Back when we were "oh so much younger than today," we experienced the first in a life-long series of aperture moments. Driving from New York to Florida (insert your experience here), alternating between sleeping and counting the cows along the side of the highway, there it was. On the side of the road a larger than life billboard read, "If you lived here, you'd be home by now." What a clear and simple point. How we wished we lived there! In today's media world we often trip over ourselves talking about high-speed Internet, custom-produced programming, product placement opportunities, and "cutting …

Tom Rogers heads trget Media and is vice chairman of TiVo's boardof directors. He talks to MEDIA's Tobi Elkin about ads on DVRs and the potentialmarriage of cell phones and TV.

If you buy the argument that the end of so-called "traditional media"is just around the bend, you need look no further than 30-year-old Rafat Ali to see the (minimally bearded) face of the new order.

Will cable be clobbered by the telecoms?

Piracy has become a major headache for the movie industry. According to the Motion Picture Association of America, American movie producers lose roughly $3 billion annually in potential revenue to illegal downloads. First-run movies are often illegally available days before their theatrical release, so how can the motion picture industry combat piracy?

Ah, man, we missed bon Jovi!" says one woman to a friend at the Samsung Experience, referring to a live Webcast the band made as part of a series of public events and displays in the lobby of the Time Warner Center in New York City. The pair consoled themselves at the Winter Warming Station sponsored by Samsung, which has a demonstration space on the third floor of the Shops at Columbus Circle, the center's gleaming retail showplace.

In the face of so much miserable, screeching, smirking, self-satisfied falseness, there is nothing to do but refuse to believe," bellows the mantra on the Forkscrew.com Web site. Armed with the task of shifting the world's focus from product to people, and from consumers to concerned citizens, Forkscrew Graphics is a Los Angeles-based design group that's committed to social awareness projects.

Sure, a good education is priceless. But factor in current and future market demands and the scarcity of certain skills and expertise, and some degrees begin to look a lot more priceless than others. So, adaptation is necessary. Take the case of Dr. Jerry C. Lee, chancellor of the National University System and president of National University, who recently decided to launch a School of Media and Communication within National University to prepare his students for careers in the 21st century.

Spam is a pesky problem. It wreaks havoc on e-mail in-boxes, instant messaging environments, and even cell phones. What's next in line to feel the wrath of spam? Try voice mail spam.

Two small detroit-based companies think they've hit on a way to penetrate the burgeoning youth market in China. Emage Media Group, a marketing firm, and Magnetic Cinema, a video production house, have developed a series of vignettes designed to help Chinese students learn conversational English.