If cellphone carriers were to apply the same principles and open their frequencies, reduce their equipment subsidies by going to simpler, open architecture devices, do a lot more offload, and be multi-modal, wireless would indeed give fiber a run for its money.

It was not a space ship from another planet, just another time — a long since abandoned Soviet satellite. One of its booster rockets didn’t fire and it couldn’t escape Earth’s orbit. A sad reminder of the time when two powerful nations challenged each other and then boldly raced into outer space. What will be the next thing that challenges us, Toby? That makes us go farther and work harder? You know that when smallpox was eradicated, it was considered the single greatest humanitarian achievement of this century? Surely we can do it again, as we did in the time when our eyes looked towards the heavens, and with outstretched fingers we touched the face of God.