Broadband

I originally wrote this piece for an internship application.  Since it uses a similar voice to the other posts I've uploaded, I figured I'd share this as well:

In many regards, the United States is recognized as a global leader which other nations envy.  We blaze the trail and set the example for our peers to follow.  In one area, however, the United States is playing catch up and, if the status quo is maintained, we will soon find that we will have fallen too far behind to have any hope of catching up.  If we continue to leave the adaption rate of cutting-edge broadband penetration to the private sector, the United States may find itself in the backseat during this process of global digitalization and interconnectivity.

The rise of the internet over the past few years has affected the lives of people in a rate and fashion never before witnessed in the history of humanity.  It's never been easier to complete transactions, remain connected and obtain information.  No matter your perspective, it's undeniable that the internet has fundamentally changed the history of humanity, and has set us on a course to innovation previously deemed impossible.

Other nations are aware of the significance of the internet as well, and are quickly adapting to this technology.  The U.K. is promising broadband in every home by 2012[1], France and Germany are laying optical fiber cables, Finland is making broadband access a legal right[2] and South Korea bundles broadband into their rent and utilities fees[3].  The internet has leveled the playing field and is transforming the educational process, as information on nearly every subject can be found in a couple clicks - allowing other counties and their citizens to quickly gain knowledge on topics previously inaccessible.

Here at home, we've done a less-than-stellar job maintaining our technological advantage.  Less than half of the lower income families have broadband access[4].  We currently rank 15th globally in internet speed[5] and our broadband speed is actually on the decline[6].  Despite this, internet service providers have had the audacity to request to lower the standards of defining broadband[7] and have squandered the financial incentives given by the government to develop universal, high-speed broadband[8].  This has to end.

The only way to close this technology gap is to increase regulation on broadband providers and to increase government involvement.  As a natural monopoly of sorts, it's imperative that the public be given oversight in this manner.  Broadband should be treated the same way water, electricity, sewage, garbage disposal, telephone lines and all other utilities - under the influence and assistance of the government.

While the Recovery Act[9] and the creation of the Chief Information/Technology Officer positions are steps in the right direction in deploying next-generation broadband, it's time for the government to take ownership of this initiative.  We've built and maintained the railways and roads of previous generations, and through the transparency and accountability of the public, it's time for the United States to prioritize and produce the information superhighway of the next generation.

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[1] http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7858498.stm

[2] http://www.yle.fi/uutiset/news/2009/10/1mb_broadband_access_becomes_legal_right_1080940.html

[3] http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/10.08/korea_pr.html

[4] http://www.focus.com/fyi/information-technology/state-internet/

[5] http://i36.tinypic.com/293wmrb.jpg

[6] http://mashable.com/2010/01/16/united-states-internet-speed/

[7] http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5806LY20090902

[8] http://www.newnetworks.com/ShortSCANDALSummary.htm

[9] http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/technology/

iPad

The tablet is finally here and it was quickly followed by the normal reaction to new Apple product releases: disappointment and disapproval by the public - despite the fact that they haven't seen the product in person or tried it for themselves.

Think back to the days before the iPhone. People carried around Motorola Razr's or Nokia 3390's and never gave a second thought to the technological possibilities. Then the iPhone was announced for the low price of $600 for 4GB and the public laughed their collective heads off. "No buttons? Touch screen? Take it home to activate? $30 a month just for the data plan? No picture messaging? No user-replaceable battery?" The complaints rolled on and on, and the product was seen as a failure before it was even seen in public. Fast forward only a couple years, and we see the best phone company in the world as Apple, and all other companies are struggling to catch up to the level Apple was three years ago!

Go back a half-dozen years now. Music was primarily consumed via CD players. While the MP3 format was just beginning to take off, the primary way of getting those file to-go was burning it to a CD which could only fit 80 minutes or 20 tracks worth of music. There were MP3 players, but they were expensive, clumsy and difficult to manage music with. Then a little thing called the iPod came out. Again, the complaints rolled out: "No CD support? Only works with iTunes? Doesn't use AA batteries? I have to plug into my computer every time I want to change my music?" Of course, we all know the ending on this one. Apple owns over 95% of the MP3 player market and has made larger, richer companies like Sony, Microsoft and Samsung look like a bunch of fools who don't know anything about technology and the needs of the consumer.

