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Maybe somebody with more understandintg than I have would take time to explain Fib levels. Could come in handy over the next few weeks.
Caradoc
Just that it'll be covering tens of miles at an altitude suitable for photographing while on its way to break a world record for altitude. If I were a news director of a local TV station, I'd be rolling film. Presumably, this kind of publicity for the product should be good for the company and its stock price.
Caradoc
Lap: on top of those questions, throw in the fact that as it moves northwest the prototype will be headed toward the site from which it will be launched to more than double the existing altitude record for a rigid airship. That fact alone ought to generate interest for a broad range of people.
Caradoc
Can anyone address the extent to which announcement of AMEX listing as of date X would cause MMs to change their behavior? Specifically, do they have to be flat at end of last day of OTC:BB or is there a slop factor (supposedly) for the purpose of allowing them to keep things liquid right up to the last minute?
Caradoc
Trainz: That DOES make sense.EOM
Cab: Thanks! I knew the name rang a bell from somewhere or other.
Caradoc
Hasher: Yeah, but mainly to provide I-Hub link to newbies naively looking into RB board for their first experience in pennyland.
Caradoc
Shakey/ others:
Shakey makes a good point considering today's technology limits and the prospect of needing two or three Strats over Texas sounds good to me so long as they're all providing services that people want to pay for.
Still, considering that Moore's law has the number of transistor-equivalents per given surface area doubling every 18 months or so, the 3000 pounds aboard future generations of Strats will be able to able to outperform the first operational Strat by some significant factor.
Quick story for you: Once upon a time (1958 or 1959?), young Caradoc blew his paper route savings of $43.00 to buy an innovative product being distributed by Delmonico International, a small import firm in Los Angeles. The product was Sony's first 7-transistor radio: about 3" by 5" and 1" thick. AM, FM, and two shortwave bands. The inside of that small box was as beautiful as fine jewelry. I was pleased/proud to recognize the little 1" square variable condensor with its paper-thin elements sealed in a tiny clear plastic box. First letter I ever typed was to Delmonico, praising the elegance of the radio and making several suggestions toward upgrading the miserable "Japlish" owner's manual toward standard English. Their response said "thank you" and allowed as how if I could come up with $1,500 they'd ship me a bunch of radios and set me up as exclusive dealer for Sony products east of the Mississippi. This really scared me because for all I knew you could get arrested for impersonating an adult.
Ever notice that the ads for today's radios rarely even mention how many ICs or how many transistor equivalents per IC? Same thing will apply to Strat payloads as time goes by. One Strat may do a lot more than you'd think.
Caradoc
PS: Anybody who has seen Lowell Wood of Lawrence Livermore National Lab square his fingers while describing a "solid quartz computer no larger than a deck of playing cards but with the capacity of a Cray supercomputer" has had a glimpse of the future. I've been there, and I think those future silicon wonders will be at work 65,000 feet up aboard airdhips built by GTEL.
OT for Hasher:
And here I thought current events were conspiring to detract attention from GTEL having gained 13.98% yesterday!! It's only up 4.4% today (market cap at ~5 X revenues) so plenty of time before next Tuesday's unveiling.
My latest thoughts:
http://ragingbull.lycos.com/mboard/boards.cgi?board=GTEL&read=340088
Bittersweet memory is having had many of the same thoughts about PWTC a few years ago.
Regards,
Caradoc
Rocky: Not only are a lot of blue suiters in the space business focused on satellites to the exclusion of anything in near space; there's also a larger problem in that most generals started out as pilots and without thinking tend to favor programs that provide a career path for the current generation of pilots. Fortunately, the civilian SecDef has a track record of being more interested in doing what's smart than he is in the care and feeding of flag rank officers. To use his phrase, his technology development people have been told they're authorized to "break glass" if needed to do what's needed.
