Although spring officially began March 20th, I always view Easter weekend as symbolizing the true start of spring. In addition to the religious symbols for rebirth, it is also the weekend when the egg or birth in general is celebrated. I made only one egg dish, cheesy scrambled eggs nestled on a woven mat of bacon on sourdough toast. But I did think of spring and rebirth as I made it. Friday, I made lemon chicken coated in panko. Saturday, in addition to breakfast, I smoked beef ribs and served those with a creamy potato and corm soup. I like to make creamy potato soups because they require very little cream or butter to achieve that creamy richness puréed potatoes bring to the palate alone.  Sunday, I roasted a ham and made a glaze using Dr. Pepper, a Dallas favorite. I also, repurposed my potato soup by adding cheddar cheese. It was now a sauce for lightly sautéed broccoli florets, snow peas and snap peas, again, my nod to spring. I will share the creamy potato and corn soup this summer when fresh corn is available. And while the lemon chicken was fantastic, it was deep fried and I know a lot of you avoid frying food. Therefore, I want to share my Dr. Pepper Ham Glaze. Of course, those of you outside of Texas can always substitute Coke. It will be good, but not the same. Enjoy!

Sweeeet!

Last week I blogged that we should consider wireless subscriptions when measuring broadband access in this country. This is even more relevant when the latest usage and forecast for wireless is analyzed. According to the Telecommunications Industry Association wireless has become the preferred voice services option. Wireless revenue in 2012 is forecasted at $335 billion, while all other forms of fixed network voice revenue will only total $176 billion ($132 billion for wireline, $38 billion for broadband access and $6 billion in cable/television revenue). With wireless access at nearly double all other forms for voice and the increase in available bandwidth to support bandwidth intensive applications, redefining access to broadband in the U.S. is imperative.

Smartphones and tablets will dwarf the shipments of desktop PCs going forward. Just a few short years ago Gartner and Morgan Stanley forecasted mobile data users to grow in excess of 20% per year through 2013. However, in February of this year the Cisco Visual Networking Index forecast that global mobile data traffic will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 78% from 2011 to 2016. The following shows the growth in users and usage better than any words:

 
I don’t know when I will upgrade my BlackBerry Torch to either an iPhone or Android device. I also don’t know if I will get a tablet to supplement my PC usage and provide me the capacity to take all of my books with me on the road. But, I know I will have some great devices and services upon which to make my choice. Sweet!