“The View From the Phlipside” is a media commentary program airing on WRFA-LP, Jamestown NY. It can be heard Monday through Friday around 7:30 AM. The following are scripts which may not exactly match the aired version of the program. Mostly because the host may suddenly choose to add or subtract words at a moments notice. WRFA-LP is not responsible for any such silliness or the opinions expressed. You can listen to a live stream of WRFA or find a podcast of this program at wrfalp.com. Copyright 2013-15 by Jay Phillippi. All Rights Reserved. You like what you see? Drop me a line and we can talk.
Program scripts from week of November 29, 2015
(Due to a technical glitch these were not posted on time. We apologize for the error)
My name is Jay Phillippi and I’ve spent my life in and around the media. TV, radio, the movies and more. I love them, and I hate them and I always have an opinion. Call this the View from the Phlipside.
When Free Isn’t Free
It
was inevitable. At some point what had been some minor sparring back
and forth was going to result in someone giving a great big shove.
You may not have noticed it just yet but the big shove is on the way.
It’s the fight over how we pay for all the cool stuff on the
Internet.
was inevitable. At some point what had been some minor sparring back
and forth was going to result in someone giving a great big shove.
You may not have noticed it just yet but the big shove is on the way.
It’s the fight over how we pay for all the cool stuff on the
Internet.
In
reality the way most sites have turned to is advertising. The equal
reality is that most of us don’t like the ads. They can be intrusive
and stupid. You’ll be cruising along doing whatever it is that you
want to be doing when, bang, the ad takes over. Annoying. So we use
adblocking software. That used to be a minor annoyance for online
businesses. But not any more, and that’s why providers are pushing
back. Pagefair, a company that works with companies on their online
advertising, figures that Google lost over six billion dollars last
year due to adblockers. For the entire industry they put the loss
for the first six months of this year north of twenty two billion
dollars.
reality the way most sites have turned to is advertising. The equal
reality is that most of us don’t like the ads. They can be intrusive
and stupid. You’ll be cruising along doing whatever it is that you
want to be doing when, bang, the ad takes over. Annoying. So we use
adblocking software. That used to be a minor annoyance for online
businesses. But not any more, and that’s why providers are pushing
back. Pagefair, a company that works with companies on their online
advertising, figures that Google lost over six billion dollars last
year due to adblockers. For the entire industry they put the loss
for the first six months of this year north of twenty two billion
dollars.
Yeah,
people are going to take notice of those kinds of numbers.
people are going to take notice of those kinds of numbers.
Some
companies have started using adblocker blockers. There’s a company
called “Sourcepoint”, founded by a former Google exec, that takes
on the adblocking software head on. The term they use is “punching
through” the adblocker so the advertising shows up any way.
companies have started using adblocker blockers. There’s a company
called “Sourcepoint”, founded by a former Google exec, that takes
on the adblocking software head on. The term they use is “punching
through” the adblocker so the advertising shows up any way.
Then
you have Yahoo who is testing a system that simply informs you that
while the adblocking software is running you can’t reach your Yahoo
e-mail. Period.
you have Yahoo who is testing a system that simply informs you that
while the adblocking software is running you can’t reach your Yahoo
e-mail. Period.
On
the other side of the equation you have the people at Gawker Media.
That includes blogs like Gawker, Lifehacker, Deadspin, Jalopnik and
more. They’ve made a corporate decision NOT to fight against the ad
blocking directly. They see it as a losing proposition. Since each
site has a very different audience they are looking at fine tuning
their response to each audience group.
the other side of the equation you have the people at Gawker Media.
That includes blogs like Gawker, Lifehacker, Deadspin, Jalopnik and
more. They’ve made a corporate decision NOT to fight against the ad
blocking directly. They see it as a losing proposition. Since each
site has a very different audience they are looking at fine tuning
their response to each audience group.
In
the end the publishers can’t stop the adblocking. The reality is
that you and I are also going to have to accept some method of paying
for the services we use. If the companies can’t make money, they
can’t pay their bills. A totally free Internet might sound cool but
it would be much less interesting.
the end the publishers can’t stop the adblocking. The reality is
that you and I are also going to have to accept some method of paying
for the services we use. If the companies can’t make money, they
can’t pay their bills. A totally free Internet might sound cool but
it would be much less interesting.