Caradoc
OT for Gamood/ others:
GTEL is an easy bet for a nearterm "penny flip" and my best bet for longterm. Rationale spelled out here:
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=5987099
Regards to all,
Caradoc
March 15 testimony to Senate Armed Services Committee:
"We urge Congress to fully fund the following promising initiatives. High Altitude Airship Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration. NORAD, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Missile Defense Agency, and the U.S. Army are working together to demonstrate the technical feasibility and military utility of an unmanned,
untethered, long-duration High Altitude Airship. The High Altitude Airship Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration seeks to build and fly a prototype high altitude airship in order to validate this capability. The goal of the high altitude airship is to provide a longendurance, geo- stationary, re-taskable multi-mission platform capable of performing wide area intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and communications."
http://armed-services.senate.gov/statemnt/2005/March/Keating%2003-15-05.pdf
New to GTEL? (personal opinion)
There's little doubt that the multiple advantages of Stratellite are enough to get people excited and that excitement is the "sizzle" that has people buying the GTEL steak. Specificly, Stratellite advantages over satellite are these:
(For telephony, broadband internet)
1. Thirteen Strats can cover the 48 contiguous states of the US and single Strat can blanket an area the size of Texas. If you've ever driven across Texas, just take a guess at what it would cost to do the same with either cell towers or telephone poles and copper wire. Then think about being able to wander the desert between Ft. Stockton and El Paso with your laptop and never leave the wi-fi hotspot connecting you to the internet.
2. Strats automatically solve the so-called "last mile" problem of the telephone companies. For example, my house is about 1/2 mile uphill from the nearest DSL connectivity. When GTEL offers me DSL, I'll have no reason not to switch my basic and long distance service at the same time and neither will anybody else. (Think "market share" here!!)
3. Where the geography features mountains or islands (Peru, the Phillipines), the "last mile" problem is more like 150 or 175 miles. Lots of customers out there and no coincidence that many of GTEL's press releases relate to such geographic areas.
(For military, NASA, NOAA [former Weather Bureau])
1. Floating up to 65,000 feet is tens of millions of dollars cheaper than paying for launch to Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
2. Much bigger dollar advantage (>factor of ten) is that payloads can be maintained every 18 months and so need not be designed/ engineered/ built for the four or five nines reliability required by on-orbit assets.
3. Compared to LEO, being at 65,000 feet amounts to a front row seat. Much less expensive optics will do the job whether observing weather fronts, spying, or checking to see whether you succeeded in taking out a bridge.
4. Ditto, communicating from 65,000 feet cuts latency (lagtime) to almost nothing. Great for communicating with troops on the ground and a huge advantage in controlling an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV).
5. "Persistance" (ability to "loiter" over one spot) http://www.peterson.af.mil/hqafspc/News/News_Asp/nws_tmp.asp?storyid=05-069
No wonder Space Command's four star General Lord wants to be in near space: " We are very excited about exploring capabilities in the area known as “Near Space” at an altitude between 65,000 to 325,000 feet. From our preliminary analysis, we believe there’s substantial military utility in augmenting our current aerospace capabilities with fielded capabilities in Near Space. These Near Space platforms are not intended to replace air or space assets, but rather to help augment and integrate additional capabilities.
We have already demonstrated military utility in expanding the range of Army radios used for contact between ground forces and to conduct Close Air Support operations. By using affordable platforms like weather balloons, blimps or air ships, we can help provide much needed persistence and direct support to our theater commanders and their joint warfighters. "
http://www.peterson.af.mil/hqafspc/Library/Speeches/Speeches.asp?YearList=2005&SpeechChoice=109
A word of caution:
Given all the above, it's easy to think of GTEL in terms of the Stratellite (either a longterm buy into the multiple revenue streams of Stratellite or a quick penny flip based on pending news). The thing not to forget is that -- unlike other "story stocks" with an innovative product that might do well -- GTEL is already in business with revenues approximating $1 million per week. At Monday's PPS, the stock was selling for mcap of four times revenue. As of yesterday, it's more like five times revenue. Since many GTEL investors bought in based on expected growth of those revenues and/or the company's approach to VOIP and/or the personal credibility and track record of CEO Huff, be aware that much of the float is held by those who see Stratellite and its prospective revenue streams as icing on the cake. Result is that much of the float isn't floating; retracements tend to be quicker and not as deep as with other penny stocks trading on OTC:BB. If you're a penny flipper, congratulations on finding what amounts to an easy bet between now and next Tuesday. Just don't expect to get back in at the level you'd normally hope for. Two reasons:
1. From a TA point of view, check the GTEL TA board's posts from the last day or so for indications that this will be more than a typical 3-day surge.
