadband Stimulus, Cooperatisim, Earth Day, Economy, Physics on July 27, 2011
May you live in interesting times… an old Chinese saying that sometimes is called a curse; and as I watch our political leadership mire itself in their own self-interest jockeying for position as to which political party will survive the 2012 election at the expense of not only our economy; at the expense of lives and our future.
This process however is as predictable as knowing that the Sun will rise in the East; Interesting to realize that the only way to succeed at the point of the greatest level of complexity in a society is to not play the game. I hope that most of you have had the opportunity to read some of the work from Physicist Geoffrey West who properly states Read the rest of this entry »
Skype’s new home Microsoft
Posted by Mark Hewitt in Broadband, Cooperatisim, Economy, Mobile VoIP on May 10, 2011

Skype
Today’s announcement of the $8.5 Billion dollar cash purchase of Skype by Microsoft will

Microsoft
have the world buzzing with chatter and speculation for weeks to come. Here are my outtakes from today’s announcement.
- Skype founders Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis were (are) team builders; the company succeeded against the giant telecom odds by collaboration and strong leaders that really bonded
- Skype has formed perhaps the largest active peer to peer network in the world; with access to now over 50 million TV’s and other devices Microsoft will soon be expected to add Skype to Xbox, Kinect and perhaps reawaken the seemingly dead Microsoft Mobile platform
- New revenues from advertizing something that has always held back Microsoft in achieving a strong financial model like Google to “Give Away” things in order to generate revenue.
- Skype has become a “Verb” and Microsoft will leverage this across their applications; I see it becoming part of Read the rest of this entry »
The Cooperative Revolution
Posted by Mark Hewitt in Broadband, Cooperatisim, Earth Day, Economy, Science and Engineering on April 23, 2011

Working Together
Man’s growth over the past few hundred years has led to the Industrial Revolution, the Information Age, and with the birth of the Computer and the Internet we are on the precipice of the Cooperative Revolution.
The Cooperative Age is the period in which we develop our understanding that through self responsibility we are greater working together than apart; scrabbling over the same common resources like energy, water, food, land. Cooperatism is not a new concept Read the rest of this entry »

