August 2007 Archives

In a time where cable theft is on the rise, EMBARQ has stepped up as a community partner to lend a hand and ask for help from the people of Las Vegas.

They have offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of any and all involved in the theft of their copper cable wires that transmit information to their valued customers.

Officials speculate that the wire is taken for the purposes of selling it to a scrap yard for a monetary profit.

Jim Hansen, senior vice president of Network Services at EMBARQ, says that copper theft is a danger to the public in general.

"When people steal cable, it puts the entire community at risk. Cutting cable can cut emergency communications which affects everyone. Imagine having a loved one suddenly in need of emergency medical assistance, only to find communications services don't work because someone just cut the cable to steal the copper."

Detective Mike Hope, director of Crime Stoppers of Nevada, states, "We're starting to see companies and associations across the nation start offering rewards, and I am pleased EMBARQ has recognized the seriousness of cable theft enough to get actively engaged and really take this effort to another level."

EMBARQ not only is dedicated to brining people reliable phone and Internet access, they strongly believe in focusing on the community it serves. By getting involved in Las Vegas, this company truly does stand by their word.

Please see the EMBARQ press release for more information.

The City of Phoenix, SRP (Salt River Project) and Arizona Public Service (APS), Arizona's largest electricity provider, recently implemented a program to offer residents energy efficient ENERGY STAR's qualified compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) in their homes.

Through APS' ENERGY STAR Lighting Program, more than three million bulbs have been sold, saving more than $90 million in energy costs and reducing carbon emissions by 675,000 tons. Through the APS Lighting Program, the discounted bulbs are available at more than 400 local retail locations statewide and at more than 50 Phoenix locations. With the APS discount, the bulbs are available for less than one dollar each. Recently, APS was named 2007 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency for its lighting program.

Tammy McLeod, APS general manager, Customer Service & Operations said, "Partnerships such as this have bottom line, immediate benefits for residents and the environment. We're proud to join our Phoenix partners to expand this effort. A little bulb really does make a big change. Today, APS is committing to offering discounts on an additional one million CFLs through the end of the year."

Please see the APS press release for more information

AT&T; has announced an online sweepstakes program with the Atlanta Braves that gives fans the chance to win an opportunity to throw out the first pitch at an upcoming Braves home game. Fans can register by logging on to att.braves.com or by texting BRAVES to 36197 and submitting their best reason for why they should be selected to make the first pitch..

Fans can register for a chance to win now through Sept. 7. Upon registration, fans will be automatically entered to win the grand prize of throwing out the first pitch. Other winners will receive other prizes, including suite tickets, field visits, notebook computers, digital cameras and more. The top "pitches" submitted will be posted on att.braves.com. A random drawing will determine the winners.

"AT&T; is proud to be the official communications company for the Atlanta Braves," said Robert Bentley, vice president and general manager, AT&T; Georgia Market Area. "We look forward to expanding our online communications forum for fans to take part in activities involving the Braves."

You can read more about the sweepstakes here.

Time Warner Cable will begin offering Look Back in the fall of 2007, a new feature that allows its customers to watch, record, rewind and fast forward their favorite shows at no cost.

Unlike DVR services, Look Back and its sister feature Start Over do not allow consumers to fast forward through commercials, and do not provide a library to store viewed content. But without the hassle of equipment set up, and the convenience and ease of recording a plethora of shows without the viewer having to set reminders, both of these features deliver unique interactive experiences. With Look Back, a Time Warner customer can view certain TV shows later in the day that they air, anytime prior to midnight.

"Many customers do fast-forward through commercials when given the choice, and that is an obvious and undeniable benefit of a digital video recorder," said Peter Stern, executive vice president for new product development at Time Warner Cable. "But the digital video recorder is principally about enabling customers to watch what they want, when they want. It returns control to customers over the television schedule."

Start Over delivers a similar user-friendly, free service to Time Warner customers, and began its test launch in South Carolina in 2005. Operating with more than 100 channels, Start Over automatically creates temporary recordings. If a customer switches to one of these stations in the middle of a show, he or she is able to view it from the beginning. A half-hour show, for instance, can be viewed anytime within 30 minutes of when it started.

Both features function as a basic DVR, but unlike Tivo and other similar technologies, Time Warner is offering both Look Back and Start Over without any monthly obligation or fee. In addition to South Carolina, Start Over is currently available in San Antonio, TX; Greensboro, NC and Rochester, NY, with plans for continued expansion in 2007 and 2008.

Ten aspiring comic book creators have moved one step closer in their bid to win a rare multi-media development and publishing deal as part of the second annual Platinum Studios' Comic Book Challenge, presented by AT&T;. The top 10 entrants were named on the AT&T; blue room (www.attblueroom.com) after judges deliberated over the top 50 entrants who convened in San Diego during the 2007 International Comic-Con convention to present their comic property concepts during the pitch phase of the competition.

Today through Aug. 25, fans can check out the comic creators and their entries, and cast their ballot for their favorite new comic book idea on the blue room site. Visitors can also view a video of each entrant's pitch. Votes through Aug. 13 will whittle the field from ten to three entrants, and subsequent votes through Aug. 25 for the three finalists will determine the winner who will ultimately receive a development and publishing contract with Platinum Studios. Fans can vote more than once for their top comic book picks.

AT&T; will make supplemental contest content available regularly on the blue room through the end of September, including video back-stories, judges' feedback, and additional commentary and interviews.

AT&T; will also distribute video-on-demand clips featuring the contest entrants across its wireless and TV screens through AT&T; U-verseSM TV, AT&T; HomezoneSM and MobiTV on Mobility services, brought to subscribers by AT&T; Universal Card. The content is being directed, written and produced by AT&T;'s expanding in-house creative group.

The panel of comic book experts and Hollywood insiders that moderated the pitches and selected the top 10 included John H. Williams, producer for the "Shrek" film series; actor Donald Faison of hit TV program "Scrubs"; and Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, chairman of Platinum Studios.

"The pitch phase of the competition was nothing short of absolutely amazing," said Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, chairman of Platinum Studios. "We knew the Comic Book Challenge would bring together some of the industry's best and brightest creators, but given the difficulty we had narrowing the field from the top 50 entrants to the top 10, I'm glad to now be putting the judging into the hands of the fans."

"This event highlights the unique capability AT&T; is developing to link entertainment and technology at every step of the process," said Michael Goldfine, head of development and production of AT&T; Entertainment Services. "We started with the concept of someone achieving his or her lifelong dream, brought it to life through content we developed in-house, and now are delivering it to consumers across the three screens that they use most ??? the PC, the TV, and the wireless screen."

The top 10 entries were submitted by Jorge Vega (Brockton, Mass.); Shawn Granger (La Verne, Calif.); Josiah Grahn (Richmond, Ky.); Mike Whittenberger (College Point, N.Y.); Kevin Buckley (San Francisco, Calif.); Melissa Diaz (Norristown, Pa.); Chris Rhodes (Westover, W.V.); David Davis (Hemet, Calif.); John Smallwood-Garcia (Brookfield, Conn.); and George Brawn (Alhambra, Calif.).

The winner of the 2007 Comic Book Challenge will be formally announced in late August, and the winner's comic book or graphic novel will be published and premiered at a major Wizard World convention in 2008.

Last year's Comic Book Challenge winner, D.J. Coffman, has earned fan accolades and winning reviews for the sold-out debut of his graphic novel "Hero By Night." The story centers on Jack King, a young man who discovers the secret lair of a 1950's superhero in his new apartment building and must decide whether to use the hero's source of power to become a superhero himself.