Madonna on Oprah!!

I can't begin to comprehend that Oprah is going off the air.  I'm glad Madonna will be a part of the tribute.

Janet on her Birthday

This is Janet at an Amfar event on her Birthday.  45 never looked so good.  Well, until I hit that age.

Net Neutrality

I’m not for the government controlling our lives, but when you leave things up to “for profit” businesses you can’t expect that they’ll have the public’s best interest at heart when we depend more and more on the internet for our daily needs and entertainment.

As the internet becomes more and more of a utility it needs to be treated as such.  Lots of things that make our lives easier are online i.e. filing taxes, managing bank funds.....  .  When was the last time you used the phone book?  You can even submit rebates online, which saves time and paper. 

With video so prevalent on our mobile and home networks, the USA has a decision to make with regards to the:

• Who
• What
• Where
• How
• When

You have choices to see a movie after the theatrical release:  DVD, Blu-Ray, iTunes, Amazon, Netflix, Blockbuster, The Playstation Network, Xbox Live and Cable TV.  I may have left out a few options, but you get the idea. 

DVD’s and Blu-Rays you purchase can be viewed on your TV.  You pay a price for the physical media and use your “player” to watch at home unless you have one of those portable DVD players or laptops.  Netflix can also send you DVD’s in the mail.

Take services like iTunes, Netflix streaming and Amazon’s On Demand services.  You need an internet connection to be able to download content.  With that said you can put that media on a wide variety of devices:  mobile phones, tablets and computers.  That makes it easier to take that content with you. 

I saved the best content provider for last, Cable TV.  Cable TV has lots and lots of content on those 200+ channels.  Things like True Blood, Ru Paul’s Drag Race, Project Runway and movies.  Channels like OWN, TV-One, Sci-Fi, etc. have lots of shows that I’d love to see.  HBO, Showtime has lots of movies I missed in the theatre.  The problem is I’m only home during the week for about two hours a night.  During that time I’m watching my DVR, which is full of network programming or I’m on my PS3.

I’m not trying to give a history lesson, but the internet changed everything.  It changed the WHEN and WHERE you watched.  No more running home to see a show or movie at a certain time.  You have the option to see it again when you want and where.

Cable networks have their content on iTunes and it’s available to download anytime, watch anytime and anywhere.  The caveat is that you need the internet to download

Which leads to the problem...who provides you with your internet connection?

I have it through my cable company.  They provide the means, but they also have content to sell me.  Should they be to essentially block when I can put onto my devices.  I don’t think so. 

Let’s keep competition alive.  The consumers need choices for all the content that’s moving online.  With more and more brick and mortar stores closing, Americans need to be protected.

Tablets Tablets Tablets

Before you get one ask yourself, "what am I going to use this for and how will it make my life easier"?  Sometimes when you introduce new products in your life, it makes your life harder when you don't have a game plan.  

Do I want an app machine or do I want one with a flexible interface that can run the entire web?  I'm still asking myself those questions.