I have a strange affinity for Mark Twain. When I read his stuff I think I identify more with him as I read than the characters in his book. It seems he lived a great life that was still full of sadness. I can't decide if his life was tragic or marvelous or both.
My favorite piece of his is the diary of Adam and Eve. It's a very short "book", but it always strikes me as one of the first self-help books on the differences between men and women. This quote still chokes me up when I read it. It's the last line in Adam's diary.
"Whereso ever she was there was Eden. ~Marked on Eve's grave"
I was reading that book when I met my wife for the first time. I'd read it many times before, but still I like to remember it. However competent men appear to be, we are pretty much hopeless without our wives. Thank god we found them.
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Monday, July 25, 2005
Entry for July 25, 2005
I've been waiting for some good news to occur randomly before posting... Who'da'thunk that it would be over 10 days... sheesh.
Well still nothing to report on the Good News(tm) front.
Life is still good of course, just extremely stressful as well. I find myself staring at random businesses and wondering what it's like to work there... Odd stuff like that.
Well I just remembered this cool poem I heard on World of Warcraft... You can have the characters says random things, each race has its own selection of phrases. This is a Troll phrase. They have a Jamacian accent.
I kill 2 dwarves in the morning
i kill 2 dwarves at night
and i feel alright.
I kill 2 dwarves before
I kill 2 dwarves
and then I kill 2 more.
Well still nothing to report on the Good News(tm) front.
Life is still good of course, just extremely stressful as well. I find myself staring at random businesses and wondering what it's like to work there... Odd stuff like that.
Well I just remembered this cool poem I heard on World of Warcraft... You can have the characters says random things, each race has its own selection of phrases. This is a Troll phrase. They have a Jamacian accent.
I kill 2 dwarves in the morning
i kill 2 dwarves at night
and i feel alright.
I kill 2 dwarves before
I kill 2 dwarves
and then I kill 2 more.
Thursday, July 14, 2005
The Pirates of Numos
Like a jagged hole in space lies the entrance to otherspace. Nearby drifts the Landry Space Station; a Telos military base and the last bastion of that empires civil authority before entering the Fringe. Three star systems are within striking distance of the station. The most remote is the Numos system.
Numos has seven planets and a medium-sized red star. There are two gas giants (Saresad and Oassen) that are both centers of gas mining. There is only one habitable planet in the system, Caliban. Caliban is mostly desert with few resources. Numos contains a large asteroid belt that is currently owned by Lightwave Industries. They have a mining operation active in the belt called Faltz #4047, run by Felix Redback; a Lightwave Executive. The operation is infested with pirates, but is the only fueling station on the way to the inner planets. Besides Caliban, the other inner planets are hellish worlds of searing heat and fracturing cold.
Naturally occuring holes to otherspace are known as "ainniq" an old word for "hole in the ice." The ainniq are the primary means of travel between the vast distances of space. However, the skills necessary to navigate the ainniq are a closely guarded guild secret. Ships that do manage to run the blockades around the gates never arrive at another gate. The Telos empire claims it has the ability to construct "man-made" gates, but to date has not does so--although they claim they have "secret" gates for military purposes.
Over the last few decades the Telos empire appears to be decaying. There hasn't been a new starship design seen in over 20 years. While the existing designs are still quite functional and modern, it is the longest break in development any can remember. The Telos navy patrols the space around the Landry Station and will occassionally escort a Lightwave transport to Faltz and other facilities in the area, but no farther. These large ships would make quick work of anything other than a coordinated attack effort from the pirates in Numos.
Still folks are beginning to ask why Telos has been so inactive for so long. Rumors abound about political infighting, a repressed civil war, war with xeno's, plagues and even the destruction of Telos itself. But rumors in the Fringe are common and rarely accurate. Besides, what happens core-ward has little to do with life on the Fringe. Why worry?
