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As I contemplate a trip to visit family, I eye the airline and ticketing industry with more trepidation than ever before. Big deal right! Some backstory. I am a fearless flyer. Been flying by myself since age 8. Visited my father in a distant city every summer as I grew up. I have been on the last plane out of blizzards while they shut down the airport etc. I even remember the palpable tension when flying less than 2 weeks after 911. So, I have seen the gamut of the flight game. Very little fazes this traveler. Until recently that is.
Okay, since that fateful day, the industry has done what it can to deal with the new reality of US air travel. As the rest of the world sympathized with us back then, today they look on dumbfounded at how far we have gone to alienate travel and of course the government sanctioned air Gestapo has gone out of its way to make the process as horrid as it can be. And even with the affronts to our personal space I can trudge security lines with the best of them. The only thing I ask is get me there in a reasonable amount of time and in the event of a problem do your level best to find a solution.
Well, as the horror stories proliferate, tarmac delays lengthen and the security nazi’s start dressing up like real cops, I hate to surrender my fortitude and admit to dreading air travel, but they give me no choice. Not only can they target you for any perceived ‘Orwellian’ slight, they can treat you like a criminal until proven innocent.
If that weren’t bad enough, the airlines complete the raping of the customer by providing subpar service while figuring out ways to ding us for escalating prices instead of being forthright about increasing prices and explain it as the new cost of doing business. So, now not only do you have airlines playing musical chairs in bankruptcy court the ones that can still do business are finding ways to give the consumer less, while charging more to keep their head above water. Many of these airlines would be closing doors if they were in any other business, and rightfully so. Natural selection being a good process in this case.
But alas, not only are there more crap airlines clogging the airports and the skies offering less for more. But that’s not the worst of it. Even the good guys are following suite. I recently mentioned to a friend – who hasn’t flown in 2 years – how you get charged for any checked baggage with some airlines and how others are charging ‘customers’ for anything served to them during a flight and she was shocked! What struck me is the difference in our attitude in the moment. Her outrage that it got that bad and my desensitized resignation of ‘what are you going to do.’
In the moment I wanted to say ‘welcome to the new lowered standard of air travel’ but didn’t as it was probably too close to the truth and a depressing thought. What the moment did generate was this diatribe and a dawning realization. Air travel is the latest in a long line of public transportation systems that America is trying to kill. First one to be discarded was the railways. In a country so large they initially held promise until no one wanted to invest in the next round of technology to keep it relevant, like the Japanese did with their state of the art high-speed maglev systems. Next up is mass transit around the country’s metropolitan areas. Half developed or very efficient in its tiny market, there is no in between and often little or no interface to public transit outside the city.
So, in the case of air travel we have gone from the express train to the cross-town bus. Its like we’ll get you where you are going, we just cant say when or in what shape you will be once you get there. I think if an airline had the balls to step up and say “Fuel has gone way up for you and obviously for us to, but since we believe in maintaining good airline service and some profitability, here is how much more it will cost us to get you where you are going without the extra charges for baggage, hidden fees and the refreshments we have always provided.” The day an airline advertises old school service for a realistic price, guess who will be the first guy in line to avoid being the packed in like a sardine on the cross town bus!
As I step down from my creaky soapbox, wish me luck on my flight to a Midwest city that feels more like I am charting a tortuous passage to Istanbul!
Recent news items got me thinking about this topic I had covered several times in past years. As the voracious public keeps driveing tech, telecomm, wireless and palm of the hand portability, new vistas are being opened for keeping an eye on you. In practice, this familiar Orwellian theme as it was written years ago, may seem more of an optimistic cautionary tale, than a viable blueprint to controlling the masses. However, the literary realm of science fiction often spins a believable and much scarier version of this tale where the central character is technology. With so much of what was once tech fiction becoming fact, the potential for big brother to snoop around your business is much greater than ever before. The biggest culprit is wireless communications of all sorts
Of course, the most obvious tech to exploit is mobile phone communications. As DOT driven traffic monitoring continues to grow from the early days of the Missouri Department of Transportation ‘just’ wanting to monitor cell phones movements to map real-time traffic conditions statewide. To Google using its maps software to evolve from just satellite mapping to show street views and their GPS locations. While cell monitoring has long been able to detect the speed and movement pattern of mobile phones by network signal as long as the phone is turned on. DOT’s indicate their aim is to more intelligently manage traffic flow through wireless data collection and stress that the data will remain anonymous with no possibility to track specific people from their driveway to their destination. But privacy advocates are uneasy nonetheless.
