Phone Envy - It's A Bad Thing

I'm feeling just a little bit inadequate today. Why,you ask? Well...

Alright here's the deal. I've always been the technology guy in my family. I work in the technology field, teach technology to kids, rebuild computers, etc. I'm the guy you all call when your computer is infected with viruses and malware because you haven't bothered to run a scan for 17 months. Not to mention because you're too cheap (or should I say 'fiscally responsible?') to take your computer in for repair. Got an email issue? Need a new program installed or your operating system upgraded? Can't figure out how to activate the speaker phone on your mobile?

You know what I'm saying, I'm that guy.

But all of that has come into question now because of the technology I carry around on my hip. That's right, that Blackberry Curve I bragged about right after the election is suddenly not so hot anymore. Not with my wife, who's smartphone challenged by the way, rocking a G1 with the Android 1.6 OS. Word on the street is that phone will be upgraded to version 2.0 soon as well, bringing it on par with the Droid and other newer phone models as far as capability.

But that's not the worst of it.

My Mother-In-Law called last night to brag, and I mean BRAG, about her new phone, the HTC HD2. Oh yeah, she let me have it. The same woman who cornered me for hours to work on her computer while I was on vacation in Colorado decided to ruin my evening by running down the features of her new phone with the Windows Mobile OS. "Do you know I can watch TV on this thing?" "It runs Flash, does your Blackberry?" "The screen is so big!" I mean it went on and on an on. I tell you I was dying y'all. My Blackberry started to remind me of an old rotary dial phone attached to the wall. It was that bad. So bad that I actually I started surfing the web to scout out the upgrade. I mean I can't have the lowest tech phone among that group, can I? What about my reputation? I just don't think I can take that hit.

But then a funny thing happened. Her other line rang, she answered, came back on the line and said, "I don't know how it happened but the speaker phone came on and I don't know how to turn it off."

In that moment equilibrium was instantly reestablished and all was right with the world again.

I'm still getting a new phone though.

My Wife Needs A Smartphone, A Moral Dilemma

My wife needs a new cell phone. She really does. You see the picture over there on the left? Well, her phone's not quite that old, but it's getting there. Some folks are just creatures of habit about certain things and she is definitely that way when it comes to cell phones. Currently she's using an old Samsung flip that can't do much more than placing a call.

Yeah, I know, that's what you want a phone to do, but in this day and age they can do so much more, especially with broadband. Like playing your music, text messaging, instant messaging, taking still and video images, playing games, and browsing the internet, to name just a few things. Not to mention the GPS capabilities and the myriad other applications being developed every day.

The reality is she needs what a smartphone can provide. For example, she's constantly printing directions to places she needs to go. Can you say GPS? Think of the trees saved over the long haul if nothing else. She also listens to music, manages a couple of internet groups, runs a vegetable coop, and home schools the kid. In other words, always on the go, even when she's at home. So she needs a more capable phone, but which one?

Dilemma? Well that's not really it. Here's my real issue y'all, and I'd appreciate your help in the comments.

As you know, I switched to the Blackberry Curve 8320 a few months ago, and have been amazed by all of the things that I can do via phone now, rather than the laptop. So much so that I've pretty much stopped toting the laptop around everywhere I go because it is basically a 5 pound redundancy. My version of the Curve was basically 3 year old technology when I bought it, and the newer models like the Storm, Curve 8900, and Bold have all been brought to market since then. And those are just the Blackberry phones. There's also all of the various touch screen models out there, like the iPhone, Instinct, HTC Touch, and G1. Having scratched the surface of what my current Blackberry can do, and being a gadget/technology guy, I'm already ready for a new phone myself. Which leads to my question. Should I:

1. Go ahead and buy her the type of phone I think she would like and use and wait to get an upgraded version of my own later, or...

2. Get the phone I want and let her have my 4 month old Curve.

You can see the conundrum here right? I mean I think she'd be happy either way but, well you know where I'm going here. It could go completely the opposite direction too.

So I need the help of you, my informed and enlightened readers. What would you do and please explain your rationale.

Obama 12 Step

I think I'm the last person on Earth who used an HP iPaq 6315 on a regular basis. In its time it worked well for me as a phone, PDA, email, and web browsing, and had just enough bells and whistles to help me stay productive in or out of the office. I even used it to post to this blog during Hurricane Ike. But last week I finally put the 6315 out to pasture in favor of a Blackberry Curve 8320.

