Month: December 2008

WiMAX vs. Cable Modem in Anchorage

Right now I spend about $150/month for high speed Internet service combined with cable TV, phone, long distance and so on. I’m not happy about this, partially due to the price, partially because I don’t want all those extra services. So I’ve started looking for “pure Internet” alternatives, and given the choices in my area, it appears the best option is a relatively new wireless Internet service available from AT&T Alascom (sort of related to AT&T) in Anchorage, Alaska.

AT&T’s offering is a WiMAX service, the new long-range wireless Internet infrastructure touted as the Next Big Thing by several players, including Sprint / Clearwire / Xohm, Intel, AT&T (at least the Alascom part of it) and other smaller developers, especially those serving rural and smaller markets.

If WiMAX works well, I can dump my cable modem service, save money and cut my copper ties at home. But any way you slice it, the service will be slower. Can I accept slower service to get just the features I want and save money — or will the siren song of copper speed keep me from straying?

Below, I share my findings — so far — in a video presentation. If you’re considering a switch like this, you might be interested. The video runs about 16 minutes — or you can download the presentation slides via PDF (link below).

[flashvideo image=video/pres-cover.jpg height=380 width=480 filename=video/wimax-cable-modem-pres.flv /]

Got comments or questions? Share them below. I’d be curious to hear about other WiMAX experiences out there.

The New New Advertising

If you want to get your product noticed going forward, you may just have to do something bold, original and — surprise! — long-form. No 30-second TV ads here.

The gift is predictable. Even mundane. But the delivery of the message is innovative, entertaining and hilarious.

Going viral is hard. But when people have the power to banish ads from their content, it may be the only solution.

Huge citizen journalism win in Detroit

Man, I wish I was in the Detroit area now, despite the auto manufacturing disaster. This looks promising.

By the way, don’t dismiss The Oakland Press as some tiny suburban paper. It’s a pretty big paper, given the size of the communities they cover. Detroit is “big,” but the areas north and northwest of the city proper are huge.

Don’t miss it. Thanks to Jay Rosen (@jayrosen_nyu) for the find.

PBS Pledge, Simpsons-style

Our station in Anchorage is currently in the traditional December PBS pledge drive and now that I’ve seen the Simpsons clip below, we’re looking to hire actress Betty White to help us on the air. And we want some of those umbrellas, too.

[flashvideo filename=video/simpsons-pbs-pledge.flv /]

Celebrity “cameos” include…

  • Betty White (yes, it’s her)
  • Fred Rogers
  • Yo-Yo Ma
  • Garrison Keillor
  • the Teletubbies
  • Big Bird
  • Oscar the Grouch
  • Elmo

As the male pledge break host says, “Outstanding.”