This article is about the expansion of the bid-for-ad-placement concept from strictly the search domain to the general "web-site" browsing context.

If You Liked the Web Page, You'll Love the Ad. Online publishers are beginning to sense the possibilities of having Google or Overture serve ads to their audiences. By Bob Tedeschi. [New York Times: Technology]

Digital (Fill in the Blank) Is on the Horizon. Despite a slump in some technology sectors, consumers are increasingly turning to all sorts of digital gadgets and services. By Steve Lohr. [New York Times: Technology]

The NYT's latest pontification on Cable vs Satellite. It doesn't really come to much of a conclusion [as usual].

Cable or Satellite? Please Stay Tuned. Cable and satellite companies are waging an escalating battle by offering video on demand, digital recorders and high-speed data services. By Seth Schiesel. [New York Times: Technology]

Here are a couple of interesting "video applications."

Video Biographies: You can star in the story of your life!. "Because every life is a story" one Twin Cities video producer is helping people preserve their heritage and leave a living legacy with digital video time-capsules. [PRWEB Aug 6, 2003] [PR Web (The Free Wire Service) Top 30 News Stories]

Video Love Stories [ http://www.prweb.com/releases/2003/8/prweb75136.ph ] The same idea, but in the context of the story of how you fell in love, got married, etc.

 

Sony's new plasma TV adds home smarts. The consumer electronics maker unveils a plasma TV with built-in broadband networking that's linked to a Web pad-like remote control by wireless LAN technology. [CNET News.com - Personal Technology]

Reacting to Verizon's previous wifi announcements, SBC is now getting into the act.

SBC, Wayport sign hot spot deal. The telecommunications giant becomes the latest major company to ink an agreement that will let its customers use Wayport's 650 Wi-Fi hot spots across the nation. [CNET News.com]

This woman's name was Jane Barbe. She died July 18 in Roswell, Ga., of complications from cancer. She was 74 years old. Her's was the voice that we heard when we dialed a wrong number, called a number that was out of service or just called to get the current time or temperature. There is something very sad about knowing that we've lost that voice we've all grown so accustomed to.

Moto Labs apparently thinks it has discovered a viable commercial process for manufacturing television displays based on carbon nanotube technology, which would theoritically provide a CRT quality image at a cost that is significantly lower than current plasma and LCD displays.

"Motorola’s NED [nano emissive display ] approach to displays could enable low cost, flat panel wall-mounted television, greater than 50“ diagonal, and just one inch deep to become a reality in the not too distant future. The technology also could be used for much larger displays, such as those used in billboard advertising or sporting events."

A number of news media have been reporting that Harris Interactive and Teenage Research Unlimited studies show that "the Internet has surpassed television in overall time spent to become the primary medium of choice among the 13-24 age group."

According to an article in PubZone [ http://www.pubzone.com/newsroom/2003/1x20030730x085831.cfm ] quoting the study results: "an average week for the teens and young adults includes 16.7 hours online (excluding email); 13.6 hours watching TV; 12 hours listening to radio; 7.7 hours talking on the phone; six hours reading books and magazines (personal, not academic). "

Carat has an interesting little item on their web site.

Is interactive TV advertising a lost dream?

09-Mar-2003 To many observers, interactive TV is starting to look like an unfulfilled marketing revolution. Potentially, iTV can bring a new dimension to advertising by adding relationship-building and transaction to what is already the most powerful brand-building medium. But operators' financial problems, over-promised and under-delivered technology and poor communication of digital's benefits have stalled mass take-up by consumers. With the current mismatch between potential and reality, is it worth investing time and money in interactive advertising? Evidence collected by Carat strongly suggests that it is, and that iTV advertising can already deliver marketing ROI. Although almost no-one switches to digital TV for the interactive services, Carat research with Netpoll has found that once people have access to them, they use them to an increasing degree.

They claim that EchoStar IX [operating at the 121 degree West Longitude orbital location] will be the first commercial Ka-band spot-beam deployed over the United States. They are a little vague about what they are going to use the Ka-band capacity for suggesting that "the Ka-band portion of the satellite will be used to deliver future broadband initiatives for the company." The Ku-band FSS (fixed satellite services) transponders that will add capacity to EchoStar's current DISH Network DTH service. The satellite also has a C-band component that Loral will operate.

An interesting experiment with exposing patients to robots and teleconferencing to enhance doctor / patient interaction.

Diller's InterActiveCorp reported solid second quarter results. On the conference call with Wall Street analysts Diller characterized his company this way: "The trinity of Amazon, eBay and Yahoo! has been expanded by one to include us." InterActiveCorp (formerly USA Interactive and which includes Expedia, Hotels.com, Match.com, Ticketmaster, HSN and is now acquiring LendingTree) had quarterly revenue of $1.5 billion [up 38% for the quarter] and generated ~$400 million in free cash flow.