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/board.asp?board_id=3694
2. Looking at the various news items that are pending regarding the company's telephony efforts, consider that we may see the stock reacting to a one-two punch. Or a one-two-three punch. On top of that, calculate what happens if/when the company announces it's leaving OTC:BB behind and being listed on AMEX.
Just how I see it...
Caradoc
Reg: Good thoughts! The headline linked for yesterday was particularly apt.
Caradoc
Comp99: Do some DD, maybe starting with the links in the I-box above. Hint: look for the word "revenue" and you'll get to $900,000 per week as of last October. After that, keep digging.
If you're sincere, there are a lot of folks here who'll point you in the right direction. Meanwhile, please skip the "wow, impressive" bit. Numbers are what they are. Period. And with your brand new alias on I-Hub, there's too big a chance you'll be telling us tomorrow how excited you are to have climbed aboard and later in the afternoon you'll be moaning about a list of perceived negatives that you've just come across. Or do you have that list ready to go already?
No offense, fella. That sort of thing happens with predictable regularity. Here's hoping you're an exception to the rule.
Caradoc
MvnAlmn: Having bid and ask locked at .12 for most of the last hour bodes well for tomorrow morning. We'll see, won't we?
Caradoc
Does >$1 mil per week get you there?EOM
dfh: Good one! EOM
Comp99: two quickies...
1. 65,000' = tiny fraction of geosynch orbit = tiny fraction of latency (lag time)
2. Solving the "last mile" problem of those who must stretch copper
Personal note: with DSL stopping 3/4 mile from my house, the company that can give me DSL will have an advantage in whether I also subscribe for their basic service.
Good fortune to you!
Caradoc
MvnAlmn/ klh19/ others
Bill: Go for it! It's about time the bureaucrats whose salaries we pay start doing their jobs, including enforcing the rules about short sales.
klh: not the number or % of short positions but having uncovered ("naked") short positions that are supposed to be covered within certain time limits.
Everyone: The squeaky wheel gets greased. Want your wheel greased? Speak up! In addition to the expected channel for complaints, communicating with your senator and congresscritter will work wonders if enough people get involved.
Caradoc
PWTC still on the SHO list:
http://www.nasdaqtrader.com/aspx/regsho.aspx
What it means/ what you can do about it:
http://www.ncans.net/
Thanks the internet, the people whose salaries are paid by your taxes might have to begin doing their jobs.
Caradoc
Cutting Corners/ Aveman: No one outside the company knows the answer yet, but logic might give us a clue. At the risk of sounding simplistic, a lighter-than-air craft ascends because the lifting gas it contains is less dense (lighter) than the atmosphere that surrounds it. So, after it ascends to the proper height (and without losing any of that precious lifting gas) you could cancel some of the lift by making some of the lifting gas denser; i.e., compress it. And you wouldn't need anything as heavy duty as the 90 psi air compressor with steel tank that you may have in your garage. First, a few PSI would condense it enough to cancel out the lift factor. Second, those few psi don't require a steel tank: a neoprene bladder inside the lift chamber would work fine.
Whatever the specifics, I'm sure our engineers have come up with an elegant, lightweight, and affordable way of getting the job done.
Caradoc
Rock/ others:
Rock: Welcome back! Seeing a couple of the in-depth responses that your GTEL expertise enables you to come up with in about two seconds is even better than knowing you're the one manning the "delete" key. Further, the arrangement you hammered out with Matt means two great GTEL boards instead of one board trying to do two things. Bravo!
Others: Trying to fill even one of this guy's shoes for a day or two gave me new appreciation for what he has created here and for his continuing effort. Believe me, the single thing you can do to make his job easier is to use "hide" to personally banish the negative poster.
