Leslie Shapiro

It’s become ubiquitous. Anytime you see a person jogging, there’s always a cord flapping in the breeze and on closer look, you’ll see their earphones. They’re having an endorphin rush, zoning out to their favorite tunes. But — you have to wonder — can earphones designed for the rigors of exercise really sound okay? And more important, how safe are they to wear?

You know the story: an unscrupulous robe maker tells the king how wonderful his new, expensive, invisible robe is, king believes it, and king shows his butt to the world. A timeless tale that gets repeated over and over. And maybe a new version has just surfaced.

A few weeks ago, the blogosphere was abuzz with commentary on Netflix's impetuous decision to split into two companies: Netflix for streaming TV shows and movies, and Qwikster for home delivery of DVD and Blu-ray movies. Seems that Netflix thought better of it too.

It’s really hard to feel sorry for any of the major cable providers. Shout out if you absolutely love your cable company. Anyone? So, when Time Warner Cable announced a significant drop in subscribers and a corresponding decline in their earnings last quarter, you didn’t see a lot of crocodile tears. In fact, anyone who’s spent an hour or five dealing with cable customer service will likely feel at least a bit of glee to hear about TWC’s corporate woes. But what does this say about how we’re all watching TV?