A new Lutheran (un)Civil War…

Normally, I am the kind of person who lets news stories and opinions slide.  Initially, I might have a reaction, but after a few minutes, I normally calm down realizing that all opinions should be respected, even if I disagree with the opinion.  I might comment, but I try to be respectful.  I learned from great debaters, like my friends Josh Gunn and John Brown, that if I let my emotions get the better of me and let it cloud my logic, I will become vulnerable to getting schooled.  But there are some situations where my emotions and logic line up together, and those are the moments where even a Chris Bonneau type would need to look the hell out for my wrath.  It’s happening here and now, and unfortunately my wrath is pointed in the direction of the leaders of my religious denomination, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. 

It takes a rare act of stupidity these days to unite the Walkers (my parents, my sisters, and I) in anger and opposition, but apparently LC-MS President Matthew Harrison has done just that.  For those of you who have not heard, Harrison ordered Rev. Rob Morris, pastor of an LC-MS church in Newtown, CT, to apologize to the denomination for participating in a public interfaith vigil attended by President Barack Obama two days after the shooting at the elementary school which killed 26 students and faculty members.  The reason?  Harrison said Morris’ participation in the service “violated the limits set by Scripture regarding joint worship.” 

This garbage again?  Didn’t we in the LC-MS learn our lessons in the aftermath of the 9/11 tragedies in interfaith events at Yankee Stadium and at Valparaiso University?  A national tragedy occurs and the morons leading from St. Louis want to maintain purity at all costs?!?

But wait, it gets worse.  Apparently, there is a sect of the LC-MS denomination, known as The Brothers of John the Steadfast.  This group identifies themselves as confessional Lutherans — church members who stress strict adherence to the Book of Concord, the 16th-century work that defined the central doctrines of Lutheranism.  They were vocal critics of the post-9/11 services and they have shown up again in this situation.  And they were not so kind in their criticisms of Rev. Morris.  From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: 

“One commenter said Morris’s participation in the service “does more harm to the souls of the survivors than any gunman could ever do.”

“Does anyone else agree that Pastor Morris’ action is more abominable than those committed by the gunman?” the commenter asked.

“Yes I do,” (Rev. Timothy) Rossow (a pastor from Naperville, Ill., and Steadfast’s leader) answered in a post that followed. “The gunman killed the body which lasts for 70 or 80 years. ... False teaching and practice kills the soul which lives for eternity in heaven or hell.” ”

Did I mention it is rumored that one of the of the dead in the tragedy likely was a member at Rev. Morris’ church?  For not just fellow LC-MS Lutherans to compare Rev. Morris’ acts to the acts of the gunman, but pastors… well, there’s no easy way to put this… it sounds very much like Westboro Baptist Church speak.  And I guess The Brothers of John the Steadfast don’t think too highly of women, either.

Harrison is up for re-election later this year at the National LC-MS convention.  The Last Convention produced some very controversial results, such as termination of a closer relationship with African-American congregations and the election of Harrison.  The Newtown Controversy just adds fuel to the fire that the fundamental LC-MS Lutherans (largely Midwestern congregations) will be on the defensive in the next convention from the more moderate to liberal LC-MS Lutherans (largely based along both coasts and in the South).  Could this cause a schism among LC-MS Lutherans?  Possibly.

Regardless of the outcome, I fear my sister Sheri is right.  The closer you live to St. Louis, the crazier the LC-MS leadership becomes.  I just worry about the future of the LC-MS’s younger members, many of whom will gather in San Antonio in July.  Will they be content to remain in a denomination that shuns moments of mercy to maintain doctrine purity?

As for me, I threatened last year to leave the Lutheran faith if another Seminex-like controversy flared up.  Now this situation has come up.  What will I and my house do?

Free Wi-Fi Nationwide soon? Better think twice…

Recently, the FCC, led by chairman Julius Genachowski, began to float the idea of a Nationwide Wi-Fi network.  According to the Washington Post: “The federal government wants to create super WiFi networks across the nation, so powerful and broad in reach that consumers could use them to make calls or surf the Internet without paying a cellphone bill every month.”  Naturally, the wireless industry, led by AT&T Mobile, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile, Sprint, and others are vehemently opposed to the idea, while tech giants, such as Microsoft, Google, and others are pushing the idea.  I won’t quote the entire article, but if you would like to see the article, please click on the following link:  http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-02-03/business/36728627_1_wifi-networks-wireless-industry-wireless-networks .