The leading crime family in the Numos system is the Demosid clan. Based out of Oassen, the Demosid militia is the dominant force beyond the range of the Telos Navy. The Demosid's take by force any resource that seems to have value in the Numos system. The only areas where they have no control are Saresad and the Faltz mining op. Saresad has it's own militia, but chooses to only defend its immediate area and trade routes. Faltz is a Lightwave Industries resource and while only lightly defended, if it ever were attacked, the resulting corporate response would be bad for business. On Caliban the Demosids run drug manufacturing, gambling, slavery, smuggling and about every other criminal racket possible. On Oassen they control dozens of mining colonies (floating spheres inside the upper reaches of the gas giant). The family has enough influence to get it's goods through the Landry star gate. They pay large bribes to the local Telos authority for the priviledge.
Numos has seven planets and a medium-sized red star. There are two gas giants (Saresad and Oassen) that are both centers of gas mining. There is only one habitable planet in the system, Caliban. Caliban is mostly desert with few resources. Numos contains a large asteroid belt that is currently owned by Lightwave Industries. They have a mining operation active in the belt called Faltz #4047, run by Felix Redback; a Lightwave Executive. The operation is infested with pirates, but is the only fueling station on the way to the inner planets. Besides Caliban, the other inner planets are hellish worlds of searing heat and fracturing cold.
Naturally occuring holes to otherspace are known as "ainniq" an old word for "hole in the ice." The ainniq are the primary means of travel between the vast distances of space. However, the skills necessary to navigate the ainniq are a closely guarded guild secret. Ships that do manage to run the blockades around the gates never arrive at another gate. The Telos empire claims it has the ability to construct "man-made" gates, but to date has not does so--although they claim they have "secret" gates for military purposes.
Over the last few decades the Telos empire appears to be decaying. There hasn't been a new starship design seen in over 20 years. While the existing designs are still quite functional and modern, it is the longest break in development any can remember. The Telos navy patrols the space around the Landry Station and will occassionally escort a Lightwave transport to Faltz and other facilities in the area, but no farther. These large ships would make quick work of anything other than a coordinated attack effort from the pirates in Numos.
Still folks are beginning to ask why Telos has been so inactive for so long. Rumors abound about political infighting, a repressed civil war, war with xeno's, plagues and even the destruction of Telos itself. But rumors in the Fringe are common and rarely accurate. Besides, what happens core-ward has little to do with life on the Fringe. Why worry?
The leading crime family in the Numos system is the Demosid clan. Based out of Oassen, the Demosid militia is the dominant force beyond the range of the Telos Navy. The Demosid's take by force any resource that seems to have value in the Numos system. The only areas where they have no control are Saresad and the Faltz mining op. Saresad has it's own militia, but chooses to only defend its immediate area and trade routes. Faltz is a Lightwave Industries resource and while only lightly defended, if it ever were attacked, the resulting corporate response would be bad for business. On Caliban the Demosids run drug manufacturing, gambling, slavery, smuggling and about every other criminal racket possible. On Oassen they control dozens of mining colonies (floating spheres inside the upper reaches of the gas giant). The family has enough influence to get it's goods through the Landry star gate. They pay large bribes to the local Telos authority for the priviledge.
Thursday, July 7, 2005
d20 Modern Game Notes
Played a short little game last night.
Ryan received a package from the vampires good for 3 free months of food. It seems a member one of the lesser racket operators was taking a little too much off the top and was now beyond his useful existance. The package contains the details of the mark including home address, vehicle, base of operations, and a photo. Ryan packs up his Barret light-50... Russel Barret is the hit his is also a vampire.
The layout of buildings around Russ' condo is pretty sparse, but there is one hotel facing the windows of his 8th floor living room window. Ryan spends the day watching Russ. He follows the hit to his bar/brothel downtown. Ryan spends the night in the bar casing the joint and ultimately a couple hours talking to a hooker. He decides the condo is a better spot. During the day he acquires some special Incindary rounds.
