Steven Colbert and Billy Kristol

Colbert, Kristol, and the PNAC

PD- William Bunker

I am very pleased to see the new realm of comic journalists. Amusing journalists have an edge in the field because they can deliver reports and ask questions with a flair and an excuse that many normal-styled journalists don't, or won't, and, suitably, the audiences they serve will tolerate less pristine non-hitting cylinder news pumped out by major news networks.

They enrich the media workplace. John Stewart could take on any politician on the right day and help us realize what they really believe and feel. The audience can tell by the wild mood items what the journalist and interviewee really feel. This level of news will come to replace the majority of 'serious news' and help viewers catalyze stories and information and become better citizens and journalists themselves.

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We Get Signal
originally posted 28 May 2006 at Super Science

Currently we live in a 'push' market of television broadcast. It goes out and everyone who is allowed to receives it. We could have a 'pull' market of media broadcast, like internet, where media is requested and replied.

This push TV is governed by the FCC. Certain wave frequencies are dedicated to certain economic interests. This kind of push market uses up a very high amount of overhead expense and forces companies to rely on advertising, establishing an economic incentive to media. This also allows dedicated careers to media and broadcast production, though.

A request/pull media would also have the ability to interact economically and produce careers, but in a much more democratic way. It would become a cookoff instead of a buffet.

Democracy is a cookoff, not a buffet.

The media i suppose is based on following customers. It must be made so that the media switched from a push to a pull economy. The internet must be demonstrated to provide substantial replacement for forms of push-media.

This is a critical period in the development of media, but regardless of the laws made now the right ones will be in place within decades.

Communication needs to transfer from pull to push, and media needs to transfer from push to pull. Calling someone on the phone should be a broadcast, not a company request. Getting the news should be a request, not a 'flip it on'. This will substantially reduce FCC waste and deadair signal, and free up much communication space for the 1ST AMENDMENT [sp] and reduce the overhead of media, changing its function.

This will look like this:

>100 million Americans get their daily news and information and even entertainment from the internet and not from the TV or radio. www.youtube.com is a fine model for this media. Major broadcast companies receive less funding from advertisers from dropping audiences.

Internet servers hosting movies and information increase advertising budgets, outpacing the costs of serverspace. Internet communication rates continue to increase slightly, and the cost of a GB of HD and bandwidth drop dramatically. Movies, reviews, information of all kinds are put online. Centralization of media via decentralization of media.

Media careers become more widespread and lower economic intensity. This puts 'stardom' and civil service within reach of all kinds of individuals on the net and removes some luster from conventional Hollywood celebrity.

Feature length movies in theaters can be made by individuals and media groups and distributed on the internet with webcam and video editing software. The government/FCC provides public funding for internet media service on a page-by-page basis by verified numbers of hits. The web of the internet expands and various netrings for all manner of information are formed. More users worldwide get online and internet use between continents and international reasons and needs increases. The UN provides internet news service and sponsors long lists of information spreading websites on everything from poverty to medical conditions to activism groups.

Net activism replaces 60's style protests.

Television becomes like radio.

Software defined radio replaces cellular phones, and is supported by public service networks instead of telecomm giants. The people and the government[s] work together to bring about these advances while telecommmedia companies gradually disperse their activities into internet and technical service fields.

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The Newest Cinema
originally posted 29 May 2006 at Super Science

Movie theaters are examples of 'push' media. They show film and you sign up for it. It is broadcast at a certain time. Smaller rooms showing the movie on a digital projection monitor or screen, available for small parties or single-viewing rental would turn the movies into a 'pull' market, where people arrive and request movie viewings.

A digital library could be connected to a central database, and people could request viewing any movie since the dawn of movies from the databse, ad charged a ticket fee. The rush of snackbuying would be spread out, classic film theaters could prosper without substantial license fees, the place could be turned into a movie-restaurant instead of a theater. Parties of any size could have relative privacy, and huge theater audiences could still be provided for very popular choices on a push basis. But if you come late, watch it on the smaller booth. And order some fries.

It'll be fantastic.