The End of DSL?

I read that ATT lost well over 600K DSL subscribers in the 4th quarter of 2011. Now, in 2011 I switched from ATT DSL to ATT U-verse. But it seems that not all of the folks leaving DSL went to U-verse. ATT actually lost customers to cable internet.

People are craving bandwidth for streaming movies, playing games, and surfing the web. All our iPads and Androids consume bandwidth to download music and web content. DSL is just too slow.

I was surprised that more folks weren't signing up for U-verse. But not all homes have fiber to the house, and that sends them to the cable companies to get the bandwidth they need.

posted from Bloggeroid

Economic Impact on Sports?

• Watching Fox News about the impact of the economy on sports. They say that players are signing lower salary contracts.  WHAT?   It may be that the lower-tier players are taking the hit.  But big stars like Manny Ramirez and Albert Haynesworth signed for huge money.  All those salaries are payed by sports fans in higher ticket prices and food priced.  Parking your car at the stadium or arena costs more. The costs for televising games are raised, and people pay higher monthly cable and satellite bills.  Just saying.
• CBS says the internet ad revenue for NCAA March Madness could be 30% higher.  You know, they're charging to watch March Madness online, but if  you have Orb running on your PC at home (and a TV card in your PC), you can watch the games for free wherever you have an internet connection (work, cellphone, etc).
• Baseball commissioner Bud Selig is concerned about the economy's impact to baseball.  “I used to think we were recession-proof. I really did,” Selig said during the Angels' 6-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs.  ...  The Angels and Cubs played to a sellout crowd Saturday. However, Cactus League attendance was down 22 percent over the first 11 days this spring, USA Today reported.
• NBA revenues up 2% from last year.  Although some individual franchises could be in trouble.  The Simon Brothers told the Indianapolis Capital Improvement Board that they no longer could afford to assume the losses of their Pacers franchise and operate the team's home arena. The Simons are seeking relief and could sell or move the franchise with some city layer of government doesn't step in.
• I used to have season tickets to the Sacramento Kings.  I gave those up years ago.  The costs skyrocketed and they started televising every single game.  In addition, with TNT, ESPN, and NBC televising other games, there is plenty of NBA action to watch without spending a ton of money. 
• Arena Football is on hiatus this season.  But the minor league version is still a go.

Super Bowl Prediction - Arizona +7

I was in Reno last night staring at the wall in the Sports Book, wondering what to do in Sunday's Super Bowl between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals. This game could be a blowout in either direction. I won't be surprised at whatever the outcome is. I could easily rationalize a bet in either direction.

The Steelers have a fantastic defense and a ball control offense. Anyone who played fantasy football this year knows that Pittsburgh's defense kills fantasy stats. And Arizona's offense is a fantasy offense. The Steelers defense gave Joe Flacco some time to pass and he doesn't have the same kind of receivers that the Cardinals have. But the defense has been good at home and on the road. The Steelers offense can mount mind-numing 8-minute drives. Willie Parker is healthy. Ben Roethlisberger has been gritty and smart. But that offensive unit is a bit suspect. I don't think the offensive line is that great, as Roethlisberger has taken some hits this year. Hines Ward may not be 100% healthy, and those other wideouts seem to drop a lot of balls.

Who would've thought Arizona would be here? I've certainly been wrong about the Cardinals during the playoffs. The Cardinals offense is fun to watch and has done well against some good defenses. Kurt Warner is smart in the pocket and quick to recognize the defense. He has Fitzgerald, Boldin, and Breaston running routes. Warner has been quick to release the ball to a variety of targets when the pass rush comes. The running game has improved in the playoffs, but it is going up against Pittsburgh's defense. The Cardinals' defense has surprised me and has shut down running backs Michael Turner, DeAngelo Williams, and Brian Westbrook. That defense has also limited the impact of big name wideouts (Roddy White, Steve Smith).

At some point you have to stop staring at the wall in the Sports Book and pick a side. I stepped up to the counter and called out for the Cardinals +7. I also took the over on 46.5 points on the game. I think the probabilty is higher that Arizona either wins straight up or Pittsburgh wins a close game, compared to Pittsburgh dominating the scoreboard for 60 minutes.

It's just a guess. I just hope it's fun to watch.

I also made a ton of proposition bets. A ton. Parlayed the number of interceptions, field goals and sacks in a 3-pick parlay. Each quarter, I have bets on the over-under and point winner for the quarter. I bet on players to score and not score touchdowns. I bet on what would happen on Warner's first pass and Ben's first pass. Just stuff to keep the game interesting. I told the guy at the sportsbook that I'll probably be so hammered during the game, that I won't be able to keep track of all of these proposition bets. He laughed and said, "Just bring the tickets back up, and we'll sort them out." LOL.

Good luck. Enjoy the game.