A couple brief updates...

They may be from our Facebook page,  but here's a brief update on matters related to connectivity here, around the world... and the shape of the future:

Ars Technica is a good source for legal, philosophical and technical issues related to broadband adoption and connectivity in general.  Some of their latest is at:

http://arstechnica.com/t...elecom/news/2010/03/fiber-its-not-all-created-equal.ars/2

Communities United for Broadband is a new-ish facebook group that sprang up after the Google Gigabit Fiber deadline as a way of keeping the larger conversation going. 

More at:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Communities-United-for-Broadband/106218516077372#!/pages/Communities-United-for-Broadband/106218516077372)

Also from our facebook page:

...as we try to conceive that next generation of connected cities and communities, I've rarely fould a better post and set of videos than today at RWW (the Read Write Web). The IBM smarter planet video is short and really gets across the idea of a world with nearly ubiquitous 'things' that are ge...nerating data and some of the ways smart environments can use them.
Tim O'Reilly is pretty much always worth listening to -- but especially when he's looking at the near future.
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/tim_oreilly_explains_the_internet_of_things.php

...

A few folks have asked about the status of Googlequerque, Albuquerque's proposal, etc.  It's unlikely we'll hear much for some time, but regardless, the 'next steps' are pretty much the same:

1.  Build awareness and adoption of broadband (to help drive prices down, to drive more adoptions, etc.)

2.  "Think Big" and look at developing applications and systems that will use the near future's more connected environment

Meanwhile, there is some movement behind the scenes on the awareness/education piece. If you'd like to be part of that, please comment or let us know at connectabq@gmail.com

Google Fiber Project on KNME

On this week's KNME's NM In Focus, Gene Grant and panelists (including Sophie Martin from Duke City Fix) have a good discussion of cities' attempts to pursue Google's Gigabit Fiber project. One thing they mention - that I completely agree with - is that in the end it won't be about funny videos or jumping in lakes and shark tanks, but which communities have submitted the strongest proposals. I think we've made a good case for Albuquerque.
KNME-TV, by the way is really thinking about how this kind of widely adopted high end broadband will change the nature of TV and media.  A bit more about what they call "Public Media 2.0" to come!

(Good show -- the topic comes about 44 minutes in.)

Nominations Are In!

The City of Albuquerque submitted its "Albuquerque's Creative Corridor" proposal today in response to Google's Fiber for Communities Project RFI.

It was truly a team effort, led by the city's Office of Economic Development, involving people from businesses, community organizations and plenty of individual residents who want better, more reliable access -- and the opportunity to use our local strengths and talents to shape and help build the next generation of connected experience.  

Meanwhile, we plan to continue moving forward regarding broadband access and adoption. Watch these spaces for more information.

For a bit of the flavor of the proposal, please check out our video:



Looking for other updates on the Google Fiber for Communities project?  There's this at their Blog:

Next steps for our experimental fiber network

City Announcement is Out!

The City has Announced!  And the Albuquerque Journal has the story... 

ABQ Wants To Participate in Google Project

By Astrid Galvan

Friday, 19 March 2010 19:03

Experiment involves new ultra-high speed network expected to deliver Internet speeds at more than 100 times faster than what most subscribers have now

Albuquerque is applying to participate in a large Google experiment that could bring a new ultra-high speed Internet connection to town, officials said Friday.

The city is responding to a request for information recently announced by Google.

"Albuquerque is quickly becoming an emerging leader in telecommunications and high tech industries," Mayor Richard J. Berry said in a written statement. "Albuquerque's location, demographics, and expanding economy in advanced technology and clean manufacturing make us an ideal candidate for this exciting project."

The Google project involves a new ultra-high speed network that is expected to deliver Internet speeds more than 100 times faster than what most subscribers have now...

More at ABQ Wants To Participate in Google Project

Forum this Saturday @ RE-SOURCE

We know there are plenty of questions -- and plenty of great ideas -- about what this experiment in widely available superfast connectivity could mean for our community.

If you'd like to know more, share and discuss your ideas, please join us this at 2PM Saturday at the RE-SOURCE Campus for Creativity (112 Gold SW) for a forum.

More info at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=app_2344061033&gid=379762423707

Make a Suggestion!

One of the things Google is looking for -- and we're discussing locally -- is innovative ideas on what a community could do with this kind of connectivity. We're already seeing some really good suggestions and you can see some below (you may need to be logged in to a gmail account), but we'd like more. If you have suggestions or want to weigh in on what's been suggested already, please visit our Google Moderator site.

This Saturday afternoon, we're also planning a listening/discussion session downtown to discuss Google's Fiber for Communities initiative, solicit and discuss ideas... and maybe shoot a few brief videos as well. More info soon.

Video for GoogleQuerque!

Hi everyone...

We're about to ramp up production of videos to support the idea of GoogleQuerque, asking you to create videos, join our YouTube group and upload pieces at our site: http://www.youtube.com/group/googlequerque

We're asking for videos that answer one or two questions:

• What could we do with great connectivity in Albuquerque?
• Why is Albuquerque a great place to really live, work and do business?

Helping answer the second question is a piece from our friends and neighbors at a local visual effects company that they created a couple years back and posted on Vimeo:


Albuquerque: The Unknown from Puzzled Pictures on Vimeo.

We're looking at a couple events to help capture your thoughts -- but don't wait for that!  Shoot something and upload today!