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Today's Topics:
1. A second life for your first PlayStation (Greg Williams)
2. British Princess planning space trip (Greg Williams)
3. Older Toys Seek New Fans With Makeovers (George Antunes)
4. Deutsche Telekom CEO Resigns (George Antunes)
5. Billionaires Set to Fight Over L.A Times (George Antunes)
6. Scientists to Study Hurricane Forecasts (George Antunes)
7. Surf 'n' ride: Access the Web from the road (George Antunes)
8. Men take CB radio feud outside, wind up injured (Greg Williams)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Sun, 12 Nov 2006 02:31:15 -0500
From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] A second life for your first PlayStation
To: Media News <medianews@twiar.org>
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
A second life for your first PlayStation
Ancient game machine doubles as amazing-sounding hi-fi component
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15484873/
Is there an original Sony PlayStation game console still in use in your
home? Or do you have your PS1 buried at the bottom of a closet?
It turns out your video game console may be worth a lot more than you
think. You might actually own one of the best sounding, high-fidelity CD
players out there.
Audiophiles have been abuzz about PlayStation 1 audio for some time now.
There has been a lot of experimenting with these game consoles with some
very interesting results.
Story continues below ? advertisement
One of my guides in this journey has been Michael Lavorgna ? an audio
guru who writes for 6moons.com. Michael has been listening to his
PlayStation for a while now and helped me find the best-sounding machines.
Sony?s first PlayStation was released in the United States in September,
1995. It had a custom MIPS R3000 processor and it used CD-ROMs for
playing games. Sony sold more than 100 million units. That means there
are a lot of used ones out there.
There were a number of different PlayStation models made over the
PlayStation 1's five-year life span. Michael told me to look for a
PlayStation with the model number SCPH-1001, which is the unit with
separate audio and video RCA output jacks. That particular model allows
audiophiles to use their own (expensive) audio cables to get ?perfect?
sound.
I also tried one of the other PlayStation consoles that didn?t have
separate RCA output jacks. Other models had a single output cord with
audio and video jacks at the end. I found one in good condition on eBay.
Before I started my listening tests, Michael had a warning for me: "Plug
in the units ? turn ?em on ? and don?t turn them off." It seems the
PlayStations sound best when left on all the time. Michael was right.
You shouldn?t even listen for the first three days. Both units need
every second of the break-in period.
Overall, both of these PlayStation game consoles make really terrific CD
component decks. Compared to a Pioneer DVD/CD/SACD player, the Sonys
sounded clearer and cleaner. They also held their own against my
top-of-the-line, Class A+ rated Sony SACD machine.
But in the end, the more expensive player was just plain better. As for
the PlayStations, I preferred, slightly, the sound of my 009 model to
the 1001 ? but the differences were few.
I preferred the 1001?s original Sony game controller to the bright
red ?aftermarket? controller which came with the 009. PlayStation
controllers are wired units. They are not as flexible as more modern
wireless remote controls units which come with most devices. Plus, since
the controllers weren?t designed for home audio use, you?re on your own
to figure out what to press to get your music to play.
If you already own a PlayStation you should dust it off and give it a
listen. And, if you want to buy one you should be able to find a console
good shape for $25 or less on eBay. My 009 cost me all of $20 ?
including shipping. And, there were a bunch of neat video games thrown
in as well.
--
Greg Williams
K4HSM
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.twiar.org
http://www.etskywarn.net
------------------------------
Message: 2
Date: Sun, 12 Nov 2006 12:51:47 -0500
From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] British Princess planning space trip
To: Media News <medianews@twiar.org>
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
BRIT'S BEA PLANNING STAR TREK
http://www.nypost.com/seven/11122006/news/worldnews/brits_bea_planning_star_trek_worldnews_todd_venezia.htm
November 12, 2006 -- Britain's Princess Beatrice plans to take a small
step that could turn her into Princess Leia.
The 18-year-old is set to become the first member of the royal family to
travel in space by blasting off with billionaire Richard Branson's new
Virgin Galactic enterprise.
