Set Top Box Survival Strategy

If Netflix/LG or Amazon/TiVo have any hope of surviving the coming set top box war, they need to become niche players and concentrate on exclusive content. In other words, they must transform into content providers themselves, and deliver digital downloads directly to their boxes that are available nowhere else. It doesn't look like they have any hope of competing with Apple in terms of "major" content, Apple's got that locked. So they might want to start talking to Google and YouTube and many of the online sketch comedy and improv groups popping up all over the Internet.

Giving end users the ability to push their *own* content is going to be the big winning play. Basically making a YouTube for HDTVs - letting me share my videos with my friends via our set top boxes. The whole point of this Intarrnette thing is INTERACTIVITY, not passively consuming content spoon fed to us from major studios. People want YouTube, not boob tube.

I Have A Family Of Four

Yes, it's true. I'm sorry that I've been hiding this terrible secret from all of you for the last year, but today I figured I should share the truth with everyone.

Con Ed discovered a little while ago that I've been paying for the electricity of the Mexicans that live in the apartment forward of me since I moved in. This was apparently an oversight on the part of my landlord, mainly a mistake that his electrician made some time ago. He's got four separate meters; one for me, one for the hall lights, one for the business, and one for his upstairs home - so he thought since he's getting three bills, everything was okay. The forward apartment is supposed to be hooked up to the store meter... instead, it's hooked up to mine. Whoops.

I knew I was paying too much for electricity. I'm tremendously excited by the prospect of only paying for my own electricity usage! I bet I'm only using about 30 bucks of electricity a month. Maybe LESS. How awesome would that be? My 2008 budget would have an extra $500 in it. Also, Con Ed is going to give my landlord an estimate for how much money I paid extra last year... probably something like $500 itself, maybe more. I'll probably be able to take that right off the top of next month's rent.

This Is Why Google Is $600 A Share

Because they know what works... YouTube on people's Tee Vees, just like I said.

http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssConsumerGoodsAndRetailNews/idUST20271420080108

Holy CHRIST

So... I finally went and imported more of my ancient emails into my Mac Mail. I now have messages dating back to 1997 in it, about 15,600 of them in total.

But here's the thing that's flipping me out... not that I have email from 11 years ago, no. But this:

WARREN ELLIS' PLANETARY HAS BEEN PUBLISHED FOR NINE YEARS AND STILL ISN'T DONE YET.

That's got to be a fucking record. 27 issues in 108 months. Christ on a crutch.