Way Down Yonder in… Random Notes
…New Orleans.
Anybody else remember Gary U. S. Bonds?
If you don’t, check out the song… it’s gotta be available someone other than a moldy 45 rpm record.
This is your planning reminder wake up call for the last of the standalone national shows… in New Orleans sort of from Saturday May 17th thru the crowded flight departure terminals Tues evening and Wed morning.
This is also a reminder the NCTA and Cox New Orleans have been working together to help place cable cares volunteers with the right—and perhaps neediest—organizations doing some good in the ravaged—but bouncing back—town.
Check out www.VolunteerNewOrleans.org… and sign up now.www.VolunteerNewOrleans.org…
Shout out here for Brad Grundmeyer and Greg Bicket of Cox.
Let’s not all show up at Habitat for Humanity (I won’t go there; I’d hit my thumb with a hammer). But let’s all pitch in way down yonder…
* Cable TV Pioneers: It’s that time again… Mar 7 is the deadline to get your nominations in for the Class of ’08. Forms and instructions are available from that great, sonorous Pioneer Les Read at [email protected] or 516.944.0444. Or send me an email. Be sure to include your name, request and mailing address. Any Pioneer (with dues current, Class of ’03 or earlier and not a Board member) can nominate or co-sponsor an individual who has over 20 years of direct and significant involvement with the cable industry.
* Speaking of Old Guys & Gals: This year’s Pioneer Dinner is set for the sort of first day of the NCTA confab on Sunday evening, May 18 at the World War II Museum (take that any way you like) in N’awlins… and if you’re a member of the Class of ’83, be sure to attend your 25th anniversary. Invitations in the mail soonest (says Les).
* Pioneer Board Update: Last year we changed some rules to add a board member from each new class to serve a two-year term. New chmn Jim Faircloth then welcomed HBO‘s John Hagerty from ’06 and Bend Broadband‘s Amy Tykeson from ’07.
* Rank Speculation: Motorola‘s got handset. Tyco needs a dominant focus. Voila! Tyco should take over Moto. Hey, Ed… paying attention here? Make a nice fit with ADT, huh?
* Spring Fling! Ah, New York… the Cable Positive Dinner on Mar 4 (another award for Bill Roedy; best one he’s gotten since we shared one at the old, late, lamented Hawaiian Cable Convention)… Multichannel News’ Wonder Women… and jockeying for next year’s slots by the myriad associations. I think I’ll go skiing. Lots and lots and lots of snow out here.
* Jargon Alert: Make note of femtocells… perhaps even coming to a set-top box or cable modem near you (someday, maybe). It’s a tiny, wireless base station that was the rage at Barcelona’s Mobile World Congress. A femto is the “metric prefix denoting one quadrillionth (million billionth) of a unit.” Now you know.
* Nominations Still Being Accepted for the MaxFAX CEO Competitions: Got almost three dozen; keep ’em coming. Some are almost too, too funny. Hottest competition is for the Best Martini Drinker.