She was persuaded to make the round trip to outer space by her new
boyfriend, David Clark, a Branson salesman and marketing rep, according
to Britain's Daily Mail.
"She's very keen to do it," Clark told the newspaper. "At first Bea
said, 'No way.' She was worried, but I've managed to convince her to do it."
The Virgin Galactic will be the world's first commercial spacecraft.
Tickets are going for nearly $200,000 - although it was unclear if the
princess will have to pay the fare, the paper said.
There is still a lot to do before the royal becomes a space oddity, the
flights - planned to last for 31/2 hours - will not take off until at
least 2009.
Also, it is unclear if Beatrice's parents, Prince Andrew and his
ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, have agreed to let her become a "reginaut."
--
Greg Williams
K4HSM
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.twiar.org
http://www.etskywarn.net
------------------------------
Message: 3
Date: Sun, 12 Nov 2006 18:38:09 -0600
From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] Older Toys Seek New Fans With Makeovers
To: medianews@twiar.org
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Message-ID:
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1; format=flowed;
x-avg-checked=avg-ok-64A0314E
Older Toys Seek New Fans With Makeovers
Associated Press
Sunday November 12, 2006 12:30 AM EST
http://finance.myway.com/jsp/nw/nwdt_rt_top.jsp?news_id=ap-d8lbb34g1&;
It seems an unlikely pair ? the trendy SpongeBob SquarePants teaming up
with the aging Etch A Sketch. Ohio Art Co. is banking that replacing Etch A
Sketch's familiar red rectangle case with Nickelodeon's most popular
cartoon characters will make the iconic baby boomer toy more appealing to
kids and young mothers.
Other toy shelf staples also have gotten makeovers.
Monopoly is out with a new version that replaces the Atlantic City
Boardwalk with Times Square. And who can forget when Barbie ditched her
longtime beau Ken just two years ago.
Traditional toys have been losing ground to electronics in recent years ?
sales fell 4 percent to $21.3 billion last year, according to the market
research firm NPD Group Inc. For the makers of classic toys, creating a new
look is one way to compete against video games and the holiday season's
"must have" toys.
"Our challenge is to continue to make Etch a Sketch exciting for the next
generation of kids," said Martin Killgallon, marketing director for
Bryan-based Ohio Art. "One way to do that is with licensing."
Two new versions that will start appearing in stores this month feature
SpongeBob and Dora the Explorer, one of the most popular preschool
characters on TV today. The new editions include screen overlays with
puzzles and mazes.
By teaming with Nickelodeon, Ohio Art hopes to reach a younger age group at
a time when children are giving up toys at earlier ages.
The deal also sets up opportunities to cross promote its products with the
popular television network. "They're the hottest licenses going today,"
Killgallon said.
It's not the first time Etch a Sketch has shaken up its look. The company
experimented with pink and lime-green versions and heart-shaped ones. The
classic version is still available, too. Ohio Art won't release sales
figures but says they have been steady in recent years.
More than 100 million Etch A Sketches have been sold worldwide since it was
invented in 1960. The drawing toy that operates with two knobs to create
pictures is by far Ohio Art's best-known product. The company makes a
variety of learning-based toys.
Hasbro Inc., the nation's second-largest toy maker behind Mattel Inc.,
reported in October that sales are up 7 percent this year for its classic
board games, which include Clue, Monopoly and Trivial Pursuit ? all of
which have multiple versions. Monopoly alone has about 200 different editions.
There's a fine line, though, when it comes to updating a classic.
Lego Group found out in 2003 when it tried expanding beyond its plastic
building blocks and began developing action figures, clothing and a
television show. The Billund, Denmark-based company fell into a financial
crisis, losing $237 million that year.
"The key lesson we learned the hard way is that classic brands need to
maintain what makes them loved," said Michael McNally, Lego's brand
relations director.
The company no longer makes action figures and outsources the clothing
production. The TV show also has been dropped, returning Lego's focus to
its colorful plastic bricks. Now sales are back where they were five years
ago, McNally said.
"We've refocused our attention on what we do best," he said.
Giving a classic toy a new look without altering it too much is a smart
move, said Jonathan Samet, publisher of The Toy Book, a trade publication.
