10 Thoughts for August 19, 2014

1. There's a G2 geomagnetic storm going on at this moment.  I sure would have loved to be in Jasper, Canada right now.
2. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, in an op-ed for Wired, explains what I've been saying for several years: "A single fiber-optic strand the diameter of a human hair can carry 101.7 terabits of data per second, enough to support nearly every Netflix subscriber watching content in HD at the same time. And while technology has improved and capacity has increased, costs have continued to decline. A few more shelves of equipment might be needed in the buildings that house interconnection points, but broadband itself is as limitless as its uses."  When I say it -- that capacity is fine and the issue is the ISP looking to improve profit margins -- everyone doubts me; when a CEO says it, hopefully some people will pay attention.
3. By the way, Google Fiber is not like the other ISPs.  How do I know this?  Because unlike the other ISPs, Google Fiber cohosts content providers such as Netflix, to ensure the fastest delivery possible of Netflix content.
4. With the SCAA certification of home coffee makers made popular, manufacturers have rushed to design for, and build to, SCAA's requirements.  Coming in a few months is this KitchenAid model.  Dunno about the glass carafe, though -- that seems like a minus, especially if it's priced higher than the upcoming new Bonavita model.
5. A potentially powerful automated encryption app for Android, that it'll make all of your interactions over open WiFi totally secure from anyone.  That's why you buy into an open source platform, and not a closed one.  Unless, that is, you're an Apple Insider fanboy, and believe the stuff you write.
6. Have you seen Nike's LED basketball floor?  Crazy expensive, I bet.  But hey, when you've got the money.  Speaking of Nike, I don't know why it is, but their t-shirts are the only ones that fit perfectly.  I was at the Nike Outlet store in Woodburn this weekend and I picked up a pair for $25.  Nice.
7. Executing a journalist won't stop the US or any other nation from prosecuting its war on ISIS.  It actually does the reverse.  By the way, have you noticed how quiet Republicans have been on the issue of the President's assertion of wide latitude to go after ISIS?  It's because they're afraid of taking a stand in a public vote on whether to authorize a war on ISIS.  On the one hand they don't want to be seen as standing down from overseas responsibilities, but on the other hand they don't want to look like war mongerers.  It's the same reason why bombing of Syria never came to a vote.
8. I'm guessing that with Ohio State's Braxton Miller out for the season, the Buckeyes are going to be mostly one-dimensional and therefore predictable, even if they have a dual-threat, 4-star redshirt freshman available.
9. You know who is Monica Wehby's worst enemy?  Monica Wehby. In her interview with softball journalist Laurel Porter, Wehby looks like she's on Prozac and conflates different talking points.  Just two weeks ago, she said that, "our labor force is smaller than it was five years ago," which is untrue: July 2014 = 156M; July 2009 = 155M.  What she meant to say is that the labor force participation rate is lower today than it was 5 years ago: July 2014 = 62.9%; July 2009 = 65.5%.  And why is this so?  Well, one might point to the continued push for trickle-down economics by Republicans who've blocked stimulus programs.  As has been noted often, Republicans in the past used increased federal spending through direct federal employment gains, to stop recessions, but with Democrats at the helm, have demanded shrinking federal employment -- and have gotten their way.
10. Sprint's Framily has died.  In its wake, a newer, more complicated plan.  Seriously, don't write that comeback story.  Wall Street saw the new plan and bolted for the doors -- S sank 4%.  Well, they might have bolted for the doors because they think that Sprint is about to post red ink as a result of price competition, but if you look at that chart, it's hard to tell just how much money, if any, you'd be saving.  I'm just saying, I don't see anyone leaving their current service for Sprint.