Let me just say that I thought I was hooked on the 6315. In less than 4 days I've become hopelessly addicted to the Blackberry. Even the move from the Windows Mobile operating system hasn't tempered my enthusiasm, and I know I haven't even scratched the surface of what can be done with this baby. I'm out of the office a lot, so for me a smartphone is a must. I really can't imagine doing business without one. And apparently I'm not the only one.

For years, like legions of other professionals, Mr. Obama has been all but addicted to his BlackBerry. The device has rarely been far from his side — on most days, it was fastened to his belt — to provide a singular conduit to the outside world as the bubble around him grew tighter and tighter throughout his campaign...

...But before he arrives at the White House, he will probably be forced to sign off. In addition to concerns about e-mail security, he faces the Presidential Records Act, which puts his correspondence in the official record and ultimately up for public review, and the threat of subpoenas. A decision has not been made on whether he could become the first e-mailing president, but aides said that seemed doubtful.

Give up the Blackberry? Email? Communication with the outside world? Man, that's cruel and unusual punishment. The job is going to be hard enough with forcing our new President to go through withdrawal at the same time. That's just cold.

I don't know how he's going to do it, but I wish him luck. He's going to need it. Thankfully, my correspondence is just not that important so I'll continue trying to figure out ways to maximize the potential of this new device. I'm open for suggestions. How do you use your Smartphone/PDA? Which one do you have? And what are the killer apps that an addict like myself shouldn't be living without?

What's Wrong With I.T.?

Here's an interesting piece regarding the shortage of IT workers in this country from eSchoolNews (free registration required for full article).

Continuing a recent trend that has many business leaders worried, the Computing Research Association's annual survey of universities with Ph.D.-granting programs found a 20-percent drop this year in students completing bachelors degrees in professional IT fields.

The trend--which comes at a time when demand for computer-related skills is increasing, and thousands of baby boomers are retiring from technical jobs--has many business leaders concerned that they won't find enough workers to maintain expected growth.

I'm really not surprised by this. With our school systems not graduating half of the students who start 9th grade, and with the lack of emphasis on actual learning rather than test-taking, is it any wonder that of those who do graduate, few are actually prepared for college? And of that few, what incentive do they have to choose the IT field when IT is always the first budget item cut or outsourced? It is a problem though, and will likely get worse before it gets better.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 854,000 professional IT jobs will be added between 2006 and 2016, an increase of about 24 percent. When replacement jobs are added in, total IT job openings in the 10-year period is estimated at 1.6 million.

The bureau estimates that one in 19 new jobs created during the 10-year period will be professional IT positions.

Technology is central to everything these days, and it's really unfathomable that this country is not doing more to help fill the IT pipeline. There is no data that anyone can show me that can conclusively prove that American kids of all backgrounds just don't want to, or can't compete in this field. I've worked with hundreds of them that do, especially the ones introduced to the information technology field early in their school lives. However most of those kids are "from the wrong side of the tracks," and there are not many resources allocated towards the curriculum and programs that sparks their interest and places them on a higher education path in the information technology field.

But the bottom line in industry is profit, and the corporate world seems to be awakening to the reality they've helped to create.

Microsoft has begun working with teachers to hold annual math camps and has launched programs such as DigiGirlz High Tech Camps, designed to provide girls in the ninth to 12th grades a better understanding of technology careers. Girls listen to executive speakers, participate in technology tours and demonstrations, network, and learn with hands-on experience in workshops.

Microsoft also has lobbied state lawmakers to boost math requirements in schools and has promoted a Math Matters program to raise awareness in schools about raising the level of math understanding

In many respects we have been squandering our greatest resource, our kids, and leaving them dependent on others to meet the future needs of this society. And not just in the IT field. The story is the same for nurses, petroleum engineers, and even teachers.

What will they be able to do for a living if all of the essential jobs are filled by people from outside the country? Sell each other hamburgers? We've got to do better than that.

Ah... (Fire) Foxy!

Mozilla has released it's Firefox 3.0 web browser.

I've been a big fan of Firefox since version 1.0 back in 2004, so of course I'm taking the new version for a test drive right now. So far, so good. The program loads a LOT faster than the prior version, and there are some pretty cool new features.