It doesn’t stop with just monitoring the mobile phones themselves. The rising popularity of short-range blue tooth technology, particularly in mobile hands free headsets, opens up another avenue for listening into mobile conversations. The New York Times recently covered the increasing phenomenon of consumers that use blue tooth technology to easily overhear snippets of conversations that aren’t their own as they roam around the city.
Mobile tech isn’t the only avenue. Our wireless appetites extend extensively throughout the home and business. The enabler in these environments is the unregulated and heavily utilized 2.4 and 5.8 ghz frequency bands, which encompasses devices from home telephones to wireless video monitoring equipment – much of it not using encryption. The ease of monitoring this common band was demonstrated recently by an experiment conducted in a Canadian city where with a little bit of know how and some commonly available equipment, allowed whole range of images and conversations to be easily monitored just by wandering the city streets with equipment in tow.
For the tech savvy or long time gadget geek such as myself, this wireless risk may all be disconcerting but is hardly surprising. However, the tech that scares me the most and that could wind up being Big Brothers device of choice is a range of tiny chip devices referred to as RFID (radio frequency identification). RFID has quietly revolutionized the industrial, manufacturing and logistical transportation industries. It is a key link in the chain that moves products and raw materials to business and products from business to the consumer. This is reliable big tech that comes in a relatively unsophisticated form and often in very small packages.
It can be as small as half the size of a grain of sand, respond with a readable signal for years and carry a wide range of digital information. Though its not new tech, it continues to evolve and demonstrate a vast applicability to any situation where tracking, monitoring or identifying is required. A well-known use of RFID in the consumer sector that has spawned much debate, is the chips embedded in the family pet that carry information on the animals owners. With pure breed and rare animals worth thousands of dollars RFID chips have been embraced by the veterinarian and animal shelter communities nationwide as a sure fire way of lost pet identification, wherein small chips are injected under the skin of the animal to be read by electronic readers confirming the animals identification.
Of course the subsequent discussions of using the technology in the human populace might be the worst scenario but it is not the only ominous development.
Manufacturers and marketers are exploring the role of using RFID in durable goods such as apparel for numerous purposes such as linking a person’s identity with the clothes they buy and wear. Even worse, by coupling RFID to a knowledgebase about individual consumers, advertisers can target messages consumers see in a wide range of environments, just by tracking their spending habits or by product data attached to RFID chips on their person. The myriad number of uses becomes staggering. Even the European Central Bank is considering imbedding RFID in bank notes. Should this sound like something to only consider for the future, RFID availability for use as the global passport standard has been circulating for years.
It’s easy to see how quickly the implications get dizzying. My suggestion, be aware, choose and use your tech wisely and oh yeah, if you thought I forgot to mention the Internet, that was intentional! The Web is becoming less anonymous all the time and that topic is a Pandora’s box all its own.
Since my last post covered the music world, I think it only fitting to turn my skewed perspective onto the movie industry. The differences between them are pretty big. They of course, are not as heavy handed as their maniacal audio brethren, but they also are not watching their cash cow crash and burn like the music industry. Rest in peace CD. No, the movie industry and its MPAA are dare I say it, a little wiser. Do they have pirates? Absolutely! Do they have competition? For sure! When TV and cable programming is good these days, it’s very good! And games? They’re always fighting movies for the consumer’s attention and there are only so many hours in the day.
So why are they in such a better position than music? Well, I believe the movie experience still has some appeal! Big screen plasma’s not withstanding. Sure, home theater is growing without doubt, but it’s still mostly in the “we need to take out an equity loan,” expense range when competing with the local multiplex. So, why aren’t they big a-holes like the RIAA?