It
may mean that the approach taken by the publisher of “Bild”, the
most popular newspaper in Europe may have it right. They fought back
with a simple technique. If they detected an adblocker they offered
readers a stark choice. Turn off the software or pay for a
subscription. All you had to do was turn it off and the site was
“free” again. Ad blocking software usage dropped from twenty
three percent to single digits.
may mean that the approach taken by the publisher of “Bild”, the
most popular newspaper in Europe may have it right. They fought back
with a simple technique. If they detected an adblocker they offered
readers a stark choice. Turn off the software or pay for a
subscription. All you had to do was turn it off and the site was
“free” again. Ad blocking software usage dropped from twenty
three percent to single digits.
If
we can find some way to improve the quality of online advertising,
I’m probably OK with that solution.
we can find some way to improve the quality of online advertising,
I’m probably OK with that solution.
IoT Security
We
all want to keep our homes secure. None of us want to lose any of
our “stuff”. So let me ask a question. If you want to keep your
house secure, does it make sense to start adding a lot more doors?
It’s just that many more entrances that you have to make sure are
locked every day to keep you and your stuff safe.
all want to keep our homes secure. None of us want to lose any of
our “stuff”. So let me ask a question. If you want to keep your
house secure, does it make sense to start adding a lot more doors?
It’s just that many more entrances that you have to make sure are
locked every day to keep you and your stuff safe.
Obviously,
I’m not really talking about houses here. I’ve mentioned the
Internet of Things before and that’s what I’m thinking about today.
With more and more “things” being connected to the Internet and
collecting data on you, it creates more and more “doors” into
your life that could be hacked. More doors means more security
issues for your personal information.
I’m not really talking about houses here. I’ve mentioned the
Internet of Things before and that’s what I’m thinking about today.
With more and more “things” being connected to the Internet and
collecting data on you, it creates more and more “doors” into
your life that could be hacked. More doors means more security
issues for your personal information.
So
given that most of us had never even heard of the “Internet of
Things” a year ago, just how big a concern should this be? At the
moment, relatively small. Experts expect that this will change at
warp speed over the next five to ten years. At a business forum in
November Cisco Systems Executive Chairman John Chambers estimated
that there will be 500 BILLION connected devices by 2025. By next
year, twelve percent of cars will be connected to the Internet and
220 million is the projected number for 2020. That may not be the
worst of it. Wearable technology is expected to hit 780 million by
2019. Security protocols for any of this technology largely doesn’t
exist at the moment.
given that most of us had never even heard of the “Internet of
Things” a year ago, just how big a concern should this be? At the
moment, relatively small. Experts expect that this will change at
warp speed over the next five to ten years. At a business forum in
November Cisco Systems Executive Chairman John Chambers estimated
that there will be 500 BILLION connected devices by 2025. By next
year, twelve percent of cars will be connected to the Internet and
220 million is the projected number for 2020. That may not be the
worst of it. Wearable technology is expected to hit 780 million by
2019. Security protocols for any of this technology largely doesn’t
exist at the moment.
Here’s
the real kicker for the wearable tech devices, it’s expected that
their primary connection to the Internet will be through your mobile
phone. Think about that for a second. This technology is expected
to grow at a phenomenal rate. That means everybody and their brother
is going to get into the field and privacy/security issues are not
going to be their first concern. If those devices, which will be
gathering data about where you are and what you do, get hacked they
won’t just have that devices info in their hands. They will be able
to connect to your phone and all the information that you carry
there. The push there has been to carry more and more of your life
in that single device. Credit cards, personal information, the list
is endless and growing.
the real kicker for the wearable tech devices, it’s expected that
their primary connection to the Internet will be through your mobile
phone. Think about that for a second. This technology is expected
to grow at a phenomenal rate. That means everybody and their brother
is going to get into the field and privacy/security issues are not
going to be their first concern. If those devices, which will be
gathering data about where you are and what you do, get hacked they
won’t just have that devices info in their hands. They will be able
to connect to your phone and all the information that you carry
there. The push there has been to carry more and more of your life
in that single device. Credit cards, personal information, the list
is endless and growing.
The
industry knows what it’s facing too. At least one report has come
out pointing to security as the single biggest challenge facing the
information and communication sector in 2016.
industry knows what it’s facing too. At least one report has come
out pointing to security as the single biggest challenge facing the
information and communication sector in 2016.
We
all want nice stuff in our house. And a lot of us like having all
the latest toys as well. At some point we just need to remember that
the number of doors in our electronic house is set to grow a lot.
Making sure we can secure all those doors is something we should all
be thinking about.
all want nice stuff in our house. And a lot of us like having all
the latest toys as well. At some point we just need to remember that
the number of doors in our electronic house is set to grow a lot.
Making sure we can secure all those doors is something we should all
be thinking about.
