Worcester Woogle & More

It appears that whatever is being done behind closed doors to enable Worcester to be one of the cities that Google graces with Google Fiber is working and I'm continuing to keep my fingers crossed.  When I posted this on July 14, 2010, things appeared alot brighter and I just heard from some peeps I know in California that the city that I call home is "on the short list". 

Hey, what can I say?  It pays to know folks in key positions and some peeps that are willing to say, "Hey, I thought you'd find this interesting".

Not knowing the full details, I have to say first and foremost a HUGE hat-tip to Brendan & Scott of Worcester Woogle.

In other Google news, if you have a Gmail account, you can now make FREE telephone calls to US and Canada (both landlines and cellphones) right from within your email inbox.  Thus far, this has been the best write-up that I've read and I've since tried it and it does work pretty well. (If you weren't one to sign-up for a Google Voice number or luck enough to have someone grace you with an invitation, don't worry, you can get a local "508" area code Google number.)

Worcester Woogle: Could it become a reality?

Remember when Google, earlier this year, announced that it wanted to offer Google Fiber to towns and cities around the United States?

Worcester even got in on the act with the creation of Worcester Woogle by Brendan Melican & Scott Zoback. 

Well, I noticed that Google Fiber got a step closer to becoming a reality with the announcement of the launch of the Google Fiber for Communities website.

The website is full of information, a FAQ and some suggestions for taking action.  Also listed is the 33 towns and cities in Massachusetts that have requested more information on Google Fiber.

I think it's just a matter of time before we hear announcement of the first community to get Google Fiber.(I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hope Worcester gets the nod.)

Grand Hustle 101: Providence Street Playground (cont.)

Remember when I wrote about the proposed $455k playground that is going to be built on Providence Street to benefit the Vernon Hill School? I wrote about it here, here and here .

Well, the construction has gotten under way and while there are new sidewalks and, generally speaking, there is no way that this playground cost $455,000!

If so, then I know that the playground has been aptly named "Grand Hustle".



I think it's time for Worcester to have it's own version of "The Ultimate Hustler" reality television show and topping the list of participants, in no particular order we would have:

• Paul P. Clancy, Jr., District 3 City Councilor
• Robert L. Moylan, Jr., Commissioner, Department of Public Works & Parks
• Michael V. O'Brien, City Manager
• Konstantina B. Lukes, Councilor-at-Large
• Melinda J. Boone, Superintendent, Worcester Public Schools
• Mauro DePasquale, Executive Director, WCCA TV13
  

I don't watch reality television shows, but rest assured that I'd be sure to tune in or set the DVR to record that bad boy! It would be straight comedy and great entertainment.



Maybe we can convince Andrea Ajemian and Kaz Gamble of "Worcester Love" and "We Got the Beat" to direct and film the show, and have Mike Benedetti of "508" be the host? But only if we can have Brendan Melican be the Trump-like boss that kicks people off the show or has the group complete an task such as carrying two fifty-pound weights, one in each hand, up and down George Street until there's only one person standing.

Hmmmmmmmmm.

Google Fiber: We NEED It!

If there were a better time to petition for higher high-speed Internet service in Worcester, there's no time better than now as Google is scouting cities and towns to test their Google Fiber.

What is Google Fiber?

Google is planning to launch an experiment that we hope will make Internet access better and faster for everyone. We plan to test ultra-high speed broadband networks in one or more trial locations across the country. Our networks will deliver Internet speeds more than 100 times faster than what most Americans have access to today, over 1 gigabit per second, fiber-to-the-home connections. We'll offer service at a competitive price to at least 50,000 and potentially up to 500,000 people.

From now until March 26th, we're asking interested municipalities to provide us with information about their communities through a Request for information (RFI), which we'll use to determine where to build our network.

So, go ahead and tag the map and help us get the the Gig, literally.

Shout out to Brendan Melican for the Google Fiber for Communities Worcester map & page.

508: Predicting in the WoO

Back in December 2008, Mike Benedetti of 508 interviewed a few good folks-Tracy Novick, Scott Zoback and me and asked our predictions for Worcester for 2009.

Well, Mike is back from Washington, D.C. and he's come out of the gates swinging with the 508 Vidcast. Listen to Mike and Brendan Melican as they discuss our predictions.