It may sound like a good idea on paper, but is it feasible anytime in the near future?  Whose going to build it?  Is it really going to be free?  Can it be secure?  And what about other issues that could effect the network?

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there are a myriad of factors that could make the idea of a Super Wi-Fi network nearly impossible, at least immediately.  Consider the following complications:

(1) THERE IS NO CURRENT WI-FI STANDARD FOR THE PROPOSED FCC SUPER WI-FI BAND.  IEEE 802.11 is the standard keepers for the World’s Wi-Fi standards.  There are approved standards at 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz—not 600 MHz as the FCC is proposing.  Now, it may get approved in short order, but we are at least looking at 2 years before the proposed Super Wi-Fi Band is approved (at least).  Plus, Wi-Fi chip manufacturers will have to build to the new specs, and that could take time, up to a year (initially in dongle format, then another year to imbed inside wireless devices).  So you are looking at 3-4 years just to develop the HW to accommodate the standard.

(2) TESTING SUPER WI-FI AT THE NEW 600 MHZ BAND WILL TAKE TIME—AND MAY PROVE THE STANDARD IS NOT FEASIBLE AT SUCH A BANDWIDTH.  Exhibit A:  LightSquared.  This Wireless company proposed using the L-Band (~1.6 GHz) to develop 4G LTE services via satellite to cover the nation.  But testing exposed the potential to disrupt GPS signals used by John Deere and the Military.  Despite arguments from LightSquared that these group were the problem, not LightSquared, Congress and the FCC ultimately suspended LightSquared’s licenses to use the band indefinitely.  LightSquared has since gone bankrupt.  At 600 MHz, the Super Wi-Fi signals could interfere with Digital TV signals on the low side, and smaller Wireless carriers on the high side.  Testing will be very important for Super Wi-Fi, and they will need to get it right.  If they can’t, the network will never be approved.

(3) THE DATA RATES FOR THE NEW SUPER WI-FI WILL STRUGGLE TO MATCH 802.11n/ac SPEEDS.  IEEE 802.11n and 802.11ac are the fastest Wi-Fi standards.  It is highly unlikely that these new Super Wi-Fi data rates will get higher than 50 Mbps initially.  That’s if you’re only using 1 Wi-Fi device with Super Wi-Fi access point.  And with the potential for millions of users to use Super Wi-Fi, you’re probably looking at dozens of mobile devices accessing the same Access Point.  Congestion will be a major problem on a normal day or even a quiet Sunday.

(4) SECURITY, SECURITY, SECURITY.  Wi-Fi networks are extremely vulnerable to cyber attacks in open Wi-Fi hotspots like Starbucks and McDonalds.  Securing a Nationwide Wireless network will be critical, and also prove a challenge.  How do you keep hackers away from knocking someone’s medical device offline or cause a wireless pace maker to go haywire?  Don’t even ask about financial security.  The people responsible for securing such a network may never have a good night’s sleep for the rest of their lives.

(5) BUILDING THE NETWORK MAY TAKE DECADES—AND THE GOVERNMENT ALREADY HAS A WIRELESS NETWORK PROJECT TO DO.  How many people have heard of the first responders network?  Anyone?  First Responders Network is one of the main reasons the FCC forced TV Carriers to go Digital 4 years ago.  Police and Fire Crews need a National Public Network to coordinate in times of crisis.  With everything going to the internet, these first needed BW to support accessing Voice, Video, and Data services.  The network is now being trialed in Las Vegas and Miami by police units, but getting a national networks is at least 5 years away—and they have been talking about this idea for close to a decade.  Can the Government take on two major wireless projects without the 30+ years of experiences companies such as AT&T and Verizon has?

