Shift Happens

The ascent of Netflix signals a broader shift in the way we consume television. For example, “news” programs aren’t really news in that they aren’t fresh, they’re already reheated when we watch them at 6 or 11. Many TV programs, from John Stewarts’s Daily Show to PBS Nightly News, can be watched on a PC when we — not they — are available. Tomorrow, we’ll get all of them (minus NBC, perhaps) on Netflix or one of its competitors.

The chart from Silicon Alley Insider comparing Netflix’s subscriber base and growth to cable operators says it all.

Welcome to TightWind. If you liked what you read above, you can read more in the archives and subscribe to the new ones.

If you'd like to introduce yourself, you can send me an email or a message on Twitter.

Read more

The Party After Trump

We are only a few weeks away from the 2016 general election. Unless the polls are fundamentally wrong, Donald Trump will lose, and he will lose by a significant margin. Trump and the movement he represents will go down to ignominious defeat. I am no fan of Hillary Clinton. I

A Danger to Our Political System

After defeating the British in the Revolutionary War, General George Washington almost certainly could have seized control, and made himself dictator. Washington was revered, the Continental Congress was weak, and the argument that the colonies needed the stable leadership of a tested leader in the post-war period would have

Trump

The United States is a country founded on ideas. Ethnicity and religion are not what have bonded us from our founding. It is the fundamental ideas expressed in our Declaration of Independence, and in our fight for independence, that run through our country’s history. Our founding set forth that

EV Chargers and Markets

“Free” electric vehicle chargers are an excellent example of what happens when valuable resources are priced at zero: The bad moods stem from the challenges drivers face finding recharging spots for their battery-powered cars. Unlike gas stations, charging stations are not yet in great supply, and that has led