What is the point of this? Why would any company deliberately take their popular products OFF the market? Who was the genius that thought this up? And who is the genius that thinks it's still a good idea? Does anybody really think they won't be available again, probably later this year? Some vault.

So they're going to make sure I can't legally purchase any of these movies? I guess I'll just have to download them.....

Addendum: The point I was trying to make but failed to do strongly is that this strategy will not work in the digital age. They're shooting themselves in the foot if they continue to do it.

I officially have guinea pigs. Our friends down the block asked me to come over and help with their computer last week. They were trying to install Sims expansion packs on their 266-Mhz machine and they didn't have enough hard drive space for even one of them. Their 14-year old daughter owns every expansion pack, but she's never been able to install them.

We talked about their various options, and I ended up doing some research to spec a cheap PC. Then Monday night they called to tell me they'd bought a computer off the floor at Best Buy. Why? Video games. Their daughter wants to play her Sims packs. Not only that, now that they have a machine that flies along, she bought The Sims Online, and they don't even have broadband.

I think that will be next for them. Broadband, a wireless network, and then they'll dump their telephone landlines because they all have cell phones. And the catalyst for all of it will have been video games and a NetGen kid. Expect to read updates periodically.

As you can probably tell, I'm busy with home, holidays, and family, but here are a couple of interesting links from the current Lost Remote.

• THE GROWING OUCH IN YOUR CABLE BILL
  Yes cable penetration is up --but only slightly-- but the bill for that service is up and not just slightly. The latest from the FCC indicates that cable operators are increasing cost-to-user at a rate almost six times the current rate of inflation.
   
• ONLINE NEWS DIET GROWS
  A new Pew Internet study shows about 25% of the online population (and 43% of broadband users) go online for news on a DAILY basis. Interestingly, when online news users can't find a story they want, 34% head to cable TV and 30% pick up the newspaper. Here's the full study:
  http://www.pewinternet.org/reports/toc.asp?Report=80
   
• SATELLITE TV COMING TO CARS
  KVH Industries early next year plans to introduce a kit to bring satellite TV to cars much the same way XM and Sirius have brought satellite radio to moving vehicles.  Bonus: Broadband Internet comes with it. And you thought mobile phones and DVD players were distracting!
  http://www.guidetohometheater.com/shownews.cgi?1461
   
• HBO BEATS NBC IN EARNINGS
  The revitalized pay network will take home earnings somewhere "north of $800 million" this year, compared to NBC's take of around $500 million. Now Chairman Chris Albrecht says he's planning to aggressively expand the brand off HBO.

Sorry I don't have time for more commentary at the moment:

1. Yeah, I've watched both my cable and internet service bills go up this year, so why do I have to watch commercials?
2. RSS news aggregators will be a big next step in the evolution of online news;
3. I can't wait for the arrival of an affordable version of satellite television for cars. The kids don't understand why we don't have it already.
4. Hey, Kellner - HBO doesn't even show commercials!