The iPad is the third product that Apple has released since its resurgence that we can safely define as revolutionary. And the haters can hate by saying things like "It's just a big iPod touch, what's special? No USB ports? No webcam? No multitasking?" But the truth is the iPad can't fail, it's too good of a product to not succeed.

This is the first computer every produced that's over 9 inches that doesn't have a keyboard. That's huge! Everything the MacBook Air wanted to be, the iPad is. It's less that 2 pounds and is thinner than a spiral notebook, it's the first computer we can truly define as portable. It runs the same software as the iPhone, but is much better for media consumption. The screen is finally big enough for users to read articles and material without having to constantly zoom in and out or horizontally scroll. You can finally watch movies on a screen which doesn't need you to squint to see - and it's also the first movie watching platform without an annoying hardware attachment like a keyboard or playback controls, everything is virtual which saves enormous space and prevents hardware failure.

We've all watched Minority Report or Avatar and have seen the tablet computer featured prominently in Hollywood. This is a step towards that direction. The keyboard and mice are going the way of the VCR and CD. The more hardware we eliminate, the more space we have for precious screen real estate and the lower we can drive costs - since there's less to manufacture.

The very people complaining about the iPad probably own an iPod, iPhone and MacBook of some sort. They will also be the ones heading to a local Apple Store to pick an iPad up a couple years down the road from now. Tablet computing is the future, computers are no longer about programs, running applications and hoarding massive hard drive space. It's now about online programming, running things through your web browser and consuming media/content through the new medium - the internet; after all, people these days have more tabs open at one time than they have programs open, a trend which came about only a couple years ago.

Yes, there's nothing the iPad can do that your laptop can't. But there are key features that the iPad can do better than any laptop on the market today can. Surfing the web, replying to emails, watching movies, reading books and other activities will be executed in a fashion and level never before accomplished on the iPad.

The iPad and the copycat tablets which will undoubtedly follow it are the future of computing. It's a matter of when, not if, the general public embraces this trend as they have with the iPhone and iPod.

And please, before complaining about the product, please at least try it. Because if history is any indication, Apple is pretty darn good at getting things right and making the critics look foolish.

Tuition

There is a major issue sweeping public universities across the nation, and it's hitting the safe, tucked away campus of Washington State University particularly hard. Due to a $2.5 billion dollar gap in the state budget (as reported in the Daily Evergreen on the 19th), WSU has been targeted to lose millions of dollars in the coming years. It goes without saying that tuition is in a position to increase, financial aid will be unequivocally decreased and departments/jobs will be cut/lost. In other words: tuition will rise while financial aid and services will decrease. Students and faculty have responded predictably, initiating movements which will protest WSU budget cuts of any sort and ask that other programs and projects across the state hit the cutting board instead. But perhaps the issue isn't the decrease in state funding towards higher education, but is instead that higher education has lost its focus and vision. Maybe it's time we realize that universities have become a reflection of the flaws residing in our nation as a whole - it's an inefficient, overly expensive luxury that has overstepped its original boundaries.

Like all other institutions of higher learning, Washington State University should be focusing on educating its inhabitants and developing the leaders of tomorrow in an intellectually stimulating environment. And yet, many universities today feel less and less like an educational establishment, but more and more like private, exclusive wealthy communities designed to pamper and cater to the needs of its residents.

Take a look at the Student Recreation Center. It's a marvelous facility, and it (along with the respective programs affiliated with the center) does a number of great things for the community. They employ students, prioritize fitness for its customers and provide a great entertainment outlet for Cougars. But to say it's an effective use of resources would be an exaggeration of the truth, to say the least. Surveys consistently show that less than 10% of the student body uses the Rec Center weekly, and less than half go more than a couple times a semester. So why is every student charged a couple hundred dollars every semester in addition to the piece of the pie they take from the university budget by paying staff and administrative expenses. What if a "Rec Pass" was available for individual purchase, similar to the optional sports pass available for optionally every semester? There are three independent, third-party fitness center businesses here in Pullman, it would be refreshing to see students given a financial choice on where they'd like to work out - and spend their own money appropriately.