(6) WHO’S GOING TO BUILD THE NETWORK, …  Even if all the equipment were available today, who would put together the network.  Google?  Cisco?  Alcatel-Lucent?  Huwaei?  (Oh, please God, not Huwaei!!)  Awarding the contract to build the network will take some time.  If you split up the building nationwide, then you also have to worry about equipment interoperability.

(7) … WHO’S GOING TO MAINTAIN THE NETWORK, …  As I said, under normal conditions, normal operations will be difficult at best.  But equipment has to be replaced and upgraded regularly.  Will the ones who built the network have the ability to maintain the Super Wi-Fi equipment when the time comes under normal circumstances.

(8) … AND WHO’S GOING TO PAY FOR IT?  The $64 billion question.  Who pays for all of this?  Companies?  Maybe part of it.  Taxpayers?  You’re getting warmer.  New taxes?  Ding, ding, ding!!

(9) FINALLY, WHAT HAPPENS WHEN “UNPLANNED CHAOS EVENTS” OCCUR?  9-11, the East Coast Earthquake, and Superstorm Sandy exposed several weaknesses in the wireless companies’ networks.  9-11 and the Earthquake showed that AT&T, Verizon, and others struggled to keep with the demand of consumers frantically checking on friends and family.  Superstorm Sandy used wind and water to damage or even destroy cell towers and wireline telephone networks, leaving many in desperate need of help without any means of communication.  If such an event were to occur against a Super Wi-Fi, what kinds of challenges would the network have to overcome?

I’m sure others would come up with another set of reason why this may not work in the short term.  A nationwide Super Wi-Fi network may occur, but it won’t be for many years.  So, until then, enjoy your free Wi-Fi at Starbucks and McDonalds.  It’s the closest you’ll get to free Wi-Fi for some time to come.

Are the days of ESPN ruling the Sports World over?

It was over 33 years ago that ESPN was born in the wooded area of Bristol, CT.  At the start, the big three networks (ABC, NBC, and CBS) had sports divisions that appeared to be dominant, so ESPN was forced to cover sports from around the world and even the quirky kinds of sports (I remember the Putt-Putt championships were huge on ESPN).  From its humble beginnings, ESPN expanded.  They gobbled up ABC’s Sports Division, added new TV channels, started a radio network, started a Web Page, acquired the rights to major sports contracts from pro to college, and ultimately became the Worldwide Leader in Sports.  If you haven’t read the book “Those Guys Have All the Fun:  Inside the World of ESPN”, I encourage you to do so.  It tells of ESPN’s rise and the people involved in its rise.

Two decades ago, CNN and Fox tried to counter the rise of ESPN with their own Cable Sports Networks.  CNN was unsuccessful, and Fox was only marginally successful, though more at the local levels instead of the National levels.  Fox also tried to build a Sports Radio Network, and while somewhat successful, it never had the sports backing and following ESPN Radio has.  ESPN not only had all the sports, but all the good sportscasters.

But now, has ESPN’s day of dominance in the spotlight begun to wane?  They may still dominate the overall Sports landscape, but rivals from all sides have popped up, many using former ESPN personalities.  Consider:

-Fox Sports still has major rights to MLB and the NFL, but they have started pestering ESPN on the regional level, developing College networks with the Big Ten and Pac-12.  They also have focused on sports like Motor Racing with Speed Channel, and the World Sport of Soccer, with Fox Soccer Channel. 

-NBC has used their connections with Comcast to form NBC Sports Network, focusing on the Olympics, Hockey, Sunday Night Football, and Notre Dame Football.  NBC also owns the Golf Channel, which provides expansive coverage on the World Gold Tours, including the PGA, LPGA, and Champions Tours.  In addition, NBC Sports also has an arrangement with Yahoo! Sports, which means the next logical step might be to leverage Yahoo! Sports Radio Network to their advantage, possibly forming a large NBC Sports Radio Network. 

-CBS has jumped into the sports race, forming the CBS Sports Cable Channel and CBS Sports Radio.  CBS Sports Radio may pose the greatest threat to ESPN Radio’s dominance, while the CBS Sports Network will focus on Men’s College Basketball and the NFL. 

-CNN is also jumping back into Sports, thanks to agreements with the NBA, MLB, and CNN’s joint ventures with CBS on Men’s College Basketball.

