Reader Comments on Aardvark Daily 3 April 2002
Note: the comments below are the unabridged
submissions of readers and do
not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publisher.
From: Allister For : The Editor (for publication) Subj: Paying for web entertainment I think the reason people pay for a Sky subscription is because it is a large and prominent company that has invested heavily in infrastructure and is therefore not likely to be a fly-by-night operation. OTOH, witness the boom and bust of the dot.com bubble. The speed of the bust is in part due to the fact that their only infrastructure was a server or two and a person or two to run it. It is easy to throw away a hosting account and cut your losses, but when you have satellite services, programming contracts, set top box management and installation, you're going to try a little harder (and think a little harder) to make things work rather than just toss it all in. That said, it doesn't necessarily mean you're going to get a better product eh? 'Nuff said! From: Jake For : The Editor (for publication) Subj: Web as entertainment Am I missing something, or is there not a fundamental difference between the internet and pay TV? We all already pay an ISP for access to the internet, I believe this is why most people get upset at the idea of then being charged *again* for the privilege of accessing anything useful or entertaining on the net. Surely the providers of such content should look first to the ISPs and bandwidth providers for a payout (as TV programme makers collect from TV channels) rather than Joe Websurfer? If compelling content entices more people to sign up for broadband access or the like, then the ISPs, etc will be onto a winner. From: James For : The Editor (for publication) Subj: Confused You seem to use the words web and net to describe the same thing. The web is not the Internet, it is part of the Internet. Just as Email is. The fact that people do not find the "net" entertaining is because there are very few ways to entertain yourself by using it. However the "web" currently provides the ability to play games (all be it crude ones), watch film and TV (crudely), listen to webcasts, and read magazines and books. The problem here is that the big player in entertainment is visual, TV proved that when it knocked radio off the top of the entertainment list. Until everyone has cheap, unmetered broadband access entertainment does not stand a chance. As for reading a book online, have you tried to take your PC to bed at night and snuggle up with it, like you do a real book? So what we need is very fast fat pipes to a wireless tablet that we can fold up and put in our purse or pocket. We are waiting for technology to catch up with the vision. It will. From: Dominic For : Right Of Reply (for publication) Subj: Entertainment: heaps exist, but made for DSL I disagree with you Bruce. I find there is plenty of entertainment on the Net. I also find that so many of the sites host content that can't be enjoyed on dial-up. The content is made for broadband connection - or it can't be adequately served without high speeds. Many of these sites are fee based. The arguments given by some of them, I can't dispute. Also, bear in mind that these sites are US based and little is free there - or so I have experienced. Anyone who has grown up with the Net will know that sites come and go daily. That no one can ever know how many sites exists and what they are. I bet there are 5,000 sites I don't of that others do. And I may not, in all my lifetime, ever discover these. In theory, there is no limit to how many computer can be connected to it. In theory, there is no limit to how much bandwidth can be built in. I stand to be corrected on some of that but I have read books. Witha combination of apps, sites, and clever configuring, today I can make my own TV station. I have come across sites that let me compile video clips and will stream these to me. I can't use the sites I have found because they do not cater for dial-up, which I am on. I find most of the entertainment on the Net is based in USA, Europe or Asia. These parts of the world, broadband is increasingly commonplace and, in areas, reasonably priced. If I had DSL, particularly at 512k, I think I'd stop watching TV. If I didn't mind parting with money - atop that of my usual monthly fee - I get some entertainment. I recall a statement from someone that was / is associated with Telecom. They had involvement with international bandwith pricing. If I remember correctly, they stated that the high cost of international bandwidth is the main reason there is no flat rate DSL for high connection speeds. Most of the fun on the Internet here is that of foreign content. From: Dave For : The Editor (for publication) Subj: Entertainment on the web Why should people turn to the internet for entertainment in the form of movies or other passive media. The screens are small, and without some kind of broadband connection (bit of an expense here in NZ) the speed or quality of the media you watch can be of considerabley worse quality than you'd expect from more taditional services like TV. If you want to draw people to the internet for entertainment, then make use of the extra features it provides. Online gaming, in particular the massively multiplayer variety which can provide entertainment and *some kind* of social interaction seems like a far more wothy use of the nets resources for entertainment purposes. Thousands of people around the world are paying for the priveledge of using these services, and the market is continuing to grow. From: Camryn Brown For : The Editor (for publication) Subj: Web for Entertainment I use the web for entertainment every day. COMEDY: www.theonion.com www.satirewire.com www.somethingawful.com NEWS: (I count this as entertainment... it's sure not work) www.fuckedcompany.com (you may want to censor that) www.aardvark.co.nz www.cnn.com www.plastic.com I visit all of these sites every morning before I start work. However, I can see why most people don't... they don't have an extremely fast and free connection (except at work, which probably doesn't like them surfing for fun). Furthermore, dial-up connections mean the phone doesn't work. Also, most people don't have their PC next to a nice comfy couch. Finally, TV requires less brain activity - and that's what people look for to relax.Hit Reload For Latest Comments
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