Somerville aims to impress Google with community video

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

The City of Somerville is pulling out all the stops in its courtship of Google, sending a homemade video to the company last week as part of its bid to become a pilot community for Google's new high-speed broadband network.

The video, narrated by the former “Voice of Somerville” Tom Champion, describes a “historic, sophisticated, and richly diverse” city with a penchant for new technology. Comic relief is provided by local celebrities Jimmy Tingle and Jimmy Del Ponte, who appears atop Prospect Hill dressed as “Lady Google.” At the close of the video, 100 Somerville high school athletes dressed head-to-toe in Google colors spell out the firm's name on Dilboy Field.


http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/somerville/2010/04/somerville_aims_to_impress_goo.html

Comments

[hallie-mathia.livejournal.com]

Huh. If I wrote an article on the Davis Square resident perspective to all this, would you guys want to talk?

[tom-champion.livejournal.com]

One of the more enjoyable things about "the Davis Square resident perspective" (especially as reflected in DSLJ) is that it will almost certainly vary widely on almost anything -- and particularly issues like this.

But, in a down economy, anything that has the potential to improve quality of life and spur economic development is going to be hotly pursued. The Google network project will likely be a net (okay, little pun intended)boon to whichever communities end up getting it. As a Somerville homeowner, I'll always be happy to do a little groveling if it means we get transit, or mega-speed broadband, or new jobs -- as long as such benefits don't come with unacceptable environmental or social downsides. The Google project seems unlikely to carry either of these liabilities.

I'm slightly confused as...

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

To what Somerville residents would gt, if Somerville is chosen (it won't happen; perhaps if the mayor brands Google on his forehead with a hot iron; come on, Curtatone, do it for Somerville). How would they get access to the superfast network? How much would it cost? Would we be monitored more heavily? ...

Re: I'm slightly confused as...

[tom-champion.livejournal.com]

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/think-big-with-gig-our-experimental.html

http://www.google.com/appserve/fiberrfi/public/faq

It's all kinda vague. What we can assume from Google's history is that they have the wherewithal to do what they say and that they prefer open access, net neutrality and little-to-no censorship or surveillance. On the other hand, they are definitely not a charity. They'll want to make money off this once they get the bugs worked out.
And don't count Somerville out. Being compact and populous, and sitting in a cluster of major universities, are all advantages. Of course, we have our drawbacks, too -- but so does everyone else who's applied.