Ryan catches some sleep. At about 1 PM he calls Christian for some help setting a C4 charge on the target's vehicle. Christian motors up in his Ford and brings his "bag". The underground parking garage is relatively secure, but there is a fire exit. Christian examines the smooth featureless metal exterior of the fire door. In a smooth moment with a thin strip of metal he pops the door in a couple of seconds (rolled a 20 Disable Device).
Moving inside the stair well is easy. The garage itself has several stationary cameras. By crawling around the edges the pair make it around to Russ' black caddy. Christian has 4 lbs of C4 with him. Ryan says "Use it all." Christian shrugs and sets a shaped charge under the drivers side that will be triggered by radio. Christian's opinion is, "This will turn anyone inside the car into chunky salsa, but won't destroy the vehicle." On the way out Christian inadvertantly stands up in front of a camera. Ryan gripes and works his way up to the automated security tapes and removes the offending tape. Christian heads home after giving Ryan the radio control.
Ryan sets up watch again.
About 30 minutes after sunset, Russ pops out of his bedroom and sits with his body guard in the living room. Ryan is locked and loaded. The rifle will make a heck of a noise, but it's the best chance of a single shot kill. At this distance making a head shot is too iffy. Ryan targets center mass. If Russ is a full vampire a single shot (Massive Damage Threshold save) will be unlikely. But if he's just on the edge, it might still work. He pulls the trigger.
Ryan deals a cool 29 hp damage. Russ fails his massive damage save and promptly explodes in virus laden mist. Much hiliarity ensues.
Russ's bodyguards loot his apartment and bolt in the caddy. Ryan resists the urge to blow them up. The rifle shot was heard for blocks, but a single shot doesn't cause much comotion. Ryan "ghosts" in to the apartment and loots the wall safe the 2 mooks couldn't open.
Back at the ranch, Ryan cuts open the save to gain a +2 wealth bonus in cash.
Interesting NPC I need to flesh out... Anita.
"Anita" is the vampire soup kitchen manager. She is an old woman dressed in young goth. She is also an old vampire. The soup kitchen imports human cargo and chains them to poles in small stalls. Vampires on the meal plan can show up from 2 AM to 4 AM to feed. The organization takes care of the bodies.
Ryan received a package from the vampires good for 3 free months of food. It seems a member one of the lesser racket operators was taking a little too much off the top and was now beyond his useful existance. The package contains the details of the mark including home address, vehicle, base of operations, and a photo. Ryan packs up his Barret light-50... Russel Barret is the hit his is also a vampire.
The layout of buildings around Russ' condo is pretty sparse, but there is one hotel facing the windows of his 8th floor living room window. Ryan spends the day watching Russ. He follows the hit to his bar/brothel downtown. Ryan spends the night in the bar casing the joint and ultimately a couple hours talking to a hooker. He decides the condo is a better spot. During the day he acquires some special Incindary rounds.
Ryan catches some sleep. At about 1 PM he calls Christian for some help setting a C4 charge on the target's vehicle. Christian motors up in his Ford and brings his "bag". The underground parking garage is relatively secure, but there is a fire exit. Christian examines the smooth featureless metal exterior of the fire door. In a smooth moment with a thin strip of metal he pops the door in a couple of seconds (rolled a 20 Disable Device).
Moving inside the stair well is easy. The garage itself has several stationary cameras. By crawling around the edges the pair make it around to Russ' black caddy. Christian has 4 lbs of C4 with him. Ryan says "Use it all." Christian shrugs and sets a shaped charge under the drivers side that will be triggered by radio. Christian's opinion is, "This will turn anyone inside the car into chunky salsa, but won't destroy the vehicle." On the way out Christian inadvertantly stands up in front of a camera. Ryan gripes and works his way up to the automated security tapes and removes the offending tape. Christian heads home after giving Ryan the radio control.
Ryan sets up watch again.
