eCoast Wi-Fi Expansion Makes News

After being front-page news in the Portsmouth Herald, news of the $345k donation of wi-fi equipment from Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO) to our Portsmouth wi-fi network has proliferated.

NHPR reported on the radio that day. NH Business Review notes our expansion plans "In Brief" in the current issue.

Esme Vos at MuniWireless and Glenn Flieschman's WiFiNetworkingNews have both picked up the story. (Muni with prodding; WiFiNet without.)

Tom Long gave us a nod in the Sunday Globe North, making us Portsmouth's story of the week. And Mass High Tech covered it with a quote from yours truly; check it out here. (BTW, great to see Ef at the eBrew last week!)

Meanwhile, David Brooks reports here in the Nashua Telegraph about the effects of weather on municipal wireless, noting that our Portsmouth network used to shut down for the winter due to lack of use. For the record, that was only one of the reasons we shut it for the winter. Now, the access point is in a secure and heated indoor location (the kiosk, albeit cute, is unheated) and as such, we will be up for a second winter this year. I would note that although laptop-tappers and latte-sippers won't be out in Market Square in December -- indeed, all the outdoor seating will be put away for the season -- users will be able access the network from their Blackberries, iPod Touches, and other portable wi-fi devices. A cold and hungry shopper walking the sidewalks might well use the service to locate a restaurant, find lodging, look up a phone number, compare prices, etc. I believe we're only just beginning to see the implications of ubiquitous free public wi-fi. And yes, the signal pushes into Breaking New Grounds, making the window seats that much more desirable for your business meeting, so get there early and stake out your spot!

Happy 20th IOL / eCoast Wi-Fi Update

Back on the 8th, I saw in the UNHToday e-newsletter that the UNH InterOperability Lab -- known commonly in the industry as IOL for short -- is celebrating its 20th year of existence. Here's the press release. The IOL is a real feather in the cap, not only for UNH but the eCoast region and the entire state. IOL is the undisputed leader in interop testing and is internationally renown with good reason. As they note:

"If you ever use the Internet, check email, chat, play games online, or print from a networked device, then you have a used a product or service that has been tested and improved at the UNH InterOperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL). UNH-IOL is one-of-a-kind: a hybrid industry and academic technology and testing lab that offers students paid training in leading-edge and popular technologies."

I've had the pleasure to know many folks from IOL over the years, and to work with them as partners in our eCoast Wi-Fi Project. Speaking of which, if you've been wondering what's going on with it these days, it's front-page news today! Thanks to Marisa for the heads up, and to Adam Leech for continuing to cover the story as the project evolves.

Check out the map of the coverage area! Not too shabby, eh?

eCoast loses one of its own; R.I.P. Jeff Beauregard

Sad news to report today. Jeff Beauregard, a Portsmouth technology sales executive and well-known face around town, took his own life Tuesday night. The obituary ran in today's paper. He was most recently with GreenPages; here's Jeff's LinkedIn profile. Condolences are pouring in on his MySpace and Facebook pages, as well as his online guestbook. He was just 28 years old.

I knew Jeff through my girlfriend when she worked with him at DesktopStandard, a Portsmouth shop that was bought by Microsoft a couple years ago. I didn't know him very well, but we hung out a few times after work at the local watering holes. I'll never forget how he had my back in a near altercation at Poco's one night. He was just a real, solid, stand-up kind of guy... Very outgoing, gregarious, funny... Which makes this so hard to understand.

I won't be able to attend his event tomorrow at RedHook so this is my memorial to him. R.I.P. Jeff. I hope you found the peace you were missing in life.

Meanwhile, I was reminded that I had just seen this in the paper a few days ago:

Thursday, September 11, 2008
PORTSMOUTH — Support the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention by participating in the Portsmouth Out of the Darkness Community Walk on September 27th in Portsmouth's Peirce Island. Proceeds will benefit local and national suicide prevention and awareness programs. Registration will be held at Peirce Island near the Portsmouth Outdoor Pool at 9:00 am The walk will begin promptly at 10:00 am. To register, donate or to learn more, please log on to www.outofthedarkness.org.