I'm sure we can each think of other non-academic, arguably non-essential spending around campus, such as paying our lower level student government representatives (ASWSU senators - I'm looking at you) for a job which already benefits with experience and resume impression, having multiple radio stations despite low audience rates and perpetuating inefficient use of resources.

At the heart and core of the issue contains the changing mindset of universities today. Colleges are no longer a pure, wholesome sanctuary of intellectual growth and development. They are now a bureaucratic, public supported business which prioritizes revenue over genuine, individual education. In fact, a public university is the perfect industry to work in, since society insists a college degree equates to a broad level of success - it's quite possibly most secure trade in the world today. Outside of a house or small business (levels some people never reach), a college degree is the most expensive investment one will make in the world we live in today - all for a piece of paper that continuously, exponentially outpaces inflation in its cost. In order to constantly attract the best "customers" and increase prestige, colleges fund programs completely unrelated to academics and research - such as athletics, campus beautification, recruiting and advertising. This causes the university to feel like a luxury resort - with a couple hours of homework thrown in here and there. Predictably, current and past students in addition to tax payers are forced to foot the bill on these non-academic endeavors.

Instead of complaining that tax payers can no longer afford to foot the $700 million dollar budget of the university, maybe it's time for the universities to reconsider their priorities and intentions. Why does the public hear more about athletic achievements and administrative/faculty turmoil and gossip instead of research results and grant funding? Why do coaches and non-academic positions routinely earn up to ten or twenty times more than the professors/instructors - individuals "customers" (students) interact with on a daily basis? Universities should realign their perspectives to their original purpose - to educate and prepare the leaders of tomorrow for success, rather than allowing this never ending spiral of increasing cost to continue.

2010 Predictions

Best part of a new year? Making predictions for the new year. Let's go.

Pro Sports

NBA

· Lakers will repeat as NBA champions.

· The Nets will have succeeded in their mission of getting the number 1 pick in this year's draft.

o They use this pick to land Kentucky guard John Wall, who leaves after one season.

o LeBron puts on a media show, flirting with a number of teams before finally signing with the New Jersey Nets.

· The Knicks do succeed in landing a superstar though, either Wade, Bosh or Amare.

· Brandon Jennings deserves to be Rookie of the Year, but Tyreke Evans wins it, partly because the NBA doesn't want players beating the system by skipping college and by play ball overseas.

NFL

· Hard to picture the Colts or Saints losing, so they'll play in the Super Bowl.

o Manning uses his experience to defeat the Saints.

· Drew Brees wins the MVP award.

· Tim Tebow takes the Colt Brennan route in the pros: irrelevancy.

College Sports

· WSU Basketball will sneak into the NCAA tournament by finishing fourth in the Pac-10, and Klay Thompson is an All-American honorable mention - seriously.

· WSU Football improves noticeably, but the Pac-10 remains too strong for us to squeeze out a bowl game.

o We win 4 games, including the most important one of the season: Apple Cup!

· UH Football makes it to the Hawaii Bowl and the university and ESPN breathes a sign of relief.

Technology

· More people will own Android phones than they will own iPhone's since Android offers the same features, but on every network - and that's awesome.

· We will see our first successful tablet PC's, including one from Apple.

o This product will destroy any life we've seen from e-book readers like the Nook or Kindle.

· Google Chrome will pass Firefox and come close to surpassing Internet Explorer in market share.

· Bing will close in on Google with search by buying search space on major sites.

· Expect sites like Twitter and Hulu to join others like Pandora and ESPN in offering some content or features to paid users only.

Entertainment

· Tiger Woods appears publicly on some talk show, then gets back to winning Majors.

· A sequel to Avatar is announced late in the year when the Blu-Ray is released.

· Oh, and Iron Man 2 is epic and blows the original out of the water.

Politics

· Health care reform of some sort passes, but it's just a shell of the original vision carried by Obama.

· Sarah Palin reveals something controversial about her personal life to gain the media and public's attention to remain on the radar for a 2012 run against Obama.

· US occupation in countries like Afghanistan and Iraq continues, perhaps even increases, despite any peace-oriented statements by Obama. Osama remains elusive.

Of course, all of this is biased and unfounded speculation. Happy 2010 everyone!