All Professional Sports are also beginning to chip away at ESPN’s dominance as well.  The four major Professional Sports in this country (MLB, NHL, NFL, and NBA) all have their own cable channels and have varying agreements with many of ESPN’s rivals.  Colleges also have various conference alignments with all the major networks.  Several, like the SEC, Big East, Big 12, and ACC, have agreements with ESPN, but other conferences have arrangements with some of ESPN’s rivals.

ESPN’s journalism once was the envy of the sports world, breaking sports news on a regular basis.  But even that is waning.  Yahoo! Sports, Deadspin, Pro Football Talk, and other Websites regularly beat ESPN to breaking sports news.  And ESPN has even tried to protect sports celebrities for reasons of access to those personalities or teams.  See the recent Manti Te’o story.

While Sports are disappearing slowly on Free TV, the Cable Sports Channels and radio networks are booming.  But is it too much?  Even I can’t keep up with all the sports choices nowadays.  And I consider myself a sports savant, even more than an engineer.  There will eventually have to be some consolidation.  For example, my guess is that in a few years, Fox Sports Radio will disappear, and Yahoo! Sports Radio will become NBC Sports Radio.  Three National Sports Radio Networks might even be too much, but it is likely that ESPN, CBS, and NBC will survive on the audio airwaves. 

In this new world of sports hyper-coverage, ESPN may be the king for now.  But with many of their personalities now leaving for rivals, ESPN may be forced to pay and compete much more than they once had to if they intend to dominate, much less survive.  They may even have to take chances like they once used to.   Otherwise, the sprawling sports campus, known as Bristol U, may one day become an empty shell if they don’t learn to compete again.  Could you imagine that?

The Dirt on College Football’s top programs…

College Football has a major problem.  Almost every elite program has some level of dirt in it.  Players and coaches who get arrested, boosters paying the top players, Academic issues, and other problems plague all the programs.  How those programs handle that dirt determines whether or not the programs have the capacity to manage through the toughest of times.

It began long before SMU was handed the death penalty in 1987 for a boatload of issues, such as paying players, and drug abuses.  Since then, many National Champions have had problems with cheating to one level or another.  Miami in 1987, 1989, and 1991, Florida State in 1993, Ohio State in 2002, USC in 2004, Florida in 2008, Alabama in 2009, and Auburn in 2010 are just a list of National Title Winners who have had known issues with players or the NCAA.  And that’s just the ones we KNOW about.  Notre Dame may win the title this year with a rapist who was never charged and a victim who committed suicide over two years ago that the Irish administration has never really acknowledged or apologized to her family.  The other National Title Contender, Alabama, was in the NCAA doghouse so much about a decade ago that people wondered if the Crimson Tide would become the second school to receive the NCAA “death penalty”.

Today, several top programs besides Notre Dame and Alabama are facing problems, and I’ll name a few.  Penn State is deep in the NCAA doghouse, not for NCAA infractions, but for child rape at the hands of a longtime assistant, and a cover-up that included the administration and legendary football coach Joe Paterno.  They almost received the death penalty for it.  Miami (Fla.) has never really been a clean program when they were dominating college football, but with a new round of money issues, some are echoing the calls from 15 years ago that the Hurricanes should drop their football program.  North Carolina has been under perpetual investigation, with no clear outcome decided on how much the Tar Heels should be punished.  My beloved Georgia always seems to have players running into academic/law issues every year.  Please name for me the last time the Dawgs didn’t have someone suspended to begin the season.  LSU has great talent but dumb players who do dumb things.  See “The Honey Badger” and Jamarcus Russell if you don’t believe me.  And Ohio State’s issues began the moment Jim Tressel took the head coaching job.  They won a National Title in 2002, led by a freshman running back named Maurice Clarett, who claims to have been paid well as a Buckeye.  Then, the tattoo and selling of merchandise situations and lying by Coach Tressel led to a one-year postseason ban.  Ironically, the Buckeyes could have been playing for the National Title this year with a potential Heisman Trophy winner in Braxton Miller.  And if you think Urban Meyer is going to clean up Columbus, you ignore the 30-some odd arrests Florida players had during Meyer’s tenure at Gainesville.  That included a Heisman trophy winner.  No, I’m not referring to Tim Tebow, I’m talking about 2010 Winner Cam Newton, who left the Gators after his Freshman year for stealing computers from dorm rooms.  And don’t get me started about the pay to play scheme around the time he went to Auburn.

