Do You Speak Science?

[lillibet.livejournal.com]

Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic are in desperate need of readers who can handle books on math, physics, chemistry, medicine, biology and computer science. They are having to turn down requests from clients who need these books, which they really hate to do.

I've been a volunteer there for seven years now and if you enjoy reading and wouldn't mind a two-hour break once a week to think about something different, maybe review something in your field or pull out the skills from your old major, then this is an excellent opportunity for you. The people are extremely nice and the studio is conveniently located in the same building with the Porter Square Elephant Walk.

If you have any questions that I could answer from a volunteer perspective, I'd be happy to, but you're probably better off just calling the office. Which you should totally do.

Everybody Be Extra Nice to Jackie - Please

[tom-champion.livejournal.com]

Last night's snow emergency declaration came at the end of an extremely demanding day for my interim successor at the City of Somerville.

Mayor Joe and his Chief of Staff were down in Washington helping Michelle Obama launch her national initiative to combat childhood obesity (based in part on Shape Up Somerville).  The Mayor's office was already short-staffed to begin with, and Dep/Dir Communications Director Jackie Rossetti is trying to do my old job, her own very substantial job and generally hold down the fort.

Given everything that's going on, she's doing an amazingly well, so cut her some slack on inconsequential typos.  I got the call (on my cell phone as I sat in my new office out here in Needham) and I thought it was extremely professional.  I know I can count on my fellow DSLJers to be  supportive while Jackie -- through no fault of her own -- is required to wear so many different hats.

On a completely different topic, you know how the business world is supposed to be an overwhelmingly PC environment?  Well suddenly I'm in an entirely Mac universe.  I've got some seeeerious adjusting to do.

And finally -- and changing topics once again -- I hope to see many of you at Dracula:
http://www.theatreatfirst.org/shows/dracula/dracula.shtml ;      

Parking Tickets for today's "snow emergency" waived

[mamajoan.livejournal.com]

On the city of Somerville's website there's an announcement from the Mayor and the director of Traffic and Parking, stating that if you received a ticket and/or tow for the snow emergency today, you can have the ticket waived (and up to $25 of tow fees reimbursed) by going to the T&P office or calling 311. Apparently, you'll be required to sign something stating that you are aware of the City's snow emergency procedures.

Details at the link above.

Google's ultra fast fiber network - in Somerville?

[wardv.livejournal.com]

Google has announced it is going to build a real broadband network to test ultra-high speed applications and networks. They intend to provide service to at least 50,000 and possibly up to 500,000 people. It will be a fiber to the home network with speeds over 1 gigabit/second.

That's way, way, way faster than anything commonly considered 'broadband' in the US. It's on par with speeds residential users can get in parts of the most advanced broadband nation in the world - Japan. If you like statistics and want to see how pathetic the broadband situation is in the US, the OECD has a ton of numbers on this topic.

Google is going to build this as an open access network. That means they will own the fiber but they will share access to that fiber with many ISPs. Users will be able to sign up for service with an ISP of their choice, which will then presumably handle all billling and pay Google a share of proceeds for the use of the fiber.

DSL used to be operated in a similar way in the US. That changed when our regulators and legislators rolled over and allowed incumbent telephone companies (Verizon and co) to kill off most of the companies they had to share phone lines with. The incumbents did that largely by pricing the alternative ISPs (CLECs) out of business: they charge them higher wholesale prices than what they charge their own DSL end users.

So, assuming that Google does the right thing with this new fiber (as in, does not undercut or sabotage competitor ISPs that share its fiber), and/or regulators and legislators get the guts and sense to actually enforce open access on all access networks, this announcement is really good news for broadband competition.

Getting back to the point of this post - Google's looking for state, county and city officials who want their communities to participate in this project. Google's also asking non-officials to nominate their communties.

I would love to see Somerville be part of this. If you feel the same way, please join me in nominating Somerville.

Does anyone know who would be the best person at the City to talk to about this? Getting the city of Somerville officially interested would obviously be helpful.

free-standing bookcase for sale

[i-leonardo.livejournal.com]

dusty and a little worn, but sturdy: dadoed pine, glued and screwed, w/ plywood back - 30" wide, 58" tall, and 11" deep.   $25

( pic )

near magoun sq.