About 30 minutes after sunset, Russ pops out of his bedroom and sits with his body guard in the living room. Ryan is locked and loaded. The rifle will make a heck of a noise, but it's the best chance of a single shot kill. At this distance making a head shot is too iffy. Ryan targets center mass. If Russ is a full vampire a single shot (Massive Damage Threshold save) will be unlikely. But if he's just on the edge, it might still work. He pulls the trigger.
Ryan deals a cool 29 hp damage. Russ fails his massive damage save and promptly explodes in virus laden mist. Much hiliarity ensues.
Russ's bodyguards loot his apartment and bolt in the caddy. Ryan resists the urge to blow them up. The rifle shot was heard for blocks, but a single shot doesn't cause much comotion. Ryan "ghosts" in to the apartment and loots the wall safe the 2 mooks couldn't open.
Back at the ranch, Ryan cuts open the save to gain a +2 wealth bonus in cash.
Interesting NPC I need to flesh out... Anita.
"Anita" is the vampire soup kitchen manager. She is an old woman dressed in young goth. She is also an old vampire. The soup kitchen imports human cargo and chains them to poles in small stalls. Vampires on the meal plan can show up from 2 AM to 4 AM to feed. The organization takes care of the bodies.
Thursday, June 30, 2005
Timeline to WorldNet
I've started to seriously look ahead at technology and how it might change society. This is a rough timeline...
2127 – The first murder by VR is documented and prosecuted. Alan Kitchner is condemned to life in prison for the murder of his wife. A VR programmer/designer himself, Alan alters the programming of his wife’s data hood to conceal a broken balcony rail. Mrs. Kitchner falls to her death. Alan forgets to also disable his wife’s “Emergency Heart-Rate Trigger” that immediately summons medical and law enforcement when detecting a panic in the user. A standard process of the feature is an immediate diagnostic snapshot of the caller’s data set. The programming hack is detected and Alan is imprisoned. New VR safeties are demanded by the market. While partially effective, the only truly safe VR is no VR. Communication companies downplay the risks and profits continue to rise.
2150 – Wal-Mart Corp buys Taiwan. Immediately after the purchase Wal-Mart declares itself a sovereign nation. Employees are offered citizenship which ultimately removes them from the tax base of the countries in which they reside. This will start a trend for the next several decades. The advances in communication, virtual travel, video conferencing and tele-commuting now allow people to work for anyone in any country. Most new construction is generic and featureless allowing VR to fill in all the artistic details of a physical environment. The elite are cyber enhanced at young ages—while the poor fill in the few remaining service and manufacturing industries that still exist. Physical warfare is only useful in its ability to disrupt the digital economies of the Sovereign Corps or other nations. Digital warfare rages in the background. Cyber-terrorism takes new meaning as real deaths result from manipulations of VR and malicious alteration of medical treatments. These terrorist attacks are known as “wet hacking.” The WorldNet, now essential to world economy also contains many dark e-zones that deal in illegal software known as “ciphers.” Cipher is a generic term for any program that removes normal safeties on VR software to cause harm or mis-direction.
2020 – The first “wearable computer” devices hit the market in the US and Japan. Comprised of a small wireless PDA, Display Glasses and a pair of wrist bands that detect muscle movements while typing (allowing the user to mimic typing in the air without a keyboard) subscribers are able to use low-powered computers in any area with cell phone coverage. Battery life is still an issue only lasting for a few hours before requiring recharge.
2030 – The typing wrist bands can be replaced with implanted chips, becoming one of the first Bio-Terminals available. Typing now only requires slight movements. With training even those paralyzed can be trained to use other nerve pulses to type. However, wrist-bands are still common. Small footprint computers weighing less than a pound are now powerful enough to run most entertainment software (games) as well as function as full featured computers. Battery life doubles.