He said even though some of best known traditional toys ? such as steel
erector sets ? have all but disappeared from stores, they do have a strong
name recognition with grandparents and moms.
"They just keep buying them," he said. "The Slinky doesn't go away. Etch A
Sketch never goes away. Monopoly never goes away. Classic toys just keep
coming back."
Childhood development expert Stevanne Auerbach, who's known as Dr. Toy,
said classic toys are the backbone of play. Board games teach children to
take turns and strategic thinking.
"Kids can have as much fun with these toys as we did when we were kids,"
she said. "When they have these variations it just extends the kind of play."
But multiple versions of the same game take up more shelf space in stores
and squeeze out toys made by lesser known companies, said Tim Walsh, the
author of "Timeless Toys" and a game inventor.
"It really gives you less of a choice," he said.
Only a handful of classic toys have remained unchanged, Walsh said. Milton
Bradley's battery-operated game Operation hasn't been altered much except
for the removal of a cigarette from the surgeon's mouth on the box, he said.
The Wiffle Ball, made in Shelton, Conn., is another timeless toy that's
still the same as it was in 1953 when it was first sold.
"The box is virtually identical," Walsh said. "They're proud of the fact
that it's never changed."
He said some toys survive because of their classic stature. Monopoly, as an
example, has a long list of rules and takes hours to play, he said.
"If Monopoly was to come out for the first time today, it would fail
miserably," Walsh said. "Etch A Sketch today wouldn't make it. It's not a
very easy toy to use. They have to be creative in their marketing."
???
On the Net:
Ohio Art: http://www.world-of-toys.com
Lego: http://www.lego.com
Hasbro: http://www.hasbro.com/
================================
George Antunes, Political Science Dept
University of Houston; Houston, TX 77204
Voice: 713-743-3923 Fax: 713-743-3927
antunes at uh dot edu
------------------------------
Message: 4
Date: Sun, 12 Nov 2006 18:39:14 -0600
From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] Deutsche Telekom CEO Resigns
To: medianews@twiar.org
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Message-ID:
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1; format=flowed;
x-avg-checked=avg-ok-64A0314E
Deutsche Telekom CEO Resigns
Associated Press
Sunday November 12, 4:37 PM EST
http://finance.myway.com/jsp/nw/nwdt_rt_top.jsp?news_id=ap-d8lbp8hg0&;
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) ? Deutsche Telekom AG Chief Executive Kai-Uwe Ricke
will step down from Europe's biggest telecommunications company on Monday,
the company said late Sunday, the second German CEO to fall from glory.
Ricke, who took over as CEO four years ago, made the decision after the
company's board met on Sunday. He had been under pressure from shareholders
who were unhappy with the company's lowered profit and sales forecasts amid
fierce competition in its home market of Germany.
German media had been rife with speculation since Thursday that Ricke's
tenure was on the edge after the company reported a 20-percent dip in its
third-quarter net profit and slowing growth in most of its markets, save
for the lucrative cellular business in the United States.
A replacement was not immediately named, but Dow Jones Newswires reported,
citing people familiar with the supervisory board meeting, that Rene
Obermann, the CEO of the Bonn-based company's wireless unit, was likely to
be tapped to replace Ricke.
In a brief statement, Deutsche Telekom only said that "the supervisory
board will discuss, and may resolve on, Ricke's succession as CEO in a
meeting" on Monday.
The company did not say why Ricke resigned, but analysts had said that the
board and two of Deutsche Telekom's main shareholders, the German
government, which holds a 32 percent stake, and private equity group
Blackstone, which has 4.5 percent, were unhappy with the slide in Deutsche
Telekom's profit and share price.
Shares of Deutsche Telekom closed Friday at 13.14 euros ($16.90), down 2.4
percent.
Ricke is the second high-profile German CEO to be forced from his job in
less than a week. On Tuesday, car maker Volkswagen AG announced that CEO
Bernd Pischetsrieder, 58, who was given a contract extension in May through
2012, would leave the company on Dec. 31. He will be replaced by Martin
Winterkorn, the head of VW's luxury car unit Audi AG.
