Enjoy a selection of my commentaries below. To see the full listing of commentaries, please click here.
Buffalo chips to microchips
Ten years ago, in the December 1987 issue of Planning, the journal of the American Planning Association, Rutgers University researchers, Frank and Deborah Popper published a widely cited paper calling for massive federal intervention in the Great Plains. Their words: “The federal government’s commanding task on the Plains for next century will be to recreate the…
Roadblocks loom on superhighway
Dallas–More than a thousand people–from engineers to policy wonks–are assembled here to participate in the Western Communications Forum, an annual event to assess technology and new applications in the communications industry. Speeches and panel discussions are alive with enthusiasm for the achievements and great potential of the convergence in communications technologies–CATV, telephony, computers, software and…
High tech drives lifestyle changes
The first week of 1994 was a big week. It was the 10th anniversary of the break-up of the AT&T telephone monopoly. Result: an explosion in new telephone services — including voice messaging, faxes, and mobile (cellular) communications. Last week was also the 10th anniversary of Apple’s announcement of the Macintosh computer. Result: the first…