For example, the Awesome Bar, formerly known as the address bar. Except now when you type in any portion of a previously visited site, it automatically compiles a list in a drop down menu of cached sites and your bookmarks to help you locate it quicker. You can add a bookmark to any site by clicking the star in the Awesome Bar.

I'm disappointed that the Google Browser Sync add on is no longer functional (yet) in this new version. I used that tool a lot to keep my favorites organized across different computers. Hopefully somebody is hard at work on an updated version.

There's more but you can see it for yourself at their download site. And sorry, I'm just too busy (lazy) to create screenshots right now, but as a consolation prize you can visit this site for a history of Firefox, including the latest version in screenshots.

Family Feud - Windows Vista vs XP

Since the 'build it and they will come' paradigm hasn't exactly work in the case of Windows Vista, Microsoft is taking a different approach. From eSchool News:

Microsoft will stop offering Windows XP in retail stores June 30, but at least two major computer manufacturers say school districts, colleges, and universities will be able to buy machines with the older operating system until January 2009, as Windows Vista—released last year—remains unpopular with many consumers.

Windows XP, the seven-year-old predecessor to Vista, continues to be a preferred option for many schools, because it allows them to run applications that don't always work with Vista.

I suppose I feel Microsoft's pain. Even though they've sold a lot of copies of Vista, it still has to grate on them that customers prefer the 7 year old clunker versus the shiny new model. I understand where schools are coming from though too.

Officials in Virginia's Fairfax County Public Schools, one of the largest school districts in the country, said last summer that Vista worked "automatically" with only half of their existing computer programs—meaning IT managers would have to make adjustments for the other half of the school system's programs.

If I were considering upgrading, that statement alone would cause me to really think twice about it. But to be fair, I'm an operating system agnostic. On any given day, I might use Windows 2000, Linux/Kubuntu, and Windows XP. For the work I do, I like the Windows XP operating system since it provides a stable platform, and the hardware drivers for all different types of computer systems are readily accessible. I simply haven't used Vista heavily enough to really give an informed opinion on it. Here's a good comparison from an enterprise perspective.

Either way it goes, Microsoft is still making their money. Any thoughts out there from you folks who've used both operating systems?

Who's Securing Your School's Network?

Maybe they were just doing their part to boost the dismal graduation rates of Houston area schools, or preparing for future careers in network security. Or corporate espionage. In either case;

Four high school students are being investigated on suspicion of breaking into the Fort Bend Independent School District's computer network and changing the grades of at least 60 students, according to court documents and school officials.

Now that raises some troubling issues about network security doesn't it? I mean if a few kids can get in to change grades, what happens when someone with more skills and more nefarious purposes takes a crack at hacking in? And apparently this is a recurring problem on multiple campuses.

"Fort Bend ISD has reported numerous unauthorized breaches of the network which have resulted in alteration and destruction of data including grade changes," the documents said.

...The probe also revealed that Dulles, Bush and Travis high schools also lost computer data, although the type of information was not disclosed.

Don't worry though, as the article goes on to inform us that

The case is the latest school hacking incident across the United States in recent years. Students from almost every corner of the country at high schools and universities have been caught, and in many cases charged, with crimes for tapping into computer systems and changing grades.

So everybody's doing it, everywhere. I don't know about you, but I feel a whole lot better now.

As much as I preach that our kids need to really understand technology, how it works, and its affect on their lives, this isn't what I mean. We know these kids were paying attention during their programming class, but unfortunately they learned some of the wrong lessons too.

Dude, You're Getting... Some Bad News

Dell is shutting down it's desktop unit in Austin. From the Statesman:

Dell Inc. said Monday it will close its desktop computer manufacturing plant in North Austin by the end of this year, cutting 900 jobs as part of a global cost-cutting campaign.

The company said the plant closing is part of a $3 billion program to cut its product costs worldwide over the next three years.

“We believe we have a $3 billion opportunity to drive both productivity and efficiency,” CEO Michael Dell said.

I believe that "$3 billion opportunity" refers to the deal with a N.C. municipality in which...

...the company also got hefty incentives from the state to build the plant. “They carved a real sweet deal in North Carolina, and they need to use a lot of the plant capacity there,”

This looks like the same type of playing one city off against another that we see sports teams engage in new stadium deals. Unfortunately those are real jobs involved that likely won't be replaced in this state anytime soon.

Are African Americans Still Mis-Educated?

