Author: Dr. Bill

Yes, I am trumpeting some new features on my own web site. My Dad always said, “He that tooteth not his own horn, his horn remaineth untooted!” (And, yes, he was as odd as I am!) Anyway, here’s a rundown of new stuff on the ol’ web site!

1) We now have an HTML5/WebM video in the upper right column corner with the latest (that is, last produced) netcast!

2) We have added the “Sociable Plug-in” to allow you to easily share our posts to the Interwebs! (Share and Enjoy!)

3) Under the aforementioned HTML5/WebM screen, we now have shortcuts to the URLs for subscribing the the show, so you never miss an episode!

4) For our European friends, we added Sevenload to the list of social video sharing sites the show is posted to.

5) Click on, and sign up for, “Dr. Bill’s Newsletter” in the sidebar to get our weekly newsletter! (OK, that one is not new, but you should still sign up!)

(Read the title above to the tune of “American Pie” by John McClean.)

It is a sad day. I was my High School’s Newspaper and Yearbook Photographer. I shot sporting events, pushed my film speed to ASA 4000 by using unorthodox film developer practices so I could take night-time action shots, and generally LOVED Kodak film! (Though my favorite color slide film was Fuji!) I even ended up with a BFA in Painting, Printmaking and Photography from UNC-G. Anyway, film is going he way of the buggy-whip, so I shed a tear of reminiscence over Kodak’s demise.

Not a Kodak Moment: Legendary Camera Maker Files for Bankruptcy Protection

“Struggling camera maker Kodak said on Wednesday night that it has filed for Chapter 11 reorganization.

The move, which had been expected, follows years of struggle by the film giant to transition to a digital imaging company. In recent months, the company has sought to capitalize on its patents and, in recent days, has sued Apple, HTC and Samsung.

Kodak said it hopes to emerge from bankruptcy in 2013 and intends to conduct business during the restructuring using $950 million in financing from Citigroup. As part of the move, the company said it has named Dominic DiNapoli, vice chairman of FTI Consulting, as its Chief Restructuring Officer.”

Cross-posted from the Hand Held Hack:

As you know, my Kindle Fire is my favorite new tech toy… and we had a report not long ago that Amazon was selling them at a price lower than it costs to make them. But this report seems to indicate that, as we predicted, they are doing fine on sales and profits!

Kindle Fire Could Be More Profitable Than Expected

Amazon’s Kindle Fire, released in November, may wind up being more profitable than was expected, thanks to users’ penchant for purchasing digital goods, according to a new research report from RBC Capital.

Though Amazon actually eats a loss of an estimated $18 for every Kindle sold due to manufacturing costs and other factors, the company makes up for it through sales of ebooks and apps, according to the report. Based on survey of 216 Kindle Fire Owners, RBC analysts estimated that over the course of three years, each Kindle Fire sold could earn Amazon $136.

‘Amazon will break even on a Kindle Fire unit in less than five months, accounting only for direct digital good purchases,’ the report states.

Amazon makes the most money off the Kindle Fire from sales of ebooks, according to the report. RBC estimated that each Kindle Fire owner purchases five ebooks per quarter, generating Amazon roughly $15 per user each quarter. In RBC’s survey, just 19 percent of respondents had not purchased an ebook for their device, while 29 percent purchased three to five and more than 28 percent bought more than six.

Kindle Fire owners also purchase three paid apps on average, per quarter, RBC estimated. In the survey, 66 percent of respondents said they had purchased at least one paid app for their device, while 34 percent had not.
Besides digital content, the Kindle Fire could also generate revenue through sales of physical goods and memberships to Amazon Prime, the company’s ‘preferred’ tier that gives customers free unlimited two-day shipping.”

That’s a lot of web surfers! Also, did you know that there are more English speakers in China than in the United States? (Because there are WAY more people in China, so there you go!) Anyway, I have a lot of viewers and listeners in China, I can tell by the stats! So, welcome China!

Web Users in China Pass 500 Million: Report

“People logging in through mobile devices and those accessing the Web in rural areas also increased compared with 2010.

More Chinese are using the Internet than ever before, with more than 500 million users in China accessing the Web, according to a report by the state-run China Internet Network Information Center. The report said the number of people using the Web rose 12 percent in December to 513 million people. The report also provides information on China’s uptake of microblogging sites called ‘weibo’ sites that are akin to Twitter—nearly half of Chinese Web users logged into the sites in 2011, up from 63 million in 2010.

People logging in through mobile devices and those accessing the Web in rural areas also increased compared with 2010, climbing 17.5 percent to 356 million and 8.9 percent to 136 million, respectively. Internet users across the country make up nearly 40 percent of China’s population of 1.3 billion, according to the report.

As China’s market for Internet usage grows, U.S. firms are gearing up to access an enormous potential base of users. The leading Chinese language Internet search provider, Baidu, and Microsoft are teaming up to provide users of Baidu with results from Bing, Microsoft’s search engine. Baidu is looking to expand its user base after fending off market-share increases from Google, while Microsoft is trying to keep momentum going for Bing, which has seen its user base for the search service grow at home.

The rise of consumer technology and Web access in China is raising a host of issues, both political and economic, as the country’s leaders grapple with the social implications of access to unrestricted speech and Chinese consumers scramble to obtain the latest in mobile technology, as evidenced by last week’s disturbances in Apple stores in China.”