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.)

You can't make this stuff up

Steven Ortiz, a 17-year-old from California, traded his way up from a cellphone to a Porsche. 

It's amazing what you can do with the Internet?

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.)

Technology: Ipad as a turntable

Technology: Apple iPad

Today is the day that Steve Jobs had envisioned back in August 1991,
when he said during an interview for CNN, "We're going to build
intuitive computers that people will learn to use and will enjoy using."

The Apple iPad goes on sale today at www.apple.com as well as the many
Apple stores throughout the United States.

While I consider myself an Apple computer "neophyte", I have viewed
Apple's products as very cool and easy to use. But, I don't think the
new iPad is for me.

I'll keep you posted and once I actually test-drive the device, I'm
sure I'll have a newfound appreciation for it, but I still won't be
able the justify spending that kind of money on a tablet computer.

Gmail: Does the "G" stand for GONE?

Folks all over the United States and the world were in utter annoyance yesterday when they attempted to sign into their Google Mail accounts, Gmail, only to find out they were greeted with an error message: Unable to reach Gmail.

A similar outage took place in May, and Google users were without service for an hour. Yesterday's outage was for almost 2-hours.

I guess this leaves us all wondering if Google is that beast to protect all of one's content? Hmmmmm.

Technology: Boston's mobile application

When I heard the news that Boston City Hall was rolling out a
application for the iPhone for city residents to take pictures and
report problems, I thought it was a great use of technology. Then,
after a few minutes of deeper thought about who would use the iPhone
application, I wondered if the City of Boston researched the number of
people living in Boston that have an iPhone?

I have no idea of what that number could potentially be, but I would
guesstimate that many of the complaints that Boston City Hall and the
complaint line receive are from older citizens who don't have or care
to buy an iPhone. So, what does this say about City Hall and the
spending of $25,000 on a mobile application that targets a presumed
small portion of the demographic living in the City of Boston? The
bottom line is that Mayor Menino is running for re-election and the
two 39-year old candidates looking to dethrone Menino have and will
continue to push that Menino is antiquated. Now, Menino can stick his
tongue out at the competition as if to say,"Who's not hip and in touch
with technology?".

Time and the use of the Citizen Connect iPhone application will tell
if the response time to remedy an issue is reduced or, better yet,
where the money will come from to fix that gapping hole on Stuart
Street in the Back Bay. That 'killer app' could be just that, a
'killer' of Menino's aspirations for retaining the throne!

Read the full article on Boston.com:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/07/06/boston_to_debut_8216killer_app8217_for_municipal_complaints/

Music: Don't download that song!

What are the judge and the jury thinking by awarding the RIAA a lawsuit win for $1.92 million?

Yes, what Jammie Thomas-Rasset did was illegal, she downloaded 24 songs through the peer-to-peer website Kazaa, she should have taken that settlement deal way back when it was offered at the price of $3,000.

Read the full story here.

Technology: Does Age Matter?

According to the research done by AdMob, it does!

More Than 40 Percent of iPhone and iPod touch Users Access the Internet More Frequently From Their Mobile Device Than From a Computer.

This quote alone should tell anyone that is in the publication business or in the process of starting a business, if you're not on the Internet, you're already 20 steps behind.

Some additional data:

Highlights from this new research include:

* iPhone users are generally older. 69 percent of iPod touch users are between 13-24 years of age, while this same age segment represents just 26 percent of iPhone users. 31 percent of iPhone users are 35-49 years old, while only 12 percent of iPod touch users fall in this age segment. In total, 74 percent of iPhone users are over the age of 25, compared to 31 percent of iPod touch users.
* More than 70 percent of users on both the iPhone and iPod touch are male.
* In line with the older demographic composition of iPhone users, they also have higher incomes. 78 percent of iPhone users have an annual household income of at least $25,000, compared to only 66 percent of iPod touch users.
* iPhone users are more likely to have children than iPod touch users, most likely due to the age difference in the two groups. 46 percent of iPhone users have children, compared to only 28 percent of iPod touch users.
* In the next six months, iPhone users plan to purchase clothing (57 percent), entertainment (47 percent), and travel (45 percent), while iPod touch users plan to purchase clothing (61 percent), entertainment (53 percent), and cell phones (36 percent).

Read the entire press release at Business Wire.

Governor Patrick: Technology To Feel Good About

The other day when I posted that the Boston Police Department was embracing technology and using Twitter, I poked around the Internet some more to find that Massachusetts' Governor Patrick, too, is on Twitter and all over the 'Net.

Now, I'll be the first to admit that I may be late to the dance, so, if I need to head to the Administration Building for a "late pass", then so be it.

I find it very interesting that many of our elected officials are on the Internet using social media websites such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and others, to let people know what's going on and to communicate more.

Maybe we can change Mayor Lukes's mind about bloggers and embracing technology, but, quite frankly, I can give a rat's ass if she choose to use these tools.

But it would be dope to see the City of Worcester use a medium such as Twitter to get the word out about things taking place in the city, such as when a water main breaks and you don't have water for 3-4 hours, or how the City along with the Fire Chief have decided to shut down a fire station to save a few dollars. Hey, maybe if the news is coming from a service like Twitter or Facebook it would be more palatable and I wouldn't feel so dirty when I don't receive the news. Just maybe! Wishful thinking? I hope not.

Embracing Technology: Pride Productions

In the new Millennium, it's great to see others embracing technology and using it to "teach" and inspire children to become involved citizens.

Take a look at this video channel by Pride Productions, a Worcester non-profit, that aims to empower children to stay in school or work towards their GED. Another goal of Pride Productions is to reduce the digital divide by showing young adults that the digital divide does not have to be so wide, no matter the persons background or position in life.

Amazing Technology

Even if you feel it's a waste of money to buy the new iPhone, the things you can do with it are truly amazing. Check out iHologram.


iHologram - iPhone application from David OReilly on Vimeo.

Hat tip to Gizmodo.com.