The decision came as VW is cutting up to 20,000 jobs, instituting longer
working hours at its German plants and trimming costs ? a difficult program
that Pischetsrieder instituted in a bid to compete with Asian automakers
and to try and snare a large piece of the U.S. market.
Ricke, whose father was a former CEO for the former state-owned Deutsche
Telekom, has been under intense pressure from domestic rivals for
traditional phone line business, as well as for high-speed Internet
connections and cell phone services. He announced a program last year to
cut as many as 32,000 jobs by 2008.
The company has been losing customers to rivals such as Arcor and Mobilcom,
which offer lower prices for traditional telephone services bundled with
high-speed Internet access.
From July to September, the company said it lost half a million landline
connections, leaving it with 52.3 million customers ? down 5.8 percent from
the 55.5 million it had in the year-ago period.
In the third-quarter, the company earned 1.94 billion euros ($2.5 billion),
down from 2.44 billion euros ($3.14 billion) in the same period a year
earlier. Sales rose 2.8 percent to 15.48 billion euros ($19.91 billion).
???
On the Net:
http://www.deutschetelekom.com
================================
George Antunes, Political Science Dept
University of Houston; Houston, TX 77204
Voice: 713-743-3923 Fax: 713-743-3927
antunes at uh dot edu
------------------------------
Message: 5
Date: Sun, 12 Nov 2006 18:40:32 -0600
From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] Billionaires Set to Fight Over L.A Times
To: medianews@twiar.org
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Message-ID:
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1; format=flowed;
x-avg-checked=avg-ok-64A0314E
Billionaires Set to Fight Over L.A Times
Associated Press
Sunday November 12, 6:51 PM EST
http://finance.myway.com/jsp/nw/nwdt_rt_top.jsp?news_id=ap-d8lbr7bo3&;
LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Like a train wreck or a car accident, when rich people
do battle, everybody stops to watch. Billionaires Ronald Burkle, Eli Broad
and David Geffen haven't taken off the gloves but all signs point to them
fighting for ownership of their troubled hometown newspaper, the Los
Angeles Times. The fortunes of the Times, the nation's fourth-largest daily
newspaper, are being watched closely by a newspaper industry beset by
sales, staffing cutbacks and circulation drops.
Last week Burkle and Broad teamed up to bid for Chicago-based Tribune Co.,
which acquired the paper in 2000 when it bought Times Mirror Co. Details
were not disclosed. It's believed that if they succeed they would sell off
Tribune's other newspapers, TV stations and its baseball team ? the Chicago
Cubs ? and keep just the Times.
Geffen, who has feuded with Broad for years, has not submitted a bid but is
known to be extremely interested in the Times and could seek financing for
the estimated $15 billion or more it might take to purchase Tribune Co. to
get it.
The Tribune's ownership of the Times has been rocky. Disputes between the
paper's leaders and its corporate owners over costs and profits has led to
the dismissal of two Times publishers and two editors. The latest to leave
was editor Dean Baquet, who quit last week.
Tribune signaled its willingness to sell all or part of the company in
September after being pressured by several large shareholders ? among them
the Chandler family that sold the Times to Tribune for $6.5 billion ?
angered by its lagging stock price and sagging circulation.
Many in Los Angeles would like to see the Times returned to local
ownership. However, there is some trepidation about whether an owner like
Geffen, Broad or Burkle ? none of whom returned calls seeking comment ?
could check their egos and not interfere in news coverage, particularly
when that coverage focuses on them or their holdings.
"Whoever buys it has to put aside all ego and do this as a public trust,"
said Steven J. Soboroff, a civic leader who in September signed a letter
urging Tribune management not to make further staff or budget cuts at the
Times. "If the local buyer is unable to do that, we will be wishing for
many years the Tribune never sold them."
Former Times editor John Carroll, who left last year, said he would be
happy if any of the three contenders bought the paper.
"Local ownership is no guarantee of success, but Tribune ownership seems to
be a guarantee of failure," Carroll said. "My hopes are with the billionaires."