If you insist on reading the negative opinion that demands absolute proof for any other opinion and wants it RIGHT NOW, at least don't fall for the trap by responding. All you do is clutter up the board, give Mr Negative an excuse to respond back to you, and make Rock's job harder.
As my drill instructor father said a few times, "I'm making a suggestion here and I want to see it followed through."
Caradoc
Sebass: check your email. EOM
Some of the better posters on RB have been discussing the idea (apparently from an article posted there late last Saturday or Sunday) that the Strat will have a double layer of Kevlar with nitrogen in between. I couldn't think of why we'd want the extra weight of a second shell in order to have an extra layer of gas that provides no lift so I bounced the idea against a couple of engineers while at work yesterday. Their thoughts:
* Two reasons race car drivers (and some classy tire shops) fill their tires with nitrogen: (1) it's known as a non-leaker (2) it doesn't expand or contract very much in response to temperature changes. Having a buffer layer of nitrogen in between the helium and the cold temperatures of the stratosphere could help maintain constant shape of the exterior while buffering any temperature changes of the helium (which temperature changes would otherwise affect volume of the helium).
* Could be that if there's a surplus of electricity available and if it's worth the weight of a compressor and two tanks, nitrogen could withdrawn from one end of the Strat and compressed into tank #1 while tank #2 releases enough to make up the difference. Again, a temperature buffering mechanism.
* Most interesting idea: tetrahedronal nitrogen atom is a lot bigger than helium atom and N2 molecule is twice that big. This alone would tend to reduce amount of helium leaking through layer #1 and having even the slightest overpressure (nitrogen pressing gently against the inner layer of Kevlar) would reduce helium leakage even more. Then, whatever amount of helium did manage to leak through layer #1 would still have to wander around the nitrogen buffer layer before it ever found layer #2 and had a chance to actually escape.
Could be that our proprietary approach to "lift gas management" takes advantage of some of the above. Note: just guesses here, but from a couple of pretty savvy guys.
Caradoc
PS: With Sebass and me both having day jobs, please don't decide the board has gone to Hades if trash accumulates during daylight hours. After all, janitors do their work during the evening.
"Will jet stream be a problem?"
Another "common sense" question that LuckyOne nailed down flat this morning. What follows is his excellent DD and for future reference it's now linked in the blue I-box above (last one under "Miscellaneous"). Don't miss his "Connect the dots" post linked immediately above this one.
****************text follows********************
Jet Stream final analysis & Stratellite feasibility:
Questions & doubts about airships failing because of the jet stream or because of bad weather has been asked
and bandied about on many boards. Detractors of GTEL and the Stratelites even use this doubt as proof that these airships are unfeasible.
This evidence below should once and for all put to rest jet stream & weather related worries.
Jet Stream Facts:
”How High?
At an altitude above 20,000 feet, or between 6 and 9 miles above the Earth’s surface, the jet stream winds make their presence known. This puts the jet stream near the top of the Earth’s troposphere, where most of the Earth’s weather occurs.”
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/balloon/science/jetstream.html
The altitude where the Stratellites will be parked is 13 miles up - well above the Jet Stream
From GTEL/Sanswire Website:
Above the Jet Stream
"Made of Spectra and powered by solar powered electrical engines, each Stratellite will reach its final altitude by utilizing proprietary lifting gas technology. Once in place at 65,000 feet (approx. 13 miles) and safely above the jet stream, each Stratellite will remain in one GPS coordinate, providing the ideal wireless transmission platform. The Stratellites are unmanned airships and will be monitored from the Company’s Operation Centers on the ground."
http://www.sanswire.com/stratellites.htm
__________
From Aviation Today magazine:
Find the Stratospheric “Sweet Spot”
"Military planners hope that an HAA-based response to the post-9/11 era would be more affordable than satellites, AWACS (airborne warning and control system) aircraft, and unmanned air vehicle (UAV) alternatives. Using HAAs would avoid the high cost of launching satellites, as well as of payloads that must be engineered to withstand the g forces, shock and vibration of a rocket launch. HAAs would be stationed in an atmospheric band about 13 miles (21 km) above the Earth's surface. They would be positioned between powerful jet streams below and strong stratospheric winds above. The height of this benign "sweet spot" varies according to geographic location, but once there, airships should be able to hold station with modest power expenditures. Unlike a satellite, an HAA can return to base for maintenance or payload changing."