Okay, no more suspense, the biggest reason I see is they have some breathing room and can take the long view. The quality of their product hasn’t declined like the pabulum that the music industry thinks it can still foster on the public. Movie blockbusters are still being made and the box office is still adding up to pretty huge numbers! Okay, they have to thank Stan Lee and a few other content legends A LOT more than they used to, but I digress. Also, the good ‘old DVD – unlike the CD – still gets the job done and works for a lot of consumers, me included. That’s why I think the recent Blu-ray victory will end up a minor media footnote (like many Sony formats.) But more importantly, the ability to take the long view without the stress of fleeing a sinking ship is creating interesting possibilities.
One recent theater addition holding a great deal of promise is the latest evolution of 3D technology. And trust me, this is not your grandpa’s red, blue, green 3D. This a whole different animal and after personally seeing Beowulf with the new technology, it’s nothing short of amazing! Yes, it’s that good. What it bodes for the future of movies is a masterstroke in two ways! Not only will it add value to “must sees” in the theaters with a much more immersive experience, it will also create a major obstacle to in theater cam piracy as the tech is rolled out into broader distribution to the tune of 12 to 20 major releases done in 3D every year by 2010. Aside from the reduction in early release piracy, this could keep the box office and the theater experience viable for quite some time.
Let’s also not forget the filmmakers that continue to make the compelling big screen “must sees” that are always so highly anticipated! I doubt theaters will expel its last gasp and die until were so advanced we get to the point where we can project movies into our brain. The most important point however, is the breathing room this gives the industry. I allows them to keep their reliable revenue streams, while it develops ways to meet consumers needs in the future. And obviously a big part of that future will entail innovative and new content delivery methods in the new media landscape.
Ultimately, even though I doubt they believe it themselves, movies will be seen in the future as the pioneers of the no physical media paradigm shift in rich media entertainment and will as a result, be that much further ahead of the entertainment competition. We as humans have only so many hours in the day to devote to entertainment in an ever-expanding world of content and as the MP3 has demonstrated, our desire for a familiar form will continue and content providers that can deliver the most flexible and compelling entertainment experience as the digital lifestyle evolves, will still be standing when the next technology crossroad is reached.
The industry association that launched a billion blog vents seems to never evolve or adapt its approach and processes to push its agenda even when the legal systems says ‘Look numbnuts – the court systems isn’t going to do your work for you.’ Recent court rulings have re-examined the burden of proof and supported defendants with motions against intent to distribute and other cut corners in the RIAA cookie cutter suits. Perhaps its becoming as obvious to the courts, as it is to alienated consumers everywhere that the whole point behind the work of this misguided org is to prop up the obsolete current business model of the recording industry. To do that, it requires they serve as a new revenue stream that the industry can get behind. Unfortunately for them, their MO, namely, trying to extort money from college kids, grandma’s and loyal past customers doesnt sit well the the public at large. I know, I use broad blanket statements in that assessment … bad me (hand slap.) But my intent isn’t to lament the current treatment of the music consumer. No, I want to salute the brains behind the RIAA corporate idiocy and yell bravo! Keep it up!
I can hear the eyebrows raise and some may think I have lost it, but I think the RIAA buffoonery serves a two great purposes. It pisses off the consumer and drives innovation.
Think about it, all but the copyright fundamentalists and the highly insulated executive branch of the music industry already know it’s over. But no one in power cares, just like no one cared about ripping consumers off when the system worked. So, of course the industry mucky mucks are going to ride it out to the bitter, crash and burn grinding end. Instead of developing ways to give a newly evolved customer what it wants, they have decided to wring every drop of blood out of them that they can through the RIAA evangelists. With that kind of arrogance coupled to an insulting business model they still have the audacity to wonder why a majority of the music loyalty is taking the same stance I already have; ‘Im done and Im getting off here thank you very much.’
