Off Topic (It' the Weekend)

September 06, 2003

Hot Air and Much Fanfare

By: Ahmar Abbas

As an analyst I am becoming somewhat adept at detecting hot air; hot air in press releases, hot air in product pitches. It's mostly annoying - but today I found myself enjoying all the hot air - actually thanking that there was such an ample supply. Read Full Article...

Link | 06 September 03 @ 10:13 | Discuss ( 8 comments ) | More from: Off Topic (It' the Weekend) | Views ( 1473  Views)

August 02, 2003

Lining up on The Grid in Leszno, Poland

By: Ahmar Abbas

"Line up on the Grid" - that's what you do every morning to hitch a ride on the towplane to start your task at the World Gliding Championship in Leszno, Poland this week. A loud shout out to buddy Adnan Mirza who is representing Team Pakistan at the championship.

Link | 02 August 03 @ 02:51 | Discuss ( 8 comments ) | More from: Off Topic (It' the Weekend) | Views ( 0  Views)

July 20, 2003

Flights of Fancy

By: Ahmar Abbas

Read Full Article...

Link | 20 July 03 @ 03:25 | Discuss ( 11 comments ) | More from: Off Topic (It' the Weekend) | Views ( 1360  Views)

June 28, 2003

Bernie's Bad Idea

By: Ahmar Abbas

I mentioned my days as a UUNut in this post. - I also discussed these memorable experiences with Om Malik and he included some of my comments in the first chapter of his very cool, incisive and thoroughly engrossing book - The Broadbandits.

I got my copy of Broadbandits here.

In the current issue of Business 2.0 Om says that the "Next Big Thing" is the Cell Phone. Hmmm... will have to think about that - I personally think the next big thing is this.

Link | 28 June 03 @ 05:44 | Discuss ( 7 comments ) | More from: Off Topic (It' the Weekend) | Views ( 0  Views)

June 14, 2003

It's the Weekend: Bashing the FCC

By: Ahmar Abbas

Recent ruling by the US Federal Communications Commission easing restrictions against media concentration has been bashed heavily in Blogistan and in the press and by the opposition party. What I find most fascinating in this saga and the criticism (which I agree with) of FCC is that it is not new at all. Henry Geller has surveyed past criticisms of the FCC - following are some snippets:

[The FCC] has been found to have failed both to defines its primary objective intelligently and to make many policy determinations required for effective and expeditious admininstration. (1949, Hoover Commission)

The whole Government telecommunications structure is an uncoordinated one and will be even less adequate in the future that it has been in the past to meet the ever-growing complexities of telecommunications. A new agency is need to give coherence to the structure. (1951, Communications Policy Board)

[The FCC] has drifted, vacillated and stalled in almost every major area. It seems incapable of policy planning, of disposing with a reasonable perioed of time the business before it. (1960, Landis Report for President-elect Kennedy)

And then there is the 1968 Rostow Commission and the 1971 Ash Council and so forth. But one thing good about the current policy making process is that since so many organizations have overlapping responsibilties (FCC, FTC, NTIA, Commerce Department, State Department, State PUC/PSCs, Courts) - parties disappointed by policy choices in one forum can seek redress in an alternative forum.

Link | 14 June 03 @ 07:51 | Discuss ( 11 comments ) | More from: Off Topic (It' the Weekend) | Views ( 0  Views)

May 30, 2003

It's the Weekend: Photorealistica

By: Ahmar Abbas

What an amazing artist !!! And she says it's only her hobby.

Link | 30 May 03 @ 06:39 | Discuss ( 5 comments ) | More from: Off Topic (It' the Weekend) | Views ( 0  Views)