Adding to the intrigue is the adversarial relationship between Geffen and
Broad, which dates to their roles in the ultimately successful effort to
secure the 2000 Democratic National Convention for Los Angeles, according
to a profile of Broad in "Vanity Fair" magazine.
Still, Geffen, Broad and Burkle have much in common. Each rose from modest
circumstances to great wealth. Each is a philanthropist. And each actively
supports the Democratic Party.
Of the three potential owners, Burkle is the only one who has made previous
attempts to buy newspapers. In February, through his Yucaipa Cos.
investment firm, Burkle joined forces with union workers at nine Knight
Ridder Inc. newspapers in an effort to buy the chain.
When Knight-Ridder eventually sold to The McClatchy Co., which sold 12
papers it didn't want to keep, Yucaipa again teamed with the Newspaper
Guild-Communications Workers of America to submit a bid.
"They are a company that looks for investments where there is a great deal
of labor-management cooperation," Newspaper Guild president Linda Foley
said. "Burkle has ties to the union movement. He was a union member himself."
The 53-year-old Burkle started as a bag boy in the supermarket chain where
his father was an executive. He later purchased the chain, then bought and
sold larger companies, including Ralphs supermarkets. His wealth is
estimated at $2.3 billion.
Burkle is a close friend of former President Bill Clinton and has raised
funds for U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y.
Broad, 73, was born in the Bronx to Lithuanian immigrants, became an
accountant and, at 23, co-founded Kaufman and Broad, a home builder known
now as KB Home. He bought Sun Life in Insurance Co. in 1971 for $52
million, then sold the company to AIG in 1999 for $18 billion. His net
worth is estimated at $5.8 billion.
He has since taken a high profile role in boosting the arts in Los Angeles,
contributing $18 million to help build the Walt Disney Concert Hall and
donating $60 million to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Broad has told friends that he has not interest in becoming publisher of
the Times and that if he and Burkle win control of the paper it's possible
it would be run by a nonprofit trust.
"I would not be an activist owner," Broad recently told KABC. "I'm not a
newspaper person, other than a reader."
Robert Kotick, chief executive of video game company Activision Inc.,
serves with Burkle on the Yahoo Inc. board and also is a trustee of the Los
Angeles County Museum of Art. He believes Broad and Burkle or Geffen would
be good owners.
"All three of those people deeply care about Los Angeles and they all look
at this as a unique opportunity to serve the community and the greater
good," Kotick said.
Geffen, 63, was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Jewish immigrants from the
Soviet Union. He became a talent agent and in 1970, co-founded Asylum
Records. He helped develop the careers of Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne,
and The Eagles.
He founded Geffen Records in 1980 and his own film production company in
1983. His first movie was "Risky Business," which launched the career of
Tom Cruise. In 1994, he joined with director Steven Spielberg and producer
Jeffrey Katzenberg to form a film studio, DreamWorks SKG.
He was a millionaire by the time he was 25. His net worth is estimated at
$4.6 billion. Geffen has also donated billions to charity, including $200
million to the UCLA Medical School.
He has been selling parts of his art collection recently and some have
speculated he is building a war chest for a battle to buy the Times.
David Fleming, chairman of the Los Angeles Economic Development Commission,
who knows all three billionaires, believes they are sincere in their desire
to preserve the Times as an independent voice of a major American city.
"They want to preserve a great asset," he said, "and they think the time
has come to use their considerable wealth to do that."
================================
George Antunes, Political Science Dept
University of Houston; Houston, TX 77204
Voice: 713-743-3923 Fax: 713-743-3927
antunes at uh dot edu
------------------------------
Message: 6
Date: Sun, 12 Nov 2006 18:41:50 -0600
From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] Scientists to Study Hurricane Forecasts
To: medianews@twiar.org
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED],
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Message-ID:
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed;
x-avg-checked=avg-ok-64A0314E
Scientists to Study Hurricane Forecasts
Nov 9, 2006 7:23 PM (ET)
By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN
Associated Press
http://apnews.myway.com//article/20061110/D8L9SDE80.html
BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. (AP) - Scientists at a new research institute are
studying ways to improve hurricane forecasts and protect the Gulf Coast's
natural resources from storms, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration announced Thursday.