At the end of the day, every major program has some type of dirt on them.  How coaches respond to these situations and even how the head coaches act (see Bobby Petrino) determines whether or not they can manage without the NCAA stepping in.  If the NCAA steps in, it usually doesn’t end well.  Of course, if the NCAA did do their job, the only clean programs would be the service academies, Stanford, Northwestern, and maybe Duke.

At the end of the day, it’s not about student-athletes, it’s about business.  And right now, business is good.  Until someone decides to clean up football, the NCAA should just shut up about teams doing it the right way.  Few major programs does it exactly “the right way”.

When I was a kid…

I used to hate the stories our parents would tell us that started with “When I was your age, …”  It was always a bit of truth sprinkled with lots of stretching that truth.  You know, “Hiked to school 4 miles, uphill both ways, in snow…”.  We all rolled our eyes and thought, “Oh no, here goes our elders again!”

Now I am an “elder”.  The world of today is much different (and, regrettably, more dangerous) than I remember.  One day, I’m going to have that conversation with Joshua, and my story of “When I was your age” is going to be different.  Here’s what it is going to sound like:

“When I was your age, Joshua, I could walk anywhere in daylight with an adult and not have to worry about being harmed.  Murdering kids was just something that some guys named Wayne Williams did in Atlanta (full disclosure:  he only was convicted of 2 of the 27 murders).  Schools were safe places, and I went to a public school.  We could’ve come and gone as we pleased, but we always stayed within the school confines.  Our parents didn’t need to pass security points to come and visit us.  Although drugs were in schools, even at the Middle School level, we didn’t need metal detectors in Elementary, Middle, or High School because so few people brought guns or knives.  Our weapons were our fists, but they were only used in situations of last resort (I think I only recalled seeing 2 fights in my four years of High School, and one of those was a cat fight).  We could pray before football games, and we even had our HS Graduation inside a church.

When I was your age, Joshua, we could play in the neighborhood without fear of being abused by neighbors.  We talked with our neighbors, and everyone knew who you were.  Our playtime was consisting of outside time.  We could swim in neighbor’s pools, ride our bikes, and just be kids.  Heck, I was able to learn to shoot bibi guns without fear of being hurt.

When I was your age, Joshua, we could walk up to an airport gate without a ticket.  We could watch Grandma’s plane come up to gate and hug her as soon as she walked up the gate ramp.

Finally, when I was your age, Joshua, there was little worry about being safe, because we always were responsible enough to be safe when necessary, but people cared enough to protect kids.  It’s a shame you will not be able to grow up in a world like that.”

And you wonder why I get emotional over the events of our day…

Revisiting my WiMAX vs. LTE post…

 

Two and a half years ago, I posted a blog piece entitled “The 4G Wireless Battle that Wasn't: WiMAX vs. LTE”. At the time LTE was only on two networks in two countries while WiMAX was across the globe, albeit in small networks. At the time, I made the argument that LTE had already won the battle before the first network in the U.S. had been created.

I bring this up because two major thresholds were crossed around mid-year, both marking a turning point in the WiMAX vs. LTE technology battle.  In the Second Quarter of 2012, total LTE subscriptions surpassed total WiMAX subscriptions for the first time ever.  Also in the Second Quarter, LTE provider, Verizon Wireless, surpassed WiMAX provider, Clearwire, to become the world’s largest 4G network by subscribers.  And, by the looks of things, LTE networks like Verizon Wireless are growing at a exponential rate while WiMAX networks are growing less quickly or contracting as providers, such as Clearwire, begin to switch to LTE.

