How many times have you called your teenager to have him answer (if you’re lucky) with the all-too-warm and welcoming phrase: “Hey! What’s up?” (Please tell me I’m not the only adult who receives this greeting when she places a call to another teenage member of her family.)

The reactionary old-school side of me wants to reply to him: “What’s up? Do I look like one of your baggy-pants-wearing friends who has the extended vocabulary of ‘dude’, ‘that’s hot’, and ‘powned’?*

Since I’m very comfortable being the Nazi Mom in my household, I have no problem replying to Mr. Cool’s flippant greeting. I calmly say, ‘Most adults don’t appreciate your greeting them this way, so why don’t we practice using that old, boring, one-word greeting of ‘Hello’ when you answer a call?’ He immediately gets it and apologizes. I am thankful that the frequency of these reminders is decreasing.

Language differences aside, the sentiment remains. We ALL want to know what’s new, what’s different, and what will excite us. It’s human nature. Even boring editors like to get excited every once in awhile. That’s why I can’t help but share ‘what’s up’ at OSP™ in 2008:

• Thought Leaders Forum 2008: Watch the April, June, and October issues for need-to-know industry insights from industry experts.
• Verizon Technology Forum 2008: This exclusive custom event hosted by OSP™ and Verizon will bring managers from Verizon’s engineering and technology organizations to Hershey, Penn., in the spring of 2008. This two-day event is chock-full of education and exhibits as well as networking with the vendor community, industry experts, and peers.
• OSP EXPO 2008: We’re going East and you won’t want to miss OSP EXPO™ 2008 taking place in Baltimore, Maryland, on October 21-23. It’s the industry’s broadband deployment marketplace.
• More things to come but can’t tell you yet….

So, in the words of my too-hip teen son, “Chill with us for while.” There’s nothing old about what’s going on behind the communications and entertainment industry today. That’s why you need to know HOW it all works.

Thus, our reason for being. The OSP™ team is devoted to getting you inside the latest and greatest infrastructure solutions that will fuel both today’s and tomorrow’s telecom networks.
And though I can’t promise it, we’ll try to be just a bit cool and exciting while we do it. (Wish me luck on that one.)

*Definition – powned: power-owned in a game of Xbox 360™ or some other electronically loud distraction.

Questions? Comments? Contact Sharon via her email: sharon@ospmag.com