The federally funded Northern Gulf Institute at Stennis Space Center joins
dozens of researchers who also study ecosystem management, coastal
wetlands, climate change and coastal hazards in and around the Gulf of
Mexico, the agency said.
The institute's mission is to tackle "some of the largest challenges that
we face in our environment, in the country, in the world," more than a year
after Hurricane Katrina devastated the coast, said NOAA Administrator
Conrad Lautenbacher Jr.
"You cannot do it with individual organizations and with individual
researchers," he said. "You have to come together if you're going to solve
the problem of climate change and climate variability in our communities."
The new institute, one of 21 such NOAA-supported research programs across
the country, is teaming up scientists from Mississippi State University,
the University of Southern Mississippi, Louisiana State University, Florida
State University and Dauphin Island Sea Lab in Alabama.
Dr. David Shaw, the institute's director, said $6.5 million in federal
funding this year will allow scientists at Stennis, a NASA research and
testing facility, to greatly expand the scope of existing research
projects, like one that seeks to improve hurricane forecasts.
"One of the things we've talked about is how we can move from a 72-hour
forecast, with a high degree of confidence and accuracy, to a 96-hour
forecast," he said. "Just that extra 24-hour period of time can make a
world of difference in terms of evacuations and frankly help us avoid
evacuations that were not necessary."
================================
George Antunes, Political Science Dept
University of Houston; Houston, TX 77204
Voice: 713-743-3923 Fax: 713-743-3927
antunes at uh dot edu
------------------------------
Message: 7
Date: Sun, 12 Nov 2006 18:44:31 -0600
From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] Surf 'n' ride: Access the Web from the road
To: medianews@twiar.org
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED],
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Message-ID:
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1; format=flowed;
x-avg-checked=avg-ok-64A0314E
Surf 'n' ride: Access the Web from the road
Technology also turns a vehicle ? car, boat, RV ? into a Wi-Fi hotspot
By Sarah Karush
The Associated Press
Updated: 7:16 p.m. CT Nov 10, 2006
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15658471/
DETROIT - When Stephen Devine drove with his family from their home in
Massachusetts to New York City, he spent two frustrating hours trying to
find a place to park his 9-foot-high camper van, which won't fit in most
garages. In the end, his 17-year-old daughter found a place to park online
? and she didn't even have to leave the van to do it.
Devine's van is equipped with TracNet, a system that allows passengers to
access the Internet on a vehicle's video screens. Launched in September by
Middletown, R.I.-based KVH Industries Inc., TracNet brings the Internet to
the installed screens in a car, truck, RV or boat. It also turns the entire
vehicle into a wireless hot spot, so passengers can use their laptops to go
online.
Devine ? who also purchased KVH's satellite TV system, called TracVision,
when he bought his camper a month ago ? said the value of in-vehicle
Internet became obvious at that moment in New York.
"For me, that just paid for itself, because I was five minutes away from
going home," said Devine, of Hanover, Mass.
KVH also makes TracVision, which provides satellite TV service in vehicles
and boats; TracPhone, a satellite communications service for boats; and
precision navigation and guidance systems for the military. The company had
2005 revenue of $71.3 million, including $49 million in mobile satellite sales.
While TracNet is still very new, KVH spokesman Chris Watson said there has
been interest from owners of recreational vehicles and boats. He also
predicted the service would be a hit with car services, which see it as a
way to provide a new convenience for customers.
But KVH believes the demand has the potential to be much wider. Watson
cited research by J.D. Power and Associates which found that more than half
of full-size sport utility vehicles, 40 percent of luxury SUVs and 40
percent of minivans now come with video screens.
"Once a video screen shows up, people have a preference for live content,"
Watson said.
Art Spinella, president of Bandon, Ore.-based CNW Marketing Research, which
specializes in the auto sector, agreed.
"A large percentage of folks under 40 would like to have in-car access to
the Internet, rather than just on their cell phone or BlackBerry," he said.
"If it's priced right, there's a market."