Black Friday Cards
It’s
easy to get caught up in the negatives that the Internet can bring
into our lives. The bombast, the flame wars, the trolls. There are
plenty of days when it seems like the Interwebs primary function is
to drag as much unwanted drama and angst into your life as they
possibly can.
easy to get caught up in the negatives that the Internet can bring
into our lives. The bombast, the flame wars, the trolls. There are
plenty of days when it seems like the Interwebs primary function is
to drag as much unwanted drama and angst into your life as they
possibly can.
So
it’s nice to come across a place where it plays to our sense of
whimsey. And I’m not talking about laughing babies or kittens
either. Think about an idea so outrageously simple and yet utterly
ridiculous. Think about the “Cards Against Humanity” Black
Friday Sale.
it’s nice to come across a place where it plays to our sense of
whimsey. And I’m not talking about laughing babies or kittens
either. Think about an idea so outrageously simple and yet utterly
ridiculous. Think about the “Cards Against Humanity” Black
Friday Sale.
I
won’t presume you know about “Cards Against Humanity”. It
appeals to a rather specific kind of person. The game is simple.
You get a black question card with a question or a phrase with blanks
left open. For example – “I’m sorry professor, I couldn’t complete
my assignment because…” blank. You then choose among your answer
cards for something to complete the phrase or answer the question. I
won’t provide you any example answers because this is an ADULT card
game. The game is snarky, cynical and satirical. And not for
everybody. On the other hand, it became the bestselling game at
Amazon just six months after its release.
won’t presume you know about “Cards Against Humanity”. It
appeals to a rather specific kind of person. The game is simple.
You get a black question card with a question or a phrase with blanks
left open. For example – “I’m sorry professor, I couldn’t complete
my assignment because…” blank. You then choose among your answer
cards for something to complete the phrase or answer the question. I
won’t provide you any example answers because this is an ADULT card
game. The game is snarky, cynical and satirical. And not for
everybody. On the other hand, it became the bestselling game at
Amazon just six months after its release.
What
I really love is the last week’s Black Friday sale. They simply
removed all their products from their online store and replaced them
with the option to pay them five dollars. And receive nothing in
return. That’s right, you would just give them five bucks. It was
the latest in a series of Black Friday sales events. On the other
occasions you still got something for your purchase. This year? You
just gave them your money.
I really love is the last week’s Black Friday sale. They simply
removed all their products from their online store and replaced them
with the option to pay them five dollars. And receive nothing in
return. That’s right, you would just give them five bucks. It was
the latest in a series of Black Friday sales events. On the other
occasions you still got something for your purchase. This year? You
just gave them your money.
11,248
people did just that. Another thousand plus gave more than once and
one person gave them a hundred bucks. Total? $71,145. Which they
announced that they would be keeping. “Cards Against Humanity”
has a long tradition of generous charitable giving. In just three
years they’ve raised four million dollars for charity, including
setting up a full ride scholarship for women studying science. This
time they divvied it up among the staff and let them do with it what
they wanted. One guy bought over seven hundred pounds of kitty
litter, another paid off part of her student loan, another paid a
divorce attorney. Lots of toys, clothes and silly stuff were
purchased too. But virtually every staff member also gave some of
the money away.
people did just that. Another thousand plus gave more than once and
one person gave them a hundred bucks. Total? $71,145. Which they
announced that they would be keeping. “Cards Against Humanity”
has a long tradition of generous charitable giving. In just three
years they’ve raised four million dollars for charity, including
setting up a full ride scholarship for women studying science. This
time they divvied it up among the staff and let them do with it what
they wanted. One guy bought over seven hundred pounds of kitty
litter, another paid off part of her student loan, another paid a
divorce attorney. Lots of toys, clothes and silly stuff were
purchased too. But virtually every staff member also gave some of
the money away.
It
was ridiculous. It was insane. It was utterly, utterly whimsical.
And it could only have happened on the Internet. This is the
ultimate impulse purchase. Even better, you don’t end up taking
something home that you didn’t really want. Because you didn’t buy
anything.
was ridiculous. It was insane. It was utterly, utterly whimsical.
And it could only have happened on the Internet. This is the
ultimate impulse purchase. Even better, you don’t end up taking
something home that you didn’t really want. Because you didn’t buy
anything.
It
may have been THE coolest Black Friday Sale of them all.
may have been THE coolest Black Friday Sale of them all.
Call that the View From the Phlipside
Copyright Jay Phillippi, 2015
Theme music for “The View From the Phlipside” and “TVFTP – Podcast” is “Hustle”
Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
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