David Akin posted about Canada’s phone system, referring to the OECD Communications Outlook.

The study is only available to subscribers, so I can’t read it, but Akin’s post says that compared to G7 countries Canada’s phone system is cheap and reliable.

I think it is interesting to compare that to reports I read about a study of mobile phone systems with information from the same organization.

Canadians avoiding cellphones because of fees

A new study says Canada pays the highest cellphone fees of any developed country, with Canadians paying about 33 per cent more per month than Americans do. As a result, fewer Canadians are using portable devices than other developed countries.

[...]

“Canada is dead last in the 30-country OECD measurement of wireless penetration. Oddly enough, Canada’s wireless prices lead the world — there may well be a correlation,” the report says.

So, Canada has a good cheap wired phone system, but a bad expensive wireless phone system.

Ping writes about responding to an Times opinion piece where the guy supported the notion of copyright lasting forever (A Great Idea Lives Forever. Shouldn’t Its Copyright? 20 May 2007). Pings disputes that and titles his post: Copyright should not last forever.

That ideas and intellectual property, like written works are infinitely copyable is a good argument to differentiate them from physical property. With works that are able to exist digitally as bits their storage and copying can be done with ver ylittle energy.

I would also add to that argument that physical property deteriorates. Your house will eventually turn into dust or something else by chance or nature’s changing course untrimmed. But ideas and intellectual property can last forever.

A limit on copyright merely makes it more like the physical property that the original opinion writer there uses as a basis for comparison.

It was interesting how I was thinking about some technology on Monday and I heard the same idea at the talk I went to yesterday.

I was thinking about mobile internet connectivity. There is obviously a lot of growth in that area. I am not sure how people use that connectivity, but I have an idea of how I would and how I observe people using it.

Mobile users seem to use it for reference. Like looking up maps and directions, finding stores, or getting contact information. Essntially it is information you need when you are on the move, a subset of information you access when at home. But as devices and services evolve, that subset will grow.

Right now people may have movies or music on their mobile, handheld computers, but those files were likely downloaded through a home connection and transferred from a desktop or laptop computer.

Imagine the connectivity savings for distributing files through a broadcast medium. That is, some content which  gets released at a certain time, instead of downloading it through a wireless network connection, your device would just tune into the data-radio-station at broadcast time and get the digital file that way.

I saw Vinton Cerf talk at Waterloo yesterday and he described the potential for such an application simlar to the way I had thought about it.

Our soccer team got our first win last Tuesday. We won 2-1 against a tough side, but did it with good preparation, skill, and heart. Here is the part of the game report that mentions me (I didn’t have anything to do with the team name, anyone who know me knows I wouldn’t choose such a name, I called my team Strength):

The Merkins took the lead for good on a fantastic display of effort by Ryan Chen-Wing and Corry Flatt. Azzurri had been frustrateed at a number of calls throughout the game, and it led to this goal when a number of players stopped in expectation of a call to be made at center. No call was made, and a long pass by Ryan and some smooth footwork and calm execution by Corry led to an easy goal.

At practice we talked about starting team warmup 30 minutes before the game and that’s what we did. Stu led the run, I did the stretching and Erik ran passing warmup. Our warmup helped us play hard right from the kickoff rather than using the beginning of the match to get up to speed.

We controlled the match well and stayed determined after they tied it up in the second half.

Some players on the other team were a little coarse. They swore a lot. In one case one fo their strikers fouled Nick and injured Nick’s ankle. The ref called it, but the guy just laughed. As we carried Nick off the pitch, there was no clapping as is customary when an injured player leaves the field.

They continued to swear and yell as we continued to repel their strikes. The referee ended up giving out two cautions and then ejected a player. The guy did not let up and the referee sent him to the parking lot. The referee woudln’t restart the match until the guy left the field and sidelines, but the guy moved very slowly.

I can’t imagine ever acting like that. It is too bad that things deteriorated like that, but eventually the game restarted and we finished it off for the win.

It was a qualifying match for the interleague cup, so we are good there. We just have to start getting results in our league play.

Though Becks left the match before Madrid came-back to beat Mallorca and clinch La Liga title at least he leaving the team on a high note. Like many players have before him he is nearing the end of his career and coming to play association football in North America — not North American football though.

He is joining the L.A. Galaxy and the MLS. Over the years many people I talk to scoff at the MLS, but I think it is important to support soccer on this continent. A strong league will help develop talent and further the success of the US national team.

With Toronto F.C. and the domestic player rules we now have a place for Canadian players to play at a high level in our own country. Once Toronto start a youth program and with other domestic teams running youth programs, like Whitecaps F.C. in Vancouver (which competes in the United Soccer Leagues first division) young talent can develop here.

So, though I much prefer to be a sport participant than a spectator I boost for soccer here in the new world. There are some silly things MLS though. I started thinking about them recently when Hiro pointed out one — the name Real Salt Lake.

Real means royal in Spanish. Madrid is called that because the king granted them the title. Before that they were called Madrid FC.

Salt and lake are English words and refer to Salt Lake City in Utah. There is no king of Utah. The team is actually named after Real Madrid.