http://www.aviationtoday.com/cgi/av/show_mag.cgi?pub=av&mon=0404&file=0404airships.htm
__________
From New Jersey Institute of Technology
Jet Stream & Airships
”Airships can lift electronic equipment payloads into the stratosphere, above the jet stream, to an altitude of 70,000 feet,” noted Sebastian. Research has shown that winds at this elevation are relatively low so that solar powered propeller motors can position an airship to any global geographic location with GPS accuracy and even keep it stationary for periods potentially exceeding one year. An airship platform can thus function as a floating transmitter with a line of sight radio reach that covers a ground area greater than 600 miles in diameter. HAAs will cost substantially less than satellites and unlike satellites, they can safely return to earth for equipment upgrading. These characteristics open new vistas for global communications.”
http://www.njit.edu/publicinfo/press_releases/release_558.php
So GTEL is not trying to do something impossible. Research and expertise prove that an airship at high altitudes need not worry about weather or jet streams.
____________
In anticipation of the next question:
“Well, it still has to travel thru the jet stream to get to 13 miles up don’t it?”
No. It can actually avoid traveling thru the jet stream entirely.
More Jet Stream Facts:
”Length, Width, and Thickness?
Although the jet stream may stretch for thousands of miles around the world, it is only a few hundred miles wide and often less than 3 miles thick.”
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/balloon/science/jetstream.html
So, assuming the worse case & that a jet stream is currently right over a launch site (not likely), GTEL can either fly the Strat out from under the jet stream before ascending, or wait for the jet stream to move off of the launch site. The river of air is motile & changes position. Considering the narrowness of the width it should not be a problem either way.
_________
I think that just about covers the weather/jet stream bug-a-boo.
(emphasis & underline mine)
LuckyOne
Bill: An oversimplification but, generally speaking, the atmosphere rotates with the planet and "wind" in whichever direction is the delta in air movement other than that rotation. Otherwise, how do I manage to walk from my front door to the car with all that wind?
In short, a Strat will have to maneuveur to maintain position but only to the extent that there's a delta from the overall rotationof the atmosphere.
Caradoc
Carolina: Like you, I can't remember what word Vern used (short? squat? stubby?) to describe how the prototype would look when compared to a real Strat. Anybody who is disappointed by a prototype that's not as pretty as the real thing will be someone who has never looked at a breadboard or brassbord preliminary version of anything in development.
I'm sure the Air Force and NASA people viewing the prototype will skip right past appearances and focus in on whether it has the capability to test the systems and subsystems. For a hint at their reaction, just look at the NASA honchos who have checked things out and decided "I want to be a part of this."
Caradoc
LuckyOne/Carolina:
Lucky: You nailed that one down flat. Thank you! If you have the time, maybe those two jetstream posts could be combined into one for linking in the I-box.
Carolina: I would think that inflating with helium and putting it up on a tether depends only on having completed the framework and putting the skin on (both things thoroughly under control of the people saying it will be ready on that date; i.e., nothing depending on approval by some government agency). Bottom line: date for the public showing is about as firm as anything that hasn't happened yet.
Schedules gets dicier as outside approvals are required, so I suspect that rather than getting a full-fledged certification as a man-rated vehicle for the trip to Edwards, they'd just get one as an experimental aircraft. Still not a hard thing to do but not totally under GTEL control.
After that, we're in the tender hands of USAF and NASA for any needed approvals. Given USAF/NASA attendance at the summit and documented agreement with NASA, I'd think things are primed for a "thumbs up" on out prototype's demo flight.
Just how I see things,
Caradoc
PS: Catch you all tomorrow evening.
Welcome, Carolina! If my reposting of LuckyOne's jetstream post got you to come over here, you'll like his "connect the dots" post linked under "Miscellaneous" in the blue I-box above.
