Mario Tapia

In 1991 I lived in Cupertino, 3 blocks from Apple HQ. I was doing a summer internship at NASA Ames Research Center working on an Army stealth project for helicopters. I was 19 at the time and didn’t quite realize the Valley was about to go through lots of changes. All I was concerned about was making some cash to get a good car and to also get my first cell phone. Imagine, being 19 in 1991 and having a cell phone, it was cool, and freaken expensive. I remember, GTE was the operator and their coverage was weak, which meant I roamed all the time between the Silicon Valley and the Central Valley.

Take a look at the Technophone Mobile Telephone, model MC915A, made in 1990. She was piece of work, for a bag phone, it was top of the line, small, light, and sturdy. I used it for a couple years until the Motorola Microtac came out, which then followed by the famous Startac, but thats another story…

–and so it went

$7,400,000,000.00 for Buzz Lightyear and friends, thats a lot of zeros.   With this acquisition, Disney insures its leadership in the animation world.  It also adds to the digital library for Disney.  When compared to the other players in digital entertainment (Fox, CBS, Viacom, and NBC), Disney is a leader in digital content distribution.  In Oct of ‘05, Disney started distributing video content on iTunes storefront and now combined with Pixar, they are leading the entertainment content on iTunes.  Now that Steve Jobs is now in bed with Disney and Apple, I wonder what new consumer products can come of leaders of content and consumer products.

–and so it goes.

This is hilarious!   Stephen King Ring tones.  I thought this was a hoax, or a gag site, but sadly its true.  Mr King has joined the mobile craze and has written a book that will make people fear these cute little beeping devices, shame on you Mr King.

"Civilization doesn’t end with a bang or a whimper.  It ends with a call on your cell phone.

What happens on the afternoon of October 1 came to be known as the Pulse,
a signal sent though every operating cell phone that turns its user into something…well, something less than human. Savage, murderous, unthinking – and on a wanton rampage. Terrorist act? Cyber prank gone haywire?

It really doesn’t matter, not to the people who avoided the technological attack. What matters to them is surviving the aftermath. Before long, a band of them – "normies" is how they think of themselves – have gathered on the grounds of Gaiten Academy, where the headmaster and one remaining student have something awesome and terrifying to show them on the school’s moonlit soccer field. Clearly there can be no escape. The only option is to take them on.

CELL is classic Stephen King, a story of gory horror and white-knuckling suspense that makes the unimaginable entirely plausible and totally fascinating."

Lovely…now take a look at the ringtones.  Sorry, but this one book that I won’t wait for, even for the TV movie.  Mr. King you should have stopped writing when you said you would.

In late 2004 I worked on a planning committee for Washinton Software’s Alliance (WSA) Wireless conference, Crossing the Wireless Chasm.  The keynote was Steve Largent, ex-Seahawk, now President of CTIA. In his keynote he remarked about how states tax the mobile industry becuase they percieve it as a luxury and not a neccessity, and they tax at free will.  We (the People) have won a battle.

Phone customers are due $9 billion in tax refunds and a 3% cut in wireless phone and long-distance bills, according to a series of federal court decisions.

But the federal government continues to collect the tax and requires so much paperwork for refunds that only big corporations are likely to benefit.

The average consumer would be entitled to a refund about the size of the average $49.52 monthly bill paid by the USA’s 195 million wireless subscribers. However, consumers would be required to seek refunds individually, documenting how much they paid each quarter in separate claims.

The time limit for refunds is three years. A person entitled to a $50 refund would have to fill out forms a dozen times to get the three years’ worth of refunds permitted under tax law.

Collecting records and preparing the form would take about seven hours!!!! Thanks GW?

If you weren’t aware of the refund, take a look at how the top ten taxed States add to your bill:

For more info go to the CTIA Stop Adding to my Bill site.

…and so it goes.