The Cable Industries Video Mojo

There has been quite a bit of discussion lately about Cable losing it's Video Mojo. I would like to forward a concept that has considerable potential to reverse the share loss trends along with significant cash flow increases:

Here is the premise: all major market cable operators have less than 50% utilization of their network ports delivering video. To say it another way, more than 50% of the homes that are being passed by cable do not purchase any form of video from a cable operator.

This can be rationalized away until the cows come home, however the underlying implications are very serious. For example, Advertising Revenues, Video On Demand, Interactive Television and delivery of internal branding, upgrade, retention and general marketing communications are all lost with each home that does not receive a video service from a cable operator along with incremental subscriptions of broadband. Simply put, the nature of the customer relationship and level of engagement is quite different for broadband vs video.

Here is the idea, instead of retiring old cable boxes give them away for free and provide the necessary level of video service to pass regulatory muster. Make video on demand available without a monthly cost to the consumer (or make it minimal like Netflix), additionally create an IP based offering to test and price accordingly (give the box away or sell it for a minimal one-time fee). The scenarios are endless for innovation and consumer testing.

The current situation if very similar to building a store in a small town and then not putting any products on the shelves since cable networks operate at full capacity, powering etc, regardless of whether or not the ports are connected and generating revenue. Ongoing cost of maintaining a cable drop is minimal and in-home service could be billed by the hour or trip.

After 30 years watching in-home subscription products and opportunities come and go, I wonder why Cable has lost its Video Mojo.

Congressional Reform Act of 2011

We need to get a Senator to introduce this bill in the US Senate and a Representative to introduce a similar bill in the US House. These people will become American heroes.

1. Term Limits. 12 years only, one of the possible options below..
A. Two Six-year Senate terms
B. Six Two-year House terms
C. One Six-year Senate term and three Two-Year House terms

2. No Tenure / No Pension.
A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office.

3. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social security.
All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social
Security system, and Congress participates with the American people.

4. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.

5. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.

6. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.

7. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.

8. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 1/1/11.

The American people did not make these contracts with Congressmen. Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, serve your term(s), then go home and back to work.

If you agree with the above, pass it on. If not, don't. This is america, you have choices.

Market high a memory, investors are wary of stocks

People are irrational in their investing habits. Look at your odds to go up vs odds to go down. Now considering everything that has happened it would appear that the odds for up are greater than down. People who are investing in gold and bonds are most at risk as the world gets back on track. The population is growing and so will the economy. Buy high and sell low (right...). I predict that over the next 3 years the market will be up by more than 50%. Real Estate is probably also a great investment. People have to live somewhere and with interest rate at near zero, where is the opportunity? Companies make money, gold does not and once people stop hoarding look out.

Berkshire Hathaway co-chairman and Warren Buffett's sidekick Charlie Munger interview, a must read.

Berkshire Hathaway co-chairman and Warren Buffett's sidekick Charlie Munger gave a fantastic two-hour speech at the University of Michigan last week. Here are a few excerpts, lightly edited for clarity.

Text
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Charlie-Munger-on-Communism-fool-1939650256.html

Video
http://rossmedia.bus.umich.edu/rossmedia/SilverlightPlayer/Default.aspx?peid=4d215177cbe44b1e8e94d0dd68f5058f

18 Companies That Consumers Absolutely Hate

18 Companies That Consumers Absolutely Hate http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/110419/18-companies-that-consumers-absolutely-hate

May ACSI Results
Last Update: May 18, 2010
(Next Update: May 17, 2011)

Sector: Health Care & Social Assistance
Industry: hospitals

Sector: Information
Industries: cellular telephones,* computer software, fixed-line telephone service, motion pictures, network/cable TV news, newspapers, subscription television service, wireless telephone service

Sector: Utilities
Industry: energy utilities

*The cellular telephone industry is part of the Manufacturing/Durable Goods Sector. For score of other durable good industries, go to September ACSI Results.

What happened? Que Paso?

This is too true to be funny. The next time you hear a politician (D or R) use the
Word 'billion' in a casual manner, think about Whether you want the 'politicians' spending YOUR tax money.

A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, But one advertising agency did a good job of Putting that figure into some perspective in one of it's releases.

A.
A billion seconds ago it was 1959.

B.
A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive.

C.
A billion hours ago our ancestors were
Living in the Stone Age.

D.
A billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet.

E.
A billion dollars ago was only 8 hours and 20 minutes, At the rate our government
Is spending it.

While this thought is still fresh in our brain...
let's take a look at New Orleans ...
It's amazing what you can learn with some simple division.

Louisiana Senator,
Mary Landrieu (D)
Is presently asking Congress for 250 BILLION DOLLARS To rebuild New Orleans .. Interesting number... What does it mean?

A.
Well... If you are one of the 484,674 residents of New Orleans (every man, woman, and child) You each get $516,528.

B.
Or... If you have one of the 188,251 homes in New Orleans , your home gets$1,329,787.

C.
Or... If you are a family of four... Your family gets $2,066,012.

Washington , D. C

HELLO!
Are all your calculators broken??

Building Permit Tax
CDL License Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Federal Income Tax (Fed)
Federal Unemployment Tax (FU TA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges (tax on top of tax)
IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Tax
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service charge taxes
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Tax (Truckers)
Sales Taxes
Recreational Vehicle Tax
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Tax
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Utility Tax
Vehicle License Registration T ax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax
(And to think, we left British Rule to avoid so many taxes)
*And add Easter Tax.

STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?

Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago... And our nation was the most prosperous in the world.

We had absolutely no national debt... We had the largest middle class in the world... And Mom stayed home to raise the kids.

What happened?
Can you spell 'politicians!'

And I still have to
Press '1'
For English.

I hope this goes around the U S A At least 100 times

What the heck happened ?????

Create a more visible personal brand. A Networking Pro Learns Some New Tricks

Can you teach a dinosaur to dance? More importantly, can you teach him to network in 21st Century style? I was skeptical.
• Develop a stronger online identity by revamping your résumé.
• Make better use of LinkedIn, a professional networking Web site.
• Create a more visible personal brand.
• Get a bigger payoff from industry events.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704299804575095543831229802.html?mod=WSJ_latestheadlines