This month sure went by fast for me, although I don’t know why.  How about you?  It’s only 3 weeks until the first day of summer.  And high school graduations are all scheduled and planned. 

My #2 grandson gets sprung out into the world in a couple of weeks.  I got the announcement card yesterday and immediately noticed that his graduation exercises are going to be held at 9 am.  What’s with that?  Is it so they can start partying sooner?  I need to check this out.

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While searching for some “digital audio” grade blank CD’s I learned that they are not too common.  I did find some at Best Buy, but the selection was very limited.  And the only ones available came with their “jewel-box” cases.  I was hoping to buy one of those stacks of discs on a spindle because I already have plenty of the empty storage cases.  But no luck with that.

I haven’t checked the internet yet because I wanted some right now, but I’ll do that this weekend.  I stopped in an Office Depot store for a comparison, but they don’t stock any at all.

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Last week the FCC chairman told a group that the Commission’s decision on the proposed merger of the XM and Sirius satellite radio services will be announced by the end of June.

The two competing companies are bleeding red ink and have been waiting for a long time to get the government ok to merge their networks so they can eliminate any duplicative (is that a word?….ed.) operations expenses.

Already, a gaggle of greedy Congressmen have checked out their “campaign ” bank accounts and are meddling in the process again.  Some are wanting to force the two companies to give up some of their spectrum so that there will be bandwidth for future competitors.  It hasn’t occurred to those dunces that if these two can’t make it, then nobody is going to try and build out a competing satellite fleet and take them on.

Others that already have the terrestrial radio industry in their pockets are trying to block the merger outright.  Their claim that it would eliminate “competition” rings a little hollow when you point out that they have plenty of competition already.  It’s called “AM and FM radio,” “internet radio,” “iPod” and lots of other names.

Myself, I haven’t gotten on the satellite radio train.  Mainly because I just don’t listen to the radio at all.  But I have heard the XM service and I have to say that I’m impressed with it.  For people who spend a lot of their time in their car because of their work, etc., then that’s the way to go.  Regular radio is crap anymore and if the satellites are allowed to prosper, then the terrestrials’ days are over.

But our day is just starting, so let’s get this equipment checked out and I’ll go start the coffee.

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