This is where we’re going…

CNET (and, as of 9:06a central, a few others) are talking about ZillionTV (link here or here), which purports to stream television shows and movies to you, without the need for subscription fees.  (ZillionTV will get its money through ads and/or rental fees and/or purchasing fees.)

This makes total sense.  Just as landlines are becoming things of the past, so will cable or satellite.  No doubt, the picture quality from cable or satellite is much better than streaming video via services like Hulu and Netflix, but the convenience factor can’t be denied.

There’s also one other benefit that may be realized as companies like Hulu, Amazon, and Netflix strengthen their profits: the reduction of piracy.  What incentive is there to spend the time downloading the content when it can be streamed to your computer almost instantly, with little cost, and with little interruption?

Oh Yeah, That’ll Really Fix Things… (Actually, It Might)

So, the world’s reaction to the Somalian pirates–days after Britain said that it was powerless to do anything while India cemented its reputation for having really smart people by actually just sinking a mothership–is to impose sanctions on Somalia.  Because what needs to happen there is more sanctions.

At least, that would be my reaction if I just read headlines like: “UN Approves Somalia Sanctions Plan” and “UN Security Council Strengthens Sanctions Against Somalia” and “UN to Impose Sanctions Against Somalia to Stop Pirate Trade.”  What you get if you dig a little deeper, though, is this:  the sanctions are still amorphous and not directed at particularized individuals, entities, or nations (yet).  However, they will be imposed on anyone contributing to violence and instability in Somalia.

This makes much more sense than simply saying “sanctions on Somalia,” especially considering that instability in the region is considered widely to be the precipitating cause of the piracy, and blanket sanctions on Somalia would probably exacerbate the problem.

Somali Pirates

Everyone loves pirates, right?  Johnny Depp was dashing, and Errol Flynn made women swoon.  The Somali pirates, though, seem to have everyone captivated.  (Or maybe that’s just “captive.”)  In any event, after snagging some tanks from the Ukraine earlier this year, and grabbing up 25% of Saudi Arabia’s daily output of oil yesterday, they seem to have hooked themselves an Iran-bound grain ship.

I have to admit that I’m a little befuddled about some of the printed response I’ve seen, such as was in the Times article linked above.  Apparently, governments are saying that they’re powerless to stop the piracy.  There are few things in the world to which universal jurisdiction applies, but piracy is one of those things.  The situation is highly bizarre.