Multimedia Reporting (Adler-Utsler)

The order is
Rapidly fadin'.
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'.
Bob Dylan

Almost 85% of Americans who watch TV get their American Idols and cop dramas from cable.

“Analog transmission was the ‘coin of the realm’ for decades, but advances in digital encoding have made it obsolete,” said Stephen Schneider, Director of Technical Operations for Sunflower Broadband.

Several groups have been involved in the switch from analog to digital cable transmission. Individual cable providers have been changing the way they do business gradually. As more and more services are offered by digital cable, many television viewers made the switch on their own. Finally, the federal government stepped in to coordinate the change.

Sunflower Broadband, like other cable providers, must change its delivery method to a digital signal by 2009. The company has been working to accomplish that goal quickly, by offering special promotions. Patrick Knorr, Sunflower’s general manager, said, “We have been working to get digital boxes into as many of our
customers homes as possible, including a free offer that ended August 31st.”

On the other hand, Sunflower is not requiring its customers to make the switch yet. The difference is one of philosophy.

“Our transition to digital is completely voluntary, done for business reasons instead of by government requirement,” Schneider said

Industry-wide, many viewers have made the switch on their own. The National Cable and Telecommunications Association reports 32.6 million digital cable subscribers as of the last quarter of 2006.

“Our Subscribers have seen the benefits in moving to our digital product offerings so much that, at this point we have one of the highest ratios of digital to analog homes in the nation,” Schneider said.

Though an industry shift toward digital cable could conceivably phase out analog cable on its own, it might take a long time. This is why the FCC stepped in. The due date for full conversion of the United States’ 90 million cable subscribers comes a full five years after the original date in mid-2004. Undoubtedly, the governmental push toward a fully-digital landscape has brought the change on faster.

“Due to the nature of the U.S. television broadcasting industry, this change required the federal government to be heavily involved. In fact, it literally took an Act of Congress to make the transition happen,” Schneider said.

That transition may cost customers, however. Older televisions cannot receive digital signals, and require a set-top box, which can cost as little as $50, or several hundred. Sunflower subscribers may rent a set-top box from the company for $3.95 per month, but after 2012, even support for set-top boxes will cease by FCC order.

“I think it will be a bumpy ride for many but we hope it will not be for our customers,” Knorr said.

As Dr. Hunter S. Thompson used to say, “Buy the ticket, take the ride.”

Imagine that your neighbor is hosting a party. The patrons are loud, some of them are unconscious on your fence, and your can hardly get to sleep over the earth-shaking bass beat. Somewhere in your neighbor's house, a party-goer falls asleep with a cigarette in his hand, and a fire starts. The blaze grows, and your intoxicated neighbors do not notice until it is too late. The fire breaks up the party, sending people running, and the wind starts blowing the flames toward your house. Naturally, you call 911 for the Fire Department, hoping that they will save your home from this blaze. The firefighters suit up, slide down the fire pole, and run to the truck.

But nothing happens. The truck has broken down again.

Lawrence Fire Stations
Photo: Samuel Lamb

21 years is a long running time for any vehicle, but even more so for vehicles on which lives depend. Steve Stewart, fleet manager for the Department, said he would like the engines to be replaced more often.

"We are trying to reach a 15 year life cycle," Stewart said.

Repair and operating costs rise with the age of the machine. That reason alone does not encompass the issue, however, considering the $1.6 million cost of replacing the two engines. Bill Stark, chief of the Department's administrative division, said that cost is not the main concern.

"The reliability of having a rig that is ready to be used at a moment's notice and not break down on the way to a call is key," Stark said, "and difficult to measure."

The new units also have safety features to protect the firefighters themselves. Some of those new features include rollover protection, airbags, and harness belts.

"We will be able to respond more efficiently and safely," Stark said.

With more than 2000 incidents and five deaths in 2006 because of fires in Douglas County, the importance of a reliable fire service is undeniable. When the neighbor's party goes up in smoke, the Lawrence-Douglas County Fire and Medical Department will be on the road with their new engines.

Five years ago, Patricia Pollet began reading true crime novels. It wasn’t idle reading, though. She considered it research. Her husband’s grandparents, Pete Wallace and Wyona Chandlee, had just been murdered execution-style in their home.

“After their death, I wanted to learn why some people are so cold-blooded that they are able to kill others for no reason,” Patricia said.

Patricia was living paycheck-to-paycheck, and wondered whether she could live better as a writer. After a little prodding by her friend, Geneva Diamond, she decided to go back to school in 2004. She planned to major in Journalism and take psychology courses on the side. Becoming a writer was not just a dream for Patricia, it was also an investment.

“A more pressing reason for coming back to school is that I want to better the future for my daughter and myself,” Patricia said.

Patricia and Gabby
Photo: Samuel Lamb

Patricia has to balance being a student with her other responsibilities, including her daughter and her job. Patricia pays for her schooling by being a ticket-writer at the University Parking department.

“My job works with my school schedule,” said Patricia. “I've had to take time off work a lot this semester for schoolwork.”

At home, Patricia structures her day around her daughter, Gabrielle, who goes by ‘Gabby.’ Gabby is in grade school, and takes part in a youth bowling league, which Patricia coaches.

“Since working part-time, I see her more,” Patricia said. “I try and do my schoolwork either early in the morning while she's asleep or after she's gone to bed at night.”

Nobody in Patricia’s classes would realize that she was there because of a double murder. She describes herself as goofy, and lives up to it well. She still has to hold back tears when talking about Pete and Wyona, She explained to me that Gabby was their world.

“They were buried with a picture of Gabby,” she explained. “They were buried with their world.”

Patricia isn’t sure what she is going to do when she graduates. She doesn’t know anymore if she wants to write true crime novels. She is thinking about producing broadcast news.

“Maybe I will stick with that because I really do enjoy editing videos,” she said. “As with every student does at some point, I'm doubting myself. I'll get over it though, and keep in mind the eventual goal of graduating.”

Twelve people are pioneering a new effort at the University of Kansas. This semester, they began classes in the School of Engineering's newest doctorate program: Bio-Engineering.

The School of Engineering has sponsored research in Bio-Engineering for decades, but until this semester, they have not offered a degree in it. As of Fall 2007, the school offers both a Master and Doctorate degree in Bio-Engineering. Carl Luchies, director of graduate studies in the school, said that the new program satisfies a need.

"Bio-Engineering has become very popular in recent decades," Luchies said. "We've lost students who have been looking for a Bio-Engineering degree."

The University of Kansas is not the first to offer such a degree. Many colleges, including Kansas State University, offer Bio-Engineering programs.

"Bio-Engineering is not new. There are about 100 insitutions that have Bio-Engineering programs," Luchies said.

The School of Engineering has met several challenges in developing this program. One challenge was making sure applicants were qualified to enter the program.

"These are some of the best students we will get in the School of Engineering," Luchies said. "They need to know Engineering plus."

Another problem was organization. Unlike other programs, Bio-Engineering requires a wide range of specializations.

"The largest unique hurdle is the fact that Bio-Engineering at KU is an interdisciplinary program involving many departments and areas," said Nickie Lee, coordinator of graduate student recruitment for the School of Engineering, "including the KU Medical Center, orthopedic research, the School of Pharmacy, physical therapy, the School of Engineering, biology, chemistry, dentistry, and many others."

Photo: Samuel Lamb

"Demand for this type of program continues to increase," Luchies said.

Luchies and Lee both noted that Bio-Engineering is very inter-disciplinary. Overall, Luchies said there was a common element to the studies.

"Bio-Engineering is about improving the human condition," he said. "They want to spend their lives helping people."