Deal Flow? Deal Slow.

Flipping through the new issue of Mass High Tech, my eye is always grabbed by any reference to New Hampshire, because, let's face it, it's an infrequent occurrence. This week, MHT correspondent Christopher Calnan covers the dismal state of business investment overall, and focusses on some initiatives here in the Granite State hoping to ameliorate the situation.

In his piece, "N.H. Angels Respond as Deals Slow," you can learn about the growing number of angel investment groups in NH. I find it interesting to see that the SBDC is getting more involved in funding -- good idea, as they have first-hand knowledge of and access to the best small startup opportunities.

Note: eCoast Angels were not quoted in the story but are mentioned in the sidebar of the dead-tree version. And somehow, inexplicably, old pal Jeff Sohl was not quoted, although his Center for Venture Research was mentioned.

In a related editorial "NH, Maine Get Lost in Hub's Glare," the MHT editors opine: Perhaps the time has come for state funding agencies — and the angel investors working behind the scenes — to come together across state borders for the regional good. You mean, like this? At the very least, that network might be a good place to start the conversation.

Fast is as Fast Does

OK, maybe they're not quite as fast as an Olympic sprinter named Bolt, but congratulations to my friends and colleagues at Single Digits - they've been named to the Inc. 500 list of fastest growing private companies! The company is ranked 215th in the country, showing four-year revenue growth of 1,176.4% from 2003 through 2007. Way to go Steve, Bob, and the rest of the SD team!

Other NH companies of note that will appear in the September issue of Inc. include SilverTech, NitroSecurity, Ektron, and eCoast Sales Solutions. If you can't wait for the magazine, The Union Leader has the whole scoop here.

Buy Local, Cruise Local

Kudos to SeacoastLocal, Portsmouth's BuyLocal group, for organizing a business networking cruise onboard the MV Thomas Laighton. Personally, I'm excited about it, because it fills the gaping gap created by the demise of the eCruise, which had been the can't-miss local networking event so far this century... until the Chamber effectively abandoned it this year. (Although a quick check of the eCoast section of their web site shows they still plan to have eBrews starting next month. Hmm...) Anyway, this new free event is an opportunity for owners of locally owned, independent businesses to celebrate a successful first year of SeacoastLocal.

SeacoastLocal's mission is laudable, and the main sponsors are two of my favorite local businesses: River Run Bookstore and Piscataqua Savings Bank. Piscataqua, BTW, has a great new web site, as of like 2 days ago, designed by an under-the-radar local development firm called Lightfin Studios.

Event Scoop: Tuesday, Aug. 19, 6-8:30PM. (Boat leaves @ 6:25PM sharp.) More event details here. RSVP before tomorrow, Aug. 12, to Mollie Mulligan at SeacoastLocal@gmail.com
with your name, the name of your company and number of years in business on the Seacoast. If you're local, you should check it out.

PortsTube

I thought this was a really neat piece of local reporting on the use of technology in our home town, well deserving of a link and some props: Spotlight cover story: Portsmouth on YouTube; City and Seacoast presented to the world in variety of videos by Amanda Hamilton. It's a beginner's intro to YouTube, but it also highlights some interesting and unique uses for the site, from selling homes to keeping in touch with your family after a divorce. The article then links to 5 cool videos that I wouldn't have seen otherwise. Ironically, I first read the article in print, which made click-throughs a little difficult. But for you, since you're online already, here's the links!

Free Hugs in Portsmouth

Scuba Diving at the Isles of Shoals

2007 Portsmouth Fireworks

Water Slides at Water Country

(Shark) Fishing in Portsmouth

Dancin' in the Streets

And here's a bonus for you, my loyal readers... Our own YouTube video sensation: Herbert the Wonder Turtle! My girlfriend found this tiny newborn snapping turtle in a parking lot last year and we nursed him back to health and adopted him. This is his Internet video debut... Yet another use for this wonderful $1.65 billion technology!