March 2006

I know it’s been awhile since any content has thrown up (literally) onto the plates of the lovely patrons of Beck’s Cafe. But there’s a reason besides “oh we forgot to pay our bill and had no access”. Nay nay, fair reader. This excuse is far more serious. I was in the hospital. It appears my parting gift after my last trip to Toronto was to receive the very ugly and potentially fatal bacteria, streptococcus, whilst traveling for work. The little ugly quite literally started in my foot and, in a few hours, had infected my leg and most of my lymphatic system. I was in a bad way continuing to get badder until a few kind souls stepped in and hauled me to the hospital where they quickly diagnosed my malady and just as quickly decided I was staying for as long as it took to get my little bod out of the clutches of the streptococcus bacteria invasion. The first step in the treatment process is direct application of anti-biotics via IV, coupled with sleep and elevating the affected limb. I’m not sure I really want to know the the next treatment step as I think it involves surgeons. One came to visit my whilst I was in the hospital, measuring me up, so to speak.

Hope you all have been well - it’s nice to be back - oh and Happy Spring

My friend, Koan Bremner, of Multidimensional Me fame just posted about how she’s faring now that she’s post-op and she’s faring wonderfully!!   I couldn’t be more happier for her!  Please, drop her a comment on her blog to congratulate her :)  I know she’ll be blessed by your action, and you’ll be blessed by doing it

The Hustler is a film released in 1961 starring Piper Laurie, Paul Newman, Jackie Gleason, and George C. Scott. It was tagged as an “Essential” film by the Turner Classic Movie network and let me tell you, it is. It is an outstanding film.

Filmed in black and white, the story covers the rise, fall and rise again of a small-time pool hustler. Paul Newman plays the Hustler, “Fast” Eddie Felson. Eddie learns some amazing life lessons that winning at all costs is not the worthwhile goal it appeared to be when ambition drove him - and others hustled Eddie himself. There are so many layers to this movie that no review can really do justice to it: Pool hustler sponsors hustling the gifted pool players for whom they depend on for existence; would be lovers hustling each other to get what they need to survive; super star pool hustlers hustling each other not for money but to determine who is best. There are some very interesting plot turns in the movie as well that are not predictable. These twists make the movie real, keeping it out of the formulaic range and into the realm of a true classic.

All the actors do an outstanding job and their characters grow as the movie progresses. This drama is short on special effects but long on excellent acting. Jackie Gleason has only a few lines but his presence in the film has a big impact. Piper Laurie is tremendous in her role as an alcoholic who finds redemption, life and love only to have her future hustled from her. Paul Newman starts as a man focused on winning yet changes to a man who knows what the true cost of winning at all costs brings He begins as a man without a stitch of character and finishes knowing what character really is.

Snuggle on the couch with hot chocolate and a friend and you’ll find The Hustler a very enjoyable watch.

Little snippets have been slipping out over the past 18 months that Google is buying it’s own telecommunications backbone.  You can see these snippets here, here and here.   While the telecommunciations backbone piece has been somewhat in the shadow of Web/Tech world, Google’s desire to push WiMAX to users has been very visible, and you can see plenty of info on that at the links here, here and here.

Why would Google do this?   What do they have to gain?   Because controlling the distribution network (the means of getting content to you or having you physically access the Internet) may end up being a cost game more than anything else.   Surely, Google’s being able to use their almost unparalleled ability to target advertising to users will be improved by controlling the network. But, when companies like AT&T, who now own most of the on/off ramps to the network start setting up toll booths to get on or direct traffic (see article AT&T Sets up Internet Toll Booths here) then perhaps Google’s other reason is simply cost.  Why pay or be beholden to a toll booth operator to run traffic on their monopoly when you can build your own road and control it and your costs yourself. 

This may end up being one of the new AT&T’s biggest blunders.  Certainly, they own the pipes and can do what they will with them, but, but charging rather than partnering (and with excess dark fiber still out there and enabling technologies coming online such as WiFi and WiMAX) AT&T may inadvertently be pushing greater competition against themselves, rather than drawing them to themselves.  The end result?  It gives users such as you and I more choice, and lower costs.   It costs AT&T business, possibly subverting their network hold and causing long term losses in the long term.  Is this the kind of thing we can expect from the resurgance of Ma Bell?  If so, I think the Web/Tech world will be rife with innovative new approaches to getting on and off the net to skirt AT&T’s potential for too much control.

THINGY (thing-ee) n.
female: Any part under a car’s hood.
male: The strap fastener on a woman’s bra.

VULNERABLE (vul-ne-ra-bel) adj.
female: Fully opening up one’s self emotionally to another.
male: Playing ball without a cup.

COMMUNICATION
(ko-myoo-ni-kay-shon)n.
female: The sharing of thoughts & feelings with one’s partner.
male: Scratching out a note before suddenly taking off for a weekend with the guys.

BUTT (but) n.
female: The body part that every item of clothing manufactured makes “look bigger.”
male: The organ of mooning and farting.

COMMITMENT (ko-mit-ment) n.
female: A desire to get married and raise a family.
male: Not trying to pick up other women while out with one’s girlfriend.

REMOTE CONTROL (ri-moht kon-trohl) n.
female: A device for changing from one TV channel to another.
male: A device for scanning through all 75 channels every 2 minutes.

TASTE (tayst) v.
female: Something you do frequently to whatever you’re cooking, to make sure it’s good.
male: Something you must do to anything you think has gone bad, prior to tossing it out.

(From Dr. Dialtone’s Amazing website (and it really is amazing!))