The current price is $1,995 for the automotive version of TracNet. The
system operates on Verizon Wireless' high-speed network, which costs
another $60 to $80 a month. There is also a $10 monthly charge for MSN TV,
the service from Microsoft Corp. that brings the Internet to TV screens.
The consumer provides the screens.
An MSN TV portal provides access to e-mail, instant messaging, weather
maps, chat rooms, news and other features. While Web sites outside of the
portal are fully accessible, most are not formatted correctly for TV
screens and may not look quite right, even though the content is all there.
Another limitation is the system's dependance on the Verizon network: Where
there is no cell phone service, there won't be any Internet access either.
As with TracVision, TracNet can be used on a screen visible to the driver
only when the car is in park. When the vehicle is in motion, that screen
automatically switches to navigation.
Devine, 48, purchased TracNet for his camper van with both personal and
business uses in mind. He heads an architecture and construction management
firm and plans to put the camper at a job site for a contractor to live out of.
"If he wanted to go online and e-mail us or look up some information," the
contractor would be able to use the TracNet system to do it, Devine said.
Robert Ramsden, of Key Largo, Fla., said he purchased TracNet for his boat
as a way to let him cruise more and still manage his business. The
67-year-old and his wife own four Intelligent Office franchises, which
provide "virtual office" services to businesses.
Previously, if the couple wanted Internet access on their boat, they would
have to pull into a marina and hope it had wireless access. TracNet has
made that unnecessary.
"It works really well," Ramsden said. "My wife and I both could be on the
boat with our laptops, and just log in, and use the wireless capabilities
of it."
But Ramsden said the idea of mobile Internet in a car wouldn't hold much
appeal for him.
"Our car is what we go back and forth to work in," he said.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15658471/
================================
George Antunes, Political Science Dept
University of Houston; Houston, TX 77204
Voice: 713-743-3923 Fax: 713-743-3927
antunes at uh dot edu
------------------------------
Message: 8
Date: Sun, 12 Nov 2006 20:49:47 -0500
From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] Men take CB radio feud outside, wind up injured
To: twiarlist <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Media News
<medianews@twiar.org>
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
[Being as this is the SECOND incident in as many months (one ended up
dead in Oregon from the previous one) this may become a sudden (and bad)
media frenzy, like the shark attacks from a couple of years ago. - Greg]
Men take CB radio feud outside, wind up injured
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/florida/sfl-fwalmart12nov12,0,3455376.story?coll=sfla-news-florida
By April Hunt
Orlando Sentinel
Posted November 12 2006
APOPKA - Two men decided to settle a long-running feud in an Apopka
Wal-Mart parking lot Saturday morning.
One was grazed with a bullet. One was sprayed with Mace. Both ended up
in the Orange County Jail, police said.
"What they were thinking, I have no idea," said Apopka police Sgt.
Jerome Miller. "It's just strange."
Frank J. Lukasik, 48, was arrested on a charge of aggravated battery
after police said he shot Paul B. Goldman in the dispute. Goldman, 47,
was arrested on a charge of battery causing bodily harm after
authorities said he sprayed the chemical at Lukasik.
Both men told police they knew each other only from arguing for six
years over the CB radio airwaves.
According to the police report, Lukasik announced on the radio early
Saturday that he was going to the Wal-Mart on U.S. Highway 441 to buy a
gift. Goldman replied he would be there "to settle their dispute and
that he would have something for him [Lukasik]," the report said.
About 7:30 a.m., a witness reported seeing Lukasik walk to Goldman's
truck with his hands in his pockets. Goldman got out of his vehicle, and
the two men began arguing.
Lukasik told police he only pulled out the .380-caliber Colt and fired
toward Goldman when the man sprayed him with Mace. The witness said
Lukasik took out the gun first but only fired after Goldman pulled out
the spray.
Apopka Fire took Goldman to Orlando Regional Medical Center, where he
was treated briefly for a head cut, from the bullet grazing his scalp.
--
Greg Williams
K4HSM
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.twiar.org
http://www.etskywarn.net
------------------------------
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End of Medianews Digest, Vol 90, Issue 1
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