Letters
On June 13, Comcast Cable techs Todd Hickam and Ryan Thornhill saved 10-year-old Jamario Covington from drowning in a Des Moines, Wash., swimming pool.
Hickam and Thornhill were working on high-speed Internet repairs near the Highland Village Townhomes when Covington’s babysitter flagged Hickam down. Thornhill, who was in another Comcast truck, also stopped and called 911.
Hickam jumped into the 8-foot deep pool with all of his gear on to pull Covington from the bottom, and then Thornhill started CPR, which both learned in a class provided by Comcast less than a year ago. Thanks to the Comcast techs, Covington was breathing when paramedics arrived on the scene.
Thornhill and Hickam were able to meet Jamario Covington and his parents, Larry and Melody, later that week.
"Most definitely, they should be recognized as heroes," Larry Covington told a local TV news station. "They have to." Terayon Adds Aden
Terayon Communication Systems has appointed Matthew J. Aden as senior vice president of worldwide sales and customer service. Coming to Terayon from Motorola’s connected home solutions business. Veres Joins Widevine
Jim Veres has joined Widevine Technologies as vice president of advanced engineering. He will focus on embedding Widevine’s Cypher Virtual SmartCard into video processor, CE and mobile device chipsets. Concurrent Grows Team
Bob Tucci and Frank Winship have joined Concurrent’s on-demand sales force, with resposibilities for west coast and Comcast, respectively. Tim Dodge has been appointed as the director of marketing for Concurrent’s on-demand line. Obituaries
John S. Davis, former president of Universal Remote Control and US Electronics, died on Thursday, July 28, at his home in Merrick, NY, after fighting a courageous battle against a long and debilitating illness. His colleagues recall him as an active, talented and involved industry leader and request contributions to Child Abuse Prevention Services, (P.O. Box 176, Roslyn, NY 11576) in lieu of flowers. Do you speak IP?
Here is one of the responses we received to a question posed on CT’s Pipeline regarding how best to learn Internet protocol: I joined Scientific-Atlanta seven years ago as a contractor with extensive experience in corporate networks. In my early days, Ethernet distances were measured with a multimeter and a calculator, so considering RF networks as Layer 1 topologies was not a big step. Knowledge of many network protocols made understanding RF transport protocols, NTSC and DVB standards relatively easy.
During the first few years of pushing out digital services, headend technicians (and managers) were always looking for ways to better understand the emerging technologies, and with training budgets and time both critical resources, it was a constant challenge for them. My recommendation was to obtain a desktop PC and any flavor of Linux. By the time someone actually installed an operating version of Linux, they acquired essential computer skills. When connecting to networks, they learned the essentials of an IP connection. When remotely (or locally) accessing their own networks, both their experience and knowledge increased.
Many of those early adopters are now experts in their facilities. Learning is a constant endeavor. The willingness to role up one’s sleeves, spend time, and ask questions are essential to professional growth. Including, learning how to "speak IP" -Brewer Leggett