So, with that in mind, I’d like to review portions of what I said back in May 2010 and see where I was right, and where I was wrong: 

“So why has WiMAX apparently lost? In short, the little providers oversold the hype and under produced in markets. By now, WiMAX was supposed to be nationwide in the U.S., covering every major city. So far, WiMAX has reached only a handful of cities, and Clear has even pulled out of Baltimore, the first city to deploy WiMAX. WiMAX was advertised to download at 70 Mbps a ranges up to 40 miles. Actually, you'll be lucky to get 4-8 Mbps at 2 mile ranges.”

CORRECT ARGUMENT.  Clear’s WiMAX technology never really lived up to it’s potential.  The RF WiMAX used in many countries severely limited the WiMAX range.  And the WiMAX networks largely throttled the speeds at which WiMAX could operate for many users. 

“Another reason WiMAX lost: the iPhone. The iPhone was a game-changing technology that helped people realize the dream of a mobile internet device in the palm of your hand. Why should people be forced to carry around bulky laptops, when you can get data and internet services on a small machine you can put in a pocket. Now, when you talk about 4G devices, it's always iPhone with ______.”

CORRECT ARGUMENT.  The iPhone was the game-changer in 4G technology.  The iPhone, and Droids changed the mobile broadband world forever.  The iPad and Tablets have exaceberated the changes ever further.  WiMAX phones initially gained traction on some Droid phones.  But the big supporters WiMAX Droid phones, Samsung and HTC, have since switched over to LTE, making WiMAX Smartphones an endangered breed.

“WiMAX's disappointing returns have forced its providers with a tough choice: stay with the standard or jump to LTE, where support is strong, even if the technology is not quite as good from an IP perspective as WiMAX. The bigger names in WiMAX have largely opted to go with the latter, realizing that if they want to stay in the game, it's better to join the big telcos. The smaller ones might still survive, but the LTE telcos could always buy them out if they got too big.”

CORRECT ARGUMENT.  Yota was the biggest WiMAX Provider in Europe, but even they realized that they had to jump ship to LTE, especially after Samsung decided to switch from WiMAX to LTE.  Although the Russian government would not allow the transition to be immediate, ultimately Yota was allowed to switch their WiMAX networks to LTE.  Clearwire is about to do the same thing in the U.S., beginning early next year.  With the two largest WiMAX providers jumping to LTE in two of the largest countries of the world, the future of WiMAX is bleak.  In addition, since most mobile devices have decided on LTE, the list of WiMAX mobile devices have shrank considerably, limiting what the small WiMAX telcos can use for devices.

“With Intel the likely big loser in all of this, who is the big winner? China. Yeah, that's right, China. For years, China has been trying to get the world to adopt a standard the Chinese could be heavily involved in. They failed with trying to change WiFi, and TD-SCDMA came around too late in the game. In LTE, China has backed a time division variant called TD-LTE, which use less spectrum than the European variant. Although the speeds will be less than European variants, the spectral efficiency makes the TD-LTE variant more attractive, particularly to current WiMAX operators looking to switch to LTE. Currently, China is demonstrating the LTE variant at the World's Expo in Shanghai, and China Mobile will launch its own LTE network soon (if it hasn't already). It will mark just the third nation to launch LTE (after Sweden and Norway). Chinese providers ZTE and Huawei have been involved with WiMAX infrastructure, and both are playing critical roles in LTE development. In fact, it is the estimation of this author that as LTE starts coming more on line, Huawei will be not just the #1 Provider of LTE equipment even out performing Sony Ericcson, Motorola, Nokia Siemens, and Alcatel-Lucent, but they will ultimately supplant Microsoft, Apple, and Google as the world's most recognized dominant technology company. It's not so bold of a prediction, considering Huawei is currently #2 to Sony Ericcson in LTE manufacturing.”

WRONG ARGUMENT.  Since that statement, 130+ additional LTE networks have been launched, and not one has been from mainland China.  However, Hong Kong has launched 5 LTE networks, and the TD-LTE technology that China Mobile was testing has been launched in 12 networks across 11 countries.  China' has yet to launch due to two reasons.  First, the Chinese government has been slow to allow 4G spectrum to be approved for use.  Second, China Mobile is intent on heavily testing the technology before launching it.  It is projected that at the time of potential launch at the end of 2013 China Mobile will have 200000 LTE towers ready to be activated.  They intend to launch on a major scale when they activate their network and for the network to work without major issues.  As for Huawei, the company’s alleged link to the Chinese government has hurt their chances to come into the U.S. and rumors of poorly functioning equipment is causing a backlash in other countries.  They are not #1… yet.