Think about it, when you are a long time music fan and start to estimate the cost of supporting a music listening passion over time and calculate how much you have already been fleeced for, anger comes quickly! For you youngsters out there, I am not even talking about the current music scene. I am solely referring to a long time back catalog collection. When one realizes the blood sucking industry has milked us middle aged music consumers 2, 3 and sometimes 4 separate times for the same piece of music, served on a new and better media, its easy to see how world of music sharing got started. The twist of the knife in our back came when they continued to charge us a premium for what we already bought the rights to, and figured replacing your personal catalog with the latest and greatest format, for an arm and leg was more than fair. What they didn’t figure on was the long-term resentment that would build. What they also didn’t count on was a young consumer that quickly jumped to the dark side of music sharing before they could be ripped off. Plain and simple, the industry is not giving them what they want. As a recent LA times article highlighted, about half of all teens didn’t buy a single CD in 2007, but by comparison digital sales were so strong that itunes was pushed past Best Buy as the new second biggest music sales outlet in the US. Also, ironically the increase in digital sales was primarily driven by the reliable 36 to 50 demographic. So it looks like the consumer is done with the CD and the industry’s attempts to control how they enjoy media.
With that in mind, I would like to thank a few key players beyond the RIAA that contributed to the state of the media revolution. Of course foremost is Microsoft. Digitization to the masses is the foundation on which are based. Sony, ironically for blazing the trails of both success and failure while contributing to the media revolution. Its hard to believe they created the awesome walkman and later format catastrophes that were such textbook cases, they stood as a beacon for innovators not to follow. Palm, yes Palm, for demonstrating that third party partnering and a small application footprint were the way to approach designing a digital music platform. The list could go on obviously and of course the ultimate hat tip goes to the MP3 codec developers that understood a small sized lossy format system would offer the perfect balance of audio quality and storage portability.
Bravo to all contributors past and present! And RIAA, your mission should you choose to accept it is to continue your reprehensible ways until you;
· kill off and cull all the fat in the industry
· drive away even your staunchest corporate fans
· force the major labels to distance and divorce from supporting your crazy self
Finally, fading into an impotent entity that is viewed as a cautionary historical tale that
reaffirms the new media evolution and the balanced triumvirate of artist, industry, consumer in a world of supply, demand and consumption.
Sometimes a tag-line generates a mental rant that won’t go away. The electric car is one of those topics. In a corporate world where everyone looks toward the big business culprit behind the failures of innovation, sometimes the death-knell for a good idea is not so glamorous. Take for example, the electric car. Now I know there is a movie about its demise long before it got a chance to live, and no I haven’t seen it, ironically. Why you may ask? Don’t need to. What killed the electric car is plain to me. To coin a real estate term, infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure. When one looks at it from a straight-forward demographic approach it becomes simple.
Who is the biggest market for the car? Low to moderate income individuals where the offset in electricity to petroleum costs would make the biggest difference and ensure early and enthusiastic adopters. Okay no surprises yet, I know, but bear with me. When you look at this consumer sector there is one thing that stands out that to drive my point home. Of all households, more than 70% of this sector of consumers doesn’t own their home. This means rentals, usually multiple-unit housing (MUH’s) or condominiums. Even the homeowners in the condo sector are often relegated to community based MHU’s. How does that translate to non-viability for owning electric cars?
Just like utilities, telecom or the Internet this is all about having the hook-up to provide you the service you seek. If you own a single family home or driveway/garage equipped condo, you probably have a convenient way to plug in your electric car via your garage or a line ran a few short feet to your driveway or curbside spot. If you live in a MUH, you have no option. Not only do you have no option to hook YOUR car to YOUR electrical outlets. You don’t even have the availability of hooking up your electric car to ANY outlet. Couple this to the fact that there are little or no hookups available in the rest of the world and I think my point is made. So if you want to rail against someone, I suppose you could picket commercial construction contractors and power utilities, but until MUH design and construction becomes electric friendly on a wide scale, or at least available, I’m afraid there’s not much point. Did I say “Damn Those Hard to Implement Paradigm Shifts?” If not, I meant to!
For those of you that know me, some will faint straight away that I am actually FINALLY blogging
and others will roll eyes with ”what the hell took so long” exasperation. In either case rest assured that this will not be a daily diatribe.
If you come by once a week you will be up to date! I will add a feature about that often and post my snippets of thought along the same time frame.
I hope to make this an entertaining early week diversion! Come see me when you can.