HISTORY shows, then, that as a result of these unusual forces in the education of the Negro he easily learns to follow the line of least resistance rather than battle against odds for what real history has shown to be the right course. A mind that remains in the present atmosphere never undergoes sufficient development to experience what is commonly known as thinking. No Negro thus submerged in the ghetto, then, will have a clear conception of the present status of the race or sufficient foresight to plan for the future; and he drifts so far toward compromise that he loses moral courage. The education of the Negro, then, becomes a perfect device for control from without. Those who purposely promote it have every reason to rejoice, and Negroes themselves exultingly champion the cause of the oppressor.

...[T]he lack of confidence of the Negro in himself and in his possibilities is what has kept him down. His mis-education has been a perfect success in this respect.

The Mis-Education of the Negro
Chapter 10: The Loss of Vision
Carter G. Woodson

Since my introductory post I have been anguishing over what topic I should delve into first. Although DP has given me the privilege to talk about anything, I am fixated on techno-social issues. So over the past few weeks I was trying to sort through a deluge of topics that seemed important but I was feeling like Michael Jackson trying to follow up “Thriller”… good material but not good enough to be a follow up.

So over the past month I have just been basically functioning in this daze – which if you ask some people is somewhat my normal state – because DP is telling me all the stuff I need to put in writing. During this time I happened upon three events that were not the least bit unusual. In fact, I would even consider them to be rather commonplace occurrences. Then late the other night I thought about these three events collectively for the first time and all I could hear was Denzel (Malcolm X) “we’ve been bamboozled… hoodwinked… led astray!”

The first event was the guy selling CDs and DVDs at the corner store. I live in the hood so there is always someone at the corner store selling their wares, especially on Friday and the first of the month. What made this event unique was not his entrepreneurial talents – which were rather good if I do say so myself – but the praise for his product. My neighbor came over looking for my wife to tell her that “The DVD Man” (this is the moniker he goes by) was at the store. “The DVD Man” is purported to have the best quality movies to ever grace “the hood”!

**NOTE**: Let me go on record here and say that we do not own any bootleg movies in my house.

The second event occurred at a technology forum that I attended last week. The topic was broadband access and the concern that the current network infrastructure is going to soon be overtaxed because of the emergence of new multimedia delivery options, the bundling of television, voice and data packages, High Definition television, and an ever growing user community. One of the keynote speakers, Larry Irving, talked about the “EXAFLOOD”. During his presentation he introduced the audience to several products that had the potential of revolutionizing our lives. Among these were the Slingbox – this device allows you to view and control your cable/satellite, TiVO, and DVD Player from your laptop and/or mobile phone via an internet connection; the Amazon Kindle and iTunes. Mr. Irving spoke briefly about an innovative feature of iTunes called iTunes-U, more about this later.

As I spanned the crowd of attendees I couldn’t help but count the number of African Americans in attendance. Although I already knew that the number would be small, I always like to pick a number and then see how close my prediction was… for the record the number was 9. My number was 15... boy was I wrong!!

The third and final event was when I viewed my credit card account. I have a pre-paid credit card that my children and I use for online purchases. I encourage them to put some of their allowance in the account, although they rarely do. I monitor the account on a regular basis but for the first time I decided to view the account with a little more detail. To my surprise my kids and I had purchased over $150 worth of music and videos from iTunes over the past month. When I asked them why were they downloading so much music they told me that some of the music was being used for ringtones on their cell phones and other music was being mixed and burned to CD for trading with (and selling to) their friends.

As I thought about these events the other night I thought about the above text from Carter G. Woodson’s book, The Mis-Education of the Negro.

Is it just me or are we taking the path of least resistance to become a part of the information technology community? It appears that the message is one of African Americans being relegated to a role of spectator, and to make matters worse it appears that African-Americans only want to be entertained!

Are we telling our children that we have taken them as far as we can while refusing to acknowledge that we have neglected to equip them with the intangible tools to sufficiently develop their ability to think beyond the here and now?

The cost for attending a college or university is rising to the point that getting a degree is luxury afforded to the wealthy or the gifted and talented. Added to the fact that many African American parents have failed to save or to establish a college fund for their children causes me to really wonder how our children will survive in this new global workforce.