Again, welcome.
Caradoc
Jetstream is even faster than that but it's below 65,000 feet.
Caradoc
Yes, Rocky was the best board manager I've seen which made this board the best DD board ever. He announced and explained his departure here:
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=5783822
This post -- worthless as it is for DD -- will remain here as an exception to Rocky's own "keep it focused" rule for two reasons:
* pointing here will be an efficient way of answering questions from those who, like Gbreeze, were away when it happened
* at least equally important, I ask each of you to re-read Rocky's farewell post and notice that the first reason he gave was that explaining why posts were deleted was eating up his time.
Please understand that having a forum of good stuff to read about GTEL means having such a high standard that a lot of even well-intentioned posts don't qualify. That means a lot of deleting (more than fifty in one hour this AM!) and ordinarily that might mean a lot of explaining which I simply don't have the time to do. And even if I had all the time in the world, explaining that I deleted each post for what ever reason or because it discussed deletion policy would drive me crazy after about three days. So, deletion policy will be spelled out in the I-box and implemented without explaining why each time.
Capiche?
Caradoc
Oris:
Aw shucks....
Longterm, I'm invested in GTEL for the same reasons I was in another stock when you first taught me the implications of OBV: (1) perceived probability of eventually paying dividends high enough to justify price measured in dollars rather than pennies per share and (2) my personal preference -- don't tell anybody; -- for being "on the side of the angels"; i.e., having my dollars tied up in doing sometyhing that will make the world a better place.
As for short and intermediate term, look for PM on your questions re timeframe and price objectives. Like the passing of a torch, Sebass and I have been handed a proud history of hosting things worth reading or re-reading months later. By definition, that tradition doesn't include things like sweating the price this week or next month. I know that doesn't sound at all like the Caradoc you remember, but that's the role I find myself cast in.
Despite the absence of price specifics (and contradictory as it may sound), this board has an ongoing subthread in both posts and I-box links of addressing the mechanics of TA. Please feelfree to join in to that discussion.
Caradoc
LuckyOne: Superb post! It's now linked in the I-box (last one under "Miscellaneous"). With continued effort like this by you and others, this board will continue to be what Rocky made it: THE place to read about GTEL, not whether the tic was up or down on some particular Monday afternoon or about some particular poster's plan to sell at X and jump back in at Y.
Bravo!
Caradoc
Oris:
Using public response for a quick post since subject is GTEL. As you've probably discovered within the last few minutes, there's no richer ore on the planet for you to dig into than the links posted in I-box above. Great credit to Rocky for having put it all in one place. Don't miss inventor Vern Koenig link (first one under "Miscellaneous).
Since the board is moderated, the various posts are pretty rich ore as well. The two recent "connect the dots" posts are superb examples since they reveal logical reason for two particular attendees at the recent summit. As for why Air Force was there, hit Google for "General Jumper" and "near space." An Air Force acquaintenance says that "near space" is from 65,000 feet to 385,000 feet. Minor caution: he advises that -- despite Jumper's initiative and enthusiasm for near space as better/faster/cheaper solution to a lot of problems -- a cadre of high-ranking former pilots are less enthusiastic about a vehicle that doesn't provide a career path for fellow pilots. On the other hand, our civilian Secretary Of Defense tends to go with what's smart rather than what generals want.
Biggest plus (other than the "sizzle" of Stratellite) is ongoing revenue now >$1 million per week and growing from other parts of the company.
Biggest (and single) drawback is number of shares. One would tend to think this is pretty well factored in already.
Can't say enough about Stratellite.
* Synergy with other sides of the company
* Avoid cost of going to Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Atlas and Delta launches cost tens of millions. Cheapest LEO launch (for small satellites only) is aircraft-launched Pegasus from Orbital Science at $20 or $21 million each. Even Space-X (Space Exploration Technologies and privately held) is shooting for $5-6 million per launch.