2035 – Ocular chip implants are widely used for the blind. Vision is only 60’ and only a grainy black & white (-4 Spot), but can be used effectively in low-light. These chips have an external interface connected to a pair of glasses that mount pin-hole cameras. The external interface also allows other inputs directly to the optic nerves. This becomes the 2nd big leap in Bio-Terminals. Suddenly the modified blind become invaluable in “Specialty Vision” careers. Their optic nerves can be directly connected to security systems, 3D virtual worlds, electron microscopes, and another other device that outputs visual media. These individuals use enhanced versions of the wearable computer that attach directly to their optical Bio-Terminals.
2065 – Ocular chip technology advances to full color and 120’. Inside this range, “Chip Vision” is as good as 20/20 normal vision with enhancements for low-light and night vision (60’). Display Glasses remain, but the chips can be placed inside the retina allowing for a normal appearance. Real-time language translators are created. Individuals of different nations can see subtitles to any single spoken language selected by the user.
2080 – The military begins to use ocular implants in soldiers. Wearable computers are now completely devoid of wires (each element is powered separately) and the devices communicate with each other wirelessly. Display Glasses have replaced monitors in most business applications. Wireless coverage is global. Implanted Bio-Typist chips become the norm at universities and in tech shops.
2090 – The first private ocular implants are used electively. Primarily used by individuals with poor (but adequate) vision or for vanity (larger, prettier eyes) voluntary ocular implants are approved for use by the FDA. Integration with communication devices is immediate. Language translators now automatically translate text as well as spoken languages.
2120 – Ocular implants are common. The Data Hood is developed. This stylish piece of wearable technology acts a cell phone, video player, computer terminal, wireless network, day planner, advertising medium, radio/music player and fashion accessory. The fabric of electronics drapes over the user’s head and shoulders like a coif or snood. It can be used with Display Glasses or can be connected to Ocular Implants. The “Internet” has evolved in to a complete 3D information network. Virtual travel is a blooming industry. Taste and scent implants are developed. Some art galleries specialize in digital media where images are broadcast to viewers. The physical picture frames are blank and the Display Glasses or visual implants of the observer fill in the artist’s work. Conventions like TV sets, radios and voice-only phones completely disappear from modern society.
2125 – Virtual Reality applications advance to such a degree that individual real objects can be completely “wallpapered” with user selected visual textures and designs. A common fold-out table can be made to look like a rich oak antique of the same size and dimensions. Home décor industries are vastly affected switching from real techniques to digital. Tactile senses are not affected, however. A cold metal table still feels like metal even if it looks padded. Still the effects are powerful and popular. Keying information into your own personal computer (Data Hood) is now accomplished with a combination of eye movement and thought. However Bio-Typist chips remain common. Language software becomes perfected with real-time audio translation. Some common medications are automatically delivered to the blood stream through an individual personal computer via refillable cartridges. The military has been using this technique to boost the effectiveness of soldier secretly for years.
2127 – The first murder by VR is documented and prosecuted. Alan Kitchner is condemned to life in prison for the murder of his wife. A VR programmer/designer himself, Alan alters the programming of his wife’s data hood to conceal a broken balcony rail. Mrs. Kitchner falls to her death. Alan forgets to also disable his wife’s “Emergency Heart-Rate Trigger” that immediately summons medical and law enforcement when detecting a panic in the user. A standard process of the feature is an immediate diagnostic snapshot of the caller’s data set. The programming hack is detected and Alan is imprisoned. New VR safeties are demanded by the market. While partially effective, the only truly safe VR is no VR. Communication companies downplay the risks and profits continue to rise.
2150 – Wal-Mart Corp buys Taiwan. Immediately after the purchase Wal-Mart declares itself a sovereign nation. Employees are offered citizenship which ultimately removes them from the tax base of the countries in which they reside. This will start a trend for the next several decades. The advances in communication, virtual travel, video conferencing and tele-commuting now allow people to work for anyone in any country. Most new construction is generic and featureless allowing VR to fill in all the artistic details of a physical environment. The elite are cyber enhanced at young ages—while the poor fill in the few remaining service and manufacturing industries that still exist. Physical warfare is only useful in its ability to disrupt the digital economies of the Sovereign Corps or other nations. Digital warfare rages in the background. Cyber-terrorism takes new meaning as real deaths result from manipulations of VR and malicious alteration of medical treatments. These terrorist attacks are known as “wet hacking.” The WorldNet, now essential to world economy also contains many dark e-zones that deal in illegal software known as “ciphers.” Cipher is a generic term for any program that removes normal safeties on VR software to cause harm or mis-direction.