While a degree may be expensive, an education is available for those seeking to learn. As I mentioned earlier iTunes has a program called ITunes-U. According to Apple’s website:

“[iTunes U] is designed to be completely intuitive, iTunes U is based on the iTunes Store, where millions of people already get their music, movies, and TV shows. Now there’s an area of the iTunes Store devoted entirely to education, where it’s easy to search thousands of audio and video files from schools across the country.”

The site goes on to say:

“Just like the iTunes Store, the popularity of iTunes U has exploded. Already, more than half of the nation’s top 500 schools use it to distribute their digital content to students — or to the world. Any school can open all or part of its site to the public, from alumni to parents to anyone with a love of learning. iTunes U is transforming the way people learn on campus, off campus, and where there’s no campus at all.”

With society in general and the internet in particular offering people so many things to dull their senses it’s imperative that we provide our children with tools that have meaningful, positive and lasting results in their lives.

Now it might sound like I'm shilling for iTunes but trust me I'm not. But if your middle or high school student is having trouble with algebra, isn't it good to know that in addition to the latest Pimp C tribute jam, he/she can also download a course from a leading mathematics professor, or learn physics/chemistry from a professor at MIT?

Can you get with me? `Cuz I'm There... Already!!

@p.buzz

It Keeps Going, and Going...

Interesting news on the alternative fuel/vehicle front from today's Houston Chronicle:

Exxon Mobil Corp. believes it has found an answer to a problem that has bedeviled the auto industry in recent years: using rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, like those found in cell phones and laptops, to power cars and trucks.

This weekend, at a conference in Anaheim, Calif., Exxon Mobil will unveil a super-thin plastic sheeting the company says can improve the power, safety and reliability of lithium-ion batteries for use in automobiles.

Exxon Mobil considers the film a breakthrough because it allows battery makers to build smaller and cheaper battery systems — removing key obstacles that have kept automakers from building hybrid and electric vehicles on a wide scale.

The theory thus follows that if you can make smaller, more efficient batteries, then the automakers can produce a wider range of affordable hybrid vehicles for the market, lessening our dependence on fossil fuels and reducing the impact of gas-powered vehicles on the environment.

But we all know the real question for us is: How will these new vehicles look with some 20" rims?

And are the trunks spacious enough for a booming system?

Because just getting great gas mileage can't be the issue, can it? If it is, why do I still see so many gas guzzling SUV's all over the road, especially in the hood?

Just a question y'all.

Get A (Second) Life

The real and cyber worlds collide.

Dutch police are claiming a first - the first real-life arrest for a virtual burglary.

...Dutch police have arrested a teenager for stealing 4,000 euros worth of virtual furniture from an online, virtual-world hotel...

Habbo Hotel is, like the better-known Second Life, an online fantasy world. Once a hangout for uber-cool web designers, it's now inhabited by a mostly young teenage clientele, who socialise and play games in the lobbies, lounges and pools, and spend real money on virtual furniture, which they use to furnish their Habbo Hotel rooms.

Habbo currency can be bought via a credit card or premium telephone services, and furniture can cost up to $5 an item. Individually it's not much, but 90 per cent of the hotel's $60m annual revenue is earned by the sale of virtual goods.

$60 million in annual revenue? You've got to be kidding, right? I'm definitely in the wrong business. But apparently it's not just burglary.

...in China, virtual property theft led to extreme, offline violence after gamer Qiu Chengwei lent a friend a valuable virtual weapon. The sword - a powerful 'dragon sabre' - is much prized in the geeky fantasy game Legends of Mir 3. When Chengwei discovered the man had sold it on eBay for £460, he found and slayed the thief using a real sword. Chengwei is currently serving a real life sentence.

I wonder if this is a harbinger of things to come. Are there any Second Lifer's (or other virtual reality gamers) out there in the Afrosphere? I'd really like to hear more about their appeal, and it would be interesting to know how many cyberworld inhabitants are adults rather than teenagers.

Negros? Please. Introducing... @p.buzz

Well, I told y'all a few months ago that we would be bringing more voices into the There... Already mix and here, three months later, my man is finally checking in.

Now, I'm not going to talk about his severe case of C.P.T., but I will mention again that this brother has the pulse of the technology scene, and how it affects us and our world. We're definitely looking forward to his work, and hope you do to. So may I please introduce to you... @p.buzz

The Buzz onTechnology

I want to begin by thanking DP, the brains of this outfit. For some reason he thinks that I might be able to add something of value. It is truly a humbling feeling to participate at some level in this pioneering effort of the 21^st century version of the Freedmen’s Press.

