Al's Blog-o-Sphere

Warning! In February 2009, your TV stations may vanish from the air!

Okay, no I’m not going to nag you like that. You’re probably sick of it already. It’s the change that nobody asked for. The TV stations didn’t ask for it and a lot of them still don’t want it. The networks shrugged and said “as long as we have to spend a lot of money to upgrade our systems, we’ll milk it for all it’s worth – the biggest hype-job since color hit TV.” And of course, the people really didn’t want it. Many still don’t understand it. The big reason for the switch to Digital TV? It takes less spectrum and the FCC wants to have extra spectrum to auction off for billions of dollars.

So, send for your $40 converter coupon and get it. It’s the only thing the government is going to give you while they rake in the proceeds from the spectrum auctions. Continue Reading…

I was playing with a web site – is.gd – that gives a shortened URL for a web site. I happened to type in the URL of this web site and that’s what I got: is.gd/rOy. Continue Reading…

Use with restraint…

Many thanks to SadTrombone.com

Greenwashed, greenwashing, greenwash. That’s a new word coined and coming into use.

What’s it mean?

It is the practice of every company, product, and P/R firm using environmental issues to make themselves ‘look good’ by being ‘green’ whether it is, or not. It’s just spin. They find a way to make their product look like it is somehow going to save the planet, even (and usually the case) if it has nothing to do with it.

I first heard it and thought “Here we go, another buzzword like ‘monetize.'” I’m sure it will be. Remember I told you so…