Monday, June 27, 2005
Title Deleted
I discovered this morning that many of the game sites I frequently visit from work were blocked. ENworld, Blue Devil Games, rpol.net and I'm sure others, all hit the following message...
What is especially funny about this is that no where in this policy does it say "computer game" sites are forbidden. I guess some one in Corp Sec couldn't conceive why such a block might be demoralizing and thus negatively impact productivity. I suppose they'll be searching my laptop bags for books next or maybe censuring what music I'm allowed to bring.
It's going to be a pretty funny day when we discover that, while we may be "free citizens" we are still slaves to the system of corporate dominance. After all, you gotta eat. You can't drop your family medical insurance. You are a slave as sure as if you were chained to your desk. You can chose masters, but it's still the same. Someone else will chose when you get up, when you can work, when you can eat, when you can be sick, when you go home, whether your children will get medical coverage, whom you can chose to cover, and now... even when you can chose to think about something other than work. Security of assets... controlling costs... maintain productivity... bottomline... money... money... money. Go forth and generate wealth. Waste no thoughts.
Forbidden: You do not have permission to access this page.
CLIENT_IP: 10.119.4.82 DATE: Mon, 27 Jun 2005 13:46:48 GMT CATEGORY: Computer Games
ERROR: Access denied due to authentication failure.
Internet Conduct: Employees are expected to comply with the following rules of conduct while on the Internet.
-
Do not violate any Sprint policy or guideline when accessing the Internet.
-
Do not represent being affiliated with Sprint or as speaking on behalf of Sprint unless: (i) it is in the furtherance of job duties; and (ii) you have received the approval of a director-level or above individual within his or her department to do so.
-
Do not transmit, post, display, print, forward, or otherwise disseminate material that is fraudulent, illegal, harassing, offensive, sexually explicit, obscene, threatening, infringing, defamatory or otherwise objectionable.
-
Do not initiate or forward to others chain letters or other offensive messages.
-
Do not engage in any activity or conduct which is contrary to the best interest of or disloyal to Sprint.
To read the entire “Acceptable Internet Use” policy please access Section 2.9 in the HR “Employee Resource Guide”.
If you feel the Internet site you are trying to access should be allowed or is needed for business reasons "Click Here" or type "helpdesk" (minus the quotes) in your web browser and click the link to create an online ticket.
What is especially funny about this is that no where in this policy does it say "computer game" sites are forbidden. I guess some one in Corp Sec couldn't conceive why such a block might be demoralizing and thus negatively impact productivity. I suppose they'll be searching my laptop bags for books next or maybe censuring what music I'm allowed to bring.
It's going to be a pretty funny day when we discover that, while we may be "free citizens" we are still slaves to the system of corporate dominance. After all, you gotta eat. You can't drop your family medical insurance. You are a slave as sure as if you were chained to your desk. You can chose masters, but it's still the same. Someone else will chose when you get up, when you can work, when you can eat, when you can be sick, when you go home, whether your children will get medical coverage, whom you can chose to cover, and now... even when you can chose to think about something other than work. Security of assets... controlling costs... maintain productivity... bottomline... money... money... money. Go forth and generate wealth. Waste no thoughts.
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
The politics of Celluar Technology
Since I'm heading out of town today to attend a conference on the future of data on CDMA networks, I thought I'd throw down some explanations of radio technology in layman terms.
When it comes to cell phone technology it boils down to this... The US is Red and the rest of the world is Blue. Phones for the Red networks don't work on Blue networks and vice versa. The Red and Blue networks both offer two basic services; Voice and Data.
