Galbi Think!

early U.S. telephone industry data

Sat, 24 Apr 2010 23:07:57 -0400

Links to the telephone census reports, 1902-1937, as well operating and financial returns for 824 telephone companies, as published in an Interstate Commerce Commission report for 1916.

public FCC price-cap tariff review data, 1992-2009

Sun, 9 Aug 2009 13:38:30 -0400

I've put together a dataset of standardized price-cap rate review data (Tariff Review Plan (TRP) data) for thirteen large historical telephone company service areas from 1992 to 2009. The dataset includes revenue by category, as well as some service item counts (demand) and rates. A source archive of TRPs and rate detail files for all price-cap-regulated telephone companies is also available. Please contribute to making these archives more accessible, to organizing them, and to analyzing the huge amount of data.

twenty years of bandwidth prices and demand

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 07:03:02 -0400

Now available, trunking and special access prices and demand for the historical Bell Atlantic and US West services areas from 1990 to 2009. Public data filed as part of FCC price cap annual access filings.

historical U.S. advertising expenditure data

Wed, 8 Oct 2008 21:56:22 -0400

A Excel workbook of yearly U.S. advertising expenditure from 1919 to 2007 is now available on Galbi Think! It includes separate figures for many different categories of media. For some discussion of the dataset, see the related post on purple motes.

Libraries and library use

Sun, 30 Sep 2007 22:41:52 -0400

Libraries for centuries have been a major aspect of public information infrastructure. Library history provides insights into how local information infrastructure has evolved, and how persons have used books and other media. Check out some work I've done on libraries and library use.

Gumbrecht, Production of Presence

Sat, 4 Feb 2006 15:45:22 -0400

Book Review of Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht's Production of Presence.

checking out more powerful blogging software

Thu, 24 Nov 2005 19:46:50 -0400

Blogger made setting up this blog a piece of cake. But since I want to learn more about blogging technology, I'm playing around with a WordPress blog. So check out my new blog at purplemotes.net I'll be posting there for awhile, and perhaps permanently.

Purple Motes

Thu, 10 Nov 2005 21:58:44 -0400

For enjoyment and to learn more about an important communications industry development, I've started a blog.

secure rights to use radio devices

Tue, 8 Nov 2005 20:58:07 -0400

A lot of ink has been spilled about "defining property rights in radio spectrum." Unfortunately much of the discussion has lacked sufficient appreciation for physics and for institutions. In "Property Rights in Spectrum: Taking the Next Step," Dale Hatfield and Phil Weiser discuss some important issues of signal characteristics that have been largely ignored in the U.S., but not in Britain and Australia. For more details, see Section II of my work, "Revolutionary Ideas for Radio Regulation."

presence management

Thu, 6 Oct 2005 23:59:45 -0400

Check out this low-cost presence management technology!

natural movement enhances the fun of a joystick

Tue, 20 Sep 2005 21:25:30 -0400

The new Nintendo Revolution joystick recognizes the value of movement to making sense. Zimran Ahmed's insighful blog, winterspeak, provides some interesting links concerning Nintendo's view of the future of the gaming industry.

visual echoes of text

Mon, 15 Aug 2005 22:35:22 -0400

To appreciate the importance of the visual conventions of text to the design of the Morgan Picture Bible of Louis IX, compare it to the Marc Chagall Bible Series. In marketing language, the Morgan Bible was pitched much more closely to the well-established market for verbal (manuscript) texts.

real-world integration

Thu, 16 Jun 2005 21:33:02 -0400

Social networking software: Broken, Boring, or Offtrack? I'd vote for at least the last two.

From Some Economics of Personal Activity and Implications for the Digital Economy: The growth of the digital economy is likely to depend on growth of discretionary time and integration of digital technology into new forms of socializing, transacting, and spending time. A great example of the latter is Meetin.org. It appears to be doing quite well!

much ado about tail size

Sun, 12 Jun 2005 13:49:04 -0400

Tail aficionados might enjoy pondering the distinguishing features of the long tail. I think that size, which tail authorities have categorized as long or short, matters less than shape. It should be no surprise to anyone that shape can change over time. For some graphical evidence, see the detailed images here.

So don't just sit around complaining that "diversity plus freedom of choice creates inequality". Power laws don't imply any particular amount of inequality. The power of the powerlaw determines the difference between tails. Look at some examples and see for yourself!

Philosophus Gloriosus

Tue, 24 May 2005 00:08:02 -0400

For your scholarly entertainment...

Sense in Communications

Fri, 20 May 2005 22:15:44 -0400

Price competition for voice telephone service or bandwidth are not propitious market structures for the communications industry. Presence is a highly valued communications good that provides wide scope for product differentiation and innovation. This work explores how text, voice, images, bodily movement, and the environment contribute to making sense of presence.

Outline:
Text Voice Image: Sensory Forms in Communication Services

I. Biology of Communication: Environment of Evolutionary Adaptation, Neuroscience, and Neuroeconomics

II. Hamzanama of Akbar: A Masterpiece of Art from the Islamic World

III. The Morgan Bible of Louis IX: A Medieval Picture Bible

IV. Iconoclasm, Semantic Transgressions, and Epiphany: The Sense of Mary and Shakespeare in Sixteenth-Century England

V. Sense in Media Evolution: Color, Graphics, Audio, Video, Photography, Telephony, and Virtual Worlds

VI. The Good for Communications Growth: Communication Services That Make Sense of Presence