Can HBO adjust its model towards a more internet savvy market?

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As the second season of Game of Thrones kicks off, HBO’s growing problem of public downloading is only growing worse, with season two having been downloaded more than 25 million times, or 2.5 million per day.  As a network without any contingency plan this presents a problem.

HBO co-president Eric Kessler has said he thinks the move away from traditional television to an internet-based model is just a fad that will pass – a “temporary phenomenon” tied to the down economy.

This underscores the larger problem with how so many companies in the entertainment industry think about piracy. Instead of thinking about the ways lack of access to media creates opportunity for piracy, and how increasing the access to products could help stave off illegal downloads, too often people want to take legal measures or implement digital protection on their products. These “fixes” always have easy work-arounds.

Eric Kessler is obviously out of touch with the changing dynamics of public downloads.  Personally I’m not against piracy but feel as though we are slowly evolving ourselves into a more fluid exchange of goods and services.  Read the post here via Forbes.

stepping into the realm of defense contracts

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As Apple eats away at RIM’s (Research In Motion) consumer market share, its eyes are focussed on lucrative government defense contracts currently held by the fledgeling telcom company. Recent sources have confirmed the US Air Force may be ordering anywhere from 63 to 18,000 iPad 2s.  Most Alibaba suppliers require orders in excess of 63.

The goal is to replace the bag of manuals and navigation charts weighing as much as 40 pounds that are carried by pilots and navigators, said Captain Kathleen Ferrero, a spokeswoman for the command.

The once secure mobile access only available on the RIM network now seems to be common place amongst mobile networks.  Read the entire article here.

 

predication markets and critiquing the doomsday argument

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I’ve always found interest in predictive markets and myself a proponent of ‘Futarchy’, where government policy is determined by predictions based on prior probability distributed over varying states.  A great introduction into prediction markets is the doomsday argument.  Simply put, not if a doomsday event will happen, but when in the future is the likelihood of such an event probable?

The basic idea is that, all else equal, you should not assume that you are especially unusual on any one axis. If you have just taken up a new fashion, you shouldn’t assume you are one of the first; that fashion is just as likely to be on the way out as it is to be on the way in. If you think up a idea that a dozen people are likely to think of as well, you shouldn’t assume you are the first.

Read more from Robin Hanson’s Critiquing the Doomsday Argument (pdf).

culinary fusion: mexi-rice

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For years I’ve longed for a great mexi-rice recipe and with plenty of idle time this holiday I finally got cracking.  Normally I don’t record exact measurements when cooking, but I did so this time in the attempt to focus on the organisational structure of cooking.

This particular recipe works best with burritos or as side dish. The recipe itself is essential just a base, as you can add/substitute any ingredients you feel necessary. Please note, it is very easy to burn the rice during first stages of the recipe–keep a close eye on the oil and don’t let it get too hot.

Productivity, wages & marriage: the case of major league baseball

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It’s well documented that married men earn more than their single counterparts, but the question still remains as to who is more productive?  Researchers have turned to baseball to settle the question.

After 1975, however, married batters in the top performance tier earned fully 16-20% more than their bachelor counterparts—though marriage had no detectable effect on their batting averages. This suggests that wives contribute to the husband’s earnings not by managing the family as the husband puts in extra batting practice (say) but more indirectly: by doing things like hosting charity events and generally improving his image.

Read the article from the Wall Street Journal.  The entire research paper is here.

oxi day

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The possibility of a redefined Euro Zone could be just days away.

But if Greece votes no – and goes for euro-exit – there are several plans in the process of being published that explain what you have to do. Close the banks for days, ration food and energy, institute strict capital controls – with most probably a few fast patrol boats at Glyfada harbour to check every departing yacht for cash and bonds.

What’s interesting is social porosity of the Greek culture.  The article is here.