There are two churning issues at the Federal Trade Comission and FCC levels that are rapidly converging. One is the dreaded, time sucking, annoying, fraud leaning, robocall issue and the second is Facebook and privacy. Both are a result of technology. And both will be solved by technology and government. In the case of Robocalling … Read more
I love the fact that I can make calls without using my mobile phone's number. Today I had a conference call, so I used UberConference over LTE. Next up was a call to a client, so still on LTE I used Dialpad and called him, and then for an hour or so had a crystal … Read more
I've been following Disney's pursuit of their own streaming service and the process they've undertaken to get there. For starters they signaled their intention and then acquired the infrastructure of MLB's streaming group. That was a key and very schrewed move, as the MLB infrasructure was already supporting other companies, like WWE, and was a … Read more
Pal and former client, Dave Gilbert, who led Simple Signal to their successful exit to Vonage is back in Telecom with his recent investment and new found role with BuyerMedia. The telecom world needs more media outlets, especially ones that are focused on the end user or buyer. Too much of what's left is mostly … Read more
For a long time I was a high volume, frequent buyer of wine. My collection at one point swelled to over 11,000 bottles and between on site and off site storage I never had a need for more wine. So even today, with my collection and the wines I make, and what is now a … Read more
New York Times wine critic Eric Asimov gave an interesting interview on VinePair. When media leaders take the time to share their thoughts it's always a good interview to check out. Asimov, who may be the most populist style writer of wine critics talks about the trends in wine, the Natural Wine movement and supermarket … Read more
A new event is always a tricky endeavor. Take it from someone who has been involved in hundreds of events and thousands of event days through the years. But wine events, like a vintage is always full of unknowns. Will winemakers support the event? Will the trade buyers show up? Will the media care? How … Read more
Avaya, the Phoenix that rose from the ashes and out of bankruptcy is reportedly in play to be acquired by an unnamed private equity player via an LBO. And that's great news for telecom startups and growing independent companies. Avaya has had their share of ups and downs dating back to even before Silver Lake … Read more
Strawberry Fields Forever. My first thought was that I fell into a Strawberry patch. That was my feeling when I took my opening whiff of the the new 2018 Kaeana Grenache Rose made by Mikael Sigouin. Here's a Rose made in Santa Barbara County that could be easily dropped into a blind tasting and easily … Read more
The term "direct to consumer" or DTC is being bandied about the wine world more and more every day. Unfortunately, if you're not a winery shipping your wine directly to the consumer, you're not DTC. This means etailers, retailers, importers, wholesalers and brokers are not DTC as the whole idea behind direct marketing is to … Read more