I was reminded recently of a comment made by the late Rev. E. V. Hill. Rev. Hill said that he was a Negro not an African-American. He was proud to be a Negro and wanted no part of being an African-American. His thesis was grounded on the fact that Negros were builders and African-Americans were dismantlers, for it was Negros that built schools and African-Americans who were allowing them to close; it was Negros that built banks and African-Americans that allowed them to close and it was Negros that built communities and African-Americans that allowed them to turn into ghettos. It sounds harsh but it sure is the truth.

As I reflect on the glorious and unique road African-Americans have traveled since the African Diaspora, I am somewhat reticent in my jubilation with regard to where we stand in this Information Age. In fact, it seems as though African-Americans are currently experiencing an entirely new Diaspora with a far more devious and devastating goal.

My goal is not to talk about technology for technology sake but to present topics regarding its impact on our communities. Technology is being thrust upon us at a rapid pace. In fact, it is being presented in such a lightning speed manner that most of us are at a point where we now have to decide what technology we need to know. I am convinced that this has caused us to spend more time than necessary on some irrelevant issues. By the way, has bridging the digital divide become the war on poverty? Or is it further evidence that the war on poverty is far from over?

I am a product of the generation of African-American youth who entertained and educated ourselves using little to no technology. However, as I look at our children today, I am concerned about the impact technology has had on their critical thinking abilities. Has technology caused our children to become lazy thinkers and low achievers?

Since surfing the information highway has yielded little result for us, perhaps we should change our mindset from being technology users to using technology to rebuild our communities.

Oh yeah, I forgot building requires Negroes.

@p.buzz

Who Needs IT?

From MSNBC: NEW YORK - The United States is starting to look like a slowpoke on the Internet. Examples abound of countries that have faster and cheaper broadband connections, and more of their population connected to them.

...In a move to get a clearer picture of where the U.S. stands, the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Tuesday approved legislation that would develop an annual inventory of existing broadband services — including the types, advertised speeds and actual number of subscribers — available to households and businesses across the nation.

The bill, introduced by Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., is intended to provide policy makers with improved data so they can better use grants and subsidies to target areas lacking high-speed Internet access. He said in a statement last week that promoting broadband would help spur job growth, access to health care and education and promote innovation among other benefits.

It's really not a surprise that the U.S. is lagging behind in both access and quality of service. During the Clinton Administration annual reports entitled "Falling Through The Net" were issued detailing the countries progress towards digital inclusion. In 2001, the name of that report was changed to "A Nation Online".

In other words, politics. From one administration to another the role of the federal government in American broadband policy changed from serving as the catalyst for digital inclusion to that of a bystander.

Efforts at digital inclusion in this country are usually met with suspicion or outright opposition, because they are typically framed as a social program instead of as a necessary part of our economic infrastructure, like rural electrification. In its day, that effort was panned as bringing America one step closer to socialism, but in actuality;

"When farmers did receive electric power their purchase of electric appliances helped to increase sales for local merchants. Farmers required more energy than city dwellers, which helped to offset the extra cost involved in bringing power lines to the country."

In all fairness, there have been many recent efforts to address the issue of broadband access, including through municipal wireless initiatives. It's too early to determine how successful any of these efforts will ultimately be. We do know that some have never got off the drawing board.

We are behind the world in this respect however as other countries like South Korea and Japan have realized the potential of the internet to spur innovation and change, and made massive investments in the technical infrastructure of their societies. For example:

"In 2001, Japan was well behind the United States in the broadband race. But thanks to top-level political leadership and ambitious goals, it soon began to move ahead. By May 2003, a higher percentage of homes in Japan than in the United States had broadband, and Japan had moved well beyond the basic connections still in use in the United States. Today, nearly all Japanese have access to 'high-speed' broadband, with an average connection speed 16 times faster than in the United States -- for only about $22 a month. Even faster 'ultra-high-speed' broadband, which runs through fiber-optic cable, is scheduled to be available throughout the country for $30 to $40 a month by the end of 2005. And that is to say nothing of Internet access through mobile phones, an area in which Japan is even further ahead of the United States."

Is there any doubt that this will ultimately promote economic development, much like space exploration and rural electrification did for the American economy?