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RT @FierceWireless Mobile #video: A killer app or a network killer? http://bit.ly/cFfecP Check our in-depth feature here: http://bit.ly/a6oM1l #wireless

— FierceWireless

Posted July 6, 2010 at 11:23am in Mobile Video Data Tsunami

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Offshore Drilling: Reactions to the Recent BP Spill

On March 31^st, 2010, President Obama spoke at Andrew’s Air Force Base in Maryland about Energy Security and the future of U.S. dependence on foreign oil imports. The talk centered on offshore drilling and the administration’s new energy proposal to “open vast expanses of water along the Atlantic coast, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and the northern coast of Alaska to oil and natural gas drilling.”[1] Moreover, it would end a longstanding moratorium on oil exploration along the east coast from the northern tip of Delaware to the central coast of Florida. Nearly one month later, on April 20, 2010, the semi-submersible drilling rig Deepwater Horizon experienced and explosion and fire killing 11 people in the blast and releasing thousands of barrels of toxic oil into the Gulf of Mexico. As a result, earlier talks of expanding offshore drilling have all but collapsed and the new focus is on investigating what went wrong and who is responsible. The rig is owned by Transocean , operated by British Petroleum (BP) and Halliburton is BP’s subcontractor directly related to the incident. To avoid the blame game, BP takes full responsibility for the accident. In terms of what went wrong, key stake holders including the United States Coast Guard and the Department of the Interior’sMinerals Management Service (MMS) launched a joint investigation on May 11, 2010 to determine the cause of the incident. In the case of the BP spill on April 20^th, these risks became fully apparent to the public’s view[2]. Critics from various backgrounds continue to join the debate to discuss what went wrong and what action should be taken on offshore drilling moving forward. Specifically, on a more hands on front, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched a research initiative to track the environmental effects of the spill. To put it succinctly, the BP spill awakens a larger question of whether the U.S. should continue offshore drilling and if so, should there be tightened regulation. Through this analysis, readers will be presented with an investigation of the legislation governing offshore drilling, specifically with a look into the past and current oversight of risk management. Towards the end of the analysis, after arguments from both sides are explored, readers will be presented with the reasons why offshore drilling requires more regulation of the risks and failure prevention technologies.

The Microsoft Store

MSFT Store

Props to Gizmodo for releasing a full presentation of Microsoft’s early retail store design. The presentation is by Lippicott, a design and brand strategy consultant firm that was hired by Microsoft to help develop the store’s concept, principle, and design. Microsoft has confirmed the designs are genuine but adds that this is an early plan and nothing is final. Take a look at Gizmodo’s 54 pages of the presentation here . In my view, this is a great marketing move by Microsoft. Not only does this repair their weakened brand from Vista, it directly competes with the trendy Apple Store. The store will feature Windows 7, Xbox, PCTV (Windows Media Center) Surface and Windows Mobile products with dedicated staff members on deck. This is my favorite: Pay to have your birthday party at the Microsoft Store. Call of Duty + Xbox 360 + Thearter screen size display = a great birthday party for a teenage gammer!