Voice is of course the original reason for Telephone Companies in the first place. In the 90's we experience this little phenom called "the Internet" and suddenly Telephone Companies were suddenly interested in Data. We all fondly remember the days of modems and dial-up. Some of us are still living that dream... *cough* Then came digital access and then some fool decided that even wired digital access wasn't convenient enough and Telephone Companies delivered "wireless."
So back to Red and Blue networks... Wireless was a "Big Deal(tm)". It was the greatest growth business for the Telephone Companies in a 100 years. At the time it happened, Blue networks were established and Red networks were "experimental." Europe went Blue and the US went Red. Red worked better, but Blue was cheaper. Countries often chose the cheaper techology. Thus the world went Blue. Just to clue you in, Red networks are CDMA and Blue networks are GSM. Means a lot to you I'm sure. Now this data thing... Blue networks did data right from the start--only no one cared at the time. Red networks delivered data right when it mattered and it worked better than Blue. However, since Blue had been technically doing data longer, Blue carriers had more kinks worked out. You could use Data on anyones Blue network. This is called Data Roaming; much like Voice Roaming. Now here's where the Red networks fell on their sword. They didn't make their data work on other Red networks. We're working on it.
The problem is now that Red is so popular (in the US and a few other places), there are a lot of Red carriers. We all have to agree on changes if we all want to make money off you (the consumer). All phone companies are big with too much money. That makes them believe they are important. Important people tend to want to dictate more than cooperate. So that's where I'm going this week. The Red network "lets all cooperate" shindig. A 2 day festival of every CDMA carrier trying to be compatible while at the same time angling for a technical advantage over the other carriers. The corporate expense budgets are going to flow...
Also worth mentioning in closing is the "Holy Grail" of this story. Getting Red data users to work on Blue networks. Technically we don't care about Blue subscribers... being a Red network and all.
When it comes to cell phone technology it boils down to this... The US is Red and the rest of the world is Blue. Phones for the Red networks don't work on Blue networks and vice versa. The Red and Blue networks both offer two basic services; Voice and Data.
Voice is of course the original reason for Telephone Companies in the first place. In the 90's we experience this little phenom called "the Internet" and suddenly Telephone Companies were suddenly interested in Data. We all fondly remember the days of modems and dial-up. Some of us are still living that dream... *cough* Then came digital access and then some fool decided that even wired digital access wasn't convenient enough and Telephone Companies delivered "wireless."
So back to Red and Blue networks... Wireless was a "Big Deal(tm)". It was the greatest growth business for the Telephone Companies in a 100 years. At the time it happened, Blue networks were established and Red networks were "experimental." Europe went Blue and the US went Red. Red worked better, but Blue was cheaper. Countries often chose the cheaper techology. Thus the world went Blue. Just to clue you in, Red networks are CDMA and Blue networks are GSM. Means a lot to you I'm sure. Now this data thing... Blue networks did data right from the start--only no one cared at the time. Red networks delivered data right when it mattered and it worked better than Blue. However, since Blue had been technically doing data longer, Blue carriers had more kinks worked out. You could use Data on anyones Blue network. This is called Data Roaming; much like Voice Roaming. Now here's where the Red networks fell on their sword. They didn't make their data work on other Red networks. We're working on it.
The problem is now that Red is so popular (in the US and a few other places), there are a lot of Red carriers. We all have to agree on changes if we all want to make money off you (the consumer). All phone companies are big with too much money. That makes them believe they are important. Important people tend to want to dictate more than cooperate. So that's where I'm going this week. The Red network "lets all cooperate" shindig. A 2 day festival of every CDMA carrier trying to be compatible while at the same time angling for a technical advantage over the other carriers. The corporate expense budgets are going to flow...
Also worth mentioning in closing is the "Holy Grail" of this story. Getting Red data users to work on Blue networks. Technically we don't care about Blue subscribers... being a Red network and all.
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