Through the Wire

Resilient fiber optic plant can withstand hurricane-force winds, water and floods — but still fall victim to the whims of trigger-happy hunters.

Insight Communications lost service to customers in Gibson and Dubois counties in Indiana on Labor Day due to careless (or perhaps, carefree) hunters.

On the first day of dove hunting season, shooters took aim at their prey as they sat atop Insight’s fiber-optic strands. They let loose on the birds, severing the strands.

The party was caught in the act by Insight employee Jeff Minnis, who told the the Princeton (Ind.) Daily Clarion the resulting repair took the company much longer than expected because the hunting party decided to shoot at birds on the wire in more than one place. Minnis called police and the hunters were arrested.

The outage lasted more than 24 hours, according to Insight.

On his blog (Michaelsinsight.com), Insight CEO Michael Willner said of the incident, “We believe we have the guilty parties and have filed damage charges against them for their totally irresponsible behavior. But I especially want to thank the many Insight people who mobilized during the holiday weekend to make sure that this interruption was as brief as possible.”

Maggie Bellville, the former operations executive with Charter Communications and Cox Communications, has another distinction to add to her resume: owner of a world champion show horse.

The Atlanta resident, now a partner at CarterBaldwin Executive Search, participated in the 2008 Bayer Select World Championship Horse Show in Amarillo, Texas, held Aug. 25-30, and her horse did, indeed, bring home the gold for her. The gelding, GPF Legal Version, which she calls Curly, competed in the “select showmanship at halter” category. That’s when the rider is on the ground, leading a show horse through prescribed paces, with the horse judged on appearance and comportment.

Bellville took home her first world championship at the show. She had no high hopes going into the competition, because the horse fell ill earlier this year, requiring surgery and a prolonged recovery over the last three months.

“I rolled with it. I figured whatever happens, happens, and hoped something good would happen,” she said. “The stars and the moon aligned.”

Bellville bought her first horse to show as a teenager, prompting her mother to make the sign of the cross and her dad to advise, “You can’t eat them ribbons.”

She admits it’s an expensive hobby. There are lots of participants aged 50 plus with money to put into their passion and “all of us old ladies are highly competitive,” she joked. But the show ring makes everyone equal, she added.

And sometimes, all the work pays off in gold.

The digital video recorder is no ordinary modern convenience — it might actually improve your sex life.

About 81% of Americans who use a DVR in a recent survey said a digital video recorder is an essential technology, topped only by those who said they couldn’t live without their mobile phone (92%).

Even more interesting, 79% of DVR users who have a significant other said that using a digital video recorder has improved their relationship with their partner, by decreasing the likelihood of arguments over what to watch and allowing couples to watch shows of mutual interest together. Dr. Phil, eat your heart out.

The survey was commissioned by NDS Group, which sells DVR software, conditional access and other technology to pay TV operators. It was conducted in July by U.K.-based Consumer Analysis Group and included 1,012 consumers in the U.S., the U.K., Italy and Australia between 18 and 70 years old.

Other findings: 57% of American DVR owners watch more than 3 hours of live or recorded TV daily; male DVR owners watch more recorded TV on average than women (2.2 hours vs. 2.0 hours). About half of those surveyed (52%) who own one DVR said they’d like to get a second one.

Virgin Group founder and chairman Sir Richard Branson (third from left) and cast members of HBO’s Entourage — l. to r., executive producer Doug Ellin, Jerry Ferrara, Adrian Grenier, Kevin Connolly and Kevin Dillon — were at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to celebrate the launch of Virgin America Airlines’ new JFK-Las Vegas route and an “Air Entourage” jet on Thursday, Sept. 4. Entourage returned to HBO’s schedule with new episodes on Sunday, and a preview was shown on the flight.