The Local Loop

Voting for Science & Technology

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 19:17:00 GMT

Election Day is just around the corner. In this election, perhaps more than any other in history, science and technology issues are in the forefront due to such topics as oil dependency, energy and the environment. According to a national survey conducted by Research!America and ScienceDebate2008, 85% of US adults want to see Obama and McCain debate on science and technology issues.

What In The World Do Pianos Have To Do With Wireless Broadband?

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 18:24:00 GMT

In the fall of 1964, inventor and physicist Robert Moog displayed a prototype of a subtractive synthesizer at the Audio Engineering Society Convention in New York. At first glance, this device didn’t seem practical for the typical musician and was viewed mostly as a curiosity by spectators at the AES Convention. Few would have guessed that despite its inherent limitations and its difficult usability that this strange keyboard instrument would eventually grow to disrupt the market of the traditional piano...

Technology Lessons From Municipal Wi-Fi 1.0

Thu, 22 May 2008 14:00:00 GMT

In light of the recent announcements by EarthLink to discontinue operations of municipal Wi-Fi networks throughout the U.S., I thought it would be appropriate to share some of my insights from a technical perspective of Municipal Wi-Fi 1.0. I've personally been involved in the design and optimization of more than a dozen active municipal Wi-Fi networks, and experience suggests that a dense, urban- scale municipal Wi-Fi network will likely fail to provide a universally available, technically viable, low-cost alternative to existing broadband services. This isn't to say that Wi-Fi doesn't have its place in the broadband ecosystem. In fact, it has become obvious that Wi-Fi will be a fundamental means of access for some time. With this in mind, it is important to know the limits of the technology.

So, what really were the technical issues with Municipal Wi-Fi 1.0? I've made a list of the six issues that are at the top of my list: