Wasted Bandwidth?

Last weekend I was deleting a bunch of old Podcasts off the computer & realized I had downloaded hundreds of megabytes of data without ever doing anything with it.  I had never considered Internet bandwidth as a finite resource but, like water, it really is.

Think about how many SPAM emails are never opened.  How many tabs on your browser are  currently not in view (and receiving advertisements).  Streaming audio from an Internet radio station thats playing to an empty room.  This can all add up really fast & it’s really no different than leaving the faucet on and letting the water go down the drain (it’s just not tangible).

With the increasing popularity of NetFlix, and other streaming media services, comes an even bigger demand on available bandwidth.  Can the existing infrastructure hold up much longer given the increasing demand from consumers?

It was not that long ago when people accessed the Internet over a dial-up modem.  Remember when 56Kbps came out?  Then DSL and Cable modems slowly became available with ~3Mb connections (goodbye dial-up!).  Now, in many areas, 20+Mb connections are standard. I get ~18Mb for less than I was paying for 3Mb 5 years ago.

At some point the bandwidth is not going to matter.  The latency and over subscription of the network is going to bring everything to its knees.  Networks are a lot like highways.  The number of lanes controls your “bandwidth” & the speed limit is you “latency”.  You can add all the lanes you want. If you don’t increase the speed limit you’re not going to get there any faster.  The Internet Traffic Report gives a great overview of where things are slowing down (or offline all together) and the current trending of network speeds.

As we all continue to try & be “Green” to Save the Planet, I wonder if we’re going to end up having to do something similar in the near future to Save the Internet…

Is Groupon Good for Business?

After watching the Freakonomics movie, I started thinking about this…

I’ve been on the mailing list for the “Flash Sale/Deal-of-the-day” site called Groupon for several months.  It was not until I learned about a Blackberry application did I actually take note of the “deals” and purchase one.

Although I had a good experience and saved 55% off a lunch I would have paid full price for I could not help but notice how many people were taking advantage of the same offer.  I heard the word Groupon mentioned by customer and staff repeatedly.

The place was packed more than I’ve ever seen before & tempers were starting to flare as the number of seats came into short supply.  The constant attempt by the waitstaff to turn the tables, no doubt to help get everyone moved through the system, was also a big turn off.

I’ve started going back through my Gmail archive looking at the previous deals and I’m pretty surprised by the size of some of the discounts (80% in some cases).

This leads me to a couple of conclusions/questions:

  • There’s a tremendous markup in a all of these products and services
  • Businesses are willing to break even (or loose a little money) to bring in new customers
  • If I get a large discount for a product or service, am I going to be willing to pay full price for it again?
  • If hundreds of people take advantage of a service, such as a hair salon, how many weeks can that business survive with decreased margins and what about the regulars who suddenly cant get an appointment?

How are these online services any better than the Entertainment books we’ve all bought for $20 at one time or another that gave us hundreds of buy-on-get-one coupons for places we would probably never check out were it not for the “deal”?  A little research online revealed that Groupon takes 50% of the already discounted price and then pays the rest to the business over 2 months.

I’m going to continue using the service & look forward to some good deals while doing so.  So my take is this, if you’re a consumer these deals can be great.  If you’re a business, be very careful before jumping on board…

Finally, if I can’t get into my dentist or barber because of one of these deals I’ll quickly change my opinion!

Watched Shutter Island & LOVED IT!

I don’t do a lot of movie reviews on the blog but after watching Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island Shutter Island last night I had to spread the word about how great this movie is!

The movie takes place in 1954 where Leonardo DiCaprio plays US Marshal Teddy Daniels.  Daniels and his partner Chuck, played by Mark Ruffalo are sent to a mental institution on a remote island to investigate the report of an escaped patient thought to be somewhere on the island.

Categorized as a Drama/Mystery/Thriller Shutter Island has a few disturbing scenes along with great visuals.  Max Von Sydow (I’ll always remember him from Strange Brew) and Ben Kingsley play very convincing roles as Psychiatrists at the hospital.

The movie has one of the better endings I’ve seen in a long time.  I can’t say any more without possibly giving up one of the many plots in the movie.  If you are looking for a captivating 2-hour movie I don’t think you can go wrong with this one!

W.H. Harrison Indiana Bourbon Made in Indiana

News Flash!  Bourbon is NOT limited to production in Kentucky!  Evidently this is a common misconception as the few people who I’ve talked to about the new W.H. Harrison Indiana Bourbon thought the same thing I did.  Kentucky is  however the only state allowed to put its name on the bottle.

Named after the late William Henry Harrison this bourbon follows the Brourbon rules:

  • Bourbon must be made of a grain mixture that is at least 51% corn (maize).
  • Bourbon must be distilled to no more than 160 (U.S.) proof (80% alcohol by volume).
  • Neither coloring nor flavoring may be added.
  • Bourbon must be aged in new, charred oak barrels.
  • Bourbon must be entered into the barrel at no more than 125 proof (62.5% alcohol by volume).
  • Bourbon, like other whiskeys, may be bottled at not less than 80 proof (40% alcohol by volume).
  • Bourbon that meets the above requirements and has been aged for a minimum of two years may (but is not required to) be called Straight Bourbon.
  • Straight Bourbon aged for a period less than four years must be labeled with the duration of its aging.
  • If an age is stated on the label, it must be the age of the youngest whiskey in the bottle.
  • Only whiskey produced in the United States can be called bourbon.

Available a several retail locations in Indiana I’m planning on picking up a bottle for research purposes.  I have a few favorite Kentucky Bourbons so I’m curious to see how W.H. Harrison compares.  More to come on this one…

CALM Act Approved by Congress

Here’s something I thought was already a law!  Congress has just passed the Commercial Advertising Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act and is senting it to POTUS for his signature.  Once signed into effect, the new legislation will require that all advertisers modulate their volume down so it’s no higher than that of the program you’re watching.  More information at Engadget.

Apple Might Have Missed the Boat

Research in Motion (RIM) acquired The Astonishing Tribe (TAT), a Swedish firm who’s known for their incredible User Interface designs.  This could mean great things for those of us who are loyal Blackberry users.  Only time will tell…  This promotional video just scratches the surface of things we could be seeing in the near future.