“In the end, although WiMAX had a head start, the major telco backing give LTE a huge advantage and ultimately the winning edge. In the U.S., LTE is being trialed by Cox Cable, but it will be first rolled out by MetroPCS, then Verizon, and AT&T. T-Mobile will stay with 3G standard HSPA+ for now, but will ultimately go to LTE in 2013. And Sprint? Since Clear's infrastructure is what Sprint uses for 4G, when Clear decides to go to TD-LTE (probably by 2012), Sprint will join LTE then.”

MOSTLY CORRECT ARGUMENT.  The launches did go MetroPCS, Verizon, and AT&T.  T-Mobile is preparing for a 2013 LTE launch.  Clearwire is going TD-LTE, but they will start in 2013.  Sprint chose a slightly different route, however.  They launched their own LTE network, separate from Clearwire, in June and intend to have their national network by 2014.  Other smaller U.S. providers have also launched LTE service.

So, the 4G wars are over.  LTE is the winner.  And I was mostly correct in my assessments.  We’ll see how much LTE grows in the coming years…

The end of great music…

The AMA should just be cancelled in memory of Dick Clark.  It no longer has any importance musically.  If fact, any music show not associated with the Grammys or Country Music should be cancelled.  AMAs?  Gone.  MTV Music Awards?  MTV hasn’t shown music videos in years!  VH1 Music Awards?  Please.

Why do I propose cancelling this many music awards shows?  It’s simple.  We have become a bubble gum music nation only trying to support the whims of girls ages 10-25.  Great music is rare in this country, forced to the small bars and satellite radio.  Meanwhile, stadium acts and major FM stations go to acts who can’t put together more than 20 words in a song or who whine about boys even though they might be the problem (I’m looking at you, Taylor Swift—maybe Kanye West was right when he said Beyonce was better).  The last time you saw truly great music in this country was 1997.  It’s a fact.  There was so much music for people to enjoy on the radio.  You had alternative, jazz, heavy metal, and other musical genres on the FM airwaves.  Now?  It’s news, sports talk, political talk, and music manufactured by big business types to take advantage of young girls who haven’t reached maturity.

The carnage on the airwaves over the last decade has been brutal.  Longtime rock stations have been disappearing around the country.  Q101 in Chicago, 96rock/Project 96.1 and Z-93/92.9 dave in Atlanta, WHFS in DC are just some of the stations that have bit the dust.  Meanwhile, the Twinkie stations in Atlanta now number 5.  Do we really need more Star 94 clones on 96.1?  And Ryan Seacrest of all people should know better.  I hope Power 96.1 dies a painful death on Atlanta’s airwaves, and that someday, a new version of 96rock is resurrected.

The talent of these bubble gum acts is also embarrassing.  Take Justin Beiber.  He’s just the latest creation of music executives who brought us David Cassady, Liam Gallagher, New Kids on the Block, Ricky Martin,  Backstreet Boys, N’Sync, 98 Degrees, and other similar acts.  Really Justin, you think you are going to be around in 10 years, looking like Vanilla Ice?  Hey Justin:  you’re a dime a dozen and easily replaceable.  Kurt Cobain had more musical talent in his pinky than the Biebs has in his whole body.  Justin is nowhere near the musical mastery that guys like Lennon, McCartney, Becker, Fagan, Michael Jackson, and other musicians had. 

Musical acts like Arcade Fire can’t gain a strong foothold in the US, but Rebecca Black posts a song called “It’s Friday” and everyone goes nuts over it (BTW, there’s a sequel called “It’s Thanksgiving” done by a 12-year old that makes “Friday” look like Bach).  Maybe William Hung had it right, when he showed how ridiculous music had become several years ago on “American Idol”.

I’m at a loss with this music.  So, until great music returns to the free radio waves, it’s time to turn off the radios.  At least we have iPods and iPhones to use to listen to past great music until the next musical renaissance take place…