* Since satellites can't be maintained, they require all sorts of redundancy built in, the most expensive solar arrays, exotic longlife batteries, and four or five nines of reliability. All of which costs money and explains why satellites are hundreds of millions up to over a billion for some of the more complicated ones. With each strat staying up only 18 months, you don't have to pay for all those high-ticket items. Further, for things like IR sensing (weather, agriculture, surveillance) you don't have to pay for all the expensive optics and a big high-resolution focal plane array. Since you're already closer by more than an order of magnitude, it's like having a front-row seat at the opera. Throw out those opera glasses.
* Being closer cuts latency (timelag) by more than an order of magnitude. No big deal for taking weather shots but great for telephone or for controlling UAVs.
* Again without latency problems, a 65,000 foot strat solves (for an area the size of Texas) the "last mile" problem for everything from telephony to broadband internet for competitors who have to string copper or put ugly towers disguised as pine trees. I'm ready to sign up myself since DSL stops about 3/4 mile from my house. Note that in mountainous places like Peru, the "last mile" problem is more like the last 75 or 100 miles. IMPORTANT: note also that once you solve the "last mile" problem for any particular subscriber, being able to sign that customer up for what all those other miles used to not be able to do for him is nothingbut an exercise in competitive pricing. In short, if you offer me DSL I'll sign up for your basic service too.
That's all that rises to the top of my head at the moment except for an oddity on RB: mixed in with the various posts by "MistressPhaedra" were a few with the air of authenticity and a couple that have turned out to be deadly accurate. Scan these
http://ragingbull.lycos.com/mboard/memalias.cgi?board=GTEL&member=mistressphaedra
and look even closer at the previous 30 or 60. Odd, don't you agree?
Good fortune to you, my friend. Look for a PM on our previous adventures.
Caradoc
Don't miss LuckyOne's #7942. Great "connect the dots" contribution to DD.
Caradoc
PS for LuckOne: Check inbox for PM.
OT: administrative note
The purpose of this board is to discuss GTEL, not to create a morass of duplicative posts pro or con that add nothing to anybody's understanding of the subject at hand. So, I've deleted as spam a series of repetitive posts. No offense intended to anybody on either side who took part in the overnight flurry, and I trust that you all will understand the intent here.
For the curious, here's as fairminded a summary by of the deleted posts as I can come up with (not exact words but honest attempt to capture the flavor of the deleted posts)sorted by category and tallied:
* 7 posts from one individual: Where are the photos promised for late March? (some including price implications of getting versus not getting photos)
* 4 posts: So call the company and ask. This board can't answer your question.
* 5 posts: So why not sell and take your profit?
* 3 posts: I don't want to sell because this could be a goldmine. (or could be huge)
* 7 posts: We should stop this discussion/ Yeah, you're right; we should stop it.
* 3 posts: Maybe photos would reveal proprietary design.
* 13 posts: Various responses that don't fit into the above categories.
There! Please don't clutter up the board by discussing deletions. If you're happy with this approach to a moderated board, that's great. No need to say so or use PM if you must. If you're unhappy, complain to Sebass. He can fire me as assistant or undelete each of those posts with a couple of mouse clicks.
Regards to all,
Caradoc
Skip: Keep in mind that what Rock started as a forum to discuss GTEL sort of turned into a permanent parttime job earning him as much nasty sniping as it did sincere appreciation.
Re your suggestion: I'd rather help out one or two days per week rather than feel obliged to delete garbage every single evening. But I don't kxow whether I-Hub administrator Matt has a limit on the number of assistants.
Caradoc
Sebass: You or somebody should take over as moderator for the board. (Your proposed update for the I-box would be an improvement.) Beyond keeping the I-box current, keeping up Rocky's tradition of no name calling is worth doing or we end up like RB. Whoever takes over as moderator can feel free to put me down as assistant.
Maybe we should do a quick poll on new moderator? If so, I nominate Sebass.
Regards to all,
Caradoc
Europeans look at various uses:
http://physnet.uni-oldenburg.de/projects/earsel-abstracts/ABS_Lewyckyi.html
Not GTEL specific, but we know who's at the head of the pack.
Regards,
Caradoc